Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 06/10/2016
1. Wages Not Paid Again
An offshore supply ship has been detained in Aberdeen for a second time because crew wages have not been paid. The "Malaviya Seven" was detained in June under merchant shipping regulations and finally released on 5 August. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the vessel was being held because of "non-payment of crew wages, expired Seafarers Employment Agreement and no account of seafarers’ wages". It will remain under detention until the issues are resolved, the MCA said.
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2. New Autonomous Ship Test Area
The Norwegian government has opened the worldâs first test area for drone ships in the latest sign that the industryâs move towards autonomous shipping is actually happening. The test area is located in the Trondheim fjord, a large fjord located on the west-central part of the country along the Norwegian Sea. The agreement designating the test area was signed last week by the Norwegian Maritime Authority and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. âWe do not yet know how widespread autonomy will be in future shipping, but for the Norwegian Maritime Authority, it is imperative to be a central participant in this development.â
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3. Drone Ships Coming
Technology is creeping into virtually every aspect of our daily lives. Rolls-Royce Marine predicts, âautonomous shipping is the future of the maritime industry. As disruptive as the smart phone, the smart ship will revolutionise the landscape of ship design and operation.â The first, obvious issue when considering an unmanned vessel is the fact that various maritime guidelines, statutes and legal regimes, recommend and/or set forth minimum manning requirements. The Principles of Safe Manning will have to be changed, as will the COLREGS requirement that every vessel must âat all times maintain a proper look-out".
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4. Protecting Hanjin Seafarers’ Jobs
South Koreaâs Maritime Minister Kim Young-suk has said the government will form a tripartite team along with labour and management to maintain employment of workers at cash-strapped Hanjin Shipping Co. amid a cargo chaos. âForming a task force would be the most practical way…to tackle the employment issue together with the government.â âOur sailors are very precious resources that hold global competitiveness,â Minister Kim said. âI will pay attention to every one of them.â Approximately 750 South Koreans who are on board 58 ships managed by Hanjin Shipping will be put on the waiting list for unassigned sailors.
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5. Typhoon Batters Asia
At least three people have been killed in South Korea by Typhoon Chaba, and a crew of seafarers had a narrow escape from the storm, which battered the south of the country. The port of Busan has remained closed for a second day as Chaba made its way east to Japan. A port official told Reuters the facility is expected to reopen later today. Six crew from a ferry berthed at Busan Port reportedly had to be saved after gigantic waves swept them off a jetty and into the sea. Operations have been suspended at some shipyards along the south coast, including at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineeringâs (DSME) yard.
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6. IMO Sulfur Cap Coming
The International Maritime Organization will likely set a global sulfur cap of 0.5% on bunker fuel from 2020, senior partner Adrian Tolson at 20|20 Marine Energy consultancy told S&P brokers. âIf itâs implemented in 2020, it will be more for political reasons than anything else as the world is moving to cleaner fuels,â he said. The IMOâs Marine Environment Protection Committee is due to meet later this month to decide whether to introduce a global sulfur cap from 2020 or from 2025. In the meantime, questions remain over whether there will be adequate supply of low sulfur fuel oil to meet demand, he said.
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7. Hanjin Ship in Anchor Collision
An anchored container ship belonging to beleaguered Hanjin Shipping made contact with another container ship in the eastern waters of Singapore last week, displacing 10 containers on board, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) confirmed. The incident involving "Hanjin New York" and Liberia-registered container ship "MSC Claudia" occurred at around 6pm last Friday. The Hanjin ship âdragged anchor" and contacted the bow of "MSC Claudia", the MPA said in a statement in response to queries. As a result, ten 40-foot length containers fell from Hanjin New York onto MSC Claudiaâs bow and one 40-foot container fell into the sea.
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8. Intercargo Praises Industry
INTERCARGO (The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners) held its Technical Committee meeting this week, and re-iterated its commitment to a safe, efficient, high quality and environmentally-friendly dry cargo shipping industry, and its support for an industry governed by free and fair competition. Main topics were the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention, the Safe Carriage of Cargoes, the availability of Reception Facilities for Hazardous to the Marine Environment cargo residues and cargo hold washing, Air Emissions / CO2, Design Standards of Bulk carriers and related equipment, and piracy.
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9. P&I on Libya
Following media reports stating that the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) is ending its declaration of force majeure at three of the countryâs long-closed oil terminals; Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina, Gard has received the following information from local correspondents on the current status of Libyan ports: Closed ports: Benghazi, Derna, Sirte – Working ports: Melittah, Zawia, Tripoli, Misurata, Marsa El Brega, Tobruk, Al Khoms, Marsa El Hariga. Farwah, Bouri, Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Zuetina. All working ports are considered safe for ships and crew. However, the security situation in the area may change.
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10. Ballast Water Management Arrives
Finland has ratified the International Convention for the Control and Management of Shipsâ Ballast Water and Sediments 2004 (the âConventionâ) on 8 September 2016, bringing the ratifications of registered Member to 35.14% of the worldâs gross tonnage, surpassing the 35% requirement. The Convention was adopted in 2004 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency responsible for developing global standards for ship safety and security and for the protection of the marine environment and the atmosphere from any harmful impacts of shipping.
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd â providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
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