DAILY COLLECTION OF MAR ITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 096

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 096

Distribution : daily to 32475+ active addresses 05-04-2015

Number 096 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Sunday 05-04-2015

News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.

The FAIRPLAY IX operating in Rotterdam-Europoort – photo : Willem Koper ©

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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

The pusher tug BARBARA from NBTC at the Warri River, Nigeria. A lot of smoke and little power. Photo : Dirk van Uitert ©

Robbers board tug in Malaysian waters The International Maritime Bureau said it received a report that on 22 March around 10 men armed with guns and knives boarded a tug towing a barge 18 nm east of Tioman Island, Malaysia.The pirates entered the bridge, apprehended the bridge team, then took them to the chief engineer's cabin where they robbed and held them hostage.The pirates then took the chief engineer to the engine room and transferred part of the tug's bunkers into a small tanker. Before departing, they stole some equipment and damaged the tug's communication equipment. The incident lasted about five hours.Attacks against small tankers off Southeast Asia's coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013. Pirates usually target bunkers or other petroleum products the vessels are carrying. Source : ihsmaritime360

Welland Canal opens for 2015 season Mother Nature played a role in opening the navigation season Thursday as a 475-foot tug barge instead of a usual 730-foot lake freighter entered the Welland Canal, marking the first upbound ship in the waterway. The 27-mile canal is a vital section of the 2,342-mile St. Lawrence Seaway which links the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes.

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Officials noted the ATB Sea Eagle 11/St. Mary's Cement 11 would likely encounter delays soon after clearing the last upbound lock at Port Colborne, Ont., due to ice conditions in Lake Erie.The large freighters have yet to begin the transit to the upper lakes.Viewing the outlook for the 2005 season, Bruce Hodgson, director of marketing development for the Seaway Management Corp., said, "We're hopeful to repeat last year's performance, despite some challenges within the iron ore and coal industries where low prices have curtailed export activity." With the U.S. economy showing marked improvements in recent months, Great Lakes shippers are confident that surge will have a positive impact on their business. Hodgson noted the Seaway Corp. is midway through its five-year modernization program with its total investment — by 2018 — estimated at $500 million. Of that amount, one-quarter-billion will be spent in Niagara, generating 500 jobs. By the end of 2017, all Seaway high-lift locks will be equipped with automated mooring equipment, eliminating the need to manually tie-up vessels with lines. The overall modernization project is designed for a safer work environment and lower operating costs, he added.Marty Fallon, chief executive officer of St. Mary's Cement, said his ships and other vessels supplied by Algoma are expected to pass through the Welland Canal this season more than 150 times (in both directions). "That equates to more than 25,000 truck loads of material," Fallon said, adding that the use of ships and barges allows his company to make sound environmental and sustainable decisions by reducing the number of trucks on Ontario roads and highways. The ATB Sea Eagle IV-St. Mary's Cement 11 was moored in Lock 3, near the St. Catharines Museum, for the traditional Top Hat ceremony, the award presented this year to Captain Vladimir Ignatov, who has worked for Fettes Shipping since 2007. Also honored during the brief program was Chief Engineer Steve Hayter.A spokesman explained the ATB is used by the owner, St. Mary's Cement, to transport products from Canada to various terminals in the U.S. The tug is connected to the Barge (St. Mary's Cement 11) by a hydraulic system, which allows the ATB to handle any weather conditions on the Great Lakes. The tug (Sea Eagle 11) is a twin screw diesel driven vessel, with 7,300 horsepower. A special elevated wheel house provides excellent visibility at a spot 63 feet above the water line.About 50 people including Seaway Authority representatives, local government officials, and shipping company executives were welcomed at the canal side program by St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik. Source: niagara-gazette

Murder-suicide suspected on cruise ship Holland America Line said two guests were found dead inside their stateroom on the ms RYNDAM at 11:30 a.m. Thursday."The cabin was immediately secured, and the authorities were notified, including the FBI," Holland America said. "We are cooperating fully with the investigation, and the authorities will make the official determination on what occurred."FBI spokesman Moises Quiñones said authorities were on scene investigating.

The ship left Tampa, Florida, on March 29 on a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise. It's currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Puerto Rico Port Authority spokesman Efraín Santiago told El Nuevo Dia newspaper that the cleaning staff on the ship had discovered the deceased passengers after knocking on the cabin's door. Source : 4029TV

The GAS MYTH navigating the Westerschelde – Photo : Willem Kruit ©

APM Terminals looks to the future at TOC Europe

Better safety performance; dealing with greater operational complexity as a result of much bigger ships; managing congestion risk; staying profitable though shipping line economic cycles; and doing more with less space, every year. These are the big five challenges for the container port industry as identified recently by global operator APM



Terminals and the company is using the TOC Europe Conference and Exhibition in Rotterdam, 9-11 June, to share its vision for how the industry must raise its game to meet these new demands, TOC Events Europe said in a press release..

Rotterdam is home to APM Terminals brand-new Maasvlakte II (MVII) container terminal, hailed as the world’s most technologically advanced, deploying a plethora of world-first implementations in automated operations and environmental sustainability.Opened this year with an initial annual throughput capacity of 2.7 million TEU, the 500-hectare terminal has been built to handle the world’s largest containerships, with 1000 meters of quay and 20m depth alongside. As a gateway facility, landside operations are a critical piece of the MVII performance puzzle and intermodal flows are supported with a dedicated 500m berth barge terminal, on-dock rail facility with four 750m tracks and automated truck gates.Alongside the high degree of robotic handling systems, including world-first remote operated ship-to-shore cranes, lift-AGVS for horizontal quay-yard transport and automated yard stacking cranes, MV-II will be free of all CO2, NOx and particulate emissions thanks to the electrification of all equipment and use of green energy generated power.

Delegates attending TOC Europe will have an exclusive chance to study the new terminal first-hand in a port tour hosted by APM Terminals on Monday 8 June. On the morning of Tuesday 9 June, Frank Tazelaar, Managing Director of APM Terminals MVII, will explore the terminal’s operating and design concept in a keynote speech at the TOC Europe Container Supply Chain conference, joining major cargo owners, carriers and other supply chain members to discuss today’s most pressing industry issues under the headline conference theme “Shipping’s seismic shift: Dealing with the supply chain fallout”. Alex Duca, Head of Design and Automation for APM Terminals, will also speak in the TECH TOC conference, where he will discuss the company’s vision of the new ‘eco-system’ of handling equipment and technology needed by the terminal industry to simultaneously improve safety, operational productivity and return on asset investment. “APM Terminals is at the forefront of innovation and investment in international container terminal operations and we are delighted that the company has chosen TOC Europe 2015, our 40th edition, as the platform to share its latest developments and future vision,” said Paul Holloway, Director, TOC Events. Source : PortNews

Province advances $2 million more to Nova Star service from its 2015 funding commitment The provincial government has dispersed another $2 million of the $13 million it has committed to the operator of the Nova Star service for the 2015 sailing season between Nova Scotia and Maine.This brings to $4 million the amount that has been forwarded to Nova Star Cruises for the upcoming sailing season that gets underway June 1.

The Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism says these pre-season costs were anticipated given the need for the company to prepare for the season at a time when its revenue is limited. Nova Star Cruises says the $2 million it received in March was used for recertification of Nova Star for the 2015 season, vessel maintenance and repair, business and technical operations and sales, marketing and reservations.

The province, however, says in addition to the money being spent, it will be getting money back. Michel Samson, the minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, says a verbal agreement he’s received from ST Marine (the owners of Nova Star) is in the process of being finalized. The agreement would see the vessel’s owner contribute $3 million towards this service. Samson says the government will provide more details once an agreement is finalized.Last year Nova Star transported around 59,000 passengers. The province spent $28.5 million on the service in 2014, which

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included a $21-million subsidy that was all used up in the first two months of operation. The government says the economic return to the province from the ferry service in place was around $13 million last year.

The ferry operator says they’ve so far sold around 9,000 tickets for the upcoming season, saying this includes many repeat customers. Last year Nova Star Cruises says the trend wasn’t for passengers to purchase tickets months in advance, but rather much closer to their trips.The company says the month of March has been busy preparing for the sailing season that will begin on June 1.“We've attended numerous travel trade shows…Very good response,” says company spokesperson Dennis Bailey. “Our advertising will ramp up this month and next.”

In a monthly activity report for March posted on its website, Nova Star Cruises says it attended a number of consumer travel shows in the northeast United States, including the AAA Travel Marketplace shows in Foxborough, MA and in Hartford, CT, the Travel and Adventure Show in Washington, DC and the Philadelphia Travel Show.

“Each show attracted thousands of attendees and we met with many interested travel agents and consumers who expressed strong interest in visiting Nova Scotia,” the activity report reads. “We also attended the Maine 2015 Governor's Conference on Tourism in Augusta, ME, which is an important show for strengthening relationships with tour operators and industry partners.”The company launched its travel agent portal in March, which allows AAA travel agents and independent travel agents to book their clients on Nova Star. The company says its Discovery Package program continues to evolve and they expect clients will be able to book packages online by the end of April.

When the contract for the upcoming season was signed and announced in February, the province and the ferry operator said start-up costs that were a factor for the service last year, won’t be repeated this year, which they said will bring down the cost of operating the service this year, compared to 2014.

