A NewsLink service for Dole Chile

Monday, September 22, 2014

SAFETY STUDY

2014 crude tanker demand up

SHIP VERSUS RAILWAY BRDIGE

A cargo ship's informally arranged night
passage under a bascule bridge led to a
collision that damaged both the ship and the
bridge.

SUMMARY
A cargo ship's route required it to pass under
a bascule bridge. The master and the bridge
keeper discussed the crossing over VHF and
agreed that it would occur at 2226 hours. The
time matched the railway traffic across the
bridge and the ship's speed was adjusted
accordingly.
The bridge keeper's disposition of the timing
up to the passage at 2226 hours was based
on specific attention to a train crossing the
railway bridge and his experience and routine
with the typical timing in connection with
bascule openings and ship passages.
This led to a very narrow time margin from
the train crossing to the immediately
subsequent process of opening the
drawbridge for the vessel's intended passage.
The ship sailed faster than predicted by the
bridge keeper and arrived at the railway bridge
earlier than the bascule could be opened.
When the bridge keeper noticed this and
informed the ship that it had to stop, the ship
was too close to the bridge to do so.
The light signals on the bridge had no effect
on the master's dispositions and manoeuvres
as they were not turned on while there was
still time and room to manoeuvre. Therefore
the master decided to adhere to the verbal
agreement on the time of passage.
The ship collided with the still-closed
bascule at a speed of six knots.
The resulting collision fortunately produced
no injuries, but very serious material damage
to the bridge and minor damage to the ship.

CONCLUSIONS
- The vessel did not use a pilot during the
voyage because the ship was not under the
obligation to use a pilot and the master did not
consider it necessary.
- The ship master maintained a speed that
had been determined by an oral agreement
over VHF between the ship and the bridge to
pass at 2226 hours.
- There were no technical defects found in
the vessel nor on the bridge that could have
led to the collision.
- The investigation recommended that the
maritime authority initiate a dialogue with the
state transport, private rail operator and state
rail regulator to review relevant aspects of
safety of navigation related to bridges.
Source: Danish MAIB

Demand for crude tankers is again on the uptick

as seen from newbuilding orders made for this
year.
Gibson said in its latest report that demand for
medium-range product tankers had been on the
rise in 2014, with orders for 31 VLCCs by
several leading industry players, including DHT
Holdings Inc, Capital Ship Management and
Hyundai, now underway. The shipbroker
attributed the surge in tanker demand to the
gradual emergence of private equity and hedge
funds, as well as an enhanced activity in the
crude sector.
But a notable development was China's toning
down on tanker orders, with only one vessel
being ordered by the country thus far this year.
According to Gibson, tanker owners are
becoming more optimistic with regard to to their
revenue on the back of the improving spot
market and a definite shift in sentiment,

particularly for the second half of this year.

"However, as of today, the signs are not quite
positive as oil demand declines and the price
with it, but there is still time for plenty of
surprises before the end of this year," it added.
A number of shipping companies are now also
boosting their respective fleets, signalling
positive times ahead for the crude tanker
segment.
"It is interesting to see how many experienced
VLCC operators have chosen to make a move
this year and it is worth noting that prices
recently firmed to around USD98 million,
compared to a low point in the first half of 2013
at around USD90 million," Gibson noted. It
likewise said that demand for crude tankers is
most likely to spike up anew in 2016 as more
eco-friendly
vessels
are
now
being
manufactured.

