Port State Control News

Wilhelmsen, Hitachi Deliver XRF Analyzers

Signing a supply agreement with Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science (Hitachi High-Tech), Wilhelmsen will supply Hitachi High-Tech’s industry-leading handheld XRF analyzers to the maritime market, enabling vessel crews to accurately and efficiently test the sulphur content of their fuel, on the spot.With the International Maritime Organization’s 0.50% global sulphur cap on marine fuels set to come into force on January 1, 2020 and discussions on enforcement strategies and potential penalties for non-compliance gathering pace…

US Shutdown Impacts Shipping: North P&I Club

US Coast Guard and other federal agencies are operating at a reduced capacity following US government shutdown, said North of England Protecting and Indemnity Association (North P&I Club).Since 21 December 2018, the US Government has been in shutdown following the failure of Congress to agree federal funding. With no end in sight, it is the longest shutdown in US history, it said."We have not received any indications as yet that the shutdown is causing significant disruption to shipping," said a statement from North P&I Club.

World's Largest Cruise Ship Makes U.S. Debut at Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral welcomed the world’s largest cruise ship before dawn Thursday as Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas made its historic first North American port of call.The massive cruise vessel arrived at the Port’s Cruise Terminal 1 from Malaga, Spain with nearly 5,500 cruise guests and 2,200 international crew members.“We’re proud of the confidence our partners at Royal Caribbean have in us. Although this ship will be home-ported in Miami, our cruise partner trusted the capabilities of this port for its first U.S. port of call,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray.

Bulk Sector Prospects Perking Up

The bulk sector is navigating its way out of the doldrums but market correction has come at a price, delegates attending Bulk Terminals 2018 learned last week.Speaking in Hamburg at the annual conference of the Association of Bulk Terminal Operators, Frachtcontor Director Frank Grone said that while the bulk segment is slowly but steadily working its way out of the doldrums with a positive cash flow, he reminded delegates that 60mdwt was scrapped in 2015 and 2016 at “ridiculous prices”…

Moore Stephens: Ship Operating Costs Decline Again

International accountant and shipping consultant Moore Stephens says total annual operating costs in the shipping industry fell by 1.3% in 2017. This compares with the 1.1% average fall in costs recorded for 2016. For the third successive year, all categories of expenditure in 2017 were down on those for the previous 12-month period, most notably for insurance costs and stores.The findings are set out in OpCost 2018 (www.opcostonline.com), Moore Stephens’ unique ship operating costs benchmarking tool…

Somalian Maritime Administration to be Fully Operational Soon

Somalia’s Department of Maritime Administration is planned to become fully operational by the end of the year, enabling the country to discharge its flag, port and coastal responsibilities effectively in line with International Maritime Organization (IMO) instruments.Somalian Government officials met at an IMO-sponsored workshop, held in Kigali, Rwanda (27-31 August) and agreed that the newly-established department, part of the Ministry of Ports and Marine Transport, should be restructured by 31 December 2018.The next steps…

OP/ED: The 2020 Sulfur Cap – Growing Pains or Mass Hysteria?

At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2018, the global shipping industry will be expected to comply with the IMO agreed upon 0.5% sulfur cap for bunker fuels with few waivers available.For vessels which have installed scrubbers, higher sulfur fuels may continue to be used. IMO’s recent agreement on the ban of carriage of non-compliant fuel assures that cheating will not be allowed providing that port states integrate this ban into their respective port state control inspection programs.All that said…

ClassNK Releases Annual Report on Port State Control

Leading classification society ClassNK has released its annual report on Port State Control. The report aims to assist ship operators and management companies in maintaining compliant operations by providing information about ships detained by PSC as well as deficiencies that were found on board from many port states in 2017. In line with the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, PSC inspections ensure that vessels departing the port meet international standards and have proved to be highly effective in eliminating substandard ships that are in operation.

