Currents….

Currents ….

MAERSK GROWS: Maersk Line is set to consolidate its position as the world’s largest container shipping group with a takeover deal for the German firm Hamburg Süd, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Reportedly valued at US$4bn, the deal with increase Maersk’s capacity to around 3.8m TEU and its share of the global market share from 15.7% to 18.6%. Hamburg Süd currently operates a fleet of around 120 vessels, and Maersk says the deal — which is subject to regulatory approval — will deliver ‘significant synergies’ through the integration of services and reduced unit costs.

RECORD WAVE: Nautilus has suggested that ship design rules should be reconsidered after an expert committee convened by the World Meteorological Organisation established a new world record significant wave height of a massive 19m (62.3ft), measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘Given the increasing occurrence and height of abnormal waves, would it be appropriate to review the rules of construction?’.

ROLLS AXE: Rolls-Royce is to cut a further 800 jobs from its marine business, blaming continued weak demand from the shipping industry. The company says the cuts will generate savings of up to £50m a year and an associated programme of organisational changes will ‘increase the strategic focus on developing further electrical and digital technologies’.

EFFICIENCY TRIALS: two Falmouth pilot boats are taking part in an innovative UK-funded project to improve vessel efficiency. The MOVE project aims to help operators optimise vessel performance through improved selection of propulsion and generation systems, as well as enhanced mission planning and targeted maintenance.

CRUISE BOOM: the number of cruiseship passengers in European waters grew by 3% in 2015 — to a record total of 6.6m, according to new fi gures from the Cruise Lines International Association. The report shows that European passengers account for just over 28% of the global total of 23.19m.

SCOTLINE ADDITION: UK-based shipping firm Scotline has expanded its owned fleet to nine vessels with the addition of the 3,183gt general cargoship Odertal from German owners Harren & Partner. Scotline said the vessel had been renamed Scot Leader and switched to the UK flag.

DETENTION UPHELD: an appeals tribunal has upheld the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s decision to detain the Hong Kong-flagged containership OOCL Le Havre, which was suspected of breaching MARPOL rules by dumping food waste less than 3nm from the nearest land.

WATER BOOST: the volume of freight being carried around the UK coast increased by 2.6m tonnes during 2015, according to a new report from the Department for Transport. Coastwise traffic between UK ports totalled 42.6m tonnes in 2015 — the highest fi gure since 2012.

CABLES CUT: investigations have been launched after power supply cables running between France and the UK and internet cables between the Channel Islands and Britain were reported to have been severed by ships’ anchors last month.

STOLT DEAL: The Norwegian operator Stolt-Nielsen has completed its acquisition of the chemical tanker fleet of Jo Tankers. The deal includes 13 chemical tankers and a 50% share in a joint venture with eight chemical tanker newbuildings.

PROPELLER PROBLEMS: the specialist repair company Hydrex Underwater Technology has reported a marked increase in the number of ships having to undergo repairs for damaged propellers.

ORDERS FORECAST: off shore vessel orders will remain at very low levels for the next two years after a huge drop in 2016, a new report has warned. New contracts at yards have fallen 96%, the Clarkson Research Services said. ‘Ordering activity in 2016 so far has been extremely limited, with just two OSV orders reported in the year to date. These were placed by Atlantic Navigation back in June,’ it added. The report suggested there will be no change until market conditions improve.

SEAHORSE CLAIMS: members employed by Seahorse Maritime and serving on Sealion vessels have been reassured that ongoing redundancy claims are being dealt with by the Union’s solicitor. Members have also been reminded that as the proceedings have been ongoing for several months that some people are now paying the unemployed membership rate. However, so long as a form of Nautilus membership is maintained, the Union will continue to support claims.

NKOSSA FREEZE: members employed by Maersk Off shore (Guernsey) and serving onboard Nkossa II are being consulted on proposals for a pay freeze. The move comes after the company’s response to the Union’s claim stated that it was unable to find a solution where it would be able to award ‘any kind of salary increase’. Members have until midday on 4 January to submit their views.

HAVILA CUTS: 16 crew members employed by Havila Marine (Guernsey) have been made redundant following the anticipated lay-up of three ships. Havila Fortune, Borg and Mercury have all been earmarked for lay-up until further notice, resulting in three people accepting voluntary redundancy and a further 13 being made compulsorily redundant.

COMMS CONTRACT: Global Marine Systems (GMS) has secured a contract to improve inter oil-field communication networks in the North Sea during 2018. The project involves installation of a platform-toplatform fi bre-optic cable, and involves installation and burial of around 75 km of cable in 75m of water.

OCEAN LIAISON: a Nautilus liaison officer vacancy representing members employed by Ocean Supply (Guernsey) has been fi lled. Neal O’Hara has been appointed to the role and will take office from 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019. One further liaison officer is still being sought for the same timeframe.

BIBBY PROJECT: Bibby Off shore has secured a new contract with Shell, starting in the first quarter of 2017, to support engineering and subsea construction activities in the Gannet G field in the central North Sea. Under the agreement, Bibby will utilise its multipurpose vessel Bibby Polaris.

