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2nd July 2016, 01:41 PM
#1
New mna report july 2016
Insurer Says MV Benita Grounding a Medical Issue, Not Mutiny
June 22, 2016 by Mike Schuler
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The insurer of a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier which ran aground last week in Mauritius following an apparent brawl on board says that the incident was the result of a serious medical episode suffered by one of the vessel’s crew members, and not the result of a wider conflict.
The circumstances of the grounding have led the media to dub the MV Benita the ‘mutiny ship’, suggesting that the grounding was the result of some sort of rebellion by one or some of its crew members. But in statement provided to gCaptain, the insurer of vessel, the London P&I Club, fought back against such claims saying the grounding was actually the result of a medical situation.
“The grounding followed an incident on board involving a crew member who suffered a serious medical episode which led to him attacking one colleague before causing extensive damage to the engine room systems that led to a loss of power to the vessel,” the statement said. “During the intervening time that it took to restore power, the vessel went aground. The injured crew member is receiving medical attention ashore for this seizure. There was no suggestion of a wider conflict on board and all the remaining crew members are safe and accounted for.”
The 44,000 DWT MV Benita was in ballast when it unexpectedly went aground last Friday evening (June 17) in Mahebourg, Mauritius during a voyage from India to South Africa.
The owners, crewmembers and The London Club as P&I insurers are currently working with the appointed salvors, Five Ocean Salvage, and the local authorities to re-float the vessel and to prevent further environmental damage. According to the insurer, some limited oil sheens have been reported in the vicinity of the vessel and the priority for salvors is to remove the 145 tonnes of fuel oil which remains on board.
A statement by Five Oceans Salvage says that the latest reports indicate that a number of cargo tanks have been damaged and are flooded, however as of Wednesday the MV Benitaappears to be stable and remains firmly aground. Meanwhile, the remaining oil on board is in the process of being pumped from the fuel tanks to specialized containers on the vessel that will then be removed by helicopter. A dedicated tug, the 10,560 bhp Ionian Sea FOS, is in place to provide the MV Benita with stability and control as the operations are ongoing.
Since vessel was in ballast and not carrying any cargo at the time of the grounding, salvors do not need to focus on the removal of cargo.
Anti-pollution booms remain in place around the vessel and any oil that accumulates is being collected and removed by dedicated teams. Meanwhile, a plan to re-float and remove the vessel from the shoreline is being developed by the salvage team in conjunction with the authorities.
The salvage operation is being led by senior salvage master Nikolaos Pappas.
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Credit: Five Oceans Salvage
Credit: Five Oceans Salvage
A screengrab of the MV Benita’s AIS data leading up to the grounding. Credit: MarineTraffic.com
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Dutch Foundation Unveils Prototype System to Rid the World’s Oceans of Plastic June 22, 2016 by Mike Schuler
The Ocean Cleanup Foundation’s prototype floating barrier sits in front of the MV Union Bear, which later this week will install the prototype in the North Sea. Credit: Ocean Cleanup Foundation
A Dutch foundation developing an advanced clean-up system to rid the world’s oceans of plastic has unveiled its first-ever prototype to be launched later this week in the North Sea.
The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, founded by now 21-year-old Boyan Slat when he was just teenager, unveiled its North Sea prototype on Wednesday before main sponsors Boskalis and the government of The Netherlands.
The prototype will be installed in the North Sea approximately 12 nautical miles off the Dutch coast, where it will remain for a period of 12 months. The objective is to test how The Ocean Cleanup’s floating barrier fares in extreme weather at sea, even more severe than the types of conditions that a full-scale version of the system may encounter.
Once installed, the prototype will be the first ocean cleanup system ever tested at sea.
The foundation says that the 100 meter-long barrier segment to be deployed will help validate the survivability of the system, while sensors will track every motion of the prototype and the loads it is subjected to. The data gathered will enable engineers to develop a system fully resistant to severe conditions during the cleanup of the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a enormous area of the northern Pacific Ocean where an insurmountable amount of trash has accumulated in mid-ocean gyres.
The design of the system uses long floating barriers which act as an artificial coastline, using the ocean’s natural currents to passively catch and concentrate ocean debris – such as trash and broken down plastics. Although some trash may be caught during the North Sea prototype test, collecting plastic is not its objective.
“This is a historic day on the path toward clean oceans,” commented Slat, at the unveiling of the prototype in the Hague. “A successful outcome of this test should put us on track to deploy the first operational pilot system in late 2017.”
Slat also notes that a successful test does not necessarily mean the prototype will survive. “I estimate there is a 30% chance the system will break, but either way it will be a good test.”
The Ocean Cleanup Foundation’s system continues to be the world’s best bet for cleaning up accumulated trash and plastics from the world’s oceans, if it’s even possible. The foundation hopes to have a full version of the system in place in the Pacific Ocean by 2020.
The Ocean Cleanup Foundation has already received EUR 1.5 million in funding for the prototype project, a third of which was provided by dredging and marine contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis). The Government of The Netherlands, through the ministries of Infrastructure & the Environment and Economic Affairs, has committed to contributing another EUR 500,000. Additional funding has been pledged by an anonymous donor.
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Any Port in a Storm? June 23, 2016 by gCaptain Editorial
By Captain George Livingstone
One of the great ‘maritime’ authors of the 20th century is Jan de Hartog, born in Holland, his seagoing career spanned the glory years of Dutch ocean towing. Thankfully for those of us who love a good sea story, he turned to writing. One of my favorite quotes from him – “The call of the sea ceases only when it is finally obeyed.” In his books, one gets a visceral sense of “peril at sea”. Even in the 21st Century peril is real, especially when the sea is raging. As long as the public demands commerce and humans venture onto the great ocean trades, it will remain so.
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“Erika”, “Prestige”, “Flaminia”, not household names but names that send shivers down the spine of some. On December 8, 1999, the tank ship Erika with a load of heavy fuel, sailed out of Dunkerque, France into the history books. As she entered the Bay of Biscay, Erika ran smack into one of those terrible storms the Bay is legend for. Just a few days out from port, on December 12th the ship boke in two and sank. Thousands of tons of oil were released into the sea, killing marine life and polluting the shores of Brittany, France. This accident triggered new EU (European Union) legislation regarding transport by sea.
In 2002 facing another winter storm, the tanker Prestige carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel also broke in two and went down off the coast of Spain. The initial crisis occurred when one of its 12 tanks cracked during the storm immediately leaking heavy fuel oil into the sea. Fearing the worst (that the ship would sink if not taken into port), the master called for help from Spanish rescue crews. Help was not to be, pressure from local civil authorities forced the captain to steer the embattled ship away from the coast to the northwest.
As soon as it became known that Prestige was heading north into French waters, the French Government ordered the vessel away, back to the south into Portuguese waters. The ship’s master, Capt. Apostolos Mangouras and crew were, of course, dealing with an appalling, increasing risk of the ship breaking up at extreme personal risk. The Portuguese authorities also ordered the ship away from its territorial waters. The master initially refused prompting Portugal to send naval ships to intercept Prestige. With all three countries refusing entry (France, Spain & Portugal) it was just a matter of time before the initial crack in one tank expanded to the point of breaking the ship in two. As a result, the ship released approximately 20 million gallons of oil into the sea, mostly on the northwest coast of Spain.
On July 14th, 2012, an explosion and fire (likely from a container) abroad the container ship MSC Flaminia while en route from Charleston (USA) to Antwerp (Belgium) forced the crew to abandon ship in Mid-Atlantic! (1,200 nm from nearest land). The fire raged for days before a salvage tug arriving on-scene to take her in tow. An epic struggle then commenced to extinguish the fire and find a port that would take the ship. After an incredible 5 weeks of monumental international haggling, re-routing and delay, she found berth in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Flaminia was not a big ship, nor a tank ship and although risk of sinking was high, the consequence of sinking was not going to be catastrophic. Had she been an ULCV (Ultra Large Container Vessel) it could have been a far different scenario with possible catastrophic results.
There is no greater challenge and threat to the environment than an “Act of God” at sea especially when it involves transport of oil and hazardous cargoes. We are talking about the stuff of books, movies and legend but with real life consequences. Getting to the nearest, safest port can make the difference between a bad (but manageable) and catastrophic situation. So where does the world stand on Ports of Refuge (POR)? After decades of witnessing unnecessary catastrophes and years of haggling, debate and politics; the international community through the IMO came to the sensible conclusion that pushing a vessel in distress away from one’s coast will not resolve the problem, it will make it worse.
The MSC Flaminia incident finally set in motion some action through the EU, European Commission and the European Maritime Safety Agency. An expert group was established (Cooperation Group on Places of Refuge). One of its primary tasks was to develop potential operational guidelines on places of refuge. Earlier this year, at the 96th session of IMO’s MSC (Marine Safety Committee) Agenda item 24 addressed the topic. “This document reports on the work carried out by the competent authorities within the EU, together with the relevant industry associations, to develop a set of working guidelines for the accommodation of ships in need of assistance, requesting a place of refuge.” “Emphasis is placed on enhanced cooperation and information sharing among all parties concerned.” An underlying principal of the guidelines – there should be “no rejection without inspection”; governments should not just outright reject offering a place of refuge for vessels in distress. These operational guidelines were tested in 2015 and put into use in January 2016 under IMO Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance in resolution A.949(23). MSC 96/25/5 goes on to state “The operational guidelines, although non-mandatory in nature, support the more uniform application of the underlying EU legislation”, especially as regards neighboring states.
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The take away? The world still has no mandatory operational guidelines on Ports of Refuge, but this was a big step forward none the less as there was virtually nothing in place prior to this. It may seem incredible to the reader that we cannot come to agreement internationally on something as basic as offering “refuge” to vessels in distress, given the alternative is possible environmental catastrophe. You are in good company if you do find it so, as some of the most prominent international maritime organizations have come out to rally behind and support POR’s (IFSMA, ICS, IUMI, BIMCO, ISU, ITF Seafarers, INTERTANKO, IMPA, NI and P&I Clubs).
I would be remiss if I didn’t add a sad footnote. Readers may recall that gCaptain recently posted new information on the Prestige disaster aftermath. In a shameful political episode this past spring, the Spanish Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision absolving Capt. Mangouras of any wrong doing or action in the Prestige disaster. After repeatedly being refused any chance of saving his vessel by multiple countries and staying on his vessel with the Chief Engineer until literally just before she broke in two, the Prestige’s Master, Capt. Mangouras was thrown in prison by the Spanish Supreme Court. Having acted in the finest traditions of the sea, under extraordinary conditions and tremendous pressure, Capt. Mangouras has been used as a scape goat by the highest court in one of the great sea-going nations of the world. In his eight decade of life he languishes, serving out a two-year sentence. The message is loud and clear to every professional mariner around the world, it seems we do not matter. The irony? We are likely be the first and last chance of staving off any disasters…given just half of a half of a chance.
Any port in a storm indeed, we should bow our heads in shame.
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World’s First Offshore Fish Farm Rig to be Moored off Norway
June 22, 2016 by gCaptain
One of the world’s largest salmon producers is looking to the offshore oil and gas industry for inspiration with the development of a semi-submersible fish farm rig designed to move operations further offshore where environmental conditions are best suited for the growth of fish stocks.
The world’s first offshore fish farm installation is currently being developed for Ocean Farming AS, a subsidiary of the Norway’s SalMar Group, one of the world’s largest producers of farmed salmon.
Rolls-Royce said Wednesday it has signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the eight point mooring system that will be used to secure the rig to the seabed at Frohavet, off the coast of central Norway.
Salmar says the rig’s design is heavily influenced by proven technologies used in the offshore oil and gas industry, comprising of a slack-anchored, semi-submersible, rigid structure design with a high degree of stability. It will measure 68 meters high by a diameter of 110 meters, have a volume of 250,000 cubic meters, and will be intended for installation in water depths of 100 to 300 meters.
The development of the fish farming rig comes as the offshore oil and gas industry is suffering through one of its worst downturns on record, leaving many companies looking towards higher growth industries like the aquaculture industry for business.
“This contract win shows how years of experience providing sophisticated mooring and deck machinery solutions in some of the world’s most difficult sea conditions can be applied in other areas of the maritime economy today and for the future,” commented Asbjørn Skaro, Rolls-Royce’s Executive Vice President for Deck Machinery. “The technical solutions for SalMar’s pilot installation is based on the state-of-the-art technology Norwegian industry has to offer from both fields of aquaculture and offshore oil and gas.”
The eight point mooring system to be delivered by Rolls-Royce includes monitoring, fairleads, connectors and subsea load sensing system.
The new semi-submersible rig will be constructed at Qingdao Wuchuan Heavy Industry Co. Ltd in China, and is designed by Global Maritime in Norway.
The pilot semi-submersible fish farm is planned to be completed by the second half of 2017.
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Credit: Salmar Group
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Sick man rescued from AidaPrima cruise ship and taken to Dover
Lifeboat crews battled force 6 gales to rescue a cruise ship
passenger believed to have suffered a heart attack.
