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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2014 – 193
Number 193 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Saturday 12-07-2014
News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.
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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS
The VESPERTINE outbound in Rotterdam-Caland canal – Photo : Dirk van Uitert ©
Asia Dry Bulk-Capesize rates to fall on
lack of cargoes
By Keith Wallis
Rates for capesize bulk carriers on key Asian routes will continue to fall next week as the number of ships available for
charter outpaces the volume of new cargoes, brokers said. There is a lack of activity. There are quite a few fixtures,
but the market is not exactly busy," said a Singapore-based capesize broker. The broker estimated around 12 capesize
ships had been chartered by Thursday, mainly to haul iron ore to China from Brazil and Australia. That is half the
number that were chartered in the first three days of last week, Reuters freight data showed. The broker estimated
there would be around 90 capesize vessels available for charter by the end of this week. There will be a gradual slide
in rates. The market will continue to soften, although owners will resist lower rates where they can," the broker said.
Freight rates from Australia to China would fall below $7.50 per tonne and could head towards $7 per tonne next
week, the broker said. Charter rates from Brazil to China would drop towards $20 per tonne, he added. Rates for the
Western Australia-China route closed at $7.76 per tonne on Wednesday, down from $8.26 a week earlier. But the last
concluded fixture was lower at $7.64 per tonne, the cheapest rate since May 29. Freight rates for the Brazil-China
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route <.BATB> closed at $21.55 per tonne on Wednesday, compared with $23.20 last Wednesday. The last fixture hit
a three-week low of $21.19. The summer mood has reached the market with less cargoes and lower rates," Norwegian
broker Fearnley said in a weekly note on Wednesday. "The state of our market can be explained by high iron ore
inventories in China and inactive iron ore traders," Fearnley added. Iron ore stockpiles at Chinese ports topped 114.8
million tonnes in June, 57 percent higher than last year, the China Iron and Steel Association said in research
published this week, even as iron ore imports fell. Rates in the Pacific for smaller panamax vessels are also set to slide
as chartering activity eases, brokers said. The general consensus is the panamax market is softening. It shot up quite
quickly last week, but I think it will come off a bit over the next week or 10 days," a Singapore-based panamax broker
said on Thursday. Panamax charters in the Pacific were being fixed at $8,000 per day this week, about 25 percent
higher than the Baltic index level, Fearnley said. Rates for a panamax transpacific voyage closed at a six-week high of
$5,884 per day on Wednesday, compared with $3,566 per day last week. The last concluded fixture was slightly higher
at $5,900 per day. Rates have rebounded since June 27 when they bottomed at $3,236 per day following a steady
decline from $8,031 per day on May 20. Charter rates for supramax vessels were unchanged from last week at around
$11,500 per day for a voyage from Singapore to India although there were signs of an improvement in rates, Fearnley
said in its weekly note. The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index closed at 863 points on Wednesday, down from
890 a week earlier. Technical analysis showed the index is expected to keep consolidating in a range of 847-995 in a
week. Source : Reuters - (Reporting by Keith Wallis; Editing by Joseph Radford)
Statoil gets nod for Barents Sea drilling
The Norwegian government said it gave its consent to energy company Statoil to start drilling in controversial arctic
waters of the Barents Sea. The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority
said it gave Statoil consent to use Transocean's Spitsbergen drilling rig to
explore an area in the Barents Sea just north of the country.
"Drilling is planned to begin Sept. 1, with a duration of approximately 30
days, depending on whether a discovery is made," agency said in a
statement Wednesday. More than a dozen Greenpeace demonstrators
took part in a protest against Statoil's drilling plans for arctic waters by
boarding the Transocean rig in May. Around half of them surrendered
their campaign voluntarily and Statoil said the seven activists who
remained behind were arrested by Norwegian police. The action from
Greenpeace included a campaign against Russian energy company
Gazprom. Six of the 30 campaigners involved in that protest were
arrested by Norwegian police. The so-called Arctic 30, a group of
Greenpeace activists, were arrested for similar actions against Gazprom last year. There was no statement from Statoil
or Transocean on the drilling consent decision. Source : upi.
Polish shipyard awarded $165-million
BC Ferries contract
Three new vessels will serve Sunshine Coast, Southern Gulf Islands
Three new intermediate-class vessels will be built offshore by Remontowa Shipbuilding SA in Gdansk, Poland, for $165
million, BC Ferries announced Thursday. Ship contracts were expected to go offshore after North Vancouverbased
Seaspan Marine pulled out of bidding early this year. Seaspan, which also owns Victoria Shipyards, was the only
Canadian yard shortlisted for the work. Seaspan said it was too busy with upcoming federal contracts to bid for this
contract. It is also building a $15-million cable ferry for BC Ferries.
Even so, this contract is sparking renewed debate in B.C. over the decision to open bidding to international
competitors. George MacPherson, president of the Shipyard General Workers' Federation, said Thursday that BC
Ferries should have arranged for a consortium of B.C. yards to work together to build the ships, similar to what
happened with the Spirit-class ferries. "It is extremely disappointing once again," he said. BC Ferries was criticized for
building three Super-C-class ferries in Germany in 2008 for $542 million. It cited lower costs and price guarantees as
one of the reasons for going to Germany. MacPherson said the workers are available and yards are not that busy. The
contract will "feed the economy" of another country, he said from Vancouver. These three 105-metre-long ships will be
the first in the BC Ferries fleet to run either on liquefied natural gas or diesel fuel. The first ship is to be delivered to
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B.C. in August 2016, the second in October 2016, and the third in February 2017, a BC Ferries release said.
Remontowa is responsible for getting the ships to Victoria.Two of the ships will replace the 49-year-old Queen of
Burnaby, which runs between Comox and Powell River, and the 50-year-old Queen of Nanaimo, servicing the
Southern Gulf Islands-Tsawwassen route. Vessel No. 3 will be used in peak and shoulder seasons on the Southern Gulf
Islands run and serve as a relief vessel throughout the fleet.
The QUEEN OF NANAIMO entering active pass in the Gulf islands BC- Photo Robert Etchell ©
Each ferry will hold up to 145 vehicles and 600 passengers. The total project budget is $252 million. That figure
includes financing and project management costs, and $51 million for Canadian taxes and federal import duties, the
release said. "These are design-build, fixed-price contracts that provide BC Ferries with substantial guarantees related
to delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty and quality construction," Mark Wilson, the company's vicepresident of engineering, said in a statement. The company carried out an "extensive competitive bidding process to
ensure that the company secured the best bid for its customers and the taxpayers of British Columbia," the release
said. Remontowa Shipbuilding is one of the world's leading shipyards with state-of-the-art design and production
facilities, the statement said. The shipyard was established in 1952 and privatized in 2001. The other shortlisted yards
were in Turkey, Norway and Germany. Source : The Vancouver Sun ©
Navy hands over alleged sea pirates to
police
After spending 100 days in the naval cell, arrested suspected sea pirates, Ovakpor Osagada and two others, have been
handed over to the Nigerian Police for prosecution. The handing over took place on Thursday at the Nigerian Navy
Ship (NNS) Warri, Delta State, in the presence of journalists. Osagada, including the captain of the vessel, Takoradi
Doghor and the chief engineer, William Asegieme, were arrested by men of the Warri naval base on April 1, while their
vessel, MV Gare, was berthing in Warri ports. Nigerian Tribune had earlier reported that Osadaga had, through his
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counsel, Oghenejabor Ikimi, approached Otor-Udu High Court to challenge his illegal detention and denial of access to
his family for 90 days without trial. Presiding judge of the court, Justice (Mrs) F.N. Azinge, gave an order for their
release on Wednesday after hearing a fundamental rights application filed on behalf of the applicant by Mr
Oghenejabor Ikimi in suit number OUHC/110/14 Mr Ovakpor Osagada vs Nay Captain Musa Gemu and two others.
The court order was later served to the commander of NNS Delta, Captain Gemu, on Wednesday after which the three
suspects were handed over to the Interpol for further investigation. Speaking at the handing over parade at the Warri
Naval Base, Captain Gemu said the suspects were arrested with a gigantic vessel after a tip-off that they were
engaged in oil bunkering.
He said the trio and the vessel were apprehended at about 200 nautical miles off the Angola territorial waters
sometime in March. According to Captain Gemu, MV Gare, which was capable of carrying 1,000 tonnes, had no
content in it during the arrest. Captain Gemu, who did not inform journalists that he was served a court order before
the hand over, handed the suspects and vessel to a team of International Police (Interpol) led by one Mr. Soji Idowu,
a insisting that MV Gare had been involved in hijacking petroleum products. Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Mr
Osagada, has said he and his crew members were suppliers of foodstuffs at the high sea.
Osagada, who is a deckhand employee of Bentech Nigeria Ltd, a marine company domiciled at Enerhen Road, Effurun,
near Warri, had through Ikimi, disclosed no fewer than 11 naval personnel were usually hired by the owner of the ship
as escorts while embarking on voyage. Meanwhile, human rights lawyer and counsel to Mr Osagada, Mr Ikimi, has
bemoaned illegal detention of suspects without trial in various cell of security agents in the country, calling for a
change. “After serving the court order on the Navy by the bailiff of the court, Osagada and other crew members of
MV Gare, we’re finally handed over to the police 100 days after being held in the custody of the navy. What a
country!,” Ikimi stated. Source : Nigerian Tribune
The MERI navigating the Oude Maas - Photo : Willem Holtkamp ©
Top shippers Maersk, MSC attempt new
sharing agreement
By Ole Mikkelsen
The world's top two container shippers, Maersk Line and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co, have struck a fresh vesselsharing agreement after a previous three-way pooling deal known as P3 was undone by China's failure to approve it.
Maersk and MSC say sharing vessels cuts costs, fuel usage and emissions. But critics, including those sending cargo,
fear the shippers could dominate key trade routes carrying consumer goods around the world. Analysts said the
shippers had a better a chance of gaining Chinese approval with the latest deal because it involves fewer ships and
volumes of goods and is structured differently. In statements issued on Thursday, MSC and A.P. Moller-Maersk, the
parent company of Maersk Line, said 185 vessels would be shared, including 20 of Maersk's giant Triple-E ships, with
an estimated capacity of 2.1 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU).
