ITF News Update – 20th to 28th January 2022
Distressed Cargo Ship Reports Being “Harassed” by Unknown Vessel | Maritime Executive – 20th Jan
Swedish and Danish forces responded to a distress call on Thursday evening from a Norwegian coastal vessel that was in danger of sinking. They conducted a difficult nighttime rescue airlifting the crew to safety and while the investigation is ongoing, some sources are reporting that the crew said it was “harassed” by an unknown vessel leading up to the distress call.
Mate Killed in Accident on Great Lakes Bulk Carrier -Report | G Captain – 21st Jan
A crew member from an American Steamship Co. Great Lakes freighter was killed in a shipboard accident on Monday while anchored in Gary, Indiana, according to reporting.
https://gcaptain.com/mate-killed-in-accident-on-great-lakes-bulk-carrier-report/
Ghana Withdraws Mandatory Vaccination Order for Foreign Seafarers | Maritime Executive – 21st Jan
Authorities in Ghana have been forced to withdraw a mandatory vaccination policy for seafarers entering the country over concerns that shipping lines will skip its ports, which would have potentially undermined its position as a shipping gateway for West Africa.
Crystal Symphony Diverts to The Bahamas, Avoiding Arrest Warrant | Maritime Executive – 23rd Jan
With judicial seizure awaiting upon her return to Miami, Crystal Symphony has diverted to The Bahamas instead, taking 300 paying passenger with her. After parent company Genting Hong Kong applied for bankruptcy last week, an unpaid bunker supplier has secured a federal court order for Symphony’s arrest.
POEA failure: Human tragedy after human tragedy – when will authorities act to stop this manning agent exploiting Filipinos? | ITF Seafarers – 24th Jan
Angelica Remegio is desperate. She is alone with her two young children while her partner is at sea on a Chinese fishing vessel. He’s been away for four months. In all that time, his family has not seen him – nor a single peso of his pay, a portion of which is supposed to be sent to them by Angelica’s partner’s ‘manning agent’.
The rum is gone! The impact of maritime piracy on trade and transport | Vox EU – 24th Jan
Despite having disappeared from the news since its peak in 2011, piracy continues to threaten maritime shipping. Combining firm-level customs data and ship position data with information on pirate attacks, this column sheds light on the dimensions along which piracy disrupts trade. It shows that exporting firms respond to piracy by switching from ocean to air shipping, while ships re-route in order to avoid affected regions. Despite these adjustments, total exports along affected routes decline.
https://voxeu.org/article/impact-maritime-piracy-trade-and-transport
Starving sailors rescued in Durban | Sunday Times – 24th Jan
Emergency food has been delivered to 18 sailors stranded aboard abandoned vessels in Durban harbour, the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said on Monday.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/news/2022-01-24-starving-sailors-rescued-in-durban/
Master of APL England Charged with Operating an Unseaworthy Vessel | Maritime Executive – 24th Jan
Twenty months after the containership APL England lost containers overboard in a storm, a court in Brisbane, Australia has entered formal charges against the captain clearing the way for a trial to proceed. The prosecutor failed to make the case for one set of charges against the captain for pollution but the court agreed the captain should face charges of operating the ship in an unseaworthy condition. The charges were filed against the captain while the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau continues its investigation and is yet to release a final report on the incident.
Billionaire Cruise CEO Resigns After Ordering Ship To Evade US Marshals | G Captain – 24th Jan
Genting Hong Kong Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lim Kok Thay resigned, days after the company filed to wind up its business and as US Marshalls work to arrest one of his ships which diverted its final voyage to end in the Bahamas instead of landing on Saturday in Miami as planned.
https://gcaptain.com/ceo-cruise-ship-evade-us-marshalls/
ITF Photography Prize opens today | ITF Seafarers – 25th Jan
We are delighted to announce today the launch of the ITF’s first-ever Photography Prize. The prize aims to showcase the triumphs, challenges and sheer hard work of millions of transport workers around the world, in all sectors, industries and supply chains.
https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/itf-photography-prize-opens-today
Shipping lines are paying workers bonuses of more than three years’ salary | Quartz – 25th Jan
Several of the world’s largest shipping lines, worried they will be unable to recruit and retain workers, have begun offering unprecedented incentives for a job known for notoriously bad working conditions and low pay. To dissuade seafarers from leaving their jobs, global shipping lines are doling out massive bonuses that will effectively triple or quadruple some workers’ salaries for the year in hopes of retaining workers to staff many of the ships they’ve bought or ordered during the pandemic.
https://qz.com/2116727/shipping-lines-are-competing-for-workers-through-massive-bonuses/
Svitzer Sending Two More Tugs to the Suez Canal | G Captain – 25th Jan
A.P. Moller – Maersk’s towage operator Svitzer will send two additional tugs to the Suez Canal after extending its contract with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
https://gcaptain.com/svitzer-sending-two-more-tugs-to-the-suez-canal/
Pirates Attack Bunker Tanker Off Ivory Coast -Report | G Captain – 26th Jan
A bunker tanker has been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea off the Ivory Coast, maritime security firm Dryad Global has confirmed.
https://gcaptain.com/pirates-attack-bunker-tanker-off-ivory-coast-report/
Captain of exploding ship held in Dubai despite having done nothing wrong | ITF Seafarers – 27th Jan
The incident in July 2021 at Jebel Ali Port, Dubai when the MV OCEAN TRADER was the site of a major explosion
Omicron restrictions hit seafarer happiness | Seatrade Maritime News – 27th Jan
The Seafarer Happiness Index fell in the fourth quarter of 2021 as further COVID-19 restrictions were introduced.
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/crewing/omicron-restrictions-hit-seafarer-happiness
Standard Club warns seafarer discontent storing up longer term problems | Hellenic Shipping News – 27th Jan
A serious seafarer recruitment and retention crisis is looming unless governments and ship managers take steps to allow more shore time and improve conditions onboard ships.
Eighteen seafarers stranded on ships in the Durban port without food | SABC News – 27th Jan
Eighteen seafarers have been thrown a lifeline after being stranded on ships in the Durban port without food. A donor organisation has come to the rescue after the men’s regular food donors ran out of funds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fAczWodXag
US Announces New Open Registry | G Captain – 27th Jan
Next Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, former US Deputy Secretary of State and the first Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte will be providing opening remarks, and Albert Bryan, Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, will announce a new US Flag open ship registry, in what some maritime experts are calling the most historic moment for US maritime interests this century.
https://gcaptain.com/us-announces-open-registry/
Two TasPorts tug boats sink after collision in Devonport | ABC News – 28th Jan
Two tug boats in Tasmania’s north have sunk after a collision with a commercial vessel just before midday, TasPorts says.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-28/two-tug-boats-sinking-devonport/100788228