History tells us that as with many progressive steps in the area of human rights, change at an institutional or inter-governmental level is driven by committed individuals and non-governmental organisations. One hundred years ago in Geneva, the International Save the Children Union issued the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child. A year later, it presented the document to the League of Nations – the forerunner of the United Nations – who adopted it on 26 September 1924. It comprised five articles setting out the duties and care owed ...

This year’s concentrated inspection campaign by port state control starts on 1 September 2023 and focuses on fire safety, both from a technical and operational aspect. The 2023 joint concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) by the Tokyo and Paris MoUs port state control (PSC) regimes has likely been triggered by the large number of fire safety-related deficiencies recorded over many years. The Paris MOU reported fire safety defects as the leading cause of deficiencies in 2022. Another top deficiency category was ISM-related issues, which often also involve fire safety. Inspections conducted ...

The USCG, EPA and NOAA make an annual request that all vessels 300 GT or larger reduce speeds to 10 knots when transiting within the designated VSR (Vessel Speed Reduction) zones along the California coast. All transits by vessels 300 GT or larger are analysed by NOAA via AIS data provided by USCG to assess the industry’s cooperation. The program’s goal is to reduce the risk of fatal ship strikes to endangered blue, fin and humpback whales while also reducing ocean noise and increasing air quality for coastal communities. The ...

A cargo insurance facility providing cover for Ukraine grain shipments via a safe sea corridor has been suspended after Russia quit the United Nations-backed agreement, broker Marsh said on Tuesday. Moscow has withdrawn from the year-old grain export deal in a move the United Nations said risked creating hunger around the world. The marine cargo and war facility provided cover up to $50 million per cargo and was led by Lloyd’s of London insurer Ascot, together with other underwriters. “It is currently on pause, it is suspended effectively due to ...

Insurers are reviewing whether to freeze cover for any ships willing to sail to Ukraine after Russia said on Monday it will suspend participation in a UN-backed deal that allows the export of grain through a Black Sea safe corridor, sources said. The agreement, brokered by Turkey last July, aimed to alleviate a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blocked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict to be exported safely. It will expire at the end of the day on Monday. “Due to the collapse of the Black Sea corridor deal, ...

Following the news in Offshore Energy that Korea Maritime Consultants has secured approval in principle from the American Bureau of Shipping for its design of an ammonia-fueled containership, Voirrey Blount, admiralty manager at law firm Reed Smith, has commented on the benefits and risks of using ammonia as a fuel. Voirrey Blount, admiralty manager at law firm Reed Smith, said: “As the shipping industry seeks to hit the IMO 2050 targets, an ever-increasing amount of fuels are being touted as the game-changer that will help the industry reach those aims. ...

In response to enquiries from our Members who are conducting their own research on the advantages and disadvantages of using FAME biofuel blends, we have sought guidance from leading experts in the field. Specifically, we reached out to Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS), a globally recognised market leader in marine fuels and testing, to provide comprehensive advice on the use of FAME biofuel blends. We have been fortunate to receive valuable insights on this topic from Ian Crutchley, an Account Manager, and Jitske de Boer, a Technical Advisor, at VPS. Their ...

The Swedish Club demonstrated the value of more than 150 years of claims experience when invited to participate in Reederei Nord’s Senior Officers’ Conference, which took place late last month in Hamburg. The Club’s Loss Prevention team ran a seminar session presenting two real-life cases on personal injury and collision which highlighted the value of emergency preparedness, crew safety, best practices in navigation, safety management systems, and the prevention of accidents and incidents at sea. The conference was attended by Reederei Nord’s Masters, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers, and Second Engineers, ...

The last revision was published in 1994. That revision was, to a large extent, triggered by some significant English court cases that cast doubt on the understanding and intention behind important clauses in GENCON 76 such as the General Strike Clause. The intention then was not to rewrite GENCON 76, but simply to clarify and update it where necessary. However, a lot has happened since 1994. The shipping industry has become much more complex and regulated, with both shipowners and cargo owners being subject to obligations that were never thought ...

The loss prevention function is pivotal to the mutual ethos of TT Club, which strives to guide those it insurers – and indeed the wider industry – in all aspects of risk through the container transport and global logistics supply chain. The latest TT Talk is evidence of the insurer’s commitment to this service. For over twenty-five years the monthly, online newsletter has extended awareness of, and offered advice on how to mitigate specific risks to an audience of the Club’s Members as well as the industry at large. Under ...

The UK P&I Club, a leading provider of P&I insurance and other services to the international shipping community, has hired Romano Leveroni as Charterers Liability Underwriter, effective immediately. Romano has nearly 20 years of marine experience. He has held several roles in the industry, including Marine Surveyor at Leveroni Enterprises Trust, Marine Insurance Broker at Houlder Insurance Services, Charterers Liability P&I Underwriter at MS Amlin and most recently P&I, Shipowners and Charterers Liability Underwriter at The London P&I Club. He is a highly experienced P&I Underwriter in both Mutual and ...

Gard is aware of a number of cases involving cargoes which may liquefy that are not listed in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code as Group A cargoes and therefore not declared as such by shippers. Group A consists of cargoes which may liquefy if shipped with a moisture content in excess of their Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). In two of the instances the cargoes liquefied endangering the lives of the crew. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, although in one case the vessel sank posing risks to the ...

Vessels should not anchor outside designated anchorage areas in regions where coral reefs are known to exist to avoid damaging them and being exposed to fines by authorities. Case study: A congested anchorage A vessel arriving at Port Everglades intended to anchor in the designated anchorage, but upon noticing that that there were many vessels already anchored there, the Master decided to anchor just outside the southern boundary of the anchorage so as to maintain a safe distance from other vessels. The seabed was shown to be ‘sandy’ on the ...

In an effort to protect whales and cut vessel emissions, California continues to incentivise operators that slow down their vessels to a speed of 10 knots or less along the state’s coast. This year the vessel speed reduction zones have become larger and the season longer. Blue whales and blue skies California’s Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program is a voluntary vessel speed reduction (VSR) program off the coast of California, United States. The program establishes seasonal slow speed zones that coincide with the whales’ prime feeding and migration ...

Professor Jan Emblemsvåg of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology recently spoke at the Gard Summer Seminar “Making Waves – geopolitics, energy and the future of shipping.” He is a knowledgeable and outspoken proponent of nuclear power for vessel propulsion and made a strong case for including nuclear reactors in the mix of alternative fuels to power the green transition. Upscaling of green fuels may be unrealistic Green ammonia is often presented as a solution to decarbonize shipping and large transporters. There is a slight problem, though: volume and ...