Marine Environment Protection for Southeast Asia Seas Project Launched

Seven ASEAN countries have formally launched an ambitious initiative aimed at improving the environmental health of the seas in the region, through the implementation of key International Maritime Organization (IMO) marine environment protection treaties. Senior decisions makers of maritime administrations of the beneficiary ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) met for their first high-level regional meeting in Bali, Indonesia (25-27 June), to kick-start the “Marine Environment Protection for Southeast Asia Seas (MEPSEAS) Project”.

BV Adds ‘PSC Ready’ to its Digital Portfolio

‘PSC Ready’ assists ship managers and their crews in planning and ensuring readiness for port state control inspections. ‘PSC Ready’ is a cloud-based and secure application, downloadable for both IOS and Android. The application helps ensure that ship owners are able to focus on all the requirements needed to be ready for PSC inspections. The benefits of ‘PSC Ready’ include:   * Helping ensure compliance with applicable requirements  * Enhancing ship maintenance by developing crews’ awareness of safety…

Abuja MOU to Enhance Shipping Standards in West, Central Africa

In a bid to harmonize port state control inspection procedures that will lead to the elimination of substandard shipping in the West and Central Africa sub-region, the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will host its 3rd Ministerial Conference and 9th Port state Control Committee Meeting with the aim of developing a unified system of Port State Control inspection procedure for the region. The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region…

Alfa Laval BlueBox SA prevents oily water discharge problems

Non-compliant discharge of oily water continues to be an environmental threat – and an expensive headache for the marine industry. With the tamper-proof Alfa Laval BlueBox SA, a standalone oil content monitor and data recorder, Alfa Laval is providing peace of mind to ship owners and operators. Despite many years of strict enforcement when it comes to oily water discharge limits, there are still high-profile cases that result in extreme fines or jail terms. Naturally, no company can afford to take risks when the consequences are of such magnitude.

Tokyo MOU: Concentrated Inspection Campaign On Safety Of Navigation

The concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) on safety of navigation was carried out in the Tokyo MoU region from 1 September 2017 to 30 November 2017. Within the campaign, Tokyo MOU member Authorities verified vital points of compliance in accordance with SOLAS Ch. V on all types of foreign merchant ships. During the CIC, member Authorities inspected a total of 6,720 vessels, of which 36 (0.54%) were detained as a direct result of the campaign. In total 157 (2.34%) ships were detained during the campaign.

Maritime Cook Islands Gears Up for Stronger 2018

Maritime Cook Islands (MCI), an international ship registry, is planning for another year of expansion after a solid performance in 2017. Despite the continuing challenging times in shipping, MCI says 2017 saw it make significant progress on several fronts. For 2017, MCI registered 130 new vessels. Our fleet grew by 3.6%; from 557 vessels at the end of 2016 to 577 (as of 13 December 2017). With 451,792 gross tonnage (GT) added for 2017, this brings the total GT for 2017 to 1,840,614 (as of 16 December 2017). This represents an increase of 3.76% from 2016’s total GT.

Palau Keeps an Eye Out with Polestar

Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) has expanded its technology offering by linking with Pole Star to offer a comprehensive sanctions compliance and risk management service for its fleet vessels. Pole Star’s Purple TRAC is a comprehensive ship-centric economic sanctions compliance and risk management service used by shipping companies, ship financiers, insurers, port state agencies and ship registries. Using the latest technology it offers high level monitoring of assets designed to protect both the vessel and crew during operations.

DMA to Digitalise Port State Control

The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) are examining how online control of certificates could make Port State Control (PSC) inspections more efficient. This happens in the wake of the DMA’s implementation of digital certificates on Danish ships. Time is money, and PSC inspections are time-consuming since they include scrutiny of the ship’s certificates as well as inspection of its compliance with operational and safety regulations. But how to make PSC inspections more efficient without compromising safety? By enabling online control of certificates.

