Crew Mirror Digest 04-2023

India: ICG conducts course for officers, sailors of six countries

22 Jan 2023
The Indian Coast Guard conducted a one-week operations, and search and rescue course at Mumbai’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre between January 16-21.

The course was conducted under the aegis of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) for officers and sailors of maritime security agencies from six ‘friendly’ countries – Bangladesh, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Myanmar and Maldives. A total of 22 trainees (10 officers and 12 sailors) participated in the specialised training.

Officials said that the course is modelled and designed in consonance with the best international practices primarily envisaging the Legal background domain of Maritime Search and Rescue, Planning and Coordination, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, Lectures on Harmonisation of Aeronautical and Maritime SAR, satellite-aided SAR operations and case studies on maritime SAR incidents amongst others.

Apart from classroom instructions, the course also included training visits and on-job training at the MRCC, Directorate General Shipping Communication Centre, and Mumbai airport air traffic control (ATC). Reference

India: Sonowal Launches Bharat Pravah to Highlight Role of Rivers, Ports, Shipping

21 Jan 2023
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday launched an initiative ‘Bharat Pravah – India along its Shores’ to highlight the role of rivers-ports-shipping in the everyday life of a common man through literature, dialogue and communication, according to an official statement. Sonowal said rivers and seas remain central to our spiritual life.

The minister of shipping, waterways and ports said the government, under its flagship programme Sagarmala, has aimed to achieve port-led development and integrate the common people in India’s success story.

Under the Bharat Pravah initiative, events would be organised around various topics, such as ‘Rivers and Sea-Centric Development in India. Reference

BIMCO, IAPH, IMO discuss about Maritime Single Window

21 Jan 2023
BIMCO and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) teamed up with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its headquarters in London to discuss opportunities and hurdles for the Maritime Single Window.

The partners welcomed Member States, NGOs, shipping, and port communities from around the world, hosting the joint symposium: the “Maritime Single Window 2024 – a window of opportunities”.

BIMCO’s President Designate, Nikolaus Schües, delivered a welcome address, pointing out the issue that today, a nation and its authorities may operate with 15 windows towards the hinterland, which means 15 windows that the crew need to report into when the ship approaches port.

For this to work in practice, broad collaboration and interoperability are needed for the electronic platform to be able to communicate with the hinterland: from ship and port to health authorities, immigration authorities, and customs, to name a few. Reference

Shipping Still in the Dark on ‘Green’ Fuels

21 Jan 2023
Shipping companies are still waiting for “real green” fuel solutions as part of decarbonisation efforts to clean up the industry, a leading industry official said.

Shipping, which transports around 90% of world trade and accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions, is under growing pressure from environmentalists to deliver more concrete action including a carbon levy.

“We are still awaiting engine and ship builders to come up with real green solutions,” Haralambos Fafalios, chairman of the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee (GSCC), said in a speech at an annual event in London this week.

The industry has been testing a number of cleaner fuel options including ammonia and methanol as well as trialling wind sails in an effort to look for new solutions away from dirtier bunker fuel. 

Fafalios said many companies, whether in shipping or commodity traders, “are touting the strengths of their favourite fuels, but none so far have a real green footprint on a well-to- wake basis”.

Fafalios further said “none of these alternative green, zero or low carbon fuels yet have a global bunkering or cost infrastructure to support the world fleet. Ammonia for example is at present a very dangerous fuel and not enough safety measures have been put into place to make it a realistic option.”  Reference

India aims to get local shipping hooked on green hydrogen

20 Jan 2023
India’s newly launched National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) has identified shipping as a sector for pilot projects with New Delhi setting aside an initial $2.5m for a variety of pioneering efforts that will also look at the steel sector.

“Pilot projects will help identify operational issues and gaps in terms of current technology readiness, regulations, implementation methodologies, infrastructure, and supply chains. These will serve as valuable inputs for future scaling commercial deployment,” the new government mission said.

“The Shipping Corporation of India or in case of its disinvestment, its successor private entity will retrofit at least two ships to run on green hydrogen or other green hydrogen-derived fuels by 2027,” the mission stated.

India’s oil and gas companies will be required to charter at least one ship each to be powered by green hydrogen or derived fuels by 2027, and then they will have to add one more hydrogen-powered ship per year.

Green ammonia bunkering facilities will be established in at least at one port by 2025 with similar facilities to be created at all major ports by 2035. Reference

World’s first digital ship register launched

20 Jan 2023
This week, Danish Maritime Authority rolled out a new digital ship register to ease the workload with faster and more efficient workflows for everyone working with the registration of ships in Denmark.

The Digital Ship Register (DSRG) went live on 16 January 2023. The register is expected to contribute to an extra layer of security and control in relation to ship registration.

