OECD figures have estimated one billion TEU in transit by 2030, with Asia leading the increase in volume. Today over 400 million lithium ion batteries and over 15 billion aerosols are said to be produced annually. All these numbers suggest that the container fire risk may get worse; it is estimated that onboard today’s largest vessels of 22,000 TEU, there is more than 4 times the risk of having that one problem container onboard and the consequences of a fire is also more than 4 times as great.
Major fire accidents at sea
2019 produced a significant number of hazardous cargo fires onboard with the most reported being as follows:
On 3 January, the containership “Yantian Express” sustained major fire off Bermuda. 198 containers onboard the ‘Yantian Express’ were estimated to be a total loss.
On 29 January, fire broke out in the engine room onboard Maersk’s Panamax containership “Olga Maersk” on route from Panama to Cartagena.
On 31 January, Vietnamese Coast Guard responded to a cargo fire on the container ship “APL Vancouver” off Vung Ro, Vietnam.
On 14 February, ER Kobe that suffered a fire when three containers on deck loaded with charcoal caught fire while the boxship was heading from Haiphong to Qingdao and later became engulfed in flames again.
On 10 March, Italian con/ro “Grande America” caught fire, approximately 140 nm off Finistère, forcing all 27 members of her crew to abandon ship; it sank after two days.
On 28 May, fire onboard KMTC containership was reported due to mis-declared chemical cargoes of calcium hypochlorite and chlorinated paraffin wax.
Tacking misdeclaration may well be a first line of defense
Experts from the Gard P&I Club noted that most container fires are associated with cargo misdeclaration which remains a key industry challenge. Namely, between 2014 and 2017, Gard was involved in 13 container cargo fire cases of some significance; six cases involved calcium hypochlorite which is very common chemical product used for water purification, but at the same time it can be very hazardous. In this regard, the International Group of P&I Clubs together with CINS jointly issue guidelines that can essentially be considered “IMDG Code plus precautions”.
‘No matter how carefully cargo is booked, there will still be fires originating in containers’, Gard’s Alf Martin pointed out during a conference on containership fires in Arendal in October, suggesting that a holistic approach is vital. TT Club mentioned that approximately two out of three fire incidents are the result of poor practice in the overall packing process of dangerous goods, which are often misidentified or undeclared. Moreover, the way large containerships are constructed today poses many challenging to the crew when a major fire breaks out since the accommodation, lifeboats and rafts are in close vicinity to containers.
SOLAS and firefighting: Where we stand
Industry stakeholders have identified that the SOLAS requirements may not be adequate for today’s larger container carriers. It is also noted that there are still certain fire safety arrangements not included in the SOLAS Regulations.
‘’We believe the mode of firefighting set out in SOLAS is not suitable for a modern containership…We suggest creating individual fire compartments below deck to prevent fire from spreading. These compartments would be fitted with fixed Co2 and water-based firefighting systems.’’ alerted IUMI’s Helle Hammer.
According to SOLAS, containerships built after 1 January 2016 must have:
At least one water mist lance capable of penetrating a container wall.
If 5 or more tiers of containers are carried on or above weather deck, ships with a breadth up to 30 meters are to have at least two mobile water monitors, and for vessels with a breadth exceeding 30 meters there are to be at least four.
However, when it comes to modern large container vessels, there is no regulation demanding firefighting means when cargo on deck rises 30meters above deck level.
IUMI calls for action
During the IMO’s 101st Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meeting in June 2019, IUMI raised its concerns and received support from various quarters, including IACS. Now, in partnership with the German flag state, IUMI is calling for additional support from flag administrations and other stakeholders to bring this issue to IMO’s agenda in 2020.
In addition, IUMI took the chance to alert on the situation and call the shipping industry to improve its existent onboard firefighting systems and seafarers’ training, as both seem to lack of efficiency in these challenging times. Helle Hammer, Chair of IUMI’s Policy Forum noted that fire-fighting capabilities onboard containerships are deficient and therefore, industry needs to see more headway to improve the safety of the crew, the environment, the cargo and the ships themselves.
