1. Calls to free captain facing 20 years in Mexican prison on drug trafficking charges
Captain Andrzej Lasota has been languishing in one of Mexico’s maximum-security prisons facing drug trafficking charges for 14 months with no sign of a trial on the horizon. Colleagues have expressed doubts over the legitimacy of his arrest and claim that he is at the centre of a miscarriage of justice.
https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/calls-to-free-captain-facing-20-years-in-mexican-prison-on-drug-trafficking-charges/
2. Stranded Mauritius crew threaten hunger strike to get home
Mauritian crew stranded on three MSC Cruises passenger vessels, anchored off Brazil since March 2020, have threatened a hunger strike in protest at a seven-month-long delay to their repatriation.
https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/stranded-mauritius-crew-threaten-hunger-strike-to-get-home/
3. A Short List of Major Oil Spills from Ships
The Sri Lankan navy said on Tuesday an oil slick had been spotted a kilometre from a loaded supertanker carrying roughly 2 million barrels of oil that has been engulfed in intermittent fires since an explosion on Sept. 3. https://gcaptain.com/a-short-list-of-major-oil-spills-from-ships/
4. Panama: Before Grounding, Wakashio Deviated from Course to Pick Up Cell Signal for Birthday Celebration
According to the AMP and based on information that is available, the ship made a course change on July 25 prompted by a crew member’s birthday that would take the vessel within 5 miles of Mauritius, close enough to pick up cell phone and internet signals. https://gcaptain.com/panama-before-grounding-wakashio-deviated-from-course-to-pick-up-cell-signal-for-birthday-celebration/
5. New Diamond Towed Further Out to Sea
The Sri Lankan navy towed a stricken supertanker away from the Indian Ocean island’s east coast on Wednesday, while an Indian Coast Guard plane sprayed chemical dispersants on a long oil slick that trailed in its wake. https://gcaptain.com/new-diamond-towed-further-out-to-sea/
6. Cypriot shipping entrepreneur fights to clear his name from Beirut port blast
Charalambos Manoli, the Cypriot shipping entrepreneur, has hired a local communications consultancy to try and clear his name from links to the terrible Beirut port explosion. Multiple investigations have suggested Manoli was the owner of the Rhosus for its final voyage, carrying a cargo of explosive ammonium nitrate, and the ship’s subsequent abandonment in the Lebanese capital. https://splash247.com/cypriot-shipping-entrepreneur-fights-to-clear-his-name-from-beirut-port-blast/
7. Offshore specialist MODEC receives major IBM digitisation upgrade from SRO
MANCHESTER UK headquartered tech firm SRO Solutions has completed a major digitisation project for offshore giant MODEC at its operations in Ghana.The project, part of a series of high value digitisation upgrades SRO has completed for the business since 2018, has resulted in a more efficient and accurate inventory for MODEC in Ghana streamlining its onshore headquarters in Accra with its vessels the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah (KNK see attached picture) in the Jubilee Oil Field, and FPSO Professor John Evans Atta Mills (JAM) in the Tano Ennyera Ntomme (TEN) Oil Field. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/offshore-specialist-modec-receives-major-ibm-digitisation-upgrade-from-sro/
8. CMA CGM Enhances China India Express (CIX) Service
CMA CGM is pleased to announce that it will be enhancing its existing China India Express (CIX) service that connects Asia with the Indian subcontinent region.The CIX enhancement will see Xingang and Pusan being added as its ports of call, making CIX a comprehensive weekly service that links key ports in China and Korea to Colombo, Nhava Sheva and Pipavav. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/cma-cgm-enhances-china-india-express-cix-service/
9. V.Group Comment on Maersk Etienne Situation
The situation on board the Maersk Etienne calls for politicians and governments to take immediate responsibility. While it is great to see the Danish government working hard to ensure the safety of the 27 refugees picked up by Maersk Etienne it is with a mixture of disappointment and frustration that we witness the situation. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/v-group-comment-on-maersk-etienne-situation/
10. Russian customs rule may cost fuel oil exporters $1 billion a year
New tax regulations on shipments overseas may cost Russian exporters of fuel oil as much as $1 billion a year, Reuters calculations based on customs data show.
Moscow has been looking for ways to shore up state coffers, which have been hit by the coronavirus crisis and the oil and gas industry is seen as a central source of income, generating around a third of the budget revenues. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/russian-customs-rule-may-cost-fuel-oil-exporters-1-billion-a-year/
