INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION
October 2019
New President for International Salvage Union The 65th Annual General Meeting of the International Salvage Union (ISU) was held in London, 19 September and Mr Richard Janssen was installed as the new President of the ISU. Mr Janssen succeeds Ms Charo Coll who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee. Ms Coll said: “I have been delighted to be the President. I am proud of the fact that we have begun to re-position the industry and to demonstrate the great contribution our members make to the marine industries by preventing loss, mitigating risk, protecting the environment and enabling global trade. We are a vital industry. I hand over the Presidency with great confidence to Richard and I know he will be an excellent leader of ISU. He has great experience of all aspects of marine salvage.” Commenting on his appointment, Mr Janssen said: “I would like to thank Charo for her hard work for ISU over the past two years, she has shown real leadership to address the strategic positioning of the industry. It is a great honour to be the President of the ISU which we want to be the credible, trusted and unified global voice of its members. I want to see through our commitment to encourage high standards of operation
and conduct, to promote the value and benefit of our members’ services and to engage with shipowners, insurers and other key stakeholders. We will continue to work with inter-governmental organisations to improve delivery of marine services and safety at sea and we will enhance ISU’s reputation as a source of Outgoing ISU President, Charo Coll hands the ceremonial information and expertise gavel to new President, Richard Janssen. and promote best practice.” and working with heavy machinery. He Mr Janssen is the Managing Director studied business in Rotterdam and has of Smit Salvage and he has 25 years’ undertaken a number of international experience of the marine salvage, towage, commercial, contracting, subsea offshore and energy sectors. It includes engineering and management courses. involvement as part of the Smit teams that He was a member of the ISU’s Salvage delivered many well-known and complex sub-Committee and has been a member salvage and wreck removal cases often of the Executive Committee since 2015. with innovative engineering and pollution At the same meeting, Mr Peter Pietka prevention requirements. Mr Janssen’s was elected as Vice President of the experience includes the Ievoil Sun, Kursk, International Salvage Union. Mr Pietka Ehime Maru, Tricolor, MSC Chitra, Troll, is CEO of Ardent (see story below), Modern Express and Maersk Honam. the international salvage and offshore Richard grew up in Rotterdam in a family decommissioning company formed in with a strong history in towage and 2015 by the merger of Svitzer Salvage harbour work as well as heavy lifting and and Titan Salvage. Mr Pietka has 30 transport; he spent most of his spare years’ experience in the maritime industry, time on tugs, big pushers, in shipyards primarily working for the Maersk Group.
Ardent - change of ownership Ardent, formed in 2015 through the merger of Svitzer Salvage and Titan Salavge, has been bought from its coowners global towage operator Svitzer and Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of international marine and logistics services provider Crowley Maritime Corporation. The deal will see Ardent’s senior management team acquire a shareholding in the Company. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed and closing is subject to approval by the German anti-trust authorities. AURELIUS Finance Company, an alternative direct lender, has provided financing to support the deal.
Peter Pietka
and has diversified its services to include offshore decommissioning of oil and gas platforms and facilities as well as subsea services. Ardent’s main operational hubs are in Houston (US), Ijmuiden (Netherlands), Singapore and Sydney (Australia) supported by additional global offices and equipment depots.
Ardent provides emergency management services to the maritime industry, in particular, offering salvage and wreck removal. Ardent has established itself as a business independent of its shareholders 1
Following the deal, Ardent says it will have expanded financial resources to help develop its position at the forefront of both the emergency management and off-shore decommissioning industries while also expanding its offering of select Continued page 2
Ardent (continued) sub-sea services. The company said its “growth potential is very significant.” Ardent’s CEO, Peter Pietka, will continue to lead the organisation with the same team, assets and plans and will continue to cooperate with Svitzer and Crowley Maritime Corporation on unchanged terms. Mr Pietka commented: “Over the past four years, Ardent has successfully evolved from a provider solely focused on emergency management to one that is also an established player in the fast growing off-shore decommissioning market. "I am very proud of what the team has achieved and am pleased to continue on this exciting and promising journey in close collaboration with our customers and partners.” Karun Dhir, Managing Director of AURELIUS Finance Company, said:
“We are delighted to partner with Peter and the rest of the management team to support Ardent as it continues to develop its offering in a growing and high-potential market.” Knud Winkler, Global CFO of Svitzer, commented: “I believe that we have found the right partners for the next stage in Ardent’s development. Svitzer was founded in 1833 as a salvage company and as such, maintaining safety at sea is part of our DNA. "Over the past 185 years, Svitzer has gradually expanded into the towage industry and today we are a world-leading marine services operator with towage at its core. "To allow Ardent and Svitzer to continue growing within their respective business areas, we decided that this is the right time to restructure its ownership arrangements and we are very happy with the partnership between Ardent and
Aurelius, which brings new significant firepower to the business. Svitzer looks forward to continue the close cooperation with Ardent.” For its part, Crowley’s Dan Warner, Senior Vice President and Treasurer added: “Not only does this transaction place Ardent in a good position for future growth and development, it also fits well with Crowley’s strategic growth plans as a global, singular provider of logistics services as well as superior marine and energy solutions. "The deal will enable Crowley to continue its successful focus on services that add superior value for government and commercial customers, including nonasset-based solutions that complement our transportation services on land and sea.” Svitzer and Crowley were advised on the transaction by ING Bank NV.
