Olympic Tug and Barge penalised for Seattle oil spill The Department of Ecology in the US West Coast state of Washington says it has fined Olympic Tug & Barge Company US$15,500 for an 13 April spill of two gallons of diesel fuel into the East Waterway off Harbor Island in Seattle. According to Ecology the incident involved crew inattention during a fuel transfer between two tugs. Washington law is very clear about oil spill prevention, said Dale Jensen, who manages Ecologys spill prevention, preparedness and response programme. All fuel transfers are serious business, every time. This penalty is about a failure to exercise that care. An Ecology statement says that Olympic crews began to transfer 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the tug CF Campbell to the tug Hunter D. About 13,000 gallons into the transfer, a member of the Campbells crew noticed fuel flowing out of a vent tube on the Hunter D. The crews stopped the transfer, began clean-up work, and notified Ecology and the U.S. Coast Guard. The spill totalled five gallons. Three gallons remained on deck, and just two went into the East Waterway. Ecologys follow-up investigation "conducted with the US Coast Guard and with Olympics...

Christmas Presence A family of suspected asylum seekers are in a Darwin hospital, while 32 others have been taken to Christmas Island after another boat was intercepted off Australias coast.The vessel was spotted by a Customs aircraft 230 nautical miles west of Darwin last night.There were 37 passengers and two crew on board the boat, which had run out of fuel.Two passengers have been taken to Darwin as a precaution along with three family members.In a statement today Home Affairs Minister Brendan Oconnor said everyone else will be transferred to Christmas Island.Its the 77th boat to be intercepted off Australia this year.Source:shiptalk

New Ban on Deepwater Drilling Issued The U.S. Department of Interior today has issued yet another moratorium on deepwater drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), saying that the suspension is nesessary to ensure adequate safety measures are in place to reduce the risk of future blowouts. The suspension does not include shallow water drilling activities. A press release issued by the U.S. Deptartment of Interior states:In a decision memorandum to BOEM Director Michael R. Bromwich, Salazar said that a temporary pause on deepwater drilling will provide time to implement recent safety reforms and for:1. The submission of evidence by operators demonstrating that they have the ability to respond effectively to a potential oil spill in the Gulf, given the unprecedented commitment of available oil spill response resources that are now being dedicated to the BP oil spill;2. The assessment of wild well intervention and blowout containment resources to determine the strategies and methods by which they can be made more readily available should another blowout occur; and3. The collection and analysis of key evidence regarding the potential causes of the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig, including information collected by the Presidential...

Standard Club circulars: Sanctions against Iran and impact on club cover, 9 July 2010 Please read the attached circulars and frequently asked questions.Iran sanctions and rule change frequently asked questions 9 July 2010Standard Asia Circular : Sanctions against Iran and impact on club cover, 9 July 2010Standard Bermuda Circular : Sanctions against Iran and impact on club cover, 9 July 2010Standard Europe Circular : Sanctions against Iran and impact on club cover, 9 July 2010Standard War Risks Circular : Sanctions against Iran and impact on club cover, 9 July 2010Source:standard-club

The International Shipping Federation (ISF) and IT Energy have launched an updated version of its ISF Watchkeeper computer program. ISF Watchkeeper 3 is designed to allow shipping companies to maintain records of individual seafarers hours of work and rest as required by international regulations, including the latest amendments to the IMO STCW Convention that were adopted in Manila two weeks ago.The ISF program allows shipping companies to check, monitor and maintain records of compliance with the complex seafarers work hour regimes that have been adopted by IMO and ILO, and which are already bring enforced by Port State Control, explained ISF Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe.Record keeping is now mandatory, and it will be vital for shipowners to comply with the requirement to maintain records which, due to the complexity of the rules, can be almost impossible to maintain without the use of such a program.Subscribers to ISF Watchkeeper 3 will able to check and record compliance with the most recent amendments to the IMO Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 2010).Several new features include an option to maintain overtime records and pre-plan work schedules. Most importantly, a new locking function has been incorporated to protect...

