DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER. DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER : Monday EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER : Monday 19-03-2001

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS Vopak privatiseert acht tankers DEVENTER, Vopak Barging Europe (VBE) is bezig met de zogeheten uitfasering en privatisering van een stuk of acht enkelwandige en dubbelwandige gecoate tankers. Zelf legt de rederij zich toe op de exploitatie van de vloot van achttien eigen dubbelwandige rvs schepen. De gecoate dubbelwanders en de enkelwanders onder Vopakvlag worden allemaal charterschepen in particulier eigendom. Dat VBE voor zichzelf alleen de rvs dubbelwanders overhoudt, heeft te maken met de rendementseisen die het concern stelt. ‘ Bepalend is welk rendement een schip oplevert over het geïnvesteerd vermogen. In veel enkelwandige tankers en gecoate dubbelwandige schepen, die vaak omgebouwde enkelwanders zijn, is in de loop der tijd extra vermogen gestoken om ze aan te passen aan de markt en de technische eisen. Hun rendement over het totale geïnvesteerde vermogen is daardoor lager dan dat over de nieuwere rvs dubbelwanders, die al gelijk bij de bouw hoogwaardig zijn uitgevoerd’ , licht VBE president Pierre Kreuze toe. ‘ Schippersdroom’ Het afgelopen jaar zijn in het kader van de oud voor nieuwregeling al drie oudere schepen gesloopt, werd een tankduwbak afgestoten en al een paar gecoate dubbelwanders geprivatiseerd. Kreuze meldt de privatisering van nog eens twee tot drie schepen momenteel onderhanden te hebben. De voltooiing van dat proces kan nog wel een halfjaar in beslag nemen. ‘ We willen dat die schepen in particulier eigendom kwalitatief gelijk zijn en blijven aan onze eigen vloot. De gesprekken met de kandidaten gaan zodoende onder meer over de voorwaarde die wij stellen dat ons kwaliteits en veiligheidszorgsysteem wordt afgenomen’ , aldus Kreuze. Dat houdt onder meer in, dat een particulier met een chartercontract procedurele voorschriften van VBE net zo onverkort moet toepassen als dat op de eigen schepen van de rederij wordt gedaan, Ook moet hij eventuele technische aanpassingen die worden verordonneerd (laten) uitvoeren. Volgens Kreuze zijn dat allerminst struikelblokken: ‘ De chartervergoedingen zijn dusdanig dat de particulier financiële ruimte heeft voor noodzakelijke investeringen. En hij weet dat hij dankzij de uniformiteit met de eigen VBE vloot het voordeel heeft aan de markt te blijven.’ Particuliere tankereigenaren die voor Vopak Barging Europe varen kunnen trouwens ook meeprofiteren van de prijsvoordelen van de centrale grootschalige inkoop van producten en diensten voor de eigen schepen van de rederij. Vopaktopman Spoor zei het vorige week woensdag bij de presentatie van de jaarcijfers zo: ‘ De winstmarges zijn voor onze veeleisende beleggers te klein, maar voor een schipper eigenaar nog interessant genoeg.’De te verkopen tankers worden in franchise gegeven. ‘ Dan hebben wij die schepen niet meer op de balans staan. Net als bij McDonald’ s. De schipper kan dan meeliften op de rug van een groot bedrijf. Wij kunnen de bevrachting blijven doen en ondersteuning bieden op het gebied van de veiligheid of het trainen van personeel. Bovendien zullen wij helpen met zoeken naar financiers voor de aankoop. Kortom, de droom van elke schipper.’Een vervoersgarantie kan Vopak volgens Spoor evenwel niet geven aan de franchisenemers. Upgrading Wat gaat gebeuren met de overige enkelwanders en gecoate dubbelwanders van VBE is nog niet precies uitgemaakt. Kreuze: ‘ Behalve dan dat de schepen een successievelijke upgrading zullen ondergaan en wanneer de marktkansen daar aanleiding toe geven in aanmerking komen om een specialiteit in te gaan. Zo hebben we met het oog daarop in overweging twee enkelwandige tankers om te bouwen tot dubbelwandige.’ Van compleet afstoten van de tankers die niet dubbelwandig en van rvs zijn, is voorlopig geen sprake. Vopak Barging Europe hecht eraan een breed en divers samengestelde vloot ter beschikking te houden, zodat aan praktisch elke vraag uit de markt kan worden voldaan. ‘ Als een klant enkelwandig of dubbelwandig gecoat wil en wij hebben alleen dubbelwandig rvs aan te bieden, gaat hij immers naar

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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER een ander.’Bovendien is de rederij in de huidige krappe arbeidsmarkt ook zuinig op goed personeel bij de particuliere relaties aan boord. ‘ Medewerkers vormen een voorname kracht van de onderneming. Wat goed is, willen we daarom graag behouden. Het wordt toch al steeds moeilijker om goede krachten te krijgen en te houden. Als de sector niet oppast, kan dat in de toekomst voor de hele binnenvaart nog een zwak punt worden’ , meent Kreuze. (JH)

