June 2014
INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION
Nippon Salvage concludes Maritime Maisie operations as ISU calls for better provision of Places of Refuge In April 2014, the ship-to-ship transfer of all the chemical cargoes from the Maritime Maisie was successfully completed bringing to an end the protracted case conducted by Nippon Salvage. The case has become notorious as a demonstration of the need for improvements in the matter of Places of Refuge for casualty vessels. It had taken 102 days since the LOF was signed on 30th December 2013 before the Maritime Maisie was taken to Ulsan. The salvors had connected to the vessel on 31st December 2013. At that time the vessel had been evacuated by her crew and was unmanned. On 16th January 2014 the fire was extinguished but volatile acrylonitrile remained in a damaged cargo tank which gave coastal states a reason not to provide a Place of Refuge. The vessel was also damaged amidships due to the collision and explosion and was at risk of breaking in two if she were exposed to harsher sea and weather conditions. Towing continued while trying to avoid rough seas in order to protect the vessel. Nippon Salvage said it was “a voyage without destination that was felt to be lasting forever [while seeking] shelter.” More than 30 craft were involved in the operation and the salvors used 10
experts and lawyers in trying to find a Place of Refuge. Separate salvage plans, each running to more than 200 pages, were prepared for each of the seven port authorities where refuge was sought. Nippon Salvage said: “There were enormous efforts exerted by all the people involved in the salvage operation. And we wonder how such a tremendous amount of work is necessary in a situation where dangers are imminent. Some rationalization [on the issue of Places of Refuge] among coastal countries needs to be done.” Nevertheless, Nippon Salvage also thanked the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ulsan Port Authority, Hong Kong Marine Department and the owners and managers of the vessel for their cooperation and patience during
the effort to secure a Place of Refuge which was eventually provided at Ulsan Port which had been the most recent port of departure of the vessel before the accident. The ISU is campaigning on the issue of Places of Refuge and cites the case of the Maritime Maisie along with those of the Stolt Valor and MSC Flaminia as strong examples of why coastal states need to accept their responsibilities, as set out in under various international conventions and guidelines, to provide a Place of Refuge to a casualty vessel when necessary.
Nipon Salvage flagship, Koyo Maru with Maritime Maisie.
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ISU NEWS ISU Meritorious Service Award Members and Associate Members are reminded that they may make nominations at any time for the ISU’s Meritorious Service Award which was introduced in 2013. The award is not a bravery award but is made for meritorious services during a salvage operation, or perhaps over a period of time. The criteria are: The award is open to employees of ISU Full Member companies or their subcontractors. In exceptional circumstances others – such as employees of Associate Members or public bodies – might be considered for an award. The award may be made to more than one individual for the same act or service. There is no limit on the amount of awards which may be made, equally there is no expectation that awards should be made with set frequency. The award is made for acts or service beyond what would be expected in the course of normal duties and for acts or service that benefit the salvage industry. The acts or service must be such that they would be widely recognised as exceptional by the industry. Nominations should be sent to the ISU General Manager. There is no standard
form to be completed, but nominations should clearly make the case for the award and include details of the individual(s) who are being proposed and any suitable photographs or other relevant supporting material such as a testimonial from a public authority, news clippings and so on. The ISU Executive Committee will consider the nomination and decide whether to make the award. AGM The ISU General Meeting 2014 will be held at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel, Hamburg on Thursday 02 October. Details of booking arrangements have been circulated to ISU members who should note the deadline, 29 August. EMSA ISU is working with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to assist with a workshop it is planning on Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) and chemical marine pollution response for experts from EU Member States on 1-2 October 2014. The workshop will focus on operational aspects of marine pollution response with a “table-top” exercise and presentations. Interspill ISU is supporting, along with International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds
Svitzer undertakes its first OPA90 case The bulk carrier Ornak - 43,506 grt and built in 2010 - ran aground on Cape Henry Beach, Virginia, during severe weather on the 15th of April. Other vessels also were reported to be dragging their anchors in the lower Chesapeake Bay as winds reached speeds of 60 to 70 mph. As the OPA90 provider for the Ornak, Svitzer Salvage responded after the activation of the Vessel Response Plan (VRP). Svitzer’s Salvage Master, Captain Alberto Weber, and his team mobilized to the vessel very quickly having just finished another salvage operation in the Dominican Republic.