Taking Action The Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) has vowed to minimize, if not eradicate, incidents of sea tragedies especially with the onset of the rainy season by keeping a close eye on the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).DoTC Secretary Jose Ping de Jesus said that the agency will make sure that MARINA will strictly enforce all rules of safety in marine transportation so that we wont experience more of sea tragedies that usually occur whenever there are sea and weather disturbances.MARINA is currently headed by Administrator Primo Rivera on acting capacity.There has to be strict enforcement of rules of safety so that all boats allowed to travel are sea worthy, that their crew is capable, and that they follow rules with respect to loading and overloading, and the likes, de Jesus said.De Jesus also promised to improve the roll-on, roll-off sea craft as a major means of marine transportation, saying it needs support for expansion and improvement.He added that MARINA and other agencies attached to the DoTC in areas of shipping, marine, civil aviation, rails and roads are undergoing review to improve the reinforcement functions of the agencies vested with regulatory powers.Hopefully we will be able to finish...

Raideres Repelled An Iranian Tanker carrying tons of crude oil escaped an attack by the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab Strait after its crew pushed back the assailants.Deputy Head of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) for Technical Affair Jamal Miahi said that the Somali pirates attacked the Iranian Sosangerd tanker at 19:30 hours local time on Thursday.Ten pirates using two small boats neared the tanker but the tankers crew supported by a military chopper of the international military forces deployed in the region could repel the pirates through their timely reaction, he added.Miahi also mentioned that the tanker is carrying 158,000 tons of crude oil for Spain and is presently back on course to its destination.This was the fourth failed attack by (the Somali) pirates against the companys vessels during the current (Iranian) year (started on March 21) and the 24th attack during the last 22 months, Miahi added.The Iranian Navy has already dispatched several fleet of warships to the Gulf of Aden to confront pirates attacks.The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off...

Apathetic Approach A number of incidents involving missing Indian seafarers are allegedlyrevealing the apathy of the Union Shipping Ministry towards the lives of Indian sailors whohave beenkilledor gone missing at sea.According to family sources, in many of these incidents the Ministry has not taken any measure to assist the relatives with information.Tired of the negative approach of the officials, many are planning to approach the court.In one of the recent incidents, Lalitha Srivastava, wife of Sanjay Srivastava of Hyderabad, third engineer with MV Nardos who went missing on board an year ago approached DG (Shipping) Lakshmi Venkatachalam. Though the complaint was filed three months ago, the DG Shipping is yet to acknowledge it.Sanjay, recruited with Panamanian flagship MV Nardos by Columbus Ship Management Mumbai, went on sail on August 5, 2009. Lalitha received a call from Dubaibased ship owner Saeed Nisyif of Suntech Corporation On September 1, saying that Sanjay went missing from the ship on August 27; five days after the alleged incident.The master of the ship, in an email statement to Lalitha, said Sanjay went to his cabin after duty on that day. Later, when somebody went to call him he was found missing. Sanjays life jacket was...

New Base Beckons Yemen is constructing a maritime security base to protect shipping in Red Sea.The Yemeni Coast Guard said it was building a base in the Bab Al Mandab strait, a target of Somali pirates. On June 27, the coast guard said the base was located on the Miyoun island and would protect commercial shipping that links Asia and Europe.Construction has already begun, a Yemeni source said.Miyoun, also known as Perim, divides Bab Al Mandab, a 30-kilometer wide strati between Djibouti and Yemen. In 2008, a U.S. company launched plans to build a bridge that would connect the two countries.Yemen has been assisted by Britain and the United States to bolster its military and security forces. Both NATO states have also helped supply and train Yemens new Coast Guard.Bab Al Mandab has been reported to serve as a passage for more than three million barrels of oil per day. Most of the shipments stem from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and are destined for Europe and the United States.France has also been assisting the Yemeni military. On June 27, a French special forces delegation discussed counter-insurgency cooperation with the commander of Yemens special forces, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Saleh, the...

The Philippine government is studying ways to reduce the risk of abduction among Filipino seafarers passing through the pirate-infested Somalian waters. President Benigno Aquino III said in a news briefing yesterday that he would discuss the problem with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., after being briefed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo that 80 Filipino seafarers are still being held by pirates for ransom.Asked what the government plans to do to address the problem, Aquino said: Ill discuss with the Executive Secretaryif there is a possibility to lessen the risk to our seafarers. Unfortunately, that is one of the most traveled sealanes.The Philippines is the worlds leading supplier of ship crew with over 350,000 sailors, or about a fifth of the worlds seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.As a policy, the Philippine government does not negotiate nor pay ransom to kidnappers, but gives ship owners the free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors.Source:shiptalk