1. Keeping the human at the centre
2. ICS proposes emissions levy
3. Safe carriage of containers advice
4. Online claims tool
5. UK marine safety compliance
6. Settlement agreement warning
7. Carrier fraud
8. Sustainable shipping
9. Remote survey initiative
10. Casualties and mental health
11. Merchant Navy Medal award
12. MPC launch
13. Crew change update
14. Antifouling survey
Readersâ responses to our articles are very welcome and, where suitable, will be reproduced:
Write to: contactus@themaritimeadvocate.com
1. Keeping the human at the centre
By Michael Grey
Whether we are taking about the bewildering screen-based alerts and controls on the average modern car, or a cooker that needs a degree in IT to work it, how often do we hear of the need for âhuman centred designâ? It is not very different at sea these days, as the Nautical Instituteâs Seaways journal pointed out in its current issue, noting that even something as simple as helm controls, which you fall back on in an emergency, can be anything but intuitive and instinctive.
We have had the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), which was supposed to bring about a revolution in navigational safety and convenience, for more than twenty years. But people still misuse or misinterpret it and ships still run aground with monotonous regularity, despite the availability of this clever equipment. Navigators plan the course over dangers, users disable alarms which might have warned them of hazards and eliminate important bathymetric data, because it is cluttering up the screen. But its adoption as the primary method of navigation has been a huge change, and perhaps it deserved a rather more considered approach as it was introduced to a workforce trained on paper charts and a very different way of working.
We should hugely welcome a very important piece of research from the combined resources of the UK Marine Accident Investigation Bureau and its Danish equivalent DMAIB into ECDIS, from the perspective of practitioners. In the compilation of this report, which deserves the widest circulation, the researchers undertook some 155 interviews with users and others and embarked on voyages aboard 31 ships in European waters, to find out exactly how the system was being used.
What did they find, as they confronted the whole spectrum of usage, from highly trained specialist navigation teams on cruise ships, to those operating far less sophisticated ships, some still duplicating the ECDIS with paper charts, or operating with a stand-alone ECDIS system? They found that often, whatever system was employed, it was not being used to its full potential and that there was sometimes a worrying mismatch between the performance standards provided by the system designers and the way that watchkeepers were using their system. Indeed, it was perhaps a bit disturbing to read that, two decades in, ECDIS was still in its âimplementation phaseâ.
On some ships they found that there was a limited understanding of the systems the officers were using and they only used them âto the degree they felt necessaryâ. And while the attitude of interviewees seemed to be positive, with ECDIS regarded as a good thing, reducing workload and giving the OOW more time, the industry as a whole perhaps ought to be concerned at the large variation of knowledge which they revealed.
The report highlights a fair number of residual problems, which seem to have come down through the years without any real resolution as the equipment has evolved. Like so much of the digital equipment that is part of modern life, it seems to many users to be too clever by half. The automated functions and safety alerts and alarms are not easy to use, drive people crazy in pilotage waters, where there is a lot happening on the screens and which leads to many users just disabling the alarms. There were concerns about the menu complexity, safety contour problems and worries about the quality of hydrographic information. It was cumbersome for the operator to input information on a screen, and there was dissatisfaction that the screens were so much smaller than the paper chart. And while there was reasonable confidence among users about basic functions, their ability to handle anything more complicated depended very much on their level of system knowledge. This, of course, was a function of the training the users had received.
It was suggested that courses were too short and mostly generic, with very big differences in the sort of type-specific training people received. There seemed to be great contrasts between the sort of training provided by the best â with heavy use of appropriate simulators, before people are let loose on the system, and those forced to make do with âe-learningâ. What people really need, it seems to be suggested, is proper on-board instruction, with an instructor, but in a world where operators (or their bean-counters) grudge training time, this will probably be a luxury for the minority.
While systems seem to be reasonably reliable, the variation in core skills seems to be a recurring observation throughout this report. It is pointed out that too much of the auditing that people have to endure is from the standpoint of paper chart usage, and that colleges seem to train users to distrust ECDIS. The reader of this valuable report can detect, in the various attitudes, something of a generational gap, and that should surprise nobody, as the same can be observed in every facet of life ashore, where the younger generation are instinctive users of sophisticated equipment, while their seniors struggle.
