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14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | March 2011 INTERNATIONAL shortreports RESEARCH WARNING: the French ship masters’ association AFCAN has criticised a programme of seismic research off the country’s Mediterranean coast. The masters said they were ‘astonished’ that permission had been given to carry out the hydrocarbon research so close to a seaway off France, Italy and Monaco and to a marine life sanctuary that is expected soon to be declared a particularly vulnerable maritime zone by the IMO. RESCUE ROW: a flag of convenience bulk carrier was detained in the Sri Lankan port of Colombo last month after the Russian crew were accused of failing to rescue an officer who had fallen overboard. The St Vincent-flagged DD Vigor was impounded while police investigated allegations that the vessel had failed to report the man overboard. The second engineer was rescued by a local bunkering vessel. RUSTBUCKET SEIZED: a Turkish-owned rustbucket could soon be put up for auction following seizure by a court in the French port of Saint Nazaire. The Georgian-flagged general cargo ship Aspet was drydocked in the port for 18 months during which the owner amassed debts of €360,000. Crew members were owed months of back pay, but the cook refused to leave the 1982-built vessel. AID APPEAL: inland navigation operators have appealed to the European Commission for emergency funding after hundreds of barges were trapped on the Rhine when a tanker carrying 2,400 tonnes of sulphuric acid capsized in a narrow section of the river. The European Barge Union said the delays were costing beleaguered operators some €4,000 per day in lost revenues. MAERSK ALARM: the French officers’ union CGT has expressed concern that the Maersk Gironde containership has been transferred from the country’s RIF international register to the Danish flag just weeks after France’s special eight-year tax break plan came to an end. The CGT fears that the other Maersk ship under the RIF could flag-out in July. PORT BACKED: Sweden’s environmental appeal court has approved plans to build a new ro-ro and container port at Norvikudden, some 50 km south of Stockholm. The 25-hectare facility — which will be managed by Hutchinson Port Holdings — is intended to handle the latest generation of ‘mega’ containerships. CRUISE ORDER: the German operator Hapag Lloyd Cruises has ordered a 516-passenger luxury vessel from the STX France shipyard. Construction of the 39,500gt Europa 2, which will operate with 360 crew, begins in September with delivery in 2013. The Europa 2 will be chartered to a third party for 12 years. WASTE SHIP: the Swedish nuclear waste organisation SKB has ordered a state-of-the-art spent nuclear fuels carrier from the Dutch builder, Damen Shipyards. Due to be delivered in 2013, the ship will replace the 1982-built Sigyn. Australian outcry over officer fines Calls for bigger penalties after court hears of ship’s Barrier Reef shortcut PPoliticians and environmentalists in Australia are pressing for tougher penalties after criticising ‘totally inadequate’ fines of A$53,000 (£33,400) imposed on two officers who sailed their ship into a protected part of Great Barrier Reef. The chief officer and third mate of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Signe Bulker were fined $29,000 and $24,000 after they pleaded guilty to illegally entering the Capricorn- Bunker Group of islands in an attempt to shortcut their planned voyage. Gladstone magistrates court heard that the two Hong Kong nationals had been interviewed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority when the 32,688dwt vessel arrived in port. The case followed an incident last year when the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 damaged the reef after running aground whilst off its planned course. Local MPs accused the government of failing to crack down on the rules and called for multi-million dollar penalties to be introduced. ‘Let’s deal with these people who mistreat our Barrier Reef, let’s punish them to the full degree — any penalty that’s imposed has to have a deterrent effect to stop people from New VLCC boosts Iranian fleet Pictured above is the 316,373dwt Maltese-flagged Htanker Sifa, the first in a new series of vessels to join the fleet of the Iran-based operator NITC on a bareboat charter from the owners, the Oman Shipping Company. Built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, Sifa is believed to be the first VLCC newbuilding to have a ballast water treatment system installed — five years ahead of the 2016 deadline for the mandatory carriage of such equipment. Other green features include an innovative vessel performance system supplied by Kongsberg which is designed to reduce fuel consumption — and therefore emissions — by up to 5%. Sifa is equipped with 16 CCTV cameras — seven on deck, seven in the engineroom and two in the pump room — which are intended to improve safety and security. The CCTV system can save up to 15 days of recordings. NITC is now the world’s fourth largest VLCC owner and plans to add another 21 VLCCs to its operational fleet by 2013. Slow steaming inquiry in US AThe US Federal Maritime Commission has launched an inquiry into the impact of slow steaming on freight rates and supply chains. Announcing the probe, the Washington-based organisation noted that more than half the services between the US west coast and Asia are slow steaming and more than three-quarters of the east coast-Asia services are doing so. The commission says it wants to determine whether the cost savings from slow steaming are being passed on and also to make an accurate assessment of the environmental benefits. The FMC also wants to examine the effects on the supply chain — including the possibility that longer transit times may