ISU members respond to GOLDEN RAY casualty The 656-foot car carrier, GOLDEN RAY, capsized following a fire on board in St Simons Sound, Brunswick, Georgia, while on passage to Baltimore in early September. There were 23 crew on board and a pilot. Four of the crew were trapped in the vessel for some time but all were rescued in the glare of media coverage. The vessel is a hazard to navigation and a pollution threat for the area. ISU members Donjon and Smit are responding to the incident under their OPA Alliance concentrating their efforts initially on removing pollutants and fuel from the car carrier. The salvors were heavily involved in locating and helping to extract four of the crew who had been trapped inside the hull for a long period in extreme conditions of heat, humidity and fuel and fumes. The US Coast Guard says there have been some “sporadic discharges” from the vessel and some impact has been
Picture courtesy US Coast Guard identified in the marshy shores nearby. US reports noted that there are some 200 responders and 40 vessels engaged in the pollution response. A mile of boom has been deployed and three more miles of 2
boom are being held in reserve to be used as needed. Shipping can move with care in the vicinity on a case by case basis.
Members’ News ISU welcomes the following new member: Ocean Infinity Ocean Infinity provides a comprehensive seabed exploration system using a wide range of on-board systems and equipment to inspect, repair or recover discoveries made during a survey, eliminating the need for a second vessel. Europe, Africa & Asia +44 203 884 0900 Americas +1 (346) 330 7000 info@oceaninfinity.com
and Nicolaos Tzimas Executive Director. The new venture has its headquarters in Cyprus with a branch office in Athens. It will continue to operate as before under the ongoing license arrangements with the Greek authorities. The Greek office has been in existence since 2007, under the brand of independent specialist marine broker SSL Insurance Group, which was merged with Endeavour Insurance Services in a pioneering deal backed by JC Flowers last year. Boluda
Tsavliris
Boluda Towage, a towing division of Boluda Corporación Marítima, has completed the acquisition of the Dutch company Kotug Smit Towage. Boluda says the transaction strengthens its position as leading operator in Europe, with a new presence in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom.
George Tsavliris (centre, above) has been announced as the non-Executive Chairman of the newly established SSL Endeavour Insurance Brokers Ltd Cyprus & Greece a subsidiary of the specialist independent Lloyd's broker SSL Endeavour. Manos Sofronis is the CEO
The 100% stock acquisition of Dutch company KST is valued at 300 million euros and has obtained the required regulatory approvals in all countries. The deal means Boluda Towage will add 67 tugs to its fleet which now has more than 300 tugboats operating in 90 ports in 15
countries of Europe, the west coast of Africa, America and the Indian Ocean. Ardent The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore has awarded Ardent Maritime Singapore a renewal of the preparedness and call-out contract for oil and chemical spill response. The contract has been held by Ardent (and previously Svitzer Salvage) since 2012. Ardent has continued its partnership with OPL boat operator, Searching Offshore. Services to be provided under the agreement include response to oil and chemical spills; provision of oil spill dispersant spraying craft and crew; provision of fifi foam spraying craft and crew. The award covers Singapore waters, including the approaches. China Rescue and Salvage Mr Xu Junlin, Mr Xu Zhentao, Mr Lu Ping and Mr Feng Yajun, members of the Shanghai Salvage Bureau team which responded to the SANCHI tanker explosion, were awarded letters of commendation in the 2018 International Maritime Organisation’s 2018 Bravery at Sea Awards.
Multraship Multraship held the christening ceremony for two new Novatug CARROUSEL RAVE TUGS (CRTs) at Rotterdam as part of the port’s week long World Harbour Days celebrations.
right task is key but we also like to have flexibility so that our tugs can perform well in a range of settings.”
Multratug 32 was christened by Mrs Muller-Ribbens and Multratug 33 by The Netherlands' Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Honourable Cora van Nieuwenhuizen.
Julian Oggel, managing director of Novatug noted: “Commentators often focus on the safety benefits of CTRs and of course those are impressive. But we must also focus on the CRTs’ operational capabilities which meet the needs of ever larger ships in existing ports, where space is often constrained, ensuring quick and efficient operations. The CRTs have fantastic potential to enable harbour towage to be a central part in the optimisation of the port turnaround of cargo ships. We also offer creative financial ownership models for these tugs including leasing.”
