SEA AND COAST MARITIME MAGAZINE (January 2021) by SEA AND COAST

DELHI POLICE LICENSING UNIT NO: F.2 (S.6) PRESS/2016

MONTHLY MARITIME MAGAZINE January 2021 Volume-05 Issue-01 RNI NO:DELENG/2017/ 70663 â&#x201A;¹315 Distributed in India,Singapore,Canada,Sri Lanka,Iran,Italy,Greece,Venezuela,Israel,UAE,SouthAfrica, Usa,Spain,Kazakhstan,Vietnam,Turkey,Bulgaria,Belgium,Malaysia,Nigeria, And Poland

COVID-19 Wreaking Havoc Over the Maritime Industry

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 02

ADVISORY BOARD

Admiral R K Dhowan (Retd). PVSM.AVSM.YSM,Chairman of Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies Former Chairman of National Maritime Foundation and Former Chief of the Naval Staff, (Indian Navy)

Dr.Malini V. Shankar, (IAS,) Vice Chancellor Indian Maritime University Chairman of National Shipping Board, Former Director General of Shipping (Ministry Of Shipping) Goverment of India. Member, Board of Governors, World Maritime University,Malmo, Sweden

Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (Retd), Former Chairman & Managing Director of Goa Shipyard (Fastest Growing Shipyard)

Colonel Rohit Dev (Retd) M.Sc. Operational Art & Strategic Thinking

Dr.Patrick Verhoeven Managing Director, International Association of Ports and Harbors

Mrs. Suneeti Bala India’s First female Merchant Navy Chief Engineer.

Admiral Jayanath Colombage RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc MSc (DS), MA (IS), Dip in IR, Dip in CR, FNI (Lond) is the 18th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy

O-7 CDR (Retd.) Eyal Pinko (PHD) Maritime Cyber and Security Senior Consultant.Phd Candidate for Naval Strategy

Jillian Carson-Jackson M.ED, FNI, FRIN President, The Nautical Institute Director, GlobalMET Assistant Editor, Peer Reviewer, the Journal of Navigation

Dr. (Cdr) Arnab Das Director of the Maritime Research Centre (MRC) under the Indian Maritime Foundation, Pune

03 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Mr.Shekhar Dutt (IAS) Former Governor of Chhattisgarh, Former Dy National Security Advisor and Former Defence Secretary (Goverment Of India)

Shri Ashish Wankhede Deputy Director General of Shipping , Directorate General of Shipping, (Ministry of Shipping ) Govt of India.

Dr. Sadanand Gupta , Deputy Collector, Deputy Collector, Uttar Pradesh

Captain Radhika Menon World’s First Woman Captain to Receive An IMO Award And India’s First female Merchant Navy Captain

Captain Nick Nash, Mnm Cmmar Frgs Frn Fni former President of NAUTICAL INSTITUTE Professional Admission for NI Mumbai Branch (RN / MN Cooperative)

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Grow your business with The Sea And Coast Promote your business to the right audience, at the right time and in the right place READ BY

Senior Marine Engineers, Ship Managers, Shipbuilders,Oil and Gas Sector Shipping Associations, Research Associations & Consultancies, Vessel Owners & Managers

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 04

Amit Kumar FOUNDER. CEO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

hile I was putting this edition of magazine I found that it aptly discusses the need of reviving the most understated yet most important sector shipbuilding. Furthermore, it has vigorously discussed the transition of maritime industry syncing with digitalisation. It has thoroughly put all the progress and advancements in the field of unmanned, tracking and positioning, defence sector, and many more. Through exclusive columns and FOUNDER. CEO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF diversified articles and news coverage it has brought to you all the updates you need to feed your mind with. Proceeding further, despite the disturbances owing to COVID and pandemic; defence PSUs has added functionality to India Navy and many other technological advancements has been well addressed in this magazine. When we look forward into this edition of magazine, it aims at providing you with all the happenings in and around the maritime world. The news, events, maritime technology progressiveness shows the resurgence of the sector after the pandemic. The shipment of COVID VACCINE is the most important logistical concern and the magazine provides you with the latest information and Technological modification required to ship the vaccine. So, this magazine is approaching to you with the zeal and dedication the maritime industry is rising after the great dip. The sector is bound to rise since the vaccination is commited to have a continuous supply chain and logistical smoothness. So, let's jump into this edition and acquaint ourselves with the latest incidents in and around the maritime globe.

Hulya Guler

Assistant Editor

Captain.Ayse Asli Basak Assistant Editor Ritbik Kumar Content Engineer

Amit Kumar

05 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Ramjeet

Marketing Head

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BANGLADESH

SHE @ SEA Name - Kaniz fatima

Rank - Deck Cadet Company - Bangladesh Shipping corporation Myself kaniz fatima, postgraduate student of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University and ex cadet of Bangladesh Marine Academy. Currently working as a leader of IWSF Bangladesh. Sailing time: 22 month Vision: My vision is to keep myself involved in extensive research activities for female empowerment as well as contribute to the development of female seafarers to minimize gender inequality. Achievement: Three of my article has been published in chattogram bandar barta magazine, Maritime campus magazine and bengal logistics website. I have also presented one seminar paper regarding ' prospects and challenges of women seafarer: Bangladesh perspective ' in BSMR maritime university. My extra curricular activities are photography, poem recitation, caligraphy and I'm also a fluitist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My message to all women seafarers never gives up on your profession considering you as less competent. By being positive with persistent and diligent efforts, you will be able to overcome all the hurdles along your journey. Just keep faith in yourself. "

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 06

Aspirations 08

Content NEWS

Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd) Chairman Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDes). Former Chief of the Naval Staff (Indian Navy) and Chairman National Maritime Foundation.

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OPENING REMARKS BY THE CNS DURING ANNUAL NAVY DAY PRESS CONFERENCE – 03 DEC 2020

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LAUNCH OF 2nd PROJECT 17A SHIP ‘HIMGIRI’

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EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

VICE ADMIRAL SANDEEP NAITHANI, AVSM, VSM,ASSUMES CHARGE AS THE CONTROLLER WARSHIP PRODUCTION AND ACQUISITION

IMO recognises Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) as an integral component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS)

Support to Boost Maritime Security in Tunisia United in the Fight Against Corruption

Maritime Cyber and Security Senior Consultant. Phd Candidate for Naval Strategy

International News

IMO Minibus Supports Maritime Security Training in Djibouti

More States join IMO call to designate seafarers as key workers.

Virtual Training to Empower Port Women

Lars H. Bergqvist Master Mariner, Norwegian Merchant Marine Lieutenant, Royal Swedish Naval Reserve.

Murat Bakal MBA(Business of Administration) Rana Shipping Technical Manager, Marmara University Mechanical Engineering Dept. Lecturer, Writer, Oceangoing Chief Eng.

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Discussions to Restart Malaysian Cruises Are Stalled Royal Caribbean Resumes Singapore Cruises Days After COVID-19 Scare Boxship Arrives in UAE With Toppled Containers Sri Lanka coughing up a container terminal South Korean-ﬂagged tanker seized by Iran, Seoul demands release

FSO Safer: contingency planning progresses as UN assessment mission gets green light

Venezuela resumes direct oil shipments to China despite U.S. sanctions

46 26 47 Maintaining connectivity during the pandemic 48

What 2021 will bring to East Med energy?

Marine biosafety training in the Philippines

Supporting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea Supporting maritime technical cooperation 27 during the pandemic. Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020 issued for Public Consultation

India Proposes Crew Change at Sea for Ships Stranded oﬀ China Search and Rescue Underway After Chinese Cargo Ship Sinks oﬀ Vietnam

NEWS 49

EC Needs to Act on Carriers' Practices, Say European Shippers Icebreaker ﬁtted with hybrid motorized removable bow

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways 28 identiﬁes new routes for RO-RO, RO-PAX & Ferry Services. Buckeye Completes Marine Terminal for Oil Exports at Corpus Christi.

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ConocoPhillips gets nod for remote operation of North Sea platform

Scorpio Bulkers Changes Name to Eneti in Transition to Oﬀshore Energy RNLI Manages COVID Risk for Lifeboat Crews as UK Lockdown Resumes

Container ship suﬀered water ingress, listed, taken to port, China

Pandion buys stake in two Norwegian oﬀshore licences

Salvors Complete Second Cut Through the Hull of the Golden Ray

Products Speciﬁc Warehouses/Silos to come up at Ports and National Waterways. Capt. Kamal Kant Sharma HoD at FOSMA NOIDA

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is kicking oﬀ ambitious Project of Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) with potential airline operators Cargo ship grounded by storm in Yantai, China

Trialling Just-In-Time Arrival

O-7 CDR (Retd.) Eyal Pinko (PHD)

Battery-powered oilfield ship by Galliano-based shipbuilder to be first of its kind Anemoi, Norsepower and Lloyd's Register together hails wind propulsion technology Equinor, a Norwegian Energy producer signs a deal with software provider Yxney for a system aimed at improving efficiency of ships

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India on a road to become leader in zero emission ferries

EU to go for oﬀshore grid in Atlantic Ocean

SANTA OF THE SEA DELIVERS CHRISTMAS TO CRUISE WORKERS LOCKED DOWN AT SEA

Mission sagar ii - ins kiltan arrives at sihanoukville Cambodia

Zim Files for Initial Stock Oﬀering on the NYSE K Line's 1st LNG-powered car carrier set for delivery this year Paciﬁc Drilling emerges from bankruptcy

Non-Conventional Renewable Energy Sector to Boom in Latin America

Amit Kumar

Buckeye Completes Marine Terminal for Oil Exports at Corpus Christi. Meyer Werft Invests in Zero Emissions Tech for Cruise Ships

INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM (IONS) WORKING GROUP MEETING ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF

FOUNDER. CEO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Castor Maritime secures ﬁnancing for bulker duo Singapore Cracks Down After Class Surveyor Catches COVID-19

Sailing expedition from kochi to androth island onboard insv bulbul (23-28 dec 20)

NEWS

Maersk Boxship Boarded oﬀ West Africa Bloomberg: LNG on track for post-COVID recovery

07 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Sustainable development to shape Port of Tallinn’s future

Korean Shipbuilders Sweep New Orders Worth US$13.9 Bil. in Q4 of 2020

Fisherman Killed in High Speed Collision With Sea Shepherd Vessel

USNS Mercy Unavailable to Help LA County as Pandemic Sweeps California Tight Ocean Freight Market Continues With No End in Sight

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Aspirations

Admiral RK Dhowan (retd), PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd) Chairman Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDes). Former Chief of the Naval Staff (Indian Navy) and Chairman National Maritime Foundation. 1. On behalf of the Governing Council SAMDeS, let me extend our best wishes for a safe, healthy and Happy New Year to the entire Sea and Coast Community and its large subscribers in India and abroad. We recognise the immense support that has come our way from Sea and Coast and we applaud it. 2. In the short span of time, since we were formally established and despite the current situation, SAMDeS has already carved itself a niche place in the policy making environment. Our recommendations on various issues and concepts of collaborative projects with our regional neighbours have been taken serious note of and in some cases already acted upon. We have also worked on reinvigorating the beleaguered shipbuilding, shipping and ship repair sector and have sent our proposals to the relevant Ministers.

5. With the help of our mentors and distinguished members we have put together the first ever Module on Public Procurement Procedures for MBA students. The faculty includes senior former civil servants and practitioners from Government. We would be running these modules in partnership with Institutes/Universities and industry associations. 6. In all our endeavours Sea and Coast occupies a pride of place and your continued contribution to SAMDeS provides us great encouragement. We also benefit from the wide range of issues that are discussed in the Sea and Coast issues and that gives us useful leads on the way forward to further improve the national aero-def-maritime ecosystem.

7. In 2021 we are certain to jointly add further value in our research 3. In the coming months, our focus is on application of Artificial and policy advocacy initiative towards a strong, prosperous and Intelligence in Land, Air and Maritime operations and its increasing resilient Atma Nirbhar Bharat. relevance in International Relations. We intend to also convene deliberation on the role of BIG DATA and AI to further refine our oversight capabilities. These would be pioneering activities in this field. 4. We also have upcoming conferences on the Blue Economy and the SDGs, an Indo- Pacific dialogue and the role of the aero-def-maritime industry to promote technology driven sustainable businesses in alignment with the call for AtmaNirbhar Bharat.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 08

Aspirations

Amit Kumar (Editor in Chief) Sea and Coast Maritime Media

Sea and Coast Signs MoU with SAMDeS venturing out as the media partner of the same In a newsletter by Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd), Chairperson, SAMDeS; SAMDeS extended new year greetings to Sea and Coast Media and was congratulated on achieving huge number of subscribers in India and across other countries. Admiral RK Dhowan made the Sea and Coast Media House aware of the current proceedings of the SAMDeS how it is taking it concrete steps in niche policy making via sending proposals to reinvigorating the crippled ship building and ship repair sector. Meanwhile, he also stated how Sea and Coast help the SAMDeS in carrying out further plans learning from the trends covered in the magazine. Moreover, the SAMDeS is currently aiming at catching up with the Big Data and organise conferences on the Blue Economy and the SDGs, an Indo-Pacific dialogue and the role of the aero-def-maritime industry to promote technology driven sustainable businesses in alignment with the call for AtmaNirbhar Bharat.

Let us all hope the best out of this year and work unitedly in achieving our collaborative aim to promote disciplinary research and analysis to inspire and inform the private policy discourse on aerospace, defence, military, and maritime affairs.

Collaborative aim of creating more opportunities for research and analysis in domain of maritime, defence, and aerospace affairs.

Offer opportunities to keen youngsters to work with a consolidated top tier group with humongous armed forces and strategical operations experience to contribute better to the nation building.

We all of us here at Sea and Coast thank and indebted to Cmde. Sujeet SamaddarNM (Retd.), Honorary Secretary, SAMDeS and Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd), Chairperson, SAMDeS for furnishing us with a great opportunity. We wish to excel Though the year 2020 wasn't the greatest of all but it brought some- on the sole objective of MoU in the coming year. thing cherishing and motivating to us. It was a matter of pride for me and all of us here at Sea and Coast Marine Magazine Media house to SAMDeS in coordination with Sea and Coast Media House works in sign an MoU with a body as great as SamDes. We all of us here at Sea the realisation of addressing the aero-defence-maritime affairs to and Coast wish SamDes a body rich in veterans and defence young generations and make them feel accountable and the pivotal in dignitaries a great success and a booming year ahead for all of them establishing a progressive graph as per the advancements for the at SamDeS and their families. same. A vigorous and healthy engagement over the topics in the guidance of veterans with baggage of experience is going to be a We wish to bring endeavour to our media house working with kickstart in niche policy making of the undervalued spheres and you. sectors and progress accordingly in line with AtmaNirbhar Bharat. Ÿ

We wish to inculcate a firm nationalist approach in youngsters by educating them of affairs related to Maritime, Aerospace and Defence.

We wish to conduct events, international conference and gatherings aimed at discussing maritime, aerospace, and defence affairs enlightening the masses of the most understated yet the most important subject on defence.

We solemnly promise to act as liaison between you and the people of respective domain. And knocking the doors of people with your high objective.

We all of us here at Sea and Coast wish to work in close collaboration with you and train the youngsters on mental level through various internships and sessions.

09 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

O-7 CDR (Retd.) Eyal Pinko (PHD) Maritime Cyber and Security Senior Consultant. Phd Candidate for Naval Strategy

Colombian Navy captures fully submersible sub for drugs transport, possible origin North Korea or Iran / Dr. Eyal Pinko At the beginning of this month, the Colombian Navy made its latest capture of a submarine from one of the drug barons. The sub was significantly different from the others captured. Unlike its predecessor, this one was fully submersible rather than semi-submersible, and an electric engine powered it.

It is possible that the submarine was transferred by Iran to the drug barons, even by the tankers that arrived in Venezuela during the last few months from Iran, despite the opposition of the Americans who did nothing to stop them (except make empty threats).

Iran (and Hezbollah) started to operate in South and Central America in the 1980s, using the corrupt regimes in these areas for their economic and operational entrenchment in the region, establishing terror infrastructure, training, fundraising, and acquisition of weapons. The drug infrastructures enable Iran and Hezbollah to generate high income & under the The submarine was captured near the Cucurrupi radar without US capability to impose economic sanctions on their bank accounts. River as part of a wide- ranging operation that the Columbian Navy is conducting with the DEA, the To realize their plans, Iran and Hezbollah started to invest in the drug-growing fields, which US agency responsible for countering drug and has increased to the extent that they control large drug-growing areas in recent years. Iran alcohol smuggling and weapons. The sub was and Hezbollah are operating together with the major drug barons of South America, mainly operated by 11 people arrested and handed over with those of Colombia and with the &quot;Cartel of the Suns&quot; controlled by to the US to face charges. Venezuela, to manufacture drugs and smuggle them into the US, European countries, and the Middle East The submarine has a cylindrical body made from GRP (glass reinforced plastic), and the depth to which it can dive is limited. However, the submarine, which is about 20 meters long, can carry up to six tons for more than 3,000 km. All the previously captured submarines were made of fiberglass. This submarine's features indicate significantly advanced manufacturing capabilities. The use of submarines for drug smuggling by drug barons from Central and South America started to increase at the beginning of the 2000s. Dozens of submarines that tried to smuggle drugs into the US have been captured. In November 2019, the Spanish Navy captured a semi-submersible near the country's coast as it tried to smuggle three tons of drugs. Experts from the US estimated that drug barons are operating more than 1,000 submarines at the beginning of this year. Among the organizations operating the midget submarines are the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the ELA (National Liberation Army) from Colombia supported by Venezuela. A closer look at the midget submarine that was captured indicates a high level of midget submarine manufacturing capability, requiring a shipyard's infrastructure.This kind of submarine is similar in its configuration and the composition of its materials to midget submarines manufactured in North Korea and Iran.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 10

EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

Lars H. Bergqvist Master Mariner, Norwegian Merchant Marine Lieutenant, Royal Swedish Naval Reserve.

