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LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) – More than 1,900 workers at Britain’s biggest container port are due on Sunday to start eight days of strike action which their union and shipping companies warn could seriously affect trade and supply chains.

The staff at Felixstowe, on the east coast of England, are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay, becoming the latest workers to strike in Britain as unions demand higher wages for members facing a cost-of-living crisis.

“Strike action will cause huge disruption and will generate massive shockwaves throughout the UK’s supply chain, but this dispute is entirely of the company’s own making,” said Bobby Morton, the Unite union’s national officer for docks.

“It [the company] has had every opportunity make our members a fair offer but has chosen not to do so.”

On Friday, Felixstowe’s operator Hutchison Ports said it believed its offer of a 7% pay rise and a lump sum of 500 pounds ($604) was fair. It said the port’s workers union, which represents about 500 staff in supervisory, engineering and clerical roles, had accepted the deal.

Unite, which represents mainly dock workers, says the proposal is significantly below the current inflation rate, and followed a below inflation increase last year.

“The port regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains,” a Hutchison Ports spokesperson said.

The port said it would have a contingency plan in place, and was working to minimise disruption during the walkouts which will last until Aug. 29.

Shipping group Maersk MAERSKb.CO, one of the world’s biggest container shippers, has warned the action would have a significant impact, causing operational delays and forcing it to make changes to its vessel line-up.

Figures released on Aug. 17 showed Britain’s consumer price inflation hit 10.1% in July, the highest since February 1982, and some economists forecast it will hit 15% in the first three months of next year amid surging energy and food costs.

The squeeze on household incomes has already led to strikes by the likes of rail and bus workers demanding higher pay rises.

Source: https://gcaptain.com/workers-at-uks-biggest-container-port-felixstowe-due-to-begin-8-day-strike/

Russian tanker PRIMORYE was arrested by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Aug 21 24nm off the coast of Tanjung Sedili, Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia, Singapore and Singapore Strait outer Anchorage, South China sea. It’s so to say, routine arrest and routine accusation – the ship anchored without obtaining official permission, though nobody so far, explained the necessity of coastal State permission to anchor outside its’ territorial waters. Tanker will be released, judging from countless other arrests of this type, after paying a “fine”. Tanker anchored off Singapore on Aug 19, having a status of “Waiting for Orders”.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on STCW.

This campaign will be held for three months, commencing from 1 September 2022 and ending 30 November 2022. The CIC inspections will be applicable for all ships and conducted in conjunction with the regular Port State Control inspection.

The campaign on STCW aims to confirm that:

the number of seafarers serving on board and their certificates are in conformity with the relevant provisions of STCW Convention and Code and the applicable safe manning requirements as determined by the Flag State Administration;
all seafarers serving on board, who are required to be certificated in accordance with STCW Convention, hold an appropriate certificate or a valid dispensation, or provide documentary proof that an application for an endorsement has been submitted to the Flag State Administration;
the seafarers on board hold a valid medical certificate as required by STCW Convention;
the watch-keeping schedules and hours of rest indicate compliance with the requirements of STCW Convention and Code;
The CIC will assist in raising the awareness of shipowners, operators and crew on the specific requirements in the STCW Convention and Code.

The questionnaire is annexed to the Press Release.

Source : https://www.parismou.org/sites/default/files/Press%20release%20-%20Paris%20MoU%20-%20Concentrated%20Inspection%20Campaign%20on%20STCW.pdf

In case large amounts of water should penetrate the ship’s hatch covers, both ship and crew could be in danger but limited water ingress would normally not cause a safety problem for the ship.

However, from a cargo quality point of view, even small amounts of water can ruin a cargo
and cause commercial havoc. In general, one can say that the Class and statutory rules and associated inspections will mainly look to the safety of the vessel and crew. The industry (charterers, shippers, receivers, underwriters,…) will take statutory and class compliance for granted and will focus more on the commercial aspects of carrying goods by sea.

Whilst decades ago, only a few types of hatch covers were made, a wide variety of hatch covers were being developed to accommodate the requirements of specific ships, trades and cargoes. Nowadays, the most commonly seen types of hatch covers for general cargo ships, handysize, panamax and capesize bulk carriers consist of folding hatch covers (general cargo & handysize) and side rolling hatch covers (panamax & capesize). For container vessels we generally see that lift-away type pontoons are installed.

Ultimately it will be the shipowner who will decide, in concertation and dialogue with the shipyard, classification society, fl ag administration, customers,… which hatch cover type will suit the client’s business model best and eventually hatch covers that are right for the ship, trade and cargo will be developed around a number of key parameters. Items that may influence the design are amongst others size of hatches, carriage of deck cargoes, strength requirements, available crew for preparing hatches to go to sea, opening/closing methods.