Fallout from the Castor saga exercises minds at Intertanko

Passionate high-level post mortem on the abandoned ship shunned by coastal states discusses implications for the industry, reports Brian Reyes-Monday March 19 2001 THE Castor drama has been over for several weeks now, but the issues it raised were the subject of passionate discussion at a high-level meeting of senior Intertanko officials last week in London. The impact made by the incident was confirmed by the attendance of Westye Høegh and Concordia Maritime president and future Intertanko chairman Lars Carlsson. The rest of the numbers, no more than 30 in total, consisted of senior shipping executives, representing Intertanko committees on safety, technical issues, environment and banking. All were anxious to hear the words of Michael Reppas, lead auditor and manager of the quality assurance department at Athenian Sea Carriers, Greek owners of the Castor, in search of new information on the controversial circumstances surrounding the ship’ s abandonment. Her cargo was finally discharged at sea and she was returned to her owners for repair. Mr Reppas revealed that the list of countries that refused refuge to the Castor, for example , is longer than many originally believed. It includes Morocco, Gibraltar, Spain, France, Tunisia, Italy, France, Algeria, Malta and Greece. According to Mr Reppas, Cyprus had offered to take the ship from day one. That decision was never made public, however, suggesting Cypriot authorities may have back-pedalled on their promise had the Castor shown up off Limassol. Asked if Greece’ s rejection had come as a shock, Mr Reppas replied: “The same shock we had when Spain refused.” “(Ports of refuge) is a tradition for the seafarer and shipping people, so we had the same shock, wherever it came from.” He called the response of the coastal states “a case of over-reaction”. The risk of explosion, the coastal states’main concern, had been minimised and was largely imaginary, he argued. He said the company, the classification society and everyone else involved in the incident had done their utmost to ensure that coastal states received all the information they required, but to no avail. “The ship was left alone in the middle of the sea,”Mr Reppas said. “There are many theories and positions but when the time comes, they (coastal states) step back.” Perhaps surprisingly, one executive present described the Castor saga as “a great success story”. He praised the unprecedented access to class records offered by the Castor’ s class society, American Bureau of Shipping, and Athenian’ s media-friendly approach to crisis management. But he added: “Everybody is confused on transparency. Will it help the reality?” Despite the gravity of the occasion, Mr Reppas’reply raised a few chuckles in the room. “If you have a solid organisation, then you have nothing to fear,”he said However, last week’ s meeting may have established a further important precedent in the investigations into disasters at sea. Mr Reppas’presence at the London meeting and his willingness to entertain often difficult questions reaffirmed its position as having offered all the information it could because it felt it had nothing to fear. Although one executive asked: “Had ABS found something in the records that they didn’ t want people to see, would they have done that?”, the fact remains that the classification society opened its books because it too felt it had nothing to hide.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER From now on, shipping people, when faced with casualty situations, will at least be able to ask: “Let us see the records, why won’ t you?” As one industry official present at the meeting told Lloyd’ s List: “Rules are being made every day.”

P&O newbuildings order ends Brazil trade controversy By Justin Stares in Sao Paulo-Monday March 19 2001 CONTAINER giant P&O Nedlloyd has placed an order for the construction of two 1,700 teu containerships with the Itajaí shipyard in Brazil, ending a controversy over the company’ s trading position within the Mercosur economic bloc. The vessels were ordered by P&O Nedlloyd’ s local vehicle, Oceanica AGW, which trades as Mercosul Line. They are scheduled to be delivered between 2003 and 2004. No pricing details were given. The company’ s official statement said the order “underscores the importance of the growing Mercosul trade and the rapidly developing economies of, particularly, Brazil”. However, the orders are the result of a compromise between the company and the Brazilian ministry of transport. They follow accusations that P&O Nedlloyd was bypassing the Brazilian law requiring lines operating within the protected Mercosur bloc to possess a minimum capitalisation of $5m and to own one ship. By taking advantage of Brazil’ s notoriously slow legal system, companies such as Oceanica AGW were able to duck these requirements and continue trading under the protection of temporary injunctions, a process known as “flag cover”. Syndarma, the Brazilian flag owners association, had labelled such flag cover companies that operate as its “arch enemies”. The newbuilding orders coincide with attempts by the Brazilian government to reactivate the largely mothballed ship construction industry. At the end of last year the government, via the Brazilian Development Bank, introduced a new soft loan structure designed to entice lines to place orders. Most of the orders placed so far will serve Brazil’ s booming offshore oil and gas industry.

CASUALTY REPORTING Battle to save one of world’ s biggest oil platforms By Justin Stares in São Paulo-Monday March 19 2001 TECHNICIANS from Petrobras and salvage specialist Smit Tak were battling yesterday to save one of the world’ s largest platforms from sinking in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. Salvage teams were pumping nitrogen into the submerged column of the structure, known as the P-36, in order to right its 24-degree list and halt its slow descent into the ocean. Ten people died following a series of explosions on board the platform on Thursday morning. Petrobras president Henri Philippe Reichstul said the chances of saving the platform had improved over the weekend, although he underlined that there was still a possibility it would be lost completely. The rate at which the rig was sinking had slowed from 1.5 m every 12 hours to 50 cm, he explained. The state-run oil giant claims there is no risk of the diesel oil stored on board reaching the Brazilian coastline if the salvage operation fails. Ibama, the national environmental agency, has contradicted this claim.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Loss of production from the key Roncador field is expected to reach 80,000 bpd or around 5% of the company’ s total crude output this year. The increased crude import requirements and the subsequent impact on Brazil’ s trade balance were considered factors behind a weakening of the national currency, the real, late last week. Petrobras has a $500m insurance policy covering the total loss of the P-36. Almost the entire amount is understood to have been reinsured on international markets. The company, in which the state has a controlling interest, has no business interruption cover. A series of human and environmental disasters have plagued Petrobras over the past 18 months. Investors adore the company, which last month posted the largest profits ever recorded by a Brazilian firm. At the same time, Petrobras’poor safety record has come under scrutiny. Unions have linked the latest incident to the sharp increase in outsourced labour over the past three years. MARINE AUTOTRANSPORTER (NIS) London, Mar 16 — Following received from Coastguard Tyne Tees MRSC, timed 1227, UTC: Spill from m vehicle carrier Autotransporter has been cleared, and only a light sheen left on the water. A small residual amount of oil washed ashore. (See issue of Mar 17.) CHOYANG PARK (Panama) London, Mar 16 — A press report, dated today, states: The nor-easter forecast to batter Hampton Roads two weekends ago ravaged a Portsmouth-bound m container vessel Choyang Park at sea, washing scores of shipping containers off the vessel's deck and into the North Atlantic. Choyang Park encountered the storm en route from Le Havre which she left Mar 2, to Jersey City, her first US port of call. The vessel was scheduled to arrive in New Jersey on Sunday (Mar 11) and then proceed to the Portsmouth Marine Terminal today. But the storm's high winds and rolling waves tossed the vessel so violently that as many as 90 of the vessel's stacked containers broke loose and tumbled, crushing other containers before bouncing into the ocean. Instead of calling Portsmouth today, Choyang Park will still be at New Jersey, where stevedores, with the help of the Coast Guard and floating cranes, are gingerly separating flattened and waterlogged containers from among serviceable ones. The waves apparently put the vessel at angles such that the tons of lost containers weighed more heavily on cables and fasteners than on the structurally strong containers underneath them. Cho Yang is still determining the number of containers lost and will notify the cargo's owners. It was not known if any Hampton Roads-bound containers were lost overboard or otherwise damaged. None of the vessel's crew was injured and the vessel was not seriously damaged. The vessel is now scheduled to leave Jersey City shortly before midnight tonight and arrive in Portsmouth tomorrow, said Amy Grzywinski, equipment clerk for Inchcape Shipping Services, agents for Choyang Park. From Hampton Roads, the vessel is scheduled to call Savannah, then cross the Panama Canal en route to two Pacific Coast ports before heading to Busan. (See issue of Mar 16.) London, Mar 16 — A press report, dated Mar 15, states: Rudy Mack, president of Hapag Lloyd (America) Inc, denied a report saying that 29 containers on board m container vessel London Express were either lost or damaged during a North Atlantic storm last week. "Hapag Lloyd has had no such loss," Mack said. (Note — London Express arrived New York Mar 13.) CITY OF CORK (Madeira) London, Mar 17 — A press report, dated today, states: The Swansea-Cork Ferry company has cancelled all its planned sailings over the weekend after the crew failed a second safety test in Swansea. Ro-ro m ferry City Of Cork has been prevented from sailing by the British Maritime and Coastguard Safety Agency. The vessel which the Swansea-Cork company is using has been hired from the Hellenic Company of Greece. It was formerly


