20 SEPT 2021 In the middle of this summer’s shocking fires and floods came the grimmest climate science report yet from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warning of a “code red for humanity” as our use of fossil fuels continues to drive up global temperatures. To keep below the threshold of 1.5 degrees C of warming – …
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19 SEPT 2021 Why fuel assessments can be distorted if energy density is overlooked. Comparing fuel price and performance on a per-tonne basis has sufficed for liquid fossil fuels, but as shipowners evaluate new fuels as part of their decarbonization plans, this method is no longer accurate. SEA-LNG has identified …
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18 SEPT 2021 A plague of crew abandonment has swept through the lower end of the maritime industry over the past year, with dozens of small shipowners allegedly walking away from their financially-distressed vessels and leaving the crews behind – often without pay. “We’re still living here in the vessel …
Read More »17 SEPT 2021 Last week, the UK’s National Crime Agency intercepted a converted New Zealand Navy patrol boat and arrested her six-member crew on suspicion of drug trafficking. After an extensive search, officers pulled two tonnes of cocaine from hiding places on board. The vessel – the yacht-conversion Kahu, formerly a …
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16 SEPT 2021 On Thursday, the ship management division of Stena confirmed that two tanker crewmembers were killed by a large wave off Cape Horn last weekend. On Saturday, as the Euronav-owned oil tanker Arafura was rounding Cape Horn, en route to Long Beach from Brazil, she ran into rough weather and …
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15 SEPT 2021 Every million tonnes of coal has recently been costing China’s steel mills more than $400 million, compared with around $250 million paid by steel mills everywhere else. The difference is entirely explained by China’s embargo on Australian coal. Since China’s mills use almost two million tonnes of coal every …
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10 SEPT 2021 More than half HMM’s 600-strong seafarer workforce have quit following management refusal to meet pay demands. Some 453 staff voted in the seafarers’ union strike ballot last weekend, more than 90% backing action in protest at a reluctance to give generous salary increases after a pay freeze between 2011 and …
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09 SEPT 2021 A zero-tolerance approach to bullying should be in place on all vessels, with abusive crew members removed from the ship if they repeatedly harass a colleague, according to some mental health experts. Former chief engineer Stephan Vecchi believes the maritime industry must have a strict two-strike policy …
Read More »08 SEPT 2021 Bottom fouling by marine growth is a subject of frequent disputes in time charters. Fouling increases friction and affects the performance of the vessel in terms of speed and fuel consumption, and it also necessitates cleaning. The bottom may be in a fouled condition at the time …
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07 SEPT 2021 In September 2019, Gambian lawmakers gathered in the stately but neglected hall of the National Assembly for an annual meeting, where James Gomez, minister of the country’s fisheries and water resources, insisted that “Gambian fisheries are thriving. ” Industrial fishing boats and plants represent the largest employer …
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