Hatch cover designs have evolved from very basic and relatively lightweight designs to huge, heavy and moving pieces of equipment. Hatch covers are generally referred to as heavy-duty shipboard equipment and this is generally associated with material that can withstand rough handling and does not need constant care and maintenance. However, this is not true as modern hatch covers are high-tech equipment for which very small tolerances should be observed. Their maintenance is type-specific and their operation should be considered a risk. Therefore, having a good understanding of how hatch covers work, and how to maintain and operate them is very important.

Cargo should not only be carried and delivered in time and in good condition but should also be transported in an environmentally friendly manner. In view of the size and weight of
hatch covers, many types are still operated by hydraulic systems which, in case of failure
and associated spillage, have a pollution potential.

Only the combination of proper inspection, correct operation and regular maintenance of hatch covers will ensure that the goods loaded onboard ships can be transported in line with good industry standards.

Below you can download a Guide paper from the Japan P&I club, providing very useful information for Owners, Managers and Crew onboard Bulker vessels, discussing important aspects of Bulk Carrier Hatch Covers maintenance and claims:

Source: Japan P&I club

Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70 conducted flag talks with their counterparts from Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), Fleet Escort Force, aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 5.

During the talks, the staff discussed maritime strategy and best practices for force operations and bi-lateral integration at sea.

“CTF-70 staff’s close relationship with Vice Admiral Fukuda and his team ensures our ability to demonstrate integrated capabilities across multiple domains, strengthens both maritime forces, and enhances our collective defense,” said Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, commander, Task Force 70.

“This visit allowed us to continue to focus on confronting shared challenges and solidifying a relationship that underpins our close alliance–an alliance built on shared interests, shared values, and a commitment to freedom.”

Discussions focused towards potential future exercises, operations, and engagements the 7th Fleet task force will conduct with the JMSDF.

“The unprecedented strong relationship between the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Navy has contributed to improving the deterrence and coping power of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and strengthening its resilience. It contributes to not only defense of Japan but also to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and world,” said Vice Adm. FUKUDA Tatsuya, commander, Fleet Escort Force.

This was the second flag talks conducted by these two staffs this calendar year, and the third held since November.

CTF 70 has also worked with their JMSDF counterparts from within the Information Warfare (IW) community as well. Over the past year, CTF 70 and JMSDF IW teams have made progress in expanding collective warfighting capabilities through routine exercises and exchanges. In April, CTF 70 and JMSDF IW teams conducted a conference aboard Ronald Reagan where they spoke face to face on topics of information warfare.

“These engagements have been fantastic for both teams, not only in building an improved baseline of knowledge, but also building trust in each other,” said Capt. Kurt Mole, Information Warfare Commander, Task Force 70.

“This is my third tour of duty in Japan, and the IW relationship is stronger today than ever before. I’m confident that we’ll continue to achieve even greater heights in the future.”

In May of this year, units from Carrier Strike Group 5 and JMSDF conducted group sail exercises as well as a cross-deck helicopter exercise involving a JMSDF helicopter.

Also in May, a group of JMSDF Sailors embarked aboard Ronald Reagan where they observed U.S. Navy operations including firefighting and damage control during general quarters, flight operations, watch-standing and navigation events.

The U.S. and Japan Maritime Self-Defense have been partnered in the Indo-Pacific for more than 60 years.

U.S. 7th Fleet exercises operational control of its units through designated Task Forces or Task Groups. These groups are organized along domain and functional lines. CTF 70 is theater strike warfare commander and theater air and missile defense commander.

CTF 70 is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet in the world, and with the help of and network of alliances and partners from 35 other maritime nations, the U.S. Navy has operated in the Indo-Pacific region for more than 70 years; providing credible, ready forces to help preserve peace and prevent conflict.

Source:

The world’s largest international maritime exercise concluded Aug. 4 following more than a month of realistic, relevant combined operations training conducted in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

Twenty-six nations, 38 surface ships, three submarines, nine national land forces, more than 30 unmanned systems, approximately 170 aircraft and over 25,000 personnel participated in the 28th edition of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

RIMPAC 2022 Combined Task Force Commander, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Michael Boyle expressed that returning to a full-scale exercise, with multiple exercise firsts, has been a success across all domains.

“By coming together as Capable, Adaptive Partners, and in the scale that we are, we are making a statement about our commitment to work together, to foster and sustain those relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of the sea lanes and the security of the world’s interconnected oceans,” Vice Adm. Boyle said.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Admiral Toshiyuki Hirata filled the role of Vice Commander, and commanded the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) portion of the exercise that operated with local hospital personnel. This year’s RIMPAC included two Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ships and the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Western Army.

