Life & Love

POSIDONIA 2024: DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

18 JUNE 2024  Posidonia 2024: once more, the global maritime community gathered in Athens to celebrate the shipping industry’s achievements and discuss its outlook (and party incessantly) amid extremely healthy markets across all segments. Smiling faces dominated all events, though there was a clear understanding that the colossal liquidity amassed during the …

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NORWAY FINES SHIPPING COMPANY AND MASTER FOR HAVING HEAVY FUEL IN SVALBARD

14 JUNE 2024  Norwegian authorities for the first time have fined a shipping company and the master of a cargo vessel for having heavy fuel oil aboard the vessel in the Svalbard region. The governor of the region reports that the vessel was found in violation of the Svalbard Environment …

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ONE SEAFARER MISSING ON DISABLED SHIP AND SECOND INJURED IN HOUTHI ATTACKS

13 JUNE 2024  The Houthis have stepped up their attacks over the past 24 hours with severe consequences for the seafarers working aboard the vessels. With three reported incidents in a 24-hour span, one seafarer is reported missing and presumed deceased aboard the bulker Tutor that was hit yesterday, with …

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MASTER FACES JAIL TIME AND FINES AFTER CREW REPORTS MARPOL VIOLATION

11 JUNE 2024  The master of a UAE-owned product tanker pleaded guilty today, June 11, to obstruction and violating ship pollution prevention laws during an appearance in a Louisiana court. The master who will be sentenced in September could face both jail time and significant fines and this comes after …

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BOXSHIP’S ENGINE CONTROLS GET STUCK ON FULL AHEAD, FORCING BRIDGE CLOSURE

05 JUNE 2024  On Wednesday, an MSC boxship lost control of its main engine and accelerated to 17 knots on the Cooper River at Charleston, South Carolina, forcing the temporary closure of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. At about 1217 hours, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston received a call from …

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IMO STRENGTHENS RULES FOR REPORTING OF CONTAINERS LOST OVERBOARD

03 JUN 2024  The rules governing the reporting of containers lost overboard are being amended starting in 2026 to require masters of vessels to report incidents and add specific requirements and a process to the reporting. The Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization recently finalized the efforts that …

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CREWMEMBERS KILLED AND INJURED IN BULKER EXPLOSION OFF MOROCCO

  31 MAY 2024  Moroccan authorities are investigating after an explosion killed at least seven crewmembers and others injured aboard a bulker chartered by a company in Ethiopia. The vessel Toro Rosso (91,384 dwt) was anchored off the port of Jorf Lasfar waiting to proceed in to load Moroccan phosphate …

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CALLS FOR INTERVENTION AS SEAFARER ABANDONMENT REACHES RECORD LEVELS

30 MAY 2024  One of the perennial issues in the industry is the plight of seafarers abandoned by shipowners and operators often without food and resources in violation of international treaties and the Maritime Labour Convention. In a new exposé, the Associated Press is shining a light on the issue …

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CLIMATE CHANGE MAY BE FUELING A RESURGENCE OF PIRACY ACROSS AFRICA

24 MAY 2024 In the churning waters off Nigeria, armed pirates in small skiffs speed towards a cargo ship. They clamber aboard, seizing control of the vessel and its valuable cargo. This isn’t a scene from a swashbuckling film; it’s a stark reality for seafarers in many parts of the …

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CREW TIED UP AND ROBBED ON PRODUCT TANKER IN ATLANTIC FAR FROM AFRICA

22 MAY 2024  In a rare instance of piracy outside the hot zones such as off Somalia, the Singapore Strait, or the Gulf of Guinea, security reports are indicating the crew of a product tanker was robbed in the middle of the Atlantic last week. The crew was uninjured, and …

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