They will run the trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe routes, critical paths in the global trade of goods.
Last year's deal - between Maersk, MSC and France's CMA CGM - aimed to share about 250 vessels and would have
had more than 40 percent of Asia-Europe and trans-Atlantic trade and 24 percent of the trans-Pacific market,
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according to industry estimates. It was rejected by Chinese regulators who said they did not believe consumers'
interests would be sufficiently protected against the domination of the three shippers.
The EDITH MEARSK arriving in Rotterdam-Europoort – Photo: Cees van der Kooij ©
The combined capacity share under this deal would be below 30 percent in routes between Asia and Europe, Maersk
Line CEO Soren Skou told Reuters. "This one is only a vessel sharing agreement. The P3 plan included an operating
company which was the main reason why Chinese regulators looked at it as a merger," Skou told Reuters.
He said the Chinese Ministry of Transport would look at the deal this time: P3 had been investigated by the Commerce
Ministry. Calls to both ministries were not answered.
The MSC FLORENTINA outbound from Felixstowe Photo : Andrew Moors Harwich lifeboat ©
CHINESE RIVALS
Maersk's share price jumped 2 percent at the start of trading on the Copenhagen stock exchange. By 13:50 a.m. CET
(1150 GMT) shares were up 0.22 percent at 13,450 Danish crowns compared to a 1.1 percent loss in the main
Copenhagen index. Swiss-based MSC is not listed. "They are obviously less ambitious with this deal," said Credit Suisse
analyst Neil Glynn. "I would be surprised if Maersk Line didn't have a very strong idea of what regulators would and
wouldn't approve based on their P3 experience."
Lars Jensen from Copenhagen-based maritime analysis company SeaIntel said by dropping CMA CGM, Maersk and
MSC should placate any Chinese fears for its own shipping container industry. A vessel sharing agreement between
CMA CGM, United Arab Shipping Company and China Shipping Container Lines is already in place on the world's
busiest freight route from Asia to Europe. That agreement was expected to fall apart if the P3 alliance went ahead,
Jensen said. "By not having CMA CGM in this new vessel sharing agreement, the existing agreement between CMA
CGM, United Arab Shipping Company and China Shipping Container Lines can continue. As a consequence, pressure on
Chinese container shipping companies is not as big as if P3 was approved," he said. CMA CGM declined to comment
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while reaction from the Chinese shipping industry was mixed. Cai Jiangxiang, vice-chairman of the China Shippers'
Association which had lobbied the government to block the P3 alliance, drew a distinction between the capacity share
and actual market share, which he said may end up being higher. "We need international shipping regulators to
investigate whether their market share will be above 30 percent," he said. "If they're able to utilize their capacity really
well, they could grab a higher market share, even like 60 percent." But John Lu, a former chairman of the Asian
Shippers' Council, said the fact that there will be no commercial links between Maersk and MSC should ease fears of
any potential of their collusion on freight rates. "So long as the (agreement) is accepted by the market it will be good
news because it will provide better services," with more sailings and services to more ports, Lu said. Source :
Reuters (Additional reporting by Shida Chayesteh in Copenhagen, Keith Wallis in Singapore, Brenda Goh
in Shanghai and Gus Trompiz in Paris; Writing by Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Sophie Walker)
The SVITZER LONDON passing the SD SPARTA in Rotterdam-Beercanal – Photo : Cees van der Kooij ©
Vietnamese ships maintain law
enforcement duties at rig site
Chinese marine surveillance aircraft CMS-B3808 on July 10 was seen to flight above Vietnamese law enforcement ships
that are operating in the national waters, close to where drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 is illegally standing,
reported the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Department. At 11:45, 12:40 and 13:05, the CMS-B3808 circled above the
Vietnamese ships at the height of 200-300m before leaving, it said. At the same time, more than 100 Chinese ships of
all kinds, including five battleships, continued surrounding the drilling rig, which was positioned in Vietnam ’s exclusive
economic zone and continental shelf in early May. The Chinese ships formed lines around the rig and aggressively
prevented Vietnamese ships from approaching the rig to conduct communications missions to demand China
immediately remove the facility from Vietnam’s waters. Despite Chinese harassment, Vietnam’s coast guard and
fisheries surveillance ships managed to operate in the area to perform their duties about 10-11 nautical miles from the
rig. Meanwhile, Vietnamese fishing vessels, facing the violent disturbance of Chinese fishing ships and two coast guard
vessels, still maintained their normal activities in their traditional ground about 42 nautical miles from the rig. At the
beginning of May 2014, China illegally dispatched the rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 as well as a large fleet of armed
vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam’s waters and positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds
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north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 miles deep into Vietnam ’s
continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Despite Vietnam ’s protest, China expanded its scale of operation and
moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east
longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam ’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. On May 26, Chinese
ship 11209 sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel that was operating normally in its traditional fishing ground near
Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. Source : VietnamNet
Tractor helps lifeboat plough the waves
A converted farm tractor is set to help save lives…at sea. With massive
tyres, 85 per cent filled with water, there is no way it will float – but it
can tow Lyme Regis lifeboat across the beach so it can quickly reach
sailors in distress.
Weighing six-and-a-half tonnes, the shiny new converted farm tractor will
be used to push the lifeboat out to sea at low tide and pull it back ashore
and into the boathouse after a ‘shout’ or exercise. The new machine
replaced the old Ford County tractor which had been based in Lyme
Regis for 12 years. Volunteer tractor mechanic Mark Gage said: ”We are
delighted with the new tractor. Normally a tractor is taken away for
refurbishment after ten years, but because the crew in Lyme Regis really
looked after the old 1974 machine we kept it longer.” The new former
agricultural tractor has a special metal case fitted over its body so that it can be taken out in deep water with the
driver protected. Source : midweek herald
Megaschip wordt afgebouwd in
Rotterdam
Het grootste schip ter wereld, dat in Zuid-Korea is gebouwd, wordt in de Rotterdamse haven afgemonteerd. Eigenaar
en ontwerper Allseas van de PIETER SCHELTE en het Havenbedrijf Rotterdam hebben daartoe een overeenkomst
gesloten, maakte het Havenbedrijf vrijdag bekend. Het is de bedoeling dat het schip eind dit jaar in Nederland
arriveert. Het megaschip is met 382 meter niet het langste ter wereld, maar dat wordt volgens een woordvoerder
gecompenseerd door de enorme breedte van het vaartuig: 124 meter. Het schip heeft een dubbele boeg en is speciaal
ontworpen voor het installeren en weghalen van grote olie- en gasplatforms op zee. Allseas, een groot toeleverancier
aan de olie- en gasmarkt, rust het schip ook uit voor het leggen van grote pijpleidingen. Het afmonteren van de Pieter
Schelte vindt plaats op het binnenmeer van de Tweede Maasvlakte. Speciaal voor het schip wordt daar een put
gebaggerd. In de Rotterdamse haven zullen de 65 meter lange balken van het hefsysteem worden geïnstalleerd. De
hijsbalken worden in Italië gebouwd en komen per schip naar Nederland. Allard Castelein, topman van het
Havenbedrijf Rotterdam, noemt de komst van de PIETER SCHELTE een geweldige stimulans voor de maritieme
industrie. De werkzaamheden zorgen naar verwachting voor veel extra omzet voor het bedrijfsleven in de regio.
Source : nu.nl
Joint venture with CMA CGM affirms Adani
plan to grow Mundra as a container hub
For port operators, tie-ups with container lines give assured business that would otherwise take up years to grow
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metres, Mundra port can berth ultra large container ships with a capacity to carry 18,000 TEUs. Photo: Mint Last week,
when Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s biggest private port operator, announced an equal
joint venture with French container line CMA CGM SA for a new container terminal—the fourth—at Mundra port in
Gujarat, it shed more light on APSEZ’s strategy to boost container business at its flagship port, now India’s largest. It
is global practice for container carriers to invest in developing terminals exclusively for their use. There are many
advantages in doing this. It gives the container line priority berthing over other carriers and helps it negotiate better
rates for calling at the terminal. As a result, the carrier that has invested in the terminal need not have to wait for a
berth to dock on arrival, thus avoiding waiting charges. And, competitive rates lower the cost of calling at such
facilities. The lower vessel-related charges reduce the cost of operations for lines, given the fact that marine charges in
India are one of the highest in the world. It’s no wonder then that container carriers, particularly the world’s top three,
have their own terminal operating units. Maersk Line Ltd, the world’s biggest container line, has APM Terminals
Management BV. Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA (MSC), the second largest container carrier, has Terminal Investment
Ltd SA, while CMA-CGM, the third biggest, owns CMA Terminals SA. For port operators such as APSEZ, tie-ups with
container lines, their main customers, give assured business that would otherwise take up years to grow. At no stage
does APSEZ have to go looking for business. There is no need, virtually, for sales and marketing of the terminal. It’s a
win-win for both the parties. The new investment, the first by the French company in an Indian port, adds to the 27
container terminals that CMA CGM Group has in its portfolio, and is a key step in its strategy to further expand its
position in port operations, the firm said in a statement. Last year, APSEZ entered into a similar joint venture with MSC
for its third container terminal at Mundra which has started operations with an initial capacity of 1.5 million twenty-foot
equivalent units, or TEUs, a year. A TEU is the standard size of a container and a common measure of capacity in the
container business. The capacity of the terminal would be expanded to handle up to 5 million standard containers a
year as demand grows. The terminal being developed jointly with CMA CGM will have a capacity to load 1.3 million
TEUs a year. Terminal Investment has controlling or jointly-controlling interests in 31 container terminals globally,
serving most of the world’s major trade routes and located in North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East
and Asia. Terminal Investment was set up to secure berths and terminal capacity in the major ports used by MSC.
