A Filipino national has been burnt in an explosion on the deck of a coal ship off the central Queensland coast. Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins says two men were welding on the deck of the ship this morning when a spark ignited.She says the 30-year-old mans clothing caught fire and he was forced to jump overboard to extinguish the flames.Fortunately we dont believe he has incredibly severe burns, but he does have some burns to his legs, she said. are not considered to be life threatening, but that vessel is currently making its way closer inshore so that we can get a helicopter with some medical staff out there to assist him.The ship is about 220 nautical miles north-east of Mackay and the helicopter is expected to reach it between 2:00am and 6:00am (AEST) Wednesday.Source:shiptalk

Defining Argument The US governments definition of piracy would make pirates out of environmental activists attempting to blockade a whaling ship, attorneys for six Somali defendants accused of attacks on a U.S. Navy ship argue.The attorneys want a judge in Norfolk to dismiss piracy charges against the six, who face mandatory life terms if convicted of the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland off the coast of Africa. The men fired at the amphibious dock landing ship, sparking return fire that destroyed their skiff, according to prosecutors.The men did not seize or rob the ship, so their alleged actions fall short of the legal definition of piracy established by the U.S. Supreme Court nearly two centuries ago, the attorneys claim.Tellingly, the government cites not one example in the history of American jurisprudence of a criminal prosecution for piracy that did not involve the seizure of a ship, the attorneys argued in a filing in U.S. District Court. It cites none because there are none.The filing said under the governments interpretation, Greenpeace activists could be considered pirates and face life terms for forcibly attempting to prevent a whaling ship from carrying out its mission.Under our laws piracy is robbery at...

Man on fire leaps overboard A MAN has leapt overboard after he was set alight in an explosion on a coal ship, off the Mackay coast.The crewman was engulfed in flames when a piece of equipment ruptured on the deck causing a small explosion.His response was to jump overboard to quickly extinguish the flames and a lifeboat was deployed to retrieve him, a spokesperson for RACQ-CQ Rescue said.He is believed to have been burnt in the accident but details of the extent of his burns or his condition are unknown at this stage.The ship is 240 nautical miles off Mackay and is too far out to be reached by the RACQ-CQ Rescue helicopter.The ship is headed towards the coast and the chopper will be within range to reach him late this evening.Source:dailymercury

Paris MOU performance list puts RINA on pedestal Genoa-headquartered classification society RINA has been recognised by the Paris memorandum of understanding as best performing recognised organisation in 2009.The Paris MOU committee approved the 2009 Port State Control inspection results for ships at its 43rd meeting and adopted new performance lists for flag states and recognised organisations, to take effect from July 1.Owners who choose RINA class work hard to maintain the highest standards, said Ugo Salerno, RINA chief executive. We work hard to support those owners, not because we want to top any lists, but because we want our classed fleet to maintain a consistent high level of quality.He added: That will become even more into focus when the Paris MOU begins to implement its Thetis project in 2011, under which all ships will be inspected and those which meet certain standards will be free of inspection for a set period.High quality owners such as those who underpin this years MOU performance will benefit by seeing a reduced inspection workload in European ports.Source:Paris MOU

ASF takes piracy concerns to the UN The Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF) has sent a same letter to both the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the IMO Secretary General Mr Efthimios Mitropoulos highlighting the serious concerns and continuing problem of piracy and ship hijacks in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Basin and in the Indian Ocean.The letter expressedly condemns the criminal acts and dangers of Somali pirates on maritime security and the safety of international shipping and trade. The ASF strongly urges the UN and IMO, both in their individual and collective capacities, to act within their supreme power immediately to counter the state of lawlessness and to restore the safety of maritime navigation in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian Ocean.Johnson W. Sutjipto, Chairman of the ASF said: The situation has gotten out of hand the lack of action on the part of the international community has resulted in an almost 500% increase in the number of attacks over the pastthreeyears. As such, the ASF views this as a matter of extreme urgency, and strongly urges the adoption of a united and dynamic approach to deal with the...

