MARITIME NEWS

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 International maritime news for seafarers

EU ministers tackle maritime, coastal tourism

Athens hosted yesterday an informal European Union Tourism Ministerial meeting to tac le ways to impro!e maritime and coastal tourism in the region" EU ministers discussed procedures on how to impro!e the tourism sector, noting that it is essential in impro!ing the current economic conditions and restore growth in the #loc" They e$amined ways on how to #uild on a #etter cooperation #etween the European maritime pu#lic and pri!ate sectors and welcomed a new EU communication in maritime and coastal tourism, %ree Tourism Minister &lga 'efalogiannis told a press conference at the end of the meeting, (inhua reported" Addressing a )igh *e!el +onference on +oastal and Maritime Tourism held in parallel in the conte$t of the %ree EU ,residency, the %ree official stressed that tourism remains the ey to e$it the current economic crisis and restore growth" The -lue %rowth agenda under discussion which centres on coastal and maritime tourism will strengthen efforts for the creation of more .o# positions, according to officials" Today the tourism industry corresponds to appro$imately ten percent of Europe/s gross domestic product, she noted" +oastal and maritime tourism is considered as the 0#ac #one0 of the coastal economy across the continent, currently offering some three million .o# positions, as a#out half of tourists tra!elling across Europe choose these coastal regions for their !acations" 01uality was addressed as the ey concern and the ultimate o#.ecti!e of #oth the European and national policies in order to o#tain effecti!e, sustaina#le and lasting growth,0 'efalogiannis underlined during the press #riefing" Ela#orating on the content of the -lue %rowth Agenda, Maria 2amana i, the %ree European +ommissioner for Maritime Affairs and 3isheries, e$plained that it is #ased on 14 actions aimed at helping #usinesses and employees in!ol!ed in the sector to face the present and future challenges"

SAFETY

Deficiencies related to T&P Notices on rise

The *ondon ,4I +lu#/s 5hip Inspection ,rogramme has noted a rise in the num#er of deficiencies related to Temporary and ,reliminary 6T4,7 8otices as well as the increasing fre9uency of negati!e findings related to the management of :adio 8a!igation and Meteorological ;arnings !ia 8a!te$ and 5at < + 5afety8ET" The most commonly recorded finding relating toT4, 8otices is that T4, 8otices are not managed or applied to the chart folio" It should #e noted that T4, notices can !ary greatly in content, #ut may include information a#out the location and duration of su#surface operations such as pipe=ca#le laying or offshore oil and gas e$ploration" An assessment of the latest !oyage charts could confirm to a sur!eyor whether or not T4, 8otices are #eing applied to the chart folio> and if not consistently applied, this can depri!e the ship/s 8a!igating &fficer and &fficers of the ;atch of !alua#le passage planning information" &ther information regarding temporary location of #uoyage and=or #erth closures are amongst the !ast array of information types a!aila#le which may influence the planning or conduct of a passage" Efficient passage planning re9uires the assimilation of good 9uality information which ought to lea!e the mariner #etter e9uipped to decide how to conduct the passage of his ship" 5ource? *ondon ,4I +lu#

New Chinese vessel joins search for missing jet

A 5outh +hina 5ea rescue !essel with hull num#er 11@ has .oined the search for the still missing Malaysia Airlines passenger plane, the +hina Maritime 5earch and :escue +entre announced Tuesday" The !essel reached the search area at Apm Monday" As of Bam Tuesday, +hinese search ships, including the Mianyang frigate, had scoured C,C1C s9uare ilometres of waters, #ut no suspected de#ris or o#.ects were found underwater or at the water/s surface, the centre said" A second +hinese na!al !essel also cruised into position on Tuesday morning and .oined the international hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines 3light M)DC0, (inhua reported" The centre said another two +hinese search and rescue !essels are e$pected to reach the search area #y Tuesday afternoon"

Crude tanker market facing bleak growth

5hip#ro er %i#son e$pects growth for the crude tan er mar et to remain low due to o!ersupply and e$cess tonnage"