Both, MSC and CMA CGM are the biggest customers of Mundra port. So it makes sense to develop separate terminals
for their own use. For the record, though, APSEZ says that the joint venture terminals are common user facilities which
can be accessed by all carriers; but it is evident that carriers will get priority berthing by virtue of being investors in the
terminals. It is also clear that investors are being lured by the water depth at Mundra, along with world-class
infrastructure facilities such as rail and road connectivity and the vast north and north-western hinterland (cargo
generating region). The rail link to Mundra port can carry two containers, one on top of the other (called double stack)
at a time, on each flat wagon. At a water depth of 16.5 metres, Mundra can berth ultra large container ships with a
capacity to carry 18,000 TEUs. Container carriers are investing in such big ships to achieve economies of scale as they
help carry larger numbers of containers at a time, leading to cost savings. Mundra has huge tracts of back-up land that
can be utilized for port-related activities, a large water-front and infrastructure that can be expanded quickly to grow
volumes. To top it, Mundra is free to set its own rates, unlike ports that are owned by the Indian government. MSC
has already started operating its Mundra facility as a trans-shipment hub into which smaller feeder vessels bring
containers which then get loaded onto larger ships and are transported to their final destinations. After becoming
India’s biggest port and the first to cross the 100 million tonnes cargo-handling mark in a year (during 2013-14),
APSEZ has set its sights on becoming the biggest container port, too, as Gautam Adani, the billionaire chairman of
Ahmedabad, Gujarat-based Adani Group that runs APSEZ, said after announcing the joint venture with CMA CGM. The
new terminal will help APSEZ ramp up container loading capacity at Mundra port to 5.5 million TEUs a year. In
comparison, state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru port near Mumbai, India’s busiest container gateway, loads 4.16 million
TEUs a year and has been struggling for many years to add capacity. Source : livemint
Cruise lines are courting agents again.
Will the romance last?
Last week saw three cruise lines announce plans to boost commission. Sophie Griffiths looks at why lines are coming
back to the trade, and asks agents whether they are convinced
“We want to serve you,” MSC Cruises proudly declared to the trade last week. It was the strapline of its new agent
initiative, which will see the line doubling its trade sales force, and increasing commission on both its shore excursions
and the overall sale of its cruise packages. Just days before MSC’s announcement, P&O and Cunard, the former
employers of MSC executive director for the UK, Ireland and Australia Giles Hawke, announced they too would be
offering agents a commission boost, with a bonus of up to 6% on top of the standard 7.5% remuneration levels for
12-07-2014
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sales of P&O’s Select Price and Cunard Fare tickets. The past 12 months have seen a flurry of headlines and press
releases as cruise lines competed over who could shout loudest about their commitment to the trade. In March 2013,
Princess revealed it was upping its commission to 10% on the cruise elements of bookings. In the summer P&O and
Cunard followed by announcing their Agent Matters campaign, before upping their commission from 5% to 7.5% in
December. Princess followed by revealing it would be paying 10% commission on flights booked on 2015 cruises.
HAL’s VEENDAM moored in Sydney – Nova Scotia – Photo : Jan-Willem Slofstra, 2nd Officer M.S. Veendam ©
Cruise chiefs continued to stress their commitment to agents in interviews with TTG. And in May even Clia UK and
Ireland announced that it would be setting up a new travel agent advisory council to discuss how the association,
which comprises all the major cruise lines, can best help the trade in the future. It is a notable turnaround from the
days of 2011, when Hawke - now the man spearheading MSC’s agent-focused campaign - announced that P&O,
Cunard and Princess Cruises would be slashing their commission to 5% and agents were left to watch as other lines,
including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, slowly followed suit.
While the cruise bosses still stressed the importance of the trade, the commission cuts told a different story, and the
letters pages of TTG were filled with angry comments from agents vowing to derack cruise brochures and accusing the
lines of moving into the direct-sell market. As before, actions are speaking louder than words, and as commission
levels slowly begin to climb, so the promises from cruise bosses that agents remain integral to their sales becomes
more believable. But are agents convinced, and are the lines doing enough to encourage those who moved away from
selling cruise in 2011 to now return to this once lucrative sector?
For Alan Bevan, owner of Cardiff-based Blue Skies Travel, who deracked P&O and Cunard brochures in 2011, the
answer seems to be yes - albeit a grudging one. “It’s clear that more and more people are booking with travel agents
rather than online - the route to market is reversing back to agents rather than online,” he says. “We did stop selling
P&O, Cunard and Princess cruises when they cut commission - we deracked the brochures, but we’ve started racking
them again in the past few months after they raised the commission.” Gary Wardrope, owner of Get Cruising in
Tunbridge Wells, agrees that the lines are making positive moves, but believes agents will be reluctant to trust cruise
companies for a long while yet. “The commission cuts left a sour taste in people’s mouth. ”It’s always good to see
commission increased, but what is currently being offered by P&O and Cunard is a short-term bonus”
John Sullivan, Advantage : “I moved into different [travel] businesses away from cruising because I didn’t want to be
exposed again [after the commission cuts]. Just because they put commission up for a few months doesn’t mean we
can trust them - I would want to see more evidence that this was a longer-term commitment,” he adds.
Emma Sanger, personal travel advisor at Wexas, is also sceptical. “They’re trying to woo the agents, but it just feels
like some of the lines are clutching at straws,” she says. “It’s a drop in the ocean - they’re making positive signs, but it
won’t make much difference to agents, we need to see evidence of a real commitment.” Advantage’s head of
commercial, John Sullivan, concedes he also has concerns about the longevity of the cruise line’s commitment to the
trade. “It’s always good to see commission increased, but what is currently being offered by P&O and Cunard is a
short-term bonus. One of the challenges is that a travel agent could sell a lot of customers into P&O and those
passengers will then return, but the commission will have gone back down again - the agent will have spent all that
time introducing a customer to P&O, but will only be rewarded in the short-term. It’s not a long-term strategy.” Chris
Truscott, sales and distribution support director for P&O and Cunard, disagrees however. He is keen to stress that the
12-07-2014
Page 10
latest offer of bonus commission might itself be a short-lived promotion, but it is all part of a wider year-long campaign
which he insists not only demonstrates his commitment to agents, but also the campaign’s longevity.
“Travel agents aren’t just in focus now - we have always been focused on them - they have always been our biggest
channel of sale,” he argues. “All the things that we have introduced have been part of our Agent Matters campaign,
which we launched last summer. This [bonus] is just another continuance of that ongoing theme; it’s part of our
sustained support plans for agents. We are absolutely committed to the trade.”
Staying loyal
Hawke is equally adamant that agents never stopped being important to the cruise lines. “I’m not sure the cruise lines
ever went away from agents,” he insists. “They just tried to make the discounting work out better and be more
efficient. One of the interesting things in the commission cuts was that it did change the model and did change
discounting,” he adds. As commission levels rise, agents do concede there is a concern that those less scrupulous in
the trade could use their increased earning to slash prices. Sanger says she would like to see lines “coming down hard”
on those that do, however Truscott and Hawke say they would rather use more gentle tactics. ”I’m not sure the cruise
lines ever went away from agents. They tried to make the discounting work out better and be more efficient”
Giles Hawke, MSC : “The previous approach was really confusing for customers,” says Truscott. “Travel agents
asked for the opportunity to retain more margins and earn more, and I’ve responded by giving them that opportunity now it’s over to them, they need to do what is right for their business.” Hawke adds: “I would hope that agents would
use the extra money to invest in their business and their marketing as opposed to going out with the lowest price.”
Agents, meanwhile, are also critical about how much they are actually able to make on their cruise sales, with
complaints that the non-commissionable elements of the cruise package remain so large, the commission that they
end up earning is often insignificant compared with the amount of time put into selling a cruise.
“It’s a real issue,” says Sullivan.
Sanger agrees: “I think 7.5% is not enough when non-commissionable elements are taken into account, and this
should be addressed,” she adds. “If the cruise lines want to restore our faith in them, they’ve still got their work cut
out.” Truscott insists it is an issue he is aware of, and says the decision in December to introduce commission on
flights within P&O and Cunard’s fly-Med programme for this summer was made in response to feedback from agents.
“There are more commissionable elements in our cruise packages than we ever had previously,” he adds.
The passion of Truscott and other cruise line bosses is evident, and agents do appear to be encouraged, if a little
reluctantly. What is clear, however, is that the cruise lines will need to continue to ensure that their actions speak as
loud as their words do. As Wardrope cautions: “I like what the cruise lines are doing, but things don’t change
overnight. “The cruise lines alienated the travel agents; now they are trying to resuscitate them. Agents have shown
them who the boss is - we are still the masters.” Source : TTG-Digital
Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden to join P&O
Cruises fleet
P&O Cruises Australia has just revealed the names of the two new ships which will boost its local fleet to a record
five year-round vessels from November next year. Joining P&O from sister brand Holland America, the names of the
additional vessels, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, were unveiled on Sydney's Bondi Beach as part of a giant sand
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mural. The winning names are the result of a Facebook quest which saw more than 30,000 suggestions received from
the Australian and New Zealand public. Source : cruiseweekly
11-07-2014: FUSION , flagged in St Vincent - Grenadines basks in the early morning sunlight as she heads into
Halifax Harbour. Photo: René Serrao, Portuguese Cove, NS.(c)
Maersk Tankers continues exit from
crude transportation
Maersk Tankers, a unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk, said it had quit four unprofitable crude oil charter contracts by
buying out supertankers and selling them onwards, continuing its exit from crude oil transportation. The company now
has charters for just two supertankers, called Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), although the intention is to get out of
these contracts too, Maersk Tankers spokeswoman Stine Pedersen said. Buying the vessels from their owners allows
Maersk to exit the charter contracts. The spokeswoman said Maersk had decided two years ago to cease transporting
crude oil and focus instead of carrying refined products such as gasoline and diesel, and that Thursday’s
announcement was in line with that strategy.