But this is a very important report, which, one hopes might register with those designing all marine equipment, emphasising, once again, that they should be designing for the users, and not expect the wretched humans to adapt.
Michael Grey is former editor of Lloydâs List.
2. ICS proposes emissions levy
The International Chamber of Shipping has put forward a proposal for a global levy on carbon emissions from ships, in what would be a first for any industrial sector. ICS is calling for an internationally accepted market-based measure (MBM) to accelerate the uptake and deployment of zero-carbon fuels. The levy based MBM is co-sponsored by INTERCARGO.
According to papers handed to the International Maritime Organization, the levy would be based on mandatory contributions by ships trading globally, exceeding 5,000 gross tonnage, for each tonne of CO2 emitted. The money would go into an IMO Climate Fund which, as well as closing the price gap between zero-carbon and conventional fuels, would be used to deploy the bunkering infrastructure required in ports throughout the world to supply fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, ensuring consistency in the industryâs green transition for both developed and developing economies.
The proposal says that while the industry is desperate to see zero-carbon ships brought to the water by shipyards by 2030, at current rates of production, zero-carbon fuels are not commercially available at the scale needed for the global fleet. The carbon levy is intended to expedite the creation of a market that makes zero emission shipping viable.
The fund would calculate the climate contributions to be made by ships, collect the contributions, and give evidence they have been made. ICS hopes that it would also support new bunkering infrastructure, so that new fuels, when developed, can be made available globally and from as many ports as possible. To minimise any burden on UN member states and ensure the rapid establishment of the carbon levy, the framework proposed by industry would utilise the mechanism already proposed by governments for a separate $5 billion R&D Fund to accelerate the development of zero-carbon technologies, which the UN IMO is scheduled to approve at a meeting in November immediately following COP 26.
ICS believes that a mandatory global levy based MBM is strongly preferable over any unilateral, regional application of MBMs to international shipping, such as that proposed by the European Commission which wishes to extend the EU Emissions Trading System to international shipping. A piecemeal approach to MBMs, (the EU ETS will only apply to about 7.5% of global shipping emissions), will ultimately fail to reduce global emissions from international shipping to the extent required by the Paris Agreement, whilst significantly complicating the conduct of maritime trade.
For further details see https://www.ics-shipping.org/
3. Safe carriage of containers advice
Class society Bureau Veritas has developed a formalized approach to support the safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers. BVâs Guidance for Studying and Preparing a Bulk Carrier for the Carriage of Containers provides operators with pathways based on analysis and a thorough understanding of safety, regulatory and operational requirements. The guidance was developed by technical experts based in the Bureau Veritas Piraeus office, in Greece, in collaboration with the Technical Directorate in Paris.
Commenting on the guidance, Piraeus-based Paillette Palaiologou, BV Marine & Offshoreâs vice president for the Hellenic, Black Sea & Adriatic Zone, said: “We have significant experience and knowledge of bulk carrier design, classification, and operations across BV and particularly here in Greece, where we have numerous clients in the dry cargo market. Additionally, our class rules for container lashing and our own associated lashing software are highly sophisticated. The combination of bulker and boxship capability and understanding has enabled our teams to rapidly provide a framework to meet market requirements as demand emerges for bulkers to be able to carry boxes.”
The guidance outlines two main pathways for stowing containers in holds, either as a âblockâ of lashed cargo without retrofitting of special container securing fittings, or as more conventional stacks of containers, in which case such equipment may need to be fitted permanently or temporarily.
The IMO Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code) for ships that are equipped with a Cargo Securing Manual, provides a key reference point in its Annex 1 âSafe stowage and securing of containers on deck of ships which are not specially designed and fitted for the purpose of carrying containersâ, as well as the calculation methods for forces acting on cargo units and the efficiency of securing arrangements.
However, the fact that bulk carriers are ânot specially designed and fitted for the purpose of carrying containersâ, combined with the potential need to maximize the intake of containers, may raise concerns related to the integrity of the vesselâs structure and the cargo itself, as well as the safety of the crew and the stevedores.
Paillette Palaiologou added: “In many ways, we are going back to the future, as general cargo and multi-purpose ships have always been able to carry containers. In the context of todayâs market demands, the capacity to move containers in bulk carriers is a key advantage. With our guidance, we wish to ensure that modern analysis tools and techniques can be applied to support safety as well as modern operational efficiency.”
