(Continued form last week)
YEMENI FISHING VESSELS: Two Yemeni fishing vessels were seized by presumed Somali sea-gangs during the week 09th to 16th April in the Gulf of Aden. The Yemeni coastguard did not specify the name of the vessels and only reported in one case the crew as comprising of three Yemeni nationals. Recent reports that the dhows might have returned to Yemen were officially not yet confirmed.
THAI FISHING FLEET: Seized April 18, 2010 with a total crew of 77 sailors, of which 12 are Thai and the others of different nationalities, the Thailand-flagged vessels operating out of Djibouti were fishing illegal in the Indian Ocean off Minicoy Island in the fishing grounds of the Maldives. All three vessels were then commandeered towards the Somali coast by a group of in total around 15 Somalis.
FV PRANTALAY 11 with a crew of 26
FV PRANTALAY 12 with a crew of 25
FV PRANTALAY 14 with a crew of 26
None of these vessels is registered and authorized by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to fish in the Indian Ocean.
The fleet is now held off the coast at Kulub near Garacad at the north-eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. The captors already threatened to use one of the hunter-vessels of the group as a piracy-launch, but at present all three vessels are still held at the coast, while negotiations have not been forthcoming.
MV VOC DAISY: Seized in the morning of April 21, 2010, the Panama-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier of 47,183 dead-weight tonnes, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, 190 nautical miles East South East of Salalah, Oman. The bulker was registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn Of Africa (MSCHOA) and heading west from Ruwais, U.A.E, making for the eastern rendezvous point of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), for onward transit through the Suez Canal. She was 280 miles from the IRTC when she was sea-jacked. The vessel is owned by Middleburg Properties Ltd, Liberia, and operated by the Greek company Samartzis Maritime Enterprises. The 21 men all-Filipino crew was able to raise the alarm before the four armed pirates, carrying three AK47s and one RPG, stormed onboard and cut their lines of communication. The crew is, however, said to be all right, given the circumstances. The vessel is now held off Kulub near Garacad at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. Negotiations difficult.
FV TAI YUAN 227: Seized on May 06, 2010 in an area north off the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles as it headed for the Maldives , the Taiwanese fishing boat has a crew of 28 (9 Chinese, 3 Vietnamese, 3 Filipinos, 7 Kenyans and 2 from Mozambique) . Taiwan’s foreign ministry confirmed that the vessel had been seized after the Taipei Rescue Command Centre reported the incident to have taken place in approximate position 0105N-06750E . The ministry added that contact was made o n Friday with the pirates who made an unspecified ransom demand, while the vessel is heading towards the Somali coast . The vessel has no authorization by the Indian Ocean Commission to fish in the Indian Ocean, which, however, is partly explained by the fact that China is opposed to Taiwan as flag state. Due to the inaction of the ship-owner and the Taiwan government to free the vessel, it was used again as launch for further piracy attacks. Vessel and crew are at present held off Habo at the Puntland coast of the Gulf of Aden.
FV AL-DHAFIR: Seized on May 07, 2010 off the coast of Yemen the Yemen coastguard of the Arabian peninsular state reported. Yemen’s Defence Ministry confirmed that the 7 Yemeni nationals on board were abducted to Somalia. Yemen’s coastguard said Somali pirates captured the fishing vessel, while it was docked at a Yemeni island in the Red Sea and had taken it to Somalia. The coastguard was continuing its efforts to retrieve the boat, the Defence Ministry said, but meanwhile the dhow is said to be held at the Somali shore close to Eyl.
MT MARIDA MARGUERITE: Seized May 08, 2010, around120nm south of the Omani port of Salalah in the protected shipping corridor, the German owner-managed, US-owner-registered chemical tanker of 13.273 dwt has a crew of 22 seamen, including 19 Indians, two Bangladeshi and one Ukrainian. The vessel is flying a flag of convenience (FOC) from the Marshall Islands . The tanker was held at the north-eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast near Garacad but then changed position to a location off the Gulf of Aden Coast near Habo. Negotiations have not been forthcoming and the vessel was mid August commandeered southwards to Hobyo in a possible move to provide cover for the release of the Korean supertanker held there.
