Currents…..

Currents…..

REGISTER REPORT: the UK government has spent more than £207,000 on a report looking into ‘commercial opportunities’ for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, shipping minister John Hayes told MPs last month. The study has been carried out by the professional services firm KPMG in response to recommendations in the Maritime Growth Study. Mr Hayes told the House of Commons that ‘it is not appropriate’ to publish the report at this stage because of sections that deal with ‘potential pricing and commercial strategies, customer acquisition and market analysis’.

ORDERS DOWN: the number of ships ordered by the world’s shipowners slumped by 71% last year, according to a new report from industry analysts Clarksons. It said only 539 ships were ordered last year, down from 1,836 in 2015. December saw just 26 new contracts signed, against 115 in the same month of 2015. US-based owners were the biggest spenders, with orders worth $7.5bn, nearly all of which were cruiseships. Chinese companies came in second with $4bn, largely comprising bulkers and tankers ordered by state-backed owners at domestic yards.

ICY STUDIES: in response to the new requirements introduced in the international Polar Code, City of Glasgow College has launched two new ice navigation training courses. The basic programme covers ice knowledge, vessel performance, manoeuvring, regulations, crew preparation and environmental factors, while the advance training for masters and mates extends to voyage planning, equipment limitations, extensive ice ship handling and a broader knowledge of safety.

COSTA CONVICTION: Captain Francesco Schettino, former master of the Costa Concordia cruiseship, has been convicted on charges of ‘destruction and defacement’ of the natural beauty of the isle of Giglio and for non-compliance with safety regulations. The court sentenced him to three months in jail for the violation of company safety rules, 15 days of house arrest for insufficient crew training and a €5,000 fine for ‘destruction and defacement’.

DEATH INVESTIGATED: police in Argentina are investigating the death of a young officer on board the product tanker Punta Medanos last month. Maillén Teresita Amalia Torres Alvarenga, 26, was found dead in her cabin during her first voyage as third officer on the vessel. Authorities said initial tests showed the cause of death was asphyxiation by hanging, but prosecutors are awaiting the results of a full autopsy and have not ruled out homicide.

BREXIT WARNING: the TUC has urged the UK government to be clear about the way that Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union will impact workers. General secretary Frances O’Grady welcomed the prime minister’s pledge to put the final deal to a parliamentary vote, but said employees need to know the details of the new framework she has promised for workers’ rights and jobs.

V. SHIPS SALE: the V.Group, which owns the world’s largest ship management firm, V.Ships, has been sold to a private equity firm. The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Scheme has sold its majority stake in the company to Advent International, a transnational investment fund.

VIRGIN CONTRACTS: Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has announced a €2bn contract to build three new cruiseships for the Virgin Group subsidiary Virgin Voyages. The 110,000gt vessels will accommodate more than 2,800 passengers and deliveries are due between 2020 and 2022.

FATALITY PROBED: the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has begun a new investigation following a fatal accident to a crew member on board the UK-registered bulk carrier Graig Rotterdam while discharging cargo at anchor off Alexandria, Egypt.

PROTECTION CALL: Subsea 7 has terminated a contract for its UK-flagged pipelay support vessel Seven Mar earlier than expected as a result of Brazilian rules which prioritise the use of national-flag vessels. The contact with Petrobras was due to expire in 2018, but the operating licence expired last month. Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the development showed the need for the UK to do more to promote the use of domestic vessels in the North Sea.

VIKING SHIFT: Viking Supply Ships is moving four of its vessels from the Danish international register, DIS, to the Norwegian national NOR register. It says it wants to optimise shipping operations and improve competitiveness by putting more ships under one flag. The Danish CO-Søfart union says all 110 crew affected by the move will be offered continued employment under Norwegian contracts.

CABOTAGE ALERT: the downturn in the global off shore support vessel market is resulting in growing cabotage restrictions in SE Asia, a report from DVB Bank has warned. It said an increasing level of protectionism is taking place as countries in the region seek to protect local operators against international competition.

DEMOLITION MOVE: the Veolia-Peterson partnership has been awarded two platform decommissioning contracts for recycling at its facility in Great Yarmouth. The company is aiming to recycle as much as 96% of materials from the platforms, which are due to arrive in the port in spring.

FARSTAD EXTENSION: Farstad Shipping has secured an extra month to complete its restructuring programme, with an agreement to extend its loan repayment period to 28 February, following the collapse of talks to tie up with Siem Oil Service Invest.

CREW RESCUED: nine crew members were rescued from a flag of convenience ship which ran aground and partially sank on the rocky coast of Andros, Greece, last month. Hellenic Coast Guard officials said the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged Cabrera had grounded while en route from the Greek port of Larimna to Torino, Finland. A naval helicopter rescued the crew of four Filipinos, three Poles, one Ukrainian and one Lithuanian national.

