The purpose of a bridge navigational watch alarm system (BNWAS) is to monitor bridge activity and detect operator disability which could lead to marine accidents. The system monitors the awareness of the Officer of the Watch (00W) and automatically alerts the Master or another qualified 00W if for any reason the 00W becomes incapable of performing the OOW’s duties. This purpose is achieved by a series of indications and alarms to alert first the 00W and, if he is not responding, then to alert the Master or another qualified 00W. Additionally, the BNWAS may provide the 00W with a means of calling for immediate assistance if required. The BNWAS should be operational whenever the ship’s heading or track control system is engaged, unless inhibited by the Master. Join our newsletter, maritime enthusiasts are already getting benefits of our growing newsletter- https://marinesthing.beehiiv.com/

One month after the Princess Empress sank, the spilt oil is still spreading, and authorities have warned that 40% of its cargo has yet to leak into the seas near Mindoro Island. The tanker was hit by a storm, lost power, and sank on February 28th, carrying over 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil. At a depth of nearly 400 metres, a Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle discovered extensive structural damage. Seven of the sunken ship’s eight cargo tanks have leaked, and four are already empty; however, 300,000 litres of oil remain. The oil has made it as far as Palawan Island, which is 350 kilometres from where the tanker sank. Furthermore, some of it has drifted north to the Verde Island Passage, a region known for its abundant marine life located between Mindoro and Luzon. The two major slicks northwest and southeast of its location now cover an area of 162 square kilometres. When it was discovered that the ship registered locally had been built in 2022 according to Equasis’ shipping database, questions about its history arose; however, it was pointed out that it was actually very old and had been modified twice. Furthermore, it was reported that the vessel did not have a permit to operate before embarking on its last voyage because it had previously gone on nine voyages without the proper paperwork. Be the smartest sailor onboard by following us and subscribing our weekly newsletter - https://marinesthing.beehiiv.com/

In this Episode of Marine Case Study presents by Marinesthing we are going to learn lessons which can provide fruitful results if you just listen it carefully. A loaded VLCC was underway. The vessel’s weather routing service was forecasting waves with a significant height of more than six metres. The vessel’s speed was slowed to between five and six knots to reduce the chances of shipping seas on deck.Due to the heavy weather restrictions, access to the main deck was not permitted except when specifically permitted by the Master. This restriction was even posted on the central notice board. Listen to this podcast till end to know the lessons and report for this case study.

On 24 September, the IMO and the global maritime community come together to celebrate the annual World Maritime Day. The 2020 theme is Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet. The topic is in line with the industry-wide efforts pushing to save fuel, and develop green energy sources as they work to decarbonize shipping. However, the year has been completely overshadowed by the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and, especially on the seafarers, who are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the industry. More than 300,000 seafarers are currently stranded on ships, with some now having been working for more than 17 months at sea, without a break. A further 300,000 workers are unable to join ships and potentially face unemployment due to Government-imposed travel restrictions and quarantine measures in different parts of the world.

For years, Japan's north coast had been the site of a macabre phenomena: fishing boats washing up on shore carrying the bodies of dead North Koreans, more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from their homeland. But the numbers in 2017 were unprecedented: More than 100 boats landed on the Japanese coast with 35 bodies on board. Only 66 boats had washed up the year prior.

The increase in incidents in the Singapore Strait in the first half of the year was mirrored in the Asian region in general with 51 incidents of armed robbery and piracy reported in Asia in the first half of the year nearly double the number of 28 in the same period a year earlier. While the number of incidents was up the severity was generally low with 74% in ReCAAP’s ‘Cat 4’ which means the perpetrators were not armed/crew not harmed.

Consider the voyage of the container ship Melina, which set sail Wednesday from a Chinese port near Shenzhen with products bound for U.S. households, a hulking symbol of how the flow of goods is adapting in a global economy crippled by a pandemic. Capable of carrying almost 4,300 containers, she’s downright petite in an industry where the biggest can handle more than 20,000. The Melina is part of a budding fleet of smaller vessels that Covid-19 has thrust into service between the world’s biggest economies. Smaller means faster. She’ll dock in Los Angeles on July 6 after a 12-day nonstop journey — a week ahead of a larger ship doing the same route.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and Global Cruise Lines have reached an agreement today that will see crew continue to be repatriated over the coming days.  The seafarers have been stranded on board the six Global Cruise Lines’ vessels currently in Tilbury and Bristol, in the United Kingdom because of global travel restrictions brought in to deal with the global pandemic.

