Tag: BIMCO

Designed to complement the Sanctions Clause for Time Charter Parties A specialist Working Group set up to develop an OFAC Compliance Clause met in London on 16 May. BIMCO is working together with the International Group of P&I Clubs and several London based P&I Clubs to draft the OFAC Compliance Clause. The Clause will be designed to complement the Sanctions Clause for Time Charter Parties which BIMCO produced last year.The Working Group has outlined the structure of the proposed clause and identified a number of scenarios where the OFAC legislation could create compliance issues under a charter party particularly situations where a non-compliance arises during a time charter and there is cargo on board.The Working Group plans to seek the advice and guidance of US lawyers with expertise in OFAC related matters before proceeding with drafting. A preliminary report of the findings will be presented to the Documentary Committee Meeting in June and then the Working Group will continue their drafting work over the summer. Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Recent developmentsOn 9 June 2010 the UN Security Council extended the scope of its existing arms embargo and restrictions on financial and shipping companies related to ...

To combat the illicit flows of money linked to Somali piracy During this week BIMCO is meeting with national and international experts in organised crime, financial intelligence and financial services to explore options for combating the illicit flows of money inextricably linked to Somali piracy.Chaired by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime and held in East Africa, the meetings constitute an important forum for BIMCO to be part of to help ensure that the interests of ship owners - and not least seafarers - are properly reflected when financial counter-piracy strategies are discussed.BIMCO would emphasise that from a ship owner's perspective, the safety of the crew should always take precedence over co-operation with law enforcement agencies during and after a hijack.Maritime piracy has drastically transformed itself from an outmoded, criminal activity, crafted by generations of authors and film makers into romantic legends, to a serious threat to global human and economic security. One of the driving forces behind this rapid expansion - both in terms of piracy attacks and the associated financial flows - has been the large ransoms.The phenomenon has now evolved, however, and is no longer the province of amateurs.The increasing sophistication and organization that pirate ...

Warning for negligence of first principles It is a sad fact that virtually every new advance in navigation has brought with it a number of accidents which have been contributed to by inappropriate use of the new equipment, usually because of the neglect of first principles.The term "radar assisted collision" became well-known in the early days of commercial radar and in more recent years, the facility of inter-ship VHF, automated radar plotting aids and sophisticated integrated navigation systems involving computers have all contributed to expensive mistakes, often because of either complacency or inadequate training in the new equipment, which have permitted bad habits to form! The emergence of the Automated Identification System is, without doubt, a great advance, but here too, there is some evidence that its availability to provide useful information on the "other ship" can, like other equipment, lead to complacency. It is also a fact that while it may be a mandatory fixture aboard larger vessels, there are many small leisure and fishing craft which are not so fitted. A fatal accident in the North Sea last year, recently the subject of a report by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, provides a salutary warning on the ...

English version With reference the article "Panamanian flag versus Paris PSC MoU" related to sanctions against ship detained by the Paris MoU, thePanama Maritime Authorityhave recently issued an English version of the below-linked Resolution No. 106-24-DGMM, suspending the Occasional Inspection on board Panamanian-flagged vesselsolder than20 years for which next port of arrival is a country which is a member of the Paris MOU.Source: BIMCO

Ships as the consumers of maritime technology These are exciting times for the shipping industry if one considers those who operate ships as the "consumers" of maritime technology.There is both the incentive and the demand for change and improvement represented by the need for cleaner, more sustainable ship operation, and the undoubted pressure coming from the cost of fuel.There is a "triangle of progress" that is completed by the ship owners, shipbuilders and regulators and as we have seen in the past, when political pressure, economic necessity and technological development get together, things start to happen! We can see progress emerging in a generally more open and "questing" attitude among ship owners, with a substantial number of the more progressive companies encouraging, if not actually sponsoring, technical development in a way that we have not seen for a number of years.We should be encouraged by the way in which quite radical thinking on such matters as new ship propulsion systems is being seriously contemplated and energetically researched. The "all-electric" ship, nuclear cassettes, fuel cells, and the emergence of an LNG fuel infrastructure are all products of this open minded attitude so evident in the industry. Environmental pressure groups will claim ...