The sister vessels were delivered in 2018 by Netherlands shipyard Damen Maaskant. They are 32 metres long with a maximum static bollard pull of 77 tonnes and are powered by two Voith thruster units and two ABC main engines delivering 2,650 kW at 1000 rpm. Top speed is over 14 knots. Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship Towage & Salvage, said: “These vessels are excellent, safe and more environmentally-friendly for escort and harbour towage work. The design of the CRTs maximises the use of the kinetic energy available in the towed
Mrs Muller-Ribbens christens Multratug 32, watched by her son, ISU past President, Leendert Muller.
vessel rather than just the tug’s own engine power so the same towing force can be achieved at much lower levels of fuel consumption than with a conventional tug. The savings amount to at least 25 per cent on an average operation involving a seagoing vessel.” Mr Muller added: “The CRTs fit into our plans to offer a range of services in a number of locations across Europe and beyond. Matching the right assets to the 3
The new CRTs are operating in Rotterdam and on the River Scheldt in the south of the Netherlands.
ISU AGM 2019 opening reception 1. John Savignone 2. L-R, Martyn Hall, Roger Evans 3. Peter Pietka 4. Charo Coll 5. L-R, Gordon Amos, Jason Bennett Stephen Tierney
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Middle East tension, war risk and piracy Tensions in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have continued to rise with seizing of vessels following on from the attacks on tankers in June and more recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Western military presence in the region is increasing and the situation has highlighted, again, the importance of the critical global “choke point” of the Straits of Hormuz.
said: "Freedom of navigation is vital for global trade and we encourage all nations to uphold this fundamental principle of maritime law. In the 21st century it is not acceptable for seafarers and ships to become pawns in any way, they must be allowed to operate in safety.”
stakeholders – particularly Nigeria.”
Operators in the region have been advised to examine their war risk clauses.
The British registered vessel STENA IMPERO was diverted from its original course in the Strait of Hormuz while sailing in international waters and detained by Iran.
BIMCO, however, also drew attention to another part of the world - Nigeria - where there have been 46 attacks (hijack, armed robbery and kidnap/ransom) so far this year. It described it as a “serious and worsening situation”.
At a symposium on piracy in the Gulf of Guinea at the IMO headquarters in London it was made clear that most of the piracy in the Gulf of Guinea originates from Nigeria and is perpetrated by a relatively small group of Nigerian pirates operating within a relatively small sea area.
Shipping interest groups, including BIMCO, have pointed out the need to ensure crew safety on largely defenceless merchant vessels. They have called on governments to “act responsibly” and deescalate conflicts. The International Chamber of Shipping
50% of the attacks failed, but BIMCO said starkly: “Unarguably, piracy is still a greater threat to seafarers than the conflict brewing in the Persian Gulf-area. We believe the attacks can be reduced enormously with fairly simple measures, but it requires willingness from key 4
BIMCO called on its member companies to appeal to their flag states to make the Nigerian Government aware of the seriousness of this issue and that it is a source of great concern.
In a stinging rebuke to Nigeria BIMCO said: “Clearly, this problem is manageable if Nigeria decides to act. Nigeria holds the key to the solution, which should involve operational partnering with international naval vessels, as Nigeria has so far been both unwilling and incapable of shouldering the burden alone.”
Five Oceans Salvage in high risk operation In July, the general cargo vessel BOW DIAMOND - 7,500 tones dwt, built 2001 - encountered very heavy weather in the Gulf of Aden while on passage from the Far East to Europe and containers inside cargo hold number 1 broke loose from their lashings. The 29 containers were laden with explosive substances TNT and RDX (IMO Class 1.1D) which is highly combustible and poisonous. These containers sustained damage and part of their contents spilled inside the hold, creating a very dangerous environment. The quantity of cargo affected and in need of handling was 373,000 kilogrammes. The vessel was given shelter in a naval base in Egypt after she was rejected by every other country applied to. Underwriters decided to deal themselves with what they initially assessed as a cargo clean-up operation. They engaged a team of experts to deal with the matter and contracted Five Oceans Salvage on commercial terms to handle the maritime aspects of the operation. The intended operation involved the sweeping, cleaning and neutralizing of cargo hold No 1 of the explosives spillage; collecting and repacking all breached cargo packages; transferring all cargo from damaged to new containers, packaging inside the containers according to IMDG standards and reloading onboard the
Resolve update The Resolve Marine Group was contracted by the US Coast Guard (USCG) to assess crude oil leaking out of the sunken MV COIMBRA, a British tanker torpedoed and sunk at the start of World War II.
vessel enabling her to resume her voyage. However this operation was too complex to be done on commercial terms engaging various contractors and all efforts reached a standstill after 10 days and a LOF was agreed with the owners of the vessel with Scopic invoked. FOS prepared a detailed risk assessment for the intended operation - the blast radius in the event of something going wrong was calculated to be in excess of nine kilometres. Salvors engaged a team of 26 personnel including two salvage masters, an IMDG specialist, a hazmat specialist, Vehicles (ROVs) and DP vessels. After discovering fuel discharge seeping from loose rivets, operations commenced patching the active leak-sites and eliminating environmental contamination.
The wreck, broken into multiple pieces, sits approximately 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, New York in 180 feet of water. After Resolve provided the subsea survey and assessment, the USCG contracted the firm for oil removal and recovery.