After inspection of the casualty and her grounded position, a salvage plan was developed and presented to the US Coast Guard for approval. While waiting for authorization, preparation continued to refloat the vessel at the next high tide early the following morning. After obtaining permission for the refloating plan, the operation commenced at 0500 on the morning of April 18th, assisted by the two tugs, AJ Mcallister and Emily Anne. At 0940 the vessel refloated and was redelivered to her owners safely at Lynnhaven Anchorage.
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(IOPC) and the International Maritime Organisation, a short course in salvage, wreck and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) to be run during the Interspill conference in the Netherlands in March 2015. Issues surrounding casualty response as well as cost recovery under the international legislation relevant to salvage, wreck removal and HNS will be considered. More details will be published in due course. Places of Refuge ISU has continued to lobby on the issue of Places of Refuge. It follows the joint agreement between ISU, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), to work together on the issue which was brought into sharp focus in the early part of 2014 when the chemical carrier, Maritime Maisie, which had suffered collision and fire, had to be held at sea by her salvors for some three months while denied access to port. (See story Page 1.) Position papers ISU has committed to produce “position papers” setting out its views on key issues. It has already published its paper on Places of Refuge and drafting is underway on papers relating to unfair criminalisation and responder immunity as well as wreck removal and the cost of tendering. A paper on Lloyd’s Open Form is planned.
Resolve removes Rena's accommodation block The Rena’s 700 tonne accommodation block has been succesfuly cut and lifted from the wreck in a 12 day operation by Resolve Marine Group. The job was affected by poor weather conditions and shallow water which meant that a traditional wire rope mooring system with anchors deployed from the work barges would not be safe or effective. Under the direction of Resolve’s Salvage Master, Frank Leckey, a high strength synthetic line mooring spread with fixed moorings and soft line winches on each of the work barges was implemented.
The removal process required detailed engineering and planning because of the steep angle of the wreck, the surrounding deep water depths and the environmental requirement to minimize debris spillage. The team decided to use a two part lift of the accommodation block: the house sections would be held with tensioned lifting gear while simultaneously being cut free of the wreck using a chain cutting system deployed from a separate barge. Several 15 tonne anchors were deployed from the anchor handling Resolve Monarch to provide the necessary holdback force for the chain cutting. The team used a patented chain puller
lifting system with 3 metre stroke heave compensation, deployed from the RMG 500 shearleg barge, in order to mitigate the risks of weather exposure at the reef site as well as the potential for severe shock loading of the lifting gear. Diving operations at depths of 50 meters were required to install the rigging for lifting and cutting. The method was successful: the accommodation block was levelled underwater, raised to the surface by the chain puller system and then transferred to the shearleg crane to be lifted out of the water and on to the material barge.
Tsavliris operations Tsavliris Salvage Group has been active in Q2. Currently it is engaged in two salvage operations, firstly with the RoRo vessel Saloos - 4,400 dwt - which capsized off Cabinda, Angola, and secondly with MV Tektoneos 43,620 dwt - which was immobilised due to engine problems some 150 nautical miles South West of Pylos in the South Ionian Sea. Tsavliris has also been involved in two further operations which have recently been completed. In March the containership Yusuf Cepnioglu, laden with about 200 containers in her holds and on deck, grounded on the north western coast of Mykonos Island, Greece. The vessel was abandoned by its crew all of whom were landed safely ashore. Tsavliris dispatched salvage personnel to the casualty site as well as its Salvage Tug Megas Alexandros and the tug Hermes and the oil recovery and rescue vessel Aegis 1. Strong winds and high seas forced the majority of the on-deck containers to
wash overboard. Access to the casualty was not possible in the following days due to rough seas and substantial quantities of debris began to wash up in neighbouring Korfos Bay as well as other inlets and on the nearby islands. Tsavliris and Environmental Protection Engineering SA (EPE) initiated a major clean-up effort and more than 500 cubic metres of debris was collected in the following weeks. Furthermore, oil booms were positioned near the local power and desalination plants to prevent the intakes from clogging up. Containerised salvage equipment was transported from Piraeus to Mykonos and an array of local tugs and barges were dispatched to the island to shuttle containers ashore. Oil booms were positioned around the casualty and the affected areas where large quantities of debris were floating and work commenced on cleaning up inside the booms. Following a dive inspection, the first 40 ft container was discharged and loaded onto one of the barges. The loading of containers onto 3
