My Ship Time

3rd Indian tests positive for coronavirus on cr uise ship off coast Japan The Indian Embassy in Tokyo has said that one more Indian crew member on Diamond Princess, the ship stranded off coast Japan, has tested positive for Covid-19. Modi-Ji, Please...": Indian Crew's SOS Video From Quarantined Japan Ship The person has been hospitalised for treatment, the Embassy said in a statement. Earlier, two other Indians had been tested positive for coronavirus on the ship. "The Indian Embassy is in touch with all three whose conditions are stable and improving," the statement said. As of Friday, there were at least 218 people who had tested positive for coronavirus on Diamond Princess. This included three Indian nationals who are its crew members. All 218 infected people have been taken to hospitals for further treatment and quarantine. In a statement the India Embassy said, "No other Indian national on-board Diamond Princess cruise ship has developed a

Ghost Ship WESTERDAM latest: Thailand refused entry to disembark passengers Thailand will not allow WESTERDAM to disembark passengers at the Laem Chabang port, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Feb 11. Mr Anutin posted a short Facebook message saying he has directed authorities not to allow the Westerdam ship to dock in Thailand. The message was posted after the operator of the vessel announced on Feb 10 the ship will disembark passengers at port in Chon Buri on Feb 11, Kyodo News reported. Feb 10: Hapless cruise ship WESTERDAM with 1257 people on board has become a Flying Dutchman, a ship from techno thriller movie – she’s rejected entry by country after country, port after port, and her present port of destination is unclear. The ship is (was) on a 14-day Taiwan & Japan cruise, she departed Hong Kong on February 1, with 1455 passengers and 802 crew on board. WESTERDAM was scheduled to call Japanese Ishigaki Island, Naha, Okinawa, Nagasaki and Fukuoka

Shipping Gets Smashed by Coronavirus in More Ways Than One The shipping industry tends to do badly when Chinese demand disappoints, but the outbreak of the coronavirus has done more than just damage the amount of cargo that needs to be transported. It’s also preventing many owners from making their ships commercially viable. Giant Capesize carriers that take iron ore and coal to China are now earning less than $2,600 a day, according to the Baltic Exchange in London. That’s a fraction of what they need even to pay their crew, and 93% below a 2019 peak. Supertankers transporting 2 million-barrel cargoes of crude have collapsed about 95% from their high point last year. That’s bad enough, but for a big part of the shipping industry the virus is presenting additional woes: many owners urgently need to have their vessels fitted with equipment called scrubbers at shipyards in China. The kit allows carriers to keep legally burning fuel that would save them millions of dollars a year. The cor

"Modi- Ji , Please...": Indian Crew's SOS Video From Quarantined Japan Ship Coronavirus: In a video recorded from Diamond Express, the Indian crew member appealed to the government and the United Nations to segregate the Indians on board. Panic has struck the crew and passengers of the luxury cruiseliner that has been quarantined off a port in Japan since February 5. An Indian crew member on-board Diamond Express told News channel that the captain of the ship announced today that 66 people have been tested positive for the new coronavirus. He is one of the 160 Indian crew members on the ship.  More than 3,700 passengers and crew are facing a two-week quarantine . Binay Kumar Sarkar, a chef from north Bengal who had earlier gone on social media to appeal to the Indian government for help, told News channel that there was full-fledged panic on-board. In a video recorded from the ship, Mr Sarkar appealed to the government and the United Nations to se

CMA CGM container ship sailing from China reported 6 crew with fever 6 Sri Lankan seamen confirmed ill, suffering fever and high temperature, on board of container ship CMA CGM URAL, which is presently steaming in Gulf of Aden, en route from China to Suez and then Mediterranean / Black sea ports, via Singapore. Ship called Chinese ports as follows: Shenzhen Jan 15; Xiamen Jan 14; Ningbo-Zhoushan Jan 11; YANGSHAN Jan 8-9. Merchant Shipping Association of Sri Lanka was alerted on a mass crew illness in the morning Jan 27. It is not known of course, at present, if seamen are infected with coronavirus, or it’s something else. ETA Suez Jan 30, exact type of disease can be identified only in port with respective medical facilities, though of course, if situation deteriorates and condition of ill seamen will significantly worsen, they’ll have to be medevaced, there are more than enough means, ports and medical facilities in Red sea region. Container ship CMA CGM URAL, IMO 9705079,