“This transaction will contribute a good upside to our bottom line in 2014,” Maersk Tankers Chief Executive Morten
Engelstoft said in a statement. The four VLCCs have been sold to Belgium’s Euronav . Three vessels will be delivered
this year with the last coming in the second quarter of 2015, Maersk said. The VLCCs are Japanese-built and on
average three years old. Maersk Tankers sold 15 VLCCs in January.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Shida Chayesteh and Sabina Zawadzki; editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Pravin
Char)
Apache seeks buyer for Wheatstone
LNG stake
HOUSTON -- Apache Corp., the energy company that has announced $9.8 billion of asset sales in the past year, is
seeking a buyer for its interests in the Wheatstone LNG project, people familiar with the matter said. The oil and gas
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producer is in early discussions with potential buyers for its holdings in Chevron's A$29 billion ($27 billion) project in
Western Australia, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. Macquarie Group and
Goldman Sachs Group are advising Houston-based Apache on the sale, they said. In the past year, Apache has sold its
Argentinian operations, deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico and a stake in its Egypt business as it seeks to reduce
net debt, which stood at $8 billion at the end of March, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Its 13% stake in the
Wheatstone project could be valued at about $2.5 billion, according to UBS. “A number of companies across the
industry are starting to pull back from some projects they previously had been pursuing with a fair bit of vigor,” John
Young, a Melbourne-based analyst at Ord Minnett, said by phone. “They could perceive they have more attractive
opportunities in the U.S.” A sale of the Wheatstone stake would reduce Apache’s capital spending commitments by
$1.4 billion this year and $800 million in 2015, UBS analysts led by William Featherston wrote in a report. Proceeds
could be used to fund further share buybacks, according to the report.
Cost Overruns
The Wheatstone plant will produce 8.9 million tpy of LNG and is due to start in 2016, according to its website. Apache
also holds a 65% interest in the Julimar and Brunello offshore fields, which it operates and which will provide gas to
the Wheatstone facility. Wheatstone is among seven LNG export developments being built in Australia at a cost of
about $190 billion to meet Asian demand. High construction costs and a strong Australian dollar have hurt project
developers including BG Group, with the bill for Chevron’s Gorgon LNG project surging to $54 billion from an estimate
of $37 billion in 2009. Chevron owns 64% of the Wheatstone project, according to its Australian unit’s website. Kuwait
Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co., known as Kufpec, holds 13% while a group of Japanese companies including Tokyo
Electric Power Co., known as Tepco, jointly hold an 8% interest. Chinese energy companies may be interested in
buying Apache’s Wheatstone holdings, Nik Burns, a Melbourne-based analyst at UBS, said today by phone. Kufpec may
also consider buying the stake, he said. Royal Dutch Shell agreed in January to sell its 6.4% stake in the Wheatstone
project and an 8% stake in the Wheatstone-Iago gas fields for $1.14 billion to Kufpec. The Wheatstone facility will
supply fuel to customers in Asia such as Tepco, Chubu Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. David Parker,
a Perth-based spokesman for Apache, referred to comments CEO Steven Farris made in a May 28 presentation. Farris
said at the time Apache was “trying to monetize” Wheatstone, according to a transcript. Parker declined to comment
further. Spokeswomen for Macquarie and Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Source : hydrocarbonprocessing
Dry bulk carriers’ prices on correction
mode as freight market is slow to rebound
The prices for dry bulk vessels, both secondhand and newbuilding is trending lower. In its recent weekly report,
shipbroker Intermodal noted that the “mini-boom in dry bulker values catapulted ship prices too fast too far over the
last one-and-a-half year. The concurrence of historically low prices in both second-hand and newbuilding markets,
which approached the post Asian crisis lows in inflation-adjusted terms, offered the perfect background for asset play,
but this is much easier said than done”. According to SnP broker, Mr. Panos Tsilingiris, “most real-world buy-low-sellhigher cases concentrated on the flipping of newbuildings contracted at rock-bottom prices when we witnessed
Handysize Newbuildings at sub-20musd levels, Ultramaxes at sub-24musd, Kamsarmaxes at rgn 26musd, and Capes at
low-mid 40s. Notably, Cargill penned in May 2013 3x180kdwt Capes at SWS, acknowledging they would not operate
these ships forever, and by the end of the same year sold them to Scorpio at 57musd each at a stunning rgn10musd
profit per vessel. Oldendorff purchased a Crown-63 resale in late 2012 for mid-24s and after trading her, sold her for
rgn31musd to Greeks. The same interests recently sold to Diana, a 180k Capesize resale under construction at
Qingdao Beihai, for 58musd and a profit in excess of 10musd”, he noted. Meanwhile, “S&P-wise, the appreciation was
spectacular on all dry asset classes last year. Regarding LME Panamaxes, ex-Ocean Planet (‘05 Sasebo) was committed
in January 2013 by Chartworld at sub-m$15 while ex-Ocean Lily (’06 Imabari) was sold to Sanko close to 25musd this
March, resulting in a 2/3 value appreciation in 14mos. While initial appreciation was substantiated, it went on
irrationally (mimicry, artificial liquidity by the speculative funds, fear of ‘losing’ the market or even having money in the
bank, taxation considerations, low interest rates, etc). On a few S&P asset play cases, in late 2012 Norwegian interests
committed the 2006-built Tsuneishi Kamsarmax ex ‘Mizunagi Maru’ arnd 18.4musd and sold her a year later at
23.5musd to Greek interests enjoying a 5musd profit. Chinese owners also got on the bandwagon, having sold two late
90s Capes (m/v Lian Fu Star and m/v Tai Fu Star) to Ukrainians at mid/high teens recording a profit of rgn/xs 5musd
per vessel in less than a year”, Tsilingiris said. He added that “the current price correction is evidenced by the sale of
the ‘Yusho Spica’ at rgn 20musd marked an abrupt 5musd discount from her same-year built sister ‘Ocean Lily’ 3
months ago. This brings asset values back to May 2013 when the ex-Shoyo (76k ’06 Namura) was sold at 20.25musd
to Diana. Most likely, the current correction will not break soon the previous lows, because the costs of creating a new
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asset, ie, newbuilding prices, are well above previous lows and there are still many buyers/funds getting ready to step
in, should a further correction in asset values occurs”. According to the broker, “well-timed acquisitions materialize
when the others are fearful, when the banks do not lend money, when speculative money becomes disappointed.
Nobody knows where we are heading but the recent past has benchmarked a lower bound for assets. As such, there
may be longer-term value in modern S&P deals priced up to a 20% premium above the rock-bottom (e.g. a 2006/7
Japanese built Panamax BC at 18musd) and at a respective 10% premium for newbuildings (e.g., rgn/sub 29-30musd
for Kamsa NBs from top Chinese yards). We may be getting close to there, but there are strong resistance forces as
well. Perhaps the wildest scenario would arise if the freight market stays depressed for another year and asset prices
deteriorate further. What would then be the reaction of the speculative funds that, having a short-term investment
horizon anyway, may massively look for an exit? In case this happens, it may signal the biggest asset play opportunity
in the coming years”, Tsilingiris concluded. Source : Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
Port Authority of Singapore leads multi-agency
team for emergency preparedness exercise at sea
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a full-day emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed
"Exercise Blue Dolphin 2014" where evacuation of some 700 passengers and crew members onboard a passenger
vessel was carried out. The exercise was carried out to test the readiness of various agencies to respond to passenger
vessel incidents in the Port of Singapore, the company said in its press release.
More than 1000 personnel from 21 agencies and companies participated in this exercise, which consisted of a table-top
drill at the Port Operations Control Centre at PSA Vista and deployment of resources to test the preparedness and
response of mass evacuation and transfer of persons at the sea. The exercise will be conducted in the Eastern Holding
Anchorage, approximately 4.5 km from Marina South Pier and at the landward locations in Marina South Pier and the
Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore. The Exercise scenario started with a fire in the engine room of a cruise ship
heading towards Singapore. To ensure the safety of passengers and crew and to obtain additional support to put out
the fire, the Master reported the incident to MPA's Port Operations Control Centre and requested for assistance in firefighting and evacuating the passengers. The evacuated passengers and crew will be brought to the landing point at
Marina South Pier where the injured will receive medical attention and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore for
temporary refuge. MPA's Chief Executive, Mr Andrew Tan said," As a major hub port along a very busy waterway,
Singapore takes the safety of vessels and passengers seriously. The exercise today gives us an excellent opportunity to
test our inter-agency response to any major emergencies at sea involving real assets and people. We cannot take
safety for granted and it involves everyone playing their part." Source : portNews
Concordia to refloat on 14 July
Costa Cruises’ Costa Concordia is to be refloated on Monday 14 July, pending final confirmation from the Italian
authorities. Over the past few days the Titan-Micoperi salvage team has tested the refloating systems, which were
completed last week after the final sponson was installed on Concordia’s port side. Following authorisation from the
Italian Monitoring Observatory and confirmation of appropriate weather conditions on 13 july, technicians
will use a pneumatic system to gradually empty all 30 sponsons of ballast water, providing the necessary buoyancy to
refloat the wreck. At the end of this operation the ship will have a draft of around 18.5 m.
Last week, Costa revealed that Titan-Micoperi will tow Concordia from Giglio Island to the San Giorgio del Porto
shipyard in Genoa. The ship will then be dismantled and recycled during a four-phase, 22-month project. Source :
Cruiseandferry
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MacGregor wins Pusnes offloading
system order from Bumi Armada
MacGregor, part of Cargotec has won an order from Bumi Armada Berhad, a Malaysia-based international offshore
oilfied services provider, to supply a Pusnes offloading system for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO)
conversion project. The Pusnes offloading system will be delivered by March 2015. The order is booked into the
second quarter 2014 order intake, the company said in its press release.
"By having Pusnes products in MacGregor's portfolio, we are able to offer complete mooring and loading systems for
floating production units," says Francis Wong, Vice President, Segment Sales, Offshore. Bumi Armada are using a
recently built ice-class tanker for the FPSO conversion, which will take place at Keppel Shipyard Ltd in Singapore. Once
completed, FPSO Armada Kraken will have a total storage capacity of 600,000 barrels and will be deployed at the
Kraken field located in the UK sector of the North Sea. "Our customer wanted to have an experienced supplier with a
good track record of delivering safe and reliable offloading systems for demanding North Sea projects," adds Erland
Berntsen, Sales Manager, Offshore Loading at MacGregor. Source : PortNews
COSCOL Signs Contract to Construct a
90000-ton DWT Semi-Submersible Vessel
On 30th June 2014, a contract to build a 90,000-ton DWT semi-submersible vessel was signed between COSCOL(HK)
INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT CO.,LTD and
Guangzhou Shipyard International Co., Ltd.
