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Marshall Island News

06 Mar 2024

Russia Oil Fleet Shifts Away from Liberia, Marshall Island Flags Amid US Sanctions Crackdown

© evannovostro / Adobe Stock

Dozens of oil tankers used by Russia have stopped sailing under the Liberian and Marshall Islands flags in recent weeks after the United States ramped up sanctions enforcement on ships linked to those registries, according to shipping data and interviews with industry and government officials.The shift reflects the close relationship between the U.S. and the flag administration companies of Liberia and the Marshall Islands, which are headquartered not in their home countries, but in Virginia, just miles from Washington D.C. and within the jurisdiction of U.S.

03 Oct 2023

Australia Bans Second Offender for 90 Days

Source: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Marshall Island-flagged container ship Big Lilly from Australian waters for 90 days, for serious safety and maintenance issues.Prior to this ban, the ship was detained in Melbourne, after an AMSA Port State control (PSC) inspection identified serious defects with the watertight integrity of the ship’s cargo hatches, main engine and safety equipment.AMSA inspectors identified a long list of defects, and while the seafarers onboard had taken steps to maintain the ship…

19 Jul 2021

New Zealand: Two Crew Members Test Positive for Covid-19 on Quarantined Container Ship

New Zealand authorities said Monday that two symptomatic crew members onboard the Mattina container ship, currently in quarantine in Bluff, have tested positive for COVID-19.The Marshall Island-flagged vessel came into port Sunday night and all 21 crew members were tested Monday morning."Rapid tests were ordered for the two symptomatic cases. Health officials report their condition is regarded as improving. The test results for the remainder of the crew are due back later tonight," New Zealand's Ministry of Health said."Both crew members who've tested positive, joined the ship in Singapore on 2 July after providing negative pre-departure tests," the Ministry said."Health officials in Southern DHB are working with other agencies to determine the next steps for the ship.

11 May 2021

New Suezmax Tanker Delivered to TOP Ships

Tanker owner TOP Ships announced on Tuesday that it has taken delivery of a scrubber-fitted 157,000 dwt newbuild Suezmax vessel, Eco Malibu, built at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea.The Marshall Island-flagged vessel is scheduled to commence by the end of the week its previously announced time charter employment with Gunvor Group subsidiary Clearlake Shipping for three years with two yearly extension options, TOP Ships said.The Nasdaq-listed company said revenue backlog expected to be generated by the fixture, assuming all options are exercised, is about $63.3 million. For 2021 alone, the charter is expected to generate $7.8 million in revenue, it said.

19 Feb 2021

Emergency Buy: LNG Tankers Start Offloading Cargo in Mexico

Mexico on Friday began discharging the first of at least four cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bought under emergency to ease gas scarcity and power cuts at its Northern states after a cold snap hit supplies via pipeline from the U.S. South.The Marshall Island tanker Flex Courageous carrying U.S. LNG docked on Friday at the Manzanillo terminal on the Pacific Coast, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. The vessel is expected to discharge about 162,850 cubic meters that the government plans to supply to several power plants.A second cargo also from the United States on the tanker Seri Balhaf is waiting to discharge about 151,300 cubic meters of LNG at Mexico's Altamira terminal on the Gulf Coast…

18 Feb 2021

LNG Tankers to Arrive in Mexico's Ports to Offset Gas Shortage Caused by Cold Snap in U.S.

Two tankers carrying U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Mexico are expected to arrive on Thursday in the country's Altamira and Manzanillo ports, government officials said and Refinitiv Eikon data showed, part of emergency purchases by the government to ease interrupted gas supplies.Mexico resorted to LNG supplies to partially offset a gas deficit for power generation after cold-weather froze several key gaslines crossing the U.S. border. The governor of Texas on Wednesday banned out-of-state gas supplies through Feb. 21 to prioritize the state's utilities.The Latin American nation is also ramping up electricity generation for its…

10 Nov 2020

Phantom Buyers in Russia, Advice from Iran Help Venezuela Skirt Sanctions

On Aug. 21, a tanker called the Otoman docked at the Jose oil terminal on Venezuela’s coast in the Caribbean to load 1.82 million barrels of heavy crude, according to the state oil company’s internal documents.Yet no tanker with that name is registered in major global shipping databases.Muddying the situation further, the unique identifier for the Otoman listed in the documents - a number used by the International Maritime Organization to identify ships - was assigned to another tanker called the Rubyni, according to the databases.The Rubyni was broken up two years ago, they record. Satellite images provided by TankerTrackers.com, an independent vessel tracking service…

15 Jun 2017

Seized Moroccan Ship to Stay in South Africa, Court Rules

A South African court ruled on Thursday that a seized ship carrying a Moroccan cargo of phosphate from the disputed Western Sahara should remain in port until the case goes to trial or security is posted, a lawyer for the Polisario independence movement said. The Polisario Front alleges the 50,000 tonne shipment en route to New Zealand was illegally taken from Western Sahara territory and went to court to have the cargo seized. The case is a test of Polisario's new legal tactic in its long-running conflict with Morocco over Western Sahara, a disputed territory where the two sides fought a war until a 1991 ceasefire and where U.N. talks have failed to reach an accord.