increase spoilage and have an adverse impact on exports and imports of high-value commodities. It is seeking evidence from operators and shippers, as well as other interested bodies such as environmental groups, over a 60-day evidence-gathering period. taking chances with the environment of Australia,’ Central Queensland MP Paul Hoolihan commented. Another MP, Andrew Cripps, said there was evidence of widespread flouting of the Great Barrier Reef exclusion zones and said Australia should extend the mandatory ship reporting system to cover its southern end. Michael McCabe, of the Capricorn Conservation Council, described the fines for the Signe Bulker officers as ‘grossly inadequate’ and said companies whose ships were caught breaking the rules should be banned from the reef area. Protests at SNCM cutbacks Seafarers serving with the AFrench ferry operator SNCM have staged a series of strikes in protest at the company’s decision to reduce its sailings between Corsica and Nice. SNCM services to Corsica and North Africa were stopped for several days last month as the strikes prevented all the company’s vessels from sailing. The action was called after the company announced that it was withdrawing the Liamone fast ferry from its Nice route to comply with a request from the city authorities to reduce congestion in the summer months. The CGT and SAMMM unions say this will have an impact on employment, in contradiction with SNCM’s commitments. The unions also complained of unfair competition on the Nice-Corsica route from the low-cost companies Moby Lines and Corsica Ferries. Liberian flag has doubled in a decade The US-based company that Aruns the Liberian ship registry has claimed record growth figures for the flag last year. The Liberian <strong>International</strong> Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) said that 586 ships joined the flag last year, giving the register a net growth of 338 ships of 13.6m gt and a total fleet of more than 3,500 ships. LISCR said the average age of its fleet has now dropped to 12 years as a result of 149 newbuildings coming onto the register last year. Chief operating officer Scott Bergeron described Liberia’s port state control and safety records as ‘outstanding’. LISCR said the Liberian-flagged fleet has now doubled in size over the past decade.
March 2011 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15 INTERNATIONAL French port strikes are suspended French dock workers last month Aagreed to suspend a series of stoppages that have severely affected shipping movements in many of the country’s key ports. The powerful FNPD-CGT union said it had decided to halt the programme of strikes to allow an intensive round of negotiations with employers in a bid to ensure that an agreement reached with the government is observed by all parties. The protests have been staged in a dispute over early retirement provisions for dock workers, with the union arguing that its members should have special rights because of the arduous nature of their employment. The action has disrupted the flow of containers and bulk cargoes in many ports, and has particularly affected the loading and discharge of oil products at the Fos-Lavera oil terminal. The union warned that the weekend stoppages and work to rule — which began in January — will resume if no agreement could be reached in the two days of talks. The Dutch shipping company Euro Marine Carrier D(EMC) is operating the first of two pioneering new ‘green’ car carriers for the Japanese firm Nissan. EMC last month began services with the 22,500gt City of St Petersburg, pictured above, which features a semi-spherical ‘bubble bow’ that is capable of cutting wind resistance by 50% compared with conventional vessels. Based on calculations for average conditions in the North Atlantic, the new design is said to be able to save up to 800 tonnes of fuel a year — equivalent to a saving of some 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions. EMC — a Dutch company owned by Nissan Motor Car Carrier — is using the Panama-flagged City of St Petersburg to transport Nissan vehicles to Northern Europe and Russia. Of 140m loa, City of St Petersburg is the first of two sisterships built by the Kyokuyo Shipyard Corporation. The vessels have a service speed of 16.9 knots and a capacity for up to 2,000 cars. Picture: Nissan Fresh doubts over SeaFrance future Ferry firm struggling to find cash injection to avoid threat of liquidation by Jeff Apter PFresh questions over the future of the cross-channel ferry operator SeaFrance were raised last month after the board admitted that it still had not received an ‘acceptable, firm and committed’ offer to get the company back on its feet by the end of April. SeaFrance — which is 100% owned by the national rail company SNCF — has been under the control of the Paris commercial court since 16 June last year, a move that protects it from a hostile takeover and one that is backed by the unions. The operator’s ‘recovery plan’ AShipowners managed to minimise the threat of a squeeze on freight rates last year by averting a glut of newbuilding deliveries. A new report from the London-based shipbroker Braemar Seascope reveals that the gap between anticipated deliveries and what was actually delivered last year totalled more than 35% in some sectors. Dry bulk deliveries were scheduled to total 1,400 ships of 113m dwt last year, the report notes, but in the event 950 ships of 78m dwt were delivered. Crude oil and oil products tanker deliveries were due to total nearly 400 ships of 51m dwt last year, Dutch operator runs ‘green’ car carrier — which has included 725 job losses and cutting the fleet to just four ships — came into full effect in January. But the period of court protection is due to end on 28 April and the company is seeking an urgent injection of fresh