A bulk carrier that collided with an LNG tanker off Gibraltar started leaking fuel oil, authorities in the British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula said on Wednesday.
The collision on Tuesday forced the closure of the Gibraltar port for four hours. It was later fully reopened.
The hull of the bulk carrier OS 35 broke, authorities said, but the vessel has not separated into two parts.
“There has been a substance leak from the vessel as a result of the movement arising from its break. Initial investigations indicate that this is lube oil,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement.
“Current evidence suggests the fuel on board is well contained and it is hoped that offloading can begin tomorrow.”
The collision happened as the vessel OS 35, loaded with steel bars and carrying over 400 tonnes of fuel, was moving to exit the bay. The Marshall Islands-flagged ADAM LNG arrived in Gibraltar after unloading in Malta. It remains at anchor near the place where the collision took place.
The Gibraltar Port Authority directed the OS 35 to the east side to ensure it could be safely beached to minimize the risk of the vessel sinking. Its 24-strong crew were evacuated.
Container on working deck of offshore supply ship ASSO exploded, killing three crew and injuring one, in the evening Aug 31 at Crotone Port, Calabria, southern Itaaly, Ionian sea. ASSO was about to set sail for Malta. Land fire teams and tug were deployed, fire understood to be extinguished in some two hours.
Aframax tanker AFFINITY V ran aground on 143 kilometer mark because of steering (rudder) failure, while transiting Suez Canal in southern direction, halfway between Bitter Lakes and Suez. Tanker in ballast ran aground at around 2256 UTC Aug 31, Canal Traffic Control tugs quickly responded, and she was refloated half an hour later, according to track and timeline. Tanker completed transit and was anchored at Suez Anchorage at around 0230 UTC Sep 1. Tanker is en route from Portugal to Saudi Arabia, no damages are reported.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is organising the 9th edition of the International Safety@Sea Week, from 29 August to 2 September 2022. The annual event brings together top practitioners from the international maritime community to discuss issues relating to safety at sea and share best practices on maritime safety. This year’s anchor event, the International Safety@Sea Conference, was launched by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance, and will be conducted in a hybrid format from 30 to 31 August at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The theme for this year’s conference is “Riding the Waves for Maritime Safety” and will feature 20 local and international speakers.
600 participants from more than 30 countries are expected to participate in the sessions across the week. In his opening address, Mr Chee shared several MPA-led initiatives, which enhances safety at sea.
Leveraging on technology and connectivity to build maritime safety capabilities
SMS Chee announced that MPA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) signed an MOU in mid-August 2022 to develop 5G mobile network capabilities in the maritime domain to enhance digital connectivity in the Port of Singapore. Full maritime 5G coverage in our major anchorages, fairways, terminals, and boarding grounds is scheduled to be delivered by mid-2025 and has the potential to unlock a full suite of maritime solutions leveraging complementary technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet-of-things, big data, drones and autonomous vehicles, to improve safety, effectiveness and efficiencies in maritime operations.
Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said, “Digitalisation continues to shape and transform the maritime industry, acting as a key driver for global trends such as logistics and supply chain efficiency and decarbonisation. MPA is taking the lead to help build a robust digital maritime ecosystem for Maritime Singapore, with fast, secure and high capacity 5G connectivity as one of the cornerstones to support real-time data exchanges in the maritime domain. Maritime 5G will enable our global hub port and International Maritime Centre to remain at the forefront of the competition.”
MPA’s incident response management and safety enforcement capabilities across the full spectrum of operations will be further strengthened through the development of the Integrated Port Operations C3 (Command, Control and Communications) system (IPOC system). The system is developed in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and will enhance situational awareness and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of incident responses. The IPOC system will be progressively phased in from 2023 till 2026 as MPA upgrades its systems to serve our busy port waters.
A key capability that will be developed as part of phase 2 of digitalPORT@SGTM is the Active Anchorage Management System (AAMS). The AAMS taps on various data sources to optimise allocation of limited anchorage space for vessels. It ensures that the vessel is anchored safely taking into consideration various conditions including the wind, tide, depth and proximity to hazards and is scheduled to be launched in 3Q2023.