STRANDED SEAFARERS: four Pakistani seafarers from a crew of 17 who were stranded for four months on board a Kuwaiti-flagged cargoship detained in Egypt for non-payment of dues were allowed to return home last month. Pakistan’s government has been urged to secure the release of the remaining 13 crew from the 5,448gt Akkaz, which had been on charter to a Dutch company.

MASTER ARRESTED: Indonesian police arrested the master of an inter-island ferry after 24 people died when the vessel caught fire off Jakarta last month. Initial reports claimed that more than 230 people were on board the Zahro Express, but the manifest showed that only 100 were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen.

LATVIAN LINK: Swedish Orient Line is opening a new weekly ro-ro route between Ventpils (Latvia), Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Tilbury (UK) from the end of January. Cargo types accommodated on the new route include trailers, shipper own containers, and other rolling cargo as well as break-bulk cargo loaded on roll trailers.

ROCKET ATTACK: seven Pakistani seafarers were reported to have been killed when a rocket hit the Iranian general cargoship Jouya 8 off the coast of Yemen, while the vessel was en route from Egypt to Dubai. The ship’s chief officer survived after jumping into the sea and swimming ashore.

HOSTAGES FREED: three Russian crew members kidnapped by pirates from the Greek merchant vessel Saronic Breeze off the coast of Cotonou, west Africa, have been released in a satisfactory condition and have been repatriated, according to the Russian foreign affairs ministry.

GREEK GROWTH: the Greek merchant fleet grew by 6.5% in numerical terms and 10.3% in deadweight tonnage last year. The country’s fleet now stands at 5,230 ships totalling 355.9m dwt, with the average age falling from 14.7 years in 2012 to 12.2 years now.

PRIDE RESTORED: the former P&O ferry Pride of Portsmouth, now the 33,336gt SNAV Lazio, is being used by the Italian operator Gran Navi Veloci to reopen its service between the French port of Sète and Nador, in Morocco.

JAPAN SINKING: all 26 crew from the 6,558gt North Korean cargoship Chong Gen were rescued after the vessel sank off the coast of Japan last month. STRAITS SMASH: an investigation was launched last month after two containerships collided off the Malaysian port of Pasir Gudang, A major clean-up operation was mounted after some 300 tonnes of bunker oil leaked from a damaged tank on the Gibraltar flagged APL Denver following the collision with the Singapore-registered Wan Hai 301. Each of the two owners were ordered to pay a RM1m ($223,000) bond towards the costs of the counter-pollution work.

SURFER SAVED: a surfer in distress some 3nm from the Australian coast was rescued by the crew of a 6,400TEU containership last month. The Mediterranean Shipping Company vessel Damla recovered the Japanese tourist after he had survived a night at sea in choppy conditions. He was given dry clothes and food, and wrapped in blankets until he was transferred to a pilot vessel from Port Kembla and taken ashore.

ITALIAN AID: the European Commission has given the green light to an Italian government scheme to shift domestic freight from the country’s roads to shortsea shipping. The €138m Marebonus package aims to cut pollution and ease transport congestion by providing support for new shipping services or upgrading existing operations. The Commission has ruled that the scheme is in line with the EU’s state aid guidelines. NIGERIAN JOBS: Nigeria’s maritime sector has lost 6,000 jobs as a consequence of the economic downturn, the president of the country’s Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) has warned. Emmanuel Nted called for government action to address the problems, pointing out that the union has been forced to accept marginal pay increases and cuts in working conditions to head off redundancy threats.

FATAL COLLISION: an investigation has been launched after 11 people died when a 13,100TEU containership collided with a small passenger vessel off the coast of Peru last month. Twelve survivors were rescued from the water after the collision between the Panama-flagged MSC Regulus and the Ecuadorian vessel Don Gerado II.

CRUISE ORDERS: at least 97 new cruiseships are expected to enter service between 2017 and 2026, according to a new industry report. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said companies are set to bring 26 new ocean, river and specialty ships into operation this year and passenger numbers are expected to rise to 25.3m.

ETV ALERT: a Dutch emergency towing vessel was called to the aid of a containership which lost 15 boxes in severe conditions in the North Sea last month. The Dutch Coastguard sent the ETV Guardian to assist the Marshall Islands-flagged Red Cedar, which was sailing from the Germany to Antwerp at the time.

STRIKE OFF: Icelandic shipping company Eimskip has averted an industrial action by its crews following agreement on a three-year pay deal for members of the Iceland Seaman’s Union.

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