A cargo vessel carrying 15 individuals on board sank in central Indonesia’s Makassar Strait. This resulted in 11 individuals missing, per reports on Saturday.

The vessel was hit by strong waves while sailing in the waters between Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands on Monday. However, the accident was discovered by a passenger vessel, which aided the victims on Friday. The Xinhua news agency quoted Dendy Prasetyo, a senior press officer at South Kalimantan’s rescue and search office.

They conducted rescue and search operation on Saturday to look for the 11 missing people; Dendy informed the news agency.

Dendy said that four people managed to survive the accident, as they had reportedly used a lifeboat and were assisted by a ferry.

The cargo vessel carrying cement set sail from a seaport based in South Kalimantan province and was heading toward a seaport based in South Sulawesi province, per the official.

Reference: Prameyanews, odishatv

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


APM Terminals (APMT), a leading port operator and part of A.P. Moller – Maersk, has announced an agreement to divest its minority stake in Global Ports Investments, the top container terminal operator in Russia.

Maersk will sell its 30.75% stake in GPI to its long-standing partner Delo Group, which also ownes 30.75% of the shares in GPI.

The sale comes as Maersk has decided to cease all our operations in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, Maersk said the transaction has been done at “an arm’s length basis” and includes an ability for APMT to re-enter the partnership with Delo in the future.

“We are pleased that we have now concluded this transaction according to the plan and with our long-standing partner Delo, enabling us orderly exit from GPI in line with our decision to discontinue activities in Russia,” said Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals.

With the divestment of its shares in GPI, APMT will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia or own any assets it the country.

The transfer of share ownership will take place after regulatory approvals have been obtained, Maersk said.

APM Terminals ranks as the world’s second biggest port operator with 50.4 million TEU capacity under its belt in 2021, according to industry analyst Drewry.

Source: https://gcaptain.com/maersks-apm-terminals-divests-stake-in-russian-container-terminal-operator-global-ports/

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


The St. Lawrence Seaway transported 514,000 tonnes of grain out of the Great Lakes between March 22 to the end of July this year. This represents a 37% increase from the same period last year.

“As the season progresses, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System continues to provide shippers a reliable route for a diverse range of commodities flowing in and out of the US heartland,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, deputy administrator for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development. “Cargo numbers continue to improve thanks to the port workers and seafarers who are keeping essential products like grain and steel moving efficiently through the Seaway’s maritime supply chain.”

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership’s August report shows that the surge in US grain shipments will help alleviate global food concerns in the wake of the Ukraine war. A minimum of 27 nations have received US Great Lakes grain during the month of July, up from 26 in June.

“We are also seeing some new grain products and bulk materials in our mix this season,” said Joseph Cappel, VP of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.  “Our strategy of obtaining equipment and constructing facilities that have multiple purposes has worked to our advantage. We can handle just about any type of cargo.”

Ports on the Great Lakes are also increasing investments in facilities and equipment. This is due to a surge in grain exports, road congestion, increasing energy prices, and a supply chain crisis.

“We’re seeing the results of a surge in maritime business that once was the hallmark of Oswego. Our continuing investments of over $26 million include upgrades to our facilities to make the port once again a leader on the lakes,” said William W. Scriber, executive director of the Port of Oswego. “We’re particularly proud that our revenue not only supports our operations but also supports local jobs and businesses without relying on tax dollars.”

What Is The St. Lawrence Seaway?

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America. The Seaway is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which flows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. It is estimated that more than 160 million metric tons of commercial cargo are transported on the waterway each year.

The Great Lakes-Seaway System serves a region that includes eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. If the region were a country, it would have the 3rd largest economy in the world with a GDP of $5.5 trillion – larger than that of Japan, Germany, Brazil, or the United Kingdom. The region is home to 107 million people and accounts for almost 40 percent of the total cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada.

Source: https://gcaptain.com/grain-is-gushing-out-of-the-great-lakes-this-year/

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


Lockport, La., headquartered Bordelon Marine LLC has signed a two-year extension of its charter of the M/V Shelia Bordelon to Helix Robotics Solutions, the U.S. robotics division of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX).

The 260-foot DP2 Jones Act compliant Ultra-Light Intervention Vessel (ULIV) is mobilized with two Triton 200hp ROVs with high spec survey capabilities operated by Helix.