Enhancing education on maritime safety
MPA, the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council and the National Maritime Safety at Sea Council (NMSSC) also jointly launched an educational video on safe boarding of vessels that would be screened at Marina South Pier and West Coast Pier to remind personnel boarding and disembarking vessels about good WSH practices.
A booklet containing case studies for working safely in and around water was launched at the event. The booklet features 10 case studies, including transfer at sea, transport via barges, mooring and diving operations. Each case study highlights lessons learnt and best practices to avoid workplace fatalities and injuries. Both the video and booklet are available online at www.safetyatseaweek.gov.sg/resources.
MPA Academy’s Port Management Programme
In conjunction with the International Safety@Sea Week, 23 senior officials from maritime and port authorities from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Oceania and International Maritime Organization (IMO), will be attending the 8th edition of the Port Management Programme (PMP). The programme, delivered by industry practitioners and senior officers from MPA will cover key topics including maritime safety, port planning, digitalisation, emergency preparedness, crisis communication and sustainability. Participants will also attend the annual ferry rescue exercise (FEREX) and visit various MPA sites including the Integrated Simulation Centre and the Port Operations Control Centre.
International Safety@Sea Awards
MPA will also be presenting the International Safety@Sea Awards during the conference on 31 August 2022. A record number of 19 winners will be receiving the award, given out annually to recognise the outstanding efforts of organisations and individuals who have contributed towards ensuring safer seas. The winners were selected from nominations received across four categories this year. New criteria are introduced from this year to enable the harbour craft, pleasure craft and regional ferry community to also qualify for the awards.
Through a collaboration with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), KVH now offers customised Greek-focused content to provide connections to home and to enhance the wellbeing of these seafarers.
Content to seafarers is delivered through KVH Link, an innovative service providing an entertaining experience for crew on laptops, personal devices, and TVs on board their vessels. News, movies, music, radio, and more are offered in an array of languages, and selections are refreshed often to offer the most engaging crew content.
Programming through KVH’s new collaboration with ERT includes both video and audio content available to seafarers directly on vessels enjoying KVH Link. Video content includes a one-hour News Bulletin broadcast daily, keeping Greek seafarers up to date with what is happening in Greece and around the world. In addition, ERT provides programming from their “Voice of Greece” radio station with shows including news and current events, culture, music, sports, and features of prominent figures living in Greece and abroad.
“Through this cooperation with KVH, we are now able to provide the news to our audience at sea all around the world,” said Kostas Machairas, ERT’s department of Greeks abroad director. “We are especially happy to provide our radio show “Fair Winds and Following Seas” covering topics like life at sea, stories and testimonies, and live connections with Greek ships. Shipping is so ingrained into the country’s DNA that it is difficult to find a family that doesn’t have members either currently at sea or having worked on a ship in some capacity at one point in their lives.”
“Organisations within the maritime industry worldwide are recognising the importance of crew wellbeing, connections with home, and the ability to stay abreast of current events back on land,” commented Mark Woodhead, KVH’s EVP of sales and marketing. “KVH is proud to partner with ERT to bring this important benefit to Greek seafarers on vessels enjoying our KVH Link service. Greece has one of the longest and richest maritime histories of any nation, and Greek seafarers are a vital component of commercial crews around the world. We’re grateful for the opportunity to meet their needs.”
KVH delivers its KVH Link service with content for seafarers through its TracPhone VSAT systems and TracNet hybrid terminals, providing fast connections, fully integrated belowdecks equipment, support for IoT applications, and built-in, secure network and data management.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare has announced a temporary moratorium on visits by foreign naval vessels after turning away a U.S Coast Guard Cutter last week.
Speaking at a ceremony welcoming hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) to Honiara, Sogavare said that bureaucratic issues were behind the denial of diplomatic clearance to USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC-1140).
