InterManager Daily News 09.08.2021.

1. Rotterdam starts vaccinating all seafarers
On Monday, 2 August, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the KVNR, Arbo Unie and VRC will start vaccinating all seafarers. For the time being, this is a trial in the Rotterdam region in which 10,000 Corona vaccines are available for all sea-going vessels over a period of 2 months https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/06/rotterdam-starts-vaccinating-all-seafarers/

2. OneLearn Global can help plug seafarer shortage
Ship managers and operators facing a potential seafarer shortage because of Covid-19 can increase their talent pipeline by outsourcing digital maritime training to a specialist. Nigel Cleave, Senior Advisor at OneLearn Global, the digital eLearning maritime training provider, said his company was available to help shipping companies train existing and develop new mariners amid the crew change crisis. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/05/onelearn-global-can-help-plug-seafarer-shortage/

3. ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook
HSFO380 supply has improved in Houston while its price maintains regional premiums, and truck driver strikes have limited outbound cargo in Argentina’s Bahia Blanca and Necochea this week. US fuel oil inventories were drawn last week, and averaged 7% lower in July than in June. The stocks fell through July despite a 44,000 b/d month-on-month increase in fuel oil output from refineries, and a 42,000 b/d drop in volumes supplied by refineries, blenders and bulk terminals. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/06/engine-americas-bunker-fuel-availability-outlook-2/
4. GAC signs up to Eyesea ocean health initiative
The GAC Group has announced its membership of the maritime pollution reporting and mapping initiative, Eyesea. With the support of the shipping and maritime industries, Eyesea uses a smartphone app with which users submit geotagged photographs to report hazards and pollution. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/06/gac-signs-up-to-eyesea-ocean-health-initiative/

5. MSC ‘shocked’ by shipper complaint, rejects carrier collusion claims
American furniture manufacturer MCS Industries has filed a $600,000 lawsuit with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) against Cosco and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, claiming that they have repeatedly contravened terms of the US Shipping Act. MCS said the carriers had “unjustly and unreasonably” exploited customers, and had colluded to manipulate the market. https://splash247.com/msc-shocked-by-shipper-complaint-rejects-carrier-collusion-claims/

6. Shell places 10 MR tankers in Signal Maritime pool
Shell Tankers is placing 10 medium-range product tankers in the Signal Maritime MR pool launched in May this year. Shell and Signal have also agreed to collaborate on carbon emissions reduction initiatives. The partnership comes after Shell became an early adopter of the Signal Ocean platform in product tankers. Signal said it is in talks about further expansion of the pool, following the initial launch with vessels from Astra Shipmanagement and Signal. https://splash247.com/shell-places-10-mr-tankers-in-signal-maritime-pool/

7. Egypt Finds Ancient Military Vessel, Greek Graves in Sunken City
Divers have discovered rare remains of a military vessel in the ancient sunken city of Thônis-Heracleion—once Egypt’s largest port on the Mediterranean—and a funerary complex illustrating the presence of Greek merchants, the country said on Monday. The city, which controlled the entrance to Egypt at the mouth of a western branch of the Nile, dominated the area for centuries before the foundation of Alexandria nearby by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/egypt-finds-ancient-military-vessel-greek-489710

8. Cyberattack or coincidence?
Although it is too early to say for sure that this was a coordinated cyber-attack. The chances of it happening on multiple vessels, in the same region, simultaneously and whilst the MV Asphalt Princess was being hijacked at the same time, coincidence seems extremely unlikely. Ships do suffer from loss of steering due to mechanical or electrical issues from time to time, but for it to happen on multiple vessels at the same time would be statistically almost impossible. https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/opinions-analysis/cyberattack-or-coincidence

9. Baltic Index Ends Week Lower On Capesize Dip
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, fell on Friday as lower rates for capesizes offset gains in the panamax segment. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, crept lower by 5 points, or about 0.2%, to 3,371.However, the main index was up 2.4% for the week, its third straight weekly gain. The capesize index dropped 55 points, or 1.2%, to 4,359. It was up 1.2% for the week, gaining for a third straight week. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Baltic+index+ends+week+lower+on+capesize+dip

10. Safely Expanding LNG Bunkering And Storage: A Step Towards Decarbonization In The Shipping Industry
RINA has been awarded a framework contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to support initiatives to increase the availability of LNG in the medium term with small scale bunkering and depots to expand the use of this fuel throughout the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. This important, strategic project is aimed at reducing environmental impact by making LNG more widely available for a variety of uses including ferries, cruise ships and tourist activities, as well as promoting LNG road supply chain. RINA will provide a flexible selection of services dealing with safety and feasibility to match project needs in different locations. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Safely+Expanding+LNG+Bunkering+and+Storage%3A+A+step+towards+decarbonization+in+the+shipping+industry