A NewsLink service for Dole Chile

Monday, August 25, 2014

SAFETY STUDY
EXPOSURE TO A POTENTIAL KILLER

Higher tanker demand likely

An expected rise in demand for tankers is likely

to bolster the segment soon although vessel
oversupply remains a threat.
Poten & Partners said in a new report that
tanker segments were able to keep healthy spot
NARRATIVE
rates over the past weeks, indicating that vessel
oversupply woes are easing. According to the
A crossover line between the port and
shipbroker, orderbook for tankers is currently at
starboard ballast/treated black water/grey
water tanks passed through an adjacent
66.1 million deadweight tons (mDWT) until
cofferdam. The pipework in the cofferdam had 2017.
suffered corrosion, and this allowed sewage to
It also noted that the year-to-date delivery
build up in the tank. Permanent repairs were
pace for tankers is still on track despite slight
planned for the next refit due within a few
delays. "At the start of the year, the 2014
months.
orderbook was 27.2 mDWT, the current
Because of the amount of liquid that had
orderbook is 15.9 mDWT and only 8.1 mDWT
leaked into the cofferdam, it was decided to
empty the contents using a portable salvage
has reportedly delivered. This differential
pump. The cofferdam had been opened on a
suggests that 3.3 mDWT, or 12%, of the
A toxic surprise awaited a crew as they
opened a cofferdam filled with sewage they
planned to empty.

number of occasions without cause for

concern. The appropriate tank rescue
equipment was assembled in the vicinity of the
tank lid, in accordance with the company's
"Permit to Work - Entry into Confined Spaces"
procedures. Two ratings removed the port aft
lid to ventilate the tank, so that the senior first
officer could test the atmosphere and
complete the Permit to Work.
Immediately on lifting the lid, the ratings
noticed a strong smell of sewage. They
inserted the fan extension hose into the tank
and vacated the area. The senior first officer
then arrived to conduct the atmosphere test.
While approaching the tank, his multi-gas
detector registered an alarm and recorded a
hydrogen sulphide (HS) reading of 98 parts
per million. The compartment was immediately
evacuated and the watertight access doors
closed. The cofferdam lid was re-secured 15
minutes later by a rating wearing full
compressed air breathing apparatus. The
ship's senior doctor examined the two ratings,
and treated them for exposure to hydrogen
sulphide. They remained fit for duty.

LESSONS
- Over-exposure to the potentially lethal toxic
gases was prevented because the ratings
vacated the area immediately after opening
the cofferdam lid. The senior first officer fully
recognised the dangers, and understood the
meaning of the multi-gas detector alarm and
reading levels. His direction to fully isolate the
compartment stabilised the situation and
prevented the possible contamination of other
areas.

originally reported orderbook is on a surface

level unaccounted for," the shipbroker said.
VLCC tonnage accounted for 41% of the
orderbook and they are expected to be delivered
by 2016. This year, 20 VLCCs are expected to
be delivered.
Poten & Partners likewise called on
shipowners and shipyard operators to properly
gauge first new orders to balance supply and
demand for new vessels.
"Some schools of thought believe that the
Suezmax orderbook is realistically only 55% of
the 62 vessels reportedly on order, suggesting
that widely reported orderbook numbers grossly
overstate the reality of new tonnage supply in
the next few years," it said.

US eyes better hurricane

forecast with underwater study

EU alarmed over migrant

deaths; 73 more rescued at sea

The United States is keen on enhancing its

hurricane forecasts through underwater and
aerial research.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and related agencies will deploy
unmanned aircraft and submersibles to collect
data that can further improve the country's storm
warnings.
Through specialised equipment, scientists are
hoping to gather accurate data such as ocean
temperature, oxygen levels and movements of
sea currents to improve the nation's response
against hurricanes. They will also help
weathermen predict where hurricanes will hit
and which path they will take.
The
Atlantic
Oceanographic
and
Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) began
carrying out specialised research last month with
an aim of evaluating ocean models. "Often
forecasters do not have access to real-time
hurricane environmental data since much of it
can only be gathered by entering directly into
extremely dangerous parts of a storm," AOML
deputy director Alan Leonardi said.
"New technologies like the Wave Glider are
giving us real-time ground truth while also
safely providing a closer look at the dynamics of
air-sea interactions in a storm environment," he
added.
The US had been it by numerous hurricanes,
most notably Sandy in 2012 and Katrina in
2005.