COSCOL(HK) INVESTMENT& DEVELOPMENT
CO.,LTD is a subsidiary fully owned by
COSCO SHIPPING CO.,LTD (COSCOL). The
Vessel will be delivered forth quarter 2016,
The 90,000 ton DWT semi-submersible
vessel is a part of COSCOL’s plan to increase
the semi-submersible fleet it operates.
COSCOL is a leading heavy lift transportation
company. The 90,000 DWT newbuilding
vessel will further enhance the versatility of
COSCOL’s fleet by providing a transport solution for the very largest offshore structures.
Main dimensions :
◦
Length over all
255.0 metersc◦
Deck Length
210.0 meters
◦
Breadth
68.0 metersc◦
Loaded draft
10.0 meters
◦
Depth
14.5 meters ◦
Deck submersion
16.0 meters
Nicaragua claims progress with plan for
waterway linking Pacific to Caribbean
The Independent newspaper in the UK says Nicaragua has declared that it is "moving forward" with plans to build a
waterway linking the Pacific to the Caribbean. The finished project would compete with the Panama Canal, which itself
is being upgraded. "Billed as the biggest engineering project in human history, the new canal would stretch 173 miles:
starting at the mouth of the river Brito on the Pacific side, bisecting Lake Nicaragua near the border with Costa Rica
and heading eastwards via the Tule and Punta Gordas rivers as far as Bluefields Bay on the Caribbean," The
Independent explained. With a US$40 billion price tag, the project is the brainchild of President Daniel Ortega, the
one-time Marxist guerrilla turned laissez-faire leader, who says it will lift his people out of poverty, and Wang Jing described by the New Yorker magazine as “an obscure Chinese tycoon” - who is a lawyer, not an engineer. The
Independent said a special canal committee created by Mr Ortega has now settled on the route for the canal after
considering six different options. Members said they expected ground to be broken this December with a highly
ambitious 2019 completion date. However, doubts have been raised about the environmental effects of the project,
particularly on Lake Nicaragua. Source : Dredging News Online
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RNLI appeal to public to help raise
£200,000 for new lifeboat
A lifesaving service in Northumberland is seeking the public’s help to raise £200,000 for a new lifeboat. Amble Royal
National Lifeboat Institution
(RNLI)
has
launched
a
fundraising drive towards the
cost of buying a new, state-ofthe-art vessel, in place of an
ageing member of its fleet. The
Amble station currently has an
all-weather
Mersey
class
lifeboat The Four Boys which
by 2017 will be nearing the end
of her operational life.
The RNLI is planning to replace
the vessel with the newest
member of its fleet, a Shannon class lifeboat. Amble will be one of the first of the charity’s stations in the North of
England to receive a Shannon, the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be powered by water jets instead of
propellers and, with a top speed of 25 knots, 50% faster than the vessels she replaces. The £2m Shannon has been
designed by in-house RNLI engineers and is the smallest, most agile all-weather lifeboat in the charity’s fleet. The
RNLI is now appealing for the public’s help in raising £200,000 towards the cost of the vessel. Amble RNLI coxswain
John Connell said: “Our Mersey class lifeboat The Four Boys has served us well and we’ll miss her when she goes, but
we’re excited about receiving a Shannon. We’ve already tested one at sea and they’re amazing vessels. “The advanced
technology means we’ll be able to reach people in trouble at sea a lot more quickly than we can at the moment. “We
know £200,000 is a lot of money to raise but the people of Northumberland have always been very supportive of the
RNLI and I’m confident they will get behind the appeal and help us fund our new lifeboat, which will be saving lives off
the Northumberland coast for many years to come.” Steve Isaacs, volunteer chairman of the Amble RNLI fundraising
committee, added: “We know it’s going to be hard work raising the £200,000 towards the cost of our new lifeboat but
everyone involved with the RNLI in Amble is doing their bit towards the appeal. “We already have lots of fundraising
ideas but we really hope people in the area will get involved and come up with their own events to support the appeal.
“It’s the RNLI Flag Day in Morpeth tomorrow, we have a sponsored walk along the coast ending at the lifeboat station
on July 19 and Amble Lifeboat Day on August 24 – all raising money for the appeal. “There are lots more events to
come and we’d love to hear from anyone who feels they could contribute in some way towards our fundraising.” The
volunteers who run Amble lifeboat station have a long and proud history of saving lives at sea. A lifeboat station was
first established in the town in 1842 and, since then, Amble RNLI lifeboats have launched 1,105 times, rescuing 742
people. Source : The Journal
Independent Consultants and Brokers in the International Tug and Supply Vessel market
(offices in London and Singapore)
Telephone : +44 (0) 20 8398 9833
Facsimile : + 44 (0) 20 8398 1618
E-mail : [email protected]
Internet : www.marint.co.uk
12-07-2014
Page 16
Tug Crew Assists Disabled Vessel
The Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, local search and rescue and the crew of the tug Naniq responded to a
disabled vessel near Kotzebue, Alaska, Wednesday. The Naniq crew provided gas and a battery to the disabled vessel
and escorted them back to Kotzebue. Alaska State Troopers contacted Coast Guard 17th District command center
watchstanders to request aerial assistance to help locate three women and a child aboard a disabled 24-foot aluminum
Harbercraft. The mariners were traveling from Buckland to Kotzebue when the weather turned bad and they
attempted to return to Buckland but had run out of gas.
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched and were conducting a search of the area
when Alaska State Troopers reported the crew of the tug Naniq had located the missing boaters. The Jayhawk
helicopter crew rendezvoused with the crew of the tug and barge Naniq who reported the vessel had lost power and
run out of gas. The helicopter crew remained on scene while the Naniq crew assisted the disabled boaters.
“This case illustrates how invaluable good Samaritans and our local and state agencies are to the Coast Guard,” said
Adam De Rocher, a watchstander at Coast Guard 17th District command center. “Without our partners we wouldn’t
have been able to locate and provide assistance to the mariners in their time of need.” Weather at the time of the
incident was reported as 3- to 5-foot seas and 17 mph winds. Source : MAREX
The SMIT CAIAPO performing Bollard Pull test at Santos/Guaruja
Photo : Capt. Gerard Gorter Master m.v Jaguar ©
Engine problem delays arrival of new tug
Engine problems have forced Port Otago's new $11 million tug Taiaroa, on its maiden voyage to Port Chalmers, to
divert to Lyttelton's dry dock. The 24.5m, 250-tonne tug, built by Netherlands company Damen in Da Nang, Vietnam,
is on a course between Brisbane and Cook Strait and is expected to reach Lyttelton by Sunday, Port Otago chief
executive Geoff Plunket said. He said the four-man specialist delivery crew had reported a leak, stemming from a
problem with the engine cooling system.
While it was ''not significant enough'' to consider putting into an Australian port, Lyttelton had a berth available in its
dry dock facility, Mr Plunket said. ''We don't believe it to be significant. It could well be just a [blown] seal.''
Taiaroa, which is still under warranty with Damen, would arrive in Lyttelton on Sunday and go into dry dock on
Monday. The voyage is more than 5000 nautical miles (9300km). Mr Plunket had expected it to arrive in Dunedin on
Monday, but it was ''more likely'' to be sometime between July 18 and 20, he said. Source : Otago Daily Times
LR to provide LNG bunkering expertise
to Portsmouth port
Lloyd’s Register is to identify technical specifications and develop operating procedures for safe LNG bunkering in
Portsmouth International Port as the UK port seeks to establish the first LNG bunkering facility and hub in the country.
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Page 17
Lloyd’s Register’s Global Gas Technology Manager, Leonidas Karistios said: "Obviously with growing demand for LNG,
ports are looking to understand how they can develop the capability to deliver LNG bunkering services safely. It has to
be safety first and Portsmouth is looking to ensure that they have the right, safe, approach to support operational and
commercial ambitions. With a city adjacent to the port, significant ferry traffic and a large naval presence, there are
substantial and varied stakeholder aspects to be addressed." Brittany Ferries’ latest gas-fuelled newbuild, which is
scheduled for delivery in 2016, is set to bunker LNG at Portsmouth. Kalvin Baugh, Deputy Ferry Port Manager, said:
"With changes in the regulations governing emissions, it is clear that in the future more shipping will be fuelled by
LNG. To help safeguard the port and meet the needs of our customers, Portsmouth International Port needs to be able
to offer this facility. Safety is of course the main priority, and we are delighted that Lloyd’s Register has agreed to help
us identify the technical specifications and operating procedures that will help to deliver this."
Lloyd’s Register will provide Portsmouth Port with detailed guidance, including the following:
Requirements for technical specifications of bunkering equipment.
Helping to ensure that the right operational procedures are established.
Helping to ensure that port safety and emergency planning is provided for.
Helping to ensure that personnel competence can be developed effectively and put in place.
Planning for an LNG-fuelled future
Thanos Koliopulos, Global Special Projects Manager, said: "We can use experience gained in projects like Singapore
Port and Viking Grace to apply real project experience to deliver advice for the planning and execution of LNG
bunkering to both the port and its bunkering service providers. Particular attention is given to the effective planning
and execution of the port’s main clients’ compatibility of operations and all technical aspects for bunker tanker and
receiving ship’s facilities. We can help Portsmouth to get ready for real LNG bunkering operations, not only for ferry
and short-sea shipping, but our global expertise and perspective can also help them to prepare for supporting LNGfuelled deep sea shipping requirements. Source : LNGindustry
The Museum Lifeboat PRINS HENDRIK at the national Lifeboat museum in Den Helder
Photo : Piet Sinke © - CLICK on the photo !
Merchant Vessels Warned to Beware
Hire of Armed Guards Against Pirates
NIGERIA – The situation with regard to piracy, hijackings and theft of all types from freight and passenger vessels and
particularly those concerned with energy extraction, transiting the waters off the country’s coast is already dangerous
and confused enough without an element of political infighting and the confusion which has arisen when personnel
from different branches of local law enforcement have clashed over who has primacy on the open sea. Last October a
skiff approaching a Romanian owned oil tanker was fired on by the Nigerian police security team aboard which
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Page 18
believed it to be manned by a pirate group. The boat actually contained a Nigerian Naval patrol which drove the
shooters into the vessel’s citadel from which they were later extracted and arrested.
