INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION
October 2021
Lloyd's commits to support Salvage Arbitration Branch and LOF Lloyd’s has confirmed that it will continue to operate the Lloyd’s Salvage Arbitration Branch (LSAB) that oversees the Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) salvage contract and procedures. The Lloyd’s Council decision follows an industry-wide consultation over a proposal to put LSAB into ‘run off’ in the face of declining use of LOF. In making is decision Lloyd’s says it has “recognised and listened to” the high volume of representations in support of LSAB and LOF made by market representatives, committees and other interested parties. The International Salvage Union was one of numerous organisations that had been stunned by the threat to the most wellregraded and widely used emergncey response contract. President of the ISU, Richard Janssen said: “We welcome the news that Lloyd’s is to continue to support its Salvage Arbitration Branch and therefore also the Lloyd’s Open Form salvage contract.” ISU said it was "grateful that Lloyd’s consulted widely when reviewing the future of the LSAB and LOF. Its letter to Lloyd’s in response to the review indicated its strength of feeling about the importance of LOF. ISU members are party to the great majority of LOFs and ISU stands ready to play its part in the work to ensure better understanding of the benefits of the contract and to increase its use.”
Lloyd’s said in a statement it is now “determined to increase the use of the form and highlight the benefits that its use can bring. “With support from the Lloyd’s Market Association and representatives of the Lloyd’s market (marine) committees, we would like to establish a ‘LOF Market Working Group’ to support and help drive this review [with] support from the already established ‘Lloyd’s Salvage Group’ – represented by all parties across the maritime sector with an interest in LOF. “Once this work has been completed, we will then present the findings, actions and any recommendations to Lloyd’s Council. In the meantime, we will amend our charging structure to better reflect the importance of the work undertaken by the LSAB and we will shortly be sending a further communication to the market, and wider maritime community, confirming the new charging structure for the LSAB (and use of LOF).” Jos Standerwick, Chief Executive of Maritime London, the overarching shipping professions’ body in London, commented: “I am exceptionally pleased that Lloyd’s have made the right decision on the future of the LSAB and is committed to working with the market to increase the use of LOF and highlight the benefits that it can bring. We, and our members, will do all we can to support Lloyd’s in this endeavour.” “I would like to thank all of our members and those from the wider, international shipping community who were so
vocal in explaining the fundamental importance of the LSAB and the LOF to the London market and most importantly to the safe and efficient response to marine casualties.” Mark Lloyd, Chairman of the Admiralty Solicitors Group (ASG), said: “The ASG and other users of the LSAB and LOF system are strongly supportive of the response of Lloyd’s to the consultation process. The unanimous and consistent response from the insurance, salvage, services and other industry parties was that the LOF system and LSAB’s role is a core element of the global shipping industry. This response confirms that.”
Marine insurers recognise vital role of loss prevention Chair of IUMI's Loss Prevention Committee, Pascal Dubois, has called on marine insurers to recognize the vital role that loss prevention plays in increasing overall efficiency and profitability of their entire business. ISU has said that its members are ideally placed to add value to any loss prevention drive by marine insurers and the great environmental benefit delivered by the salvors must be seen by shipowners and
their insurers as a vital part of their ESG commitment in addition to the financial considerations. Mr Dubois, speaking at the IUMI conference, Seoul 2021, said: “Loss prevention is becoming increasingly important for marine underwriters to do their jobs efficiently. It not only concerns all categories of the business within Photo: Action Press / Shutterstock the marine line, from hull to cargo to energy, but it also impacts all operational 1
functionalities within every marine insurance company, from underwriters through to claims handlers. This is why, by improving loss prevention measures and applying innovative approaches in risk assessment, insurance companies can increase their operational efficiencies, provide a better service for clients, influence changes to current in-force regulations and ultimately improve profitability. This is what I call ‘the virtuous circle of loss prevention’.”
Loss prevention continued He continued: “Leveraging new technologies and solutions including online audits, inspections and remote surveys which create efficiencies and lower costs in applying loss prevention measures will improve this virtuous circle of loss prevention further.” Adopting loss prevention measures also
contributes to the sustainability of the industry and to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, Mr Dubois also argued. IUMI says ESG issues are high on its agenda, with a recent Working Group being established within the organisation to successfully develop a long-term vision for IUMI’s ESG approach
as well as creating a strategy to address ESG concerns for marine insurers. Mr Dubois concluded: “Ultimately, loss prevention is really about delivering a better service for all parties, for the clients, for the companies, for the industry, for the environment and for the sustainability of our industry.”