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER the St Patrick II owned by Irish Ferries and has been substantially refurbished and renamed the City Of Cork to operate the Irish-Welsh service this year. Every vessel beginning a service is tested for safety. The vessel and her equipment passed, but the crew did not. It is a mixture of Greek and Polish officers and crew, with Irish personnel providing what is called the hotel crew, including shops, and reception duties. The first testing of safety drills by the crew did not satisfy the UK authorities, which are particularly tough on Greek ferry operators. A second test passed most requirements, but the engineroom crew still failed to satisfy the British authorities. The ferry has ordered intensive retraining of the engine-room crew over the weekend while the vessel remains detained in Swansea. The situation will be re-examined next week. (See issue of Mar 16.) COASTAL ST.MARKS (U.S.A.) London, Mar 16 — A press report, dated today, states: Beaches on Key Biscayne will be closed today after millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled late yesterday into Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River. A tug (m tug Coastal St.Marks, 168 gt, built 1969) raked the bay bottom, probably after accelerating, and split open a main sewer line, said Adriana Lamar, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. When the line was severed, an eight-foot-wide fountain of waste spewed like a geyser four feet above the surface of the water. Closed today will be Key Biscayne Beach, Crandon Beach, Hobe Beach, Windsurfer Beach and Cape Florida. All coastal waters from the Julia Tuttle Causeway south on the bay side will be off-limits to swimming or fishing until further notice, Lamar said. The 72-inch pipe serves central Miami-Dade County and carries two million to three million gallons of sewage an hour from the city of Miami to the main waste treatment plant at Virginia Key. A passerby reported the spill just before 2000 hrs, Lamar said, and the pipe was shut down at 2330 hrs That means between seven million and 12 million gallons of sewage likely ended up in coastal waters. The county planned late yesterday to divert sewage to a 102-inch pipe that can serve as a backup because it has more capacity, Lamar said. The broken pipe went into service in 1950. The larger pipe began transporting sewage in 1996. The break may have gone unreported for about an hour or two. CORAL BULKER (Hong Kong) Vigo, Mar 16 — M bulk carrier Coral Bulker: Interest owning cargo have sold it and now being placed at final disposal and now being discharged slowly. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 14.) CSAV ATLANTA (Liberia) New York, Mar 14 — M container vessel CSAV Atlanta arrived New York, Mar 13, from Miami. — New York Maritime Association. (See issue of Mar 14) DESTINY (Singapore) London, Mar 17 — Understood m tanker Destiny, which grounded in Taiwan waters Nov 23 and subsequently arrived Shanghai Nov 28, is to be demolished. (See issue of Jan 9.) DIONISOS (Greece) London, Mar 17 — Following received from Piraeus RCC, timed 1130, UTC: Vessel Dionisos, SV5743, ex Manaras Express, 26 metres long, seven people on board, had a fire on board about 57 nautical miles south of Piraeus, this morning. All crew have been taken off the vessel. A Coast Guard vessel is alongside the casualty, assessing the situation. EHIME MARU (Japan) London, Mar 17 — An inquiry has heard that if the crew of American nuclear submarine Greeneville had spent 90 more seconds tracking the position of m training stern trawler Ehime Maru, disaster could have been avoided. One of the crew on board the submarine told the US Navy's court of inquiry that lack of time to perform a proper sonar analysis contributed to the sinking of the trawler. Petty Officer Edward McGiboney, a sonar supervisor, said the submarine had previously been performing a series of high speed manoeuvres for the benefit of 16 civilians on board. It then conducted two turns intended to allow the sonar system to re-set itself, a procedure which typically requires 10 minutes.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Petty Officer McGiboney said the Greeneville performed the manoeuvre for six minutes before coming up beneath the trawler, tearing into her stern and sending her plunging to the ocean floor. Asked if he would have been able to locate the fishing vessel had the submarine spent another minute and a half on manoeuvres, he replied that he would. (See issues of Mar 1 and 15.) ENERGIZER (U.S.A.) London, Mar 16 — Following received from Coast Guard Seattle, dated Mar 15: At approximately 0700 this morning tank barge Energizer (4,310 gt, built 1982) spilled automotive gasoline, causing a 1,000 ft long sheen on Fidalgo Bay. A Coast Guard helicopter overflight confirmed the sheen was dissipating as it moved into Guemes Channel. The damaged tank has been emptied to prevent further release. The vessel's owner, Newport Petroleum Inc reported to the Coast Guard that the gasoline came from a 10 inch crack near a deck cleat on Energizer. This was confirmed by Coast Guard inspectors. The barge was conducting oil transfer operations at the loading berth of the Equilon Refinery when the incident occurred. The Coast Guard, the Washington State Maritime Cooperative, the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) and Foss Environmental directed response actions, which have included the deployment of clean up crews and vessels. Due to the ignition hazards of gasoline, it can not be safely contained by boom. However, the Coast Guard and DOE will continue to direct protective booming to ensure that the sheen does not enter environmentally sensitive waterways and bays. The Coast Guard and DOE are on scene investigating the cause of the crack, and any additional damage, and will conduct a complete inspection of the structural integrity of the Energizer prior to offloading and movement for repairs. Damaged is 10 inch cracks in No.3 port and starboard tanks. FINNREEL (United Kingdom) London, Mar 16 — Following received from Turku, MRCC, timed 1230, UTC: Ro-ro mv Finnreel is still aground in the same position. Unloading of cargo underway. (See issue of Mar 16.) Rauma, Mar 16 — Ro-ro mv Finnreel was refloated at 1900, Mar 16 and was towed to Rauma thereafter. She berthed at ro-ro berth No.4 at 2034 hrs. Vessel is presently unloading and hull inspections are going on. Unloading of cargo is expected to be completed early tomorrow morning. — Lloyd's Agents. GREENEVILLE (U.S.A.) London, Mar 17 — An inquiry has heard that if the crew of American nuclear submarine Greeneville had spent 90 more seconds tracking the position of m training stern trawler Ehime Maru, disaster could have been avoided. One of the crew on board the submarine told the US Navy's court of inquiry that lack of time to perform a proper sonar analysis contributed to the sinking of the trawler. Petty Officer Edward McGiboney, a sonar supervisor, said the submarine had previously been performing a series of high speed manoeuvres for the benefit of 16 civilians on board. It then conducted two turns intended to allow the sonar system to re-set itself, a procedure which typically requires 10 minutes. Petty Officer McGiboney said the Greeneville performed the manoeuvre for six minutes before coming up beneath the trawler, tearing into her stern and sending her plunging to the ocean floor. Asked if he would have been able to locate the fishing vessel had the submarine spent another minute and a half on manoeuvres, he replied that he would. (See issues of Mar 1 and 15.) KEN SHO (Panama) London, Mar 18 — A press report, dated today, states: M bulk carrier Ken Sho (14,704 gt, built 1995) berthed in the northeastern Australian city of Brisbane canít be unloaded after contaminated material was found on board. The vessel which arrived from Korea, was carrying steel items contaminated with meat meal, soil and grain. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service says unloading of the vessel was stopped when


