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IMO Legal Committee proposes new...
The Legal Committee (LEG) met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London (with hybrid participation) from...
Drifting Cargo Ship Hits Railway...
It happened again, this time as a small cargo ship out of control drifted along one of the main...
China flexes muscle at sea...
TOKYO — China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, set out for its first sea trials on Wednesday, the latest...
KARACHI TERMINAL GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY...
Officials from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates performed the groundbreaking of a US $175 million bulk and general...
Houthis Damage Bulker and Target US Warships as Italy Downs Drone...
posted on: May 1, 2024
Security services in the Red Sea are reporting another attack on a merchant ship in a matter of days by the Houthi. It comes as a newly arrived Italian frigate took down a drone while it was performing escort duty and the U.S. Central Command reported renewed downing of launches from the Houthi. There also was a suspicious approach yesterday in the same region. The UK Maritime Trade Organizations received a report today of an explosion near an unnamed vessel. According to the monitoring operation, the company’s security officer informed them of the explosion 54 nautical miles northwest of Al Mukha, Yemen, which would be in a similar area to the attacks last Friday on two tankers. UKMTO said the vessel and its crew were reported safe but later updated the report with information from the security officer saying the vessel is damaged without providing details. UK security consultancy Ambrey...
Iran Promises Humanitarian Release of MSC Aries Crew...
posted on: May 1, 2024
Iranian officials are promising to arrange the release of the crew from the seized MSC Aries on humanitarian grounds as they look to improve relations with Portugal, where the ship is flagged. News of progress came in a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry after a call with the Portuguese government. Previously, Iran made a similar statement tied to its efforts to improve relations with Pakistan which has citizens among the crew. The international community has publicly applied pressure on Iran for the release of the MSC Aries which was seized on April 13 as it neared the Strait of Hormuz outbound from the Gulf. During the recent sessions at the International Maritime Organization pressure was also applied with calls for immediate release. Unlike other instances where Iran leveled specific allegations against the vessels, in this case, Iran has vaguely called the seizure of the containership a “retaliatory move” for Israel’s attacks on...
Seafarers Happiness Index reveals uptick in Seafarer Wellbeing in Q1 2024...
posted on: May 1, 2024
The findings of the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report by the Mission to Seafarers show a positive start to 2024, with an overall increase in happiness from 6.36 in Q4 2023 to 6.94 out of 10 in Q1 2024. This was driven by a positive trend across all the aspects of seafarer happiness covered by the survey during this period. The Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI) is a quarterly survey undertaken by the Mission to Seafarers, delivered in association with Idwal and NorthStandard, and supported by Inmarsat. The survey offers vital insights into the sentiments and experiences of the men and women that serve at sea. In contrast to the consistent decline observed in 2023, the Q1 2024 SHI report depicts a mixed but cautiously optimistic rise in satisfaction among seafarers, shedding light on the positive and negative aspects of seafaring life. The positive shift in seafarer wellbeing reflects improvements...
Safe mooring: Navigating new IMO regulations with DNV...
posted on: May 1, 2024
The high frequency of mooring operations and a high level of human involvement have resulted in multiple safety incidents related to mooring over recent years. The International Group of P&I Clubs reported 858 injuries and 31 fatalities involving mooring operations during the five-year period before 2021. This has been a key driver behind new SOLAS requirements related to mooring from the IMO. New SOLAS requirements for safe mooring With widespread recognition that the safety of mooring operations needs to be improved, amendments by the IMO to SOLAS regulation II-1/3-8 and new guidelines for safe mooring entered into force on 1 January 2024. “In a nutshell, these new requirements for enhanced safety of mooring operations aim to enhance the strength and design of mooring arrangements, the selection of mooring equipment, including lines, and the maintenance and inspection of mooring equipment and lines,” says Bartosz Maciolowski, Principal Engineer, Technical Support Hull...
Bibby Marine places order for world’s first zero-emission eCSOV...
posted on: May 1, 2024
Written by Nick Blenkey Liverpool-headquartered Bibby Marine has placed an order with Spanish shipbuilder Gondan for what, it says, will be the world’s first truly zero-emission, electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV). It will be built in Gondan’s Asturias shipyard and is scheduled to be delivered in 2026. This marks a further step forward in a project that we last reported on back in January. Bibby says that it selected Gondan after a thorough international tendering process that included yards in the U.K. and that the Gondan offer “stood out in terms of timeline, budget and quality,” with its proven track record in building specialist vessels also a strong factor in its selection. The eCSOV, which has been designed in collaboration with U.K.-based ship designer Longitude, will feature a powerful battery system for emissions-free operations, complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines To facilitate zero-emission operations, the eCSOV will feature high-voltage offshore charging...
Price Estimate for Gaza Maritime Aid Corridor: $320 Million...
posted on: May 1, 2024
The U.S. military’s new aid pier for Gaza is expected to cost $320 million or more, the Pentagon told media on Monday. The price has roughly doubled since planning began earlier this year. The number is an estimate based on the cost of moving all related equipment for Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS) operations, assembling a temporary floating pier and an offshore receiving barge, carrying out shoreside construction (through third parties), and the actual movement of the aid supplies. The U.S. military regularly mobilizes JLOTS assets overseas for setup and takedown exercises, incurring some of the same costs without physical delivery of goods or aid supplies. Based on satellite photos obtained by the AP, the civilian-crewed sealift ship USNS Roy P. Benavidez is already on scene off Gaza to begin setting up the pier, accompanied by several U.S. Army landing ships. (The Army plays a major role in JLOTS operations.) ...
