Maritime Knowledge Centre
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION
MARITIME KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
“sharing maritime knowledge”
CURRENT AWARENESS BULLETIN
Volume XXVII – No. 8
August 2015
Maritime Knowledge Centre
maritimeknowledgecentre@imo.org
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION
www.imo.org
CURRENT AWARENESS BULLETIN | Vol. XXVII | No. 8 | August 2015
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About the MKC Current Awareness Bulletin (CAB)
The aim of the MKC Current Awareness Bulletin (CAB) is to provide a digest of news and
publications focusing on subject areas related to the work of IMO. Each CAB
presents headlines from the previous month. For copyright reasons, the Current Awareness
Bulletin (CAB) contains excerpts only. Links to the complete articles or abstract on publishers'
sites are included when available, though access may require payment or subscription.
The MKC Current Awareness Bulletin is published monthly and issues from the current and the
past year are free to download from this page.
Email us if you would like to receive email notification when the most recent Current Awareness
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The Current Awareness Bulletin (CAB) is published by the Maritime Knowledge Centre
and is not an official IMO publication. Inclusion does not imply any endorsement by IMO.
CONTENTS
IMO / UNITED NATIONS NEWS & EVENTS ........................................................................................... 2
INDUSTRY NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS
CASUALTIES............................................................................................................................................ 4
ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 7
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ............................................................................................................. 8
HEALTH .................................................................................................................................................... 9
HEALTH AND SAFETY ............................................................................................................................ 9
IMO ........................................................................................................................................................... 9
LAW AND POLICY ................................................................................................................................. 10
MARINE TECHNOLOGY........................................................................................................................ 15
MARITIME SAFETY ............................................................................................................................... 16
MARITIME SECURITY ........................................................................................................................... 18
MARITIME TRAINING ............................................................................................................................ 19
MIGRANTS ............................................................................................................................................. 21
NAVIGATION COMMUNICATIONS ....................................................................................................... 30
PIRACY................................................................................................................................................... 30
PORT STATE CONTROL....................................................................................................................... 31
PORTS AND HARBOURS ..................................................................................................................... 32
RECYCLING OF SHIPS ......................................................................................................................... 32
REGULATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 33
SALVAGE ............................................................................................................................................... 33
SEAFARERS .......................................................................................................................................... 33
SEARCH AND RESCUE ........................................................................................................................ 35
SHIPBUILDING AND SHIPREPAIR ....................................................................................................... 35
SHIPPING ............................................................................................................................................... 35
RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................................ 39
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IMO / UNITED NATIONS NEWS & EVENTS
WHAT’S NEW
The World Maritime Day theme for 2015 is “Maritime education and training”.
World Maritime Day will be celebrated at IMO Headquarters on Thursday, 24 September with
a Symposium: "Shipping's future needs people: Is global maritime education and training on
course?"
IMO is hosting two open mornings, the first day (22 September) for primary school students
and the second day (23 September) for secondary school students, at IMO Headquarters to
promote the 2015 World Maritime Day theme. Read more…
PROGRAMME OF IMO MEETINGS FOR 2015
IMO PRESS BRIEFINGS
IMO’s Sekimizu issues fresh condemnation of Mediterranean people smugglers
Briefing: 36, August 28, 2015
IMO NEWS MAGAZINE
IMO PUBLISHING
(Issue 2, 2015)
Just Published: 2015
August 2015 Newsletter
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UNITED NATIONS NEWS
Member States lauded for reaching agreement on new UN sustainable development
agenda. UN News Centre [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsId=51553 Member States answered the call to
make 2015 a year of global action by agreeing on a "bold, ambitious and transformative"
sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
today.
UN chief welcomes climate change plan unveiled by President Obama. UN News Centre
[Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsId=51554 United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has welcomed the Clean Power Plan formally unveiled today by President Barack
Obama, saying it shows the determination of the United States to address global warming while
also saving money and growing the economy.
Small island developing states in the Pacific explore ways to make fisheries and other
oceans economic sectors more sustainable.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1052 A group
of regional experts, including UNCTAD representatives, gathered in Vanuatu to analyse the
main multilateral and regional processes related to trade in sustainable fisheries in Small Island
Developing States in the Pacific.
'Each one of us can make a difference,' Ban declares as UN marks World Humanitarian
Day. UN News Centre [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51671 With hundreds of millions of Facebook
and Twitter feeds set to be devoted to stories from survivors of humanitarian crises as part of a
massive digital storytelling campaign launched by the United Nations and its partners,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon kicked off World Humanitarian Day with a reminder that "each
one of us can make a difference" and " help create a more humane world."
Europe's response to migrant crisis is not working, warns UN rights expert.
UN News Centre [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51713 The European Union should establish a
human rights-based, coherent and comprehensive migration policy which makes mobility its
central asset, a United Nations expert today advocated, assuring is the only way in which the
EU can reclaim its border, effectively combat smuggling and empower migrants.
Mediterranean Sea crossings exceed 300,000, including 200,000 to Greece.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 28 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55e033816.html The number of refugees and migrants
crossing the Mediterranean this year has now exceeded 300,000, including almost 200,000
people landing in Greece and 110,000 in Italy.
After bodies found in truck near Austrian border, Ban urges expansion of safe, legal
channels of migration. UN News Centre [Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51751 In the wake of the grim discovery of the
bodies of more than 70 people inside a truck abandoned near Austria's border with Hungary,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the world to come together to provide
comprehensive responses to migration issues, including tackling smugglers and resolving
ongoing conflicts, among other root causes.
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CASUALTIES
Product tanker catches fire off Shanghai. By Angela Yu. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18864 A China Shipping
Tanker-owned product tanker caught fire off Dayangshan Island, Shanghai, on 3 August, killing
one crew member and injuring five others, announced the Shanghai Maritime Safety
Administration.
One dead and five injured after Chinese oil tanker catches fire. By Lee Hong Liang.
Seatrade Maritime News [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.seatrademaritime.com/news/asia/one-dead-and-five-injured-after-chinese-oil-tanker-catches-fire.html
An oil tanker belonging to China Shipping Tanker Company caught fire on Monday off Shanghai
waters, leaving five seafarers injured and one dead, according to local reports citing Shanghai
maritime authorities.
Marine Accident Investigation Branch report 18/2015: Grounding and flooding of ro-ro
ferry Commodore Clipper. UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) [Online].
6 August 2015. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/grounding-and-flooding-of-roro-ferry-commodore-clipper
Marine Accident Investigation Branch report 15/2015: Grounding of general cargo ship
Vectis Eagle. UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) [Online]. 9 August 2015.
Available from: https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/grounding-of-general-cargo-ship-vectis-eagle
Cat fines 'prime suspect' in engine failure case. Bunkerworld [Online]. 12 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/Cat-fines-prime-suspect-in-engine-failurecase-138143 Damage caused by cat fines (Al+Si) "is the prime suspect" in a recent case where
a tanker suffered an engine failure at sea and drifted for 10 hours, according to investigative
analysis undertaken by Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS).
Seven injured after U.S. army helicopter crashes on deck of MSC cargo ship.
By Mike Schuler. gCaptain [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://gcaptain.com/seven-injured-after-u-s-army-helicopter
Seven people were injured
Wednesday when a U.S. Army helicopter crashed on the deck of a Military Sealift Command
(MSC) ship during a training exercise off Okinawa, Japan.
China blasts: Tianjin port city rocked by explosions. BBC News [Online]. 13 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-33896292
Massive explosions
have hit China's northern city of Tianjin, leaving at least 17 people dead and hundreds more
injured.
China blasts: hundreds injured by explosions - as it happened. The Guardian [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/aug/13/tianjinexplosion-hundreds-injured-killed-china-blasts-latest-updates
Latest: death toll rises to 50 as
troops dispatched to assist cleanup.
Death toll rises to 44 from massive Tianjin blasts. People's Daily Online (China) [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0813/c90000-8935493.html
The death toll has climbed to 44 from two massive blasts that ripped through a warehouse in
north China's port city of Tianjin as of Thursday noon, according to rescue headquarters.
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Chinese leaders urge all-out efforts to save injured in Tianjin blast. Xinhuanet (China)
[Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/201508/13/c_134510413.htm Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have urged allout efforts to save the injured and minimize casualties in the Tianjin blast.
Huge blasts at Chinese port kill 50, injure more than 700. By Joseph Campbell and SuiLee Wee. Reuters [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/13/us-china-blast-idUSKCN0QH2B220150813
Two huge explosions tore through an industrial area where toxic chemicals and gas were stored
in the northeast Chinese port city of Tianjin, killing at least 50 people, including at least a dozen
fire fighters, officials and state media said on Thursday.
Tianjin terminal blast death toll rises. By Angela Yu. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18956 At least 50
people are now thought to have been killed and 700 injured in the Tianjin port explosions.
At least 50 dead, hundreds injured as blasts from hazardous materials warehouse rock
Chinese city of Tianjin. South China Morning Post [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1849118/blast-explosives-shipment-rockschinese-city-tianjin?comment-sort=recommended&edition=hong-kong Huge explosions at a
warehouse for dangerous materials in the northeastern Chinese port of Tianjin killed at least 50
people, including 17 firefighters, and injured hundreds of others.
China explosions: Fires still burning after Tianjin blasts. BBC News [Online].
14 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-33924501
Fires are still burning at the site of two massive explosions in the Chinese city of Tianjin, some
36 hours after the blasts.
China explosions: What we know about what happened in Tianjin. BBC News [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-33844084
Two massive explosions in the port of Tianjin, northern China, have killed more than a hundred
people, left hundreds more injured and devastated large areas of the city.
Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 114, 70 missing. By Huaxia. Xinhuanet (China) [Online].
17 August 2015. Available from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/201508/17/c_134526066.htm The death toll after the massive blasts last week in Tianjin rose to 114
after rescuers found two more bodies in the debris, a municipal publicity official said Monday.
One seafarer dead and two injured in mooring accident at Russian port. By Grant Rowles.
Splash 24/7 [Online]. 17 August 2015. Available from: http://splash247.com/one-seafarer-deadand-two-injured-in-mooring-accident-at-russian-port/ A Chinese seafarer has died on Friday and
two others were injured onboard bulk carrier TTM Dragon (55,947dwt, built 2010), caused by an
incident involving another vessel mooring at Russia's Kavkaz Port.
2 hurt as fire engulfs ferry at Ormoc port. By Lalaine Jimenea. Philippine Star [Online].
16 August 2015. Available from: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/16/1488560/2-hurtfire-engulfs-ferry-ormoc-port A two-story ferry with 542 passengers caught fire several minutes
after docking here yesterday, sending several passengers jumping overboard and clambering
down the roof deck to escape black smoke.
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Death toll rises to 50 in Tianjin blasts, 71 in critical condition.
CRIENGLISH (China Radio International English) [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/08/13/2702s891496.htm The death toll from warehouse
explosions in north China's Tianjin city rose to 50 Thursday evening while 701 others were
admitted to hospitals, rescue headquarters said.
Four new fires at China blast site, widespread safety hazards found. By Brenda Goh.
Reuters [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/21/us-china-blast-idUSKCN0QQ06C20150821
Four new fires have broken out at the site where two huge blasts last week killed 116 people,
Chinese state media reported Friday soon after officials said safety hazards were found at
almost 70 percent of firms handling dangerous chemicals in Beijing. (in Chinese)
Marine Accident Investigation Branch report 19/2015: Drowning in swimming pool on the
passenger cruise ship Sapphire Princess with loss of 1 life.
UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/drowning-in-swimming-pool-on-the-passenger-cruise-shipsapphire-princess-with-loss-of-1-life
Report
Cylinder blast kills one at ship breaking yard. Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh) [Online].
25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/aug/25/cylinder-blast-kills-one-ship-breakingyard A worker has been killed and three others have been sustained burn injuries in a cylinder
blast at a ship breaking yard at Shitalpur area of Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong district.
Disabled freighter closes Bosphorus. World Maritime News [Online]. 25 August 2015.
Available from: http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/169951 Bosphorus Strait has been
closed to marine traffic today after a general cargo ship lost propulsion and blocked the shipping
lanes near the first bridge area, according to GAC.
Petrobras fuel tank blast kills two workers. World Maritime News [Online]. 27 August 2015.