In the Legislature on April 1, Kings North PC MLA John Lohr wanted to hear details from the economic minister about how the money advanced to Nova Star Cruises is being spent. “Liberals have now handed out $4 million of the $13 million promised for the season, and the boat hasn't even returned from South Carolina yet,” said Lohr. “Nova Scotians deserve an opportunity to see for themselves if their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent competently and if those dollars are being spent here at home.”Nova Star Cruises says it has committed to food purchasing within the province and says they are in talks with two companies for purchasing diesel fuel in Nova Scotia for power generation.Nova Star is presently undergoing re-certification for its Passenger Ship Safety Certificate. The vessel will leave Charleston, South Carolina in early May, arriving mid–May in Yarmouth. As for bus tours, which the company says it missed out on last year due to its late and slow start-up, Bailey says Nova Star Cruises has 65 bus tours booked for this season with another 28 in negotiation. Last year the ferry had only 19 bus tours. source: thevanguard

Seaspan Accepts Delivery of First 14000 TEU SAVER Containership

Seaspan Corporation announced that it accepted delivery of a 14000 TEU containership, the YANG MING WISH. The new containership, which was constructed at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., is Seaspan's first 14000 TEU SAVER design containership and second delivery in 2015.The YANG MING WISH will commence a ten-year, fixed-rate time charter with Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. ("Yang Ming"). Yang Ming may extend the charter for up to an additional two years. The ship is the first of a total of eight 14000 TEU SAVER design vessels to be chartered by Seaspan to Yang Ming. The delivery of the YANG MING WISH expands the Company's operating fleet to 79 vessels.



Gerry Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chairman and Co-Founder of Seaspan, commented, "With the addition of the YANG MING WISH to our fleet, we have achieved another significant milestone in Seaspan's growth, as we continue to meet our customers' demand for large, state-of-the-art containerships. We are pleased to have taken delivery of our first 14000 TEU SAVER design vessel and to have commenced an important commercial relationship with Yang Ming, a leading liner company. We look forward to adding a total of six 14000 TEU SAVER design vessels to Seaspan's fleet in 2015, all of which are chartered to Yang Ming on attractive ten-year fixed-rate time charters."

Seaspan provides many of the world's major shipping lines with creative outsourcing alternatives to vessel ownership by offering long-term leases on large, modern containerships combined with industry leading ship management services. Seaspan's managed fleet consists of 111 containerships representing a total capacity of over 860,000 TEU, including 25 newbuilding containerships on order scheduled for delivery to Seaspan and third parties by the end of 2017. Seaspan's current operating fleet of 79 vessels has an average age of approximately seven years and an average remaining lease period of approximately five years. Source : Marketwire

Ship owner Euronav sees positive tanker market going forward

The tanker market is poised for a continuation of the climbing trend of freight rates, as fundamentals remain positive, with ship owner Euronav adding its voice to the optimistic views of the market. According to the ship owner, supply and demand for seaborne transport support the view of a robust market in both the short and medium term. In its earnings release report this week, the company’s management noted that it’s well positioned for this market structure having expanded with the support of the capital markets during 2014 to become the largest, independent pure-play crude tanker platform in the world. In addition, management has deliberately positioned the fleet to have around 16,000 days open to the spot market for 2015 “where we expect continued freight rate expansion” it said. According to Euronav there are several supportive factors in the tanker market. “Firstly, demand for oil has remained robust over the past three years. The fall in the oil price since October should stimulate additional demand as the reduction in the oil price should act as a direct stimulus to the global economy. The benefit of lower oil prices also implies a reduction in one of our key operational costs – namely bunker fuel”, said the company. It added that “secondly, the tanker fleet order book is at his lowest since 1997 and vessel supply should remain restricted for at least the next two years. Thirdly, the financial crisis has changed the landscape for shipping finance as many previous providers of capital, particularly European Banks, have withdrawn and those left are increasingly constrained by capital adequacy rules. This development provides a clear advantage for transparent, well capitalised platforms such as Euronav who have and will continue to work in partnership with the capital markets. Euronav’s effective use and access to capital markets has been repeatedly demonstrated, in particular during the last 18 months. Fourthly, ton-miles, which have structurally increased in the last 3 years, should continue to have a significant impact on the demand dynamics of the tanker markets. The Atlantic is effectively long oil and this oil supply is feeding demand from non-OECD and especially from Asia and the Far East. Therefore, traditional trade lanes should continue to be replaced by longer haul routes with the Far East as their ultimate destination. This in turn should act as a multiplier effect on the underlying demand for oil which we expect in any event to exhibit further growth as the fall in the oil price should stimulate economic expansion and energy needs over time”, Euronav said. It went on to note that “other factors provide an encouraging background: short term, the oil price contango may continue to drive support for floating storage and reduce capacity. Lower bunker costs may make speed less of a cost issue BUT ship owners should not waste fuel so speeds in ballast will vary as to whether the ship is sailing to a cargo or not. No rational ship owner will want to speed up just to wait. The industry has learnt over the past five years how to manage variable voyage costs and speed is the key factor”.It concluded its analysis by noting that “tanker markets should continue to grow but are expected to remain volatile. This volatility is an essential element of the tanker sector. It should not be forgotten but embraced as it provides the Company with ongoing opportunities to deliver value”. Source : Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

NEW ZEALAND: NZ$150 MILLION TO BE INVESTED IN DREDGING PORT OF TAURANGA

The New Zealand Herald reports that Port of Tauranga is planning to spend NZ$150 million over the next three years to position the port for the new generation of mega container ships. The money will be spent on the first stage of deepening the port's shipping channels, buying two new tugs and two additional cranes. A crane has also been ordered for PrimePort Timaru which is 50 per cent owned by Port of Tauranga. A buoyant outlook for the port was



detailed by Quayside Holdings chairman Michael Smith to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. It includes Tauranga planning to become a hub port for the whole of New Zealand in which cargo was trans-shipped to ports that were not deep enough to take the new generation of ships. Quayside is a wholly-owned council company that holds 54.1 per cent of shares in the Port of Tauranga.The 18 per cent surge in the share price since the Kotahi deal was announced last year meant that dividends paid to the regional council for the first six months of the financial year reached nearly NZ$11 million, NZ$3.6 million up on the same period in 2013.The New Zealand Herald said Kotahi, an unprecedented 10-year alliance with Fonterra's logistics company Kotahi and the Maersk shipping line, is underwriting the NZ$150 million capital spend.Tenders have been called for the dredging which will deepen shipping channels to 17.4m through the harbour entrance and 16m inside the harbour - increasing depths by 3.1m to 3.3m. Source : dredging news online

Freak wave of 12 meter measured at North Sea

Photo top : The LURO riding high along the Dutch coast

Photo: FLYING FOCUS luchtfotografie www.flyingfocus.nl ©

Last week’s storm caused a spectaculair wave of over 12 meter height at the North Sea. This exceptional high wave was measured by the Radac WaveGuide at the offshore windfarm Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ) 10 kilometers out of the Dutch coast. The radar is mounted on a wind turbine and measures the distance to the

water several times per second with an accuracy of 1 cm. A freak wave or monster wave is a wave which is over two times the significant wave height. At 9h05 AM (31 March 2015) the significant wave height (Hs) was 5m20 and the measured monster wave 12m20!

SUPREME COURT TO LOOK INTO RISK INSURANCE FOR TSUNAMI COVER

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will examine whether an all-risk insurance policy on "perils of the sea" will cover tsunami losses too. This comes after the Hyderabad based Krishnapatnam Port Company, which lost a dredger in the unprecedented tsunami that hit the Tamil Nadu coast in 2004, challenged Delhi's National Consumer Commission's ruling of January 30 that since the insurance cover did not extend to quakes it would not cover a quake-induced tsunami as well.The company had taken an annual marine hull insurance policy on a dredger covering all risks arising out of perils of the sea. The dredger, an ocean going vessel used for removal of material like silt, rocks, debris, etc in

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any excavation, cleaning or deepening of any port or harbour in any river or sea, had been insured with the United India Insurance Company for a sum of Rs 1.5 crore.The policy covered damage or loss to the insured caused by "perils of the seas, rivers, lakes or other navigable waters", excluding earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. But when the company lost the dredger in the tsunami and sought to recover the losses, the insurance company denied the claim. Later, the commission upheld the claim of the insurance company, ruling that a quake was the proximate cause of a tsunami and hence not covered by the insurance. A top court bench, including Justices Madan B Lokur and Adarsh Kumar Goel, on Monday decided to examine whether 'tsunami' was an insurable risk under the terms of Marine Hull Insurance Policy, after hearing the port company through senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyers Vipin Nair and PB Suresh. In its appeal, the port claimed that since 'tsunami' was not specifically listed as an excluded peril, the commission could not create an additional exclusion. It also objected to the commission finding that since the quake had caused the loss, it wasn't covered by the policy.The port objected to these twin reasons, saying it went against all legal principles laid down by the top court that an insurance policy has to be strictly construed, especially an exclusion clause, and in any event what was not specifically excluded cannot be brought within the exclusion clause by a legal fiction. The company claimed that since 'tsunami' was not specifically excluded, the claim arising out of a loss due to it was payable by the insurance company. Denial of the insurance claim was unreasonable and illegal and amounted to deficiency of service, it said, but the claim was rejected by the national commission.The tsunami had hit the Tamil Nadu coast on December 26, 2004, killing over 3 lakh people and destroying property worth several thousands of crores of rupees. Source : newshub

