MARITIME NEWS

Friday, May 23, 2014

International maritime news for seafarers
LSFO supplies to decline in third quarter of 2014
As the maritime industry is all set to adopt stricter emissions regulations on ships in 2015, the supply
of ow !ulphur Fuel "il #!F"$ will decline sharply %y the third &uarter of 2014'
!pea(ers at a recent industry conference in )anama said that the !F" will %e phased out and ship
owners will ha*e to a%ide %y the 2015 emission control area regulations' According to industry
e+perts, ship owners may prefer distillate products, such as ,ltra-ow-!ulphur .iesel #,!.$ in the
coming days'
As per IM" rules, the limit of sulphur emissions from fuel for ships, sailing within 200 miles of shore in
/orth America and the 0altic and /orth seas, should %e 0'11' 2+perts ha*e welcomed the IM" rules
and said that the mo*e would certainly impro*e the air &uality and pu%lic health' 2+perts ha*e
welcomed the IM" rules and said that the mo*e would certainly impro*e the air &uality and pu%lic
health'
Industry e+pert Adrian 3olson has said that !F" will %e less important in the coming days and
supplies will also dry up %y the end of the year' 4I am not e*en sure we will ma(e it through the third
&uarter, %ecause who wants to %e the last person holding low sulphur5 It is 6ust going to ha*e to get
downgraded #to high sulphur fuel oil$,4 he told the audience'
Meanwhile, e+perts ha*e predicted an increase in demand for %un(er fuel' According to them, the
demand for %un(er fuel will %e a%out 4'7 million %8d in 2015 and the *olume is around 401 of glo%al
residual fuel oil demand' At the same time, demand for distillate fuel will also increase as the maritime
industry is loo(ing for products to %lend into a 0'11 fuel specification' 2+pert .a*id 9uadros stressed:
4.istillate will %e the answer, at least initially, and then mar(ets will find a way' ;e cannot find the
economics for a refiner to ma(e an 29A-compliant fuel' It 6ust does not ma(e sense to us,4 he added'
SAFETY STUDY
FATAL BIGHT
A mooring dec( team and the master of a ri*er ferry were in the last steps of freeing the *essel from a
%uoy when a man went hurriedly a%sent and communication %ro(e down'
S!!A"#
A three-man mooring dec( team stood %y to release a ri*er ferry from her mooring %uoy' 3he mate
was not a*aila%le at that time and no%ody had %een specifically instructed to ta(e o*er his
super*isory role'
3he master eased the *essel into the current towards the %uoy and ga*e the crew a hand signal to
release the last remaining slip rope' All they had to do was release the tail and pull it out through the
mooring ring and onto the dec(' "ne mem%er decided to go the toilet at the last minute' As the ferry
came slowly ahead, the rope %ecame 6ammed %etween it and the %uoy, hamperingits further retrie*al'
3he two men went forward to esta%lish what was causing the pro%lem' "ne turned to guide the
master in manoeu*ring the ferry clear of the %uoy, which was no longer *isi%le from the conning
position'
3he tail of the rope fouled the propeller and trapped the remaining dec(hand in a %ight as it whipped
o*er%oard' As he was dragged into and o*er the %ulwar(, he sustained head in6uries and was almost
certainly unconscious %efore entering the water' <is life6ac(et inflated and %rought him to the surface,
%ut was seen to %e riding high and not maintaining his head completely clear of the water' <e was
reco*ered to a high-sided wor(%oat and &uic(ly ta(en ashore' )aramedics failed to re*i*e him and he
died from drowning'
L$SSO%S
!eamen are continually trained a%out the dangers of %ights, and that under no circumstances should
they stand in them'
;here ropes are in the water near propellers something can always go wrong - ta(e nothing for
granted' In the a%sence of the mate, one of the mooring team should ha*e acted as the eyes for the
master and super*ised the process from start to finish'
3he *essel used hand signals for communications when radios were a*aila%le and more suita%le'
3he casualty=s crotch strap for his inflata%le life6ac(et was not secured, allowing it to ride high and
therefore not supporting his head ade&uately'
3he crew of the wor(%oat struggled to reco*er the casualty due to its high free%oard' !ource: ,>
MAI0
&A'era(e& Atlantic hurricane season predicted
Forecasters at the /ational "ceanic and Atmospheric Administration #/"AA$ ha*e predicted an
=a*erage= Atlantic hurricane season this year mainly %ecause of the =2l /ino= phenomenon'
According to them, the region will e+perience only 7-13 tropical storms originating in the Atlantic
"cean from ?une 1 to /o*em%er 30 due to the late arri*al of 2l /ino' "f these 13 storms, only 401
will ha*e the potential to emerge as hurricane, predict forecasters'
