Tag: Intercargo

On 31st March, shipping mourns a relatively recent tragedy: The loss of the South Korean VLOC ‘Stellar Daisy’ in 2017, which took almost entire crew at the bottom of the South Atlantic.

In its Executive and Technical Committee meetings in Hong Kong on 4 and 5 March 2019, INTERCARGO highlighted the importance of investigating incidents and the subsequent publication of casualty investigation reports in a timely manner, in order for lessons to be learned.

Intercargo welcomes the latest amendment to IMSBC Code 04-17 which entered into force on 1st January 2019 and includes important updates related to cargoes that may liquefy. In this regard, the association notes that moisture related cargo failure mechanisms, widely known as liquefaction, continue to be a major concern for dry bulk shipping. 

In 2018, once again new regulations took place in order the maritime industry to stay on the pulse and remain sustainable.Namely, the latest regulatory impacting the industry within the year include 26 major updates which will define the future of the industry.

In INTERCARGO's Annual General Meeting on 1-2 October, the Association's Chairman, John Platsidakis, underlined the challenge with respect to international regulators' lack of understanding of how dry bulk ships operate worldwide on tramp trades.

Intercargo held its Annual General Meeting re-iterated its commitment to a safe and environmentally-friendly dry cargo shipping industry and its support for an industry governed by free and fair competition. Intercargo focused on 'Safe Carriage of Cargoes' and 'Investigation of Casualties by Flag Administrations'.

Following  the investigation report of the 2012 built supramax bulk carrier M/V CHESHIRE which was issued by the  Isle of Man Ship Registry, INTERCARGO urges IMO to reconsider how Ammonium Nitrate Based Fertilizer should be designated in the IMSBC Code. Currently, the Ammonium Nitrate Based Fertilizer is listed as a group C cargo, however, the accident showed that this cargo, or at least some of the ammonium nitrate based fertilizers shipped as this cargo, should treated  differently under the IMSBC Code.

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.

International shipping industry organisations have launched a new website to provide maritime security guidance to companies and mariners. The new website www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org provides security guidance, which the industry supplies, as well as links to  useful maritime and military security resources. 

BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and WSC, called the IMO to advance on challenges regarding the global sulphur cap, to avoid risking safety or unfairly penalise individual ships. The trade associations have submitted a number of proposals to IMO, aiming to help smooth the implementation of the global 0.5% sulphur.