NL MARITIME NEWS

NL MARITIME NEWS

A NewsLink service for Dole Colombia International maritime news for seafarers

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 Headland SatNews

NATIONAL

Danish, Filipino crewmembers freed after 2 years

Two Danes and four Filipinos crewmembers who were held hostage in Somalia for more than two years after their ship was attacked by pirates were released on Tuesday, the Danish government said. Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal said that the six men were safe aboard a Danish Navy frigate off Somalia, but gave no further details. The crewmen were on the Danish cargo ship when it was attacked on January 12, 2011 off the Somali coast. They were believed to have been held hostage on the mainland. "For more than two years, ruthless criminals have kept them prisoner," Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said, adding: "Today, we are pleased that the six seamen have gotten their freedom back." She denied that Denmark had paid a ransom. Defence Minister Nick Haekkerup told reporters that Danish commandos were sent to Somalia to pick up the hostages and escorted them out to the Danish frigate. It was unclear how they were released but Danish TV2 said the six men were freed by the hostage-takers after they had received a ransom. Some of the hostages received medical assistance, including Soeren Lyngbjoern, who reportedly had been so ill for weeks that he was unable to stand up. "I am looking forward to receiving medical assistance because I'm very sick," Lyngbjoern was quoting as telling Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet, which says it spoke with the hostage by telephone after his release. It was not clear where the hostages were headed but the Danish Foreign Ministry said all six eventually would be reunited with their families. It gave no details. (AP)

Search continues for 16 Syrian crewmembers

Extensive search for eight Syrian crewmembers continued for the second day on Tuesday. The Greek coast guard officers began their search after a cargo vessel, carrying fertiliser from Ukraine colliding with another ship and sank off the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese, western Greece, on Monday. At the time of the incident, 16 crewmembers were onboard the illfated vessel. While six are missing, bodies of two seamen were found on Monday itself. The cargo vessel was reportedly carrying fertiliser to Ukraine, when it sank after colliding with a vessel registered in Antigua and

SAFETY Plastic piping

Many ships are today fitted with both ballast and IG system pipes manufactured from approved types of Plastics and Glass Reinforced Plastics (GRP). Since this piping is said to be impervious to corrosion, it is often implied that there are no particular maintenance problems associated with its use on board vessels. However, during inspections, it is often found that certain major problems do occur, which can prove harmful for the ship and its crew. Pipes in double bottom and side tanks are normally of

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Barbuda.

Oil Spill cleanup methods are flawed: study

According to a recent study, the ongoing oil spill cleanup methods are flawed. A recently published paper, titled: 'A Call for a TwentyFirst-Century SOLUTION in Oil Spill Response' claims that 'misguidance' on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency is today responsible for such flawed clean up methods which has led to a 25-year addiction to chemical dispersants used in spill cleanups. The study also points out that regrettably, industry officials think that these are the best tools for managing environmental damage and profit loss from oil spill fines. "Spill it, boom it, skim it, sink it, disperse it, and hide it' is a mantra that recurs throughout most oil spill incidents," said Barbara Wiseman, LAEO's International President, another joint author of the paper. She added: "We intend for this publication to correct the EPA's inaccurate guidance documents that have been barriers to effective clean up and we believe, that even the oil companies will welcome it." Meanwhile, Jeanne Pascal, retired EPA attorney and another joint author, said: "The fact is, the Gulf ecosystem is still in crisis and certain members of the EPA have been using these erroneous documents to stand in the way of our and others' efforts to get the waters truly cleaned up. Inadequate oil spill response outcomes have become the industry norm."

continuous lengths, secured by metal hoops to the frames of the tank. Over time, the strength of these hoops is degraded by corrosion which can allow the pipe to shift under the pressure of water passing through it, or from a hydraulic shock caused when a valve is open. This can crack the pipes and cause problems at flanges that are required to pass through tank bulkheads. It is therefore recommended that crewmembers pay particular attention to these pipes when inspecting ballast spaces in the normal course of planned maintenance and cleaning. Any damaged securing hoops should be replaced as soon as possible. Where plastic pipes are used at tank suction bells or in wells of tanks for suction, they are less prone to erosion caused by the suction turbulence and, in fact, the steel of the tank is more liable to be eroded heavily under these suction bells, which can lead to serious holes forming in shell plating. In these areas it is recommended that the plate's thickness is checked on a regular basis to avoid such problems. Source: UK P&I Club

Sandy dumped 11bln gallons of sewage in waterways

Superstorm Sandy has released 11 billion gallons of sewage from East Coast treatment plants into bodies of water from Washington, DC, to Connecticut, according to a report released on Tuesday by a science journalism group. Princeton, N J-based Climate Central said that future sewage leaks are a major risk because rising sea levels can make coastal flooding more severe. The group, which compiled data from state agencies and treatment plant operators, did not look at the specific environmental or public health impact of the sewage overflows after Sandy, which struck in late October. But it said that bacteria in sewage can spread water-borne illnesses and have a particularly bad effect on shellfish. In New Jersey, officials spent months monitoring shellfish beds for contamination and reopened the last of them in mid-April, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. The collective overflows, almost all in New York and New Jersey and due to storm surges, would be enough to cover New York City's Central Park with a pile of sewage 41 feet high, Climate Central said. About one-third of the sewage was not treated at all and the rest was not completely treated. The group said the estimated cost of repairing damage to sewage treatment plants after Sandy was nearly USD 2 billion in New York and USD 2.7 billion in New Jersey. Alyson Kenward, the lead author of the report, said that treatment facilities should raise power generators and other critical components to minimise future overflows. She also said separating sewage lines from storm water overflow pipes can also help, though that's an expensive undertaking.

