Russian general cargo ship MAIA-1 with cargo of arms on board has been arrested in Kochin, India, over non-payment of bunker bills of some $23,500 to an Estonian company, after Kerala Court Ruling, on Jul 18. The ship nevertheless, was berthed same day at Kochin, to offload cargo of arms for Indian Navy.
New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/
CITING “inconsistent positions on climate change,” one of the biggest shipping groups in the world, AP Moller-Maersk, has withdrawn its board member from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the world’s largest shipping industry organization.
Maersk also announced that it has pursued membership in the World Shipping (WSC), which is reportedly more aligned with its emission reduction agenda.
ICS’s position on decarbonization, wherein it proposes to keep carbon regulation to IMO (International Maritime Organization), and its slow progress on limiting greenhouse gas emissions since the Paris Climate Agreement seems to have hastened Maersk’s decision to leave the organization.
Maersk had recently announced its aim to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in all its businesses by 2040, which is one decade ahead of the initial 2050 goal.
Maersk in a statement said, “We scrutinize our memberships once a year to ensure that the trade organizations of which we are members lobby in accordance with targets of the Paris Agreement and other crucial issues…. Consequently, we assess if their approach and efforts reflect our attitudes and values. One outcome of the 2022 process is our decision to support the strengthening of the [carrier-focused World Shipping Council] and dedicate internal resources hereto. Our choice to step down from the ICS Board should also be seen in this context.”
Maersk is following an “ambitious” climate plan including a $450-per-tonne bunker levy to close the price gap between Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oils (VLSFO) and future fuels. It has also flagged off a research institute in a bid to help find solutions for decarbonization and mitigate the climate crisis.
Maersk is not directly a member of ICS, but its membership was through its affiliation with the Danish Shipping.
Maersk has sat on the ICS board for a decade starting in 2012.
Maersk remains a member of Danish Shipping — an ICS member association — as well as the Baltic and International Maritime Council, Getting to Zero Coalition, WSC, and AP Maersk-McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, among other initiatives.
The ICS has been established for more than a century and has members from more than 40 countries, representing over 80 percent of the world’s commercial fleet.
Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/07/20/business/maritime/maersk-leaves-worlds-biggest-shipping-organization-ics/1851494
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which operates the San Francisco Bay Ferry Service, has won a $14.9 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). It will be used to develop a high-frequency network connecting some of San Francisco’s fastest growing neighborhoods with battery-electric zero-emission ferries.
The grant will fund the construction of ferries and shoreside charging infrastructure to support the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which will use zero-emission ferries to connect waterfront San Francisco neighborhoods including Downtown, Treasure Island and Mission Bay.
This grant, awarded through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), is the latest in a series of grant awards that have been secured to support the new service. In 2020, WETA was awarded $9 million from CalSTA to design and build its first zero-emission ferry along with shoreside infrastructure. In early 2022, WETA won a $3.4 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant to add an additional battery-electric vessel to the network.
This $14.9 million award funds construction of a third vessel for what will eventually be a four-vessel network. The grant also includes funds for the charging infrastructure needed to operate the service.
“San Francisco’s waterfront is home to some of the region’s fastest-growing new neighborhoods and this grant will help reduce traffic and improve air quality by connecting workers and residents with the country’s first high-speed, zero-emission ferry service,” said WETA Board of Directors Chair Jim Wunderman. “We owe thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom, CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin, our tireless Bay Area Legislative Caucus, and our strong support coalition for sharing our vision for a world class clean ferry network for the region.”
Wunderman will be keynoting Marine Log’s FERRIES 2022 conference in San Francisco on November 1-2.
The S.F. Clean Ferry Network will be a major milestone in WETA’s transition to zero-emission ferry service. The agency is currently completing a two-pronged study, investigating both clean marine propulsion technology and shoreside infrastructure needs, that will inform policy decisions going forward. Ferries aging out of San Francisco Bay Ferry service will be replaced with new zero-emission vessels. WETA may also convert some current ferries to zero-emission propulsion systems over the next decade.