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER waterside workers discovered the contaminated cargo. Clothing of the workers who discovered the material was treated to ensure any diseases were destroyed. AQIS says while Korea has no current cases of foot and mouth disease, it has had recent outbreaks and all precautions must be taken. Agriculture Minister Warren Truss says the vesse's owners have been given the option of having the cargo cleaned to Australian standards or re-exporting it. (Note — Ken Sho sailed Inchon Mar 3 for Australia.) MARINETTE (NIS) London, Mar 16 — M bulk carrier Marinette (9,261 gt, built 1967), cargo wood-chips, while pivoting to come alongside, struck a bollard and perforated her bow plating above the forepeak, at Gros Cacouna at 1318, Mar 8. (Note — Marinette arrived Gros Cacouna Mar 5 from New Orleans.) MSC INSA (Panama) London, Mar 17 — M container vessel MSC Insa left Antwerp on Mar 16 for North Sea. (See issue of Mar 15.) OULA QUEEN (Syria) London, Mar 18 — Following received from Stavanger MRCC, timed 0950, UTC: Mv Oula Queen: As of yesterday evening, the search for the remaining four crew members was continuing for further 72 hours. The vessel is still unlocated. (See issue of Mar 17.) PATRIARCHE (Chile) Punta Arenas, Mar 16 — Ro-ro mv Patriarche sailed from Chile Bay, Antarctic, under her own power escorted by Chilean Navy deep sea tug Lautaro, and arrived here Feb 22. She is now awaiting to enter Asmar Tres Puentes ship yard for permanent repairs consisting of changing approximately 30% of hull plating on the bottom of hull. — Lloyd's Sub-agents. (See issue of Feb 27.) REEF PEMBA (St.Vincent&Grenadines) London, Mar 16 — Following received from Coast Guard Falmouth MRCC, timed 1910, UTC: At 0057, UTC, an Inmarsat C distress was received from mv Reef Pemba (2,136 gt, built 1974) following large fire in engine-room. At 0209, UTC, vessel reported fire under control and awaiting cooling of engine-room casing. Vessel has 19 persons on board. Vessel reported near Mtwara. At 0726, UTC, vessel reported engine OK, fire was above main engine platform. Fire extinguished and waiting for carbon dioxide to clear. At 1039, UTC, vessel reported being in lat 09 26S, long 40 00E, with some electrical wiring damage. No assistance required from United Kingdom Coast Guard. Vessel has been in contact with her agent in Zanzibar and port authority. (Note — Reef Pemba was last reported to have sailed Dubai Feb 23 for Zanzibar.) SCHARHORN (Gibraltar) Helsingborg, Mar 16 — Ship to ship transfer of the deck cargo of mv Scharhorn was completed at 1400, hrs (1300, UTC) and coaster Mina departed for Helsingborg Roads assisted by a harbour tug into the traffic separation zone. After completion of deballasting vessel re-floated at 1630, hrs (1530, UTC) assisted by two tugs. Re-transfer of cargo is scheduled for this evening and divers inspection scheduled for tomorrow. No oil leakage reported. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 17.) STENA DISCOVERY (Netherlands) London, Mar 17 — Following received from Maassluis Pilotage, timed 1320, UTC: Ro-ro g-t ferry Stena Discovery completed repairs and sailed Hook of Holland at 0730, this morning bound Harwich. Vessel subsequently arrived Harwich and is now proceeding back to Hook of Holland, resuming normal service. (See issue of Mar 17.) THEO London, Mar 17 — Following received from Coast Guard San Francisco, timed 1655, UTC: Dredge barge Wyatt Earp (225 gt, built 1988, official number D1027380), in tow of tug Theo, overturned off Point Vicente, southern California, in approximate position lat 33 30N, long 118 10W, yesterday. Vessel sunk to a depth of around 50 ft before buoyancy prevented her going down any further. She has been towed closer to the shore.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER WYATT EARP (U.S.A.) London, Mar 17 — Following received from Coast Guard San Francisco, timed 1655, UTC: Dredge barge Wyatt Earp (225 gt, built 1988, official number D1027380), in tow of tug Theo, overturned off Point Vicente, southern California, in approximate position lat 33 30N, long 118 10W, yesterday. Vessel sunk to a depth of around 50 ft before buoyancy prevented her going down any further. She has been towed closer to the shore. PORT STATE CONTROL UNITED KINGDOM London, Mar 17 — A press report, dated today, states: The Swansea-Cork Ferry company has cancelled all its planned sailings over the weekend after the crew failed a second safety test in Swansea. Ro-ro m ferry City Of Cork has been prevented from sailing by the British Maritime and Coastguard Safety Agency. The vessel which the Swansea-Cork company is using has been hired from the Hellenic Company of Greece. It was formerly the St Patrick II owned by Irish Ferries and has been substantially refurbished and renamed the City Of Cork to operate the Irish-Welsh service this year. Every vessel beginning a service is tested for safety. The vessel and her equipment passed, but the crew did not. It is a mixture of Greek and Polish officers and crew, with Irish personnel providing what is called the hotel crew, including shops, and reception duties. The first testing of safety drills by the crew did not satisfy the UK authorities, which are particularly tough on Greek ferry operators. A second test passed most requirements, but the engineroom crew still failed to satisfy the British authorities. The ferry has ordered intensive retraining of the engine-room crew over the weekend while the vessel remains detained in Swansea. The situation will be re-examined next week. (See issue of Mar 16.) OFFSHORE P-36 London, Mar 16 — A press report, dated today, states: A crippled oil platform (P-36) slipped deeper into the south Atlantic today, as Petrobras weighed the risks of trying to go on board to prevent a spill of the 400,000 gallons of oil on board. "We want to be sure it won't sink suddenly, and that if experts go on board there is no risk," said Irani Varela, the company's director of security. The platform was listing at a 30-degree angle and had sunk between 20 and 40 inches since yesterday, Varela said. But it had not tilted any further and Petrobras said there was a chance to save it. "We are working to recover it," Varela said. "We are trying to remove part of the water, from flotation tanks, so it will return to a horizontal position." Thirteen vessels with floating anti-oil barriers were stationed around the platform, he said. Some 400,000 gallons of crude oil and diesel fuel were still on board and could spill into the sea if the platform sinks. Petrobras Chief Executive Henri Philippe Reichstul said yesterday there was no spill from the accident and that all the undersea oil and gas wells had been sealed. Meanwhile, Petrobras workers hung a huge black banner from the company's headquarters in downtown Rio today in mourning for the victims and to protest against what some said were lax safety standards. Refinery workers also stopped work briefly. (See issue of Mar 17.) London, Mar 17 — International salvage experts are joining efforts to prevent oil platform P-36 from sinking off the coast of Brazil. The platform's owners, the Brazilian state oil company Petrobras, said the giant platform was now sinking more slowly, raising hopes that an environmental disaster can be averted. Petrobras officials said they are attempting to stabilise the platform by pumping compressed air and nitrogen into a sinking support column. The company president, Philippe Reichstul, said there was no chance that nine men missing since the explosions Thursday (Mar 15) were alive. He said a team had boarded the platform to seach for the missing men, but the entire column where they are believed to be is submerged. One body has been recovered from the platform, which is now listing at a 30-deg angle 120 km off the Brazilian coast. More information has emerged about the cause of the fire, which appears to have started in one of the huge floating columns at each corner of the platform. The missing men are all


