Tag: UK Club

 The latest legal briefing from the UK P&I Club covers the Polar Code: a new regulation for polar shipping.This briefing is one of a continuing series which aims to share the legal expertise within the Club with its Members.A significant proportion of the expertise in the Managers’ offices around the world consists of lawyers who can advise Members on general P&I related legal, contractual and documentary issues.The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on 15th May 2015, and expected to come into force on 1 January 2017.The code is mandatory and comprises of detailed requirements relating to safety, design, construction, operations, training and the prevention of environmental pollution.The Code applies to all shipping and maritime operations apart from fishing ships, ships under 500 tonnes and fixed structures.Pollution prevention measuresThe discharge of oil/oily mixtures from any ship into Arctic waters is prohibited by the Code.This includes any noxious liquid substances or any mixture containing such substances as well as sewage and garbage unless discharged in accordance with MARPOL Annex IV andV. However, this prohibition does not apply to clean or segregated ballast. The Code also requires that oil fuel tanks of Category A and ...

Shippers who fail to comply may be heavily fined UK P&I Club and TT Clubhave welcomed the amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) from the IMO on the requirement that containers have a verified gross mass before being loaded onto a ship. At a glance: The amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) adopted in November 2014 states packed containers must have a verified gross mass before being loaded on a ship Containers without a verified gross mass may incur delays, resulting in missing their designated ship, and additional costs Shippers who fail to comply may be heavily finedThe requirement becomesmandatory on 1 July 2016, after which date it would be a violation of SOLAS to load a packed container onto a ship if the ship and marine terminal operator do not have a verified container gross mass. Operators who fail to comply will be fined or penalised.According to the new amendment, the shipper is responsible for obtaining the verified gross mass of a packed container and communicating it to the ocean carrier.UK P&I Club and TT Club have published a joint advisory briefing for ship operators. This outlines the key issues for ...

UK Club advises operators loading charcoal from Namibia

Fishing farms around NanRi Island, China

The UK P&I Club reminds operators of the speed restrictions which exist off the US coast.

Practical tips on how to avoid incidents with West African pirates The UK P&I Club issued a practical guidance in relation to piracy in West Africa.Stuart Edmonston, Head of Loss Prevention, says: We have seen a sizable shift in pirate activity, from Somali to West Africa, and are witnessing an increase in incidents particularly offshore Nigeria.The UK Club provides practical tips on how to avoid incidents with West African pirates:The ship should be operating at a heightened state of security throughout, including additional watch-keeping, roving patrols and fire hoses rigged at the railings; outside doors of the accommodation closed and locked from the inside and temporary barriers erected around the outside stairwells risk of attack is particularly high when the ship is at anchor or is drifting off a port e.g. close to pilot station or when carrying out Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer operations.For the purposes of identifying suitable measures of prevention, mitigation and recovery in case of piracy, it is imperative that a ship and voyage-specific risk assessment is performed well in advance as recommended in Section 3 of the Best Management Practices Volume 4 (BMP4).Limit the use of lighting at night and reduce the power or turn off the ...

Warns UK P&I Club Accidents relating to entry into enclosed spaces have resulted in a large number of deaths of both ship and shore personnel so far this year. David Nichol, UK P&I Club risk assessor, reviews enclosed space incidents and his suggestions for safer working practices."The dangers associated with enclosed spaces are well known in the shipping industry yet each year we continue to see a number of casualties which could be prevented. Regulatory authorities and other industry bodies have produced a large amount of information and advice over the years, yet the death toll remains at an alarming level. Amongst numerous other reported examples, an incident occurred last year on board the cargo ship SUNTIS, when three crew members lost their lives after entering a cargo hold loaded with sawn timber, a cargo known to cause oxygen depletion."Part of the reason for the high number of casualties may lie in confusion as to what spaces are or may become dangerous, and how they are identified. It may help if the industry introduced a uniform approach to explicitly labelling all enclosed spaces that have been identified in the Safety Management System. There is currently no industry standard for warning ...

Update on Tianjin Port Operations after explosion at the warehouse

The UK P&I Club has issued notice to advise of the process when loading nickel ore cargoes from ports in Indonesia or the Philippines

  Stuart Edmonston, Loss Prevention Director, UK P&I Club comments on the increased demand for using low-sulphur fuels in shipping and says that concerns remain.  Global move towards using cleaner fuel, with countries forming new or reforming old regulations Jurisdictions are increasingly demanding the use of low-sulphur fuel in ships that berth in their ports Heavy penalties can be imposed on shipowners and Masters for the use of incorrect fuel There are increasing demands on shipowners to comply with mandates regarding the use of low-sulphur fuels in ships. The move towards using cleaner fuels supports a global drive to reducing carbon emissions, with many countries forming new or reforming old regulations. Shipowners need to be aware of the differing rules and costs across jurisdictions as they face significant fines for non-compliance. Hong Kong and Australia are the latest to introduce their own bespoke requirements. Low sulphur fuel (0.1% or less) will be mandatory for all cruise ships berthing in Sydney Harbour after 1 October 2015 and in all New South Wales (NSW) ports after 1 July 2016. Owners can be fined up to $44,000 and the Master up to $22,000. In Hong Kong, all ocean-going vessels (above 500 GT) are ...