News Bulletin – 9 November 2019

1. Adequate measures in place for ports safety.

8 Nov 2019 : The security and safety of ports, shipping and maritime were highlighted at a session held yesterday at the Silk Road Exhibition & One Belt, One Road Conference running at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).

The panelists asked the management of ports and other stakeholders to take extra precautions by training their employees to ensure safety and security of ports and maritime operation because it is a global matter. Second session of the event was on Security and Safety in Supply and Logistics which was moderated by Minas Khatchadorian, Consultant at the Qatar International Centre for conciliation and Arbitration.

2. Fire Hits Tanker off Singapore, 18 Crew Evacuated.

8 Nov 2019 : The Panama-flagged oil and chemical tanker Hoyu was hit by a fire in Singapore’s territorial waters, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The incident occurred in the afternoon hours of November 7 while the 8,925 dwt unit was some 9.7 nautical miles from Pedra Branca, eastern Singapore Strait.

MPA Singapore informed that the Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Police Coast Guard and the Republic of Singapore Navy deployed vessels to render assistance to the Hoyu crew. All 18 crew members have been safely evacuated and the fire has been put out. There were no reports of injury or pollution following the incident, MPA Singapore said, adding that shipping traffic in the area was not affected.

3. Seafarer Happiness Levels Rise Across All Industry Sectors.

5 Nov 2019 : After concerning reports earlier in the year, the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report has shown a marked improvement in happiness levels among seafarers across all sectors of the industry.

The latest quarterly data showed that the overall seafarer happiness has risen from 6.27/10 to 6.59, representing “a very promising sign for the industry,”according to the report released by the Mission to Seafarers. Happiness regarding interaction with other crew members has also increased to 7.28 from 6.85 reported in the last quarter.

4. Ministry of Shipping Announces First Ever Movement Of Container Cargo On Brahmaputra.

5 Nov 2019 : In line with Government’s focus on improving connectivity to the North Eastern Region (NER), a landmark container cargo consignment will sail on inland waterways from Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) terminal at Pandu in Guwahati on 4 November, 2019.

Gopal Krishna, Secretary (Shipping) will flag off the inland vessel MV Maheshwari carrying 53 TEUs (containers) of petrochemicals, edible oil and beverage etc. The 12-15 days voyage will be an integrated IWT movement via National Waterway-1 (river Ganga), NW-97 (Sunderbans), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route and NW-2 (river Brahmaputra).

5. Singapore Arrests 11 Men for Illegal Transaction of Marine Fuel.

4 Nov 2019 : Singapore’s Police Coast Guard (PCG) has arrested eleven men, aged between 31 and 52, for their suspected involvement in an illegal transaction of marine gas oil (MGO).

The joint operation with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was carried out on October 30, 2019. As informed, the PCG arrested six crew members of a craft belonging to a marine service provider and another five crewmen of a foreign-registered tugboat for the illegal transaction of MGO at the sea off Northern Tuas. Preliminary investigations revealed that the crew members of the marine service provider’s craft misappropriated the MGO and sold it to the crew members of the foreign-registered tugboat.

6. Two Killed, One Missing after Explosion on Russian Tanker.

4 Nov 2019 : Two people were killed following an explosion on board a crude oil tanker off the coast of Nakhodka Bay in the far east of Russia near Vladivostock. One more person is still missing following the blast on November 2 which is thought to have been caused by a mixture of gas and air exploding.

In a statement, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee said: “In the morning, in the Nakhodka Bay near Mys Astafyeva, a gas and air mixture blasted. No blaze was observed. According to the preliminary data, two people were killed while the whereabouts of another person is unknown.” Investigators have begun a criminal investigation into the incident which occurred on the Zaliv Amerika crude oil tanker.

References :

– www.hellenicshippingnews.com

– worldmaritimenews.com

– www.business-standard.com

– www.hazardexonthenet.net