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Saturday 30 March 2013

40 Ship Certificates and Documents that are Checked in a Port State Control (PSC) Survey

A Port State Control (PSC) survey is a general practice that is followed by port authorities around the world to ensure that the foreign ships coming to their ports is in proper condition and complies by the standards put forth by international maritime authorities.

Remote Worker Tracking System (RWTS)

Transas Marine launches its brand-new Remote Worker Tracking System (RWTS), enabling clients to substantially increase OHS levels in construction works on offshore structures such as wind and wave generators or any other offshore platform, by offering an innovative and easy-to-use personnel tracking system.

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Maritime Terms

Very often we hear different maritime/shipping terms being bandied about during the course of many conversations and communications.
You can read about many of the maritime terms and their meanings at http://ports.co.za/maritime-terms.php


Some of the terms maybe directly relevant to you and the work that you do, some may not be, but it never hurts to learn.. 

Common shipping and freight abbreviations


We deal with a lot of abbreviations on a daily basis, but not all of us know what it is and what it means.. Here are some of the practical and common day to day abbreviations used.. This is by no means complete, but so far it just covers the terms that we use on a daily basis in terms of containerised operations..
If you wish to contribute any more abbreviations please do so in the comments section and i will update in the page..

Top 10 Things to Keep In Mind When Shipping Overseas

There are a lot of additional custom regulations that should be followed and a huge amount of paperwork that needs to be sorted out. Moreover, you also need to consider the shipment costs and time it will take for the shipment to reach different destinations.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Disasters 2012

Disasters 2012

Date
Event
Vessel lost
People died
January 2
+
January 8
+
January 11
?
3
January 13
+
January 13
?
25 ?
January 15
+
10
January 15
+
3
January 15
+
5
January 15
+
January 16
+
2?
January 21 - 22
+ +
January 25
+
3
January 31
+
7
February 1
+
126
February 2
+
February 3
February 7
+
February 8
?
February 10
1
February 16
?
February 17
+
February 18
+
10
February 26
+
February 27
+
February 28
+
March 01
? ?
March 01
1
5
March 02
+
8
March 03
?
2
March 05
?
1
March 09
+
15?
March 09
March 10
+
March 10
March 10
+
4
March 13
132 ?
March 13
+
8
March 13
+
March 15
+
1
March 15
+
8
March 15
+
March 17
?
March 19
+
8
March 20
+
22
March 23
+
2
April 03
+
April 03
+
6
April 09
+
April 11
+
April 11
+
April 16
+
2
April 21
+
April 30
+
200?
May 1
7
May 6
+
May 12
7
May 19
+
4
May 26
+
May 29
+
3
June 8
1
June 12
+
5
June 18
+
June 28
+
?
July 1
+
July 1
+
July 8
+
4
July 9
+
July 11
?
9
July 13
?
1
July 14
?
3
July 18
+
145 ?
July 19
?
July 20
+
30 ?
July 26
+
5
July 29
+
1
August 1
+
August 3
+
August 8
?
August 10
+
August 12
+
August 16
+
August 23
?
August 26
+
1
August 28
+ +
16
August 28
+
August 30
?
?
September 1
+
September 6
+
5
September 9
September 9
+
6
September 11
+
1
September 14
?
2
September 15
?
1
September 19
?
September 23
+
2?
September 24
+
13
September 25
?
September 26
+
8+
September 29
?
1
October 1
39
October 5
October 18
+
5
October 20
October 27
?
October 27
+
9
October 29
+
2
October 30
+
4
October 31
?
6
December 4
+
12?
December 5
+
11
December 6
?
December 15
+
December 22
?
December 29
December 29
+
?
Total Year 2012
78
981

Strict IMO Regulations Boost Demand for Low Sulphur Fuel in Singapore

 Demand for low sulphur bunker fuel in Singapore is expected to rise at least 20 percent this year.
Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering port by volume and a major transit port for vessels plying the route between Asia and the United States.
Low sulphur bunker fuel demand in Singapore could reach 60,000 tonnes a month this year, up from 45,000-50,000 tonnes per month last year, the survey participants said, attributing the rise to the latest emission control area 

Monday 25 March 2013

Top 10 Busiest Ports In The World

The busiest ports in the world are determined on the basis of the container traffic passing through them.

What are the documentation prepared by the various parties involved in a sea freight shipment..??