Chinese Navy Shadows Historic U.S.-Philippine Exercise...
posted on: May 1, 2024
China’s naval forces are shadowing a joint Philippine-US exercise off the coast of Palawan, according to a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The maneuvers are the first of their kind within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), outside of the nation’s territorial sea. The area is contested, and Beijing views the location as provocative: China claims a vast swath of the Philippines’ western EEZ as its own under Beijing’s sweeping “nine-dash line” policy, even though the claim was invalidated by an international tribunal in 2016. AFP Western Command spokesman Capt. Ariel Joseph Coloma told local media that the Chinese destroyer Shenzhen and a PLA Navy surveillance vessel were operating a few miles away from the joint exercise, at a position about 40 miles off Palawan. A shadow escort by a competing military power is commonplace for naval maneuvers, particularly outside of a territorial sea, and China...
IMO finalizes guidelines for seafarers’ rights and abandonment database...
posted on: May 1, 2024
IMO’s Legal Committee has finalized a new set of guidelines to ensure seafarers are protected against unfair treatment if detained in foreign jurisdictions on suspicion of committing a crime. The fair treatment of seafarers was high on the agenda of the Legal Committee’s 111st session, which took place from 22 to 26 April at IMO headquarters in London, chaired by Gillian Grant of Canada. LEG 111 highlights Guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes finalized New Task Force to review abandonment database established Fraudulent registration and fraudulent registries of ships - work on due diligence in ship registration continues New output on guidelines or best practices on the registration of ships to be developed Revised Guidelines for accepting Insurance Companies and Certificates approved New information brochure on the Athens Convention approved Measures to assess the need to amend liability limits approved Autonomous shipping – a...
Lessons learned: Lithium-Ion battery explosion on a vessel...
posted on: May 1, 2024
As AMSA informs, an explosion occurred on a charter fishing vessel whilst berthed. The investigation identified that the ignition source was a lithium-ion battery that was not holding charge connected to a battery charger in a way that bypassed the battery management safety system. The vessel was beyond repair following the explosion. The incident At 11.30 pm, a berthed charter fishing vessel experienced an explosion. The force of the explosion scattered debris up to 30 metres and ejected a 200 kg deck winch and a section of deck, which came to rest at the vessel’s stern. While there was evidence of smoke and fire, the destruction was caused by the explosion itself. The vessel owner reported previously having issues with the lithium-based battery system attached to the pot winch on board. They had purchased a new charger and installation services from an auto electrician on the afternoon of the...
ILO questionnaire supports global register on seafarer deaths...
posted on: May 1, 2024
At its Fourth Meeting (Part II), the Special Tripartite Committee (STC) of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006) adopted several amendments to the Code of the Convention, which are expected to enter into force on 23 December 2024, in accordance with Article XV, paragraph 7 of the MLC, 2006. One of the amendments requires that all deaths of seafarers employed, engaged or working on board ships are adequately investigated and recorded, and reported on an annual basis to the Director-General of the International Labour Office to be published in a global register. The ILO in consultation with the Officers of the STC and the governments who sponsored this amendment to the MLC, 2006, has developed a brief questionnaire to support its implementation and the establishment of a global register on seafarer deaths. Although the amendment will enter into force in December 2024, it was agreed that it would be beneficial to...
Houthi Forces Confirm Attacks on American Drone and Dark Fleet Tanker...
posted on: Apr 30, 2024
On Saturday, Houthi forces confirmed a missile strike on a merchant tanker and an American drone aircraft over the Red Sea, demonstrating the continued menace the terrorist group still poses after months of allied counterstrikes. Overnight Friday, the Royal Navy monitoring operation UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident involving the tanker Andromeda Star at a position about 14 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukha, Yemen. This area is at the north end of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where Houthi forces have attacked Western shipping many times. The master of Andromeda Star reported two attacks to UKMTO. In the first, an explosion occurred near the ship, close enough that the crew felt it. In a second attack, two missiles were launched at the ship, resulting in damage to the tanker. A second vessel, the tanker Maisha, was also targeted without success. No injuries were reported, and both vessels continued on their commercial voyages. The...
Potential Strait of Hormuz closure threatens 21% of global LNG supply...
posted on: Apr 30, 2024
Iran’s recent attack on Israel has escalated the tensions in the Middle East and raised concerns over LNG trade through the Strait of Hormuz (SoH), a key and only feasible passage for Qatar and the UAE to export LNG. Any further escalation, leading to the closure of the SoH could impact LNG shipping as 21% of the global LNG supply could be affected. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital strategic passage for the Middle East, supporting its international trade and regional integration. The artery is significant for the LNG sector as two key LNG exporters – Qatar and UAE – export their LNG shipments via the SoH with no other possible alternative available. Thus, any action by Iran, leading to the closure will have significant implications for the LNG market. However, the extent of the impact will differ and depend on the duration of the closure. In 2023,...
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The hijacking of M.V. Abdullah The hijacking of M.V. Abdullah By Ghulam Suhrawardi* Since the first hijacking of Bangladeshi vessel M.V. Jahan Moni in December 2010, M.V. Abdullah was the second vessel to encounter the same fate on March 12, 2024. KSRM Group, the parent company of SR Shipping Limited, owns both vessels. Based on […]
Candidates for Secretary-General of IMO Candidates for Secretary-General of IMO in International Shipping News 04/04/2023 Seven IMO Member States have each nominated a candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The term of the current incumbent, Mr. Kitack Lim of the Republic of Korea, expires on 31 December 2023. The nominations received […]
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