The issue of mis-declaration or non-declaration of cargo seriously affects the safety implications of a vessel and result to incidents. This is because cargo areas have high potential of fire eruption, so all precautions should be taken to ensure that inflammable cargoes are kept in isolated conditions. Concerning mis-declaration of cargoes, Hapag Lloyd previously announced a penalty of USD 15,000 per container for those who fail to properly offer and declare hazardous cargoes prior to their shipment.
In the same length, IUMI proposes IMO to strengthen fire protection in the cargo area of container vessels; amend SOLAS by explicitly including active and/or passive fire protection on board new container vessels; and consider the need to address the firefighting equipment of existing container vessels.
Previously, IUMI had launched a position paper to IMO, providing recommendations on improving firefighting systems onboard vessels as follows:
Responsible authorities, class and relevant industry stakeholders should engage in discussions on how to further improve the fire detection, protection and firefighting capabilities on board container vessels.
Implementation of new and improved measures to fight fires on container vessels will not only protect the vessel and the cargo, but also the lives and wellbeing of the crew.
Concluding Gard’s conference, Mr Martin shared his suggestions to move forward with effective firefighting and highlighted that there is a need for much faster alarms from a cargo hold on fire; water monitors permanently installed on lashing bridges; build higher lashing bridges on deck or install “masts” to improve the reach of fire monitors; protect hatch covers by water to stop a fire going through; install water sprinkler systems in all cargo holds, not just in holds for dangerous cargoes; arrange for water curtains to protect superstructure and lifesaving craft and insulate all boundaries of the engine room in purpose- built container vessels, not just the decks.
The tanker orderbook has descended to historical lows as investors shy away from being left with stranded assets in the race to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets
At 44.9M dwt at the start of October 2020, the tanker orderbook was equivalent to a historical low of 8% of the fleet. Only 12M dwt of tanker orders have been placed so far in 2020. As it stands, the tanker orderbook is at its lowest level since 1997, according to Clarkson Research Services (CRS). The product tanker fleet is at the lowest level for 25 years.
The reasons for the lack of investment is clear. In the short term, the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on demand for crude oil and oil products has skewed demand and set up fluctuations in trade flows.
In the longer term, the requirement to meet ever-lower GHG emissions creates a difficult-to-manage risk of a 10-year-old tanker asset in 2035 being uncompetitive with newer low-carbon vessels. None of the main tanker building shipyards are even close to being able to offer a low or zero-carbon neutral VLCC, although some, like HHI, have exhibited VLCC designs with rotor sails and other low-carbon propulsion technology.
The available alternatives are methanol and LNG-powered large tankers. Independent shipbrokers SSY noted in its latest report that “Of the total tanker contracting (for vessels 10,000+ dwt and excluding chemical tankers) in the first 10 months of 2020, about 10% of the orders were placed for LNG dual-fuelled vessels.”
CRS noted that in particular, 45% of the crude Aframax tanker orderbook is LNG-capable. This reflects the high number of shuttle tankers in that sector which are destined to work in low-carbon emission regions.
Owners and operators in Asia are leading the change to LNG dual-fuel power. “Of the 55 LNG dual-fuel tankers on order (which includes three VLCCs, nine Suezmaxes, 22 Aframaxes, four LR2s and three MRs) 27 units are to be owned by Asia-based shipowners and financing institutions, and the remaining vessels will be under European ownership” reported SSY.
A new cyber security component has been incorporated into the third edition of Tanker Management and Self Assessment: A Best Practice Guide (TMSA3), released by the Oil Companies International Maritime Forum in 2017. The cyber security component is directly addressed in two of the performance elements: management of change (element 7) and marine security (element 13).For each element in TMSA3, tanker operators should carry out a self-assessment and rate themselves (their safety management systems, operations and practices) against the key performance indicators (KPIs) defined in TMSA3. We want to support you in implementing the new cyber security component and help you to provide documentation of compliance, whether that be achieving the minimum expected level or going above and beyond and achieving level 4.
Our approach
To support the implementation of the new cyber security component found in TMSA3 (requirements 7 and 13), we have identified potential phases that can be followed and tailored to your specific needs. These start from the achievement of the minimum expected level (level 1) and can ultimately bring the company to the full achievement of the management of changes and marine security objectives, which are identified as level 4 by TMSA3.
