Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) and service provider MaDfly – Marine Drone Services – have successfully completed the first full in-water ship’s hull survey with a mini ROV on Brittany Ferries’ ship Bretagne.
Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) and service provider MaDfly – Marine Drone Services – have successfully completed the first full in-water ship’s hull survey with a mini ROV on Brittany Ferries’ ship Bretagne.
The survey, which was supervised by BV on behalf of the French Flag, provided an opportunity to validate the integrity of the entire ship’s hull’s bottom. Efficient underwater inspections of shipping vessels are playing an increasingly important role for the industry as a substitute for docking surveys at agreed intervals or occasional surveys of hull damage.
This inspection was the first of its kind, with the test survey performed twice. A remotely operated drone performed an in-water survey with a BV surveyor onboard the vessel. In parallel, BV also tested the capability with its own remote inspection solutions using full HD live video footage from MaDfly. This enabled BV to carry out the survey remotely without any attended surveyor onboard with live streaming, as well as video and audio recording and photo options.
Bureau Veritas has noted the following benefits of using this system:
Safer operations as divers do not have to be in the water
Reduction in preparation time – with a single operator and limited equipment
High-quality pictures from the drones
Reduced risk of disturbance to ship operations
MaDfly CEO, Thierry Guillot, commented, “MaDfly’s team is delighted to be the first company in the world to achieve a vessel survey with a mini ROV for BV. Even more for a Brittany Ferries’ vessel as they supported us from the very first day. New technologies are improving daily to achieve more and more maintenance services in a safer and more cost-effective way.”
Arnaud Le Poulichet, Technical Director for Brittany Ferries, said, “Brittany Ferries has always invested in research and development and this partnership is a success. This underwater inspection with a mini ROV demonstrated the technical relevance of this method and reduced the inspection time.”
Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice President Technical & Operations for Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said, “Underwater remote surveys improve safety and reduce risk, time and costs to produce high-quality results. Maintaining the integrity and safety of a ship is a crucial task. Today, technology brings digital classification to another level, providing new opportunities and options to our clients.”
Prices of dry freight shipping containers have doubled over the past year to reach historic highs but will moderate over the next few years, according Drewry’s recently published Container Census & Leasing Annual Review and Forecast 2021/22 report.
Prices of dry freight shipping containers have doubled over the past year to reach historic highs but will moderate over the next few years, according Drewry’s recently published Container Census & Leasing Annual Review and Forecast 2021/22 report.
Dry box newbuild prices rallied strongly in 2020 from the lows of the prior year to reach their highest level since 2011 by the fourth quarter, with a YoY gain of 75%. Then by 2Q21 40ft high cube containers breached the $6,500 threshold, more than doubling over the year, to reach their highest value since Drewry started monitoring container equipment prices back as far as 1998.
“Pricing has been driven by soaring demand for newbuild containers as shipping lines and lessors have been seeking to rebuild fleets in the face of chronic equipment availability due to widening disruption across the container supply chain,” said John Fossey, Head of Container Equipment & Leasing Research at Drewry. “But also increased input costs, particularly for Corten steel and flooring materials have also played a part. We expect dry box prices to peak in the third quarter and to soften thereafter, easing further over subsequent years as trade normalises.”
In sharp contrast, reefer and tank container prices changed little over 2020, but rallied in the first six months of 2021, up 6.5% and 40% YoY, respectively, in 2Q21. Prices of these specialist container types have different cost drivers to dry containers and are expected to continue rising although at a moderate pace over the next few years.
Newbuild container output has soared through the first six months of 2021, with China dry box output climbing 235% YoY to 3 million teu and reefer production more than doubling to 260,000. Drewry expects full-year production to reach 5.2 million teu, representing a 67% YoY rise. The main buyers of this equipment have been lessors, accounting for 68% of newbuild purchases. But Drewry expects carriers to invest more in their own container pools over the near term given their much improved levels of profitability.