Bureau Veritas to class unique powerships French classification society Bureau Veritas is to class three floating dual fuel power generation units.The self-propelled units are being converted from existing bulk carriers at Sedef Shipyard in Turkey. Each vessel features a MAN Diesel dual-fuel engine and generator suitable for natural gas or heavy fuel and can be plugged into national grids when required.The first powership has 144 MW generation capacity and the remaining two will have capacity of 180-220 MW. The project is being financed and designed by Turkish energy company Karadeniz Powership Co.Kerim Kiper, head of Bureau Veritass Turkish office said: We have just seen the first of this series of three vessels delivered and it is now in successful service in the Middle East Gulf. Two more powerships based on panamax bulkers are still under construction to our class at Sedef and will be delivered later this year.Source:bureau veritas

Classification society RINA has been recognized by the Paris MOU as the best performing Recognized Organization in 2009. At its 43rd meeting the Paris MOU Committee approved the 2009 Port State Control inspection results for ships and adopted new performance lists for Flag States and Recognized Organizations. These lists take effect from1 July 2010 and show RINA as having the best performance in the high quality section of the list of classification societies.Ugo Salerno, CEO, RINA, says, It is good that the results of the rigorous inspection regime of the Paris MOU countries confirms what we already know that the owners who choose RINA class work hard to maintain the highest standards. We work hard to support those owners, not because we want to top any lists, but because we want our classed fleet to maintain a consistent high level of quality. That will become even more into focus when the Paris MOU begins to implement its Thetis project in 2011, under which all ships will be inspected and then those which meet certain standards will be free of inspection for a set period. High quality owners such as those who underpin this years MOU performance will benefit by seeing...

A renewable power technology, an emissions performance index and a Californian port featured among the winners at the second Sustainable Shipping Awards, held in London last week. The variety apparent in the nominations across the categories underscored the growing efforts in marine sector to improve environmental performance. The audience heard addresses from José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica and chairman of the Carbon War Room and the chairman of the International Maritime Organizations Marine Environment Committee (MEPC), Andreas Chrysostomou.The Environmental Technology award was of great interest but hard to pick, with nominations going to three quite different and not readily comparable technologies. SolarSailor won the category for its hybrid power systems for ships which see solar energy generated from an onboard wing of solar cells, which provide renewable power to supplement a conventional fuel-powered engine. The solar wing also acts as a sail, adding direct propulsion. The company boasts of 50 per cent fuel savings being realised from its hybrid energy ferries in use in Hong Kong. The hybrid technology is being commercialised internationally across the spectrum of ship types and size from large tankers to small yachts.Ecospec was another nominee in the technology category for its promising...

Governments at an IMO conference in Manila, Philippines on June 25 adopted amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). The International Shipping Federation (ISF) and its member national associations have led maritime employers throughout the comprehensive review process. ISFs sister organisation, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), provided technical and operational advice.The most contentious issue to be resolved in Manila concerned the IMO minimum rest hour requirements with the ILO Maritime Labour Convention. As a result of proposals submitted to the conference by ISF, both daily and weekly exceptions to the minimum rest hour periods with appropriate safeguards have been maintained, while strong requirements for the recording, monitoring and enforcement of the minimum rest hour provisions have also been added.With the strengthened mandatory recording requirement we now expect increased focus from port state control on minimum rest hour compliance, particularly with the ILO Maritime Labour Convention also coming into force soon, said ISF/ICS Secretary General, Peter HinchliffeThe Manila amendments are adopted during the IMOs Year of the Seafarer on June 25.Source:shiptalk

DNV has launched what it calls an ECA survival kit. Many operators will face tough times when the new emission reduction requirements come into force in the Emission Control Areas (ECAs). I advise operators to start preparing now to get on the front foot when the upcoming 2015 and 2016 legislation become reality, said DNVs principal consultant, Henning Mohn.Emission Control Areas (ECAs) have already been established in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and along the North American coastlines. Other areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea, are expected to follow in the near future. The emission reduction requirements applicable within the ECAs will gradually be stepped up.The fuel sulphur content of any ship in an ECA after 2015 cannot exceed 0.1% or the exhaust gas must be purified to an equivalent level. And after 2016, NOx emissions from newbuilds must be reduced by about 75%. Compliance will become a ticket to trade in ECAs.The emission reduction requirements will have severe implications for shipowners and charterers as well as for entire supply chains within the ECAs. Many possible actions can be taken, but the consequence of choosing a sub-optimal strategy may be costly.However, there are opportunities for smart navigation within the...