Asymmetrical Warfare in the Middle East against Merchant Shipping Oil tanker explosions in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea are occurring on an alarming regularly basis. The latest incident happened in the Port of Jeddah (KSA) to BW Rhine, a 76,580 DWT tanker belonging to the BW Group. This attack happened just a few weeks after the tanker M/T Agrari was attacked in a similiar fashion near Shuqaiq, another Red Sea port in Saudi Arabia. Fortunately, in both cases, there was no injure to the crew or a large oil spill. The conflict The attacks on shipping are mainly linked to the Yemeni civil war. Broadly, it is conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels, which in the larger picture is a proxy war in the Middle East between Iran on one side and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States on the other. In simple terms, it is a tug of war between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims. Also USA, UK, Turkey, France and Israel are involved the conflict, although in a more covert role.

attacked when approaching the loading (USS Mason and USS Nitze) and the bouy at Ash Shihr oil terminal. amphibious transport dock USS Ponce to the area. Subsequently, USS Mason and USS The incidents were rather straight forward Ponce came under attack from land-based and easy to identify; the mode of attack anti-ship missiles, but without being hit. As a (suicide bombers in waterborne improvised response, USS Nitze launched Tomahawk explosive devices), an organisation that cruise missiles destroying radar stations claimed responsibility (Al Qaeda) and the ashore used for the initial attack. motive (to harm nations that were considered enemies). After the Limburg attack, As an example of the complex and blurred Osama bin Laden issued following situation, can the incident of the LNG- tanker statement; “By exploding the oil tanker in Galicia Spirit highlight. The attack took place Yemen, the holy warriors hit the umbilical near Bab el Mandeb on the same month, cord and lifeline of the crusader community, October 2016. But this was a low tech reminding the enemy of the heavy cost of seaborne assault, with a skiff that for blood and the gravity of losses they will pay unknown reasons exploded 20 meters as a price for their continued aggression on before reaching the topside of the tanker. Nobody ever claimed responsibility for the our community and looting of our wealth.” attack. Fortunately, until the start of the Yemeni civil war late 2014, the Red Sea and the Arabian Another spectacular incident was the missile Sea were very much spared from the attack on M/S Ince Inebolu, a Turkishmenace of maritime terrorism.(1) However, flagged bulk carrier. With a cargo of wheat, merchant ships were still in harm's way the bulker was proceeding to the Red Sea during transit of the Gulf of Aden and port Salif in Yemen when she was hit. Western Indian Ocean due to the ferocity of Fortunately, only structural damages to a ballast tank was the result of the attack. Somali pirates.

The incidents From maritime attacks that were rather limited in location, close to Houthi held territory, incidents now stretch from the middle of the Red Sea to the Although the war started in 2014, it took about two years before the Houthi rebels northern part of Gulf of Oman. got a maritime capacity to attack seagoing The attacks are mainly directed towards vessels crafts. The incidents described below is by that have some kind of connection to Saudi no means an exhaustive list but it gives an Arabia or the United Arab Emirates or are visiting overview over how the maritime security ports of these countries, like the recent attack in situation has developed. Jeddah or the attacks on four tankers at Fujairah anchorage in the spring of 2019. However, also In October 2016 a missile was fired from Iranian vessels have been victims of explosions rebel held territory and hit the United Arab and the belligerent actors can be hard to identify Emirates catamaran Swift when she was among the usual suspects of state actors, non- transiting the narrow strait of Bab el Mandeb. UAE claimed it was a civilian state actors, rebels, terrorists and pirates. vessel carrying aid, whereas the Houthi Yemen became infamous for maritime terrorist rebels stated that it was a naval vessel. Due attacks about 20 years ago, when first USS Cole to the incident, US Navy dispatched two was attacked in the port of Aden and two years destroyers later when the French tanker M/T Limburg was

11 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

In January 2017, there was a change of modus operandi when a Saudi frigate was hit west of the rebel held port of Hudaydah. The frigate was hit in the stern by an explosive device, and two KSA sailors were killed. The coalition forces claimed that “suicide boats” had been used, but more likely a remotely controlled water borne improvised explosion device had been used. In the May 2019, the conflict in Yemen was brought to neighbouring states when four tankers were attacked at Fujairah anchorage. It was a well performed military mission that slightly damaged the vessels, without causing any injury to the crew or oil pollution.

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EXCLUSIVE COLUMN Fujairah is a very busy anchorage with as many as 100 vessels at anchor at any time. To pin point the vessels, that all had some connection to the coalition forces, indicates good planning and professionalism, although the attack was facilitated by AIS that was transmitting data on each vessel.(2) Most observers came to the conclusion that limpet mines had been used, attached by divers or sailors on small boats.

As the weapon platform becomes more and more advanced, maybe “improvised” should be dropped, and renamed to Armed Maritime Drone. It should not be ruled out that even Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) have been used.

The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a US led consortium of countries tasked with maintaining maritime security in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea, has issued Bridge Reference Cards with guidelines how to react to hostile situations.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, laden with explosives have been About a month after the Fujairah incident, used by Houthi rebels against land targets Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which is another multianother spectacular incident took place far away in Saudi Arabia. national naval organisation, has establish from Yemen when two loaded tankers were the Maritime Security Transit Corridor The defence attacked in the Gulf of Oman, Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous. Also in these incidents, it Commonly when non-state actors are (MSTC) for safe passage of southern Red fighting wars, asymmetrical warfare is used Sea, Bab el Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. was believed that limpet mines had been used. to a large extent by the Houthis. As That the Red Sea is a treacherous waterway experience from many wars shows, it is The shipping industry has a very informative could also the Iranians testify to. The Islamic difficult to fight insurgents with conventional website (www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org) Republic claimed in the autumn of 2019 that armed forces. The famous Lawrence of where the above mentioned documents can three Iranian tankers had been targeted in a six- Arabia wrote in his book Seven Pillars of be found, together with other important month period. However, only one incident, the Wisdom that “Making war upon rebellion information concerning maritime security. explosion on the tanker Sabity has been was messy and slow, like eating soup with a confirmed. The vessel, in loaded condition and knife.” Hence, conventional war ships are 1) Before 2014 following terrorist inciunder way off the Saudi coast near Jeddah, was maybe not best platforms to combat dents occurred; waterborne guerrilla fighters. most likely hit by missiles. - In July 2010, the Japanese owned very large crude oil carrier M Star experienced an Navies from many nations are patrolling in The weapons explosion when transiting the Strait of the conflict area, some on an individual The Houthi rebels have used sophisticated Hormuz. Although no craft was sighted, the basis, some organized in units like the weapons like anti-ship missiles, but they have explosion made a large dent in the hull, and Combined Maritime Forces. However, as also been accused of using rudimentary parts of accommodation were slightly with the case of Somali piracy, the naval weapons, like drifting naval mines. The damaged. After two days, the terrorist group ships are too few in order to give a proper waterborne improvised explosive device Brigades of Abdullah Azzam claimed protection in the high risk area (HRA). (WBIED) can, as the name indicates, also be responsibility for the attack. considered unsophisticated. However, the WBIEDs have become more advanced by being In ports, the port authorities are obliged by the ISPS code to provide security in ports. - In August 2013, due to high level of activities remotely controlled. That ports are failing in their obligations are by Al Qaeda affiliated groups in Yemen, the During the 2006 Lebanon war an anti-ship the recent attacks in Jeddah and Shuqaiq Government of United Kingdom raised the ISPS security level to level 3 for British missiles was successfully used by Hezbollah an example of. flagged ships in Yemeni territorial waters. against the Israeli frigate INS Hanit. That nonstate actors can use sophisticated weapons In consequence, merchant ships are very Indeed a serious situation, since an elevation have further been highlighted during the conflict much left alone to protect themselves from to level 3 was unprecedented since the ISPS in Yemen. Nonetheless, a weapon platform is terrorist attacks. The ISPS code should be code was introduced in 2004. needed to get close to the target, or the target followed and a risk analysis conducted. needs to be close to shore, in order for missiles Fortunately, there are some excellent - In September 2013, while on transit in the to be effective. Missiles can be defined as guidelines that have been developed Suez Canal, the Chinese owned container vessel Cosca Asia was hit by a rocket belonging to conventional warfare, that can be during the last decade. propelled grenade. The ship sustained only met with conventional countermeasures, like in BMP5 - Best Management Practises To minor damages, and there were no casualthe case with USS Mason and USS Nitze. Deter Piracy And Enhance Maritime ties. An Islamist group named Al-Furqan Although that there have been many warnings Security In The red Sea, Gulf Of Aden, claimed responsibility for the attack. about drifting sea mines, there are no confirmed Indian Ocean And Arabian Sea is, as the incidents. It is hardly likely that any of the warring title indicates, on its fifth edition. Is a 2) Regarding the maritime security aspect to parties in the conflict will use such imprecise document vital to follow when a Captain, k e e p A I S o n s e e f o l l o w i n g a r t i c l e . method of naval warfare. A parting wire may SSO and CSO are planning and executing http://www.seaandcoast.in/exclusivecolumn/2039/lars-h-bergqvist-mastercause an anchored mine to float to the surface a voyage through the HRA. mariner- norwegian-merchant-marineand start drifting, but that is not a part of any modus operandi. Notwithstanding, off the port of The Oil Companies International Marine lieutenant-royal-swedish-naval-reserve-aisMohka a Yemeni coast guard ship struck a Forum (OCIMF) has produced Ship blessing-or- a-curse Security Bridge Vulnerability Study, with submerged mine that was anchored. recommendations about ship hardening. The mine that allegedly has been causing most damage in the conflict is the limpet mine. Both at Fujariah anchorage incident and in the Gulf of Oman incident the conclusion has been that limpet mines have been used. It is a legendary method, perfected by Decima Flottiglia MAS, an Italian commando frogman unit that was sinking allied ships in the Mediterranean during the Second World War. However, it is a rather refined method that needs highly skilled and trained operators. Remotely Controlled Waterborne Improvised Explosive Devices (RCWBIED) are probably the most effective method when attacking naval or merchant ships.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 12

EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

Murat Bakal MBA(Business of Administration) Rana Shipping Technical Manager, Marmara University Mechanical Engineering Dept. Lecturer, Writer, Oceangoing Chief Eng.

How did the shipping sector welcome sulphur 2020?

The ﬁrst of the VLSFO fuels we use on our ships since January 1, 2020 impressions showed that not all parties were well prepared for this preparation process. Especially the subject When we consider it from the technical point of view, the most basic of a ship for commercial activity The requirement is that ship machinery can be operated eﬃciently without malfunction. we all know

What have we experienced after January 1; Some companies did not encounter any problems. He sees it as a chance and We want to point out that there is no guarantee that they will not encounter. The underlying We can show the instability of fuels as a reason. Fuel purchased from many countries It is not compatible with It Although your machine manufacturers each other and even alone causes machine will give the most accurate answer at this point, a general information It is more damage. can be. correct to use BN 70 and BN40 oils every 1 - A group of companies experienced Cat-Fines week. because they received fuel with high Al + Si ratio, Manufacturers have stated that it will be, and some companies but especially in BN100 users, liner shine Although it was not a very high value, it was faced and There were problems with oil not with cat-fines. Well more Even in HFO fuels used sticking to the cylinder wall. Most oil before 1 furnace, Al + Si ratio is higher, the ship companies are also We are experiencing was not facing the Cat Fines problem. At this difficulties due to the fact that we cannot point, a I want to make a point. All coaches are meet at this point and produce a single type usually more than this amount or They dealt with of oil. the island scarcity, but they forgot the molecular structure. Molecular structure even if the amount Conscious to comply with company is small the small Al + Si passed through your instructions to manage oil use in operafilters easily. Therefore a 10 micron filter Those tional terms You must have ship managers. who do not consider their suggestions should Where old information changes, constantly once again consider the issue. - Separator new In a period of knowledge, traditional efficiency has become a debatable issue. Of thinking systems benefit nobody. it is clear fuels and Good for fuels with low temperatures that it will not. -For all fuel types, pour point, due to their low flash point we could not provide sediment, catfin sa, paraffin or aromatic separation. Some brands went to revisions in mixture Suitable working conditions should be provided by paying attention to and separators, many brands but did not change. viscosity. - Companies that suffer from layer - Continuous low tbn due to the use of low-sulfur damage cannot provide spare liners and fuel in cylinder lubrication Companies using pistons or can be provided for long periods. cylinder oil must be prepared for piston and liner Not prepared for this process in terms of spare parts we got caught - Ships passing damage. to MGO at ports will not be able to go

13 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

from ship to ship before 1-2 hours. With the change, the complete VLSFO from the system by switching to thin fuel at least 3-4 hours before they must make sure that the fuel is purge. This is because with some fuels, MGO Even in the amount of VLSF fuel mixing and waiting fixed, especially in the fuel create adhesive properties and barrelplunger, such as fuel indexes It causes the staff to hold back. This grip is not a simple grip, it When you touch each other, you cannot separate your hands or keep the plunger from the barrel. strong enough that you will have to tie it in a vise and disengage it. In these days when there are many problems related to new fuels, the ship stores a reserve fuel and preferably MGO on-board I would like to emphasize the necessity. Also a very meaningful price between VLSFO and MGO When the risks taken by making the account book due to the lack of difference We can drive our machines with MGO until the fuels are characterized for a while longer. It should not be forgotten that this process should be handled by all parties in all aspects. It is a necessary issue and we can take more effective measures by sharing their experiences.

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EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

Capt. Kamal Kant Sharma HoD at FOSMA NOIDA

A Flight away from ‘fright’ ‘Don't put me to test!’ said Jesus Christ Thus, even the son of God feared fear. Day or a few hours before an examination, the student sees himself as the most pathetic and helpless soul, even hoping that the exam gets postponed. In covid times, the DG shipping has done a commendable job in organising the MMD written exams, but primarily the fear of examination supplemented by the fear of covid-19 itself has resulted in sloppy response.

We and this world are one- by adopting this idea, fear disappears! With the perspective of this absolute unity, we automatically become calmer, kinder, less fearful and more open receptive and naturally connected to the rest of the world.

3. Whenever fear strikes, confront it by being positive. If we adopt a positive outlook, many of the people we meet will Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the respond likewise. In general, no matter threat of harm. Fear is the root cause of a lot of what we think about the world, people are misery. Material attachments bring fear of their only a mirror for us. loss. People hoard money and possessions. Mistreat their fellow beings due to insecurity. In 4. Everybody wishes predictability & fact, all evil in the world is the outcome of some control, although it’s impossible to achieve. fear! There’s a saying ‘’ Chintaa chitaa samaan When we don’t assume control, we hai” or fear is akin to death. experience fear. But, are we really in complete control ever? Even the best Usually fear is an imaginary negative thought batsman could get out on a duck and a form. Is a small child afraid of playing with fire, or pacer hit for a six. One should give up the getting on to a bicycle, or putting his hand in a illusion of control & surrender to the dog’s mouth? This is because fear doesn’t exist Almighty. ‘Karmanyavadhikaaraste maa in a child until some adult scares him into faleshu kadaachan’- Do your best & leave believing that certain things are off limits for him the rest to rest. or are something to be afraid of. Or unless he gets burnt by the fire, the physical sensation of 5. We should deeply analyse our fear- what pain sinks into his subconscious as fear- ‘to thoughts generated it; where, when and never approach the fire again’. Thus largely fear why it surmounted us. One should be an is a creation of the mind. observer of one’s inner space. We should ask ourselves of Some fears are desirable eg) the awareness that we should not jump off a high rise because we’ll get hurt. It is a God-gifted fear in us right from our birth and is meant to protect us. It is the fears that retard our lives, stop our growth, interfere in our career goals and restrict us, which we should do something about.

what could be the worst case scenario? Hear that inner voice. Face the fear and look at it in its eyes. Let the law of Murphy & the law of averages sleep in books; Choose freedom... Choose life. Let’s understand Failure. Most of our fears are associated with the fear of failure, not being good enough or not living up to the standards society or family has put up for us. When we realize that failure is not the end of the world, we become free. Failure is just a stepping stone to success. Be the master of your own life.....and the beginning is by overcoming fear. If one can forget his fear and sincerely work towards one’s optimum potential, he is likely to do his best. If fear or the high pass percentage demanded, or the huge failure rate observed in competency examination is preventing you into writing one for which you have been preparing, then just shun fear. Even if Godforbid you were to fail, you would certainly have a upper hand tackling it next time; Than if you sit home out of fear and get absent. Life is too short for regret and repents. Therefore Friend, ‘Dar ke aagey jeet hai’....There’s victory beyond fear; Go for it and get it!

1. Switch the attention from fear to what we should be grateful for i.e) our life, our health, our parents, our teachers, our school, our friends, our city and our country. Purpose of life is the celebration of being alive! 2. Understanding our minuteness. That we are only a product of our surroundings.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST 14

(People Angle)

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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OPENING REMARKS BY THE CNS DURING ANNUAL NAVY DAY PRESS CONFERENCE – 03 DEC 2020 1. It is indeed a pleasure for me to welcome you all to this year’s Navy 6. The Navy undertook its largest ever Non-combatant Evacuation Week Media interaction. under the aegis of Operation Samudra Setu, wherein, nearly 4000 Indian nationals in Iran, Maldives and Sri Lanka were brought back 2. I would like to place on record, the Navy’s appreciation for the role home during the pandemic. played by the media in keeping our citizens informed about naval and maritime issues, thereby, contributing towards shaping the maritime 7. While the natural tendency is to look inwards in difficult times, the discourse in the Country. Government of India and Indian Navy looked outwards, extending support and succor to our friends and partners during the pandemic. 3. Over the next 15 minutes, I will provide you with a broad overview of Missions Sagar I and II, involving deployment of Naval medical the Indian Navy’s major operational activities over the past year, teams, medicines and humanitarian aid to friendly foreign countries following which, I shall highlight some of our future plans. Thereafter, I across the IOR, received wide-spread recognition, reiterating India’s will be glad to take on your questions. commitment to the region. 4. The year 2020 has been defined by the COVID pandemic, which disrupted and permeated every aspect of life. Tensions along our Northern borders significantly increased the complexities in our security situation. This dual-challenge scenario continues as we speak and the country, collectively, continues to battle the pandemic and tackle security challenges. In these testing times, the Indian Navy aims to stand steadfast as a ‘Combat-ready, Credible and Cohesive force’ furthering our national and maritime interests.

8. Prompt implementation of preventive measures across the Navy aided in minimising the disruptive impact of the pandemic on our operational readiness. Our focus on maintaining combat and mission readiness aided the Navy in deterring any misadventure in the maritime domain, while contributing to the national COVID effort. 9. Our ‘Mission Based Deployment’ philosophy has enhanced Indian Navy’s presence across the region enabling rapid responses to emerging security challenges. The Indian Navy has established a persistent footprint in our areas of interest, including at various choke points in the Indian Ocean. Naval deployments also serve as a deterrent to inimical interests, clearly signalling the Navy’s reach, capability and intent.