tugs and barges continued over the following days and they were shuttled from Mykonos to Lavrion, South East Athens, under tow. The operation to remove oil continued concurrently and when that was concluded, services were terminated and the contractors demobilized. Also in March, the bulk carrier LMZ Ariel - 57000 dwt and laden with steel slabs - suffered loss of propulsion and was immobilized about 400 miles north east of Ponta de Madeira, Brazil on passage to the eastern USA. Tsavliris dispatched the Salvage Tug De Zhou - 16000 BHP, 200 TBP - from Aruba to the casualty and a dive team was mobilised from Sao Luiz. The divers' inspection showed that the tailshaft had fractured and the aftmost section of the shaft, together with the propeller, had broken off. Divers sealed the stern tube externally and De Zhou towed the casualty to Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Members’ News Gigilinis Gigilinis’ salvage tug, Spartan, successfully completed a challenging towage operation involving a double crossing of the high risk area of the Gulf of Aden. The tug was dispatched to Dubai, UAE, to tow a barge to Port Said, Egypt. The services of a security company were employed and three armed guards remained onboard for the duration of the voyage, both eastbound and westbound.
the meeting including the Chairmen and Directors of the Associations of Australia-AUSMEPA, Cyprus-CYMEPA, Greece-HELMEPA, United StatesNAMEPA and Ukraine-UKRMEPA. The Committee re-elected George A Tsavliris of CYMEPA as Chairman and Warwick Norman of AUSMEPA as Vice-Chairman of INTERMEPA for the next two years. The commitee also decided that the Association should intensify its efforts towards closer co-operation between the Junior sections of all MEPAs and promote youth environmental awareness initiatives. Posidonia's popular sporting calendar also saw members of the Tsavliris family take part in both the Shipsoccer and Tennis tournaments. The Shipsoccer event was held at the Karaiskaki Stadium – home to current league Champions "Olympiakos". The Tsavliris team included both Alexandros A Tsavliris and Alexander G Tsavliris – the former spearheading the attack, the latter adopting more of a managerial role! Tsavliris came fourth, losing the semifinal on penalties to eventual winners, the Baltic Exchange.
The tug was “hardened” with barbed wire installed all around and full training in emergency situations was given to the crew by the professional security team. The voyage lasted over one month and was completed with no incidents with the arrival of the convoy at Port Said. Gigilinis described the operation as “an exciting as well as an extremely valuable experience.”
The Posidonia tennis tournament saw Alexandros A Tsavliris and his partner Dimitris Tolaros reach the final of the doubles tournament, unfortunately narrowly losing in the end. Resolve Resolve Salvage & Fire (Asia) has added Peter Zhang Geng as a Naval Architect to its team.
Fairmount - which recently became part of Royal Boskalis Westminster has continued its programme of ocean towage. Its tug Fairmount Summit has towed the jack-up rig West Ariel safely from Vung Tau, Vietnam, to Singapore - a distance of 1,305 miles over seven days with an average speed of 4 knots. The Fairmount Expedition has towed jack-up rig Naga 3 safely from Labuan, Malaysia, to the PV Marine Shipyard in Vung Tau, Vietnam and subsequently on to the RD19X Block 15-2 oilfield offshore Vietnam. Elsewhere the tugs Fairmount Summit en Fairmount Alpine have towed the rig ENSCO 5006 from Cyprus to Singapore. The Fairmount twins towed the rig over a distance of some 13,000 miles. Both the tugs performed anchor handling work for the rig before departure. Multraship Cormorant Multraship’s floating sheerleg, Cormorant, made headlines around the world when it was mistaken for a crashed plane off Gran Canaria. Cormorant was being towed to Nigeria where it is being used in wreck removal operations. Because the A-frame is lowered on deck during sea transport its outline, seen from a distance, was mistaken for a plane and local media therefore reported that a plane had plunged into the sea close to the island and rescue services were sent to the scene. The Spanish authorities quickly revealed the alert was a false alarm but, in a demonstration of the speed of the modern media, the story had already been widely reported internationally. Kotug Kotug International BV has won the prestigious King Willem I business award in the category “medium and small sized enterprise”. The award was presented by Her Royal Highness Queen Maxima of The Netherlands to Kotug’s Ard-Jan Kooren. Kotug describes the award as an “Oscar” for businesses in The Netherlands. The award is granted every two years by the King Willem I Foundation which seeks to promote Dutch trade and industry.
