ship registration

Our friends at Crewtoo.com just published the 2nd quarter results of a really interesting survey they are running continually with results published on a quarterly basis.

"Risk is only likely to increase in the shipping industry." Such is one of the conclusions drawn from the inaugural Shipping Risk Survey 2015 by the accounting and consulting network Moore Stephens. Survey respondents noted demand pressures closely followed by competition and availability of competent crew as the major risk factors for their organizations.

July 1, 2016 is coming and the entire container logistics channel is in a quandary as to how to deal with the situation. A long running debate within the IMO has put the responsibility for certifying the weight of the loaded container on the shipper.

The Paris and Tokyo MOU administrations issued a joint press release announcing another campaign, this time on "Crew Familiarization for Enclosed Space Entry". The campaign runs from September 1 through November 30, 2015. Other MOU organizations are expected to follow the lead of Paris and Tokyo.

The 2015 Seamen’s Church Institute Shore Leave Survey has just come out and the results are disheartening. In the last five years the number of ships with at least one detained seafarer has risen steadily with to its highest point in the history of the survey at 27.4% up 68.8% from 2011.

The US Coast Guard has issued Navigation and Vessel Inspection No.

A recent series of articles in the New York Times (including 2 front page above the fold!) which criticizes the organizations for lax enforcement of the "genuine link" requirement in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It may just irritate them enough to take another look at strengthening the requirement.

Vessel masters, owners and operators are reminded about the coastal pilotage requirements within the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, as prescribed in Marine Order 54 (Coastal pilotage) 2014.

An AMSA-licensed coastal pilot is required for any vessel that navigates in a defined coastal pilotage area:

a. that is 70m or longer in length overall; or

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has for years fought the rise of open ship registers whether good with high standards or bad with nearly non-existent standards. This indiscriminate approach is reason for our ITF cynicism.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has issued Marine Notice 08/2015 titled Use or carriage of heavy grade oils in the Antarctic. The amendment applies to Regulation 43 of MARPOL Annex I and is intended to further protect the Antarctic area from pollution by heavy grade oils from ships.