COVID Response and Contributions 5. I will start with some of Navy’s efforts in the fight against COVID. The Indian Navy, in fulfilling our responsibilities to the Nation and its citizens, turned ‘Care- Givers’ during the pandemic. Naval aircraft contributed to transportation of samples and test equipment on numerous occasions. Naval hospital facilities were made available to the civil administrations at various places to cater for increased healthcare requirements. In support of the national effort against COVID, Naval personnel also displayed innovation in manufacture of solutions like indigenised PPE, and healthcare equipment.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

10. The Indian Navy also remains continuously deployed to curb maritime piracy in the Gulf of Aden. 84 IN ships have been deployed in the region since 2008. 11. In addition to anti-piracy, owing to heightened tensions in the Straits of Hormuz, our warships also remained deployed in the Gulf since June 2019, to reassure Indian merchant marine transiting the region. Naval ships have escorted 169 Indian Flagged Merchant vessels and 170 lakh tons of cargo under the aegis of Op SANKALP. 12. Among major, intra-Navy exercises, we conducted the Table-Top Exercise SHIKSHA, wherein contingencies across the spectrum of operations were war- gamed. The pan-Navy war game, Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (or TROPEX in short) is scheduled in early 2021. The exercise will witness participation of all our operational ships, submarines and aircraft, as well as units from Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard. As part of TROPEX, we will also be conducting a large scale Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Ex In this endeavour, the Information Fusion Centre at Gurugram, SEA VIGIL’ involving all maritime security stakeholders. commissioned in 2018, has established itself as the hub of maritime 13. Aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ – security information in the IOR, through white shipping exchange Security And Growth for All in the Region–IN participated in 13 agreements with 21 countries and 20 Maritime Security centres. bilateral and multilateral exercises, this year. The most recent International Liaison Officers from 13 countries have been invited, exercise, Malabar, with US, Japanese and Australian Navies, and 03 ILOs have joined the centre, with 03 more likely to join shortly. contributed to enhanced cooperation and trust. As part of the Government of India’s vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’, the Indian 16. I will now move on to force level planning and future acquisitions. Navy undertook Joint EEZ surveillance with Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius, as well as Coordinated Patrols (CORPATs) with 17. Induction of new assets and capabilities is being progressed in Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia. IN ships were also deployed to consonance with the Navy’s long-term perspective plans. In building a undertake hydrographic surveys for friendly littoral countries, on their future Navy, we remain committed to the vision of ‘Make-in-India’ request, for about 130 days. Our engagement with friendly foreign ‘Atmanirbharata’ in the defence sector. countries, including under the IONS construct, aim to build collective maritime competence and, include the element of capacity building 18. Indian Navy’s commitment to ‘Self Reliance in Defence and capability enhancement. These engagements help improve Production’ is evident from the fact that all 24 ships and submarines interoperability, enhance security, and reaffirm our commitment as the commissioned into the Navy over the last six years have been ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the IOR. On this note, I would also built in India. Further, of the 43 ships and submarines, currently like to inform that training of personnel from friendly foreign under construction, 41 are being built at Indian shipyards. These countries, which had been held in abeyance owing to the COVID, include the Aircraft Carrier -Vikrant, P-15B Class Destroyers, P17A have been recommenced last month. We have also started online class stealth Frigates and Scorpene class submarines. training for foreign trainees in specific verticals to restart training effort 19. Amongst these projects, Vikrant is at an advanced stage of during COVID. construction and will commence sea trials in early 2021. Visakhapatnam, the first of the P 15B destroyers is undergoing trials and is scheduled to be commissioned next year. We also commissioned the indigenously built Landing Craft LCU L57 in May this year, and ASW Corvette Kavaratti in October. ‘Himgiri’, the second of the seven ships of P17A frigates will be launched later this month at GRSE, Kolkata. 20. Modernisation of the submarine arm is also underway. The delivery of the third Scorpene (P75) class boat, Karanj, is expected by the end of the month, the fourth boat, Vela, is undergoing sea trials and fifth boat Vagir was launched recently. 21. As regards aviation, we inducted three ALH Mk III, four Chetak, eight Dornier and one P8I aircraft this year. Contracts for procurement of six P8Is, six Kamov 31 helicopters and upgrade of six Heron RPAs are under process and likely to be concluded in 2021. We also signed the LOA for 24 MRH helicopter from the United States through the FMS route this year, with deliveries starting next year. 14. While we improve operational capabilities and forge closer maritime ties with our neighbours and partners, we also continue to be proactive in rendering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.INS Airavat provided succor to Madagascar in the aftermath of Cyclone Dianne in Jan 20. Airavat and Trikand escorted food shipments to Kenya and Somalia through piracy infested waters off East Africa, as part of the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP). The UN WFP, as you all know, also won the Nobel Prize this year. Nireekshaka ssisted the Government of Mauritius in salvage operations of grounded Merchant Ship Wakashio. Sahyadri was the ‘On Scene Commander’ for coordinating firefighting, salvage and towing operations of fire stricken oil tanker New Diamond off the East coast of Sri Lanka. The prompt response to these contingencies demonstrate our resolve to be the ‘First Responder’ in the region.

22. Phase IIA of Project Seabird at Karwar is progressing on track. Construction of eight operational and two refit piers, creation of a fullfledged Naval Dockyard, upgrading of the hospital at Karwar and construction of a Naval Air Station are planned during this Phase. 23. IN has been at the forefront of indigenisation over the past seven decades. Indigenisation of major equipment and systems is being progressed through multiple avenues available in the updated Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020. The Indian Navy also established the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) to facilitate closer interaction with industry and provide a fillip to innovation.

15. Information is a critical building block towards ensuring comprehensive maritime security.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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LAUNCH OF 2nd PROJECT 17A SHIP ‘HIMGIRI’

‘Himgiri’, the first of the three Project 17A ships being built at M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata was launched today, 14 Dec 20. She made her first contact with the waters of Hoogly River at 1335 Hrs at the launch ceremony, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was the Chief Guest. In keeping with Naval traditions Smt Madhulika Rawat, spouse of CDS launched the ship to the chanting of invocations from the Atharva 24. We have taken measures towards enhancing opportunities for Veda. The ship has taken its name and crest of the second Frigate of women officers in the Navy. In this regard, maiden induction of the Leander Class of ships, which incidentally was launched 50 years observers into the helicopter stream, appointment to Remotely ago in 1970. Piloted Aircraft (RPA) squadron, and induction into Provost specialisation are some of the milestones achieved. Four women officers have also been appointed on ships, and two women officers have been appointed to overseas billets at Maldives and Moscow.

Human Resource and Training

25. In consonance with the verdict delivered by the Supreme Court, Short Service Commission officers are being considered for Permanent Commission in the Navy. 26. A few words are also in order about the defence reforms currently underway in India. I would like to reiterate the Navy’s wholehearted support for reforms in our Higher Defence Organisation, and on enhancing Tri-Service Synergy. We are looking at the establishment of the ‘Maritime Theatre Command’ in the near future, which would further buttress ‘Joint planning and application of force’ in the maritime domain. Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements. The launch of ‘Himgiri’ has showcased GRSE’s commitment towards the building of three state-of-the-art warships of P17A for Indian Navy. Over the years, GRSE has emerged as a leading shipyard having built 28. On behalf of all uniformed and civilian personnel of the Indian over 100 ships. The yard has scaled up its infrastructure and skill sets Navy, I take this opportunity to convey my best wishes to our country- to meet new challenges in building of P17A ships. P17A ships are the men on the occasion of Navy Day. first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE. 27. To Conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, in keeping with this year’s Navy Week theme, which is ‘Indian Navy -Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive’, I would like to assure, that as the primary manifestation of India’s maritime power, the Indian Navy stands ready to fulfil its mandate to protect our national interests in the maritime domain.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel ( INSV) Bulbul was flagged off from Naval Base, Kochi on 23 Dec 20 by Rear Admiral Antony George, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. INSV Bulbul is a 40 foot, LC-40 design racing- cruiser capable of independent ocean voyages across the world. The vessel has been built in India under the ‘Make in India’ project by M/s Ultra Marine Yatch Pvt. Ltd, Puducherry.

Since its inception, Project 17A has upheld India’s vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat. P17A ships have been indigenously designed by Directorate of Naval Design (Surface Ship Design Group) DND(SSG), and are being built at indigenous yards namely MDL and GRSE. Naval shipbuilding provides a great opportunity to energise our economy post COVID-19. Project 17A ships are sourcing 80% of the material/ equipment required for the project from indigenous vendors and with employment generation for over 2000 Indian ﬁrms and MSMEs within the country. Modular construction of the ship through outsourcing, and integrated construction methodology are being used to enhance GRSE’s productivity for delivery of ship targeted in August 2023.

Team Bulbul comprises mixed crew of six officers skippered by Captain Atool Sinha, an Asian Games medalist with over 22,000 nm of ocean sailing experience. The five member crew includes two women officers, the senior most being Rear Admiral Arti Sarin, Command Medical Officer, Southern Naval Command. The officer has volunteered to participate in the expedition to encourage women officers to participate in adventure sports and ocean sailing. Lt Cdr Tulika Kotnala, the second woman crew is an ATC officer who is an ocean sailing expert. She recently participated in the Bay of Bengal Sailing Expedition covering over 4500 nm. Captain US Charan, an aviator, is a recreational sailor. SLts Aviral Keshav and Ojhas Kulkarni are upcoming yatchmen, who are on their maiden ocean sailing voyage. The expedition will culminate on 28 Dec 20 at Kochi, after covering a distance of 400 nautical miles.

SAILING EXPEDITION FROM KOCHI TO ANDROTH ISLAND O N BO AR D I N S V BU L BU L (23-28 DEC 20)

INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM (IONS) WORKING GROUP MEETING ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF A sailing expedition from Kochi to Androth Island in Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of islands and back is being undertaken by Offshore Sailing Club, Kochi under the aegis of Southern Naval Command. The aim of the sailing expedition is to inculcate a spirit of adventure, hone nautical skills and foster ocean sailing amongst young Naval personnel.

The 5th meeting of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Working Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) is scheduled on 17 December 2020. The meeting is being coordinated by Indian Navy being the Chair of the IONS Working Group on HADR. The meeting will be attended by Australia, Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Maldives, Oman and Thailand besides India. The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region littoral states to increase maritime cooperation and enhance regional security.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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A co-operative forum for discussion on regional maritime issues, it also serves to develop an effective response mechanism against natural disasters. Instituted in 2008, the IONS initiative has grown significantly and presently enjoys wide acceptance across the Indian Ocean Region. In the past few years, three IONS Working Groups (IWG) have been progressing work in the fields of Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), Maritime Security & Information Sharing and Interoperability.

Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 5th meeting of IWG on HADR has been scheduled through video conference. The event would be inaugurated by Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Director General Naval Operations, Indian Navy. During the meeting, the participants would be sharing their experiences including lessons learnt during conduct of HADR operations undertaken in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a Flag Officer, the Admiral has served as the Assistant Chief of Materiel (Modernisation) in Naval Headquarters, Chief Staff Officer (Technical), HQ WNC, the Admiral Superintendent of Naval Dockyard Mumbai, the Director General Naval Project at Mumbai and the Programme Director, HQ ATVP.

VICE ADMIRAL SANDEEP NAITHANI, SANTA OF AVSM, VSM,ASSUMES CHARGE AS T H E C O N T R O L L E R WA R S H I P THE SEA DELIVERS CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION AND ACQUISITION TO CRUISE WORKERS LOCKED

DOWN AT SEA

Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, AVSM, VSM, has assumed charge as the Controller Warship Production and Acquisition on 21 Dec 2020. A graduate of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla Pune, he was commissioned into the Electrical Branch of the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1985. The Admiral is a Post Graduate in Radar and Communication Engineering from IIT Delhi and a distinguished alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) and the National Defence College (NDC). The Admiral has held various challenging appointments during his illustrious naval career spanning over three and a half decades. The officer has served onboard the aircraft carrier Viraat in various capacities. He has tenanted important appointments in Naval Dockyards at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and in the Staff, Personnel and Materiel Branches of Naval Headquarters. The Admiral also commanded the premier electrical training establishment of the Navy, INS Valsura.

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Charity worker Simon Mobsby is delivering Christmas cheer to hundreds of cruise staff locked down off the UK coast. With cruises cancelled due to coronavirus, huge cruise ships anchored off the UK coast have become a familiar sight since the crisis hit in March. Several ships, manned by skeleton crews of around 150, regularly come into Southampton port for supplies and maintenance, but the crews are restricted to a small area of the port because of coronavirus. International maritime charity Sailors’ Society has stepped in to support the crews, inviting them to get their online shopping and post delivered to its Southampton seafarer centre and bringing it to the ships when they come into port. Centre manager Simon delivered more than 200 parcels last month to grateful seafarers and makes trips to the supermarket for them if they need anything else. He’s expecting the demand to be greater as Christmas approaches.

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“They have no access to the outside world at all, so I do it on their behalf,” he says. “Their faces light up when I bring them letters and gifts from family and friends. It’s a privilege to be able to play Santa.” The charity is also wrapping its own Christmas gifts for the crews, most of whom have been on the ships since before coronavirus hit in March. And Simon is even delivering gifts from one cruise ship to the other. “People who worked together in the past are now on diﬀerent ships and they’ve not been able to see each other for nine months,” he says. “One crew sent a gift order to me on WhatsApp and I delivered the presents to the other ship. When I explained who they were from, they were over the moon.” Sailors’ Society has received donations of gifts for seafarers from its supporters, as well as a grant from the International Transport Workers’ Federation/ International Christian Maritime Association to provide small Christmas parcels in a selection of additional ports. Historically, India and Cambodia share strong cultural ties. The

relations have reinforced in recent years due to increasing engageMISSION SAGAR III - INS ments in all sectors. The current visit seeks to fortify the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and contribute towards K I LTA N A R R I V E S AT security and stability in the region. SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA Indian Naval Ship Kiltan arrived at Sihanoukville Port, Cambodia on 29 December 2020 as part of ongoing Mission Sagar-III. The ship will deliver 15 Tons of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Stores for the flood-affected people of Cambodia, which will be handed over to Cambodia’s National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC). This assistance is reflective of the deep peopleto-people connect between the two friendly countries. Mission Sagar-III is part of India’s HADR assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries during the ongoing pandemic. This Mission is being undertaken in accordance with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) and reiterates India’s position as a dependable partner, and the Indian Navy as the Preferred Security Partner and First Responder. The Mission also highlights the importance accorded to ASEAN countries and further strengthens the existing bonds.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Support to Boost Maritime Security in Tunisia

Proper implementation of IMO's maritime security measures is essential for trade. Tunisia is the latest country to benefit from training on ISPS Code for port personnel with security duties. A national workshop in Sfax, Tunisia (30 November-4 December) brought together 26 port personnel and representatives of all entities involved in maritime and port security. The workshop is intended to provide the knowledge required for port facility personnel with designated security duties. Those duties are linked to a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP), in order to meet the requirements of maritime security regulations in Chapter XI-2 of the SOLAS Convention, the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the IMO/ILO Code of Practice on Security in Ports, IMO guidelines on security-related training and familiarization for port facility personnel (MSC.1/Circ.1341) and best practices in the security industry.

The maritime industry is frequently exposed to the risk of corruption. Shipping is part of a vital multinational transport and logistics chain, delivering 11 billion tonnes of goods annually – including muchneeded medicines and protective equipment during the pandemic. However, research has identified that seafarers may be subjected to corrupt demands, such as unlawful requests for payments to allow ships to enter and depart the port or disproportionate penalties applied for minor errors. This can lead to interruptions to normal operations, delaying ships and creating a risk to navigation and seafarer safety. The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) anonymous reporting mechanism has collected close to 40,000 reports of corrupt demands globally. This is most certainly a cause for concern. Corrupt practices impact legitimate shipping and port operations and can lead to damaging effects on trade and investment. IMO’s Facilitation Committee addresses the ship/port interface and is currently working to develop guidance to implement and embrace anti-bribery and anti-corruption practices and procedures to assist all stakeholders.

Combating corruption is a challenge for all of us. We must not allow the COVID-19 crisis to provide an excuse for a lack of vigilance. The The workshop included practical exercises and role playing. It was maritime sector will be the foundation for the post-COVID recovery, a organized by IMO and the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of recovery which must be inclusive and sustainable with integrity and Tunisia, under the auspices of IMO's Global Maritime Security accountability. On the International Anti-Corruption Day, we stand #UnitedAgainstCorruption. Programme.

Trialling Just-In-Time United in the Fight Arrival

Against Corruption On International Anti-Corruption Day 2020 (9 December), IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has highlighted the Organization’s support for the fight against corruption in all its forms. In his statement issued on the Day, Mr. Lim acknowledged that the maritime sector, which is vital for the post-COVID recovery, is exposed to the risk of corruption, and highlighted the efforts led by IMO’s Facilitation Committee, which is currently working to develop guidance to implement and embrace anti-bribery and anti-corruption practices and procedures. “ O n t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n D a y, w e s t a n d #UnitedAgainstCorruption,” Secretary-General Lim said. Full statement is below. IMO Secretary-General Lim said:

“The International Maritime Organization supports the United Nations Another desktop trial in "Just-In-Time" (JIT) ship operations has yielded positive results, showing emissions family in the fight against corruption in all its forms.

can be cut considerably.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

EXCLUSIVE COLUMN JIT operations have the potential to cut the time ships spend idling outside ports and help reduce harmful emissions. This can be achieved by communicating in advance the relevant information to the ship about the requested time of arrival – allowing the ship to adjust to optimum speed.

IMO Minibus Supports Maritime Security Training The trial was conducted online (2 and 9 December) by members of in Djibouti the IMO-led Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (Low Carbon GIA) and follows on from previous work undertaken by the Alliance. During the exercise, JIT emission reduction calculations undertaken by the Port of Rotterdam were validated and discussed. For the calculations, 26 vessels which called at one particular terminal in the Port of Rotterdam were analyzed (one month of data). Firstly, real fuel consumption and emissions figures were calculated for each ship (using a reference vessel fuel model) for the last 24 hours of the voyage prior to arrival at the port. Then two JIT scenarios were modelled. The 26 ships received an update on when they were requested to arrive at thePilot Boarding Place: in one scenario 24 hours before arrival at the pilot boarding place and in the other 12 hours, and subsequently optimized their speed. The time that the ship is requested to arrive at the pilot boarding place is dependent on a number of variables, including the availability of the berth of the terminal, the fairway as well as pilots, tugs and boatmen. But this information is nowadays often only sent when the ship is already relatively close to port, normally about two hours sailing from the pilot boarding place when the vessel makes contact with the Vessel Traffic Service. Comparing the real case with the two JIT scenarios, on average, the 26 ships consumed 9% less fuel in the JIT scenario where speed was optimized in the last 12 hours. Optimizing speed in the last 24 hours of the voyage resulted in average fuel savings of 8% over last 24 hrs. These results show the significant fuel and emission savings that canbe achieved through JIT, even when a relatively advanced port is called by relatively efficiently operated ships.

A new IMO-funded minibus will help support maritime security training in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden area. The minibus, for ferrying students attending courses at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC), was funded through Japan’s contribution to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) Trust Fund.