Tsavliris 2014 is the 32nd Anniversary of the founding of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association HELMEPA - which marked the milestone by hosting a conference entitled "Energy Efficiency Measures on Existing Vessels," at the International Maritime Exhibition Posidonia 2014. At the end of the conference, Captain Panagiotis Tsakos, Mr Efthimios Mitropoulos, Mr Joseph Angelo and Mr Nikolaos Tsavliris were awarded the title of Honorary Member of HELMEPA and were presented with plaques and an honorary diploma. Also at Posidonia, the Steering Committee of the International Marine Environment Protection Association – INTERMEPA – convened with members present at
Fairmount
With more than 20 years experience in ocean engineering, rescue and salvage, Zhang has managed many projects including sub-sea pipeline design, the construction and installation of offshore SPM terminals as well as tunnel and wharf construction.
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Separately, Kotug and Logic Vision have announced a partnership following their joint development of the TugVision business management system which the companies say can be further developed for other Salvage and towage firms.
Salvage and towage industry gathers for biennial conference
ISU President, Leendert Muller, gave a paper at the ITS convention in Hamburg setting out the current challenges facing the industry. He said that the salvage industry is competitive with some excess capacity but operators who get their business model right it can make a viable business. Mr Muller also noted a number of issues of concern such as the lack of progress on Places of Refuge and the decline in the use of Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) – the most commonly used salvage contract. In this regard he reminded delegates that salvage services provided on commercial terms can be more costly for ship owners and insurers than services provided under LOF. Mr Muller also said that the industry has an ageing staff-profile and needs to ensure it is attracting new talent.
been the most high profile of its kind and is reaching its final, crucial phase. The convention also provided numerous networking opportunities and many industry players took the opportunity
The convention attracted a record number of some 450 delegates and the associated exhibition space was a sellout. Other salvage-related papers included a consideration of SCOPIC and the role of the Special Casualty Representatives from Captain Keith Hart and John Noble, while Simon Tatham of TugAdvise offered an analysis of why the use of LOF was in decline. A highlight of the event was an interview with Nick Sloane, senior salvage master on the Costa Concordia wreck removal, conducted by conference chairman, Mike Allen. Mr Sloane updated delegates on the latest developments on the biggest wreck removal and gave personal insights into the operation which has 5
to host receptions and dinners for their clients and contacts against the backdrop of the busy port of Hamburg. Pictures: Top, ITS delegates at the opening reception. Above left, ISU President Leendert Muller. Above right, John Noble. Below: Conference Hall.