This is just one of many similar incidents which have arisen as confusion over where geographical jurisdiction starts
and finishes is made more difficult by ‘private’ security escort arrangements with officials made by shady middle men.
Certainly the Nigerian Navy seemingly has charge of matters in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) an area extending
up to 200 nautical miles seawards from the coasts of Nigeria within which the country’s authorities reserve the right to
regulate by law any and all actions which they see fit.
The problem is, which authorities? The Navy also has powers extending to inshore waters when acting as part of the
Niger Delta Joint Task Force whilst the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA), also seems to claim some interest
in anything occurring within the EEZ.
NIMASA is run by Mr. Ziakede P. Akpobolokemi, whose current agency is allegedly linked to Government Ekpemupolo,
poacher turned gamekeeper and the billionaire who was formerly a commander (and alleged military quartermaster) of
the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who now, after receiving amnesty five years ago, is
alleged to be the power behind Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd. which offers security surveillance in the EEZ acting
for NIMASA. NIMASA in turn is linked to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) which says it collaborates closely with other
government security agencies, namely the Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy, to regularly patrol and provide air
surveillance for water fronts and river channels to battle the menace of piracy in and around the country’s ports. In
addition, the port management department says it provides high speed patrol boats to assist the ‘security agencies’ in
their patrols and surveillance.
It seems ‘arrangements’ have been made with all and sundry to protect private shipping, a job many have proved
woefully inadequate at, with Nigerian Maritime Police being hired out under ‘private’ contracts only to be subsequently
arrested and detained by the Navy which has been charged by new leadership to clean up the whole scene.
One of the groups most affected by the disastrous security situation in the region are the members of the Baltic and
International Maritime Council (BIMCO) which is currently seeking written confirmation from the Nigerian authorities of
how it sees the situation. The BIMCO view is explained fully in a recent statement to its members which reads:
“BIMCO members operating vessels within the Nigerian EEZ and territorial waters should be aware that they may be at
risk of potentially significant liabilities and delays if they employ armed guards on board their vessels who are sourced
from the Nigerian Marine Police, the Nigerian Police or the Joint Task Force (JTF). The Nigerian Navy only provides
vessel escorts and it is understood to have sole primacy and authority in territorial waters and the EEZ, BIMCO has
been advised that the Nigerian Navy does not provide or permit armed guards on merchant vessels.
“The Navy has seemingly begun enforcing its alleged authority to prevent the employment of armed guards on board
and this has resulted in the arrest of members of the Nigerian Marine Police and consequent delays to the vessel and
unresolved liabilities placed on the owners. This appears to apply regardless of whether the armed guard policemen
are sourced by an agent or a private military security company (PMSC). “There have also been reports of incidents of
‘blue on blue’ where policemen have opened fire on Nigerian Naval vessels believing they were pirates and where
seafarers have been killed or injured in the crossfire. Apparently, the Marine Police and Police only have primacy and
jurisdiction in ‘riverine’ areas and ports and harbours out to the fairway buoy and no further. “The JTF against
terrorists, is a combined task force of navy and police, with a specific role to counter oil theft and smuggling in the
Delta. The JTF is understood to have no jurisdiction outside this remit. The transit of supply vessels up the Bonny River
to Port Harcourt is arranged by the JTF and these ships go in convoys (for a charge) whilst the offshore oil export
Terminals are patrolled by private security units or the Nigerian Navy. “It would seem that the only legitimate method
of acquiring armed security protection in territorial waters and the EEZ of Nigeria is by utilising the services of the
Nigerian Navy (although, this seems to exclude armed guards on board vessels).” Source : handyshippingguide
Maersk warns of higher charges tied to
low-sulfur limits
Maersk Line said its customers face an additional charge of between $50 and $150 per 40-foot container on North
American and North European routes that will be affected by new low-sulfur fuel limits that come into force in January.
The carrier said its fuel bill will increase by around $250 million a year to comply with an International Maritime
Organization regulation compelling ships sailing in so-called emission control areas to burn fuel with a sulfur content of
0.1 percent compared with the current 2 percent limit. The ECAs cover the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the English
Channel and 200 miles from the U.S. and Canadian shores. Maersk expects to purchase 650,000 metric tons of fuel
12-07-2014
Page 19
with 0.1 percent sulfur content annually from 2015, equivalent to 7 percent of the total fuel burned by its fleet. Lowsulfur fuel is approximately $300 a metric ton cheaper than 1 percent fuel. The carrier said it would also face increased
costs for buying services from third-party feeder operators who will also have higher fuel bills. Maersk will incorporate
the higher average fuel costs into the existing standard bunker surcharge. “We expect that (the) additional cost to
customers in affected trades will be between $50 and $150 per 40-foot container to and from main ports, depending
on transit time inside ECA areas and whether touching ECA areas at both origin and destination,” the carrier said.
Refrigerated containers will incur higher costs because of the fuel used to generate power on board vessels. Costs also
will fluctuate because of the volatility of low-sulfur fuel prices. Maersk said it would communicate more detailed
standard bunker surcharge increases closer to the implementation of the low-sulfur rules and when price differences
between fuels can be more precisely estimated. Source : Journal of Commerce
The Survey vessel GEO MOTION in the Dutch port of Den Helder
Photo : Piet Sinke © - CLICK on the photo !
Asia Tankers-VLCC rates to diverge on vessel
supply, cargo demand differences
By Keith Wallis
Rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) on key Asian freight routes will likely move in opposite directions next
week, with rates from the Middle East set to edge down on too much vessel supply and rates climbing from West
Africa on rising demand, brokers said on Friday. "There is probably four times more tonnage than there is cargo" in
12-07-2014
Page 20
the Middle East VLCC market, said Kevin Sy, a freight derivatives broker at Singapore's Marex Spectron. There are
about 25 VLCCs available for charter with just a handful of cargoes still waiting to be fixed for July, said another
Singapore-based VLCC broker. Ship owners are waiting for the August fixture programme to be released by
charterers, Sy added. He estimated there would be 120-125 fixtures in both July and August "unless something
changes" which would be in line with recent VLCC market activity. Norwegian ship broker Fearnley said there had been
about 111 fixtures so far for July in a research note on Wednesday. "Rates will probably be flat or ease off a bit next
week," Sy and the other broker said. This followed a slight rally in the Middle East to Asia rates early this week on
increased cargo demand and owners resisted charterers' attempts to push the market lower although the market
started to dip on Thursday. Charter rates from West Africa to Asia are expected to gain further next week on steady
cargo demand and limited available tonnage, brokers said. Unipec was the most active charterer in both markets fixing
11 VLCCs from the Middle East and West Africa to China. Rates for a VLCC voyage on the benchmark route from the
Middle East to Japanwere close to W50 on the Worldscale measure on Thursday, up from W48 a week earlier.
Rates for West Africa to China rose to around W52.50 on Thursday, the highest since Feb. 25. In other trades, rates
for 80,000-tonne aframax tankers from Southeast Asia to East Coast Australia appeared to be levelling off after
slipping to W90 on Thursday, down from W91 a week earlier. This followed a fall from W99.5 the previous week.
Clean tanker rates from Singapore to Japan edged down to around W107.50 on Thursday from W108.50 last week
although they were expected to remain steady on renewed cargo demand, a Singapore clean tanker broker said on
Friday. Source : Reuters (Reporting By Keith Wallis; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
NAVY NEWS
USS Virginia returns from surge deployment
Attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) returned home to Groton, Conn., July 3, after completing a 14-week
surge deployment overseas. Virginia’s crew of more than 140
officers and enlisted personnel departed March 28 to conduct
assigned theater security missions in the U.S. European Command
region. Cmdr. Steven Antcliff, Virginia’s commanding officer,
expressed pride in his team’s performance. “The surge deployment
proved the professionalism and dedication of the crew and their
families,” said Antcliff. “Crew performance was outstanding.”
Virginia deployed one month after completing a six-month
deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility Feb. 13.
Vice Adm. Philip Davidson, the 6th Fleet commander, sent
Virginia’s crew a congratulatory message days before the
submarine arrived home from the latest deployment. “Well done to
the officers and crew of USS Virginia,” said Davidson. “Your
presence unquestionably enhanced America’s safety and security.” Davidson characterized the crew’s ability to deploy
for nine of the past 11 months as a “testament to the readiness and tenacity” of the submarine force. As the first ship
of the Navy’s next-generation attack submarine class, Virginia is a highly capable undersea platform. Source :
Dolphin-News
Navy Light Combat Aircraft to soon
begin test flights
New Delhi: The naval variant of India's indigenous light
combat aircraft (LCA) is due to soon begin ramp trials.
Avinash Chander, scientific adviser to the Defence Minister
and Director General Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), told India Strategic magazine
(www.indiastrategic.in) that the LCA-Navy had already done
more than 25 test flights from a runway. As these were
successful and met the designated parameters, the aircraft
will now be deployed at a naval base in Goa to commence
ramp flights, probably after the monsoon. Goa, on the
12-07-2014
Page 21
Arabian seafront, has a major naval air station, INS Hansa, where the MiG-29Ks for Indian aircraft carriers are also
located. Flight tests are being conducted with LCA Mark-I to prove certain technologies and to familiarise the naval
pilots The station has a 14-degree ramp along with necessary tesxting sensors and paraphernalia to monitor the flights
and was specifically built as part of the indigenous LCA-Navy development programme. But as it is a national naval
asset, it is shared by the MiG-29Ks for training pilots and flight tests. Both the aircraft need the same degree in the
ramp, matching the one on INS Vikramaditya, acquired from Russia, and INS Vikrant, now being built at the Kochi
shipyard. Chander said that the flight tests are being conducted with LCA Mark-I to prove certain technologies and to
familiarise the naval pilots with them. One aircraft is operational, another is on the anvil and a third will son be
available to complete the trials. After that, for full weaponised operations aboard carriers, will come the LCA Mark-II
powered by GE 414 engines, according to India Strategic. The naval variant, being tested from the HAL airport in
Bangalore, has a bigger undercarriage that Hindustan Aeronautics has built to facilitate deck landings. The
development programme is coordinated by a one-star naval pilot. Source : IbnNews
Thai
Commander
Welcomes
New
Submarine Centre, Despite Lack of Subs
BANGKOK: A Thai navy commander pushed for the country to acquire its first submarines, following the opening of a
new submarine centre in Chonburi province, south-east of Bangkok. "I think [that having submarines] are necessary
because it makes our navy more dynamic and it will be useful for self-defence in the Gulf [of Thailand]," said Panu
Punyavirocha, commander of Thailand's submarine unit. The centre, equipped with a German-made submarine
simulator, was opened on Monday to train combat-ready personnel in case the country does acquire submarines. The
navy has been petitioning the government to purchase the vessels. The navy also plans to send officers for training in
Germany to gain knowledge about modern submarine warfare. Critics of the navy's submarine plans point to the
navy's purchase of the aircraft carrier Chakri Nareubet, which the navy had also described as necessary for defence.