Rear Adm. Hirata said that in the current security environment, it is important for the international community to work together. “It is of great significance to deepen and strengthen the relationship of trust.”

For the first time, Republic of Korea Rear Adm. Sangmin An served as the Commander of the exercise’s combined amphibious task force, with the Republic of Singapore Navy Col. Kwan Hon Chuong serving as the amphibious force’s Sea Combat Commander, and Royal Australian Navy Capt. Michael Osborn serving as the Sea Logistics Commander.

RIMPAC’s Deputy Commander, Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Christopher Robinson, said the collaboration and cohesiveness between partner nations enhanced their operations.

“This exercise provides tremendous training value, enabling partners to build skills and refine procedures through working together. Part of this comes from seeing how other partners approach similar scenarios, offering new perspectives”, Robinson said.

“The value of this collaboration goes further, in that it also enables us to build and foster those relationships and networks that are so incredibly valuable as we operate together in future operations throughout the region.”

A few of the first-time achievements included:

Two U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft embarked in Australian amphibious ship HMAS Canberra for the whole duration of the exercise.
While participating in RIMPAC for the first time, HMNZS Aotearoa conducted numerous Replenishment at Sea operations with partner nations including France, Australia, Canada, Malaysia and the U.S.
Royal Malaysian Ship KD Leskir (F26) conducted their first live missile firing outside Malaysian waters.
First embedded use of the MQ-9A and MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicles, and the unmanned surface vessels Nomad, Ranger, Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter; with data and knowledge sharing amongst 13 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Peru, India, France, Chile, Mexico, Singapore and Indonesia.
Nine nations participated in the RIMPAC Amphibious Assault (Australia, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Tonga and U.S.).

This year’s exercise included units and personnel from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/rimpac-2022-worlds-largest-maritime-exercise-concludes/

Bourbon Marine Services Greenmar, the manning affiliate of the Bourbon Group, has agreed a deal to implement MarTrust’s E-Wallet system to digitally manage its crew payments.

Bourbon Marine Services Greenmar is responsible for managing over 1,000 seafarers on more than 100 vessels. The E-Wallet and pre-paid cards provided by Marcura subsidiary MarTrust will be used to optimise payment processes, enabling crews to receive and manage their funds using a mobile app or any web browser.

Cash can be accessed at any Mastercard-supported ATM around the world, and the card can be topped up in different currencies. Users also have the ability to transfer money to family and friends as they wish using the system.

“Our key goal is to attract and retain the very best seafarers and to actively contribute to their personal growth within our organisation. This means ensuring that all areas that impact their lives while at sea are at the highest level, from communication and sourcing of stores, health and safety, as well as how they are remunerated and receive their hard-earned salaries,” said Suraj Maharaj, Managing Director, Bourbon Marine Services Greenmar.

“We recently introduced an attractive pension scheme for our seafarers, as well as a digital signature platform for employment agreements, and now the E-Wallet is the latest digital development to ensure that they receive their wages safely and securely, and with the freedom and ability to do with it what they choose.”

Source: https://smartmaritimenetwork.com/2022/08/10/bourbon-implements-digital-crew-payments-system/

The Port of Long Beach reported July throughput numbers on Tuesday, showing its most active July on record despite a “cooldown” in consumer spending.

Dockworkers and terminal operators at the port moved 785,843 TEU in July, a slim 0.13% increase from the previous record set in July 2021.

Total throughput was boosted by rising empty export containers, offsetting a year-over-year imports decline. Imports fell 1.8% to 376,175 TEUs, while empty containers moved through the port rose 2.8% to 300,257 TEUs. Exports were down 0.5% to 109,411 TEUs.

Looking by month, July’s numbers came in about 6% below June, which capped the port’s strongest quarter on record in Q2 2022, marking two consecutive quarters of record setting cargo volumes despite headwinds from inflation and fears of a looming recession.

“We are continuing to seek solutions to improve efficiency as a record-breaking number of containers move through the Port,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “We hope to relieve some of the stress points by continuing to support a transition of the entire supply chain to 24/7 operations and ensuring our industry partners can track containers with our new Supply Chain Information Highway data solution.”

With July’s final numbers in, the Port of Long Beach has now broken monthly records in six out of the last seven months. Year-to-date, cargo volumes are up 4.6% compared to the same period in 2021, when the Port of Long Beach handled record cargo volumes of more than 9.3 million TEU.

