tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8315200599661388872024-03-13T10:03:48.002+00:00Felixstowe DockerTo keep Felixstowe Dockers and other Dockers around the world informed as to what is going on around us all.Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.comBlogger9103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-62668006094095192732023-04-14T16:29:00.000+01:002023-04-14T16:29:13.293+01:00WATCH: Truck driver drives off RORO before Mooring<p> </p>
<iframe width="800" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7gqQes5xIk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-45252532983534411612023-03-29T15:56:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:56:37.463+01:00Port of Felixstowe Deploys First Autonomous Trucks<div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"><img class="ContentPasted0" id="imageSelected0" width="728" height="445" style="width: 728.969px; height: 445px;" src="https://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/files/cache/e4c92cfa060a7750614267307f24c2c3_f3581.jpg"><br> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"><br> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof">In a ground-breaking move, Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe is believed to be the first port in Europe to introduce autonomous terminal tractor units (ATs) into mixed traffic container terminal operations. The first two battery-powered units to enter service at the UK's largest container port have been supplied by manufacturer Westwell.</span></div> <div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Commenting on the new equipment, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe, said:</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"These new autonomous trucks represent a significant technological step forward for the Port of Felixstowe. The tools underpinning port operations have evolved continuously and we already have a range of very advanced systems and equipment in place but this is the first time we will have wholly driverless vehicles.</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Safety is our No.1 priority. This applies equally to technological developments and especially when introducing new equipment into live terminal operations. The ATs have a range of built-in safety features which will allow them to navigate effectively and safely within our container terminals."</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The autonomous trucks use a digital map which is loaded to a fleet management system that controls the navigation around the port. The AT then combines that map with its on-board GPS navigation to track its real-time position.</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Project Director, and Hutchison Ports UK Chief Information Officer, Karen Poulter explained:</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The Port of Felixstowe has a long record of innovation and we are very excited by this latest development at the port. The ATs use LiDAR - a light sensing technology that creates a 3D map of an AT's surroundings using a laser and receiver, which, when combined with its on-board 360-degree cameras, provide real-time, all-round 'vision'. This enables it to 'see' everything instantaneously in its vicinity to allow safe and accurate navigation.</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"With the support of Extreme Precise Position (EPP) system, it can achieve positioning accuracy of 2 cm and a steering angle accuracy of 0.5 degrees."</span></div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> </div> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The ATs have been through a thorough commissioning and testing programme. They are to be used initially to transport containers between the port's Trinity and North Rail terminals.</span><br> </div> <div><br> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-10275373846242046952023-03-29T15:42:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:42:12.798+01:00Maersk in firing line as workers forced to file concerns in writing<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <img alt="Union representatives outside Maersk HQ" class="ContentPasted0" src="https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/sites/seatrade-maritime.com/files/styles/article_featured_standard/public/Maersk-Union-Protest-AGM.png?itok=QV4wSQ0I"><br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <div class="big-article__top" style="font-family: "Open Sans", Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div><span class="field field-name-field-penton-content-summary field-type-text-long field-label-hidden ContentPasted1" style="line-height: 29px; font-weight: 700; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Open Sans", Verdana, sans-serif !important; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Trade unions from Australia, the Netherlands and the US descended on Copenhagen yesterday to list issues of concern in writing at the Danish company's remote-only AGM.</span></div> <p class="author-and-date ContentPasted1" style="cursor: default; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 5px; color: rgb(88, 87, 87);"> <span><a href="https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/author/Paul-Bartlett" style="text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; color: rgb(5, 48, 97);" class="ContentPasted1" data-loopstyle="link">Paul Bartlett</a></span><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>| Mar 29, 2023</p> </div> <div class="article-content-wrap" style="font-family: "Open Sans", Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div class="article-content " style="display:inline-block;flex-direction:unset"> <div class="article-banner dfp-ad-hideempty" style="display:inline-block;float:right;margin:16px auto 0px 38px;order:9999"> <div data-dfp-position="inarticle1"> <div class="dfp-tags" data-size="300*250,300*600" data-adunit="/2441/seatrade-maritime.home/article/maritime_news/containers" data-name="article_300_1_rht_infinite" data-targeting="pos=300_1_rht|article_number=1|ptype=Article|nid=87970|pterm=containers|sterm=containers,port_services,management_crewing,crewing,europe|author=paul_bartlett|reg=anonymous" data-mapping="0*0=300*250|779*0=300*250,300*600" data-adsensecolor="background=|border=|link=|text=|url=" data-google-query-id="CNHom8ivgf4CFc1VpAQd3yUOHA"> <div style="border:0pt none"></div> </div> </div> </div> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> Union representatives travelled from afar to hand in complaints at Maersk's Copenhagen headquarters yesterday about treatment of workers by one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Maersk Group, which recently recorded a profit of $29 billion, said that it was unable to organise an in-person meeting because of an internal restructuring process.</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> According to a statement from the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), a federation of unions representing transport workers, Maersk was breaking its own values. The employees affected include seafarers, dockers, tug and towage workers, and logistics workers, according to the ITF. </p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> Grievances include Maersk's treatment of towage personnel by subsidiary Svitzer Australia whereby the company had attempted to cut pay rates by 47%; moves by Svitzer to engage subcontractors in Argentina, thereby undermining wages and conditions; the death at work of nine Maersk and<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>contractor personnel during 2022; and a refusal to engage in collective bargaining with unions.</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> A.P. Møller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc addressed the grievances during the AGM broadcast. Clerc characterised Svitzer's entry into the Argentine market as generating healthy competition, said Svitzer's four-year good faith negotiations in Australia were ongoing, and that he disagreed with the statement that Maersk was unwilling to enter negotiations with unions in the Netherlands.</p> <div class="article-banner dfp-ad-hideempty" style="display:inline-block;float:right;margin:16px auto 0px 38px;order:9999"> <div data-dfp-position="inarticle2"> <div class="dfp-tags" data-size="300*250,300*600" data-adunit="/2441/seatrade-maritime.home/article/maritime_news/containers" data-name="article_300_2_rht_infinite" data-targeting="pos=300_2_rht|article_number=1|ptype=Article|nid=87970|pterm=containers|sterm=containers,port_services,management_crewing,crewing,europe|author=paul_bartlett|reg=anonymous" data-mapping="0*0=300*250|779*0=300*250,300*600" data-adsensecolor="background=|border=|link=|text=|url=" data-google-query-id="CJ-62smvgf4CFXhMpAQdDB0FpA"> <div style="border:0pt none"></div> </div> </div> </div> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> Jacqueline Smith, the ITF's Maritime Co-ordinator, said that Maersk was breaking its own value by refusing to bargain collectively with unions and failing to uphold "this important human and labour right".</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> "We remain concerned that Maersk allows country managers like those running Svitzer Australia and Svitzer Argentina to make a mockery of Maersk's values," she said. "You can't have one set of values when you're marketing a brand as progressive on labour and climate change in Europe, and another set of values for how you really treat your workers on the other side of the world."</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> ITF Maersk Network Co-ordinator and maritime lead campaigner, Kulsoom Jafri, asked the question: "How is it that Svitzer, Maersk's tug and towage division, can negotiate a fair pay rise of more than 10% with its workers in the United Kingdom; yet, in Australia, they are trying to tear up the long-held collective agreement of its workforce altogether?</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> "With the future of the shipping sector uncertain; now more than ever," Jahri continued, "Maersk needs to be listening to the voice of labour when we raise concerns. The company has bought billions in assets, acquiring companies in industries where its managers have much less knowledge than the workforce.</p> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="ContentPasted1"> "We have come to Copenhagen this year, like every year, because the tens of thousands of Maersk employees speak for ourselves. And we demand consistency from AP Møller-Maersk." Jafri said.</p> <article class="copyright" style="display:block"> <div class="category-copyright-unit-block__body"> <p style="cursor: default; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 29px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> <br> </p> </div> </article></div> </div> </div> <div class="elementToProof"> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div id="Signature"> <div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-18917790968387224962023-03-29T15:28:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:28:47.744+01:0025 injured after research ship dislodged by storm in Scottish dry dock<div class="elementToProof ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <img class="ContentPasted1" height="336" id="imageSelected0" src="https://images-global.nhst.tech/image/anRMaXhEaTVCMW0rd0RycE0zMGQ0M0wzY2YxRU12Q2I3b3E5RzI0MTczUT0=/nhst/binary/5addf4686d75b2d408a1caa97bd35703" style="height: 336px; width: 673px;" width="673" /><br /> </div> <div class="elementToProof ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /> </div> <div class="elementToProof ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Footage shows the Petrel developed severe list in Leith on Wednesday </span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Twenty-five people have been injured after a research ship tipped over in a Scottish dry dock on Wednesday.<br /> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">High winds were blamed for the incident at Imperial Dock in Leith involving the 3,374-gt Petrel (built 2003).</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Footage showed the ship listing at 45 degrees.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fifteen of the injured were taken to hospital and another 10 were treated at the scene.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Scottish ambulance service sent five ambulances, an air ambulance, three trauma teams and other resources to the scene, the Guardian reported.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers and emergency service colleagues are responding to an incident at Imperial dock in Leith, Edinburgh, whereby a ship on dry dock has become dislodged from its holding."</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Police were called to attend at around 8.35am on Wednesday and officers remain at the scene. The public are asked to avoid the area to allow emergency service access."</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Adam McVey, a Leith councillor, said on Twitter: "Emergency services are responding to a major incident at Leith docks – a ship has been dislodged from its holding in strong winds. Terrifying for those on board, my thoughts are with those who've been injured and hope everyone recovers quickly."</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The UK coastguard was also in attendance.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Equasis database lists the vessel as laid up.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The research vessel was bought and outfitted by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the Guardian reported.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The operator is listed as Oceaneering International of the US.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div> <div class="ContentPasted0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Petrel has a clean port state control record.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br class="ContentPasted0" /> </span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Insurance cover is provided through the Steamship Mutual protection and indemnity club.<br /> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof"> <div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /> </div> <div id="Signature"> <div> <div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-33466506921827082942023-03-29T15:24:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:24:37.659+01:00Tanker Fire Off Portugal; No Risk of Pollution<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <img class="ContentPasted0" id="imageSelected0" width="810" height="608" style="width: 810.667px; height: 608px;" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Greta-K-Fire.jpg"><br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:bolder" class="ContentPasted1">Update:</strong><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>K-Ships has issued an statement reporting that the fire was limited to the engine room and funnel, and there is no pollution risk. "Despite this difficult situation, we are proud of both our crew and shore team for how they have been handling this pressing moment," the company said. K-Line's full statement is at the bottom of this article.