Available from: http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/170143 Two workers were killed in an
explosion on Wednesday, August 26, at a fuel-unloading terminal used by a unit of Brazil's oil
company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, the state-run company informed.
Fort Kochi-Vypeen ferry boat collides with fishing boat, 8 feared dead. New Indian Express
[Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/FortKochi-Vypeen-Ferry-Boat-Collides-With-Fishing-Boat-8-FearedDead/2015/08/26/article2994676.ece Eight people feared drowned at Fort Kochi when
Fort Kochi-Vypeen ferry boat collided with a fishing boat.
UASC boxship catches fire at Port of Hamburg. World Maritime News [Online].
28 August 2015. Available from: http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/170278 Firefighting
crews were called in to intervene today at the Port of Hamburg after one of the containers on the
13,500 TEU MS Alula caught fire early this morning, according to the official web site of the city
of Hamburg.
Cargoship grounds. By Gary Dixon. TradeWinds [Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.tradewindsnews.com/casualties/367604/cargoship-grounds A general cargoship has
run aground on stones in the Netherlands.
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US monitoring Tianjin explosion risks. By John Gallagher. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
27 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/19108 Owners and
operators of US-bound vessels affected by the Tianjin port explosions should assess their ship
and cargo for potentially hazardous residues, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has warned.
ENVIRONMENT
What does President Obama's climate change plan do? By Ashley Gold. BBC News
[Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada33762891 President Barack Obama has announced sweeping climate change regulations that
he hopes will cement his legacy as a world leader who fought global warming.
Ecologists concerned over Suez expansion impacts. Deutsche Welle (DW) (Germany)
[Online]. 6 August 2015. Available from: http://www.dw.com/en/ecologists-concerned-oversuez-expansion-impacts/a-18631415 In Egypt, dignitaries and regular citizens are celebrating
the lavish inauguration of the Suez Canal expansion.
Scientists reveal algal oil potential as fuel for the future.
Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.sams.ac.uk/algal-oil-potential/scientists-reveal-algal-oil-potential-as-fuel-for-the-future
Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have unlocked a treasure
chest of 'super-algae' that could provide a previously untapped source of oil.
Why a Paris climate deal must cover aviation and shipping. By Andrew Murphy.
Responding to Climate Change (RTCC) [Online]. 10 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/08/10/why-a-paris-climate-deal If the aviation sector can fly Paris to
Tokyo in three hours, it can - and must - go green, says Transport & Environment.
Institute for Sustainable Coasts and Oceans launched. UK National Oceanography Centre
(NOC) [Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from: http://noc.ac.uk/news/institute-sustainablecoasts-oceans-launched The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and the University of
Liverpool have entered into a new strategic partnership creating the Institute for Sustainable
Coasts and Oceans (ISCO).
The 'End of the high seas', or we watch the seas die. Eureka Alert [Online]. 16 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/eaog-to081415.php
Even optimistic estimates for what might be achieved at December's Climate Change
Conference (COP21) in Paris will not be enough to save the world's coral reefs, according to a
Plenary session analysis presented at the Goldschmidt conference in Prague.
PAME releases 5th EA workshop report. Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)
[Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from: http://pame.is/index.php/shortcode/blog/item/47pame PAME has released a workshop report from the Ecosystem approach expert group.
NOAA's new Climate Science Strategy aims to reduce effects of climate change on
fisheries and living marine resources.
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) [Online]. 25 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/20150825-noaa-climate-sciencestrategy-to-reduce-effects-climate-change.html As ocean conditions continue to change, putting
ocean ecosystems and the communities that rely upon them at risk, today, NOAA took a first
step in providing regional fisheries managers and stakeholders with information they need to
reduce the effects of climate change and build resilience.
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Boxship sector lowers CO2 emissions by 29% since 2009. By Ashley Bhan.
Sustainable Shipping [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.sustainableshipping.com/news/Boxship-sector-lowers-CO2-emissions-by-29-since2009-138361 The Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) says the container shipping sector has
reduced its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 29% since 2009.
Clean Cargo
Working Group (CCWG) 2015 Progress Report
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Health effects of cruise ship air emissions in Greek ports. Science for Environment Policy
[Online]. 30 July 2015. Available from:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/health_effects_cruise_ship_
air_emissions_greek_ports_423na4_en.pdf
Over 2500 tons of the air pollutants nitrogen
oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5
micrometers (PM2.5) were released by cruise ships across the five busiest Greek cruise ports
during 2013, a new study found.
Floating litter in the Black Sea: abundance and composition.
Science for Environment Policy [Online]. 6 August 2015. Available from:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/floating_litter_in_the_black_s
ea_abundance_and_composition_424na4_en.pdf
Reliable data regarding marine debris
pollution in the Black Sea are lacking.
First observations on the abundance and composition
of floating debris in the North-western Black Sea
Plastic pellets everywhere, and diving robot sensors. Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) [Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/318488/icode/ FAO-backed research ship investigates
the occurrence of trash in the southern Indian Ocean.
How to de-oil a polar bear: Grim outlook for wildlife impacts from an Arctic spill.
By Kamala Kelkar. Alaska Dispatch News [Online]. 15 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.adn.com/article/20150815/how-de-oil-polar-bear-grim-outlook-wildlife-impactsarctic-spill In the event of a large oil spill in Alaska's Arctic, officials say they would have limited
ability to clean oiled marine mammals, and in some cases might not be able to clean them at all.
China's carbon emissions overestimated. By Jeff Tollesfson. Nature [Online].
19 August 2015. Available from: http://www.nature.com/news/china-s-carbon-emissionsoverestimated-1.18199 Analysis could force climate scientists to revisit estimates of global
cycle.
'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' researchers devastated by sight.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/great-pacific-garbage-patch-researchers-devastated-by-sight1.3201111 Far away from California's coast, where the Pacific Ocean currents swirl, the blue of
the sea was replaced by fishing nets, buckets, buoys, laundry baskets and unidentifiable pieces
of plastic that floated past the Ocean Star, a ship carrying a team of scientists and volunteers
gathering data on plastic garbage.
Aronnax: A low blow for emissions. By Craig Eason. Lloyd's List [Online]. 24 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/ship-operations/article467013.ece
Low bunker prices, and in particular the difference in price between different grades, are having
worrying impact on the appetite for environmental technologies.
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Nearly every seabird may be eating plastic by 2050. By Sid Perkins. Science [Online].
31 August 2015. Available from: http://news.sciencemag.org/environment/2015/08/nearlyevery-seabird-may-be-eating-plastic-2050 Thanks to ever-growing concentrations of trash on
the high seas, almost all species that forage on the high seas (such as this albatross) will be
consuming plastic debris by 2050, a new study suggests.
Boris Johnson is planning a cruise ship terminal for London - but what about his promise
for cleaner air? By Mira Bar Hillel. The Independent [Online]. 31 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/boris-johnson-is-planning-acruise-ship-terminal-for-london--but-what-about-his-promise-for-cleaner-air-10479540.html
Luxury liners will spew out tonnes of nitrogen dioxide into a capital already so polluted that it kills
5,000 Londoners a year.
HEALTH
No new Ebola cases reported in Sierra Leone in past week for first time since outbreak –
UN. UN News Centre [Online]. 17 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsId=51650 The United Nations World Health
Organization (WHO) announced today that no new Ebola cases were reported during the most
recent reporting period in Sierra Leone for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak in
West Africa, thanks to strong community involvement and the thorough work of rapid response
teams.
Sierra Leone celebrates milestone on road to ending Ebola. World Health Organization
(WHO) [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from: http://www.who.int/features/2015/ebola-endsierra-leone/en/ For the first time in more than a year, there are no people being treated for
Ebola virus disease and no confirmed cases of Ebola in the country.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Seafarer dead from unknown 'infectious disease' onboard product tanker.
By Holly Birkett. Splash 24/7 [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://splash247.com/seafarer-dead-infectious A seafarer has died of an unidentified "infectious,
viral disease" onboard a product tanker currently under quarantine at El Ferrol, La Coruña,
Spain.
IMO
UK to approach IMO again on bridge manning levels despite heavy 'international
opposition'. By Adam Corbett. TradeWinds [Online]. 31 July 2015. Available from:
http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/365619/uk-to-approach-imo-again-on-bridge-manninglevels-despite-heavy-international-opposition The UK government is not giving up on its quest
for a review of bridge manning levels in the shortsea trades despite the matter being rejected for
a second time at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) earlier this year.
Tackling the trafficking of illegal wildlife products. By Chris Trelawny. IMO News [Online].
July 2015. Available from: http://issuu.com/imo-news/docs/imo-38_imo_news_2_2015_hr2/40
Can the current range of regulations, procedures, guidance and initiatives developed and
implemented by IMO for enhancing maritime security and facilitating international maritime traffic
also be applied to preventing the trafficking of illegal wildlife products - and if so, how?
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Maritime urgency. Fiji Times [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=316595 The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and
Defence says submissions for the ratification of the eight IMO conventions indicate the
conventions should have been ratified long ago.
Association, MSAF to ensure Fiji complies with shipping conventions.
By Vuniwaqa Bola-Bari. Fiji Times [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=317512 FIJI Ship Owners and Agents Association will
continue to work with the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) to see the country complies
with eight International Shipping conventions.
IMO fuel availability study: French media question nomination of oil major employee as
country's representative. Ship & Bunker [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/745341 French media has criticized the country's
decision to nominate an oil major employee to sit as the country's representative at an
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) steering committee for a fuel availability study
scheduled for 2018.
Analysis… Confronting the migration challenge. By Chris Trelawny, Special Advisor on
Maritime Security and Facilitation, IMO. Pan European Networks [Online]. 27 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.paneuropeannetworks.com/government/analysis-confronting-themigration-challenge/ Migration in the Mediterranean is at the top of the political agenda in
Europe at present.
LAW AND POLICY
Battle over Cruise Terminal/Shore Power sent to Appeals Court. Ship & Bunker [Online].
3 August 2015. Available from: http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/716859 The South
Carolina Supreme Court has declined to hear the long-standing battle to develop a $35 million
cruise terminal in Charleston, which means the case will now be heard in the lower court of
appeals, local media reports.
Russia makes renewed bid for contentious Arctic regions. BBC News [Online].
4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33777492 Russia
has renewed its efforts to get the United Nations to recognise 1.2 million sq km (463,000 sq
miles) of the Arctic shelf that it lays claim to.
Press Release: The "Enrica Lexie" Incident (Italy v. India).
International Tribunal for The Law of The Sea (ITLOS) [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/press_releases_english/PR_234_EN__corr_.pdf
The Tribunal will hold a short public sitting in The "Enrica Lexie" Incident (Italy v. India) on
Saturday, 8 August 2015 at 10 a.m.
California water officials seek penalties in Santa Barbara oil spill. By Sharon Bernstein.
Reuters [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/03/ususa-california-oilspill-idUSKCN0Q81XD20150803 California water quality regulators have
asked state Attorney General Kamala Harris to consider enforcement action against the owner
of an oil pipeline that ruptured near Santa Barbara in May, spilling petroleum onto beaches and
the Pacific Ocean.
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Italy arrests North African traffickers over migrant ship deaths. Reuters [Online].
7 August 2015. Available from:
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN0QC19Y20150807 Italy arrested five North
African men on Friday on suspicion of multiple homicide and human trafficking in the presumed
drowning of more than 200 people, saying they used clubs and knives against migrants.
Ballast water systems dodge tough US approval. By Adam Corbett. TradeWinds [Online].
7 August 2015. Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/366043/ballast-watersystems-dodge-tough-us-approval Less than half of officially recognised ballast-water products
on the market have so far said they will apply for USCG type approval, possibly stoking up
problems for the future.
INTERTANKO worries Nigeria may ban more ships. By Ashley Bhan. Bunkerworld [Online].
6 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/138063 INTERTANKO says
tanker owners are worried more ships could end up being banned from calling at Nigerian crude
oil terminals and from the country's waters.
China says has stopped reclamation work in South China Sea.
By David Brunnstrom and Trinna Leong. Reuters [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/05/us-asean-malaysia-idUSKCN0QA05U20150805
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that Beijing had halted land reclamation
in the South China Sea, and called on countries in the region to speed up talks on how claimant
states should conduct themselves in the disputed waters.
