Proper Management News

The combined emissions of metals and other environmentally hazardous substances from ships is putting the marine environment at risk according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.The researchers calculated the contaminant load from these emissions into the marine environment in four ports, and found that water discharged from ships’ scrubbers accounts for most of the contaminants.“The results speak for themselves. Stricter regulation of discharge water from scrubbers is crucial to reduce the deterioration of the marine environment…

The Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) remains firmly committed to the successful transition to the 0.5 percent global sulphur cap in marine fuels and the related dates that have been agreed at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (UN IMO).At the same time, it fully supports the effective implementation and enforcement of the new regulation through the establishment of a UN IMO institutionalized data collection, analysis and review stage, as the minimum safeguard, given the safety and operational issues already identified.A press release from UGS said that this is in line with the traditional role of the UN IMO and the need to give priority to the protection of life at sea and the protection of the environment…

Customers of dry-docking project management tool VesselMan will now be able to access DNV GL’s Best Practices for dry-docking as part of their services.Dry-docking is an important part of a vessels mandatory maintenance regime and takes place regularly throughout the vessel’s life-cycle. However, without proper management and planning, ship-owners and operators can often experience cost overruns, lengthy dock stays, and lost opportunities.Responding to these challenges, VesselMan…

The provider of cloud based dry-docking and ship repairs VesselMan said that its customores  will now be able to access DNV GL’s Best Practices for dry-docking as part of their services.A press note from the dry-docking management company said that dry-docking is an important part of a vessels mandatory maintenance regime and takes place regularly throughout the vessel’s life-cycle.However, without proper management and planning, shipowners and operators can often experience cost overruns, lengthy dock stays, and lost opportunities, it noted."Responding to these challenges, VesselMan recently teamed up with DNV GL to integrate DNV GL’s Best Practices for dry-docking into their cloud-based system," said the release."We are very proud of this partnership.

Ship owners and operators, machinery OEMs and regulatory entities are embracing much needed technological innovation as demand grows in protecting machinery and communications on maritime assets. Cognitive analytics is a game-changing technology that is now more widely available to the maritime sector. This is the latest evolution of data analytics: from the “days of yore” of logging data in a logbook, to sensing data and connecting to a central console, transmitting data ashore and using artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced tools to develop a deep understanding of how machines behave.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd has announced that its group's core dry-cargo ship management company, MOL Ship Management Co., Ltd. has jointly developed with maritime software developer Spectral Technologies, Inc. a new onboard management software program called "WRH5" used to manage crews' work and rest hours. MOLSHIP will introduce "WRH5" on its managed vessels. In addition, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai  issued a statement of fact that "WRH5"'s support functions are in conformity with international labor regulations. - Conformity with MLC2006 and the Japanese Mariners Law. "WRH5" supports the latest provisions of MLC-Maritime Labor Convention, 2006, of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and Japanese Mariners Law. -Meticulously formulate onboard working plans.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced that its group’s core dry-cargo ship management company, MOL Ship Management Co., Ltd. (MOLSHIP; President: Toshikazu Inaoka; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) has jointly developed with maritime software developer Spectral Technologies, Inc. (President and CEO: Kjell B. Sundberg; Headquarters: Manila, Republic of the Philippines) a new onboard management software program called “WRH5” used to manage crews’ work and rest hours. MOLSHIP will introduce “WRH5” on its managed vessels. In addition, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK; Chairman and President: Koichi Fujiwara; Headquarters:Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) issued a statement of fact that “WRH5”’s support functions are in conformity with international labor regulations.

Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV), part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC), has said farewell to Marco Polo, the 800 passenger cruise ship owned by Global Maritime and operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages. Launched in 1964 as the Aleksandr Pushkin, she was in for her 10th special survey and general maintenance and refurbishment. The project took around five weeks to complete. An elegant vessel whose design harks back to an earlier era, the Marco Polo had a full schedule of works during her time at DSV.

