Maritime International News

The Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) held its third annual meeting on April 16, 2024, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2024. This year, the Maritime IAP held in-depth discussions on the key developments in the maritime sector, including decarbonization, green financing, digitalization and cybersecurity.Established in 2022 by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Maritime IAP aims to seek international perspectives on key long-term trends and developments that will shape the maritime industry.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has appointed Joe Kramek as its new President and CEO, to succeed John Butler upon his retirement at the end of July.Kramek brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role, from both the maritime sector and government service. He has already served as the WSC's Director of U.S. Government Relations.His professional journey includes 28 years as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Coast Guard where he spent time at sea and as the Chief of Maritime, International, and Environmental Law. Notably, Kramek led the U.S.

NGO Shipbreaking Platform reports that on January 16 two workers lost their lives after being crushed by a heavy iron plate during the dismantling of bulk carrier Chatherine Bright at Dewan Shipbreaking PVT Ldt in Gadani, Pakistan.The vessel was linked to Oman-based Maritime International Transport & Trading and flagged Panama when it was beached, says the Platform.The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) accuses authorities of negligence as there continues to be a lack of compliance…

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (also known as the Beijing Convention) was signed by 15 nations and regions at a signing ceremony in Beijing on September 5, 2023.Signatories were: China, Burkino Faso, Comoros, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland and Syria. It will come into force when it is ratified by three state parties. The Convention…

San Marino Ship Register said it has hired Rear Admiral Giovanni Greco to develop institutional relations and national maritime legislation.A graduate of the Genoa Nautical Institute, R. Adm. Greco’s career started on board merchant ships in Europe, the United States, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East. In 1991, he joined the Italian Coast Guard until his retirement in May 2022. During his service, he was harbor master in Fano, Ortona, Crotone, and Vice Commandant in Ravenna.

Every day we see more and more news about how the planning for new offshore wind projects continues to expand with the increasing investment from both domestic and foreign interests in these projects. This is resulting in both developers and contractors making logistics plans to secure vessels and crew for the purposes of meeting the demands necessary to crew and operate vessels in support of future wind farm operations. Unfortunately, there are challenges associated with the…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s global programme on Women in Maritime is the latest to feature at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya (26-28 November) this week.A WOMESA  side event on the integration of women in the maritime sector, featured a host of speakers (click for photos and details), participants from 10 African countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa) supported by IMO and conference attendees. The Association of Women Managers in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA), was initiated by IMO, launching in 2007.Speaking at the event, IMO's Helen Buni, who runs the programme, said that "the time is now for women to ride the wave of Africa's maritime sector".

Congressional and Agency Actions to Implement Changes to U.S.-Flag Vessel Safety Requirements Three Years after the M/V El Faro IncidentOctober 1, 2018 marked three years since the tragic sinking of the M/V El Faro – ranking as one of the worst maritime disasters in U.S. history and resulting in the highest death toll for a U.S. commercial vessel sinking in almost 40 years. Following this incident, both the  National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and U.S. Coast Guard spent considerable  effort to investigate this incident.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) – whose member national shipowner associations represent over 80% of the world merchant fleet, and the Comité Maritime International (CMI) – the international association for maritime lawyers, have released an updated brochure to promote the importance of governments ratifying international maritime conventions, especially those adopted by the UN IMO. The aim of the brochure ‘Promoting Maritime Treaty Ratification’ is to encourage more widespread ratification of some key maritime instruments that would benefit from a greater level of global acceptance. This includes a number of important instruments which have not yet received adequate ratifications from governments to enter into force globally.

Robert (Bob) Clyne, ABS Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary , was recognized with the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award for his distinguished accomplishments as a graduate who best exemplifies the finest tradition of Kings Point – Acta Non Verba – and lending honor and prestige to the United States Merchant Marine Academy. “Bob is most deserving of this recognition,” said ABS Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Wiernicki. Clyne began his career at ABS working in various positions from 1982 to 1988. Upon earning his law degree, he joined the firm of Hill Rivkins LLP where he practiced maritime law for 24 years and served as Co-Managing Partner from 2006 to 2012.

Built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, the Russian flagged Gennadiy Nevelskoy (deadweight 3,000 metric tons) will home port in Saint Petersburg and was commissioned by SCF under a long-term agreement with Sakhalin Energy. She is the first of four vessels for operations at the Sakhalin-2 project; the other three are ice-breaking standby vessels (IBSBVs) that have a smaller deadweight (2,000 metric tons), but offer enhanced functionality and a higher people-on-board capacity. The agreement between Sovcomflot and Sakhalin Energy…

It has been years (2009) since I last wrote an article discussing the availability of U.S. citizens to work offshore in support of oil and gas projects during a downturn in the economy. And now, it is even worse. With the price of oil and gas remaining depressed for many months now, and the many new developments related to drilling ashore, and domestic vessels remaining stacked in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), companies are working hard to find work in any market around the world. This downturn in activity also means less jobs for U.S. citizen seafarers.