Concurrently, new legislation on ship registration comes into force. This includes both amendments to the Maritime Act and new executive orders on ship registration.

According to the authority, there will be a single executive order on ship registration for ships domiciled in Denmark and a similar executive order for ships domiciled in Greenland. This means that various maritime law amendments adopted over time since 2006 aimed at digitalization are now coming into force.

The introduction of digital ship registration entails changes that affect all users of ship registration in Denmark. Reference

India To Ban Ships Older Than 25 Years

19 Jan 2023
To ensure compliance with global maritime standards, India is banning all foreign and Indian ships above 25 years of age from being registered under the Indian flag. This is part of the plan to improve tonnage safety and to make the fleet younger. 

For tugs, gas carriers, cellular container vessels, offshore fleet, dredgers, and geotechnical vessels, the ban is for ships older than 30 years, while for cargo ships, tankers and bulk carriers, it is set to 25 years.

For barges, anchor handling and towing tugs, the ban is for 25-year-old vessels, while second-hand ships across all sections have a 20 years limit. Second-hand dredgers that are 15 years old or more have been banned. 

DG Shipping has said that the Indian shipping registry will automatically deregister such ships once they cross the age limit and remove them from the registry. All types of foreign vessels, whether they carry free-on-board (FOB) cargo or Indian export-import (EXIM) cargo or cost-insurance freight (CIF), will be subjected to this. Reference

Bulk carriers under threat as Singapore Strait becomes piracy hotspot

19 Jan 2023
The Singapore Strait is becoming a growing hotspot for piracy and armed robbery incidents aboard ships – with its rising number of cases now accounting for nearly two-thirds of all incidents in Asia.

The Strait – a vital lane for global shipping – saw 55 robbery incidents last year, up from 49 in 2021, according to a report from the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.

Across Asia there were 84 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2022. Of these 80 were robberies and four were attempted robberies.

The most serious case involved an armed man opening fire on a fishing boat in the South China Sea, shooting a crew member in his foot. Three other incidents of armed robbery took place on bulk carriers in the Singapore Strait. In one case crew were threatened by a man with a pistol and in other cases were tied up and robbed by men armed with knives. In 21 of the incidents overall perpetrators carried weapons, mostly knives or machetes, although weapons also included an axe, hammer, rod and steel bar.

The report called on local law enforcement agencies to enhance surveillance and increase patrols to protect vessels from the threat of piracy. Reference

Sea is the centrepiece of this art project that explores Kerala s past and present

19 Jan 2023
‘Sea: A Boiling Vessel’—a phrase once used by seafarers is the title of an art project that dives deep into the role of the mighty ocean in shaping Kerala’s culture and society. Exploring the ocean is a spiritual experience for sailors, as it becomes the essence of life itself. The multi-disciplinary exhibition, spearheaded by Aazhi Archives and Design Trust of India, brings this experience to the viewer through the portrayal of long-forgotten maritime histories.

Curatorial Director Riyas Komu has brilliantly curated pieces on origin narratives, slave narratives, metaphorical immortality of the ocean, migration, and many other topics. This astounding arrangement allows the audience to see the intention in the selection of pieces and the relevance of each artist and their works on exhibit.

The show’s primary location is the former Hallegua residence, where Juliet Hallegua lived for many years before leaving for Israel with her daughters.

Indian tanker newcomer buying ships at a rapid clip

19 Jan 2023
Indian newcomer Gatik Ship Management’s fleet of older tankers has ballooned to 25 ships in a year.

Fleet register Equasis shows that the shy Indian player added nine tankers in December alone, cementing its spot as one of last year’s most dedicated tanker newcomers.

One of the latest deals under its name includes a scrubber-fitted suezmax, the 2004-built, 150,000 dwt Crescent Moon, a tanker noted sold for by a string of brokers for around $33m. This ship is now renamed Heracles, while Gatik is also tied to an aframax that is still to be renamed, the 2006-built Antaios.

Sales registers show that Gatik has added ships from major European tanker players such as United Maritime, Atlas Maritime, Capital Ship Management, Zodiac Maritime, Brave Maritime, Thenamaris, and Euronav. Reference

Kenya Maritime Authority lists firms for recruitment and the placement of Kenyan seafarers

18 Jan 2023
The Kenya Maritime Authority has identified 11 companies that will recruit and place Kenyan seafarers on ocean-going vessels.

KMA stated in a public notice to shipowners, ship operators, ship agents, ship masters, and the general public that only the listed firms that have been vetted and verified will be permitted to conduct recruitment.

