A NewsLink service for Dole Chile

Monday, November 17, 2014

SAFETY STUDY
OVERLOADED GANGWAY
A contractor fell into the water and drowned
because of an overloaded gangway

NARRATIVE
As a gang of 16 cleaning contractors boarded
a container ship via the vessel's gangway in
single file, the outboard end of thegangway
moved off the quay edge and dropped about
one metre until its weight was taken up by the
lowering wires.
Of the last three contractors to step onto the
gangway, two lost their balance when the
gangway dropped, and fell into the water.
The third managed to hold onto the safety
net. Despite an immediate recovery attempt,
one of the contractors who fell into the water
drowned.
The roller at the bottom of the gangway had
not been placed fully on the quay due to the
proximity of a shore gantry. This resulted in
the bottom roller projecting over the water
below.
As the contractors climbed the gangway,
their combined weight was sufficient to cause
a harmonic motion that moved the bottom
roller off the quay.
The gangway then dropped because the
lowering wires had been slackened to allow
for the movement of the vessel during cargo
operations.
The ship's duty officer and gangway
watchmen were positioned at the top of the
gangway, where a sign indicating that the
maximum number of persons allowed on the
gangway was ten, was sited.

Tanker market experiencing

turn of tides: Gibson
The tanker market is gradually crawling out
from the doldrums as seen through a steep hike
in earnings in both the LR1 and LR2 segments.
Shipbroker Gibson said in its latest report that
the two segments, whose time charter
equivalents had been weak in the first six
months of the year, began to show signs of
recovery in July and August, with returns
averaging USD34,000 a day for LR2s and
USD25,500 for LR12s - the highest since 2009.
Increasing demand for long-haul tankers in the
Middle East on the back of the region's
expanding refining capacity, coupled with
improving trade from the West, had also
prompted earnings in the two segments to rise in
recent months.
The shipbroker said four oil refineries are set
to reach their maximum capacities over the next
years and this will definitely become a boon for
the tanker market.
"The start-up of modern and large scale
refining capacity in the Middle East will support

major increases in the long haul products trade,

while at the same time it will create additional
pressure on the ageing refining system in Europe
and in some countries in the Asia Pacific,"
Gibson added.
The London-based shipbroker also noted in its
report that improving trade between the United
Kingdom and West Africa, as well as between
the United States and Latin America, had also
boosted demand for both LR1s and LR2s for
product shipments.
"As long as US refinery margins remain
strong, there is a potential for further increases
in US products exports and with it further
increases in clean tanker demand," it said.
Finally, Gibson disclosed that the crude tanker
market, particularly in the Middle East,
remained on track for VLCCs in the past week
although there had been a significant change of
mood among charterers that caused freight rates
to slide a bit.

PH senator pushes for passage

of seafarers' Magna Carta

Asian nations urged to revamp

gas markets

A Filipino lawmaker has pushed for the

immediate passage of a proposal that aims to
protect Philippine seafarers amid a possible ban
in European ships due to issues on training and
LESSONS
the state of ferries.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara asked his fellow
- Although a gangway watch has traditionally
been kept at the inboard side of the gangway, senators to pass Senate Bill 1986 or the Magna
this is not always the best position. On
Carta for Filipino Seafarers as soon as possible
occasions such as this, where a large shore
to ensure the welfare of local seafarers based in
gang was embarking, the number of
foreign vessels that are faced by a proposal by
contractors using the gangway would have
the British government to ban them in European
been easier to control from the quay.
ship operations.
- The maximum capacity or loading of any
Angara said that the bill aims to create a
equipment has been determined for
everyone's safety. However, these restrictions competitive and efficient seafarers pool that are
cannot work unless they are monitored and
capable of working in international-flagged
enforced.
ships.
- For a variety of practical reasons,
The proposal aims to provide proper training
gangways cannot always be rigged or used as for Filipino seafarer at reasonable costs wherein
designed. However, they can frequently still
be safely used in such situations providing the the government will be mandated to hand out
scholarships, subsidies, loan assistance to assist
risks involved are carefully considered and
the local maritime professionals.
additional precautions, such as the reduction
Once the bill is enforced, Filipino seafarers are
of its maximum loading, and increased
vigilance, are implemented. Source: UK
needed to comply with the basic courses
MAIB
mandated by higher education agencies in the
Philippines.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has

called on Asian nations to overhaul their natural
gas markets to better accommodate rising
demand for liquefied natural gas.
According to the IEA, there is a need for
Asian countries to address limited flexibility and
pricing woes in their respective gas markets.
Government should also ensure transparency in
their gas markets, the agency said, stressing that
such steps need to be implemented to give
global consumers an easier access to affordable
LNG.
"The advent of new LNG supplies represents a
golden opportunity for Asia, but first the
region's governments must address the rigid and
illiquid markets that undermine affordability and
accessibility for consumers," IEA executive
director Maria van der Hoeven said. "For gas to
be a sustainable contributor to energy security in
the region, Asia must look to reforms," she
added.
But experts said cutting down LNG prices will
not be simple and fast as Asia's supply chain is
"capital- and energy-intensive." Among the
proposals to Asian nations in reforming their gas
markets are to efficiently balance supply and
demand, optimise trade flows and support
third-party access to new infrastructure.

