Tag: UK

UK prime minister David Cameron has failed to ease concerns that seafarers could suffer as a result of plans to restrict ransom payments to Somali pirates.The maritime professionals' union Nautilus International wrote to Mr Cameron to highlight fears that crew members could pay with their lives if governments go ahead with plans to outlaw ransom payments when ships are hijacked.In a letter to the union, Mr Cameron says the UK is seeking to establish an international task force to examine ways to 'bring about an end to the culture of ransom payments'. The PM said he hoped shipping industry partners would 'engage fully' with the task force and 'offer constructive advice' to it.But Mr Dickinson said the PM's response had not succeeded in easing the union's concern that any moves to prevent payment of ransoms could jeopardise the safety of seafarers being held captive.'Whilst no one wants to see large sums of money being paid to pirates, politicians have failed to provide any realistic alternative,' he added. 'Ransoms are the only way in which we can ensure the safe return of seafarers, and it is clear from a number of cases that any attempt to frustrate the payment can put ...

Enhancing maritime security for London Olympics 2012

Ban on providing insurance for tankers carrying Iranian oil Britain is seeking to persuade fellow European Union members to postpone by up to six months a ban on providing insurance for tankers carrying Iranian oil, arguing that it could lead to a damaging spike in oil prices, European diplomats said.A European Union ban on importing Iranian oil, which takes effect on July 1, will also prevent EU insurers and reinsurers from covering tankers carrying Iranian crude anywhere in the world from July.The impact of the measure is likely to be felt strongly in London's financial district, the centre for marine insurance.Iran exports most of its 2 million barrels of oil per day to Asia. The four main buyers - China, India, Japan and South Korea - have yet to find a way to replace the predominantly Western insurance shipping cover provided by London insurers.The sanctions seek to stem the flow of petrodollars to Tehran to force it to halt a nuclear programme that the West suspects is intended to produce weapons.Some Indian and Chinese firms have already asked state insurers to step in and provide coverage by offering government guarantees. The situation is more complicated for Japan and South Korea, ...

UK became the eighteenth Contracting Party to the ReCAAP. On 2 May 2012, the United Kingdom (UK) became the eighteenth Contracting Party to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).This cements this Government's firm commitment to tacking the scourge of piracy across the globe: protecting the trade-routes that are vital to our economy, protecting the livelihoods of seafarers who ply these waterways, and preventing criminals from profiting from piracy.Though UK is geographically located outside Asia, it has a strong interest in the regional maritime economy and supports fully the ReCAAP aims of enhancing multilateral cooperation among its members. The latest addition to the ReCAAP signifies the growing strength of ReCAAP network and demonstrates the importance of the international cooperation to effectively address the challenges in combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.UK's Minister for Africa Mr Henry Bellingham said: "I am delighted that the UK has applied to join ReCAAP. Piracy is a scourge that needs to be tackled and the protection of UK shipping around the globe remains a priority for this government." The Minister stressed that international cooperation is the most effective way to tackle piracy, as demonstrated ...

Aeolos in supreme court win The court has overturned a ruling in favour of charterer Petrobras and found for the owner of the 306,000-dwt Kos (built 2001) in a long running dispute over payment for charter hire.But in May 2008 Petrobras failed to make a required payment of hire with the consequence that the ship was withdrawn in June of that year although the failure to pay did not amount to a repudiatory breach of contract.At the time of the withdrawal the Kos was loading cargo at Angra dos Reis in Brazil so there was a delay of 2.64 days while the ship was discharged.The tanker owner claimed on various grounds for the daily hire of the vessel at the market rate and bunkers consumed over the days in question with a major legal battle ensuing.The shipowner won in a London high court but the judgment was overturned on appeal.But there has now been a definitive final ruling in favour of ENE Kos 1, a single ship company that is the legal owner of the VLCC.The five supreme court judges delivered a detailed ruling on the Shelltime 3 charterparty and unanimously agreed the appeal should be allowed although there was ...

After failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced that 14 foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during March 2012 after failing Port State Control ( PSC) inspection as follows:Latest monthly figures show that there were seven new detentions of foreign flagged ships in UK ports during March 2012 and seven vessels remained under detention from previous months. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 2.8% this is slightly up from February's twelve month rate.Out of the detained vessels seven were registered with a flag state listed on the Paris MOU white list, four were registered with a flag state on the grey list two were registered with a flag state on the black list and one was unregistered.1.In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's Inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes full details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.2. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors ...

Shipping adviser Moore Stephens welcomes this desicion International accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens has welcomed the UK government's decision to minimize the effect of new rules in Finance Bill 2012 which resulted in a potentially serious trap for existing UK shipowners entering tonnage tax.Finance Bill 2012 originally extended some anti-avoidance rules relating to leasing companies, so that they applied to existing UK shipowning companies chartering out ships which enter UK tonnage tax. But the rules have now been changed following representations made by Moore Stephens and by other shipping industry representatives.Moore Stephens tax partner Sue Bill says, "The rules apply where, very broadly, at least half the value of the company's plant and machinery is chartered out or at least half its income in the previous twelve months is from the chartering out of plant and machinery, including ships, even where the chartering is to another group company."As originally drafted, the proposed new rules could have applied where a UK shipowning company in a tonnage tax group entered tonnage tax because it started to carry on activities which qualified for tonnage tax, for example because it owned a vessel which ceased to be chartered out on a long-term bareboat ...

North Sea could become major renewable energy hub Britain's North Sea has the potential to lead the world in offshore wind and carbon capture and storage technology, British Prime Minister David Cameron said as over 20 companies signed a deal to turn the region into a major renewable energy hub.Major utilities such as Britain's Scottish Power and Norway's Statoil, manufacturers ranging from Siemens to Gamesa and supply chain companies are supporting a plan to develop the offshore wind potential of the North Sea, provisionally named Norstec.Further details about the operations of the network will be revealed at an offshore wind conference in London in June."This (will) make the North Sea again a source of investment ... (It) has the potential to lead the world in offshore wind and carbon capture and storage," Cameron told ministers from 23 countries attending a two-day clean energy summit in London on Thursday.The Crown Estate, which manages Queen Elizabeth's property holdings, also said it would explore whether offshore wind test sites can be set up in even deeper water, which could open up the energy potential of more of the North Sea.Britain has an ambitious target of installing 18 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power ...

Guidelines to address concerns related to alleged serious crimes and persons missing at sea The United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to a proposal put forward by the United Kingdom, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and the Philippines to develop guidelines to address concerns related to alleged serious crimes and persons missing at sea. All twenty four delegations that spoke after the proposal had been presented expressed their appreciation and supported it without exception.Building upon an earlier proposal from CLIA, the United Kingdom led a coalition of government and industry stakeholders in support of the proposal.UK Shipping Minister, Mike Penning said:"Taking a cruise should be a safe and enjoyable experience. However we have been reminded in recent years that crime exists at sea as it does on land, and we should be certain that there are effective mechanisms in place to respond to this. I am grateful to those at the IMO, our partners CLIA and the Philippines for their help in making such valuable progress. I would now urge all other flag states to get behind this important proposal."CLIA President and CEO, Christine Duffy, said:"CLIA greatly appreciates the extensive leadership and commitment of Minister Penning, the United ...

UK's port strategy moving forwar UK Shipping Minister, Mike Penning MP, met with the All-Party Parliamentary Maritime and Ports Group this week, to give the industry an update in terms of the Government's port strategy moving forward."For too many years the UK shipping industry has not been taken seriously", he said. "But the fact of the matter is, this country won't get out of the economic crisis without it."So how does the shipping minister aim to help support the industry in so far as ports are concerned? "By encouraging the use of smaller ports and improving infrastructure to take more boxes," he said. "Smaller UK ports are not currently utilised in the way thatthey could be."Sounds simple doesn't it, but it's actually a logistical nightmare to improve infrastructure on a smallisland. But as one attendee said to Port Strategy during the meeting:"It's entirely possible if every aspect of the industry works together - it works in other countries."The government intends to put in more road and rail links to improve traffic flow away from ports - and it was pointedout that there is money available to encourage these improvements in infrastructuretoo."Industry wants to see investment, but we really need to ...