To download the full BV Guidance for Studying and Preparing a Bulk Carrier for the Carriage of Containers, click here.
4. Online claims tool
Skuld recently announced the launch of its inaugural online claims tool. The club is the first dedicated marine insurer to develop an online claims tool that will allow members to receive reimbursement of crew claims automatically.
The solution will allow members, clients, brokers and crewing managers to notify all crew claims to Skuld on skuld.com, add information, documents and cost. Simpler claims will be handled automatically, with cash reimbursement processed as quickly as the banking system allows. The system recognises more complex cases, which will be referred to Skuld’s claims handlers.
This efficient and streamlined solution benefits all stakeholders, using a standardised process with less email correspondence and a task manager to keep track of outstanding tasks for the claim. It also brings enhanced transparency between all parties, with a good overview of all notified and submitted claims and their status, the club says.
5. UK marine safety compliance
With a month left from the deadline of the âsecond chance call inâ for this yearâs UK Port Marine Safety Code compliance exercise, the British Ports Association has called on all UK ports, harbours and marine facilities yet to participate, to report through to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as a priority.
By ignoring this call, port duty holders could at least be setting a dangerous precedent, or at worst demonstrate a lack of competence to manage their portâs safety systems. Commenting, Richard Ballantyne chief executive of the British Ports Association, which represents over 400 ports and facilities around the UK, said:
âThe Port Marine Safety Code has evolved into a vital resource and compliance demonstrates a portâs ability to limit and control their operational safety risks. As well as allowing operators to assess and manage safety arrangements, the PMSC and the three-yearly compliance exercise provides the government with the knowledge that individual ports and marine facilities are being managed responsibly and competently.
There is now one month to go in this additional period to participate in the exercise. We want to see as many operators as possible indicate their compliance to help maintain safe port activities around our coasts.â
In recent years the Codeâs coverage has expanded beyond the traditional UK port authority and now includes other entities such as individual terminals and marinas. There have also been challenges for some smaller local authority owned ports understanding all the relevant issues. Getting the message out to these facilities is important so as to ensure safety management is as comprehensive as is possible across our industry.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agencyâs ports and VTS policy manager, James Hannon says port duty holders across the UK still have time to indicate their compliance: âIt is essential that ports and facilities indicate their compliance to the government. Pretty much all the larger port authorities have confirmed their compliance but there remain a number of individual terminals and smaller port and marine facilities yet to respond. Non-compliance can lead to MCA visits and also be used in evidence during prosecutions of other marine incidents. However the message from us is that the MCA is here to help ports of all type on their PMSC journeys.
The Code describes how ports can assess risks, design safety management systems, and also install governance processes to ensure that a Designated Person is able to evaluate controls and report directly to port duty holders and boards, and any duty holder yet to do this will need to ask themselves serious questions if they have not at least reviewed the Code.â
An additional period has been added to this yearâs PMSC compliance exercise to help ports and facilities participate. Such operators now have until 24 September and the MCA asks that port duty holders submit a letter of compliance and the original details are available here.
6. Settlement agreement warning
Law firm Ince has produced advice warning to be careful about the wording of settlement agreements. Falcon Trident Shipping Ltd v. Levant Shipping Ltd [2021] EWHC 2204 (Comm) is a salutary reminder to be very careful about the wording of settlement agreements and the use of standard âboiler plateâ clauses, the law firm says.
The court considered that although an initial offer included various pre-action costs, the wording of a subsequent settlement agreement which referred to and appended that offer nonetheless excluded such pre-action costs and as a result, they were not recoverable.
See: https://www.incegd.com/en/news-insights/maritime-be-careful-what-you-agree-cautionary-tale
7. Carrier fraud
Operators in the global supply chain can easily become victims of fraud in conducting day-to-day business. âCarrier fraudâ is increasingly prevalent and sophisticated. Todayâs digital business environment enables criminals to create fictitious companies, intercept legitimate business transactions and obscure their fraudulent activity, reducing the likelihood of recovering freight or funds and their risk of being brought to justice.
In this fourth and final instalment in the TT Clubâs fraud series the club considers carrier fraud and explores two common frauds, providing case study examples, explaining how they work and how to avoid becoming a victim.