MT PANEGA [??????] : Seized late afternoon of May 11, 2010 in the Gulf of Aden in the proximity of the internationally protected shipping corridor and approximately 100 nautical miles east of Aden (Yemen), the small Bulgarian-flagged chemical products tanker of 5,848 tonnes was en route from the Red Sea to India. The crew consists of 15 Bulgarians. The vessel was already earmarked for the scrapyard and it is presumed that the P&I insurer The West of England Shipowners shall maybe be taken for a ride. The vessel is now held at the north-eastern Somali coast in the vicinity of Garacad. Major General Buster Howes, head of Europe’s Operation Atalanta, stated that there is no information about the crew of MT PANEGA. Local informers reported that the crew is all right, though food and clean water are low. At present the vessel and crew are held near Garacad.at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. Negotiations are said to be not really forthcoming.
MV ELENI P: Seized in the morning of May 12, 2010, the Greek-owned, Liberia-flagged 72,100 dwt bulker was sea-jacked around 380 nm south-east of Salalah (Oman) in position 15°55N / 060°50E. The 23 crew comprises of 19 Filipinos, 2 Greek and one U krainian sailor, who are said to be unharmed. Reports say that under other names the vessel had been attacked already before (as SEAHORSE on April 09, 2009). The vessel is held near Garacad at the north-eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast.
MT GOLDEN BLESSING: Seized in the morning at 03h27 UTC (06h27 loc al time) of June 28, 2010, the Singapore flagged, Chinese-managed 14,300 DWT chemical tanker GOLDEN BLESSING (IMO number 9539016) was plying the waters inside the Internationally Recognized Transit Corridor (IRTC) on her way from Saudi Arabia to India, when the 19 men strong all Chinese crew was overwhelmed at position Latitude: 13°23.7N Longitude: 049°58E and taken hostage in the view of a helicopter from a nearby naval vessel. Singapore’s Maritime Port Authority (MPA) confirmed the sea-jacking of the Singapore-registered ship. The 2010-built Handy tanker was then commandeered by its Somali captors to the Somali Indian Ocean coast, where it stopped at Bargaal, but was later taken back into the Gulf of Aden, where it is held near MT MOTIVATOR at the northern Puntland shores off Habo (Xabo). The China-owned tanker carries as cargo around 15,000 m³ of highly toxic ethylene glycol – a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze, in her 10 separated tanks, which are MARPOL certified. Mr. Li Jingzhong, spokesman of the charterer company SHANGHAI DINGHENG SHIPPING CO, was able to contact the captain of the ship and could establish that the crew is safe. Vessel and crew are not covered by an ITF agreement. After first contacts for negotiations concerning the release had been made by the owner-managers Advance Shipping for registered owner GOLDEN PACIFIC INTL & HOLDINGS, the mediation progressed positively.
*To be concluded
In Philippines, Better Days Are Here For Seafarers
Filipino seafarers would enjoy longer breaks under a new standard employment contract proposed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili said the proposed contract would also provide for longer leaves and additional benefits for Filipino seafarers.
“We will soon be presenting to the governing board for approval a proposed new standard employment contract which provides, among others, entitlement leave of four and half months from the previous two and half months,” she said.
Manalili said they will also determine the so-called “compensable diseases” to be included in the new standard employment contract.
The review and passage of the new employment contract is part of the POEA’s commitment to provide additional safeguards for Filipino overseas workers during President Aquino’s 100 days in office, she added.
The POEA is also working to provide better employment benefits and welfare protection for land-based Filipino workers, Manalili said.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Training Council (MTC) has ordered all maritime training schools nationwide to offer courses on prevention of alcohol and drug abuse.
MTC office-in-charge Clifford Paragua said the directive aims to address the rising number of Filipino overseas workers who are used as “mules” by drug syndicates.
“Through new training modules, we intend to educate and warn maritime students from getting involved in drug smuggling which is detrimental to their lives and employment,” he said.
The government has undertaken many programs in the effort to curtail the recruitment and involvement of Filipino workers abroad in drug smuggling, Paragua said.
The recruitment sector, on the other hand, proposed the establishment of an OFW Bank to help returning workers put up their own business instead of going back abroad.
Jackson Gan, Federated Association of Manpower Exporters vice-president, said the Department of Labor and Employment must come out with more relevant programs that will give the proper expertise and training for migrant workers who have ended their employment contracts abroad.
SHIPTALK: A GLOSSARY OF SHIPPING AND MARITIME TERMS
INTERNATIONAL WATERWAYS – Consist of international straits, inland and interocean canals and rivers where they separate the territories of two or more nations. Provided no treaty is enforced both merchant ships and warships have the right of free and unrestricted navigation through these waterways.