Managing migration and financing a safer and more secure Europe: €2.4 billion to
support Member States. European Commission [Online]. 10 August 2015. Available from:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5483_en.htm The European Commission has this
month approved 23 multiannual national programmes under the Asylum, Migration and
Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF).
Italy to receive most EU funding for migrant crisis. EurActiv [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/development-policy/italy-receive-most-eufunding-migrant-crisis-316834 The European Commission today approved €2.4 of aid over six
years for countries including Greece and Italy that have struggled to cope with a surge in
numbers of immigrants.
ECA "Loophole" may provide a competitive advantage for some UK ports. Ship & Bunker
[Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from: http://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/253984-ecaloophole Ships destined for the UK could save money by using ports on the Welsh coast due to
a "loophole" which means the Irish Sea is omitted from Emission Control Area (ECA) rules, local
media reports.
Hamburg tribunal hears arguments over high seas shooting of Indian fishermen.
Deutsche Welle (DW) (Germany) [Online]. 10 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.dw.com/en/hamburg-tribunal-hears-arguments-over-high-seas-shooting-of-indianfishermen/a-18639706 International tribunal to rule over a maritime incident in which Italian
marines allegedly shot and killed two Indian fishermen in February 2012.
Webcast Archives: Case No. 24 "Enrica Lexie" Incident (Italy v. India).
International Tribunal for The Law of The Sea (ITLOS) [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: https://www.itlos.org/cases/webcast-archives-case-no-24/
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Spanish ships accused of 'violating' Gibraltar's territory. BBC News [Online].
9 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33842868 Spanish vessels and
helicopters were in "clear violation of international law" after entering UK waters in Gibraltar, the
Foreign Office has said.
Shell Arctic drilling 'risky' - ex-BP boss Lord Browne. By Roger Harrabin. BBC News
[Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment33872486 Drilling for oil in the Arctic may harm Shell's reputation and cost it dear, the former
BP boss Lord Browne has said.
Greece agrees to push through new tonnage tax hike. By Nigel Lowry. Lloyd's List
[Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/finance/article466403.ece Draft bail-out deal includes October
deadlines for more action on shipping taxes and final bids for ports.
Philippines satisfied on mention of China reclamation in ASEAN communiqué.
By Pia Lee-Brago. Philippine Star [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/12/1487152/philippines-satisfied-mention-chinareclamation-asean-communique The Philippines is "contented" to see the issue on China's
island building activities included in the joint communiqué issued by foreign ministers of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur last week, the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.
A vision in blue - Ten year plan for science, helping drive Australia's growing blue
economy. Government of Australia [Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.aims.gov.au/docs/media/latest-news/-/asset_publisher/EnA5gMcJvXjd/content/11august-a-vision-in-blue-ten-year-plan-for-science-helping-drive-australia-s-growing-blueeconomy Australia's vast oceans are a vital part of the heritage, heart and economic future of
our country.
National Marine Science Plan 2015 - 2025: Driving the development of Australia's blue
economy. Australian Institute of Marine Science [Online]. August 2015. Available from:
http://www.aims.gov.au/documents/30301/2094401/NMSP_FINAL_Aug2015.pdf/22bff822-097f4d6b-8c68-c53f791cd892
The National Marine Science Plan has been developed in
response to the 2013 position paper Marine Nation 2025: Marine Science to Support Australia's
Blue Economy.
Indonesia Navy nabs cargo ship loaded with slave-caught fish. Voice of America [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-indonesia-navy-nabscargo-ship-loaded-with-slave-caught-fish/2916369.html A massive refrigerated cargo ship
believed to be loaded with slave-caught fish was seized by Indonesia's navy and brought to
shore Thursday, officials said, after The Associated Press informed authorities it had entered the
country's waters.
Omani port agent seeks arrest of ill-fated Seaman Guard Ohio in India. By Craig Eason.
Lloyd's List [Online]. 14 August 2015. Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/shipoperations/article466580.ece Agency claim seeks arrest of vessel for unpaid bills by Advanfort
as detained crew remain in Indian Jail.
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Eight held in Italy after 49 migrants suffocate on packed boat. By Isla Binnie. Reuters
[Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/18/uk-europemigrants-italy-idUKKCN0QN18420150818 Eight suspected human traffickers thought to have
forced migrants to stay in the hold of a fishing boat in the Mediterranean as 49 of them
suffocated on engine fumes have been arrested on suspicion of homicide, Italian police said on
Tuesday.
Clinton parts with Obama administration on Arctic drilling. By Timothy Gardner and
Amanda Becker. Reuters [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/18/us-usa-election-clinton-shellidUSKCN0QN1H820150818 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday
staked out her opposition to Arctic oil exploration, putting her at odds with the Obama
administration one day after it approved drilling off Alaska.
It took more than the Exxon Valdez oil spill to pass the historic Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Office of Response and Restoration [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from:
https://usresponserestoration.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/it-took-more-than-the-exxon-valdez
If you, like many, believe oil shouldn't just be spilled without consequence into the ocean, then
you, like us, should be grateful for a very important U.S. law known as the Oil Pollution Act of
1990.
Government reaffirms continued war against illegal fishing. Antara News (Indonesia)
[Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/100073/government-reaffirms-continued President Joko
Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed his deep concern over illegal fishing activities that have inflicted
huge financial losses on Indonesia.
The "Enrica Lexie" Incident (Italy v. India) Tribunal to deliver its Order on Monday, 24
August 2015 at 11 a.m. International Tribunal for The Law of The Sea (ITLOS) [Online].
20 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/press_releases_english/PR_236_EN.pdf
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will deliver its Order in The "Enrica Lexie"
Incident (Italy v. India), Provisional Measures case on Monday, 24 August 2015 at 11 a.m.
Foreign slave ship trading in Australian waters. By Ashleigh Telford.
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.mua.org.au/foreign_slave_ship_trading_in_australian_waters A foreign crew in
Mackay has been denied basic rights such as access to food and has been forced to work
without pay.
Merkel and Hollande to press EU to move faster on asylum policy. By Georgi Gotev.
EurActiv [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/justicehome-affairs/merkel-and-hollande-press-eu-move-faster-asylum-policy-316974
Germany and France will press the European Union to move faster and with more unity to deal
with the worsening refugee crisis, amid complaints from Germany that it is shouldering too big a
burden.
Norway names first shipowner to break new ECA rules. Ship & Bunker [Online].
21 August 2015. Available from: http://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/258991 The Norwegian
Maritime Authority (NMD) has named the first vessel it says broke this year's updated Emissions
Control Area (ECA) rules, with two infractions coming within the first few weeks of the tightened
regulations coming into force on January 1, 2015.
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The "Enrica Lexie" incident (Italy v. India), Order of 24 August 2015.
International Tribunal for The Law of The Sea (ITLOS) [Online]. 24 August 2015.
Available from:
https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/press_releases_english/PR_237_EN.pdf
Tribunal orders parties to suspend all court proceedings which might aggravate or extend the
dispute submitted to the Annex VII arbitral tribunal
U.S. outlines Asia-Pacific maritime security strategy. By Jim Garamore.
US Department of Defense [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/614488 The United States has spelled out its
maritime security strategy so that all nations understand the American position, David Shear, the
assistant secretary of defense for Asian-Pacific security affairs, said during a Pentagon news
conference today.
Air pollution law in line for legislators' approval. By Zheng Jinran. China Daily.Com
[Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/201508/25/content_21693678.htm The national legislative body is reviewing the third draft of the Air
Pollution Control Law, which tightens controls on emissions from vehicles and vessels and is
expected to be passed this week.
Vision document: Centre spells out thrust for coastal shipping. Times of India [Online].
25 August 2015. Available from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Vision-documentCentre-spells-out-thrust-for-coastal-shipping/articleshow/48660791.cms In a bid to revolutionize
the shipping industry and decongest cargo movement via roads, the central government will
encourage Indian ship owners and operators to acquire roll-on-roll-off vessels, passenger
ferries, car and truck ferries and cargo carriers.
China reaffirms non-acceptance of arbitration on S. China Sea: FM. Xinhuanet (China)
[Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/201508/24/c_134550677.htm China on Monday reiterated that it will not accept nor participate in the
arbitral proceedings unilaterally initiated by the Philippines.
Arctic Sunrise Arbitration (Netherlands v. Russia) : Arbitral Tribunal Renders Award on
the Merits. Permanent Court of Arbitration [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/1444
Russian government broke international law in Greenpeace Arctic 30 case - tribunal.
Greenpeace [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Russian-government-brokeinternational-law-in-Greenpeace-Arctic-30-case---tribunal1/ An international tribunal today ruled
that the Russian government broke international law by boarding a Greenpeace ship and
detaining its crew following a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling in 2013.
Tianjin explosion – the Chinese law position. Steamship Mutual [Online]. 26 August 2015.
Available from:
http://www.steamshipmutual.com/publications/Articles/tianjinexplosionchineselaw.htm
By way of a follow up to the recent article on the shipping issues arising out of the Tianjin
Explosions this article discusses the Chinese law implications as a result of this incident.
Canada's marine response: Are we ocean strong? By Joe Spears, Principal, Horseshoe
Bay Marine Group. Canadian Sailings [Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.canadiansailings.ca/?p=10303 2015 has been a busy year in the global marine
world with new infrastructure developments that will impact shipping for decades.
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City Hall gives Greenwich cruise liner terminal green light. Greater London Authority
[Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-pressreleases/2015/08/city-hall-gives-greenwich-cruise-liner-terminal-green-light A new cruise liner
terminal that will bring thousands of tourists to the capital every year was given the green light
by the Mayor of London's Office today (25 August).
Ministry of Transport and Communications to issue marine safety and transport
regulations. Muscat Daily (Oman) [Online]. 30 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Ministry-of-Transport-and-Communications-to-issuemarine-safety-and-transport-regulations-49ow The Directorate General of Marine Affairs in the
Ministry of Transport and Communications is in the process of developing several marine
regulations.
Singapore as a venue for proceedings in cases before the International Tribunal for the
Law of the Sea. Government of Singapore [Online]. 31 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/content/minlaw/en/news/press-releases/MinLaw-ITLOS-jointdeclaration-signing.html Joint Declaration signed between Ministry of Law and President of the
Tribunal.
MARINE TECHNOLOGY
Hard-wearing sensor defying soot and heat. By Morten Andersen.
DTU Technical University of Denmark [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.dtu.dk/english/News/Nyhed?id=dda88623-ff86-46a0-b055-21d40a5fa01d
A new method for monitoring ships' NOx emissions offers shipping companies environmental
documentation.
Smart Port Hackathon participants create 21 prototypes in 48 hours.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) [Online]. 16 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/global_navigation/news_center/mpa_news/mpa_news_detail.page
?filename=nr150816.xml Prototypes include managing congestion in terminals, improving
productivity for truck drivers in port, enhancing navigational safety.
MARS mission aims to make historic Atlantic crossing. Plymouth University (UK) [Online].
4 August 2015. Available from: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/mars-mission-aims-to-makehistoric-atlantic-crossing A pioneering project has been launched to design, build and sail the
world's first full-sized, fully autonomous unmanned ship across the Atlantic Ocean.
The tide is turning. The Engineer [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/more-sectors/rail-and-marine/in-depth/the-tide-isturning/1020892.article Autonomous systems could revolutionise the shipping industry by
reducing costs and improving efficiency.
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MARITIME SAFETY
Lookout could have prevented boxship collision. By Adam Corbett. TradeWinds [Online].
7 August 2015. Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/366042/lookout-couldhave-prevented-boxship-collision Accident investigators have uncovered another case of a ship
sailing without a proper lookout as it investigates the night-time collision between the boxship
Kota Wajar and the yacht Blazing Keel.
Seaborne nickel ore trade still a deadly 'game of Russian roulette'. By Anthony Poole.
Platts McGraw Hill Financial [Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from:
http://blogs.platts.com/2015/08/11/seaborne-nickel-ore A suspected case of cargo liquefaction
may have indirectly claimed the life of one seafarer on Friday, July 17, 2015, aboard the 2007built Supramax Alam Manis in the northern Philippines, just six months after the same
phenomenon claimed 19 souls on a Supramax carrying bauxite.
Videotel supports concentrated inspection campaign for enclosed spaces.