ISLAND STACKS: Norway’s Island Off shore has said it is laying up more ships as a result of ‘unsustainable’ rates in the North Sea. It currently has 11 of its 28 vessels in lay-up, but this could rise to 14 — some 50% of its fleet — in the next few months.

POLAR FIRST: the 4,283gt off shore supply vessel Stril Polar has become the first Norwegian ship to comply with the IMO Polar Code following certification by the classification society DNV GL.

FUGRO MOVE: Dutch shipping firm Royal Boskalis Westminster has cut its stake in the seismic and subsea vessel operator Fugro to 9.38% after previously owning 28.6% of the company.

CREW KIDNAPPED: three Russian crew members from the refrigerated cargoship Saronic Breeze were kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea last month. Pirates boarded the vessel from a fast craft some 72nm off the coast of Cotonou, Benin, and are believed to have taken the hostage seafarers to Nigeria.

WASTE RETURN: Hong Kong has ordered the return of 123 containers to Romania after it was discovered that they contained 2,723 tonnes of potentially hazardous waste. Officials said there was a mixture of material, including cadmium, arsenic and lead.

MSC BOOST: the Swiss-based company MSC Cruises investing €9bn to build 11 new generation vessels for entry into service over the next decade. Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said the company’s aim is to increase the 1.8m passengers carried in 2016 to 5m in 2026. PHILIPPINES PIRACY: the SE Asia piracy reporting centre ReCAAP ISC has warned that Abu Sayyaf militants are increasingly targeting larger merchant vessels in the Sulu Sea. The terrorist group kidnapped more than 40 seafarers over the past year.

BOSPHORUS BLOCKED: traff ıc in the Bosphorus Strait had to be suspended last month following a collision between the Ukraine-flagged general cargo ship Forward and the Egypt-flagged bulk carrier Wadi Al Karnak.

IMO ADDITION: the landlocked republic of Belarus has become the latest member of the International Maritime Organisation — meaning that there are now 172 member states in the UN body, with a further three associate members.

CANADA CUTS: Canada’s seafaring union has protested over a decision by the Woodward Coastal Shipping Company to replace more than 100 Canadian crew members with lower-cost foreign seafarers in a bid to save money.

GULF GROWTH: Dubai-based Gulf Navigation has signed a contract to build six chemical tankers in China and says it is planning to acquire a ‘huge fleet’ that will shift away from its traditional petrochemical business.

AID APPEAL: a court in Luxembourg has begun hearing an appeal by France against the European Union’s ruling that it should repay €220m state aid given to the ferry firm SNCM when it was privatised in 2006.

ITALIAN EXPANSION: the Italian ferry operator GNV is expanding extending its passenger and freight services with a new link between Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Palermo and Malta.

SHIP STABBING: a Filipino seafarer was arrested after a crew member was stabbed to death onboard the Maltese-flagged containership Smiley Lady in the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, last month.

ORDERING LOW: global shipbuilding orders have dropped to levels not seen since the 1980s, according to a report from Clarksons Research. Between January and October 2016, a total of 359 vessels of 24.8m dwt were ordered— a 73% year-on-year decrease in tonnage terms. Orders in the first 10 months totalled just US$29.5bn, down 60% on the same period of 2015 — and cruise orders accounted for around half this total. However, researchers noted a rising demand for ‘expedition’ cruiseships over the past year.

CRUISE CLAIM: more than 120 passengers have hired a lawyer to seek compensation from the Spanish cruiseship operator Pullmantur, alleging unacceptable conditions during a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona last month. Passengers described the Maltese-flagged Sovereign as a building site, with shops, restaurants, the casino and the medical facility all shut down.

SPECIAL CASE: Italian seafaring unions have urged the country’s government and shipowners to formally recognise the ‘arduous’ nature of the maritime profession. Such recognition, they say, would not only enable voluntary early retirement but also open up as many as 2,000 jobs for young people seeking a career as merchant navy officers.

MERGER BACKED: German operator Hapag- Lloyd and the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) have been given the green light to merge by the European Commission, provided that UASC withdraws from North American and European liner services. The deal will create the fi fth largest container shipping line in the world.

CMA CUTS: French maritime unions have expressed concern about a US$1bn cost-cutting plan tabled by the containership operator CMA CGM. The company is seeking to transfer a number of shore-based posts to other countries, including its growing base in India, and is seeking 60 voluntary redundancies in its Le Havre centre.

TAX APPEAL: the Danish officers’ union SL has lost a supreme court case over tax concessions for seafarers under the country’s DIS international register. The union is calling for the net salary scheme to be changed to a gross salary scheme and is seeking talks with the government on pension anomalies in the light of the ruling.

VIKING ORDER: Finnish ferry company Viking Line has signed a letter of intent with a Chinese shipbuilder for a new LNG-powered passenger vessel, with an option for a second to be delivered in spring 2020. The new 63,000gt vessel will run between Turku, the Åland Islands and Stockholm.