</em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> A tanker carrying diesel and jet fuel is on fire in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Portugal.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> The Portuguese Navy is reporting that the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a distress call at approximately 3:30 PM Tuesday concerning a fire aboard the Malta-flagged tanker<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Greta K</em>. The vessel was situated about 1.5 miles off the coast, roughly 3 kilometers from Ingleses Beach in Foz do Douro, Portugal, the Navy said.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> The tanker has a crew of 19 Filipino nationals, some of whom have already evacuated. The Navy reports that a pilot from APDL is already on be onboard the vessel and was guiding it towards Leixões—one of Portugal's major seaports—when the fire started.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> The Ports Administration of Douro, Leixões, and Viana do Castelo (APDL) have dispatched three tugboats to assist in battling the blaze. In addition, the Captain of the Port of Douro and Leixões sent two boats from the Leixões Life Saving Station to aid in the firefighting efforts.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> At the time of reporting, the fire remained active.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> Twelve crew members have been safely evacuated by boats from the Life Saving Stations of Leixões, Póvoa de Varzim, and the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Leixões. The remaining seven crew members are still on board.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> The tanker is being towed to an offshore area for safety precautions.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> Its cargo consists of diesel and jet fuel, the Navy said.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> In anticipation of potential pollution, Portugal's Autoridade Marítima Nacional is preparing supplies and assembling pollution response teams. The Hydrographic Institute of the Navy is also closely monitoring the situation and ready to calculate drift patterns in case of a pollution event, the Navy said.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; display: block; padding: 5px; max-width: 100%; height: unset; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img alt="" width="337" height="512" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-674x1024.jpeg 674w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-300x455.jpeg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-82x125.jpeg 82w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-768x1166.jpeg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-1012x1536.jpeg 1012w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635.jpeg 1125w" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-674x1024.jpeg" data-sizes="(max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px" class="wp-image-179160 lazyloaded ContentPasted1" sizes="(max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-674x1024.jpeg 674w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-300x455.jpeg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-82x125.jpeg 82w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-768x1166.jpeg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-1012x1536.jpeg 1012w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635.jpeg 1125w" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:unset;max-width:100%;display:block;vertical-align:bottom;border-style:none;opacity:1;transition:opacity 400ms ease 0ms" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_8635-674x1024.jpeg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption ContentPasted1" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; line-height: 18px; font-weight: 300; padding-bottom: 5px; color: rgb(134, 134, 134);">AIS data from MarineTraffic.com</figcaption></figure> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> The<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Greta K</em><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>is an oil/chemical tanker that was built in 2016 and is sailing under the Maltese flag. The vessel has a cargo capacity by weight of 24,768 DWT.</p> <div class="ad-300x250 ad" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </div> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> AIS data from<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span><a href="https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/online-services/plans/fleet-ops?utm_source=mrkt-partners&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=gcaptain" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(192, 14, 27);" class="ContentPasted1" data-loopstyle="link">MarineTraffic.com</a><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>showed the<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Greta K's</em><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>status as "Not Under Command" as it moves away from the coast at a speed of 2.5 knots. It shows the ship was underway from Sines, Portugal to Leixões.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> Equassis data shows the<span class="ContentPasted1"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Greta K</em><span class="ContentPasted1"> </span>is managed by Italy-based K-SHIPS SRL and owned San Giorgio del Porto SPA.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted1"> K-Line Statement:</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">As disponent owners of MT Greta K (blt 2016), we, K-Ships, regrettably inform that the vessel on 21st March 2023 at 15:31 LT / 15:31 UTC has suffered a fire, in the Engine Room and Funnel, off the coast of Portugal. This occurred while the vessel was maneuvering for berthing operation at disport Leixoes.</em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">All activities were strictly and directly coordinated by K-Ships' shore team with Crew and Authorities. Additionally, there was prompt assistance provided by two tug boats involved in the maneuvering operation – 1 tug boat pulling the vessel away from the Port and the coast, while the other tug boat used to extinguish the fire.</em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">The crew, total of 19 members including the Master, acted promptly in accord to protocol and attempted to extinguish the fire in E/R, activating Co2 Fixed Plant. For Safety Reasons crew members proceeded to the Muster Station ready to evacuate the vessel. </em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">At the first instance, the majority of the Crew Members evacuated vessel by Search and Rescue </em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">The master and the remaining key Crew Members shifted onto one of the assisting tugboats in order to coordinate ongoing extinguishing activities</em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Fortunately, there is no risk of pollution. Despite what was stated by some websites and newscasts, the fire was limited to Engine Room and Funnel. The ship is a new building (2016) with Class notation "Green Star" – with full double hull double bottom: no cargo tank or bunker tank are in direct contact with Shell side. </em></p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted1">Despite this difficult situation, we are proud of both our crew and shore team for how they have been handling this pressing moment. </em></p> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div class="elementToProof"> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div id="Signature"> <div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-85323646570970665762023-03-29T15:05:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:06:48.025+01:00Aging Shadow Fleet Carrying Russian Oil Poses Disaster Risk<div class="elementToProof" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <img src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tag-reuters-7.jpg" /><br /> </div> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <br /> </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> By Asad Zulfiqar</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Mar 26, 2023(Bloomberg) –The oil tanker Turba normally should have been melted down by now. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The 26-year-old vessel hasn't had a full inspection since 2017, according to a database dedicated to promoting safe shipping. It also lacks industry standard insurance and sails under the flag of country with a poor standing for the oversight of maritime safety. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> But rather than being steered onto a beach in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan for dismantling, the 1997-built tanker is collecting heavy fuel at the Russian port of St. Petersburg. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The aftermath of European Union sanctions on Russia mean that the Turba has been enlisted into a vast<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/tag/russia-shadow-fleet/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">shadow fleet<span> </span></a>carrying Moscow's oil around the globe. Its continued operation is a stark reminder that Group of Seven sanctions on Moscow carry an environmental risk.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The big concern is that some older vessels — the global fleet is now the oldest in almost two decades — may not be properly inspected and maintained, leading to a catastrophic accident at sea. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Read Also:<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/shadow-tanker-fleet-raises-risk-of-accidents/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">'Shadow' Tanker Fleet Raises Risk of Accidents</a></p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> "They're an<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/russias-burning-of-excess-gas-is-an-environmental-disaster/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">environmental disaster</a><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>waiting to happen," said Lars Barstad, chief executive officer of the management unit of Frontline Plc, one of the largest owners of supertankers.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> In normal times, owners start to consider demolishing tankers when they're about 15 years old. By year 20, the ships' fate — to be sold for scrap — is usually sealed.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Right now, though, shipowners are squeezing a few more years out because there's money to be made. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The sanctions imposed Dec. 5 are forcing vessels to sail thousands of miles further, boosting demand and freight rates.</p> <h3 class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; text-align: left;"> Inspections</h3> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> At least 40 vessels hauling Russian oil to China and India between early December and early February lacked insurance from members of the International Group of P&I clubs or routine safety-management certificates, according to data from Equasis, the maritime safety database. Three, including the Turba, didn't have something called classification that would demonstrate how seaworthy they are.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The Turba brings up uncomfortable memories of one of the worst oil spills from a tanker in European history. The tanker<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/insurer-must-pay-spanish-claim-in-prestige-oil-spill-eu-court-says/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">Prestige</a><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>broke in half and leaked thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil onto the coast of Spain in November 2002. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Seabirds and fisheries were decimated, and beaches in Spain and Portugal were ruined. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The Turba is the same age as the Prestige was, and it just collected the same type of cargo from the same Russian port, according to data from Kpler, a shipping analytics firm. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Russia's Ministry of Transport, the nation's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, and Rosmorport, an entity that oversees port infrastructure, didn't respond to emailed requests for comment. Spain's merchant navy pointed out that it cannot control activity outside its territorial waters.</p> <h3 class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; text-align: left;"> Good Reasons</h3> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> There are sound reasons for scrapping tankers by the time they're 20. Often, it's about the cost of trying to keep them in service as safety and maintenance requirements become more onerous. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> But there is also the effect of years of pounding waves, saltwater corrosion and near-constant use that place a strain on hull integrity and propulsion systems.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Tankers normally receive<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/russian-roulette-baltic-ships/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">inspections</a><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>— known as special surveys — about every five years. By the fourth time around, the economics of continuing to trade diminish sharply. The surveys can cost $3 million to $4 million for big tankers, and they will then require an intermediate inspection about 2 1/2 years later. </p> <div class="ad-300x250 ad" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"> </div> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Port authorities also tend to scrutinize older ships more closely. The increased expenses, and the lack of customers, would — in normal times — encourage owners to sell them for scrap.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> "Everything needs looking at — steel, engine," said Halvor Ellefsen, a shipbroker at Fearnleys Shipbrokers UK Ltd. who's worked in the industry for almost four decades. "The older they are, the more they find."