An interesting question posed by a reader of this blog..
  1. what are the documents prepared by clearing and forwarding agent ?
  2. what are the documents  prepared by the exporter and importer ?
  3. what are the documents prepared by shipping company ? 
There are many documents that need to be prepared by the various parties involved, in order to effect a shipment..

Statistics of pirated and released vessels and crews 2010 – 2012

Updated Jan 02 2013


Classification of highjacked vessels:

Filed in Table only ocean-going merchant marine vessels, with unique IMO number, with more or less transparent history and known owners and operators, with known number and nationalities of crews.
No local vessels included, almost all of them, with regards to Somali piracy region, are so-called “dhow’. They are engaged in regional trade, goods may be anything from charcoal to illegal migrants. They don’t have IMO number, they aren’t listed in international reference books, they aren’t insured with international insurers, their owner may be any petty company or person along the coastlines of India, Pakistan, Persian Gulf, Oman or Red Sea. For world shipping, these vessels, their owners, their masters and their crews, are simply non-existent. Their costs may be thousands of USD, even maybe tens of thousands, but not anywhere close to the costs of international freighters. Their goods may cost thousands or tens of thousands USD, but not anywhere close to costs of cargoes carried by international freighters. To include in statistics local vessels means to mess all up – even those who’re trying to monitor hijacked local vessels  can’t tell exact details of vessels and crews (including number of crews and nationalities), and hijack circumstances, whether vessel was really hijacked or it was prearranged, and vessel stays with pirates on some agreement
.
List of merchant vessels presently held by Somali pirates:

Sunday 24 March 2013

Tweendecker

Tweendeckers are general cargo ships with two or sometimes three decks. The upper deck is called the main deck or weather deck, and the lower deck is the tweendeck. Cargo such as bales, bags, or drums can be                                  stacked in the tweendeck space

Today the tweendecker is more likely to be referred to as a multi-purpose ship, a term that is quite vague and has different meanings to different people. While some do apply it to traditional tweendeckers, others believe that for the term to be valid, some additional feature must also be present. There are, for instance, vessels that have folding or moveable tween decks and some also which have a RORO ramp included into the design.

Port of Ngqura officially opened


Port of Ngqura Container Terminal

Port Elizabeth – The multi-billion port of Ngqura was officially opened on Friday (16 March) by President Jacob Zuma.
More than 15 years in the making, the port has been commercially active for the past two and a half years, having handled the first container ship on 4 October 2009.

Container ship Sinks Off Chinese Coast

The container ship Guangyangxingang sank off the Chinese coast on Monday, due to bad weather and strong winds, leaving 11 crew members dead and two missing, according to Shangdong province authorities.
At least 11 crew members are reported to have died after a containership with 14 on board sank off the coast of China yesterday, authorities said today.

Two rescue vessels retrieved 11 bodies, while one person was rescued by a helicopter, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Rescuers are still searching for two missing crew members.
The ship, named Guangyangxingang, capsized around 40 nautical miles northeast of Longkou in Shandong Province last evening amid strong winds, the report said.

The ship was allegedly traveling from Tianjin to Taizhou in Zhejiang province when it capsized.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Dynamic positioning - DP systems a brief

Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyro compasses, provide information to the computer pertaining to the vessel's position and the magnitude and direction of environmental forces affecting its position


 The full range of dynamic positioning systems to keep the vessel within specified position and heading limits. These systems are designed to minimise fuel consumption and wear and tear on the propulsion equipment.

Typical applications for dynamic positioning systems:

  • Drill ships
  • Cable-laying vessels
  • Crane vessels
  • Cruise ships
  • Diving support vessels
  • Dredging
  • FPSO's
  • Flotels
  • Maritime research vessels
  • Mega yachts
  • Mine sweepers
  • Pipe laying vessels
  • Platform supply vessels
  • Rock dumping vessels
  • Survey ships
  • Supply vessels
  • Shuttle tankers

is that Intrinsically Safe Cameras Used on Ships?

                                      yes  its being used in tanker vessels.....In recent observations by vetting inspectors during tanker ship inspections, use of digital cameras on ships has been regarded as “High Risk” Observation. With tankers safety matters attaining paramount importance in the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a number of steps have been considered to make oil tanker operations safer.
As per the IACS Paper no. 72(2000) Rev. Oct.2003 and April,2007 – Confined Space Safe Practice Use of non-explosion proof equipment like cameras, torches, chipping hammers, may be allowed provided that it is stated in the Entry permit issued and the space is safe for hot work or safe for workers and LEL is measured to 0%.