With decades of IRM expertise, Helix Robotics Solutions is well equipped to service clients’ light construction and renewables projects both in the U.S. and internationally with a focus on Inspection, Repair & Maintenance (IRM) operations for clients operating in U.S. waters.

“We are very excited to extend our long working relationship with Helix and their excellent marine group onboard the M/V Shelia Bordelon,” said Bordelon Marine president and CEO Wes Bordelon. “The vessel and the Helix team have a proven track record of safe and effective operations. We look forward to continuing this good work in the renewables and O&G markets for many years to come.”

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/offshore/bordelon-marine-extends-charter-agreement-with-helix/

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


The American Waterways Operators reports that its Tankering & Barge Operations Subcommittee has presented AWO affiliate member ERL Inc. with the panel’s third annual safety award.

The award was given ERL for he creation and testing of its EverGreen Seal. The EverGreen Seal replaces current braided Teflon gaskets and reduces cargo vapor emissions from tank barge hatches by more than 90%, improving safety for mariners and shore tankering personnel as well as environmental sustainability.

The award was presented during AWO’s Summer Safety Committees’ meeting in Chicago by the subcommittee’s newly elected chairman, PSC Group vice president of marine & plant operations Josh Dixon, to ERL Inc. Vice President Houston, Craig Theiler.

Stephen Wilkins, CEO of ERL Inc., said, “I would like to thank the AWO Tankering and Barge Subcommittee for choosing ERL Inc. for the Third Annual Safety Award. It is an honor to be a part of AWO, which continues to improve maritime safety and environmental sustainability. We are proud of the team at ERL that develop and manufacture innovative products, like the EverGreen Seal, that reduce emissions, prevent spills, and increase tankerman and deckhand safety.”

“We were honored to have received the 2022 AWO Annual Safety Award,” said Craig Theiler, VP Houston, ERL Inc. “This accolade not only highlights ERL’s desire to partner with our customers in innovating new products, but it also demonstrates AWO’s and the entire domestic maritime industry’s commitment to improving operations in a safe and sustainable manner. We look forward to continuing our relationship with our industry partners to develop new products and innovate on existing ones in our collective effort to continuously improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of domestic maritime transportation.”

ERL Inc. vice president Todd Marshall said: “Thanks to AWO for being good stewards of our working environment through actively promoting engineered solutions for a safer world for us all. We at ERL take the safety of our mariners and the preservation of the environment very seriously and are honored to be recognized by our peers with this safety award.”

“AWO applauds ERL Inc. on this well-deserved award,” said AWO president & CEO Jennifer Carpenter. “ERL Inc. and their EverGreen Seal are a shining example of the ingenuity and innovation that are propelling the tugboat, towboat and barge industry forward into the future. Their leadership is a fantastic representation of AWO members’ commitment to mariner safety and environmental sustainability.”

The first and second annual safety awards were presented in 2020 and 2021 by the Subcommittee on Tankering & Barge Operations to AWO affiliate members CITGO Petroleum Corporation’s Lake Charles, La., marine department and facility and Arcosa Marine Products, Inc., respectively.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/inland/evergreen-seal-gains-erl-an-awo-safety-award/

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


Late this evening, engineers aboard the Stena Scandica were able to restart two of the engines aboard the vessel, which had been drifting in rough seas after a truck caught fire on the vehicle deck and caused the ship to black out. The situation had become tense and by early evening the maritime authorities had begun an emergency evacuation while waiting for a tug that had been dispatched to tow the vessel. While they had been able to extinguish the fire with no injuries to passengers or crew, the 35,500 gross ton RoPax was about 14 nautical miles from Gotland, Sweden and drifting toward the shoreline of the island.

The fire was reported at mid-day while the 17-year old ferry was sailing just north of the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic. Stena confirmed that a fire had been discovered on the vehicle deck of the vessel at around 12:30 p.m. The Swedish Maritime Rescue Society said conditions at the site are “relatively difficult,” with reports of waves up to 10 feet and winds around 35 mph. There are 241 passengers aboard in addition to 58 crew.

Pictures and social media postings show that the passengers were moved to what Stena called an “allocated area,” but images showed them on the outdoor top deck in lifejackets exposed to the elements. A small amount of smoke could be seen over the side of the vessel.

