MARITIME NEWS

A unique service from KVH Media Group Tuesday, April 29, 2014
International maritime news for seafarers
SAFETY
INCIDENTS
PORTS
MARITIME INSTITUTION
SHIPPING DATA
EU naval force rescues vessel as Somali
pirates flee
The European nion anti!piracy tas"force said #onday one of its ships have rescued
a vessel that has $een captured $y %omali pirates in the piracy!infested waters of
Indian &cean, '(A and )inhua reported*
E +orce ,ommander, -ear Admiral .ur/en 0ur #uhlen said the master of a show
spo"e of his relief after si1 armed pirates, who had ta"en his vessel and crew hosta/e
two wee"s a/o, fled the scene after si/htin/s of an E (aval +orce maritime patrol
and reconnaissance 2#'-A3 aircraft* 4This event confirms that the piracy threat is still
very real* The deterrence and swift action $y E (aval +orce has once a/ain denied
freedom of action to pirates,4 #uhlen said in a statement*
The incident came after the /lo$al maritime $ody ur/ed forei/n vessels5#asters not to
$e complacent as they transit the Ara$ian %ea and the 6ulf of Aden amid drop in
piracy in the first quarter of 2014*
The latest report $y the International ,ham$er of ,ommerce7s International #aritime
8ureau 2I#83 shows that piracy on the world7 s seas is at its lowest first!quarter level
since 2009, $ut warned that the threat is still present*
4As of #arch :1, suspected %omali pirates continue to hold one vessel for ransom
with three crew mem$ers on$oard as hosta/e* In addition, 49 crewmem$ers are still
held on land and four are missin/,4 says the I#8 'iracy -eport which was released
last Thursday*
The /lo$al maritime $ody attri$uted the decline to continue presence of navies in the
re/ion, employment of private contracted armed security personnel alon/ with the
international efforts on land and the efforts of the elected central /overnment within
%omalia*
SAFETY
Skuld P&I Club: Wreck Removal
Convention
The %"uld ';I ,lu$ has informed its mem$ers a$out the (airo$i International
,onvention 2<rec" -emoval ,onvention 20093* The clu$ noted that the ,onvention
will enter into force 12 months after ratification $y 10 states* As of +e$ruary 20, 2014,
there have $een nine ratifications* The ,onvention will therefore not enter into force
until the 201=!1> policy year* Article 12 of the ,onvention contains a compulsory
insurance re/ime $ased upon the system which is familiar from other I#& ?ia$ility
,onventions, includin/ a requirement for state issued ,ertificates*
The states which have ratified are@ 8ul/aria, 6ermany, India, Iran, #alaysia, #orocco,
(i/eria, 'alau and the nited Ain/dom*
The insurer7s lia$ility is in all cases limited to an amount calculated in accordance with
the ?imitation ,onvention 199> as amended*
%ource@ The %"uld ';I ,lu$
Video shos South !orea ferr" captain
escape sinkin# ship
%outh Aorea7s coast/uard #onday released a video showin/ the trouserless captain
of a sin"in/ ferry scram$lin/ to safety as hundreds remained trapped inside ! a move
e1pected to intensify criticism of the crew over the disaster*
The ten!minute video ! ta"en $y rescue officials and aired on the BT( news channel !
shows >9!year!old captain ?ee .oon!seo", wearin/ a sweater and underpants, hastily
escapin/ from the $rid/e of the tiltin/ ship $efore it san" on April 1>*
All 1= of the survivin/ crew responsi$le for sailin/ the hu/e ferry are in custody, facin/
char/es includin/ ne/li/ence and a$andonin/ passen/ers*
Cictims7 families have $itterly criticised the official response to the disaster, sayin/
delays in accessin/ the su$mer/ed ship may have ro$$ed any survivors of their last
chance to ma"e it out alive*
#eanwhile, %outh Aorean 'resident 'ar" 6eun!hye made an official apolo/y for the
ferry sin"in/ disaster Tuesday, the fourteenth day since the passen/er ship %ewol
capsi0ed off the country7s southwestern coast*
'ar" said durin/ a ca$inet meetin/ that she was 4sorry to the people and heavy
hearted that many precious lives were lost*4
$%S orkshop focuses on maritime safet"
The &r/anisation of American %tates 2&A%3 has started an annual wor"shop that
tac"les issues related to maritime safety*
The &A%7 Inter!American ,ommittee on 'orts 2,I'3 opened the three!day activity,
discussin/ hi/h quality trainin/ and $est practices that put emphasis on maritime
safety*
4The fact that the maritime industry and ports are the main nodes in the /lo$al
physical networ" of shippin/ that mana/es more than D0 percent of /oods worldwide,
should $e enou/h to warrant close attention to this most important issue,4 &A%
E1ecutive %ecretary for Inte/ral Eevelopment %herry Tross said*
4'orts and the maritime industry contri$ute si/nificantly to sustaina$le economic
development and social equity and welfare*4
%he noted the importance of promotin/ safe practices in the industry as mem$er!