Associates’ News ISU welcomes new Associate Member: Yojaka (India) Pvt. Ltd. 3-28/43, 2nd Floor, ABCO Trade Centre, NH-17, Kottara Chowki, Mangalore, India Telephone: +91 824 2457173 Email: exim@yojaka.co.in Contact: Mr B Vinaykumar, Director. Hill Dickinson Hill Dickinson has announced new appointments to its Hong Kong and Singapore offices. Chris Edwards, formerly a partner at Clydes in Singapore, joined the Singapore office in June. Chris has over 18 years of experience in handling shipping, trade and insurance disputes in Singapore and the South East Asia Region and is well known in the marine insurance market in Singapore. Kennedys Partner, Anthony Woo, will join the Hill Dickenson Hong Kong operation in September. Mr Woo advises ship owners and charterers on charter party disputes as well as defending ship owner/freight forwarders on cargo claims. Hill Dickinson's Hong Kong office operates in association with Laracy & Co, providing specialist local commercial litigation, collision, salvage and marine casualty expertise within Asia and beyond. Led by Master Mariner and long-standing partner, Mike Mallin, the team includes experienced litigator and arbitrator, Damien Laracy. Mike Mallin said the appointments were a crucial element in Hill Dickinson’s efforts to bolster its presence in the Far East. Nord In June, Nord received the EU Environmental Award in the category "International Business Cooperation" for its work on the fire-damaged container ship, MSC Flaminia. The award was made by the Danish Environmental Minister, Kirsten Brosbol. Chairman of the judging panel, Kurt Nielsen, said Nordgroup was awarded the prize in this category for developing an international, collaborative platform for clean up after ship fires in international waters. He noted: "In an international and cross organizational partnership, Nord's solution ensures responsible clean up after ship fires at sea. It involves the collection, sorting, processing and
disposal of all waste and contaminated firefighting water. Nord's concept saved the marine environment from the discharge of large amounts of highly contaminated waste. With this award, the panel recognises Nord's collaboration platform as a good example of responsible waste management." InterManager InterManager has welcomed amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, agreed at a meeting of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva last week, which it says will ensure the provision of financial security systems to assist seafarers in the event of their abandonment and for compensation for seafarers’ contractual claims for death and personal injury. Vessels will be required to carry on board a certificate proving their coverage, in the form of either insurance, a national fund, social security scheme or similar arrangements. InterManager Secretary General, Captain Kuba Szymanski, said: “InterManager welcomes this protection for seafarers. As a percentage of the total international fleet, the number of ships abandoned is very small. However, the tremendous effort demonstrated at this Special Tripartite Meeting, to resolve this weak link in the coverage of the Convention, sends a very clear and important message to the world: that we very much care for our global maritime professionals, our seafarers, who are the heart and soul of a ship.” The amendments now need to be approved at the next meeting of the International Labour Conference. International Chamber of Shipping The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) - which represents over 80% of the world merchant fleet - held its Annual General Meeting at Limassol in Cyprus, hosted by the Cyprus Shipping Chamber. A gala dinner was hosted by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, His Excellency Nicos Anastasiades, at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. Representatives of ICS member national shipowners’ associations, from the Americas, Asia and Europe, reviewed the many significant regulatory developments 3 6
affecting shipping with respect to safety, environmental protection and employment affairs, as well as various legal, insurance and trade policy developments. The discussions were dominated by the pressing challenges associated with the need for ships trading to Emission Control Areas in North America and Europe to switch to low sulphur fuel, and the serious implementation problems that will be created by the eventual entry into force of the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. The meeting also saw Masamichi Morooka, from Japan, elected for a second two-year term of office as ICS Chairman. He will be supported by John C Lyras (Greece), Karin Orsel (Netherlands), Gerardo Borromeo (Philippines) and Esben Poulsson (Singapore) who will continue to serve as ICS Vice Chairmen. Moore Stephens Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry fell slightly during the threemonth period to May 2014 but remain at their second-highest level for the past six years, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens. In May 2014, the average confidence level expressed by respondents in the markets in which they operate was 6.3 on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), compared to the 6.5 recorded in February 2014, which was the highest figure since the 6.8 recorded when the survey was launched in May 2008. Ship managers (up from 6.4 in the previous survey to 6.5 this time) were the only category of main respondents to report an increase in confidence. Owners (down from 6.6 to 6.1), charterers (down from 6.5 to 6.1) and brokers (down from 6.4 to 6.0) were less confident than they were three months previously.