PAGE 2 - Monday, November 17, 2014

SHIPPING DATA

THE NAVIGATOR

BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: November 7
Dry Index
BDI
1437
Capesize Index
BCI
3661
Panamax Index
BPI
1183
Supramax Index
BSI
881
Handysize Index
BHSI
454

POSITIONS, PLEASE!
+1
+49
-22
-5
-1

EXCHANGE RATES
New York (Fri Cls)
Fgn Currency
in USD
Britain (Pound)
1.5862
Canada (Dollar)
0.8825
China (Yuan)
0.1633
Euro
1.2437
India (Rupee)
0.0163
Indonesia (Rupiah) 0.000082
Japan (Yen)
0.008730
Norway (Krone)
0.1466
Philippines (Peso)
0.0223
Poland (Zloty)
0.2942
Russia (Ruble)
0.0214
Singapore (Dollar)
0.7752
Ukraine (Hryvnia)
0.0691

USD in Fgn
Currency
0.6305
1.1331
6.1230
0.8040
61.4300
12140.00
114.5400
6.8212
44.9300
3.4000
46.7386
1.2901
14.4755

Cruise ship visits pump

EUR5mn to Slovenia
Slovenia, with only one business port of Koper,
is making profit by offering good tourism
services to travelers brought by cruises,
according to a study report. Cruise tourism
brought more than EUR5 million (USD6.2
million) to the Slovenian economy last year,
Slovenian Press Agency quoted the study as
reporting on Sunday.
Cruiser tourists spending in Slovenia was
EUR78 per person on the average, somewhat
higher than the average for west European
seaports. The year 2014 has witnessed 45
passenger ships sending a total of 58,970
passengers to the port of Koper, which is
situated some 105km southwest of Ljubljana,
Xinhua reported. The port has received about
450,000 passengers since 2004.

FLAG REGISTRY

IRI: 200 South Korean vessels in

RMI Registry feat
International Registries Inc (IRI) has
congratulated the Republic of Marshall Islands
(RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries for
making the South Korean shipowning sector as
the fourth-largest shipowning group in the
Registry. In a statement, IRI president Bill
Gallagher expressed his utmost satisfaction for
the efforts made by the RMI in providing
assistance to 201 vessels that are operated by
South Korea since it established an office in
Seoul in 2007.
Gallagher said that the growth of
Korean-owned vessels joining the RMI family is
a significant achievement amid the downturn
experienced by the shipping sector over the last
few years.

Navigators must know where they are in

the world. If they don't, it can end in
disaster. The earlier manual task of
position fixing onboard ship is becoming
more and more of an automated function,
thanks to advances in science and
navigational technology.
No matter how clever this technology
becomes, however, there will always be a
need for consistent manual checks.
Over-reliance on devices like GPS and
GNSS can lead to complacency. The
adage 'never rely on one source for
positioning' is as true today as it always
has been, and the human element remains
as vital as the automatic. After all, the
navigator is in charge of the safety of the
ship, crew, cargo and environment. That
will always be the bottom line, and no
amount of scientific advancements will alter
this fundamental truth. Positioning has
previously been discussed in The
Navigator magazine, with contributors
examining situational awareness and
different positioning methods.
The Navigator is a free publication,
produced by The Nautical Institute three
times a year, in association with the Royal
Institute of Navigation, and sponsored by
IFAN, the International Foundation for Aids
to Navigation. Each issue focuses on one
aspect of navigation, such as bridge team
management training and best practice.
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champion is easy. Simply go to
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Distributor button and fill in the short form.

INCIDENTS

Eight crewmen missing after

vessel collision
Eight crewmen went missing after two vessels
collided in the water off Vietnam's south central
coastal Khanh Hoa province on Sunday
morning, Xinhua reported.
According to the Vietnam Maritime Search
and Rescue Coordination Center, a vessel
carrying some 2,500 tons of corn and beans
crashed into another vessel carrying iron with 11
crew members on board. The latter sank after the
collision; three of the crew members have been
rescued but eight others are still missing.

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PORT OF THE WEEK

PORT OF FELIXSTOWE
The Port of Felixstowe is the United
Kingdom's biggest and most heavily-used
container port.
It is also one of the largest in Europe,
handling more than 3.7million TEU aboard
over 3,000 ships of all sizes annually. The
port provides some of the deepest water
close to the open sea in Europe.
At least 30 shipping lines operate from
Felixstowe, offering approximately 90
services to and from 365 ports around the
world. With its multimodal rail and road
links connecting the port to distribution
hubs in the Midlands and elsewhere in the
UK, Felixstowe plays a critical part in
keeping Britain's trade moving.
The container terminal is managed by the
Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company
which was set up under the Felixstowe
Railway and Pier Act 1875.
Much of the land on which it sits is owned
by Trinity College, Cambridge which in the
1930s bought some land near Felixstowe
which included a dock which was too small
to be included in the National Dock Labour
Scheme. In 1967, it set up Britain's first
container terminal. The dock was
developed into Britain's largest container
port. In terms of freight volumes, Felixstowe
is Britain's largest port handling 42% of
Britain's container trade.
The port has two main container
terminals, Trinity and Landguard as well as
a RO-RO terminal. It has a continuous
quay of over 2.3 kilometres, equipped with
29 ship-to shore gantry cranes. The main
navigation channel is dredged to 14.5
metres below chart datum, with a maximum
depth of 15 metres alongside the quay.
This allows the complex to accommodate
the world's latest generation of
deep-draughted post-Panamax vessels. It
will also designed to accommodate the
much larger Maersk Triple E class, which
are capable of carrying 18,000 TEUs.
Seafarers' welfare charity Apostleship of
the Sea, which provides practical and
pastoral support to seafarers, has a port
chaplain based at the port.