Cargo ship ND 3525 with 2700 tons of limestone on board sank in Van Uc river estuary, Haiphong, Gulf of Tonkin, on Jul 11. Ship’s hold or holds were flooded by big waves brought by thunderstorm. 5 crew were rescued by Vietnamese Border Guard. The ship according to photos, is resting on bottom, remaining partially above waterline.
Source: https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2022/38809/vietnamese-coaster-sunk-thunderstorm/
Designs for what could become the world’s first ammonia-fueled tugboat received class approval overcoming the unique challenges that are associated with the cruise of ammonia. The vessel is being designed as part of a broad Japanese collation focusing on green technologies and they report that their goal is to demonstrate the tug at the port of Yokohama in 2024.
The Approval in Principle (AiP) was awarded by the Japanese classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) to NYK Line and IHI Power Systems Co. NYK is responsible for the hull design and overseeing the construction and certification of the vessel in the project. IHI developed the design for a 4-stroke engine and will build the engine for the tugboat.
“By using ammonia as a fuel for ships, it will be possible to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during voyages,” points out NYK while also highlighting design challenges for using ammonia as the vessel’s fuel. “For this AiP, NYK Line and IPS attempted a design to safely and practically install ammonia fuel-related equipment in a limited space on board by developing an ammonia fuel engine, selecting equipment, and devising the equipment layout in the design.”
The companies reported that they were able to overcome unique challenges to achieve the design for A-Tug, without changing the size of a conventional tugboat. The main design issues identified by the project when using ammonia as a fuel included the necessity to combust ammonia stably and operate the engine while increasing the usage ratio of ammonia, which is flame-retardant and has low energy density.
In addition, since the combustion of ammonia generates high levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) instead of CO2, it is necessary to control the combustion to prevent the generation of nitrous oxide. In addition, capture systems are required not to discharge N20 overboard.
Finally, the vessel also needs to have a design to prevent potential leaks of ammonia which is toxic when released in large quantities into the environment. Adequate safety measures are required in the event of a leak. Safety measures based on risk assessment are necessary to ensure the same level of safety as conventional vessels.
The project to develop the designs for A-Tug began in 2020 as part of the Green Innovation Fund project with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). This R&D is for the development of vessels equipped with a domestically produced ammonia-fueled engine. The engine designs were adopted in October 2021 and recently the partners reached an agreement with Yokohama as the location for the first demonstration of the tug.
The Japanese government is funding broad research into ammonia-fueled vessels and the development of the necessary systems in support of the shipping and shipbuilding industries. In addition to projects focusing on domestically-developed engines, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Mitsubishi are involved in a project to design ammonia-fueled gas carriers which they hope to launch by 2026. Efforts are also focusing on ammonia-fueled bunker vessels while Sumitomo and Oshima Shipbuilding are working on ammonia-fueled bulkers.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/design-approval-overcomes-challenges-for-first-ammonia-fueled-tug
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri said it has secured a contract to build up to three “ultra-luxury” cruise ships for an unnamed international buyer.
The €1.2 billion deal is for one vessel to be delivered by the end of 2025, with options for two additional vessels, Fincantieri said.
Fincantieri did not share any specifics about the cruise ships’ size and technical details.
The cruise ship order is one of only a handful placed since the cruise industry was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but marks a sign of confidence for the badly hit sector.
Fincantieri, which last week signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with MSC Group’s luxury travel brand Explora Journeys for the construction of two cruise ships, has been ramping up build activity after agreeing in 2020 to reschedule deliveries for many of its cruise customers.
Some of the business’ biggest names, including Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, are rumored to be contemplating new orders.
Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/fincantieri-bags-ultraluxury-cruise-ship-498023
The State of South Carolina is developing a plan to remove toxic pollutants from the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, a National Historic Landmark located at Patriots Point in Charleston Harbor.
According to the state, the hull of the Yorktown is corroding and the chances of a leak have been increasing, prompting the need to remove about 160,000 gallons of petroleum and more than a million gallons of polluted water. These toxic liquids were never removed from the ship’s 428 vessel tanks and compartments by the U.S. Navy, according to the state.
Commissioned in 1943, Yorktown is one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the U.S Navy. The aircraft carrier was initially named Bonhomme Richard but was renamed Yorktown after the previous USS Yorktown (CV-5) was sunk at the Battle of Midway. She served in World War II and the Vietnam War, and she was donated by the Navy to the State of South Carolina in 1975 for use as a museum ship. The ship gained fame for picking up the Apollo 8 crew and spacecraft in 1968 after the first human mission to the moon.