What we offer
Cyber security procedures definition
We will you with a number of supporting documents. These are generic documents based on good industry practice. As part of a one-day workshop, we will show you how to tailor these to suit the operational model of your business. Should additional support be required after the workshop, this can be discussed and a pricing agreement reached.
Risk assessment
An example risk assessment will be provided, showing how to assess the threats and apply mitigating controls. This would be a standard template showing the approach to and methodology for conducting a risk assessment. Standard assets will be pre-populated, which would have to be tailored to suit your business model. After instruction provided by the consultants, you would need to populate the compensating controls within the template to mitigate the identified risks.
Cyber security procedures audit
We can undertake an audit of cyber security procedures based at your HQ. The audit would be undertaken by an ISO 27001-qualified auditor, and the scope of the audit will be agreed with you and will be based on a selection of agreed controls, as opposed to every control. This will ensure that the audit be completed in one day.
Onboard audit
The main aim of our onboard audit is to determine the effectiveness of the ship’s security measures, policies, procedures and preparedness for cyber-related incidents. The audit will determine whether controls, processes and procedures conform to the requirements of the TMSA3 standard, whether the policies and procedures are effectively implemented and maintained, and if they perform as expected.
Vulnerability assessment
Vulnerability assessment will be delivered on computer based systems (navigation, cargo control, power management, communication, etc.), ship networks and any automation on board the selected vessel(s). If a specific goal is identified you, penetration testing can also be performed. Penetration testing is the attempt to actively exploit weaknesses in the environment from the perspective of an attacker with direct access to the network being tested.
Why choose LR?
We provide independent assurance and expert advice to companies operating high-risk, capital intensive assets in the marine, energy and transportation sectors, and we have a unique insight into ship and cyber security. We know both the operational technology systems that drive performance and the information technology platforms. We understand the changing regulations being faced by the industry and we know how to deliver a cost-effective solution while reducing our clients’ vulnerability to cyber threats. Our work helps to ensure that your assets and processes are secure, safe, sustainable and compliant with the regulations.Source: Ir
ExxonMobil’s International Marine Transportation aims to produce another significant step change in preventing oil spills at sea through adding a new element that addresses the human element to the Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA) programme.
In a keynote address to the International Chemical and Oil Pollution Conference and Exhibition (ICOPCE) in Singapore, Jonathan Evans, managing director, International Marine Transportation Singapore, Fuels and Lubricants, ExxonMobil, said: “We can see a significant improvement over the last 40 years but we are still having spills to water and any spill is one too many.”
Over the last 30 years pollution incidents had been reduced by the introduction of the double hull, the SIRE programme, the ISM Code and the introduction of TMSA. Evans noted that since the introduction of the TMSA programme there had been “a very productive period in reducing number of incidents over last 15 years, yet we still have the Sanchi incident”. The Sanchi collision with the CF Crystal last year left 32 dead and the loss of the vessel and its cargo.
“We all know human error is the area we need to address, we have good sound vessels and good management systems and yet these incidents still continue to happen and when we look at them its human error in way over 75% of the cases,” he told the conference organized by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
To address the human element the company has been working over the last 12 – 18 months on a new element to be added to TMSA. A multi-disciplinary team of industrial psychologists, TMSA experts, and marine quality assurance experts was assembled and combined with industry consultation across both large and small fleets, as well as barges. “So we have a good perspective on what will work in the industry and finally we’ve added a peer review,” Evans said.
He said the key objectives of the element were to, “equip the leaders and staff on ship and ashore with the leadership and equipment knowledge, skills and commitment to perform at the highest level essential for safe, and efficient operations”. There are five pillars of successful operations covering
Leading and shaping the safety culture you want
Well executed tasks and procedures
Well designed equipment and controls
Skills to respond to emerging situations
Learning before and after things go wrong.
“This will be the responsibility of senior management to develop policies and plans to allocate resources in support of each one of these pillars,” Evans said.
Work on the new element was handed over to OCIMF last week with a plan to finalise it over the next 12 months for roll out to the industry.
