Cargo ships CHUANG XIN 8 and YI GANG WU MAO 20 collided at around 2145 Beijing time May 29 southeast of Shanghai near Banyang Jiao Reef. CHUANG XIN 8 sank after collision, of 20 crew on board 19 were rescued by 0600 Beijing time May 30, 1 is missing.
Cargo ship CHUANG XIN 8, MMSI 413593790, length 139 meters, flag China.
Cargo ship YI GANG WU MAO 20, MMSI 413381360, GT 2983, flag China.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritimebulletin.net/2021/05/30/chinese-cargo-ship-sank-after-collision-1-crew-missing/

General cargo ship NAZMIYE ANA capsized while performing cargo operations at Castellon port, Spain, Med, in the evening May 28. The ship capsized upside down with superstructure resting on the ground and bottom being above waterline. Two crew are missing, search under way, most probably they’ve been trapped inside. The ship arrived at Castellon on May 27, from Barcelona.
General cargo ship NAZMIYE ANA, IMO 8516598, dwt 2086, built 1985, flag Panama, manager SINOP SHIPPING CORP.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritimebulletin.net/2021/05/29/general-cargo-ship-capsized-bottom-up-along-berth-2-crew-missing-spain/

On June 14, NATO will be holding a summit in Brussels, and at the top of the agenda will be the rising Russian presence in the Mediterranean. As a precursor to the summit, the NATO Steadfast Defender 2021 exercise kicked off early this month off the Coast of Portugal. The live maritime exercise includes participation from 11 allied nations from North America and Europe, and it will be led by U.S.  Second Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, who also heads NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk.

“This is a much more subtle fight – literally from seabed to outer space across all domains – when compared to World War Two’s transportation of goods and manpower from North America to Europe,” Lewis said in describing the exercise.

According to Lewis, there is an urgent need for a coherent approach to transatlantic security that links the two continents and stretches to the Arctic. This need is occasioned by Russia’s seizure of Crimea and its increasing aggressiveness since 2014. But why is Russia a concern for NATO’s generals as far as its sea power in the Mediterranean region is concerned? To answer this question, we need to contextualize a century-old confrontation between Europe’s major powers and Russia and why Black Sea is one of Russia’s most important geopolitical strongholds.

This was the subject of a recent article by Paul Stronski, a senior fellow at Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia program. Stronski argues that Russia will leverage its Black Sea presence to project its power and influence in the Mediterranean, protect its economic and trade links with key European markets, and make southern Europe more dependent on Russian oil and gas.

Further, the only access that Russia has to the Mediterranean is the Black Sea, forming an important route for its military operations beyond the neighborhood as well as the means to export its hydrocarbons. However, the Mediterranean is currently dominated by NATO, requiring Russia to be more strategic in its bilateral outreach to key states within this region.

Specifically, in recent years there has been renewed commitment by Russia to collaborate with states such as Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Libya ostensibly to make political, economic and military inroads in the Mediterranean.

However, Turkey and Ukraine – both with connections to NATO – present a real challenge to Russia’s ambitions. To a great extent, Turkey controls Black Sea’s access from the Mediterranean via two important choke points; Bosporus and Dardanelles. On the other hand, following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Black Sea has become a maritime trouble spot between Russia and Ukraine. In 2018, Russia seized three Ukrainian military vessels as they were trying to access the Black Sea via Kerch Strait. This kind of pressure is seen by some analysts as a concerted effort by Russia to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. So far, Crimea’s annexation has allowed Russia to obtain dominance in the northern Black Sea.

In his article, Stronski further states that Moscow self-justifies Crimea’s annexation as necessary to prevent the strategic balance from shifting decisively in NATO’s favor should Ukraine decide to join the Western Alliance.

Besides its military strategy, Russia has an economic drive to seek dominance in the Black Sea. By leveraging the southern port city of Novorossiysk, Russia hopes to cement its regional influence the land-locked Central Asia, which is dependent on the port for oil exports. The Black Sea is also an important transport artery for the Russian natural gas market, most importantly the TurkStream pipeline, which strengthens Russia’s foothold in European energy markets especially in Southern Europe.

In view of the growing power competition in the Black Sea, a recent strategy paper by Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) treats the Black Sea region as the center of four great forces: democracy on its western edge, Russian military aggression to the north, Chinese financial aggression to its east and instability in the Middle East to its south. It’s literally a philosophical frontier between democracy and autocracy.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/why-the-black-sea-might-make-or-break-russia-s-sea-power

Last week with the inauguration of Port Lamu in Kenya, a new port came into operation in the Indian Ocean. The first berth of Lamu Port was officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta in a ceremony, where he observed the loading and offloading of two ships. Constructed by the China Communication Company at $480m, the berth has a depth of 17.5m and has the capacity of handling 400,000 containers per year.

Port Lamu is part of the ambitious $24bn transport corridor between Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. With its 32 berths, the Lamu port facility will be costing approximately $5 billion. The Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) also includes a railway line, a pipeline, and a network of roads connecting Garissa, Isiolo, Turkana, Moyale, and Lamu. The road network will be reducing transportation costs for shipments headed towards Nairobi and Garsen as trucks will no longer need to go via Mombasa.

Port Lamu was constructed with the aim of integrating marginalized northern Kenya with the rising Kenyan economy. The road network through the northern frontier will be presenting opportunities for commerce for the region. Kenya plans to make Lamu the port of convenience for landlocked Ethiopia and Sudan. Bringing business from Ethiopia can prove challenging for Kenya as Ethiopia has regained use of the Red Sea ports of Massawa and Assab whereas the inbound trade of Ethiopia arrives through the Port of Djibouti. On the other hand, for Sudan, Luma Port can become a maritime gateway in the Indian Ocean as it can be a major alternative to Port Sudan.