The TSHD HEIN passing Maassluis outbound Photo : Kees van der Kraan ©

Dry bulk prices keep falling, but buyers remain scarce

The dry bulk market has remained in the doldrums over the course of the past few weeks, with inevitable downward pressure on asset prices, a trend already evident since July of last year. However, buyers remain a rare sight on the SnP market, as banks remain reluctant to finance acquisitions in such a low market. According to the latest report from shipbroker Intermodal, “we observe a strong negative trend in asset prices that has kicked off back in mid-2014, but which has nevertheless still hasn’t convinced buying interest to the extent that one would think. This trend affects all segments and ages with the most representative examples those of the 10-year old Panamax and the 5-year old Cape, the prices of which are currently at a massive discount compared to a year ago”. According to Intermodal’s SnP broker, Mr. Panos Makrinos, “the obvious question that rises among the majority of shipowners and potential investors is whether this is the right time to invest in second hand vessels or not, but this time round the argument for investing is very hard to make as the present earnings from the very depressed freight market are at levels that in many cases fail to even cover operation expenses. So does buying a ship at a low freight market entail a substantial risk? The answer is a definitive yes, but as it has happened many times in the past, such risks have proven to be excellent investment choices when improved freight levels finally take place following a market recovery. The million dollar



question is as always what is the best time for such investments, and one that cannot be answered as the “perfect timing” or “accurately calling the bottom” is a very rare occurrence in this market to begin with”, Makrinos noted. The broker added that “when looking at the very low asset prices and the fairly intense buying interest of the last month, especially for vessels build post 1990, one could observe that some key players are eager to buy at the lowest price they can achieve right now, having in mind that the BDI has reached its historical bottom recently and a gradual rise is bound to happen even at a pace that might not secure immediate profit for shipowners”. Makrinos also mentioned that “at the same time, the oversupply of available tonnage in the dry market remains a very important issue, especially if one takes into account the number of bulkers that are due to be delivered this year following the ordering spree of 2013. Slippage and cancellation might help this number eventually come in lower than expected, while on top of that, intense demolition activity is already offering hopes for a much needed breather in the dry bulk market, despite the fact that demo prices are currently in the range of $360-380/ldt. Although a slight increase in steel prices has been observed in the past couple of weeks this is not yet reflected in demo prices, but if it eventually does, we expect the number of bulkers heading for scrapped to accelerate”. Concluding his analysis, Makrinos said that “despite the fact that the dry market is not currently showing signs of a recovery being just around the corner, I believe that we will sooner rather than later observe more intense buying interest being transformed into actual deals, especially for vessels that are easier to charter these days and still manage to do so over OPEX levels, such as geared sizes build after 2000″, he concluded. Meanwhile, in the ever so critical demolition market, Intermodal said that “following a long period of low prices and extremely negative market sentiment, things seem to finally start improving in the demolition market. Prices across the Indian subcontinent managed to close off the week with a gain of $10-15/ldt, while dry bulk vintage tonnage still made up for a significant portion of the recently reported deals. At the core of this long awaited market reversal, lies the improved price of steel, which kicked off in the beginning of the week prior and finally managed to feed through demo prices as well. On top of that, the stabilization of the Indian rupee has also helped sentiment, as it has, at least for now, eased some of the always present exchange rate risk worries. The improved demo prices were immediately reflected on the increased number of deals that concluded last week in India and Bangladesh, where prices had fallen the most during the past months, while if steel prices stabilize we expect to see some additional price upside during next week as well. Prices this week for wet tonnage were at around 230-405 $/ldt and dry units received about 215-380 $/ldt”.In a separate report, Allied Shipbroking noted, “things seemed to have gathered pace this week with price offers firm-ing further, and a more competitive biding war being seen amongst the different Indian Sub-continent destinations. It seemed there was considerable optimism amongst buyers which have gotten rid of the “shackles” of previous high purchase made and large stocks of cheap Chinese steel, and their renewed freedom came with a strong appetite for speculative buying and renewed sentiment for what lies ahead. There are still a good number of candidates out there for grabs with a strong majority being dry bulkers, while even this hasn’t dampened spirits. This new momentum is looking primed to continue on over the next couple of days at least, though caution must be held, as the fun-damentals are still off from any certain direction and are looking any-thing but bullish as we move forward. In terms of concluded business it is important to note that there was a number of candidates amongst the dry bulk tonnage that were report-edly receiving offers close to the USD 400/ldt mark, while of note was the handymax “GOLDEN TRADER” (48K dwt, 10,283 ldt, blt 1994 Croatia) which received a price of US$ 410/ldt for destination India”, Allied Shipbroking noted. Source : Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Japan starts 2015-16 shipping insurance cover for carrying Iranian oil

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Japan started Wednesday providing up to Yen 877.8 billion ($7.98 billion) shipping insurance cover for tankers carrying Iranian crude for fiscal year 2015-16 (April-March), amid uncertainty over Western sanctions against Iran. Japan’s insurance cover for Iranian oil is at a record level in 2015-16, up almost 15% from Yen 764.4 billion ($7.88 billion) in fiscal 2014-15, due mainly to a weaker yen against the dollar. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Akihiro Ohta signed a contract Wednesday with one Japanese shipowner to provide insurance to one of its VLCCs carrying Iranian oil, a ministry official said.It was not immediately clear when this VLCC will load Iranian oil. In order to get the government-funded shipping insurance scheme, Japanese shipowners need to sign contracts with the transport minister for every VLCC the companies use to carry Iranian oil. Japan’s shipping insurance for fiscal 2015-16 took effect after parliament passed a provisional budget for the fiscal year on March 30, after it promulgated a revision to its law on March 27, the official said. The start to Japan’s shipping insurance scheme for Iranian oil this year comes against the backdrop of Tehran and the P5+1 world powers continuing their negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, with a possible framework deal as soon as later Wednesday.Under the revised act on special measures, Japanese insurance cover will range from a minimum Yen 990 million to a maximum Yen 877.8 billion per tanker in the fiscal year that started Wednesday. Japan introduced a supplementary insurance scheme in June 2012 to enable crude imports from Iran in the wake of a ban by the EU on protection and indemnity cover for tankers carrying Iranian oil. Over January-February, Japan imported an average of 207,943 b/d of crude from Iran, down 22% from 234,390 b/d in same period of 2014, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.Iran was the sixth-largest crude oil supplier to Japan in in the first two months of 2015. Source: Platts

PACIFIC RADIANCE BUILTS 2 DRYDOCKS IN SINGAPORE

With its origins in 2002, the Pacific Radiance Group owns and operates a fleet of 130 modern offshore vessels. the Group

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activities. Over the coming years, the Pacific Radiance Group will witness the addition of larger, more sophisticated DP vessels to support growing deep-water E&P requirements. Crest SA yard, The modern shipyard and equipment

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workshop facility in Singapore is scheduled to become fully operational in 2015 and will significantly enhance the Shipyard and Marine Equipment offerings photo’s : Piet Sinke © CLICK on the photo’s !

The SKANDI PACIFIC on port wing towing the Heerema Barge H 851 from Okpo to Western Australia together with the TERASEA EAGLE and TERASEA HAWK Photo’s : Capt Kees Pronk – Towmaster ©

South Korea to pay $521,000 for each student killed in ferry disaster

The South Korean government said on Wednesday it would pay about 420 million won (S$521,000) compensation for each of the 250 students who died or remain missing from last year's ferry disaster, in the first settlement offer to victims' families.The families of 11 teachers who died in the disaster will receive on average 760 million won, the amount higher to account for their lost income, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries ministry said.Other passengers will receive between 150 million won to 600 million won depending on their age and income, it said.



More than two-thirds of the 476 passengers on board the doomed Sewol ferry were students on a school trip. Many of them died trapped in the vessel following orders by the crew to stay in their cabins as it capsized and sank on April 16 last year.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said a compensation committee had set an average payout of 425,810 won to the families of each of the students who died or remain missing.

A group representing the family members of the victims protested the government's announcement as an attempt to divert attention away from their demands for a thorough and independent investigation into the accident, Yonhap news agency reported.The ferry sank while making a turn on a routine voyage to the holiday island of Jeju. The vessel was later found to be defective, with additions made to increase passenger capacity making it top-heavy and unstable.

The ferry's chief engineer has been convicted of homicide and jailed for 30 years. He is appealing the sentence. Fourteen other surviving crew members sentenced to between five and 36 years in jail are also appealing their convictions.The ministry said compensation could rise when payments from insurance and a fund that was established with contributions from the public are added. Those payments are expected to amount to 300 million won per person, a ministry official said. Source : straitstimes

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UK: Court Considers Whether Carrier Adopted Sound System For Carriage Of Cargo A recent decision offers guidance as to the courts’ approach to a carrier’s obligations under Article III(2) of the Hague Rules to properly and carefully load, carry and care for the cargo.