The pandemic has sent shockwaves through global maritime transport and laid the foundations for a transformed industry and associated supply chains. UNCTAD expects a return to growth in 2021
Global maritime trade will plunge by 4.1% in 2020 due to the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19, UNCTAD estimates in its Review of Maritime Transport 2020, released on 12 November.
The report warns that new waves of the pandemic that further disrupt supply chains and economies might cause a steeper decline. The pandemic has sent shockwaves through supply chains, shipping networks and ports, leading to plummeting cargo volumes and foiling growth prospects, it says.
According to the report, the short-term outlook for maritime trade is grim. Predicting the pandemic’s longer-term impact as well as the timing and scale of the industry’s recovery is fraught with uncertainty.
“The global shipping industry will be at the forefront of efforts towards a sustainable recovery, as a vital enabler of the smooth functioning of international supply chains,” UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said. “The industry must be a key stakeholder helping adapt ‘just-in-time efficiency’ logistics to ‘just-in-case’ preparedness,” he added.
UNCTAD expects maritime trade growth to return to a positive territory and expand by 4.8% in 2021, assuming world economic output recovers. But it highlights the need for the maritime transport industry to brace for change and be well prepared for a transformed post-COVID-19 world.
Figure 1: Development of international maritime trade and global output, 2006–2020
Source: UNCTAD calculations based on data from UNCTADstat.
Responses to the pandemic
At the peak of the crisis, when the contraction of cargo volumes brought an additional challenge to structural market imbalance, the report notes, the container shipping industry adopted more discipline, cutting capacity and reducing costs to maintain profitability instead of market share.
As a result, freight rates remained at stable levels despite the depressed demand. From the perspective of shippers, these strategies meant severe space limitations to transport goods and delays in delivery dates.
To cope with pandemic-related disruptions, players in the maritime sector adjusted their operations, finances, sanitary and safety protocols as well as working practices and procedures.
In addition, several governments, through their border agencies, port authorities and customs administrations, made reforms to keep trade flowing while keeping people safe.
“Border agents, port workers and customs officials play an essential role in keeping trade moving, helping us to navigate through the crisis,” Dr. Kituyi said. “It will be important to assess the best practices that emerge from their experiences to strengthen trade facilitation in the years to come.”
Whither globalization, decarbonization?
While COVID-19 has underscored the global interdependency of nations, it has raised existential questions about globalization and added weight to the pushback against outsourcing from distant locations, the report says.
“The pandemic brought into sharp focus the topic of supply chain shortening, including nearshoring and reshoring, with less dependence on just-in-time and lean inventory models,” the report states. COVID-19 has also brought to the fore the debate over diversifying production and manufacturing sites and suppliers, it adds.
The pandemic has also exposed how unprepared the world seemed to be in the face of such a crisis, the report observes, underscoring the urgent need to invest in risk management and emergency response preparedness in transport and logistics.
It says future-proofing the maritime supply chain and managing risks requires greater visibility and agility of door-to-door transport operations.
UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, Shamika N. Sirimanne, said the pandemic should not push to the back burner action to combat climate change in shipping. Therefore, post-COVID-19 recovery policies should support further progress towards green solutions and sustainability.
“The momentum of current efforts to address carbon emissions from shipping and the ongoing energy transition away from fossil fuels should be maintained,” she said.
Figure 2: Annual carbon-dioxide emissions per vessel by vessel type, 2019
Source: UNCTAD calculations, based on data provided by Marine Benchmark.
Harnessing the digital transformation
The pandemic has also strengthened the case for digitalization and eliminating paperwork in the shipping industry, including in ports, the report observes, reinforcing the need for standards and interoperability in electronic documentation.
Many trade facilitation measures taken during the pandemic require further investments in digitalization and automation. Accepting digital copies instead of paper originals, pre-arrival processing, electronic payments and customs automation all help speed up international trade.
On the flip side, the pandemic has also highlighted that digitalization comes with increased cyber security risks with a potential to cripple supply chains and services in global maritime trade.
The report decries the humanitarian and safety crisis caused by the pandemic, when more than 300,000 seafarers were stranded at sea for months beyond the end of their contracts – an unsustainable situation for both the safety and wellbeing of seafarers, and the safe operation of ships.
