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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »RUSSIA TEAMS WITH CHINA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE
21 MAY 2024 Russia is seeking Chinese support in the development of its Northern Sea route. While briefing President Putin during a state visit to the Chinese city of Harbin last week, Rosatom’s head Alexei Likhachev said that they have formed a Russian-Chinese sub-commission for the Northern Sea Route (NSR). …
Read More »HOUTHI ATTACK DAMAGES SHADOW FLEET TANKER CARRYING RUSSIAN OIL
19 MAY 2024 Shortly after midnight local time May 18 reports began coming in that a tanker had been struck while heading south in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. They are indicating that there was a fire aboard and damage to the vessel but it received assistance …
Read More »CAPE OF GOOD HOPE DIVERSIONS THREATEN CII GRADES – AND SHOW VALUE OF DATA
18 MAY 2024 The shipping industry has been enveloped by a sustained period of intense geopolitical volatility. Previous challenges – like the emergence of the Russian ‘dark fleet’ and the reduction in traffic through the Panama Canal – have now been superseded by the mass re-routing of vessels via the …
Read More »SUSPECTED SOMALI PIRATES TAKEN TO SEYCHELLES FOR PROSECUTION
17 MAY 2024 An EU warship is transferring six suspected pirates to the Seychelles for possible prosecution following an incident in the Gulf of Aden that has now be classified as a pirate attack. The European Union Naval Force’s (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA last week confirmed a “suspicous approach” involving the …
Read More »EU ADVISES TO GIVE WIDE BERTH AND ZIG-ZAGGING AFTER HOUTHI ESCALATIONS
17 MAY 2024 As the Red Sea security crisis and the Houthi efforts pass the 150-day mark, the EU security operation issued a new advisory to ships telling them to steer further to sea and take other evasive actions. EUNAVFOR Aspides is telling ships to “maintain a heightened state of …
Read More »REPORT: INDIAN CLASS WITHDRAWN ON SANCTIONED RUSSIAN TANKERS
16 MAY 2024 Russian shipping interests continue to shuffle around the registry details of their large crude tankers in an apparent effort to address the Western sanctions on vessels. Reuters conducted an analysis and found that 12 of the 14 tankers listed by the United States in February 2024 have …
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