Smit - global operational news report In late August 2021, a Category 4 Hurricane, Ida, made landfall at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and continued to travel in a north easterly direction severely damaging infrastructure and causing numerous marine casualties including grounded vessels and drydocks, a fleet of shrimpers, crew tenders, barges with deck cargo and an articulated tug and barge unit still pinned together with 10,000 tonnes of fuel. Shipping on the Mississippi River was also seriously affected. There were numerous grounded bulk carriers of approximately 85,000 tonnes dwt, river barges, pusher tugs and many utility vessels. Donjon-Smit reports that it received various requests from their OPA-90 clients for the refloating of six bulkers and one tank vessel. Most of the cases required a salvage team to safely execute the refloating and each required a different approach with risk assessments, refloating calculations and a salvage plan which must had to be
Smit team seen recieving "start of day" briefing during salvage operations in Singapore.
approved by the USCG setting out, for example, the number of tugs proposed and required bollard pull, to execute a safe and controlled refloating operation. Donjon-Smit refloated the stricken vessels including the fuel barge and pusher in a safe and controlled manner and redelivered the vessels to their owners with no pollution detected during, and after, the operations. On the east side of the Atlantic Smit says it has also secured a significant amount of work. On the Congo river in West Africa three grounded vessel were refloated over a period of 8 weeks all with the assistance of Boskalis tugs.
Grounded bulker seen in the Mississippi River after Hurricane Ida.
Recently Smit started a wreck removal operation of a fishing vessel from the 2
pristine Northern Norwegian coastline. In Asia, Smit has been busy assisting a shipyard in Singapore with a ship-lift system, which failed during the lowering operation of a tanker (see above). After stabilizing, the platform was successfully lowered to refloat the tanker on top without any damage. Smit’s Emergency Response centre in India assisted a vessel in distress with main engine damage during a cyclone. Tugs and a salvage team led by Smit’s Salvage Master from India were provided to bring the vessel safely to a sheltered location to offload the cargo and conduct repairs required for the vessel to continue her voyage. Elsewhere in Asia, Smit has been active with three projects to provide emergency towing services.
ISU News ISU AGM 2021 The ISU AGM 2021 will be held virtually on 30 November at 1300 GMT. The Executive Committee gave much consideration to balancing the need to be responsive to members, meeting its statutory requirements but recognising that international travel is still constrained. The AGM will be hosted from London with a number of ISU Executives and the Secretariat present in person. Proceedings will be conducted via Zoom and there will be a Q and A session with Executive Committee members at the end of the meeting. There will a very limited number of places for members to attend in person should they be London but members should not travel specially to attend. Any member who believes they may be in London and might wish
to attend in person should contact the secretary general. Further details about the AGM will be circulated to members in the coming weeks. Salvage and Wreck Conference
Associate Members - 25% discount Code: FKT38463ISUAM Tracked website link with discount applied: https://bit.ly/3siUpaP
The Informa Salvage and Wreck Conference will take place 01 – 03 December in London and online. ISU is supporting the event and a number of ISU Executives will speak on behalf of ISU along with ISU members representing their company positions. ISU has agreed a discount for its members:
SCOPIC update
Full Members - 40% discount
ISU also continues to work under the auspices of BIMCO with industry partners on revisions to the popular suite of wreck removal and marine services contracts.
Code: FKT3846ISUFM Tracked website link with discount applied: https://bit.ly/3AC6SJz
ISU continues to work with the International Group of leading P&I Clubs to finish the revisions to the SCOPIC code of practice. BIMCO Wreck Removal Contract revisions
Roundup of new full and associate ISU members Full members
Solar Salvage
Chatzigavriil Towage & Salvage
Sansha Haiping Rescue & Salvage Co., Ltd.
Çukurova Cd. No:21 Ramazanoğlu Mh Pendik – Istanbul – Turkey
86 Dimitriou & Karaoli Alexandroypolis Greece
Room 505, Xinpu Building, 9 Jipu Road Yangpu Economic Development Zone Hainan Province, P.R. China
Tel: + 90 216 452 20 20 Fax: + 90 216 377 07 17 Email: solarsalvage@solarsalvage.com
Tel: +86 898-28821053 Email: sshptl@163.com
Tel:+30 255 1082065 Fax:+30 255 1081872 Email:luckystartugs@yahoo.com www.chatzigavriil.gr
Associate Members Freight Wings Pvt. Ltd.
