The English High Court has issued a judgment concerning a carrier’s duty when issuing a bill of lading to check the declared weight of a container. Maersk agreed to carry a number of containers onboard the Maersk Klaipeda said to contain valuable copper wire scrap. The shipper declared the gross and tare weight of each container. Maersk received the containers stuffed and sealed. SOLAS requires the shipper to verify the gross mass weight (VGM) of containers to be shipped. The VGM of the containers was measured by DP World at ...

Steady growth in flexitank usage around the world prompts container owners and specialist insurer to offer safety guidelines to assist shippers, forwarders, carriers and terminals to handle cargo carried in these units with minimal risk. Global freight insurance provider, TT Club has issued the latest in its series of Stop Loss publications together with the Container Owners Association (COA). Focusing on the increasingly popular flexitank unit to ship bulk liquid cargoes, Flexitanks in the supply chain – defining safe operations seeks to identify the applicable risks, highlight good practice and ...

The questionnaire has been developed by the Cefor Sanctions Forum, in line with practices and requirements already in place. The Cefor Sanctions Due Diligence Questionnaire is a resource to ensure that necessary voyage information is provided to the insurer. This applies to, for example, voyages requiring an Additional War or Ice Premium. Note that the questionnaire is a template standard and thus not binding to Cefor members. It is provided for information only. Cefor members are completely free to use and/or modify any part of the questionnaire. Source: Gard, https://www.gard.no/about-gard/company-news/hull-and-machinery-cefor-sanctions-due-diligence-questionnaire/

Highlights •There will be a capital distribution to Members of approximately US$42 million allocated as 12.5% of the 2024/25 mutual P&I premium for vessels renewing on 20th February 2025 (subject to regulatory approval). •At the 2025/26 renewal there will be a 5% general increase applied to premium on all classes of business. •At 20 September an investment return of US$77 million was achieved. •At 20 September owned tonnage is up 5.8% to 131.2 million GT. •The Club’s S&P Global (S&P) rating is ‘A’ with a stable outlook. Underwriting Results 2024/25 ...

This annual document reports on the health of the marine insurance sector within the framework of the global economy, trade and shipping. Data is gathered from a number of agencies including IUMI’s own sources and is analysed and presented with some additional commentary. Highlights from this year’s report includes: Global marine insurance premiums in 2023 totalled USD38.9 billion – a 5.9% uplift on 2022. Development was seen across all lines of business. Drivers included a continued rise in global trade volumes and values (cargo), coupled with increases in vessel values ...

California’s regulation for ocean going vessels at berth Since 2014, the California Resource Board (CARB) has regulated emissions from container, refrigerated cargo (reefer), and passenger vessels that visit certain state ports. Following the positive results of this regulation, and in an effort to further reduce the public’s exposure to air pollution caused by commercial vessels that visit California ports and terminals, its new ‘2020 At Berth Regulation’ took effect on 1 January 2021. The new regulation continues to cover emissions from container, reefer and passenger vessels, but also expands the ...

The new UK government is bringing into force measures relating to seafarers’ wages, the framework for which was contained in the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. The Act was passed after P&O dismissed almost 800 seafarers in 2022 and its aim is to ensure that seafarers on services that are frequent visitors to UK waters are paid the equivalent of the UK’s national minimum wage, whatever the flag of the vessel. The Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/1015) will put new obligations on harbour authorities and operators of international maritime services ...

MLC Amendments – entry into force 23/12/2024 The 2022 amendments to MLC 2006, adopted at the ILO 110th session in Geneva, are expected to come into force from 23rd December 2024. The amendments can be read in full here but we provide a brief overview below for ease of reference. Regulation 1.4 – Recruitment and placement Further protection for seafarers if a recruitment or placement agent fails to meet its obligations under the seafarer’s employment agreement. Seafarers should be informed of their rights, prior to or in the process of ...

The last few months of the southern hemisphere winter have seen some severe weather conditions off the Cape of Good Hope, and we have seen several incidents occurring. The area has a reputation for stormy confused seas, large swells and rogue waves, which pose extra risks for ships and their crews. Sadly, there have been recent fatalities among crew working on deck and who have been struck by waves in heavy weather off the Cape. Cargo stows on container, bulk, vehicle and general cargo vessels are particularly vulnerable to more ...

Extreme weather incidents are increasing across the globe and the impact on cargo ships is evident. Maritime insurance specialist The Swedish Club reports that it registered claims exceeding 25million USD attributable to heavy weather over the past five years. In response, The Swedish Club has developed a Heavy Weather Alert tool as an addition to its leading loss prevention tool Trade Enabling Loss Prevention (TELP). Heavy weather can cause structural damage, shifted cargo, broken mooring lines, wet damage, lost cargo overboard, and more. The Club says it has also seen ...

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) on October 10 published a comprehensive best practice guide for the safe use of flexible tanks for the transport of liquid cargoes. Its objective is to provide underwriters, brokers and their clients with practical guidance to ensure cargoes transported by flexible tanks arrive intact at their chosen destination. Flexible tanks – or flexitanks – are poly film bladders that are filled with a liquid cargo (such as dairy products, wine, fruit juice or non-dangerous oils) and then placed into a standard IOS container ...

From time to time Members and clients contact Gard and ask for advice when a ship has been fined for burning non-compliant fuel in a port or waters where special sulphur emission regulations apply. In some cases, ships may have unknowingly burned fuel with a sulphur content exceeding the permissible limit, e.g. because the bunker delivery note (BDN) was inaccurate. However, most instances seem to happen because ship operators and crews are not fully familiar with the local air pollution regulations in force. Actions for compliance Some regions, states and ...

With little progress in establishing a protection and indemnity (P&I) entity to insure cargo vessels, the Centre is considering deploying its own funds as preliminary investment. This approach would involve private insurers and shippers contributing at a secondary stage, according to multiple officials familiar with the development. More than a year after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s unexpected announcement calling for a P&I entity, the lack of regulatory clarity and the nascency of the Indian shipping sector have slowed progress on this key initiative. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and ...

The Club has in recent years experienced a large number of cargo claims in China arising from the shipment to China of agricultural products especially soyabeans. The Club supported Shipowner members in a recent case and successfully defended a claim for alleged damage to a cargo of DDGS before the Chinese Supreme People’s Court with the assistance of UK solicitors Waterson Hicks and PRC lawyers Wang Jing & Co. The Supreme Court set out a number of principles which may be usefully applied in future cases involving alleged damage to ...

The EU targets offshore vessels to monitor, report and verify, and ultimately reduce, their GHG emissions. But when will this start and what size vessels are impacted? • From 1st January 2025 offshore and general cargo vessels over 400 GT will be required to comply with EU monitoring, reporting and verification requirements (EU MRV). • From 1st January 2027 offshore vessels over 5000 GT will be included in the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS). EU MRV This regulation provides for the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions, cargo carried, ...