Club Correspondents, P&I Associates, Durban, South Africa have provided information obtained from the managers / operators of Beira port on the situation in Beira Port as of 20th March 2019, as follows: “On the 14th March, the Central region of Mozambique and most notably the city of Beira were profoundly affected by Cyclone Idai. There have been fierce winds and water damage to the city and the surrounding area with lives lost, destruction of property, no electricity and no water available. The Port was well prepared in advance and thus ...

Members are reminded that direct trade between Qatar and seven other states – namely Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and the Maldives (together referred to as ‘the Restricting States’) – remains restricted or prohibited. This relates to discharge of goods originating from Qatar in one or more of the Restricting States, and to discharge of goods originating from one or more of the Restricting States in Qatar. Vessels that are Qatari-flagged or owned/operated by Qatari nationals are also subject to restrictions. As a general rule, ...

Windward, a world leader in maritime risk analytics, today announced the launch of its new Insurance Suite, designed to help marine insurers optimize risk selection, improve productivity and – ultimately – deliver better results. Included in the launch is a new product called “Evaluate”, which accelerates the underwriting process with decision-ready data, deep insights and visually-stunning analytics for any fleet. Evaluate is available now via any internet-connected device, and includes a month’s trial. Nick Maddalena, Windward Head of Insurance Business, said: “Technology isn’t a silver bullet. That’s why we’ve spent ...

The recent reports of container ship fires has once more focussed those in the container supply chain on safety issues related to the incorrect processing of dangerous goods. The nascent Cargo Integrity campaign initiated by the international transport and logistics insurer, TT Club has as a consequence gained renewed impetus. The recent fire aboard ‘Yantian Express’, details of the final judgment on the ‘MSC Flaminia’ explosion in July 2012, and the ongoing investigation of the ‘Maersk Honan’ fire are currently making headline news. Then just days ago news has come ...

The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has emphasized a new Dubai’s pioneering experience in maritime insurance as it shed light on some of the major local insurance services designed to ensure safe navigation, support maritime operational efficiency and security, and help transform the emirate into one of the best maritime capitals in the world. Hamed Hassan, Director for Registration and Licensing, DMCA said, “A comprehensive insurance coverage is one of the major pillars of the growth and sustainability of a maritime sector. We are keen towards adopting an integrated portfolio ...

Shipowners experienced a marginal increase in marine insurance costs last year, marking the end of a six-year run of declining premiums, according to Drewry’s Ship Operating Costs Annual Review & Forecast, as asset values recovered and the insurance market showed signs of turning. Changing market sentiment and rising claims in related sectors is driving costs up, leading many to wonder why the insurance market is turning, how high costs might rise and for how long? We are at the very bottom of the cycle which began falling in 2013. Over ...

Sophia Bullard, Crew Health Programme Director at UK P&I Club, comments on how to deal bullying and harassment aboard ships: “Over the past decade, we have seen an increased focus on the subject of harassment in the maritime sector. Campaigns to raise awareness, integrating fair practices and implementing guidelines for effectively dealing with the issue are all positive steps, however bullying continues to be a challenging issue in the profession. “Seafarers are often perceived as ‘tough people’ in the field, but this can be a rather biased perception. Working at ...

Chaucer, the specialty international (re)insurance group, has announced a new partnership with leading InsurTech, Concirrus, which is committed to driving technological change in the marine insurance market. Philip Graham, Chaucer’s Head of Marine comments: “Deploying the Concirrus data analytics platform, Quest Marine, will help us to deliver greater intrinsic value to clients as we enhance our existing underwriting expertise with data-driven behavioural risk factors. Bespoke risk customisation is the ultimate goal if we want to maximise client benefits and aim to stay ahead of the competition.” Quest Marine analyses billions ...

Skuld encourages all its members and assureds to conduct early planning regarding the Global Sulphur Cap 2020 limits. Skuld would like to highlight that the preparation for having the vessels ready for 0.50% m/m fuel will involve several sets of risk. These include but are not limited to stability issues when several fuel tanks are emptied at the same time, work in enclosed spaces and correct handling and disposal of accumulated sludge during tank cleaning. Strict compliance with each company’s Safety Management System (SMS), proper risk assessments and well-trained crew ...

Leading ratings agency S&P Global Ratings (formerly Standard and Poor’s) has confirmed the North of England P&I Club’s ‘A’ financial strength rating and stable outlook for the fifteenth consecutive year. In reaching its decision, S&P Global Ratings noted that North P&I Club’s (NEPIA) capital adequacy remained above its ‘AAA’ requirements, as well as its leading position within the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG). According to S&P, ‘The stable outlook reflects our expectation that NEPIA will retain its focus on controlled growth in a difficult market environment, maintain its competitive ...

In the past year, more than 100 ships have suffered engine complications after taking off-specification fuel supplies, known as bunkers, from major shipping territories around the world. The Houston area – which is one of the most reputable bunker hubs in the marine industry – has been accused of supplying contaminated bunkers to at least 100 vessels. The issue is also affecting other major maritime jurisdictions, such as Panama, Singapore and Hong Kong. “The challenge with this type of contamination is that it’s not identified as a contaminant under the ...

There is a popular Brexit account on Twitter that tweets every sixty minutes how many hours are left before the UK is due to leave the European Union on 29 March this year. The numbers on this countdown clock are already well into three figures at the time of writing this article and yet we still have little firm idea of just what the future trading relationship between the two partners will look like. The unfortunate political realities of a minority government in the UK and refusal even to discuss ...

Members should be aware that for shipments of cargo to Senegal, carriers may be unable to rely on their bill of lading terms against the named consignee. We have been advised by our local correspondents that bill of lading terms will not automatically apply to local receivers, unless it can be proven that the consignee has expressly agreed to them. This is a dfficult burden to satisfy. The local courts in Senegal take quite a strict approach. They will typically require a clear and express written agreement to the bill ...

California’s ballast water management regulations are codified in the Marine Invasive Species Act (“MISA”) which can be found within the California Public Resources Code (“PRC”) and title 2 California Code of Regulations (“CCR”). These regulations are enforced by the California State Lands Commission. Applying to all vessels of 300gt and above, the regulations provide that vessels conducting ballast water exchanges must do so at a distance from land dependant upon the vessel’s last port of call: a) Vessels calling at a California port or place arriving from a port or ...

Skuld today announces that Hilde Søbstad Løvskar has been appointed chief legal officer (CLO). Løvskar now heads the corporate legal department and joins Skuld’s executive management team. Løvskar started in Skuld as an intern in June 2009. She became a maritime trainee in Skuld and participated in the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association’s trainee programme. Since 2012 Løvskar has been corporate legal counsel. In this role she has also been the company secretary and worked closely with management and Skuld’s board. Ståle Hansen, Skuld president and CEO, said: “I am very pleased ...