Maritime lawyer Dr. Frank Lawrence Wiswall Junior, former Chair of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee and Vice President (Honoris Causa) of the Comité Maritime International (CMI), has received the International Maritime Prize for 2015 for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. Presenting the Prize, during a ceremony at IMO Headquarters on Monday, December 5, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted Dr. Wiswall's dedication and leadership in the field of international maritime law over several decades…

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2015 is to be awarded to Dr. Frank Lawrence Wiswall Junior, former Chair of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee and Vice-President (Honoris Causa) Comité Maritime International (CMI), for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. The IMO Council has decided to award the Prize, noting Dr. Wiswall's personal contribution to the work of IMO, leading IMO’s Legal Committee as it developed a number of key international treaties and holding important roles at various international IMO legal and diplomatic conferences. As a lecturer at the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta and as a Member of its Governing Board from 1992 to the present, Dr.

BIMCO’s Documentary Committee, who met in Copenhagen yesterday, have agreed that all new and revised BIMCO charter parties and bills of lading will now refer to general average being adjusted in accordance with the new York-Antwerp Rules (YAR) 2016. The YAR 2016 were adopted by the Assembly of the Comité Maritime International (CMI) at its 42nd International Conference held last week in New York. The YAR 2016 largely reflect the YAR 1994, which BIMCO has to date recommended as the basis for general average adjustments, while containing some useful clarifications and additions such as on low value cargoes. Importantly, it has been agreed that an annual interest rate of LIBOR plus 4 percentage points applies according to the new rules…

In general, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) welcomes the revised York-Antwerp Rules (YAR 2016) which were adopted by the Comité Maritime International (CMI) at its conference in New York last week. The York-Antwerp Rules (YAR) is a set of rules by which General Average (GA) is adjusted (see detailed explanation in the notes below). IUMI has a particular interest in their content as, on average, the GA system increases the cost of maritime casualties by between 10%-30% largely due to interest (7% p.a. under the 1994 and 1974 YAR), commission (2%) on nearly all expenses and sacrifices, and adjusters' fees. The process of collecting GA security from all the cargo interests…

At the Comité Maritime International (CMI) Conference, in New York this week, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) will be pressing to ensure that the proposed revision of the York Antwerp Rules of General Average delivers a clear improvement on the present system and does not touch on fundamental principles. ‘General Average’ is a method of equitably allocating and spreading the costs of dealing with a maritime casualty among the parties that benefit from the ship and cargo being saved. The York Antwerp Rules set out rules for the distribution of losses and expenses, for example in incidents when cargo is jettisoned in order to save the ship and the remaining cargo.

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract to buy the Trondheim-based ship simulation and consultancy company, Ship Modelling & Simulation Centre AS (SMSC). The acquisition is expected to be completed January 2016. “More sophisticated vessel operations have contributed to an increasing focus on training to enhance safety and efficiency,” said CEO of Kongsberg Maritime, Geir Håøy. “SMSC fits perfectly into our business and will complement our existing product and service portfolio well.

Blank Rome LLP announced that Jay T. Huffman has joined the Firm as an associate in the Maritime, International Trade, and Public Contracts group. He is based in the Firm’s Houston office. Huffman joins Blank Rome from Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams, L.L.P. He concentrates his practice in maritime and energy-related litigation matters, including state and federal cases involving MARPOL violations, collisions, cargo contamination, Jones Act, OCSLA, and LHWCA defense. He also has experience handling serious marine incident investigations…

On January 22, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Proposed Rule on dispersants. The Proposed Rule drastically changes the EPA’s approach to dispersants and could imperil proven and effective means of responding to marine oil disasters. The Proposed Rule seems to be written from the perspective that dispersants are dangerous and should not be used and seeks to establish new toxicity and other standards. This approach may have the practical effect of prohibiting the use of dispersants when needed.

Designed to expand awareness of the economic impact of commerce on the Lower Mississippi River and highlight career opportunities and pathways, the Summit will feature an array of speakers from industry and academia, along with a panel discussion on how industry can collaborate with educators to fulfill current and future workforce opportunities. “This Summit is designed to educate community stakeholders of the economic impact of trade, transportation and logistics throughout the region and build a coalition of advocates to help leverage resources to develop a highly-skilled local workforce for the future,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. The summit begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world’s biggest shipbuilder and a leading integrated heavy industries company, announced today it teams up with its shipbuilding affiliates, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), to participate in KOMARINE 2015, a major maritime international exhibition from October 20 to 23 at Hall 3, Booth 3F05, BEXCO, Busan in South Korea. In the biennial event where about 1,200 companies from 40 countries are expected to participate, HHI Group will showcase 38 leading shipbuilding technologies categorized into four sections; Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, Smart Technology, Green Technology and Marine Equipment Solution.

Swedish based Trelleborg AB has finalized the acquisition of Maritime International, Inc., a U.S. based privately owned designer and manufacturer of marine fender systems and other quay accessories. The transaction will be consolidated as of October 15, 2015. Trelleborg said the bolt-on acquisition aims to strengthen its presence in berthing, docking and mooring in North America as part of its strategy to improve its position in attractive market segments. “With the acquisition…