Gac Marine Services Limited
309, Rex Chambers, W.H. Marg Ballard Estate, Mumbai - 400001
No. 284, Vauxhall Street, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka
Tel: +91 22 2263 1714 Fax: +91 22 22617152 Email: vijay.papriwal@fwpl.in www.fwpl.in
Tel: + 94 114 797979 Fax: + 94 114 797910 Email: ashan.welagedera@gac.com www.gac.com
SeaOwl France
International Maritime Group, PLLC
Polyeco Group
16 rue Rivay Levallois-Perret 92300 (Paris) Tel: +33 1 41 27 20 80 www.seaowlgroup.com
701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4200 Seattle, WA 98104
16th km National Road Athens - Corinth 19300 Aspropirgos Greece
Tel: +1 206 992 - 0710 Fax: +1 206 707 - 8338 Email: Info@Maritime.Law www.Maritime.Law/Salvage
Tel: +302104060081 Fax: +302104617423 Email:info@polyecogroup.com www.polyecogroup.com
United Salvage Pty Ltd 32 Gloucester Blvd, Port Kembla NSW 2505 Australia Tel: +61 1800 864 725 Email: info@unitedsalvage.com.au www.unitedsalvage.com.au
Marshall Islands Towing & Salvage Co PO Box 6, Majuro 96960, Marshall Islands,Majuro, Marshall Islands, 96960
South Seas Merchants Mariners Limited Partnership
Tel:+692 455 9601 Email: jkramer@piimajuro.com
77 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, Co. Dublin, D02 XE80, Eire. Tel: +353 21 2028270 Fax: +353 15 394182 Email: contact@ssmm.ie www.ssmm.ie 3
Resolve deals with WWII tanker wreck and Mediterranean Sea cases Resolve was contracted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to complete the assessment and subsea fuel removal of the MT JOSEPH M CUDAHY which was sunk by a German submarine during WWII. On arrival at the wreck site approximately 70 miles off Florida, it was discovered, after a marine archaeological study, that the JOSEPH M CUDAHY had been misidentified as the tanker MUNGER T BALL for nearly 80 years which had also been sunk by a German U Boat. Over the course of 40 days working closely with the USCG, marine archaeologists, divers, work class ROV, filtration and heating technicians and the with expertise of Resolve’s naval architects, the project was safely completed to remove 35,000 gallons of heavy oil from multiple tanks at a depth of 35m. It was the second recent successful operation utilising Resolve’s ROV operated hot-tap system. Earlier in the year, Resolve was contracted for a
similar operation, the SCHEIDYK, by the Canadian Coast Guard off the west coast of Canada. Resolve has also completed the wreck removal of the general cargo vessel CDRY BLUE which grounded on the south coast of Sardinia, Italy. Resolve was contracted by a London-based P&I Club and developed a plan to remove the vessel using its crane barge RMG 280 (above). The tug RESOLVE HERCULES towed the RMG 280 from Resolve’s response base in Gibraltar. A salvage plan was developed using a combination of the crane barge, chain pullers and lift bags to safely remove the vessel and all debris
Autonomous Tug Sea Machines Robotics has started a 1,000 nautical mile autonomous and remotely commanded journey around Denmark using a small tug as the test bed.
It is intend to “prove to the world, specifically operators of the fleets of cargo ships, tugs, ferries and the many other types of commercial workboats, that they can integrate autonomous technology into their vessel operations for a host of technology-driven benefits.”
The voyage is by the Damen built NELLIE BLY and is from Hamburg, through the Kiel Canal and then anti-clockwise round Denmark making a number of part calls. Full onboard vessel control is managed by autonomous technology operating under the authority of commanding officers located in the United States. Throughout the voyage the NELLIE BLY will also carry two professional mariners and occasional guest passengers.
