A NewsLink service for Dole Chile

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

US, India leaders pledge to
intensify maritime security
US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi have pledged to
intensify co-operation in maritime security to
ensure freedom of navigation, PTI reported.
A US-India Joint statement issued at the end
of summit talks between Obama and Modi at the
White House said the two sides also considered
enhancing technology partnerships for India's
navy including assessing possible areas of
technology co-operation.
"The leaders agreed to intensify cooperation in
maritime security to ensure freedom of
navigation and unimpeded movement of lawful
shipping and commercial activity, in accordance
with the accepted principles of international law.
To achieve this objective the two sides
considered enhancing technology partnerships
for India's Navy including assessing possible
areas of technology cooperation, the statement
said while dealing with issues relating to
Defence and Homeland Security cooperation.
The two sides also agreed to upgrade their
existing bilateral exercise MALABAR.
The annual MALABAR exercise includes
diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat
operations to aircraft carriers, through Maritime
Interdiction Operations Exercises.
Meanwhile, in an AFP report, Modi also told
Obama that he hoped for an agreement "soon" to
free up a major global trade facilitation
agreement, blocked by the government in New
Delhi over concerns its food subsidies to the
poor could face legal challenges.
The US sees its relationship with India as
crucial to Obama's strategy of rebalancing US
diplomatic weight towards Asia and believes
that the world's oldest democracy, and its
largest, are natural partners.
SAFETY STUDY
DRUNK SEAMAN + PILOT LADDER =
DOCK DISASTER
A lone seafarer returned to his vessel after a
night ashore and fell into the water.
NARRATIVE
A 2,086-ton vessel docked at 2200H to take
on a cargo of sand. As the loading operation
was planned for the morning, it was decided
not to rig the gangway until visitors were
expected.
Half an hour after arrival, some of the crew
went ashore. Instead of rigging the gangway,
they used a pilot ladder that they rigged on the
ship's side. Shortly after arriving at the town
centre, one of the crew members felt tired and
returned to the ship.
At 0020H, the seaman was observed
struggling in the water between the ship and
the quay.
The distance between the ship's side and
the quay was about 80 centimetres and the
gap was limited by two vertical rubber fenders.
The distance between the fenders is three
metres. The height of the quay to the water
was about 1.5 metres. The weather
temperature was below freezing point.
Within ten minutes the seaman was rescued
by the Chief Officer who jumped into the water
wearing an immersion suit. The seaman was
found stuck under one of the fenders. He was
rushed to hospital but was later pronounced
dead. An analysis showed a blood alcohol
concentration of at least 2.85%.
After the accident, the ship was equipped
with at new gangway that can be rigged
parallel to the ship's side.
CONCLUSION
- It was considered a safe practice to embark
and disembark the ship using the pilot ladder.
This had been done on numerous occasions
and the crew members were used to the
ladder.
- When the seaman returned to the ship, the
steps of the pilot ladder had been raised by
one metre due to the discharge of ballast. For
this reason and because the distance between
the quay and the ship's side was 80cm, it
became considerably more difficult to step into
the pilot ladder.
- Because of below-zero temperatures, the
quay was covered in patches of ice. This may
have caused the seaman to slip and fall into
the water while attempting to use the pilot
ladder.
- The seaman's blood alcohol level would
have led to a severe motor impairment and
reduction in judgement. Source: DMAIB
Two container ships collide in
Suez Canal
The northern end of Egypt's Suez Canal,
considered a crucial trade route especially
between Europe and Asia, experienced a
temporary halt in convoy traffic on both sides of
the lane after two container ships collided on
Monday.
Sources said the collision of a 90,000-plus ton
German-flagged container vessel and a
Singaporean-registered of almost equal tonnage
caused a slowdown in traffic in the restricted
waters of the canal.
One of the ships suffered a dented hull in its
port side when the laden vessels made contact
while navigating the canal in the same convoy.
There were no injuries or casualties as a result
of the incident
The collision resulted in three containers from
the German-flagged vessel falling into the canal
waters. Egyptian maritime authorities are said to
be trying to recover the containers and have sent
out a warning to other vessels.
"The incident has severely interrupted the
second southbound convoy and the northbound
convoy is therefore expected to be delayed,"
Agents Inchape Shipping Services was quoted as
saying in a Reuters report.
Seafarers to undergo ice
training virtually
Ice training for seafarers need not to be too
costly. This is proven by a research project
being conducted at the Australian Maritime
College's Centre for Maritime Simulations.
The three-year project, which uses a risk-free
virtual environment to train seafarers and crews,
was initiated by researcher Paul Brown and his
research supervisor Professor Margareta
Lutzhoft.
The project, seen to give educational,
economic and environmental benefits to
companies and seafarers, is conducted in time
with the new international code of safety for
ships which operate in polar waters which will
be launched in 2016.
Brown said the training scenario poses no risk
and damage to the ship, unlike actual trainings.
The researcher is expected to head to
Antarctica as the project enters its next stage. He
will be there to record weather conditions data
and how the ship would respond to these
conditions. These data will then be input into the
simulated model, creating the environment
suitable for ice trainings.
According to Brown, doing this kind of
training in Antractica damages the ship. It also
poses an impact to the environment.
He also noted that the training costs the
Aurora Australis 24,000 litres of fuel a day.
PAGE 2 - Wednesday, October 1, 2014