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"These facilities do by design have to be relatively close to the water," she said. "They are always going to be vulnerable to coastal flooding." (AP)

COMMERCE Push to infra sector: 2 new ports to be set up

In a major push to infrastructure sector, the Indian Cabinet will consider, on Wednesday, a proposal to set up two big ports with an investment of USD 3200 million, a step being taken after a few decades. Along with the proposal for the ports, the Cabinet will also consider a proposal of the Indian Railway Ministry for restarting two large modern locomotive factories in Madhepura and Marhowra in Bihar at an investment of about USD 4000 million. The two ports, one each in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, will add the capacity by 100 million metric tonnes, sources said. The ports, to be operated in public-private-partnership mode, are intended to cater to the increased import of coal and oil besides boosting local economy and jobs. At present there are 12 major ports in India, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin, Kandla and Visakhapatanam. Cargo traffic at ports during the six-month period ending September 2012 grew by just 1.8% to 455.8 million tonnes due to decline in shipments handled at major ports. Cargo traffic or the goods transported for commercial gain increased to 455.8 million tonnes during the period April-September, 2012 and from 448 million tonnes during April-September, 2011 period. (PTI)

REGRATTA 99 ships, half-million tourists to attend 'Tall Ships Races 2013' regatta
At least 99 training ships and yachts from about 20 countries, with approximately 3,500 crewmembers, representing 35 countries, will visit the Latvian capital of Riga during the 'Tall Ships Races' international regatta. The event, in terms of significance and due to its major scale, will be on par with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Riga. The regatta is expected to bring around half-million tourists to Riga. The Riga leg of the regatta will be held on July 25 through July 28. During these four days, Riga will host a variety of free cultural and recreational events and the general public will be able to see the ships that visit the Riga port. This year, the regatta will start in Arhus, proceed to Helsinki, then to Riga, and finish in Szczecin. During the four days, any Rigan or guest of the city will be able to board and tour the ships anchored at the Riga Port and talk to the crew. The largest numbers of sailing ships arriving in Riga will be from Great Britain, Poland, Russia, Germany, Norway and Netherlands. The 'Cisne Branco' will travel to Riga all the way from Brazil and the 'Shabab Oman' from Oman, the only sailing ship to win the main regatta prize, will also visit Riga. The oldest ships will be 'Caroline af Sandes', 'Liv' and 'Wyvern' from Norway, built in 1885, 1893 and 1897, respectively. C-class yacht 'Spaniel' and D-class yacht 'Galaxy' will represent Latvia at the 'Tall Ships Races'. (LETA)

CRIME Frozen pangolins recovered

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The Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday said that 431 boxes of frozen pangolins were recovered from a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground at Tubbataha Reef on April 8. It added that this can lead to the filing of additional charges against the vessel's 12 crewmen. PCG Palawan District head Commodore Enrico Evangelista said they have counted at least 431 boxes of anteaters that had been retrieved from the vessel which was refloated last April 19. The frozen pangolins inside the boxes have been buried in Palawan. Pangolins are considered an endangered species in the Philippines. Earlier, an initial examination of the dead pangolins indicated some of them may have been gathered from inside the Philippines. (PNA)

HI-TECH AIS system helps reduce shipping accidents

The Malaysian Marine Department (MMD) on Tuesday said that a substantial decline has been registered in the number of maritime accidents, often witnessed in the high traffic waters of the Straits off Malacca. According to the MMD, the installation of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) in small boats of less than 15 tonnes has lead to this encouraging development. The system helps in transmitting information on ships to other vessels with the help of radio or satellite links. It then not only identifies a vessel's current position, but also its course and speed thus enabling it to be traced by other vessels and maritime authorities. MMD Maritime Director-General Datuk Ahmad Othman said: "The drop in accident rates is due to improved monitoring systems as we are installing AIS on small boats. With the AIS we can start to track small boats and minimise accidents. On average, 70,000 merchant vessels use the Straits of Malacca annually, and this figure does not include small fishing vessels, of which 30,000 use the strait annually." He stressed that AIS was developed with the aim to avoid collisions between large vessels that are not within the range of shore-based systems. Due to the limitations of Very High Frequency (VHF) radio communications, and because not all vessels are equipped with AIS, the system is meant to be used primarily as a means of lookout and to determine the risk of collision rather than as an automatic collision avoidance system, in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. Based on the number of Class A vessels in service in 2008, it is estimated that there are more than 40,000 ships currently using AIS Class A equipment on an ongoing basis. In 2010, most commercial vessels operating on the EU inland waterways were mandated to fit an inlandwaterway (modified and approved) AIS Class A device. The entire EU fishing fleet over 15 metres was given until 2014 to do the same. Additionally, a number of other countries, including China, India, the US, and Singapore, have started AIS mandate programs which require large numbers of vessels to fit an approved AIS device for safety and national security purposes.

SHIPPING DATA
BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: 11:00 GMT Dry Index Capesize Index BDI BCI 863 -5

1273 +13

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Panamax Index Supramax Index Handysize Index

BPI BSI BHSI

1028 -30 888 544 -7 -1

EXCHANGE RATES
New York (Tue Cls) Fgn Currency in USD Britain (Pound) Canada (Dollar) China (Yuan) Euro India (Rupee) 1.5534 0.9924 0.1622 1.3158 0.0186 USD in Fgn Currency 0.6438 1.0076 6.1668 0.7600 53.6860 9722.00 97.5100 5.7696 41.1300 3.1600 31.0925 1.2323

Indonesia (Rupiah) 0.000103 Japan (Yen) Norway (Krone) Philippines (Peso) Poland (Zloty) Russia (Ruble) Singapore (Dollar) 0.010255 0.1733 0.0243 0.3163 0.0322 0.8115

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