Missing General Cargo Ship over 25 years of age in Black Sea.

A General Cargo vessel, flag - foreign, GRT- 3009t, built in 1982, owned and managed by foreign shipping company completed loading of steel billets on 16.02. 2008 in one of the foreign ports in [...]


IMO publishes new IMDG Code (2008 Edition)

imo
A new edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the standard guide to all aspects of handling dangerous goods and marine pollutants in sea transport, has been published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in hard copy, as a download and [...]


Pursuit of Pirates on Somali Territory Sought at UN

piracy
By Bill Varner
Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Pirates could be chased onto Somali territory under a proposal the U.S. wants the United Nations Security Council to endorse, diplomats said.
A draft resolution to authorize such action has been given to some member governments on the panel, and a vote may be sought as early as next week, [...]


Security upgrades set to make India�s ports even more costly

a-birdes-eye-view-of-containers
Bangalore: India’s relatively high-cost ports are likely to charge even more as the government takes steps to beef up security following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The government is planning to install equipment to scan cargo containers, set up a marine commando force, increase the number of security personnel and buy speedboats to help in search operations.
[...]


Somali pirates release Greek ship

capt-stefanos
The East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) issued a statement today confirming that the bulk carrier CAPT. STEFANOS (sometimes spelled CAPT STEPHANOS) was released by its hijackers yesterday.
The vessel was captured by Somali pirates in September along with her crew of 19 in the Gulf of Aden.
“The Greek ship-owner’s company Chartworld Shipping Corporation (Athens) finally [...]


Tanker outlook: Owners unlikely to walk away from newbuild contracts

on-the-bridge-small
New York: Most of the tankers currently on order will be built and delivered, according to New York broker Poten & Partners. This is in marked contrast to the dry bulk market where analysts believe large numbers of bulk carriers will be seriously delayed or cancelled. However, tanker owners and investors are anxiously awaiting a [...]


Terror on high seas, now a major worry for ship owners

Plummeting freight rates and shrinking cargo as a result of the global financial meltdown are not the only issues presently gnawing at shipping companies. The recent flare-up of terror on high seas, off the coast of Somalia, has become a sharper concern for ship owners.
Even after the Indian seafarers aboard Stolt Valor, which was hijacked [...]


Piracy scourge affecting India’s merchandise trade

piracy
Twenty seven-year-old Jasmeet Singh, third officer with a Norwegian merchant vessel cruising along the Horn of Africa en route to the Mediterranean sea, is a worried man. Satellite phone usage on-board is limited to senior officers like the captain and chief engineer.
But these are exceptional times. Besides his family, Singh has repeatedly called four of [...]


Defiant Somali pirates await EU navy force

piracy
Somali pirates were undeterred Saturday as a new European Union naval forces readied to launch an operation aimed at curbing relentless attacks that have rattled world maritime trade. The EU’s anti-piracy drive, dubbed Atalanta, was to formally kick off on Monday, increasing the military presence in the Gulf of Aden, which has in recent months [...]


Maritime body issues S. China Sea piracy warning

icc
Ships have been told to keep a lookout to guard against pirate attacks in the South China Sea off eastern Malaysia following an attack on a vessel last week, the International Maritime Bureau said on Sunday.
The warning came after pirates attacked a coal ship 10 nautical miles off the coast of the eastern Malaysian island [...]