SHIPPING DATA
BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: (September 30)
Dry Index BDI 1063 +1
Capesie Index BCI 1!1" #$
%anamax Index B%I &'6 +1(
S)pramax Index BSI 10"1 #3
*andysie Index B*SI "'! +1
EXCHANGE RATES
+e, -ork (.)e C/s)
01n C)rren2y 3SD in 01n
in 3SD C)rren2y
Britain (%o)nd) 146'03 0461$'
Canada (Do//ar) 04&!'( 141'06
China (-)an) 0416'! 6413&"
5)ro 14'631 04$!1$
India (6)pee) 04016' 614!100
Indonesia (6)piah) 040000&' 1'1&"400
7apan (-en) 0400!116 10!4$000
+or,ay (8rone) 041""6 64('6!
%hi/ippines (%eso) 040''' ((4!&00
%o/and (9/oty) 0430'1 343100
6)ssia (6)b/e) 040'"3 3!4"(&&
Sin1apore (Do//ar) 04$&3! 14'$"$
3kraine (*ry:nia) 040$$' 1'4!"(0
"That amount doubles to 45,000 litres per day
when she is ice-breaking," he said.
SECURITY
Port of Guam to advance
security initiatives
The Port Authority of Guam can now proceed
with its maritime security projects after
receiving a USD468,830-grant from the US
Department of Homeland Security.
The port has been "very aggressive with its
efforts to modernize Guam's only seaport," Port
General Manager Joanne Brown was quoted as
saying.
"These new projects will further upgrade and
enhance the Port's core capabilities in terms of
Port security," Brown added.
According to a press release, the grant will be
used in its maritime security initiatives,
including the renovation of the crafts which
were recently acquired from the US Coast
Guard.
This will enhance the port's capacity in
preventing, preparing for and responding to
incidents in the waterways.
US-Bangladesh partnership
lauded in anti-piracy campaign
The United States ambassador in Dhaka, Dan
Mozena, has lauded the security partnership
between the US and Bangladesh, which has
helped reduce the incidence of piracy at the Bay
of Bengal.
"Chittagong is no longer listed as a high-risk
seaport," Mozena stressed. He added that
maritime security is crucial to spur economy in
the country and the region.
"Safe and secure sea lanes are vital for the
economic well-being of the people of
Bangladesh, the people of America, and the
people of South Asia," he said.
INCIDENTS
Nine crew members missing
after Chinese ship sinks
The search is on for nine crew members missing
after a Chinese-registered ship sank Tuesday
morning off Shimane prefecture in Japan.
Five of the crew members have already been
rescued but nine more remain missing. The
Japanese coastguard has already sent a patrol
boat to the area to help in the rescue efforts.
China's search and rescue centre signalled for
help late Tuesday, prompting Japan to also send
a rescue team some 390 kilometres north of
Shimane's Oki islands. Other details such as the
nationalities of the missing crew members have
not been released.
Spanish coast guard save 51
migrants off coast of Almeria
Spanish Maritime Rescue services rescued 51
Sub-Saharan immigrants from a dinghy as they
were attempting to cross into Spain, it was
reported Tuesday.
The rescue took place late on Monday night
48 km off the coast of Almeria in southeast
Spain, Xinhua reported.
The occupants of the boat included 34 men, 11
women, two of whom were pregnant, two
children and two babies, all of whom received
care from the Red Cross on reaching the port.
The Rescue Services spent several hours
searching for the dinghy after being informed
that it has had departed from Morocco in the
early hours of the morning. Two aircraft and two
patrol boats were used in the operation.
Russia urged to release
Lithuania fishing boat
The EU urged Russia on Tuesday to release a
Lithuanian fishing boat seized in international
waters, in the latest incident involving Baltic
states and their former Soviet master, AFP
reported.
A spokesman for the European Union's
diplomatic service said the vessel and its crew
members were captured by Russian border
guards in "high seas waters" in the Barents Sea
on September 18.
Brussels has raised the matter with the Russian
Ambassador to the 28-nation bloc, it added.
"We are concerned by the forced apprehension
of the Lithuanian fishing vessel 'Juros Vilkas'...,
the subsequent detention of the vessel and its
crew, as well as its forceful towing to Russian
territory," the spokesman said in a statement.
The EU urged Moscow to "respect its
international obligations and to immediately
release the vessel."
The fishing boat had a crew of nearly 30
people, including Lithuanian and Russian
nationals, who remain in detention after the boat
was towed to the port of Murmansk, EU sources
said.
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HI-TECH
NAVTOR, AWT AGREE TO INTEGRATE
ROUTEING SERVICES
NAVTOR, the e-navigation pioneer and the
maritime weather routing specialist Applied
Weather Technology (AWT) have joined
hands to integrate their services.
Both the companies are coming together
to offer the ultimate in route planning and
decision making tools.
As a result of the deal, AWT's market
leading routeing and optimisation systems
will now be offered on NAVTOR's recently
launched NavStation software. The
software operates as the world's first
"digital chart table", gathering and
overlaying all the data maritime navigators
require, including ENCs, digital publications
and other services like piracy updates - on
a single screen.
AWT's Optimisation Routing Service will
now be offered as a "layer" within
NavStation, giving users around-the-clock
weather routeing information and analysis,
with optimal planning capabilities.
CLASSNK LAUNCHES UPDATED
SOFTWARE FOR EEDI VERIFICATION
The updated version of
PrimeShip-GREEN/MinPower software has
been launched by ClassNK.
The software, which was launched in
April 2014, helped shipyards comply with
amendments to MARPOL Annex VI,
specifically EEDI requirements. The
software was perfect in calculating
minimum propulsion power requirements.
With the help of undated version, the users
will now be able to calculate the added
resistance in irregular waves, allowing for
minimum propulsion power requirements to
be determined to an even greater accuracy.
PrimeShip is the collective name for the
technically advanced and reliable systems
and services comprising a total ship care
system developed by ClassNK, according
to the product's web site.
Its developers claim that the software
helps to ensure the "comprehensive safety
of ships throughout their operating lives as
well as the prevention of marine pollution."