Maritime Executive [Online]. 10 August 2015. Available from: http://www.maritimeexecutive.com/pressrelease/videotel-supports-concentrated-inspection-campaign-for-enclosedspaces Videotel TM, the leading international provider of e-Learning maritime training programs
and a company of KVH Industries, Inc., has backed the Concentrated Inspection Campaign
(CIC) on crew familiarization for enclosed space entry recently launched by the maritime
authorities of Tokyo and Paris.
Simulating marine collisions for a safer future. By Paul Morter. MarineLink.Com [Online].
10 August 2015. Available from: http://www.marinelink.com/news/simulatingcollisions396035.aspx Collisions at sea have always been a major risk for seafarers and while
the exact numbers of incidents that take place across the globe each year are hard to quantify,
the number is significant.
Australia and New Zealand flag flaws with lifeboat wires. TradeWinds [Online].
14 August 2015. Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/366527/australia-andnew-zealand-flag-flaws-with-lifeboat-wires Australia and New Zealand have highlighted safety
flaws on free-fall lifeboats after carrying out accident investigations into two separate casualties
involving personal injury to crew.
BSEE approves updated permit for exploration activities in Arctic waters under rigorous
safety requirements. US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) [Online].
17 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bsee.gov/BSEE-Newsroom/BSEE-NewsBriefs/2015/BSEE-Approves-Updated-Permit-for-Exploration-Activities-in-Arctic-Waters-UnderRigorous-Safety-Requirements/ After extensive review and under a robust array of safety
requirements, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno
today announced that Shell has received approval of one Application for Permit to Modify (APM)
to conduct exploratory drilling activities into potential oil-bearing zones offshore Alaska at one of
the wells at the Burger Prospect, Burger J.
Chinese port authorities raise safety standards over dangerous cargoes.
By Lee Hong Liang. Seatrade Maritime News [Online]. 19 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/chinese-port-authorities-raise-safety-standardsover-dangerous-cargoes.html China's ministry of transport has informed that the local port
authorities from six provinces have promptly implemented various measures and supervisions
on the shipments of dangerous cargoes, following the deadly explosions at Tianjin port last
Wednesday.
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Nickel ore concerns remain. By Dale Wainright. TradeWinds [Online]. 19 August 2015.
Available from: https://www.tradewindsnews.com/casualties/366945/nickel-ore-concernsremain Problems in the transportation of nickel ore from the Philippines continue to pose a
threat to maritime safety a major P&I Club claims.
MPA collaborates with industry to enhance safety at sea.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) [Online]. 19 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/global_navigation/news_center/mpa_news/mpa_news_detail.page
?filename=nr150819.xml The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) today kicked off
the 2nd Maritime Safety Forum, as part of Safety@Sea Week 2015 happening from 17 to 21
August, to share and promote safety practices for the maritime community.
Towing industry safety statistics for 2014. By Lt. Jodie Knox.
US Coast Guard Maritime Commons [Online]. 17 August 2015. Available from:
http://mariners.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2015/08/17/8172015-towing-industry Two weeks ago, the
Coast Guard met with the American Waterways Operators for a National Quality Steering
Committee meeting.
Union supports fatigue finding. Nautilus International [Online]. 21 August 2015.
Available from: https://www.nautilusint.org/en/what-we-say/nautilus-news/union-supportsfatigue-findings/ Nautilus International has welcomed research published in the Lancet medical
journal demonstrating that people working long hours are more likely to have suffer strokes and
their recommendation that more attention should be paid to the management of vascular risk
factors in individuals who work long hours.
Watchkeeper: taking enclosed spaces seriously. Baltic and International Maritime Council
(BIMCO) [Online]. 19 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.bimco.org/sitecore/content/home/news/2015/08/19_watchkeeper_week_34
Despite all the publicity, everyone knows that there are too many fatal accidents involving
enclosed spaces aboard ship, in tanks, holds and elsewhere.
Indonesia to propose stronger maritime interdiction to cut drug traffic - (d). Antara News
(Indonesia) [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/100128/indonesia-to-propose-stronger
The National Narcotic Agency (BNN) will propose cooperation to strengthen maritime
interdiction to cut drug trafficking networks in the four-day meeting of ASEAN senior officials on
drugs (ASOD) opening in Singapore on Monday.
Panama Canal expansion prompts safety concerns. By Vanessa Buschschluter.
BBC News [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latinamerica-33958280
One hundred and one years ago this month, the first ship sailed through
the Panama Canal which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Ferry emergency exercise puts multi-agencies to test.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/global_navigation/news_center/mpa_news/mpa_news_detail.page
?filename=nr150821.xml The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a half-day
emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed 'FEREX 2015' today.
Design competition for safe affordable ferries. By Joseph R. Fonseca. Marine Professional
/ IMarEST [Online]. 23 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.maritimeprofessional.com/news/design-competition-safe-affordable-ferries-276612
Registration opened for Third annual International Student Design Competition for Safe
Affordable Ferries.
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Survey: Cruise ships have problems with fire doors, evacuation. By David A. Tyler.
Professional Mariner [Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.professionalmariner.com/September-2015/Survey-Cruise-ships-have-problems-withfire-doors-evacuation/ Evacuation and rescue of passengers are among the leading problems
on a U.S. Coast Guard list of the top 10 cruise ship deficiencies.
MARITIME SECURITY
China wants no talk of South China Sea at upcoming ASEAN meeting. By Amy Sawitta
Lefevre and Trinna Leong. Reuters [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/03/uk-asean-malaysia-china-idUKKCN0Q80VU20150803
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said on Monday the disputed South China Sea
should not be discussed at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Hacking about the seaways. By Michael Grey. Lloyd's List [Online]. 3 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/ship-operations/article465395.ece A
cautionary tale of cyber attacks, big data and why we should never stop looking out of the
window.
India, Mozambique discuss boosting maritime security cooperation. Deccan Herald (India)
[Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/493452/indiamozambique India and Mozambique on Wednesday discussed ways to intensify cooperation in
maritime security, ocean economy and defence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with
Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi here.
First Yemen aid ship under ESCGS protection. Maritime Executive [Online]. 7 August 2015.
Available from: http://maritime-executive.com/pressrelease/first-yemen-aid-ship-under-escgsprotection The first UN aid ship to arrive in war-torn Yemen for more than four months was
under the armed protection of ESC Global Security while it unloaded more than 7,000 tons of
food and medicine in Aden.
U.S. agencies stop semi-submersible, seize 12,000 pound of cocaine.
US Coast Guard Newsroom [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2575910/ The U.S. Coast Guard seized a self-propelled
semi-submersible vessel carrying more than 14,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific
Ocean July 18.
Aronnax: Don't think the data thieves aren't interested in shipping. By Craig Eason.
Lloyd's List [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/shipoperations/article466671.ece Despite very real risks, the industry still lags behind in cybersecurity awareness.
How safe is Tianjin after explosions? By Celia Hatton. BBC News [Online]. 21 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-34013545 More than a week after
a warehouse packed with hazardous chemicals exploded in the Chinese city of Tianjin, many
are still scared that poisons lurk in the air, the ground or the water.
China's land reclamation in South China Sea grows: Pentagon report.
By David Alexander and Michael Martina. Reuters [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/21/us-southchinasea-china-pentagonidUSKCN0QQ0S920150821 China has reclaimed more land in the disputed Spratly islands of
the South China Sea than previously known, according to a new Pentagon report, which says
Beijing is also completing construction of a runway on one of its seven man-made outposts.
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U.S. plans more Asia-Pacific drills to counter China reclamation. By Manuel Mogato.
Reuters [Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/us-philippines-usa-southchinaseaidUSKCN0QV0Y720150826 The United States plans to increase the number of military and
humanitarian drills it conducts in the Asia-Pacific as part of a new strategy to counter China's
rapid expansion in the South China Sea, the Philippine military said on Wednesday.
Seychelles signals its ready to join India-led maritime security alliance. Times of India
[Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Seychellessignals-its-ready-to-join-India-led-maritime-security-alliance/articleshow/48704855.cms Days
after India reset its relations with 14 Pacific Island countries, Seychelles, a key power in the
Indian Ocean, declared it might join a India-led trilateral security framework that also includes Sri
Lanka and Maldives.
Hackers hit Cypriot owner. By Gary Dixon. TradeWinds [Online]. 28 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/finance/367588/hackers-hit-cypriot-owner
A Cyprus-based shipping company has had more than $600,000 stolen in two raids by computer
hackers.
Strengthen Arctic cooperation between the US and China.
By David Slayton and Lawson W. Brigham. Alaska Dispatch News [Online]. 27 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.adn.com/article/20150827/strengthen-arctic-cooperation-betweenus-and-china
The China-U.S. relationship is a daily and recurring, sometimes dominant, news story.
MARITIME TRAINING
Maritime Academy launched in Larnaca. Cyprus Mail [Online]. 3 August 2015.
Available from: http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/08/03/maritime-academy A Maritime Academy
opens its doors in Larnaca from September 2015 onwards where students from Cyprus and
abroad will be able to follow English language courses such as Shipping & Logistics
Management, Maritime Transport, Marine Engineering and Marine Electrical Technology.
Training 2025 Review moves ahead. UK Chamber of Shipping [Online]. 31 July 2015.
Available from: http://www.ukchamberofshipping.com/news/2015/07/31/training-2025-reviewmoves-ahead/ The MNTB is undertaking a full review of seafarer education and training Training 2025 - to ensure that shipping companies' needs for high-quality, well-trained, certified
officers and ratings are met, now and into the future.
New building, new era for the World Maritime University. IMO News [Online].
July 2015. Available from: http://issuu.com/imo-news/docs/imo38_imo_news_2_2015_hr2/11?e=0 Expanded, state-of-the-art, premises for the World Maritime
University (WMU) were inaugurated on 19 May 2015 in Malmo, Sweden, by IMO SecretaryGeneral and WMU Chancellor Koji Sekimizu.
Shipping sector employees learn Mandarin in SAJ/CMI partnership. The Gleaner (Jamaica)
[Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from: http://jamaicagleaner.com/article/shipping/20150811/shipping-sector-employees-learn-mandarin-sajcmipartnership Every Monday and Wednesday after the regular work day has ended, the
conference room at the Newport West offices of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) is
transformed into a classroom for employees within the shipping industry eager to learn
Mandarin, the official language of the Chinese.
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Open Day at the Mauritius Maritime Training Academy kicks off. Government of Mauritius
[Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.govmu.org/English/News/Pages/OpenDay-at-the-Mauritius-Maritime-Training-Academy-kicks-off.aspx The open day aimed at
sensitising the public about career paths in the maritime sector, both offshore and shore-based,
kicked off this morning at the Mauritius Maritime Training Academy (MMTA) in Pointe aux
Sables.
S$2.6m in maritime scholarships awarded to students. Channel News Asia [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/s-2-6m-inmaritime/2047690.html Over S$2.6 million in maritime scholarships were presented to local and
international students on Thursday (Aug 13).
CINEC helps Seychelles to achieve IMO white list. Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) [Online].
4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.dailymirror.lk/82079/cinec-helps-seychelles
Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) takes great pride in having
assisted Seychelles to be placed in the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) white list of
countries, going beyond from being a premier training facility to charting the maritime legacy of a
nation.
Ex-councillors, others seek priority for Maritime Academy. The Nation (Nigeria) [Online].
11 August 2015. Available from: http://thenationonlineng.net/ex-councillors-others-seek
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to put the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in
Oron, Akwa Ibom State on its priority list.
Maritime school hosts open day – Students learn about career options in the maritime
sector. Government of Seychelles [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.pfsr.org/national-highlights/maritime-school-hosts-open-day-students-learn-aboutcareer-options-in-the-maritime-sector/ Students learned to value the importance of career
opportunities in the Seychelles maritime sector through an open day held yesterday at the
Maritime Training Centre (MTC).
How do you measure training effectiveness? By Dione Lee. Maritime Executive [Online].
19 August 2015. Available from: http://www.maritime-executive.com/blog/how-do-youmeasure-training-effectiveness
SSA fortifies drive to attract younger generation to shipping. By Tom Leander. Lloyd's List
[Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/shipoperations/article466921.ece The Singapore Shipping Association's recently elected president,
Esben Poulsson, outlined the influential maritime association's programme earlier this week,
emphasising Singapore's public support for creating seafaring and land-based maritime jobs.
Stakeholders seek govt support for Maritime Academy. By Uyo Uyoatta Eshiet.