Despite record newbuild output, insatiable demand for equipment raised utilisation of the leased fleet across all equipment types to over 99% by the second quarter of 2021, its highest level on record. This drove dry box LTL per diem rates to their highest level in 10 years, doubling over the year, bringing investment cash returns (ICRs) back to pre-pandemic levels.
“Looking ahead, dry box per diems are forecast to rally 65% in 2021, the steepest rise since Drewry started recording lease rates in 1990,” added Fossey. “This acceleration will outpace that of newbuild prices as the lagging effect means that lease rates will stay higher for longer, lifting ICRs further. But thereafter we expect some softening of returns.”
Norway-based ship designer and builder VARD and Rem Offshore have announce an order for two Construction Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) with an option for two additional vessels. The contracts for the firm two vessels have an indicative total value of €100m.
Norway-based ship designer and builder VARD and Rem Offshore have announce an order for two Construction Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) with an option for two additional vessels. The contracts for the firm two vessels have an indicative total value of €100m.
The CSOVs are tailor-made for world-wide services and maintenance operations at offshore wind farms. The VARD 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, is a highly versatile platform for all offshore windfarm support operations, focusing on onboard logistics, security, comfort, and superior operability.
With a length of 85m and a beam of 19.5m, the vessels will have a height-adjustable motion-compensated gangway with elevator system, a height-adjustable boat landing system, and a 3D-compensated crane. The CSOVs will have an accommodation for 120 persons on board.
The first vessel will be delivered from VARD in Norway in first half of 2023. The hull will be built at Vard Braila in Romania. The second vessel will be built and delivered by Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, scheduled for delivery in 2024. VARD’s specialised high technology subsidiaries will be involved with major deliveries onboard, and in the shipbuilding process of the vessels.
Rem Offshore’s Chairman, Aage Remøy said, “Rem Offshore has during the last few years increasingly focused attention on building a sustainable platform for growth in offshore wind. Our shareholders are driving this development together with our Rem colleagues onshore and offshore. We are proud to continue our newbuild programme in Norway and support the local maritime industry.”
VARD CEO Alberto Maestrini commented, “We are proud to be chosen as the preferred partner for Rem Offshore in this exciting project, and we are looking forward to working together with their team. These contracts confirm VARD’s leadership in the CSOV market, both in terms of innovative ship design, breakthrough technologies and shipbuilding quality.”
The bankruptcy judge hearing the case of Bouchard Transportation approved the sale of the company’s tugs and barges during a hearing on August 5. Under the proposed final sale, the assets of the company would be split between two financial firms that provided financing during the bankruptcy, although the company is holding out hope for a last-minute alternate proposal that would permit it to retain some assets.
Judge David Jones at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas expressed satisfaction with the sale process, although there have been concerns raised by the company’s debtors and members of the Bouchard family. Earlier in the process, they questioned if that the asset sale would raise sufficient funds to provide a meaningful recovery for the approximately $230 million owed the company’s debtors. In addition, the debtors are objecting to fees due to Hartree Partners, an unsuccessful first bidder designated by the company. The judge said in yesterday’s hearing that he would consider the issue of the fees at a later date.
Under the sale approved by the court, 17 of the company’s tugs and 12 barges would be sold to JMB Capital Partners. JMB offered a total of $115.3 million of which $20.8 million would be cash with the remainder being a credit against the debtor in possession financing JMB provided to Bouchard at the beginning of the bankruptcy process. In April, JMB supplied financing and it has a lien against the vessels it would acquire which were listed as collateral in the financing.
Separately, a financial group led by Wells Fargo was approved to acquire eight tugs and 10 barges. Wells Fargo through Rose Cay submitted a bid of $130 million, but $100 million is a credit against debts due to the bank on the assets with only $30 million being in cash.
Financial advisers for the bankruptcy told the court that these were the best of the seven bidders who had submitted a total of nine written indications of interest for Bouchard’s assets. Six of the bids were for specific assets while three had bid for nearly all the assets. However, none of the bidders proposed to become a chapter 11 sponsor, which would have acquired the entire company and its assets in a single transaction.