</p> <h3 class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; text-align: left;"> European Cutoff</h3> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The EU, for years the top buyer of Russian oil, banned almost all seaborne exports from its one-time trading partner and joined the G-7 in capping the price of Moscow's crude at $60 a barrel. It's still possible to<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://gcaptain.com/russia-sold-oil-far-above-price-cap-researchers-say/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;">transport Russian oil at prices above the threshold<span> </span></a>but not with Western services such as insurance, crewing, vessel classification, financing and transport. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The net effect has been an increase in long-distance deliveries to Russia's big remaining markets in Asia and the creation of a shadow fleet of tankers operating outside the sphere of G-7 companies.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The traders and shipping firms doing these deals often have opaque ownership structures.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Last year saw a surge in sales to unknown buyers, with 100-plus oil and fuel tankers changing hands. Over the same period, there also was a sharp decline in the number being scrapped, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the world's oldest shipbroker.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Some of the aging ships are transferring their hazardous cargoes on the high seas, often in international waters off Greece or the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in north Africa. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> "This is a huge environmental risk," said Adi Imsirovic, a veteran oil trader who's now director of the Surrey Clean Energy consultancy. "Tankers that should have been scrapped by now are doing loads of ship-to-ship transfers of millions of barrels of oil without proper insurance."</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The Turba recently transported Urals — Russia's flagship crude grade — to India and loaded heavy fuel oil in the port of St. Petersburg, according to Kpler. If it sails to Asia, it will involve navigating the Baltic Sea and passing several European coastlines.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The Aframax-class vessel's owner is Scoot Chartering Corp., which is registered in the Seychelles, according to IHS Maritime data compiled by Bloomberg. Its last class renewal survey was in 2017. Its class was withdrawn by Bureau Veritas in 2021, the Equasis database shows.</p> <h3 class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; text-align: left;"> High Risk</h3> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Half-a-dozen tanker brokers and owners said they didn't have a means to contact Scoot, which doesn't appear on a Seychelles corporate register.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The tanker flies the flag of Cameroon, one of a handful of blacklisted countries under something called the <a class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link" href="https://www.parismou.org/sites/default/files/Paris%20MoU%20WGB%20List%2007-2022--06-2023.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c00e1b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Paris MOU</a>, an international organization that promotes and coordinates safe shipping. It's the only blacklisted nation that also has a "high risk" designation.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Approval by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies — which the Turba lacks, according to Equasis — means an audited international body of surveyors will have checked a vessel to monitor that its hull is structurally sound, and its propulsion, steering and power systems are reliable and functional. </p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> The average age of the tanker fleet is now 12 years, according to data from Clarkson. Almost a third of vessels are older than 15, and the ranks of aging vessels is forecast to expand rapidly in coming years, said Svein Moxnes Harfjeld, CEO of DHT Holdings, an oil tanker company.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> Given the lack of clarity around ownership, it's likely the new operators don't have the same levels of experience and professionalism normally associated with the Russian fleet, Ben Luckock, co-head of oil trading at Trafigura Group, said at an FT Commodities Global Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, this week.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> "You've got a lot of 17-, 18- and 19-year-old boats transiting the Danish straits with the oil," he said. "We have changed the logistics skillset around Russian oil in a very short period."</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> –With assistance from Julian Lee, Alex Longley and Pius Lukong.</p> <p class="ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> © 2023 Bloomberg L.P.</p> </div><div class="elementToProof"><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></div><div id="Signature"><div><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-27491340754168383752023-03-29T15:03:00.001+01:002023-03-29T15:03:53.822+01:00Incorrect Crane Height Estimate Causes $2 Million in Damages to Bridge<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="elementToProof"> <div style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0 elementToProof"> <img id="imageSelected0" width="493" height="319" style="width: 493.849px; height: 319px;" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Houma-Twin-Span-Bridge-damage.jpg"><br> </div> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0 elementToProof"> A $2 million blunder was the result of an incorrect estimate of a crane's boom height, leading to a collision with the Houma Twin Span Bridge, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> On March 6, 2022, the towing vessel<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Robert Cenac</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>was pushing the crane barge<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Mr. Dawg</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>and another deck barge along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. As the convoy attempted to pass beneath the Houma Twin Span Bridge, the crane aboard<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Mr. Dawg</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>struck the bridge. The incident reduced eastbound vehicle traffic from two lanes to one for ten days, impacting nearly 30,000 vehicles per day.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> Thankfully, no injuries or pollution were reported.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; display: block; padding: 5px; max-width: 100%; height: unset; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img alt="" width="300" height="396" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge.png 600w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge-300x396.png 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge-95x125.png 95w" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge.png" data-sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" class="wp-image-179369 lazyloaded ContentPasted0" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge.png 600w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge-300x396.png 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge-95x125.png 95w" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:unset;max-width:100%;display:block;vertical-align:bottom;border-style:none;opacity:1;transition:opacity 400ms ease 0ms" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mr.-Dawg-crane-barge.png"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption ContentPasted0" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; line-height: 18px; font-weight: 300; padding-bottom: 5px; color: rgb(134, 134, 134);">Crane barge Mr. Dawg in operation. (Source: Houma Times)</figcaption></figure> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> Sealevel Construction had chartered the<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Robert Cenac</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>to tow the<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Mr. Dawg</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>and a deck barge from Houma to Clovelly, Louisiana. Despite repeated inquiries about the crane's height, Sealevel did not provide Al Cenac Towing with verified information.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> Due to the lack of verified information, the captain of the<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><em style="box-sizing:border-box" class="ContentPasted0">Robert Cenac</em><span class="ContentPasted0"> </span>estimated the crane boom height in darkness, leading to an incorrect air draft calculation. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the incident was the captain's incorrect estimate and decision to depart without receiving confirmed height details. The crane barge owner's failure to provide accurate air draft information also contributed to the accident.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> "Tow operators are required to know the air draft of their vessel and tows and should not make assumptions," the NTSB report said. "As the NTSB has recommended before, tow operators should have a detailed voyage plan with specific information concerning/about all known risks, including calculated overhead clearance limitations for tows. In this case, the captain should have waited to get underway until the exact air draft of the tow was established."</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> The NTSB previously recommended that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revise regulations regarding crane booms' placement and securing during transit. However, OSHA declined to amend the regulations.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> The report concluded that operators must have accurate and objective data before getting underway, especially in high-risk conditions. It urged owners and operators to develop voyage plans that assess operational risks, including air drafts relative to bridge clearances along their intended route.</p> <p style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="ContentPasted0"> <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2306.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(192, 14, 27);" class="ContentPasted0" data-loopstyle="link">Marine Investigation Report 23-06</a>? is available on the<span class="ContentPasted0"> </span><a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(192, 14, 27);" class="ContentPasted0">NTSB's website</a>.</p> <br> </div> <div class="elementToProof"> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div id="Signature"> <div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-52243228374920477912023-03-29T09:54:00.004+01:002023-03-29T09:54:22.024+01:0029 Dead as Maritime Migration From Tunisia Accelerates<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mkMeoHLscZfM8D3CuabAmlFgrQCwDnA8dYyht-xuKsRkN8bWuJvIdO6navrjsBGHb9v3jRXR2o4zN99WzL2EBCf4Ct4_w0qTIGDARZlmGF30Svg5lOEk7oG0CfGIXYaEli1uawVbB_2sureTlo3YyKFio69hAvCKeVvgiyTp-2bF4gXNx8IuLCzZ/s643/Louise-michel-rescue-vessel-2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="643" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mkMeoHLscZfM8D3CuabAmlFgrQCwDnA8dYyht-xuKsRkN8bWuJvIdO6navrjsBGHb9v3jRXR2o4zN99WzL2EBCf4Ct4_w0qTIGDARZlmGF30Svg5lOEk7oG0CfGIXYaEli1uawVbB_2sureTlo3YyKFio69hAvCKeVvgiyTp-2bF4gXNx8IuLCzZ/w491-h276/Louise-michel-rescue-vessel-2.webp" width="491" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase;">PUBLISHED MAR 27, 2023 9:30 PM BY</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="color-2 font-roboto" href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/author/marex" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span><div class="getsocial gs-reaction-button" data-url-id="uoWu" data-url="/article/29-dead-as-maritime-migration-from-tunisia-accelerates" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Migrant fatalities are on the rise again in the Central Mediterranean crossing zone, and the route is beginning to shift to the shores of Tunisia. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">On Sunday, the Tunisian coast guard reported that 29 migrants had died in two boat capsizings during an attempted crossing to Italy. The casualties added to another 76 missing or dead in recent days amidst a surge in departures towards Sicily. About 3,000 others were intercepted and halted. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Tunisia is in the midst of a serious financial and political crisis. Inflation has driven up the cost of living, and in the midst of the turmoil, migrants from Subsaharan Africa have reported forceful racial discrimination at the hands of the Tunisian government. In widely condemned remarks on Feb. 21, President Kais Saied said that the goal of northbound migration was to make Tunisia "a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations." His statements launched an official crackdown against migrants, resulting in detentions and displacement from housing and employment. The result has been a rush as thousands of persecuted migrants try to exit Tunisia for Italy, adding to Italy's already-high political tensions over arrivals. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani warned last week that "a thousand people a day will start arriving" if circumstances in Tunisia do not change. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">"If Europe doesn’t get moving and continues to leave us on our own, this summer there will be an invasion," warned Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. "The numbers are striking and with the season of fine weather, the problem can only get worse."</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">NGO vessel restrictions</em></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Amidst the growing wave of migration, Italy has begun to enforce new rules that reduce rescue vessel availability in the transit zone. On Sunday, the Italian Coast Guard seized an NGO-operated rescue boat, the MV <em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Louise Michel </em>(best known for its association with street artist Banksy). The crew of the <em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Louise Michel </em>had declined to follow the coast guard's orders to stop rescuing migrants and continued to aid additional boats without first returning to port, officials said, breaking Italy's new one-rescue-per-voyage limit. The vessel has been detained for 20 days. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">"The only aim of the decree law is the blockage of rescue ships, willingly taking into account the deaths of people on the move," wrote NGO Louise Michel in a social media update. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Libyan authorities have taken a stronger tack. On March 25, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat fired shots over the NGO rescue ship <em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Geo Barents</em> in international waters, driving off the ship and securing the right to detain a group of migrants in a rubber boat. The crew of the Libyan vessel also fired shots in the water next to the migrants. Both incidents were captured on video by NGOs and the footage was swiftly published. </p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-35070915219026130172023-03-29T09:40:00.001+01:002023-04-14T16:35:40.347+01:00Pacific Basin bulker was ordered out of port before losing power in storm<div class="elementToProof" style="background-color: white; color: black;"> <h1 class="fs-xxl fw-bold mb-4 article-title ff-sueca-bold ContentPasted0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-weight: 800; line-height: 3.6rem; margin-bottom: 1.8rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span class="elementToProof" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Pacific Basin bulker was ordered out of port before losing power in storm</span><br /> </h1> <div class="elementToProof" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="elementToProof" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img class="ContentPasted4" height="377" id="imageSelected0" src="https://images-global.nhst.tech/image/NjluTUhwM1JUYUNqZkxUdmpJalVkZ1Vja2FvQ1hTU3dlcVZadmlGSm9BMD0=/nhst/binary/95c873efe1f1f62589571d7f95bcd76a" style="height: 377px; width: 755px;" width="755" /><br /> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="elementToProof" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /> </span></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof" style="background-color: white; color: black;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="ContentPasted1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; display: inline; text-align: left;">Interim report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reveals the Portland Bay had to leave Port Kembla ahead of bad weather</span><br /> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof" style="background-color: white; color: black;"> <span class="ContentPasted1" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; display: inline; font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="elementToProof"> <div class="elementToProof" style="color: black;"> <p class="ContentPasted2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A Pacific Basin bulker that sparked a major emergency rescue operation off Australia last year had been ordered out of port in a storm, an accident report reveals.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The 28,000-dwt Portland Bay (built 2004) subsequently lost power at sea, causing authorities to scramble tugs in an effort to prevent the ship grounding.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The handysize vessel came within 1.8 km of the coast.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">An interim report published on Tuesday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) set out a timeline for the incident, ahead of full findings later on.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Hong Kong-flag ship was berthed at Port Kembla's outer harbour when, shortly before 11am on 3 July it was directed by the vessel traffic service to depart and head out to a safe distance from the coast, due to heavy winds and swells in the region.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Early the following morning, the ship was in bad weather off the coast when smoke from one of the main engine's auxiliary blowers activated fire detectors," ATSB said.</span></p> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; text-align: left;"> </div> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the crew stopped the blower, the master found that the engine rpm was unable to go above dead slow ahead (about 42rpm), irrespective of the requested engine setting for higher loads, the report added.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The captain then notified the ship's managers of the situation as a "main engine failure".</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">ATSB director of transport safety Stuart Macleod said: "After one tug arrived from Sydney and struggled to assist, with tow lines parting on multiple occasions, another two tugs arrived later in the day as the ship drifted closer to the coastline."</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Portland Bay's master deployed both anchors to anchor the ship later that evening.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A fourth, larger tug with greater towing capabilities arrived from Newcastle on 5 July. It was able to work with the other tugs to tow the Portland Bay to berth in Port Botany the following day.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"As the investigation continues, we will review the ship's activities and movements in relation to calling at Port Kembla and conduct further analysis of data from the voyage recorder to verify key event times," Macleod added.</span></p> <p class="ContentPasted3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The investigation will also review and assess the ship's main engine maintenance and performance, including auxiliary blower operation.</span></p> <br /> </div> <div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></div><div id="Signature"><div><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /> </div> </div> </div> </div> Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-87621089288577925752023-03-29T09:34:00.001+01:002023-03-29T09:34:03.318+01:00Seafarer loses leg in accident on Zim container ship in Argentina<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnfE4EmA_yEA3lxVIfHYN-nB1bwDEOPbB3ChaYqTbLBpszq09yJMVaPh4EYKe4PR0KSAke-0UMUH5jVRVFl7V_Z1n23Sf7lFIgl-mXEdOyjzhzB2sguRkV1dBhND5DNQE9mOW9jMyOl6SEkeGL95A_jQ6vb5nBUhNjLyAcOS3q3o0iQOfqphcY_C_J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnfE4EmA_yEA3lxVIfHYN-nB1bwDEOPbB3ChaYqTbLBpszq09yJMVaPh4EYKe4PR0KSAke-0UMUH5jVRVFl7V_Z1n23Sf7lFIgl-mXEdOyjzhzB2sguRkV1dBhND5DNQE9mOW9jMyOl6SEkeGL95A_jQ6vb5nBUhNjLyAcOS3q3o0iQOfqphcY_C_J=w493-h247" width="493" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529;"><b>22-year-old crew member evacuated from Zim Norfolk in Buenos Aires port</b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529;"><br /></span>A crewman has lost a leg following an accident on a Zim boxship off Argentina.<br />The country’s maritime authority said it was alerted to an emergency situation on the 9,115-teu Zim Norfolk (built 2017) on the evening of 27 March.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />The vessel was in the Huergo channel as it left the port of Buenos Aires at the time of the incident.<br />The 22-year-old Filipino seafarer was airlifted from the Liberia-flag vessel on a helicopter.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Prefectura Naval Argentina said it was told in a phone call with the ship that the crewman had lost his left in an unspecified accident.<br />After a radio consultation, a doctor ordered the man to be taken to hospital immediately.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />The country’s coast guard provided logistical support for the evacuation.<br />Further details of what took place on board the vessel are not yet known.<br />The seafarer was winched aboard the chopper before being taken to the Dr Juan A Fernandez Acute General Hospital.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />The vessel moved to the La Plata anchorage after the incident.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Sueca, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 15px;"></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-60001581184331802852023-03-29T09:24:00.002+01:002023-03-29T09:24:43.574+01:00Himalaya Shipping Launches $45M IPO on the NYSE<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase;">PUBLISHED MAR 28, 2023 10:04 PM BY</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #104d94; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="color-2 font-roboto" href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/author/marex" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE</a></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><div class="getsocial gs-reaction-button" data-url-id="mJDu" data-url="/article/himalaya-shipping-launches-45m-ipo-on-the-nyse" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrAMHujVsASXYlT-C2EwASVJQ3Z8p-zGCqew3DdQlTg1DDBEEGBQo9cPDl_P_WTAHnlJ9b7bmbsLNpDgxZBINRt1cM4sB6ssm10O6vGvFDPl6nGbBQ0hAEaklDhi_GT3zySyQ_eCVfaoAxQsTpGx_FYZ3Bik_Q1zCx5T3co_bsJznSIYPGO_vrBpb_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="643" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrAMHujVsASXYlT-C2EwASVJQ3Z8p-zGCqew3DdQlTg1DDBEEGBQo9cPDl_P_WTAHnlJ9b7bmbsLNpDgxZBINRt1cM4sB6ssm10O6vGvFDPl6nGbBQ0hAEaklDhi_GT3zySyQ_eCVfaoAxQsTpGx_FYZ3Bik_Q1zCx5T3co_bsJznSIYPGO_vrBpb_=w468-h264" width="468" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Himalaya Shipping, the operator of HFO-LNG dual-fuel bulkers, has announced the launch of a $45 million IPO on the NYSE. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">The underwriters of the sale will have the option to buy another $6.7 million worth of shares at the IPO price to cover overallotments. The proceeds will go towards paying for the 10 vessels it has on order, among other purposes. DNB Markets leads the underwriting team, along with Clarksons Securities.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">The IPO will be priced at about the same level as Himalaya's shares on the Euronext Expand exchange in Oslo. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Himalaya has two Newcastlemax bulkers in operation and 10 more on order, all with New Times Shipbuilding in China. The company plans to deliver the major bulk commodities from Australia and Brazil to the Chinese market, including iron ore, coal, and bauxite.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">The firm's vessels carry giant LNG fuel tanks in cradles on either side of the deck house, each labeled "LNG" in green characters. The tanks straddle an extra-large stack, reflecting an innovative feature: these ships combine both an LNG fuel system and an exhaust gas scrubber. The scrubber is unnecessary for an LNG-powered voyage, but it allows these ships to legally operate on heavy fuel oil, the industry's least-cost energy source. The installation acknowledges the reality of LNG dual-fuel power today: when LNG prices spike, LNG-fueled oceangoing ships switch to fuel oil, and HFO is the most affordable fuel oil grade. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">At the time of contract signing for the scrubber order in August 2022, Himalaya predicted that the scrubber installation would save $7,500 per day when sailing, and would see enough use to pay for itself in 1.5 years. </p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-14015476967914482812020-11-21T11:51:00.003+00:002020-11-21T11:51:22.314+00:00Trouble at Port of Felixstowe leaves UK bookseller with no books<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbjQEu-vIitjPHmRk2_Eh5oKqlv4t-2NZFWk2JvcdSZwPlR3v-EpblqfnX9b7XMYhOpyg6q98JuhZNCcHxJZz6w4pV7VTdlTG7zb-fD8vaKzR-mjaj0Jc1-D3bHLaQ4xUHq38HD2MHmI/s680/dreamstime_s_145459802-680x0-c-default.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="680" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbjQEu-vIitjPHmRk2_Eh5oKqlv4t-2NZFWk2JvcdSZwPlR3v-EpblqfnX9b7XMYhOpyg6q98JuhZNCcHxJZz6w4pV7VTdlTG7zb-fD8vaKzR-mjaj0Jc1-D3bHLaQ4xUHq38HD2MHmI/w640-h328/dreamstime_s_145459802-680x0-c-default.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>A UK book publisher says congestion at Felixstowe Port has left it with no books to sell in the lead up to Christmas.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Colin Hoad and Matt Green run a publishing company, Idesine, which has 4,000 books stuck on a ship that has been trying to dock since 31 October.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">They are one of many businesses encountering problems importing goods.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Importers say congestion issues at UK ports have led to shipping firms quadrupling their freight costs.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"People are contacting us saying they've paid for books on pre-order as gifts, and we ultimately can't guarantee delivery," Mr Hoad said.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Delays at Felixstowe have been caused by a surge in import traffic as companies increased orders after the initial lockdown and some looked to stockpile goods before the end of the Brexit transition period.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The pandemic has made matters worse as large orders of PPE added to the backlog of containers on the quayside.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The port's owner, Hutchison UK, has said it is in the process of recruiting an additional 104 equipment drivers plus a number of engineers to help solve the problem.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">But congestion at England's ports is now so bad, some shipping firms have limited the amount of cargo they will bring to the UK.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">One of the world's biggest shipping lines, CMA CGM, told the BBC it was allocating less space on its fleet for UK imports for the time being.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"UK ports are currently experiencing yard and port congestion mostly in Felixstowe, and in London Gateway and Southampton to a lesser extent," said a spokeswoman for CMA CGM Group.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"We are controlling import volumes while maximising empty container evacuation wherever possible."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Empty containers waiting to be shipped back to Asia are causing traffic jams at ports across Europe and North America. That could have knock-on effects for companies' Christmas orders, said Peter Wilson, managing director of the UK freight forwarder Cory Brothers.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"We are already seeing that goods due by Christmas… are very unlikely to arrive because they're in their origin ports, waiting for containers," he said.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Causing even further headaches for importers, shipping companies have sharply increased freight prices in response to the congestion at UK ports - some by as much as 300%.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"What the lines are trying to do is to dissuade people sending stuff to the UK," said Alan Joseph, operations director of The Cotswold Company, which imports some of its wooden furniture from Asia.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">This week, a freight company quoted a price of $8,000 to transport a 40ft container from Asia to the UK.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"At the end of September, market rates were less than a quarter of that, at $1,700 per unit," Mr Joseph said.