Buoyed by the development of vaccines, 2021 promised a return to ‘normal’. The logistics industry has continued to operate at full capacity and beyond. The last year presented multiple challenges to every aspect of the freight industry – and there appears little respite as we head into 2022. Over the last year, the industry has responded to a range of stresses that have included, amongst many things, a sustained imbalance of equipment, brief blockage of the Suez Canal, sporadic port closures and ongoing congestion in numerous nations, together with strong ...

Early in January 2022, our local correspondent, Sheringham P&I Services, advised that Ghana Port Health Service will levy a fine of USD 3,500 on any vessel arriving with crew or passengers not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The directive was initially due to be implemented from 15 January 2022 onwards. Following the announcement, authorities decided to allow a grace period until February 2022 to allow owners sufficient time to vaccinate their crew. According to the latest information received, this Directive has been withdrawn and vessels will not be fined if they ...

Nordic Marine Insurance is happy to announce that Jan Limnell is joining Nordic Marine Insurance as Deputy Managing Director and Underwriting Director. Jan Limnell has a wide experience in shipping and marine insurance and has been with the Finnish insurance company Alandia for almost 30 years. He is highly respected and a recognised expert in the industry. Jan has also been involved in international cooperation within marine insurance for many years and has been chairman for Cefor, vice chairman of IUMIs Hull committee and a member of the Insurance Sweden’s ...

Freight insurance specialists, TT Club and the supply chain services and solutions team at BSI, the business improvement and standards company have highlighted the increased risk of theft from storage facilities seen over the past few months in the United States. The changes in theft patterns from the same quarter last year highlight a trend away from ‘on the move’ targets to those locations where cargo is temporarily stored and delivered. These locations include traditional warehouses and depots where containers and trailers are being held awaiting collection, many of which ...

North has appointed Peter Thomas as Deputy Business Claims Manager and Laura Gilbert as Underwriter within the Group’s Owners’ Fixed Premium P&I (OFP P&I) team in a significant expansion of Sunderland Marine’s London-based team. Thomas has over 17 years’ experience in senior claims roles with several mutual and fixed marine insurers in the London market, and most recently held the position of Head of P&I Claims Asia for QBE in Singapore. With P&I, FD&D, H&M and War risks experience and a wide knowledge of Asian and European business, he is ...

In February 2020, the Ro-Ro vessel, Trans Carrier, hit heavy weather off the Danish coast on its way to Stavanger, Norway. A container on deck shifted and was damaged in the storm, spilling thirteen tons of plastic pellets or “nurdles” as they are often called into the sea. The nurdles dispersed widely in the wind and current accumulating in the Oslo fjord. In the first of a three-part series our guest, Gisle Rong for Sea Trans and Gard’s Ole Aasbø tell what happened in the aftermath of the casualty including ...

The following amendments to the Rules for P&I and Defence cover for ships and other floating structures (“Rules for Ships”) and the Rules for P&I and Defence cover for mobile offshore units (“Rules for MOUs”) for both Assuranceforeningen Gard – gjensidig – and Gard P.& I. (Bermuda) Ltd (collectively the “Associations” and individually the “Association”) have been endorsed by the Boards of Directors of the Associations and will enter into force at noon GMT on 20 February 2022. RULES FOR SHIPS – P&I ENTRIES Rule 1 – Interpretation Gender equality ...

Due to pandemic restrictions, Gard held its 16th annual Charterers and Traders Geneva seminar as a webinar. The topic of global maritime security threats was addressed through role play with panellists representing a shipowner and a charterer. To kick-off, our guest speaker from Risk Intelligence, took us through an overview of the current and emerging security risks for shipping. Introduction In our recent Charterers and Traders webinar, our guest speaker, Henrik Ehlers Kragh COO of Risk Intelligence, discussed cyber threats, war risks and current emerging risks in connection with global ...

An enhanced focus on machinery failure incident investigations in Shanghai waters, combined with China’s strict COVID-19 quarantine requirements for shore personnel attending onboard ships, could lead to time-consuming and expensive class surveys and audits, warns major classification society. As mentioned in our recent articles “Legal risks following quarantine of Yangtze River pilots” of 6 January and “Handling of COVID-19 positive crew cases in China” of 7 January 2022, China’s zero-tolerance policy towards COVID-19 has turned out to be highly stressful for ships’ crews – and challenging and costly for both ...

Skuld is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a new visual identity. Established in 1897, Skuld has grown and developed over the past 125 years from a P&I Club for Scandinavian shipowners into the highly regarded and global marine insurer that it is today. As one of the largest marine insurers, with 10 offices around the world, Skuld has become a leading voice on best practice within the industry, establishing itself over the years as a trusted authority in the marine market. As Skuld continues to attract new members, clients and ...

Our local correspondent, Sheringham P&I Services, has advised that Ghana Port Health Service will levy a fine of USD 3,500 on any vessel arriving with crew or passengers not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The directive was initially due to be implemented from 15 January 2022 onwards. However, to allow owners sufficient time to vaccinate their crew, authorities have decided to allow a grace period, and the actual date of implementation is yet to be confirmed. Is the fine per vessel or per unvaccinated person onboard? This aspect of the directive ...

The Government of Hong Kong announced on 5 January 2022 that it will suspend all flights to the city from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, UK and the USA from 8 January to 21 January 2022. The Government of Hong Kong announced on 5 January 2022 that it will suspend all flights to the city from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, UK and the USA from 8 January to 21 January 2022. The announcement is a result of the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and ...

BIMCO SEV-GUARDCON The BIMCO subcommittee which drafted the new contract was made up of representatives from shipowners and operators, private maritime security companies (PMSC), maritime risk consultants, P&I Clubs (including the Standard Club) and law firms. The new contract is dubbed SEV-GUARDCON as it is based on BIMCO’s GUARDCON contract and adopts a balanced contractual framework for SEVs that accompany merchant ships in high risk areas such as the Gulf of Guinea. Whilst the new contract has been prepared with the particular regard to maritime security position in the Gulf ...

Article 20 of the Turkish Environmental Code 1983, law no.2871, provides that fines may be imposed by the relevant authorities on vessels causing pollution in Turkish waters, through the discharge of petroleum products, dirty… Blue oil tanker Article 20 of the Turkish Environmental Code 1983, law no.2871, provides that fines may be imposed by the relevant authorities on vessels causing pollution in Turkish waters, through the discharge of petroleum products, dirty ballast and garbage and sewage into the sea. The fines are calculated in reference to the vessel’s gross tonnage ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a guide for the management of COVID-19 on board cargo ships and fishing vessels. This implementation guide builds on the information provided in the WHO interim guidance ‘Technical… Man working in the sea The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a guide for the management of COVID-19 on board cargo ships and fishing vessels. This implementation guide builds on the information provided in the WHO interim guidance ‘Technical considerations for implementing a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of COVID-19’ and ...