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER firefighters who are believed to have been battling the fire. The 40-storey platform has 1.5 million litres of petrol and oil on board, much of which could spill into the sea if the structure collapses. Petrobras says no oil has leaked from the damaged structure. "The platform sank only 50 cm in the past 12 hours and there is growing optimism," said Carlos Aurelio Miranda, a Petrobras press officer. A team of 30 specialists entered the partly submerged platform today and sealed the vents that allowed in water. "We are looking for possible leaks and trying to prevent more water from entering the platform until we get suction equipment in place," said Petrobras technician Carlos Tadeu. US experts are taking part and special pumping equipment has been brought from the Netherlands. Petrobras said the platfform had been surrounded by floating devices to prevent an oil slick from spreading. In addition, eight vessels capable of collecting oil were on hand to soak up any possible spillage. Rio de Janeiro, Mar 18 — Brazilian oil giant Petrobras has ruled out the possibility that oil would spring from deep sea wells if its rig sank following an explosion two days ago. "The wellheads are completely closed and there is no chance they will be damaged or open if the platform sinks because they are not under the platform," Petrobras official Carlos Tadeu Fraga said. "Our submarines checked them two times and they are securely closed. An oil spill from the bottom is ruled out." The wellheads are nearly 1 mile below the surface. Fraga said the maximum spill would be 395,000 gallons of crude and diesel in pipelines and onboard tanks. "And we have means to contain it and even more," said Fraga, a Petrobras director of exploration and production. Petrobras has sent 19 vessels to the area, some to place floating absorption barriers around the rig, located in Brazil's Campos Basin 80 miles off the coast in Rio de Janeiro state. A team of 30 people, including engineers, divers and two consultants from the United States, is trying to right the platform by injecting compressed air and nitrogen into the submerged column and sucking out the ocean water. Fraga said 11 Dutch water specialists and 50 tons of suction and hose equipment from Europe were in transit to Macae, the coastal city that serves the Campos Basin. — Reuters. SEIZURES & ARRESTS AL NAJWA (Syria) Limassol, Mar 16 — Mv Al Najwa (1,599 gt, built 1972) arrived Limassol Mar 15 from Tsingeli, Greece, with a cargo of steel for discharge at Limassol. Vessel has since been placed under arrest by Admiralty Court Action. She is berthed alongside West Quay in New Port, idle. — Lloyd's Agents. NAFPLIO (Panama) St. Petersburg, Mar 16 — Refrigerated mv Nafplio is still under arrest at Berth No.19, St. Petersburg Sea Port. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Nov 13.) VOSTOKTRANSFLOT JOINT STOCK SHIPPING CO St. Petersburg, Mar 16 — Refrigerated mv Vasilij Poleschuk was sold Dec 22 to Preobrazhenskaya Baza Tralovogo Flota, Primorskiy Kray, Russia, and now flies the Russian flag. Vessel is now under repair at St. Petersburg. — Lloyd's Agents. (Note — Vasilij Poleschuk was arrested at St. Petersburg by Baltic Customs Oct 22, 1999, for violation of Customs Regulations. Vessel was reported Jul 26 still at St. Petersburg and likely to be illegally auctioned.)