The question of the valuation of the Bouchard assets has been raised a number of times. Legal trade Law 360 quotes the financial adviser Richard Morgner as saying the sale was “challenging,” in part because the fleet had not been operating in a meaningful way. He told the court that capital will be required to return the vessels to full operating condition.
Bouchard’s lawyers also told the court that discussions were continuing with a possible alternate bidder and the court granted the companies until the afternoon of Monday, August 9 to complete the new proposal. Bouchard is working with another distressed asset creditor, 507 Summit, on a proposal where the firm would become an equity investor permitting Bouchard to retain some assets. Wells Fargo would have to agree to receive new notes for its debt and the proposal reportedly would offer creditor notes valued at 50 cents on the dollar for their claims. If this deal can be reached, the tugs and barges to be sold to the Wells Fargo group would be retained by Bouchard.
The company filed for reorganizational bankruptcy in September 2020 to prevent foreclosure on its vessels in Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Texas. At the time, they cited a loss of business after a barge accident that killed two crew members in 2017 and the impact of the pandemic in 2020.
After Monday’s deadline for alternate proposals, the court has scheduled a confirmation hearing for August 18 to conclude the sale of the tugs and barges.
U.S. Central Command issued a detailed report directly linking an Iranian “kamikaze UAV” (unmanned aerial vehicle) to the attack on the tanker Mercer Street that killed the captain and a security guard. In addition to identifying the method of the attack and its damage, the USCENTCOM revealed the two prior failed attacks had been attempted against the Mercer Street on the prior day.
The summary report made public reviewed the analysis conducted by the U.S. Navy as well as additional work at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, and subsequent further testing and verification at a U.S. national laboratory.
The report concludes that there was a “confluence of multiple components with very specific and matching identities to previously exploited (and known) Iranian one-way attack UAVs,” said CENTCOM spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban. “The use of Iranian designed and produced one-way attack kamikaze UAVs is a growing trend in the region. They are actively used by Iran and their proxies against coalition forces in the region, to include targets in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.”
CENTCOM revealed for the first time that the crew of the Mercer Street reported two attacks via distress calls on the evening of July 29. Neither of the explosive UAV used in the first attacks reached the tanker, instead impacted the sea near the vessel. The crew, however, retrieved from the water small remnants of at least one of the UAVs, which they later shared with the U.S. investigators.
The following day, July 30, the Mercer Street was again attacked with a third UAV which CENTCOM reports was loaded with a military-grade explosive. The explosive detonation following the UAV impact created an approximately 6-foot diameter hole in the topside of the pilot house and badly damaged the interior. Investigators found indications that the drone was carrying a Nitrate-based explosive, identified as RDX, indicating the UAV had been rigged to cause injury and destruction.
“This second attack required calculated and deliberate retargeting of the Mercer Street by Iran,” said Urban. The crew of the tanker reportedly went to a safe location after the attack reporting it to the authorities.
The USS Ronald Regan along with its escort the USS Mitscher was ordered to contact the Mercer Street and a U.S. drone was also deployed. An explosive ordinance team from the Regan was flown to the Mercer Street working with a U.S. zodiac to gather debris and also to verify that no explosive danger remained on the tanker.
According to CENTCOM, the subsequent forensic analysis verified that debris including several pieces recovered from the third UAV, including a vertical stabilizer (part of the wing) and internal components which were nearly identical to previously collected examples from Iranian one-way attack UAVs. Further, “the distance from the Iranian coast to the locations of the attacks was within the range of documented Iranian one-way attack UAVs,” said Urban.
The American report came as the UN Security Council was reported to be discussing the recent attacks. In addition, earlier today the foreign ministers of the G7 countries issued a joint statement saying in part, “We condemn the unlawful attack committed on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman, which killed a British and a Romanian national. This was a deliberate and targeted attack and a clear violation of international law. All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack.”
Reports indicate that elements within Israel’s new coalition government are strongly advocating for a retaliatory attack. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said during an interview that his country was prepared to attack Iran while calling on the UN and global community to coordinate a far-reaching response to Iran’s aggression.
In its latest report, seafarer charity Stella Maris echoed growing concerns about crew mistreatment, including abandonment, unpaid wages and forced labor.