The Dover lifeboat was called out just after midnight after a
74-year-old German man was taken ill on the cruise ship
AIDAPRIMA, while it was in the Dover Strait bound for
Southampton. Dover coastguard also called for help from a
rescue helicopter, which was later stood down, as lifeboat
crews headed for the harbour. Coxswain James Clapham, in
command of Dover Lifeboat, said: "It was a very challenging
service call to command in Force 5 gusting 6 conditions with a
swell of over 1.5 metres." They evacuated the man through a
pilot hatch at sea level. Mr Clapham prised the eight lifeboat
crewman, who safely transferred the man from the 300m ship
in such challenging conditions. They handed over the casualty to ambulance crews at around 1.35am,
where he was taken to Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital. Dover RNLI Press Officer Ed Baker said:
“The Cruise Ship’s on-board doctor was able to diagnose and carry out necessary tests in order to confirm
the casualty required urgent medical attention ashore via an evacuation rather than waiting until they
arrived into their next destination of Southampton”. Source: Kentonline
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Probe into yacht tragedy begins By Kristin Edge
Inquiries into a high-seas tragedy are underway after the multi-million dollar yacht at the centre of the
deadly drama has been salvaged. One man was killed outright and another lost overboard in
circumstances which will be a key focus of the inquiry. Tug boat SEA PELICAN arrived in Whangarei
towing the yacht PLATINO which was battered by a storm and involved in tragedy 550km north of New
Zealand. Aucklander Nick Saull was struck by the 20m yacht's rigging and killed, while fellow
Aucklander Stephen Forno was washed overboard and went missing at sea after the vessel encountered
rough conditions on Monday last week. Maritime New Zealand spokesman Steve Rendle said inquiries
would centre around piecing together what had happened onboard. The investigation would include
interviews with the remaining crew members. It would also involve an inspection of PLATINO. Mr
Rendle said investigators would be trying to clarify what happened to the two men, "and any safety
lessons to come out of it."
Three people aboard PLATINO were rescued by a container ship, which spent 14 hours battling through
high seas to reach the stricken yacht. Auckland City police operations manager Inspector Vaughan
Graham said the tug and yacht were met at Northport, Marsden Point, yesterday by a small group of
family members from some of those on board and police. "Police are now investigating the circumstances
of Nick Saull's death on behalf of the coroner," Mr Graham said. Source: Northern Advocate
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UKHO to release five new digital charts for new Panama Canal
THE United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is to release five new electronic navigational charts
(ENCs) for the expanded Panama Canal, which have been produced by the Panama Canal Authority
(PCA) and which provide end-to-end coverage of the Canal at a scale of 1:10 000.The new digital charts
contain new survey data and up-to-date information for the expanded Canal, which will receive its first
official transit on June 26."The Panama Canal's expansion will not only double the canal's capacity, it will
also allow postpanamax vessels to use the canal for the first time," said UKHO product manager Jason
Scholey. "To stay safe and compliant, we advise all ECDIS-equipped vessels planning to transit the Canal
to purchase the new Panama Canal ENCs. Shipping companies should contact their ADMIRALTY Chart
Agent for more information," he said The ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service (AVCS) is the world's
leading digital maritime chart service, with nearly 15,000 official ENCs to help bridge crews navigate
safely and efficiently. Source : Schednet
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Rolls-Royce on Drone Ships: It’s Not If, It’s When June 21, 2016 by gCaptain
An illustration of Rolls-Royce’s vision for a land-based control center for the operation of autonomous ‘drone’ cargo ships. Image credit: Rolls-Royce
Representatives from the Rolls-Royce led Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) are in Amsterdam this week to discuss the project’s vision of how remote and autonomous shipping will become a reality.
“This is happening. It’s not if, it’s when,” said Oskar Levander, Rolls-Royce, Vice President of Innovation, speaking at the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium 2016 this week.
The main driver towards the development of so-called ‘drone ships’ has been the advancement of digital technologies, specifically in the area of sensor technology allowing for remote access, operation and diagnostics.
“The technologies needed to make remote and autonomous ships a reality exist,” said Levander. “The AAWA project is testing sensor arrays in a range of operating and climatic conditions in Finland and has created a simulated autonomous ship control system which allows the behavior of the complete communication system to be explored. We will see a remote controlled ship in commercial use by the end of the decade.”
RELATED: Rolls-Royce Reveals Vision of Shore-based Control Centers for Unmanned Cargo Ships
The conference this week in Amsterdam coincides with the release of an AAWA whitepaper exploring the research carried out to date on the business case for autonomous applications, the safety and security implications of designing and operating remotely operated ships, the legal and regulatory dimensions, and the existence and readiness of a supplier network in the short to medium term.
The project has the support of shipowners and operators. Already, tests of sensor arrays are being carried out aboard Finferries 65-meter double ended ferry, the Stella, operating between Korpo and Houtskär, Finland. ESL Shipping is also helping explore the implications of remote and autonomous ships for the short sea cargo sector.
“Unmanned ships open up exciting possibilities to redefine the way a ship is designed and functions,” the AAWA whitepaper says. “When there are no people on board, many constraints on the ship layout are removed. One of the most obvious is the removal of the accommodation and with that the entire deckhouse. This will save cost, weight and space, as well as enabling the ship to carry more cargo. A ship contains systems that are only there to serve the crew. Their removal will simplify the entire ship, which should improve the reliability and productivity while reducing build and operation costs.”
The AAWA project brings together universities, ship designers, equipment manufacturers, and classification societies to explore the economic, social, legal, regulatory and technological factors which need to be addressed to make autonomous ships a reality. So far the project has received more than $7 million in funding from Tekes Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. It will run through 2017.
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Migrant Boat Rescues Surge as Calm Seas Return to Mediterranean
https://gcaptain.com/migrant-boat-re...mediterranean/
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‘Brexit’ Marks Final Nail in Coffin for Stalled U.S.-E.U. Trade Deal
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) – Britain’s looming exit from the European Union is another huge setback for negotiations on a massive U.S.-EU free trade deal that were already stalled by deeply entrenched differences and growing anti-trade sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic.
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The historic divorce launched by Thursday’s vote will almost certainly further delay substantial progress in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks as the remaining 27 EU states sort out their own new relationship with Britain, trade experts said on Friday.
With French and German officials increasingly voicing skepticism about TTIP’s chances for success, the United Kingdom’s departure from the deal could sink hopes of a deal before President Barack Obama leaves office in January.
“This is yet another reason why TTIP will likely be postponed,” said Heather Conley, European program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington.
“But to be honest, TTIP isn’t going anywhere, I believe, before 2018 at the earliest,” she said.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement on Friday that he was evaluating the UK decision’s impact on TTIP, but would continue to engage with both European and UK counterparts.
“The importance of trade and investment is indisputable in our relationships with both the European Union and the United Kingdom,” Froman said. “The economic and strategic rationale for T-TIP remains strong.”
TTIP negotiators are still expected to meet in Brussels in mid-July as scheduled, but those talks were aimed at focusing on less controversial issues while leaving the thorniest disagreements for U.S. and EU political leaders to resolve. And it is unclear when Britain will launch formal separation proceedings, which will take at least two years.
But analysts said both sides have been reluctant to put their best offers on the table with a new U.S. president due to take office in January and French and German leadership elections nearing in 2017.
The Brexit also will preoccupy EU officials in coming months as they launch their own negotiations with London over the future terms of UK-EU trade, and sort out their post-Brexit priorities, said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based think tank.
Britain’s departure could leave U.S. negotiators facing a European side that is more dug-in on some issues, said Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think tank in Washington.
“As the UK is part of the coalition of liberal trading economies in the EU, the U.S. is losing one of the more like-minded countries from the group in Brussels sitting on the other side of the negotiating table,” said Bown, a former World Bank economist.
However, Lee-Makiyama, who also sees little chance of a deal before 2018, said Britain’s departure could eliminate one source of disagreement because the UK has insisted on a financial services chapter in the trade deal.
“The only real proponent of banking regulation in TTIP is the UK. Germany and France are probably willing to let it go,” he said. “It still leaves about 20 outstanding issues at nearly the same level of difficulty.”
The TTIP negotiations, which started three years ago, have unable to settle major differences over agriculture, where the EU side has shown little willingness to alter food safety rules that prohibit American beef raised with hormones or genetically modified foods, or open its closely guarded geographical food naming rules, such as for Asiago and feta cheeses.
European negotiators have complained that the United States has offered too little to open up its vast federal, state and local government procurement markets to European vendors with “Buy American” preferences in place.
Europe also wants access to key U.S. sectors such as maritime transport and aviation, while American negotiators have been frustrated over lack of access to some 200 European sectors ranging from healthcare to education.
The two sides also are far apart on how to resolve disputes. The U.S. side favors a traditional binding arbitration approach, while the Europeans want a court-like system that allows for appeals.
More progress has been made on harmonizing regulations for things like car seat belt anchors, clothes labeling and pharmaceutical inspections. (Additional reporting by Phil Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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‘Tracing your Seafaring Ancestors:
A Guide to Maritime Photographs for Family Historians’ by Simon Wills,
publ. Pen and Sword 2016 isbn 978 1 47382 857 5
As a retired mariner, amateur genealogist and photographer I was delighted to have the opportunity to review this book. Mr. Wills has brought to life an important and interesting aspect of family research, showing us how to look in detail for clues to interpret old photographs of salty ancestors.
It also makes a useful general guide for ‘reading’ old family photos.
While much of the book is rightly about merchant mariners (merchant marine > Merchant Navy), plus the Royal Navy personnel (including its Fleet Air Arm and various support and voluntary groups), he has included other seafarers such as pilots, fisher folk, those in the lifeboat service,
Coastguards, a few passengers, and civilians wearing seamen’s costumes.
The real benefit of this book is to be found in the many photographs which he takes time to explore individually. I count 147 separate photos, including 37 Merchant Navy, 36 Royal Navy, 16 Royal Marines, 4 RN Air Service, 14 RNR/RNVR, 5 RN Division, 6 of WRENS, plus various fishermen and their wives, lifeboat men, yachtsmen, a pilot group, some passengers and a Coastguard group.
An impressive collection, but because of the early high cost of photographs, most of the older photos are of officers although there are a few seamen from as early as 1858.
Some larger mercantile companies, in particular the liners, would provide their crews with Royal Navy style uniforms and the author shows us how to spot the difference between the two services.
The author goes into great depth exploring the small detail in photographs which helps detect the type of mariners involved, including how a photo might differentiate between a seaman who could appear to be either M.N. or R.N. when no badges etc. are visible.
Several photos have inserts expanding detail of badges etc. and there are also some useful illustrations of company flags, badges of rank, etc..
There is much cross-reference between photos, and comparison of clothing from different eras. There are also useful internet links included for further research, and a handy bibliography and index.
As a seafaring nation, we have always had large numbers employed on ships: identifying the trade or profession of a British seafarer from an old photograph can be difficult, even for a professional mariner. Although a huge subject, Mr. Wills has provided an excellent guide to this, and also to helping anyone understand much of the information that can be gathered from old photographs.
Overall, a well presented guide to exploring old family photos of ancestors with connections to the sea.
Chris Woods
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Desperate Search Continues for Sailboat With Missing Family of Four Off U.S. Gulf Coast
https://gcaptain.com/desperate-searc...Captain.com%29
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PEME Advice: Sleep Deprivation Date: 23/06/2016 Author: George Radu
Are your crew members getting enough sleep?
A recent US study into sleep found that sleep deprivation is one of the main contributory causes of accidents. George Radu from our San Francisco office explains.
Experts
say that most people need seven to eight hours’ sleep each day. Getting enough sleep enhances reaction time, memory function and problem solving skills, which are, of course, essential onboard ships. Sleep will help your immune system and cut your risk of colds and other illnesses. The study also found that people who sleep less are more prone to being overweight.
Attaining enough sleep can be difficult during periods of bad weather, so it is important to get all crew back on a sound sleep schedule as soon as possible after the weather improves.
Unsurprisingly, the study found that crew engaged in shift work suffer more from sleep deprivation than those who work during the day. If vessels rotate crew members’ shifts, experts recommend that they rotate in a
clockwise rotation. Crew reported an increase in productivity and happier working conditions when changing shifts in a clockwise rotation. How to achieve better sleep Here are some useful tips to help promote better sleep for crew members:
We recommend posting signs in the mess rooms listing ways in which sleep can be improved. Exercise regularly - being unfit leads to sleep disorder as this will increase your deep slow wave sleep phase at the beginning of the sleep cycle. It is recommended that ships have suitable exercise equipment onboard: exercise bikes, treadmills and weights will help crew members get the exercise they need to keep fit.
Preparing for sleep is important: turn off all electronic devices, mobile phones, televisions and/or computers at least one hour before bedtime.
When circumstances allow, take a nap – naps can bring a burst of energy and help compensate for sleep disorder.
The ideal temperature to enhance sleep is about 15C, higher than 18C can diminish sleep quality.
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US submarine sunk by Japan in WWII found by Russian expedition
A US submarine that sank during World War II has been discovered on the bottom of the ocean near Matua Island in Russia’s Far Eastern Kuril archipelago by a joint expedition of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) and Defense Ministry. “Russian divers in cooperation with the Pacific Fleet sailors have discovered the submarine at a depth of 104 meters,” Aleksandr Kirillin, secretary of the academic board of Russia’s Military Historical Society, said. According to Kirillin, the records suggest that the vessel is USS HERRING, which was sunk by Japanese coastal artillery on June 1, 1944. The information about the discovery has already been passed to the American side, the secretary stressed. The submarine, with 83 sailors aboard, was lost on its eighth and most successful patrol mission. Before contact with USS HERRING was lost is sank two Japanese ships, ISHIGAKI and HOKUYO MARU, on the night of May 30-31 The sub destroyed two more vessels anchored at Matua Island on June 1, but was caught in retaliation fire from Japanese shore batteries. The Gato-class diesel submarine USS HERRING SS-233 was commissioned by the US Navy in May 1942, participating in several campaigns in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and receiving five battle stars for its service during WWII. The expedition numbering 200 people, which arrived in the Kurils last week, previously located a Japanese World War II-era military plane. The discovered aircraft was a Mitsubishi A6M Zero lightweight fighter produced in 1942. Imperial Japan often used such planes in Kamikaze attacks. Source : Russia Today
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Video of OOCL Brisbane in a Classic Example of Parametric Rollong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PyJj_oPdyg
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Salvage Continues for Wrecked Cargo Ship in Mauritius
June 24, 2016 by Mike Schuler
Salvors of the wrecked MV Benita in Mahebourg, Mauritius have reported progress with the salvage and environmental protection operation after the ship ran aground a week ago after an incident involving one of the ship’s crew members.