ETV ASSIST: the French coastguard tug Abeille Liberté went to the aid of the Italian-flagged ro-ro cargoship Grande Francia after it lost power 14nm north of Cherbourg last month.

Princess pays $40m for waste dumping

Princess Cruises has been fined a record US$40m (£32m) after pleading guilty to seven charges of illegally dumping oily waste and then seeking to cover up the illicit discharges. US assistant attorney general John Cruden said the case — which was brought after a ‘whistleblowing’ officer provided evidence to the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency — reflected ‘very poorly’ on Princess’s culture and management.

‘This is a company that knew better and should have done better,’ he added.

As part of the plea bargaining agreement with the US authorities, 78 cruiseships from eight Carnival companies — including P&O Cruises, Cunard and Holland America Line — will be placed under a court supervised environmental compliance programme, involving independent audits, for the next fi ve years.

The ruling followed an investigation by the US Coast Guard, launched when a newly-hired engineer onboard Caribbean Princess informed the MCA that a ‘magic pipe’ had been used to illegally discharge 4,227 gallons of oil-contaminated waste 23 miles off the UK coast in August 2013.

The whistleblower quit his position when the ship arrived in Southampton and papers fi led in court explained how the Italian chief engineer and senior first engineer had ordered a cover-up — including the removal of the bypass pipe and telling crew members to lie to MCA investigators. However, the investigators discovered that Caribbean Princess had been making illegal discharges using a variety of methods since 2005.

They also found that four other ships in the fleet — Star Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Golden Princess — had also been making illicit waste discharges.

They had either opened a salt water valve when bilge waste water was being processed by the oily water separator to prevent the oil content monitor from alarming during the overboard discharge, or they had discharged oily bilge water originating from the overflow of grey water tanks into the machinery space bilges — pumping it back into the grey water system rather than processing it as oily waste.

Prosecutors said there was a financial motive for the dumping — with Caribbean Princess’s chief engineer telling crew that it cost too much to use port reception facilities and that the shore-based superintendent would not want to pay the extra expenses.

Prosecutors said Princess management failed to provide sufficient supervision and controls to prevent or detect criminal violations by Caribbean Princess crew members.

And they noted that the company had no written procedures or training for cleaning up internal grey water spills and the problem of grey water tanks overflowing into the bilges had remained uncorrected for many years.

US Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer described the case as ‘especially troubling, because the Carnival family of companies has a documented history of environmental violations’. He said the sentence should send a powerful message to shipping companies of a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to such activities.

Jeremy Smart, head of enforcement at the MCA, said the case showed how well the UK and the US can work together. ‘It also shows that we will always take very seriously any information we are given by those who report such practices and will act upon it,’ he added.

In a statement Princess said it was ‘extremely disappointed about the inexcusable actions of our employees who violated our policies and environmental law’. The company said it had cooperated with investigators after the magic pipe was discovered in 2013 and had taken numerous steps to fi x the problem.

‘Although we had policies and procedures in place it became apparent they were not fully effective,’ the statement said. ‘We are very sorry that this happened and have taken additional steps to ensure we meet or exceed all environmental requirements.’

Language gap led to vessel loss

Language problems have been blamed for the loss of a French fishing vessel in a UK port.

The 142gt trawler Saint Christophe 1 was declared a constructive total loss after grounding, flooding and sinking while berthed in Dartmouth harbour after seeking shelter from bad weather in March 2016.

Another French fishing vessel, Sagittaire, also grounded as the tide fell but its crew were able to rig chains to bollards on the quay prevent it from rolling onto its side.

A UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch report states that the berth offered to the two vessels was unsuitable for them in low water. When Saint Christophe arrived at the berth, a river officer used hand gestures to warn that the vessel would ground on the falling tide, but the skipper thought that he was being told to make sure he tended the mooring lines as the tide went out.

Investigators said the harbour authority had a list of people who could act as translators if needed, but at the time of the accident neither the harbourmaster nor his deputy were aware of it.

The report recommends that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency carry out a Port Marine Safety Code check upon the Dartmouth Harbour & Navigation Authority, and the authority has agreed to conduct a review of its existing risk assessments for the port.

MAIB warns over drugs

Concerns over the use of recreational drugs by fishing vessel crew have been raised with owners following an investigation into a fatal accident in the Channel.

A deckhand on the UK-flagged potter Our Sarah Jane drowned in June 2016 after jumping into the sea to assist with eff orts to free the vessel’s starboard propeller after it was fouled by a string of pots in the middle of the Channel.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the deckhand’s actions were possibly influenced by the effects of recreational drugs, with amphetamine sulphate and cannabis found among his personal possessions onboard.

The MAIB said this was the third fatal accident investigation since 2014 in which the use of drugs among fishermen has been identified. MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch had raised the issue with the Fishing Industry Safety Group, highlighting the need for vigilance.

(With thanks to the Nautilus Telegraph: https://www.nautilusint.org)