Source: https://www.marinelog.com/news/weta-awarded-14-9-million-to-develop-san-francisco-zero-emission-ferry-network/
New York City headquartered Foremost Group yesterday signed an order with Namura Shipbuilding for two new 185,000 dwt capesize dry bulk carriers that will be among the most eco-friendly in the world. Foremost also signed a charter party agreement with NYK for each ship to be time chartered to NYK for seven years
The newbuilding order and the charter agreements were signed in a ceremony at the Harvard Club in New York that was attended by the Foremost Group’s founder, maritime industry icon Dr. James Chao. Others in attendance included top officials from both Foremost and Namura, the Japanese Consul General to the U.S., Ambassador Mikio Mori, and senior management from NYK (the charterers), and the president and CEO of Sumitomo Corp. of Americas Group, Tomonori Wada.
“We are pleased to sign this agreement with Namura Shipyards, which will build on our track-record of having a fleet of state-of-the-art dry bulk carriers built to our specifications,” said Foremost Group Chair and CEO Angela Chao. “We welcome this partnership and look forward to working with Namura for many years to come.”
“Today indeed marks a wonderful day in the U.S,-Japan relationship – between our two countries, among our three companies, and the multilateral cooperation we have to deliver the world’s goods in the most environmentally friendly way possible – and that is shipping,” she continued. “Today also marks our first newbuilding orders with Namura Shipbuildpng. As you all know, Namura shipyard has an impeccable reputation and builds some of the finest capesize bulk carriers in the world. With a strong family tradition, now being led by its fifth generation under the strong leadership of Kensuke Namura san, Namura continues to innovate and develop, building the world’s most eco-friendly, lowest carbon footprint, lowest NOx emitter capesize bulk carrier in the world. We are proud to add these beautiful new ships to our fleet, ensuring that Foremost remains on the forefront of environmental friendliness. Thanks to Sumitomo, led by President Wada here in the U.S., for acting as a bridge between Namura and Foremost, and for facilitating trade and cooperation between our two companies, as well as between our two countries.
“Today marks a deepening and strengthening of a decades long relationship with NYK, one of the leading and largest shipping companies of the world. We have a number of ships chartered to NYK, now and in the past, but this new project marks a joint commitment to their new “Green Policy”, and these two ships will be built to environmental standards on NOx emissions and carbon emissions, 2 or more years in advance of what is regulatory required. This is a strong demonstration of our value alignment and mutual commitment to our environment and the generations that will come after us. Hamazaki san and your team, we look forward to working together with you for many years to come.
“We are also delighted and proud to have the opportunity to receive a first shipbuilding contract from the Foremost Group and with these vessels having long time charter agreement with NYK, we are confident that this new partnership will definitely lead the project to a successful conclusion,” said Mr. Kensuke Namura, President of Namura Shipbuilding.
“We are very pleased to conclude a long-term charter contract for the new Capesize bulk carriers built by Namura Shipbuilding with the leading shipowner Foremost,” said Mr. Koichi Hamazaki, General Manager of Tramper Group of NYK. “We believe that these two vessels will symbolize the long-term good relationship between Foremost and NYK.”
The ships will be delivered in 2024. The freight will be major dry bulk commodities like iron ore and bauxite. As their long term time charterer, NYK will determine what each ship carries and where and also plans to also engage the ships on the spot freight market.
These will be some of the first ships that are in compliance with IMO’s EEDI phase three requirements. The engines will be the latest state of the art electronically controlled MAN B&W engines, built by Mitsui E&S and complying with the latest Tier III NOx emission reduction standards.
There are many other energy saving devices and design elements incorporated into hull optimization and the design of the ship. Namura has trademarked some of the technologies such as the Namura Flow Control Fin, Flat-FIN, Rudder Fin, as well as adding a Pre-swirl Stator Fin to greatly improve the Vessel’s propelling efficiency by more than 10%. The vessels are upgraded to the latest energy-saving paint and the design has been upgraded to safely consume bio-fuels. Burning biofuel can further reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 20% compared to conventional heavy marine fuel oil on the life-cycle, well-to-wake basis.