Five Oceans Salvage reported Friday that the operation to remove the remaining fuel oil from the vessel’s tanks continues to be a priority, with 80 of the 145 tonnes on board having been pumped into specialized one tonne containers for transfer to shore. At time of update 53 of the containers been transported to shore via helicopter.
Five Oceans also reported no further oil sheens have been observed, however booms and other antipollution measures remain in place as a precaution.
The vessel was in ballast at the time of the grounding which means that there are no considerations needed for cargo removal.
Meanwhile salvage divers have carried out a number of dive inspections in order to further assess the extent of the damage. As previously reported, a number of tanks have taken on water, but the ship itself continues to be stable and remains firmly aground.
Planning for the eventual re-floating and removal of the vessel also continue in conjunction with the vessel’s owners and the authorities.
The tug Ionian Sea FOS, based in Mauritius, remains on site in order provide specialized salvage and antipollution equipment, and a second tug, Coral Sea FOS, is en route and is scheduled to arrive next week.
The 44,000 DWT Bonita was not carrying any cargo when it ran aground last Friday evening (June 17) after a crew member apparently attacked another crew member before locking himself in the engine room and causing damage to the equipment and systems. The insurer of the vessel has blamed the incident on a serious medical episode suffered by the attacker, denying media claims of mutiny on board. The man has since been arrested by local police.
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U.S. Convicts Two Greek Companies and Engineers in Vessel Pollution Case U.S. Convicts Two Greek Companies and Engineers in Vessel Pollution Case
Two engineers, as well as the owners and operators of the Gallia Graeca, have been found guilty of 12 felony counts in the U.S. related to the dumping of oily waste at sea. The U.S. District Court in Seattle has found ship operator Angelakos Hellas S.A., ship owner, Gallia Graeca Shipping LTD, chief engineer, Konstantinos Chrysovergis, and second engineer, Tryfon Angelou guilty on 12 felony counts related to the falsification of vessel logs and dumping of oily waste at sea from bulk carrier Gallia Graeca, local media reports. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is said to have discovered that Gallia Graeca was operating with a non-functioning oily water separator in October 2015, and that on October 16, 26, and 27, 2015 the defendants bypassed pollution prevention systems to discharge an estimated 5,000 gallons of oily bilge water overboard. The defendants are then said to have made false statements to USCG inspectors and presented a falsified oil record book in order to cover up the illegal discharge. During the inspection, the vessel's engineers are said to have operated the oil water separator in such a way that the equipment appeared as if it was working properly, but further examination by USCG staff showed that the system had not been serviced in months and its filters were clogged. Further, shipping company executives are said to have been in contact with the vessel's engineers in order to provide guidance on how to present the log book during USCG inspection. "While the vast majority of vessel owners run a safe and environmentally conscious operation, this case demonstrates our willingness to hold people and organizations accountable for wilfully violating U.S. laws and regulations," said Matt Edwards, Chief of the Prevention Department for the USCG's Sector Puget Sound. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour is said to be scheduled to sentence the parties on September 16, 2016. Ship & Bunker News Team __________________________________________________ ___________________________________
MV Benita aground in Mauritius. Photo Credit: Five Oceans Salvage
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
12
The Pulse
Record-Breaking MAN B&W Engine Debuts Aboard Ultra-Large Containership
June 24, 2016 by gCaptain
MAN Diesel & Turbo has announced that its largest and most powerful engine to date has entered into service aboard the new 19,437 TEU MSC Jade.
The engine is an MAN B&W 11G95ME-C9.5 two-stroke engine rated at 75,570 kW (103,000 horsepower). The MSC Jade also features four MAN L32/40 auxiliary engines with a single MAN turbocharger.
The 11G95ME-C9.5 engine during shop tests in Korea in October 2015. Photo Courtesy Doosan
The ultra large containership is operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company and was delivered by DSME in late May. The engine was built by Doosan Engine in South Korea.
The engine is the first in a series of six ordered by MSC, with a second sister vessel scheduled currently for sea trials. Two other vessels are also completing construction at rival shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries and due for sea trials in June.
Since 2013, MAN’s G95 type engines have proven popular among the ‘large’ (9,000 to 21,000 TEU) capacity container market, with 68 installations to date.
“We attribute the G95’s popularity in this segment to its ability to provide sufficient power for such vessels to reliably achieve their desired operating speed,” said Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President Low-Speed Sales and Promotions at MAN. “Here, the G95’s rpm ensures that a propeller of optimal size can be employed, in turn delivering a low fuel-oil consumption for an optimal fuel economy.”
MAN Diesel & Turbo describes the G95ME-C9 itself as an important part its program.
“The engine, with a bore of 950 mm and a stroke of 3,460 mm, provides 6,870 kW/cylinder at 80 rpm and 21 bar MEP (in L1) and was introduced as a supplement to the successful S90ME-C9/10 engine types, allowing the engine to be further de-rated thanks to the larger cylinder bore and/or fewer cylinders to be installed.
“Following this trend, as well as those for cost-down and downsizing, the S90ME-C has recently been supplemented with a G90ME-C10 version.”
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Rough seas, high winds delay search for Flight MH370
Rough seas and strong winds have delayed the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean, prolonging the search until August in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries, investigators said on Wednesday. The search had been scheduled to be completed by mid-year. Australian officials, who are leading the investigation, said in a statement that more than 105,000 sq km (40,540 sq miles) had been covered in the 120,000 sq km search zone. Seas as high as 18 metres and strong winds battered the search vessels and slowed their progress, Australia's Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. Investigators believe someone may have deliberately switched off the plane's transponder before diverting it thousands of miles off course over the Indian Ocean. Australia, China and Malaysia had agreed the search area would not be expanded beyond 120,000 sq km, the ATSB said in a statement. A piece of the Boeing 777, a wing part known as a flaperon, washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion in July last year. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Nick Macfie) __________________________________________________ ___________________________________
MSC Jade. Photo courtesy MSC
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
13
The Pulse
UK Chamber of Shipping Responds to ‘Brexit’ June 24, 2016 by gCaptain
The UK Chamber of Shipping is calling for “cool heads” after the UK voted 52% in favor of leaving the European Union, leading to the resignation Friday of Prime Minister David Cameron.
In a statement in response to the outcome of the EU Referendum, the chamber remained neutral on the on debate over the UK’s membership of the EU, but recognized the decision of the British people and saying now is the time for rational and strategic thinking.
“Shipping moves 95% of the UK’s international trade and we don’t see that changing,” the UK Chamber of Shipping statement read.
“We may now be beginning the process of leaving the European Union, but we are still an island nation that has to make its way in the world through buying and selling, and the shipping industry is here for that very purpose.
“What we need now are cool heads. We’ve had the political debate, now it’s time for rational and strategic thinking.
“The rest of the world beyond Europe has experienced significant economic growth, and a key argument by the Vote Leave campaign was that the UK would be able to quickly sign free trade deals with trading partners around the world. Government now has to act quickly to ensure that happens.
“Leaving the European Union is a process, not an event, and that process has to be managed carefully.
David Cameron’s decision not to immediately invoke Article 50 is a welcome one, and there should be no rush to do so for his successor. First we must get our chess pieces in place.
“We believe that Government should establish a new Free Trade Commission, working across the Department for Business and the Foreign Office, to train trade negotiators and begin the process of establishing new trading ties around the world and be ready for the negotiations with the remaining members of the EU.”
The chamber highlighted a series of key policy areas that will need attention from the government before the UK leaves. These areas include visas and work permits; border controls at ferry and cruise terminals; various fiscal arrangements including Tonnage Tax; and the future of EU NAVFOR and collaboration of European navies to counteract piracy and support rescue activities in the Mediterranean Sea. __________________________________________________ ___________________________________
The Royal Yacht Britannia: Scotland’s best attraction celebrates 5 million visitors
As Scotland’s summer tourism season gets underway, The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA is celebrating welcoming 5 million visitors, since opening in 1998, and is on track to have its most successful year ever. The Queen’s former floating palace is one of the most famous ships in the world, sailing a million miles around the globe, on a thousand official visits, during her 44 years in Royal service. Berthed in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith, BRITANNIA is now a five-star visitor attraction and exclusive evening events venue.
For ten years’ running, BRITANNIA has been officially pronounced as Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction by national tourism agency, VisitScotland, with a consistent quality assurance score of 96%. This absolute commitment to ensuring the highest standards of customer experience, throughout every facet of the business, resulted in a total of 308,906 visitors to The Royal Yacht last year, and the most successful year for the business, since opening. Owned and managed by a wholly self-financing charitable trust, Britannia has proven to be a major success since arriving in Edinburgh. With a commitment to delivering an outstanding customer experience, the ship now employs more than 150 people. Bob Downie, Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia comments:
“We are all extremely proud of Britannia’s success as a visitor attraction since ‘retiring’ from active service, which is testament to those who built her, those who served aboard, and those who now lovingly care for the former Royal Yacht.” For more information, please visit: The Royal Yacht Britannia | Scotland's Best Visitor Attraction | Edinburgh
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2994 TEU Container Ship OOCL Belgium Taking a 40 Degree Roll in the North Atlantic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx9FmEq5D6A
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
14
The Pulse
10 HOURS OF HORROR AND HOPE
Last Wednesday Captain Peter Heimstaedt of Orophil Shipmanagement Corp presented for the
PROPELLER CLUB OF MANILA in the tower club "10 hours of
horror and hope".
During this very interesting presentation he told the audience of approx
40 persons the tale of a terrible situation he was involved in when the
5400 TEU container ship where he was onboard was hit by a freak wave
and ended up in a Parametric Rolling situation in the Gulf of Alaska in
2014. Rolling and pitching is a part of every ship that is going out at the
sea. The first thing you might think up on hearing the word “Parametric
rolling” is that it must be a type of rolling movement occurring in ships.
Rolling and Pitching is a normal movement phenomenon which occurs
in all kind of ships, so what is new about this?
Causes of Parametric Rolling
The size of container ships is increasing drastically as companies are looking forward to monster ships;
for e.g. Maersk’s Triple-E Vessels. The new container ships coming to the market have large bow flare
and wide beam to decrease the frictional resistance which is generated when the ship fore end passes
through the water, making it streamlined with the hull.
Test Tank Parametric Roll https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewqaRMGv2mE
As the wave crest travels along the hull, it results in flare immersion in the wave crest and the bow comes
down. The stability (GM ) varies as a result of pitching and rolling of the ship. The combination of
buoyancy and wave excitation forces push the ship to the other side. The similar action takes place as the
bow goes down in the next wave cycle resulting in synchronous motion which leads to heavy rolling up to
30 degree in a few cycles. This type of rolling is known as Parametric rolling. This phenomenon occurs
only when the sea condition is in head / stern or anywhere near to them. There are two pitch cyclesmaximum
and minimum. The period of roll is half the natural rolling period which coincides with large
phase angle and maximum roll always occurs when the ship is pitching down i.e. bow is down.
Effects of Parametric Roll
•Heavy stresses in ship structure especially in fore and aft parts •Extreme stresses on container and their
securing system resulting in failure of the same and even loss of containers •Unpleasant for the crew of
the ship •Variation in the load of ship’s propulsion engine •If not tackled quickly, it can result in
capsizing of ship
What to do in case of Parametric Rolling on ships? •Do not panic in such situation. Keep your calm •If
rolling and pitching occurs simultaneously, avoid a head on sea and change the route. •Always maintain a
correct GM. Ship should not be too tender or too stiff. •The roll damping measures must be quickly used
Captain Peter Heimstaedt raised his criticism during the presentation against the ever increasing
overflooding of the shipmaster with instructions and directions from Charterers, he noted with satisfaction
that most of the audience agreed on his view. Further to the positive comments from the audience side he
would like to remind us of the "Hill Harmony Case" that he mentioned in my speech. That case which
went up to the highest court in U.K. was arbitrated a few years before the ISM Code came into force.
Capt Peter was not aware whether this case had an impact on the Maritime Safety Council of the IMO
when they decided to include the "Master's Overriding Authority" in the International Safety Management
Code in 2004 (Ch. 5.2). However, as he see it, this has not much impressed Charterers who have imposed
even more pressure upon Owners and Masters in order to gain full control over their chartered vessels.
One of the most adverse aftereffects of this unfavourable trend is the obvious loss of confidence of
today's shipmasters. As we as audience could learn through Capt Peter’s speech such aftereffect could
also paralyze an experienced veteran Master... I'm only asking: Is this really what we want? If our
business will be ruled and directed only by lawyers and lawmakers, by laymen and liability-claimers then
nobody should be surprised when shipmasters will not make decisions in the sense of their alleged
overriding authority anymore. Do you share this opinion? I'd be interested to exchange your views and
discuss this issue, probably in a separate forum. Please contact Capt Peter via p.heimstaedt@yahoo.com
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Photo : Piet Sinke
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
15
The Pulse
UK Navy’s HMS Diamond completes operational sea training
The UK Royal Navy's Daring-class air-defence destroyer HMS Diamond has successfully completed six
weeks of operational sea training off the coast of Plymouth, UK. The training is designed to assess the
operational readiness of the naval vessel and troops for front-line duties, ranging from destroying airborne
threats to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. It also marks an end to eight months of
trials, training, instruction and assessment, which are performed after a destroyer undergoes a
comprehensive maintenance and upgrade package. "I am very proud of the amazing Type 45 technology
in HMS Diamond, but what I am even more proud of is my amazing team of sailors." HMS Diamond
commanding officer commander Marcus Hember said: "Of course, I am very proud of the amazing Type
45 technology in HMS Diamond, but what I am even more proud of is my amazing team of sailors." To
see them flourish in this high tempo training environment has been a great experience and I am confident
they are ready for anything." HMS Diamond is the third of six Type 45 air defence destroyers and is
designed to be capable of conducting stealth operations at sea. The vessel is equipped with advanced
military sensors and a range of potent weapons systems, which enable Diamond to detect and terminate
any airborne, surface and sub surface threat. Constructed by BAE systems and launched in 2007,
Diamond was deployed in the Middle East Area of Operations in 2012, and had been a part of Operation
Recsyr in February 2014. Currently, the destroyer is attached to the UK's new Joint Expeditionary Force
(Maritime) (JEF M).