A group of armed men attacked the FPSO Sendje Berge some 30 nautical miles southwest from Bonny Island, earlier today, kidnapping some of its crew members. The news first emerged on the website of the UK-based security intel firm Dryad Global, which cited a ‘high confidence’ report, according to which 11 crew members of the FPSO were suspected of being kidnapped.

Stena Bulk believes biofuel has the potential of putting shipping on the trajectory towards IMO’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, without having to wait for new technology and zero-carbon fuels to emerge as commercially viable options. The options will range from 20% to 100% biofuels and will be based on an offsetting program where the biofuel is used within the Stena Bulk fleet, which allows customers to make use of low-carbon shipping options regardless of fuel availability on the specific route. 

16 out of 19 Russian crew of Russian reefer ICE STREAM on Jun 22 were declared to be covid-hoax test positive at Busan, Korea, where the ship arrived on Jun 21, from Vladivostok Russia. Some 160 people, including dockers and ship repair technicians, were put under quarantine. 

The Panama Ship Registry yesterday advised that seafarer contracts can be extended by a further three months with some seafarers now on course to serve a total of 17 months at sea. The extension means some ships will sail with seafarers who will have worked eight months beyond the maximum period specified under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

An Indian mariner was reported missing on the high seas from a crude oil tanker vessel on its way to a port in South Korea from Singapore, his family said on Saturday. Sambit Majumder, a middle-aged mariner with experience of over two decades, is a second engineer of a Liberian-flag vessel “MT Serengeti” and left home in early February.

The dry bulk market is riding on a high as a result of demand picking up around the world. In its latest weekly report, Allied Shipbroking said that “a remarkable change has been witnessed of late in the dry bulk market, with demand ramping up significantly and boosting freight rates to levels not seen for some time now. However, the question holds to if the current demand trends will hold through during the rest of the year or if this is just a temporary peak. Given the most recent global developments, the worst impacts on trade as part of the global pandemic seem to have passed for now”.

Transits through the Suez Canal, the beating heart of the Egyptian economy, have stayed remarkably resilient to the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic if judging by total transits of the three commercial shipping sectors which are up 8% year-on-year. This is despite bleak economic growth prospects world-wide following the pandemic, and highlights that shipping remains the backbone of the global economy. It is often said that a picture says more than 1,000 words, but 6,166 ship transits in the Suez Canal can certainly also tell an interesting tale. Data from Leth Agencies and the Suez Canal Authority highlight that in the first five months of 2020, oil tanker and dry bulker transits in the Canal are all up considerably, while the harsh conditions in the container shipping market have limited container ship transits.

COVID-19 has hit the vehicle carrier market hard. The world vehicle demand has dropped by c.35%. Consequently, shipping these vehicles has fallen considerably.The only order to take place earlier this year is one from NYK line for a large LCTC for $95 million.

Singapore is one of the nations that is working to support the effort to facilitate crew changes both due to the humanitarian needs as well as those of the shipping companies. Local authorities have been assisting with a range of efforts including charter flights, and developing a new safety protocol, as designed to support the crew change initiatives.  Since March, more than 4,000 cases of crew sign-on and sign-off for over 300 companies have been approved for Singapore. Organized by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) working with other government agencies, unions, and the shipping industry this had included more than 500 vessels ranging from tankers to bulk carriers, container ships, and offshore vessels.

The ITF had repeatedly said in its calls for action that June 16 was the deadline for governments to implement the IMO protocols that would make crew changes possible. Now the ITF has increased the pressure speaking directly to the over 200,000 seafarers that it believes are waiting to disembark from the world’s ships and return home. The message says, “You have done your job, performed your duties, and accepted that you were unable to return home in the beginning in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 – but no more.”

Workers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) stopped work and lay down their tools Tuesday morning for an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence in honor of George Floyd and all victims of police brutality.

The Port of Rotterdam is eyeing opportunities in India and the country’s Sagarmala Programme to develop the performance of its logistics sector. Marc Aartsen, program manager International Port Projects, Port of Rotterdam, told an online media briefing: “The capacity of Indian ports needs to improve and that is also recognised by the Government of India. We see a lot of potential in the Indian market and we have assigned two Rotterdam representatives in India.