Crew Mirror Digest 05-2023

Share it now

India Boat and Marine show held in Kerala

29 Jan 2023
The fifth edition of the India Boat and Marine Show (IBMS), a premier industrial 3 day show in the boat and marine sector in the country commenced at the Marine Drive Ground, Kochi.

The fair has 115 stalls of more than 65 companies displaying various products and services including different types of boats, speed boats, engines, unmanned remote-controlled watercraft for weed removal and rescue, underwater unmanned inspection equipment, navigational systems, ancillary service providers, water sports equipment and others.

One of the major attractions of the show is an AI-powered unmanned Clearbot, that can be used for removing algae, collecting and disposing of waste like oil and plastic, and transporting goods of up to 200 kg, the organisers said.

Remotely operated vehicles of EyeROV based at the Kerala Startup Mission can reach depths of up to two nautical miles and can be used for various unmanned underwater experiments using remote control. The life-saving device called ‘Life’ made by the firm Saif Seas from Visakhapatnam is also gaining attention in the show.

The aluminum boats, crafts, canoes and an electric boat called Synergy 58 made by Kottayam Chingavanam-based Kelachandra Precision Engineers are also attracting visitors to the fair.

The event is supported and endorsed by the State Department of Industries, KMRL, IWAI, Cochin Port Authority, Kerala Tourism, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, DTPC, Mariners Society-Kerala, KUFOS and CIFT. Reference

India: Sonowal inaugurates NLP-Marine, a single window portal to reduce logistics cost

28 Jan 2023
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated National Logistics Portal (Marine) here on Friday. The National Logistic Portal (marine) (NLP) is a project of national importance, as envisaged by the Ministry of Ports Shipping Waterways and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Union Minister termed the portal as a one-step platform aimed at connecting all the stakeholders of the logistics community using Information Technology to improve efficiency and transparency by reducing costs and time delays. He said the portal will help to achieve faster, easier and more competitive offerings of services to promote the growth of the logistics sector and thereby improve trade.

The implementation of the portal had been initiated in July 2021 with the development of NLP Marine as the first phase. It is an open platform that allows the coexistence of multiple service providers to provide EXIM-related services independently or by combining different connectivity options.

The portal aims to reduce regulatory complexities and enhance the ease of doing business by moving towards user-friendly paperless trade.

It is envisaged that many standalone applications, developed by multiple vendors, users, and other stakeholders will integrate with NLP Marine through appropriate curation. Reference

IMO Moves to Curb Shipping Noise that Threatens Marine Life

28 Jan 2023
The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of global shipping and the prevention of pollution by the industry, is revising 2014 guidelines for commercial ships in order to reduce underwater noise that threatens some marine species.

Among the organizations that had pushed for changes, a group representing Inuit communities in Canada, the US, Greenland and Chukotka, an autonomous district of Russia, had asked for greater protection of the marine animals on which their livelihoods and culture depend.

The draft revisions, which still need to be approved by the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee this summer, include multiple references to the Inuit Nunaat, or homeland. For the first time, they also recognize the importance of Indigenous knowledge in measuring the effects of shipping noise on the environment.

As more vessels arrive, Inuit are witnessing changes to animal behavior, including migration and reproduction patterns. Some marine species, for example ringed seal and narwhal, are of particular importance to Arctic communities.

The revised guidelines detail best practices for commercial ships to reduce noise, including optimizing propeller and hull design, reducing speed, adjusting routes to minimize travel through sensitive areas and proper maintenance. While they apply to global shipping, the revisions note the potential for noise-sensitive species in the Arctic to be affected, along with the Inuit who live there. Reference

India R-Day parade: Lt Cdr Disha Amrith leads 144 young sailors, Agniveers

27 Jan 2023
Lt Cdr Disha Amrith lead Indian Navy’s contingent on Republic Day comprising 144 young sailors. For the first time ever, marching contingent consists of 3 women and 5 man Agniveers.