The decommissioned carrier is maintained by the Patriots Point Development Authority and serves as a tourists’ attraction at the authority’s naval and maritime museum facility, which receives more than 300,000 visitors annually.
To avert an environmental disaster, Governor McMaster has issued an executive order directing the South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) to begin the process of removing the toxic pollutants by commissioning an updated cost study for the project.
“This executive order protects Charleston Harbor and the entire Lowcountry from these hazardous materials leaking out of the USS Yorktown and into the harbor,” said Governor McMaster.
The cost study by the state government will be the second following a 2013 study undertaken by Shaw Group, which concluded that it would cost as much as $4.4 million for a complete remediation effort.
The earlier study also identified a significant quantity of hazardous or potentially hazardous materials whose presence created safety issues, increased costs of maintenance and increased risk for a release of contaminants to Charleston Harbor. The primary concern is the 160,000 gallons of legacy residual fuel found to exist in 129 structural tanks and compartments aboard the ship. The oil is combined with 1.75 million gallons of water, which will also need to be removed so that the tanks can be cleaned.
SCOR is expected to undertake an updated comprehensive review, evaluation, analysis or assessment of any and all remaining legacy contaminants that are currently contained within Yorktown and the options or plans to remove or remediate any such hazardous or potentially hazardous materials, including an updated estimate of the corresponding costs.
“The USS Yorktown is very important to South Carolina’s history and tourism. Our team stands ready to begin the process of collaborating with state leaders, state agencies and Patriots Point for the complete remediation of the contents in the USS Yorktown,” ssaid Ben Duncan, SCOR Chief.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/south-carolina-plans-to-clean-up-historic-carrier-uss-yorktown
Airbus’ giant, ultralight, ultra-high-endurance Zephyr S drone has stayed aloft for longer than any unmanned aircraft in history – and its success could bring new capabilities for maritime surveillance and GPS-like positioning.
Zephyr S is a 150-pound, hand-launched drone built for high altitude operations. It flies in its own sky at 80,000 feet, far from commercial traffic and immune to the vagaries of the weather. Its 80-foot wingspan and solar-cell power are enough to keep it aloft for weeks at a stately pace of 30 knots.
The drone prototype took off from the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground on June 15, and it has now been continuously aloft for 27 days. Most of that time has been spent circling over Arizona, but last month, the operators also decided to take it for a trial run over water to Belize and back.
Open source flight data from the ADS-B Exchange tracked Zephyr over Texas and the U.S. Gulf on June 27. The plane showed up again over Belize City on June 29 and headed back home the next day, according to tracking compiled by The Drive.
This route took Zephyr S near prime smuggling territory in the western Caribbean, the area off Central America constantly monitored by the U.S. government for anti-narcotics enforcement. The Army has its own reasons for testing out Zephyr, but maritime security is one of the platform’s original applications: as a “high altitude pseudo-satellite,” Zephyr can hold position and monitor an ocean area for an indefinite period of time. Airbus has also worked on a “Zephyr T” variant for heavier-payload maritime missions.
Under the Army’s sponsorship, the platform might also take on the role of a GPS backup system. GPS’ weak signals are relatively simple to spoof or jam, and some geographic areas (like the northern Black Sea) are notorious for GPS meddling. A platform located nearer to earth – like a pseudo-satellite – could deliver a stronger signal and provide an backup to conventional GPS. Zephyr’s Army sponsors have spoken of the possibility of a resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) mission for the drone, and the Army unit tasked with operating the program is the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space Cross-Functional Team, part of Army Futures Command.
Multiple PNT options
Zephyr could be one of several novel PNT alternatives under research by the military. The U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Science Foundation recently underwrote a successful trial to use signals from the Starlink commercial satellite fleet for positioning – a task for which Starlink was never intended.
Starlink accounts for about half of all working satellites in orbit – 2,500 strong and growing – and with ONR’s backing, a team at Ohio State University figured out how to pick up and process enough information from the satellites’ signals to calculate a position to within about eight meters. As the Starlink fleet grows, the speed and accuracy of the positioning technique will go up, lead researcher Zak Kassas told Ars Technica. The lab bench setup is complex and isn’t ready for use on the bridge just yet – nor is it an authorized Starlink product – but in future it could provide a resilient alternative for navigation.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/airbus-record-setting-drone-could-change-maritime-isr-or-backstop-gps
A gas leak aboard the destroyer USS Mustin injured two sailors in San Diego last week, according to the U.S. Navy.