states move forward in their economic development pro/rammes*
4The development of safe, sustaina$le, and competitive maritime and ports sectors in
the Americas has an impact on trade and the socio!economic development of &A%
mem$er states,4 she stressed*
Panama& surplus leadin# to over'capacit":
anal"sts
The increasin/ num$er of 'anama1 vessels operatin/ (orth!%outh trades is /radually
puttin/ a strain on the /lo$al maritime industry, which is now facin/ over!capacity*
%uch a situation is li"ely to worsen when access to the 'anama ,anal is e1panded
further ne1t year* 8ut industry e1perts fear that charter rates mi/ht $e/in to rise if
more 'anama1 vessels are deployed to (orth!%outh routes*
The latest edition of Erewry ,ontainer Insi/ht disclosed that #editerranean %hippin/
,o recently launched a new service $etween Asia and <est Africa that involves ten
ships with 4,000 twenty!foot equivalent units 2teu3* This has put more strain on the
already crowded trade route as competin/ carriers also flood the 'anama ,anal amid
low charter rates*
And as the 'anama ,anal7s enlar/ed loc"s are widened ne1t year, more vessels are
li"ely to use the trade route, resultin/ in further 'anama1 surplus* ,urrently, there are
around :D0 vessels $etween 4,000 teu and 4,900 teu not passin/ throu/h the
'anama ,anal*
The most affected $y a surplus in 'anama1 vessels is the ocean carrier se/ment,
which has $een tryin/ to offset losses $y transportin/ more car/oes from Asia via the
%ue0 ,anal instead of 'anama*
&ne solution is to hasten the scrappin/ of a/ein/ vessels $ut as most of them are
already nearin/ the avera/e D*= years, shareholders are worried that their $oo" value
will also $e affected* %uch a situation, accordin/ to e1perts, will pro$a$ly force ship
owners to instead re!en/ine or enlar/e new vessels*
INCIDENTS
Sailboat carr"in# ( )ermans missin# in *e
+ealand
Three 6erman nationals, includin/ two 19!year!old tourists, are missin/ off the coast
of (ew Fealand after their sail$oat vanished, The Associated 'ress reported*
'olice said Tuesday that an aerial search had ended after turnin/ up no si/n of the
9*=!meter 22=!foot3 craft #unetra* The $oat7s last communication was April 1> when it
left the %outh Island port of 8luff $ound for 'reservation Inlet* It was reported missin/
April 24*
'olice said the missin/ tourists are ?ea Tiet0 and Ceroni"a %teudler, $oth 19, from the
6orlit0 district* Also missin/ is the $oat7s captain, ::!year!old Andre Ain0ler, a 6erman
who had $een livin/ and wor"in/ in (ew Fealand for the past four years*
'olice said a lar/e search team that included two planes and two helicopters had
scoured the coastline in the re/ion without success* They said searchers have as"ed
local fishermen and $oaters to "eep in touch and haven7t ruled out future searches*
,luefin'-. continues to search near focused
underater area
8luefin!21 has completed mission 1= with no results and has commenced mission 1>
on #onday mornin/, accordin/ to the latest statement of the .oint A/ency ,o!
ordination ,entre 2.A,,3, )inhua reported*
4(o contacts of interest have $een found to date,4 the 'erth! $ased search co!
ordination centre said in the mornin/*
The .A,, said the su$marine drone 8luefin!21 will continue to e1amine the areas
adGacent to the focused underwater search area durin/ mission 1> on #onday*
Accordin/ to weather forecast for the day, there will $e a cold front movin/ out of the
search area and $ein/ replaced $y a southerly trade flow, sea swells of four to five
metres*
The Australian #aritime %afety Authority has planned a visual search area totallin/
a$out =4,921 square "ilometres for #onday* The center of the search area lies
appro1imately 1,>>9 "ilometres north!west of 'erth*
PORTS
+ueitina oil port to reopen
&ne of ?i$ya7s eastern oil ports is slated to reopen followin/ an assessment on its
dama/ed facilities*
?i$yan .ustice #inister %alah al!#er/hani said restartin/ operations at the Fueitina oil
port is part of an a/reement $etween the /overnment and re$els who occupied and
sei0ed operations of the country7s eastern oil ports for ei/ht months*
All four oil ports occupied $y the re$els, who have $een demandin/ a share in oil
e1ports from the /overnment, should have $een reopened $y now if not for disputes
re/ardin/ $oth sides7 commitments in the deal* %o far, only one of the sei0ed oil ports
had resumed operations*
The international community has $een "eepin/ a close ta$ on the issue as ?i$ya,
which has $een stru//lin/ to sta$ilise the country three years followin/ the ouster of
dictator #uammar 6addafi, is in dire need of oil revenue*
The country is also facin/ difficulties in its oilfields and pipelines in the west due to
protests, which had resulted the (orth African country7s oil output to drop to Gust
220,000 $arrels per day 2$pd3 from 1*4 million $pd last year*
/ubai Ports World posts .0123 volume
#roth in 4.