During the handover ceremony (7 December), His Excellency, Mr. Otsuka Umio, Japan’s ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti, lauded Djibouti for hosting the regional Centre, and IMO for its leading role in The results also underline the importance of information exchange in promoting safety and security of navigation in the region, through support for regional capacity-building initiatives under the Code of the optimization of a port call. Conduct. The DRTC is a vital component in the provision of maritime Discussions showed that the timestamps as defined in the IMO security and other training in the region. Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Businessdo reflect the current way of conducting port operations and therefore will bring Officials from the Japanese embassy, representatives from the harmonization to timestamps' names and definitions across ports. Government of Djibouti, and the United Nations Development However, since process owners vary from port to port, a specific Programme (UNDP) attended the handover ceremony with Ms. Fatma El Sheikh, UNDP’s resident representative in Djibouti, implementation will be needed in each port. attending the event on behalf of the IMO. The exercise was conducted by representatives from the Port of Rotterdam, ship companies Maersk and MSC, and IMO. The Low The Djibouti Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy Carbon GIA is a public–private partnership which aims to identify and and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and develop innovative solutions to address common barriers to the the Gulf of Aden, as amended, provides a framework for capacity uptake and implementation of energy efficiency technologies and building in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean to counter the operational measures. The Low Carbon GIA operates under the threat of piracy and other illicit maritime activity that threatens safety and security in the region. framework of the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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More States join IMO call to Virtual Training to Empower designate seafarers as key Port Women workers.

More women are joining the maritime ranks in a variety of professions within the industry. To encourage this trend and with a view to Forty-ďŹ ve IMO Member States and one Associate Member* have now continuing the momentum to empower women in the maritime designated seafarers as key workers, which is a key step in resolving community, IMO is supporting a virtual training course aimed at the ongoing crew change crisis. In a circular letter (4204/add.35) female officials from maritime and port authorities. issued on 14 December, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim calls on Member States that have not yet done so to take action as a matter of Twenty-four women from developing countries*, with a focus on Africa, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Least Developed urgency. Countries (LDCs), are undertaking a virtual Port Senior Management Key worker designation for seafarers is essential to exempt these Programme, organized by the Galilee International Management professionals from speciďŹ c COVID-related travel restrictions, allowing Institute (GIMI) in Nahalal, Israel (24 November to 21 December). them to travel between their country of residence and ships, and to be repatriated at the end of their contracts. This is critical to resolve the Over 12 sessions (22 hours), participants were provided with key crew change crisis, which currently leaves hundreds of thousands of information and updates on innovations in the port industry. Subjects seafarers trapped at sea or stuck at home and unable to join ships. It covered include global trends and advances in port development, could even play a key role in granting them priority access to safe management and operations; port security and efficiency in container terminals; and international law concerning ports and ships. Owing to vaccination. the Covid-19 pandemic, the course programme had to be adapted The plight of stranded seafarers is highlighted in an IMO video from the usual in-person training. Site visits to the Israeli Maritime featuring seafarers who describe the challenges they have faced due Training Authority in Akko and practical simulator exercises were not to the pandemic, and the impacts of the ongoing crew change crisis on included in the course programme. their physical and mental health. Resolutions urging Governments to designate seafarers as key workers have been adopted by IMO, the United Nations General Assembly and the International Labour Organization (ILO). *Member States: Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen.

The event was delivered through IMO's gender and capacity-building programme, in collaboration with GIMI. It comes as part of IMO's continuous efforts to support the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. These capacity-building initiatives continue, through virtual training. *Participants were from: Bulgaria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Solomon Islands and Uganda.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

FSO Safer: contingency planning Marine biosafety training in progresses as UN assessment the Philippines mission gets green light

The IMO executed GloFouling Partnerships Project and the Government of the Philippines have organised the first delivery of a newly-developed general training course on biofouling management. The course introduced participants to the key features of marine biology and environmental impacts of invasive species; the range of antifouling coatings, marine growth prevention systems, and in-water grooming and cleaning technologies available to prevent the Contingency planning is taking place alongside preparations for a UN- biofouling issue; the main aspects of IMO's Biofouling Guidelines; and led assessment mission on the FSO SAFER, scheduled to take place the current status of national regulations around the world. in early 2021. In line with the scope of the mission that was recently agreed, a UN team will board the FSO for 30 days to assess its state The new training package will be deployed during 2021 in the other 11 and carry out light repairs. However, the scope of the mission does not Lead Partnering Countries of the GloFouling project. National include offloading the oil currently on board the FSO. maritime training academies and institutions will be supported to IMO has made significant progress with its contingency planning efforts to prepare for a possible oil spill from the deteriorating floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) SAFER, which is moored off the coast of Yemen. The unit has an estimated 150,000 MT of crude oil on board.

incorporate the course into their teaching programme and deliver it on IMO will continue to provide technical input to the UN interagency a regular basis. process, which is led by the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen (OSESGY), with participation from UN More than 50 participants attended the online training course (14-17 OCHA, UNOPS, IMO and UNEP. December) using fully online resources. Opening the course, Vice Admiral Robert A. Empedrad, Administrator of the Maritime Industry The IMO-led contingency planning efforts, carried out in collaboration Authority (MARINA) of the Philippines, highlighted the importance of with key stakeholders in the region, aim to improve the efficiency, improved biofouling management as a tool for reducing the greeneffectiveness and management of emergency response operations in house gas emissions from ships and a key aspect for achieving the the event of a spill from the FSO SAFER. Should an oil spill occur, targets set by the international community to reduce the carbon IMO is able to support national Governments and regional organiza- footprint of the shipping industry. tions, on the basis of a formal request for assistance , by providing technical assistance and backstopping regional efforts in line with the provisions contained in Article 12 of the OPRC Convention. A summary of the current situation and challenges was presented to IMO Member States during an online briefing (10 December). IMO officials presented the work carried out to date as well as remaining gaps, and highlighted the additional challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in the region. Participants were also briefed on legal aspects, including possible challenges related to liability and compensation.

Keyworker seafarers - regional webinar for Arab States and Mediterranean

The floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) SAFER was built in 1976 as an ultra-large crude carrier (ULCC) and converted to a FSO in 1986. It has not been maintained or inspected since 2015 and has been out of class since 2016. An oil spill, which could be caused by a slow release or an explosion, could have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian impacts on the region.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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The latest regional webinar focusing on the crew change crisis has been held for the Arab States and Mediterranean (22 December). The virtual meeting was addressed by eight panelists drawn from across the maritime industry. The aim was to share and identify best practices for universal application.

The new system, fully installed since 18 December, allows regional stakeholders to continue their activities using web-based interactive video and maintain connectivity with partners in the region. This will enable the ICC to continue its work on the sustainable implementation of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct (YCOC).

Member States from the region and other relevant government The Code’s primary objective is to manage and reduce adverse agencies and stakeholders involved in crew changes participated in impacts derived from piracy, armed robbery against ships and other the regional webinar. illicit maritime activities, such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The new equipment was purchased by IMO and partly funded with contributions from the United Kingdom and the West and Central Africa Maritime Security Trust Fund.

Supporting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea

IMO's representatives highlighted the latest developments, including the UN General Assembly resolution calling on countries to designate seafarers as key workers (read more here) and the published list of countries which have made this designation (read more here). Other speakers reiterated the need for the whole of government approach in addressing the issues related to crew change and repatriation. All stakeholders including diplomatic missions were urged to cooperate and collaborate. Further information about the webinar, including a list of speakers, can be found here.

Maintaining connectivity during the pandemic

IMO has taken part in the annual plenary meeting of G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG) which focuses on dealing with illegal activities at sea in the Gulf of Guinea. The online event (1-3 December) included discussions on how the Yaoundé Code of Conduct will function going forward. The Code's primary objective is to manage and considerably reduce the adverse impacts from piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities. It was adopted in 2013. In his opening remarks, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted the urgency of the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea and the need for cooperation. He also reiterated that "IMO, in collaboration with the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, will continue to support training and other capacity-building activities for individual Gulf of Guinea states as well as cooperative regional efforts".

The COVID-19 pandemic has created important challenges in terms of coordinating work on safety and security within the Central and West African common maritime space. To address this, IMO helped set up a new video conferencing service for the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Speaking at the event, IMO's Acting Head of the Maritime Security Section, Gisela Vieira, emphasised that IMO is continuing to work with Member States via virtual platforms, despite much of the in-the-field work being on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, IMO's Gulf of Guinea expert has conducted several virtual meetings with the Inter-regional coordination center (ICC) to discuss implementation, sustainability and to assess a possible need for revision of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct framework. The FOGG was hosted under the Co-Chairship of the United States and GABON, with more than 80 participants from G7++ FoGG countries including West and Central Africa, international organizations and industry taking part. The co-chairs in 2021 will be the United Kingdom and Senegal.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

22 26

Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020 issued for Public Consultation

Supporting maritime technical cooperation during the pandemic.

IMO’s technical cooperation activities are critical for implementation of IMO measures and for developing a sustainable maritime sector. The Technical Cooperation Committee oversees this important work and is meeting in virtual session this week (7-11 December). Acknowledging the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, IMO Secretary-General told the Committee that a well-organized shipping sector will be critical in ensuring Member States' post-COVID economic recovery and, in the longer term, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. “Although there is bound to be economic impact from the pandemic, it is imperative that Member States and development partners invest in maritime development and training, both through supporting the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme and through direct support to our global training institutions, the World Maritime University and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute,” Mr. Lim said.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has circulated draft of Indian Ports Bill 2020 for public consultation which will repeal and replace the Indian Ports Act, 1908 (Act No. 15 of 1908). The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020, seeksto,inter alia, enable the structured growth and sustainable development of ports to attract investments in the Port sector for optimum utilisation of the Indian Coastline byeffective administration and management of ports. The proposed Bill will provide measures to facilitate conservation of ports, taking into account the prevalent situation with respect to the high number of non-operational ports. It shall further ensure greater investment in the Indian maritime and ports sector through the creation of improved, comprehensive regulatory frameworks for the creation of new ports and management of existing ports. The Bill also seeks to, inter alia, create an enabling environment for the growth and sustained development of the ports sector in India through the following broad methods:

The agenda for this week’s session includes implementation of the Ÿ integrated technical cooperation programme (or ITCP), resource Ÿ mobilization and partnerships, and the regional presence scheme. The Committee will also continue work on developing SMART indicators for data collection within IMO's mandate for technical Ÿ cooperation, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2020 world maritime theme Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet. The Committee will also consider actions taken by the IMO Secretariat to adapt methods of delivering technical cooperation assistance to Member States, in particular, Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, in order to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Constitution of Maritime Port Regulatory Authority Formulation of the National Port policy and National Port plan in consultation with Coastal State Governments, State Maritime Boards and other stakeholders. Formulation of specialised Adjudicatory Tribunals namely Maritime Ports Tribunal and Maritime Ports Appellate Tribunal to curb any anti-competitive practises in the port sector and act as a speedy and affordable grievance redressal mechanism.

The up-to-date provisions of the proposed Bill would ensure safety, security, pollution control, performance standards and sustainability of Ports. The Bill ensures that all up-to-date conventions /protocols to which India is a party, are also suitably incorporated. This will promote marine safety and security in the true sense. The Bill will fill up the gapsfor achieving scientific development of Ports and Port Network.

During his opening remarks, Mr. Lim also took the opportunity to once again remind Member States that seafarers have been the silent heroes and collateral victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, as travel restrictions have left hundreds of thousands of them stranded on ships, or unable to join ships. He again called on Governments to classify seafarers of all nationalities as key workers, and to adopt a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to facilitating crew changes. He also highlighted the work of the Seafarers Crisis Action Team in supporting seafarers and resolving issues and recognized the contribution of the staff of the Technical Cooperation Division in staging regional webinars to bring these issues to a wider audience. (Download speech). The Technical Cooperation Committee 70th session is being chaired by His Excellency Mr. Laurent Parenté (Vanuatu).

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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The Bill seeks to provide increased opportunities for public and private Ÿ investments in the Indian maritime and ports sector by way of removing barriers to entry, simplifying processes and establishment of agencies and bodies to plan and enable growth of the ports sector. Enhancing “Ease of Doing Business’,it will provide greater impetus to a self-reliant domestic investment climate in the maritime sector, Ÿ Ÿ towards Atamanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government. Minister of State (I/C)Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya,said,“We are working on creation of a National Port Grid.This Bill will be a game changer in the Indian maritime sector specially for bringing more investments. TheBill will bolster structured growth and sustained development of Ports and ensure achieving this objective on fast track basis. Consequently, it will result into revolutionary maritime reforms transmuting the Indian maritime set-up entirely in the times to come.”

Ÿ Ÿ

Create a supplementary mode of transportation, which will not only be beneficial for the daily commuters, tourists’ movement and cargo transportation but also helpful in reducing carbon footprint by shifting to environment-friendly mode of transportation from rail and road. Provide impetus to the tourism industry Create job opportunities in the coastal regions Saving in terms of both cost and time for the users Decongest road and rail networks

Sagarmala Development Company Ltd will support the initiative by providing equity to the project in SPV framework, if required, and provide other assistance and facilitation to the private Operator(s) including obtaining various permissions and approvals from regulatory and statutory Government Authorities.

Buckeye Completes Marine Terminal for Oil Exports at Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Corpus Christi. The draft of Indian Ports Bill 2020 is issued for public consultation for seeking the feedback and suggestions. This can be accessed on the link http://shipmin.gov.in/sites/default/files/IPAbill.pdf and suggestions can be sent to sagar.mala@nic.in by 24 December, 2020.

Waterways identies new routes for RO-RO, RO-PAX & Ferry Services.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has been working continuously for the promotion of Coastal Shipping under Sagarmala Programme. The Sagarmala programme is the flagship programme of the Ministry to promote port-led development in the country through harnessing India’s 7,500 Km long coastline and potentially navigable waterways. MoPSW has identified Domestic locations namely Hazira, Okha, Somnath Temple, DIU, PIPAVAV, Dahej, Mumbai/JNPT, Jamnagar, Kochi, Ghogha, Goa, Mundra and Mandvi and 6 International routes, connecting 4 international destinations namely Chattogram (Bangladesh), Seychelles (East Africa) Madagascar (East Africa) and Jaffna (Sri Lanka) from Indian major coastal port towns for the commencement of ferry services through inland waterways.

Pipeline and terminal operator Buckeye Partners announced Wednesday that it has begun crude oil exports at the second dock at its South Texas Gateway (STG), a new terminal about 10 nm inland from the mouth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Buckeye also said that it has loaded the first VLCC tanker to berth at the terminal. The dock allows Buckeye to handle the berthing and loading of two vessels at the same time, speeding up exports of North American crude oil to global markets. STG’s marine facilities are now completed and running, and the final construction phase of its storage facilities will be finished early this year. “We are very excited to have achieved these important milestones at our new facility, enhancing STG’s and Buckeye’s ability to serve global energy markets,” said Buckeye Partners President and CEO, Clark C. Smith. “STG’s new terminal, alongside our nearby Buckeye Texas Partners facility, will be instrumental in providing our customers with cutting-edge logistics solutions and in reinforcing the role of the Port of Corpus Christi as a top export location for U.S. energy producers.”

“The completion of the second dock and loading of its first VLCC cargo MoPSW, through Sagarmala Development Company Limited at the STG Terminal are significant milestones for Buckeye and the (SDCL), is desirous of facilitating the companies to operate RO-RO, Port of Corpus Christi,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive RO-PAX and Ferry services on various routes across the nation and Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “As Texas moves into the next provide the required support to make the project operational. phase of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, partnerships like those between the Port of Corpus Christi and its customers MOPSW has recently successfully implemented one of such ferry such as STG are critical to the continuance of American leadership in routes by deploying RoPAX vessel ferry service between Hazira and the global energy marketplace.” STG can berth VLCCs in ballast and Ghogha. This ferry service has reduced the distance between begin loading them, but the Corpus Christi Ship Channel is not deep Ghogha and Hazira from 370 Km to 90 Km and travel time from 10 to enough for a fully-laden VLCC to depart. At present, charterers 12 hours to about 5 hours. This will result in huge savings of fuel typically use smaller tankers to complete filling for VLCCs at an (approx. 9000 litres per day) anchorage off the coast. To replicate the success of the above business model, MoPSW now encourages the private operator to identify the routes, which offers potential to commence the RO-RO, RO-PAX ferry service based on the localized demand to promote the supplementary and sustainable mode of the transportation through coastal/inland water. The purpose is to:

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That may soon change: the Port of Corpus Christi recently authorized a lease agreement and pipeline easement for the Bluewater Texas Terminals (BWTX) deepwater loading terminal, a proposed singlepoint mooring (SPM) facility about 21 nm offshore. The site has enough water depth to fully load a VLCC.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Scorpio Bulkers Changes RNLI Manages COVID Name to Eneti in Transition Risk for Lifeboat Crews to Offshore Energy as UK Lockdown Resumes

Signaling that it is accelerating its exit from the dry bulk transport business, Scorpio Bulkers announced that the company intends to change its name to Eneti Inc. in February. Scorpio announced in August that it was transitioning away from the business of dry bulk commodity transportation and towards marine-based renewable energy.

The UK and Ireland are contending with another wave of COVID-19, driven by a new and more virulent strain. An estimated one out of every 30 residents of London now have the virus, according to the BBC, and the patient load at Britain's hospitals is 40 percent higher now than what it was last spring.

The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered its third national lockdown in a year's time, and the latest includes a mandatory stay-at-home order. Ireland's government has announced similar measures, including school closures. As the lockdown begins, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is again calling on the public to exercise caution at the coast. Its volunteer lifeboat rescue crews remain on alert to help commercial fishermen and mariners in distress, but the charity aims to minimize the burden of rescues involving the general public during this particularly challenging time. Every time a lifeboat crew is called to an incident, it puts additional pressure on As of the end of December, the company had sold eight vessels and RNLI volunteers and potentially exposes them to COVID-19, the had contracted to sell seventeen additional vessels, all of which are organization warned. expected to be completed in the first half of 2021. Scorpio Bulkers said it intends to sell its 24 remaining wholly-owned or finance leased "During lockdown, RNLI lifeboats and stations remain operational and drybulk vessels (including 7 Kamsarmax vessels and 17 Ultramax will launch around the clock where there is risk to life," said Gareth vessels) during 2021. Morrison, RNLI head of water safety. "We would encourage everyone Scorpio’s sale of vessels is also continuing with two agreements recently announced. The latest agreement is for the sale of the SBI Lynx, a Kamsarmax bulk carrier built in 2018, for approximately $22.25 million. Delivery of the vessel is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2021. This transaction comes approximately two weeks after the company announced an agreement to sell the SBI Phoebe, an Ultramax bulk carrier built in 2016, for approximately $17.65 million.

to follow the latest government guidelines on what they are able to do and where they are able to go during lockdown, but for anyone visiting a coastal area please understand the risks to be as safe as possible and not put unnecessary strain on front line services.

