North P&I Club has updated its guidance on the 2020 Sulphur Cap for Members, helping them prepare for the big switch to compliance on 1 January 2020. Following on from a comprehensive programme of events, training sessions and publications which have been rolled out over the past 12 months, North’s Members now have access to three new guides to ensure safe and compliant operations. The three guides cover the three main methods of achieving compliance: using distillates (MGO/MDO), using blended very-low-sulphur fuel oils (VLSFO) or installing exhaust gas cleaning systems ...

The Shipowners’ Club, the leading mutual P&I insurer in the smaller and specialist vessel sector, has reported resilient results for the year ending 31 December 2018. The Club has reported a combined ratio of 104.2%, which was slightly better than the budgeted 105%. Tonnage increased by 6.9% to 27.3m tonnes and insured vessel numbers increased by 3.5% to 34,094. There was a a reduction in capital and free reserves of US$ 37.9m, taking net assets to US$ 303.8m. Financial summary Combined ratio 104.2% (2017: 99.1%) Capital and free reserves US$ ...

French proposals submitted to the IMO’s MEPC at the end of last month call for a two-step approach of short-term measures to cut GHG emissions in shipping. They include regulating ship speeds on a sector by sector basis, followed by the adoption of globally applicable annual emissions caps based on each ship’s output. Loadstar reported the following views have been expressed: It is understood that Maersk has objected to the proposals, while a spokesman for Hapag-Lloyd told The Loadstar additional speed reductions ‘would not be a good solution’. He said: ...

The below FAQs about scrubbers are intended to assist members (as owners and charterers) in preparing their charterparties for IMO 2020. Whilst this is not intended to be formal legal or technical advice or an exhaustive list of FAQs, it seeks to identify chartering issues arising from IMO 2020, including potential contractual responsibilities and liabilities in respect of compliance. Are ship owners obliged to install scrubbers? In general terms, shipowners are not obliged to install scrubbers. However this question cannot be considered in isolation from the wider implications of MARPOL ...

The Standard Club has appointed Jamie Wallace to the role of Legal Director. The role will manage the key legal functions for the organisation, including supervising the handling of Defence Class claims, promoting the club’s policies on legal issues and managing the implementation of key processes Jamie brings to the role 17 years’ legal experience, principally in the maritime sector. Previously a Partner at Bentleys, Stokes and Lowless, Jamie’s experience involves advising owners, charterers and cargo interests in global jurisdictions on a variety of issues, including market collapses and cargo ...

Tankers have been issued with new deck-cooling orders by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). The directive applies from this month and involves all crude, product and chemical tankers carrying cargoes with flashpoints of less than 18 degrees. In a note to members, BIMCO said the move was being made to ensure the safety of canal operations, as well as to reduce disruptions in transit scheduling. Main decks must be cooled by a sprinkler system, or any other means available during transit. This will prevent automatic activation of release relief valves ...

Your Managers would like to draw your attention to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidance as set forth in the annex to the attached document MEPC.1/Circ.878, Guidance on the Development of a Ship Implementation Plan for the Consistent Implementation of the 0.50% Sulphur Limit Under MARPOL Annex VI. While there currently is no mandatory requirement to have an implementation plan, Port State Control authorities may likely take the status of any plan-or lack thereof-into consideration when verifying compliance after January 1, 2020. It is therefore recommended that vessels have one ...

The below FAQs are intended to assist members (as owners and charterers) in preparing their charterparties for IMO 2020. Whilst this is not intended to be formal legal or technical advice or an exhaustive list of FAQs, it seeks to identify chartering issues arising from IMO 2020, including potential contractual responsibilities and liabilities in respect of compliance. The main focus of the FAQs is on time charterparties, although guidance is also provided in respect of voyage charterparties where appropriate. What is the ‘Sulphur Cap’ and how does it apply? Regulation ...

Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB) is bidding farewell to some of its London office staff who have in recent years been mainly engaged in servicing the American P&I Club’s Eagle Ocean Marine (EOM) fixed premium brand. SCB has recently strengthened its EOM service capabilities throughout its offices across the globe. This has been driven by the steady expansion of EOM’s portfolio over the years, including a more than 40% increase in written premium over the past twelve months alone. Accordingly, EOM’s commitment to providing unsurpassed cover, claims and loss prevention ...

Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering port in terms of volume, supplying over 49 million tonnes in 2018. In fact, just 6 countries including Singapore supply around 60% of the world’s demand for bunkers. Singapore has indicated that it will be adopting a tough stance when it comes to enforcement of the IMO’s sulphur cap regulations (which will enter into force on 1 January 2020). The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has warned that aside from monetary fines, the master and owners of a vessel run the risk ...

Please read the below description of an incident. Keeping your company’s standards and vessel procedures in mind while reading to compare with the actions of the crew below. We will discuss the factors which led to the incident occurring and how to avoid it from happening on our vessel. A 1,100 TEU vessel departed Yantian, China on the evening of 25 September for a voyage to Keelung, Taiwan. Her calculated GM for open sea conditions was 3.5m. At that time a typhoon was developing in the western Pacific and its ...

The Club continues to receive frequent shortage claims involving bagged food cargoes (rice and sugar are those most commonly affected) being discharged in West African ports. Food is attractive to pilferers as it can easily be removed from a vessel either for consumption, for gifting to others or for sale. Bags are frequently seen to be torn due to accidental or, more commonly, deliberate rough handling: Bags often weigh up to 50kg and are consequentially difficult to manually handle. Stevedores therefore make up sling loads in the cargo hold wings ...

Further to our News Item of 11 April 2019 the United States has designated a further nine vessels and four owning companies for involvement in the carriage of petroleum cargoes from Venezuela to Cuba. A list of these designations can be found here. This action clearly underlines the intention of the U.S. authorities as outlined in our earlier News Item to interpret their sanctions regime against Venezuela as applying to non-U.S. persons and to deem that any vessel involved in the petroleum trades between Venezuela and Cuba is undertaking sanctionable ...

In Circular No. 04/19 of February 6, 2019, Members were informed that the United States had imposed new and additional sanctions on the Government of Venezuela through the designation of Petroleos De Venezuela SA (PdVSA) as a Specially Designated National (SDN). On January 28, 2019 the US designated PdVSA as an SDN and added it to the US SDN List. The immediate effect of this action was that US persons were generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with PdVSA (subject to several general licenses) and that all of PdVSA’s ...

Protection and indemnity (P&I) liability insurance is specifically designed to address the unique needs of the marine industry. It covers practically all maritime liability risks associated with the ownership and operation of a vessel, including third-party risks for damage caused to cargo during transit, risks of environmental damage such as oil spills and pollution, war, and political risks. There’s no standard underwriting form when it comes to P&I insurance. Rather, underwriters will tailor bespoke P&I coverage for each insured, based on the nature and character of the risk, and the ...