In its latest report, %i#son noted that tan er deli!eries last year reached the lowest le!el since 2002 on the #ac of o!er<ordering of crude and product tonnage" 5hipyards/ failure to fulfil their order#oo s is also seen as a ey factor that will hamper the tan er mar et/s growth" 0&ur analysis for 2014<201E is #ased on no cancellations or delays" )owe!er, some slippage will ine!ita#ly occur including negotiated delays and of course the failure of some shipyards to fulfil their order#oo ,0 according to the ship#ro er" %i#son, on the other hand, forecasts product tan er deli!eries to e$ceed crude tonnage as seen through a recent spi e in new#uilding prices" Many are also shifting their operations to sustained long<haul products trade" 0The new in!estment coming into shipping through hedge funds and pri!ate e9uity may do a #etter .o# in managing to eep a tighter chec on any o!erin!estment,0 it said"

tonnage ta! values need to be revised" #oore $te%hens

)er Ma.esty/s :e!enue and +ustoms 6)M:+7 has #een urged to consider re!amping the method in which written<down !alues of !essels are calculated under -ritish tonnage ta$ rules" The call came from shipping ad!isor Moore 5tephens, which stressed that !alue of !essels under current tonnage ta$ rules are 0unrealistic0 with the way they interact with the capital allowance regime" 5hips owned #y companies, e$cept those listed as 0long<life asset0 according to Moore 5tephens ta$ partner 5ue -ill, often ha!e low ta$ written<down !alues e!en if they had not #een in tonnage ta$ for a certain period" This will then result in companies e$iting tonnage ta$ with large deferred ta$ lia#ilities" 0&ther possi#le methods are to write down the cost of the !essel to mar et !alue, or for the cost of the !essel to #e depreciated on a time<apportionment #asis, #earing in mind its e$pected economic life when new,0 according to 5ue -ill, noting that another proposed measure is to o!erhaul current policies to ma e costs at<par with normal rates for plant and machinery capital allowances that ha!e already #een cut down from 2@F to 1AF"

PIRACY P& #&" $trait of #alacca still not safe from %irates
The waters in the 5ingapore and Malacca straits are still not entirely safe from pirates, as e!idenced #y three ships that were ro##ed this month alone as they passed through the area, according to Indonesian Maritime 5afety Information +entre 6,I'MI7 officials"

,I'MI recei!es incident alerts from the :egional +ooperation Agreement on +om#ating ,iracy and Armed :o##ery against 5hips in Asia 6:e+AA,7 Information 5haring +entre in 5ingapore, The Ga arta ,ost reported" ,I'MI mem#er Mohammad Hasin re!ealed that the first act of piracy this month occurred on March E, while the second happened only half an hour after the first incident" 0Then, in the morning on March 10, another ro##ery too place,0 he said" The portal tri#unnews"com 9uoted him as saying that three merchant tan ers were attac ed" The crew of the Marshall Islands !essel were held at nife<point #y four armed pirates as it was en route to 'arimun 'ecil Island at @?1@pm" The crew had sounded the alarm as the pirates approached and the unin!ited guests fled the ship empty<handed" Meanwhile, another tan er was ro##ed appro$imately half an hour later at @?40pm" The *i#erian tan er was also on course for 'arimun 'ecil Island when fi!e armed pirates #oarded and too off with se!eral ship parts"

INCIDENTS PC' sei(es gun %arts, ammos in P) %ort

,hilippine +oast %uard 6,+%7 personnel seiIed assorted gun parts and #ullets while a !ehicle was a#out to #oard a ferry #oat #ound for +alapan +ity on 3riday, authorities reported Monday" -elated reports reaching the ,+% head9uarters in Manila said .oint operati!es of the +oast %uard 5u#<5tation 5ta" +lara and +oast %uard 5tation -atangas 'B Unit were conducting a routine inspection at -atangas ,ort when their sniffing dog indicated a positi!e reaction on a group of #aggage on 2imple -us *iner with #ody num#er CE@, ,8A reported" The said #us was to #oard a ferry that was heading for +alapan +ity in &riental Mindoro" Immediately, the group of ,+% personnel inspected the #aggage and was surprised upon disco!ering fi!e #o$es containing ammunition and a plastic #ag full of gun parts" In9uiry conducted with :onnie 5anay, the #us conductor, re!ealed that the shipment was to #e sent to Iloilo +ity" A photocopy of the ,ermit to Transport from the ,8, 3irearms and E$plosi!e 2i!ision was presented #y the #us conductor with the instruction indicated that the items should #e wrapped and la#elled of which the shipper did not comply"