India to explore the Seabed to meet Metal demands for Green Energy Transition

27 Jan 2023
India is all set to join the elite group of countries – United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, and China- to explore the sub-sea, and harness the unexplored wealth of the oceans on the seabed. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has announced plans to send three-member crew onboard a submersible to a depth of 6,000 meters. Dubbed as ‘Samudrayaan Mission’, the aims is “to observe and understand unexplored deep-sea areas by direct intervention”. ‘Matsya’ the submersible, (fish in Sanskrit and an Avatar of Lord Vishnu), designed and developed by the NIOT, will be ready for operations by 2026.

The ‘Samudrayaan Mission’ is a mega project and is part of the Deep Ocean Mission announced by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day. Earlier, the government had approved Rs. 4,077 crore for the Deep Ocean Mission to be spent over five years.

So what lies at the bottom of the oceans? According to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an agency mandated under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNLCOS), seabed is known to contain polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides, and cobalt-rich manganese crusts.

The World Bank has estimated that over 3 billion tons of minerals and metals will be needed by 2050 thus necessitating harnessing the wealth of the seabed. As a Pioneer Investor, India was allotted 75,000 square kilometers in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. This Area contains nearly 380 million tons of Polymetallic nodules (Copper, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Rare earths, etc.). The NIOT’s Integrated Mining System is primed for mining at depths of 5000-5500 meters.

The development of Seabed mining is important and time is ripe for the Indian industry particularly those that are engaged in low carbon energy sector (electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and wiring) to invest/support the seabed sector development. Reference

IMO, ILO adopt guidelines to improve welfare of seafarers

27 Jan 2023
New measures to improve conditions for seafarers, including those who have been abandoned, have been adopted at a meeting involving governments, maritime workers and employers’ organisations.

The guidelines seek to address the significant rise in cases of abandonment of crews reported to the ILO, which have risen from less than 20 cases per year between 2011 and 2016 to 40 in 2019, 85 in 2020, 95 in 2021 and 114 cases as of mid-December 2022.

The guidelines aim to improve coordination among countries, including flag states, port states, states in which seafarers are national or resident, and states in which recruitment and placement services operate, to resolve abandonment cases more quickly, including getting seafarers paid and repatriated home to their families.  The new guidelines encourage flag states to verify, at least yearly, the validity of financial security.

States where recruitment and placement services operate are also called upon to regularly verify that those services include a system to ensure the protection of the seafarers they recruit and place.

The new guidelines set out procedures to be taken by states if a shipowner fails to fulfil obligations to arrange and cover the cost of repatriation of seafarers, outstanding wages and other contracted entitlements and the provision of essential needs, including medical care.

The procedures include developing, in cooperation with seafarers’ and shipowners’ organisations, national Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to explicitly define the liabilities and obligations of the competent authority and the roles to be played by the various national stakeholders. Reference

MSC and Maersk to End 2M Alliance in 2025

26 Jan 2023
Denmark’s Maersk and Swiss-based MSC, the world’s largest container shipping companies, said on Wednesday they had agreed to end a vessel sharing alliance in January 2025, allowing them to pursue individual strategies.

The 2M alliance was introduced in 2015 to cope with a glut of ships and weak demand, and to ensure competitive and cost-efficient operations on main shipping routes from Asia to Europe, as well as across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Both companies saw the alliance as a way to manage more capacity after purchasing new mega-ships. 

More recently, MSC responded to rising shipping rates caused by pandemic-related delays and bottlenecks by increasing the size of its fleet, while Maersk has kept its fleet size mostly steady. 

New survey to improve navigational safety in Straits of Malacca and Singapore

26 Jan 2023
The Nautical Institute (NI) launched a survey to gather data that can be used to improve safety for ships and mariners operating in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

The survey sets out to identify the heavy demands facing ships’ crew as they negotiate the busy Straits, with particular emphasis on entering and leaving the port of Singapore. The survey also invites respondents to share their views on how the situation could be improved.

Commenting on the survey, Capt Yves Vandenborn FNI, Honorary President of the Singapore Branch of The Nautical Institute said, “The NI is constantly striving to improve safety for shipping around the world, particularly in regions where the challenges are greatest. There has already been a marked increase in shipping movements in the STRAITREP Sector 7 and it is anticipated that this will increase in coming years”.