The Nation (Nigeria) [Online]. 23 August 2015. Available from:
http://thenationonlineng.net/stakeholders-seek-govt-support-for-maritime-academy/
Some maritime and the host community of stakeholders the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN)
in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, have urged the government to ensure that the institution continues to
deliver on its mandate.
As Maritime Academy pushes for degree award status. This Day Live (Nigeria) [Online].
28 August 2015. Available from: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/as-maritime-academypushes-for-degree-award-status/218659/ With the fresh mandate given to the Rector of the
Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Mr. Joshua Okpo, there is renewed hope for the school to get a
degree awarding status, writes John Iwori.
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MIGRANTS
Give me your tired, your poor … the Europeans embracing migrants. The Guardian
[Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/03/europeans-who-welcome-migrants Away from
the xenophobic hysteria aimed at desperate immigrants are people taking steps to help
newcomers and promote the good things they bring.
Italy coast guard rescues 1,800 sea migrants, five found dead. Reuters [Online].
2 August 2015. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/02/us-europe-migrantsitaly-idUSKCN0Q70H520150802 Italy's coast guard said about 1,800 migrants were rescued
from seven overcrowded vessels on Saturday, while five corpses were found on a large rubber
boat carrying 212 others.
Rescue hopes fade for migrants after boat capsizes in Mediterranean. BBC News [Online].
5 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-33791920
Search teams in the Mediterranean say they do not expect to find any more survivors from a
boat carrying around 600 migrants which sank off Libya.
On Island of Lesbos, a microcosm of Greece's other crisis: Migrants. By Suzanne Daley.
New York Times [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/world/europe/lesbos-greece-migrant-refugee-crisis.html
The immigration center here, a cluster of prefabricated buildings surrounded by rows of chainlink and barbed-wire fences, was full again on a recent evening, leaving hundreds of families,
some with infants, to find a place among the piles of garbage outside.
IOM appeals for wider European response to Calais migrants.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-appeals-wider-european-response-calais-migrants IOM views the
evolving situation in Calais and at the Eurotunnel with concern - especially for the most
vulnerable migrants including women and children - and calls for broader, longer-term measures
to address the wider phenomenon.
Deadly milestone as Mediterranean migrant deaths pass 2,000.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/deadly-milestone-mediterranean-migrant-deaths-pass-2000
Over 2,000 migrants have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach
Europe, confirming this as the deadliest route for migrants in search of a better life.
ILO Director-General calls for durable solution to migrant and refugee crisis.
International Labour Organization (ILO) [Online]. 7 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/news-statements/WCMS_389241/lang-en/index.htm The recent loss of lives in the Mediterranean Sea is yet another reminder of the
human impact of unresolved conflicts and development failures worldwide.
202 People remain unaccounted for as hopes for survivors fade. Migrant Report [Online].
6 August 2015. Available from: http://migrantreport.org/202-people-remain-unaccounted-for-ashopes-for-survivors-fade/ Some 200 people remain unaccounted for from Wednesday's
shipwreck off Libya according to the final count from the Italian Navy, as hopes for anymore
survivors fade.
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Why rescue turns to disaster for migrant boats: Interview with Flavio Di Giacomo,
International Organisation for Migration. BBC World Service [Online]. 6 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02yx75b
Flavio Di Giacomo from the
International Organisation for Migration in Italy tells us how rescue attempts in the Med often
turn to disaster as desperate migrants rush to get on board ships that arrive to help them.
Statement by Frans Timmermans, Federica Mogherini and Dimitris Avramopoulos on the
recent incident in the Mediterranean. European Commission [Online]. 6 August 2015.
Available from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-15-5480_en.htm
MOAS saddened by Mediterranean tragedy. Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) [Online].
6 August 2015. Available from: http://www.moas.eu/moas-saddened-by-mediterraneantragedy/
UN includes migration in post-2015 development agenda.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/un-includes-migration-post-2015-development-agenda After more than
three years of inter-governmental negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda,
migration has been incorporated into mainstream global development policy, rectifying the
omission made 15 years earlier in the Millennium Development Goals.
UNHCR warns of deepening refugee crisis in Greece and calls for urgent and bold action.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 7 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55c48ea69.html The UNHCR Directors of the Bureau for
Europe and of Emergency, Security and Supply, visited Greece last week to assess the refugee
crisis in the country, where some 124,000 refugees and migrants have arrived by sea this year as of 31 July - mainly to the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros.
1,200 rescued after second potential tragedy averted. By Mark Micallef. Migrant Report
[Online]. 7 August 2015. Available from: http://migrantreport.org/1200-migrants-rescued
A dramatic rescue of 600 migrants on Thursday narrowly averted a repeat of the disaster that
took place in the same seas off Libya only a day earlier, leaving more than 225 dead or
unaccounted for.
Dramatic moment 600 migrants were rescued off listing boat. Times of Malta [Online].
7 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150807/world/watch-dramatic-moment-600migrants-were-rescued-off-listing-boat.579555
About 600 migrants were rescued from a
listing fishing boat off Libya, in a delicate operation captured by Times of Malta photojournalist
Darrin Zammit Lupi.
Greek PM calls on Europe to help face migration crisis as Greece has record number of
immigrants and refugees. By Anastassios Adamopoulos. Greek Reporter [Online].
7 August 2015. Available from: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/08/07/greek-pm-calls-oneurope Officials of the Greek government, including prime minister Alexis Tsipras and various
ministers, convened on Friday to discuss the refugee crisis the country is dealing with.
Rescued Mediterranean migrants arrive in Sicily. BBC News [Online]. 6 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33810119 Hundreds of migrants
rescued from a boat that sank off Libya with 600 people on board have arrived on the Italian
island of Sicily.
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The life of Syrian migrants on the streets of Kos. BBC News [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33843918
Local Greek islanders
say they are being overwhelmed by the number of migrants arriving from Africa.
Hammond: 'More can be done to enhance channel security'. BBC News [Online].
9 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33840280
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said that there is "more that can be done to enhance the
physical security" of the Channel Tunnel.
European migrant crisis: Italy navy rescues 50 from dinghy. BBC News [Online].
12 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33882177
Italy's navy says it has rescued 52 migrants from a sinking rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean,
but about 50 others are missing.
Greece sends cruise liner, extra police to help island of Kos with migrant crisis.
By Alkis Konstantinidis. Reuters [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/12/us-europe-migrants-greeceidUSKCN0QH1YY20150812 Greece bolstered security at a holiday island struggling to cope
with an influx of refugees on Wednesday, a day after frustrated migrants scuffled with police,
and pledged to ease the plight of the hundreds arriving daily on its shores.
Overwhelmed Greek police use fire extinguishers to disperse migrants. France 24 [Online].
12 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgPMBQZdXy8&feature=youtu.be
10 truths about Europe's migrant crisis. The Guardian [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/10/10-truths-about-europesrefugee-crisis British ministers including Theresa May and Philip Hammond have made hairraising claims about the dangers of migrants entering the country.
Mediterranean Migration: Latest tragedy highlights urgent need for increased rescue
capacity. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.msf.org/article/mediterranean-migration-latest-tragedy-highlights-urgent-needincreased-rescue-capacity The latest tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea, in which hundreds of
people drowned after a boat carrying up around 600 people capsized, underscores the severe
lack of adequate search and rescue operations in the area, says Médécins Sans Frontières
(MSF).
"The Greek state just closes (its) eyes". BBC Radio 4 [Online]. 12 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02zff56
Manveen Rana reports on how
100-500 migrants are arriving on the island of Chios each day.
Italian tourists help save migrants in Kos. The Local (Italy) [Online]. 12 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.thelocal.it/20150812/italian-tourists-help-save-migrants-in-kos
An Italian couple, who were woken by migrant children crying while sleeping on their boat
anchored off the Greek island of Kos in the early hours of Tuesday, sprung to their rescue.
Calais & the UK: A balanced, unified approach is necessary to save lives, respect human
dignity & manage migration. International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online].
17 August 2015. Available from: http://unitedkingdom.iom.int/calais-uk-balanced-unifiedapproach-necessary-save-lives-respect-human-dignity-manage-migration The recent
government reaction to the events in Calais has focused on strengthening border control as a
primary response.
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Syrians begin boarding refugee ship on Greek island. Reuters [Online]. 16 August 2015.
Available from: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/16/uk-europe-migrants-greeceidUKKCN0QL05C20150816 Hundreds of Syrian refugees on the Greek island of Kos boarded a
passenger ship on Sunday that is to house and process them, aiming to ease sometimes
chaotic conditions onshore.
Europe migrant crisis: Dozens die in hold of Libya boat. BBC News [Online].
15 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33946912
The BBC's James Reynolds: "It seems that these migrants were overcome by diesel fumes".
Cruise ship brings relief to Kos migrant crisis. By Constantinos Tachsidis.
IHS Maritime 360 [Online]. 14 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18980 One of Mediterranean's largest cruise ships has
arrived at the Greek island of Kos to assist with its overwhelming influx of migrants.
Update on migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean involving LE Niamh.
Government of Ireland [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/Release+ID/E64E9AA9A3956CB180257E980073B546
The Minister for Defence, Mr Simon Coveney T.D. confirmed this evening that the Naval Vessel
LE Niamh is en route to Palermo, Italy following a very difficult rescue operation today in the
Mediterranean off the Libyan coast.
Migrant rescue operation involving L.É. Niamh currently underway in Mediterranean
Wednesday 5th August 2015. Government of Ireland [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/Release+ID/A003AC7C77B831E580257E9800545968
The Minister for Defence, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D., has confirmed that LÉ Niamh is currently
involved in a very difficult rescue operation in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast.
LÉ Niamh leads search for survivors of capsized migrant boat as 25 confirmed dead.
The Journal (Ireland) [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from: http://www.thejournal.ie/migrantcapsize-defence-forces-2254147-Aug2015/ It's believed that up to 600 people were on board
the stricken vessel.
Mediterranean migrants died from poisonous fumes: IOM.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/mediterranean-migrants-died-poisonous-fumes-iom IOM teams who
met survivors of another Mediterranean tragedy this past weekend learned grisly details of an
asphyxiation that claimed dozens of migrants' lives.
Missing Migrants Project | Global Map 17 August 2015.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 17 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/infographics/missing-migrants-project-global-map-17-august-2015
The Missing Migrants Project is the only global database sharing key data on deceased and
missing migrants around the world.
Map
Libyan coastguard assists MOAS during rescue. By Mark Micallef. Migrant Report [Online].
15 August 2015. Available from: http://migrantreport.org/libyan-coastguard-assists-moasduring-rescue/
A crew from the Libyan coastguard assisted the Migrant Offshore Aid Station
(MOAS) during the rescue of 201 people some 11 nautical miles off the port town of Zuwara this
morning.
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Mediterranean migrant arrivals approach 250,000.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 14 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-approach-250000 The number of
migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe by sea so far in 2015 is now
approaching a quarter of a million, according to IOM analysis.
Hands Across the Water – Sea-watch tries to save the migrants Europe ignores.
By Daniel Etter. Aljazeera [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://projects.aljazeera.com/2015/08/sea-watch/ The distress call comes at 10:30 a.m. Ragino
Fagner, a tough looking medic tattooed from shoulder to ankle, rings the ship's bell.
Massive arrival of refugees in Greece dwarfs EU's relocation initiative. By Georgi Gotev.
EurActiv [Online]. 19 August 2015. Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/justicehome-affairs/massive-arrival-refugees-greece-dwarfs-eus-relocation-initiative
Greece appealed to its European Union partners yesterday (18 August) to come up with a
comprehensive strategy to deal with a growing migrant crisis as new data showed 21,000
refugees landed on Greek shores last week alone.
Refugee ship leaves island for Greek mainland. By David Stamp. Reuters [Online].
19 August 2015. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/19/us-europemigrants-greece-idUSKCN0QO0GN20150819 A passenger ship carrying Syrian migrants set
sail from the Greek island of Kos on Wednesday, heading for the mainland as authorities
struggle to cope with a wave of arrivals.
Numbers of refugee arrivals to Greece increase dramatically.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 18 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55d32dcf6.html More refugees and migrants arrived in
Greece last month than during the whole of 2014, the UN refugee agency announced on
Tuesday, and called for a European-wide response to deal with the escalating crisis.