 

 

The fire caused the ferry to lose power and the Swedish Coast Guard said her anchor was not working. The Stena Scandica was drifting south toward Gotland at about 2 to 3 knots.

Three sea rescue vessels from Sweden were among the first to reach the scene and continue to standby. The Maritime Administration has also had three helicopters on site prepared to assist with an evacuation. The Coast Guard has both an airplane and a rescue boat monitoring the situation as well as pilot boats from shore. The authorities reportedly also asked the ferry Visby that was in the area to divert and standby in case an evacuation was required. A cargo ship also responded to the initial distress call.

They had been preparing for an evacuation but reported after an hour and a half that the fire was extinguished by the crew using the vessel’s onboard systems. Stena is reporting that it believes the fire began in the refrigeration unit of a truck on the vehicle deck. A team of specially trained firefighters from Sweden’s Marine Incident Response Group was also airlifted onto the vessel and is working with the crew to confirm the fire is out.

 

 

Swedish authorities said after the fire was extinguished that they did not believe an evacuation would be required and they were expecting a rescue tug would reach the vessel at approximately 8:40 p.m. Stena in Latvia was advising that the ferry would return to the port of Ninashamn in Sweden early Tuesday morning.

After about 7:00 p.m. the Swedish authorities however decided that they should commence an evacuation of the passengers from the ferry, but due to the rough seas they were only able to remove them by the helicopter. Approximately 25 people were flown across to the Visby, which had continued to standby. News reports said that families with children and the elderly were being evacuated, but the operation was later suspended because of nightfall.

The Stena Scandica is now reported to be proceeding at a speed of five to six knots with the trip expected to take up to six hours depending on weather conditions. She is being accompanied by the tugboat and the coastguard on the trip to Nynashamn with media reports saying the mood aboard the ship is calm. The Visby proceeded to Visby, Sweden where she arrived around midnight.

The Stena Scandia was sailing between the Port of Norvik in Sweden and the Port of Ventspils in Latvia when the fire broke out.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/stena-ferry-drifting-in-the-baltic-after-truck-fire-was-extinguished

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


More than 14 months after the X-Press Pearl was lost nearly 10 nautical miles off Colombo, Sri Lanka the clean-up continues with additional insurance compensation being paid out to the country to be used to compensate fishermen that lost their work due to the wreck. At the same, the government is continuing its legal claims while reporting it expects it will be years before all the cleanup is completed.

The containership X-Press Pearl caught fire while anchored off Colombo in May 2021. The fire burned for nearly two weeks and when salvage teams attempted to tow the vessel out to deep water it sunk, contributing to the largest environmental disaster in Sri Lanka’s history. Millions of pounds of nurdles, a small plastic pellet used in the production of plastic, were dumped into the ocean and washed up on the country’s beaches.

Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda of Sri Lanka reported that it has received the third and largest interim payment from the insurance company. The payment recently sent to the ministry totaled approximately $2.5 million. They had previously received two interim payments, each valued at just under $1 million. To date, the insurance company has provided a total of nearly $3.6 million in interim payments. The ministry reports they are being dispersed to more than 15,000 fishermen that are unable able to fish in four western regions of the country.

Speaking about the clean-up, the ministry said it has spent more than $260,000 on the beach clean-up to date and expects it will continue for years. The Marine Environment Protection Agency reports that it continues to consult with other agencies and receive legal advice on the process. So far, they have removed more than 1,600 metric tons of nurdles and chemicals released from the ship, all of which is being stored while they continue to receive legal advice on the country’s damage claims.

The plastic pollution and other chemicals continue to spread with the ministry saying the clean-up remains very complex. Part of the challenge stems from the range of pollutants involved, which includes oil, hazardous chemicals, and plastics, as well as the lack of clarity regarding the nature and status of a substantial part of the vessel’s cargo. Clearance of the wreck will only be the first step in the clean-up.

Work to remove sections of the X-Press Pearl is due to resume later this year after the current monsoon season. Starting late last year, loose debris was being removed while a survey was completed of the seafloor and the first stage of the wreck removal began. The salvage team reported the vessel has cracked midships, which resulted in a change to the salvage plan. They were attaching lifting wires under the hull earlier this year and working to remove the accommodation block.