Notification of Lloyd’s Open Form to Lloyd’s By Kevin Clarke, Manager, Lloyd’s Salvage Arbitration Branch When LOF 2011 was introduced in May 2011 it contained two new clauses, one of which, IMPORTANT NOTICE 4, states that the Contractors shall, within 14 days of their engagement to render services under LOF, notify the Council of Lloyd’s of their engagement. It had always been the case that LOFs were agreed and services successfully rendered without the matter being advised to Lloyd’s. In most cases this was because the salvors and salved interests were able to reach a quick, amicable settlement, therefore not requiring the services of Lloyd’s Salvage Arbitration Branch and the LOF arbitration system. However, anecdotal evidence suggested that the number of these cases had over recent years increased, making it difficult to gauge the actual level of use of LOF. The new clause, making it a requirement to notify Lloyd’s of an LOF, was designed to address this problem. On the whole, but by no means always, salvors are, indeed, notifying Lloyd’s of a LOF within the 14 day period prescribed by IMPORTANT NOTICE 4. But Lloyd’s are not always the first to be informed. As many of those reading this will know, a number of parties, including solicitors and claim handing agents, send casualty notices out to the maritime market which include details of new LOF cases. It has for some time been the aim of the Salvage Arbitration Branch to send out “alerts” of new LOF cases, which we believe would add to the services provided to all parties with an interest in maritime adventures. Unfortunately we find that the Salvage Arbitration Branch
are often the last to be informed that an LOF has been agreed/signed. This is, of course, somewhat embarrassing in view of the fact that it is “Lloyd’s form” and we are the administrators of the form. As stated above, we did go some way to addressing this problem by amending LOF 2011 to require salvors to notify Lloyd’s of a new LOF within 14 days of their engagement but it has become clear to the Salvage Arbitration Branch that salvors are notifying other parties of the LOF many days in advance of informing Lloyd’s.
Donjon in the Bahamas In November 2012 the aggregate transportation barge Bahama Pride ran aground on one of Abaco’s most pristine coral reefs. It happened while the barge was being towed by the tug Jake Express from Freeport, Grand Bahama to Abaco. The tow wire parted leading to the grounding on Loggerhead Channel Bar.
Lloyd’s believes that an LOF alert originating from Lloyd’s would benefit the whole LOF process and we ask that ISU member salvors notify Lloyd’s immediately, or as soon as practicably possible, of their engagement under LOF. It must be stressed that Lloyd’s LOF alerts will contain only the information listed below (not any guess work on operational or legal matters) and therefore it would be of assistance if salvors could provide the casualty details (shown in blue italics below) to the Salvage Arbitration Branch when notifying Lloyd’s of the LOF: Name of Vessel Name of Salvors (as appearing on the LOF) SCOPIC invoked: Yes/No Date of Casualty Date of LOF Casualty Type (eg grounding, collision, fire/explosion, etc) Casualty Location Cargo description Vessel details (to be obtained by Lloyd’s): IMO Number Year of Build Gross tonnage Voyage: To/From Lloyd’s Case Handler: (ie Diane Bowles/ Anita Crane/Kevin Clarke) This will also assist Lloyd’s in ensuring its web-site displays the latest casualty information. 7
Initial local efforts to refloat the vessel failed and Donjon Marine Co., Inc was contracted to complete the wreck removal of the 250 ft x 50 ft vessel on a BIMCO Wreckfix 2010 contract in February 2014. Operations to remove and dismantle the wreck began in March. Loggerhead Channel is one of the most treacherous sea areas in Abaco, due to the large areas of shallow water meeting deep water with long ocean fetches from the North Atlantic. Significant weather and environmental considerations made the salvage crew and divers devise a salvage plan to pre-cut and divide the barge into nine large pieces before bringing major equipment to the site. “The plan was designed to significantly reduce the risk of weather delays, reduce impacts to the reef and minimize risk to assets located onsite” said Donjon’s Executive VP John Witte. Donjon’s Columbia NY, a 400 tonne heavy lift derrick, was mobilized from New York to the Bahamas to be used as the major salvage platform for the operation. The Columbia has a four point anchor mooring system which allows the crane to conduct operations close to the wreck while strategically placing its anchors without causing damage to the reef. Operations were successfully completed in June 2014 after the Bahamas Government issued a statement that the wreck had been removed to the satisfaction of local authorities.
Gigilinis recovers Greek fire fighting aircraft In May, Gigilinis was contracted by the 383 Air Force Unit of Thessaloniki to provide salvage services to the Canadair amphibious aircraft CL 415 (Fire Fighting) of the Greek Air Force which got into difficulty in the sea off Aggelohori, Thessaloniki Bay during a sea-landing attempt. Gigilinis’ Salvage Tug Macedon II - 5,000 BHP, 75 tonne BP - was dispatched to the site. The Canadair fire fighting aircraft operate by flying at water level and skimming large quantities of water into their tanks which they then dump on bush fires. The tug reached the aircraft in darkness and with Force 7 winds and strong currents carrying the aircraft towards the shore. Despite the shallow waters and strong current at the site, Gigilinis’ tug was able to quickly take control of the casualty aircraft which was refloated the following day and was safely delivered to the
Greek Air Force authorities. In June, the company received a commendation from the Greek Air Force for the services rendered and a ceremony
was held at the 383 Air Force Unit base in the presence of Air Force General Christos Christodoulou (see picture above).