In less than three months, Resolve’s patented “hot tap” system extracted some 1500 tonnes of oil in what the Group described as “the unforgiving environment [and] harsh conditions”. Resolve Marine Group and its 1-Call Alaska service continue to use the same proprietary “hot tap” system globally for emergency response lightering during salvage and oil spill responses.
Resolve’s research and development team created a specialty “hot tap” system to remove oil in the ship’s tanks at all depths and any temperature. The operation was carried out using commercial divers, Remotely Operated
Separately, a 45m superyacht was hit by Typhoon Yutu and grounded off Saipan Island’s environmentally sensitive Micro Beach (right). Stranded in water approximately 2m deep, the yacht’s predicament was complicated by waves 5
an explosives expert, 10 riggers and foremen, eight in a hazmat team and two industrial firefighters. Specialized personnel protecting equipment and explosion-proof tools were ordered and mobilized to Egypt, as well as special made-to-order antistatic bags for repacking of the spilled cargo or damaged cargo bags. Over the course of the following weeks, salvors created a suitable environment onboard and ashore next to the casualty that allowed them to handle, re-pack and re-stow all affected cargo successfully and the vessel was ready to resume her voyage.
and currents that gradually dug the skeg (a sternward extension of the keel protecting the propeller and supporting the rudder) into the coral bed. In the tender, Resolve proposed an innovative and comprehensive refloat that safely redelivered the superyacht to the owners and minimized damage to the coral beds. Resolve said the result was a “win win” for the stakeholders and the delicate reef that was protected by its dive-survey ensuring debris from the vessel was cleaned-up and removed.
IUMI statistics The International Union of Marine Insurance has presented its statistics for 2018. Marine underwriting premiums were US $28.9 billion a 1% rise from 2017. Vice-Chair of IUMI’s Facts & Figures Committee, Astrid Seltmann said: “Ongoing global uncertainties, including the current tensions in trade, will continue to impact all sectors but specifically cargo and offshore energy. The continued downward adjusting of global trade growth is not helpful for marine cargo underwriting going forward." Ms Seltman pointed to the increase in the frequency of fires on containerships, particularly those starting in the cargo area of vessels, as a particular concern, citing the examples of the MAERSK HONAM and the GRANDE AMERICA. She said: “This trend has been observed for some years and the newest statistics show a clear further increase. These fires pose a threat to the crew and cause severe damage to both vessel and cargo. IUMI is working with a range of industry bodies to improve the prevention of such events as well as fire-fighting capabilities onboard.” The US $ 28.9 billion global income was split between these geographic regions: Europe 46.4%, Asia/Pacific 30.7%, Latin America 10.4%, North America 6.2%, Other 6.3%.
2018 saw Europe’s global share reduce from 49.2% (2017) to 46.4% and Asia’s share increase from 29.2% (2017) to 30.7%.
increasing global fleet and higher single risk exposure (and the related risk of unprecedented major claims) resulting from the trend for ever-larger vessels.”
For global marine premium by line of business, cargo continued to represent the largest share with 57.4% in 2018, hull 24.4%, offshore energy 11.4% and marine liability (excluding IG P&I) 6.7%.
Claims frequency and cost per vessel is stable at a moderate level and the long-term trend for total losses has also stabilized with a fluctuation below 0.1%. However, the incidence of major losses appears to have returned in 2019 after unusually low numbers during the period 2016-2018. This is likely to impact on the HMS ARGYLL 2018 and 2019 underwriting years.
Premium income for marine cargo insurance was reported to be US $16.6 billion for 2018, representing a 2.5% increase on the 2017 result. The modest increase is largely attributable to continued growth in world trade coupled with exchange rate fluctuations which tend to affect cargo premiums more strongly than other sectors. IUMI said the risk of large event losses, both natural and man-made, is substantially increasing both on single sites and single assets. The 2017/18 underwriting years saw a relatively high natural impact from hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding. And 2018 was heavily impacted by the cargo loss from MAERSK HONAM. Technical loss ratios are relatively stable at around 70% in Europe. Asia is still a developing account and loss ratios are beginning to rise in that region, now approaching 60%. In the hull sector in 2018, global underwriting premiums achieved US $ 7 billion, no change from 2017. IUMI noted that no change in premiums “is a concern when set against a continually
Throughout the period 2016-2018, the hull sector suffered few major losses with attritional losses accounting for an increasing share of the total claims costs. Income achieved during that period was not sufficient to cover these losses and there was no buffer toRescue coveroperations the major underway after a losses. major fire on con/ro
IUMI expects to see premiums increase GRANDE AMERICA in 2019. But with results under pressure, the trend towards using more advanced methods of technical underwriting and better risk estimation continues. One of several means to estimate the future claims potential of a given portfolio is the use of detention data. Based on recent analysis by the Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor), IUMI said there was a close correlation - on a vessel-by-vessel basis - between the frequency and cost of claims and the level of related detentions.