In 2020, abandonment cases soared to a record high. More than twice as many seafarers were abandoned in 2020 compared to 2019, and data from the IMO shows that there were 76 cases involving over 1,000 seafarers, mostly in the Middle East and Asia. By omparison, Stella Maris said, there were 40 cases of abandonment involving 474 seafarers in 2019.
The charity intervened in two abandonment cases in the port of Ravenna, both illustrating two challenges of the pandemic: ship arrests for unpaid bills, and COVID-19 travel restrictions that keep crew onboard.
The cases involved the chemical tanker Gobustan and the general cargo vessel Sultan Bey. Both ships were detained in July 2020 to satisfy charges of outstanding debt. This left 24 crewmembers stranded, because the authorities would not allow seafarers to disembark due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Stella Maris provided them with food, fresh water and other supplies, and it supported them with plans for repatriation. This task required the charity’s team to work through problems like airport closures and flight cancellations, plus sourcing COVID-19 tests for the crew. The men eventually few home in October.
In another case, its chaplain in South Africa supported six seafarers on a detained fishing vessel throughout the course of the year, beginning in December 2019. The charity provided them with food, medication and warm clothing, and it advocated for their release. It took a full year to achieve, but the men were eventually repatriated to Myanmar and Taiwan.
Non-payment of wages was the largest single problem Stella Maris helped seafarers overcome last year (along with death at sea). Like the ITF’s regional coordinators, Stella Maris’ chaplains have intervened on crewmembers’ behalf to petition the vessel operator for proper and full wage payments.
It also had to contend with the impact of COVID-19, including quarantine requirements. It provided 120 seafarers with a total of 150 days of lockdown accommodations in its center in Manila, including regular meals and arrangements for family contact. “We pray always that God will give us support in this difficult situation, and I’m so very thankful to Stella Maris for providing us with food, a place to stay and a small amount of money,” said one second engineer who stayed in the Stella Maris center during the lockdown. Altogether, nearly 1,300 seafarers received food and toiletries from Stella Maris during the first lockdown in the Philippines.
The charity’s chaplains adapted to social distancing and quarantine measures by meeting seafarers at the gangway, not on board; providing live-streamed mass for those who could not attend church; and phone cards carefully and safely delivered. These kinds of opportunities to connect with the outside world face-to-face are essential in a time of lockdown, according to Stella Maris: fully 100 percent of the seafarers it surveyed said that they had suffered from psychological stress over the course of the year.
“Our latest Life at Sea Report observes that, in a maritime world of increased digitalization and automation, smaller crews and faster port turnaround times, the need for basic human contact remains paramount,” said Stella Maris CEO Martin Foley. “In the face of the world’s collective failure to provide timely repatriation for seafarers, and the continued absence of a global vaccination or keyworker policy for seafarers, hundreds of thousands of seafarers remain in need of many kinds of support.”
Container shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) fired back responding to charges of collusion and failing to honor freight contacts filled against it and COSCO Shipping Lines with the Federal Maritime Commission. In a letter to customers released to the media, MSC rejected the allegations made by a Pennsylvania furniture company.
“MSC is shocked to learn of the accusations,” the letter starts by saying. While acknowledging that it is still studying the complaint, MSC denies the broad accusations and the media coverage, saying the issues “remain vague and unsubstantiated and are incorrectly targeted at MSC.”
The Federal Maritime Commission officially served the suit against MSC and COSCO on August 3, posting the full complaint for public review. In the filing with the FMC, a furniture company named MCS Industries alleges that the shipping companies have been taking advantage of the 2021 recovery in container shipping unfairly treating small shippers such as itself. Among the allegations are that the shipping companies “unjustly and unreasonably exploited customers, vastly increasing their profitability at the expense of shippers and the U.S. public generally.”