USS Mustin is undergoing a depot maintenance availability at the BAE Systems yard in Barrio Logan. The scope includes hull work, reconditioning the engineering spaces, upgrading the ship’s command and control equipment, and refurbishing the living spaces. The $95 million work package began in May and is scheduled to continue through November 2023.
On Thursday morning at about 10 AM, a release of “hazardous fumes” was reported aboard the destroyer. San Diego Fire-Rescue responded to the scene, and two sailors were provided medical care. One of them was transported to a nearby hospital, according to local media. A Navy spokesperson did not provide further information about the nature of the leak or the extent of the injuries.
USS Mustin is the 39th vessel in the Arleigh Burke-class series and the second vessel named for the Mustins, a family with longstanding Navy ties. The warship is known best for a widely-circulated photo of her CO and XO on the bridge wing with China’s first-in-class carrier Liaoning under way in plain view.
Fatality aboard carrier USS Carl Vinson
On Sunday, a sailor was found unresponsive aboard the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which was moored at a pier in Coronado, San Diego. Fed Fire responded and pronounced the sailor dead at the scene, according to Navy Times.
There are “no indications of suicide or foul play,” the Navy said in a statement, and the service is investigating the circumstances of the death. The sailor has been identified as Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Darren Collins, 22.
“My deepest condolences go out to the Collins family in this time of tragic loss,” said Vinson CO Capt. P. Scott Miller in a statement. “As shipmates we grieve the untimely passing of a talented young man. We will continue to provide support to the Vinson crew and the Collins family.”
USS Vinson has had a challenging year. In January, an inbound F-35C fighter suffered a ramp strike and slid off the deck, injuring seven crewmembers. A salvage operation was launched to recover the plane’s sensitive wreckage.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/two-injured-in-gas-leak-aboard-destroyer-uss-mustin
Imagine being on the deck of a ship, sunny skies above, the gentle lapping of waves at the hull. It might be attractive to begin with, but then imagine that day stretching into weeks, then months. Add cold, wet and windy weather. Finally, factor in a lack of food, money, internet access and nothing to do all day long, combined with a complete lack of control over when you will see family, friends or loved ones again.
In Crew Welfare Week, we’re pausing to reflect on the fact that over the last 20 years this has been the situation faced by more than 8,800 seafarers around the world, trapped on ships that are no longer sailing anywhere, or literally dumped at the nearest port and left to fend for themselves.
Some of them are anchored near harbours, some of them float way out on the ocean, but none of them can leave. The reasons for abandoned ships – and the abandonment of those seafarers on board – are many and varied. From owners running out of money for a voyage, to bankruptcy, to a ship reaching the end of its shelf-life and costing more to repair than to leave behind, to more extreme or unusual cases like mutiny or pandemic – crew abandonment is a real and frightening issue.
Officially, abandonment is when a shipowner fails to cover the cost of a seafarer’s repatriation, has left seafarers without necessary maintenance and support, or? when they have otherwise unilaterally severed their ties with the crew, including failing to pay contractual wages for a period of at least two months.
But each one of these abandoned seafarers is also an individual, with families and friends worried about where their loved ones are, and when they will see each other again.
Abandonment by number of vessels per year and age group of ships
Abandonment by number of seafarers affected per year
Why does RightShip care?
Seafarers are the lifeblood of the maritime industry and the global economy, with? 90% of goods in the world moved by ships?. There are around 1.6 million seafarers – made up of around 770,000 officers and 870,000 ratings? – and a large proportion of those seafarers are from underdeveloped or developing countries, or island states.
According to a statement from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), “Seafarer abandonment is a serious problem that can blight the lives of those caught up in it. ?
It must be tackled, and it needs continual cooperation, not just between IMO and International Labour Organisation (ILO) and non-governmental organisations devoted to a seaman’s welfare, but with flag and port states and other industry groups too. ?We all have a human duty to protect seafarers.”?