“Unfortunately, by the time the approval was communicated on the evening of 20th August 2022, the Ship’s captain had decided to leave our waters.” Sogavare said in statement.
The port call was routine, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby during a press conference Tuesday. Oliver Henry planned to stop at Solomon Island to refuel and resupply, but after the U.S. did not receive diplomatic clearance in time, the ship diverted to Papua New Guinea.
“We’re disappointed in this decision,” Kirby said during the briefing. “While the lack of diplomatic clearance for the Oliver Henry was regrettable, however, the United States is pleased that the U.S. Navy ship Mercy – it’s a hospital ship – received diplomatic clearance and was able to take port in Solomon Islands on the 29th.”
While Solomon Islands took time to review its diplomatic clearance process, foreign partners had been asked to postpone upcoming naval visits until further notice, he said.
“To this end we have requested our partners to give us time to review and put in place our new processes before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country,” Sogavare said. “Once the new mechanism is in place, we will inform you all. We anticipate the new process to be smoother and timelier.”
In a Tuesday statement, Solomon Islands government said that the new rules would apply to all visiting naval vessels.
“The government has asked all partner countries with plans to conduct naval visits or patrols to put them on hold until a revised national mechanism is in place,” according to a government statement “These will universally apply to all visiting naval vessels.”
U.S. hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) has been exempted from the moratorium and is expected to remain in Solomon Islands for several weeks as part of Pacific Partnership 2022.
Fire erupted on board of container ship SHAMIM on Aug 31, she’s docked at Haydarpasa, Istanbul, since late 2021, understood under repairs. Firefighting teams and tug responded, fire in the aft section of the ship was extinguished. No other details available presently.
M1, one of Singapore’s leading Mobile Network Operators (MNO), August 30 announced that it will undertake an ambitious multi-year project that aims to provide ubiquitous 5G standalone (SA) offshore coverage for the Southern coast of Singapore, including the surrounding waters of the southern islands.
Extending 5G offshore coverage enhances connectivity in the larger maritime ecosystem and unlocks new use cases and applications. This is an important step in the maritime industry’s digital transformation efforts, and its goal of becoming the next engine of growth for Singapore.
In collaboration with, and co-funding from, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), M1 will provide a 5G standalone (SA) network to trial, develop and deploy new maritime 5G use cases under the IMDA Innovation and Ecosystem Testbed Program and the MPA Innovation Lab – making this the world’s first public and largest Maritime testbed at sea.
The potential 5G use cases are targeted at enhancing the efficiency and safety of maritime operations and management. The use of 5G connectivity includes telemedicine to enable crew welfare at sea, delivery drones, maritime surveillance, and autonomous vessels, as well as remotely controlled task-based robots, such as ship inspection and autonomous fire-fighting robots, that are used for more dangerous and labor-intensive tasks.
Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1, said: “The launch of M1’s 5G standalone network provides low-latency, responsive, secured and high-throughput mobile connectivity to ensure more precise and reliable communications between the ships and the port.
“5G has the capability to resolve long-standing pain points and it will become the natural technology of choice for the maritime industry. As the first country to extend 5G standalone coverage to sea for maritime operations, M1 is excited to partner MPA and IMDA to co-develop 5G solutions that will not only transform the industry but benefit the whole of Singapore’s maritime economy.”
Many Filipinos dream of becoming seafarers. Hiring companies make it a point to highlight not only the economic benefits but also the chance to travel all over the world. The popular image of a seafarer is one of a healthy, clean-uniformed individual who gets to travel around the world meeting interesting people and being in glamorous locations.
Still, like other employments, working as a seafarer also has its share of problems, among them workplace bullying. Workplace bullying has become a difficult management problem as company turnovers increase when seafarers can no longer cope. Human resource departments ill-equipped to address cases of bullying tend to let incidents go unresolved.
Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines calling for a stop to bullying.
Racial discrimination, Asian seafarers face bullying
A veteran seafarer George Ramirez, 54, told Maritime Fairtrade that he experienced bullying in the early years of his career in the early 1990s. He used to work in the engine room of a cruise ship, but has since moved on to work on industrial freight ships.