Scorpio has been steadily selling off its Kamsarmax and Ultramax bulkers at a steady clip of one to two (or more) per week since late September. At the end of December, the company’s board of directors approved its plan to exit the sector, including a write-down of up to $500 million on the value of its current and recently-sold vessels with approximately $50-70 million in transaction costs and financing charges. Eneti will be focused on the emerging renewable energy industry. The company signed a letter of intent to enter into a shipbuilding contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering to build a wind turbine installation vessel to be delivered in 2023. In announcing the project, the company said the WTIV would be one of the most sophisticated dedicated turbine installation vessels in the world. It will have the capacity to install onto pre-prepared foundations the largest wind turbines currently designed, at a height of over 185 meters above sea level and in water depth in excess of 65 meters. The vessel incorporates green innovations that they said will improve its efficiency and accelerate “time to first power” for customers. The company has options to build three further similar vessels.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Morrison warned that in a normal year, about 150 people lose their lives at the coast, and the majority never intended to go into the water. He called on the public to "be extra responsible and avoid taking unnecessary risks." “Our beaches and coastal areas may see an increase in visitors in the days and weeks to come, so we’re urging everyone to follow our advice and stay safe," he said. "We ask people to stay well back from stormy, wintery seas and cliff edges, check tide times before you go, take a phone with you, and call . . . the Coastguard if you or someone else is in trouble."

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Macaroni Ship Management RPSL-MUM 117 ( Valid till 23rd July 2023) Address: Oﬃce No 306, Pujit Plaza, Sector 11, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400614

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(We do not have any branches and agents in India)

Require All ranks for Small size Container / Multi purpose vessel with rank experience. (salary based on experience) Require All ranks for towing tug with rank experience in towing operation. (salary based on experience) Require Senior Oﬃcers for FSU ( Floating storage Unit) with rank experience in same type vessel. (salary based on experience) Email your CV: crew@macaroniship.com

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Salvors Complete Second Cut Through the Hull of the Golden Ray

Late Saturday night, salvors completed cutting operations to remove the stern of the grounded ro/ro Golden Ray. On Monday, a deck barge will be moved into position to load out the stern, once lifting preparations are complete. The barge will be towed to a nearby terminal for sea-fastening before a tow down the Atlantic coastline to a scrapping facility on the Gulf Coast. The first (bow) section has already been towed away for disposal. The second cut went much more quickly than the first, finishing in eight days rather than the 20 days needed for the cut to remove the bow. Over the span of several weeks in December, salvors repaired and altered their setup, substituting a stud-link anchor chain made of a stronger grade of steel for the cutting. (The first cut was hampered by chain wear and breakage.) Salvors also made preliminary cuts and holes along the expected path of the cutting chain to reduce the load and speed up the cut. Below the water, dive teams have drilled extra holes into the bottom of the hull in order to accelerate drainage when the section is hoisted out of the water.

Products Specic Warehouses/Silos to come up at Ports and National Waterways.

It will enhance water-borne cargo volumes, reduce logistics cost and promote Ease of Doing Business We are planning to create world-class Product Specific Agglomeration Centre on ‘Pay and Use Model’ which will immensely benefit the small traders and logistics players: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) intends to create Product Specific Warehouses/Silos at various Ports (including both Major and Non-Major Ports), Multi Modal Logistics Parks located near Port area and alongside the National Waterways.The purpose of development of this infrastructure is to reduce the storage losses, minimize logistic costs and facilitate distribution of cargo in the hinterland. MoPSW is targeting to develop the product specific Warehouses/Silos at ports for productssuch as Cement Silos, Liquid Tanks, Chemicals Tanks, Cold/RefrigeratedStorage, Electronics Product Storage, Pharmaceutical Storage, Auto Spares Parts & Components Storage or any other suggested products.

While the big players have their own warehousesand storage spaces, the smaller players find it difficult to get their products specificstorage silos at various locations. The development of theseworld-class warehousing spaces will givea big push,specially to such small logistics players for their ‘Ease of Doing Business’ with better planning and inventory management. The smaller players would have the option of paying nominal fees to make use of thisworldclassinfrastructure. This option will immensely benefit them, as presently their loaded trucks keep waiting, to find appropriate storage A containment barrier system set up before the wreck removal near ports quite often. In turn, it will reduce the losses as compared to process has helped to reduce the pollution risk from the cutting the traditional warehousingand provide more robust and costoperations, which have always been expected to create limited effective supply chain. releases of fuel oil and debris. Oil sheen removal has been conducted periodically within the barrier. Meanwhile, the team's pollution monitoring and mitigation efforts continue near the wreck site and along the shoreline. A small fleet of 30 pollution control and spill response boats are on standby, patrolling the perimeter and conducting cleanup as needed. Plastic waste (car parts) has been recovered from the water and from local beaches, and responders have found and remediated light sheening near the wreck and the shoreline.

For implementation of these envisaged projects, Ministry isascertaining the interest of the various Indian companies/developers engaged in the business of Logistics Operations/FTWZ Operation/Manufacturers/Freight Forwarders/ ICD/CFS operations/ Inland Waterways Terminal

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Maersk Boxship Boarded Bloomberg: LNG on track for post-COVID recovery off West Africa

Following a year of Coronavirus pandemic effects, demand for

The geared container ship Maersk Cadiz was boarded by liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to recover rapidly in pirates off West Africa on Saturday afternoon, Maersk Line 2021. confirmed Sunday. While the Maersk Cadiz was under way on a short transit from Ghana to Cameroon, she was attacked and boarded by a gang of "criminals," Maersk said in a statement Sunday. The Nigerian Navy dispatched patrol vessels to assist, and the pirates departed the ship without kidnapping any crewmembers. All 21 seafarers aboard the ship are safe, Maersk said.

Asian spot LNG prices have already recovered to the highest levels since 2014, after suffering a record low in April this year. The recovery was driven by colder weather in key importing nations, production outages at major projects and shipping route congestion.

According to a Bloomberg report, demand for LNG as a fuel for heating and power generation is rising faster than any other fossil fuel. While the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic derailed the wider “We are very concerned about the increased security risk from armed adoption of LNG as fuel replacing coal in 2020, nations like China and attacks on merchant vessels in the area,” said Palle Laursen, India remain the major demand drivers. Maersk's chief technical officer. “The risk has reached a level where local governments and the international community must take action LNG imports in 2020 remained fairly flat compared to the previous year. It was a setback for an industry that enjoyed a 10 per cent annual to deal effectively with an unacceptable situation.” growth rate since 2016. Maritime security consultancy Dryad Global noted that the attack is the latest in a "surge of incidents" over the course of the past five It is expected that the demand for LNG will recover in 2021. LNG weeks. The danger level for the high risk area in the Gulf of Guinea has demand takes up 10 per cent of the total global gas demand. The rate been listed "critical" since mid-November, and pirate gangs have of LNG demand recovery may well depend on the performance od boarded (or attempted to board) merchant vessels in the region with Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. S&P Global Platts notes that LNG deliveries to Asia have recovered since the height of the pandemic regularity over the intervening weeks. with a further sharp rebound expected in 2021. European demand is “Vessels are advised to operate within this area at a heightened continuing to suffer under the Coronavirus pandemic and resulting posture maintaining the highest levels of vigilance whilst implement- lockdowns. The recovery could remain neutral as Europe continues to ing full hardening / mitigation," Dryad Global warned. "In addition the rely on pipeline deliveries which will receive a boost through new links IMB advises that vessels remain at least 200nm-250nm offshore with Azerbaijan and Nord Stream 2. where possible.” The LNG supply suffered during the year as unplanned maintenance at export projects in Australia, Qatar and Malaysia tightening the market in the second half of the year. In addition, Panama Canal navigation delays curbed supplies to Asia. Should these disruptions persist, prices could remain high during 2021. However, traders Vitol and Trafigura expect the market to remain oversupplied in 2021. U.S. projects saw about 200 cargoes canceled during the summer of 2020 and some more cancelations are expected next year which would keep the market balanced. U.S. LNG market is expecting to profit from a promising deal-making environment with China in 2021 as Joe Biden takes over as president on January 20.

After years of regional efforts to contain pirate groups based in the Niger River Delta, Western naval forces have begun to deploy their own warships to police the Gulf of Guinea and protect shipping interests. The Italian frigate Martinengo and the Spanish Navy patrol vessel Serviola both conducted multiple anti-piracy interdictions in the region this year, often arriving as the first responders and saving at least two vessels from pirate boardings.

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Castor Maritime secures Singapore Cracks Down After nancing for bulker duo C l a s s S u r v e y o r C a t c h e s COVID-19

Cyprus-based bulker owner Castor Marine has won financing for two of its dry bulkers worth $15 million from an unnamed European financial institution. Singapore's Ministry of Health is tightening its COVID-19 control measures for its maritime workforce after a class surveyor and a The company also received a notification letter from the Nasdaq Stock harbor pilot tested positive for the disease. Market granting the company an additional 180-day extension, or until June 28, 2021, to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price The surveyor, who works for a prominent class society and was requirement. employed inspecting vessels at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard, tested positive on December 30. Two of his family members also “The company intends to regain compliance with the minimum bid tested positive on New Years' Eve. The harbor pilot, a 55-year-old price requirement within the Second Compliance Period considering Singaporean national, tested positive on December 31, along with two all available options, including a reverse stock split,” the company of his relatives. said. Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) quickly launched a special During this time, the company’s common shares will continue to be contact tracing and testing operation to identify and test individuals listed and traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market. who were aboard any of the ships that the surveyor and pilot boarded. On Saturday, after further inquiry, the MOH said that it appeared that With the acquisition of M/V Magic Horizon in July and MV Magic Nova the surveyor may have broken COVID-19 prevention protocols by in September 2020, the company’s fleet has increased to 6 Panamax eating with the crew of a ship. Officials believe that a similar breach dry bulk carriers. allowed a Singaporean marine service engineer to catch coronavirus from the crew of a vessel in November. “Preliminary investigations reveal that the marine surveyor, like the marine service engineer who tested positive for COVID-19 infection earlier . . . consumed food provided by or with the crew onboard the ships, which was against a precautionary measure," the MOH wrote in a joint statement with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Economic Development Board. "[We] take a serious view of non-compliance with COVID-19 safe management measures and will not hesitate to take firm actions against the errant companies and individuals.” The MOH said that the class society that employs the marine surveyor has suspended all its shipboard work in Signapore, including surveys and audits, and is now testing all of its Singapore-based surveyors. "Further actions may be taken against the companies and individuals “The third quarter of 2020 was a transformational one for our after investigations have been completed," the agency said. company, as we were able to raise substantial capital and put it to use very quickly by taking advantage of several attractive vessel In addition, the MOH is requiring all shore-based Singaporean acquisition opportunities presented to us,” Petros Panagiotidis, Chief personnel who go aboard ships to take a COVID-19 swab test by Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Castor, said in the January 8. The measure will cover more than 20,000 people. Going forward, they will be retested every seven days, instead of the 14 day third-quarter report. cycle required previously. ” At the same time, we were able to charter our redelivered vessels at, on average, higher levels, setting the stage for improved profitability The Maritime and Port Authority also plans to step up its checks to in the near term. While the COVID-19 pandemic still affects our ensure compliance with Singapore's COVID-safe protocols for industry and causes overall uncertainty, we believe that our conser- maritime companies. "Individuals and companies which are found to vative and disciplined growth strategy will produce positive long-term have violated these measures will be taken to task," MPA warned. benefits for our shareholders.” Singapore is entering the third phase of reopening its economy after a The company’s revenues for the first nine months of 2020 stood at prolonged period of stringent COVID-19 restrictions, and its govern$8.1 million as compared to $3.1 million for the nine months in 2019, ment hopes to suppress community spread. The nation of 5.7 million marking a 161% period to period increase. Castor booked a net loss people has recently gone days at a stretch without a single new locallyof $984,621 for the same period, as compared to net income of transmitted case. $560,801 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

33 January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Buckeye Completes Meyer Werft Invests Marine Terminal for in Zero Emissions Oil Exports at Corpus Te c h f o r C r u i s e Christi. Ships

Pipeline and terminal operator Buckeye Partners announced ne of the oldest shipyards still in service, German Wednesday that it has begun crude oil exports at the second dock at cruise ship builder Meyer Werft will attain 226 years its South Texas Gateway (STG), a new terminal about 10 nm inland from the mouth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Buckeye also said later this January. Throughout its history, the shipyard has played an important role in making important changes to that it has loaded the first VLCC tanker to berth at the terminal.

The dock allows Buckeye to handle the berthing and loading of two vessels at the same time, speeding up exports of North American crude oil to global markets. STG’s marine facilities are now completed and running, and the final construction phase of its storage facilities will be finished early this year.

ship design, and its work has influenced the shipbuilding community at large.

To cement its position in the post-COVID era as a pioneer of modern shipbuilding, the company has been working on a range of new ecofriendly technological solutions for cruise ships. “Intensive research is being carried out on fuel cell technology and other technical innova“We are very excited to have achieved these important milestones at tions on passenger ships to pave the way for emission-free cruise our new facility, enhancing STG’s and Buckeye’s ability to serve global ships,” the firm said in a recent release. energy markets,” said Buckeye Partners President and CEO, Clark C. Smith. “STG’s new terminal, alongside our nearby Buckeye Texas The year 2020 hit the cruise and cruise shipbuilding industries hard. Partners facility, will be instrumental in providing our customers with Despite restrictions throughout the year, Meyer Werft was still able to cutting-edge logistics solutions and in reinforcing the role of the Port of deliver two ships - the newly built Iona for P&O Cruises and the Spirit Corpus Christi as a top export location for U.S. energy producers.” of Adventure for Saga Cruises, the former in September and the latter in October. “The completion of the second dock and loading of its first VLCC cargo at the STG Terminal are significant milestones for Buckeye and the “Our extended order book allows us to position ourselves for the Port of Corpus Christi,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive future. We must seize this opportunity. This year, our entire team, Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “As Texas moves into the next together with our many partners, showed the motivation with which we phase of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, partner- implement our projects despite all the challenges,” said Thomas ships like those between the Port of Corpus Christi and its customers Weigend, Managing Director of Meyer Werft. such as STG are critical to the continuance of American leadership in the global energy marketplace.” STG can berth VLCCs in ballast and begin loading them, but the Corpus Christi Ship Channel is not deep enough for a fully-laden VLCC to depart. At present, charterers typically use smaller tankers to complete filling for VLCCs at an anchorage off the coast. That may soon change: the Port of Corpus Christi recently authorized a lease agreement and pipeline easement for the Bluewater Texas Terminals (BWTX) deepwater loading terminal, a proposed singlepoint mooring (SPM) facility about 21 nm offshore. The site has enough water depth to fully load a VLCC. To keep the company afloat even during the pandemic and hereafter, several measures were undertaken, including an investment freeze, an extensive savings package, a reduction of temporary employees, and the German policy of short-time work, as well as a significant reduction in the number of contractor staff. Meyer Werft also negotiated with cruise companies to extend existing orders, which deterred order cancellations and prevented layoffs.

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Zim Files for Initial Stock Offering on the NYSE Found in 1945, Zim says that it currently services five trade zones. The Transpacific is the largest, accounting for 39 percent of the TEUs carried, followed by the Atlantic, Cross Suez, Intra-Asia, and Latin America. Examples of the niche routes they highlight are the US East Coast and Gulf to the Mediterranean, the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea to the Far East, and the Far East to the US East Coast. They also highlight their new premium high-speed services which move freight from China to Los Angeles and Australia. Focused on timesensitive cargo, they believe these services provide an alternative to airfreight.

Zim filed a preliminary prospectus with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission on December 31, 2020, for its long-anticipated initial public offering. The container and logistics company plans to trade its shares on the New York Stock Exchange becoming only the second container line after Matson to be listed on the Big Board. Terms of the offering are not included in a preliminary filing, which is submitted to the SEC for review and approval, but the Israeli news outlet Globes reports that Zim is targeting raising between $300 and $500 million in the offering, which would give the company a market value of $1.5 billion. The offering, which is being led globally by Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup, would provide Zim with funds to support long-term growth initiatives. The prospectus highlights that they do not have specific plans for the proceeds, but that its uses would include investing in vessels, containers, and other digital initiatives, strengthening the capital structure, fostering financial flexibility, or possibly to service or repay certain outstanding debt.

One area of growth that Zim highlights is on its Transpacific routes. The company says it is currently exploring long-term lease arrangements for vessels that could reach 15,000 TEU. They would replace smaller vessels on the route, expanding the capacity as well as being among the largest ships in Zim’s fleet.

K Line’s 1st LNG-powered car carrier set for delivery this year

Zim has been openly discussing its goal of running an IPO for months. The company had taken several steps to improve its financials, including the early repayment of $55 million in debt in September. The timing of the offer, which is expected to be completed by late January, is seen as a move to leverage the strength of the global container and logistics markets. Zim's most recent financial results show a strong performance with revenues up more than six percent in the first nine months of 2020 to over $2.6 billion. The adjusted net profit for the first nine months of the year was nearly $176 million versus a $10 million loss in 2019. The draft prospectus lays out the investment case for Zim highlighting what they call their “asset-light model,” along with a flexible structure Japanese shipping major Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) focused on niche routes and markets. The global network includes 66 expects its first LNG-powered vessel to be delivered this weekly lines calling at 310 ports in more than 80 countries.

year as the company increases focus on utilizing LNG as Zim highlights that it currently only owns one vessel while it charters 69 fuel. vessels, which they compare to competitors which they report own 44 percent of their fleets. Zim says that nearly 99 percent of its TEU capacity, which is approximately 359,00 TEU, is chartered. The majority of the vessels they operate are mid-sized with a capacity of between 3,000 and 10,000 TEUs, giving it the ability to service niche routes not fully serviced by competitors. In 2019, Zim reports it carried a total of 2.8 million TEU.

The LNG-fuelled car carrier was launched at Tadotsu Shipyard, part of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in July 2020, shortly after receiving its LNG tanks. The 73,800 GT ship was ordered by the Japanese shipping company in 2018 as a next-generation car carrier with a reduced environmental footprint.

By operating with a charter fleet, Zim contends that it can quickly adjust capacity in anticipation or in response to changing market conditions. The car carrier features a dual-fuel diesel engine ME-GI with an Currently, nearly 80 percent of the fleet is under leases having a exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) to apply with NOx Tier III. Auxiliary engines are also dual-fuel diesel engines that conform to remaining charter duration of one year or less. NOx Tier III in gas mode.

35 FEBRUARY PageJanuary 25 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Pacic Drilling emerges The company is a joint venture company of K Line, JERA, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). from bankruptcy The ship will be bunkered by Kaguya, a 3,500-cbm LNG bunkering vessel, owned by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan.