22 May 2017

Panama Frees Vessel Held in Western Sahara Claim

Panama authorities have released a Moroccan phosphate shipment from the disputed Western Sahara territory after it was temporarily held by a legal challenge from the Polisario independence movement, officials said on Monday. The vessel was held on May 18 and is the second tanker carrying phosphate cargo from Moroccan exporter OCP stopped this month by a Polisario challenge. Polisario claims the cargo was transported illegally, a new tactic in its dispute with Morocco. Western Sahara has been disputed since 1975, when Morocco claimed it as part of the kingdom and the Polisario fought a guerrilla war for the Sahrawi people's independence. A 1991 ceasefire split the region in two between what Morocco calls its southern provinces and an area controlled by Polisario.

09 Aug 2016

Inspectors Get Tough on ECDIS

Alternative onboard competency assurance training using modern smart technology, such as iPads and smart phones (Image: ECDIS Ltd)

ECDIS ACAT (Annual Competency Assurance Training): the Inspectors training in ECDIS has without doubt increased safety at sea as it highlights that not all is well, regardless of certificates held. Few are aware that the world is halfway through an international project to train around 1,000 inspectors and PSC officers in ECDIS. Without doubt, it has already dramatically increased the safety of navigation at sea by providing inspecting officers with all the relevant questions that need to be asked for all the 38 manufacturers, regardless of what certificates the officers hold.

20 May 2016

China VLCC Sells Two VLCCs

China Energy Transport Co., Ltd. (China VLCC) has sold two secondhand VLCCs to an unrelated third party for a total price of $117.5mln. China VLCC is 51 percent owned by China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) and 49 percent owned by Sinotrans & CSC Group. It has signed agreements with two Marshall Island-registered companies, Coral Shipowning and Medal Shipowing, under which China VLCC will sell a 297,600 dwt VLCC of six to seven years old  to each of the two companies. The entry into force of the agreement remains subject to the Board of Directors of the company and the counterparty approved by the Board. Meanwhile, China VLCC has on Thursday taken delivery of a new VLCC named New Constant in Dalian, China.

28 Apr 2015

Iran Detains US Cargo Ship in Gulf -Al Arabiya

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said an Iranian "force" seized a U.S. cargo ship after opening fire on it in the Gulf on Tuesday and directed it to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. A Pentagon spokesman said Iranian forces had boarded a Marshall Island-flagged vessel, the MV Maersk Tigris, in the Gulf. He said the boarding occurred after Iranian patrol boats fired shots across the vessel's bow and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters. The ship had no U.S. citizens aboard, the spokesman said, contradicting Al-Arabiya's report which said there were 34 U.S. sailors on board. He said it was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz when the incident occurred. There was no immediate word from Iranian officials.

21 Apr 2015

Marshall Islands Urges Cap on Shipping Emissions

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshall Islands) Monday issued an emailed press release calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to set a new global target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the international shipping industry. The tiny South Pacific nation is the world's third biggest shipping registry, but is increasingly threatened by rising sea levels linked to climate change. Now the Islands is using its position as the world's third largest shipping registry to call on the IMO to set a new global target for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping, a growing sector currently left out of international climate negotiations. "International shipping must be part of the action.

20 Apr 2015

Marshall Islands Calls for New Emissions Target

Tony de Brum

In a submission to the International Maritime Organization, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, currently the world’s third largest shipping registry, has called for the setting of a new global target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, a growing sector currently left out of international climate negotiations. “The goal of keeping global temperature rise under 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius requires action from all countries, and all sectors of the global economy. International shipping must be part of the action.

11 Feb 2015

Oil Tanker Detained for Safety Violations

U.S. Coast Guard personnel on Monday detained the oil tanker Overseas Jademar in Port Angeles after several safety violations were discovered during a port state control exam. Marshall Island-flagged tanker Overseas Jademar was en route from Malaysia to Anacortes, Washington to offload cargo when Port State Control officers from Sector Puget Sound found several significant safety violations during a port state control exam. The ship will remain detained in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the safety violations are corrected. The deficiencies found onboard included nonfunctioning distress signaling equipment and fire safety systems.