The background facts

The Claimants were consignees under the bills of lading issued in respect of nine consignments of washed Colombian green coffee beans transported by the Defendant container line from Buenaventura in Colombia to various destinations in North Germany, transhipped in Balboa, Panama.Each of the consignments suffered damage from condensation. The bills of lading recorded receipt in apparent good order and condition. The containers were provided and stuffed by the Defendant carrier. The stevedores lined the containers with Kraft paper before stuffing.The bills of lading contained a Clause Paramount making the carriage by sea subject to the Hague Rules from the time when the goods were loaded on the ship. The carrier disputed application of the Hague Rules on the basis that the stuffing of the containers by its stevedores occurred before the loading.The Court considered whether the obligations imposed by the Hague Rules applied to the stuffing of the containers and, further, whether the carrier had breached its duty under Article III(2) of the Hague Rules to properly and carefully load, carry and care for the cargo. The cargo was found to be entirely typical, so the carrier could not rely on any particularities of this cargo to explain the damage. The Mercantile Court decision

The Court found that, where cargo is loaded into a carrier’s containers which are subsequently loaded onto the vessel, it is unrealistic to treat this as anything other than a single loading process. The Court further commented that even if that were not so, the parties are free to agree on what constitutes loading. In this case, the carrier assumed an obligation to stuff its own containers and therefore the contract of carriage included that as part of the loading process. In addition, the Court said that the proper analysis of the claim was that it did not relate to the stuffing process itself, but to the carrier’s failure to protect cargo against damage during carriage, which is breach of a duty at the heart of the carriage. The Hague Rules therefore applied. The Court then turned to consider the carrier’s obligations under Article III(2) to properly and carefully care for the cargo. The word “properly” has previously been construed as “in accordance with a sound system.” The word

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“carefully” was found to refer to the implementation of that system by the carrier. The Court commented that “properly” and “carefully” can be viewed as two aspects of a single duty of care and so it is not always necessary, or possible, to assign the breach to one or other of them in isolation.In this case, the Court had to consider whether the carrier’s precautions (namely lining the containers with Kraft papers) represented a sound system in preventing condensation damage to the cargo of coffee beans. The Court’s starting point was that “if goods, acknowledged to have been received in apparent good order and condition, are delivered in a damaged state, that can without more be sufficient to justify the court in inferring a breach of Article III(2) and thus require evidence from the carrier to negate such a breach.” The onus of proof regarding the use of a sound system was therefore found to lie with the carrier. The Defendant carrier argued that no amount of Kraft paper would have prevented the condensation damage and that the claim must therefore fail for want of causation. The Claimants argued that the condensation damage could only have resulted from some inadequacy in the way that the carrier used the lining paper. The Court considered the expert evidence and decided that the carrier failed to establish that no amount of lining with paper of any thickness could have prevented the damage. Even if the carrier succeeded on that argument, that would not be an answer to the claim. The Court commented that “since the ‘soundness’ relates to the prevention of damage to a normal cargo from the risks reasonably to be expected during the contracted carriage, it is no answer to an allegation of breach of that obligation to say that, since such damage is always unavoidable, no such system exists.”The Court also commented that, in order to conclude whether a particular system of protecting the cargo is a “sound system”, the carrier has to demonstrate that there exists “a rational, adequate and reliable basis” in the form of studies and research for concluding that this particular system will prevent the damage. Evidence of general industry practice of using a particular system to prevent the damage will not suffice in the absence of any theoretical or empirical basis for such practice.Further, even if the carrier had established that it adopted a sound system, the question would remain as to why this system still failed to prevent the damage. The carrier would therefore have to demonstrate that it has also exercised due care in implementing this system. Comment

The case is a useful clarification of the carrier’s duty of care under Article III(2) of the Hague Rules. It also demonstrates the difficulties that a carrier faces in proving that it has cared for the cargo properly and carefully where cargo, which was received in apparent good order and condition, is then delivered in a damaged state. The carrier cannot rely on industry practice alone to argue that it adopted a sound system to protect the cargo. The soundness of the system employed by the carrier must be based on suitable theoretical and empirical studies. Source: Ince&Co

The LADY NOLA riding high along the Dutch Coast – Photo : FLYING FOCUS luchtfotografie

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Brazil comptroller probes five more contractors in Petrobras scandal

Another five Brazilian construction and engineering firms have been added to an investigation of contractors that allegedly participated in a corruption ring at state-run oil company Petrobras, the office of the comptroller general said on Wednesday.The companies include Techint Engenharia e Construções Ltda, NM Engenharia e Construções Ltda, Construcap CCPS Engenharia e Comércio SA, Niplan Engenharia SA, and Jaraguá Equipamentos Industriais Ltda, the agency known as CGU said in a statement.Twenty-nine of Brazil's top builders are under investigation for suspected overpricing of contracts in a multibillion-dollar scheme that funneled bribes to Petrobras executives and politicians.

The case may exclude the companies from new contracts with Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the oil company is formally known, and lead to fines and other penalties.NM Engenharia said in a statement it would cooperate with authorities, had not previously been investigated, and lamented being tied to the situation after 35 years of serving Petrobras.

Niplan said it had "never practiced any type of illegal act in its commercial relations."Techint said it would clarify any doubts when it presents its defense. Construcap denied participating in any price-fixing cartel and said it would cooperate with authorities.A representative of Jaraguá Equipamentos Industriais could not be reached for comment. The CGU said it may still expand the investigation to cover more companies.Brazil's biggest-ever corruption scandal is rippling through various sectors of the national economy, threatening to stall major infrastructure projects as so many engineering firms come under investigation. Source : Reuters (Reporting by Brad Haynes and Marta Nogueira; Additional reporting by Jeferson Ribeiro in Brasilia Editing by W Simon; Editing by Richard Chang)

The Liberian flagged tanker ICE HAWK seen bound for Amsterdam. This is one of a serie ice-strengthened Russian tankers operated by Lukoil. Many of them have been flagged out. The ICE HAWK is the former SAINT PETERBURG (SANKT PETERBURG) with its welded-on Cyrillic lettering still clearly visible. Photo : Henk Ros ©




Maasvlakte Plaza maakt Maasvlakte compleet

Met Maasvlakte Plaza ontwikkelt het Havenbedrijf Rotterdam een internationaal transportpark met een grootschalige truckparking en moderne voorzieningen voor chauffeur en vrachtwagen. Het aantal betaalde parkeerplaatsen voor trucks in de Rotterdamse haven verdubbelt daardoor tot 700. Het Havenbedrijf verwacht dat Maasvlakte Plaza in 2017 wordt geopend.

De aanleg van Maasvlakte Plaza past in het beleid van het Havenbedrijf om de beveiliging van geparkeerde trucks te verbeteren en de overlast ervan te verminderen. Het Havenbedrijf ziet in Maasvlakte Plaza tevens een mogelijkheid om de innovatie van het logistieke proces een impuls te geven. “Door de centrale ligging,

vlakbij de grote containerterminals, kan Maasvlakte Plaza in de toekomst gebruikt worden in de doorontwikkeling van het principe van de ‘Virtual Gate’, waarbij allerlei inspecties en douane- en administratieve handelingen optimaal op elkaar kunnen worden afgestemd. Dat kan door de uniformiteit in het logistieke proces te verbeteren”, aldus Ronald Paul, COO van het Havenbedrijf.

Voorzieningen Maasvlakte Plaza wordt een bewaakte truckparking met 359 parkeerplaatsen, waarvan ruim 80 plaatsen geschikt worden gemaakt voor vrachtwagens met gevaarlijke stoffen (ADR). Ook komen er voorzieningen voor trailers, ECO-combi’s (extra lange vrachtwagens), koelcontainers en bijzondere transporten. Naast de truckparking komt een centraal gelegen gebouw met de voor dit park gewenste voorzieningen (horeca, uitgebreid sanitair en in de toekomst ‘Virtual Gate’ functies), aangevuld met bijpassende kantoorvoorzieningen. Er zijn al gesprekken gaande over de aanleg van een restaurant, een brandstofverkooppunt en een aantal servicebedrijven voor het wegvervoer.Aannemersbedrijf Van Gelder B.V. draagt zorg voor de civiele werkzaamheden, de aanleg en herinrichting van de Vogelvallei en de aanleg van de truckparking.

Vogelvallei Onderdeel van het project is de herinrichting en uitbreiding van de bestaande Vogelvallei. Daarmee ontstaat een groot aaneengesloten natuurgebied van 21 hectare, bestaande uit diverse eilanden, met daartussen ondiepe waterpartijen. De grote variatie in de inrichting en de lange oeverlengtes maakt het gebied geschikt voor vele vogelsoorten, waaronder diverse kustbroedvogels en eendensoorten. Vogelaars kunnen hun hart ophalen op een van de twee vogeluitkijkpunten, waarvan een wordt voorzien met een oeverzwaluwwand. Het ontwerp van de Vogelvallei is tot stand gekomen in afstemming met diverse natuurbelangenorganisaties en opgesteld door H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten Amersfoort en Bureau Stadsnatuur Rotterdam.

Truckparking Rotterdam De Rotterdamse haven heeft sinds 2012 de beschikking over drie truckparkings. Truckparking Waalhaven heeft een capaciteit van 124 parkeerplaatsen. Truckparking de Punt in de Botlek en Truckparking Distripark Botlek hebben allebei een capaciteit van 85 parkeerplaatsen. Sinds de opening van deze betaalde parkeerplaatsen is de veiligheid van geparkeerde vrachtwagens aanzienlijk verbeterd en de hinder afgenomen.

Atwood postpones again Atwood Oceanics has postponed the delivery of two ultra-deepwater drilling rig newbuildings for a second time.The Atwood Admiral and Atwood Archer are under construction at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea.Atwood said they will now be delayed by one year each with deliveries now set for September 2016 and June 2017 respectively.In November last year the US-listed drilling contractor delayed the deliveries of both drillships by six months each.“The two drillships had both previously been delayed by six months, so the incremental delays do not come as much of a surprise,” said Cowen & Co analyst JB Lowe.