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SHIPYARD NEWS Research alarm at Japanese yards Fears are growing for the future of Japan’ s shipbuilding industry as research investment drops dramatically, writes Matthew Flynn in Tokyo-Monday March 19 2001 THE number of specialists and the amount of money spent on Japanese shipbuilding research have both fallen to levels unseen in two decades. The ¥8bn ($672m) spent by Japan’ s seven major yards on various research activities in the 1999 financial year is about half what it was in 1993. The figure works out to a mere 0.93% of output, well below what other industries are spending in Japan. “Total investment back into shipbuilding and the number of researchers are both at concerningly low levels because of the economic situation in Japanese yards. We want to encourage a better co-operation with research organisations and the government,”Kenichi Maruyama, director of the new technology promotion office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport told Lloyd’ s List. Mr Maruyama explained that the number of people doing fundamental, application and development research was only about 300, slowly shrinking from 500 in 1995 and about one third the 1,000 figure in 1985. “The competition with Korea and China means that there is very severe international pressure. The industry is cutting down on research. This is why we need help with the co-operation for academic sector,”he said. The annual survey, conducted since 1982, pointed out that total research outlay and number of researchers were going through an alarming decline. The ¥8bn spent in fiscal 1999 was even far less than the dark days of the 1980s shipbuilding slump. After keeping steady at ¥17bn, the research costs jumped to ¥19bn in 1993 for the recovery of the shipbuilding market, but has steadily declined since then. The shipbuilding R&D ratio of 0.93% of turnover in fiscal year of 1999 was a poor showing compared with a worldwide industrial average of 3.06%. Mr Maruyama pointed out that there still was room for innovation to meet demands for better efficiency and greater protection of the marine environment. “Until recently, Japan’ s shipbuilders have focused their energy on low cost mass production, for example of VLCC tankers and bulk carriers. However, due to the growth of China and Korea with their low labour costs and weakening exchange rates, Japan can no longer rely on simply increasing productivity,”he pointed out. Ship-related universities have been reacting to students’caution about the future of shipbuilding by combing maritime industries with other fields such as precision machinery to give them a wider choice of study. The need for co-ordinated action is, however, being addressed. Under a new government initiative, Japanese universities with a maritime focus are to tie together with the national Ship Research Institute, a think-tank under the supervision of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. “The strong demand for cost reduction has resulted in a severe cutback in private research. We have to encourage the private sector to expand their co-operation with the shipyards,”concluded Mr Maruyama.


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ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES ECT bestelt drie kranen voor schepen van 15.000 teu Met de bestelling van drie nieuwe kranen in China bereidt ECT zich voor op de komst van de nieuwe generatie superschepen tot zo'n 15.000 teu. Ze moeten begin 2002 operationeel zijn en komen aan de zuidkant van de Delta Terminal. Met een reikwijdte van 67,5 meter zullen ze geschikt zijn voor schepen met de containers 22 breed en de grootste van Rotterdam zijn. De grootste schepen die nu op de Delta Terminal worden afgehandeld, onder meer van Maersk-Sealand en NYK, gaan tot 17 breed. Algemeen directeur J. Gelderland van de Delta Terminal verwacht dat ECT met deze kranen een jaar of twintig vooruit kan. Het is voor het eerst dat ECT niet bij het Rotterdamse Nelcon kranen bestelt. Volgens Gelderland heeft behalve de prijs de levertijd een doorslaggevende rol gespeeld. Het bedrijf wil de kranen zo snel mogelijk hebben omdat eer zich een tekort aan overslagcapaciteit aftekent. Zoals bekend heeft de stuwadoor vorig jaar een deel van zijn terminal overgedragen aan Maersk Delta, waardoor het zo'n half miljoen moves aan capaciteit heeft verloren. Indrukwekkend De verwachting is dat de nieuwe Euromax-terminal van P&O Nedlloyd op de Maasvlakte met vergelijkbare kranen gaat werken. Het bedrijf heeft nog geen bestelling geplaatst, maar heeft wel laten weten dat de terminal is berekend op schepen van rond de 12.500 teu. De ECT-kranen wegen 1.400 ton per stuk en zijn met een opgeklapte giek niet minder dan 120 meter hoog. Ook de andere specificaties zijn indrukwekkend. De maximale hijshoogte is veertig meter, de maximale hijslast 77 ton. Ze zijn bijna vijftien procent sneller dan de huidige kranen; de zogenoemde 'kat' haalt een snelheid van vier meter per seconde, bijna 15 kilometer per uur. De kranen worden volledig door Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery (SZPM) opgebouwd en in hun geheel naar Rotterdam verscheept, waar ze waarschijnlijk op 30 december arriveren. De fabriek heeft eigen schepen en levert ze zelf af. ECT heeft een optie op nog twee kranen. Gelderland gaat er van uit dat de optie snel in een opdracht wordt omgezet als de markt in het huidige tempo doorgroeit. ECT verwacht dat de overslag op de Maasvlakte dit jaar met zes tot zeven groeit.