Ardent operations Ardent’s operations in the last period include the bulker AGIA ELENI grounded in the river Parana, Argentina and successfully re-floated by Ardent’s salvage master with support from two tugs and with its regional partners Servicios Maritimos. Elsewhere in South America, Ardent re-floated the grounded bulk carrier SOLINA in the Amazon. In Europe, Ardent supported its regional partner Ardentia in providing assistance to the Spanish Navy responding to the grounding of its mine countermeasures vessel, M34 TURIA, near Cartagena in Spain (seen in picture right, in better circumstances). The vessel had been engaged in a search for a crashed Spanish Air Force training jet at the time
of the incident which led to flooding of some compartments. The vessel was refloated and brought to Cartagena for repair. In northern Europe, the super yacht hull MA3 required assistance after breaking 6
adrift from its tow offshore from IJmuiden, Netherlands. Ardent, supported by Svitzer and a local tug provider, brought the vessel back under tow and conducted a safe transfer in harbour for onward towage to a yard where it was due to have its final fit-out.
ISU News Salvage and Wreck Conference ISU is supporting the KNect 360 Salvage & Wreck Removal Conference which will be held from 4 – 6 December 2019 at the Hilton London Tower Bridge. The organisers are positioning the event as part of its new Global Marine Casualties Week and say they are expecting more than 200 delegates. Participants can choose between two tracks – contracts and insurance and oil/ chemical spill response. The programme will, among other topics, have examples of recent casualty operations and incidents; discussion of the management and prevention of containership fires. As usual there will be plenty of networking opportunities. ISU has secured discounted rates for
its members to attend the conference: Full members save 40% with VIP code FKT3554ISUFM; Associate members save 25% with VIP code FKT3554ISUAM. To learn more and register: http://bit. ly/2lQjD2g. ISU website, marine-salvge.com ISU has been updating its website to reflect the new positioning of the industry and to make the site more useable on mobile devices. The revised website will be launched in the coming weeks. International Tug and Salvage Convention 2020 The ISU Executive Committee will hold its Q2 2020 committee meeting in Singapore to coincide with the International Tug,
Salvage and OSV Convention and Exhibition 29 June – 3 July 2020 at the Suntec Centre. The arrangement meets the ISU Executive Committee’s intention to ensure that it is not overly “Eurocentric” and will reduce the travel burden for those who would have attended ITS. The programme of convention speakers is not yet available but it is expected that salvage matters will be well represented compared with the previous edition of ITS. ISU AGM 2020 The 2019 ISU AGM considered locations for the association’s 2020 AGM and agreed that it would be held in Rotterdam, supported by a consortium of ISU’s Dutch members. Dates have not yet been agreed.
ISU AGM 2019 ISU held its 65th Annual General Meeting in London, 19 September. The meeting was attended by some 60 ISU members who came together to be updated on the business of ISU and its activities over the past year as well as its plans for the coming year. The UK Secretary of State’s Representation for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SoSRep), Stephan Hennig, gave a presentation about the UK’s wellregarded system for managing marine casualties and pollution. He emphasised the importance of engagement with all stakeholders during operations and focussed on the case study of the removal of the Trans Ocean Winner drilling rig which grounded off the Outer Hebrides. The rig was refloated and removed by ISU member, Smit Salvage. ISU Communications Adviser James Herbert outlined the ISU’s media, digital and conference work as well as presenting the results of the most recent pollution prevention survey and the industry financial statistics. There was a presentation of the results of the professionally conducted survey into stakeholders' opinions of both the ISU and the wider industry. The results were broadly positive but the meeting agreed that there was still scope to improve and develop. In a new feature, a panel of Executive
Delegates at the 2019 ISU AGM
Stephan Hennig
ISU Executive Comittee members L-R Peter Pietka, Matthias Reinarz, Richard Janssen, Charo Coll, Leendert Muller.
Committee members was formed to take questions from the members present (see picture above). Topics ranged from specific contractual matters to wider questions of the economics of the industry. Members, particularly those who do not have the opportunity to connect easily with ISU during the year, gave very positive feedback to the session. It increased transparency and knowledge sharing. At the conclusion of the meeting, outgoing ISU President, Ms Charo Coll of Boluda, 7
formally handed over the association’s ceremonial gavel (hammer) to the incoming President, Smit’s Richard Janssen (see story front page.) The meeting was preceded by an opening reception held on the top floors of London’s iconic “Gherkin” building offering splendid views of the London skyline See pictures Page 4). A gala dinner was held and members also had the opportunity to visit the historic maritime centre of Greenwich.
Smit operational round up Smit reports a busy quarter with all teams employed on several projects including work under its US Navy contracts, rescue tows and the grounding in Indonesian waters in June of the general cargo vessel “GENIUS STAR VIII”.