The voyage is using the Sea Machines SM300 autonomy system, a comprehensive sensor-to-propeller autonomy system that uses advanced path-planning, obstacle avoidance replanning, vectored nautical chart data and dynamic domain perception, to control a voyage from start to finish. The SM300 provides the remote human commanders with an active chart environment with live augmented overlays showing the mission, 4
in the area. Resolve said it was “another example of carrying out its mission of providing cleaner, safer oceans and leaving the world a better place.” Resolve also assisted a loaded container ship which had grounded while shifting anchorages in the Suez Canal. A salvage team was mobilised from Resolve’s response depot in Holland and arrived within 12 hours of being instructed by the vessel’s hull and machinery underwriter. A dive inspection and casualty assessment was performed and determined that cargo needed to be lightered for the casualty to be refloated. A salvage plan was developed and approved by the Suez authorities and the vessel was refloated using two local tugs (left).
Photo credit: Arie Boer.
state of vessel, situational awareness and environmental data, as well as real-time, vessel-born audio and video from many streaming cameras.
Tsavliris operations in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea On 19 August 2021, the MV NAVIOS AMARYLLIS - dwt 58,735 and in ballast - grounded on Rasfaree Reef in the Kaafu Atoll, Maldives. The vessel was on a voyage from Tuticorin, India to Saldanha Bay, South Africa. On the same day, Tsavliris mobilised the AHTSs VIRGO and MAHA WEWA to assist. The salvage services developed into a major operation involving an assembled fleet of auxiliary local craft highspeed workboats, two landing craft, two barges, forklift, crane trucks - and salvage equipment including antipollution booms, skimmers, and dyneema ropes as well as personnel. All necessary environmental precautions were adopted to protect the environmentally sensitive area and Tsavliris cooperated closely with the local authorities and subcontractors, including environmental pollution specialist Polygreen (Polyeco Group) who Tsavliris described as “First Class”. Before refloating the vessel, about 1,600 tonnes of bunker fuel and lubricants were transferred from lower to topside tanks to avoid any pollution risk and underwater sealing of cracks was undertaken by divers. After 10 days the casualty was
successfully refloated without any oil spill and was anchored at the port limited area of Male and Tsavliris prepared the vessel for ocean towage to a repair yard. Adverse weather meant the vessel began dragging anchors and AHTS VIRGO was immediately mobilised and prevented further dragging and subsequently towed her safely to the initial anchoring position. In September, Tsavliris also arranged towage of the Rescue/Survey Vessel OCEAN INVESTIGATOR - dwt 2,690 from Ambelaki, Salamis Island, Greece, to Tuzla shipyard, Turkey, for maintenance
and repairs (above). Tsavliris despatched the AHTS FOTEINI Z - BHP 5,150 - from Piraeus and towage commenced on 3 September. Due to adverse weather conditions the convoy altered course on 6 September in order to shelter for two days. During the Canakkale Strait passage, a coastal safety tug provided escort services and the convoy arrived at its destination and the operation was successfully completed.
Boluda operational and corporate news Boluda Towage assisted the now-world famous EVER GIVEN in the Port of Rotterdam after her adventures in the Suez Canal. The firm also said it had the “honour” to welcome the world’s largest container vessel, the 23,992 TEU-class EVER ACE on its maiden voyage to the port of Rotterdam. The Boluda tugs VB CHEETAH, VB
TIGER and MARS welcomed the giant vessel with a water display and safely assisted the vessel to ECT Delta Terminal. During its maiden voyage the EVER ACE was loaded throughout with green Evergreen containers. The Ever Ace was delivered in July from the Samsung Heavy Industries yard in South Korea. The ship has a length of 400 m, a beam of 61 m and a capacity of 23,992 TEU. This makes the Ever Ace the largest container vessel in the world. In corporate news, Vicente Boluda Ceballos, vice president of Boluda Corporación Marítima and executive vice president of Boluda Towage, has taken over as the new president of the European Tugowners Association.
Picture courtesy: Danny Cornelissen – Portpictures.nl
the ETA general meeting, held in Turku, Finland.
He succeeded Kimmo Lehto, of the Finnish company Alfons Hakans AS, at 5
The outgoing former president, Kimmo Lehto, (left) with the new president of the ETA, Vicente Boluda Ceballos.
Associates’ and Affiliates' News bMC
approximately 2,000 feet offshore at a depth of about 140 feet.
bMC reports that it has been involved in recent years in interesting and challenging projects in Indian waters, including marine risk studies for complex wreck removal operations and the level of work has led to the recruitment of a further two marine consultants to be based in India. Captain Rohit Mann (below) joins with significant experience in risk management, offshore operations in the energy sector and container vessel operations.