“Maritime laws to regulate seafarers’ behavior were not strictly enforced in those days. I experienced bullying on board some of the ships I worked on, and I also heard of different stories from other seamen about how they got into fights when they stood up against bullies,” George said.
“On my first job as a seafarer, there were three of us who were Filipinos, and we were with Indonesians and Burmese. It was a new ship, and the higher officials were all white. We felt that those who were brown-skinned were treated differently, with less respect, compared to those who were white.”
George shared that there were times when Asian seafarers were not allowed to enter the pantry the white staff used, but the latter were allowed to freely enter and use the pantry that the Asians used.
“We also noticed how the ship kitchen staff kept the pantry used by the white seafarers well-stocked with cheese, fruit, and chocolates. In contrast, our pantry was practically empty – the refrigerator mostly had only water,” he recollected.
The treatment at work was also disheartening for George.
“My white supervisors would have me woken up very early even if I was off duty or during my rest hours, and they would also order me to fix them coffee or fetch something from the refrigerator. I was new on board, so I just went along with it,” he said.
George was also made to run personal errands for supervisors, including the captain and chief engineer, like washing their underwear and uniforms. What was even more difficult for George was not allowed to suggest recommendations at work, and whenever he made the smallest mistake, he was immediately yelled at and even cursed at.
“There were even times when I was slapped or punched,” he said.
Like George, other Asian crew members were subjected to bullying in the form of discrimination. During BBQ parties or other public gatherings, they were not invited to eat at the tables which were occupied mostly by white crew members.
“The rest of us Asians just got food and we took it elsewhere. The gatherings were supposed to be open to everyone, but it was hard to enjoy them when we were being treated like we were second or even third-class people,” George said.
Throughout those first years, George gritted his teeth and took all the bullying in stride. He said all he wanted was to keep his job.
“I considered the bullying as a challenge I just had to overcome,” he said. At the same, however, George prayed and hoped for changes. Change finally began to happen when a new captain came aboard the ship George was assigned to. The man appeared open to feedback, so George mustered his courage to finally speak out about how he and the other Asian seafarers were treated.
“I told the captain about the bullying and the discrimination we were often subjected to, and I spoke of all these in front of the white crewmen. I didn’t care what the white crewmen would say or do to me afterward, I just spoke out. It was a gamble on my part, but I thought either things could go worse or get better,” he said.
George’s gamble paid off. The new captain wrote a report on everything George said, with recommendations for stronger policies to be enforced against acts of bullying, whether verbal or physical. He sent the report to the manning agency as well as to the shipping company.
“The captain also called for a meeting of all the crew and announced that changes had to be made. He stood up for all of us Asian seafarers and said that the white crewmen should immediately change their behavior towards us or face sanctions,” he said.
The Chinese seafarer was on board the Isle of Man-flagged, bulker Berge Rishiri, which left Bluff in New Zealand early on 27 August morning. The crew member was last seen at 8am on the same day and failed to report for duty at 4pm.
Maritime New Zealand said the crew of the bulker had searched the vessel and retraced its route for any signs of the missing seafarer. A search of the Otaga coast was conducted by a rescue helicopter and a nearby vessel.
Local news reports quoted a cold-water survivability expert engaged by Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) as saying they believed there was little chance a person could have survived. All search assets have been stood down.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison said the country needed to do more to protect the welfare of international crews in its waters
“We would like to know how long the seafarer had been at sea and on duty and have assurances they were not kept on the vessel longer than their contracted period, as we have seen huge mental health issues with seafarers basically kept captive on vessels for months and sometimes years,” he said.
Harrison said the New Zealand authorities must carry out a full investigation into the incident.
The 2017-built, 37,152 dwt Bulk Rishiri, is owned and managed by Berge Bulk in Singapore.
Between 2015 – 2019 some 509 crew went missing at sea according to figures published by IHS Markit.
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