More specifically, NI is seeking feedback from the shipping community to enhance navigational safety in this region. Reference

Record Number of Yachts Express Interest in Switching to Biofuel

26 Jan 2023
Interest in a new type of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel for superyachts has spiked, according to reports from engine manufacturer Caterpillar and the fuel’s producer Fioul 83.

The diesel alternative, which is marketed under the name Cristal Power XTL100, claims to offer a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions on the basis that it is made from recycled oil that has already made its environmental impact. While the biofuel still emits nitrogen oxides, it does not emit any sulphur and claims to be 100% odour-free and compatible with all engine types, without an increase in fuel consumption.

A presentation and demonstration of the new biofuel brought together a number of representatives from across the maritime industry to discuss the benefits and challenges of the new fuel in Antibes on 20^th January.

For superyachts, one of the biggest benefits is an improvement in on-board comfort as the biofuel promises no smell and no black smoke. According to Berthet, the biggest challenges are access, distribution and cost. Reference

UK: Government cracks down on ‘fire and rehire’ practices

25 Jan 2023
The U.K. government is taking strong action against unscrupulous employers that use the controversial practice of ‘fire and rehire’, it has announced today (Tuesday 24 January).

Through a planned statutory code of practice, the government is protecting employees and cracking down on employers that use controversial dismissal tactics. The code, subject to a consultation first, will make it explicitly clear to employers that they must not use threats of dismissal to pressurise employees into accepting new terms, and that they should have honest and open-minded discussions with their employees and representatives.

This new statutory code of practice will set out employers’ responsibilities when seeking to change contractual terms and conditions of employment, including that businesses must consult with employees in a fair and transparent way when proposing changes to their employment terms.

Once in force, Courts and Employment Tribunals will be able to take the code into account when considering relevant cases, including unfair dismissal. They will have the power to apply a 25% uplift to an employee’s compensation in certain circumstances if an employer is found to not comply with the statutory code. Reference

Alfa Laval launches biofuel-ready separators

25 Jan 2023
Swedish Alfa Laval has developed separators and separator upgrades that are optimized for biofuels, which are seeing an increase in demand as shipowners seek solutions to decarbonize their operations.

. The separators are compatible with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) blends and can prevent performance issues and expensive engine wear. Biofuels can be used by diesel engines without modifications, and when produced from biomass, can be carbon neutral. However, they must still be cleaned effectively to prevent performance issues and expensive engine wear.

Biofuels are already in widespread use. That being the case, biofuels can be different from each other and from traditional fuels, so they need special care when it comes to storing and treating them.

Because of differences in density, moisture absorption and more, they demand additional care when it comes to fuel storage and treatment.

Alfa Laval has made changes to the internal parts of their separators and the software to make it easy to use biofuels and traditional fuels. These upgrades are available for both new separators and for existing ones. Reference

Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity to be set up in India

24 Jan 2023
The Indian Ports Association (IPA) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) recently signed an agreement in New Delhi to set up a Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity.

Indian minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who witnessed the signing ceremony, tweeted that the institute will pave way for seamless, cost-effective trade and commerce with neighbours.

Secretary handling the ministry Sanjeev Ranjan said the proposed transhipment port at Galathea Bay at Greater Nicobar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be advantageous for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member nations. Reference

LEO satellites: a gamechanger for maritime connectivity

24 Jan 2023
What started as a slow burn with regional coverage has become a growing trend that will rival conventional satellite communications in maritime, cruise and offshore sectors.

During the last 25 years, there has been Inmarsat L-band and VSAT in C, Ku and Ka bands from various operators with geostationary orbit satellites – geosynchronous with the Earth’s rotation above the Equator – but with higher latency than LEO.

Two years ago, OneWeb became the first to provide VSAT speeds from LEO satellites covering northern latitudes initially, and it is building a global constellation.