UNHCR and partners to help Libyans save lives at sea and improve corpse collection.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available
from: http://www.unhcr.org/55d30a926.html UNHCR has helped to set up a forum to improve
Libya's response to boats in distress off its coast by streamlining information sharing and
coordination with international organizations.
Amid 'dramatic' increase in refugees, UN urges Greece and wider Europe to boost
humanitarian response. UN News Centre [Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51665 The escalating refugee crisis in Greece
is continuing, with migrant arrivals accelerating "dramatically," the United Nations warned today,
urging the Greek Government to strengthen reception facilities and services and for wider
Europe to bolster humanitarian coordination.
Number of migrants in one month above 100 000 for first time. Frontex [Online].
18 August 2015. Available from: http://frontex.europa.eu/news/number-of-migrants-in-onemonth-above-100-000-for-first-time-I9MlIo In the month of July, the number of migrants
detected at EU's borders more than tripled to 107 500 compared to the same month of last year,
surpassing the 100 000 mark in a single month for the first time since Frontex began keeping
records in 2008.
Calais migrant crisis: Theresa May signs deal with France. BBC News [Online].
20 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33992952
The UK and
France have signed an agreement on new measures including a "control and command centre",
to help alleviate the migrant crisis in Calais.
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Britain to help fund Calais migrants aid, asylum processing.
By Laurence Frost and Marine Pennetier. Reuters [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/uk-france-britain-migrants-idUKKCN0QO2DF20150820
Britain will contribute 10 million euros ($11.2 million) to increased French humanitarian
assistance and a fast-track asylum process for thousands of migrants camped in Calais in the
hope of crossing the Channel, both countries said on Thursday.
To solve Europe's migrant crisis, give them a place of their own. By John Lloyd. Reuters
[Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from: http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/08/21/tosolve-europes-migrant-crisis-give-them-a-place-of-their-own/ The European Union has suffered
three systemic shocks in the past five years.
USCG to investigate Nigerian stowaway case. By Sam Chambers. Splash 24/7 [Online].
21 August 2015. Available from: http://splash247.com/uscg-to-investigate-nigerian-stowawaycase/ The US Coast Guard is to conduct a thorough investigation of a Panamanian flagged car
carrier today after a number of stowaways were found onboard when it docked at Jackonsville
on Thursday.
Two drown, five missing as migrants head for Greek island. By Angeliki Koutantou.
Reuters [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/24/us-eurozone-migrants-greece-drowningidUSKCN0QT10E20150824 Two people drowned and five were believed missing when a
dinghy carrying migrants capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday, as many
hundreds continued to head to Greek territory from nearby Turkey.
Italy coastguard: 3,000 migrants rescued in one day in Mediterranean. The Guardian
[Online]. 23 August 2015. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/23/italycoastguard-3000-migrants-rescued-one-day
No casualties reported as Italy reports navy
ships, patrol boats and other vessels picked up migrants crammed aboard various craft off the
Libyan coast.
Migrants crisis: More than 4,000 people rescued near Libya coast. BBC News [Online].
23 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34028487
About 4,400 migrants were rescued from boats off the coast of Libya on Saturday, in one of the
biggest single-day operations mounted to date, Italy's coastguard has said.
Migrant arrivals on Greece's Lesvos island approach 10,000 this week.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-greeces-lesvos-island-approach-10000-week
IOM monitors this week reported that on the Greek island of Lesvos, newly arrived migrants
between Friday, August 14 and the night of Wednesday, August 19 reached 9,464.
Mediterranean: 11,482 people helped in first 100 days of search and rescue.
By Paula Farias. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.msf.org.uk/article/mediterranean-11-482-people-helped-in-first-100-days-of-searchand-rescue
In the past 100 days, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
has rescued 11,482 people at risk of drowning through search and rescue operations onboard
the Bourbon Argos, Dignity I and MY Phoenix (the latter operated in partnership with MOAS) on
the Mediterranean.
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HMS Enterprise rescues over 450 migrants. By Penny Mordaunt MP.
UK Government Ministry of Defence [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hms-enterprise-rescues-over-450-migrants
HMS Enterprise has contributed to a major rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean, working
under an Italian-led EU mission.
Europe commissioner: 'EU has duty to protect refugees'. By Chris Buckler. BBC News
[Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34048097
Europe's commissioner for migration has promised "a war against people smugglers" and
said migrants who have travelled to the EU for purely economic reasons will be returned home.
IOM continues to monitor Mediterranean migrant arrivals and deaths.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-continues-monitor-mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-and-deaths
IOM reports this morning that deaths of all migrants and refugees attempting to reach Europe by
sea in 2015 now total 2,373.
Two separate incidents off Libyan coast leave 47 dead. Malta Today [Online].
26 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/world/56509/two_separate_incidents
17 individuals drowned when their boat capsized while 30 other were found dead in the hull of
another vessel, believed to have perished from inhaling engine fumes.
Video: Refugees in Kos stuck in appalling conditions. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
[Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from: http://www.msf.org/article/video-refugees-kos-stuckappalling-conditions
Between January and July this year, 18,600 refugees arrived on the
Greek island Kos by boat from Turkey.
The Lesbos migrants living in a 'wasteland'. By Chris Buckler. BBC News [Online].
26 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34060261
More than 30,000 migrants, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, have arrived on the Greek
island of Lesbos since the start of August, according to Amnesty International.
Europe migrants: Tracing perilous Balkan route to Germany. BBC News [Online].
26 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34039968
For many thousands of migrants heading to Europe from the Middle East, the long route to a
new life now lies through Greece and the Western Balkans with the ultimate destination in
Germany and other northern EU countries.
Timmermans: Migrant crisis not the EU's finest hour. CNN [Online]. 25 August 2015.
Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/08/25/intv-amanpour-trevor-phillipstimmermans-migrants.cnn/video/playlists/amanpour/
As migrants head north, Hungary decries 'humiliating' EU policy. EurActiv [Online].
25 August 2015. Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/migrantshead-north-hungary-decries-humiliating-eu-policy-317051
Hungary called on Tuesday
(25 August) for more money from the European Union to handle a rising tide of migrants, as a
new wave hit its southern border and further exposed the cracks in EU policy towards the worst
refugee crisis since World War Two.
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UNHCR urges humane treatment for refugees, urges collective action on issue.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 25 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55dc749d6.html The UN refugee agency stressed on
Tuesday that it was working closely with the Serb authorities to help meet the needs of more
than 10,000 refugees and others who have arrived in Serbia in recent days following dramatic
scenes at the Greek border with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
More than 50 migrants found dead on boats near Libya coast. EurActiv [Online].
27 August 2015. Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/more-50migrants-found-dead-boats-near-libya-coast-317102
Rescuers saved about 3,000 migrants,
but found more than 50 dead on boats near the coast of Libya yesterday (26 August), the Italian
coast guard said.
Swedes take 600 rescued migrants to dock in Italy. The Local (Sweden) [Online].
27 August 2015. Available from: http://www.thelocal.se/20150827/swedes-rescue-600migrants-as-52-deaths-confirmed A Swedish coastguard ship carrying more than 600 migrants
plucked from boats drifting off Libya's coast was to dock in Palermo late on Thursday, Swedish
officials said.
Refugee life at makeshift detention centre in Lesbos. By Chris Buckler. BBC News
[Online]. 27 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34070034
A shadow economy has sprung up in a refugee detention centre on the Greek island of
Lesbos.
UNHCR chief Guterres stresses need to fight human trafficking, protect victims.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 26 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55de024d6.html The UN refugee agency head António
Guterres on Wednesday reiterated the need to protect refugees fleeing to Europe by ensuring
they are protected from human traffickers and that a properly functioning system is created to
allow them to apply for asylum legally.
Bodies found dead in a truck near border, while asylum seekers flow into Hungary.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 28 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55e036776.html This is a summary of what was said by
UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at the press
briefing, on 28 August 2015, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Migrant crisis: Four arrests over Austria lorry deaths. By Bethany Bell. BBC News
[Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34083337
Hungarian police say they have arrested four people over the discovery of the bodies of 71
migrants, thought to be Syrian, in a lorry in Austria.
Migrant crisis: Libya boats sink off Zuwara carrying hundreds. BBC News [Online].
28 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34082304
Hundreds of people are feared dead after two boats carrying about 500 migrants sank off Libya,
officials say.
Gruesome migrant deaths force divided EU to look ahead. EurActiv [Online].
28 August 2015. Available from: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/gruesomemigrant-deaths-force-divided-eu-look-ahead-317149
A migrant crisis generating is slowly but
surely transforming the European Union, which has until now been reluctant to share the
burden, and take responsibility.
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EU immigration rules - in 90 seconds. BBC News [Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34083025
Thousands of migrants are trying to
reach Europe to escape war zones in the Middle East and poverty and turmoil in Africa.
UNHCR viewpoint: 'Refugee' or 'migrant' - Which is right?
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [Online]. 27 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/55df0e556.html With almost 60 million people forcibly
displaced globally and boat crossings of the Mediterranean in the headlines almost daily, it is
becoming increasingly common to see the terms 'refugee' and 'migrant' being used
interchangeably in media and public discourse.
A 21st-century migrant's essentials: food, shelter, smartphone. By Matthew Brunwasser.
New York Times [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/world/europe/a-21st-century-migrants-checklist-watershelter-smartphone.html The tens of thousands of migrants who have flooded into the Balkans
in recent weeks need food, water and shelter, just like the millions displaced by war the world
over.
European Commission in Calais: Advancing on a European approach to migration.
European Commission [Online]. 31 August 2015. Available from: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressrelease_IP-15-5555_en.htm Today, the European Commission announced financial aid to
support France to help address the situation in Calais.
Europe trades blame as migrants' bodies pulled from Mediterranean. France 24 [Online].
31 August 2015. Available from: http://www.france24.com/en/20150830-europe-eu-refugeesmigrants-libya-mediterranean-policy At least 37 people died when a boat carrying migrants
sank off Libya's coast on Sunday, the second such fatal accident at sea within days, while
European leaders struggled to find a coherent policy on the refugee crisis.
Migrant boat sinks off Libyan coast, kills at least 37: official. By Ahmed Elumami.
Reuters [Online]. 31 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/31/us-europe-migrants-libya-idUSKCN0QZ0LD20150831
A boat carrying migrants sank off Libya's Mediterranean coast, killing at least 37 people, a local
official said on Sunday, the second such fatal accident within days.
News insight: Cargo insurers faced with migrant challenges. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
31 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/19135 Illegal attempts
by migrants to enter the United Kingdom via Calais have created new challenges for the
insurance sector.
Migration crisis: EU ministers to meet in two weeks to find solution.
By Frances Perraudin. The Guardian [Online]. 30 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/30/migration-crisis-germany-france-britain-demandurgent-meeting Interior and justice ministers to hold talks in Brussels to find measures to cope
with challenge of escalating migration.
Mediterranean migrant arrivals, deaths at sea soar.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) [Online]. August 2015. Available from:
http://missingmigrants.iom.int/en/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-deaths-sea-soar IOM's Chief
of Mission for Libya, Othman Belbeisi, reported today on the latest deaths from that country's
coastal waters.
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NAVIGATION COMMUNICATIONS
Navigation Circular No. 5/2015: New Suez Canal. Suez Canal Authority [Online].
August 2015. Available from: http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/showNc.aspx?id=105
the Suez Canal Cross Section
Charts of
Setback for Panama Canal expansion as locks leak after crack develops. Ship & Bunker
[Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from: http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/676310
The Panama Canal expansion project suffered a setback this weekend after a crack developed
in the new Cocoli Locks on the country's Pacific side.
ACP: Opening of third set of locks not impacted by cracks. World Maritime News [Online].
25 August 2015. Available from: http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/169885 Completion of
Panama Canal's Third Set of Locks project set for April 2016 should not be affected by the leaks
discovered in the chambers of the new Cocoli Locks on the canal's Pacific side, the Panama
Canal Authority (ACP) said.
RA49 - The Importance of ECDIS training and Good Watch-keeping Practices.
Steamship Mutual [Online]. 25 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.steamshipmutual.com/Downloads/RiskAlerts/RA49TheImportanceECDIS_TrainingGoodWatch-keepingPractices.pdf
This Risk Alert
supplements our earlier Risk Alert published in November 2014, RA 43 - The Importance of
ECDIS Training and Familiarisation and Good Watch-Keeping Practice.