The European Union's Home Affairs

Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said Sunday
she was "appalled" by a new report that migrants
had died trying to cross the Mediterranean to get
to Italy.
"I am appalled by these new tragedies at sea
and I express my condolences to the victims and
their families," she said in a statement, adding
that she would meet with Italian Interior
Minister Angelino Alfano on Wednesday in
Brussels to discuss the latest developments.
Media reports said Sunday that an Italian navy
ship had approached a boat in difficulty and
found 18 dead along with 73 survivors on board.
"I also thank the Italian authorities for the
huge efforts put in place to assist and rescue
thousands of migrants over the last days," she
said.
Italy's navy, coast guard and merchant marine
have rescued more than 3,500 people since
Friday in the stretch of the Mediterranean
between Sicily and the Libyan and Tunisian
coasts.
Faced with the new crisis, Malmstroem again
urged member states "to provide assistance to
Mediterranean countries facing increased
migratory and asylum pressure, in particular by
resettling people from refugees' camps outside
the EU".
Many of the migrants making the risky and
often deadly journeys are refugees from Eritrea,
Somalia and Syria, but there are also many
arriving from across Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa.

PAGE 2 - Monday, August 25, 2014

SHIPPING DATA

BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: (August 22)
Dry Index
BDI
1088
Capesize Index
BCI
2535
Panamax Index
BPI
812
Supramax Index
BSI
937
Handysize Index
BHSI 413

-8
-43
-6
+12
+7

EXCHANGE RATES
New York (Fri Cls)
Fgn Currency
in USD
Britain (Pound)
1.6577
Canada (Dollar)
0.9135
China (Yuan)
0.1626
Euro
1.3241
India (Rupee)
0.0165
Indonesia (Rupiah) 0.000085
Japan (Yen)
0.009622
Norway (Krone)
0.1621
Philippines (Peso)
0.0228
Poland (Zloty)
0.3161
Russia (Ruble)
0.0277
Singapore (Dollar)
0.8008
Ukraine (Hryvnia)
0.0748

USD in Fgn
Currency
0.6032
1.0947
6.1515
0.7552
60.4400
11725.00
103.9300
6.1684
43.8500
3.1600
36.1081
1.2487
13.3704

More than 100,000 migrants have landed in

Italy so far this year, according to the UN
refugee agency UNHCR -- far higher than the
previous record of some 60,000 who arrived in
2011 at the height of the turmoil triggered by the
Arab Spring revolutions, AFP reported. Figures
released at the end of July showed some 93,000
migrants had been rescued since the start of
2014.
The European Commission has said the
refusal of member states to respond more
favourably to asylum requests was fuelling the
crisis.

Filipino seaman in Togo

negative for Ebola
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs
(DFA) has confirmed that a Filipino seaman in
Togo tested negative for Ebola virus.
The Filipino earlier showed symptoms of the
diseases but was later cleared by doctors and
diagnosed with flu.
The Filipino seaman was with a Togolese
student at an isolation centre in a Togo hospital
for observation after vomiting and bleeding
upon arrival at the West African country.
Authorities are on alert for possible signs of
Ebola as the disease has already infected 2,473
people in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and
Nigeria.

DEVELOPMENT

Indonesia prepares maritime

road map
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (Kadin) is preparing a road map of
maritime and fisheries programmes for the next
five years to increase the country's revenue.
Kadin's deputy chairman for maritime affairs
and fisheries, Yugi Prayanto, said Friday that
the maritime sector could make a substantial
contribution to Indonesia's gross domestic
product (GDP), if managed correctly, The
Jakarta Post reported.