But its early drive has been eclipsed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink LEO constellation, which has taken the market by storm.

SpaceX has signed up more resellers and partnered with major shipping lines such as Mitsui OSK Lines, NYK Group, Solstad Offshore and Carnival Corp with trials and the promise of fleetwide installations.

It will not be suitable for all, but rapid communications between ship and LEO satellites mean cloud solutions and remote control applications become much more viable. It should enable autonomous vessels, improved internet-of-things in maritime and real-time monitoring of operations in clear video.

A new world order is coming to maritime connectivity and it is being led by a billionaire entrepreneur with his own launch vehicles and social media platform. Reference

How to prevent burn injuries onboard

24 Jan 2023
Burn injuries are not uncommon onboard ships and can result from various reasons, such as accidental contact with hot surfaces, mishandling of hazardous materials, or even electrical problems. What are the best practices to prevent burn injuries onboard?

The nature of seafaring means that any unexpected incident, such as a burn injury, may take place while the ship does not have immediate access to medical facilities. This is why seafaring is considered among the most dangerous occupations.

WHO defines burn injury as an injury to the skin or other organic tissue, caused by contact with heat, radiation, electricity, chemicals, or other sources of extreme temperature.

A burn injury can affect any crew member, be it officers or ratings onboard the vessel. The most common causes of burn injuries to crew members while working onboard can be: Steam and hot fluid burn, Contact with heated surfaces, Exposure to hot or burning solids, Chemical burns, Electrical burns, and Cold burns.

Burn injuries onboard can be prevented with areas of focus by operators, such as:

• Training: raise awareness of the potential risks, regular safety practices, establish a system for the crew to openly report defects or unsafe working practices .
• Mainetance: Safety equipment is in good condition and regularly inspected
• Telemedicine: Subscribe to remote medical service providers
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Keep stock of Personal Protective Equipment. Reference

India: Kolkata Port issues EoI for mega container transhipment port

24 Jan 2023
The Kolkata Port has released an expression of interest (EoI) for the country’s first mega container transhipment port to be built in a phased manner at Galathea Bay in the Great Nicobar Islands. The project is expected to involve an investment of Rs 17,000 crore.

Currently, India does not have a large container transhipment port, and all international container cargo has to be routed through Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia. The proposed port at Galathea Bay will enable transhipment of cargo from the entire east coast of India as well as from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Union Minister of State for Port and Shipping has recently visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to preview development activities planned for the islanders with port-related infrastructure. The EoI will seek feedback from global port operators, maritime service majors and shipping liners.

After this process, a detailed project report will be prepared for the project for seeking bids. Reference

Hongkong Restarts Cruise After Three Years

23 Jan 2023
The luxury cruise ship, “SILVER SPIRIT” docked in Hong Kong on January 18th. With this, its operator Silversea Cruises became the first liner to visit Hong Kong after the relaxation of Covid Restrictions by the Chinese government.

The 39,519 gross ton vessel, SILVER SPIRIT, docked at the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, becoming the first international cruise ship to arrive in three years after the pandemic. The ship can carry 608 passengers at double occupancy, but was carrying 320 guests as sailing at reduced capacity is still mandated in the region.

In December, the mandatory Quarantine for international passengers was removed by the government. For a long time, cruise lines were forced to cancel voyages in Asia due to restrictions such as these that rendered cruising unviable.

16 ships are expected to make a total of 82 calls to Hong Kong in 2023. Reference

Cruise ship layups a major cause of biofouling

23 Jan 2023
Long layups during the COVID-19 pandemic are a major cause for the biofouling of some cruise ships this season, Biosecurity New Zealand told Seatrade Cruise News.

Other contributing factors are the number of new-to-cruise inexperienced personnel and the availability of qualified divers, according to Paul Hallett, environmental health manager, Biosecurity New Zealand.

He said eight cruise ships failed to meet New Zealand’s stringent biological fouling compliance so far this year.

Biofouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals on a ship’s hull.

Hallett said they were identified with various levels of biofouling that could introduce unwanted marine pests. 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. Reference

Share it now