At RightShip, as an organisation focused on zero harm in the maritime industry, we want to play our part in raising awareness, highlighting and acting against the substandard and inhumane social acts that sometimes take place at sea. The data that we are collecting ultimately helps us identify those operators who have little, or no interest, in the welfare of their crew – and enables us to make others aware of their behaviour too.
We believe that change is on the horizon. We think our data will persuade those yet to be convinced that taking up the social responsibility of crew welfare is essential. In a sector facing accusations of neglect and indifference – and potential crew shortfalls running into tens of thousands – some might say that the time has come to start calling out leaders and laggards in the crew welfare stakes.
However, we know that our status as a trusted third party, and our history in managing and analysing data, gives us a strong position of impartiality. We want to act as a key stepping-stone for charterers and ship-owners across the world on a journey towards improved crew welfare. We’re hopeful that tools like our Crew Welfare Assessment – and our background research – can encourage those in the maritime industry to make moves towards ‘doing the right thing’.
The law says – insurance is necessary
On 18 January 2017, important new rules came into force on abandonment.? Since this date, under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), shipowners need to have insurance to assist seafarers on board vessels if they are abandoned. By law, all ships whose flag states have ratified the MLC must have their insurance certificate posted in English, in a place visible to seafarers. The document should provide the name of the insurer or financial provider, and their contact details.
Regretfully, while the convention has been ratified by the equivalent of 95% of world tonnage, less than 60% of IMO’s 175 individual member states have ratified it. This, along with a lack of adequate and competent inspectorates across the world to regularly inspect against MLC requirements and take necessary action means that a two-tier system exists where seafarers can be left subject to abuse and mistreatment. Regulation is difficult to enforce at sea and policing?of vessels even more so – it’s a real case of out of sight, out of reach.
At RightShip, we can’t enforce the rules either. However, we can keep track of who’s breaking them – and what’s being done about it. Back in 2017, David Hutchison, a Marine Assurance Coordinator for RightShip based out of Melbourne, began compiling statistics on abandonment, which continues to the present day.
He uses information provided by the International Labour Organisation – including the vessel name, IMO number, date of abandonment – combined with facts and figures from RightShip databases. This data includes the Document of Compliance (DoC) company, the ship’s Technical Manager, Commercial Manager, Commercial Operator, Registered Owner and Beneficial Owner.
Tracking the beneficial owners and commercial operators is a powerful step in an industry where drawing connections between the origins of a fleet and abandoned vessels can be difficult to discern.
Additionally, we started keeping tabs on those entities that were involved with, or had knowledge of, an abandonment but did not help resolve the issue. David has dedicated himself to tracking back a decade and further in some cases, investigating the causes and resolutions for lost ships and people worldwide.
Where are we now?
This combination of data creates a stark picture of abandonment, spreading across all continents, 104 countries and 82 flag states. And David’s most recent statistics make shocking reading. At 1 June 2022, the total number of seafarers that are or have been abandoned worldwide over the last 20 years, stood at 8,820 people, on 628 vessels.
The greatest number of people abandoned by nationality are from India, with 1,341 seafarers cut adrift, running down through 104 countries, to Armenia, Ecuador, Germany, Malaysia, the Maldives, Sa Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro and Taiwan, all with one apiece. Sadly, given the current conflict, Ukraine and the Russian Federation also both have a high number of abandonments.
The type of vessels abandoned also varies widely – with general cargo ships (33.7%), bulk carriers (9.3%) and chemical products / tankers (7.3%) featuring most highly in a list of 59 vessel descriptions. Incredibly, some of these vessels are abandoned twice. Others cannot be identified even though we know they exist, as no IMO number has been listed.
The most common age for an abandoned vessel is between 26 and 30 years, with 16.9% of the 628 vessels falling into this category, though, shockingly, some 32 vessels were abandoned in their first five years of sailing.
Perhaps most horrifying is the time that it can take to ‘settle’ an abandonment – when a case is satisfactorily resolved, the crew are paid their outstanding wages and repatriated to their home port. But according to David’s statistics, since 2004, there are 30 vessels where abandonments have been in dispute for more than a decade, with more than 400 seafarers still waiting for their cases to be settled. On average, crew remained onboard for seven months before being repatriated, with the longest being a 39-month-long wait to go home.
Most abandonments seem to take between five and ten years to resolve – an incredible length of time for those potentially left trapped and out of pocket, and unnoticed by most of the world.
Abandonments by location
What this means for seafarers – and what can be done?