“In terms of IMO’s technical energy efficiency measure EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index), the vessels are ahead of compliance with EEDI phase III requirement, which would only apply to newbuildings ordered from year 2025 and onwards. Thus these Vessels are 3 years ahead of the EEDI requirement. In terms of IMO’s operational energy efficiency measure CII (Carbon Intensity Index), these vessels’ CII rating is expected to stay at the highest level for many years after delivery, although this will also depend on how the charterer, NYK, trades the vessel. “But given NYK’s commitment to carbon neutrality and eco-friendly ships, we believe NYK will work with us to keep the vessels at that the highest CII rating possible,” says Foremost.
Foremost enjoys a decades long relationship with NYK, one of the leading shipping companies in the world. It has a number of vessels on time charter to NYK, which seeks reliable owners who deliver superior performance for the medium and long-term, not just the short-term. Foremost says these latest newbuildings signify a deepening and strengthening of the mutual cooperation between the two companies, adding that “a seven year contract is longer than the average, again demonstrating the trust and confidence NYK has in Foremost, its management and its ships.”
Source: https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/shipping/foremost-group-orders-two-eco-friendly-capesizes-at-namura/
General cargo ship WILSON BLYTH ran aground in river Clyde at around 0900 UTC Jul 19 in Old Kilpatrick area, while sailing upstream to Glasgow from Greenock. The ship was refloated about an hour and a half later with tug assistance, and resumed sailing, She was berthed at Glasgow at around 1140 UTC.
New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/
California is awarding a grant to support the development of one of the nation’s first high-frequency electric ferry networks servicing the fast-growing neighborhoods around San Francisco. The grant is the latest in a series of steps being taken to support the development of the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which is designed to be a major milestone in the efforts to transform to zero-emission ferry service in the region.
The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) awarded a $14.9 million grant to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). Tracing its roots back more than 20 years, WETA was tasked by the California State Legislature with planning new and expanded ferry service in the region. A decade ago, WETA absorbed the ferry services previously run by the Cities of Alameda and Vallejo, starting efforts to expand and enhance service in the region.
“San Francisco’s waterfront is home to some of the region’s fastest-growing new neighborhoods and this grant will help reduce traffic and improve air quality by connecting workers and residents with the country’s first high-speed, zero-emission ferry service,” said WETA Board of Directors Chair Jim Wunderman.
The grant will fund the construction of battery-powered ferries and shoreside charging infrastructure to support the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which will connect waterfront San Francisco neighborhoods including Downtown, Treasure Island and Mission Bay. According to WETA, they plan to use the grant to fund the construction of a third vessel for what will eventually be a four-vessel network. The grant also includes funds for the charging infrastructure needed to operate the service.
The agency is currently completing a two-pronged study investigating both clean marine propulsion technology and shoreside infrastructure needs that will inform policy decisions going forward. Under the agency’s long-term plan, ferries aging out of San Francisco Bay Ferry service will be replaced with new zero-emission vessels. WETA may also convert some current ferries to zero-emission propulsion systems over the next decade. WETA has taken delivered on eight new ferries with a combined 3,255 seats since 2017, with three more vessels currently under construction.
The new grant, which was awarded through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), is the latest in a series of grant awards that have been secured to support the new service. In 2020, WETA was awarded $9 million from CalSTA to design and build its first zero-emission ferry along with shoreside infrastructure. In early 2022, WETA won a $3.4 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant to add an additional battery-electric vessel to the network.