Mysterious GPS outages are wracking the shipping industry The call came  in by radio one evening last September, at around 9 p.m. On the line was the master of a tanker, approaching the end of a monthlong journey from the Port of South Louisiana and carrying more than 5,000 metric tons of ethanol. The message was urgent: The ship’s GPS signal had suddenly disappeared—leaving the crew to navigate Cyprus’s shoreline in the dark. On the other end of the line was the pilots’ office at the Vasiliko oil terminal, whose staff oversees shipping traffic at Vasiliko’s harbor on Cyprus’s arid, palm-fringed southern coast. Stelios Christoforou, the pilot on duty, recognized the gravity of the situation right away. In daylight, an experienced ship captain can maneuver using paper maps, markers, and the coastline as guides. But at night, GPS becomes a critical tool in unfamiliar waters—especially near Cyprus, where NATO and Russian warships roam. And any accident could spill the tanker’s car

Government approves model pact with foreign countries for seafarers’ competency certificate – education The government on Wednesday said it has approved a model pact with foreign countries for recognition of seafarers’ competency certificates. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. This will pave the way for mutual recognition of maritime education and training of seafarers by the countries involved. “The proposed bilateral MoU will enable India and another country with which such an MoU may be entered, to mutually recognise maritime education and training, certificates of competency, endorsements, documentary evidence of training and medical fitness certificates, issued to the seafarers who are citizens of respective countries,” the Shipping Ministry said in a statement. The pact will facilitate unilateral recognition certificates issued by the Directorate General of Shipping to Indian seafarers by another cou

Merchant Bulker Rescues Four from Sailboat in Mid-Atlantic On January 10, the crew of the geared bulker  Sunda  rescued a sailboat adrift in the mid-Atlantic. Captain Ivan Versic, along with his officers and crew, found and saved four people who were stranded aboard the boat due to an engine failure, according to vessel operator Seastar.  After learning of the sailboat's situation, the  Sunda  diverted to meet up and effect a rescue. "We made contact through VHF radio and found out that everything was fine with the crew, only they were tired. We agreed to delay the rescue for the next morning due to inclement weather. Shortly thereafter, we made the first visual contact with the boat, and we stayed nearby all night in case of an emergency," Capt. Versic told media.  The operation to bring the survivors aboard began the next morning. After initial difficulties due to poor weather conditions, the yacht and the bulker were fina

Kidnapped 19 crew of MT DUKE released, 1 died. V.SHIPS Statement Product tanker DUKE, IMO 9262259, dwt 19117, built 2003, flag Marshall Islands, manager V SHIPS. CREW RELEASE MV Duke. Statement issued by Union Maritime Ltd, and V.Ships Management (India) PvT, Ltd Owners and Managers respectively of MT DUKE. London January 19, 2020: Following the attack on tanker DUKE and abduction of 20 crew members on December 15, we can confirm that 19 of the crew members taken hostage were today released by the criminal gang holding them. It is with great regret that we have to report that one valued crew member, an Able Seaman, was evidently taken ill and died shortly after capture. Tanker attacked in Gulf of Guinea, all Indian crew kidnapped We are seeking further information from those crew members that have been released and a full investigation will be held into the AB demise. All our sympathies and condolences go out to next of kin, family and friends at this tragic tim

Concentration camp for tankers in southern Red sea According to Yemeni (Houthi) sources, on Jan 7 Saudi Arabia forces released tanker ADVENTUROUS after 25-day long detention in detention area in southern Red sea, designated by Saudi-led coalition. Tanker with 30,000 tons of diesel oil on board headed for port of destination Al Hudaydah port, held by Houthi forces. As of evening Jan 9, tanker was approaching Al Hudaydah. 9 more tankers remain in detention, with 157,000 tons of gasoline and 94,000 tons of diesel on board, in total. Who’s right and who’s wrong in Houthi vs Saudi conflict, or more/less right/wrong, is anyone’s guess, but Yemeni civilians unquestionably, are the main victims of this conflict, suffering most. Detained tankers crews aren’t happy, either. Some tankers remain in detention for already more than 2 months. Product tanker ADVENTUROUS, IMO 9308778, dwt 44998, built 2004, flag Marshall Islands, manager CORAL SHIPPING CORP, Greece (EQUASIS). Credit: Mariti

