Top Ten Maritime News Stories 10/07/2015

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 10/07/2015

1. Libya Bound Vessels Face Arrest

The standoff between Libya and tankers calling at the North African country continues with more threats for ships with plans to load oil there. The Trident Hope (105,595 dwt, built 2003) is bound for Ras Lanuf, Libya’s third largest port, but authorities there have said the ship, owned by Greece’s Zahara Shipping, will be impounded if it enters Libyan waters. Libya’s five-year civil war sees two competing governments in the east and the west arguing whether shipments from Ras Lanuf are permitted. The National Oil Corp in Tripoli in west Libya claims to have lifted the force majeure at the port, while ships calling Libya in recent months have been met by airstrikes.

http://goo.gl/fICtDX

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2. Greeks Urged to Hit Owners

Guy Verhofstadt the former Belgian Prime Minister stood up at the European Parliament to both lecture and plead with the Syriza leader to submit "credible reform" proposals to ensure a Greek exit from the Euro was avoided. He said that an exit would not be bad for Mr Tsipras or anyone else in Europe – it would only be awful for the Greek people who would have to shoulder the burden. He also said Mr Tsipras should end the privileges of the ship owners, the orthodox church, the military, the Greek Islands and the political parties in the country.

http://goo.gl/3a1M2C

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3. Cruise Job Scam Warning

ITF cruise ship taskforce chair Johan Oyen sounds a warning about recruitment frauds. There are an increasing number of recruitment frauds targeting people wanting to work in the cruise industry. Scammers are using different tactics to try and part seafarers and potential seafarers from their savings. One of the most common is through websites that seem legitimate. The fraudsters set up their own internet address (often using a URL that looks genuine), and typically steal a genuine cruise line logo and name (though it may be misspelt). The most recent scams have involved fake jobs supposedly on offer from cruise lines located in South Africa and Australia. http://goo.gl/zkwuZy

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4. ICS Set to Tackle Key Issues

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has announced an exciting final programme for this year’s ICS International Shipping Conference which features high-profile speakers from across the global industry. The Conference is one of the principal events during the second London International Shipping Week (LISW15). The 2015 ICS Conference, to be held at the British Library, London, on Wednesday 9 September, will open with keynote speeches from the IMO Secretary-General, Koji Sekimizu, the U.S. Maritime Administrator, Paul Jaenichen, and the Administrators of both the Panama and Suez Canals, Jorge L. Quijano and Admiral Mohab Mameesh.

http://goo.gl/eX3wqv

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5. Masters Need to Better Understand Berthing

Though practically a master hones the skill of manoeuvring the ship with time and there are lot of things which runs in his head at the same time, during the time of Berthing. A new report suggests that better understanding of some of the key factors is vital and perhaps overlooked by some. But broadly on theoretical basis there are few factors which are related to hydrodynamics of a vessel in the Port waters, which he/she definitely keep them at the back of his head. Water depth has a profound effect on manoeuvring. While squat, the increase in draught and trim that occurs when a ship moves on the surface of the sea is important too.

http://goo.gl/sSEQiv

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6. Shipping Exec Finally Arrested

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has arrested a former executive of Vinashin Ocean Shipping who has been on the run for five years to avoid a probe into alleged corruption, according to local media. The 38-year-old Giang Kim Dat, a former sales manager at Vinashin, will now face charges for a number of violations that reportedly cost the state-owned company USD 41 million. Following the arrest, Dat reportedly confessed to pocketing nearly USD 19 million through the purchase of a used, Italian-made ship in 2007. The ship was paid USD 67.5 million, with further USD 300,000 spent on repairs. 39 trips later, the ship was pulled from the service due to incurring losses. http://goo.gl/fthM6t

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7. Cruise Line Culls Tunisia Calls

Cruise line company MSC Cruises S.A. said it was suspending calls scheduled in Tunisia for the upcoming winter 2015-16 season. The suspension of all calls in Tunisia for the upcoming winter 2015-16 is connected with the just-announced declaration of a state of emergency by the Tunisian authorities, the cruise line explained.

As a result, MSC Preziosa’s winter schedule will be modified from 15 November 2015 to 23 April 2016 to reflect the suspension of the calls in the Tunisian capital city. Calls at La Goulette will be replaced by calls at Valletta, Malta. Ships will spend a full day in Alicante, Spain, instead of La Goulette/Tunis.

http://goo.gl/I31ujb

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8. Mate imprisoned for Oil Records

The former chief mate of cargo ship M/V Murcia Carrier, 42-year old Valerii Georgiev, a Russian citizen, was sentenced by a US court to three months of prison for failing to maintain an accurate oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), the US Department of Justice informed. APPS requires vessels like the M/V Murcia Carrier, which is a Panama-flagged reefer, to maintain a record known as an oil record book in which all transfers and disposals of oil-contaminated waste, including the discharge overboard of such waste, must be fully and accurately recorded.

http://goo.gl/1iLmTO

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9. Uber Looks to Boat Market

With the towering bridges that span the Bosphorus choked by traffic, a new boat service from Uber aims to capitalise on Istanbul’s infamous road congestion. In partnership with local sea transport company Navette the Uber Boat venture is unlikely to net a significant chunk of the company’s Turkey revenue, but it is further evidence of the strategy underpinning its offerings – making it easier to transport anything, in any way, by first booking a pickup through a mobile app. "If we can get you a car in five minutes, we can get you anything in five minutes," said Austin Kim, local operations manager for San Francisco-based Uber Technologies, speaking over outboard hum. http://goo.gl/WcbrY6

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10. Box Ship Battered and Sinks

The crew of a Cambodian-flagged containership were rescued this morning (July 8) after the ship sank off Phuket, Thailand. The 1,591 dwt Sinaran Andaman reported engine failure and was unable anchor. It also suffered a loss of power, which disabled the vessel’s communication equipment. Strong monsoon waves drove the stranded vessel onto rocks at Koh Hae Island, where it sank around 10 am local time. The 10 crewmen were able to launch the ship’s lifeboat and used flares to alert passing ships. The Royal Thai Navy got on scene and rescued three crewmembers by helicopter and the Marine Police recovered the other seven survivors.

http://goo.gl/5ZgXMu

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