UNCTAD reiterates its call to authorities to designate seafarers as key workers exempted from COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Trends that preceded the pandemic
Besides focusing strongly on the impact of the pandemic during 2020, the report provides in-depth and detailed coverage on global maritime trade in 2019.
It says COVID-19 hit world trade after an already weak 2019, in which global maritime trade lost further momentum as trade tensions continued to bite.
They included China-US tensions, uncertainties around Brexit, complaints made by several countries against Indian tariffs, the Japan-Korea trade dispute and general moves towards protectionism. The report estimates that tariffs cut the volume of maritime trade by 0.5% in 2019.
Other notable facts and figures on global maritime trade in 2019 include the following:
Iron ore trade fell for the first time in 20 years, by 1.5%, due to disruptions such as the Vale dam collapse in Brazil and Cyclone Veronica in Australia.
Brazil overtook the US as the world’s largest seaborne grain exporter.
As of March 2020, an estimated 20% of global trade in manufacturing intermediate products originated in China, up from 4% in 2002.
The deployment of larger container vessels often increases total transport costs across the logistics chain. The capacity of the largest container vessel went up by 10.9%, but it’s mainly the carriers that benefit from the economies of scale offered by larger vessels, while ports and inland transport providers don’t necessarily benefit.
Ports are showing more interest in strengthening connections with the hinterland to get closer to shippers and ‘anchor’ cargo volumes – in line with the push for port-centric solutions over recent years.
China, Greece and Japan remain the top three ship-owning countries in terms of cargo-carrying capacity, representing 40.3% of the world’s tonnage and 30% of the value of the global fleet.
Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Panama remain the three leading flags of registration, in terms of carrying capacity and of value of the fleet registered. As of 1 January 2020, they represented 42% of the carrying capacity and 33.6% of the value of the fleet.
The flags of Iran, Taiwan (province of China) and Thailand registered the highest increases in terms of deadweight tonnage. The number of ships flying the flag of Iran quadrupled – this was due to the pressure of sanctions, which led several registries to de-flag vessels associated with trade involving the country.
Meanwhile, UNCTAD has updated its maritime profiles with 2019 data, providing a basic snapshot of each country’s situation on maritime transport and international trade, facilitating convenient cross-country comparisons.
Fincantieri, in close cooperation with the virology lab of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, ICGEB, has developed an innovative next-generation air sanitation system called “Safe Air”, which will further significantly improve the quality and cleanliness of the air onboard cruise ships.
As part of its commitment to the health and safety of its guests and crew, MSC Cruises will be the first cruise operator which will install this new and advanced technology on MSC Seashore, the first of the two “Seaside Evo” class ships. MSC Seashore is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard and will be the largest and one of the most technologically advanced cruise ships ever built in Italy.
The “Safe Air” sanitation system was developed by Fincantieri’s designers and technicians and the virology lab of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, ICGEB, a leading research institute headquartered in Trieste, Italy. The Institute provides businesses with scientific support to develop innovative technological solutions for the control of virus infections, which is particularly relevant today given the current global health crisis. The new next-generation air sanitation system will be based on the technology of UV-C lamps, i.e. type C ultraviolet rays, applied in combination with the air conditioning system. In this way, the airflow will be radiated at the source with a short wavelength light, hitting the organic particles and thereby preventing the circulation of air pollutants such as viruses, bacteria, and mold.
As with all MSC Cruises newbuilds, MSC Seashore – which is due to enter into service in 2021 – will also feature some of the latest technologies and solutions available to reduce her environmental footprint. These notably include a state-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and a next-generation Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) system. The SCR systems reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 90 percent through advanced active emissions control technology. While the AWT systems take wastewater through a comprehensive process of purification and very fine filtration that transforms it into nearly tap-water quality.
MSC Seashore will also be fitted with shore-to-ship power capabilities that allow the vessel to connect to local power grids while at berth, further reducing air emissions.
MSC Cruises recently demonstrated its commitment to health and safety for its guests, crew, and communities it visits when in August it became the first major line to return to sea with a new rigorous well-being protocol approved by a range of national and regional authorities following a global shutdown of the industry in March as a result of the global pandemic ashore.
