Maritime Department News

The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has announced the winners of this year’s IMRF Awards, which recognize all those involved in global maritime search and rescue (SAR) efforts.The IMRF Awards acknowledge those that have shown excellence in their field, developed innovative technology and equipment, or acted as a role model to inspire others. The awards also shine a light on those colleagues who offer the tireless support, training, and planning that enables SAR crews to do what they do…

Belgium-based offshore installation firm DEME Offshore has installed the offshore substation of the Fécamp offshore wind farm, offshore France, using its new flagship vessel 'Orion.'The  DP3 installation vessel Orion is equipped with a 5,000-tonne crane, built to handle the next generation of offshore wind farm components.‘Orion’ has now installed the 1,300-tonne jacket and the 2,200-tonne topside, completing the project on schedule on August 11.Four months ago, DEME also carried out the pre-installation of the offshore substation’s foundations using the DP2 jack-up vessel ‘Sea Installer.’ DEM

A direct Chabahar-Muscat ferry line between Iran and Oman is planned to resume operation within a month, said Iran's official news agency.Ferries with the capacity of transporting 240 people and 40 vehicles will operate between Iran’s Chabahar port and Oman capital will be operational within a month, according to Hassan Ebrahimi, a deputy with the Ports and Maritime Department of Sistan-Baluchestan Province (where Chabahar port lies).After launching services to Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas in Iran in 2016, Oman’s National Ferries Company (NFC) launched a direct ferry line from Muscat to the port of Chabahar, located in southeastern Iran in the Sea of Oman…

Malaysia has prohibited the use of open-loop scrubbers by ships plying Malaysian waters, as Southeast Asia's third-largest economy joins the growing number of nations adopting new industry guidelines on reducing sea pollution.New regulations from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will require shippers to adopt more environmentally-friendly measures to manage their fleets, including reducing the sulphur content in fuels used in their vessels from Jan. 1 2020.In a notice issued to the shipping industry…

Somewhere on its journey from the waters off Iran, around Africa's southern tip and into the Mediterranean, the Grace 1 oil tanker lost the flag under which it sailed and ceased to be registered to Panama. Iran later claimed it as its own.The ship carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar, raising tensions in the Gulf where Iran detained a UK-flagged ship in retaliation.Grace 1 remains impounded, not because of its flag but because it was suspected of taking oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, an allegation that Iran denies.Yet Panama's move on May 29 to strike it from its register…

Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp. has authorized one of its huge container ships to berth at Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, reports Press TV. Ebrahim Idani, director general of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Department, was quoted by Iranian media as saying on Tuesday that the fifth-generation container ship, Ever Legion, has started its journey from China’s Shanghai port and will call at various ports in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates’ Jebel Ali Free Zone before berthing at Shahid Rajaei port, which is Iran's biggest container port. The official noted that the Taiwanese ship is 335 meters long with a draft of 14.5 meters and is scheduled to arrive at Shahid Rajaei port on August 5.

The Marseille-based French company CMA CGM S.A has announced readiness to start operation in Iran on August 6. CMA CGM,  the world’s third-largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity,  will add Shahid Rajaei port in Iran to its Asia-Europe loop. Ebrahim Idani, director general of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Department, told local media that CMA CGM's 11,500 teu Andromeda is expected to call in August. The French liner’s first priority is establishment of a shipping route to Iran and then make investment in the Islamic Republic’s maritime industry and development of ports, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday quoting Jalil Eslami, the deputy director of  Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) for the ports affairs, as saying.

Expanded premises for the World Maritime University (WMU) were inaugurated on Monday, May 19, 2015 in Malmö, Sweden, by IMO Secretary-General and WMU Chancellor Koji Sekimizu. WMU is an international educational institute for the maritime community, operating under the auspices of IMO. At close to 6,000m2, WMU’s new facility is nearly double the size of the previous Malmö campus. It provides a new auditorium, multiple research laboratories, seminar rooms and video-conferencing capabilities for hosting international conferences.

In a anticipation of the growing need for deck officers and masters experienced in operating in ice covered waters and as evidenced by the relatively rapid increase in vessel traffic in areas of the Arctic Ocean due to the receding ice coverage, the Alaska’s Institute of Technology (AVTEC) in Seward, Alaska has developed a comprehensive course of instruction in Ice Navigation. This two week course is directed toward masters and mates without or with minimal experience in ice covered waters. The course of instruction is a combination of classroom lectures, case studies and simulation exercises, operating various vessel models in a myriad of ice conditions. The AVTEC Ice Navigation course of instruction is U.S.

Eleven crew of a Chinese cargo ship are missing following a collision with a large container ship in the waters off Hong Kong on Monday, authorities said. Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest shipping channels, although serious accidents are rare. The cargo ship Zhong Xing 2 sank after the collision with the 300-m- (984-ft-) long Marshall Islands-registered MOL Motivator about two nautical miles southwest of Po Toi Island, a spokeswoman of the Hong Kong Maritime Department said. "Zhong Xing 2 is suspected to have sunk after the collision, and it is reported there are 12 crew onboard," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be identified in line with department policy. "One of them was picked up by a fishing vessel navigating close by," she added.

