International News

Blohm+Voss appoints new Chief Executive

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Fred van Beers who has been appointed as the new CEO of shipbuilder Blohm+Voss
Fred van Beers who has been appointed as the new CEO of shipbuilder Blohm+Voss

Blohm+Voss has appointed Fred van Beers as its Chief Executive Officer Management Board (CEO). As of 1 March 2015, Fred van Beers will take over from Dr Herbert Aly as CEO to lead Blohm+Voss’ growth strategy. His focus will be on developing the luxury yacht business. He will also work to strengthen the leading position of Blohm+Voss in general repairs and conversions with a specific focus for cruise ships and vessels for the off-shore industry.

Fred van Beers (52) has held senior leadership positions in the maritime industry for more than 15 years. He joins Blohm+Voss from his current position as Vice President Services Northern Europe at Wärtsilä, the global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the maritime industry and energy markets with a presence in more than 70 countries.

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Norway launches green coastal shipping programme

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Norway is set to launch a green coastal shipping programme
Norway is set to launch a green coastal shipping programme

Minister of Trade and Industry Monica Mæland and State Secretary for Climate and Environment Lars Andreas Lunde have signed a declaration of cooperation with key players in the Norwegian coastal shipping industry. This declaration aims to ensure that Norway has the world’s most environmentally friendly fleet of coastal vessels.

In the future, LNG and battery power are projected to comprise a considerable share of the fuel used by the global fleet. Norway already has a leading position in this field and has a good environmental and business starting point to more broadly implement these new technologies. DNV GL has now taken the initiative to launch a Green Coastal Shipping programme, a joint effort by industry and authorities to ensure that in the future Norway will have one of the world’s most environmentally friendly and efficient coastal shipping industries.

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HUGO BOSS dismasted in the south Atlantic

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HUGO BOSS has been dismasted 370 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil and will take no further part in the Barcelona World Race
HUGO BOSS has been dismasted 370 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil and will take no further part in the Barcelona World Race

Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes, skippers of yacht HUGO BOSS in the Barcelona World Race lost their mast at 21.02 GMT on 15 January 370 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil. The yacht was reaching in moderate conditions when there was a rigging failure and the mast fell overboard and broke. At the time of the incident, HUGO BOSS was leading and well ahead in the race.

This means they will now cease racing in the Barcelona World Race 2014-2015. The skippers and the shore team are currently evaluating how to get the boat to the nearest landfall, which is likely to be Salvador in Brazil – still a significant distance from the boat’s current position.

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Clipper 2015-16 round the word race schedule announced

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The Clipper 2015-16 round the word race start date and schedule has been announced by Robin Knox-Johnston
The Clipper 2015-16 round the word race start date and schedule has been announced by Robin Knox-Johnston

The highly anticipated Clipper 2015-16 Race Start will set sail on Sunday, 30 August 2015, from the South of the UK.

The Race Start date and updates to the race route were revealed to more than 250 international crew members at today’s 2015-16 Crew Brief Day in London by Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Race Director Justin Taylor and Deputy Race Director Mark Light.

Race chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston says: “We are delighted to reveal that the Clipper 2015-16 Race will depart on Sunday 30 August 2015. We have just 235 days to wait until the historic tenth edition race series starts and one of the world’s most unique and challenging adventures gets underway.”

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SE Asia tanker hijacks rose in 2014 despite global drop in sea piracy

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Tanker hijacks rose in 2014 despite global drop in sea piracy. Photo: German Navy
Tanker hijacks rose in 2014 despite global drop in sea piracy. Photo: German Navy

Tanker hijacks off South East Asia’s coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, despite piracy at sea falling to its lowest level in eight years, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed. Pirates took 442 crewmembers hostage, compared with 304 in 2013.

IMB’s annual piracy report shows 245 incidents were recorded worldwide in 2014 – a 44% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011. Somali pirates were responsible for 11 attacks, all of which were thwarted. However, IMB warns shipmasters to follow the industry’s Best Management Practices, as the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated.

Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year, 183 were boarded, and 13 fired upon. Pirates killed four crew members, injured 13 and kidnapped nine from their vessels.

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Findings of IMO’s study into reducing the administrative requirements of maritime regulations released

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Findings of IMO's study into reducing the administrative requirements of maritime regulations released
Findings of IMO’s study into reducing the administrative requirements of maritime regulations released

Through resolution A.1043(27), the 27th Assembly in November 2011 adopted a process of periodic review of administrative requirements in mandatory instruments, and acknowledged that releasing resources from administrative tasks for Administrations and industry alike, contributes to the Organisation’s goals of efficient regulation of safety and security of shipping and the prevention and control of pollution by ships.