The next phase of the salvage project will focus on splitting the wreck entirely into two sections and preparing for the lifting of each section. The goal is to lift the wreck with a lifting barge for removal in early 2023. The sections, cargo remaining aboard, and any other cargo and debris will be recovered from the bottom with a goal of completing the project by September 2023. The owners of the ship, X-Press Feeders, contracted with Shanghai Salvage Company for the removal of the wreck, and all the debris will be properly treated and recycled.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sri-lanka-receives-2-5m-in-interim-compensation-for-x-press-pearl

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


A ship is regarded as substandard if the hull, machinery, equipment or operational safety and the protection of the environment is substantially below the standards required by the relevant conventions or if the crew is not in conformity with the safe manning document.

Evidence that the ship, its equipment, or its crew do not comply substantially with the requirements of the relevant conventions or that the master or crew members are not familiar with essential shipboard procedures relating to the safety of ships or the prevention of pollution may be clear grounds for the PSC inspector to conduct a more detailed inspection. Good ship and crew preparation is always essential, in keeping up to date with all International, National and Port State requirements. Having a checklist goes a long way.

This Report on Port State Control (PSC) provides information to Owners/Managers on deficiencies identified during inspections carried out by the various PSC regimes globally during the 2nd Quarter of 2022.

Source: ABS

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


The Suzaku, a 95-meter, 749 metric ton container ship, made a 490-mile roundtrip voyage between Tokyo Bay and Matsusaka port in the city of Tsu on Feb. 26.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the trip–except perhaps for the fact that the Suzaku had no crew.

Seismic Shifts

The Nippon Foundation, which deployed the vessel, said Suzaku operated under a fully autonomous navigation system including remote operation from the Fleet Operation Center in Chiba Prefecture.

The group said remote operation of ships from land can address such issues as crew shortages, aging crews and reducing accidents. The demonstration also shows have far ships have come since the days when sailors used the stars to find their way home.

The industry is facing seismic shifts as it increases technology while looking to reduce carbon emissions.

“Reduced crew levels through increased use of better systems as well as autonomous systems has been taking place for a number of years and in recent years more ambitious developments have started to take place,” said Stephen Turnock, head of department at the University of Southampton. “Initially on small vessels but increasingly scaling up.”

‘More Electric’

Turnock cited Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company, said in May that it had successfully launched its first 78-meter Amarda vessel in Vietnam. The company said it is the first of 23 optionally-crewed, low-emission robotic ships.

Roughly 80% of the volume of international trade in goods is carried by sea and the percentage is even higher for most developing countries, so the economic importance of shipping cannot be understated.

The shipping industry also accounts for about 3% of the world’s carbon emissions.

Andrew Alleyne, dean of the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering, said that while the industry is making a great deal of progress in the area of electrification, very few long-distance cargo ships will be electric.

“There isn’t the battery energy density to support this,” he said. “They will likely be ‘more electric.’ That is, there will be a power generation device, or devices, like a large generator that will distribute the power around the ship to thrusters, comms, refrigeration, etc. It will be a small floating microgrid.”

1 china port shipping sh

‘No Silver Bullet’

Last year, the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80% of the global shipping industry, submitted plans to the International Maritime Organization that detailed measures the group said governments must take to help the industry achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

“There’s not one silver bullet here,” said Guy Platten, the chamber’s secretary general. “It’s going to be a multifaceted approach, but there’s no doubt that electric-powered ships have got their place.”

Platten said there are electric-powered ships in service now, but they tend to be short-haul vessels like ferries. He noted that there are other zero-carbon fuel sources, such as ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol.

“We’re confident that we can get to a net zero position by 2050 but it needs a number of things to happen to make that work,” he said, including research and development, availability of fuels and “some sort of carrot and stick” incentive to bridge the gap between the zero-carbon fuels which are currently more expensive to produce than fossil fuels.

Changes in the Workplace

Autonomous ships open up a new set of possibilities and challenges.

“There’s more autonomy being built into ships as each year passes,” Platten said, “but I think we’re a long way from seeing fully autonomous ships really operating commercially.”

More technology will also result in fewer and different kinds of jobs. The AFL-CIO’s Maritime Trades Department recently approved a resolution regarding the issue of automation and the workplace.