The new health and safety protocol, in fact, went beyond the guidance from the relevant authorities to set a new standard for the cruise industry, particularly with respect to universal testing.
All guests go through universal health screening before boarding a ship which comprises three comprehensive steps – a temperature check, a review of a personal health questionnaire, and a COVID-19 antigen swab test. The crew is tested up to three times before being permitted to start their work.
Other aspects of the health and safety protocol cover elevated sanitation and cleaning, protected ‘bubble type’ shore excursions, facemasks and maintaining social distancing, enhanced onboard medical facilities, daily health monitoring, and a robust contingency plan.
The protocol was designed by MSC Cruises’ in-house specialists in medical services, public health and sanitation, hotel services, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, other shipboard engineering systems, information technology, and logistics.
A Blue-Ribbon COVID-19 Expert Group was also established that comprises a panel of internationally respected highly qualified professionals whose role is to inform and review the MSC Cruises’ protocol to ensure that the line’s actions are appropriate, effective, and informed by the best available science and health practices.
The protocol has been in operation since 16 August when MSC Grandiosa resumed sailing in the West Mediterranean. She has now completed eighth successful and safe voyages for thousands of guests and will be joined by MSC Magnifica on October 19th with cruises in the West and East Mediterranean.
An experienced commercial fisherman is the client for Dongara Marine’s first new vessel for the South Australian Rock Lobster fishery.
Customised to client preferences, the 17.8m long aluminium hull features the hallmark fine entry of Southerly Designs’ offshore capable monohulls, topped by a single level wheelhouse – an arrangement that is common for lobster boats built for South Australia.
Like Dongara Marine’s recent vessels for the Western Rock Lobster fishery, the superstructure will be manufactured from composites using resin infused moulding techniques to deliver a very high standard of finish as well as lightweight and noise, vibration, and thermal insulation.
Dongara Marine’s Managing Director, Rohan Warr said the ability to provide this composite wheelhouse was a key factor in the owner’s decision to choose Dongara Marine as the builder of the new boat.
In addition to the helm station, galley and mess in the wheelhouse, accommodation for three crew is provided to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) AL 36-72 standards. This includes two berths in a forward cabin and an owner / master’s cabin with Queen sized berth beneath the wheelhouse.
The monohull will be single screw with propulsion power coming from an MTU 8V 2000 M72 diesel; an engine selection made by the owner and accommodated within Dongara Marine’s custom design and build approach. Driving a fixed pitch propeller through a Twin Disc gearbox this is expected to give a maximum speed of 23 knots and economical cruising at 18.5 knots.
The boat will have capacity for 750kg of live lobster and 4000 litres of fuel.
Ship-to-ship operations are ripe for potential contractual and legal disputes. To mitigate these concerns, clearly defined roles are required and careful planning needed.
When it comes to completing a successful ship-to-ship (STS) operation, the result is almost entirely dependent on what happens at the planning stage. During a recent webinar, HSEQ and compliance specialist Alasdair Adamson explained that in such operations, “it is all about organisation, developing safe and reliable procedures and ensuring everyone sticks to these procedures.”
The position in contractual liability is between the charterer and the vessel owner, not between the two vessel operators conducting the operation; exercising due diligence is the obligation of the parties to the contract. Complications may arise when apportioning liability, according to law firm Preston Turnbull partner Robert Collins.
Mr Collins said that STS operations can create legal situations that are like “no other” in shipping. The governing law and jurisdiction are generally established either by a contract between the parties, or decided by the law of the place where the damage occurs.
Mr Adamson noted that (making an exception for oil majors) a ship’s officers are not especially diligent in inspecting third-party STS equipment; 41% of webinar attendees agreed with this view. Diligence and the possibility of an accident are interlinked. “From an operational point of view, the amount of times when you think, there were so many indicators that could have made this result so very different, and that is at the root of a lot of issues in STS operations,” said Mr Adamson.
Mr Adamson added that while Masters retain absolute authority in decision making, a triumvirate of key decision makers – two Masters and a person in overall advisory control (POAC) – must provide unanimous approval for an STS operation to commence. In a poll, 68% of webinar attendees felt that Masters do not take enough responsibility for decision making and tend to agree with the POAC without question.