“We view the delays as prudent for the company, which would like to avoid delivered costs of $100,000 per day that they would incur if they took delivery prior to signing a contract.”Lowe said Atwood will continue to bid both rigs for work as the company can take delivery following the original six month delays.This is the second major drilling delivery delay announced in as many days following that of John Fredriksen-controlled Northern Offshore. Cosco Shipyard revealed on Wednesday that it had agreed to delay the delivery of two LeTourneau Super 116E jack-up drilling rigs. The two rigs will now be handed over in December 2016 and June 2017 respectively, nine months after their original delivery dates. Source : tradewinds

The Semi Submersible rigs SONGA ENDURANCE and SONGA EQUINOX under construction at the DSME yard in

Okpo (Korea) – Photo : Capt. Kees Pronk ©

Employment status of foreign workers in Australia's offshore sector is in flux yet again

After years of uncertainty over the issue of whether foreign workers in Australia’s offshore sectors are required to have Australian work visas, it seems that the tides have turned yet again, leaving the future status of such foreign workers’ employment – and the booming oil and gas industries at large – uncertain. In a recent decision, the Federal Court decided that these foreign workers are required to hold work visas. In response, the government has vowed to appeal the decision and introduce an interim measure to allow them to work without the visas. In all of this, the offshore industry is forced to wait for what will happen next whilst scrambling to try to comply with these immigration requirements.

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In Australian Maritime Officers’ Union v. Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2015] FCAFC 45, the Federal Court was presented with the issue of whether the Minister for the Immigration and Border Protection had power under The Migration Act 1958 (Cth) to determine that offshore activity was excluded from the migration zone and, thus, work visa and other immigration requirements did not apply to non-Australian workers in such offshore sectors. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and Australian Maritime Officers’ Union (AMOU) appealed the Minister’s determination, seeking to reinstitute immigration requirements upon overseas workers. On 26 March 2015, the Federal Court unanimously upheld the MUA and AMOU appeal, essentially requiring offshore sector non-citizen employees to hold visas once again.

In response, the government has indicated that it will appeal the Federal Court’s decision, as well as introduce a temporary legal instrument to shield offshore industry employers and foreign employees until the issue is fully resolved. However, it is unclear what that instrument will look like and when it will take effect. Even if special leave is granted to appeal the Australian Maritime Officers’ Union decision, the hearing and determination of an appeal would not likely take place by the end of 2015.The history leading up to last week’s decision is tumultuous. In 2012, in Allseas Construction SA v. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2012] FCA 529, the Federal Court found that workers on two vessels owned by Swiss-based Allseas Construction fell outside of Australia’s migration zone, thus eliminating the need for work visas. In response, the government at that time introduced the Allseas bill, which required anyone engaged in work related to an offshore resources activity to maintain an Australian work visa. However, the Allseas legislation was introduced mere months before the new Liberal-National Coalition government took office in late 2013, and one of the first steps that the new government took was to seek to repeal the Allseas legislation. When the repeal stalled in the Senate, the Coalition attempted to enact a regulation to allow the Immigration Minister to grant offshore resource workers a new type of visa; however this was rejected by the Senate.

On the day following the Senate rejection, Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash made a determination that reversed the Allseas legislation and which allowed the oil and gas sector to attract foreign labor yet again, sans work visa or immigration issues. The unions’ challenge to Senator Cash’s determination was rejected by Justice Buchanan last September. And finally now the Federal Court has set aside Justice Buchanan’s ruling last week and unanimously upheld MUA and OMUA’s challenge, holding that Senator Cash’s determination was “not authorised by s 9A(6) of the [Migration] Act or otherwise and is invalid”, and holding that offshore sector non-citizen employees are indeed required to hold work visas.

More than 400 foreign workers currently engaged in laying undersea pipes and building maintenance for other structures are impacted by the Federal Court ruling. In addition to its intention to appeal the Federal Court’s ruling, the government intends to introduce an interim measure to allow the offshore industry employers and foreign employees to operate without work visas until the issue is fully resolved in the courts or through legislation. Source : lexology

Seen from the EM CORFU the Race of the Classics in the Botlek area in Rotterdam – Photo : Stephan Grol ©



MSC Takes Delivery of Second Mega Ship MSC Oliver

The ship, along with its sister vessel MSC OLIVER, are currently the largest containerships in the world. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has taken delivery of its second 19,224 TEU capacity ship, MSC OLIVER, the company announced. The company said that the ship was inaugurated at the DSME shipyard in South Korea where it was built.

Once delivered, it will operate the company's service between Asia and Europe.The MSC OLIVER is the second of 20 mega ships that are scheduled to be delivered, the first of which was the MSC OSCAR delivered early this year. "MSC OSCAR and MSC OLIVER are ships in the same class – not only can they carry more containers but they are also greener and more fuel efficient than any other container ship we operate," said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises.The two currently hold the title of largest containerships in the world, though the distinction may not last as long as other companies have already begun to fill orderbooks with 20,000 TEU mega-containerships. In February, it was announced that DNV GL had classed the MSC OSCAR. Source : Ship & Bunker

The VOS ENDURANCE operating at North Sea near GMS ENDURANCE MOU photo : Capt. Pieter Dekker

Master Thun Garland ©

Eurozone manufacturing picks up on weak euro Manufacturing activity across the eurozone accelerated faster than previously thought last month, adding to signs the bloc’s economy is recovering, a business survey showed. Any indication of a pick-up in growth will delight the European Central Bank, which embarked on a quantitative easing (QE) programme in March, aiming to buy around 60 billion euros of bonds every month to drive up inflation and spur the recovery.Markit’s final March manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was at a 10-month high of 52.2, beating a flash reading of 51.9. It was the 21st month it has been above the 50 mark that



separates growth from contraction.“The final PMI reading signalled slightly stronger growth of the manufacturing economy than the preliminary reading, adding further to signs that the eurozone economy is reviving after last year’s slowdown,” said Chris Williamson, Markit’s chief economist.“March saw the sharpest increase in new export orders since April 2014. Companies reported that the weaker euro was the main factor driving new export orders higher.” Speculation that QE was coming, and its eventual launch, has sent the euro down nearly 12% since January .Factories have benefited as it has not only made exports cheaper but also meant competing imports were more expensive.A sub-index measuring new export orders, which includes trade within the bloc, jumped to 52.7 from February’s 51.8, helping drive the output index – which feeds into a composite PMI due on Tuesday that is seen as a good growth indicator – to a 10-month high of 53.6 Factories cut prices for the seventh month running to spur demand, but only marginally.Official data on Tuesday showed eurozone consumer prices fell again in March, as expected, but the decline was the smallest this year. — source : Reuters

AHT UNION SOVEREIGN handling barge H-406 at the stern of the SSCV THIALF at Mafumeira project offshore

Angola. Photo : Arnoud Kisjes ©

EU co-finances smart and green cargo management from Rotterdam port

The EU's TEN-T Programme will support with nearly €570,000 the pilot launch of an IT solution helping to match truck schedule in the port of Rotterdam Rotterdam port. The new tool Boxreload is expected to reduce the number of lorry journeys leading to environmental and business benefits, port of Rotterdam said in its media release.Road hauliers carrying goods often travel one way with empty containers. Managing better the truck schedule, especially for SMEs, to match freight journeys would most likely lead to cuts in freight operating costs, fuel usage, and ultimately carbon

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emissions. It will also contribute in reducing traffic in port congested areas.The aim of this project is to test Boxreload, an IT freight tool, on competing hauliers operating in the Rotterdam area. The tool's effectiveness will be assessed in terms of business sustainability, empty journeys and CO2 emissions saved, and the results will be widely shared in the transport industry.Previous studies have already demonstrated that the solution works from a technical perspective and has business benefits. A pilot deployment is now required to further define the solution, demonstrate its commercial viability on a larger scale and facilitate deployment in other locations.The project was selected for EU funding with the assistance of external experts under the TEN-T Annual Call 2013, priority 'Decarbonisation/substitution or environmental cost reduction'. Its implementation will be monitored by INEA, the European Commission's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency. Source : PortNews

The SKANDI AFRICA moored at the Huisman premises in Schiedam – Photo : Jan Oosterboer ©

Navig8 Chemical Tankers Inc. concludes agreements for a sale and leaseback of eight

newbuilding vessels with Ocean Yield ASA Navig8 Chemical Tankers Inc. has entered into sale and leaseback agreements with Ocean Yield ASA for eight of the Company’s new buildings: 4 x IMO2 Interline coated 37k-dwt chemical tankers being built at Hyundai Mipo Shipyard (Korea) (“HMD”) and 4 x IMO2 Interline coated 49k-dwt chemical tankers being built at STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Korea), the company said in its press release. The four vessels from HMD have contractual delivery dates ranging from June 2015 to September 2015 and the four STX vessels from March 2016 to August 2016.The net proceeds from the transaction (after a 10% sellers’ credit) will be USD 277 Million.Under the agreements, the Vessels will be purchased by Ocean Yield from the Company on their respective deliveries from HMD and STX. The Company has entered into 15-year bareboat charters for the Vessels, commencing from said deliveries. The Company has purchase options to re-acquire the Vessels during the charter period, with the first such option exercisable on the fifth anniversary of each Vessel delivery.Under the sale and leaseback agreements, Ocean Yield will also provide financing for the pre-delivery instalments for the Company’s four new buildings ordered at STX.Separately, the Company confirms that it has, to date, taken delivery of five vessels, comprising two IMO2 49k-dwt chemical tankers (Navig8 Victoria; Navig8 Violette) and three IMO2 Interline-coated 37k-dwt chemical tankers (Navig8 Almandine; Navig8 Amber; Navig8 Amethyst). The vessels are operating in Navig8's Chronos8 and Delta8 pools respectively.source : Portnews