Key Inmarsat rocket flight from Kazakhstan 'a success'. By Jonathan Amos. BBC News
[Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment34075611 A rocket mission to put a new spacecraft in orbit for London-based Inmarsat has
been declared a success.
PIRACY
'Time to revisit anti-piracy efforts'.
By J. A. Tarmizi, J. Zack, B. Y. Hui, N. Spykerman, and R. S. N. Murali. Star Online
(Malaysia) [Online]. 10 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/08/10/Time-to-revisit-antipiracy-efforts-Hishamcalls-for-stronger-security-after-yet-another-oil-tanker-g/
Pirates hijacked yet another oil
tanker and siphoned off its cargo of 3,500 metric tonnes of fuel oil, ironically while the Royal
Malaysian Navy was conducting an exercise to counter acts of piracy in Malaysian waters.
Fuel piracy incidents drop in July. By Titus Zheng. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
18 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/19005
ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), the Singapore-headquartered anti-piracy watchdog,
posted no fuel siphoning incidents for the month of July 2015.
Report for July 2015 - Piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. ReCAAP [Online].
August 2015. Available from:
http://www.recaap.org/Portals/0/docs/Reports/2015/ReCAAP%20ISC%20July%202015%20Rep
ort.pdf
A total of 10 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in July
2015.
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Indonesian police detain three suspected tanker hijackers. By Lily Bertha Kartika.
IHS Maritime 360 [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/19043 North Sulawesi Marine Police have detained three
alleged hijackers of the Indonesian-flagged tanker Rehobot .
Singapore piracy blitz. By Dale Wainwright. TradeWinds [Online]. 24 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/piracy/367283/singapore-piracy-blitz
Six vessels were targeted by pirates off Singapore over a period of 30 hours between Friday
and Saturday latest intelligence shows.
Dryad Maritime Incident Reports: Southeast Asia, 22nd August. Dryad Maritime [Online].
24 August 2015. Available from: http://www.dryadmaritime.com/dryad-maritime-incident
The report illustrates the continuing security issues facing the Gulf of Guinea and the impact
upon maritime trade.
Malaysia, Indonesia to deploy rapid response team to fight soaring piracy.
By Henning Gloystein and Richard Pullin. Reuters [Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/shipping-attacks-asiapac-idUKL4N11034J20150826
Malaysia and Indonesia are deploying rapid reaction teams to combat a soaring number of
attacks on merchant vessels in one of the world's busiest shipping chokepoints, a Malaysian
admiral said.
Iranian ship and crew escape after 5 months in captivity off Somali coast.
By Drazen Jorgic. Reuters [Online]. 28 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/us-somalia-piracy-idUSKCN0QX1I520150828
An Iranian fishing vessel and its crew have escaped after being held captive for five months by
Somali fishermen, maritime piracy experts said on Friday, but it was not clear how many crew
members had escaped.
Piracy: Outbreak off Somalia despite international effort. BBC News [Online].
31 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34105277
There are warnings about a new outbreak of piracy off Somalia's coast.
Somalia warns of return to piracy. By Andrew Harding. BBC News [Online].
31 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-33822635
In northern Somalia, government officials are warning of a revival of piracy, unless foreign
nations - and the naval armada patrolling the coast - do more to help create jobs and security
ashore, and to combat illegal fishing at sea.
PORT STATE CONTROL
ClassNK releases Annual Report on Port State Control. ClassNK [Online]. 12 August 2015.
Available from:
http://www.classnk.com/hp/en/hp_news.aspx?id=1556&type=press_release&layout=1
Leading classification society ClassNK (Chairman and President: Noboru Ueda) has released its
annual report on Port State Control.
Report 2015
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PORTS AND HARBOURS
Hong Kong must jettison its port-focused mindset. By Sam Chambers. Splash 24/7
[Online]. 11 August 2015. Available from: http://splash247.com/hong-kong-must-jettison-itsport-focused-mindset/ Twelve consecutive months of declining growth recorded - so bad, in fact
that the city is likely to relinquish fourth spot in the boxport rankings to Ningbo this year.
Gulf ports ramp up. By Eva Grey. Ship-Technology.Com [Online]. 11 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.ship-technology.com/features/featuregulf-ports-ramp-up-4641907
Countries in the Persian Gulf are heavily investing in port infrastructure to accommodate
growing container movements and increasingly larger ships.
Hazardous cargoes barred from Tianjin Port. By Jason Jiang. Splash 24/7 [Online].
18 August 2015. Available from: http://splash247.com/hazardous-cargoes-barred-from-tianjinport/ Tianjin Transportation Commission has issued a notice ordering Tianjin Port to suspend all
container import and export operations for hazardous cargo, under the central government's call
to run a full investigation on hazardous cargo operations, following the huge chemical explosion
at the port last week.
Fitch: Vessel size raising pressure on ports. Port Technology International [Online].
17 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.porttechnology.org/news/fitch_vessel_size_raising_pressure_on_ports
The rise of alliances among shipping carriers and industry moves towards post-Panamax and
ultra large cargo ships are pressuring many US ports to address access restrictions, according
to ratings specialist Fitch.
Associated British Ports prepares for Ballast Water Management Convention
implementation. All About Shipping [Online]. 26 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.allaboutshipping.co.uk/2015/08/26/associated-british-ports-prepares
ABPmer, a leading provider of specialist services to the ports sector, has been commissioned to
help Associated British Ports (ABP) and its customers prepare for the implementation of the
Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.
RECYCLING OF SHIPS
Shipbreaking at virtual stand-still. By Girija Shettar. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
6 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18903 The last seven
days have seen a historically low level of activity in the ship breaking market, IHS data confirms.
Norwegian shipowners to stop beaching. Maritime Executive [Online]. 17 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/norwegian-shipowners-to-stopbeaching In an op-ed in Dagens Næringsliv, the largest daily business paper in Norway, the
Norwegian Shipowners Association and their CEO Sturla Henriksen have said a definite "no" to
shipbreaking on beaches.
Sustainable ship recycling is not a matter of geography.
Danmarks Rederiforening (Danish Shipowners' Association) [Online]. 23 August 2015.
Available from: https://www.shipowners.dk/en/presse/nyheder/sustainable-ship-recycling-is-nota-matter-of-geography/ Ratification and compliance with the Hong Kong Convention is the best
way to ensure sustainable recycling of vessels according to the Danish Shipowners' Association,
both in terms of safety and environmental impact.
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REGULATIONS
Maersk bans calcium hypochlorite shipments. By Janet Porter. Lloyd's List [Online].
14 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/containers/article466565.ece MAERSK Line has imposed a
ban on shipments of calcium hypochlorite by certain vendors after a recent fire on board one of
its containerships.
SALVAGE
Costa Concordia dismantling update - demolition beginning on upper decks.
By Mike Schuler. gCaptain [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://gcaptain.com/costa-concordia-dismantling-update Just over one year since the Costa
Concordia arrived in Genoa following its successful salvage, the consortium tasked with
dismantling the infamous cruise ship have updated that the $87 million project is moving along
just as planned.
Shanghai Salvage-led consortium seals Sewol job. By Xiaolin Zeng. IHS Maritime 360
[Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18871
A consortium led by Chinese state-owned Shanghai Salvage signed a contract with the South
Korean government on 4 August to hoist the capsized Sewol ferry.
Underwater inspection to salvage Sewol begins. By Kim Se-jeong. Korea Times [Online].
19 August 2015. Available from:
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/08/113_185193.html A Chinese salvage
company has started its underwater operation to recover the wreckage of the ferry Sewol.
SEAFARERS
Maritime Piracy Programme moves to ISWAN.
International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) [Online]. 4 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.seafarerswelfare.org/news-and-media/latest-news/maritime-piracyprogramme-moves-to-iswan The boards of the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance
Network (ISWAN) and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) are
pleased to announce the moving of the activities of the MPHRP into ISWAN.
The HRAS interview with Commodore Barry Bryant CVO RN Director General Seafarers
UK. Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) [Online]. 1 August 2015. Available from:
https://thehrasinterview.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/the-hras-interview Commodore Barry
Bryant is the Director General of Seafarer's UK, the charity that helps people in the maritime
community by providing vital funding to support seafarers in need and their families.
A gender-fair career at sea. IHS Maritime [Online]. July 2015. Available from:
http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/images/assets/676/18676/Gender_fair_career_at_sea.pdf
If shipping is to increase the number of female seafarers, a change of mindset is needed as well
as the right conditions.
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Bleak job prospect for seafarers. By Sheikh Shahariar Zaman. Dhaka Tribune
(Bangladesh) [Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/aug/12/bleak-job-prospect-seafarers
Job prospect for Bangladeshi seafarer are diminishing due to rampant use of false documents to
get employment in ships.
'Govt to set up seafarers cell, nodal office in S Goa'. Times of India [Online].
16 August 2015. Available from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Govt-to-set-upseafarers-cell-nodal-office-in-S-Goa/articleshow/48497579.cms Taking cognizance of
grievances expressed by the Goan seamen association of India (GSAI), "the government is
going to create a separate seafarers' cell as well as provide a nodal office to be opened in the
South Goa Matanhy Saldanha administrative complex for the benefit of the seamen community
that will reduce the hardships of working and retired seamen from South Goa," remarked
fisheries and labour minister Avertano Furtado on Saturday.
MPHRP in Bangladesh. By Chirag Bahri.
Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) [Online]. 17 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.mphrp.org/news_details/index.php?NewsID=238 MPHRP South
Asia Regional Director takes up the rehabilitation of piracy affected seafarers with the
government of Bangladesh.
Special forces deployed as seafarer runs amok, threatening to kill crew and torch ship.
By Sam Chambers. Splash 24/7 [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://splash247.com/special-forces-deployed Portuguese maritime police stormed a Liberian
flagged general cargo ship yesterday after a sailor of Turkish origin ran amok, brandishing
knives and an axe and threatening to set fire to the vessel.
MLC two years on: a positive driver for change. By Phillip Belcher, Maritime Director,
INTERTANKO. Lloyd's List [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/ship-operations/article466587.ece The Maritime Labour
Convention has improved the lives of those serving at sea.
Govt notifies new rules on tax-free status for Indian seafarers. By P. Manoj.
Livemint (India) [Online]. 19 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/fGG3qEm1Y3RJttQ4NVxx5N/Govt-notifies-new-rules-fortaxfree-status-for-Indian-seafa.html Move seeks to end an anomaly that is cited by local fleet
owners as the main reason for an acute shortage of sailors to man their vessels.
'Locked in hatches on a starvation diet': ITF unearths another shocking case of seafarer
abuse in Australia. By Sam Chambers. Splash 24/7 [Online]. 21 August 2015. Available
from: http://splash247.com/locked-in-hatches-on-a-starvation-diet A foreign crew in Australia's
Mackay port has been denied basic rights such as access to food and has been forced to work
without pay, the Maritime Union of Australia has claimed.
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
Millionaire family's Migrant Offshore Aid Station aims to stop people dying at sea.
News.Com (Australia) [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/millionaire-familys-migrant-offshore-aid-station-aims-tostop-people-dying-at-sea/story-fn5tas5k-1227482065388 Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS)
director Martin Xuereb, who spent 26 years in the military, said the organisation aims to visit the
region this year to address the "big issues" it faces in terms of people dying at sea.
Cruise ship Queen Mary 2 calls off search for missing crewmember. The Guardian [Online].
16 August 2015. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/16/cruise-shipqueen-mary-2-calls-off-search-crew-member The cruise liner the Queen Mary 2 has abandoned
the search for a crewmember who went overboard off the coast of Newfoundland on Saturday.
SHIPBUILDING AND SHIPREPAIR
Deltamarin unveils LNG-ready boxship design. By Ashley Bhan. Bunkerworld [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/138178 Ship design group
Deltamarin has revealed its liquefied natural gas (LNG)-ready design for the first container
vessel of its series, the A.Delta2300.
Japan ship export orders rocket 158% in July. By Xiaolin Zeng. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
18 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/19011 Orders at
Japanese shipyards rose 158% in July as shipowners rushed to build ships that will comply with
the International Maritime Organization's new standards, which will take effect from 1 July 2016.