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Book Review By : Frank NEYTS “Polar Mariner”
Whittles Publishing recently released a new maritime title, “Polar Mariner. Beyond the limits in
Antarctica”, written by Captain Tom Woodfield.
The author made 20 seasonal voyages to the Antarctic on
three research ships between 1955 and 1974. Starting as a
Junior Deck Officer he worked for The Falkland Islands
Dependencies Survey which in 1964 became the British
Antarctic Survey. The arts of exploration and survival during
his early years in this majestic but unforgiving continent are
described as attempts were made to establish research
stations, support science, and survey in totally uncharted, icefilled
waters amidst often ferocious weather. Dramatic stories
are featured such as the near loss of a ship in pack ice, the
stranding of another in hurricane force winds and the
collapse of an ice-cliff onto the vessel. As Chief Officer on
the RRS ‘John Briscoe’, het vividly describes predicaments
such as being blown ashore in hurricane force winds and
being beset and crushed in pack ice. Appointed to command
the RRS ‘Bransfield’, he recounts her extraordinary maiden
voyage when it was feared she would split in two. The battle
with a horrendous storm at the end of his last voyage is fully
described together with his final sentimental return to the
Falklands. “Polar Mariner” (ISBN 978-1-84995-166-1) is
issued as a softback. The book counts 202 pages and costs
£18.99 or $25.95. The book can be ordered via every good book shop, or directly with the publisher,
Whittles Publishing, Dunbeath Mill, Dunbeath, Cairness IKW6 6EG, Scotland (UK), e-mail:
info@whittlespublishing.com www.whittlespublishing.com
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New York Times says new Panama Canal crumbling before it opens
SHODDY construction and weak economics has condemned the prospects of the expanded Panama Canal
before it opens on June 26, says the New York Times.
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
16
The Pulse
UK Urged to Form New Free Trade Commission Due to Brexit
As the British people made a decision to leave the European Union, the UK should consider establishing a new Free Trade Commission in an effort to sign free trade deals with trading partners around the world, according to the UK Chamber of Shipping. The UK may now be beginning the process of leaving the European Union, but the country is still an island nation that has to make its way in the world through buying and selling, and the shipping industry, which moves 95% of the UK’s international trade, will continue playing a great role. “We believe that government should establish a new Free Trade Commission, working across the Department for Business and the Foreign Office, to train trade negotiators and begin the process of establishing new trading ties around the world and be ready for the negotiations with the remaining members of the EU,” the association said. The UK Chamber of Shipping added that the rest of the world beyond Europe has experienced significant economic growth, and a key argument by the Vote Leave campaign was that the UK would be able to quickly sign free trade deals with trading partners around the world. “Government now has to act quickly to ensure that happens,” according to the association. Source: worldmaritimenews
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Danish ships to be issued with digital certificates
As one of the first countries in the world, Denmark has as of 24 June 2016, put an end to the 100 years old tradition of certifying ships by means of old-fashioned certificates on paper. Until now, the certification has been carried out by printing, stamping and signing paper certificates and subsequently sending them around the world to be kept on board ships. Digital certification – or electronic certification which is the term used internationally – will put an end to these cumbersome procedures, reduce administrative workloads and pave the way for further maritime digitalisation. The Minister for Business and Growth, Mr Troels Lund Poulsen: It is important for our businesses to embrace the digital era. Therefore it makes me proud that Denmark is one of the very first countries in the world to use electronic certification, which will reduce the administrative workload and save time and money in the maritime sector.” Many years’ worth of international negotiations has laid the ground for today’s launching of electronic certificates. Denmark has worked in the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization, IMO, to keep reduction of administrative burdens on the agenda. And electronic certificates are an excellent example of a simple, digital solution that will make life easier for Danish shipowners and seafarers on board Danish ships.The Director General of the Danish Shipowners’ Association, Ms Anne H. Steffensen:” The Danish Maritime Authority has been working hard in the IMO to gain acceptance of electronic certificates. It is a major step in the right direction that will help reduce administrative burdens and costs imposed on Danish shipowners and ships. Denmark is in the lead here and we hope that other Flag States and classification societies will follow Denmark’s initiative.” The ships’ old paper certificates will be replaced one at a time as they expire. Ship owners will also get online access to their own certificates, which will further reduce the amount of administrative work. Source: Danish Maritime Authority
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Carnival cruise firm Southampton jobs 'at risk'
Dozens of jobs at the Southampton office of cruise company Carnival are at risk over plans to set up a new ship management company in Germany. The move is part of proposals to bring Carnival's European and Asian brands together, including P&O and Cunard. The firm said the move would affect 50 members of staff. But one staff member told the BBC hundreds of jobs could be at risk when back office, ship management and IT jobs are moved to Hamburg in September. The staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The only [jobs] we can see surviving are the phone centres, but we just don't know." Staff in Southampton are so worried about their future they have leaked internal documents to the BBC. In a Q&A memo about Project Doppler, Carnival UK admits "the perception is that there will be job losses." It does not say how many. But one member of staff told me hundreds are at risk. Carnival UK denies it. But the documents show the creation of a new company in Hamburg is a substantial long term strategic move. A Carnival spokeswoman said: "There are over 1,000 people employed in Carnival House. The creation of the new maritime operation will affect approximately 50 of these people." Internal documents seen by the BBC suggest "Project Doppler" will combine the technical teams and ship management for the Cunard, P&O Cruises, Aida, Costa and Fathom brands under one roof. Source: BBC
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
17
The Pulse
Body recovered in search for missing family of 4
The body of one of four people missing after their 29-foot sailboat disappeared while traveling to Fort Myers has been recovered, the U.S. Coast Guard said. “At about 4:30 this afternoon one of Coast Guard helicopters located a deceased person in the search area wearing a PFD,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said during a press conference late Wednesday afternoon. “That person was recovered by the helicopter and transported to local authorities so they can make positive identification.” Ace Kimberly, 45, was travelling with his three children, Roger Kimberly, 14, Donny Kimberly, 16, and Rebecca Kimberly, 17, when they disappeared. The group was supposed to check in but never did, authorities said. A Coast Guard official said Thursday that the agency never received a distress call. “We are doing everything we can and throwing everything we have at this search,” Coast Guard Capt. Gregory Case said Thursday. The boaters had set out to visit Ace Kimberly’s brother, who lives in Fort Myers Beach, and have repairs done to the boat. Staff at Marina Jack, where the family would on occasion stop to get fuel, described their boat as “rickety.” The last anyone heard from the boaters was at about 3 p.m. Sunday, when Ace Kimberly called his brother and told him he was struggling in 6-foot seas off Englewood, the Coast Guard said. “A brother said he was experiencing rough seas and thunder storms and he was worried and wanted his brother on land to send him some weather reports and that’s the last that he heard from him,” Case said. Kimberly’s brother alerted the agency on Tuesday, Case said. The brother told Coast Guard officials that a tarp, four water bottles, tennis shoes, a basketball, a propane tank and six life jackets found in Gulf waters 33 miles off Sanibel on Thursday morning belonged to the family. “There’s many factors that can go into our search and how long we’re gonna search for,” said Nyxolyno Cangemi with the Coast Guard, “but we remain optimistic that we’re going to find survivors.” The Coast Guard searched an area stretching from Boca Grande to Fort Myers, deploying multiple crews: -130 Hercules fixed-wing rescue aircrew -60 Jayhawk aircrew -foot Response boat-medium boat crew -foot response boat-medium boat crew
Source: winknews
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DERBY DEEPS 201 JULY 2016 PLUS DIARY UPDATE
Dear All
1. The new newsletter thanks to Jeff Dykes is on our web page on the following link
http://www.godfreydykes.info/201_DD_JUL_2016.pdf
Enjoy our newsletter, any feedback always welcome
Terry Hall, Hon. Secretary/Treasurer Derbyshire Submariners
http://www.godfreydykes.info/derbysh...ners_page.html
Vice Chairman RBL Ilkeston,
RBL PAO Stanley Rural Area HAE05,
MOSVTrustee W5795 Bomber Memorial
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Video: Panama Canal Expansion Construction in 2 Minute Time-Lapse
https://gcaptain.com/videp-panama-ca...Captain.com%29
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Bulker Frontier Triumph Detained in Dharma, India; Four Arrested For
'Hiding' Banned Sat Phone
Four people have been arrested from a
Panamanian cargo ship off the coast of
Odisha for allegedly carrying satellite
phones banned in India and similar to
ones used in the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks. According to the Army's
Eastern Command spokesman, signals
from a 'Thuraya' phone were detected emanating from the Odisha coast on June 9. The Coast Guard in
Kolkata tracked the signals to the Panamanian ship Frontier Triumph, anchored near the Dhamra port.
When officials boarded Frontier Triumph to investigate on June 16, the master denied there was a sat
phone on the ship but the Coast Guard found the 'Thuraya' hidden on board the ship. The Thuraya had not
been declared - mandatory for ships entering Indian waters. It was also found that the phone was used to
make two calls when the ship was inside Indian waters. The vessel's last port of call was recorded as
Singapore. There were 23 crew members on board. Of the four arrested, two are from Philippines and one
from Australia. No details on the identity of the fourth person have been shared. The arrested persons
were taken to Bhadrak in Odisha and presented in court on Friday. According to officials, satellite phones
are extremely difficult to track in real-time and call records cannot be accessed easily as it is challenging
to find out which country owns the satellites that the phones are linked to. Terrorists in Jammu and
Kashmir are known to use Thurayas. Source: NDTV
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ICS HIGHLIGHTS ROLE OF MERCHANT SEAFARERS IN MIGRANT
RESCUES ON DAY OF THE SEAFARER
Gerardo Borromeo, Vice Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) took the opportunity
today to highlight the courage that is currently being displayed by seafarers, of all nationalities, with
respect to the rescue at sea crisis taking place in Europe and in the Mediterranean. Speaking at an event
run by the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) to celebrate the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Day of the Seafarer on 25th June 2016, he said: “Seafarers
move the world, and in doing so they also make tremendous sacrifices, staying away from home and
family for extended periods of time. But they can also be called upon to take on other extraordinary tasks,
beyond the call of normal duty. “The shipping industry fully accepts its humanitarian responsibility to
come to the assistance of anyone in distress at sea. But one aspect of this terrible situation, which is often
overlooked, is the effect that this is having on merchant seafarers. “Many seafarers have now been
involved in large-scale rescue operations, saving the lives of thousands of people, and witnessing great
suffering. It has to be remembered that seafarers are civilians, they are not professional rescue personnel.”
He emphasised that while the politics surrounding the migrant crisis are hugely complex, ICS will
continue to urge governments to do even more. Mr Borromeo concluded: “The Day of the Seafarer is a
day of celebration. On behalf of ICS, and in co-operation with our colleagues from the seafarers’ unions,
we remain committed to promoting recognition of the extraordinary role of merchant seafarers and the
important and vital work that they do for the global community.” The celebrations – attended by more
than 2,000 seafarers and their families – were held in Manila at the SMX Conference Centre. The event
was addressed by the IMO Secretary-General, Mr Kitack Lim and followed the theme of 'At Sea for All',
with music and cultural acts, as well as a health zone for seafarers and a children's activity area.
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Ship Photos of the Day – Inaugural Transit of the Panama Canal Expansion
https://gcaptain.com/photos-inaugura...nalexpansion/?
utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCa
ptain.com%29
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
19
The Pulse
Remains of Ancient Greek Naval Base Discovered Near Athens
Some 2,500 years ago, a severely outnumbered Greek naval fleet managed to halt a force of invading Persians in a decisive clash fought in the narrow strait between the Greek mainland and the island of Salamis. Essential to the Greek victory were some 200 three-banked warships, known as triremes. When not in battle, these all-important vessels were housed in a massive naval facility in Athens’ seaport, Piraeus. As part of a recent excavation of Piraeus Harbor, a team of Danish and Greek marine archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient naval base estimated to date to between 520 and 480 B.C., the year the Battle of Salamis took place. With six sheds, each designed to hold hundreds of vessels, the complex would have been one of the largest structures in the ancient world. In 2001, a team of marine archaeologists led by Bjørn Lovén of the University of Copenhagen launched the Zea Harbor Project, a major land and underwater investigation in search of the ancient Athenian naval bases of Zea and Mounichia. They got a huge break in 2010, when a local fisherman guided them to a site on the northern side of Mounichia, in an area now used for fishing and yachting. After searching through a tangle of anchors, chains and modern-day debris, the archaeologists eventually uncovered six ship-sheds, the structures that housed and protected the ancient Greek war vessels known as triremes. As Lovén announced recently in a press release: “Based on pottery and carbon-14 dating from a worked piece of wood found inside the foundations of a colonnade, we dated the ship-sheds to around 520-480 BCE, or shortly thereafter.” The team’s discovery of the remains of the ancient naval base built at Piraeus, Athens’ harbor city, represent a window into a pivotal moment in Greek history: the triumph of an alliance of Greek city-states over an invading Persian force in the Battle of Salamis, in 480 B.C. A few years before the battle, the Athenian statesman Themistocles had predicted a future attack by Xerxes, the powerful emperor of Persia. He determined that a strong navy would be Greece’s best defense against such an invasion, and pushed for the construction of a fleet of triremes, three-banked war vessels, to be based in Piraeus. In order to protect this vital naval defense system, the ancient Athenians built a massive facility at Piraeus that would rank with the Acropolis and the Parthenon among the most formidable structures in the ancient world. Triremes would prove to be the key to building Greece’s naval power, both before and after the Battle of Salamis. The vessels were exceedingly vulnerable to damage, not just when at sea or in battle, but also while moored in the harbor. Excessive exposure to the punishing summer sun would dry out and shrink the timbers of the ships’ hulls, creating leaks, while exposure to rain would cause swelling and fungal decay in the wood. Ship-sheds, like those found by Lovén and his colleagues, were used to protect the vessels from these risks, as well as from damage by the wood-eating mollusks known as shipworms, or woodworms. By the late fourth century B.C., the complex of naval bases built at Piraeus could house more than 350 triremes. The ship-sheds, long parallel buildings measuring some 6 ½ meters wide and up to 80 meters long, had ramps along each side sloping up from the water. According to “The Wooden Wall,” a short film produced by Lovén about the Battle of Salamis and the Athenian naval bases, it took some 140 men to pull a trireme along the ramp and into a shed. A superstructure of stone collonades, walls and tiled roofs covered the sheds, and a sophisticated fortification system of walls protected the entire base. At the Battle of Salamis, Themistocles’ vision of a strong naval fleet for Greece would end up saving the young democracy and changing the course of history. Despite being severely outnumbered, with fewer than 400 warships against some 1000 Persian vessels, the Greeks managed to win decisively, halting the second Persian invasion of Greece. Two thirds of the ships that took part in the battle came from Athens, and were likely housed in the base Lovén’s team found. “It is difficult to predict what would have happened if the Greek fleet had lost at Salamis, but it is clear that a Persian victory would have had immense consequences for subsequent cultural and social developments in Europe,” Lovén put it in the press release. “The victory at Salamis rightly echoes through history and awakens awe and inspiration around the world today.” Source : History
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SKIPPER JAILED: A UK fishing vessel skipper has been jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to not operating his boat in a safe manner. The prosecution was brought by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency after a series of deficiencies were found onboard the vessel, St Amant, between November 2007 and April 2012. Source FLASHLIGHT 164
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
20
The Pulse
Port of Rotterdam collaborates with APMT, ECT and RWG for paperless inter-terminal moves
The Netherland's Tax and Customs Administration has signed agreements with APM Terminals (APMT), Europe Container Terminals (ECT) and Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) to end the need of physical customs documents when transferring containers between Maasvlakte terminals. The new paperless transfer system aims to reduce administrative workload, particularly for shipping lines, as well as simplifying the exchange of containers between terminals. Maasvlakte, which is a part of Europoort, a harbour and industrial area near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has five deep-sea container terminals, which will be ready to implement the new system. "Paperless transfers simplify the transport of containers from one terminal to the other and improve Rotterdam's competitive position." Containers, which arrive at one terminal, are regularly required to be shipped on via a different terminal. Similarly, tens of thousands of containers also need to be shipped on via a different terminal every year, and this number is estimated to increase in coming years, partly as a result of shifts in alliances formed by the shipping companies. Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein said: "Paperless transfers simplify the transport of containers from one terminal to the other and improve Rotterdam's competitive position." The next step will be the construction of the container exchange route, which allows for the transport of containers between terminals via a closed system. According to our planning, this project will be rounded off within two years. "The agreements presently entered into regarding paperless transfers will also apply to the container exchange route." It is noted that European customs legislation recently started providing the option of transferring containers from one terminal to the other, under specific conditions, without further paperwork. The Association of Rotterdam Shipbrokers and Agents (VRC), the participating container terminals, as well as the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have made agreements to take advantage of this new legislation and offer paperless transfers at the Maasvlakte area. In future, the paperless concept could be introduced to other container terminals in the port of Rotterdam. Source: ship-technology
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Will Maersk Line acquire HMM By Aiswarya Lakshmi Monday, June 27, 2016
There are rumours among observers that the market leader Maersk Line is planning to acquire South Korea’s shipping major Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM).
Neither company has commented on the matter. Both companies were tight-lipped today on merger talk.
According to a Reuters report, Maersk itself hasn't made a major acquisition for more than a decade but says it might be open to "the right opportunity", although doubters believe such deals risk accumulating ships without securing enough customers.
Jakob Stausholm, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Maersk Line, said: "If the right opportunity is there we will look into it. If you look at the history of Maersk Line, we have achieved our leadership position by combination of organic growth and acquisitions. It's really tough and everybody in the industry is really suffering, and so have we. We are defending our leadership position. If we are strong, there is no reason for us not to grow.”
However, Maersk Line has confirmed that they are in discussions with HMM on the possibility of HMM joining the 2M vessel sharing agreement (2M VSA) when their membership of the G6 alliance expires in 2017.
The 2M alliance comprises Maersk Line, the A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S shipping unit, and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
But a section of market observers believe that Maersk seems to regard HMM as object of acquisition in 2020 not its alliance partner.
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
21
The Pulse
Safety row over Panama Canal
Concerns over safety in the expanded Panama Canal have been raised in a research report commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
The ITF said the independent study was carried out by Brazil’s Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM) after worries raised by local unions over the refusal of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to discuss training and technical and construction issues which led to delays in the operation of the new locks.
FHM researchers said simulation exercises based on a neo-panamax vessel and two tugs showed that the safety of maneuverability was compromised as a result of such factors as:
• the locks’ dimensions being too small for safe operation (with both gates closed)
• there being no refuge areas for tugs inside the locks
• the bollard pull and power of the tugs being insufficient for certain conditions
It recommended that a complete risk analysis on the maneuverability of vessels transiting the locks and said special training should be carried out.
‘I wish I could report that the study gave the new locks the all-clear. Sadly, I can’t,’ said ITF general secretary Steve Cotton. ‘Instead we face a situation where those working on the canal, and those passing through it, are potentially at risk. That will have to change.’
The ACP dismissed the study’s findings as ‘inadmissible’ and argued in a statement that the claims made in the document were not based on mathematical models and did not include data from physical navigation tests. The authority claimed that the authors of the study ‘have not sailed the Panama Canal, and are not suitable for it’, an allegation rejected by FHM, which said its expert staff included captains, merchant marine officers and naval architects.
The FHM simulation model was based on ACP’s original plan to use one forward tug and one aft tug, maneuvering a neo-panamax size vessel.
The ACP said it had spent almost 10 years evaluating the design and operation of the locks, concluding that it would be right to use up to four tugs to support transiting ships.
Mr Cotton said the ITF stood by the FHM report and reiterated its call for ACP to engage positively ‘to ensure that the canal is safe for those working on it and those passing through it’, pointing out that it had been seeking talks on the issues since December 2013.
‘The issues identified in this study will not be a surprise to workers on the canal,’ he added. ‘Unfortunately, their expertise and experience have up to now been snubbed. Thankfully they’re still on offer.
‘Those who’ll be working these locks have to be brought into the process while there’s still time to fix the defects.
We share our affiliated unions’ concerns and we can assure that the ITF and its canal affiliates want the new canal to be safe and to work,’ Mr Cotton stressed.
‘The Panama Canal is crucial for the international maritime industry. We offer our full support to make this important maritime route safe for all those who transit it or work on it, and for a positive engagement between unions and the ACP.’
(With thanks to the Nautilus Telegraph: www.nautilusint.org)
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
22
The Pulse
Search Continues for Entangled Blue Whale off California
June 28, 2016 by Reuters
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES, June 28 (Reuters) – Marine mammal rescue teams alerted boaters off Southern California on Tuesday to be on the lookout for a blue whale ensnared in the rigging of a commercial crab trap, a day after initial efforts to free the giant creature failed.
Rescuers spent an entire day trying to cut free the 80-foot-long (24-meter-long) whale on Monday, ending the operation around nightfall, and hoped for a second chance at disentangling the distressed animal, authorities said.
As of late Tuesday, the whale and a tell-tale string of yellow-and-orange buoys trailing behind it remained out of sight, said Gisele Anderson, whose husband, Dave, runs a fleet of whale-watching excursion vessels involved in the effort.
The whale was spotted about 30 miles (48 km) off San Diego over the weekend and again on Monday near Dana Point, about 65 miles (105 km) to the north, by the crew of Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, Anderson said.
Blue whales, an endangered species, grow up to 100 feet (30 meters) in length and weigh close to 200 tons, ranking as the largest living animals on Earth.
Whale entanglements are not uncommon, and can prove lethal, according to Michael Milstein, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“The animal has to work that much harder pulling that gear around for it to survive,” Milstein said. “It’s going to be a long-term debilitating problem for the whale if it doesn’t get free.”
Last year, 61 whales were found caught in fishing gear, crab pots and netting and nearly 40 have been reported so far this year along the U.S. West Coast, Milstein said.
Most are gray and humpback whales, which tend to swim closer to shore, while blue whales are more common in the open ocean, according to Milstein.
He said the blue whale encountered near Dana Point was only the second one ever reported ensnared off the West Coast, and the first rescuers have tried to free.
Two buoys attached to the entanglement identified it as part of a crab trap from Morro Bay, off central California, Anderson said. The harness was stuck in the whale’s mouth and was dragging the heavy main rigging of the trap beneath the animal, encumbering its ability to swim and feed, she said.
The whale-watching boat crew, joined by NOAA officers, local harbor patrol and sheriff’s deputies, spent hours trying to slice away the entanglement using cutters on long poles when the whale surfaced to breathe.
The effort grew more difficult as the animal appeared to become agitated and began submerging for longer periods of time, Milstein said. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Sandra Maler)
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MASTER SUMMONSED:
The Ukrainian master of the Liberian flagged bulk carrier Thisseas has been summoned to appear before a French court to answer charges that his vessel polluted waters off Brittany after experts determined that there were no problems with the ship’s oily water separator. Source FLASHLIGHT 164
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A blue whale surfaces to breathe in an undated picture from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA/Handout
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
23
The Pulse
Hapag-Lloyd Agrees to UASC Merger Deal June 28, 2016 by Reuters
FRANKFURT, June 28 (Reuters) – German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd AG has agreed a merger deal with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), creating a group with an estimated value of 7 to 8 billion euros($7.7-8.9 billion), as both seek to weather a market downturn.
Hapag-Lloyd said its supervisory board had approved the deal, which would see it take all shares in Kuwait-based UASC, majority-held by the government of Qatar. Hapag-Lloyd’s anchor shareholders and UASC shareholders still need to give consent.
An extraordinary general meeting of UASC will be held in Dubai on June 29, Hapag-Lloyd said in a statement.
Hapag-Lloyd shares were up by 3.4 percent at 18 euros at 1455 GMT, easing from an earlier high of 19.2 euros.
Container shipping has seen a wave a mergers and acquisitions, particularly in Asia, as companies try to grab a bigger share of a depressed market. The industry is suffering its worst downturn since its origins in the 1950s and 1960s due to a combination of weak consumer demand and overcapacity
Plans for the deal were unveiled in April. It received backing by UASC shareholders earlier this month.
Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd initially said talks were based on its shareholders owning 72 percent of the combined business.
In a presentation to analysts last month Hapag-Lloyd placed itself fifth globally in terms of carrier capacity, and UASC in eleventh place.
A merger would consolidate the group’s combined 5th place and get it much closer to the number four – COSCO Container Lines – according to the presentation.
Besides full mergers companies are also seeking alliances and vessel sharing arrangements to pool trips and save money.
Hapag-Lloyd last month unveiled a new alliance due to start in April 2017, which it said UASC would join if the merger plans were successful.
Hapag-Lloyd merged with Chile’s Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) in 2014, helping it to swing to profit last year, but its shareholders still view it as too small to thrive.
Through the UASC merger, it would gain access to bigger ships on the important Asia to Europe trade route. UASC for its part would gain wider access to trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific loops, where Hapag-Lloyd is strong.
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Ship Photos of the Day – Real Viking Ship Completes North Atlantic Crossing
https://gcaptain.com/ship-photos-of-...Captain.com%29
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Arrest beckons for former DSME boss as fraud investigation hots up
A former ceo of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) was taken into custody today over the yard’s huge accounting fraud. Nam Sang-tae had faced questions from prosecutors yesterday. He’d been handed a travel ban a number of months back as investigators upped their inquiry into the fraud which amounts to around $4.6bn. An arrest warrant is likely tomorrow, prosecutors say. The 66-year-old ran DSME from 2006 to 2012. His successor is also under suspicion. DSME is now going through a massive restructuring in no small part thanks to the losses stemming from the fraud.source: Splash 24/7 __________________________________________________ ___________________________________
UASC’s ultra-large containership MV Barzan.
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2nd July 2016, 01:47 PM
#2
Re: New mna report july 2016
El Faro VDR Recovery Mission Postponed June 29, 2016 by Mike Schuler
The National Transportation Safety Board has postponed the launch of the mission to recover the voyage data recorder from the cargo ship El Faro as it awaits the resources needed for the mission to become available.
The NTSB said in early June that the mission to recover the VDR would launch in early July, but it has now been postponed to the first week of August and is expected to last about two weeks.
The VDR was located on April 26 in about 15,000 feet of water during the NTSB’s second search for the device near the Bahamas. It was found attached to a steel mast and mount previously attached the El Faro’s navigation bridge, which had separated from the rest of the ship when it sank October 1, 2015 during Hurricane Joaquin.
The VDR is located approximately 450 meters from the wreck of the El Faro.
Resources involved in the recovery will include the USNS Apache and CURV-21, a remotely operated underwater vehicle. CURV-21 is the same equipment used to first locate the El Faro wreckage in November. 2015. Investigators from the NTSB and the U.S. Coast Guard, and engineers from the U.S. Navy and Phoenix International, the operator of CURV-21, will also be aboard USNS Apache when it departs from Little Creek, Virginia in August.
The nearly nine months that have elapsed since the incident have led many to question why the recovery of the VDR is taking so long considering the ongoing investigations by both the NTSB and the USCG are dependent on the critical information that may or may not be contained or recoverable on the VDR.
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Rolls-Royce expects remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020
Autonomous ships wouldn't be that far behind.