A key concern for Port Lamu can be the militant groups active in Somalia. Being just 100Km from the Somalian border, Lamu has witnessed militant attacks in the past 15 years. The network of roads will be passing through the sparsely populated region and thus they will stand vulnerable to attacks from Somalia-based militant groups.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33857/kenya-opens-its-second-deep-water-port-indian-ocea/

Russian fishing vessel AMUR collided with Japanese fishing boat some 15 nm north of Mombetsu, northern Hokkaido, Japan sea, at around 0600 Tokyo time May 26. Boat capsized, 5 fishermen on board were picked up by AMUR, but 3 of them later died. AMUR after collision sailed to Mombetsu port, docking there several hours later, and as of 1400 Tokyo time, she remained berthed.
According to Japanese fishermen, their boat was engaged in catching crab and couldn’t maneuver, Russian ship was on her way and struck the boat. According to Russian Captain, AMUR collided with boat, because failed to spot it in a dense fog, and also, because such boats shouldn’t go fishing that far from coast.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33853/russian-fishing-vessel-amur-collided-japanese-boat/

While the State Department admits to taking sanctionable actions as the initiative’s developers, the Biden administration has waived sanctions fines for Nord Stream 2 AG of Switzerland and its CEO, Matthias Warnig. The decision benefits pipeline supporter Gazprom and its majority shareholder, the government of Russia.

In a statement released on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated, “I have decided that it is in the national interest of the United States to waive the application of sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO Matthias Warnig, and Nord Stream 2 AG’s corporate officers.”

According to Blinken’s message, the State Department has authorized nine more ships from Russia’s Marine Rescue Service that are allegedly interested in the pipeline’s development. Opponents argue that since the boats are owned by the Russian government, the measure has little bearing on the project’s progress.

While Biden’s White House says it opposes Nord Stream2, it emphasizes its partnership with Germany’s government, which strongly supports the pipeline’s construction. According to sources close to the State Department’s decision-making, the US is unwilling to jeopardize its relations with Germany over the initiative, considering the detrimental effects on US-allied Ukraine and Poland once the line is completed.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will circumvent the current pipeline network in Eastern Europe and carry Russian natural gas directly to Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. Its critics – even representatives from both parties in the U.S. Congress – fear that, as Russia shuts down the gas (and the lucrative transportation fees for its pipeline), it might use the new path to supply Europe.

Despite existing US sanctions, Russian ships proceed to operate the pipe in the Danish waters for the project and it is anticipated that the line will be finished by the end of this year.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33849/biden-administration-waives-sanctions-nord-stream-/

Indonesian Authorities during May 24 press-conference announced their new directive concerning all cargo ships, which arrive from India. All ships and crews on board are to undergo 14-day quarantine on arrival, notwithstanding test results or vaccine passports or whatever.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33841/ships-india-be-quarantined-sick-or-not-vaccinated-/

With California preparing for the introduction of stricter environmental regulations for ships in port and an increased focus on the port’s role in improving air quality and the environment, the Port of Long Beach is increasing efforts to reward ocean carriers for deploying cleaner ships to the port. Expanding on an existing port program, ocean carriers earn financial incentives for bringing greener ships to the Port of Long Beach.

“Our goal is to increase participation in the already successful Green Ship Program by aligning it with international sustainable maritime transportation efforts,” said Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “These incentives are the largest offered to vessels and Tier III ships of any seaport, and we expect the update will have positive impacts in Long Beach and around the globe.”

According to the port authority, its Green Ship Incentive Program which began in 2012 has helped improve air quality, by encouraging shipping lines to send their newest, cleanest oceangoing vessels to the Port of Long Beach. In 2020, carriers received more than $1.7 million in incentives under the program.

To further enhance the program, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners earlier this month approved changes centered around incorporating the international Environmental Ship Index (ESI) into the Green Ship Incentive Program. A voluntary system, the ESI identifies seagoing ships exceeding the IMO’s current emission standards. More than 50 ports and more than 8,000 vessels currently participate in the ESI program.

The updated program which begins on July 1, 2021, includes three incentive levels ranging from $600 to $6,000, depending on a vessel’s ESI score. Vessels with main engines meeting IMO’s Tier III standard, which requires dedicated NOx emission control technologies, are eligible for an additional $3,000 credit, meaning a vessel could be eligible for up to $9,000 on every call.

“This change and offer of financial rewards give operators even more reasons to be socially responsible and make investments in cleaner fuels, ship modifications, or onboard technologies that improve air quality beyond required standards,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero.

In August 2020, the California Air Resources Board approved a new regulation designed to further reduce pollution from ocean going vessels while docked at California’s busiest ports. Due to start phasing in at the beginning of 2023, the regulations cover nearly all types of ships docked at the state’s ports.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/long-beach-port-increases-incentives-for-carriers-to-use-greener-ships

UPDATE: The ship with cargo of ceramic tiles was en route from Iran to Oman, she sank at 2250 LT May 26. All crew thankfully, were rescued, all are safe.

General cargo ship MATIN 1 reportedly sank in Strait of Hormuz on May 16 or early in the morning May 17, no other information available at the moment. The ship left Bandar Abbas on May 26, port of destination unknown, last AIS position dated 1800 UTC May 26. Information isn’t yet confirmed, awaiting updates.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33889/iranian-freighter-sank-strait-hormuz/