Details are available at https://www.ttclub.com/news-and-resources/news/tt-talk/2021/tt-talk-be-alert-to-carrier-fraud/.
TT Club has also produced a series of animations of supply chain issues. See https://www.ttclub.com/news-and-resources/news/tt-talk/2021/tt-talk-supply-chain-security-animations/
8. Sustainable shipping
The Sustainable Shipping Initiative has just launched a new report, titled Defining sustainability criteria for marine fuels, outlining fifteen issues, principles and criteria that provide guidance on the sustainability of marine fuels under consideration for shippingâs decarbonisation.
As the industry transitions to zero emission shipping, there is a need to better understand the sustainability issues surrounding the marine fuels being explored and to ensure that zero and low carbon fuels do not shift emissions and other externalities up- or downstream along the supply chain.
At the same time, low GHG emissions and carbon intensity only cover a fraction of the sustainability issues across the full well-to-wake lifecycle of a fuel. Environmental considerations, such as air quality and ecological impacts; social considerations, such as social, labour and human rights; and socio-economic considerations, such as economic wellbeing and food security, must be taken into account when determining a fuelâs sustainability.
Building on previous work carried out by SSI members and academic partner Copenhagen Business School Maritime, under the Green Shipping Project, the report aims to ensure that sustainability is considered at the same level as availability, cost and technical feasibility in discussions around decarbonisation.
A broader understanding of sustainability issues from a full lifecycle perspective allows for informed decision-making around value chain risks, helping to direct choices for investment, purchase and consumption. This work will also encourage and facilitate discussion around sustainability certification of zero and low carbon marine fuels, which can provide assurance to the organisations investing in marine fuels, promote trust across the value chain and aid in the selection of sustainable fuel options for shipping.
Read the report: https://www.sustainableshipping.org/resources/defining-sustainability-criteria-for-marine-fuels/
Register for a webinar on the topic, to take place on Thursday 23 September: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lUO-W-b-TIimHkfbDjs8_g
9. Remote survey initiative
Lloydâs Register and Inmarsat have announced an industry-first collaboration between a satellite communications provider and classification society to provide a connectivity solution that will address challenges experienced during remote surveys.
The new solution uses LR Remote, a specifically engineered application for remote inspection that enables crew members to livestream video, photos and audio from on board a ship to an LR technical specialist located elsewhere and will be empowered by Inmarsatâs Certified Application Provider (CAP) dedicated bandwidth service called Fleet Connect, available on the Fleet Xpress digital platform.
Fleet Connect provides an uninterrupted dedicated satellite link between vessels and seafarers, offering users function-specific bandwidth that is independent of business-critical vessel operations or crew communications. With no additional communication hardware required to run this application, the separation allows LR Remote to be enabled remotely without any intervention on-site.
Fleet Connect provides dedicated bandwidth which is secure and reliable, meaning it can increase the potential of remote surveys on vessels where connectivity restraints have previously limited its use. This approach provides flexibility and 24/7 availability which enables surveyors to perform surveys efficiently using a blend of techniques, reducing the impact of unexpected situations on vessel operations, where surveyors and crew can quickly navigate problems using remote technology.
The new solution is another step towards digital class, opening opportunities for future uses of vessel data in demonstrating compliance and driving deeper insight into vessel efficiency and fleet optimisation. The solution is currently being piloted by LR and Inmarsat with clients specialising in gas carriers and bulker carriers.
âConnectivity is a significant enabler in the digitalisation of the maritime industry. Both Lloydâs Register and Inmarsat have a mutual goal of unlocking the true potential of technology, thereby transforming remote compliance and enabling digital class. This collaboration ensures our vast certification expertise is accessible anywhere it is needed and demonstrates Lloydâs Registerâs commitment to our clients and to the wider industry in safely navigating shippingâs digital transformation,â said Mark Darley, LR marine and offshore director.
âInmarsat is delighted to work with Lloydâs Register on this first-of-its-kind solution, which addresses a specific industry challenge,â said Alberto Perez, director, strategy and business development, Inmarsat Maritime. âWith Fleet Connectâs dedicated connectivity running on the digital Fleet Xpress platform, we can assure high speed uninterrupted access so that remote surveyors are guaranteed a solution that is always available and always reliable when it is most important.â
This collaboration follows increased uptake in remote services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as access to ships and assets became more challenging. LR has offered remote survey capability for many years, and now, 1 in 3 of the 30,000+ surveys LR performs each year is completed remotely.