The 15-page complaint details actions starting with the blanking of sailings early in the pandemic and even when they restored capacity, the furniture company says the carriers have “refused to provide more than a fraction of the cargo capacity that MCS requested and needs.” The company says it has been financially harmed by having to buy space in the spot market. Between May and July 2021, MCS says that the carriers have provided “only small fractions of the space required under the Service Contracts—specifically, just over one-third (approximately 35 percent) by MSC and an infinitesimal 1.6 percent by COSCO.”
They go on to accuse the entire shipping industry of being in collusion to drive up pricing. The complaint points out that the alliances formed by the major carriers “collectively control over 90 percent of all transpacific trade.” MCS says it has incurred in excess of $600,000 in damages so far due to the carriers’ business practices.
MSC told customers that it does not recognize the alleged shortcomings in booking the cargo allocations. “MSC is not illegitimately selling space allotted to MCS Industries.”
The letter goes on to reject the accusations of collusion pointing out that MSC and COSCO are in separate alliances. They said that they have no shipping agreements with COSCO.
MSC said it is “refuting baseless claims and providing accurate sets of facts.” They said they would review the allegations as possible defamation, while also noting that it had not received a formal complaint from MCS before its FMC filing.
The case is likely to be closely followed as many shippers continue to complain about the lack of space and freight rates which continue to set new records. Most experts believe that the current market conditions are likely to prevail through the remainder of 2021.
Additional details are coming out regarding this week’s assault on a tanker in the Gulf of Oman as the global community continues to react to the threat to shipping in the region coming from Iran or operatives loyal to Iran. The United Nations Security Council will discuss the growing threat to security, while the foreign ministers of the G7 nations issued a statement condemning Iranian threats to shipping.
The two vessels that came under attack recently both remain in the Persian Gulf region while investigations are ongoing. The 9,748 dwt bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess is still in the Gulf of Oman after the boarders were scarred away and left the vessel overnight on August 4. The vessel’s AIS shows that it is due to sail to Karachi, Pakistan, but it so far has not departed. Separately, the 49,990 dwt tanker Mercer Street was moved to the anchorage off Fujairah in the UAE after it was struck by a drone attack. Reports indicate that the vessel’s UK-based operator plans to repatriate the crew from the UAE.
The new information on the boarding of the Asphalt Princess provides additional details on what was going on aboard the vessel and the possible reasons for the mysterious circumstances. The Times of London is quoting sources that said the crew of the tanker disabled the vessel’s engine when they were boarded. After the vessel was ordered to sail to Iran, the crew reportedly stopped the propulsion so that the vessel was left drifting in the Gulf of Oman.
The report says that six heavily armed individuals boarded the tanker. In an audio recording of a call from the tanker to the authorities in the UAE, a crew member is heard saying that armed Iranians are aboard his vessel. When asked what their demand are he said they can not understand the Iranians and suggested that the UAE officials speak directly to the boarders.
The Times of London report says that the boarders remained aboard the tanker after it was disabled. They ultimately were scarred off leaving the vessel after warships from the Royal Navy of Oman and the United States approached the tanker. In an official statement, Oman reported that its air force was overflying the vessel and that it had sent several warships to investigate.
Speaking after the attack on the Mercer Street that killed the vessel’s captain and a security guard, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, “Iran must end such attacks, and vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law. The UK is working with our international partners on a concerted response to this unacceptable attack.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has demanded that the Security Council take up the issue of the attacks and “condemn Iran over the drone attack on the Mercer Street.” The UK, Romania (the home of the captain of the Mercer Street), and Liberia (flag state for the tanker) have also called on the UN to take up the issue of the attacks.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the G7, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United States, and representatives of the EU today pledged “do our utmost to protect all shipping,” saying that vessels must be able to operate freely and without being threatened by irresponsible and violent acts.
“Iran’s behavior, alongside its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threatens international peace and security. We call on Iran to stop all activities inconsistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the minister said in their statement.
For its part, Iran using its state media continues to deny involvement in the two recent attacks. “Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi blasted the recent contradictory reports of maritime incidents and hijacking in the Sea of Oman as Western ‘psychological warfare’ meant to set the ground for new adventurism,” Iran reported through its Fars News Agency.
The UN Security Council will meet on the matter as part of its session scheduled for today, August 6.