Banarji Somanathan (above right) has an extensive background in ship repair. Managing Director of bMC Singapore, Captain Ajay Prasad, said: “We’ve been looking for people that we were confident would fit in well to our organisation and that we knew would increase our in-house skills and knowledge. "People that would really add to our offering and benefit our clients. First Rohit became available and I was already very pleased. When we found Banarji shortly afterwards, I knew immediately it was a great opportunity that we should not pass up.” bMC said the growth of its team in India is a “further demonstration of its
The scope of work included connecting the new diffuser pipe to the existing HDPE outfall pipe with a new flange clamp and multiple elbows so the pipe would lay flat on the sandy ocean floor, then securing and protecting the diffuser pipe with concrete mats. commitment to give clients the highest level of support.” Intercargo ISU Affiliate member, Intercargo, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners, has re-stated its aim to “unite and promote quality dry bulk shipping” and it brings together more than 220 companies from 30 countries. It has produced a video about the dry bulk sector and says it “will continue to stand at the forefront of the challenges faced by the bulk carrier sector and represent the views of quality owners and operators”. The association added: “We are proud that our sector, dry bulk shipping, is committed to the safe transportation of the world’s essential needs – sustainably.” View the video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Lt6SyFucf-E Global Diving Global was sub-contracted by Healy Tibbitts Builders (HTB) to install a new outfall and diffusers for the Guam Waterworks Authority as an upgrade of the treatment plant’s existing high density polyethylene (HDPE) outfall pipe. The outfall pipe is located in the Philippine Sea,
The crew mobilized the deep gas dive spread, decompression chamber, Falcon ROV and other equipment onto the DP vessel Ocean Guardian in Seattle and the passage to Guam was 21 days. The dive team met the vessel upon its arrival in Guam, beginning the final stages of setting up the dive spread while the vessel crew and the HTB crew loaded the concrete mats, outfall components and crane. Tatham & Co Tatham & Co, the firm of solicitors particularly well-known in the salvage and towage sector for TugAdvise their legal service to the tug community, has been shortlisted for the title of Small Law Firm of the Year in the prestigious Law Society Excellence in Law Awards 2021. Results will be announced in October and Senior Partner, Simon Tatham, said that it was encouraging to see the Law Society recognising a specialist shipping firm.
European Tug Owners’ Association The ETA held its AGM at Turku, Finland, with a number of delgates attending in person which was gratifying after the COVID restrictions of the last 18 months. The ETA currently has 85 members and 39 associates with a presence in 26 countries and a combined fleet of more than 800 members' tugs.
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IUMI publishes marine insurance financial statistics for 2020 IUMI presented its analysis of the latest marine insurance market trends during its annual conference held recently online from Seoul, Republic of Korea. IUMI reported positive market development from most insurance lines except P&I, and from most geographic regions. It comes from an increased premium base, an extraordinary low claims frequency and a better-thanexpected initial economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic. Marine underwriting premiums for 2020 were estimated to be US $30.0 billion which represents a 6.1% increase from 2019. Global income was split by region: Europe 47.7%, Asia/Pacific 29.3%, Latin America 9.3%, North America 7.7%, Other 6.0%. By line of business, cargo continued to represent the largest share with 57.2% in 2020, hull 23.8%, offshore energy 12.1% and marine liability (excluding IGP&I) 6.8%. Vice-Chair of IUMI’s Facts & Figures Committee, Astrid Seltmann commented: “We are reporting an increase in absolute premiums for 2020 in both the hull and cargo markets. These are derived as a combination of volume – trade, values, global fleet size – and rates per insured unit. It appears that the European market bottomed-out in 2019 and is now strengthening again and the Asian market continues to enjoy a year-on-year increase that began in 2016. We see this primarily as a market reaction to the depleted premium base experienced in preceding years.” “Cargo and hull underwriting results have improved in 2019/20 across all regions and this is largely due to the strengthened
Tanker explosion report The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published its report into the explosion that occurred on the chemical tanker STOLT GROENLAND in September 2019. The investigation was carried out on behalf of the Cayman Islands registry where the vessel was flagged. The tanker was moored at Ulsan, Republic of Korea, when a cargo tank containing styrene monomer ruptured and