“Unions have been addressing and adapting to changes in the workplace – including job displacement caused by automation and digitization – for more than a century,” the group said. “But, all too often, technological advancements are used as cover by the rich and powerful to concentrate their wealth and turn good, family-supporting jobs into insecure, low-wage or precarious jobs.”

And there are the dangers of hacking as pirates move from the ocean blue to the dark web.

Rushing to Adopt the Technology

The shipping industry — among others — got walloped in 2017 when Maersk, the world’s largest container company, reportedly spent more than $300 million on repair and recovery from the NotPetya cyberattack.

“There’s all this excitement about autonomous vessels, but people are rushing to adopt that technology without fully realizing the implications it will have for safety and security,” said Rick Tiene, vice president with Mission Secure, a cybersecurity firm headquartered in Charlottesville, Va.

Tiene warned that there is less ability to notice and manually override a problem in an autonomous situation.

As companies move toward making a vessel autonomous, he said, “you will probably be upgrading any last vestiges of non-automated processes that are on that vessel, but as you increase automation, you’re also creating more potential cyber risk surfaces.”

“It’s a marketplace that runs on extremely tight margins,” Tiene said.” We’ve talked to somecompanies that don’t recognize the value or the need for cybersecurity, but we’ve talked to plenty that say, ‘we want to do this.’”

‘A Human in the Loop’

So, will we ever see the day when massive ships operate with no humans on board?

Turnock at the University of Southampton, said this may happen on smaller, less valuable vessels, but, as far as the larger ships, there will probably still remain specific roles that cannot be on-shored or replaced.

“The crew requirements of ships of the future are likely to change significantly,” he said. “There is a shortage of qualified crew as less people are prepared to sacrifice large periods of time away from friends and family. Autonomous systems can improve the work demands for those who do remain on board.”

“I think there will always be a desire to have a human in the loop,” Alleyne from the University of Minnesota said. “Things can go wrong on a ship that are not planned for. So it is always good to have a person on board. Even if not for the navigation, then for the subsystem maintenance.”

The technology exists to do this now under nominal conditions, he added, “it is just the unanticipated rare events that cause concerns.”

Source: https://www.thestreet.com/investing/autonomous-vessels-sailing-into-uncharted-waters

 

 

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


The Port of Valencia has consolidated its position as the best connected port in the Mediterranean according to the Port liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and is in 20th position worldwide in the second quarter of the year in terms of connectivity, according to the company’s release.

A position that reinforces Valenciaport as a benchmark for improving the competitiveness and opportunities of Spanish import/export companies. Maritime connectivity fosters new advantages for the ports and their hinterland by favouring greater participation in international trade and better access to markets, which reduces the transport costs of goods.

Moreover, the Port of Valencia continues to occupy first place in this ranking among Spanish ports, and fourth place in Europe after Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg. According to the UNCTAD index, the Asian ports lead the ranking of connectivity with Shanghai at the head of the world classification followed by the ports of Ningbo, Singapore, Pusan, Qingdao and Hong Kong. Rotterdam is in seventh position, Antwerp in ninth and Hamburg in fifteenth place. After Valencia, as the fourth European port and twentieth in the world, among the Spanish ports, Algeciras is in 22nd position, while Barcelona is in 25th place.

In the case of Valenciaport, the precinct maintains connections with almost 1,000 ports in 168 different countries (87% of the countries in the world). In fact, from the Valencian docks, which operate with a hundred regular lines managed by 35 different shipping companies, goods have been sent or arrived from China or the United States, but the capillarity of the Port of Valencia also allows goods to be sent to remote islands such as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, the Virgin Islands or Guam, among others.

Valenciaport acts as a facilitator of commercial exchange in its area of influence, which represents 55% of Spain’s GDP, and its commitment to strengthening connectivity by adapting its infrastructures and services to the needs of the market with the aim of attracting the largest number of shipping companies and shipping lines. In fact, 41% of the export/import traffic of the Spanish port system passes through the Valencian docks, which this year has also consolidated its position as the fourth European port in container movement.

 

CREWEXPRESS STCW REST HOURS SOFTWARE - Paris and Tokyo MoU have announced that they will jointly launch a new Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) from 1st September 2022 to 30th November 2022


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