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Furniture seller Alan Joseph has seen shipping costs quadruple in recent weeks</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">He added that while individual businesses will negotiate unique import costs based on the volume of goods they want to move, at the moment, prices are increasing across the board. And there are few alternatives for businesses whose goods are manufactured overseas.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Airlines are not moving as much cargo because there are fewer passenger flights. The railway from China to Germany is now quoting rates in excess of $10,000 per container - which is not much of an option."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">He said two other shipping firms are now refusing bookings for importing refrigerated containers to the UK.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"It's a worrying sign that big shipping lines are drastically reducing UK volumes because so much of the imports in the UK arrive through our ports, and if there's less coming there are less supplies of everything that gets imported."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Importing stock is also becoming increasingly difficult for Joe Burgwin, who is head of supply chain at the garden furniture firm Supremo Leisure, based in Telford. The business has been booming recently as the virus led to people spending more on their outdoor spaces.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Joe Burgwin says his freight costs have more than doubled.</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Previously for us, shipping cost $1,400-$1,500 tops per 40ft unit, which was manageable," he said.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Now in negotiations with freight companies, prices have more than doubled and there are fears it could move even higher. We're predicting this to last until at least January, which makes business planning pretty challenging."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">'Incredibly frustrating'</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The ship carrying books belonging to publisher Idesine was originally supposed to dock at Felixstowe at the end of October, but the port was too busy so it was diverted to Europe.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Since Saturday, the ship has been moored outside Felixstowe waiting for a berthing slot.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">After launching the company in June, Matt Green now has 2,500 pre-paid orders waiting to be delivered.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"It's incredibly frustrating that we can't get the book into our customers' hands," he said. "We just hope that we can do it before Christmas."</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Congestion at Felixstowe Port could last into the new year</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Shipping analysts say ports across the world are battling to manage the surging demand for imports, and Felixstowe has struggled to cope.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"At the moment, the port has become a bottleneck because other elements of the supply chain have got out of balance," said Eleanor Hadland, a ports analyst at the maritime consultancy Drewry.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">She said getting a berthing slot at Felixstowe "is like trying to get a Tesco delivery in the beginning of lockdown".</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Partly that's because of Covid, partly Brexit preparation and a lot of external factors which have resulted in ports reporting congestion. But Felixstowe could have dealt better with these external challenges," she said.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f42; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hutchison UK has warned congestion at Felixstowe Port could continue into the new year.</span></span></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-64488037459040523412020-11-21T11:34:00.005+00:002020-11-21T11:34:46.041+00:00Video: World's First Night-time Drone Delivery From Shore to Ship<p> </p><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 20px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></h3><figure class="image" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: none; padding: 0px; width: 585px;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="340" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS9525BW65E" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: none; padding: 0px;" width="600"></iframe> <br /></figure><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><div class="getsocial gs-reaction-button" data-url-id="emvq" data-url="/article/f-drones-completes-world-s-first-nighttime-drone-delivery-to-a-ship" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Singaporean maritime drone company F-drones has completed what it believes to be the first commercial drone delivery at night. The company flew a package out to the bulker Berge Sarstein, owned by Berge Bulk, marking a new milestone for drone operations at the Port of Singapore.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">In the test, F-drones' unit carried a 3D-printed part weighing three kilos out to the Berge Sarstein at her anchorage. The flying distance was about three nautical miles, and the drone completed the flight in just seven minutes. The payload was the world’s first 3D-printed, CE-certified lifting tool (a <a href="https://markforged.com/resources/blog/wartsila-3d-printed-lifting-tool" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">tripod-shaped jig</a> for lifting engine pistons), which was designed and printed by engine manufacturer Wartsila. It was delivered in partnership with Wilhelmsen Group. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Globally, commercial drone deliveries are limited to daylight hours due to the technical and operational challenges of night operations. As ports around the world operate round the clock, the capability for night flights would allow drone operators to compete with small-boat operators for vessel delivery services day and night. F-drones suggests that this would improve safety (by reducing pilot ladder operations) and speed up the delivery of critical parts and supplies. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">F-drones is also conducting autonomous test flights of its own new in-house drone design, which is built to handle deliveries of five-kilo loads - the largest payload in its class - over a distance of 25 nm. The company says that it has completed more than 100 autonomous flights with the new drone system since the start of the year. With a top speed of nearly 80 knots, the new unit is designed for rapid deliveries. Commercial launch is scheduled for 2021. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">“Traditional means of transport are expensive, slow, labor and carbon intensive. F-drones’ solutions aid the maritime industry to reduce 80 percent of the costs, time and CO2 emissions. Besides being efficient, delivery drones can also reduce unnecessary human contact amid the COVID-19 pandemic," said Nicolas Ang, the company's co-founder.</p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-85310961277618941652020-10-14T18:24:00.004+01:002020-10-14T18:24:33.962+01:00Boris Johnson’s Offshore Wind Plan Will Require $58 Billion from Industry<p><br /></p><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-122394" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_122394" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 800px;"><img alt="Dudgeon offshore wind farm" class="size-large wp-image-122394 lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="122394" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Dudgeon wind farm" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-800x450.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-300x169.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1.jpg" data-orig-size="1024,576" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/dudgeon-offshore-wind-farm-powers-up-in-the-uk/image-42/" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-800x450.jpg" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1.jpg 1024w" height="450" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-800x450.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/image-1.jpg 1024w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-122394" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">A view of Equinor’s Dudgeon offshore wind farm off North Norfolk, England. Photo: Equinor</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">By William Mathis (Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson’s plan to quadruple the size of the U.K. offshore wind industry will require $58 billion of investment and careful management of what’s a tricky building process in some of the world’s roughest waters.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The prime minister is targeting turbines with the capacity to produce 40 gigawatts of electricity by 2030, up from more than 10 gigawatts now. That would speed the nation’s shift away from fossil fuels and help it meet a goal of zeroing out carbon pollution by the middle of the century.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The difficulty is managing so many large infrastructure projects at once. Turbines these days are massive, with blades as big as a jumbo jet’s wingspan. They require highly specialized ships with giant cranes to do the installation, and developers compete to hire the few vessels that can do that work. The money needed to build all those facilities will require steady government policies that ensure the likes of Orsted A/S and Vestas Wind Systems A/S get paid regardless of political change.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“It’s hard, but it’s possible,” said Tom Harries, offshore wind analyst at BloombergNEF.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">More Offshore</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The goal Johnson set out in his speech to the ruling Conservative Party’s annual conference also would maintain the lead the U.K. built in offshore wind over Denmark and Germany. The government is keen to highlight that position as the U.K. separates from the European Union and prepares to host the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow next year.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Johnson’s remarks amount to a statement of political intent, a reassurance for industries that policies on whose power feeds into the grid will be tilted in favor of renewables and especially offshore wind power. Just seven years ago, Johnson was skeptical of wind power and favored nuclear energy. Since then, the price of atomic plants has surged while the cost of turbines that work offshore plunged. That forced a rethink within government, which increasinly favors wind as a primary source of clean energy.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Price Plummet</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Reassurance is crucial for wind developers. Unlike the oil companies, where drillers probe for for reservoirs and then worry later about how to sell it, wind developers generally leave investment decisions until after they’ve pinned down contracts setting a price for the electricity they will produce.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Words alone don’t guarantee that such a massive building project is delivered on time. The turbines needed to supply 40 gigawatts of power may cover an area of the sea close to 9,500 square kilometers, six times the size of greater London, according to BNEF.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Britain increasingly is competing for the resources to build offshore wind farms. As the industry spreads to new markets, the limited fleet of these specialized vessels and cranes large enough to lift massive turbines is spread thin. A delay in one project or a storm that delays a voyage from one project to the next could create a domino effect of delays.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">There’s also the issue of the electric grid. Conventional power plants were built relatively close to population centers in the southern part of England. Wind farms off the east coast and in Scotland are much farther away and will require millions in new spending to improve the network.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“There’s not enough capacity in the grid near the coast to enable that much wind capacity,” said Simon Cox, offshore wind business manager at consultant DNV GL. “There’s going to need to be significant investment.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The grid could also cause issues with keeping projects on time. To get the power to land, offshore developers have to dig up the coast line to install cables and other infrastructure to link with the grid. Residents of England’s coastal communities are starting to complain about all the disturbance. Those issues and others from the fishing industry and environmental groups could delay permitting processes to push projects to completion after the 2030 target.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The U.K.’s network operator National Grid Plc is currently consulting on a plan to link wind parks together to cut down on the industry’s impact on the countryside. It could save billions of dollars in the coming decades, but likely won’t be in place for projects that will be built this decade.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Green Jobs</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Johnson doesn’t simply want to build up electric capacity, he wants to create jobs. Offshore wind already employs about 11,000 people, according to the industry group Renewable U.K. That’s set to rise to 27,000 full time jobs by 2030.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Still, the U.K. has lagged in offshore wind manufacturing. While it leads on capacity, it remains behind Spain, Denmark and Germany among European manufacturers of offshore wind turbine components. The massive steel foundations and platforms known as jackets for the turbines are made abroad in bigger ports.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“At the moment we can do blades, we can do cables, we can do some steel works, but we can’t do much else,” said Gary Bills, regional director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at energy consultants K2 Management. “We’re going to be the world’s leading industry with very little capability in house.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">© 2020 Bloomberg L.P.