INTERTANKO – An association of independent tanker owners whose aims are to represent the views of its members internationally.
LASH SHIPS – LASH stand for Lighter Aboard Ship. It is a specialized container ship carrying very large floating containers, or ‘lighters’. The ship carries its own heavy-duty crane for loading and discharging the lighters over the stern. The lighters each have a capacity of about 400 tons and are stowed in the holds and on deck. While, the ship is at sea with one set of lighters, further sets can be made ready. Loading and discharge are rapid at about 15 minutes per lighter, no port or dock facilities are needed, and the lighters can be grouped for pushing by towboats along inland waterways.
LAY-BY – ships that are laid up usually waiting for cargo or a charter, often outside a port.
LAY-UP – Temporary cessation of trading of a ship by a shipowner during a period when there is a surplus of ships in relation to the level of available cargoes. This surplus, known as over-tonnaging, has the effect of depressing freight rates to the extent that some shipowners no longer find it economical to trade their ship, preferring to lay them up until there is a reversal in the trend.
PORT SIDE – the left hand side of a ship facing the front or forward end. The port side of a ship during darkness is indicated by a red light. Was previously known as the larboard side but this created confusion with starboard and was changed.
PURSER – A ship’s officer who is in charge of accounts, especially on a passenger ship. Nowadays referred to as the Hotel Manager of most cruise ships.
STARBOARD – The right-hand side of a ship when facing the front or forward end. The starboard side of a ship during darkness is indicated by a green light.
STERN – The bow or rear of the ship; an upright post or bar of the bow of a vessel.
STERNWAY – The reverse movement of a vessel.
VOYAGE CHARTER – A contract whereby the shipowner places the vessel at the disposal of the charterer for one or more voyages, the shipowner being responsible for the operation of the vessel.
WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT
18.09.2010:
0430 LT: Posn: 20:38.6N – 106:52.3E, Haiphong roads, Vietnam.
About 20 armed robbers boarded a container ship at anchor. Duty crew noticed the robbers on the forecastle deck and informed the duty officer who instructed him to secure all access points around the accommodation. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Robbers escaped with ships stores
19.09.2010:
0430 LT: Douala port, Cameroon.
Two robbers armed with knives in a boat boarded a berthed general cargo ship during heavy rain. They opened the locked mast house but were noticed by duty crew. The robbers escaped with ship’s stores
22.09.2010:
0236 UTC: Posn: 03:49.9N – 006:54.6E: Off Bonny River: Nigeria.
About 21 armed pirates in three crafts boarded a pipe layer crane vessel undertow. All crew locked themselves in accommodations. Pirates were able to take one crewmember as hostage. Master called Nigerian naval vessel in vicinity. Later pirates released the crew and left the vessel. All crew safe.
SEA ROBBERY: We Are Well Prepared, Says Minister Of Transport
As Nigerian joined the fest of the world last week to mark this year’s World Maritime Day, the nation’s minister of transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman has assured that Nigeria is prepared to battle all forms of attacks on ships within her territorial waters.
The minister gave this assurance in Lagos last week while the keynote address at the celebrations to mark his year’s celebrations which the International Maritime Organisation has aptly dedicated to seafarers by the theme “2010: Year of the seafarer”
He however acknowledged that seafarers are often confronted with the challenges of piracy and robbery, even as he noted attacks on ships are most rampant the coast of Somalia and Indian Ocean.
Suleiman told participants at the one-day event that government is deeply worried about the problem of sea robbery and piracy within and off her coast, but added that government is doing everything to ensure that adequate security is provided.
He disclosed that the introduction of Long Range Identification and Tracking System as well as the Integrated Maritime Security System and Surveillance Centre were in furtherance of government’s resolve to provide adequate security for ships and other marine crafts that are operating within the nation’s territorial waters.
According to him, “relevant agencies under the federal ministry of transport such as: NPA and NIMASA have also collaborated with the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police to ensure that the menace of armed robbery and piracy are reduced to the barest minimum from our territorial waters”.
Acknowledging the need for cooperation between countries of West and Central Africa, the minister added that it is noteworthy that the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) now has a sub-regional coast guard network with the zonal headquarters in Nigeria.
According to him, notwithstanding the challenges that seafarers face, “Government has continued to put in place appropriate structures and arrangement that would continue to encourage our young people to pursue a career at Sea, hence the collaborative effort between the Federal and State Governments in providing adequate training opportunities
for seafarers both within and outside the country."
Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM square off against pirates
The world’s three largest container lines, Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM are squaring off in a combined effort to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
In a joint statement the three companies said they will freely exchange information of safety measures, piracy policies and procedures as well as coordination to ensure that the issue is addressed with all relevant stakeholders.
All three shipping lines have experienced pirate attacks on their ships at one time or another and the group agree on the importance of the Best Management Practices for safe sailing in the area where the Somali pirates continue to attack and highjack vessels.
They said they welcome and support the international community’s efforts to fight the problem of piracy in terms of the naval presence in the Gulf of Aden and the pursuit of appropriate legal frameworks to ensure pirates are prosecuted and held responsible for their crimes. Their joint statement read:
“The root causes of this problem cannot be addressed overnight. Therefore, it is imperative that the naval forces have a strong and dynamic mandate to match the constantly changing situation in the area. It is also vital that the acts of piracy do not go unpunished, which is why appropriate legal frameworks for prosecuting pirates are needed.
“Following the Anti-Piracy Best Management Practice is an important step in preventing hijackings and we fully support the use and further development of the BMP.”
They said they also support proposals for regional capacity building to address the issue such as a regional coast guard and possible transit corridors to East Africa.
EU Introduces New Maritime Safety Measures
The European Commission has announced new rules to enhance and improve the safety performance of ships. A new online register to ‘name and shame’ shipping companies, and their respective shipping registry, that perform poorly in safety inspections (port state controls) is to be included in the plans, with those with strong safety records, conversely, being publicly praised.
The European Commission explained in a statement that was released recently that “port state controls are crucial for preventing shipping disasters and the tragic loss of life and huge environmental damage that can result. Companies and states which show up as poorly performing will be subject to more intensive, co-ordinated inspections in EU ports. Manufacturers or other industries will be able to choose the shipping companies they use for freight or passengers in full knowledge of their safety record.
This will put more impetus on countries’ ship registries to ensure high levels of compliance, among their registrants, with safety standards.”
Vice-president Sim Kallas, responsible for Transport, said: “Safety is the first priority for EU. We have seen the devastating effects of maritime disasters like the sinking of the ferry Estonia or the Erika or Prestige in terms of tragic loss of life and massive environmental damage. As ever I am strongly convinced about the power of transparency. We want to shine a light on the safety records of shipping companies, flag states and certification organisations. More transparency in this sector will showcase companies with a strong safety records giving them a competitive advantage. The register will also put poor performers in their spotlight so that with tougher inspection regimes and public pressure there is every incentive for them to raise their game rather than face a ban from EU waters.”
On January 1, 2011, the port state control regime (technical safety inspections in ports) in the European Union will change significantly under EU Directive 2009/16/EC. Under the new regime there will not only be EU wide harmonization of port state control inspection standards, as currently exists, there will also be for the first time a fully co-ordinated system of all the port state safety inspections carried out in the EU.
The new EU wide system will rely on an advanced information tool to be known as “THETIS” (operated by the European Maritime Safety Agency, or EMSA). THETIS will track all safety inspections on ships carried out in ports in the EU and provide a risk analysis, which will determine the frequency and priorities for inspections by the competent authorities of member states. In addition, the new regulations specify the criteria for assessing the risk profile of ships using company performance and the flag state performance as appears in THETIS.
The pan-European system of co-ordination and analysis will allow for a more effective use of inspection resources in ports and in particular the more effective targeting of high risk ships and companies with low safety performance. The online register will list companies whose safety performance has been low or very low for a period of three months or more. Ships on the register that are operated by companies with bad safety records of deficiencies and detentions will be subject to very frequent inspections while ships operated by companies with good records will benefit from less inspections.
Every year more than 80,000 individual ships call in European ports. The safety inspections of ships carried out at ports are deemed of crucial importance to prevent maritime accidents. Under current EU rules there are harmonized standards for inspections, with member states obliged to inspect 25% of ships that call at their ports. Ships with serious deficiencies and detentions can be blacklisted under EU law and banned from operation in EU waters.
However, the current regime still operates with a “national logic” i.e. the selection of the 25% of ships for inspection in national ports is determined by different national authorities. There is some, but limited, EU wide coordination between different national authorities. Currently, the results of all the different national inspections are not systematically analyzed on a pan European basis or published on an EU wide basis.
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