Kaguya was constructed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and delivered in September 2020 as Japan’s first LNG bunkering vessel. K Line is also working on the practical implementation of the Seawing kite system, Yukikazu Myochin, President & CEO at K Line, said. The Seawing kite system converts wind energy into propulsive force with its flying kite, and it was developed by Airseas, a spin-off of aerospace company Airbus. The system is based on parafoil technology that tows commercial ships, and can cut more than 20% of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, according to its developer. K Line and Airseas signed a major deal in 2019, which stipulates installation and service of the system on board one of K Line’s bulkers. The first installation on a Capsize ship, most probably sailing between Japan and Australia, is planned for this year after which demonstration tests will ensue, aimed at proving that the promised 20 percent Offshore drilling contractor Pacific Drilling has completed savings can be achieved on the said route. its balance-sheet restructuring and has emerged from the The tests will be one of the most important factors for K Line before the company commits to install the automated 1000 sqm kites on up to 50 more ships. “Furthermore, research on next-generation fuels is also being conducted through a companywide project with the aim of halving the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions as targeted for 2050,” K Line’s President added.

Chapter 11 process. Pacific Drilling said on New Year’s Day that the company and each of its debtor affiliates emerged from bankruptcy signalling the implementation of the ‘Modified First Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization of Pacific Drilling S.A. and its Debtor Affiliates under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.

K Line’s business operation was impacted considerably by the outbreak of COVID-19 across the world crushing crude steel production in Japan and cutting vehicle exports. Hence, the firm’s dry bulk and car carrier businesses were affected the most.

The plan was confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on 21 December 2020. Under the plan, all of the Pacific Drilling’s outstanding common shares were deemed to have no value and will receive no recovery. Per the restructuring transactions contemplated by the plan, upon emergence, the The company’s ensuing damage control mission resulted in the fleet company has a new parent company – Pacific Drilling Company LLC – reduction of more than 20 vessels. a Cayman Islands-based company, the equity of which is owned by former creditors of the company and its debtor affiliates. In the containership business, ONE reached cruising speed in its third year with synergies emerging and best practices being steadily Bernie G. Wolford, CEO of the reorganized company, said: “We are realized. pleased to reach completion of this process. Having now emerged from Chapter 11 with a fully de-levered balance sheet, we are wellThis has enabled K Line to upgrade its earnings forecast for Q3. positioned to continue to deliver world-class drilling services with our fleet of 6th and 7th generation drillships”. After emergence, the The company now expects recurring profit to exceed JPY 40 billion in reorganized version of Pacific Drilling now operates with a substanthe quarter covering October to December 2020, and expects to tially de-levered capital structure, due to the elimination of more than exceed JPY60 billion for cumulative results for the third quarter of the $1 billion of funded debt obligations under the plan. current fiscal year under review. The reorganized company has approximately $100 million in cash on “We will continue to endeavor toward stable management in the hand, and access to an undrawn $80 million senior secured delayed energy transportation and logistics/shortsea-coastal businesses, and draw term loan exit facility to support its ongoing operations. To ONE will continue flexible allocation of vessels according to demand remind, the offshore driller filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the containership business. Through such efforts, we aim to be to eliminate $1.1 billion of bond debt back in November 2020. profitable across all divisions in the second half of the fiscal year,” According to Pacific Drilling, this was necessary due to significant Yukikazu said. disruption in the offshore drilling market caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the company’s business. Meanwhile, we have been able to use the critical situation as an The impact of these market conditions on Pacific Drilling’s business opportunity to fundamentally revise our business plan and make has been direct and significantly negative, rendering its capital efforts to strengthen sustainability. Adversity presents us with the structure unsustainable over the long-term. In late December 2020, opportunity to change. The highly uncertain environment will the company said that it would be emerging from Chapter 11 bankcontinue, but we should remain responsive to change, and taking ruptcy by year-end following the confirmation of its prearranged plan action toward the aim of being a group that contributes to the future.” of reorganization. It is worth reminding that Pacific Drilling had also gone through financial restructuring in late 2017. The company in November 2017 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to pursue a comprehensive restructuring of its approximately $3 billion in principal amount of outstanding funded debt. The drilling contractor emerged from bankruptcy after successfully completing restructuring transactions in November 2018. Pacific Drilling is not the only drilling contractor that filed for Chapter 11 in 2020. Namely, Diamond Offshore started voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings to restructure and strengthen its balance sheet in late April 2020, followed by Noble Corporation and Valaris in August 2020.

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India on a road to EU to go for offshore become leader in grid in Atlantic Ocean zero emission ferries

On the run to decarbonisation, the European union is plotting more of its offshore renewable energy sources farther out in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This plan aims to expand the study to potential for building a meshed offshore grid rather than restricting it to analysis of technical potential of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

Battery-powered oileld ship by Galliano-based shipbuilder to be rst Construction of 45 vessels in planned in the first phase. Thereafter the numbers would increase to 78, thus making it the largest ‘electric of its kind ferries network’ in the world. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Inland Waterways' capabilities are well addressed. Nearly two dozen modern electric ferries are under construction at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for Kochi’s public transport network. This would provide not only alternate public transport to 100,000 people living in the city and its suburbs, as also reduce air pollution.

These resonate with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ vision of Indian government who are committed to indigenization in shipbuilding for the country.

Non-Conventional Renewable Energy Sector to Boom in Latin America

Edison Chouest Offshore will install a battery system to help propel one of its oil platform supply ships. As per the officers of Galliano-based company says the project will be the first of its kind.

Latin America has more than 3,000 non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) plants under construction or in early works, according Edison Chouest is to partner with U.S.-based Marine Technologies on to the BNamericas project profile database. the project according to company officials. Adding the battery propulsion system will make it the first project to allow a supply ship to Solar plants possesses the biggest share with 1,847 plants totalling operate on a single diesel generator within the 500-meter (about 1,640 US$150.1bn in investment. Next is wind with 1,173 projects worth feet) safety zone around offshore oil platforms. US$96.3bn, preceded by geothermal (30 projects, US$13bn), biomass (29 projects, US$14.4bn) and wave energy (four projects, The battery system will be installed aboard a 312-foot ship working for US$8.1bn).Out of all, Paso de los Toros in Uruguay, a biomass type a major oil company in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said. project owned by Cuecar sits at the top by investment value of US$2.7bn with proposed capacity of 310 MW.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Anemoi, Norsepower and Lloyd's Register together hails wind propulsion technology

On Thursday, the Equinor informed of the deal through e-mail statement stating that they will use the Marees Software over the next two years to track and improved the efficiency of its fleet of around 30 chartered ships operating on Norwegian Continental Shelf. Marees can help Equinor to get deep insights into effect of efficiency measures, the reductions achieved by battery installations etc. and facilitate systematic improvements.

IMO recognises Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) as an integral component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS)

Many concepts of wind propulsion from soft sails to hard sails, from wings and foils to kites are rich in discussions when decarbonisation process is pressing high. A wide range of products are at various stages of development and Lloyd's Register is involved in many of them. The technology skyrocketed when Denmark's Maersk tankers installed two Norsepower Rotor Sails on its 109,647dwt Aframax products tanker, Maersk Pelican in 2018. Lloyd's Register tested and verified before and after results, 8.2% of savings were clocked over the 12 months after installation. London based Anemoi on its offshore platform and the geared 64,000 dwt ultramax bulk carrier, mv Afros and Helsinki based Norse power on four vessels: Viking Lines’ LNG-powered Viking Grace (Stockholm – Turku), Scandlines’ MV Copenhagen (Rostock – Gedser) and MV Estraden, a roro vessel owned by Finland’s Bore Line with Lloyd Register are front runners with a few installations.

Equinor, a Norwegian Energy producer signs a deal with software provider Yxney for a system aimed at improving efciency of ships

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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recognised the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) as an integral component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS) for operation in the Indian Ocean Region. IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by India to provide accurate positioning thereby assisting the navigation of ships in Indian Ocean waters. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) initiated the matter with the IMO for grant of recognition to IRNSS as a component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (similar to GPS and GLONASS). The report prepared by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) included details of the tests carried out on merchant ships concerning the accuracy of the system and was submitted to IMO for consideration. After detailed analysis, the sub-committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue recommended to the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee for accepting the IRNSS as a component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System. As per a government statement the Maritime Safety Committee of IMO during its recent meeting held from 4 to 11 November approved the recognition of IRNSS as a component of the World-wide radio navigation system enabling merchant vessels to use IRNSS for obtaining position information to assist in the safe navigation of ships in ocean waters within the area covered by 50°N latitude, 55°E longitude, 5°S latitude and 110°E longitude (approximate up to 1,500 km from Indian boundary).

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is kicking off ambitious Project of Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) with potential airline operators

To provide connectivity and easier accessibility to remote locations, SDCL is exploring plans to leverage the potential of the vast coastline and numerous water bodies/rivers across India by commencing seaplane operations. Sea Plane will utilize the nearby water bodies for take-off and landing and thus connect those places in a much economical way as conventional airport infrastructure like a runway and terminal buildings are not required for seaplane operations. The seaplanes services will be a game-changer providing a supplementary means of faster and comfortable transportation across the nation. Apart from providing air connectivity to various remote religious/tourist places, it will boost tourism for domestic and international holidaymakers. It will save travel time and stimulate localized short distance travelling especially in the hilly regions or across the rivers/lakes etc. In addition to the infrastructural enhancements at the places of operations, it will enormously boost tourism and business activities. Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (I/C) Shri Mansukh Mandaviya stated that initiation of Seaplane operations align with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to improve connectivity across the nation and make India as an attractive destination for the tourists. By providing air connectivity to numerous remote, religious/tourist places and unexplored locations near the water bodies will make the journey easier. It will generate employment opportunities and stimulate tourism on these new locations, which will consequently contribute to the country’s GDP in the long run.

A Game- changer seaplanes services will facilitate faster and hassle-free travel across the country.

Cargo ship grounded by storm in Yantai, China

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is initiating the process of commencing operations of the Seaplane services, on the select routes, under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework through prospective airline operators. The project execution and implementation would be through Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which is under the administrative control of the Ministry. Several destinations are envisaged for seaplane operations.The proposed Origin-Destination pairs under Hub and Spoke model include various islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Guwahati Riverfront & Umranso Reservoir in Assam, Yamuna Riverfront / Delhi (as Hub) to Ayodhaya, Tehri, Srinagar(Uttrakhand), Chandigarh and many other tourist places of Punjab & HP; Mumbai (as Hub) to Shirdi, Lonavala, Ganpatipule; Surat (as Hub) to Dwarka, Mandvi & Kandla; Khindsi Dam, Nagpur & Erai Dam, Chandrapur (in Maharashtra) and/or any other Hub & Spoke suggested by the Cargo ship DA FENG 6, anchored at inner Yantai (China, Yellow sea) Operator. anchorage to shelter from storm, broke off her anchor, drifted and ran onto port embankment at around 0500 Beijing time, Dec 29. 8 crew left the ship, she’s to be refloated after weather improves. Cargo ship DA FENG 6, MMSI 412431810, GT 498, flag China.

One such Seaplane Service is already in operation between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 31st October 2020. To run more such services in the coastal areas or proximity to water bodies, SDCL is keen to associate with the interested scheduled / non-scheduled airline operators. The joint development and operation of “Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)” will be undertaken by forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL).

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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International News

Malaysian

Discussions to Restart Malaysian Cruises Are Stalled Singapore’s tourism and health authorities believe that the protocols developed in coordination with DNV GL are working well. At the beginning of December, there was a COVID scare aboard the Quantum of the Seas with the ship immediately launching a lockdown and returning to Singapore. Passengers and crew observed the protocols and the contract tracing devices permitted them to isolate anyone who might have come in contact with the suspected case. Follow up tests performed at a hospital in Singapore determined that the passenger was not positive for COVID-19. The sources in Malaysia told the newspaper that there was no timeline for the conclusion of the discussions with the government. They continue to hope that permission would be granted early in 2021 to restart limited cruise operations.

fforts to restart the cruise industry in Malaysia using a model similar to Singapore are continuing but moving slowly according to local officials. The goal is to provide an important source of revenue to the ports and leisure activity for the local population. Before the pandemic, cruises to nowhere were a large part of the domestic cruise industry. Local officials estimate that twothirds of the more than one million passengers in 2019 were attracted to the cruises to nowhere aboard the casino cruise ships operating from the cruise terminal in Penang.

Singapore Royal Caribbean Resumes Singapore Cruises Days After COVID-19 Scare

The Penang Port and the Port Klang Authority presented a joint proposal to the Ministry of Transport, after receiving input from the cruise terminals in Penang and Port Klang as well as cruise lines, according to The Malaysian Reserve newspaper. While the plan has progressed with a review and discussion at the national level, including the National Security Council, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the Ministry of Health, the newspaper reports that the plan appears to be “at a standstill as discussions between port authorities and the federal government have been put on hold.” Similar to Singapore, the plan was viewed as a test toward restoring travel in the region. It would use many of the same limitations employed in Singapore, including restricting the ship’s capacity and limiting the passengers to Malaysians. There is no timeline for when Malaysia might permit international cruise ships to return to its ports.

After last week’s scare of a potential case of COVID-19 aboard halted a cruise a day early, Singapore has permitted Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship to resume service. Reporting that it was satisfied that the health and safety protocols had been followed and worked as planned, the authorities permitted the Singapore permitted two cruise ships, Genting’s World Dream cruise ship to depart today on its next cruise to nowhere.

and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas to resume short cruises to nowhere in November and December. Passengers are being required to take COVID-19 tests before boarding and maintain precautions aboard, including social distancing and the use of face coverings. Passengers also agree to use a tracking device that permits the cruise ship and oﬃcials to determine close contacts during the trip.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

After the cruise ship reported the suspected case of the virus, the Quantum of the Seas immediately implemented the protocols asking all passengers to return to their cabins. The know close contacts of the passenger were also immediately placed in isolation while the ship suspended the cruise and returned to Singapore. Aboard they also began a broader contract tracing program to identify passengers and crew that might have been in contact with the suspected case of the virus.

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International News Singapore has in place a robust tracing program that uses cell phone-based technology. Also, passengers are being given a personal device that traces their movements and contracts around the vessel. While the ship was back at the dock, the passengers and crew except for essential workers were asked to continue to remain aboard and in their cabins. At the same time and while the tracing program was ongoing, the passenger with the suspected case of the virus went to a Singapore hospital where the 83-year old male were retested. Two tests were negative and a third negative test was also completed the following day. The positive test conducted aboard the cruise ship highlighted one of the challenges of maintaining the pilot cruise program and handling the virus. The testing units available for the ships are more susceptible to inaccurate results versus those available onshore. The Quantum of the Seas became only the latest example of several instances where inaccurate results caused a problem.

UAE

Boxship Arrives in UAE With Toppled Containers

At the time of the incident, the Quantum of the Seas had 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew on board. Before boarding the cruise there are pre-boarding tests for passengers and aboard the ship precautionary measures are required, including reduced sailing capacity and strict safe distancing measures. Crew members are living basically in a bubble during the entire pilot program.

Despite recent reports that suggested a decline in incidents of containers falling overboard, there apparently has been another incident this time approaching the Dubai port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the full details of the situation are currently unknown, images have begun to appear of the 3,500 TEU container ship UNI Florida arriving in port with visible signs of container damage. The aft stack of boxes has toppled over leaning over the side of the ship. No reports have been released as of yet on the circumstances of the incident or “Safety remains our foremost priority, and yesterday’s incident has the number or location of containers lost. given us valuable learnings for future sailings, such as the importance of using TraceTogether for effective contact tracing. It has also given On a video shot by a local observer in the port, you can hear the assurance that our established response to any future COVID-19 surprise when they see the stack of boxes toppled over on the stern of case is swift and effective,” said STB’s Chief Executive Keith Tan. “In the ship. Built in 2007 at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, it is apparently particular, I would like to commend Royal Caribbean International and not the first instance that this vessel had a container accident in the the terminal operator SATS-Creuers for the timely execution of their same aft container bay. Pictures online dated 2007 show the same emergency protocols. I would also like to thank Genting Cruise Lines, vessel with its boxes topped to starboard versus the current incident who supported the operations by embarking their passengers early. to the port side. Their professionalism gives us confidence that our pilot cruises will continue to be safe and sustainable, as we work with our partners and The vessel, the UNI Florida, however, was sold between these two cruise lines to chart a new course for safe cruising.” incidents. She is currently owned by the Uni-Asia Group of Hong Kong Passengers and crew were aboard the Quantum of the Seas remained aboard until the contact tracing was completed, and disembarkation began at 7:30 pm that same evening. Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream, which was also at the cruise terminal assisted by departing early so that there would be no crowding or intermingling between passengers and crew from the two ships in the terminal.

working on time charters. AIS data indicates that the 43,000 DWT vessel remains in port at the UAE.

Recently, the World Shipping Council (WSC) issued a report saying that the incidents of containers lost overboard has been on the decline and is a small percentage of the total annual volume of containers transported at sea. The WCS concludes, based on data from the past 12 years, that half of all containers lost at sea are attributed to a limited Singapore felt confident in permitting cruises to resume for its number of major incidents that have occurred during those years. residents based on its overall success at mitigation of the virus. The They reported that the number had declined to an average of 779 city-state is regularly reporting no local transmission and limited between 2017 and 2019. overall cases. The government said before beginning the cruises that it would monitor for adherence to the protocols and would immediately suspend a ship’s permission to cruise if there were any concerns. They said they will continue to monitor these cruises, which they view as a pilot program, and hopefully similar to the land restrictions will be able to gradually ease the limitations for the cruise industry in the future. Today, Singapore announced it would be further reducing restrictions in the city permitting slightly larger gathering and a few additional activities.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

International News Two and a half weeks ago, the MSC Palak reported that she had lost 22 containers overboard in high seas off the coast of South Africa in Algoa Bay. The South Africa Maritime Safety Authority responded to that incident briefly closing the port over fears that the drifting containers were entering the shipping channel. The vessel was detained for a week in South Africa before it departed. SAMSA reports that MSC supported the clean-up efforts. While many of the incidents similar to the UNI Florida often go unreported, others had drawn broad attention. In May, the APL England sailing east of Australia lost approximately 50 containers overboard in another heavy weather incident. The Australia authorities briefly detained the ship reporting that their inspectors had determined that the lashing arrangements for cargo were inadequate and found heavy corrosion on the securing points for containers on the ship’s deck. The clean-up from that incident is reported to still be ongoing while Australia has brought charges against the ship’s captain and is pursuing financial compensation from the ship’s owners.

The current administration says the ECT will not be privatised. Some ministers have said the government will opt for a partnership instead, and hold the majority stake in the venture because the country cannot afford to operate the terminal. They remain silent on the media reports that a Cabinet paper has recently been approved for a partnership with India’s Adani Group to operate the ETC. Curiously, the SLPP leaders take pride in having built an inland port at Hambantota and never miss an opportunity rake their yahapalana counterparts over the coals for leasing it to China. The same grandees now claim that their patriotic government is not equal to the task of operating the newly built terminal under its own steam!