Due to budget cutbacks the carrier currently sits at anchor year round serving as a museum ship. Source :
thephuketnews
SA Navy enters Knysna
Herald
The Navy's SAS Umhloti, under the command of
Commander Brian Short, entered Knysna
The
Minehunter of the Mine Countermeasures Squadron is
berthed at Thesen's Jetty. The ship's arrival was
originally expected on Tuesday, but it had to be
delayed due to sea trials after mechanical refits to
ensure that the vessel was safe and sea-worthy. The
ship is open for visits on Saturday and Sunday,
between 10:00 and 17:00. Source : Knysna-Plett
Oil Spill from U.S. Navy Ship
Contained
A U.S. Coast Guard pollution response crew in Boston is responding to an oil spill from
the USNS Fisher, dry docked at the Boston Ship Repair facility. The spill, estimated at
approximately 11,000 gallons, is self-contained in dry dock and there is currently no oil
in the water. Responders include a Coast Guard Sector Boston facility and pollution
response team, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the
Boston Fire Department.
Response teams placed 600 feet of double boom around the dry dock to ensure no oil
enters the water and six commercial vacuum trucks were deployed to clean up the spill.
"This is a classic example of how partnerships and consistent training help us respond
quickly to pollution incidents," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeanette Wheatley, a marine
science technician at Coast Guard Sector Boston. "Our goal now is to continue to
12-07-2014
Page 22
mitigate the impact to the environment and port, and to monitor air quality levels in the surrounding area." In an
average year, the Coast Guard responds to 250 reports of pollution in the northeastern U.S. Source : MAREX
SHIPYARD NEWS
MP: Yes vote will have impact on
Inverclyde shipyard workers
INVERCLYDE shipyard workers’ jobs could be put at risk if Scotland votes for independence, according
to their boss and union leaders.
INVERCLYDE shipyard workers’ jobs could be put at risk if Scotland votes for independence, according to their boss
and union leaders. Sir Roger Carr, the chairman of the United Kingdom’s largest defence contractor BAE Systems, said
that he doesn’t believe the UK government would commission warships to be built in an independent Scotland.
Senior BAE trade union officials told Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee that staying in the UK is the only
way to secure the future of shipbuilding in Scotland. BAE run the yards at Govan and Scotstoun, pictured, where a
couple of hundred Inverclyde people work. Reacting to the comments, Inverclyde MP Iain McKenzie claimed the SNP’s
plan to break up Britain will have a detrimental impact on Scotland’s defence sector. Mr McKenzie, who is
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Vernon Coaker, said: “It is now clearer
than ever that, in the event of a ‘yes’ vote in September, hundreds of Inverclyde workers at BAE in Glasgow will pay
the price. “The Secretary of State for Defence, the Ministry of Defence, the Shadow Defence Secretary, BAE officials
and union officials have been in total agreement over the future of Scotland’s shipyard sector. “The UK builds warships
for the United Kingdom. Should Scotland vote to leave the UK we would not, as a foreign country, receive contracts
from the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence.” He added: “The way to secure the future of Scotland’s
shipyards is to opt for a strengthened Scottish Parliament within a United Kingdom by voting ‘no’ in September.”
Sir Roger Carr was asked in a BBC interview about the prospect of a remaining UK Government placing shipbuilding
orders in a separate Scotland, and replied: “We build warships in the United Kingdom for the United Kingdom,” and
added there was no evidence that would change. He also left open the possibility that BAE could resume shipbuilding
at Portsmouth. Meanwhile, Henry Wilson, Unite staff convener at BAE, said trade unions were in ‘no doubt whatsoever’
that UK defence contracts would not be awarded to a foreign country, which is what Scotland would become. Eric
McLeod, GMB convener at BAE’s Rosyth yard, said it would be understandable that jobs could go to other UK shipyards
if Scotland voted for separation. And Raymond Duguid, Unite convener and trade union chairman at Rosyth, said the
nationalists had not given union members any clarity or certainty on their plans, instead offering ‘milk and honey’
which he did not think Scottish people were ‘daft enough’ to believe. Source : greenocktelegraph
Simplex-Turbulo Co Ltd wins the Fujian
Huadong shipyard representation
There is a great deal going on in the world of ship repair with increasing regulation, environmental pressures and
commercial competition pushing ship owners and managers to seek more efficient and cost-effective yards working to
12-07-2014
Page 23
high standards. Vessel types and sizes are changing. The result is that many owners and managers are now
reassessing their requirements and looking for ship repair yards which can offer better facilities as well as streamlined,
modern methodologies. Simplex-Turbulo Co Ltd represents three dry docks, Jurong (Singapore), Astander (Northern
Spain) and Fujian Huadong (China), all of which offer attractive solutions to many of today’s requirements.
The newest agency is for the Fujian Huadong shipyard. As with other yard representations this yard ticks all the
important boxes – location, facilities,
efficiency, and quality, all at an
acceptable cost.
The Fujian Huadong shipyard is
located on the northern side of Fujian
Luoyuan Bay, possibly the best
sheltered deep-water port in China.
It’s centrally positioned on the
eastern
seaboard
of
China,
equidistant from Shanghai and
Guangzhou and north west of
Taiwan. It’s particularly well placed
for many of the most popular Asian
sea routes. It has the additional
advantage
of
having
a
very
reasonable climate and not suffering from the extreme cold (and resulting delays to work progress) of the Shanghai
winter, or the tropical heat which hampers work in yards further south. Fujian is a very versatile yard, able to carry out
repairs on a very wide range of vessels, including container ships, tankers, bulkcarriers and specialist vessels such as
bunkering stations. The yard has three very large docks and a lot of pier space. Fujian Huadong shipyard often works
together with major shipyards in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, for example in the building of a floating hotel for the
offshore sector, built in Guangzhou, which was then moved and fitted out in Fujian Huadong.
All these advantages have resulted in the yard building an international customer base with fleets from Hong Kong,
South Korea, China, Singapore, Germany and Greece. Fujian Huadong is a new shipyard built in 2011, with all the
latest technology and using modern working practices and methods. A second phase of construction is now in progress
which will result in an additional 240m x 120m dock dedicated to specific engineering projects; this will make it one of
the largest and most attractive repair shipyards on this 800 miles long Chinese coast.
ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES
First cargo from Papa-Terra
The first cargo was successfully offloaded from what is expected to be Chevron's largest investment in Brazil - the
offshore Papa-Terra heavy oil development in the Campos Basin. The Chevron owned Suezmax ‘Brasil Voyager’, was
specifically built with to offload oil from Papa-Terra. The first offloading at Papa-Terra represents an important
milestone for the company, reinforces the progress being made by the project and highlights the success of the
partnership between Chevron and Petrobras," said Les Wood, a manager with Chevron Brazil. On 9th May, ‘Brasil
Voyager’lifted about 740,000 barrels of oil from Papa-Terra's FPSO. The oil came from the first two production wells in
the field. The Suezmax is expected to offload around 950,000 barrels of crude from Papa-Terra every 40 days.
12-07-2014
Page 24
"The ‘Brasil Voyager’ is now bringing cargo to the market, including providing supply to the Pascagoula refinery and we
look forward to its return to the Papa-Terra Field for the next Chevron shipment," Wood said. On 12th May, production
began from a third well at Papa-Terra. Two additional wells are expected to start producing to the FPSO this year.
The Papa-Terra Field lies in about 1,189 m of water. The project includes the FPSO, as well Brazil's first tension-leg
well platform (TLWP), which was installed in the field in April. Heavier-oil production wells will lead to the platform
while lighter-oil production wells will tie back to the FPSO. First oil from the TLWP is expected later this year.
The project has a planned daily capacity of 140,000 barrels of crude oil and 35 mill cu ft of natural gas. Source :
Tankeroperator
The ROBIJN passing Puttershoek – Photo : Paul Gerdes ©
Seagull leads bulk carrier and offshore
learning initiatives
New titles addressing bulk carrier operations and cargo liquefaction are among a comprehensive series of new
modules being introduced by computer-based training specialist, Seagull AS. Introduction to bulk carriers and
Liquefying cargoes are the first in a series of ten new titles Seagull is releasing this year and in 2015, each covering
crucial aspects of bulk shipping operations. Introduction to bulk carriers is directed at deck, STCW operational level
and assists the learner in identifying bulk, ore and combination carriers, commonly used classifications, and the typical
types of cargo carried by these vessels. It helps the learner recognise the key commercial aspects of the bulk carrier
trade and identify the uses of equipment specific to these vessel types and relevant safety issues.
Liquefying cargoes addresses the dangers of carrying cargoes that might liquefy during the voyage, make the ship
unstable and lead to the possible loss of the ship, cargo and crew. Cargo liquefaction has resulted in severe loss of
crew life in recent years. The module is directed at deck, STCW and operational staff and it assists the learner in
recognising the particular hazards and precautions associated with the carriage of IMSBC Code Group A cargoes
(cargoes which may liquefy). “Intercargo has described nickel ore as the world’s most dangerous and the liquefaction
of nickel ore cargoes during transport was responsible for the loss of 66 lives in South East Asia from 2009 to 2011
alone,” says Roger Ringstad, Seagull Managing Director. “The module discusses the nature of liquefaction and explains
the key definitions in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code. The responsibilities of the cargo
shipper to test the cargo and to demonstrate its safety to the Certifying Authority of the loading port if necessary are
covered.”