“STS can create legal situations that are like no other in shipping”
In another webinar, conducted by DYNAMARINe, the company’s director Alex Glykas noted that the POAC is in charge of any STS operation that takes place at sea. Where the STS operation is taking place within port boundaries, the mooring master is the designated person in charge.
Discussing equipment specifics, Mr Adamson said for fender certification, safety valve pressure tests should be based on the manufacturer’s guidance. More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents to a webinar survey felt that most low-contact damage in operations stems from the incorrect placement of secondary fenders.
Replacing a transfer hose depends on several factors, including the compatibility of the liquids that have passed through the hose, maintenance, pressure testing and storage. Operators are advised to monitor their equipment to ensure compatibility and demonstrate the equipment’s fitness for purpose to regulatory authorities.
One of the most dangerous elements of an STS operation is the transfer of personnel by basket between tankers. Mr Collins pointed out that where equipment is not certified for such use, the owners have strict liability in cases of injury and death. “If this happens and there is an issue as a result, then that owner and the insurer will have to pay out,” he said. An owner is unlikely to have a strong defence for such an act, despite it being industry practice.
From a liability perspective, Mr Collins said parties should aim for clarity in their contractual relationships by considering an official STS contract between vessels, with a choice of law and jurisdiction and by working with the insurers.
The STS process is covered by IMO in MARPOL and through guidelines issued by OCIMF. The latest (2nd edition) of OCIMF’s Ship to Ship Service Provider Management and Self Assessment Guide was issued in 2020 and was the subject of the OCIMF Ship to Ship focus group, which met in Texas in February 2020. Among the subjects on the agenda was the draft to OCIMF’s Guidelines for the Handling, Storage, Use, Maintenance and Testing of STS Hoses.
In the current guidelines on STS, the self-assessment programme encourages STS service providers to assess their safety management systems against key performance indicators. It provides a minimum expectation level and an additional three levels of increasing best practice guidance. The results can be used to develop plans that support the continuous improvement of management systems and the attainment of high standards of safety and pollution prevention.
“It is a tenet of ISM that shipowners have total control over safety”
The OCIMF STS guidelines covey industry best practice; where a shipowner has not followed the guidelines, the risk is increased. In that case, the shipowner may be in breach of the ISM code and will have to justify this in the risk assessment. It is a tenet of ISM that shipowners have total control over safety and that this responsibility cannot be passed to third parties, such as the STS service providers, the POAC or charterers.
In this respect, may a shipowner reject a nominated vessel that has not passed a SIRE inspection? A tanker with a current SIRE inspection shows proof that the vessel has been inspected and met SIRE criteria and is accepted by oil majors. Furthermore, the existence of a current SIRE inspection shows the charterer has accepted the safe berth clause in the charter. Therefore, the presence of SIRE is highly desirable.
If there is no current SIRE inspection, the shipowner my request proof that the nominated tanker is acceptable. Such proof would include evidence that the crew has STS experience and that the equipment (mooring lines, deck gear, hoses) is in class and in good order; however, responsibility rests with the shipowner.
Another important factor involves who is organising the STS. According to DYNAMARINe’s Mr Glykas, it is not clear from the OCIMF guidelines who is the organiser of the STS if the charterer has engaged an STS service provider. Questions to be asked in such instances are: how is the responsibility passed?; how does the charterer exercise due diligence over the STS service provider?; and what happens if the STS service provider does not have a Safety Management System (SMS)?
Case study: damage and responsibility
Background: a vessel owned by Fund A is managed by reputable tanker operator B. The vessel has been engaged in West Africa in numerous STS operations during the previous 24 months. It has sustained various mooring line breakdowns with damages on HMPE ropes at a cost in excess of US$60,000. Can the owner claim damages from B, claiming that the management is not in compliance with regulations?
The claim is based on the ISM responsibility of the tanker operator B. Why? In the ISM code, the tanker operator is responsible for modifying the control measures based on past findings. The damage sustained to the mooring ropes should have been incorporated into subsequent STS operations, but this was not done. The tanker operator was not learning from past mistakes.
The tanker operator was found to be in breach of the ISM code and settled to cover 60% of the sustained damage. The HMPE ropes were replaced with soft ropes and mooring failures reduced.