MT Solviken Honored by DNV GL

Since its delivery from the shipyard in 2007, crude oil tanker MT Solviken – managed by Wallem Europe  – has had 15 Port State Control (PSC) inspections without a single PSC observation recorded. On completion of the latest PSC inspection which took place in Primorsk in Russia, the PSC Inspector made a point of highlighting this achievement to the vessel. On November 14, DNV GL’s Senior Vice President, Regional Manager North Europe Region, Jon Rysst, presented a diploma to the ship owner Viken Shipping’s Technical Director Vidar Winciansen at a small ceremony at Viken’s office in Oslo.

Captain Fined after Ship Grounds off Northern Ireland

The captain of a Dutch cargo ship that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 ($1,300) at Armagh Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. Ship’s captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).

RMI Registry Strengthens Support for Japanese Owners

International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI), which provide administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries, has appointed a new Technical Officer in its Imabari office, strengthening its support and services for the Japanese ship owning market. “We now have more than 400 employees in our 27 offices worldwide and by hiring an extremely experienced technical officer in Imabari, who understands every aspect of vessel safety and day-to-day operations…

Campaign Focuses on Safety of Navigation

The two major Port State Control regimes – Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU – will focus especially on navigational safety in a so-called Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) is being taken place from 1 September until 30 November 2017, said Danish Maritime Authority. The inspection campaign (CIC) will be carried out over a period of three months as part of routine Port State Control inspections. Thus, all Danish ships that are routinely inspected under the Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU should expect to be covered by the campaign.

Bulker Owner Fined for US Ballast Water Discharge

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has issued a $5,000 fine to the owners of a foreign freight vessel for unauthorized ballast water discharge into the Willamette River in Portland, August 16. During a routine port state control ballast water examination on the 590-foot bulk freighter ANSAC Moon Bear, Coast Guard marine inspectors, from Marine Safety Unit Portland, discovered that the vessel had discharged untreated ballast water into the Willamette River on three separate occasions during port calls in 2017.

AVCS Users Urged to Check ECDIS Compliance

Ahead of the IHO’s compliance deadline of August 31, 2017, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has urged owners and operators to ensure their ECDIS systems are using S-52 Presentation Library Edition 4.0. Vital to navigational safety, the presentation library in S-52 governs how ENC data is portrayed on ECDIS screens and supports consistent display of navigational information across type-approved ECDIS. The UKHO emphasised that the compliance deadline coincides with…

EC Financial Instrument to Facilitate Ship Recycling

The European Commission released its report on the viability of a financial incentive for sustainable ship recycling under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation this week. Whilst it acknowledges the benefits for clean and safe ship recycling such an incentive would bring, the European Commission has decided to wait with its introduction. NGOs urge the EU to take action now as it is well documented that ship owners will with ease be able to circumvent the EU Ship Recycling Regulation by simply swapping the flag of their vessel to that of a non-EU State.

Tokyo, Paris MOUs Launch Navigation Safety Push

The Maritime Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on safety of navigation. The aim of the CIC is to check compliance with the applicable requirements of the SOLAS Convention, the overall status of the vessel’s navigation safety, and the competency of crew involved in navigation operations. This inspection campaign will be held for three months, commencing from September 1, 2017 and ending November 30, 2017.

Port and Environmental Regulations: Charting the Best Route

Trade, federal preemption and states’ rights have been the subject of debate, legal cases and jurisdictional battles for more than 200 years. During my time in the Coast Guard and serving as Captain of the Port, Puget Sound, we dealt with a preemption case involving tankers that went to the Supreme Court. Earlier in my career, it was the role of the federal pilotage in a state pilotage system, again decided at the Supreme Court. And, in my current role as Vice President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association…

Most Cargo Ships Over 20,000 GT are ECDIS Ready -UKHO

Almost three-quarters of cargo ships over 20,000 gross tonnage (GT) are already compliant with the SOLAS-mandated Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) deadline of July 1, 2017, according to the latest figures published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO). The UKHO estimates that a further 3,828 cargo ships over 20,000 GT are yet to make the transition to using an ENC (Electronic Navigational Chart) service and therefore do not yet meet SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations on ECDIS carriage.