Inmarsat published a new report based on an exclusive analysis of Global Maritime Distress and Safety Services alerts from ships. The report aims to identify weak spots and solutions, allocate resources and measure progress towards enhanced safety.
We believe that the creation of an online anonymised data lake of safety information will allow us to identify weak spots and solutions, allocate resources and measure progress towards enhanced safety. Where safety is concerned, data should be shared to create a level playing field for the entire industry
said Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President of Safety & Security, Inmarsat Maritime.
With the commercial vessel fleet growing by 4.1% in 2019, the report logs 834 distress calls made by Inmarsat GMDSS service users in 2020, compared to 761 in the previous year.
In addition, detailed analysis during the three years shows tankers overtaking fishing vessels to generate the highest number of GMDSS alerts (122 calls in 2020). In fact, the high frequency of alerts from coastal waters is interpreted as relating to the operation of older tonnage.
Alerts from deep sea tankers are relatively scarce, where charterers require higher standards and younger tonnage is deployed.
Fishing distress calls remain frequent, indicating that there is still a lot of work to do in this sector to raise overall safety for fishers and fishing vessels under individual flag state control.
Furthermore, the number of distress calls from bulk carriers and container ships remained largely consistent over the period, although the former witnessed a distinct cluster in the Yellow Sea between China, North Korea and South Korea, while the latter saw a spike in East Asia as Covid-19 unfolded in 2020.
This report establishes significant trends that merit close scrutiny by all stakeholders and offers a powerful example of the potential for analytics and new technology to provide the basis for a data-driven and more proactive safety. Today, a ship’s captain can often be seen as a single point of failure. This is in stark contrast to the ‘Swiss-cheese’ model of risk maritime regulators now accept, and the goal-based and proactive approach that puts rapidly evolving technology at the heart of better supporting the safety of life at sea
Mr. Broadhurst adds.
Credit: Inmarsat
Distress call by vessel type
Tankers: The Inmarsat GMDSS data between 2018- 2020 showed 80 distress calls in 2018, 127 in 2019, and finally 122 in 2020. These tanker distress calls primarily took place from vessels in coastal regions – anecdotally known to be served by older vessels.
General cargo: Although the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) notes that general cargo ships have the highest percentage of maritime casualties based on their 2019 annual review, this sits in contradiction to the number of distress calls recorded during this period. General cargo ships showed a slight but steady increase from 39 distress calls in 2018 to 54 in 2019 per GMDSS data. Despite claims of plummeting cargo volumes during 2020 due to the pandemic, Inmarsat recorded 65 distress signals from cargo ships in 2020, suggesting that there remained a fair number in transit.
Bulk carriers: Bulk carriers distress calls have remained largely consistent, rising only very slightly from 42 alerts in 2018 to 50 in 2020. There is a distinct cluster of distress calls located along the Eastern coastline of China, in the Yellow Sea between China, North Korea and South Korea.
Offshore vessels: GMDSS calls from offshore vessels have risen from 23 received in 2018, to 40 in 2019, and finally to 58 in 2020. As is expected, most of these distress calls are clustered around areas involved in the oil and gas industry. Groupings of distress calls are visible in the Persian Gulf around the borders of Qatar, Kuwait, the U.A.E., Oman and Iran. Another set of distress signals is grouped near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, while another group is visible in the North Sea. Finally, there is a gathering of distress calls near Campeche Bay along the coast of Mexico as well as near Louisiana in the U.S.
Container ships: In spite of the global Container ship fleet encompassing 5,374 vessels as of January 2021 according to Alphaliner, the number of distress calls for these vessels is relatively low and quite consistent. Inmarsat data shows 29 calls made in each, 2018 and 2019, with a slight rise to 36 in 2020. It is likely that the fixed routing and comparatively frequent port calls for these vessels gives the crew on these vessels the opportunity to keep pace with maintenance requirements, but it is possible that these vessels also rely on VHF for incident support.
