1. Research vessel dispatched to rescue shipwrecked seamen on Gough Island
Sixty two seafarers – most of whom are South Africans – had a lucky escape after abandoning their Belize-flagged fishing vessel, Geo Searcher, in the South Atlantic about 2,500 km from Cape Town. The South African research vessel, Agulhas II, is on its way to Gough Island to rescue them. https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/research-vessel-dispatched-to-rescue-shipwrecked-seamen-on-gough-island/
2. Southeast Asia surpasses West Africa in piracy incidents
According to the latest quarterly report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Southeast Asia has recorded 51 piracy attacks year to date, surpassing the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) with 44 incidents. The IMB report shows a marked increase in attacks in Southeast Asia, compared with 35 piracy incidents for the same time period in 2019. https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/south-east-asia-surpasses-west-africa-in-piracy-incidents/
3. Satellite project underway to enhance ship navigation
The Earth’s magnetic field is weakening in hot spots around the globe, affecting navigation for ships. Projects are under way to improve our understanding of the issue and create more reliable navigation systems
https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/satellite-project-underway-to-enhance-ship-navigation/
4. Extended crew isolation negatively impacts mental health at sea
I have responded to more incidents of seafarers attacking their shipmates, more confirmed suicides, and more people missing overboard (suspected suicides) in 2020 than in any other year of my career. The number of such incidents we are seeing at Navigate Response has nearly doubled.
https://safetyatsea.net/news/2020/extended-crew-isolation-negatively-impacts-mental-health-at-sea/
5. IMO tech troubles continue as website goes down
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been fighting this morning to get its website back online with the portal of the United Nations agency suffering regular outages.
The IMO was hacked 17 days ago, which shut down much of the organisation’s IT systems for a 48-hour period. https://splash247.com/imo-tech-troubles-continue-as-website-goes-down/
6. CMA CGM and MSC join TradeLens as foundation carriers
“The addition of these two major global shipping leaders marks a crucial milestone for the industry, which until now has too often relied on paper-based trade and manual document handling that lead to increased costs and reduced business continuity,” Maersk stated in a release yesterday.
https://splash247.com/cma-cgm-and-msc-join-tradelens-as-foundation-carriers/
7. Banks will shun shipping post-Covid
For all the talk that shipping will escape 2020 as one of very few industries to have had an improved year financially, do not expect banks to fall back in love with our industry any time soon – they’re scarred from previous exposure to shipping and have far greater debt concerns to worry about. https://splash247.com/banks-will-shun-shipping-post-covid/
8. Baltic Index Posts Worst Week In 3 Months As Vessel Rates Fall
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index that tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities fell on Friday, registering its worst week in nearly three months, weighed down by weaker demand across vessel segments. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Baltic+index+posts+worst+week+in+3+months+as+vessel+rates+fall
9. LR Response To GMF Comments On Regional Regulation In Shipping
Lloyd’s Register [LR] is aware that there have been calls for greater regional regulation of the global shipping industry at this year’s virtual Global Maritime Forum [GMF] event. These statements were made in relation to the speed with which regulatory measures are being imposed to address the maritime industry’s decarbonisation challenges. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/LR+response+to+GMF+comments+on+regional+regulation+in+shipping
10. Hapag-Lloyd CEO Cautious Despite High Demand, Rates
Demand for ocean shipping is healthy again and freight rates are high, but Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen doesn’t want to “get carried away,” cautioning there still could be economic hits to come from the continuing coronavirus pandemic. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Hapag-Lloyd+CEO+cautious+despite+high+demand%2C+rates
