In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the major disruptions that has brought, the International Group and its 13 constituent P&I Clubs joined forces and issued a strong message to draw attention on the crew change crisis.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Rule 1142 relating to gaseous leaks from tank vessels will continue to be enforced despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
West P&I Club informs that the Argentinian National Service for Health and Agrifood Quality (SENASA) is officializing the approval and implementation of a resolution, to set control measures following the Asian Gypsy Moth.
As the West of England P&I Club says, it is well known that fires on ships require a lot of effort to address, they risk all those on board and they present extreme danger to the vessel. Engine room fires are especially challenging to put out, because of the potential confined nature of the scene and an abundance of fire triangle elements: heat, fuel and air.
While South African authorities used ‘to turn a blind eye to fishing’, the Department of Fisheries and Forestry has now appointed inspectors who attend on vessels to check whether there is any illegal fish onboard, the West Club informed citing information by the South Africa P&I Associates (Pty) Ltd.
As the West of England reports, the Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) is a highly destructive forest pest that feeds on both deciduous and coniferous trees. The voracious appetite of AGM larvae (caterpillars) coupled with the ability of the female moth to travel significant distances, as much as 20 nautical miles, can cause widespread defoliation leaving trees weakened and susceptible to disease and other pests.
The West of England Club conducted an analysis on claims involving seafarers who have deserted their vessel, concerning the past ten years. Although these claims are not common and are not much of an expense to shipping companies, they can disrupt the operation of a vessel and take up management time to rectify. Sometimes, the deserter returns shortly, and other times they disappear for a considerable period of time.
The West of England Club announced that it kept on receiving frequent shortage claims involving bagged food cargoes, mostly rice and sugar, being discharged in West African ports. Food is attractive to pilferers as it can easily be removed from a vessel either for consumption, for gifting to others or for sale.
West of England Club highlights the importance of safely securing cargo, in order to avoid any incidents. The Club continues to receive claims in respect of cargo shifting due to inadequate securing where roll trailers have been used. This can either be inadequate securing of the load to the trailer or inadequate securing of the trailer to the vessel, or a combination of both.
The International Group has recently published some further revised FAQs on the Maritime Labour Convention (2006). These FAQs reflect the experiences that Clubs have experienced in dealing with MLC matters. The entry into force of the 2014 amendments to MLC on 18 January 2017 raised a number of questions. These FAQs aim to provide help operators comply with the amendments.