In addition to the two modules on bulk carriers, Seagull has made a significant contribution to the understanding of
risks in the offshore industry with three new titles, Working at height, Anchor handling operation and GOMO
(Guidelines for Offshore Marine Operations) awareness.
Working at height covers how to access elevated working places safely and the correct use of a waist belt safety
harness and a full body safety harness when attached to a fall restraint or a fall arrest system. The module examines
the use of cranes to transfer personnel between a vessel and installation and features high rescue techniques used for
a disabled or unconscious person. This module is aimed at deck/engine STCW operational and support level personnel.
Anchor handling operation uses video recorded on an anchor handler blended with sound and additional images to
achieve the learning objectives. It shows the vessel preparing in port and sailing to the rig location. The anchor is seen
12-07-2014
Page 25
being received from the rig and decked to disconnect it from the chain which is then stowed in the vessel’s anchor
bins. With the required amount of chain stowed, the chain is broken to add a buoyed wire insert to clear a sub-sea
obstruction. Once this is completed the final operation of re-connecting the anchor and deploying it using a buoy
pennant is seen.
As with the Working at height module, Anchor handling operation is directed at deck/engine STCW operational and
support level personnel The objective of GOMO awareness is to provide guidance to the best practices to promote the
safety on board all vessels servicing and supporting offshore facilities, and to reduce the risks associated with such
operations including accidents and pollution incidents. The module identifies the crucial role of good communications
for safe operations and also the action to be undertaken when an operation is not covered by GOMO Guidelines. This
module is directed at all personnel involved in safety onboard ship.
Seagull has also released a number of modules covering a variety of topics including piracy and armed robbery, anchor
handling, leadership and communication for maritime leaders, green passport (inventory of hazardous materials),
engineering in cold environments and recovery of persons from water.
“Our continually expanding series of modules dedicated to the many various disciplines of the international maritime
industry underscore our commitment to helping users achieve best practice and maintain safe and environmentallyfriendly operations,” says Mr. Ringstad.
The RIJNBORG outbound from Rotterdam –
Photo : Ruud Zegwaard - ://tugfoto.blogspot.com/ - ://merchantshipsphoto.blogspot.com/ (c)
: Iain Forsyth ©
Bamse [Norwegian for Teddy Bear] 1937 till
22nd July 1944 was a St Bernard dog that
became the Heroic Mascot of the Free
Norwegian Forces during the Second World
War. He became a heroic symbol of
Norwegian freedom during the war. Bamse
was bought in Oslo by Capt Erling Hafto, the
Master of the Norwegian Whaler Thorodd
and was taken to sea from an early age. At
the onset of the war Thorodd was drafted
into the Royal Nowegian Navy as a coastal patrol vessel. Bamse was enrolled as
an official crew member 9th April 1940. Thorodd escaped the mainland Norway
capitulation and arrived in the UK 17th June 1940 and was based in Montrose as a
Minesweeper for the duration of the war. A parade is to take place in Montrose on
21July this year to celebrate the life of Bamse, The Royal Norwegian Navy send a
warship to Montrose every year in memory of their heroic mascot Bamse. Photo’s
12-07-2014
Page 26
As seen from the CORAL IVORY the 1912 built SVANEFJORD already moored for a very long time at the small
island named Oaxen Photo : Hans : Hans Semeins o/b Coral Ivory ©
New innovative information provider
enters Rotterdam port community
The new information provider InterTransIS has entered the Rotterdam port community market with a range of
innovative information products. InterTransIS was founded by four experts in the field of transport & logistics
information on July 23th 2013 and has spent the last year contracting different worldwide data providers and
developing intelligent high end software.
In contrast to existing information providers InterTransIS covers all modalities, road, rail, inland- as well as short- and
deep-sea shipping. The power of the InterTransIS product range can be found in the real time combination of different
data sources with process knowledge, providing information that directly can be used in the decision making
processes of the customer reducing supply chain inefficiencies. (According to university research 73,9% of transport
inefficiencies is caused by lack of timely information).
The InterTransIS product range will be further extended in the coming months and will become available for all
worldwide ports and logistic service providers. Currently the Electronic Expected Vessel list Rotterdam is being rolled
out to the port community. This intelligent ‘expected list’ for seagoing vessels does not only contain agent or AIS
based expected arrival times but actually checks, recalculates and predicts feasible arrival times based on a complex
algorithm combining local agent information with actual positions, weather- and sea state conditions and port planning
information. The algorithm is self-learning, further improving results over time. InterTransIS developed a platform
(Tram4U) that operates fully automated without the need of manual checking thus providing much more reliable and
consistent results.
InterTransIS products under development include:
• Full ‘active’ electronic reporting services
• ISPS announcement services
• Various inland vessel related applications
• Various trucking and rail applications
• Container tracking
• Full supply chain tracking & reporting
For more information contact [email protected] or visit the website www.intertransis.com.
12-07-2014
Page 27
COSCO (Guang Dong) Shipyard to build
two more PSVs for Vroon
COSCO (Guang Dong) Shipyard Co. Ltd is going to build a further two platform supply vessels of the ULSTEIN PX121
design for Vroon Offshore Services, the Netherlands. Ulstein
has entered into an agreement with COSCO on delivering ship
design, power & control equipment and on-site follow-up
services.The first of totally six vessels in this series, VOS
Pace, was launched on 30 June, Ulstein said in its press
release.
“The PX121 design is becoming increasingly attractive to oil
companies as it offers a competitive combination of fuelefficiency and cargo capacities/deadweight,” comments
Sigurd Viseth, Managing Director of Ulstein Design &
Solutions. “This translates to a performance level that is
usually expected from larger PSVs, but at a medium-sized
PSV cost - delivering excellent value-for-money for the owner
and operator. We’re delighted that Vroon sees the compelling
benefits of this vessel.” Each of Vroon’s six PSVs is
scheduled for delivery in 2015 and intended for
operation in European waters. Measuring 83.4 metres
in length, with a beam of 18 metres, they boast a
rectangular cargo deck of 830 square metres and a
load capacity of 4,200 tonnes (dwt). Thanks to flexible
tank capacities, the PX121 is set up to support drilling activities with longer and deeper boreholes and activities further
from shore. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel also has two stainless steel tanks for
flammable liquids or corrosive chemicals. Each ship will be equipped with dynamic positioning system Class II and
meets the requirements of ‘Clean Design’, according to ABS class. The PX121, which has a maximum speed of
approximately 15 knots and modern accommodation for 23 people, also comes with the iconic ULSTEIN X-BOW®. The
X-BOW offers efficiency over a wide draught range, which is important for PSVs as they often operate with varying
loads. Furthermore, the X-BOW has unique, advantageous qualities in terms of motion and propulsion efficiency in
moderate and heavy seas. Its innovative shape eliminates wave slamming and bow impact delivering better
performance, while reducing noise and vibration, which in turn translates to enhanced crew comfort and safety levels.
Source : PortNews
The BESIKTAS ICELAND enroute Rotterdam – Photo : Dirk van Uitert ©
12-07-2014
Page 28
BOEKBESPREKING
By : Frank NEYTS
“Reize naar Surinamen”
Bij Walburg Pers verscheen onlangs ‘Reize naar Surinamen. Dagboek van John Gabriël Stedman 1772-1777,
moderne vertaling door Michaël Ietswaart’. In 1772 nam John Gabriël Stedman, zoon van een Schotse vader en een
Nederlandse moeder, dienst als huurling van een expeditieleger dat onder bevel stond van de Zwitserse kolonel
Fourgeoud. Dit huurlingenleger werd door de Staten-Generaal van de Verenigde Nederlanden naar Suriname gestuurd
om een opstand onder weggelopen negerslaven te onderdrukken en het voortbestaan van het Nederlands gezag in de
kolonie te verzekeren.
Gedurende zijn verblijf in de Nederlandse kolonie, van 1772 tot 1777, hield Stedman een dagboek bij van zijn leven in
Suriname. Op basis van dit dagboek verscheen in 1796 in Engeland een boek van zijn hand dat van grote invloed zou
zijn op de discussie over de afschaffing van de slavernij. Nu pas werd de wrede behandeling van de slaven in
Suriname echt duidelijk. Het boek droeg er toe bij dat men in Europa anders over slavernij ging denken. Naast ‘de
strijd’ tegen de weggelopen slaven geeft het boek ook een interessante inkijk in het alledaagse Surinaamse leven in de
tijd van Stedman. De beschrijving van zijn relatie met de slavin Joanna, bij wie hij een zoon verwekt, boeit van begin
tot eind. Al met al laat het boek een onthullend beeld zien van Suriname en de daar heersende slavernij aan het eind
van de 18e eeuw. Met deze verkorte versie in een moderne vertaling komt een van de boeiendste verslagen uit eerste
hand over het Nederlands koloniaal verleden weer tot leven.
“Reize naar Surinamen” (ISBN 978-90-5730-969-4) telt 303 pagina’s, werd als softback uitgegeven, en kost 24,95
euro. Aankopen kan via de boekhandel of rechtstreeks bij Uitgeversmaatschappij Walburg Pers, Postbus 4159,
7200BD Zutphen. Tel. +32(0)575.510522, Fax +31(0)575.542289. . In België wordt het boek verdeeld door Agora
Uitgeverscentrum, Aalst/Erembodegem. Tel. 053/76.72.26, Fax 053/78.26.91, E-mail: [email protected].
PLEASE MAINTAIN YOUR MAILBOX, DUE TO NEW POLICY OF THE
PROVIDER, YOUR ADDRESS WILL BE “DEACTIVATED”
AUTOMATICALLY IF THE MAIL IS BOUNCED BACK TO OUR SERVER
If this happens to you please send me a mail at [email protected] to reactivate
your address again
You can also read the latest newsletter daily online via the link :
://newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/ShippingNewsPdf/magazine.pdf
…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..
The CAPE KENNEDY leaving the Ijmuiden locks bound for Rotterdam - Photo : Simon Wolf (c)
12-07-2014
Page 29
The compiler of the news clippings disclaim all liability for any loss, damage or expense however caused, arising from
the sending, receipt, or use of this e-mail communication and on any reliance placed upon the information provided
through this free service and does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information
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12-07-2014
Page 30

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