Rolls-Royce isn't limiting its robotic transportation plans to luxury cars. The British transportation firm has outlined a strategy for deploying remote-controlled and autonomous cargo vessels. It's working on virtual decks where land-based crews could control every aspect of a ship, complete with VR camera views and monitoring drones to spot issues that no human ever could. Accordingly, Rolls is designing boats where humans wouldn't have to come aboard. In theory, one human would steer several boats -- crew shortages would disappear overnight. The move to crew-free ships promises more than a few advantages, Rolls says. You wouldn't need a bridge or living quarters, so you'd have much more room for the goods you're hauling. They'd be safer and more efficient, too, since you'd cut out many human errors (not to mention the direct risks from rough weather and pirates) and streamline operations. Robotic ships might cut the number of available jobs, but they would let distant crews handle more complex tasks without being overwhelmed. Some of Rolls' concepts are more Star Trek than real life at the moment (its imagery includes interactive holograms), but this isn't just a theoretical exercise. One ship, the Stril Luna, already has a smart Unified Bridge system in place for coordinating all its equipment. The aim is to launch the first remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020, and to have autonomous boats on the water within two decades. All told, civilians might only have to head out to sea for pleasure cruises. Source: engadget
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IFC Update As the conditions are favourable, IFC assess that the risks of attacks in South China Sea and Singapore Strait from 30 Jun till 08 Jul 16 are high. All ships are reminded to be vigilant and to conduct anti-piracy measures.
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An image of the El Faro’s navigation bridge at a depth of 15,000 feet off Crooked Island in the Bahamas. Credit: NTSB
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
25
The Pulse
Cunard and P&0 Maritime Operations Moving To Hamburg Carnival admits move but says job losses are small
They once were the jewels in the British merchant navy's crown, but it appears that the remaining maritime administration of what once were monolithic British companies is to be moved to Germany, as Carnival Corp admit that they are looking to move ship and technical management roles to Hamburg to operate under one roof along with other 'brands' of the cruise line-owning corporation, Aida and Costa. According to the Southampton based Daily Echo staff are so worried over the move they have leaked details of the plan, dubbed Project Doppler. The company told the newspaper that there were over 1,000 people employed in Carnival House and that the creation of the new maritime operation will affect "approximately 50 of these people and no more." This will come as little comfort to staff as high value and historic operations are moved to the new centre which is to be called "Carnival Maritime", signalling an end to the former companies' relevance as maritime entities and in effect reducing them purely to localised marketing brands whilst the ships and maritime operations themselves are ran from Germany. Carnival said that this had nothing to do with the European Referendum but was part of a long term strategy, the Echo reported. Whilst the company stressed that Carnival House remained as its HQ, it will be seen as a regressive move, that two former great British and historic shipping companies will no longer have their vessels and maritime operations managed from British shores. Source: shippingtimes.
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The Odd Trio: HMM, Maersk and MSC By Aiswarya Lakshmi
The MSC DEILA spotter yesterday Westbound in the Singapore Straits Photo : Piet Sinke © CLICK at the Photo ! In one of the more bizarre twists in the container shipping market it emerged last week that financially troubled carrier South Korean Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is in talks with the world’s two largest lines, Maersk Line and MSC about the possibility of joining them in the 2M alliance. This is a significant shift in mood music from HMM, which until recently was in danger of being a container pariah, locked out of the new alliance structures for next year after years of heavy losses, says Drewry Research.
HMM made an operating loss of $136 million in the first quarter 2016 from all activities (results from its container operations for 2015 and 1Q16 are yet to become available), but progress is being made on its large debt-restructuring process headed by their main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB). HMM has raised some cash through asset sales and is hoping for about another $2.2 billion through a new share issuance, while bondholders and financial lenders have agreed to debt rescheduling terms. There is even talk that the company will order 10 x 14,000 teu newbuilds before the year is out. As it stands, the company has successfully met two of the three conditions creditors laid out for the debt relief programme and a bargain for holding off a court receivership, and now could be on the verge of meeting the third condition – finding an alliance home. Source; marinelink
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Visa For Non-Citizens Working On Vessels At Australian Ports
The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has issued a factsheet relating to non-citizens working on vessels in Australian Ports.
Non-citizens on all vessels in the migration zone are required to hold an appropriate Australian visa. This includes international and domestic vessels in Australia’s migration zone to undertake scheduled and unscheduled repairs and refits, both within and outside of dry dock facilities. There are various appropriate visa options. In circumstances where multiple visas are appropriate, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection should be contacted for further advice, or a Registered Migration Agent consulted. The information contained in the fact sheet is current as at 9 June 2016. Australian law may change after this time resulting in a change in visa options. Please check the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website for further information at Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection . This notice is largely to ensure that Owners Superintendents, technicians, etc, visiting vessels in the country’s ports have the correct visa – in this case being a Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa Subclass 400. Source: GAC
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
26
The Pulse
MSC reaffirms commitment to UK after Brexit vote
Container line with a UK workforce of around 600 says it regards its presence in the country as enormously important MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Co has reaffirmed its commitment to the UK market following last week’s vote to quit the European Union. In a statement to Lloyd’s List, MSC acknowledged the referendum result “marks a new era for the UK’s position in worldwide trade". MSC is a sizeable employer in the UK, with a total workforce of around 600. Of those, 557 are located in MSC's UK head office just outside Ipswich, while a dozen are based in Liverpool. The line also has some staff in Glasgow and London. The success of the Leave campaign has triggered shockwaves around the world and sent sterling plunging. That has enormous implications for the country’s international trade, making exports cheaper but imports much more expensive. “As the UK’s largest container carrier by import and export teu volumes, and with the widest port range, we see our presence in the country as enormously important in enabling us to manage such a significant share of containerised trade,” MSC said. “MSC is committed to the UK market and is confident that global trade will remain an essential part of the British economy.” The Geneva-headquartered line noted that the UK shipping industry adds around £3bn directly to GDP, while the broader UK transport and logistics sector employs around 1.7m people “Our presence here enables us to continue our door-to-door services with the global reach and local expertise we have become so well known for,” said MSC. The company added that it had been observing political discussions around the European referendum for many months “and had therefore been preparing itself for the final verdict”. Last week, MSC’s 2M partner Maersk warned that Brexit would hamper EU and UK growth opportunities and ambitions. Maersk said it expected a limited immediate impact on the group’s businesses in the UK as a consequence of the referendum — however, a decision to leave the EU would reduce the size of the internal market over time and potentially make trading more complicated. "Any long-term impact will depend on factors such as trade patterns, consumption habits and growth in the UK, Europe and other regions," said Maersk Group head of group public affairs Anders Würtzen."We do however consider it a loss that the UK has decided to leave the EU as it reduces the size of the internal market and over time potentially makes trading more complicated. This is likely to be a disadvantage to EU and UK growth opportunities and ambitions." Source : lloydslist
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Fears That Stena and Others May Leave British Flag
Union asks for calm and berates Chamber for neutral stance
Nautilus, the international maritime union, formerly known as Numast, has expressed its concerns after members of the union were contacted by Stena, informing them that the Line may consider re-flagging its vessels from the British flag. Stena, which operates ferries around the UK and has a shipmanagement arm in Clydebank, Scotland, is a big player in the British merchant world. Nautilus called for calm among British shipowners in the wake of the referendum vote in favour of the UK's exit from the European Union. In a letter to the UK Chamber of Shipping, general secretary Mark Dickinson said he hoped the organisation could provide reassurance and leadership in the face of ‘damaging uncertainty’ over the impact of the Brexit vote for British seafarers and British shipping. Mr Dickinson said he was surprised the Chamber had remained neutral ahead of the referendum vote when so many organisations and prominent industry figures, including shipping minister Robert Goodwill and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, had warned of the potentially adverse effects for the UK maritime sector. He urged Chamber CEO Guy Platten to ‘provide a clear message on behalf of British shipowners that the UK maritime industry remains open for business — with a continued commitment to shared policy objectives of growing the national flag fleet and regenerating the pool of British seafarers’. And he added: ‘Many of our members have made huge sacrifices to retain their jobs and to ensure the survival of their companies. It is essential that they are given an emphatic signal of support from shipowners and that concerns are not fuelled by rash statements or pre-emptive actions.’ Shipping Times contacted Northern Marine Management in Clydebank, but so far they have declined to answer any questions regarding Stena's statements. Source: Shippingtimes
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Indonesian Sailors Recount Hijacking
MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
27
The Pulse
On that sweltering afternoon, June 20, 2016, Tugboat Charles 001 was sailing at normal speed in the waters between Jolo and Tawi Tawi in the southern Philippines, pulling the barge Robby 152 after making a coal delivery at Cagayan De Oro, Philippines. Indonesian sailor Rudi Kurniawan was at the helm, keeping an eye on the tugboat’s coordinates and speed. Three crew members were with him in the wheelhouse. “It was almost time for a crew change. I was tired after being at the helm all day,” Rudi told BenarNews in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on June 26.His sleepiness vanished when two speedboats pulled up on either side of the tugboat and a dozen men pointed rifles in their direction.
“It crossed my mind, they are Abu Sayyaf. There’s been piracy before in the waters off Tawi-Tawi,” he said. Fourteen Indonesian sailors were snatched in two separate incidents in March and April, then released in May after being held by Abu Sayyaf, a group known for taking foreigners hostage and killing some of their captives.
Rudi and his three colleagues rounded up the nine other crew members, and all of them crowded into the wheelhouse. Meanwhile, armed men were getting on board. “Some of them had already gotten on the boat, pointing their guns at us. We couldn’t do anything but put our hands up in a sign of surrender,” said Rudi, who still appeared exhausted.
‘Where are the engineers?’ By Rudi’s count, seven pirates boarded the tugboat. One of them, using a Malay dialect, began asking for the tugboat’s engineers. They tied up the tugboat captain Ferry Arifin, chief engineer Muh Mahbrur Dahri and engineer Edi Suryono. “They were looking for machinists.
‘Where are the engineers, where are the engineers!’” said Andi Wahyu, another crew member, imitating the pirates. “Edi’s hands were immediately tied with rope. Then they grabbed Ferry and Mahbrur, pointing their guns at them.” The three were loaded onto a speedboat, along with most of the tugboat’s communications equipment. One of the sailors started crying as the three most senior members of the crew were led away. “Seeing our mate cry, the pirate who spoke Malay said we didn’t need to worry because they are only after money from the owner of our boat,” Andi said. In Jakarta on Monday, Indonesian Armed Forces chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo told reporters that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 200 million Philippine pesos, the equivalent of almost 65 billion Indonesian rupiah (U.S. $4.9 million).
He said the hostages were likely being held on Jolo, in the Sulu archipelago of the southern Philippines. Authorities believe two different groups are behind the snatchings, one of them led by Abu Sayyaf figure Al Habsyi Misaya. “The other one we don’t know yet, and we’re looking into it,” Gatot said, adding that Indonesia’s government was in close contact with counterparts in the Philippines. As soon as the pirates took off, the remaining crew set a rapid course away from Jolo, while trying to get a signal on a cell phone a crew member had managed to hide from the hijackers, Andi said. “Our panic had not even subsided, we had just started up again, when another speedboat with armed men appeared,” he said. The crew tried to outrun this boat, abandoning the barge to increase their speed.
“We weren’t as fast as them even after we let the barge go. In the end the armed men boarded the boat,” Andi said. The second group, wearing brown camouflage uniforms and bullet-proof vests, looked even more terrifying than the first. With no senior crew left to snatch, this group tied up four members of the crew. “Without saying too much, they took our four crew mates,” Andi recounted. Deeply shaken, the six remaining sailors started their journey once again, heading for Kalimantan. “For 35 hours, we took turns driving the boat out of Jolo waters until we reached Berau [Kalimantan] and immediately called the [shipping] company on the remaining cell phone,” Andi said. Indonesia had announced a moratorium on coal shipments to the Philippines after the earlier kidnappings, but shipping companies did not comply. Plans by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to mount joint patrols in waters along their shared borders to prevent more maritime hijackings have not yet materialized. The release of the 14 sailors in May was secured through diplomatic efforts and not ransom payments, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said at the time. Malaysia acknowledged that 12 million ringgit (U.S. $2.94 million) was paid to unnamed organizations in the Philippines to obtain the release earlier this month of four Malaysian sailors kidnapped in April. But the money was not ransom paid to Abu Sayyaf, Deputy Prime Minister Adhamd Zahid Hamidi said.
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Tugboat captain misled cops about girlfriend on board, sources say
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El Faro VDR Recovery Mission Postponed June 29, 2016 by Mike Schuler
The National Transportation Safety Board has postponed the launch of the mission to recover the voyage data recorder from the cargo ship El Faro as it awaits the resources needed for the mission to become available.
The NTSB said in early June that the mission to recover the VDR would launch in early July, but it has now been postponed to the first week of August and is expected to last about two weeks.
The VDR was located on April 26 in about 15,000 feet of water during the NTSB’s second search for the device near the Bahamas. It was found attached to a steel mast and mount previously attached the El Faro’s navigation bridge, which had separated from the rest of the ship when it sank October 1, 2015 during Hurricane Joaquin.
The VDR is located approximately 450 meters from the wreck of the El Faro.
Resources involved in the recovery will include the USNS Apache and CURV-21, a remotely operated underwater vehicle. CURV-21 is the same equipment used to first locate the El Faro wreckage in November. 2015. Investigators from the NTSB and the U.S. Coast Guard, and engineers from the U.S. Navy and Phoenix International, the operator of CURV-21, will also be aboard USNS Apache when it departs from Little Creek, Virginia in August.
The nearly nine months that have elapsed since the incident have led many to question why the recovery of the VDR is taking so long considering the ongoing investigations by both the NTSB and the USCG are dependent on the critical information that may or may not be contained or recoverable on the VDR.
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Rolls-Royce expects remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020
Autonomous ships wouldn't be that far behind.