premium base coupled with a very low claims impact. This is a positive trend but as this recovery started from a very low base it is not yet clear if the current improvement will be sustained in future years to give more predictability for shipowners, cargo owners and insurers. The recent claims environment has been relatively benign, which needs to be seen in connection with reduced activity in some shipping segments in 2020 (cruise, container trades) as a reaction to COVID measures. With the economy recovering and shipping and offshore activity increasing, it can be expected that both claims frequency and severity will also rise again.” IUMI reported the global premium base for the cargo market for 2020 was US $ 17.2 billion – a 5.9% increase from 2019. Growth in the Chinese market continues to be strong with moderate growth in other regions. IUMI said loss ratios have improved in 2019/2020 returning the cargo sector to technical break-even for the first time in many years. The past decade was characterized by a number of large claims caused by weather and navigational events and this impacted negatively on loss ratios. IUMI highlighted accumulation of risk as a continuing cause for concern. It said the trend of storing large amounts of cargo at single sites or on single vessels exposes high values to natural catastrophes or man-made events that could result in costly claims. Global premiums relating to the ocean hull sector increased in 2020 by 6% to US $ 7.1 billion. Growth was particularly strong in the Nordic region but much weaker in the UK (Lloyd’s) market where the decline
ignited chemical vapour which resulted in a fireball which reached the road bridge above.The rupture of the styrene monomer tank resulted from “runaway polymerisation” that was initiated by elevated temperatures caused by heat transfer from other chemical cargoes. The elevated temperatures caused the inhibitor, added to prevent the chemical’s polymerisation during the voyage, to deplete more rapidly than expected. Critical temperature limits had been reached before the vessel berthed under 7
in recent years continued. IUMI noted the continued low level of claims frequency and total losses, saying “claims impact remains extraordinarily low”. There is concern, however, that low levels are the result of reduced shipping activity in connection with COVID, particularly in the cruise sector, and that the current recovery might see claims return to more normal levels in the nearfuture. In general, loss ratios for 2019/2020 have improved across all regions returning the ocean hull market to a technical breakeven position after experiencing many years of unsustainable results. Of particular concern to insurers is that the frequency of onboard fires which has not declined, contrary to the overall claims frequency. This is particularly true for large container vessels. Statistically, these vessels are more prone to fire due to the large quantities and variation of cargo being carried as well as the challenges inherent in fighting a fire on such a large vessel at sea. Containership fires affect seafarers, the environment, and cargo, hull and liability insurance and must be urgently addressed, said IUMI. Summing up, Philip Graham, Chair of IUMI’s Facts & Figures Committee said: “We should remain cautious as there are a number of factors at play. Increased shipping activity, reactivation in the offshore energy market and an increasingly ageing merchant fleet have the potential to reverse the current downward trend in marine claims. "Underwriters need to be watchful and take care that increased claims don’t erode the advances made recently in strengthening the overall premium base.”
the road bridge in Ulsan. The tanker’s crew did not monitor the temperature of the styrene monomer during the voyage and were not aware of the increasingly dangerous situation. MAIB said that Stolt Tankers took immediate action to ensure that the temperatures of all cargoes carried on board its ships were monitored and reported to its shore management. It also took steps to enhance crew awareness on the hazards of inhibited and heat sensitive cargoes.
CPT Remolcadores responds to oil spill On June 29 2021, in the city of Puerto Montt, Chile, the 14m MV ALGARROBO had an accident, causing it to sink. On the same day the Solutions Department at CPT Remolcadores, deployed its emergency response Oil Spill Response teams to contain and control the spill of hydrocarbons. Oil spill response services were extended for 30 days successfully controlling contamination with what CPT said were “efficient and effective reaction times.” Its crews were able to remove hydrocarbons and polluting materials from the ship via the use of commercial divers, recovering a total of 2,700 litres from the vessel. CPT said this kind of work enables it “to position itself in the market as a reliable alternative in emergencies” and added that it is the “first and only tugboat company certified in Oil Spill Response in Chile.” In corporate news, CPT announced
in August that Juan Pablo Larach has been named as General Manager of CPT Remolcadores. Mr Larach worked at Latam Airlines for 12 years, and in his new role he will lead tugs and special operations in Panamá, Ecuador, Perú, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
Wheelhouse of sunken ship just visible beneath the surface.
John Savignone who has led CPT Remolcadores for more than 6 years will take on new responsibilities for CPT based in Europe.