capital. Under a European Union agreement, SeaFrance is meant to pay back €50m lent to it by SNCF last year, but French newspapers reported the company’s deputy director Vincent Launay stating that it is presently not able to make the repayment. As a result, the company will seek approval from Brussels to postpone the 18 February payment deadline. However, refusal by the European Commission would leave the company facing liquidation. Any other measures to recapitalise SeaFrance will also need to have the approval of the Commission. A provisional solution may be found in talks between the SNCF and the European Commission. Mr Launay said the ‘continuation of SeaFrance’s activity has always been its priority’ and it is continuing its quest for an injection of fresh capital, possibly from one or more new investors. However, although Brittany Ferries, LD Lines, Veolia Transport and DFDS were all reported to have shown interest in SeaFrance, the company said it had been unable to fund a buyer. Meanwhile, SeaFrance confirmed that last year it lost market shares in a depressed market — which it blamed on a weak pound and a reduced number of sailings. In 2010 SeaFrance lost 12.3% of its year-on-year freight volumes, while the number of coaches carried fell 23% and passenger loads were down 6% to 2.94m. The situation improved in January with a 9% increase in freight volumes and an 18% leap in tourist cars — even though the company had only two ferries operating with two in dry-dock for seasonal repairs, one in Falmouth and the other in Dunkirk. Owners ease rates squeeze but just 290 ships of 37m dwt were delivered. The biggest shortfall among crude tankers was in the Suezmax segment, where 36 out of an expected 57 ships were delivered — a shortfall of 37%. Braemar Seascope said deliveries in the container shipping sector were 27% less than expected — with 290 ships of 1.35m TEU delivered against 350 ships of 1.7m TEU planned. The difference between the orderbook schedule and actuality in 2010 was a function of technical underperformance at certain shipyards and the fallout of the credit crunch, the brokers pointed out. Some orders were cancelled while, in many cases, shipowners renegotiated delivery dates. Braemar Seascope points out that these raw supply figures do not account for slow steaming, lay-up and other forms of supply management which continue to support freight rates in the boxship sector. Research manager Mark Williams added: ‘It’s quite likely that the freight market outlook will encourage further delays in deliveries. It will not surprise us if as many as a quarter of this year’s anticipated deliveries don’t turn up by December this year. The delays may prolong the downturn, but equally they could allow demand to catch up with supply during the recovery from the 2009 recession.’ shortreports FINE PROTEST: an environmental group has protested after the owners of a Lithuanian-flagged cargoship accused of pollution off the French coast used a section of the Montego Bay Convention to pay a €23.000 fine in Lithuania instead of the €700,000 penalty imposed by the Brest maritime court. The Surfrider Foundation said the Lithuanian fine barely totalled the cost of using port waste reception facilities. ROYAL ORDER: the US operator Royal Caribbean Cruises has announced plans for a 158,000gt ‘new generation’ vessel capable of carrying up to 4,100 passengers. The ship is due to be delivered in late 2014 from the Meyer Werft yard in Germany, and Royal Caribbean has an option for a second ship to be completed in the first half of 2015. ITALIAN STOPPAGES: unions representing seafarers serving with the Italian ferry firm Tirrenia di Navigazione announced a series of fresh stoppages last month in a long-running dispute over the privatisation of the company. They have warned that jobs are at risk because of the government’s failure to handle the selloff process properly. SCRAPPING DOWN: the number of ships broken up last year fell 5% to 952 — down from a record 1,006 in 2009, according to the French ecological organisation Robin des Bois (Robin Hood). Some 44% of the ships were demolished in India, 14% in Turkey, 13% in China, 11% in Bangladesh and 10% in Pakistan. SIZE MATTERS: only a handful of operators will be interested in running 18,000TEU-plus containerships, a German port manager says. Stefan Behn, of Hamburg’s HHLA terminal, said ships of such capacity will make sense only when fully loaded, used constantly and able to access ports with suitable facilities. GALILEO COSTS: Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system is now expected to cost nearly €2bn more than expected, the European Commission has revealed. The system — which is due to be 100% operational by 2020 — will now cost an estimated €5.3bn. WIND SITES: the French government has given the go-ahead for a series of offshore windfarms in five defined zones in the western Channel and Atlantic. The sites involve the Dieppe-Le Tréport area, Fécamp, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Saint Brieuc and Saint Nazaire. CALAIS FALL: freight traffic through the French port of Calais fell by 7.4% last year, with the number of lorries handled down by 10.36%. But passenger volumes increased by 0.3% to 10.23m, and the number of tourist cars using the port rose 2.27% to 1.94m. SHANGHAI LEAD: China’s continuing strong economic growth helped Shanghai overtake Singapore as the world’s busiest container port in 2010, handling 29m TEU against the island nation’s 26.4m TEU. Come to Hull for all your STCW95 short courses plus Ship Security Officer, PSCRB, Efficient Deck Hand, Crowd Management, Crisis Management and Human Behaviour Dates available throughout 2011 Tel: 01482 820567 Fax: 01482 823202 Email: bookings@hota.org Website: www.hota.org
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