DP World announces proposed acquisition of Fairview Container Terminal in Prince

Rupert, Canada DP World Limited announces its agreement to acquire Maher Terminal ’ s Fairview Container Terminal (Fairview) in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada from Deutsche Bank, the company said in its press release Fairview presents growth opportunity in a market with attractive and growing demand. Fairview is a purpose built terminal with an



efficient sea - rail link and has a current capacity of 850,000 TEU (twenty - foot equivalent container units), with a just - announced Phase 2 expansion that will take capacity to 1.35 million TEU. The concession period runs to 2034 with an extension to 2056 after the completion of Phase 2. Total consideration payable is C$ 580 million (US$ 457 million) for the total outstanding stock of Fairview on a cash - free, debt - free basis (subject to customary adjustments).The completion of the transaction is subject to applicable Canadian regulatory approvals and is expected to occur in the second half of 2015. DP World Limited has been a significant investor in Canada, as operator of the CENTERM terminal in Port Metro Vancouver.The transaction will provide significant benefits to Canada, including to the Province of British Columbia, to the City of Prince Rupert, to First Nations communities, and to importers, exporters and consumers, including:

Implementation of the phase 2 expansion expected to be completed in the first half of 2017, which will add capacity and efficiency to Canada’s Asia - Pacific Gateway and Corridor. Expansion is projected to create more than one - half million hours of construction work and more than 500 FTE jobs

Undertake feasibility assessment in relation to development of the lands intended for further expansion which could potentially increase the capacity to 2.45 million TEU

Access to DP World’s world class product ivity - enhancing best practices in container terminal development and operation

Access to DP World’s state - of - the - art supply chain security and safety practices Net increase in employment levels in Canada Substantial Canadian participation in the management of Fairview Enhanced competition in the provision of container terminal services on Canada’s west coast source :

PortNews

Sunset over the Singapore Anchorage with the FAR GRIP on the Right – Photo : Erik Högberg ©

Iraq’s Four-Mile Line of Supertankers Fuels Ship-Rates Surge

Iraq’s biggest oil exports in more than three decades and winter winds are helping to keep shipping rates at a six-year high as a four-mile line of supertankers waits to load the nation’s crude.There are 22 of the industry’s biggest tankers, or almost 5 percent of the fleet, waiting to collect cargoes from the Basra Oil Terminal in the Persian Gulf, from where

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most of Iraq’s crude is shipped. Daily rates for the vessels delivering Middle East cargoes to Asia averaged $61,000 this year, the most since at least 2009, data from the Baltic Exchange in London show. Iraq’s oil output is rising faster than any other nation in OPEC as supplies from its southern oil province expand even

as Islamic State fighters seize parts of the north. Tankers leaving Basra in the past week waited an average of 16 days, ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. That compares with about 10 days normally, said Odysseus Valatsas, chartering manager at Dynacom Tankers Management in Glyfada, Greece. “The fact is it will definitely affect the market,” Valatsas, whose company’s biggest tankers can transport about 28 million barrels of crude, said by phone Thursday. “The more ships that are missing in the market, the higher the chance the market has to go up.”Iraq’s crude exports jumped 15 percent last month to 2.98 million barrels a day, the highest in 35 years, Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said by phone from Baghdad on Wednesday. The nation pumped 3.7 million barrels a day in March, the most since at least 1962, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Iraq will increase its crude production capacity to

4.7 million barrels a day in 2020, from 3.7 million last year, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Feb. 10.Shipments from Basra are sometimes slowed by strong winds during the first three months of the year. Iraq made “extraordinary efforts to boost crude oil exports to compensate for the delays in loading of tankers due to bad weather,” Jihad said.The buildup of tankers is probably positive for the shipping rates because it means vessels that would otherwise be competing for cargoes are having to wait for loadings instead, Jonathan Chappell, an analyst at Evercore ISI in New York, said by phone Wednesday. The VLCC fleet’s current utilization rate is almost 90 percent, he estimates. The 22 supertankers located near Basra in data compiled by Bloomberg on Wednesday would stretch for about 7,300 meters, or 4.5 miles, lined end to end. Each of the vessels, known in the industry as very large crude carriers, can load about 2 million barrels. There are also 11 smaller Suezmax ships waiting.“That’s a high number from historical levels in waiting times and in loading times and I’m sure that’s having a positive effect on the market,” Chappell said. Source: Bloomberg

HOPPER BARGE WILLEM SALVAGED BY MULTRASHIP SALVAGE

Last Monday hopper barge WILLEM capsized and sank, just like hopper barge RICK did, almost two months ago, in almost exactly the same location. Regrettably, Rick's captain drowned during that incident. Coincidently, both barges are operated by the same sand - and gravel company. Salvage operations were undertaken by Multraship of Terneuzen, with sheerlegs CORMORANT and tugs MULTRATUG 15 and 22. Photo : Willem Kruit ©



CASUALTY REPORTING

13 crewmen feared dead as Chinese dredger sinks

Thirteen seafarers are missing after a Chinese dredger capsized off the coast of Fujian province.

The 137 m long and 6,426 gt dredger, identified as ZHEN HE 168, capsized around 0440 hours local time west of Xiquan (also known as Xiju) island on 30 March, according to a statement from Fujian Maritime Safety Administration on 1 April. At 1720 hours local time on 30 March, local authorities received a report about the accident and started rescue operations. The Donghai Rescue Bureau dispatched rescue ships DONG HAI JIU 113 and Dong Hai Jiu 195 as well as patrol boat Huaying 393 in the rescue mission. Another rescue ship, DONG HAI JIU 116, was dispatched to tow a crane ship to the site of the accident.In addition, five tugs, government vessels, and fishing boats were also requested to join the rescue operation. At 2210 hours local time on 30 March, rescuers found the dredger capsized, with all the crew members missing. The rescue operation is still underway.Preliminary investigation found that the dredger's registration with the maritime safety authority in Anqing, China, had been revoked. The owners of the vessel are a group of investors in Ningbo. Source: ihsmaritime360

SHIP RUNS AGROUND NEAR BURLINGTON BRISTOL BRIDGE

An investigation is underway into what caused a 600-foot bulk carrier ship to run aground in the Delaware River. Coast Guard investigators boarded the AGIA IRINI from Monrovia, Liberia Thursday morning to begin their inquiry.

CLICK on the photo to see the Video !

Dramatic video captured the incident as it happened around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard says the ship was on its way to Tampa, Florida when it lost propulsion, causing it to run aground north of the Burlington Bristol Bridge in Burlington City.There were no injuries aboard the steel carrier, and no fuel leaked into the river as a result of the incident. The vessel was re-floated, then towed to the Mantua Creek

Anchorage port facility in Paulsboro, N.J., where it remained on Thursday. Bystanders who witnessed the incident Wednesday said it was a frightening experience. Jeff Jones said it looked like the TITANIC was coming at him."I didn't think it was gonna stop. I thought it was just gonna run toward me... saw that big bow coming after me," he

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said Andrew Acholes was there as well. "You could tell it wasn't gonna be turning at all because of how fast it was coming, and it wasn't adjusting, making any attempt to turn," he said. Acholes was fishing with Jones when he shot the dramatic video as the freighter came to a stop in the mud, just feet from shore."It scared the heck out of us, and we didn't know what the heck was going on," said Jones. Witnesses said it took tugboats 15-20 minutes Wednesday afternoon to pull the ship from the mud, point it in the correct direction, and move it downriver.The ship is considered to be on administrative hold, either anchored or docked, while the incident is investigated.source : 6ABC

At Least Five Dead in Philippines Foundering

A passenger vessel sank off the Sulu province of the Philippines on Thursday night. Five bodies have been recovered from the unregistered MPB WILAYZA.The vessel sunk between the islands of Pata and Tapul, and most of the passengers on board were local residents. Authorities have rescued 14 passengers including seven children. They are now undergoing medical treatment while the search continues.

The vessel is believed to have been overloaded with sacks of cement and iron bars. There were 50 passengers on board plus crew when it sunk. The sinking occurred as typhoon Maysak heads towards the country, although authorities report that sea conditions were normal when the vessel capsized.

The tragedy follows other passenger vessel accidents such as the loss of the ro-ro ferry MAHARLIKA DOS in September last year. The vessel capsized and sank off Pintuyan, Leyte Island after suffering engine failure. Without power, the ferry was left to struggle with the heavy rains, high waves and strong winds. It listed and then sank, and around 40 people lost their lives. Seven passenger ships were lost globally during 2014, accounting for almost 10 percent of total losses, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s third annual Safety and Shipping Review 2015, which analyzes reported shipping losses of over 100 gross tons. More than a third of 2014’s total losses of all ship types were in two maritime regions: South China, Indo China, Indonesia and the Philippines (17 ships) and Japan, Korea and North China (12 ships). Source : MAREX

NAVY NEWS

Coast guard vessel Ann Harvey hits sea bottom

The Canadian Coast Guard vessel ANN HARVEY seen mid-afternoon off the coast of Burgeo, taking on water. Photo : The Canadian Coast Guard

Two cadets were removed from the ANN HARVEY Wednesday after Canadian Coast Guard vessel struck bottom near Burgeo. The vessel was five nautical miles southwest of Burgeo doing routine work on buoys when it ran aground, the Coast Guard said. "She steamed away from the area but because where the damage occurred it flooded the propulsion motor room," Jim