Lightering operations to refloat GENIUS STAR VIII
The vessel ran aground on a reef whilst sailing out of the port of Garongkong laden with some 10,000 tonnes of steel rails. A joint response plan was drafted by long term partners SMIT Salvage and Nippon Salvage and a salvage team was swiftly dispatched to site after receiving the notification. Samudera Salvage provided all the logistics and necessary additional support in Indonesia. Sixteen hours after receiving the notification, part of the salvage team was already able to board the vessel to assess the situation on site and determine the best approach. Initial findings revealed that the vessel was hard aground and that lightering would be necessary to safely refloat the vessel, as well as to minimize any risk of further damage the pristine environment. It was agreed between all parties that a salvage contract was most suitable for the required services. An anchor handling tug, loaded with various salvage equipment from SMIT’s warehouse in Singapore was mobilised to the casualty’s locations. Soon after the barge, personnel, equipment and tugs arrived on site all the required paperwork was in place to commence the operation. Calculations showed that about 2,500 tonnes of cargo needed to be discharged. Discharging
was done in just two days by the salvage teams in close cooperation with the local stevedores, while keeping the vessel stable aground. Once the discharge of the cargo was completed, a successful and safe refloating operation was executed with one tug on the bow and one on the stern, minimizing any risk of additional damage to the reef. After refloating, a dive survey was conducted and it was concluded that the vessel did not sustain any significant damage as a result of the grounding. The cargo was backloaded into the vessel and lashed ready for the vessel to be safely redelivered to her owners. Specially fabricated "current screen" being placed.
Elsewhere, the 14m recreational tug DIANA, built in 1936, sank almost two years ago and partly blocked the navigational channel of the Columbia River, south of the Bonneville Dam in the USA. Smit Salvage, under contract with the US Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage (SUPSALV), together with the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Coast Guard, mobilised a crane barge with tug plus the necessary equipment and personnel. The water depth of 8m at the wreck site seemed workable from a salvage perspective but the limited visibility and a current of 3.5 knots made the removal a challenge. Smit designed and fabricated a so-called “current screen” to protect the divers from the strong water flows. Four additional winches, each with more than 400m of wire, plus five tonne delta flipper anchors were placed on the barge to deal with the rocky bottom. Once the lifting chains were positioned, the crane lifted DIANE onto the receiving barge, inside an environmental containment barrier. The oily water from the engine room and various other hazardous materials were safely removed. The wreck is to be scrapped according the State Rules and Regulations. The USACE surveyed the site afterwards and declared it safe for navigation.
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Associates’ and Affiliates' News ISU welcomes the following new Associate Member: Oil Spill Response Ltd Address: Lower William Street, Northam Southampton, Hampshire, UK Telephone: +44 2380 331551 +44 7917 608756 Email: stevestorey@oilspillresponse.com Waves Group and MFB solicitors Shipping and offshore marine consultancy Waves Group and MFB solicitors highlighted the importance of using data and digital technology in incident management during their London International Shipping Week workshop in September.
the Waves Group CASaulty Preliminary Assessment Report – CASPAR. It is a rapid response system which brings together multiple data sources most relevant to an incident into an easy to read format. A demonstration of the company’s post incident investigation techniques was shown, using a VDR incident reconstruction and simulation of an incident (see picture left). More conventional sources such as vessel logs, eyewitness accounts and VTS systems are also capable of being integrated into the analysis and the reconstruction. Waves group says the ability to produce reconstructions in a three-dimensional format offers greater clarity about the incident and can help to create an accurate understanding of what happened. The use and importance of digital data was reinforced by MFB in relation to its application as evidence in Admiralty court cases.
Delegates considered the use of systems such as ECDIS, AIS tracking and VDR and how data from these sources can be used to produce valuable information in the early stages of an incident using
TMC Marine TMC Marine’s Australian office has expanded with the appointment of Consultant Master Mariner, Captain John Silberberg, to support the increased regional demand for experienced maritime experts. He has 18 years’ experience in the offshore oil and gas industry as Master of anchor-handling and supply vessels. As well as being an experienced ship handler and DP operator, TMC said that Captain Silberberg’s senior experience in a broad range of activities gives him a “unique insight to this challenging sector”. He is also a qualified and experienced incident investigator which adds to TMC’s ability to conduct incident and causation investigations. Additionally, in 2019 TMC’s Captain Roger King was appointed as a Special
According to MFB, there has been an increase in the use of digital evidence over the years to help determine the outcome of collision cases. In most instances, digital evidence is considered to be a positive factor for cost reduction in the resolution of disputes.