ECT voorbereid op problemen bij SHB Overslagbedrijf maakt scenario's voor als havenpool failliet gaat Door Gert Onnink Het Rotterdamse containeroverslagbedrijf ECT houdt nog ernstig rekening met een faillissement van de noodlijdende havenpool SHB. ECT, de voornaamste afnemer van door de SHB aangeboden havenwerkers, heeft diverse scenario's uitgewerkt voor het geval dat de ongeveer duizend werknemers tellende havenpool de problemen niet te boven komt. Rotterdam _ Uit een interne ECT-notitie blijkt dat er zes verschillende mogelijkheden zijn geopperd bij een eventueel faillissement of doorstart van SHB. De opties lopen uiteen van het maken van nieuwe roosters voor het ECT-personeel, het aannemen door ECT van 58, 73 of 80 werknemers van SHB tot aan het in dienst nemen van ruim vijfhonderd havenpoolers, een aantal dat gelijk staat aan de huidige inhuur door ECT. Daarvan zijn er 265 permanent in dienst van het overslagconcern. ,,We moeten onze arbeidsvoorziening op peil houden,'' zegt directeur H. de Ruiter van ECT, dat ook aandeelhouder is van SHB. ,,Als het bij SHB écht fout gaat, dan moeten we als klant toch al weten wat er dan te gebeuren staat. We zijn hierover al enkele maanden aan het nadenken.'' Eind vorig jaar dreigde een faillissement voor de havenpool. SHB is toen gered door een achtergestelde lening van het Gemeentelijk Havenbedrijf Rotterdam van tien miljoen gulden. Daarnaast zijn er inmiddels enkele miljoenen onderweg uit het nieuwe scholingsfonds voor de haven, waarin FNV Bondgenoten en het Havenbedrijf participeren. Dat geld gaat naar het project van tweehonderd tot tweehonderdvijftig moeilijk plaatsbare personeelsleden van SHB. ,,De ergste nood is weg,'' weet ook


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER De Ruiter. ,,Maar onze voorstellen zijn nog niet van tafel. Stel dat de huidige reorganisatie van de SHB mis loopt, dan kan het allemaal opnieuw gaan spelen.'' De ECT- directeur onderstreept dat die opstelling niet als een dreigement moet worden gezien maar 'de harde realiteit' is. De Ruiter geeft aan dat het in kosten weinig verschil uitmaakt of SHB-werknemers door ECT worden ingehuurd of in vaste dienst worden genomen. ,,Wat wel verschilt is dat ze in het laatste geval veel flexibeler inzetbaar zijn,'' legt hij uit. De directeur van het containeroverslagbedrijf merkt op dat een grote overname van SHB-personeel op dit moment beslist niet aan de orde is. ,,Duizend SHB'ers naar ECT? Dat zou de doodsteek zijn voor ECT. We zitten zelf midden in een flinke reorganisatie en zijn hard bezig met het oplossen van onze moeilijkheden. Dan gaan we geen nieuwe problemen binnenhalen.'' Aanpassing van de roosters bij ECT, zoals in een van de scenario's wordt geopperd, is evenmin aan de orde, zegt De Ruiter. ,,Volgende week gaan we verder met de onderhandelingen over een nieuwe CAO. Mogelijk komt het daar wel ter sprake.'' Directeur E. Janssen van SHB wilde gisteren niet reageren op de scenario's. De ondernemingsraad van de havenpool was niet voor commentaar bereikbaar.

OOIL profits soar ORIENT Overseas International (OOIL), parent of Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has reported a 67 per cent increase in profit to $111.9M last year, on the back of robust Asian exports to the US and Europe. Turnover was up 12 per cent to $2.4Bn. Chairman CC Tung said the weak euro also favoured European exports to North America and helped OOCL's trans-Atlantic trades. The company's 45 owned and chartered vessels, boosted by four deliveries during the year, carried 1.84M TEU, up six per cent. OOCL ordered two 74,00 TEU ships in November for delivery in 2003 and secured options on another four for later delivery. Contracts were signed to charter four newbuildings of 2,400 TEU which will be delivered in 2003, Tung said.

NAVY NEWS 15-03-2001 : The amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) steams off the coast of Iwo Jima with Mount Suribachi in the background. More than 5,900 U.S. Marines were killed and nearly 20,000 were wounded, along with 21,000 Japanese soldiers killed, in the battle for this eight-square-mile island that raged from Feb. 19 to Mar. 24, 1945. Marine Corps casualties were the highest ever suffered by the Corps in a single battle. Mt. Suribachi is where men of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, raised the U.S. flag, an event commemorated at the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington, D.C. Essex is participating in the 56th Iwo Jima Commemoration.

MOVEMENTS The Ferry ROSEBAY which was in charter for the Stena Line for last few years as seen on


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Sunday 18-03-2001 whilst she left the Stena Line ferry terminal at Hoek van Holland for the last time, The funnels were painted yellow again , and “Stena Line” was removed from the hull.(Photo : Piet Sinke)

… .AT LAST BUT NOT LEAST … .. OPEC beperkt productie met ongeveer 4 procent WENEN (ANP/AFP) - De Organisatie van Olie-Exporterende Landen (OPEC) gaat de productie verminderen met ongeveer een miljoen vaten (van 159 liter) per dag ofwel zo'n 4 procent. Dat heeft de voorzitter van de OPEC, de Algerijnse minister Chakib Khelil, vrijdag verklaard tijdens een ministersvergadering van het oliekartel. De exacte omvang is nog niet vastgesteld, maar die wordt zaterdag bekendgemaakt. De ministers, bijeen in Wenen, willen de olieproductie verminderen om de prijzen omhoog te drukken naar het streefniveau van ongeveer 25 dollar per vat. De gemiddelde prijs van OPEC-olie is de laatste tijd gedaald tot zo'n 23 dollar, het laagste peil in twee maanden. Op 1 februari was de productie al verlaagd met 1,5 miljoen vaten ofwel 5,6 procent tot 25,2 miljoen vaten per dag. Saudi-Arabië, verreweg de grootste OPEC-producent, wilde deze keer aanvankelijk niet verder gaan dan 700.000 vaten. Landen als Algerije en Indonesië verlangden een vermindering met 1,5 miljoen vaten. Volgens afgevaardigden op de vergadering is het verschil tussen de standpunten vrijdag verkleind tot 800.000 à 1,2 miljoen vaten. Volgens de Iraanse minister van Olie, Bijan Zanganeh, zullen naar verwachting de niet tot de OPEC behorende producenten Mexico, Oman en Angola bijdragen aan productiebeperking. De secretaris-generaal van de OPEC, Ali Rodriguez, zei vrijdag dat het totaal aan productiebeperkingen van leden en niet-leden zal uitkomen op ongeveer 1,5 miljoen vaten per dag. De OPEC-landen vrezen vermindering van de vraag naar olie doordat de betrekkelijk mild uitgevallen winter op het noordelijk halfrond afloopt en de economische groei in de Verenigde Staten en andere delen van de wereld afneemt. Saudi-Arabië wil niet te ver gaan met productiebeperking omdat de prijzen dan zo sterk zouden kunnen stijgen dat de economische groei nog verder inzakt. Voor dat laatste zijn ook de belangrijkste olieverbruikende landen bang. Een woordvoerder van de Europese Commissie sprak vrijdag zijn ,,ongerustheid'' uit over een productiebeperking door de OPEC. ,,Dit is misschien niet het goede moment daarvoor. We weten niet of er voldoende redenen zijn voor zo'n maatregel.'' Hij onderstreepte dat het niveau van de olievoorraden in de wereld nog steeds ,,zeer laag'' is