11 Feb 2015

USCG Detain Tanker in Port Angeles

Coast Guard personnel detained the tanker Overseas Jademar in Port Angeles, Monday. Port State Control officers, from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, discovered several significant safety violations during a port state control exam of the Marshall Island-flagged tanker, which will remain detained in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the safety violations are corrected. The deficiencies found onboard included non-functioning distress signaling equipment and fire safety systems. The electronic position indicating radio beacon, an essential piece of distress equipment that notifies authorities of the crew's location in the event of an emergency, was found non-functional.

18 Apr 2013

M.V. Ionic Smyrni Bulk Carrier Delivered

Photo: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co.

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) completed and delivered a 56,000 dwt type bulk carrier M.V. Ionic Smyrni (MES Hull No. 1846) at its Tamano Works on 18th April, 2013 to Ionic Smyrni Inc., Marshall Island. This vessel is a handy-max type bulk carrier of 56,000 dwt with a large cargo hold capacity over 70,000 m3 and marks the 155th ship of its series. This 56,000 dwt type bulk carrier series of MES is widely called "Mitsui’s 56," and more than 170 units of this series have been ordered from MES. The vessel is designed in accordance with IACS Common Structural Rules.

01 Apr 2013

Amver Bulker Stands By Dismasted Catamaran

French catamaran dismasted in the South Atlantic sparked a search effort involving Coast Guard aircraft and an Amver ship. The crew of the 109-ft catamaran Mouse Trap activated their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) after their mast fell killing a crew member 500 miles southeast of Bermuda. Rescue authorities in Griz Nes, France received the initial distress call and notified U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel in Portsmouth, Va. "The vessel is adrift, the tiller and steering gears are in complete failure and the crew is trying to start the engine," French rescue personnel reported. The Coast Guard immediately sent a HC-130 rescue aircraft and used the Amver system to divert the 623 foot Greek-managed…

16 Apr 2013

Three Amver Ships Save Twenty-Seven

Desert Hope Ladder Down: Photo credit USCG

Three different Amver rescues unfolded in the Caribbean in one weekend recently resulting in 27 lives saved. The cruise ships Disney Wonder and Carnival Conquest rescued a combined 21 Cuban migrants from disabled boats while the bulk ship Desert Hope rescued 6 people from another disabled boat. The first case on Friday, April 11, 2013 involved 8 Cuban migrants in a rustic 15 foot boat dead in the water approximately 8 miles north of Mariel Harbor, Cuba. A U.S. Customs and Border…

17 Feb 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - February 17

1944- Coast Guardsmen participated in the invasions of Eniwetok and Engebi, Marshall Island.   1956- The CGC Casco saved 21 persons from a US Navy seaplane that was forced to ditch 100 miles south of Bermuda and delivered both the survivors and the disabled aircraft to the Naval Air Station at St. Georgia Harbor, Bermuda.   (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

21 Dec 2012

'Three Men & A Dog' Amver Rescue

A Diana Vessel: Photo credit Diana Shipping Services

Amver participating cargo ship CAP Domingo save 3 sailors & 1 dog from sinking 34-ft catamaran west of Jamaica. The crew of the catamaran activated their Emergency Position Indicating Locator Beacon (EPIRB) after their boat struck a submerged object and began taking on water. Coast Guard rescue authorities in Miami received the alert and notified a maritime patrol aircraft in the region. A U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraf t located the vessel and reported the crew had abandoned the catamaran into a life raft.

08 Jan 2013

Tankship Scrapes By Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Damage to 'Overseas Reymar': Photo credit USCG

The Coast Guard is investigating the incident where the tankshilp reported to the USCG it had allided with Tower Six of the bridge. The 752-foot Marshall Island’s-registered tanker Overseas Reymar reported to the Coast Guard at approximately 11:20 a.m. that it had allided with tower six of the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay. The vessel was immediately directed to an anchorage area just west of Alcatraz Island by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. The vessel was in ballast at the time of the incident. There were no reports of injuries and no reports of pollution.

08 Jan 2013

Coast Guard Investigating Allision at Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Photo: courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard is investigating a vessel allision with the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The 752-foot Marshall Island's-registered tanker Overseas Reymar reported to the Coast Guard at approximately 11:20 a.m. that it had allided with tower six of the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay. The vessel was immediately directed to an anchorage area just west of Alcatraz Island by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. The vessel was in ballast at the time of the incident. There were no reports of injuries and no reports of pollution.