When a ship is abandoned, seafarers do not receive the pay they are owed. If they leave the vessel, they are potentially saying goodbye to years of unpaid wages, millions of pounds that goes to support their loved ones – and in some cases their entire community.
The standoff begins, and continues, between crew and ship owner, with charities like the Mission to Seafarers supporting the crew, with food, water and other supplies. Many of those on board will face issues with their documentation being held by the ship’s management or these documents expiring while they are at sea. International law also prohibits vessels without crew, known as ‘ghost ships’, as they are a safety hazard.
The waiting takes its toll on mental and physical health, the separation from family and friends seemingly unending. Organisations like the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) intervene where they can, providing phone line support and emergency funding when seafarers absolutely must return home but have no means to do so.
RightShip is hopeful that sharing this data could lead to meaningful change. That we’ll see an uptick in those accessing the Code of Conduct and completing our self-assessment. We’ll encourage our charity partners to share our statistics on seafarer abandonment in the hope that the message starts to get through to owners and operators.
And as we look to the future, we will progress from ‘carrot’ – to more ‘stick’. We already identify vessels linked to a company associated with abandonment in our portal. We don’t recommend them to our customers for voyages, and we mark them as ‘unacceptable’ during the vetting process. Operators who have little regard for the welfare and human rights of their crew must not be allowed to continue to operate, but we know that we can do more. We hope that these stakeholders will begin to understand that if they do not improve their crew welfare, it will start to affect their bottom line, and that the opportunity to be leaders in the sector is a far more attractive prospect.
We want a maritime industry that causes zero harm – and a safe and sustainable future for all who live and work at sea. Protecting and safeguarding seafarers throughout the world is a critical element of having safe crew and safe ships, leading to safe oceans and seas.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/rightship-over-8-800-seafarers-have-been-abandoned-over-past-20-years
If you want to understand a country’s economy, as the adage goes, just look at the ports. And a close look of Africa’s ports tells us that natural resources will remain the driving force of trade across many parts of the continent for years to come. Despite a global Energy Transition that favors renewables over hydrocarbons and a push for local manufacturing, we are witnessing a trend of new ports infrastructure influenced by a huge appetite to export natural resources that will transform African economies.
There is a general consensus that Africa is the region most endowed with natural resources. Its arable land accounts for almost a quarter of the world’s arable land, giving the continent unrivalled agricultural potential. This abundant land also has the particularity of containing natural resources that are strategic for world industry and for the continent’s economic development: 85% of the world’s platinum, 60% of manganese, 50% of cobalt, etc.
For the past two decades, the region has experienced sustained growth in the exploitation of its natural resources, driven by the increased interest of foreign investors and the willingness of African governments to identify new sources of funding for their development policies. The significant increase in commodity prices, combined with the exponential demand from emerging powers such as China, therefore provide an encouraging context for the emergence of a sustainable African mining industry. New ports infrastructure being built across West Africa, from Gabon to Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire, are accommodating this demand.
However, the sector is still facing numerous challenges to meet expectations. The intensification of mining has led to a redefinition of geographical spaces on the continent. The mining sector requires both the construction of supporting infrastructure for the extraction of resources and their transport to the areas where they will be processed. In areas that were previously almost exclusively dominated by traditional crop agriculture, the development of mining sites is leading to significant structural changes in the local economy. While mining is a capital-intensive sector, it is the economic activities that develop around the mines that ultimately provide the most employment. However, as the literature on the economic impact of natural resources in developing countries shows, the transformation of natural resources into economic prosperity is not a guarantee (especially in the absence of strong governing institutions).
Indeed, the structure of minerals, metals and hydrocarbons exports has changed significantly over the last two decades, both in absolute terms and in terms of trading partners. For many hydrocarbon poor countries, the growing interest in exploiting their minerals and metals provides a crucial link to global markets and value chains. However, without infrastructure that facilitates the movement of goods and people (land transport, shipping, storage, etc.) that is both well-maintained and technologically equipped, African economies struggle to exploit the potential of their vast resources. Faced with this situation and the huge need for investment and technical expertise that these projects represent, governments are increasingly resorting to public-private partnerships.