The Ad Hoc Steering Group for Reducing Administrative Requirements (SG-RAR), established by the Council at its 108th session in 2012, evaluated the responses received in the public consultation and developed recommendations on how to alleviate administrative burdens that have become unnecessary, disproportionate or even obsolete. The recommendations were presented to the 113rd Session of the Council on December 3rd, 2014.

Finally the IMO has published its report into the conclusions of the public consultation that has been undertaken on the reduction of administrative burdens in maritime regulations.

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Danish Maritime Authority launches new ship survey

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dma_logo_ukFrom 1 January, the Danish Maritime Authority has started to survey all Danish passenger ships in a new way. Shipping companies are positive towards the new passenger ship survey which will, to a greater extent, involve the crew and the daily safety work.

In cooperation with a number of passenger ship companies, the Danish Maritime Authority has developed a new way of surveying passenger ships. The project has just been evaluated and the involved companies and crews have received the new survey method well.

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US West Coast ports at gridlock says Pacific Maritime Association

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Pacific Maritime Association says US West Coast ports are in a state of gridlock
Pacific Maritime Association says US West Coast ports are in a state of gridlock

Eight months since contract talks began, and after more than two months of ILWU-staged slowdowns that have methodically reduced terminal productivity at the five largest ports on the West Coast, operations are approaching complete gridlock Pacific Maritime Association reports.

Since late October 2014, the ILWU has crippled what were fully productive terminals in the Pacific Northwest and Oakland, and exacerbated a difficult congestion issue at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach by intentionally withholding dozens of essential skilled workers each shift for the past 10 weeks.

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Port of Dover hits record level of freight vehicles

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The Port of Dover has recorded record levels of freight traffic in 2014. Image courtesy of Port of Dover
The Port of Dover has recorded record levels of freight traffic in 2014. Image courtesy of Port of Dover

The Port of Dover recorded its highest levels of freight traffic since 2007 with throughput in 2014 reaching 2,368,182 vehicles as of Wednesday 16 December 2014. As the Port handles £89bn worth of trade each year, traffic is expected to maintain the present rate of increase between now and the end of the year, meaning 2014 will be a record breaking 12 months for the Port with a total in excess of 2.4 million freight vehicles.

In 2007, the Port of Dover recorded record freight traffic volumes with 2,363,583 vehicles using Europe’s busiest 24/7 roll-on-roll-off ferry port. This year has already seen more freight than 2007, is predicted to see at least 2% more traffic than the previous record and on any one day the Port of Dover now handles up to 160km of freight.

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Ships face lower sulphur fuel requirements

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Ships trading in designated emission control areas will have to use on board fuel oil with a sulphur content of no more than 0.10% from 1 January 2015, against the limit of 1.00% in effect up until 31 December 2014.

The stricter rules come into effect under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution form ships (MARPOL) Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships), specifically under regulation 14, which covers emissions of Sulphur Oxides (SOx) and particulate matter from ships. These requirements were adopted in October 2008 by consensus and entered into force in July 2010.

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Alang shipbreaking workers operate in poor conditions

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A new study says that Alang shipbreaking workers continue to work in appalling conditions. Photo courtesy of The Hindu Business Line
A new study says that Alang shipbreaking workers continue to work in appalling conditions. Photo courtesy of The Hindu Business Line

The working and living conditions at the Alang shipbreaking yards in India, remain alarmingly poor, argues a new study published in the Economic & Political Weekly, a well known Indian Social Science journal. The research was commissioned and financed by the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) and was coordinated by Dr Geetanjoy Sahu from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). TISS’ findings are based on intensive field work in Alang from April 2013 to May 2014 including interviews with 300 shipbreaking workers as well as stakeholders from the industry, trade unions and authorities.

The study finds that the “costs to workers’ health and the environment are alarming” while the profit margins for both the yard owners and the contractors providing the labour force are extremely high. Dr Sahu reports that the approximately 35,000 unorganised migrant workers at the Alang shipbreaking yards continue to live in shanty dwellings without adequate facilities for drinking water, sanitation and electricity. The authorities have set up only 12 showers and six toilets. As a result, “workers are forced to defecate in the open”.

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AMSA announces Domestic Surveyor Accreditation Scheme workshop dates

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The Australia Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will be running a series of Domestic Surveyor Accreditation Scheme (DSAS) workshops in Queensland during early February 2015.

The DSAS is a scheme being implemented by AMSA, as the National Regulator, to ensure surveyors are competent to conduct and provide survey reports for domestic commercial vessels under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012.

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