Subsequently, in May 2020, LR introduced a global team of remote survey champions to support them within the marine and offshore industries.
10. Casualties and mental health
Qwest, a partnership bringing together leading marine insurance provider West of England P&I Club and innovative legal and claims consultancy C Solutions, has today called for greater emphasis to be placed upon mental health when determining the severity of a maritime casualty.
Under UNCLOS Article 94, “Each State shall cause an inquiry to be held…into every marine casualty or incident of navigation on the high seas involving a ship flying its flag and causing loss of life or serious injury…”
A “serious injury” is typically defined by a flag state as one that incapacitates someone to such an extent that they cannot function normally for more than 72 hours, and the injury starts within seven days of when the injury was suffered.
However, in practice, “serious injuries” are much more frequently diagnosed when there is an obvious physical impact such as loss of eyesight, a broken bone, or unconsciousness. This is due, in part, to a generally limited understanding of the symptoms of mental injury onboard ships, which makes it difficult to diagnose a mental injury without specialist professional assistance. Moreover, common conditions in the aftermath of a casualty can have a delayed onset, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Captain Terry Ogg, a casualty investigator and Master Mariner who spent 16 years at sea, commented, âMuch of the damage caused in a marine casualty is immediately visible, be that property damage, or operational disruption. However, the long-term impacts of stress and trauma are more difficult to understand and often less immediate â both for a seafarer and for a shipâs operations. Itâs time for assessments of casualty severity to place far more emphasis on understanding seafarersâ mental health, and how theyâve been affected by a casualty.â
Chris Telford, Director of Qwest, commented, âIncidents are usually the result of a series of errors; they are rarely caused by a single mistake. When we consider how a casualty happened, itâs usually possible to trace the root cause back to a number of discrete â often individually minor â events. However, the aftermath of these situations is anything but small. The industry must ensure that all processes, especially those where a crew is facing additional levels of stress or trauma, are handled â as we do with Qwest Care â in a way that puts welfare first.â
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Rachel Glynn-Williams commented, âInterviews are critical for owners and insurers after a casualty, but conventional interview processes do not take this trauma into account. Ordinarily, crew members would be interviewed immediately after the incident in a high-stress environment where seafarers often worry about blame, responsibilities, and outcomes, and any pre-existing everyday tensions. We need a new approach, such as Qwest Care.â
For further information, visit https://www.qwestmaritime.com
11. Merchant Navy Medal award
Gordon Foot has been awarded the 2021 Merchant Navy Medal for maritime career promotion which includes his work as an ambassador for Maritime UK as part of the âInspiring the Futureâ schools outreach program and in mentoring, championing women at sea and acting as a voice for those seafarers affected by the pandemic crew change crisis.
Foot, 57, was nominated by a group of colleagues because of his passion for helping others, both in the offshore industry and the global seafaring community at large, his work in shipping and his versatile life-long learning achievements within the industry. He is an offshore shipping professional. He is also a student, mentor, teacher, advocate for seafarers and womens rights within the maritime industry. He has served at sea in both the Royal Navy submarine service and latterly the Merchant Navy.
For over 20 years he has been employed on multiple merchant ships across many disciplines servicing the offshore critical infrastructure (energy) industry. He acts as a consultant senior client representative supervising offshore renewable energy construction mega projects.
12. MPC launch
The Maritime Professional Council of the UK got off to a flying start with an official launch on HQS Wellington in London on Merchant Navy Day, 3rd September which your editor attended. The event marked the coming together of a number of national and global professional associations to make sure policy makers are aware of the considered professional opinions of those with the qualifications, expertise and experience to provide informed advice on the many policy decisions that need to be made.
The founding organisations of the MPC are the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, The Nautical Institute, International Institute of Marine Surveying, Institute of Seamanship, and United Kingdom Marine Pilots Association.
Despite the continuing pandemic there was a good turnout with representatives from across the maritime sector gathering on the Wellington’s quarter deck.