Rolls-Royce isn't limiting its robotic transportation plans to luxury cars. The British transportation firm has outlined a strategy for deploying remote-controlled and autonomous cargo vessels. It's working on virtual decks where land-based crews could control every aspect of a ship, complete with VR camera views and monitoring drones to spot issues that no human ever could. Accordingly, Rolls is designing boats where humans wouldn't have to come aboard. In theory, one human would steer several boats -- crew shortages would disappear overnight. The move to crew-free ships promises more than a few advantages, Rolls says. You wouldn't need a bridge or living quarters, so you'd have much more room for the goods you're hauling. They'd be safer and more efficient, too, since you'd cut out many human errors (not to mention the direct risks from rough weather and pirates) and streamline operations. Robotic ships might cut the number of available jobs, but they would let distant crews handle more complex tasks without being overwhelmed. Some of Rolls' concepts are more Star Trek than real life at the moment (its imagery includes interactive holograms), but this isn't just a theoretical exercise. One ship, the Stril Luna, already has a smart Unified Bridge system in place for coordinating all its equipment. The aim is to launch the first remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020, and to have autonomous boats on the water within two decades. All told, civilians might only have to head out to sea for pleasure cruises. Source: engadget
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IFC Update As the conditions are favourable, IFC assess that the risks of attacks in South China Sea and Singapore Strait from 30 Jun till 08 Jul 16 are high. All ships are reminded to be vigilant and to conduct anti-piracy measures.
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An image of the El Faro’s navigation bridge at a depth of 15,000 feet off Crooked Island in the Bahamas. Credit: NTSB
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Cunard and P&0 Maritime Operations Moving To Hamburg Carnival admits move but says job losses are small
They once were the jewels in the British merchant navy's crown, but it appears that the remaining maritime administration of what once were monolithic British companies is to be moved to Germany, as Carnival Corp admit that they are looking to move ship and technical management roles to Hamburg to operate under one roof along with other 'brands' of the cruise line-owning corporation, Aida and Costa. According to the Southampton based Daily Echo staff are so worried over the move they have leaked details of the plan, dubbed Project Doppler. The company told the newspaper that there were over 1,000 people employed in Carnival House and that the creation of the new maritime operation will affect "approximately 50 of these people and no more." This will come as little comfort to staff as high value and historic operations are moved to the new centre which is to be called "Carnival Maritime", signalling an end to the former companies' relevance as maritime entities and in effect reducing them purely to localised marketing brands whilst the ships and maritime operations themselves are ran from Germany. Carnival said that this had nothing to do with the European Referendum but was part of a long term strategy, the Echo reported. Whilst the company stressed that Carnival House remained as its HQ, it will be seen as a regressive move, that two former great British and historic shipping companies will no longer have their vessels and maritime operations managed from British shores. Source: shippingtimes.
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The Odd Trio: HMM, Maersk and MSC By Aiswarya Lakshmi
The MSC DEILA spotter yesterday Westbound in the Singapore Straits Photo : Piet Sinke © CLICK at the Photo ! In one of the more bizarre twists in the container shipping market it emerged last week that financially troubled carrier South Korean Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is in talks with the world’s two largest lines, Maersk Line and MSC about the possibility of joining them in the 2M alliance. This is a significant shift in mood music from HMM, which until recently was in danger of being a container pariah, locked out of the new alliance structures for next year after years of heavy losses, says Drewry Research.
HMM made an operating loss of $136 million in the first quarter 2016 from all activities (results from its container operations for 2015 and 1Q16 are yet to become available), but progress is being made on its large debt-restructuring process headed by their main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB). HMM has raised some cash through asset sales and is hoping for about another $2.2 billion through a new share issuance, while bondholders and financial lenders have agreed to debt rescheduling terms. There is even talk that the company will order 10 x 14,000 teu newbuilds before the year is out. As it stands, the company has successfully met two of the three conditions creditors laid out for the debt relief programme and a bargain for holding off a court receivership, and now could be on the verge of meeting the third condition – finding an alliance home. Source; marinelink
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Visa For Non-Citizens Working On Vessels At Australian Ports
The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has issued a factsheet relating to non-citizens working on vessels in Australian Ports.
Non-citizens on all vessels in the migration zone are required to hold an appropriate Australian visa. This includes international and domestic vessels in Australia’s migration zone to undertake scheduled and unscheduled repairs and refits, both within and outside of dry dock facilities. There are various appropriate visa options. In circumstances where multiple visas are appropriate, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection should be contacted for further advice, or a Registered Migration Agent consulted. The information contained in the fact sheet is current as at 9 June 2016. Australian law may change after this time resulting in a change in visa options. Please check the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website for further information at Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection . This notice is largely to ensure that Owners Superintendents, technicians, etc, visiting vessels in the country’s ports have the correct visa – in this case being a Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa Subclass 400. Source: GAC
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MSC reaffirms commitment to UK after Brexit vote
Container line with a UK workforce of around 600 says it regards its presence in the country as enormously important MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Co has reaffirmed its commitment to the UK market following last week’s vote to quit the European Union. In a statement to Lloyd’s List, MSC acknowledged the referendum result “marks a new era for the UK’s position in worldwide trade". MSC is a sizeable employer in the UK, with a total workforce of around 600. Of those, 557 are located in MSC's UK head office just outside Ipswich, while a dozen are based in Liverpool. The line also has some staff in Glasgow and London. The success of the Leave campaign has triggered shockwaves around the world and sent sterling plunging. That has enormous implications for the country’s international trade, making exports cheaper but imports much more expensive. “As the UK’s largest container carrier by import and export teu volumes, and with the widest port range, we see our presence in the country as enormously important in enabling us to manage such a significant share of containerised trade,” MSC said. “MSC is committed to the UK market and is confident that global trade will remain an essential part of the British economy.” The Geneva-headquartered line noted that the UK shipping industry adds around £3bn directly to GDP, while the broader UK transport and logistics sector employs around 1.7m people “Our presence here enables us to continue our door-to-door services with the global reach and local expertise we have become so well known for,” said MSC. The company added that it had been observing political discussions around the European referendum for many months “and had therefore been preparing itself for the final verdict”. Last week, MSC’s 2M partner Maersk warned that Brexit would hamper EU and UK growth opportunities and ambitions. Maersk said it expected a limited immediate impact on the group’s businesses in the UK as a consequence of the referendum — however, a decision to leave the EU would reduce the size of the internal market over time and potentially make trading more complicated. "Any long-term impact will depend on factors such as trade patterns, consumption habits and growth in the UK, Europe and other regions," said Maersk Group head of group public affairs Anders Würtzen."We do however consider it a loss that the UK has decided to leave the EU as it reduces the size of the internal market and over time potentially makes trading more complicated. This is likely to be a disadvantage to EU and UK growth opportunities and ambitions." Source : lloydslist
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Fears That Stena and Others May Leave British Flag
Union asks for calm and berates Chamber for neutral stance
Nautilus, the international maritime union, formerly known as Numast, has expressed its concerns after members of the union were contacted by Stena, informing them that the Line may consider re-flagging its vessels from the British flag. Stena, which operates ferries around the UK and has a shipmanagement arm in Clydebank, Scotland, is a big player in the British merchant world. Nautilus called for calm among British shipowners in the wake of the referendum vote in favour of the UK's exit from the European Union. In a letter to the UK Chamber of Shipping, general secretary Mark Dickinson said he hoped the organisation could provide reassurance and leadership in the face of ‘damaging uncertainty’ over the impact of the Brexit vote for British seafarers and British shipping. Mr Dickinson said he was surprised the Chamber had remained neutral ahead of the referendum vote when so many organisations and prominent industry figures, including shipping minister Robert Goodwill and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, had warned of the potentially adverse effects for the UK maritime sector. He urged Chamber CEO Guy Platten to ‘provide a clear message on behalf of British shipowners that the UK maritime industry remains open for business — with a continued commitment to shared policy objectives of growing the national flag fleet and regenerating the pool of British seafarers’. And he added: ‘Many of our members have made huge sacrifices to retain their jobs and to ensure the survival of their companies. It is essential that they are given an emphatic signal of support from shipowners and that concerns are not fuelled by rash statements or pre-emptive actions.’ Shipping Times contacted Northern Marine Management in Clydebank, but so far they have declined to answer any questions regarding Stena's statements. Source: Shippingtimes
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Indonesian Sailors Recount Hijacking
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On that sweltering afternoon, June 20, 2016, Tugboat Charles 001 was sailing at normal speed in the waters between Jolo and Tawi Tawi in the southern Philippines, pulling the barge Robby 152 after making a coal delivery at Cagayan De Oro, Philippines. Indonesian sailor Rudi Kurniawan was at the helm, keeping an eye on the tugboat’s coordinates and speed. Three crew members were with him in the wheelhouse. “It was almost time for a crew change. I was tired after being at the helm all day,” Rudi told BenarNews in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on June 26.His sleepiness vanished when two speedboats pulled up on either side of the tugboat and a dozen men pointed rifles in their direction.
“It crossed my mind, they are Abu Sayyaf. There’s been piracy before in the waters off Tawi-Tawi,” he said. Fourteen Indonesian sailors were snatched in two separate incidents in March and April, then released in May after being held by Abu Sayyaf, a group known for taking foreigners hostage and killing some of their captives.
Rudi and his three colleagues rounded up the nine other crew members, and all of them crowded into the wheelhouse. Meanwhile, armed men were getting on board. “Some of them had already gotten on the boat, pointing their guns at us. We couldn’t do anything but put our hands up in a sign of surrender,” said Rudi, who still appeared exhausted.
‘Where are the engineers?’ By Rudi’s count, seven pirates boarded the tugboat. One of them, using a Malay dialect, began asking for the tugboat’s engineers. They tied up the tugboat captain Ferry Arifin, chief engineer Muh Mahbrur Dahri and engineer Edi Suryono. “They were looking for machinists.
‘Where are the engineers, where are the engineers!’” said Andi Wahyu, another crew member, imitating the pirates. “Edi’s hands were immediately tied with rope. Then they grabbed Ferry and Mahbrur, pointing their guns at them.” The three were loaded onto a speedboat, along with most of the tugboat’s communications equipment. One of the sailors started crying as the three most senior members of the crew were led away. “Seeing our mate cry, the pirate who spoke Malay said we didn’t need to worry because they are only after money from the owner of our boat,” Andi said. In Jakarta on Monday, Indonesian Armed Forces chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo told reporters that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 200 million Philippine pesos, the equivalent of almost 65 billion Indonesian rupiah (U.S. $4.9 million).
He said the hostages were likely being held on Jolo, in the Sulu archipelago of the southern Philippines. Authorities believe two different groups are behind the snatchings, one of them led by Abu Sayyaf figure Al Habsyi Misaya. “The other one we don’t know yet, and we’re looking into it,” Gatot said, adding that Indonesia’s government was in close contact with counterparts in the Philippines. As soon as the pirates took off, the remaining crew set a rapid course away from Jolo, while trying to get a signal on a cell phone a crew member had managed to hide from the hijackers, Andi said. “Our panic had not even subsided, we had just started up again, when another speedboat with armed men appeared,” he said. The crew tried to outrun this boat, abandoning the barge to increase their speed.
“We weren’t as fast as them even after we let the barge go. In the end the armed men boarded the boat,” Andi said. The second group, wearing brown camouflage uniforms and bullet-proof vests, looked even more terrifying than the first. With no senior crew left to snatch, this group tied up four members of the crew. “Without saying too much, they took our four crew mates,” Andi recounted. Deeply shaken, the six remaining sailors started their journey once again, heading for Kalimantan. “For 35 hours, we took turns driving the boat out of Jolo waters until we reached Berau [Kalimantan] and immediately called the [shipping] company on the remaining cell phone,” Andi said. Indonesia had announced a moratorium on coal shipments to the Philippines after the earlier kidnappings, but shipping companies did not comply. Plans by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to mount joint patrols in waters along their shared borders to prevent more maritime hijackings have not yet materialized. The release of the 14 sailors in May was secured through diplomatic efforts and not ransom payments, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said at the time. Malaysia acknowledged that 12 million ringgit (U.S. $2.94 million) was paid to unnamed organizations in the Philippines to obtain the release earlier this month of four Malaysian sailors kidnapped in April. But the money was not ransom paid to Abu Sayyaf, Deputy Prime Minister Adhamd Zahid Hamidi said.
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Tugboat captain misled cops about girlfriend on board, sources say
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By: Jonathan Bandler
After the tugboat Specialist crashed and sank near the Tappan Zee Bridge three months ago, the captain of a second boat hid from investigators that he had his girlfriend on board for the trip, The Journal News/lohud has learned from sources. Westchester County police are looking into why "Realist" captain James Morrison misled them about who was on his boat and why Specialist’s captain, Paul Crowley, was helming Realist at the time of the accident, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The crash on March 12 killed all three Specialist crew members and has triggered multiple lawsuits from victims' families seeking tens of millions of dollars. Lohud first revealed last week that another apparently unauthorized person was on the tug. Just before dawn that morning, Specialist, Realist and a third tug, Trevor, were leading a crane barge down the Hudson when Specialist struck a construction barge. The tug sank quickly, killing crew members Paul Amon, Timothy Conklin and Harry Hernandez.
James Forde, a lawyer for Amon’s widow, said Morrison's main mistake was not bringing someone else who was licensed to helm the tug. If he had, he would not have had to pull Crowley from Specialist during a potentially difficult stretch of the trip, he said.