A senior /"AA official has said that the temperatures of the Atlantic water will remain 4near a*erage4
this season in sharp contrast to recent years' Meanwhile, /"AA chief >athryn !ulli*an urged
Americans to stay *igilant' 4;e are starting hurricane season, any section of our coast line can %e hit
%y a tropical storm,4 she said, adding: 4It ta(es only one land-falling storm to cause a disaster'4
ast year, /"AA forecast a more acti*e than usual hurricane season, with up to 30 tropical storms
and three to si+ hurricanes' 0ut in the end, the Atlantic storm season was the calmest on record since
1@72, with 6ust 13 storms, only two of which rose to %ecome category one hurricanes' #with inputs
from AF)$
)e*ris disco'ered in Atlantic
As search for missing crew continues near the area in the Atlantic "cean where a <ampshire-%ased
yacht went missing recently, rescue officials ha*e found de%ris of the charter yacht'
A senior rescue official told the media that they immediately informed the ,! 9oast Auard #,!9A$
a%out the de%ris' <owe*er, rescuers are yet to trace the four 0ritish sailors who were sailing %ac( to
the ,> from an Antigua regatta' 3he yacht got into trou%le last wee( after ta(ing on water B20 miles
east of 9ape 9od'
3he ,!9A resumed the search operation earlier this wee( after it calling off mainly %ecause of
political pressure' 3he 0ritish media reported that a num%er of politicians, cele%rities and leading
sailors signed a petition, urging the ,!9A to resume the operation'
)atric( Michel, a !outhampton-%ased seafarer, said: 4;e are currently 6ust in the north part of the
search area, our third night out here, and we did see during this night a few little #pieces of$ de%ris
which I ha*e reported to the ,!9A with the times and positions' !o, there is a little %it of light at the
end of the tunnel'4
Meanwhile, a senior spo(eswoman for the ,!9A stressed: 4I can confirm that we ha*e recei*ed
reports #of de%ris$' Cescuers ha*e found some de%ris in the search area' 3he de%ris was a plan( of
wood and a small piece of floating foam, %ut there was nothing identifying the yacht' "%*iously, it is a
possi%ility and we are definitely treating it *ery seriously and incorporating that into our search, %ut I
can=t say for certain that it was from the ill-fated yacht'4
COMMERCE
Hellenic ship+o,ners control 4-./20 of $ fleet
)resident of the ,nion of Aree( !hip-owners #,A!$ 3heodoros Deniamis has said that <ellenic ship-
owners are currently controlling 4B'E21 of the 2, fleet %ased on .;3 tonnage, despite the
challenging conditions in glo%al shipping'
.escri%ing this as an achie*ement, he said that Areece is still the /o 1 maritime nation glo%ally as it
controls 3,BB@ *essels or 1B'1B1 of the glo%al fleet in terms of .;3 tonnage' According to Deniamis,
the ma6ority of the 3,BB@ *essels are %eing managed %y Aree( companies and shipping contri%utes
around E1 to Areece=s A.)'
3he maritime industry has also helped preser*e thousands of 6o%s directly or indirectly in Areece and
2uropean countries'
3he ,A! president e+plained that an additional 2,C 1'B million are %eing created in different sectors
of economy for e*ery 2,C 1 million contri%uted %y the 2uropean shipping community to the 2,=s
economy' <e is of the opinion that shipping is the %ac(%one of %oth the Aree( and the 2uropean
economy' At the same time, Deniamis admitted that 4the e+istence of a sta%le framewor( for shipping
is a prere&uisite for the safety of in*estments and thus, their sustaina%ility4'
According to a recent report prepared %y a Aree( ship-%rea(ing company, <ellenic ship owners ha*e
started showing interests in second hand *essels, as there is a 371 increase in their purchasing
appetite compared to their ordering %usiness' 3he report says: 43he in*ested capital of Aree( owners
in the second hand mar(et was more than ,!. 3'3 %illion for 131 *essel purchases, while the *olume
was more than ,!. 1 %illion during the first three months of 2013' In terms of num%er of units, their
second hand purchasing acti*ity increased %y 7E1, with 2B1 share of the total !F) acti*ity from 211
in the first &uarter of 2013'4
PIRACY
O1an *olsters counter+pirac2 efforts
"man has strengthened its counter-piracy efforts in May'
"man has e&uipped its na*al fleet with ad*anced weaponry and deployed artillery ships, fast missile
craft and support, training and maritime sur*ey ships to support patrol %oats in order to protect its
coastal areas, secure its territorial economic waters and ensure the safe passage of ships and
tan(ers in the area'
3he maritime e+perts and ministers of the Ara% countries, who ha*e gathered at the 2gyptian capital
