News Update – 14th to 10th October
Safety board raises obesity concerns after seafarer fatality | Nautilus – 14th Oct
A damning report on a fatal accident onboard a containership has called for sweeping changes in the rules governing safe access to cargo holds and rescues from enclosed spaces, while also raising concerns about obesity among seafarers. Andrew Linington reports
Cambodia ferry tragedy death toll climbs to 14 | Baird – 16th Oct
Search and rescue/recovery teams have located the bodies of six additional victims of a deadly river ferry sinking incident that occurred in the Mekong River in south-eastern Cambodia late last week.
Global shipping lines look skywards | Business Line – 17thOct
Container carriers launch freighters to offer integrated services and expand their transport offerings
Shipping lines still raking in billions despite sinking cargo demand | Hellenic Shipping News – 17th Oct
There’s no shortage of schadenfreude toward shipping lines these days. After making hundreds of billions in profits during the pandemic, there is gleeful talk of their looming comeuppance — of plummeting spot rates and carriers begging for business.
Taiwan lifts crew change restrictions | Seatrade Maritime News – 17th Oct
From 13 October Taiwan fully restored visa free entry for nationals to which this applies and visa applications for other countries.
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/regulation/taiwan-lifts-crew-change-restrictions
Tanker sinks off Taiwan, one seafarer dead | Safety4Sea – 17th Oct
A crew member lost his life after a South Korean product tanker sank on 15 October, 25 nautical miles (46 km) south of Wuqiu Island in the Taiwan Strait.
https://safety4sea.com/tanker-sinks-off-taiwan-one-seafarer-dead/
MUA celebrates 150th anniversary | DCN – 17th Oct
More than 600 guests attended the event, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Sally McManus and delegates from international trade unions.
https://www.thedcn.com.au/news/staffing-crewing-and-training/mua-celebrates-150th-anniversary/
Increased protection for seafarers | Manila Times – 19thOct
SEAFARING is different from other professions in many ways. Seafarers live and work in the same place, and yet, that place keeps moving from one part of the world to another. The global nature of the seafarer’s work is certainly exciting, but it also makes it difficult to monitor the observance of laws that protect their rights. This makes seafarers vulnerable to inconsistencies in the provision of internationally-accepted labor practices.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/10/19/business/maritime/increased-protection-for-seafarers/1862740
Maritime Piracy Incidents at Lowest Levels in Decades | HS Today – 19th Oct
Counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea will be further bolstered by a strategy announced in July 2022 by the Nigerian government and a coalition of global shipping stakeholders. The strategy establishes a mechanism to periodically assess the effectiveness of country-piracy initiatives and commitments in the region.
https://www.hstoday.us/featured/maritime-piracy-incidents-at-lowest-levels-in-decades/
Man sacked by P&O Ferries wins payout and donates five-figure sum to Hull’s oldest charity | Hull Live – 19thOct
P&O Ferries admitted it sacked John Lansdown unfairly
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/man-sacked-po-ferries-wins-7721328
One missing after four seafarers fall from bulker off Taiwan | Splash247 – 19th Oct
Taiwanese authorities are searching for a chief officer who fell overboard from a Vietnamese bulk carrier VIMC Sunrise together with three other crewmembers who were injured in the fall but rescued.
https://splash247.com/one-missing-after-four-seafarers-fall-from-bulker-off-taiwan/
Captain in Boat Fire Case Indicted By LA Federal Grand Jury | My News LA – 18th Oct
The captain of the P/V Conception dive boat that caught fire near Santa Cruz Island in 2019, killing 33 passengers and a crew member, was indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury on a charge of misconduct or neglect of ship officer.
https://mynewsla.com/crime/2022/10/18/captain-in-boat-fire-case-indicted-by-la-federal-grand-jury/
2022 SAFETY4SEA Forum: Safety and seafarers’ wellbeing are key priorities | Safety4Sea – 19th Oct
The 2022 SAFETY4SEA Forum took place virtually from 19 to 20 of October 2022, focusing on key safety issues and latest updates of the regulatory agenda for the maritime industry and priorities on the agenda to move forward.
https://safety4sea.com/2022-safety4sea-forum-safety-and-seafarers-wellbeing-are-key-priorities/
Crew Change Indicator: Number of seafarers onboard vessels beyond expiry of contract further decreases | Safety4Sea – 20th Oct
The first Quarterly Neptune Declaration Indicator reports continued improvements on vaccination rates and seafarers increasingly being able to perform crew changes outside of China and get crew off board after the expiration of their contract.
9 rescued from tugboat off Labuan | New Strait Times – 20th Oct
The New Straits Times Press learnt that there had been a leak in the vessel’s main engine room. The tugboat was en route from Johor to Labuan
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/10/842311/9-rescued-tugboat-labuan
Rebekah Attard | Maritime Assistant
Inspectorate Coordination
International Transport Workers’ Federation
ITF House, 49-60 Borough Road, London, SE1 1DR
Direct Line: +44 (0) 207 940 9103
ITF Seafarers Support’: +44 (0) 7523 515097
www.itfglobal.org | www.itfseafarers.org
www.facebook.com/itfseafarerssupport