A new report from The Swedish Club shows that incorrect maintenance and repair continues to be the most frequent cause of main engine damage – a trend which has continued unabated since the Club began monitoring the issue nearly ten years ago. Main Engine Damage investigates more than 1,000 Hull and Machinery claims relating to over 5,400 vessel years of statistics and its findings make interesting reading. “Main engine damage makes up nearly 35% of machinery claims costs,” says Lars Malm, Director, Strategic Business Development and Client Relationship for The Swedish Club. “It is the most expensive category of claim with an average cost of over half a million USD per claim.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new series of centrifugal chillers, dubbed the "ETI-Z Series," adopting a new refrigerant, HFO-1233zd(E), that offers outstanding environmental compatibility. The various models in the new series will be progressively launched starting this September. The ETI-Z series marks the world's first small-size centrifugal chillers to adopt the new refrigerant. The ETI-Z Series carries on the fundamental product concept of the ETI Series: high performance combined with compact size. The ETI series with built-in inverter panel have been widely spread in to the market since the first models were introduced in 2008. Models in the new ETI-Z Series have a cooling capacity within a range of 80 to 700 refrigeration tons*1 (RT).

A number of shipping companies in Vietnam are facing huge losses, some on the brink of bankruptcy, due to lack of clear development strategies, reports Dan Tri International (DTI). Citing a Vietnam Maritime Administration report on shipping development plans from 2013-2020, and with a view to 2030, DTI says that Vietnam has rapidly grown its number of ships without proper management methods or plans to deal with sudden market changes. The report also pointed out several other shortcomings, such as old ships, or vessel types that are not in demand.

Ship operators concerned about complying with the newly enforced garbage management rules can now turn to Videotel for support. Important new updates to MARPOL Annex V entered into force on January 1, 2013 and have revolutionised the way the industry must look at the issue of waste disposal. In response to this, Videotel has extensively updated its Garbage Management training program to accommodate the radical shift of emphasis the new legislation entails. “Garbage isn’t high on the agenda for many senior executives in most businesses,” says Nigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel Marine International.

“Safety and environmental protection is our greatest priority and OCIMF members see fatigue as a significant contributory factor to many incidents that occur within the shipping industry” explained OCIMF Director, Captain David Cotterell. “These recommendations set out our minimum expectations, which we hope that shipping companies will take into account to achieve compliance with IMO and ILO rules, prevent fatigue and reduce fatigue related incidents,” David Cotterell added. The Recommendations have been developed in cooperation with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Shipping Federation (ISF), who represent maritime employers during the negotiations at IMO and ILO on seafarers’ work and rest hours.

So where do you turn when you would like to start your own ship management company, but you need a million dollars and the worst financial crisis of a lifetime has rendered traditional sources moot? In the case of Dubai, UAE-based Noah Ship Management’s Svein Elof Pedersen and Thomas Chacko Arakal, the core tenants of the real estate business – Location, Location, Location – applied to their vision of creating a small, efficient ship management company. “The banks would not even let us in” the front door, said Pedersen.

At the legislative hearing on the use of dispersants in the BP oil spill, Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Chairman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the role of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill response. My testimony today will provide you with an overview of EPA’s role and activities in the affected Gulf Coast region following the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling unit explosion and resulting oil spill as well as a summary of our primary environmental activities, including dispersant use, waste management, and beach cleanup.

ExxonMobil Marine Fuels (EMMF) has warned that the bunker barge industry faces a stiff challenge in the near term to carry out fleet renewals and operator training. an in-depth look at bunker vessel availability on a global basis in early 2000, and found that seventy percent of worldwide bunker tonnage was more than 25 years old. "but it seems inevitable that quality bunker suppliers will eventually be forced to move away from the use of older vessels. "Barge operators who react quickly and invest in new vessels could reap the rewards of the enhanced freight rates that new vessels should attract. A quality bunker supplier could employ its own bunker barge fleet in key locations.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced four new disposal contracts for obsolete ships in its National Defense Reserve Fleet. Two of the ships are in the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia, and two are in the Suisun Bay near San Francisco, CA. Three of the ships will be dismantled in Brownsville, TX, and one in Chesapeake, VA. “Our ship disposal policy of ‘worst first’ has worked for us,” said Deputy Maritime Administrator John Jamian. “We have cleared out the ships in the worst condition, most of which were in the James River. The Santa Lucia, a 1966-vintage cargo ship, currently in the James River site, will be towed to the Marine Metal facility in Brownsville…