In Gabon, for example, the government is clearly demonstrating its desire to finance this new phase of its development by becoming a key player in the mining sector. Indeed, faced with the decline of its oil reserves, which represented an average of 45% of the country over the last five years, the country has endeavored to set up an attractive framework to attract international economic operators in the mining sector. The country has 885 kilometers of coastline, making it one of the largest maritime windows on the African Atlantic coast. As the historical port infrastructure did not have the capacity to support the country’s economic transformation, the Gabonese government turned to foreign partners to establish a link between the country’s mineral trade activity and international demand. The Owendo Mineral Port, born out of a public-private partnership between Arise Ports & Logistics, the French investment fund Meridiem and the Gabonese government in 2017, is a direct result of the transformation of the Gabonese economy.
Similarly, the Ivorian government has been able to take advantage of its maritime assets to attract new economic flows. For example, the Terminal Industriel Polyvalent de San Pedro, the result of a collaboration between Arise Ports & Logistics and the Ivorian authorities, now exports 95% of nickel. This new economic asset, which is part of the overall project for the San Pedro industrial zone, bears witness to the ongoing transformation of African port areas. With two deep-water docks (13 and 15 meters respectively), the terminal is capable of handling up to 160,000 tonnes of ore. These quantities were unimaginable a few years ago.
However, it is clear that the operational success of a port depends on many conditions, and the failures of some new African ports bear witness to this. The operational efficiency of a port depends on its ability to develop efficient logistical tools and to integrate the port system into a much wider multimodal transport network. Finally, it can be said that a port draws its strength from the quality of its partners. By developing tailor-made solutions adapted to the industrial ambitions of the regions in which they are located, and by working together with the public authorities to ensure that the site is properly connected to the country’s (or even the sub-region’s) transport networks, port operators give the industries of African countries a definite comparative advantage.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/natural-resources-will-drive-africa-s-trade-and-ports-play-a-key-role
Syed Zain Ali Shah, 32, graduated from Pakistan Marine Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies and Marine Engineering in 2010. Ali started his seafaring journey in 2011 and is now a Third Engineer. He is currently pursuing his Certificate of Competency (COC) class 2 and 1 combined in Singapore.
“As seafarers, we live on the ship, it is like our working place and living place, so, it is like a home for us, and we sail through different waters and to different places around the world. In general, a ship is a workplace and a home,” Ali told Maritime Fairtrade in an interview.
A marine engineer “takes care of the whole mechanical and electrical systems needed to run a ship safely,” said Ali.
According to Ali, every ship has a main engine, generators, purifiers, compressors, freshwater generators and salination plants for drinking purposes, oily water separators to conform to IMO regulations, steam plant for cargo heating and auxiliary machinery like the propulsion plant and powerhouse along with the air conditioning system. The size of certain components like the boiler may differ from ship to ship based on the needs of the ship.
The chief engineer tops the hierarchy as head of the department of engineering. This position is followed by the second engineer who is the head of engine room and machinery on other parts of the ship. The third engineer, which is Ali’s current role, is in charge of the powerhouse, electricity generators, boilers/steam house and sometimes the freshwater generator.
The fourth engineer is responsible for purification, auxiliary system, compressors, pumps and all related pipelines. Along with the chief, second and third engineer, they make up the four officers onboard. Though uncommon nowadays, some ships still have trainee engineers also known as the fifth engineer. After which comes the crew, consisting of an oiler and a qualified electrician known as an electro technological officer, who is also the radio officer in charge of communication between ships and the shore side.
As a third engineer, Ali starts work at midnight till 4 am in the engine room along with one oiler and two other seamen on deck. The four seafarers run the ship for the shift.
After which, Ali “hands over his watch” to the second engineer, who covers the 4 am to 8 am shift. From 8 am till 12 noon, the fourth engineer takes over the watch. The watch keeping duty is then handed over to Ali at 12 noon where he works another four-hour shift till 4 pm. Chief engineers do not report for watch duties but are on standby 24/7 in case of unexpected events.
During his rest hours, Ali would “go and sleep”.
Ali said that in the early days working on a new ship, seafarers have a “hectic routine to understand how things work on a ship” and to familiarize themselves with the operations. According to Ali, the “experienced guys” get familiarized in about 10 to 15 days. However, “to get settled (and understand) a new environment with new people takes about a month.” Time will be taken to “know how a certain person behaves, who has the expertise and who is lacking somewhere.”
Ali used the first one month to digest handovers from the previous crew to get a “whole clear picture of which machinery requires attention first and which machinery is okay and can run until the next two to three months” because they can wait as they long as they are “under operational condition”.