</em></p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-77520992843148128012020-10-14T18:23:00.002+01:002020-10-14T18:23:08.507+01:00Virus Outbreak Halts Shipbuilding at Norwegian Yard<p><br /></p><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143091" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_143091" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 800px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-143091 lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="143091" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="havyard_" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-800x448.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-300x168.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_.jpg" data-orig-size="1160,650" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/virus-outbreak-halts-shipbuilding-at-norwegian-yard/havyard_/" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-800x448.jpg" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-800x448.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-300x168.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-768x430.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-750x420.jpg 750w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_.jpg 1160w" height="448" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-800x448.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-800x448.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-300x168.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-768x430.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_-750x420.jpg 750w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/havyard_.jpg 1160w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-143091" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">The New Hayard Ship Technology shipyard in Leirvik, Norway. Photo: Havyard Group</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Officials have extended the temporary closure of the Havyard shipyard in Leirvik, Norway until at least October 19 after more workers tested positive for COVID-19.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">All shipyard activities were originally closed on September 30 after four people tested positive for the virus. On October 2, Havyard said 17 people had been diagnosed with the virus out of 200 tested.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">As of today, the number of cases has now jumped to 75 with 495 tested, according to Havyard.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“In order to prevent further spreading of the virus and to gain control of the situation, Hyllestad municipality has today, pursuant to the Infection Control Act, decided to keep the yard business further closed until 19 October 2020. Such a decision may be extended until it is deemed safe to reopen the production,” Havyard said in a statement.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The shipyard in Leirvik , Norway belongs to New Havyard Ship Technology AS, a subsidiary of Havyard Group ASA. According to the company’s website, the shipyard completes around four to six new builds per year and employs 400 to 500 employees and subcontractors.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Havyard’s current backlog stands at six vessels, including three live fish carriers and three wind farm service operations vessels (SOVs), according to its website.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Today’s update said it is “foreseeable” that the extended shutdown will now likely lead to delayed deliveries, and any delay will depend on the extent of the shutdown and what measures that can be implemented to make up for the lost production time.</p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-19019287308472146942020-10-14T18:22:00.002+01:002020-10-14T18:22:15.728+01:00Cargo Ship Breaks Tow, Grounds in Vietnam<p> </p><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143110" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_143110" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 670px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-143110 lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="143110" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="JAKARTA_groundd" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd-300x179.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg" data-orig-size="670,400" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/cargo-ship-breaks-tow-grounds-in-vietnam/jakarta_groundd/" data-sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg 670w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd-300x179.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd-207x125.jpg 207w" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd.jpg 670w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd-300x179.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JAKARTA_groundd-207x125.jpg 207w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="670" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-143110" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Photo shows a severe hog in the ship’s hull.</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">An end-of-life cargo ship under tow to breakers lost its tow and become grounded along the east coast of Vietnam.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The owners of the MV Jakarta, NKD Maritime Limited, said the vessel went aground on October 10 during very heavy weather and sea conditions.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The vessel was under tow at the time and is not carrying any cargo or fuel. It was also unmanned at the time.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">NKD Maritime is a UK-based cash buyer of end of life ships for dismantling in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Reports indicate that the Jakartar was under tow to Alang at the time of the incident.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Images of the vessel aground show a severe hog in the ship’s hull with a large crack amidships indicating that the vessel is at risk of breaking in half.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The MV Jakarta, built in 2002, was formerly the CMA CGM Jakarta.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">All crew from the towing vessel are safe and accounted for, NKD Maritime said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“NKD Maritime would like to thank all those assisting to resolve this situation in a safe manner,” the company said.</p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-37195448698510039682020-10-14T18:20:00.010+01:002020-10-14T18:20:57.399+01:00US Navy’s New ‘Affordable’ $1.2 Billion Ship<p><br /></p><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143183" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_143183" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto 24px; max-width: 100%; width: 800px;"><img alt="Navy Broken Fleet Zumwalt LCS" class="size-large wp-image-143183 lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="143183" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Navy Broken Fleet Zumwalt LCS" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-800x532.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-300x200.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1.jpg" data-orig-size="1400,931" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/navy-affordable-billion-dollar-frigate/1400x-1-4/" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-800x532.jpg" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-188x125.jpg 188w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-800x532.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-188x125.jpg 188w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1400x-1.jpg 1400w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-143183" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Albatross’s of the US Navy: The $8B+ USS Zumwalt sails alongside a littoral combat ship (LCS). Both classes of vessels have failed to meet US Navy expectations. Photographer: Navy Media Content Service</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">The successor to the $30b troubled littoral ship project was billed as affordable but the Congressional Budget Office projects $12.3 billion for just 10 new frigates.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">The Navy also warned CBO there’s a 50% chance the first two ships would exceed their cost estimates</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">By Anthony Capaccio (Bloomberg) The first 10 vessels in the Navy’s new frigate program may cost $12.3 billion, or 40% more than the service calculated, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a new sign of looming trouble for plans to expand the U.S. fleet.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143184" class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_143184" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin: 0px 24px 24px 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 207px;"><a href="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering.jpg" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #469bd1; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s;"><img alt="US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering" class="wp-image-143184 size-thumbnail lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="143184" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-800x450.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-300x169.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,810" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/navy-affordable-billion-dollar-frigate/us-navy-constellation-class-frigate-rendering/" data-sizes="(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-207x116.jpg" data-srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-300x169.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-800x450.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-768x432.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-360x200.jpg 360w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-750x420.jpg 750w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering.jpg 1440w" height="116" sizes="(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-207x116.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-207x116.jpg 207w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-300x169.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-800x450.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-768x432.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-360x200.jpg 360w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering-750x420.jpg 750w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/US-Navy-Constellation-class-frigate-rendering.jpg 1440w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="207" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-143184" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">An artist rendering of the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Constellation-class guided-missile frigate. U.S. Navy graphic.</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The assessment released late Tuesday projects the frigates will cost an average of $1.2 billion apiece in inflation-adjusted dollars in contrast to the Navy’s estimate of $870 million each. It’s an early setback for a ship billed as a more versatile and better-armed replacement for the troubled Littoral Combat Ship, a $30B program that was truncated because of mechanical flaws, light armament and vulnerability to attack.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The Navy is counting on an affordable frigate as a key component in its effort to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of 355 deployable ships by 2035, up from about 299 today. Defense Secretary Mark Esper set out an even more ambitious goal last week of a 500-ship Navy by 2045 that would include unmanned vessels of unknown weight, capabilities and cost.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“If the Navy’s procurement cost estimates” for the frigate “prove accurate, the ship would be, by far, the least expensive surface combatant that the Navy has bought since 1970 — measured in cost-per-thousand tons of displacement,” the budget office said. “That would apply to both the lead ship and the average cost of the first 10 ships.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Its fiscal 2021 cost estimates for the second through 10th frigates “are at the very low end of the range” established at the outset of a competition that was won by Fincantieri SpA in April, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Navy also told CBO there’s a 50% chance the first two ships would exceed their cost estimates and a 60% chance the third through 10th ships would as well.</p><h3 id="littoral-ships" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Littoral Ships</h3><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Esper’s vision calls for a fleet of 60 to 70 “small surface combatants” that includes the frigates — which will be equipped with guided missiles — and Littoral Combat Ships, a quantity the Congressional Research Service said implies buying more than the 20 frigates currently planned.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Despite the decision to cut short the Littoral Combat Ship program, the Navy still has 35 on contract, with 19 delivered as of March. The LCS is built in two versions: One by Trieste, Italy-based Fincantieri in a joint venture with Lockheed Martin Corp. based in Bethesda, Maryland, and the other by Henderson, Australia-based Austal Ltd.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">CBO compared the frigate’s estimated cost with ships of similar tonnage and examined arguments supporting the Navy’s estimate, such as Fincantieri’s long experience building small surface combatants vessels including, in this case, a design that’s been in production for years for the French and Italian navies.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">It also looked at elements that “suggest the Navy’s estimate is too low,” such as the service’s star-crossed history in which “costs of all surface combatants since 1970, as measured per-thousand-tons, were higher” than initial estimates.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“Historically the Navy has almost always underestimated the cost of the lead ship, and a more expensive lead ship generally results in higher costs for the follow-on ships,” the budget <span id="081b7d9e-0dad-11eb-b169-308d99725830" style="box-sizing: border-box;">analysts said</span>.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The report cited the cost growth over initial estimates for the lead ship in other Navy programs, from 155% for one version of the Littoral Combat Ship, 84% on the San Antonio-class amphibious warfare vessel, 44% for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer and 25% on the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the costliest warship ever.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Compared with the design on which it’s based, the frigate “will be more densely built and will have somewhat more complex weapon systems,” CBO said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;"> </p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-20828334952128724712020-10-14T18:19:00.000+01:002020-10-14T18:19:02.517+01:00Here’s One Way To Avoid COVID19 – Set Your Ship Adrift In Arctic Ice<header class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><img alt="Research Vessel Polarstern Return" class="size-large wp-image-143203 ls-is-cached lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="143203" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="<p>https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press/press-release/the-grand-finale-to-the-expedition-of-a-century.html</p>
" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Research Vessel Polarstern" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-800x533.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-300x200.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3.jpg" data-orig-size="980,653" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/ship-adrift-in-arctic-ice/csm_20201012_mosaicwelcome_annikameyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3/" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-800x533.jpg" height="427" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-800x533.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-188x125.jpg 188w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/csm_20201012_MOSAiCwelcome_AnnikaMeyer_0594_d3ba1cefc3.jpg 980w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="640" /></h1></header><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143203" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_143203" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto 24px; max-width: 100%; width: 800px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-143203" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Research Vessel Polarstern returns from Arctic ice research. Photo via The Alfred Wegener institute</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">After more than a year in the Central Arctic, this Monday, 12 October, the research icebreaker Polarstern returned to her homeport in Bremerhaven. The event marked the end of a record-breaking expedition: never before had an icebreaker been near the North Pole in winter. Drifting with the ice, they endured the extreme cold, Arctic storms, a constantly changing flow while the rest of the world battled the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">On 20 September 2019 Polarstern departed from the Norwegian port of Tromsø, bound for Arctic ocean ice. Once there, the ship allowed itself to become trapped in the ice, and began a one-year-long drift across the North Pole, completely at the mercy of natural forces – the route and speed were solely determined by the ice drift, powered by wind and currents.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Over the five legs of the expedition, a total of 442 researchers, Polarstern crewmembers, young investigators, teachers and press took part. Seven ships, several aircraft and more than 80 institutions from 20 countries were involved. The researchers, who hailed from 37 countries, had a common goal: to investigate complex interactions in the climate system between the atmosphere, ice and ocean, as well as life in the Central Arctic, to build better climate models.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Even when virtually every other expedition around the globe was canceled because of the pandemic, the entire team, this expedition was able to continue. In the early summer, Polarstern did have to briefly leave the ice floe for a personnel transfer. Four weeks later, a new team commenced fieldwork on the ice, continuing their efforts right up to the last day, when the floe (as predicted) reached the ice edge to the east of Greenland, began breaking up under the influence of the waves, and completed its typical lifecycle.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">To explore the last piece of the puzzle in the sea ice’s annual cycle – the formation of new ice at summer’s end – the expedition then headed farther north, crossed the North Pole, and moored to a second floe in its vicinity.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">““Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity,” said Anja Karliczek, the German Federal Minister of Research. “Throughout their long months in the Arctic ice, the experts retrieved a unique wealth of data that will help to fill critical gaps in our understanding of the region, allowing us to more accurately evaluate our current climate models.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The total cost of the expedition was ca. 150 million euros, with roughly two-thirds being contributed by Germany.</p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-58281727779389242842020-10-14T18:17:00.003+01:002020-10-14T18:17:48.863+01:00Crew Kidnappings Surge in Gulf of Guinea<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116041" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_116041" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 800px;"><img alt="somali piracy" class="size-large wp-image-116041 ls-is-cached lazyloaded" data-attachment-id="116041" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="<p>somali counter piracy, eu navfor</p>
" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b" data-large-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-800x530.jpg" data-medium-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-300x199.jpg" data-orig-file="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b.jpg" data-orig-size="1024,679" data-permalink="https://gcaptain.com/security-forces-capture-10-somali-pirates-stand-off/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b/" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-800x530.jpg" height="424" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-800x530.jpg" srcset="https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-800x530.jpg 800w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-189x125.jpg 189w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-300x199.jpg 300w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b-768x509.jpg 768w, https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12052771315_e0d9bb0246_b.jpg 1024w" style="background-color: #222222; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms;" width="640" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-116041" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: darkgrey; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">FILE PHOTO: EU NAVFOR warship chasing down a suspected pirate ‘mothership’ off the coast of Somalia. File photo. Credit: EU NAVFOR</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The number of seafarers kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea has surged so far this as pirates abduct bigger groups of seafarers further offshore, the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reported Centre revealed today.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">In the first nine months of 2020, the IMB reported a 40% uptick in the number of kidnappings reported in the Gulf. Worldwide, piracy and armed robbery at sea has also risen. The Bureau’s <a href="https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/1296-pirates-are-kidnapping-more-seafarers-off-west-africa-imb-reports" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #469bd1; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">latest global piracy report</a>, released today, details 132 attacks since the start of 2020, up from 119 incidents in the same period last year. Among the 85 seafarers kidnapped from their vessels and held for ransom, 80 were taken in the Gulf of Guinea in 14 separate attacks reported off Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Combined with the on-going crew change crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, seafarers are currently facing “exceptional pressures,” the IMB said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“Crews are facing exceptional pressures due to Covid-19, and the risk of violent piracy or armed robbery is an extra stress,” said Michael Howlett, Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) has responded to reports and shared data since 1991, supporting seafarers and fishers worldwide. “While IMB liaises with authorities swiftly in case of a pirate attack, we encourage all Coastal states and Regional Cooperations to take responsibility for ensuring maritime security within their EEZ to achieve safer seas and secure trade.”</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Gulf of Guinea Piracy</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">With approximately 95% of global kidnappings reported from within Gulf of Guinea waters, IMB warns that pirate gangs in the area are “well organized and targeting all vessel types over a wide range”.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The furthest attack from shore also involved the most crew kidnapped from a single vessel in 2020. On 17 July 2020, eight pirates armed with machine guns boarded a product tanker underway around 196 nautical miles southwest of Bayelsa, Nigeria. They held all 19 crewmembers hostage, stole ship’s documents and valuable items, and escaped with 13 kidnapped crew. The tanker was left drifting with limited and unqualified navigational and engine crew onboard. A nearby merchant vessel later helped the tanker to sail to a safe port.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Regional Authorities were notified and the 13 kidnapped crewmembers were released safely one month later.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">A more recent example was on 8 September 2020, when armed pirates attacked a refrigerated cargo ship underway around 33nm south-southwest of Lagos, Nigeria. Two crewmembers were kidnapped, but the rest of the crew managed to retreat into the citadel – one of the industry’s recommended best practices endorsed by IMB. A Nigerian naval team was dispatched, who boarded, conducted a search, and then escorted the ship to a safe anchorage for investigations.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The IMB piracy report includes a special thanks to the Nigerian Authorities, particularly the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA who “continue to provide timely information, actions and valuable cooperation between Agencies”.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The IMB report also highlights knife attacks in the Singapore Straits. The Bureau recorded 15 attacks to ships underway in the area. It notes, that while most are considered low level crimes, two crew were threatened, one injured and another taken hostage, indicating a continued risk to the crew. Knives were reported in at least ten of the incidents, the Bureau said.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Indonesia Brighter</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">On a good note, the IMB reported a sharp quarterly decrease in the number of incidents within the Indonesian archipelagic, with four reported in Q3, down from 14 in Q2. These are also viewed as low level opportunistic thefts with most reported on anchored vessels.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Somalia</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">In Somalia, once a hotbed for ship hijackings, no incidents of piracy have been reported around Somalia since 2019 and, in August, pirates released the last three of the thousands of hostages who have been held captive in the region over the years since ship hijackings peaked in 2011. Despite this, however, the IMB still urges vessels to continue implementing the industry’s best management practices (BMP5), and encourages the continued, stabilizing presence of navies in the region.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Call for More Reporting</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">The IMB report also warns that all vessel types in the Caribbean, Central and South America – including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico and Peru are being targeted at anchor as well as underway, and during river passages under pilotage.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">In one incident on 26 September 2020, a container vessel was boarded by armed perpetrators during its river passage at Guayaquil. The attackers fired their weapons towards the accommodation and bridge, then opened containers and stole the contents before leaving.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Due to many more cases go unreported, the IMB is urging all ship masters and operators to inform, in a timely manner, the 24-hour IMB Piracy Reporting Centre of any attacks to their vessels or crew.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">“Understanding the true risk in the area is an important step towards improving safety for all seafarers,” said Howlett. “IMB PRC not only relays reports to appropriate response agencies and broadcasts incident information to ships via GMDSS, but we also use the reported statistics to raise awareness of these crimes and be a catalyst of change.”</p></div></div><p><br /><br /></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-77410962799574754412020-09-24T18:44:00.002+01:002020-09-24T18:44:06.362+01:00Shipping Industry Calls on EU for Plan to Safely Disembark Migrants <div class="color-black bold article-title title" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 38px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 42px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; orphans: 2; outline: invert; padding: 0px 0px 20px; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img alt="shipping leaders call on EU to ensure migrants disembark promptly " class="img-responsive " height="360" src="https://www.maritime-executive.com/media/images/article/Photos/People/maersk-tankers-migrants-awaiting-disembark.feb000.dd32f2.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" width="640" /></div><figure class="image" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; width: 100%; word-spacing: 0px;"><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; display: inline-block; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Migrants aboard the Maersk Etienne - courtesy Maersk Tankers</figcaption>
<p class="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #104d94; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></p>