“Our waterfront workforce continues to ensure trade moves through the Port at a record-setting pace,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman. “We continue to strengthen our partnerships with labor and industry to ensure our spot as a leader in trans-Pacific trade.”

The National Retail Federation said Monday it expects 2022 container imports into United States to surpass 2021 despite a “significant” slowdown over the remainder of the year.

Many retailers this year have brought in cargo early and shifted to East and Gulf Coast ports to avoid any potential disruptions related to ongoing contract negotiations between dockworkers and employers at West Coast ports. The NRF is predicting the slowdown to start in August and continue through the remainder of the year before deepening in 2023.

This West to East cargo shift has knocked the Port of Long Beach out of second place in the rankings of top U.S. container ports as Long Beach’s volumes now trail behind the Port of New York and New Jersey, which has not yet reported July numbers. The Port of Savannah has also been a benificiary of this shift, with the port reporting an 18% surge in cargo volumes in July compared to 2021.

Unfortunately, the shift has also contributed to growing backups on the East Coast, with most ships now arriving late. On the other hand, Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles backups have eased considerably from January’s peak, but with 25 ships still waiting in the queue as of Monday, they aren’t out of the woods yet.

Source: https://gcaptain.com/empties-lift-port-of-long-beach-to-new-july-record-as-imports-fall/

Lloyd’s underwriting syndicate has signed an agreement to gain access to the Risk Intelligence System, backed by operational intelligence support services, for use in managing risk in its insurance portfolio.

The Risk Intelligence System offers an overview of immediate, short-, and medium-term security risks for coastal areas, ocean, port, and landside threats. The analysis is focused on insurgency, piracy, organised crime, activism, terrorism, military conflicts, and any interplay between these parameters.

The deal includes Risk Intelligence’s MaRisk and PortRisk systems, which will assist in writing cover for war risks and other challenging areas. Risk Intelligence will also provide bespoke reports and monthly security risk briefs to the underwriting team.

“This is a great addition to our strong book of insurance clients,” said Jim Pascoe, CCO of Risk Intelligence.

“In welcoming our new client on board, we will be providing our maritime intelligence right into the heart of marine underwriting. It’s particularly pleasing as this was a very competitive process, and our previous delivery to this client secured Risk Intelligence the ongoing contract – once again proving the quality of our analysts and advisory teams.”

“I am very much looking forward to working with our new client, assisting them as they challenge the traditional ways of dealing with war risk cover and books of business.”

Source: https://smartmaritimenetwork.com/2022/08/09/lloyds-adopts-risk-intelligence-system/

BMT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Plymouth to jointly research ship design and cybersecurity in the maritime sector.

The new agreement will look at harnessing the capabilities of the University’s recently opened £3.2 million Cyber-SHIP Lab. This facility is dedicated to simulating and understanding maritime cyber threats and facilitating future secure maritime operations through cyber resilience research, tools, and training. The facility forms part of the University’s Marine Navigation Centre, which includes a physical ship’s bridge used to simulate attacks and test equipment.

BMT was a founding industry supporter of the Cyber-SHIP Lab when it was launched in 2019, based on the firm belief that through the development of these new tools and lab, the UK can become a leading power in maritime cybersecurity.

Jake Rigby, research and development lead, BMT, said: “BMT is delighted to be working with the University of Plymouth in helping the UK drive the highest possible standards in maritime security. With this knowledge and experience in place, the UK can then offer the benefits of the insights, operational practices and training to the global shipping and marine community. Through combining our expertise and our knowledge, we are confident great strides will be made in enhancing security and cyber protection across maritime.”

Professor Kevin Jones, executive dean of science and engineering at the University and principal investigator on the Cyber-SHIP Lab project, added: “With our ever-increasing dependence on the global maritime sector, ensuring ships and port operations are cyber secure has never been more critical. Advances in cyber technology, and the emergence of new threats, mean this is a constantly evolving area that needs an innovative and joined-up approach. The partnership between the University and BMT is a perfect example of that, uniting our collective expertise in both identifying potential issues and solutions and finding the means for them to be applied in maritime engineering and design.”

The MoU was signed by professor Judith Petts CBE, vice-chancellor of the University of Plymouth, and Sarah Kenny, CEO of BMT, and will kick-start a range of collaboration opportunities from student engagement and employee development to collaborative research and joint consultancy.

Source: https://thedigitalship.com/news/maritime-satellite-communications/item/7977-university-of-plymouth-and-bmt-team-up-on-maritime-cyber-security

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Below you can download a Guide paper from the Japan P&I club, providing very useful information for Owners, Managers and Crew onboard Bulker vessels, discussing important aspects of Bulk Carrier Hatch Covers maintenance and claims:

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