“It is hereby notified that Section 118 (3) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2009, states that “No person shall, either as principal or agent, engage or recruit a Kenyan seafarer for employment on board a Kenyan or foreign ship, without first obtaining a license in the prescribed form from Kenya Maritime Authority authorising such person to engage or recruit Kenyan seafarers for sea service,” the notice said.

The notice stated that Licensed Recruitment and Placement Agents for seafarers shall not charge seafarers agency fees for recruitment services offered.  

KMA said it shall not be responsible for seafarers who accept engagement by unlicensed Recruitment and Placement Agents. Reference

EU funds world’s first wind-powered RoRo vessel

17 Jan 2023
Wallenius Wilhelmsen and project partners have secured a Horizon Europe funding totalling EUR 9m to support building a RoRo sailing vessel. Over the next five years, all aspects of planning, building, and operating a wind-powered vessel, the Orcelle Wind, will be done.

Together, they represent a 360-degree perspective on wind propulsion, including weather routing, vessel design, supply chain orchestration and crew training to test rig installation on an existing vessel. The project’s scope is to make the Orcelle Wind ready for commercial trading.

Orcelle Wind is a wind-powered Pure Car Truck Carrier, a type of deepsea Roll On, Roll Off vessel. It will be 220 meters and have a capacity for over 7,000 cars, but will also be capable of carrying breakbulk and rolling equipment.

Orcelle Wind is the first vessel from the Oceanbird concept for primarily wind-powered vessels. The concept shows that it is theoretically possible to reduce emissions from vessels by up to 90 percent if all emissions-influencing factors are aligned.

An important part of the Horizon Europe funding project is installing the wing sail test rig on an existing Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel during mid-2024. Oceanbird and Wallenius Wilhelmsen will present the test rig installation in a webcast on January 26. Reference

Industry Advises Philippines on Training as EU Considers Crew Ban

17 Jan 2023
The shipping community is rallying to the support of Filipino seafarers after it came out last month that due to training concerns, the European Union was considering banning Filipinos from working on EU-registered ships. Responding to a recommendation from the Philippines’ new president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., organizations representing seafarers, shipowners, and other maritime employers signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines’s Department of Migrant Workers to form the International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA).

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), according to a report in the German media, published a report in 2022 updating a list of deficiencies the agency believes exist in the current training for Filipino seafarers. EMSA has been citing deficiencies in the training protocols since 2006 with the government of the Philippines promising to address the issues identified. According to the report, the EMSA specified that the training and certification by Philippine maritime education institutions fell short of the guidelines mandated by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. If the European Commission moves forward, a ban would go into effect which would impact future contracts and new seafarers from the Philippines from working on EU-registered ships.

Key aims of the initiative include contributing to the provision of appropriate training to the country’s seafarers in compliance with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention. The committee will also work to address concerns regarding “ambulance chasing and unfair labor practices, and on issues related to the employability of Filipino seafarers overseas,” according to the announcement. Reference

ICG On Course To Become 200-Ship Maritime Force In Five Years: Director General Pathania

16 Jan 2023
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is on course to become a 200-ship maritime force in another five years, its director general VS Pathania said. He also said that the ICG, the fourth largest coast guard force in the world, has grown at a rapid pace over the years, with 158 ships in its inventory at present.

Pathania, when approached by PTI, explained that the ICG is expected to have close to 180 ships in two years and over 200 ships in the next five years, thus meeting the force’s target. He pointed out that the process of securing approvals and the ship construction itself are time consuming.

The minimum time taken for building a ship after the signing of a contract is 36 months, the ICG chief said. “So give us about another five years… The way we are growing, you will find the Coast Guard (owing) 200-plus (ships),” he stated on the sidelines of a programme for commissioning of the newest entrant in ICG’s fleet, ICGS Kamla Devi, earlier this week here. Reference

Abu Dhabi Commissions its First Research Vessel

16 Jan 2023
On Friday 13th Jan, the Environmental Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD) launched its first ever research vessel to boost ongoing oceanographic research efforts in the Emirate.

The vessel – named Jaywun, a term that refers to one of the finest and most valuable types of pearl – is the first and the most advanced marine research vessel in the UAE. The Freire Shipbuilding Company in Vigo, Spain built the vessel in partnership with Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding Company.

The 50-meter long ship can accommodate 30 people. It is equipped with six science laboratories for studying samples and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

The vessel will operate in the territorial waters of the UAE, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

In addition, EAD will use Jaywun to complete ongoing studies of the marine environment and fisheries in deep waters. Other environmental initiatives that the vessel will support include the UAE’s Blue Carbon Assessment Project for Ocean Fisheries.  Reference

Note: All above news items compiled in this digest should be considered as news in brief. For detailed news, please refer to reference link, mentioned with each item.