Carbon reduction, fuel safety and engine power The issue of fuel safety in the context of the drive to de-carbonise shipping has been highlighted by insurers who have said that they support the shipping industry’s move to decarbonisation but that adequate risk management provision must be in place to underpin the transition. Helle Hammer, Chair of IUMI’s Policy Forum said: “As marine insurers, it is our job to help shipowners transition to low or zero carbon fuels safely and with all associated risks fully understood and managed. "As these new fuel types are largely un-tested, the insurance industry has no history or loss records to help it assess the potential risks involved. As importantly, we need IMO regulation and Class rules on the implementation and use of these new fuels. This will ensure the safety of the crew and enable marine underwriters to assess and offer necessary financial protection for this new risk profile. Mindful of the time it takes for new regulation to come into force, we urge IMO and other regulators to begin work now”. As part of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee’s work, Japan, Singapore, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Intercargo have proposed to develop
guidelines for safety of newly built vessels using ammonia as fuel. Guidance is also needed for the education and training of crew onboard, and to address safe and environmentally sound operations. Helle Hammer added: “Environmentally friendly fuels carry their own risks, ammonia is both toxic and corrosive, and hydrogen has a wide flammability range and ignites easily. "Whilst we welcome the proposed safety guidelines as a useful starting point, they are non-mandatory and so can only be an interim measure. We urgently need mandatory requirements to be developed and implemented to facilitate the transition to greener fuels.” Separately, as part of the IMO’s short term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) will come into force in 2023 with some concerns about safety and vessel control in emergency situations. Shaft power limitation (SHaPoLi) or engine power limitation (EPL) will be chosen by many shipowners to meet the EEXI requirements. It is a relatively simple and cost-effective solution and is expected to cause minimal disruption to the vessel’s operation. 8
Guidelines have been adopted on compliance with the EEXI requirements and the use of a power reserve in limitation devices. SHaPoLi and EPL systems are non-permanent, tamperproof, and approved, verified methods of power limitation. A power reserve sits above the maximum power limitation and is only to be used in the interests of safety or saving life at sea. It can only be overridden by the Master or officer in charge of the navigational watch from the bridge without the need for entry into a machinery space. Power limitation will have an effect on shipowners’ current and future trading patterns and furthermore, they should consider the impact of fouling or weather on power margins. IUMI has said that shipping’s move to decarbonisation will also impact the hull market. As new fuels and innovative propulsion methods are introduced, more and varied claims are likely to arise – and underwriters will need to fully understand these new risks and cover them accordingly.
Scaldis heavy lift in Norway
A fire broke out onboard the large fishing vessel BUKHTA NAEZDNIK in September 2019 whilst she was moored alongside in the port of Tromsø in northern Norway. The vessel subsequently capsized and sank to the seabed with the starboard side above the waterline. All the vessel’s crew were safely evacuated after the fire broke out.
Scaldis was contracted to undertake lifting and parbuckling of the 65m long and 1800 tonne trawler. The heavy lift sheerleg GULLIVER was mobilised from Flushing, accompanied, according to Scaldis, by “the Northern lights and whales” and arrived within the Arctic Circle at Grøtsund for preparation and connection of the rigging. Lifting chains were installed around the hull of the wreck by lifting her stern with the main hoisting blocks and
Golden Ray - US accident report published The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its Marine Accident Report into the capsizing of the GOLDEN RAY car carrier off Georgia in September 2019. It determined that inaccurate stability calculations caused the incident resulting in US $200 million of property loss according to the NTSB. The Ro-Ro vessel was outbound through St Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia when she capsized. ISU members, in their US alliance, Donjon Smit provided initial services including working to free some of the 23 crew who were trapped in the vessel for nearly 40 hours. Two crew members sustained serious injuries. The GOLDEN RAY sustained significant damage due to fire, flooding and saltwater
corrosion and was declared a total loss estimated at US $62.5 million. An estimated US $142 million worth of cargo, including more than 4,100 vehicles, was also lost. The subsequent wreck removal operation has been very costly and delayed. Less than 40 minutes after leaving port, the 656-foot-long vessel began to heel rapidly to port during a sharp turn to starboard. Despite attempts by the pilot and crew to counter the heel, the rate of turn to starboard increased, and the vessel reached a heel of 60 degrees to port in under a minute before it grounded outside the channel. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the capsizing was errors in entering ballast quantities into the stability calculation program, which led to incorrect 9
simultaneously using both auxiliaries to install the chains. Scaldis lifted the capsized wreck, moved to deeper water and subsequently parbuckled the vessel to bring her upright. GULLIVER then carefully lowered the wreck and patches were applied until the vessel was watertight and BUKHTA NAEZDNIK was lowered further until she was floating again.
