The Industry Review News

A new white paper from Alfa Laval addresses ship owner concerns to ensure vessel compliance with bilge water regulations worldwide. Even if a traditional system with type approval is operating on board, the paper states, there are still risks of violating applicable laws and damaging the marine environment. Alfa Laval – a  leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has announced the availability of a new white paper, Bilge water compliance issues. The…

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) will hold Subchapter M information sessions open to both members and nonmembers at its summer regional meetings in Portland on August 10, in Pittsburgh on August 17 and in New York on August 24. Subchapter M is one of the most important rulemakings ever to affect the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and the AWO said it is committed to helping all members successfully navigate the transition to towing vessel inspection. AWO’s Board of Directors has also asked the association to serve as an information resource for the entire industry…

Drewry inform that the 2014 edition of their Annual Review of Global Container Terminal Operators is now available to purchase online. Drewry add that this industry review, with forecasts, has some of the most insightful and detailed analysis available in the market today. Entering its 12th year of publication the report is unmatched by others and Drewry continue to enhance and add new content each year. Global container port throughput will exceed 840 million teu by 2018, with the fastest growing regions projected to be Africa and Greater China. This represents an average annual growth rate of 5.6% over the next five years, an improvement on the 3.4% recorded last year. The overall growth in trade will boost average terminal utilisation from 67% today to 75% in 2018.

Facing the prospect of continued disruption of port operations by disgruntled container truckers, Port Metro Vancouver said it is taking immediate steps to enhance the safety of the port for working truckers. At the same time, the port said it is working with federal and provincial governments, shippers and trucking companies to address trucker concerns and the continued instability of the container trucking industry. Port Metro Vancouver will be seeking continuation and expansion of our injunction to keep protestors off port property.

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has released the second draft of IACS harmonised Common Structural Rules (CSR). The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is pleased to announce the release of the second draft of IACS harmonised Common Structural Rules (CSR) on the IACS website. As part of the agreed process of development, IACS invites Industry to offer comments on all parts of the draft Rules - prior to the end of August 2013. This second draft of the harmonised CSR builds on the first draft that was released in July 2012. The rule text has been further developed to take into account feedback received during the first review period although some of the more detailed comments are still being considered.

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Council met in London under the chairmanship of Tom Boardley of Lloyds Register. IACS agreed to strengthen the implementation of EEDI by using the industry developed guidelines as a Procedural Requirement for IACS Members. IACS chairs the joint industry working group which developed the ground breaking EEDI guidelines that have been submitted to the IMO. By using these guidelines as Procedural Requirements mandatory on Members whose societies classify over 90% of the world fleet, IACS is setting down a benchmark for efficient and environmentally safe shipping unsurpassed by any other non-governmental safety organisation.

ClassNK Chairman and President, Noboru Ueda, served as Chairman of the Council of the International Association of Classification Societies from July 2010 until June 2011. In so doing, he became the fourth ClassNK chairman to complete a term at the head of IACS since the association was founded in 1968. Noboru Ueda set three important goals for his tenure at the helm of IACS - to complete the transition to a more transparent and robust IACS structure and restate IACS commitment to the European Commission…

(Houston and London) ABS and Lloyd’s Register (LR) announce the release of jointly-developed software that will be used to assess bulk carriers and oil tankers designed to comply with IACS Common Structural Rules (CSR). The common software draws upon the technical strengths of ABS and Lloyd's Register and will be used to evaluate new designs presented to either society. Recognizing the strengths of their collaborative efforts and to demonstrate commitment for consistency, ABS and LR also announce the establishment of Common Structural Rules Software…

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) cordially invites maritime industry representatives to attend and participate in our December meeting to be held at Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum, Md. Congressman Elijah Cummings has accepted to be our keynote speaker. Also, ranking officers of US Maritime Administration and Department of Transportation have been invited to address this meeting. In addition, senior representatives from Federal and State Governments and the commercial industry will present a comprehensive discussion on the impact of regulatory changes in the areas of safety, environment and training in the US maritime industry.

Now is the time to buy cruise shares, says a cruise industry review released by Lazard Frères & Co., which notes that although shares have been up and down in the past few weeks with only a 1 percent increase in the last month, the relatively defensive performance of the cruise/leisure segment is encouraging. The report states cruise shares are sensitive to any data showing a slowdown in consumer spending in 2000. In September, a decrease in the Consumer Confidence Index was enough to cause a 7-8 percent drop in Carnival and Royal Caribbean shares. However, a closer look showed a tendency of the CCI to soften in autumn months. At 134.2, the CCI is 6 percent higher than a year ago, actually suggesting stronger confidence among consumers.

Now is the time to buy cruise shares, says a cruise industry review released by Lazard Frères & Co., which notes that although shares have been up and down in the past few weeks with only a 1% increase in the last month, the relatively defensive performance of the cruise/leisure segment is encouraging. The report states cruise shares are sensitive to any data showing a slowdown in consumer spending in 2000. In September, a decrease in the Consumer Confidence Index was enough to cause a 7-8% drop in Carnival and Royal Caribbean shares. However, a closer look showed a tendency of the CCI to soften in autumn months. At 134.2, the CCI is 6% higher than a year ago, actually suggesting stronger confidence among consumers.