</figure><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><div class="getsocial gs-reaction-button" data-url-id="MPgr" data-url="/article/shipping-industry-calls-on-eu-for-plan-to-safely-disembark-migrants" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; orphans: 2; outline: invert; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>With the EU leaders putting forth a new plan to address Europe’s migrant crisis, leaders from the shipping industry are calling for provisions that guarantee that ships which undertake humanitarian efforts can quickly and safely disembark the people they are rescuing. </b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The shipping industry says that its ships are fulfilling their moral and legal requirements to save the migrants but then are being put in jeopardy due to the lack of agreements on how to promptly disembark the people.</p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The challenges faced by merchant ships in the migrant crisis came to the forefront recently when a tanker, the <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial,serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Maersk Etienne</em> was called on to go to the rescue of 27 migrants in distress in the waters south of Malta. Responding to calls from a human rights group the tanker saved the migrants including women and children. The vessel was then caught in limbo for nearly six weeks with no port willing to let the ship land the people. </p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Citing the situation that has just been resolved with the Maersk tanker and other incidents the leaders of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations, European Transport Workers' Federation, International Chamber of Shipping, and International Transport Workers' Federation signed an open letter to the president, vice president and commissioners of the European Commission calling for action to ensure a similar situation did not happen again.</p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Reporting that since the height of the migrant crisis in 2014, merchant ships have helped rescue over 80,000 distressed persons in the waters of the Central Mediterranean, the industry is calling for action from the EC. While acknowledging that there had been a decline in the number of migrants, they cited new data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, that reports an 85 percent increase in the number of migrant transits this year over last year. </p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">“This is deeply alarming to the shipping industry, as the migrant routes pass through international shipping lanes, increasing the likelihood of merchant ships being called on to conduct rescues. As recent incidents such as the <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial,serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Talia </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial,serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Maersk Etienne</em> demonstrate, there is no guarantee that those ships will receive prompt and adequate assistance when fulfilling their humanitarian responsibilities,” the letter says.</p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">They go on to cite the obligations that ships face in these situations noting that once they take the migrants on board the ships act based on instructions received from the Search and Rescue (SAR) Authority coordinating the SAR operation.</p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">“Merchant ships will not shrink from their legal and moral responsibility to render assistance to those in need of assistance at sea,” they say while pointing out that vessels such as the <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial,serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Maersk Etienne</em> are not designed or equipped to take these numbers of people aboard. In addition to the safety issues of boarding the people, they point out that the ships do not have provisions for first aid, medical care, and food and water for large groups of distressed persons. </p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"It is therefore essential that the rescued persons can be disembarked at the earliest opportunity in a place of safety – as the law demands.” They call for clear rules without attempts to criminalize or complicate the situation further. “States must ensure that the vessels and the masters of those vessels carrying persons in distress whom they have rescued at sea are relieved as soon as reasonably possible in accordance with international law.”</p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The letter concludes by saying that the ECSA, ICS, ETF, and ITF call on the EU and Member States to facilitate such an outcome without any further delays, taking full account of the need to ensure the safety and security of merchant ships, seafarers, and the distressed people they help.</p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-66192131462282846562020-09-10T16:45:00.004+01:002020-09-11T09:01:22.168+01:00Reefer Ship Attacked Offshore Nigeria. Two Crew Members Kidnapped<p><img alt="Image by Roli B - MarineTraffic.Com" height="427" src="https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w400/image-by-roli-b-marinetrafficcom-116206.jpg" width="640" /></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Maritime security intelligence agencies have reported that the Water Phoenix reefer vessel was boarded Tuesday morning off Nigeria by an unknown number of persons and that two Russian nationals have been kidnapped.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Per Praesidium International, a risk consultancy and maritime security company, the incident happened at 5:50 a.m. UTC Tuesday, approximately 34 nautical miles south of Lagos.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">"According to the initial reports, the perpetrators managed to board the vessel and kidnap the master and another crew member, both Russian," Praesidium said, adding that the crew includes 18 seafarers, of which seven Russians and 11 Filipinos. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Apart from the two crew members who have, reportedly, been kidnapped, the rest of the crew managed to retreat into the citadel.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Water Phoenix is a reefer owned by the Dutch company Seatrade Groningen. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">"AIS tracking indicates that the vessel was on route to Lagos at 14kts and undertook evasive maneuvers before coming to a stop and is currently drifting," maritime safety intelligence group Dryad Global informed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Praesidium said Tuesday that the same vessel had been involved in another piracy incident in April 2019, around 80 nautical miles southwest of Brass, Nigeria. The attack was foiled after warning shots forced the perpetrators to abort their attempt.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nigerian maritime authorities have dispatched the NSS Ekulu to provide assistance, Presidium said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">According to Dryad, the attack on Tuesday was the 13th reported incident in waters of the Lagos Port Complex and Anchorage in the past 12 months "most of which have manifest as boarding for theft."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">"This is the 3rd offshore incidents in the waters south of Lagos within 2020," </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Per Dryad, 93 personnel have been kidnapped from vessels in incidents off West Africa in 2020, so far.</span></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><br /></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p></div>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-5914015245778176702020-09-10T16:40:00.006+01:002020-09-10T16:40:49.942+01:00Iranian Fuel Seized by US to Reach Texas Within Days<p><img alt="Euroforce (© Pak Agen / MarineTraffic.com)" height="348" src="https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w400/euroforce-pak-agen-marinetrafficcom-116223.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Iranian fuel that the United States seized last month while it was being transported to Venezuela is now being taken to Texas by two tankers due to arrive in coming days, part of Washington’s efforts to disrupt trade between Caracas and Tehran, according to sources and data.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The first fuel cargo, on Liberia-flagged tanker Euroforce, was to arrive in Texas in the coming 24 hours, the sources said. It is broadcasting the U.S. Gulf port of Galveston as destination, according to shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The second cargo on Singapore-flagged tanker Maersk Progress tanker, is expected to arrive on Sep 19 to Houston port, the Eikon data showed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Eurotankers and Maersk Tankers, which manage the two vessels, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The U.S. announced in August that it had confiscated 1.1 million barrels of Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela. The sources said the four tankers originally carrying the fuel had transferred their cargoes onto the two vessels, which had special permits to enter into the U.S. waters to deliver the cargoes.</span></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-61285881104183458432020-09-10T16:37:00.003+01:002020-09-10T16:37:13.221+01:00Stena RoRo’s E-Flexer GALICIA Delivered to Brittany Ferries – with Higher Passenger Capacity<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span><img height="334" src="https://ferryshippingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/700.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">GALICIA, the first of three ships in the E-Flexer class ordered by Brittany Ferries was delivered on September 3. </b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The vessel is the third E-Flexer of nine ordered by Stena RoRo from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Galicia will be chartered by Brittany Ferries on a long-term basis and has been especially adapted to the wishes of the French ferry company:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The basic model car deck on Deck 7 has been converted to cabins. This, in combination with the deckhouse having been extended on both Decks 7 and 8, has enabled the number of cabins to be increased from 175 to 343.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two scrubbers, one for each main engine</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two extra lifeboats added due to the ferry’s increased passenger capacity</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The public spaces on Decks 7 and 8 have been partially given over to other functions compared to the basic model, but largely follow the E-Flexer standard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">“GALICIA is special because she is the first in the E-Flexer series to be delivered to an external customer. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The design has been adapted to Brittany Ferries’ special requirements and the yard has been able to deliver according to schedule despite the ongoing pandemic, which we are very happy about.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Per Westling, CEO for Stena RoRo. </span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Stena RoRo has an agreement with Brittany Ferries for long-term charters of two more vessels in the Stena E-Flexer series. Both will be powered by LNG, are under construction and will be delivered in 2022 and 2023, respectively.</span></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-85209941272816234462020-09-10T13:18:00.001+01:002020-09-10T13:18:04.279+01:00 Second Survivor and One Body Found From Livestock Ship Lost Off Japan<p><img alt="Search continues for lost livestock carrier off Japan" height="359" src="https://www.maritime-executive.com/media/images/article/Photos/Navy_Govt_CoastGuard/Original/Japan_Coast_Guard.5d5d77.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">A second survivor has been located from the livestock carrier Gulf Livestock 1 lost two days ago in a typhoon according to reports from the Japan Coast Guard. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The search and rescue operations are continuing in a race against time as a second, potentially even larger, typhoon is nearing the area.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Japan Coast Guard announced this afternoon, September 4, that it had located a survivor in life raft approximately a mile from Kodakara Island in the East China Sea. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Gulf Livestock 1’s last known position was south of there about 115 miles west of Amami Oshima island. Winds from Typhoon Maysak and tides are believed to have carried the raft away from the sinking. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 30-year old Filipino sailor was reported in good condition and taken a hospital. The first survivor, who was discovered on Wednesday, also remains in a hospital. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that it was working to repatriate him to the Philippines once COVID-19 protocols are cleared.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Earlier in the day on Friday, the Japan Coast Guard also pulled an unconscious sailor from the water. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Found floating face down in a life jacket, the sailor was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said identification was pending on this person but that he was in a blue jacket with the label “Fitter” on it.</span></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-831520059966138887.post-63663102054888767852020-09-10T13:14:00.007+01:002020-09-10T13:15:02.974+01:00 24-Year-Old Migrant Found Dead in Vehicle Hold Aboard Ro/Pax Ferry<p><img alt="cruise europa" height="359" src="https://www.maritime-executive.com/media/images/article/Photos/Cruise_Ships/Cruise_Europa.73a2bc.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The body of an Afghan migrant was found Sunday in the vehicle deck of a ro/pax ferry in Ancona, Italy. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The cruise ferry Cruise Europa arrived in Ancona at about 1700 hours Sunday on a voyage from Patras, Greece. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The victim's body was found within the vessel's vehicle hold, and it showed no signs of injury or violence, according to the local prosecutor's office. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The enclosed hold can get as hot as 120 degrees Fahrenheit in summer weather, and Italian authorities believe it is likely that the victim asphyxiated while the vessel was under way, according to local media.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Italy's border police are leading an investigation into the cause of the casualty. It is not known whether the victim came aboard in a truck, and the drivers whose vehicles were in the hold did not report seeing him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 24-year-old migrant was identifiable because he was carrying a Greek refugee asylum application, according to InfoMigrants. </span></p>Luke Smouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12547186911545055592noreply@blogger.com0