Blogs

On September 15th, “MV Stolt Valor”, a chemical tanker bound for Mumbai from Suez was hijacked by 15 Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Shipping industry is well aware of the incident. Among 22 crews onboard MV Stolt Valor, 18 crews are Indians, two are Filipinos, one is Bangladeshi and one hails from Russia….

“25% of all ships caused 51% of marine accidents and one reason behind these accidents is seafarers’ fatigue”–DNV study reveals Our Shipping industry is well acquainted with the increase of seafarers’ fatigue onboard. All shipping personalities and decision makers are well-aware of the damages that fatigue may cause to the life span of the human…

Whoever ruled the seas ruled the shores later.  This strategic truth has equal relevance to the economic growth also.  Whoever excelled in shipping has achieved tremendous economic growth later.  During the recession days of eighties, maritime education and training was not adequately geared up to meet the boom in the shipping industry.  Considering the shortfall…

Edward Lloyd managed a Coffee House at London. To help his shipping industry clientele to exchange information regarding ships, he printed a sheet of all the news he heard at the Coffee House. The Coffee House customers formed the Register Society in 1760 and printed the first Register of Ships in 1764 to give underwriters and…

 The Protection and Indemnity Clubs, formed by ship owners to secure cover for risks which are outside the normal marine policy are generally known as P & I Clubs.  Huge financial burden or risk is involved in the shipping business; in connection with the cost of the ship, value of cargo, voyage commitments, crew etc. …

The 22 acres Campus of Sir Mohamed Yusuf Seamen Welfare Foundation is located on the seaface on the North East corner of Nhava, about six miles across Mumbai Harbour. It is accessible from the mainland by road as well as by sea. Training Ship Rahaman, the Maritime training facility, is the oldest Rating training establishment…

  Traditionally the person in charge of a ship at sea is addressed as Captain. In the Merchant Shipping industry, in most legal, trade and commercial documents, the captain is referred to as the Ship’s Master. Among professional mariners, the title “Captain” is generally used by a person who has been appointed and commanded a merchant…

Over 18 Indian Seafarers employed by a Mumbai based manning company onboard MV Lamo has got stranded for over two months at Port Luba in Equatorial Guinea since 23 Nov 2006.  Captain of the ship told a news agency:  “We cannot go to port because we have no money. The company says it has sent…

Several international treaties are in place with a vision to achieve safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.  These treaties are developed after deliberations at the highest forum of representatives of nations, considering the experience gained in maritime affairs, over centuries.  It endeavors to create a uniform operational environment for an industry that is…

When Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mrs Margarette Thatcher took up the reigns of two great nations, the world raised its eyebrows. A huge section of those eyebrow raisers comprised of women themselves. Women have a very special and highly respectable status in all the religious philosophies. In effect, from time immemorial, they were pushed back…

It is a deep rooted tradition of the seafarers to rescue anyone in peril on the high seas. In June 2006, a Dutch registered passenger ship Noordam belonging to Holland America Line rescued 22 persons of various nationalities after their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Samos and the coast…

On the high seas, seafarers are largely on their own. Pirates and terrorists operate with impunity across the oceans and it is the worst nightmare of a seafarer. Piracy occurs in international waters; usually outside security patrolled or monitored areas. The recent incidents of sea-jacking reveal that, pirates are using most modern weapons, navaids, fast…

.: DUMPING OF WASTE AT SEA :. On 05th April 2006, the owner and the master of a Bahamas registered container ship were found guilty of polluting French waters in 2005 and a French court slapped a fine of $ 980,000 (Appx 800,000 Euro) by a French Court. This is said to be a record…

Several instances of criminalisation of the maritime profession where authorities have acted against seafarers before any charges are proved in an appropriate court of law have been reported in the recent past. In many such incidents, the seafarers were at the receiving end at the port of call as the matter is often handled by people…

Nearly 1.2 million seafarers work for the world’s shipping industry. This industry is genuinely global in nature and therefore an international regulatory regime of universal acceptance is imperative. The rapid developments in the shipping industry, ship management, financing, ship registries, ship design, environmental concerns, technological advancements etc rendered the existing diverse and complex provisions inadequate…