Chmiel, superintendent of regional operations centre, Atlantic region, told CBC News.Chmiel said crewmembers closed water-tight doors, sealing off the area where water leaked into the ship. Twenty-six crew and two cadets were onboard at the time. All are safe, Chmiel said. The CCGC W.G. GEORGE, based in Burgeo, removed two cadets from the ship. Other personnel will also be taken off, and the rest of the crew will stay on for now.The two cadets were brought to land in a Cormorant helicopter and stayed in a local hotel for the night. The Joint Task Force Atlantic said it became aware at 11 a.m. that the vessel was taking on water. A Coast Guard helicopter and the CCGS LOUIS S. St.-



LAURENT, a heavy icebreaker, were heading to the vessel Wednesday, with the help of the Joint Rescue Centre in Halifax. The icebreaker was expected to reach the ANN HARVEY around midnight to tow it to shore, and will then tow the ANN HARVEY to safe anchorage in Connoire Bay. The Canadian Navy frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN also departed Halifax Wednesday, with plans to provide further support to the ANN HARVEY. The lifeboat stationed in Burgeo, the CCGC W.G. GEORGE, reached the ANN HARVEY earlier in the day and attached a tow line to the ship and pulled it farther offshore. The Coast Guard said the weather in the area is favourable for the ship's position. A dive team from the Department of National Defense was expected to arrive in Burgeo overnight on Wednesday, to be later brought to the ANN HARVEY to survey the hull. source : CBC

Navy Continues Advocating Cruiser Modernization Plan Despite Previous

Rejections in Congress Navy leadership is continuing to push for its preferred guided missile cruiser modernization plan — which would put 11 of the 22 CGs in reduced operating status until the other 11 near retirement — despite Congress rejecting the plan during last year’s budget negotiations. When Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert went to Congress last month to explain the Navy’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2016, his written testimony included, “we request Congressional support for Navy’s original plan” to remove 11 cruisers from active status.However, lawmakers made their opinion clear last year: a Navy struggling to reach even 300 ships — compared to the famed 600-ship Navy of the 1980s — should not voluntarily take 11 ships out of the fleet. Combatant commander demand far outpaces the Navy’s ability to generate ready ships and crews, and Congress told the Navy it could not let 11 Ticonderoga-class cruisers sit pier-side instead of contributing to training and deployments.A Navy official explained that, even though the Navy has begun implementing Congress’s plan – the 2/4/6 plan, which mandates that two ships go into modernization at a time, with the work lasting no more than four years, and no more than six ships in maintenance at any given time – it still isn’t too late for Congress to let the Navy change course.“Our [2015 president’s budget request] plan to modernize 11 CGs over a phased modernization period provides the most flexibility and longevity for our cruiser fleet, especially during a fiscally constrained budget environment,” the Navy official told USNI News “While we are following what’s written in legislation, it is important to continue the conversation on cruiser modernization to ensure that we are maximizing efforts and resources to retain this air warfare capability in the long term.”

The Navy projects that it would have saved $4.4 billion over a five year period if it had been allowed to proceed with its plan last year instead of switching to Congress’s 2/4/6 plan, the official said. The savings come partly from not having to pay for manpower and operations costs while the ships are in reduced status, and partly from being able to defer the purchase of combat systems and other equipment – which could be bought in bulk several years down the road under the Navy’s original plan, instead of two at a time beginning immediately under Congress’s plan. Those savings would be slightly smaller if Congress reversed its decision and supported the Navy’s plan this year, and even smaller next year – but Navy leadership still sees the benefit in keeping the discussion going.Even if sequestration weren’t a factor, the Navy would still be facing a problematic shipbuilding budget. As the Ohio Replacement Program moves closer to construction, it is forcing other priorities out of the budget plans. The Navy already decided to cancel ballistic missile defense (BMD) upgrades for five destroyers, despite BMD ships being a top combatant commander request.Greenert wrote in his testimony to Congress that the 11 cruisers must go through phased modernization to increase their capability and extend their service lives to “maintain force structure that provides Air Defense Commander support to the CSGs [carrier strike groups].” The air defense commander oversees and coordinates the aerial protection of the entire CSG.“Without any phased modernization program, the CG class will retire, without replacement, at the end of their service lives between 2020 and 2030,” the admiral wrote.

“Using the Congressionally directed 2/4/6 plan, the final retirements will occur between 2036 and 2039. Under the Navy’s original PB-15 plan, the final CG retirement would have occurred in 2045, at a significantly reduced cost to the Navy, and would have relieved pressure on a shipbuilding account largely consumed in the 2030s with building Ohio Replacement SSBNs and aircraft carriers.”Both the Navy’s plan and Congress’s plan involve risk. Greenert is advocating taking risk now – in having only 11 active cruisers, one for each of the 11 CSGs, without any additional cruisers ready to take on solo missions or serve as a backup if one of the cruisers were rendered unfit for operations somehow. His plan reduces risk later on, though, by ensuring the cruiser fleet, though smaller, will be around longer, since it is unclear when the Navy will have money to begin a cruiser replacement program.Congress’s plan, on the other hand, pushes the risk down the road. Lawmakers want to know that ships are available today if operations require additional



warships. Their plan accepts risk in the late 2030s and early 2040s, when the current cruiser fleet will have used up all its service life and a replacement fleet may or may not be ready.Greenert made clear in his written testimony that he will follow the law: “Navy will induct two Guided Missile Cruisers (CGs) into phased modernization in FY 2015 and an additional two in FY 2016. This will place a total of four ships in modernization with the intent that each ship period will be limited to four years,” he wrote, putting his budget request squarely in line with the 2/4/6 plan. But his testimony also makes clear the discussion isn’t over. Source : USNI

IAI to deliver Super Dvora Mk 3 patrol boats to African military customer

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has secured a contract from an African military customer to deliver four Super Dvora Mk 3 fast-patrol boats.These new vessels, which will be built at IAI Ramta's facilities in Israel, are designed to be used for coastal defence, EEZ and HLS missions.IAI/Ramta general manager Nitzan Shaked said: "With an overall length of 27m, a top speed in excess of 40k, and equipped with a full suite of advanced weapons and sensors, this powerful boat will be an important addition to our customer's maritime arsenal for securing its littoral waters."The vessels are expected to be delivered in 2016.IAI has supplied more than 100 patrol boats in various configurations so far. The first MKIII naval crafts were handed over to the Israel Navy in 2004, following a contract signed with the Israel Ministry of Defense in January 2002.These boats are deployed in missions including offshore patrol, law enforcement, naval intelligence, command and control, interdiction and boarding of suspect targets, and protection of exclusive economic zone (EEZ).The Super Dvora high-speed boat will be able to accommodate 12 crew members and carry advanced, stabilised-precision naval weapon systems and sensors.In addition, the vessel will be armed with optional weapon systems, including a long-range missile launching system and short-range missiles such as Hellfire surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs). Source : naval-technology

SHIPYARD NEWS

The AL YARMOUK under repair at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore Photo : Willem van Woercom ©

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Coast Guard Awards HII $499.8M Contract for Last National Security Cutter

The Coast Guard has issued a $499.8 million contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries final Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC), HII announced this week. The fixed price incentive contract will pay for the construction of the eighth NSC — MIDGETT (WMSL-757) — at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Miss.HII has delivered four





of the cutters to the Coast Guard and three — JAMES (WMSL-754), MUNRO (WMSL-755) and KIMBALL (WMSL-756) are currently under construction. “We are performing extremely well in this program, proving the point that serial production is the most efficient and effective way to build complex military ships,” Jim French, Ingalls’ National Security Cutter program manager, said in a statement “We continue to fold in learning for each ship we build, and the three under construction right now are tracking well because of this knowledge.”The construction award follows a July $76.5 million long-lead materials contract to HII for MIDGETT. The 4,500-ton cutters are designed to operate up to 60 days at sea at a time and can be forward deployed for up to 230 days at a time under a rotational crewing scheme. MIDGETT is due to deliver in 2019. Source : USNI

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Light at the end of the tunnel for Chinese shipyards?

Vincent Wee By Vincent Wee from Hong Kong

Continuing losses at major Chinese yards have been so persistent that it is not really news anymore. However, what must be slightly more worrying are repeated going concern qualifications raised by auditors.Looking through our archives, Seatrade Global ran a story on China Ocean Shipbuilding Industry Group’s (Cosig) 2013 results exactly a year ago which almost reads like a carbon copy of this year’s results report, except that the loss figures have gotten bigger and the going concern issue is more pressing.There has been some improvement. While losses in 2014 have almost doubled to HKD633.2m ($81.7m) from HKD337.4m previously and revenue plunged 79% to HKD104.9m from HKD491.1m in the previous corresponding period, at least net liabilities have fallen slightly.

Net liabilities have fallen from HKD1.04bn to HKD778.3m as at end-2014 and current liabilities in excess of current assets has reduced from HKD1.51bn to HKD1.25bn in the same period.However, the big outstanding debt HKD167.9m debt from a long-term customer appear to still be outstanding and continue to hang over Cosig’s books. Gross trade receivables came up to HKD168.3m net of accumulated impairment loss of HKD92.3m.

In the 2014 financial statement, the directors acknowledged once again this delinquent trade receivable due to deferred final payments on vessel contracts. While the auditors said they were unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence necessary to assess whether such receivables can be recovered in full or to determine the amount of impairment, the directors believed that they would be able to recover the net outstanding balances, and needed to make no further impairments.Turning attention to another beleaguered Chinese shipbuilder, China Rongsheng Heavy Industries also faced a second year of going concern issues. While it has managed to reduce 2014 losses to RMB7.8bn ($1.3bn) from RMB8.7bn previously, it has come at a tremendous cost with revenue negative to the tune of RMB3.9bn in contrast to revenue of RMB1.34bn in 2013, due to the decrease of revenue from shipbuilding and other contracts and the reversal of revenue from cancellation of shipbuilding contracts as the group moved to restructure its shipbuilding business.