The Council received a large number of positive comments, both from those attending and, by email, from several industry organisations that were unable to do so. Encouragingly, once they had heard what the MPC hopes to achieve, a number of the organisations present expressed an interest in joining.
MPC chairman Derek Chadburn said in a welcoming speech: âBy coming together we believe that we can offer independent expert advice and guidance based on our combined professional knowledge and experience unhindered by financial or commercial interests. We would also seek to provide guidance and assistance to regulators and employers on the professional standards adequate for our maritime professionals and that the proposed changes are both legal and workable. It is our belief that we can offer the necessary expertise to assist in enabling the changes we acknowledge are needed to enhance the reputation of the British Merchant Navy and British seafarers in the 21st Century. We sincerely wish to assist and not hinder the process.â
John Lloyd introduced his role as deputy chairman nautical specialising in advice on seamanship and deck officer qualifications for the Merchant Navy. Lloyd described how important qualifications were for mariners especially when they come to transition to work ashore. Having qualifications that are recognised across the sector is very important as most mariners will progress to second and third careers away from the sea.
Stressing the wide range of skills, qualifications and experience among the MPC’s founder members, he concluded by offering the combined experience of all the professional bodies as a resource to be drawn upon when considering new policy initiatives. He noted: âOur new council offers an unparalleled body of expertise standing by to assist in any way that helps protect maritime professional standards in the UK.â
Just prior to the official launch event the Maritime and Coastguard Agency invited the new council to take part in its important Human Element Advisory Group (HEAG).
13. Crew change update
Travel restrictions, flight cancellations and domestic lockdowns continue to prevent seafarers from going back home. This is according to reporting from the worldâs top ship managers provided for the Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator. But there could be light at the end of the tunnel. After months of deterioration, the September Indicator shows that the number of seafarers onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contract has slightly decreased from 9.0% to 8.9% in the last month. Similarly, the number of seafarers onboard vessels for over 11 months has slightly decreased from 1.3% to 1.2%. The Maritime Labour Convention states that the maximum continuous period a seafarer should serve on board a vessel without leave is 11 months. Thus, the September Indicator confirms the tendency from August that the situation may be stabilizing.
The September Indicator has another bright spot. The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change calls for seafarers to be recognized as key workers and given priority access to Covid-19 vaccines. New numbers suggest that programmes set up to offer vaccines to international seafarers, especially in the US and some European countries, are starting to kick in. The September Indicator shows that the aggregate percentage of seafarers who have been vaccinated has risen from 15.3% in August to 21.9% in September.
âIt is very encouraging to see that the number of seafarers who have been vaccinated has increased by 6.6 percentage points in the last month. But there is room for improvement. Vaccination rates remain behind large shipping nations in Europe, North America and Asia where more than 50% of the population is fully vaccinated,â says Kasper Søgaard, managing director, Head of Institutional Strategy and Development, Global Maritime Forum.
Ship managers report for the first time that they are facing a shortage of seafarers and cite travel restrictions for Indian seafarers and the European summer holiday period as causes. Still governments and ports are placing stricter crew change requirements which have resulted in the cancellation of crew changes.
Despite the progress in seafarer vaccinations, ship managers highlighted that there continues to be limited access to Covid-19 vaccines for seafarers due to supply issues. Furthermore, ensuring access to the second dose of the vaccine remains a challenge and, in many cases, there is a significant gap between the two doses for seafarers. Ship managers also report reluctance by some seafarers to get vaccinated.
The Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator builds on aggregated data from 10 leading ship managers: Anglo-Eastern, Bernhard Schulte, Columbia Shipmanagement, Fleet Management (FLEET), OSM, Synergy Marine, Thome, V.Group, Wallem, and Wilhelmsen Ship Management, which collectively have about 90,000 seafarers currently onboard. The September Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator can be found here.
14. Antifouling survey
BIMCO is launching a new survey with the aim of gathering information from shipowners about the effectiveness of their anti-fouling systems.. The information gathered will help BIMCO provide factual information to the International Maritime Organization about biofouling management in practice.
The topic of biofouling is increasingly on the agenda at the IMO and several national governments. The existing IMO guidelines on biofouling (Resolution MEPC.207(62) â 2011 Guidelines for the control and management of shipsâ biofouling to minimise the transfer of invasive species) are currently under review.