to re*iew a draft regional protocol on com%ating piracy, ha*e made the re*elation' At the meeting,
they praised "man=s counter-piracy efforts and multi-le*el co-ordination with Aulf, Ara% and
international partners, saying that the Middle 2astern country=s initiati*e has triggered a drop in
piracy-related incidences'
9ommenting on "man=s initiati*es, senior political analyst <atim %in <amad al-3aie said: 4Ai*en the
sultanate=s strategic location o*erloo(ing one of the most *ital waterways in the world, the strategic
!trait of <ormuG, the Coyal /a*y of "man plays an acti*e role in protecting national strategic,
security and economic interests through its constant and permanent presence in "mani seas'4 <e
also praised the Coyal "man )olice for co-operating with the /a*y in com%ating maritime piracy'
TRADE
%e, order for 3L44s increase
In its latest =3an(er Forecaster= report, ondon-%ased shipping consultant .rewry has mentioned that
the spectre of o*er ordering has returned to the tan(er mar(et' 3he report said that although there is
an increase in new-%uild orders for Dery arge 9rude 9arriers #D99s$ mainly %ecause of rising
demand, it also puts the sector=s reco*ery at ris('
As far as the D99 segment is concerned, there is an increase in new orders as 2B units ha*e %een
ordered in the last 12 months compared to 21 in 2012' 3he num%er of D99s ordered was 15 in the
first &uarter of 2014 compared to si+ in the fourth &uarter of 2013'
Industry e+perts %elie*e that increasing demand on long-haul routes is the main reason %ehind the
o*er ordering along with changing trade patterns in the oil mar(et'
9ommenting on the issue, .rewry=s Ca6esh Derma said: 4Attracti*e yard prices, e+pectations of faster
growth in demand for large crude carriers #amid rising trade on long-haul routes$ and growing interest
from pri*ate e&uity firms in the tan(er mar(etresulted in increased ordering in 2013' 3he recent
firming in freight rates in the period mar(et also added fuel to the fire'4
At the same time, he warned: 43onnage utilisation in the D99 mar(et has not pic(ed up sufficiently
to accommodate any surge in ordering acti*ity, putting the sector=s reco*ery at ris( o*er the coming
years'4
43he recent slowdown in the 9hinese economy is an additional concern for the D99 mar(et, as
many refinery pro6ects are %eing delayed or cancelled due to slowing oil demand growth in the
country' !o, owners need to %e cautious,4 added Derma'
GALLEY
Le1on5 chic6en5 par1esan rissoles
Ingredients: 500gm !teggles chic(en minceH 1 egg #lightly %eaten$H 2 garlic clo*es #crushed$H 182 cup
of fresh %readcrum%sH 1t%sp of fresh %asil lea*es #finely chopped$H 1tsp of lemon rind #finely grated$H
184 cup of pitted (alamata oli*es #chopped$H 183 cup of parmesan cheese #finely grated$H 184 cup of
plain flourH 1t%sp of oli*e oilH Antipasto salad'
Method: 9om%ine mince, egg, garlic, %readcrum%s, %asil, lemon rind, oli*es and parmesan in a %owl'
)lace the flour on a plate and shape it into eight 2cm-thic( rissoles'
Coll it in flour to lightly coat and place on a large plate with a co*er' Cefrigerate for 20 minutes'
/ow, preheat o*en to 170 degrees 9 fan-forced'
<eat the oil in a frying pan o*er medium heat' 9oo( rissoles, in %atches, for 1-2 minutes or until it
%ecomes %rown' 3ransfer to a greased %a(ing tray and %a(e for 7-10 minutes'
/ow, ser*e with antipasto salad'
Su11er corn and to1ato pasta
Ingredients: !altH %ow-tie pasta #1 pound$H 2t%sp of e+tra-*irgin oli*e oilH 2 garlic clo*es #smashed$H 1
pint cherry tomatoesH 3 ears fresh corn #(ernels cut off$H 2t%sp of unsalted %utterH 184 cup of fresh
%asil lea*es #torn into pieces$'
Method: 0oil salted water in a large pot and coo( the pasta until half coo(ed and not soggy' ater,
drain the water'
Meanwhile, heat the oli*e oil in a large s(illet o*er medium heat' Add the garlic and tomatoes and
coo( #stirring occasionally$ until the tomatoes are softened or for a%out fi*e minutes'
!tir in the corn, raise the heat slightly and coo( until the corn is heated through and %ecomes golden'
!eason it with salt'
Add the *egeta%les, %utter and %asil to the pasta and toss it' /ow, ser*e'
SHIPPING DATA
BALTI4 $74HA%G$
Market snapshot: 11:30 GMT
Dry Index BDI 966 -22
Capesize Index BCI 1302 -2
!ana"ax Index B!I 102# -2#
$%pra"ax Index B$I #&2 -12
'andysize Index B'I (#0 )0
$74HA%G$ "AT$S
*e+ ,ork -Th% C.s/
01n C%rren2y 3$D in 01n
in 3$D C%rren2y
Britain -!o%nd/ 146#66 04929
Canada -Do..ar/ 0491&& 140#96
China -,%an/ 04160( 64233
5%ro 14363 04&32(
India -6%pee/ 0401&1 #4(920
Indonesia -6%piah/ 040000#6 11&#400
7apan -,en/ 04009#2( 1014&900
*or+ay -8rone/ 0416#0 4911
!hi.ippines -!eso/ 040229 (346000
!o.and -9.oty/ 0432&3 34000
6%ssia -6%:.e/ 040292 3(429&1
$in1apore -Do..ar/ 04&9# 1422(