Mis News

The week concluded surprisingly for sub-continent ship recycling nations which were busier (from an LDT perspective) than recent weeks, reports cash buyer GMS.“This left local recyclers scrambling to get their respective shares of the odd unit in, and that too at ever-competitive rates. As such, the dearth of vessels currently available for a recycling sale will certainly ensure that any mis-directed dreams of discounted deals at this juncture of the year, are likely to remain just that…i.e.

The most important of all international maritime safety conventions is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The first version was adopted at a conference in London in 1914. The catalyst for this conference was the sinking of the Titanic on her first voyage in April 1912, which cost the lives of more than 1,500 passengers. This was the beginning of the journey that put in place a regulatory framework to protect those who work and travel by sea.Whilst the sinking of the Titanic was not fire-related…

Commercial insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty released its Safety & Shipping Review, an annual analysis of shipping losses and accidents worldwide. The 2022 report reveals that the maritime sector continues its long-term positive safety trend over the past year with 54 total losses of vessels reported globally, compared with 65 a year earlier. This represents a 57% decline over 10 years (127 in 2012); while during the early 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year.The 2021 loss total is made more impressive by the fact that there are an estimated 130…

Belfast-based shipyard Harland & Wolff has appointed a new General Manager, Tom Hart to its Appledore site.Harland & Wolff, famous for building the Titanic, is today a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five sectors: commercial, cruise and ferry, defense, oil & gas, and renewables and six services: technical services, fabrication and construction, decommissioning, repair and maintenance, in-service support and conversion.Hart joins Harland & Wolff (Appledore) from Dubai-based Drydocks World where he was Director of Projects & Engineering.

Since early Spring 2020, American consumers have received a practical education in supply chain operations. One lesson is that it takes more than simply going online and clicking a “Buy Now” button for goods to show-up on our front porches. While the networks and systems that deliver commodities from around the globe might have been stretched as a result of COVID-19 related impacts, the men and women who move the freight have worked selflessly and tirelessly to meet consumer and manufacturing demand.Early on in the response to COVID-19…

Surface plating is widely used to repair or salvage critical components in the marine industry. As many components need disassembly, the repair process is typically carried out when the ship is in dry dock. Due to the nature of the plating process, this work is usually performed by plating or machine shops off-site. In a quest to add value through reduced downtime and labor costs, many shipyards are looking to bring this service in-house. Mark Meyer, Sales Manager North America at SIFCO ASC…

Incidents involving container ships, although not new, have made the news much more frequently of late. In 2011 the Container Incident Notification System (CINS) was established to allow container ship owners to self-report incidents that might be of concern the other members of the group, and today CINS has 17 vessel owner members.The cases of the Yantian Express, Maersk Honam, MSC Flaminia, MSC Daniela, are some of the most recent examples of container ship fires. The rise in the rate of container ship fires…

This year has already seen an alarming number of container ship fires including Yantian Express, APL Vancouver, Grande America, E.R. Kobe and KMTC Hong Kong.The escalation is of growing concern to IUMI (International Union of Marine Insurance) who used a recent forum to call for an urgent improvement to onboard firefighting systems.At a conference in Arendal, Norway, organised by marine insurer and P&I Club, Gard, and attended by IMO, flag states, shipowners, salvors, class, and insurers…

The increased risk of large, more complex and costly claims has the potential to impact all marine underwriting sectors in 2019, said the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI).Although the global fleet continued to grow at around 3% in 2018, the number of total losses (vessels over 500GT) stood at a 20-year low. Only 21 total losses were recorded last year and this is on the back of a general downward trend witnessed since 2010. The reduction was seen across all vessel classes.Serious casualties (excluding total losses) have stabilised over the past three years but are still higher, on average, than in 2014. There is likely to be a spike in Q1 2019 when numbers have been finalised.

The third edition of the Asian Marine Casualty Forum (AMCF) concluded with delegates calling for greater cooperation and continuing dialogue to address the major challenges now facing the marine casualty and salvage industry.Following the unprecedented success of the Forum last week, the organisers LOC, hope the AMCF will return for a fourth edition of the conference during Singapore Maritime Week in April 2021.Highlights of the final day on Friday 12th of AMCF 2019 included a session on bribery and corruption, wrecks and the environment and container ship casualties, with delegates hearing from world leading industry specialists and…

Even as the minimum Random Drug Testing Rate is raised to 50 PCT, the Coast Guard wants its mission to consist of 90% outreach and just 10% enforcement. Really.The domestic waterfront got some less-than-happy news when the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the calendar year 2019 minimum random drug testing rate had been set at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. It’s safe to say that nobody is happy about it, much less the Coast Guard itself.In truth, the Coast Guard had little to say about the matter. 46 CFR part 16.230(f)(2) requires the Commandant to set the minimum random drug testing rate at 50 percent when the positivity rate for drug use is greater than one percent.

The Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that the calendar year 2019 minimum random drug testing rate is set at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. This rate is effective January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.The Coast Guard has increased the minimum random drug testing rate for 2019 as a result of Drug and Alcohol Management Information System (MIS) data for the most recent reporting year indicating that the positive rate is greater than one percent. 46 CFR part 16.230(f)(2)…

Like all businesses, maritime organisations must strike a balance between managing operations with the right number of employees at the best possible price. But where they differ is that these businesses require specialist and highly trained workers– and getting them to where they need to be usually depends on circumstances that can rarely be taken for granted.Travel costs for crew make up the second-highest outgoing for most vessels, and without clear oversight costs can easily spiral out of control.

Britannia Maritime Consultants has announced two senior appointments as part of its expansion into the marine casualty response market.Mike Hammond will head up a new claims and insurance department while Stephan Dimke will provide technical support for digital navigation issues.Mike brings a formidable track record and experience to Britannia, having worked in marine claims both for shipping companies, and more recently as the claims manager for an International Group P&I club with a focus on the Asia Pacific region.Mike’s skills are already in demand, particularly from companies with limited in – house capability, but also hull/P&I…

CMN Shipyard in Cherbourg, France, conducted sea trials on the June  13, 2018 on the OPV Thémis from the French Coastguard (Affaires Maritimes).The patrol vessel received a hydrodynamic upgrade at the shipyard by retrofitting the patented Hull Vane, an underwater wing which reduces the ship’s resistance. Comparison with the benchmark sea trials – conducted in January in exactly the same conditions – by CMN’s sea trial team showed a reduction in fuel consumption of 18 percent at 12 knots, 27 percent at 15 knots and 22 percent at 20 knots.

Naval Group performed a new launch of the F21 torpedo in the frame of the Artémis program led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement -DGA). In the medium term, the DGA aims to equip all the French Navy's submarines with this heavy torpedo. This launch was performed early May from a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN). The F21 was launched under the authority of the DGA in a DGA Missiles Testing’s underwater acoustic range off the Hyères coast.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced the graduation of 88 students in the sixth class of the "3rd Year Program," which MOL introduced with the goal of developing crewmembers who will uphold strict safety standards in vessel operation. The 3rd Year Program targets new seafarers from among third-year students at partner maritime schools in the Philippines. MOL provides education and training at the Magsaysay Institute of Shipping (MIS), its training center in the Philippines. On hand for the graduation ceremony were Development Bank of the Philippines President, Cecilia C. Borromeo, MARINA, Deputy Executive Director for STCW, Atty. Maximo I.

Liberia has confirmed its position as the leading flag of choice for Greek ship owners and operators, according to statistics produced by the independent research and information organisation Marine Information Services (MIS) in Greece. The MIS figures show that the Greek merchant fleet now includes 1,037 Liberian-flag ships. Liberia also leads the way in terms of total deadweight tonnage registered under its flag by Greek owners, aggregating 78m dwt. Michalis Pantazopoulos, Senior Vice-President of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry in Greece, says, “The MIS figures measure fleet size in numbers of ships and total deadweight tonnage, which are the parameters used by the International Maritime Organization and widely recognised throughout the industry.

Starting July 1, 2016, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee approved amendments to The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Seas’ (SOLAS), will require that shippers verify gross container weight prior to shipping. But now, according to a report in the WSJ, IMO says ‘practical and pragmatic’ three-month grace period would calm exporter fears of widespread backups. The top global shipping regulator, trying to quiet industry alarms over impending rules that exporters fear will trigger widespread backups at ports, is recommending a three-month grace period for enforcing the ship-safety rule. Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd.

A smartphone application that allows users to scan the Mediterranean for boats in distress is being tested by a migrant rescue service, which hopes that crowdsourced information will help it save more people. The I SEA App, available on iTunes, divides a satellite image of the sea route migrants are taking into millions of small plots which are, in turn, assigned to registered users. Each user then monitors their plot through the app and can send an alert to the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and the authorities if they spot potential trouble.

Helle Hammer, Managing Director Cefor & Chair of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) Political Forum discuss about Container Weighing Rules. As of 1 July 2016, only containers with a verified gross mass will be allowed to be loaded on board a vessel (although IMO is allowing a grace period of three months). Although the new SOLAS requirement was adopted in 2014, many shippers and forwarders are still unprepared, and masters will have little choice but to refuse unverified containers. In the short term, non-compliance is likely to affect the cargo insurance sector. Issues include increases in risk exposure due to disturbances in the supply chain…

The International Group of P&I Clubs and the shipping line members of the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) have recently produced a new set of guidelines for the carriage of calcium hypochlorite in containers. UK Club risk assessor, David Nichol, discusses why it was considered necessary to update guidance for a cargo with a history of being implicated in ship fires as well as the wider problem of the mis-declaration of dangerous goods. If a fire breaks out at sea, the crew do not have the option of simply evacuating the building and waiting for the fire brigade to turn up. The crew have to deal with it themselves. Locating…

Not enough companies in the shipping industry are following joined-up risk management procedures, according to international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens. The second annual Moore Stephens Shipping Risk Survey revealed a fall, when compared to last year, in the overall level of satisfaction on the part of respondents that sound risk management had contributed to the success of their organisations. The involvement of senior management in managing risk at the highest level also declined against last year. Respondents to the survey rated the extent to which enterprise and business risk management is contributing to the success of their organisation at an average 6.6, on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), compared to 6.9 last time.