The latest must-have for commercial shipowners: a piracy insurance policy
cargo
A risk consultancy with close ties to the Lloyd’s insurance market is offering the world’s first insurance policy for shipowners covering potential ransom payouts on crew members who have been kidnapped.
Kidnap and ransom insurance is well-established but has traditionally been offered only in respect of individual executives working in commercially sensitive [...]
HELCOM report shows sharp decrease in ship collisions in the Baltic
helcom
While every year there are more and more ships plying the waters of the Baltic Sea, the occurrence of ship-to-ship collisions, one of the most serious types of accidents at sea, has decreased sharply since 2005, especially in such a busy traffic area like the Gulf of Finland, according to the latest HELCOM study. Analysis [...]
Russian Register of Shipping - Guarantee for quality and safety
russian_register
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) has been awarded a golden medal ‘Guarantee for quality and safety’. RS has become a laureate of National Safety awards and has received a golden medal in the nomination “For the development of technical standards aimed at ensuring safety of offshore oil and gas facilities”. The National Safety awards [...]
2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea presented to Brazilian seafarer
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The 2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to a Brazilian seafarer who saved fellow crew members from a dangerous fire on a ship.
Mr. Rodolpho Fonseca da Silva Rigueira, of the drill ship Noble Roger Eason, nominated by the Government of Brazil, for his decisive, selfless action to rescue six fellow [...]
IMO chief makes direct appeal to Security Council for Somalia piracy action
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IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos has issued a call at the highest level for a coordinated and cohesive response, both internationally and nationally, to combat the scourge of piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Yesterday (20 November), in a personal briefing to the UN Security Council in [...]
Saudi says pirate “terrorism” will spark crackdown
piracy
ATHENS (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Tuesday the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker with $100 million of oil onboard would trigger an international crackdown on piracy, which he compared to terrorism.
Prince Saud al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia would throw its weight behind a European-led initiative to step up security in the busy shipping [...]
Melting polar ice cuts pollution in Straits of Malacca
KUALA LUMPUR: The polar icecap in the Arctic is melting away. Bad news for many scientists, but welcomed by shippers who see the fabled Northwest and Northeast Passages finally opening up.
And that could lead to fewer ships using the Straits of Malacca, causing less pollution and erosion of Malaysia’s coastline.
Maritime experts, though, believe Malaysia’s ports [...]
Report warns Somali piracy threat to world trade
NAIROBI: World trade faces major disruption if Somali piracy is unchecked and allowed to be co-opted by extremists and maritime routes could be gradually diverted, a report released on Thursday said.
London-based think tank Chatham House warned in a briefing paper that the international community needed to take swift action as pirates were rapidly improving [...]
RINA LAUNCHES NEW GREEN PLUS CLASS NOTATION
ITALY-based classification society Rina has launched a new goal-based class notation, Green Plus. The voluntary notation will be based on an environmental performance index which covers all aspects of the vessel’s impact on the environment, including carbon emissions.
Rina’s Green Star notation already anticipates the requirements of MARPOL and other relevant legislation. Now, Rina says, the [...]
EU lawmakers clear tougher safety rules
European Union lawmakers approved a series of proposals to strengthen shipping safety and prevent oil spills but the package still faces tough negotiations with the bloc’s governments.
The European Parliament’s package will clearly define tougher duties for states under whose flags ships operate and will clarify vessel owners’ liability and insurance obligations.
The proposed rules would also [...]