Tug Safety Classification society Bureau Veritas has worked closely with the towing industry to develop a comprehensive set of Guidelines for Design, Construction and Operation of Tugs. The Guidance Note provides harmonised and rationalised safety rules for tugs in an area of marine safety where there are many vessels not covered by international conventions and no agreed international rule framework. BV says the rules are pragmatic and developed around the latest technical developments with an open mind towards innovation. Leading tug industry figures including Robert Allan Ltd, Damen Shipyards, Smit Lamnalco/Smit Towage and Kotug International have helped build the new framework based on feedback from the experience with the work of the SafeTug JIP, which reported in 2010.
For ships not covered by the SOLAS Convention, a practical safety matrix with requirements for fire safety, lifesaving appliances, radio installations and navigation equipment is included which takes into account the familiarity of the crew with the operating area and the availability of shore facilities and emergency assistance.
Bureau Veritas has over 1,650 tugs in class and 300 newbuilding tugs on its order book - a 22 % market share of IACS-classed tugs. It points out that the global market for tugs is changing quickly as ship sizes increase and that there are also more offshore terminal operations, broader escort requirements and increased pressure to reduce emissions.
The rules allow designers and builders to select an operational profile and safely configure the tug accordingly. The requirements cover design loads, stability criteria, strength and operational criteria for towing equipment and anchor equipment.
The tug’s design capability limits are clearly set out. For harbour tugs and seagoing tugs, the maximum bollard pull will be indicated, while for escort tugs the maximum steering force, maximum braking force and maximum escort speed will be stated.
One of the issues facing the tug industry is a lack of clear global safety guidelines and rules. BV says its new Guidelines for Design, Construction and Operation of Tugs will set a new baseline for all tug builders and operators and help make the whole industry safer and more effective.
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Smit operations On 6th May 2014 SMIT Salvage was informed that the fully laden RoRo Vessel Altinia - 8,924 tonnes dwt - had suffered an engine room fire about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Aden, Yemen (see right). The crew abandoned the vessel and shortly after were safely picked up by a Chinese Navy vessel. The owners contracted with SMIT on a LOF 2011 contract. SMIT mobilized firefighting equipment, a team of 15 salvage experts, fire experts, a marine chemist and security personnel to Djibouti. At Djibouti the equipment and personnel were loaded on board a tug for onwards transportation to the casualty. Two additional tugs were mobilized for towage, stand-by and additional salvage services.
required salvage assistance and so the team began stabilizing the casualty and prepared her for towing to a port in the United Arab Emirates. At the port of delivery the SMIT team made the casualty ready for discharge and she was redelivered to her owners.
On reaching the casualty, an inspection was carried out which showed that the fire had abated but the vessel still
Elsewhere, SMIT Salvage commenced with the work to removed the wreck of the Baltic Ace in the North Sea and a jack-up
rig off Angola. The oil recovery phase of the Baltic Ace operation has been completed and cutting operations on the hull are underway to facilitate the rigging for lifting the wreck sections that are expected to be removed next year. Work barges for both the Baltic Ace and Angola jobs were prepared in the Waalhaven, Rotterdam.