'Havengebied is voortaan Nationaal Industriepark' Delft _ Het havengebied in de Rijnmond moet voortaan worden aangeduid als Nationaal energie- en industriepark Rijnmond. Dat heeft CDA-Kamerlid J. van den Akker gisteren gesteld tijdens een congres over de toekomst van de Rotterdamse haven. ,,Die naam heeft al iets schoons in zich en is daardoor makkelijker te verkopen aan de burger.'' Van den Akker speelde in op de op handen zijnde uitbreiding van het havengebied en vermenigvuldiging van de industrie. Daarbij zijn duurzaamheid en een schoon milieu belangrijke factoren. De havenvergroting zal echter in goede aarde moeten vallen bij de twee miljoen bewoners van de Rijnmond en dient bovendien door hen begrepen te worden. Maar is een vergroting van de industrie wel aanvaardbaar in een gebied met twee miljoen inwoners, zo vroegen de congresgangers zich af. 'Ja', gaven zij ook als antwoord, omdat het extra arbeidsplaatsen genereert en is, mits duurzaamheid in acht wordt genomen, niet eens slecht voor het milieu.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Hoe de verlangde duurzaamheid te bereiken bleef onduidelijk. De overheid voelt zich niet direct geroepen de taak van regisseur op zich te nemen. Dat zou ook niet makkelijk zijn, daar subsidies aan bedrijven door Europese wetgeving niet is toegestaan en stimulatie van marktwerking door middel van soepelere reglementering niet mag vanwege de verstorende werking. Wel weten overheid en bedrijfsleven hoe die duurzaamheid eruit zou kunnen gaan zien. Synergie is het toverwoord. De energie die vrijkomt bij de productie door de ene fabriek, kan goed gebruikt worden door de ander. Of, zoals P. van der Gaag van het Holland Innovation Team gisteren al in deze krant beweerde, geldt Rotterdam als 'één van de grootste mijnen ter wereld'. De onderzoeker bepleit onder meer een grootschalige industriecluster, want alle Europese energieconcerns zijn in de Rijnmond gevestigd. En zo bieden veel grondstoffen, die en masse de Rotterdamse haven worden ingevoerd, vele mogelijkheden tot clustering

IMO to consult governments on piracy A regional agreement on co-operation against marine piracy and armed robbery has been mooted following IMO talks in Singapore with officials from 11 Asian and Pacific Rim countries. IMO has been invited to undertake consultations with regional governments. While not committing to a time frame, IMO maritime safety division director Efthimious E Mitropoulos said today that the mood suggested this should come about soon. The meeting identified lack of regional co-operation as one of the main factors hindering concerted action against piracy, which has led to escalation of attacks. According to IMO statistics, 55 people were killed last year in piracy attacks.

Ro-Ro FERRY DETAINED

The passenger ferry ‘ City of Cork’ , which sails between Cork and Swansea was detained in Swansea by a Maritime and Coastguard Agency Surveyor after it failed a mandatory inspection on 13 March 2001. The grounds for detention principally being: Lack of preparedness (section 8 of the ISM code) as demonstrated by Fire Drills, Full Muster, Abandon Ship and Damage Control Drill. The Madeira registered ‘ City of Cork’ , with a GT of 11481, is owned by Hellenic Mediterranean Lines of Greece. The mandatory inspection was carried out to comply with regulations under European Directive 35 of 1999, which apply to ships taking on new services. These mandatory inspections are the responsibility of the countries the vessel sails between, in this case the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Southern Ireland’ s Department of Marine. The MCA has been informed that the owners are seeking training providers. The owners will contact the MCA Surveyor in Charge at Cardiff to arrange a date when the deficiencies can be checked for compliance before the detention can be lifted.

BELFAST COASTGUARD ALERTED TO WAR MINE Belfast Coastguard Station received a telephone call from the Fishing Agency based in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland. The Agency rang to inform Coastguard staff that a 25m, Belfast registered fishing vessel that had been fishing 3 miles south of the border near Carlingford Lough, had picked up a mine in its nets. Belfast Coastguard immediately made contact with the crew of the fishing vessel and with the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) based in England. The EOD then contacted the fishing vessel to confirm that they were carrying a World War II Mine. Belfast Coastguard then requested the launch of the RNLI Lifeboat from Clogher Head to standby the fishing vessel as well as informing Dublin and Liverpool Coastguard Stations of the events which were unfolding. Steven Palmer, Watch Manager for Belfast Coastguard said:


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER "We are currently coordinating the safe passage of the fishing vessel to a nearby dumping ground, some 3.5 miles east of Annalong. The vessel has an ETA of 13:00 hours and will then dispose of the mine onto the seabed before departing the scene. An EOD team will then take the matter in hand." "Weather on scene is currently fine with light winds and calm seas. We do not anticipate any difficulties with this operation at the present time but we will continue to monitor the situation closely."


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER. DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER : Monday EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

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