Tag: bulk carriers

Greek shipping company Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. announced that it has entered into commercial agreements for the installation of scrubbers on five of its capesize bulk carriers before January 2020 to achieve compliance with the IMO's sulphur cap. The Company has secured the scrubber equipment from South Korean manufacturer Hyundai Materials

The bulk sector is currently exiting a difficult period, but according to the Association of Bulk Terminal Operators in order to achieve a complete market correction there will be more even more challenges. Growth looks positive and fleet growth manageable but there are a number of challenges. 

A 57 year old Canadian seafarer died after falling off the bulker 'Spruceglen', while he was tying it before entering the Eisenhower Locks on October 16. The seafarer was being lowered onto a dock from the side of the bulk carrier, when he lost his balance and slipped off.

The bulk carrier 'Guo Yuan 1' collided with three anchored river ships, on October 9, at Zhenjiang anchorage, Yangtze river. The three vessels were tied together and they all sunk due to the collision. In addition, the collision led to nine people falling into the water. Five of them were rescued, but four are still missing.

The shipping industry is highly concerned with the possible damage and loss of bulk carriers carrying heavy cargoes. In July 2018, IACS revised 'Recommendation 46' referring to Bulk carriers loading and discharging to reduce the likelihood of over-stressing the hull structure in order to raise further awareness on the potential associated risks.

In its recently-published Shipping and Safety Review, Allianz cites a top-10 list of the largest ships lost throughout 2017, noting that half of the cases involved bulk carriers. The highlights of the year were the sinking of the two bulk carriers, 'Stellar Daisy' and 'Emerald Star', which caused death of a total of 33 seafarers.

A total of five ships collided in the Suez Canal, on July 15. Namely, the container ship 'Aeneas' experienced an engine failure and stopped, causing three bulk carriers Panamax Alexander, Sakizaya Kalon and Osios David to collide as they weren't able to stop. A little later, the container ship NYK Orpheus hit Panamax Alexander.

INTERCARGO announced the introduction of a new project, from 1 August 2018, through a reporting scheme “INTERCARGO Bulk Carrier Reporting Form (II) – Safe Loading/Unloading at Anchorage”, in a bid to respond to the increasing issues related to safe loading/unloading at anchorage.

The price of prime aged vessels is expected to rise over the next two years, according to VesselsValue. The contraction of yard capacity is expected to support the replacement value of ships, while short term earnings have either bottomed, or started to recover in most markets.

Load shifting is a commonly dangerous situation for ships carrying solid cargo, bulk cargo ships and containerships.  A good seamanship and compliance to safety regulations while loading or trimming, are some of the factors that should be considered before operations start.