SHIPPING
Completion of Suez Canal expansion inside a year 'astonishing'. By Peter Shaw-Smith.
Seatrade Maritime News [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from: http://www.seatrademaritime.com/news/asia/completion-of-suez-canal-expansion-inside-a-year-astonishing.html
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has called Egypt's achievement in completing work
on the New Suez Canal Expansion on schedule and inside one year 'astonishing.'
Shipping Podcast: Industry finds its voice. Splash 24/7 [Online]. 4 August 2015.
Available from: http://splash247.com/shipping-podcast-industry-finds-its-voice/ Gothenburg:
Lena Göthberg today becomes the first person to feature in Maritime CEO three times, a sign of
her serial inventiveness.
Fathom Spotlight: 8 things you need to know about black carbon and the shipping
industry. Ship & Bunker [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://shipandbunker.com/news/features/fathom-spotlight/767141 The retreat of Arctic sea ice
has led to renewed calls to exploit Arctic shipping routes.
News insight: Europe's split priorities strain shipping. By Girija Shettar. IHS Maritime 360
[Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18855
Europe's increasingly militaristic reaction to the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea
evidences an offensive rather than rescue focused mind-set.
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Shipbuilding industry awaits announcement on Future Frigates as Tony Abbott,
Cabinet visit Adelaide. ABC (Australia) [Online]. 3 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-03/shipbuilding-industry-awaits-announcement-on-frigatesprogram/6667906 South Australia's shipbuilding industry is holding its breath as the federal
Cabinet arrives in Adelaide for a three-day visit with a series of jobs and project announcements
expected.
TT Talk – Progress with ships' lifting appliances. Hellenic Shipping News [Online].
5 August 2015. Available from: http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/tt-talk-progress-withships-lifting-appliances/ The regime governing maintenance and inspection of ships' lifting
appliances (SLA) has been found less than adequate, resulting in incidents that should have
been avoidable.
China's breakthrough in 3D printing for shipbuilding. By Lee Hong Liang.
Seatrade Maritime News [Online]. 5 August 2015. Available from: http://www.seatrademaritime.com/news/americas/chinas-breakthrough-in-3d-printing-for-shipbuilding.html
The use of 3D printing as a technology in the maritime sector remains a relatively new concept.
Egypt shows off $8 billion Suez Canal expansion the world may not need.
By Ahmed Feteha. Bloomberg [Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-04/egypt-shows-off-8-billion-suez-canal-giftworld-may-not-need The Suez Canal took 10 years to build and cost thousands of workers their
lives.
Egypt's new Suez Canal officially welcomes ships. Ahram (Egypt) [Online]. 6 August 2015.
Available from: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/137092/Egypt/Live-updates-Egyptmarks-opening-of-new-Suez-Canal.aspx The project to extend the canal was completed in a
year, and is being hailed by the Egyptian government as 'Egypt's gift to the world'.
China aim to build Maritime Silk Road with ASEAN Community. Xinhuanet (China) [Online].
5 August 2015. Available from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/201508/05/c_134481840.htm
The Chinese Foreign Minister also answered reporters' questions
during the 48th ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
LNG shipping has an enviable safety record. By Stephen Brown. Globe and Mail (Canada)
[Online]. 4 August 2015. Available from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/lngshipping-has-an-enviable-safety-record/article25806219/ A proposal in Nova Scotia recently
received some good regulatory news, but the best prospects for this new-to-Canada export
industry lie in British Columbia.
Egypt trumpets canal's massive expansion, but a windfall's far from certain.
By Jackie Northam. National Public Radio (US) [Online]. 6 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.npr.org/2015/08/06/430077420/egypt-trumpets-canals
Egypt has opened a major
extension of the Suez Canal, doubling the number of ships that can pass through it.
Shipowners 'still figuring out best way' to monitor vessels. By Gabian Chew. Bunkerworld
[Online]. 6 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/138028
Ship owners and operators are still trying to find out the best method of monitoring their ships,
says the CEO of Singapore-based vessel fuel monitoring solutions provider Ascenz.
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow. By Clay Maitland. Splash 24/7 [Online]. 5 August 2015.
Available from: http://splash247.com/dont-stop-thinking-about-tomorrow/ Winston Churchill
said: "Success is going from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm."
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Trade lanes and fighter planes. By James Baker. Lloyd's List [Online]. 7 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/containers/article466132.ece Egypt places a
foot on the world stage with the opening of the newly expanded Suez Canal.
Sri Lanka 'Maritime Week' declared. Daily FT (Sri Lanka) [Online]. 10 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.ft.lk/article/455785/Sri-Lanka-%E2%80%98Maritime-Week
Industry says a major boost/recognition for the shipping and logistics industry.
UK flag revival efforts begin. By Janet Porter. Lloyd's List [Online]. 12 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/regulation/article466400.ece MCA to recruit
new director of the UK Ship Register, with commercial experience.
Tianjin port at standstill. By Jonathan Boonzaier. TradeWinds [Online]. 13 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/casualties/366675/tianjin-port-at-standstill
Shipping is at a standstill in Tianjin port following the massive explosion last night at a
warehouse that has caused widescale damage, killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds
more.
Tianjin port gets back to work after deadly warehouse blasts. By Dexter Yan.
IHS Maritime 360 [Online]. 13 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18955 Shanghai-listed Tianjin Port Holdings said its port
work and operations were back to normal after mass explosions took place at a dangerous
goods warehouse on the evening of 12 August.
Deadly China port blast halts oil ships as BHP ore disrupted. Bloomberg [Online].
12 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-12/tianjinchina-blast-affects-port-handling-coal-metal-ore-oil Shipments of oil and iron ore were disrupted
at the northern Chinese port of Tianjin after a blast killed at least 44 people and injured
hundreds.
The Shipping Podcast - Episode 2. UK Chamber of Shipping [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.ukchamberofshipping.com/news/2015/08/13/shipping-podcast-episode-2/
In the second edition of the Shipping Podcast, Jonathan Roberts discusses London International
Shipping Week, the world's top container ports and the ongoing crisis in Calais with Janet
Porter, containers editor at Lloyd's List and Guy Platten, CEO of the UK Chamber of shipping.
Watchkeeper: Keeping boxes aboard. Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)
[Online]. 12 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.bimco.org/sitecore/content/home/news/2015/08/12_watchkeeper_week_31
How many containers are lost over the side from ships at sea each year?
EU funds LNG bunkering hub project. By Unni Einemo. Bunkerworld [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/138175 A project aimed at
making the Revithoussa LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal near Piraeus in Greece a hub for
LNG bunkering in the East Mediterranean has gained substantial European Union (EU) funding.
COSCO and China Shipping discuss merger. By Angela Yu. IHS Maritime 360 [Online].
12 August 2015. Available from: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18951 China's top two
shipping companies COSCO and China Shipping are discussing the possibility of a merger.
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Oil and gas terminals at Tianjin port closed. By Hal Brown. Lloyd's List [Online].
13 August 2015. Available from: http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/tankers/article466559.ece
All chemical, oil and liquefied petroleum gas terminals in Tianjin port have closed following the
Tianjin warehouse explosion in China, says Inchcape Shipping Services.
Port operations return to normal after Tianjin blasts. By An Lu. Xinhuanet (China) [Online].
17 August 2015. Available from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/201508/17/c_134525348.htm Operations at the Tianjin port in north China have returned to normal
following warehouse blasts on Aug. 12 that left more than 200 dead or missing, the port
authority said Monday.
Vacation in Rome? Or on that oil rig? By Ian Urbina. New York Times [Online].
15 August 2015. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/sunday-review/vacationin-rome-or-on-that-oil-rig.html In the next several years, thousands of offshore oil and gas
drilling rigs, many of them built during a global construction boom in the 1970s and '80s, will
reach retirement age and require decommissioning.
Tianjin explosion highlights growth of accumulation risks.
International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) [Online]. 17 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.iumi.com/images/gillian/2015PressConference/Press_release_Tianjin_explosion_hig
hlights_growth_of_accumulation_risks.pdf
The recent catastrophe at the port of Tianjin in
China resulted in the loss of at least 100 lives and many more people are still missing.
Proposal to buy lighterage vessel goes to cabinet committee today.
By Asif Showkat Kallot. Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh) [Online]. 19 August 2015.
Available from: http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2015/aug/19/proposal-buy-lighteragevessel-goes-cabinet-committee-today Shipping ministry is set to place a proposal before
cabinet committee on public purchase today to procure a crude oil carrying lighterage vessel.
Prosafe books first gig for new accommodation vessel. By Mike Schuler. gCaptain
[Online]. 18 August 2015. Available from: http://gcaptain.com/prosafe-books-first-gig-for-newaccommodation-vessel/ Semi-submersible accommodation vessel owner Prosafe says it has
booked a $60 million contract for use of one of its newbuild vessels beginning in 2016.
DNV GL releases new class notation for gas bunkering operation from ship to ship.
By Nina Chemaitis. DNV GL [Online]. 20 August 2015. Available from:
https://www.dnvgl.com/news/dnv-gl-releases-new-class-notation-for-gas-bunkering-operationfrom-ship-to-ship-34379 DNV GL has developed a new class notation for gas bunker vessels
that ensures safe fuel transfer operations from one ship to another.
Shipping issues arising out of the Tianjin explosions. Steamship Mutual [Online].
August 2015. Available from:
http://www.steamshipmutual.com/publications/Articles/shippingissuestianjinexplosions.htm
Shortly after 11pm (local time) on 12 August 2015 firefighters arrived at Tianjin Port because a
fire had been reported to have broken out in some containers.
Calls for action on development issued at Arctic shipping conference. By Yereth Rosen.
Alaska Dispatch News [Online]. 24 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.adn.com/article/20150823/calls-concrete-action-issued-arctic-shipping-conference
With Arctic sea ice dwindling toward what is likely to be one of the lowest minimums on record,
conditions are primed for a busy shipping season at the top of the world.
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Shipping Forecast to continue despite Met Office losing BBC contract.
By Sarah Knapton. The Telegraph [Online]. 23 August 2015. Available from:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11819295/Shipping-Forecast-tocontinue-despite-Met-Office-losing-BBC-contract.html Shipping Forecast fans can breathe a
sigh of relief after the Met Office said it will continue to supply information for the much-loved
Shipping Forecast.
RESEARCH
Long-term response of oceans to CO2 removal from the atmosphere.
By S. Mathesius, M. Hofmann et al. Nature Clim Change. [Online]. (2015). Available from:
http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2729.html Carbon dioxide
removal (CDR) from the atmosphere has been proposed as a measure for mitigating global
warming and ocean acidification.
Evaluating the social cost of cruise ships air emissions in major ports of Greece.
By A. Maragkogianni, S. Papaefthimiou.
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. [Online]. (2015). Available from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920915000231 Detailed NOx, SO2 and
PM2.5 emissions have been estimated for cruise ships in the five busiest Greek ports (i.e.
Piraeus, Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu and Katakolo) for year 2013.
First observations on the abundance and composition of floating debris in the Northwestern Black Sea. By G. Suaria, M. C. Melinte-Dobrinescu et al.
Marine Environmental Research. [Online]. (2015). Available from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113615000471 The occurrence of marine
litter in the Black Sea region is poorly known and even less data have been reported on the
abundance of floating debris.
Floating litter in the Black Sea: abundance and composition
Distribution patterns of blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and shipping off southern
Sri Lanka. By T. Priyadarshana, S. M. Randage et al. Regional Studies in Marine Science.
[Online]. (2015). Available from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485515000341 Surveys were conducted
off the southern coast of Sri Lanka in 2014 and 2015 to investigate the distribution patterns of
blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus spp.) in relation to current shipping lanes, and further
offshore.
Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing.
By C. Wilcox, E. Van Sebille et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
[Online]. (2015). Available from:
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/08/27/1502108112.abstract Plastic pollution in the
ocean is a global concern; concentrations reach 580,000 pieces per km2 and production is
increasing exponentially.
Full article
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Maritime Knowledge Centre
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About the cover
The CAB Cover is a photograph of the international memorial to the world’s seafarers, past,
present and future which graces the entrance to IMO Headquarters in London. The memorial,
a seven-metre high, ten-tonne bronze representation of the bow of a cargo ship with a lone
seafarer on the deck, is the work of internationally renowned British sculptor Michael Sandle.
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