Portuguese fishing boat sinks off northern $%ain

A ,ortuguese fishing #oat san off the northern 5panish coast #efore dawn Monday, rescuers said" Two people died and si$ others were missing, (inhua reported" The #oat ran aground on the island of Er#osa, half a nautical mile off +ape ,enas in the northern region of Asturias, and was left semi<su#merged, 5pain/s maritime rescue ser!ices said in a statement" &nly one of its nine crew mem#ers, a 5paniard, was rescued #y a near#y fishing #oat and ta en to a hospital in the town of A!iles" The nationalities of the other eight dead or missing are four 5paniards, two Indonesians and two ,ortuguese" Two helicopters, fi!e #oats and a team of di!ers ha!e #een deployed to search for signs of the missing crew, the statement said"

ASSISTANCE *oat engines distributed to t+%hoon,hit P) %rovince

,ump #oat engines and other construction materials ha!e #een gi!en to fishermen in Iloilo, one of the pro!inces in the ,hilippines affected #y Typhoon )aiyan Iloilo 3ederation of 3ilipino<+hinese +ham#er of +ommerce ,resident :amon *ocsin and %o!ernor Arthur 2efensor 5r were among those present in the distri#ution of materials to 1D0 fishermen" *ocsin said the materials came from !arious donours who pledged to support the pro.ect < Adopt a 3isherman" Meanwhile, 2efensor assured the fishermen that the local go!ernment is doing e!erything to ensure their li!elihood, which were affected #y the super typhoon last year"

MARITIME INSTITUTIONS $%anish $hi%owners -ssociation

A8AJE is a pri!ate organisation formed to co<ordinate, represent, manage, promote and defend the interests of the 5panish shipping industry" The group was founded in 1BCC, #ut has its origins in an earlier organisation called &3I+EMA, which was created in 1B@1" A8AJE cele#rated its E0th anni!ersary in 2011" The main function of A8AJE is to represent the 5panish shipowning sector at the European +ommunity 5hipowners/ Associations, International +ham#er of 5hipping, International 5hipping 3ederation, The -altic and International Maritime +ouncil, International Association

of Independent Tan er &wners, 5panish +onfederation of -usiness &rganisations, 5panish Maritime +luster, 5panish Association for the ,romotion of 555, Technological Institute for the 2e!elopment of Maritime Industries, among others" A8AJE also produces reports, studies and pu#lications of technical, economic and educational nature" It organises meetings, seminars, technical conferences, courses and other information dissemination acti!ities for its mem#ers and the industry and go!ernment at large" 5panish shipping companies may #e mem#ers of A8AJE if they are duly<e$isting esta#lishments for commercial purposes, e$ercising shipping acti!ity through the operation and management of merchant ships o!er 100 %T, in ownership or #y means of #are#oat charter" They must ha!e a permanent esta#lishment in 5pain or, alternati!ely, operate ships registered in 5pain" 8atural or legal persons fulfilling the a#o!e conditions #ut do not usually operate own or leased !essels may #e accepted as Associate Mem#ers" +urrently, A8AJE has a total of DD full mem#ers and 11 associate mem#ers" The organisation regularly pu#lishes the roster of its mem#ership, listing a summary of shipping companies with details of their fleets and, where appropriate, the liner ser!ices they pro!ide" A8AJE also pu#lishes an annual report that present the current situation in the freight mar et, the world merchant fleet, ship#uilding, the 5panish maritime trade, the fleet of the 5panish flag, the total fleet controlled #y the 5panish shipping and sectoral policy national and international"

SHIPPING DATA
*-.T&C E/C)-N'E
Market snapshot: (March 10) Dry Index BDI 1096 +5 Capesize Index BCI 1611 + ! "ana#ax Index B"I 1!05 +1 $%pra#ax Index B$I 9 9 (%nchan&ed) 'andysize Index B'$I 669 (5

E/C)-N'E 0-TE$
)e* +ork (Mon C,s) -&n C%rrency in .$D Britain ("o%nd) 1/66!0 Canada (Do,,ar) 0/9006 China (+%an) 0/16 9 2%ro 1/!030 India (4%pee) 0/0161 Indonesia (4%piah) 0/000000 .$D in -&n C%rrency 0/6010 1/1101 6/1!00 0/3 10 60/0!00 11!65/00

5apan (+en) 0/009691 )or*ay (6rone) 0/1630 "hi,ippines ("eso) 0/0 5 "o,and (7,oty) 0/! 91 4%ssia (4%8,e) 0/0 35 $in&apore (Do,,ar) 0/3001 .kraine ('ry9nia) 0/100

10!/1900 5/9591 11/5100 !/0100 !6/!915 1/ 601 9/ 105