The agency is moving forward with its strategy for the zero-emission ferry network as it also works to build back its service and ridership after the pandemic. In 2019, WETA served a record 3.2 million passengers and with a newly launched Pandemic Recovery Program in July 2021 WETA created sustained ridership growth, positioning San Francisco Bay Ferry as the regional system with the highest percentage of pre-pandemic ridership. By the end of 2021, they have recovered to over 100,000 passengers boardings each month and San Francisco Bay Ferry’s ridership reached 63 percent of pre-pandemic levels in June 2022.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sf-bay-receives-grant-to-establish-battery-electric-ferry-network
July 24, 2022 Maritime Safety News
Fire broke out on board of tanker ANTARES, docked at Puerto Bolivar, Colombia, on Jul 19. Four personnel on board who have been carrying out repairs and maintenance duties, alarmed Port Captaincy. Port firefighters and emergency team responded, fire was extinguished after several hours of firefighting. Extent of damages unknown. tanker is docked in port for some 3 years already, understood because of some juridical issues, but she was undergoing repairs to resume trading. AIS is off for some 3 years.
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The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says it received the lowest number of reported piracy incidents for the first half of any year since 1994, which is a testament to its pivotal role in raising awareness to make waters safer.
The IMB’s latest global piracy report details 58 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships; the lowest total since 1994 and down from 68 incidents during the same period last year.
The global body however cautioned against dwelling on the gains being recorded in the Gulf of Guinea, where noticeable decline has been recorded since the beginning of the year.
In the first six months of 2022, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 55 vessels boarded, two attempted attacks and one vessel hijacked.
IMB Director Michael Howlett said: “Not only is this good news for the seafarers and the shipping industry it is positive news for trade which promotes economic growth. But the areas of risk shift and the shipping community must remain vigilant. We encourage governments and responding authorities to continue their patrols which create a deterrent effect.”
While the reduction in reported incidents is indeed encouraging, the IMB PRC continues to caution against complacency – vessels were boarded in 96% of the reported incidents. Despite no crew kidnappings reported during this period, violence against and the threat to crews continues with 23 crew taken hostage and a further five crew threatened.
On the Gulf of Guinea, the IMB said out of the 58 global incidents, 12 were reported in the Gulf of Guinea, 10 of which were defined as armed robberies and the remaining two as piracy.
Recall that, in early April, a Panamax bulk carrier was attacked and boarded by pirates 260NM off the coast of Ghana. This illustrates that despite a decrease in reported incidents, the threat of Gulf of Guinea piracy and crew kidnappings remains.
On being notified of the incident, IMB PRC immediately alerted and liaised with the Regional Authorities and international warships to request for assistance. An Italian Navy warship and its helicopter responded and instantly intervened, saving the crew and enabling the vessel to proceed to a safe port under escort.
The IMB also commended the prompt and positive actions of the Italian Navy which undoubtedly resulted in the crew and ship being saved.
It however, urged the Coastal response agencies and independent international navies to continue their efforts to ensure this crime is permanently addressed in these waters which account for 74% of crew taken hostage globally.
In other jurisdiction, the IMB noted that, “vessels continue to be targeted and boarded by local perpetrators when transiting the Singapore Straits, which account for over 25% of all incidents reported globally since the start of the year. The perpetrators were successful in boarding the vessels in all 16 incidents reported. While considered low level opportunistic crimes, crews continue to be at risk with weapons reported in at least six incidents”.
Outside the Singapore Straits, the Indonesian archipelagic has seen a slight increase in reported incidents for the first time since 2018, with seven incidents being reported compared to five over that same period last year. Five vessels were boarded at anchor and one each while the vessels were at berth and steaming. Weapons were reported in at least three incidents with one crew reported threatened.
“Although no incidents were reported there since the start of the year, the threat of piracy still exists in the waters off the southern Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, which include the Yemeni and Somali coasts. Although the opportunity for incidents has reduced, the Somali pirates continue to possess the capability and capacity to carry out incidents, and all merchant ships are advised to adhere to the recommendations in the latest Best Management Practices, while transiting in these waters”.
source: https://shippingposition.com.ng/imb-says-half-year-global-piracy-armed-robbery-lowest-in-decades-2/
The commencement of operations of the cruise vessel ASTORIA GRANDE (ex. AIDAcara) on June 16th will be the first modern Russian cruise ship in operation. Cruise vessels focussing solely on the Russian demographic were famous before the fall of the Soviet Union; most of these vessels were sold after its fall with only a few attempts to rejuvenate the industry. This cruise vessel is to sail from the port of Sochi in the Black Sea and will feature port calls in Turkish ports.