determination of the vessel’s stability and resulted in her having an insufficient righting arm to counteract the forces developed during a turn. According to the NTSB, after the vessel capsized, open watertight doors allowed flooding into the vessel, which blocked the primary egress from the engine room, where four crewmembers were trapped. Two watertight doors had been left open for almost two hours before the accident. “The circumstances of this accident show that even when transiting in protected waters, watertight integrity is critical to the safety of the vessel and its crew,” the report said. “It is essential that the operator ensure that crews verify that all watertight doors are closed in accordance with safety management system procedures.” Work continues at the wreck removal site.
International Monitor Industry leader calls for overarching global body to represent the interests of shipping
lobbyist, Mr O’Neil said: “IMO does its job very well but it is not the voice of shipping nor was it ever intended to be.”
Protection Convention (IPPC) to take all-encompassing, internationally imposed steps to mitigate such risks.
Mark O’Neil, President of shipmanagement association, InterManager, and CEO of Columbia Shipmanagement (below) has said shipping needs “one voice” to represent it globally and enable the maritime community to communicate more effectively with regulators.
Declaring that shipping had too often been late to discussions, he commented: “Shipping is a long-term investment industry and it cannot operate on kneejerk, populist policies otherwise investors will go elsewhere.
One measure under serious consideration is the mandatory certification of cleanliness for all containers prior to loading on board a vessel, a measure that would have significant time and cost impacts on global trade.
Act now, he advised, “otherwise shipping risks losing its long-standing elevated status within the overall logistics chain.”
Lars Kjaer, Senior Vice President of the World Shipping Council (WSC), explained the CIG partners’ concerns around these very broad proposals, saying: “We know that more serious risks occur among certain types of goods and from identified regions.
Speaking during London International Shipping Week (LISW21), Mr O’Neil proposed the creation of an ‘International Maritime Committee’ (IMC) comprising representatives from all maritime sectors with a presidency rotating between member organisations.
Tanker attack off Oman In late July there was an explosive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on the tanker MERCER STREET while transiting international waters off the coast of Oman which killed two crew members. The incident was examined by a US explosive investigative team which went aboard the tanker to conisder evidence and interview the surviving crew members. The team said the tanker was targeted initially by two unsuccessful explosive UAV attacks followed by third UAV attack the next day which caused extensive damage. The US said this UAV was loaded with a military-grade explosive and caused the death of two crewmembers - the master of the ship, a Romanian citizen, and a United Kingdom national who was part of the onboard security detail.
He recommended this IMC would collate all relevant views and opinions from within the various maritime sectors, presenting the results of informed industry debate to governments making decisions which will impact how shipping operates in the future. “I do think as an industry there is a crying need for greater collaboration between those bodies that govern the various aspects of the industry,” he stated. “We need to influence the debate when it comes before the governments who decide. At the moment we have various bodies all doing their part for their members but those members represent only a part of the industry. We need our industry views put across in a single voice.” Pointing out that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a regulator not a
Several pieces of the third UAV were recovered and the US experts concluded that this UAV was produced in Iran.
The CIG recommendation centres on the need to provide proper risk assessments in defined trades and focus mandatory measures on these high-risk areas and cargoes.” The partners in CIG are committed to ensuring that international trade is conducted in a safe, secure, and environmentally sustainable manner. They rigorously promote the use of the ‘Code of Practice for the Packing of Cargo Transport Units’ published by the IMO, the UNECE and the ILO (the CTU Code). “There are identified risk areas and cargoes which must be addressed, and the CIG partners look forward to contributing essential industry expertise to the work of the IPPC to ensure an effective and efficient set of recommendations and best practices to stop the transfer of invasive species,” concludes James Hookham, Secretary General of Global Shippers Forum.
Invasive pests in cargo The international freight transport organisations of the Cargo Integrity Group are calling for urgent action from the participants in global supply chains to reduce the risk of pest transference through international cargo movements. The five partners in the Cargo Integrity Group, known as CIG, recognise the vital importance of focusing on the threat of invasive pests to natural resources across the world, and of the urgency in creating risk reduction measures. This call to action follows the intentions by pest control experts under the auspices of the International Plant 10
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