The government has blotted its copybook on the environmental front as well. Environmental degradation continues unabated. Some ministers are openly encouraging forest encroachments and the destruction of mangroves. Rishad Bathiudeen, who is responsible for destroying a section of the Kallaru forest reserve, is receiving kidglove treatment. Instead of dealing with the destroyers of forests, the government has taken on the environmentalists, who are struggling to The WCS admitted in its report that the goal should be both to improve save the country’s rapidly receding forest cover. It has also opened the incident reporting and seek to further reduce incidents such as these. ‘residual’ forests for exploitation by removing them from the Forest They outlined a series of actions that were recommended to improve Department’s purview and placing them under the District and Divisional Secretariats full of malleable officials. the safety of container ship operations.

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka coughing up a container terminal

Public disillusionment with the incumbent government is palpable. Among its bitterest critics are many of those who ardently supported the SLPP and worked tirelessly to ensure its electoral victories; they include a number of prominent Buddhist monks. The consternation of the disillusioned laymen critical of the government reminds us of Nanda Malini’s popular song—Pem lovadi dutu ohumada me, ohutada ma anda une; it is about a rueful retrospection by a hapless woman who has become disenchanted with her spouse, having loved him madly during their passionate courtship. The SLPP backers also naively expected their government to be truthful and faithful to them only to be disillusioned. Port workers have sunk their political differences in a bid to defeat what they call a government move to sell the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port to India. Before the last presidential and parliamentary polls, the SLPP condemned the yahapalana regime for selling state assets, and even vowed to take them over after forming a government. It has reneged on that promise.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa went out of his way to have cattle slaughter banned and received praise from the Maha Sangha and animal rights activists. Now, the government is reported to have allowed South Asia’s biggest meat processing factory to be set up here. It advertises its commitment to fostering Buddhism, and its leaders often fall at the feet of Buddhist monks, in public, and pay homage to sacred shrines. They took their oaths at Ruwanweliseya, Sri Dalada Maligawa and the historical Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, making a public display of their love of Buddhism. But they are apparently strong adherents of another ism—Machiavellianism. They are going by Machiavelli’s advice that the rulers should consider the promise given as a necessity of the past, and the word broken as a necessity of the present. The JVP has demanded to know why the government has proposed a venture with the Adani Group instead of inviting investors if its claim that it is looking for foreign investment is true. The government is obviously under pressure from New Delhi. Some commentators have argued that the meteoric rise of the Adani group has been possible due to its owner Gautam Adani’s friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adani threw in his lot with Modi when the latter incurred opprobrium of the Indian business community over the antiMuslim riots in Gujrat in 2002, when he was the Chief Minister of that state. They have since been inseparable friends. Adani has come be to be dubbed Modi’s Rockefeller. There are various allegations of questionable business practices against Adani’s conglomerate. This year, the Central Bureau of Investigation of India booked the Adani Power Ltd. bigwigs and their counterparts from 25 other companies for allegedly causing a staggering loss to the state coffers. The Modi government has come under heavy criticism for the manner in which the Adani group was allowed to secure contracts for operating six Indian airports. It is said to have enabled companies without any experience in the field to bid so that the Adani group, which was among them, would benefit. The Adani Group has been fined in Australia for misinterpreting environmental approval conditions at its mine in central Queensland, according to a recent Bloomberg report. The Colombo Port workers are not alone in protesting against the Adani Group. Indian farmers who are currently struggling to scuttle a set of draconian farm laws have accused it of exploiting them, a charge it has vehemently denied. Members of the ‘Stop Adani movement’ recently gathered outside the Sydney Cricket Ground during the first one-day international between Australia and India in protest against the company’s mining project, and two of them even invaded the pitch. Are the Sri Lankan leaders trying to worm their way into Modi’s affections by offering the ECT to the Adani Group apart from reaping other benefits from the deal? When the yahapalana government leased out the Hambantota Port to China, The New York Times said China had made Sri Lanka cough up a port. As for what is happening at the Colombo Port, will the western media say India is making Sri Lanka cough up a container terminal?

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international News International

IRAN South Korean-agged tanker seized by Iran, Seoul demands release

Iran has retaliated by bypassing the restrictions of the deal step-bystep. In a move that could complicate efforts by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal, Tehran said on Monday it had resumed 20% uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear facility. British firm Ambrey said the South Korean-flagged vessel, owned by DM Shipping Co, had departed from the Petroleum Chemical Quay in Jubail, in Saudi Arabia, before the incident. Another maritime security firm, Dryad Global, said on its website the chemical tanker had “likely been detained by Iranian forces” in the Strait of Hormuz while inbound to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. In early 2019, Iran jacked up tensions in the world’s busiest oil waterway by seizing British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, two weeks after a British warship had intercepted an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar.

Venezuela resumes direct oil shipments to China Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean- despite U.S. sanctions flagged tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media said on Monday, amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions. Seoul confirmed the seizure of a South Korean chemical tanker by Iranian authorities in the waters off Oman, and demanded its immediate release. Several Iranian media outlets, including state TV, said the Guards navy captured the vessel for polluting the Gulf with chemicals. “According to initial reports by local officials, it is purely a technical matter and the ship was taken to shore for polluting the sea,” state television quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying. The semi-official Tasnim news agency published pictures showing the Guards’ speed boats escorting the tanker HANKUK CHEMI, which it said was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol.

enezuela has resumed direct shipments of oil to China after U.S. sanctions sent the trade underground for It said the vessel’s detained crew members included nationals of more than a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon vesselSouth Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Iran’s state TV said tracking data and internal documents from state company the tanker was being held at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port city. The ship Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

had 20 crew members, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry.

Chinese state companies China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) The U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet is aware of the incident and and its listed subsidiary PetroChina – long among PDVSA’s top is monitoring the situation, spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich said in customers – stopped loading crude and fuel at Venezuelan ports in response to a Reuters query. August 2019 after Washington extended its sanctions on PDVSA to include any companies trading with the Venezuelan state firm. The incident comes ahead of an expected visit by South Korea’s https://reut.rs/36ZyATv deputy foreign minister to Tehran. Khatibzadeh said the visit would happen in coming days, during which officials would discuss Iran’s The imposition of the sanctions was part of a push by the Trump demand that South Korea release $7 billion in funds frozen in South administration to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but Korean banks because of U.S. sanctions. they failed to completely halt the South American nation’s oil exports or to loosen Maduro’s grip on power.

NUCLEAR DEAL

The United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after Washington withdrew from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers. Under that deal, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear work in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

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PDVSA’s customers instead boosted shipments to Malaysia, where transfers of cargoes between vessels at sea have allowed most of Venezuela’s crude to continue flowing to China after changing hands and using trade intermediaries.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

International News PDVSA and Venezuela’s oil ministry did not reply to requests for comment. A U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson said on Nov. 25 that “those engaged in activity in the Venezuelan oil sector risk exposure to sanctions.” The first tanker to resume transport of Venezuelan crude directly to China was the Kyoto, identified by shipping monitoring service TankerTrackers.com while loading 1.8 million barrels of heavy crude at Venezuela’s Jose port in late August. At least one other tanker, the Warrior King, is discharging Venezuelan crude at China’s Bayuquan port, while two vessels listed in shipping database Equasis as being owned by CNPC units loaded oil in Venezuela in November, according to PDVSA’s loading schedules and shipping documents, and Refinitiv Eikon data. Singapore court documents seen by Reuters show shares in the PDVSA did not list a customer for the cargo and Panama-based companies that own the two vessels – the Xingye and the Thousand Umbridges Trade SA, owner of the tanker, could not be reached for comment. Sunny – were transferred to CNPC units earlier this year. Following publication of this story, a CNPC spokesman said the two tankers were no longer owned by CNPC at the time of the loading. He provided no further details of the sale of the tankers and Reuters was unable to confirm it independently.

PDVSA documents and vessel tracking data also confirmed that two China-flagged very large crude carriers (VLCC) with the capacity to transport some 2 million barrels of crude each loaded Venezuelan heavy crude at the Jose terminal in recent days.

The CNPC spokesman said the company and its subsidiaries had One of the vessels, the Xingye, departed from Venezuela on Nov. 26 signaling Singapore as its destination, Eikon data showed. The other, suspended oil trading with Venezuela. the Thousand Sunny, had yet to set sail. Both tankers were owned by a The Kyoto, chartered by a company called Wanneng Munay accord- PDVSA-PetroChina joint venture until earlier this year when ing to an internal PDVSA document, discharged at China’s Dalian oil PetroChina assumed full ownership, After publication of this story, the terminal in early November after covering a large portion of its route to CNPC spokesman said the company had not owned the vessels Asia in a so-called “dark voyage,” with its location transponder offline, “since a long time ago.” He did not provide details of any sale. Refinitiv Eikon data showed. Wanneng Munay is among a group of more than a dozen Russian-registered companies with no known The buyer behind the two cargoes is a firm called Cirrostrati prior oil trading experience that have emerged as PDVSA customers Technology Co LTD, according to the PDVSA documents. Reuters could not reach the company for comment or determine where it was in recent months. based. The emergence of these firms has allowed PDVSA to continue shipping oil to Asian destinations in recent months despite withdraw- China has joined Venezuela’s other close allies – Russia and Cuba – als by established customers like India’s Reliance Industries and in publicly criticizing sanctions on OPEC-member Venezuela. Thailand’s Tipco after the U.S. Treasury ended their exemptions to Maduro’s Socialist government held a meeting with a delegation of sanctions. Chinese officials and businessmen in November to tout a new law to Wanneng Munay could not be reached for comment. The company promote investment despite what Caracas has called a “blockade” by that registered its webpage, Moscow-based OGX Trading, told Washington. The law allows the government to sign new oil deals Reuters in October the firm had not been able to start trade activities confidentially. as planned due to the coronavirus. Maduro said during the meeting he would send a letter to China’s President Xi Jinping encouraging more robust commercial relations Monte Nero Management SA, operator of the Kyoto, did not immedibetween the two countries. “We have to move forward with investately respond to a request for comment. ments, with wealth creation, with new partnerships. The anti-blockade law allows all that. Let’s do it in this new phase,” Maduro said.

BIDEN GOVERNMENT

The direct shipments come ahead of January’s transition of power in the United States from Republican President Donald Trump to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, whose advisers have said he would retain sanctions but shift the focus of U.S. strategy. The resumption of direct imports by China comes after Washington earlier this year took action against units of Russia’s Rosneft and later went after shipping firms that continued to do business with PDVSA following trade sanctions first imposed in early 2019. Since its units were hit by sanctions, Rosneft has halted business with PDVSA, the company has said, but the sanctions on its subsidiaries have not been lifted. The U.S. State Department had no comment about the resumption of direct oil trade between Venezuela and China. On Nov. 26, the Togo-flagged tanker Warrior King, which was owned by Venezuela until September, was docked at China’s Bayuquan oil terminal after transporting some 600,000 barrels of Merey 16 heavy crude loaded in September, according to one of the PDVSA documents and Refinitiv Eikon data.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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International News

Turkey

What 2021 will bring to East Med energy?

EU green energy policies EU green energy policies will advance more rapidly, impacting fossil fuels, including natural gas. New rules will be announced making future funding of fossil projects unlikely – including the EastMed gas pipeline. Achieving the new target to cut emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 will require EU member-state emission reduction, renewables and energy efficiency targets to increase. This will include Greece and Cyprus, putting increased pressure to contribute more effectively in dealing with climate change. Development of renewables around the East Med will receive a boost.

IOC recovery The memories of 2020 on global energy will be long-lived. It may be remembered as the year that finally broke the For the international oil companies (IOCs) 2021 will be a year for back of fossil fuels, decisively ushering in the era of consolidation. They will re-evaluate their strategies, investments and future plans and priorities – a process already in progress in 2020. renewables.

Downsizing, write-offs, cost-cutting and restructuring will continue into 2021 and beyond. Following an eventful 2020, with maritime disputes almost getting outof-hand, 2021 is coming to the East Med with high expectations and As the world economy emerges from the ravages of Covid-19, oil and hope. gas demand will increase, while global supply growth will be slow – Key factors that will shape the new year in the region are Joe Biden because of under-investment in exploration and production in 2020 taking on the US presidency, the EU’s green energy policies, global oil due to the devastating impact of the pandemic on the industry – and gas sector recovery, economic factors, rapprochements and leading, short-term, to soaring prices. But these will not be longlasting. dispute resolutions, and their impact on the East Med.

The Biden factor

Economic factors

Turkey’s economy is in dire-straights and the country is still being I have chosen this as the key factor, as with Joe Biden in the US battered by Covid-19. Under the threat of sanctions from the US and presidency, conflict resolution around the East Med will get a muchthe EU, and following the loss of a key friend, Trump, Turkey will be needed boost. The EU is riddled with too many conflicting interests looking to restore its relations with Israel and other Arab countries and and compromises to become a decisive actor in the region. reach some kind of regional rapprochement. n addition, the renewed importance of Nato under the new US In contrast, coming out of Covid-19, in 2021 Greece’s economy will administration, and concerns about Russian influence, will focus US exhibit strong recovery, benefiting from the €32billion it will receive attention on finding ways to deal with Turkey – but with Nato in mind from the EU’s recovery fund. the US is likely to act cautiously. Nevertheless, Turkey should expect a tougher time with Biden than it Dispute resolution had with Trump, especially with regards to civil liberties and human Post-Covid-19 both Greece and Turkey must lift their economies. rights, as well as aggression towards its neighbours. They can do this by eliminating conflict through negotiations. Biden is committed to fully integrating climate change into US foreign and national security policies, with global implications. This will mean Turkey will refrain from confrontational moves that in 2020 fueled that oil and gas are not likely to be driving factors in shaping future US tension and mistrust. This has already started, with Turkey confining its recently announced offshore surveys to Turkish waters. If suspolicy in the Middle East and East Med (EMME) regions. tained, this could enable rebuilding of trust and restart of negotiations The strategic importance of the Middle East to the US will diminish in Q1 to resolve their disputes. even further. The close relationship with Saudi Arabia and Israel will be placed on a different footing, with US interests taking priority – for Something similar will eventually happen between Israel and Lebanon, following elections and formation of a new government in example re-entering the Iran nuclear agreement. Israel. Under Biden, the US will pursue a more hands-on involvement in the region, supporting negotiations and solution of disputes through Concerns about a change of direction in US policies around the EMME region will push Turkey and Israel into re-establishing diplomatic diplomacy. relations and closer co-operation.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

International News

China India Proposes Crew Change at Sea for Ships Stranded off China

Cyprus problem Cyprus is mired by internal problems, but will find itself at the centre of attention for both the EU and the US, with the combined pressure from both superpowers concentrating on finding a path out of the Cyprus problem swamp by March. With both the EU and the US determined to bring Turkey from the brink back into the western world, pressure will mount early in 2021 to restart negotiations on the Cyprus problem. Europe will be keen to avoid having to actually apply meaningful sanctions on Turkey at the March Council meeting, as agreed in December. This may act as a marker to achieve progress.

Indian authorities proposed to their Chinese counterparts facilitating a crew change at sea for the crew With the oil and gas sector still in recovery mode, 2021 may not be the members stranded aboard the vessels anchored for time for resumption of East Med exploration and production, other months off the Chinese coast. East Med exploration and production

than perhaps in Egypt. Responding to media questions in a written statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that the cases of the bulk carriers Jag Anand and Anastasia, along with the other vessels waiting off the China coast, “are being pursued vigorously.” The Indian ministry in its response said, “We have noted the statements of the Chinese side, expressing their willingness to extend their assistance in this matter. With the priority in Cyprus in 2021 being to progress negotiations to We expect that this assistance will be provided in an urgent, practical resolve the Cyprus problem, a delay in resuming offshore exploration and time-bound manner, given the grave humanitarian situation that – beyond 2021 – may be a blessing. It will take the heat off gas, which is developing on board the ships.” could otherwise continue being an obstacle to an already fraught process. In the latest proposal to resolve the stalemate, the Indian Ministry says that it understands the Anastasia is exploring the possibility of a The priority in Lebanon will be to concentrate on economic recovery to crew change at sea at its current point of anchorage in Caofeidian. lift the country out of its present quagmire. Offshore drilling is unlikely The Indian Embassy sent a letter on December 31 to the Chinese to resume in 2021. authorities supporting the proposal and requesting that it be approved. In Israel the success story will be Energean. Its priority will be to start gas production from its Karish and Tanin gas-fields as early as The bulk carrier the Jag Anand of Great Eastern Shipping Company possible during the second half of 2021. has been anchored near the Chinese port of Jingtang since June 13, 2020, with a crew of 23 Indian nationals. Similarly, the Anastasia, With Eni at the helm, Egypt’s Damietta LNG plant is set for a 2021 which has 16 Indian nationals as its crew, has been anchored near restart, making it possible to export some of Egypt’s excess natural the Chinese port of Caofeidian since September 20, 2020. Both gas from Eni’s Zohr and Noor gas-fields. vessels, along with estimates of up to 20 or more other ships, have all been waiting to discharge cargos of Australian coal. Resumption of exploration and development of discoveries will require resolution of disputes, including EEZ disputes, and stability. China, for its part, denies reports that the ships are being held These will be key factors that will shape the East Med in 2021. offshore in a trade dispute with Australia. The Indian ministry says that the Chinese authorities have conveyed to them that on account of various COVID-19 related restrictions imposed by the local authorities, crew changes are not being permitted from these ports. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested that the ships are free to depart their anchorages, but the ships' operators fear leaving the anchorage for a crew change they would not be permitted to return to the ports preferring instead to wait out the trade dispute to deliver their cargo. The IOCs will focus on areas where there is potential for growth and where oil and gas can be produced at low cost and high profits, maximising cash-flow. At this stage the East Med, including Cyprus, does not fit into this.

