International Ship

LISCR Appoints new General Manager for Greece

The Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, has appointed Michalis (Michael) Pantazopoulos as General Manager of its Piraeus office. Michalis has extensive experience of, and a proven pedigree in, both shipping and Greece. He was previously Manager of the Fleet Service Division of leading ship management company Avin International S.A. in Athens. Before that he was General Manager of the Piraeus office of the American Bureau of Shipping Consulting Inc., having previously held a variety of executive posts in the maritime sector in Greece and the United States. Michalis says, "Despite continuing changes and developments in the profile of the international shipping industry, Greece retains its position as the most vibrant and innovative truly maritime nation in the world. I am especially delighted because I am now representing the world's leading international ship registry in the major shipowning nation in the world."

First Bahamas Flag VLCC Awarded ISSC From ABS

The diversified international shipping group TESMA (Tschudi & Eitzen Ship Management Alliance) with its network of alliance partners servicing more than 80 vessels with full technical management and crew management support has become the latest organization to seek ABS certification and issuance of the International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC) to conform to the IMO’s International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPS Code).

LISCR Recognizes Liberian Registry Initiatives

The advisory board of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry applauds the initiatives taken by the Liberian Registry in connection with improving security in the international shipping industry. At its second annual meeting on April 7, 2003, the advisory board welcomed the decision of the Liberian Registry to set up a fully staffed maritimesecurity department and to appoint a dedicated director of maritime

Liberian Registry Takes ISPS Training And Verification Initiative

The Liberian Registry has taken a unique initiative by electing to train its own worldwide network of inspectors to perform verification audits for shipowners, operators and managers under the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code. It has also decided to approve specific members of the International Association of Classification Societies as competent to carry out ISPS audits on behalf of Liberian-registered vessels.

Report of Joint Working Group on Ship Scrapping

The IMO posted on its Internet site the Report of the Joint Working Group on Ship Scrapping . Representatives from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the IMO, and the Basel Convention (BC) met in Geneva on 12-14 December to continue discussions on development of a regime to address international ship scrapping. The goal is to draft a legally binding instrument on safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.

Mitropoulos Says IMO is Ready to Act

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos has reminded delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15) of the importance of regulating the shipping industry through a competent, international body that can establish the appropriate global standards. Addressing two events in the context of the Conference, Mitropoulos stressed that international shipping requires global regulations if it is to function as the principal vehicle for the movement of global

Secretary-General O'Neil Discusses Human Element

IMO Secretary-General William O'Neil delivered a Speech on the Human Element at the Manning and Training Conference in London hosted by the International Shipping Federation. He noted that maritime safety, security, and environmental compliance ultimately rely on ships that are fully manned by well-trained and motivated crews. The ISM Code and the revised STCW Convention assist in moving the industry in that direction. Source: HK Law

Shanghai To Invest $217M For Port Expansion

Shanghai is reportedly investing $217 million to build a man-made peninsula to expand its deepwater docks. The move, aimed at turning China's largest port into an international shipping center, would be completed by 2002, giving it an additional 38.7 square km (14.94 sq mile) in dock land, a local newspaper said.

IMO Urges Port ISPS Compliance

The IMO issued a Circular urging port facilities to promptly implement the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. It notes that port facilities seem to be lagging behind ships in compliance efforts, which raises the prospect of compliant ships not being able to call at port facilities lacking requisite approved security plans without endangering their own security compliance status. MSC Circ. 1106 (HK Law).

NI Issues ECDIS Recommendations

The ECDIS Group's core message: Shipping companies should establish ECDIS-use guidance within their Safety Management Systems. The ECDIS Training Group is an industry body made up of leading international shipping organisations and co-ordinated by The Nautical Institute (NI). NI CEO Philip Wake MSc FNI described the document as ‘an invaluable point of reference for those keen to establish and follow best practice in relation to ECDIS’