Issue affecting international shipping finance Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO, Peter Sand, spoke last week at the Inaugural Scandinavian Shipping & Ship Finance Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on 6-7 April 2011.The conference organisers had assembled an international line-up of industry experts and participants, all of whom stood ready to offer their expertise and views on some of the most important issues affecting international shipping finance and shipping investment today.The event provided an excellent opportunity to share the latest information and insights on key areas influencing our business.The BIMCO presentation was focused on the order book in the main shipping segments, dry bulk, tankers and containerships as well as the current and future challenges for ship owners and shipyards.Touching upon the latest on orderings and deliveries for dry bulk, tankers and containers Sand said that owner must not be tempted by low newbuilding prices to order new ships as overcapacity is already putting pressure on the freight rates.Action like that, already seems to have been taken onboard in particularly by ship owners in the dry bulk sector. They have surprised on the upside in first quarter of 2011, as the number of contracting of new ships is at the lowest level ...

Transiting the North-Eastern Pacific Ocean Region Further to the article "The Effects of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan on Shipping", BIMCO has received the below message and attached advice on the "Potential Risks to Shipping Transiting the North-Eastern Pacific Ocean Region or in the Vicinity of Japan due to Radioactivity Release from Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant" from the World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI).In the days following the earthquake, tsunami and the incident at Fukushima power station, WNTI had several requests on the situation regarding the power station and the possible dangers associated with the release of radioactive material.The WNTI has developed the attached document which to some degree tries to explain the situation regarding the Fukushima incident, however as can be appreciated, the situation is changing every day, and therefore the attached paper provides information on various organisations where the latest information regarding advice and radioactive readings can be found.Source: BIMCO

Into force from 1st April 2011 With effect from 1st April 2011 Orkney Islands Council, as Harbour Authority for Scapa Flow, increased the Flotta Terminal Comprehensive Harbour Charge by approx 2.5%, as follows:-Segregated Ballast and Double Hull oil ships will be charged GB Pounds 1.59 per G.T. (Previously GB Pounds 1.55) Gas ships will be charged GB Pounds 1.59 per G.T. (Previously GB Pounds 1.55)Please note carefully that these increases DO NOT apply to tankers performing ship-to-ship cargo transfers inside Scapa Flow.Source: BIMCO

Action on the issue of maritime piracy The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has come out in support of a joint campaign launched by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Intertanko, Intercargo, BIMCO and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) that urges governments to take firm action on the issue of maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia.The campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the human and economic costs of maritime piracy, urges governments around the world to prioritise six key actions:Reducing the effectiveness of easily identifiable motherships;Authorizing naval forces to hold pirates and deliver them for prosecution and punishment;Fully criminalizing all acts of piracy and intent to commit piracy under national laws, in accordance with their mandatory duty to co-operate to suppress piracy under international conventions;Increasing naval assets available in the affected areas;Providing greater protection and support for seafarers; andTracing and criminalizing the organisers and financiers behind the criminal networks.So far in 2011, 13 vessels have been hijacked by suspected Somali pirates, with a total of 243 crewmembers taken hostage.In addition, six crew were kidnapped from a vessel that was hijacked and then left adrift in the Indian Ocean. Of most concern, however, are the seven murders committed by ...

Equipment tests and inspections Operators are kindly reminded about the USCG requirements related to test and inspection of equipment used for transfer of oil and other liquid substances i.e. bunker or cargo hoses.In accordance with the below, any such shipboard equipment shouldas a minimum be tested annually under a static liquid pressure at least 1.5 times the maximum allowable working pressure, and it is highly important to keep a record of these tests readily available on board.US CFR 33 156.170 - Equipment tests and inspections(a) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, no person may use any equipment listed in paragraph (c) of this section for transfer operations unless the vessel or facility operator, as appropriate, tests and inspects the equipment in accordance with paragraphs (b), (c) and (f) of this section and the equipment is in the condition specified in paragraph (c) of this section.(b) During any test or inspection required by this section, the entire external surface of the hose must be accessible.(c) For the purpose of paragraph (a) of this section: (1) Each nonmetallic transfer hose must: (i) Have no unrepaired loose covers, kinks, bulges, soft spots or any other defect which would permit the ...