Ali said an engineer’s responsibility is to “bring back the whole ship and machinery to a good working condition”. As such, during this one month, seafarers will need to clock in extra hours during their break time.
One may think for the rest of his time onboard the ship, Ali is freed from his duties after his two four-hour shifts. When asked whether seafarers have work-life balance on a ship, Ali gives a firm “No”. From his experience, when problems occur, he is unable to take on a stance such that “my four hours are done, I am going to rest.”
The fact that they are in the sea, where “upside there is only God, bottom side there are sharks and we are in the middle” means that “in the open sea, you are your own help,” said Ali. As such, all crew would need to be present when an emergency arises.
From a professional perspective, Ali said that it is discouraged to “leave your work till the next day.” As the third engineer that is in charge of the powerhouse, “there is not just one, but two to three generators”, and these generators need to be ready. One is up and running, another is on standby and the last one is spare.
It is of utmost importance to keep all three in running condition as “we don’t know when we need them.” If there are collisions or major accidents and the power is not ready, it may cost lives.
Ali emphasized that “safety of life at sea (SOLAS) and marine pollution are main focuses with SOLAS being the most important. You can sacrifice the ship, you can sacrifice your cargo, but what about the people onboard?” Therefore, Ali clocked in one or two extra hours to ensure his work is finished.
“In short, I’m 24 by seven available.”
Like many others, Ali said the greatest joy of working onboard a ship would be the opportunity to travel. Throughout his career, Ali has seen countless picturesque sunrises and sunsets in different countries. According to Ali, these sights were a thousand of times more breath-taking in real life as compared to postcards.
“I like to be on the sea. I like the environment,” Ali said fondly when asked about the joys of being a seafarer. Other than his love for the sea, Ali likes the fact that he gets to meet and learn from new crewmates and to experience new environments and places. Also, the pay is good. “At the end of the day, when I go back home, I have plenty of money for me and my family.”
However, Ali said that “since 2010 onwards, I don’t see a great hike in salaries as much as the workload has been increased.” He is unsure about the situation in Singapore, but he is certain that from the oil majors in the Middle Eastern side, “there is more workload and little increment. Oil trade is getting expensive, the company owners, ship owners, and charterers are earning money but when it comes to crew, operators and people on a ship, they don’t spare an extra penny.”
As a result of the stagnant wages and increased workload, Ali shared that he knows “people who want to switch to the easier side or towards the natural gas trade.” The trade of LNG and LPG consists of “newer ships that means less work” due to “less maintenance” which means “more resting hours”.
There is also the challenge of new regulations, amendments and paperwork are being pushed out all the time. There are different sets of rules and regulations set by IMO and port states that seafarers need to follow when operating certain machinery.
Ali lamented: “You cannot use this kind of fuel or that kind of fuel. In order to use that fuel, we need to have separate machinery.” This means seafarers need to constantly unlearn and relearn in order to keep up with the new updates.
Ali felt that as mariners, “we should be taught human behaviour” because while operating machines, engineers need to interact with different people. Over the course of time and experience, Ali has worked with a variety of different nationalities from Indian, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Scotland, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine and even Russia.
Ali said: “Every nationality has their pros and cons. And there is an attitude for every nationality.” As such, learning how to interact and give one another respect is extremely important when living together on a ship for a long period of time.
“Whatever you’ve seen on Google, I’ve experience it,” Ali said with a chuckle when asked about his most unforgettable experience as a seafarer.
“We were in the Indian Ocean, and we were going down towards South Africa. It was monsoon time with strong winds and rain.
“For four days, the ship was running on full propulsion but we did not move an inch due to the wind, currents and forces.”
Ali mimicked the motions like that of a roller coaster, rushing at full speed to its peak before crashing down vertically. Unlike a roller coaster that is enjoyable, the rough sea had waves that were going up to 30 metres high which lasted for three days.
“We could not sleep,” Ali said, “If I sleep on the left, one wave comes and I’m on my right side.” Ali laughed as he recalled that he rolled off the bed and landed on the floor several times. In the end, he resorted to sleeping on the floor.
“You cannot eat, whatever you eat will come out. Everybody including the chief engineer was seasick except me,” Ali said he was doing extra work of a nurse, taking care of his crew mates. “I would be like, ‘okay you go over there’, then I would hold the other guy and put him on a chair or some stretcher. I was pretty much fatigue at that time.”