Eu$ai 'orts <orld, the third $i//est port operator $y assets, said here on #onday that
it handled 14*: million TE 2twenty!foot equivalent units3 across its /lo$al portfolio of
over >0 container terminals durin/ the first quarter of 2014, )inhua reported*
E' <orld chairman Ahmed 8in %ulayem said at the firm7s annual /eneral meetin/
held #onday that 46ross container volumes /rew in the first quarter $y 10*= percent
on a li"e!for!li"e $asis*
&n a reported $asis /ross volumes /rew $y 11*> percent as new volumes from
?ondon 6ateway 2nited Ain/dom3 and Em$raport 28ra0il3 contri$uted to the portfolio,
$enefitin/ the reported num$ers*4
The chairman added that first quarter /rowth was lar/ely driven $y an improved
performance from our Asia 'acific, India and nited Ara$ Emirates 2AE3 terminals,
with Europe continuin/ to show si/ns of improvement* 4The AE delivered a very
stron/ quarter handlin/ :*> million TE, representin/ /rowth of 19*=H*4
MARITIME INSTITUTION
Philippine Inter'Island Shippin# %ssociation
The 'hilippine Inter!Island %hippin/ Association is the industry a//rupation of
domestic shippin/ companies in the 'hilippines*
It was or/anised $y the various passen/er, roro, tan"er, coastwise and other small
maritime companies in order to represent them in the discussion and formulation of
maritime policies*
In 200=, 'I%A initiated the revision of the 'hilippine #erchant #arine -ules and
-e/ulations 2'##--3 with the o$Gective of comin/ up with rules applica$le to the
domestic settin/*
%eparate rule $oo"s would $e made for the different types of vessels* +or this
purpose, technical wor"in/ /roups for different types of vessels were formed*
In 200>, 'I%A or/anised a wor"shop for the '##-- revision where the various
T<6s presented their outputs* This was held on Au/ust 14 and 1= at the
Eevelopment Academy of the 'hilippines campus south of #anila*
The wor"shop was participated in $y representatives from the #aritime Industry
Authority and shippin/ companies*
The Cisayan Association of +erry$oat and ,oastwise %ervice &perators 2CA+,%&3, a
,e$u!$ased association, and Interisland Eeep %ea +ishin/ Association 2IE%+A3 also
sent representatives*
The /roups on hi/h speed crafts, car/o vessels, $ar/es and fishin/ vessels have
formally su$mitted their proposed version of the '##-- to #A-I(A*
As the voice of domestic shipowners, 'I%A has consistently come up with position
papers ar/uin/ a/ainst the indiscriminate entry of forei/n shippin/ vessels in the inter!
island shippin/ trade*
The current mem$ers of the Association are as follows@
Cisayas Association of ferry 8oat and ,oastwise %hipowners &perators, 'hilippines
-oro &perators Association, 'hilippine 'etroleum %ea Transport Association and
'hilippine ?iner %hippin/ Association*
SHIPPING DATA
,%56IC E7C8%*)E
Market snapshot: (April 28)
Dry Index BDI 961 -6
Capesie Index BCI 1668 -28
!ana"ax Index B!I 868 #$
%&pra"ax Index B%I 916 #$
E7C8%*)E R%6ES
'e( )ork (Mon Cls)
*+n C&rren,y -%D in *+n
in -%D C&rren,y
Britain (!o&nd) 1.6812 /.09$8
Canada (Dollar) /.9/68 1.1/28
China ()&an) /.1099 6.2020
1&ro 1.280$ /.3218
India (4&pee) /./160 6/.600/
Indonesia (4&piah) /.////86 1108/.//
5apan ()en) /.//9362 1/2.$2//
'or(ay (6rone) /.1666 6.//22
!hilippines (!eso) /./220 $$.02//
!oland (7loty) /.229$ 2./$//
4&ssia (4&8le) /./239 20.8800
%in+apore (Dollar) /.3909 1.206$
-kraine (9ry:nia) /./88/ 11.2622