The vessel was acquired by Russian investors in 2021, refurbished, and prepared for launch. There has been a collaboration with Miray Cruises of Türkiye to launch the new cruise program, and 16 cruises are planned, each of which is a week-long till October 2022. All the ports of call are in Türkiye, including stops in Istanbul, Cesme, Sinop, Trabzon, and the island of Bozcaada. Passengers can choose from two similar itineraries or combine the two for a two-week-long journey. The vessel will only sail in a limited portion of the Black Sea, namely the southern and the eastern parts, for safety reasons. These areas are declared to have more than 100 ships’ daily traffic.
This vessel was initially made by what is now Meyer Turku in Finland for a former East German Company. It was briefly owned by a Norwegian shipping line and then acquired by P&O cruises. Later P&O cruises were received by Carnival Cruises in 2001. Carnival finally sold it for the modernization of its fleet in 2021.
Source: https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2022/38885/attempt-rejuvenate-long-dormant-russian-cruise-ind/
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a surprise development announced at the end of the day yesterday that its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. While saying that it would continue to provide guidance to the cruise lines and travelers, it was the latest step by the agency to relax its restrictions and oversight of the cruise industry which drew broad criticism at the height of the pandemic.
In the FAQ portion of its website, the CDC highlights that it has worked closely with the cruise industry, state, territorial, and local health authorities, and federal and seaport partners to provide a safer and healthier environment for cruise passengers and crew. Going forward, the CDC said that cruise ships have access to guidance and tools to manage their own COVID-19 mitigation programs.
After imposing strict testing and masking restrictions as well as elaborate protocols the CDC permitted cruise ships to resume sailing from U.S. ports in the summer of 2021 while it also warned travelers of the high risk of infection on cruise ships and maintained advisories against cruise travel. The CDC moved to a voluntary program in 2022 in which all of the major cruise ships sailing from the U.S. elected to participate in and continued to report outbreaks of the virus. The CDC took a two-stage approach with its approach with lesser recommendations for masking and social distance aboard ships that maintained a highly vaccinated standard for passengers and crew while advising more precautions for the remainder of the cruise industry.
As part of the system, the CDC was operating a color-coding system to highlight ships that had recently experienced outbreaks of the virus. With the increasing spread of subvariants of the virus, the color-coding system was recently showing that most ships had experienced cases of COVID0-19 on board.
“The previous color-coding system under CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships depended upon each cruise line having the same COVID-19 screening testing standards, which may now vary among cruise lines. Therefore, the cruise ship color status webpage has been retired,” the CDC says on its website.
With the spread of the variants of the virus, the CDC continues to warn travelers of the dangers but it had previously lowered its cruise-specific warnings to be in line with other settings. They however continue to advise passengers that they should not travel if they recently experienced COVID-19 symptoms and should test no more than three days before their cruise and between three and five days after their cruise. These also continue to advise on frequent handwashing and the use of masks in crowded locations.
While the official end to CDC’s programs should provide the cruise lines greater latitude in their approaches, experts point out that the ships are still required to follow local requirements and their agreements with ports. Recently, cruise companies including Norwegian Cruise Lines Holding, the parent of Norwegian, Regent, and Oceania, announced it would be ending its pre-testing requirements for some trips while a month ago Viking also said it was ending its requirements for pre-boarding and onboard testing. The protocols for isolating passengers who test positive are likely to remain in place indefinitely. Anecdotally passengers have been reporting an increasing variance in the onboard protocols between ships with some cruise lines fluctuating on steps such as requiring versus recommending masking.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cdc-ends-covid-19-program-for-cruise-ships