Global Diving & Salvage On June 8, 2014 the US Coast Guard received a distress call from the tug Calvin reporting that one of her two towed barges was in distress and sinking in the Pacific Ocean near Point Conception, California. The distressed barge, Nash, a single skin tank barge, 79.3m LOA, was carrying 3,900 tonnes of Magnesium Chloride, a non-hazardous derivative of sea water with a specific gravity of 1.3. The towline was severed prior to the barge sinking stern first in 71.5m of water where the stern struck and embedded 5m into the sand bottom. Nash’s three tank pairs and aft void suffered catastrophic differential pressures crushing the hull aft of amidships leaving the barge at 90 degrees of aft trim with approximately 3 metres of the forward rake visible above the waterline. New ISU member, Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. was contracted by the owner to manage the casualty - which remained lively with the bow voids buoyant - in her position 1km south of the oil and gas pipelines of the FreeportMcMorRan HERMOSA Oil Platform. Tugs maintained a close watch on the
wreck and were poised to intervene should the barge shift position while salvage resources were being mobilized to the scene. Using vessels of opportunity, Global’s salvage team conducted dive and ROV assessments determining that an unknown quantity of the high density cargo remained on board despite significant hull failure. The surveys also discovered that bow voids and the forward half of the first cargo tank pair remained intact. Working in 3-4m waves, Global’s salvage 9
team recovered Nash’s tow bridle and connected her to an 85t bollard pull tractor tug. The salvage team then used compressed air in the forward voids and first cargo tank pair to refloat Nash out of her embedment in the seafloor. Careful planning by Global’s naval architect ensured that the barge structure would sustain the compressed air at the extreme trim angle and water depths. Towing was conducted in the 90 degree trim condition to a position 26 kilometers offshore where the barge was scuttled in a position designated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
International Monitor Costa Concordia In late June, Costa Crociere, owners of the wrecked Costa Concordia, said that towage of the wreck to Genoa in northern Italy for dismantling and recycling would be possible in the middle of July. The company said that 17 of the 19 bodies responsible for assessing the options for disposing of the wreck had approved the towage to Genoa. Costa said that Genoa is the only only Italian port in which demolition and recycling activities can start immediately
and has the best safety, technology and environmental standards. More than 350 poeple are still working round the clock to complete sponson installation before the refloating phase. All 15 starboard sponsons have been installed and staff are working on the last four sponsons to be positioned on the port side before refloating the wreck and preparing it for towage in the middle of July.
There is concern as to whether the new treatment equipment will actually work, or that it will comply with the standards that governments have set for killing unwanted marine micro-organisms. The next IMO MEPC meeting is in October 2014. Portugal Portugal’s second shipping register, the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR), is currently the strongestgrowing flag in Europe. In the last six months, MAR’s fleet has increased by more than 60 new vessels representing net growth of 130% in terms of tonnage. Among the new entrants to the register are vessels owned by more than 20 of Germany’s leading companies. This growth has been achieved since Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Madeira (SDM), the official body responsible for promoting MAR, established a strategic partnership with European Mar Lda (Euromar) in Funchal and Hamburg, run by former Liberian Registry executives..
Korea Officers from the Korean ferry which sank in April with the loss of more than 300 – many of them teenagers – have gone on trial In the Republic of Korea, some charged with homicide. Prosecutors say the ship capsized because it was overloaded, with cargo improperly stowed. Executives from the ferry’s operators are also facing charges. Some commentators have questioned whether those on trial will receive a fair hearing given the high emotion surrounding the case. The incident provoked shock and outrage in Korea with political consequences at the highest level. Ballast Water Management The global shipping industry – represented, among others, by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, Intercargo, Intertanko, World Shipping Council (WSC) has voiced its continuing concern about major implementation problems associated with the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.
At the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), governments decided not to discuss in full nor tackle the issues on which the shipping industry had made a detailed written submission. The industry submission addressed concerns about the lack of robustness of the current IMO type-approval process for the expensive new treatment equipment; the criteria to be used for sampling ballast water during Port State Control inspections and the need for “grandfathering” of existing type-approved equipment that has already been fitted. Governments decided not to address these proposals until after the Convention has entered into force - which has not yet occurred, pending more member State ratifications. The shipping industry concerns were shared by a number of flag States, including some that had ratified the Convention soon after its adoption. The industry organisations pointed out that that once the Convention enters into force, shipowners will together be required to invest billions of dollars in ballast water treatment equipment. 10
“MAR’s exceptional growth rate compares most favourably with other European registries and reflects the work and attention to detail the register has undertaken in cooperation with Euromar,” says Roy Garibaldi, Executive Senior Manager at SDM. “Thanks to the political support that is provided to make the register more competitive and to the robust addition of young, high quality vessels flying the Portuguese flag, MAR’s future is extremely positive,” Mr Garibaldi added.
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