FRC International launched the innovative ‘DYNAV’ dynamic navigation system for high speed craft at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden in October. The DYNAV launch event enabled attendees from Scandinavia and Europe to come together with the objective of improving seafarer safety, operational performance and interoperability on fast craft. Professional sectors organizations included Search & Rescue, Navy, Special Forces, Coast Guard, law enforcement, maritime pilots, maritime legislators, training organisation and boat builders.

The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) have approved Salama Fikira to operate on German flagged vessels. As an African-based service provider of international services, Salama Fikira said it is very proud to have been granted this approval to support vessels registered in Germany. Conrad Thorpe OBE, CEO of the Salama Fikira Group has welcomed this achievement by saying, "As the maritime security industry matures, the standards and regulations continue to be driven higher every year.

FRC International is launching the innovative DYNAV (DYnamic NAVigation) system for high speed craft at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, October 29-30. All individuals and organizations operating planing craft from SAR, navy, special forces, coast guard, law enforcement, renewables and the commercial sector are invited to attend the DYNAV launch event. This will be an excellent opportunity for international RIB & HSC professionals, boat builders, equipment manufacturers and industry to come together with the objective of improving sefarer safety on fast craft.

The Kingdom of Norway has become the first State to sign the Cape Town Agreement of 2012 on the Implementation of the Provisions of the 1993 Protocol relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels, 1977. Ms. Ida Skard, Director General, Maritime Department, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Norway, signed the Agreement, at IMO Headquarters. The Cape Town Agreement of 2012 updates and amends a number of provisions of the Torremolinos Protocol.

Seven Malaysian crewmen were rescued after tthe  MV 'Ramai Dua' partially sank in shallow waters between Labuan & Sabah’s western Menumbok. The seven crew members were rescued by a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol boat before being sent to Maritime Department vessel MV Adhara and on to Labuan, reports 'The Star'. The oil tanker had about 200,000 litres of oil and at least 1,000 to 2,000 litres had leaked into the sea close to Kampung Lamidan in Menumbok area. The Marine Deparment was currently taking steps to control the oil slick from spreading while also ensuring there was no more oil spills from the sinking ship. However, it was understood that efforts were progressing slowly due to the strong waves. Source: The Star (Malaysia)

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) gives Deborah Hadden responsibility to oversee its maritime facilities. Deborah A. “Deb” Hadden, Deputy Port Director of Properties and Transportation has assumed the position of Acting Port Director where she now oversees all aspects of Massport’s Maritime Department. In her new role Hadden is responsible for the management and promotion of Massport’s maritime facilities, and other interests in the Port of Boston including strategies for the development, marketing, operation and maintenance of Conley Container Terminal and Cruiseport Boston.

India has eased norms for the import of ships, the government announced last week. Import of ships by open general license (OGL) under a bareboat charter-cum-demise method, which is similar to hire-purchase, will not need a technical clearance by the government, but will need an evaluation of the import price, officials said. "The price reasonableness (evaluation) and interest margin on rental payments will be verified by ICICI," a government spokesperson said, referring to bareboat charters. ICICI is one of India's leading finance firms. "However, the price reasonableness will be required only if the value of the imported vessel on CIF (cost, insurance and freight) basis is more than 10 million rupees," he added.

Landlocked Bolivia's attempts to access international shipping business has hit a snag with the suspension of its ship registry office in Greece, representatives of the South American nation's maritime department said. The country, which has been seeking direct access to the sea for the last 120 years since being defeated by Chile, has established an international shipping register through an outpost in the Port of Piraeus over the last 12 months. However, the attempt to secure foreign revenues by registering ships through Greek registrar Pellis Papadopoulos has been suspended, advisor to the Bolivian Ships Registry Hugo Torrijos said.

Amendments to the STCW Convention have been made at the right time to make it relevant for today's and future needs, according to Rear Admiral Peter Brady, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica. Officially opening a regional seminar in Jamaica entitled "Familiarisation With The Manila Amendments To The STCW Convention And Code", Admiral Brady told delegates: "The Convention and the Code had to provide for the needs of today and many years into the future." He said…

Hawaiian Tug & Barge and Young Brothers, Ltd. announced the appointment of Mark Houghton as Vice President of Maritime Operations. He succeeds Mark Cohen who moved to the mainland. Houghton is responsible for overseeing the maritime operations of both companies. Houghton was formerly Director of Marine Transportation Sales for Foss Maritime Company in Seattle, Washington, a sister company to HTB/YB. During his 11-year stint with Foss, he also served as an assistant port engineer and Cominco Red Dog Mine (Alaska) manager-lighterage operations. Prior to joining Foss, Mr. Houghton was a chief engineer and assistant port engineer for Crowley Maritime and maritime department manager for Sunmar Shipping. He is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

China's largest ever maritime search-and-rescue exercise, involving 400 people, 28 fleets, two helicopters and an aircraft, was carried out on Thursday in the waters near Dalian Port, northeast China's Liaoning Province. The exercise started when a collision between a passenger ferry and a cargo boat was reported and the National Maritime Rescue Emergency Plan was enacted immediately. The main elements of the exercise, including the rescue of 368 passengers and dozens of sailors, fire-fighting and cleaning up an oil spill, were completed in 90 minutes. By involving 24 departments including the maritime department, the rescue department and the navy…