Casualty Representative - the only SCR in Oceania. With his open access to both Australia and New Zealand, TMC says it allows clients to use regional experience while avoiding lengthy delays waiting for non-resident consultants to obtain visas which can take more than three weeks to be issued. Recent activities by the TMC Australia team include Mr Silberberg assisting owners and P&I representatives with a bulker loading a cargo with concerns about liquefaction. Elsewhere, Mr King attended the grounding of SOLOMON TRADER in the Solomon Group. The remote location presented significant project challenges. Captain King also attended the dredger WOMBAT which capsized in the Coral Sea, east of the Great Barrier Reef while on tow from Port Moresby to Cairns. 9
TMC continues to provide client representation for the KEA TRADER wreck removal in New Caledonia. Since the loss of the ship in 2017, TMC has maintained an active presence in Noumea, as owner's and insurers’ representative. TMC Consultant Engineer Mike Wilson acted as marine adviser for an insurance company when a barge sank on a mining pond at a remote mine site in Australia’s Victoria state. Situated almost 500km from the nearest coastline, floating resources were limited. Recovery and repair of the barge required emptying the pond, attaching flotation to the barge and re-filling the pond. Intercargo, Intertanko, BIMCO Shipping industry trade associations BIMCO, ICS, Intercargo and Intertanko met in London in September to consider critical issues affecting the marine sector. Of most concern were the preparations for the implementation of the 2020 Global Sulphur Limit. With less than four months to go until the introduction of the new limits on sulphur emissions from shipping, there is still significant uncertainty about the worldwide supply of permissible fuels and concern about the safety and compatibility of fuel options. The trade association leaders called on all parties, including charterers, bunker suppliers and nation states to double their efforts to ensure a smooth transition and reiterated the urgent need for fuel standards to be put in place ahead of 1 January 2020. Dimitris J Fafalios, Chair of Intercargo, who chaired the meeting, said: “The industry has been working hard to ensure that we are ready for 1 January 2020 but we still have major concerns over safety and availability of compliant fuels. We need all parties to fully play their part, it would not be acceptable to have even one ship drifting powerless at the mercy of the ocean. “Shipping is a highly integrated and efficient industry and we rely on many stakeholders in the value chain, particularly fuel suppliers and oil refiners to ensure we are all able to benefit from the long-term health benefits that this will bring.”
Global Diving and Salvage
Container tracking
The 64-foot fishing vessel ANN KATHLEEN caught fire off the Oregon Coast in May. The crew abandoned ship and were rescued by a nearby fishing vessel. The vessel drifted to shore and grounded on a remote beach. Global was contracted to defuel the vessel and remove the wreckage from the beach.
The Container Owners Association, the international organisation representing the common interests of freight container owners, has published a “Guide to Container Tracking and Telematics Technology”. It provides container operators, leasing companies and other relevant stakeholders with an overview of the technology issues that they might face, and the choices that are available to them.
Access to the site was difficult by land - it was 6 miles along the beach to the site and equipment size was restricted to the width of a 6-foot foot bridge. The team accessed the site with ATVs, and approval was given for helicopter operations to remove loaded fuel carriers. The team defueled the tanks, removing more than 1,000 gallons. An excavator was mobilised 8 miles along the beach from a nearby airport to help position equipment and demolish the vessel. Waste was flown out by helicopter to the airport where it was broken down into waste bins for proper disposal. During the course of the project, the team coordinated their efforts with the US Coast Guard, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Bureau of Land Management, as the flight path was near both a tribal archaeological site and a shorebird nesting area designated for the recovery of the Western Snowy Plover. Separately, in late 2018 several barrels were discovered at the bottom of a remote Oregon lake, some were labelled 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D the combination of which is commonly known as the
notorious herbicide, “Agent Orange”. The lake supplies drinking water to a nearby town and the authorities determined that the barrels needed to be inspected and possibly removed. Global used an ROV, divers and sonar survey and located 74 barrels, most were damaged but 12 appeared intact. Working at a depth of 110 feet the divers rigged the targeted barrels for recovery: each barrel was placed inside a larger pack which was then sealed underwater and brought to the surface for inspection and safe disposal. Dive operations were complicated by the work site being 4500 feet above sea level requiring the divers to used mixed gas and air with in-water decompression and wearing HAZMAT suits as a precaution against possible chemical exposure. A decompression unit was brought to the lake’s shore.
Tsavliris operation In July the Chemical/Oil Tanker "C ROCK" – dwt 5,850 tonnes and laden with 4,200 tonnes of gasoline was immobilised due to mechanical problem approximately 110 miles NE of Muscat, Oman – a piracy area.
The vessel was en-route from Fujairah, UAE to Berbera, Somalia. Tsavliris mobilised the AHT RESOLVE MONARCH (BHP 11,400 - TBP 152) from Khorfakkan, UAE and she arrived at the casualty's position the following day and established a tow connection and towage to Muscat commenced. A day later, the the convoy arrived safely and anchored at the outer Muscat anchorage in line with the port authorities’ instructions. The tug berthed alongside the vessel providing standby services and the vessel was delivered to port tugs and the operation was completed successfully. 10
The Guidelines start with a glossary of many of the different industry terms and acronyms that are frequently used, and go on to provide background on the way that the industry has developed over the past decade. COA says the evolution from “wired” to “wireless” has provided great opportunities - but adds significant complexity, because of the wide range of communication technologies available, how they are used around the world in different countries and communication issues with containers on vessels. The Guidelines also cover some of the issues for tracking dry freight containers, including: data flow, required communication frequency, battery life (and installation cost), power consumption, sensor technology requirements and compatibility with vessel partners. Issues for reefer container communication are also tackled – including landside transit, on-board vessels, global use, telematics technology. The choices available for landside and inland operation, terminals and onboard vessels are reviewed. On vessels, there are a number of different suitable technologies – these are listed in the document. The final section covers API - Application Programming Interface. The Guidelines explain that this needs to be integrated and agreed across the industry to ensure data can be transmitted by any hardware provider and provide the same standardised information to data users. The COA “Guide to Container Tracking and Telematics Technology” is available to download from the COA website.