New Suez Canal Transit Tolls During 2020 Admiral Osama Rabie announces that the Suez Canal transit tolls will remain unchanged for all types of vessels while excluding only two categories, dry bulk vessels, and LPG carriers, as their transit tolls will increase by 5%. Year 2020 : Changes which Seafarers can expect in India The Suez Canal accommodated 18,880 ships with a net tonnage of 1.2 billion tons and revenues of 5.8 billion USD during 2019. The Authority’s implemented marketing policies succeeded in attracting new shipping lines to transit the Canal, with a total of 3,463 vessels and revenues of 731 million USD during 2019. The Suez Canal Authority issued new decisions regarding the Suez Canal transit tolls, during the calendar year 2020. Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, announced, on Saturday, January 4, 2020, that the Suez Canal transit tolls for all types of vessels will remain unchanged, the same as it was

Container ship COSCO PACIFIC fire, interrupted voyage Container ship COSCO PACIFIC while en route from Port Klang Malaysia to Ngava Sheva western India reported fire in container or containers, in cargo hold.on Jan 4, being under way in Arabian sea off southwest Indian coast. The ship interrupted scheduled voyage and headed for Colombo, arriving there in the morning Jan 6. She was berthed, containers on fire are to be offloaded, ship’s to be under constant monitoring until completing inspection. The ship is deployed on SEA-India-Pakistan service, quite a number of shippers are to cope with delays and schedule interruptions. As of morning Jan 7, COSCO PACIFIC was still berthed at Colombo. Credit: Fleetmon

Mumbai: 35 escape from sinking yacht in the Arabian Sea A major tragedy was avoided on Sunday evening, when a yacht with more than 35 people on board, began sinking in the Arabian Sea. Fortunately, those on board a ferry boat nearby that was headed towards the Gateway of India from the Elephanta Caves, heard the screams of its passengers and rescued them. There were 30 people and five crew members on the yacht that had been hired for a party from the organisers who did not allegedly have permission for the same. Container ship COSCO PACIFIC fire, interrupted voyage According to sources, the yacht called Tyche, a catamaran was carrying 30 guests and 5 staff for a party in the Arabian sea. On Sunday around 5 pm, the yacht started taking in water due to leakage. Those on the last Ashtavinayak boat ferrying passengers from Elephanta to the Gateway of India heard the people screaming for help. 'Passengers disappeared' "We were almost 1.6 nautical miles

Three seafarers kidnapped, four security personnel killed, in Nigerian pirate attack Pirates have kidnapped three seafarers and killed four security personnel onboard a dredger off Forcados terminal in Nigeria. The latest in a spate of violent pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea the Nigerian dredger Ambika was reported to have been boarded by armed pirates on 2 January at the mouth the Ramos river around 9nm east of Forcados Terminal. A fire fight ensued between the pirates and security personnel onboard the vessel with the pirates kidnapping three crew members, comprising two Russians and one Indian national, and killing four Nigerian security personnel and leaving two injured. Five seafarers were left on the vessel. Year 2020 : Changes which Seafarers can expect in India   The dredger is managed by Deep Frontline Shippers of Nigeria according to the Equasis database. While there have been frequent pirate attacks and kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea in recent mont

Life with  Nigerian pirates for  70 days in captivity An Indian seafarer, Mr. Chaudhary, who was recently released from the captivity of Nigerian pirates shared his traumatic and horrific ordeal. During the conversation, he sounded positive despite several physical aberrations e.g. loss of 20kg weight, huge deficiency of haemoglobin and ECR rise due to multiple infections in his body etc. His elaborations on his experience confirmed that he along with his other crew members went through one of the worst awful ordeal during 70 day’s period of captivity. His experience portrayed as follows: Two more ships attacked in Gulf of Guinea: Greek and Singaporean, 8 crew kidnapped Mr. Chaudhary had joined a Mumbai based shipping company named K Ship in November, 2018. The ship was assigned to him to sail through the dangerous waters of Nigeria with total 15 crew members on it, out of which 6 were Indians and 9 others were Nigerian and Ghanaians. In April, 2019, his ship w

Cyber security management system gets ClassNK approval Classification Society ClassNK has certified the cyber security management system (CSMS) of NYK Group subsidiary NYK LNG Shipmanagement Ltd and its LNG carrier  Pacific Mimosa This is the first CSMS certified by ClassNK and the society said it will continue to provide cyber security services. I n September, ClassNK set up a cross sectional team of marine and security experts to boost its cyber security capacity. The society’s move came in light of IMO’s  decision to adopt   Resolution MSC.428(98) Maritime Cyber Risk Management in Safety Management Systems . The resolution encourages the shipping industry to ensure cyber risks are addressed in ship management systems no later than 1 January 2021. Owners who fail to do so risk having their ships detained. In November, NYK concluded a joint research agreement with ClasskNK, MTI, MHI-MME and Japan Engine Corp to develop advanced technologies to realise its long-ter