"The maritime sector has huge economic

potential, but we are still focusing our attention
on developing the economy on land," Yugi said
as quoted by Antara news agency.
He added that the road map, which is almost
complete, would offer achievable programmes to
the next government, which will assume power
on October 20.
He said Kadin proposed optimising the
cultivation of fish and fishing in exclusive
economic zones and on the high seas as one of
the road map's main targets.
"We are aiming for national fishery production
of 38.2 million tons by 2019. We believe that
seafood can become a prime commodity for
national food security," Yugi said, adding that
he hoped the new government would build fish
production centres with cold storage, as well as
managing a national logistics system faster and
more efficiently and distribute fish equitably
nationwide.

INCIDENTS

Disabled tanker's assessment

team formed
A safety assessment team is in place for an
oil/chemical tanker that was disabled by an
engine room fire.
The US Coast Guard said the team will ensure
the safety of the crew and arrange the ship's
reception and repair at the Port of San
Francisco.
The ship is being towed after a major engine
room fire on August 13. The ship lost power and
propulsion as a result of the incident. A crew
member also died.
"Our top priority is ensuring a co-ordinated
effort to get the ship safely into port where
repairs can be made," Coast Guard official Capt.
Greg Stump said.

SHIPWRECK

Malta discovers ancient

Phoenician shipwreck
Malta's Minister for Justice, Culture and Local
Government, Owen Bonnici, announced on
Monday that a Phoenician shipwreck has been
found in Maltese waters, Xinhua reported.
The 50-feet-long sunken ship is located one
mile off the coast of Gozo, Malta's second
largest island, at a depth of 120 metres. The ship
dates back to 700 B.C.
It could be the oldest shipwreck in the
Mediterranean, according to Bonnici. The site is
being explored by GROplan Project, funded by
the French National Research Agency. The
project is aimed at developing underwater
photogrammetry in an efficient and economical
way.
Department of Classics and Archaeology at
University of Malta and institutions in France
and the United States are involved in the project.
The discovery was kept secret until the
necessary studies were carried out.

KVH Media Group Ltd produces the marketleading KVH SatNews service, incorporating
NEWSlink which provides 75+ titles for
seafarers.
Address: 15 Nafpliou St., 1st Floor, P.O. Box
3627, 3317 Limassol, Cyprus.
Tel: +357 25340360
Email: info@newslink.kvh.com
Copyright 2014 KVH Media Group Ltd is a
KVH company. All rights reserved.

PORT OF THE WEEK

PORT OF RANONG
The Port of Ranong is located in the
Kingdom of Thailand.
The Thai Cabinet approved on 25 March
2003 the authority for Port Authority of
Thailand to manage and operate Ranong
Port.
It was the goal to develop Ranong as the
main terminal for marine cargo transport in
the Andaman coast, linking trade routes
with countries in South Asia, Middle East,
Europe and Africa.
Ranong is located at the estuary of the
Pak Chan (or Kraburi) River, opposite
Myanmar's Victoria Point. The Tenasserim
Hills rise directly to the east of Ranong, and
another small ridge runs along the edge of
the estuary to the town's north.
The first-phase development of Ranong
Port resulted in it being able to
accommodate two cargo ships of less than
500 gross tons. It was obviously not
enough to suit the growing international
trade in west-bound routes. Thus, the
Marine Department constructed the
second-phase Ranong Port to
accommodate a larger cargo vessel of
12,000 deadweight tons.
State agencies responsible for the
development of basic infrastructures and
public utilities, as well as international trade
in both central and provincial areas have
jointly developed the second-phase port to
ensure maximum capability of this new
gateway.
The port development is the key strategy
to enable Ranong Province to be marine
cargo transport hub in the Andaman sea.
The second-phase port was officially
opened for services on July 2006.
Currently, the Port of Ranong is
Thailand's principal Indian Ocean port.
Ranong Port has provided a full range of
cargo service including discharging,
loading, transferring, storage and delivery.
To facilitate customer services, the port has
set up a one-stop service centre at the
entrance for payment of port charges,
immigration, customers clearance and
other procedures. The Port Authority of
Thailand is embarking on computerising
container gate-in / gate-out data,
import-export cargo lists, and bill issuance.
Electricity, water supply and
telecommunications system are well
prepared to serve the customer's needs