To Ali, that was a “pretty difficult time” making the experience with rough seas a tale to remember.
A trainee engineer requires nine months of sailing time in order to qualify for the COC class 5, 4 and 3 examinations. After completing the said exams, most countries would require a minimum of 12 months of sea time in order to take the COC class 2 or class 2 and 1 combined. The requirement for COC class 1 would be at least 24 to 36 months of work, depending on the country’s own policies.
According to Ali, the starting pay of a seafarer is dependent on their company, with some “paying very little” while in other cases, the “pay is good enough”. However, as one rises up the ranks, the pay could increase up to US$2,000 at a time. Eventually, when one reaches the top as a chief engineer, the pay would be US$12,000 to US$15, 000 a month on average, up to US$17,000.
“I am the first seafarer of my family, and I will be the last. My upbringing and the coming generation’s upbringing are very different,” said Ali. The coming generations are “born with a silver spoon” but not in his case.
Seafaring is definitely not for the faint of heart but for individuals with passion and perseverance. Ali said that “some guys, they don’t like the sea”, and “in the first ten days they say the sea is not for us.”
“There is a shortage of seafarers and there will always be a shortage of seafarers” Ali pointed out. The war between Ukraine and Russia has caused a great gap in the demand and supply of crew as these countries produce the most seafarers along with Philippines. With Ukrainians and Russians no longer in the market, this causes a shortage.
Ali ended off by saying that he has no regrets pursuing seafaring even though he had plenty of options during his studies. He has more exposure working as a marine engineer on a ship as compared to the typical office worker. “I love what I do, and there is peace between me and my work,” Ali commented with a proud grin on his face.
After finishing his COC class 2 and 1 combined, Ali’s company would promote him to second engineer, overall in charge of engine room. Ali said that he would be back in Singapore again next year to get his COC by 2025 to take on the role of a chief engineer.
Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/seafarers-diaries-day-in-the-life-of-a-marine-engineer/
The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) launches digital Wellbeing at Sea Tool to support seafarer health and wellbeing. It has become increasingly clear over recent years that seafarer mental health and wellbeing needs to be made a high priority for employers. Through discussion with stakeholders, the MCA identified the requirement for a tool to support organizations understand and manage seafarer wellbeing onboard.
Poor mental health at sea is still taboo, and better support for seafarers must be embedded into the maritime industry, according to a new report funded jointly by the Department for Transport and MCA.
The report comes alongside the launch of MCA’s new digital tool designed to support seafarers’ health and wellbeing. Called the Wellbeing at Sea Tool, the new website provides practical advice for seafarers and helps organizations monitor wellbeing and support their employees.
Its launch is supported by the findings of the research which was carried out to gather the views of chaplains, charities, unions and the maritime industry as a whole.
Despite ongoing work, many of those questioned said they still felt mental health issues were poorly understood not just by employers but among seafarers themselves. Many of those questioned said that there needed to be better reporting to understand and act upon the level of suicide rates at sea, but added there were difficulties knowing for certain what the cause of death was in some cases.
Many also claimed that the subject of mental health and suicide was off-limits for some people who are unwilling to discuss it because of cultural or religious reasons.
Maritime Minister Robert Courts said: “I want the maritime sector to be an inviting one, and for it to move with the times and recognize that, while offering incredibly rewarding careers, life at sea can be incredibly lonely and stressful.
“This new report will help us to address this important issue, and with support from the MCA with its new online service, we will continue to challenge the sector to take action to ensure all seafarers are properly supported on land and at sea.”
Katy Ware, Director of UK Maritime Services said: “There is – sadly – still a stigma around mental health. The fact seafarers still don’t feel able to talk about it or access services says a lot about how far we still have to go in terms of reducing that taboo.
“This is exactly why we have launched our Wellbeing at Sea Tool. By identifying stressors and issues at an early stage, we hope that the tool will help to reduce stress among seafarers which is a contributory factor to mental health problems.”
When a seafarer uses the online tool, they are asked to take a digital survey. Once completed, the seafarer is given personalized advice on how to improve their wellbeing at sea. Data captured is anonymized and sent to managers within the company to help them better understand what the priorities are for improvement.
Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/uk-launches-digital-tool-to-help-seafarers-facing-suicidal-thoughts/
August 18, 2025