Rongsheng’s liabilities situation would appear to be even worse. As at 31 December 2014 current liabilities exceeded current assets by RMB20.7bn. Total borrowings and finance lease liabilities of the group were RMB22.6bn, of which RMB20.8bn is due within 12 months. Of this, RMB528.0m is overdue and has not been renewed or repaid subsequent to year-end.

Rongsheng management reassured however that “a series of plans and measures to mitigate liquidity pressure have been taken to improve the financial and liquidity positions of the group (and) the group has also been actively negotiating with the banks regarding the current and non-current borrowings”.It should be noted that management has made similar statements at the past full-year results as well. To be fair this has proven reliable and the banks have been stayed thus far. The next critical stage in Rongsheng’s rehabilitation must be the divestment of the shipbuilding business and the restoration of credit.This is proving to be quite an endeavour however. Rongsheng has announced it


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is in talks with a bigger player, believed to be a Chinese state-owned shipyard group, and has until the end of June to seal a deal but the state of its finances and operations may prove an impediment.According to local reports, as far back as last May, provincial officials tried to help by sponsoring a meeting between Rongsheng and state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) aimed at securing a possible bailout for Rongsheng.Talks ended without an agreement, with CSSC sources quoted as saying the complexity of Rongsheng's asset structure and heavy debt worked against CSSC against pursuing a tie-up. Factors included an estimated RMB5bn in costs to restart full production in addition to the massive debt load.Looking to the future, Rongsheng has its sights firmly set on getting out of the shipbuilding business and focusing on its new energy business. “We sorted and optimised our order book by reducing the number of vessels under construction and cancelling some shipbuilding orders. In the period, we negotiated proactively with ship owners and reached agreement with them on certain orders on hand, resulting in the cancellation, revision and variation of a number of shipbuilding contracts,” the company said.It added: “We believe that this action will reduce our burden on working capital and effectively reduce the credit risk of our order book.” Provided the divestment plan manages to be well-executed, Rongsheng should emerge from the dark days into a relatively brighter future. Cosig is also looking to diversify into the energy business but is maintaining its stronghold in shipbuilding and relying on consolidation and other government aid measures to weather the storm.“We expect that the newbuilding prices stay low in the coming year as over capacity remains a problem in the industry,” it acknowledged, but also noted that the PRC government has introduced more beneficial national policies.

“The group believes that implementation of these policies will lead to a healthier operating environment and will benefit the industry as a whole over the long term despite today’s instability in the market. With the government’s supporting policies in place, the Group remains cautiously optimistic in the long term development of the industry,” Cosig concluded.Cosig has also been taking steps to explore the possibility of developing operations in the more profitable LNG-related business in the PRC. This includes a preliminary plan for an LNG project is to develop the industry chain along the Yangtze River basin, for liquefied natural gas (LNG) used in vessels, in particular the development of storage and transport, and movable refuelling system of new energy with a focus on LNG, thereby transforming the middle reaches of Yangtze River as a production hub for LNG storage, ships and related facilities, in addition, providing logistics services industry to establish a logistics centre for energy by integrating the industry chain for LNG used in vessels along the Yangtze River basin and the construction of new-energy vessels. Cosig noted that these strategic LNG-related business plans are with the cooperation of JiuJiang government. Troubled China shipbuilders are working hard to rehabilitate themselves. While some have restructured, in the case of Guangzhou Shipyard International and its parent CSSC, others such as Cosig and Rongsheng are making extraordinary efforts to diversify to remain viable. Source : seatrade-global

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES

AIDAcara” Opens Kiel’s 2015 Cruise Shipping Season

Kiel’s 2015 cruise shipping started on Easter Saturday, April 4th. On that day the first ocean-going cruise ship of the year, “AIDAcara”, tied up at the Ostseekai Terminal after calling at Lisbon, Le Havre and Dover. During the coming season Kiel expects a total of 127 calls by 23 different luxury cruise liners, many of them very big ships of more than

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250 m in length. The Managing Director of the Port of Kiel Dr. Dirk Claus said: “The trend towards ever bigger cruise ships continues. Even though the number of calls may remain at about the same level as last year, the total number of passengers and the overall tonnage will increase significantly”, he added. Terminal capacity was increased once again last year with the introduction of the cruise ship Berth 1 in the Ostuferhafen. Three very big cruise ships can now berth and exchange passengers at the same time. In addition, small ships can be dealt with at the Norwegenkai and Schwedenkai terminals as well as at the Sartorikai All the cruise shipping companies which operate on the German market call at the Port of Kiel. The company with the most calls this year is AIDA Cruises which will, for the first time, station two of its ships – “AIDAcara” and “AIDAluna” - in Kiel for the whole season. The most frequent caller will be “MSC ORCHESTRA” with 20 cruises. The biggest ship of the season will be the “COSTA PACIFICA”, weighing in at 114,000 GT.

“About two thirds of all this year’s cruise ship calls will be made by the ships of just four shipping companies – AIDA, Costa, MSC and TUI Cruises” - said Dirk Claus. “We are particularly well booked on Saturdays, when most of the cruises begin”, he added. On a total of twelve days there will be three, sometimes even four - cruise ships berthed in the port, in addition to the Baltic ferry ships. The biggest number of cruises will begin at the Ostseekai Terminal. But Berth 1 in the Ostuferhafen will also host 19 visits. Dirk Claus said: “Our new Berth 1 is already being well received. A great many car parking slots are now available for passengers directly at the berth and are bookable through Port Parking”. In addition, Port Parking is also being extended directly on the Ostseekai Passenger Terminal. Highlight of the 2015 Kiel cruise shipping season will be the naming of “MEIN SHIFF 4” on June 5th at the Ostseekai Terminal. “We are looking forward to an unusual event which will be attended by a lot of spectators”, said Dirk Claus.“The naming of “Mein Schiff 4” also underscores the existing bonds of partnership that have existed for many years between the shipping company and the port”. Anyone who would like an advance peep at the TUI Cruises newbuilding, can do this on Ascension Day on May 14th when “MEIN SHIFF 4” will enter the Kiel Fiord for the very first time.Twelve cruise ships are expected to attend the big Kieler Woche maritime event from June 20th to the 28th , among them “SEA CLOUD 2”, “ASTOR” or “AMADEA. There will also be an opportunity to meet Cunard Line’s “QUEEN ELIZABETH” once again. She will visit the Kiel Fiord twice – on July 11th and August 20th. A particularly large number of international travellers are expected on board the Holland-America-Line cruise ship “EURODAM” which has notified Kiel of eight calls this season. That season will, this year, close particularly late and in fact not until December 19th. On that day, the third Saturday in Advent, the Phoenix Seereisen cruise ship “ALBATROS” will visit Kiel.Source : MarineLink

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Judge ends US man's salvage attempt A US treasure hunter's effort to salvage what he calls $US3 billion ($A3.95 billion) in platinum from a World War II shipwreck off Cape Cod has been ended by a federal judge. GREG Brooks' company Sea Hunters LP is no longer allowed to salvage additional items from the SS PORT NICHOLSON which was sunk by a Nazi U-boat in 1942, US District Judge George Singal ruled on Wednesday.

Brooks said he believed the PORT NICHOLSON carried platinum bars from the Soviet Union that were payment to the US for war supplies. His treasure hunt had led to a criminal investigation and legal action by investors who paid him millions of dollars The judge also denied an attempt by a group of investors to win recovery rights, claims to what's on the ship if anything is found. The judge wrote that evidence suggests there's nothing valuable to salvage The record, the judge wrote, suggests that all that remains is "70-year-old truck tyres, fenders and miscellaneous other parts and military supplies. Brooks, whose company is based in Gorham, said he wishes he could talk in depth about the case to provide "the real story" but his lawyers want him to be silent."I will say one thing, I still believe the cargo is aboard the PN," he wrote in an email. "I just cannot fight countries."Brooks said he located the Port Nicholson wreck in 2008. His claim of valuable precious metals aboard led to a splash in the media in 2012, but there were immediate questions about the veracity of it. Source : couriermail



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Van Oord: WID vessel named at head office For the first time, Van Oord named a vessel at its Rotterdam head office jetty. The vessel is a water injection dredging vessel that is almost 19 m long and more than 5 m wide. Van Oord employee Ms Jacqueline Determann named the vessel BORR. Water injection dredging is a proven technique for small-scale dredging or working at locations that are difficult to reach. BORR is Van Oord’s twelfth water injection dredging vessel. The name comes from Nordic mythology and means ‘son’. The vessel will be deployed on the British and Spanish/Portuguese markets. BORR, which can dredge to a depth of 14 m, can be transported by road. It has been developed with a special focus on ergonomics and economics. Moreover, it can be equipped with a multi-purpose unit for a cutter system, various grabs or pile drivers.The vessel was built at the Dutch Technical & Maritime Services yard in Werkendam. After it enters service, it will be deployed in the UK for maintenance dredging in the Port of Harwich. For more information, please visit : http://www.vanoord.com

…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..

Dockwise TERN delivering and discharging two STS cranes from Qingdao to la Spezia. Weight was 1380 ton with a VCG of 39 mtr above deck. Total length of the cranes was 140 mtr and height 82 mtr. Photo : Aart van der Lelij ©

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DAILY COLLECTION OF MAR ITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 096

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