International Monitor UK All new ships for UK waters ordered from 2025 should be designed with zero-emission capable technologies, in ambitious plans set out by Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani to cut pollution from the country’s maritime sector. Ms Ghani was the keynote speaker a the ISU Associate Members’ Day conference in 2019. The Clean Maritime Plan is part of the government’s Maritime 2050, a longterm strategy to keep the UK as a world leader in the maritime sector for decades to come. The UK government said it is also looking at ways to incentivise the transition to zero-emission shipping and will consult on this next year. The plan also includes a £1 million competition to find innovative ways to reduce maritime emissions. The Clean Maritime Plan is part of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, which aims to cut down air pollution across all sectors to protect public health and the environment. It will also help deliver the United Kingdom’s commitment to be net zero on greenhouse gases by 2050. Nusrat Ghani said: “Our maritime sector is vital to the success of the UK’s economy, but it must do everything it can to reduce emissions, improve air quality and tackle climate change. “The Clean Maritime Plan sets an ambitious vision for the sector and opens up exciting opportunities for innovation. It will help make the UK a global hub for new green technologies in the maritime sector.” The maritime sector has already taken significant strides to reduce emissions – hybrid ferries are already being used in UK waters, including in the Scottish islands and on cross-Solent journeys to the Isle of Wight. The Port of London Authority also uses hybrid vessels. A further consultation to increase the uptake of low carbon fuels will also take place next year. Panama The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is conducting a public consultation on a proposal to adjust the Panama Canal tolls for vehicle carriers, dry bulk carriers, tankers, chemical carriers, LPG and LNG vessels, passenger vessels and small vessels. The proposed new toll charges are anticipated to enter into effect on 1
January 2020, the same day as the IMO “Global Sulphur Cap” regulation. In response, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), whose members represent more than 90% of the world’s merchant tonnage, pressed the Panama Canal Authority to increase the time between launching the consultation to introduction of the new tolls to 12 months from the original six months. The associations said this was to allow existing deals based on the old tolls to wind down before introduction of the new tolls.
it naturally loses buoyancy over time and, if it gets wet, it will absorb water. Furthermore, the cotton straps rot over time, even if the lifejacket is not used, and will tear or break off the lifejacket when weight comes on it. While these lifejackets may have complied with the applicable standard when they were manufactured, and may have the old standards logos on them, they no longer comply with modern standards for lifejackets and are not fit for use. AMSA said that even if these lifejackets are in their original packaging, have never been used and look in perfect condition, they should be replaced and destroy them.
They also added to their arguments for a delay of six months by noting that the proposed new tolls would enter force at the same time as a likely spike in bunker prices due to the introduction in January 2010 of the IMO low sulphur fuel requirements. Shipowners pointed out that fuel represents the biggest operational cost to shipping.
London International Shipping Week 2019
The global shipping industry also expressed concern that the new tolls were coming in when there are higher insurance premiums due to rising geopolitical instability in some key regions; increasing economic uncertainty due to proliferation of protectionist trade measures worldwide and ongoing escalation of trade disputes and increase in trade tariffs between major trading nations.
The UK government used the week to host bilateral meetings with government delegations and senior industry figures to explore partnerships, future opportunities outside the European Union and examine how to help significantly boost maritime exports.
These concerns are expected to continue to have a negative impact on the global shipping industry in 2020 and could adversely affect the economic sustainability of the Panama Canal if the new tolls undermine trade growth.
The organisers of London International Shipping Week 2019 (LISW) said it “exceeded all expectations” with as many as 20,000 global shipping industry leaders attending more than than 200 official events throughout the week.
Charities associated with this year’s event also declared the week a great benefit with £11,000 raised at the headline LISW19 Gala Dinner alone and the £155,000 collected at the Sixth Annual Dragon Boat Race on the river Thames. Total contributions for that event are now over the £2 million mark.
Finally, the shipowners said that there should be no distinction in the level of toll charges between Panamax vessels and Neopanamax vessels. Australia The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has issued a safety brief expressing concern at the number of Kapok filled lifejackets with cotton straps that are still in use. AMSA said many are decades old – the design has not been manufactured since the 1980s but an unknown number are still being used. Kapok is a cotton-like fluff that is no longer used in lifejacket manufacture, because 11
INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION Salvage World is produced by the International Salvage Union. For general enquiries contact: ISU, Holland House 1-4 Bury Street London EC3A 5AW Tel: +44 20 7220 6597 Email: ISU@marine-salvage.com