“Risk assessment is dynamic and if you manage a large number of ships, then make use of these records to adjust your risk assessment and the control measures,” said DYNAMARINe’s Mr Glykas.
This article is adapted from the Riviera webinar “STS operations: know your legal and operational responsibilities” and the DYNAMARINe webinar “Ship to ship transfer – Mapping of Guidelines – Requirements and Due Diligence Actions”
Uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) have immense potential in the offshore wind industry and will provide important cost reductions and sustainability enhancements
Their widespread adoption is a question of ‘when, not if,’ presenters and delegates agreed during the webinar, Uncrewed surface vessels: taking the human element – and cost and emissions – out of the loop. A poll conducted during the webinar suggested that many potential clients for USVs are considering contracting for them in the next 12 months, with others expecting to begin using them in 12-24 months.
The fourth event in Riviera’s Offshore Wind Webinar Week took place on 5 November 2020, with a panel including industry leaders in the uncrewed vessel space. These included: DNV GL segment director – special ships Arnstein Eknes; Fugro IRM business development manager Dan Jones; Ocean Infinity senior business development manager Michael King; and Sonardyne International global business manager, marine robotics, Ioseba Tena.
As highlighted on a number of occasions by OWJ, USVs have many potential advantages in the offshore wind and offshore oil and gas industries. Several USVs are due to enter service by the end of 2020 or early in 2021 and have already been extensively tested at sea.
Able to conduct surveys, they can also deploy remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), reducing costs significantly and helping to decarbonise vessel operations.
Mr Eknes told delegates that the small size of USVs compared to manned vessels would make data collection using them significantly less expensive. Mr King told delegates that USVs can be used at all stages of the development, construction and operation of an offshore windfarm. He explained that compared with a 65-70-m manned survey vessel, USVs of the type the company has developed could provide a 90% reduction in emissions.
Mr Tena said automation and unmanned operations is where many industries are headed. “USVs have really taken off,” he said, a fact confirmed by the poll of delegates highlighted above.
Another poll conducted during the event suggested that, in the longer term, many delegates also expect uncrewed vessels to play an important role in the floating wind market although, as Mr Jones noted, in that segment of the market there are some specific challenges to address. These include the presence of multiple mooring lines and challenges that might create when navigating USVs, and ROVs and AUVs deployed from them in a floating windfarm.
Although the market for USVs in offshore wind is opening up quickly, all of the industry experts involved in the webinar agreed that there are still important challenges to overcome. The most obvious is regulation of uncrewed vessels and their operation.
“From a client perspective, regulation is the thing we get asked about most,” said Mr King, noting that all of the companies presenting the webinar are involved in working groups with the International Marine Contractors Association, Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the UK and IMO.
Asked about qualifications for USV operators, who are likely to be based in remote operation centres far from an offshore operation, presenters agreed that qualified mariners would be essential initially. Asked about communications with USVs, Mr King and Mr Jones said satellite communications were sufficient for most applications.
Responding to a question from a delegate about USVs’ ability to undertake intervention operations – such as collecting samples from the seabed – Mr Jones agreed that USVs cannot yet complete all of the operations undertaken by a manned vessel, but agreed with Mr King that before long, USVs “will undertake great swathes of operations currently conducted by manned vessels.”
New technologies have led to significant changes in our daily lives. The reflections of these changes appear as new rules and laws on privacy and security. Today, both public institutions and private sector have access to various information belonging to thousands of people within the scope of the performed business. This information obtained can be processed and transmitted easily as a result of the rapid developments in information technologies.
By increasing the requirements of companies in terms of privacy and security, this transformation made digitalization inevitable. This necessity can also be seen by various organizations as a “technological restructuring” opportunity. Due to the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK), which has been introduced in 2016, organizations that do not have enough infrastructure and knowledge in the area of privacy and security have started to focus on this area.
Personal Data Protection is directly related to the right of privacy, which is one of the fundamental human rights. Before KVKK, the rules on the Personal Data Protection were to specify with Turkish Criminal Code, Constitution and other relevant legislation. Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 is the most important legal regulation with the most severe sanctions.
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