New EU directive on sea space

planning enforced

MARINA to take over licensing

exams, issuance of COCs

The European Union has implemented a new

directive aimed at helping member-states to
manage and develop maritime infrastructure
better.
Called the Maritime Spatial Planning
Directive, the new measure seeks to prevent
potential conflicts among member-states that are
utilising maritime space overlapping national
borders.
According to EU Fisheries Commissioner
Maria Damanaki, the directive is also aimed at
assessing maritime activities' impact on the
environment, as well as promote co-operation
among member-states in venturing into maritime
spatial planning operations. She also stressed
that around 1.6 million jobs are expected to be
generated by Europe's maritime economy over
the next six years, hence the need for a stable
maritime environment across the region.
"This is not a small achievement: the EU has
created the first legislation worldwide that
makes maritime spatial planning compulsory
and which requires cooperation between
countries at their borders," she added.
EU members are required to incorporate the
new measure into their national legislation by
2016. All maritime spatial plans must be
established by 2021.

The Philippines' Maritime Industry Authority

(MARINA) will take over next year the
administration of licensing exams and issuance
of Certificates of Competencies (COCs) to
seafarers from the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC), PNA reported.
Atty. Jabeth Sena Jepath A. Dacanay, Deputy
Executive Director of the Standards on Training,
Certification
and
Watchkeeping
Office
(STCWO), said that through Republic Act
10635, the licensing exams and issuance of
COCs for seamen will be transferred to
MARINA in January 2015.
RA 10635 is known as the "Act establishing
the MARINA as the single maritime
administration for the implementation and
enforcement of the 1978 International
Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for
Seafarers, as amended, and International
Agreements or Covenants related thereto."
Dacanay was guest speaker of the Maritime
Week Celebration 2014 in Region 6 that opened
Monday at the Robinsons Mall here.
She said that by November 16, MARINA will
already start accepting applicants for the COCs.
She added that this reform is part of the
Philippines thrust of taking a single maritime
administration just like in other countries.

PAGE 2 - Monday, September 22, 2014

SHIPPING DATA

BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: (September 19)
Dry Index
BDI
1075 -14
Capesize Index
BCI
2112 -80
Panamax Index
BPI
814
-5
Supramax Index
BSI
1029 -1
Handysize Index
BHSI 498
+4

EXCHANGE RATES
New York (Fri Cls)
Fgn Currency
in USD
Britain (Pound)
1.6311
Canada (Dollar)
0.9126
China (Yuan)
0.1628
Euro
1.2836
India (Rupee)
0.0164
Indonesia (Rupiah) 0.000083
Japan (Yen)
0.009179
Norway (Krone)
0.1574
Philippines (Peso)
0.0225
Poland (Zloty)
0.3069
Russia (Ruble)
0.0260
Singapore (Dollar)
0.7898
Ukraine (Hryvnia)
0.0744

USD in Fgn
Currency
0.6131
1.0958
6.1408
0.7790
60.8300
12015.00
108.9500
6.3519
44.5000
3.2600
38.4376
1.2661
13.4390

IMO chief Sekimizu to step

down next year
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
secretary-general Koji Sekimizu will not be
seeking another term next year.
In his blog post, Sekimizu said he will take
care of his wife, who is seriously ill, and so he
will step down when his term ends in December
2015.
"I hope she will not become unwell again, of
course, but I know, that cannot be guaranteed,
and it could be more so if I was honoured for
another term of four years, and I cannot accept
not being able to one hundred percent commit
myself to the work of IMO," he said.

INCIDENTS

Report: Cargo ship saves 55

migrants off Libya
The Italian coast guard says a cargo ship has
rescued at least 55 migrants from Libyan waters
after their rubber dinghy capsized, The
Associated Press reported.
They say several bodies were spotted in the
sea and up to 30 people might be missing.
Coast guard officials said after the dinghy
used a satellite phone to request help Sunday
afternoon, a Singapore-flagged merchant ship
rushed to the scene but the migrants' boat
capsized just before its arrival. They said
"several" bodies were spotted in the sea and that
search efforts were continuing for up to 30
missing. Coast guard officials based in Rome
said the dinghy's capacity was about 100
passengers.
Thousands fleeing war or poverty have been
arriving weekly in smugglers' boats on Italian
shores or needing rescue at sea.

Arctic ice shrinkage alarms

returning Chinese expedition
China's sixth Arctic expedition has found the
region's sea ice continuing to shrink at an
alarming rate.