BIMCO is actively involved in the revision of the guidelines and is seeking to ensure that the revised guidelines remain practical for shipowners. BIMCO has developed a questionnaire to collect shipownersâ views on the practices of biofouling management, especially the use and effectiveness of anti-fouling systems (AFS) and in-water cleaning. BIMCO encourages shipowners – both members and non-members – to take part in the survey, as this will help them build a robust argument when it comes to help improving the biofouling regulations.
Notices & Miscellany
Salvage podcast
Readers should check out the Bowmans Shipping Podcast whose fifth episode features Captain Nick Sloane, who among other difficult assignments took on the challenge of leading a team to parbuckle and refloat the Costa Concordia which ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012. Sloane is soon to be president of the International Salvage Union. In this episode of the Bowmans Shipping Podcast, partner Jeremy Prain speaks to him about his life in salvage and gets his thoughts on the Ever Given grounding in the Suez Canal, the state of the salvage market, and his ambition to catch an iceberg! This episode is available as follows:
⢠Apple Podcasts
⢠Spotify
⢠Google Podcasts
Safety Culture conference
The UK Chamber of Shipping will hold its annual Safety Culture Conference virtually on Tuesday 28 – Wednesday 29 September 2021.The theme of the Conference will be âSafety Culture = Good Business Senseâ where speakers will make the business case for why investing in safety and improving safety culture can optimise their business. Cost: Members – ÂŁ35; non-Members – ÂŁ70 (VAT & booking fee applicable).
Innovation in safety award
ICHCA International, the global cargo handling association, has opened the 2021 TT Club Innovation in Safety Award, which aims to highlight the importance of safety at a time of increased operational demands on cargo handling infrastructure and operations worldwide. The goal of the Award is equally to champion and celebrate the many companies and individuals around the world who are 100% dedicated to âmaking it safeâ every day, and to acknowledge and foster innovation to improve safety in cargo operations and logistics.
The Award is open to anyone – an individual, team or company â involved in cargo logistics. Entrants are required to show that a product, idea, solution, process, scheme or other innovation has resulted in a demonstrable improvement to safety.
The deadline for entries is 12 November 2021 and full details of the entry process and judging criteria can be found in both English and Chinese at https://ichca.com/tt-club-innovation-in-safety-awards.
Svitzer appointment
Leading towage operator Svitzer has announced that Mathias Jonasson has been appointed as managing director of the Scandinavia & Germany Cluster, effective from 1 September 2021.
Mathias, who will report to Svitzer Europeâs Managing Director Lise Demant, has a robust background in the oil and gas sector including a range of experience in operational, commercial and leadership positions. In his new role, Mathias will be responsible for Svitzerâs operations in its key Scandinavian & German regions.
LMAA move
After over a decade of being accommodated close to its roots at The Baltic Exchange, the office of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association will move to new premises as the office on St Mary Axe closes. The Association has greatly valued its arrangement with The Baltic, which has worked extremely well over the years. Against the above background, the Association is pleased to announce that, with effect from 8 September 2021, the LMAA office will relocate to premises within the newly developed International Dispute Resolution Centre, adjacent to St Paulâs Cathedral and Paternoster Square, not far from the IDRCâs former premises on Fleet Street.
LSLC arbitration debates
The London Shipping Law Centreâs arbitration roundtable debate, held in association with 36 Stone will take place on 15th and 16th September online. Both sessions will take place at 13.00 UK time. Part 1 will cover London maritime arbitration â costs and time are the thorny issues for users and who is control?
Part 2 will cover reality testing in London arbitration and whether the system meets the needs of users. For details email shipping@shippinglbc.co.uk
HERE
And finally âŚ
(With thanks to Paul Dixon)
A fellow got up one Saturday morning with the odd feeling that something about this day was to be different.
Something unusual WAS about to happen. He glanced out the window at the thermometer: 33 degrees.
He went downstairs – the clock had stopped at 3 o’clock.
He picked up the newspaper and read the date: the 3rd of the month.
Threes – that was it! He grabbed the paper and flipped it open to the racing section.
Sure enough in the 3rd race, there was a horse named Trio!
The fellow hurried to the bank, drew out his life savings and bet it all on the horse to win.
The horse finished 3rd.
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