Specialist handled the initial trip to Albany alone but Crowley sought assistance for the return to New Jersey. On March 11, the towing manager for crane-barge owner Weeks Marine reached out to Morrison to join the effort. It was unclear whether the request was for just Morrison or his tugboat as well. The sources said that Morrison was intent on staying with his girlfriend, Jessica Allega, who was already on the boat, prompting him to get approval to have the Realist hired as an extra tug. They and another crew member then made their way up the Hudson from their base in Staten Island to meet up with Specialist that evening. Early on March 12, Morrison asked Crowley to cross the barge and take the helm of Realist. That left mate-in-charge Amon at the helm of Specialist. Amon was qualified to skipper the tug, but Forde has suggested that he may have been too fatigued to do so that morning after a difficult 24 hours of battling the fog and currents. At approximately 5 am, the Specialist struck the construction barge near the bridge. Amon managed to get onto the crane barge but went back onto the tug in a failed bid to help Conklin and Hernandez. According to the sources, Morrison told investigators who arrived after the accident that the only people on the Realist were himself, Crowley and the other crew member. The boat was not searched so police never came across Allega. Police are looking into whether any reckless or negligent behavior contributed to the crash. Citing the ongoing investigation, Westchester County police Commissioner George Longworth declined to comment. He would not say whether investigators have spoken with Allega. Morrison told The Journal News last week that he had worked a six-hour watch before Crowley took over on a six-hour watch. He would not answer questions about whether he had a woman on board. When asked if Jessica was on board, he asked ‘Who’s Jessica?’ before saying, “Are you reading my Facebook page? You shouldn’t do that.” Reached by phone again Wednesday, Morrison asked not to be called again, referring questions to his lawyer. The lawyer did not return a phone message. Morrison took to Facebook to express anguish in the weeks after the accident. “Just wanted to reach out and thank all who reached out to me over the past week I appreciate all of it," Morrison wrote on March 18, days after the bodies of Amon and Conklin were recovered but six days before the sunken tug was raised and Hernandez' body recovered from inside. "If I didn't get back to you .. Forgive me .. It's been a very sad time .. God bless my guys who were lost that morning .. God bless the families .. I cannot express to you the sadness and how sorry I am for your loss ... As we wait for Harry to be returned .." The owners of New York Marine Towing Inc. of Montauk could not be reached for comment. The company’s lawyer, James Mercante, said Morrison, whom he does not represent, was responsible for deciding how to staff the two boats. Mercante said Morrison could have decided only to bring a deckhand because “the unit was underway and they needed (Realist) with some expediency.” He said that Specialist was “well-staffed with qualified personnel” and that there was “nothing inherently wrong with taking a licensed man off one (tug) and putting him on another.”Mercante said he did not know the particulars of the captain’s conversations with police immediately after the accident. If Morrison was asked, for example, what crew he had aboard, Morrison would not have been wrong if he indicated only Crowley and the deckhand, Mercante suggested. He said the owner was unaware that the woman had been on board during the trip. Relatives of the three dead men are seeking tens of millions of dollars from several entities they hold responsible for the tragedy. They have filed lawsuits in federal court against: the owner of the crane barge
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and Trevor, Weeks Marine; Tappan Zee Constructors; Traylor Bros., the company that operated the
construction barge; and New York Marine Towing Inc. source: LOHUD
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What’s the real reason the Sewol left port that night?
Two years and two months have passed, but the facts of the case have still not been properly
revealed.
Investigation shows the ferry was overloaded with
iron bars meant for Jeju naval base, and may have
left to keep the construction schedule. It has been
officially confirmed that the Sewol ferry was
carrying 410 tons of iron bars meant for
construction at the time of the sinking. The
government acknowledged that 278 tons of these
iron bars were bound for the construction of the
naval base on Jeju Island. But instead of closing
the case, the government’s confirmation is only
stirring up more suspicions. If the investigative period of the Special Sewol Investigative Commission
comes to an end on June 30 as the government intends, we will be even further away from learning the
truth about the tragedy two years ago that claimed the lives of 304 people, nine of whose bodies have
never been recovered.
The real reason the ferry was overloaded: how many iron bars were bound for the Jeju naval base?
The causes of the sinking of the Sewol as ruled by the Supreme Court were that the ferry was overloaded
with cargo, that the cargo had not been fastened down securely enough, and that the ferry had undergone
structural changes. In connection with overloading, which is one of these causes, the revelation that the
Sewol was carrying a large amount of iron bars intended for use in constructing the Jeju naval base is
raising new questions “The results of our exhaustive investigation is that the Sewol was carrying a total of
2,215 tons of cargo at the time of the tragedy even though the maximum amount of cargo it was
authorized to carry was 987 tons, which means it was overloaded by 1,228 tons,” the commission said on
June 27. The commission learned that iron bars accounted for 410 tons of this cargo and that a portion of
these iron bars were supposed to be transported to the naval base on Jeju Island. On Tuesday, Hwang Juhong,
a lawmaker with the People’s Party, also quoted a document from the Ministry of Oceans and
Fisheries stating that there were 426 tons of iron bars on the Sewol Ferry and that 278 of them were
bound for the naval base. This information was gleaned from the list of compensation money paid in
connection with the Sewol The reason that this figure of iron bars is 16 tons higher than the commission’s
findings is because it includes not only iron bars that were loaded as a separate item but also iron bars
belonging to Jeju Seondeok Shipping that were carried by vehicles inside the ferry. “The 54 tons of Hbeams
should be added to the 278 tons [that the government acknowledged] in order to find out how
much of the cargo on the Sewol was bound for the naval base,” the commission said. The figures revealed
on Tuesday only concern what was loaded on the Sewol ferry on the day of the accident. Further
investigation is needed to determine with what regularity the ferry was overloaded with iron bars and
other building materials bound for the naval base prior to the accident and how much of an effect
overloading the ferry with iron bars had on the accident.
The government’s responsibility: why did the prosecutors fail to uncover this? When the joint
investigation by the police and public prosecutors announced the findings of its investigation into the
Sewol sinking in Oct. 2014, it said that the ferry had been carrying a total of 2,142 tons of cargo. The
investigation data that was submitted to the commission indicated that the iron bars had weighed 286
tons. This figure omits 124 tons from the 410 tons of iron bars that the commission announced. “We
conducted an exhaustive investigation ourselves and even confirmed the location of the vehicles using
footage from security cameras. Our estimate was conservative, but we included everything that could be
verified,” the prosecutors said on June 28. But now that the government claims that there were no iron
bars bound for the naval base on the Sewol have been disproven, the prosecutors’ investigation is wide
open to accusations of shoddiness. “We didn’t deny it. The army’s position was that it could not confirm
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it,” explained an official with the Defense Ministry. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also says that it had been aware of this fact. “We learned that the 278 tons of iron bars were supposed to be delivered to the Jeju naval base after we saw a news report in April and checked the Sewol compensation records,” a ministry official said. The Ministry is claiming that it only recently learned of this fact, but this is effectively an acknowledgement that it had documents in its possession with which it could have determined the amount of iron bars on the Sewol. When the commission asked the Ministry in April to submit a variety of documents needed for it to investigate the amount of cargo on board the Sewol - including the compensation list, the cargo manifest and the shipping instructions - the Ministry did not submit any of it. This was why the commission had to investigate each of the individual cargo owners in order to determine the amount of the cargo, a commission spokesperson said.
An imprudent departure: why did the Sewol set out on its own? Around 9 pm on Apr. 15, 2014, the Sewol ferry departed Incheon Harbor on its own, while poor weather compelled other ships to remain in port. Following the disclosure of the iron bars that were intended for the Jeju naval base, allegations are being raised that the ship put to sea rashly in order to meet the construction schedule for the base. Significantly, suspicions that have been raised over the past two years about a “special relationship” between the Sewol and South Korea‘s National Intelligence Service (NIS) continue to smoulder. Employees from Chonghaejin Marine spoke on the phone with the NIS on the day of the Sewol accident and the next day; the Sewol was the only ship among 17 coastal ferries in the 1,000-ton class or above that was supposed to report to the NIS at the time of the accident; and the name of an NIS agent surnamed Seo appears on a document prepared by Chonghaejin Marine when the Sewol ferry was bought from Japan in 2012.These facts point to the need for an investigation into whether the NIS was connected to the construction of the naval base at Gangjeong Village on Jeju Island, which was fiercely opposed by demonstrators, and whether the NIS gave orders for the ferry to be rashly overloaded in order to keep the base’s construction on schedule. Determining why and by whom the ferry was overloaded is important because overloading affects a ship’s stability. “If there’s a lot of cargo, it’s very likely to reduce the ship’s stability. When we ran a simulation of the ferry’s course using the amount of cargo that turned up in the police and prosecutors’ investigation, it did not match the ferry‘s actual wake. The figures would only work with a lower stability, and I thought that we would have to check the amount of cargo when the Sewol was raised,” said Lim Nam-gyun, a professor at Mokpo National Maritime University. “This shows that even the government is not free of responsibility for overloading the Sewol, which is considered to be a primary cause of the ferry’s capsizing,” said Rep. Hwang Ju-yong on the fact that the Sewol was carrying iron bars intended for the naval base. “We need to ensure that the Sewol Commission has enough time to conduct its investigation so that it can inspect the hull of the ship to determine the cause of the capsizing.” The commission, which has received notification from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries that its investigative mandate will end on June 30, said that it was planning to submit a petition to the National Assembly on Wednesday to request the appointment of a special prosecutor. Source : Hani
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More cruise lines cancel Istanbul calls in wake of attack By: Gene Sloan, Celebrity Cruises on Wednesday canceled all upcoming ship visits to Istanbul, citing Tuesday's terrorist attack at the city's Ataturk Airport. Two Celebrity vessels that were scheduled to use Istanbul as an occasional base for Eastern Mediterranean cruises over the next five months instead will operate out of Piraeus, Greece, the port for Athens. Seven sailings are affected. Also canceling a visit to Istanbul on Wednesday was luxury line Seabourn. The line said a cruise on the 450-passenger Seabourn Odyssey scheduled to begin Saturday in Istanbul instead would begin in Piraeus.
Norwegian cancels all Turkey visits by three brands for 2016
Seabourn hasn't made changes to four other departures from Istanbul scheduled between July 30 and Oct. 22, and the line will continue to call at other ports in Turkey. …………….. source : USA Today
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US: Russia Used False Signals in Mediterranean Sea Incident
https://gcaptain.com/us-russia-used-...-sea-incident/
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The Pulse
Google-Backed Transpacific Submarine Cable Starts Operating Tomorrow
Google and many other tech giants constructed an undersea cable to offer high speed Internet By: Shazim Hashmi A new undersea cable system, which was constructed to transmit high-speed bandwidth across the Pacific Ocean, is scheduled to start services from tomorrow. In 2014, Google joined hands with many tech companies, such as KDDI, China Telecom Global, China Mobile International, Singtel, and Global Transit. It soon announced to construct a 9,000KM undersea cable that stretched from the Western US to Japan. The cable, commonly known as Faster, will offer Internet speed of up to 60 terabytes per second. The transpacific submarine cable system consists of three landing points, one in the US while the other two are in Japan. It is the very first transpacific submarine cable system, constructed to support digital coherent transmission technology. “From the very beginning of the project, we repeatedly said to each other, ‘faster, Faster and FASTER,’ and at one point it became the project name—today it becomes a reality,” said Faster management committee chairman Hiromitsu Todokoro, in a press release. “This is the outcome of six members’ collaborative contribution and expertise, together with NEC’s support.” Meanwhile, considering the fact that one part of the transpacific submarine cable hooks in the West Coast of the US, it offers a possibility to transmit high-speed bandwidth to other major cities, such as Los Angeles, Portland, and San Francisco. It is safe to assume that the undersea cable system will benefit several cities of Japan as well “This epoch-making cable will not only bring benefits to the United States and Japan, but to the entire Asia-Pacific region,” said Kenichi Yoneyama, project manager for Faster at NEC’s submarine network division. This is not the first time the search engine giant made an investment in an undersea cable. Previously, it invested in another undersea cable, called Unity, which started operating in 2010, followed by SJC cable system, which was completed in 2013. Microsoft, Facebook, and Telxius also unveiled their plans last month to design an undersea cable across the Atlantic Ocean, with end points in Bilbao, Spain, and Virginia. Source: technewstoday
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Cruise ship the answer for the homeless
Christchurch businessman, Garry House, has been thinking creatively about a solution to Auckland's homelessness problem, and he thinks he's found the solution -- cruise ships. He thinks securing a couple of unused cruise ships from Europe and docking them in Auckland and Christchurch will house a few hundred people while the Government "replenishes the social housing stock". He and a group of other businessmen say there are dozens of outdated passenger ships rotting in docks around Europe after new technology made them redundant. Mr House has already found a possible contender, a passenger ship with 400 beds, and says it could be brought to Auckland for $5 million. It would then provide a short-term home for around two to three years. He spoke with Paul Henry this morning.
Cruise ship the answer for the homeless Cruise ship the answer for the homeless | TVShows | Newshub
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ClassNK amends Rules and Guidance
Leading classification society ClassNK has amended its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships in response to the latest industry developments, including amendments made to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code). IMO decided to carry out the first full review of the IGC Code to reflect the latest technological advancements and increasing ship size. Amendments to the Code were adopted as resolution MSC.370 (93) at the 93rd session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 93) held in May 2014.ClassNK has amended its Rules and Guidance based on resolution MSC.370 (93) which will apply to ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk whose keels are laid, or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 July 2016.In addition to the aforementioned amendments related to the IGC Code, amendments have also been made to requirements related to the following: Non-destructive Testing for Machinery Installations Application Forms for the Approval and Type Approval of Materials and Equipment for Marine Use Portable Atmosphere Testing Instruments for Enclosed Spaces, etc. Approval of Diesel Engines Source: ClassNK
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MNA CIRCULAR 2016-15
1st July 2016
32
The Pulse
AHT CASPIAN POWER in the process of spooling new mooring wire onto drilling rig "ISTIGLAL"
Shah Deniz A - Caspian Sea. Photo : BP Marine rep. Pieter C Holtes © (o/b of drilling rig "Istiglal")
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That’s all for now folks.
Good Health, Fair Winds and Calm Seas. Take Care and “Keep your Finger on the Pulse”.
Yours Aye,
Malcolm
Malcolm Mathison
National Vice-Chairman
Merchant Navy Association
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