The Biggest Deep Water Port in the World

              Yangshan Deep Water Port

Built to allow the Port of Shanghai to grow despite shallow waters near the shore, it allows berths with depths of up to 15 metres (49 ft) to be built, and can handle today's largest container ships.It is connected to the mainland via the 32.5 km (20.2 mi) Donghai Bridge, opened on 1 December 2005 as the world's longest sea bridge. The six-lane highway bridge took 6,000 workers two and half years to construct. 

The Yangshan Deep Water Port is one of the three major constituents of the Shanghai Port, one of the busiest port facilities in the world. Considered as the world’s biggest deep water port, Yangshan is built on the islands of Greater and Lesser Yangshan and is connected to the mainland through the world’s largest sea bridge – Donghai Bridge.

heat exchanger

Shell type Heat Exchangers:

Sell and Tube Heat Exchangers for engine jacket water and lubricating oil cooling are normally circulated with seawater. The seawater is in contact with the inside of the tubes and the water boxes at the cooler ends. The oil or water being cooled is in contact with the outside of the tubes and he shell of the cooler. Baffles direct the liquid across the tubes as it flows through the cooler. the baffles also support the tubes.
Tubes of Aluminium-brass (76% copper; 22% zinc; 2% aluminium) are commonly used. The remedy in these systems is to fit sacrificial soft iron or mild steel anodes in water boxes or to introduce iron in the form of ferrous sulphate fed into the seawater. The latter treatment consists of dosing the seawater to a strength of 1 ppm for an hour per day over a few weeks and subsequently to dose before entering and after leaving port for a short period.

Early tube failures may be due to pollution in coastal waters or to turbulence in some cases. Many coolers are fitted with tubes of 70/30 Cupro-Nickel. More expensive materials are available. Tubes are expanded into tube plates and may be further bonded by soldering.

Sunday 17 March 2013

CMA CGM buying 50,000 bamboo eco-containers

The CMA CGM MARCO POLO, the world’s largest containership (16 020 TEU), is equipped with the latest environmental technological innovations. The CMA CGM Group has finalized the purchase of 50, 000 bamboo eco-containers.  

INNOVATIVE SHIPS
The CMA CGM Marco Polo will soon be followed by the delivery of the CMA CGM Alexander Von Humboldt and the CMA CGM Jules Verne in May and June 2013, all three carrying the following equipment:
- An electronically controlled engine which significantly reduces CO2 emissions
- An “Exhaust Gas Bypass” system, which improves the energetic efficiency of the vessel when slow steaming, reducing CO2 emissions by 1.5% at low speeds.
- A twisted leading edge rudder improving the hydrodynamics of the vessel (optimisation of the water flow) and significantly reducing energy expenditures as well as CO2 emissions.
- A Pre-Swirl Stator® which straightens the water flow upstream from the propeller in order to improve its efficiency. Combined with the twisted leading edge rudder, this innovation optimizes the hydrodynamics of the vessel and makes it possible to reduce by 2 to 4% energy consumption of and atmospheric emissions.
- An optimized hull design significantly improving the propulsion of the vessel into the water.
- A ballast water treatment system, to preserve the biodiversity of the oceans.
Other innovations show the commitment of CMA CGM regarding its vessel fleet which include the Fast Oil Recovery System, the emergency towing system, the trash compactor combined with the sorting of recyclables and additional tanks for treating bilge, engine and grey waters.
CMA CGM Group is also working with shipyards and ranking agencies such as Bureau Veritas and DNV on several projects of LNG-fuelled containerships.
O2 REDUCTION
As part of its environmental policy, the CMA CGM Group is committed to reducing its emissions (CO2, sulfur), to limit the impact of its activities.
In 2012, the CO2 performance of the Group improved by 6%. Since 2005, the Group has reduced its CO2 emissions by 37% per container transported and per km, making it the most impressive reduction in the history of the industry and is aiming for a reduction of 50% by 2015.

In order to cut back its sulfur emissions, it chooses to use a fuel of a higher quality than required by the current regulation, with sulfur concentration estimated at 2.57% (or lower in certain areas), instead of 3.5%.