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Seafarers ‘ fund needed to release ships held by Somali pirates

For Shipping companies and management companies operating in India On January 12, the release of a chemical tanker 'Fairchem Bogey' by Somali pirates after five months in captivity has brought cheers to Indian shipping. The ship, which was seized on August 20, while on anchorage within the Salalah port limit in Oman and waiting for berthing instructions from port authorities, had an Indian crew of 21 on board.As per local reports, pirates released the ship for a ransom estimated at $8 million (around Rs 40 crore). The ransom, as per industry estimates, may be on a higher side, given that the tanker is carrying just a partial load of methanol. But it was a small price they paid for releasing 21 Indians on board.Another ship 'Savina Caylyn', with 17 Indian crew, hijacked on February 8, 2011, was released on December 22. All crew members have now arrived in India.With the release of these two ships, total number of Indian crew in custody of Somali pirates on different ships has come down by more than half to 22, from the earlier 60. As per a recent communiqué by India's shipping regulator -- director general of shipping, six Indians are still on ...

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Hijacked Ships with Indian Crew

As on 10th January, 2012 The Directorate General of Shipping under the Ministry of Shipping has received the following information on the ships in custody of Somali pirates/ released as on 10th January, 2012:M.T. "SAVINA CAYLYN", with 17 Indian crew, hijacked on 08.02.2011 was released on 22nd December 2011 from Somalia and all the crew members have now arrived in India via Fujairah.M.V. "SPAR RIGEL", Flag Norway, with 20 Indian and 1 Ukranian crew was hijacked off the Nigerian Coast early today morning. The crew, following the best management practices, locked themselves into the citadel (Safe house) on board. The naval forces in the region were alerted and the vessel is now free of pirates and all crew are reportedly safe.As on date the number of Indian crew in custody of Somali pirates on different ships is as follows: This does not include mechanized sailing vessels. NAMEFLAGHIJACKED ONINDIANSa. M.V. ICEBERG-1PANAMA29.03.20106b. M.T. FAIRCHEM BOGEYMARSHALL IS20.08.201121c.. M.V. AL BEDOMALAYSIA26.11.20102d. M.T. ENRICO IEVOLIITALY27.12.207 While 36 Indian seafarers are on board four foreign flag ships, 7 seafarers of "ASPHALT VENTURE" are held hostage on land. So far, no ship with Indian flag has been hijacked.Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India

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India advocates comprehensive strategy to counter piracy

Piracy off Somalia is a India has advocated adoption of a comprehensive counter-piracy strategy by the international community to tackle the growing problem of maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia.Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on Somalia here, India's Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri termed piracy off the coast of Somalia a "serious problem" for the international community.With Somali pirates holding 19 ships and 331 hostages as of October last year, Puri yesterday said combating maritime piracy is an important issue intrinsically linked with the security situation in Somalia.He said given the growing scope of the problem, "the international community has to think about adopting a comprehensive counter-piracy strategy," which should involve a "UN-led anti-piracy force to conduct naval operations."This would help achieve greater coordination in anti-piracy operations by various naval forces.The global strategy should also include enactment of national laws on priority to criminalize piracy and effective sanitization of the Somali coastline along with identifying safe corridors and buffer zones."We stand ready to help in capacity building of the Transitional Federal Institutions and the states in the region for effective measures against piracy off the coast of Somalia," he added.Puri noted that India has taken several ...

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LNG too hot for Indian lines?

With the demand for LNG expected to rise, Indian shipowners want to invest in LNG carriers With the demand for LNG expected to rise, Indian shipowners want to invest in LNG carriers. But this requires a revamp of the policy on LNG movement.Would you dream about running when you can't even walk? That seems to be what Indian ship-owners are doing. Globally, shipping is in choppy waters. Freight markets have been weak and their outlook is weaker. Even the mightiest in the industry are finding it difficult to keep their fleet afloat. The Indian shipping sector is also facing bad weather. But its captains have great dreams; they are exploring ways to enter the high-cost cost liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation business."It may appear a bit unrealistic or over-ambitious now, but you've got to think long term," said a shipping company official when asked about the industry's request for a new LNG Transportation Policy.Currently, LNG imports are made on a c.i.f basis. This means, the supplier of the gas also make the shipping arrangements. The buyer has no say in the transportation of the cargo. Normally, LNG import contracts are entered into for 15-20 years and the shipping terms are ...

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India, Oman extend MOU on cooperation for maritime security

Efforts of the world community to effectively address the piracy problem India and Oman have extended the validity of the existing bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Military Cooperation, signed in December 2005, for a further period of five years. The documents were signed by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony and the visiting Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, His Excellency Badar bin Saud bin Harib al Busaidi here today.Bilateral defence cooperation between India and Oman has been growing over the years. The Navies of both countries are conducting a joint exercise "Naseem Al Bahr off the coast of Mumbai from December 26-31, 2011. The IAF and the Royal Air Force of Oman held a joint exercise "Eastern Bridge" at Jamnagar, Gujarat in October earlier this year.During the delegation level talks both sides noted that bilateral defence cooperation activities have been progressing satisfactorily. The 5th meeting of the India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee was held recently in India in September, 2011.Both the Ministers discussed important issues relating to regional and maritime security. Shri Antony noted that incidents of piracy were taking place close to the Oman coast and have also been spreading close to the ...