The ice shrank to an annual low on September

15, when its 5.07 million square km was the
sixth-smallest coverage since records began in
1979, said Lei Ruibo, a crew member on board
Xuelong, which is due to return to Shanghai on
Wednesday after 76 days at sea.
"Though the Arctic sea ice area has been
comparatively large in the past eight years, it's
still far below the average 6.14 million square
km since 1979," said Lei. "So we believe the
Arctic sea ice is still receding."
One of the key roles of the expedition has
been researching how the atmosphere, current
and ice of the Arctic interact.
The dramatic receding of the ice has largely
affected the Northern Hemisphere in recent
years, causing disastrous freezing rain in south
China during the 2007-2008 winter, for
example.
Xuelong set off from its Shanghai base on July
11 and was expected to travel over 11,000
nautical miles during its voyage.
The expedition team has explored key areas
such as the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the
Canada Basin, Xinhua reported.

ENVIRONMENT

India holds coastal clean-up day

Various units of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG)
have observed 'International Coastal Clean-up
day' with diverse activities across the country.
The event is aimed at creating awareness
about the importance of clean sea and beaches,
is observed third Saturday of September every
year.
Indian Coast Guard units at Porbandar, Okha,
Vadinar, Mundra, Jakhau, Veraval, Pipavav and
Surat, along with various central and the state
government agencies, the students from school
and colleges, NGOs and volunteers from local
populace undertook a massive clean up
campaign on Friday in Western Indian state
Gujarat.
Around 3,000 personnel representing various
units of Coast Guard Eastern region, students of
various schools and colleges participated in the
ICG's cleaning initiative at Marina in southern
city Chennai, PTI reported.

EXHIBIT

Ireland exhibit showcases

models of famous ship
Those who would like to see some of the world's
most famous ships may check out large scale
models on display in Cobh, Ireland.
The town has opened a tourism centre, which
includes the large scale models made by Polish
brothers Marak Czajor and Artur.
Among those on display are the Titanic,
Britanic, the HMS Sirius and a Viking longboat.
"We wanted to open our own museum but then
we heard about plans to open this centre in Cobh
and we said we'd donate them for a year. I don't
think anywhere in Ireland has such an
exhibition," said Artur.

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PORT OF THE WEEK

PORT OF DAVAO
The Port of Davao is located in the city of
Davao, located south east of the island of
Mindanao, 974 kilometres south of the
Philippine capital of Manila.
This large complex actually consists of a
number of ports, all within the Davao Gulf
which is part of the Celebes Sea.
Sasa Wharf is one of the largest of the
piers in the Port area and among the
country's busiest.
Sasa Wharf is owned by the International
Container Terminal Services Inc, which
also operates at the Port of Manila and Port
of Subic.
The Port of Davao is largely dominated
by container cargo, raw materials, bulk
cargo, general cargo and passenger traffic.
Davao Port is one of the Philippines'
major seaports alongside Manila, Subic,
Cebu, Zamboanga and others.
The terminal, also called the Port District
of Davao, covers Davao City and the three
provinces. Davao port services interisland
and international shipments.
Access to the port of entry in Davao City
is through Davao Gulf which has two
approaches. One is at Pakiputan Strait
between Davao and the water west of
Samal Island. The other approach is at the
east side of Samal Island mainly used as
an exit channel of vessels departing from
points north of Davao Gulf. Access to the
subport of entry in Mati, Davao Oriental is
through Pujada Bay.
The port itself is the most important in
Mindanao island and also has the most
busiest international container port in both
Visayas and Mindanao.
It serves as the gateway to the southern
Philippines and is considered as the
best-performing port in Mindanao. Most of
the country's most significant ferry services
call on the port regularly.
The anchorage is well protected except
during strong southwest monsoon. Pilotage
is compulsory for foreign-going vessels
with 100 GRT and over.