Gas carriers: Gas carriers have a relatively positive safety record, and are a vessel type subject to stringent regulation and carrier requirements due to the hazardous nature of the cargo. Inmarsat data shows incidents primarily reported fairly close to coastal regions, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea bordering Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The number of recorded distress calls from vessels rose from 11 made in 2018, to 13 made in 2019, and finally to 21 made in 2020.
Passenger ships and leisure crafts: Passenger ships show consistently low numbers in the Inmarsat GMDSS data, ranging from 8 distress calls in 2018 to 7 in 2020. Given the higher visibility of incidents involving publicfacing sectors of the industry such as passenger ships, these low numbers are likely in response to risk awareness and fear of negative publicity.
Car carriers: Inmarsat GMDSS data indicates that car carriers have a low number of distress calls, showing that although incidents of listing or capsizing may be memorable, there are few incidents reported overall. There were only 6 calls reported in 2018, 9 in 2019, and 7 in 2020.
Extreme weather incidents
In 2019 there was an extended rise in distress alerts between August and November which is likely to have been caused by the large number of extreme weather events that took place that year. Notably, the Arabian Sea saw five tropical cyclones through 2019, while the Bay of Bengal saw three major tropical cyclones, largely within this period.
The extreme weather events noted here are just a small selection of those recorded around the globe in this period, and it is concerning that scientists have predicted that the frequency of such events is likely to increase. While some vessels may receive adequate warning that allows them to prepare, it is possible that in extreme weather conditions these preparations may or may not be adequate to the conditions at hand. The lessons learned from the total loss of the ro-ro El Faro in October 2015 must not be forgotten.
Credit: Inmarsat
Flag states
Morocco accounts for the highest number of distress calls, which can be attributed to the large number of fishing vessels on the Flag’s registry. Given the size of Panama’s fleet numbers, it follows that this flag would have the second highest number of recorded calls in Inmarsat’s GMDSS data. These range from 47 in 2018 (measured against a total flagged fleet of 8,247 vessels as per data from Lloyd’s List), 55 in 2019 (of a fleet of 9,367 vessels) and 57 in 2020 (of a fleet of 9,596 vessels).
While Liberia remains largely consistent – with distress calls numbering 20 in 2018 (of 3,667 vessels according to Lloyd’s List), 32 in 2019 (of 4,027 vessels), and 29 in 2020 (of 4,295) – it is of note that the distress alerts recoded for vessels flagged with the Marshall Islands see an abrupt rise in 2020.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group has completed the first of three new Ollis-class ferries for New York City’s Staten Island Ferry service. The SSG Michael H. Ollis has departed ESG’s Port St. Joe Facility fully certified and passenger ready.
A tug from Dann Ocean Towing will tow the ferry from Port St. Joe to New York City. The trip will take about 12 days, and upon arrival in New York, the ferry will be staged at Caddell Dry Dock for cleaning and another round of trials and training. She is scheduled to begin transporting passengers in the fall.
The Ollis-class ferries are named after fallen soldier of the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis. Ollis, a Staten Island native, was killed shielding his fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan on August 28, 2013.
“We are proud to deliver Staten Island Ferry SSG Michael H. Ollis to New York City fully certified and passenger-ready. It is the first vessel of the modernized fleet and boasts the most advanced technology and environmental engineering in the maritime industry,” said Joey D’Isernia, ESG’s president. “It’s been an honor for Eastern to build this class named after one of our fallen heroes and deliver state of the art vessels for the world’s busiest passenger-ferry route.”
ESG is providing production engineering, construction, and delivery of the three new EBDG-designed ferries, with the work primarily carried out at ESG’s Allanton yard. The new outfitting facility in Port St. Joe is carrying out completion work after launch, along with testing and trials.
According to ESG, the new ferries are larger, incorporate modern technology and will operate more safely in extreme weather. For the first time, they will provide the Staten Island Ferry serivce with an oval upper-deck promenade, which will serve as an outdoor “walking track” for ferry riders.
In addition, there are design features on the vessels that reflect the city’s emergency response plan. Lessons from 9/11 were built into this fleet, and they can be connected to the New York fire vessels – also built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group – to support evacuations and rescue.
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