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Security measures for ships

India has initiated several preventive/mitigating security measures to curb piracy Ministry of Defence had requested M/o Shipping to advice all Indian Shipping companies to adopt the Best Management Practices (BMPs) particularly with respect to the construction of a 'Safe House' or 'Citadel' on their ships for protecting the crew in the event of a piracy attack.M/o Shipping has advised the Shipping industry to adopt the BMPs which inter-alia include alarms, evasive manoeuvres, enhanced vigilance during watch keeping, control of access points and safe houses.Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India

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India issues guidelines on Deployment of Armed Guards on Indian Merchant Ships

Armed Guards for Indian Ships An Inter-Ministerial Group of Officers (IMGO) has been set up to deal with hostage situation arising out of the hijacking of merchant vessels with Indian crew on board.The owners and flag administration of the hijacked vessels are contacted through Indian Missions abroad to ensure that they take suitable steps for the safety and early release of the hostages.The Government has issued guidelines on Deployment of Armed Guards on Indian Merchant Ships. These guidelines provide the criteria for owners to contract private armed security guards for deployment on Indian merchant ships, in cases where the owners desire to do so.The Government has initiated several preventive/mitigating security measures that are as follows:Notices by Director General of Shipping detailing elaborate anti-piracy measures (Best Management Practices) including safe house/citadel.Sailing vessels banned from plying in waters south or west of the line joining Salalah and Male.Naval escort provided by Indian Naval Ships in Gulf of Aden.Enhanced vigil by Indian Navy in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).Guidelines for deployment of armed guards on Indian merchant ships issued.Joint operational exercises being conducted on regular basis among Navy, Coast Guard, Coastal Police, Customs and others.The intelligence mechanism has been streamlined through the creation ...

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Transportation of Hazardous Chemicals by Sea Vessels

Control of substandard ships coming to Indian territorial waters Control of substandard ships coming to Indian territorial waters & endangering environment is exercised by the Indian Maritime Administration through the international accepted method of Port State Control (PSC). Mercantile Marine Department's Surveyors carry out Port State control Inspections on foreign Flag vessels.These inspections verify sea worthiness of the vessels & simultaneously verify compliance with various International Safety Conventions. When vessels are found in substantial non-compliance with applicable laws or relevant maritime convention requirements, the PSC system suitably intervenes to ensure that non-conformances are rectified, before further plying. India is a founder member of Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding (IOMOU). There are 13 members of IOMOU.This Regional cooperation of countries on the Indian Ocean rim also contributes towards the control of substandard ships plying in the region. In addition, the Government is actively considering banning the entry of Ships which are more than 25 years old.Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India

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ShipRecycling in the Indian Subcontinent and Beyond

The American P&I club surveys ship recycling - Progress In Leaps and Bounds The American P&I Club has published Currents- December issue including an article regarding Ship Recycling in the Indian Subcontinent and Beyond (Written by Shashank Agrawal, legal advisor of wirana shipping Corporation / page 14)According to the author, it is anticipated that in excess of 25 million dwt for scrapping will have wound up on the beaches of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan by the end of this year.Shashank Agrawal, legal advisor at Wirana Shipping Corporation in Singapore, describes recycling progress as being in leaps and bounds as the worldwide shipping industry struggles against some of the toughest times it has ever seen. Established in 1983, Wirana is the oldest cash buyer in ship recycling, and since then it has negotiated more than 1,700 vessels and delivered a total deadweight in excess of 48 million. The list continues to grow every day.Wirana purchases vessels on the basis of 100% cash. It then sells the vessel to a recycler in any one of the ship recycling countries. For vessels purchased "as is", the cash buyer takes over the ship at the delivery port and then boards its own crew to ...

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Shipping cos may get breather if cargo support scheme is implemented

Shippers should be given at least three-six months before the implementation The recession-hit shipping companies will get a breather if the cargo support scheme suggested by a Government-appointed working group is implemented.The group wants all shippers (exporters and importers) with more than a pre-specified annual turnover should compulsorily use Indian ships for carrying a third of their goods. Their export incentives will be linked to fulfilling the shipping criteria, said a member of the working group.The group has suggested that shippers should be given at least three-six months before implementing the one-third cargo support scheme. Currently, Indian ships carry less than nine per cent of the country's cargo. The scheme is expected to not only boost the cargo share of national carriers, but also will help expand Indian tonnage.Currently, India has a fleet of 1,119 ships of 11 million gross registered tonnage or grt.In container cargo, the share of Indian ships is only 3.4 per cent. Even in oil and petroleum products, in which national bottoms enjoyed more than 50 per cent share a decade ago, the share has come down to 15 per cent."The scheme will be a game changer for Indian shipping. It will automatically, increase the national ...

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