The Indian authorities said that their Embassy in Beijing has repeatedly raised the situation with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also the provincial authorities, requesting that the ships be allowed to dock or a crew change be permitted.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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International News Vietnamese authorities reported a search and rescue mission was underway off southern Vietnam after a Chinese-owned cargo ship issued a distress call and later sank in bad weather. Eleven crew members were rescued with two additional bodies having been recovered and two sailors reported missing. The 8,500 DWT Xin Hong, a 21-year-old vessel was sailing from Malaysia to Taiwan with a cargo of 7,800 tons of clay. The vessel was approximately 20 miles off the island of Phu Quy, which is 60 miles off the coast of southern Vietnam. The ship had a crew of 15 including eight Chinese nationals and three Vietnamese. The vessel was sailing in bad weather with heavy rain, winds between 30 and 40 knots, and waves 4 to 5 meters when the cargo shifted causing the vessel to list approximately 8 degrees to starboard. The ship’s captain reportedly asked for permission to enter the port at Phu Quy and proceeded to approximately 1.5 nautical miles when the list The Indian Ambassador has taken up this issue with Vice Foreign increased to make the vessel no longer maneuverable. Minister, the statement said, while the ministry has also been following this issue with the Chinese Embassy in India. The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) attempted to bring world attention to the plight of the seafarers in November calling for a global email campaign to the International Maritime Organization. Other organizations, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), have also responded, calling for action to address the crew welfare with some seafarers on the ships for 20 months or more. MSC Shipping as the technical operator of the Anastasia says it attempted crew changes in Hong Kong in June and August that were blocked by COVID restrictions. Japan approved a crew change in August, but it was not implemented according to MSC, followed by efforts to organize a crew change in Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Busan, all of which were also refused. MSC said that it had been suggested that the ship sail to Japan, where a crew change might be permitted while the Chinese authorities suggested the ships might apply to the Tianjin port in China where the local authorities would examine the requests once they were received. All of these options require the vessels, however, to leave their current ports and lose their At around 5 pm local time on December 17 the Marine Police received a distress call from the vessel reporting that they were sinking. Coast place in line to offload their cargo. Guard vessels were dispatched to the scene to begin a search and The Indian Ministry of External Affairs says that they are continuing to rescue mission. be in close and continuous contact with the Chinese authorities in Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin. They are calling for an early resolution and The Coast Guard reported arriving on the scene with very low visibility and bad weather with the crew widely scattered in the water. By 2 am promised to provide updates on further developments. the 11 crew had been successfully rescued and two additional bodies were recovered. The search was ongoing for two additional missing crew members while the injured crew were being transferred to the island. The District Party Committee secretary reported that a quarantine area was being established in the military medical center to treat the crew and that they would also be tested for COVID-19.

Vietnam

Search and Rescue Underway After Chinese Cargo Ship Sinks off Vietnam

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Other reports indicated that the ship’s EPIRB emergency buoy issued a signal at about 1:30 a.m., presumably when the Xin Hong sank. The Coast Guard later reported finding an empty life raft in the area. Due to the bad weather in the area normal shipping had been suspended between the island and the mainland. Officials however informed ships and fishermen operating in the area asking for assistance in searching for the two missing crew members. The port authority of Binh Thuan province also issued a request to the owners of the Panama-flagged ship, Hong He Shipping Co., to prepare a plan to address any oil spills from the ship. They were also told to prepare to salvage the sunken ship, although it is unclear what the water depth is in the area where the ship sank.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

EC Needs to Act on Icebreaker tted with Car riers' P ractices, h y b r i d m o t o r i z e d Say European Shippers removable bow

he Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has launched the Calypso, a new icebreaker concept boat The European Freight Forwarders Association (CLECAT) and the equipped with a hybrid motorized removable bow. European Shippers' Council (ESC) are calling on the European Commission to act in response to current practices of the shipping lines as it relates to charges and booking practices during the current boom in container shipping. Saying that the shipping lines’ practices are hurting smaller businesses and risking Europe’s economic recovery, the associations have joined others around the world that have called on regulators to respond to the current shipping issues. In a joint letter recently sent to the Competition Directorate of the European Commission, the shippers and forwarders organizations outlined the practices the shipping lines have adopted as traffic soared from Asia. The letter says that small European businesses are being particularly affected, but that the adverse consequences of carriers’ practices are being felt equally by many larger companies, including retail, fashion, automotive, cosmetics, and IT businesses.

The icebreaker vessel is currently moored in Mustola harbor in Lappeenranta and has begun operating on Lake Saimaa and the deep waterways of the surrounding area this winter. The removable bow, the world’s largest motorized of its kind, has been delivered by Turku Repair Yard as part of the Winter Navigation Motorways of the Sea II project. The €7.6 million scheme, co-funded by the EU Connecting Europe Facility programme, aims to develop and enhance the maritime winter navigation system and its safety during the winter.

One of its key targets was the creation of a motorized icebreaking removable bow concept, which would enable ice-strengthened vessels to be used as icebreakers during the winter. This specific bow The associations cited the violation of existing contracts, the is capable of breaking ice up to 70cm thick. establishment of unreasonable conditions concerning the acceptance of bookings, and the unilateral setting of rates far above those Danfoss Editron’s hybrid-electric system is powering the removable agreed in the contracts. bow with two generators, built as a DC system, and two propulsion systems. “Carriers have been reserving for themselves the ability to change rates whenever they see fit,” contends the association saying that this Danfoss said that its EDITRON software also cuts fuel and delivers is being done regardless of agreed rates and charges. Carriers they high efficiencies as the diesel generators in the DC system can be contend are imposing unfair surcharges and general rate increases. driven at variable speeds. Shippers they report are also being refused bookings at contract rates forcing shipments to instead go at spot rates. The power plan and propulsion system of the removable bow have been designed to be operated from the pusher tug wheelhouse, while They are also citing the equipment imbalance surcharges that the machinery can operate unmanned. carriers are imposing due to the shortage of containers. The associations blame the carriers for creating the container shortages due to “We have operations in Lappeenranta, so we can see first-hand how their canceling of sailings earlier in the year combined with the lack of harsh winter conditions directly impact shipping transport. This new reliability. “If carriers decide to ship empty containers back to China for kind of removable bow will make the whole industry more efficient and commercial reasons, is it doubtful whether it is justifiable to implement sustainable, as it will enable virtually any kind of tug to become an an equipment imbalance surcharge,” says the letter to the EC. icebreaker ship,” Kari Savolainen, Project Manager at Danfoss Editron, commented. Another consequence of the global shortage of containers they cite is a lack of equipment in Europe as carriers rush to get containers to “Lake Saimaa’s ice is more solid than sea ice and can reach up to China hurting European businesses. Citing the rush to get containers 80cm thick. Developing this innovative design concept for the to China, they say, “has meanwhile led to a domino effect in as far as removable bow and equipping it with its own propulsion system will there is a general shortage of equipment for European exports.” achieve savings in capital costs, as we will charter the pusher for only part of the year,” Juuso Kummala, Industry Line Director at Väylä, Last year, shippers, forwarders, terminal operators, and others in the added. maritime supply chain expressed their dissatisfaction with the EC’s decisions blocking increased regulation for liner shipping. ESC and As winter temperatures in Finland can plummet to -30°C, icebreakers CLECAT said they will meet the EC to further demonstrate the are a necessity even during mild winters. Introducing hybrid electric damage carriers’ behavior is causing to trade growth and they are power in icebreaking operations will help the country meet its target to calling on the European Commission to take actions similar to those lower emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. of competent authorities in other parts of the world.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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Fisherman Killed in High Sustainable development Speed Collision With Sea to shape Port of Tallinn’s Shepherd Vessel future

On New Year's Eve, a Mexican fisherman was killed in the latest violent confrontation between poachers and a joint Sea Shepherd / Mexican Navy enforcement operation in the Gulf of California. Another In the next five years, Estonian Port of Tallinn will be focusing on the implementation of its vision — to become the most innovative port in individual was hospitalized and is said to be in stable condition. the Baltic Sea. A video of the deadly collision appears to show a speedboat approaching the Sea Shepherd vessel Farley Mowat (ex-USCGC Pea Island) at This is the main focus of the strategy that has been just approved by high speed in a meeting situation. It appears to swerve to starboard, the Port of Tallinn’s supervisory board. away from Farley Mowat, but its momentum carries it sideways under the vessel's bow. The impact caused the panga to split into two pieces, As explained, an important complement to the strategy is the deeper according to Sea Shepherd, and the two occupants went into the integration of the principles of sustainable development and long-term goals into three areas — the environment, the economy and social water. responsibility. Other fishing pangas rescued the two men and transferred them to the second Sea Shepherd vessel on scene, the Sharpie (ex-USCGC The most important goal in the environmental field of sustainable Bainbridge Island). One man was not breathing, and the other development is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The first step appeared to have broken ribs. While Mexican Navy medics aboard the was to map the ecological footprint of the Port of Tallinn Group, i.e. Sharpie were attending to the victims, two assailants from other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the company’s harbours and pangas boarded the vessel, while others threw molotov cocktails ships, based on 2019 data. aboard and sparked a fire on the bow, Sea Shepherd said. The two victims were transferred to Mexican Navy patrol boats for evacuation In the harbours of the Port of Tallinn in 2019, GHG emissions were 97 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent, of which 53% were emissions from and treatment; one did not survive. ship calls. The GHG emissions of the companies of the Port of Tallinn "This morning’s attack is the latest in a series of increasingly violent Group without third parties were 27 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent, assaults launched against Sea Shepherd’s ships over the past month. most of which is related to ferries sailing between the Estonian Assailants have hurled Molotov cocktails, knives, hammers, flares, mainland and the islands. bottles of fuel, and other deadly projectiles at the vessels, crew, and military personnel on board. No serious injuries have occurred prior to In addition to assessing the volume of GHG emissions, measures to reduce GHG emissions in the Port of Tallinn have been implemented. today’s incident," said Sea Shepherd in a statement. Many of them are already partially in use or under development. In The joint mission between Sea Shepherd and the Mexican military is September 2020, Tallink Grupp’s vessel Victoria I was connected to aimed at enforcing restrictions on gillnet fishing for the totoaba, a shore power in Tallinn Old City Harbour for the first-ever shore power species desired solely for its swim bladder (maw). Dried totoaba swim charging in Estonia. bladder is worth more than cocaine in some Asian markets, according to Interpol, and this lucrative prize has attracted the interest of Other measures include the use of renewable energy, incentives for organized crime. The law enforcement crackdown, however, is port charges for environmentally friendly ships, the introduction of targeted at protecting a nearly-extinct species of dolphin (the vaquita) economical hybrid solutions in mainland-island ferry traffic and preparations for the transition to complete renewable energy from getting caught in the nets used to illegally catch totoaba. solutions. Sea Shepherd owns and operates the two former U.S. Coast Guard cutters Farley Mowat and Sharpie, which serve as platforms for The Port of Tallinn is one of the largest cargo- and passenger port embarked Mexican military personnel to conduct law enforcement complexes in the Baltic Sea region, which in 2019 serviced 10.64 operations. The recent altercation began while the joint team aboard million passengers and 19.9 million tons of cargo. Farley Mowat was removing illegally-placed gillnets from a protected Apart from passenger and freight services, the group also operates in refuge, the organization said. the shipping business via its subsidiaries. OÜ TS Laevad provides ferry services between the Estonian mainland and the largest islands, and OÜ TS Shipping charters its multifunctional vessel Botnica for icebreaking and construction services in Estonia and offshore projects abroad. The Port of Tallinn is also a shareholder of an associate AS Green Marine, which provides waste management services.

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

ConocoPhillips gets nod for remote operation of North Sea platform

During periods without permanent manning, the platform will be controlled from Eldfisk 2/7 S, otherwise, when manned, Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo will be controlled locally. The ConocoPhillips-operated Eldfisk is an oil field in the southern part of the Norwegian sector in the North Sea, 10 kilometres south of the Ekofisk field. Eldfisk is the second largest of three producing fields in the Greater Ekofisk Area and one of the largest on the Norwegian continental shelf. The field is located in block 2/7, about 16 kilometres south of Ekofisk, not far from the UK and Danish shelves. The water depth in the area is just under 70 meters. ConocoPhillips developed Eldfisk with a total of five platforms. Four of them are connected with bridges (the Eldfisk Complex), while the fifth, Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo, is located about six kilometres northwest of the Eldfisk Complex. The field consists of three structures: Alpha, Bravo and Eldfisk Øst. The reservoirs lie at depths of 2,700-2,900 metres. Eldfisk was discovered in 1970, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1975. Production began in 1979.

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Oil and gas major ConocoPhillips has received consent from the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog for remote operation of the Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo platform located in the North Sea offshore Norway. The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday it has given ConocoPhillips Skandinavia consent for remote operation of the Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo platform. The consent for ConocoPhillips covers the conversion to a new mode of operation for the Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo platform and comprises three main elements. These elements include technical modifications in order to permit remote operation; organisational adjustments, procedural updates and training; and planning and execution of maintenance by means of periodic campaigns. During campaign periods, operating and maintenance personnel will live on Eldfisk 2/7 Bravo. Outside of campaigns, the platform will normally be unmanned.

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Container ship suffered water ingress, listed, taken to port, China

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Container ship HUA MAO 369 issued distress signal on Jan 2 off Xiamen, while en route from Zhuhai to Shanghai.

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Pandion buys stake in two Norwegian offshore licences

Korean shipbuilders made an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter of 2020 by bagging new orders worth US$13.9 billion. The large order intake represented a dramatic turnaround from the order drought that the shipbuilders had suffered until the end of the third quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The value of the orders booked in the fourth quarter is double the cumulative total of the US$7 billion recorded in the first three quarters of 2020. Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KOSE), a shipbuilding arm of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, recorded US$5.5 billion in new order intake in the fourth quarter alone. The figure represented 55 percent of the total orders awarded to the shipbuilder in 2020. Samsung Heavy Industries won orders worth US$4.5 billion in the fourth quarter, 82 percent of its total order intake of US$5.5 billion in 2020. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) booked only US$1.5 billion in new orders until the end of the third quarter of 2020. But it posted US$3.9 billion in the fourth quarter alone, escaping from an order cliff.

The better-than-expected performance in the fourth quarter boosted the Korean shipbuilding trio’s combined order receipts to US$20.9 billion in 2020. Their combined order backlog amounted to US$63.2 billion as of the end of 2020. It is about US$10 billion less than the US$73 billion at the end of 2019, but they have secured enough work il and gas company Pandion Energy has entered into for 2022.

an agreement with Wintershall Dea to acquire interests in two licences located offshore Norway. The shipbuilders’ strong performance in the fourth quarter was driven In a statement on 31 December 2020, Pandion said it had agreed with Wintershall Dea to acquire a 2.5 per cent interest in PL 820 S and a 15 per cent interest in PL 617. Through this transaction, Pandion Energy increases its interest in PL 820 S to 12.5 per cent. In March, Pandion Energy announced the results from exploration drilling in PL 820 S. Wells 25/8-19 S and 25/8-19 A proved hydrocarbons at five different intervals with the Iving discovery in the Skagerrak Formation being the most prominent with recoverable resources estimated to between 12 and 71 million barrels of oil equivalent. According to Pandion, the operator, MOL Norge (40 per cent), is together with partners Lundin Energy Norway (40 per cent), Pandion Energy (10 per cent before acquisition) and Wintershall Dea (10 per cent before the sale) planning an appraisal campaign in 2021.

by orders for LNG carriers, which are high value-added vessels with a unit price of more than 200 billion won. They took more than 80 percent of the global orders for large LNG carriers in the JanuaryNovember period of 2020, according to Clarkson Research, a shipbuilding and shipping research firm. Considering that many orders for LNG carriers were placed in December 2020, their annual market share is expected to top 90 percent. It is also encouraging news to Korean shipbuilders that demand for container ships and very large crude carriers (VLCCs) as well as LNG carriers is steadily on the uptick. Korean shipbuilders are appealing to clients by attaching an LNG dual fuel propulsion system to these kinds of ships. With a dual fuel propulsion system, vessels can use not only diesel but bunker C oil and LNG as fuel. The advanced system is drawing much attention from shipping companies as the World Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) have toughened environmental regulations. The system also boosts vessels’ fuel efficiency 20 to 30 percent higher than other kinds of ships. Korean shipbuilders are technologically unrivaled in this field.

The license is located in blocks 25/7 & 8, north-northwest of the Balder and Ringhorne fields. PL 617 contains the Eidsvoll prospect and is located in block 2/9, east-northeast of the Valhall & Hod fields where Pandion Energy holds a 10 per cent interest. The operator, MOL Norge (40 per cent), is together with partners OMV (30 per cent) and Wintershall Dea (30 per cent before the sale) planning to drill the Eidsvoll exploration well in 2021. The transaction is subject to customary conditions for completion, including approval by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. The effective date for the transaction was 1 January 2021.

Korean Shipbuilders Sweep New Orders Worth US$13.9 Bil. in Q4 of 2020

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

The biggest issue in the world shipbuilding industry in 2021 is the Qatar project. Industry sources predict that QP, Qatar’s state-run oil company, will place large-scale LNG carrier orders in 2021. Previously, the Korean shipbuilding trio had signed a slot contract with Qatar to secure docks before the main contract. “We expect Qatar to place orders for 40 to 60 ships during the second quarter of 2021,” said a researcher at NH Investment & Securities. Following the orders for LNG ships, those for bulk carriers and tankers are likely to be placed in the third quarter. In late December 2020, the Korea Institute of Industrial Economics and Trade predicted that Korean shipbuilding exports will reach US$20.2 billion in 2021, up 2.2 percent from 2020. In particular, exports are expected to climb 6.7 percent in the first half of 2021 as delivery of ships was put off due to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. As a result, the Korean shipbuilding industry’s output will record 9.67 million CGTs in 2021, up 10.8 percent from 8.73 million CGTs in 2020, shipbuilding market observers forecast.

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USNS Mercy Unavailable to Tight Ocean Freight Market Help LA County as Pandemic Continues With No End Sweeps California in Sight

As the coronavirus rages through Southern California, Los Angeles County's ICU beds are filling fast, and the county's health agency has instructed ambulance services not to deliver patients with a low chance of survival to the emergency room.

The frenetic levels of containerized cargo movement that have driven freight rates sky-high will not likely end soon, according to a top Maersk executive.

USNS Mercy was last deployed to the Port of Los Angeles in March 2020. The plan called for her medical facilities to treat existing nonCOVID patients in order to relieve pressure on area hospitals. However, LA's hospitals never used Mercy's referral-only services at the intended scale, and she only served about 77 patients over the seven-week span of her deployment. She sustained an onboard coronavirus outbreak several weeks after her arrival, forcing 100 crewmembers to quarantine.

“There are simply not enough containers in the world to cope with the current demand . . . The biggest gap between supply and demand right now is in the United States, followed by Europe,” Maersk CCO Vincent Clerc told Reuters on Wednesday. “It is really crazy how much we are moving at the moment, huge amounts."

The leading ocean carriers are even planning to maintain a high level of capacity through the Chinese New Year - the low-traffic season that Last week, LA County supervisor Janice Hahn called for the Navy to usually prompts a raft of blanked sailings. deploy the hospital ship USNS Mercy to provide backup for the region's strained healthcare system, as the ship did during the first Ocean carrier tracking firm eeSea recently told the Loadstar that on COVID surge in March. However, the Navy said Wednesday that all of the major trunk routes - transatlantic, transpacific and AsiaMercy is not available: she is undergoing an overhaul at the Vigor Europe - only two percent of head haul sailings have been canceled Industrial yard in Portland, Oregon, and is not currently able to sail, a for next month, and less than one percent in the month after. Typically about one out of five sailings are blanked in February. This means that Military Sealift Command spokesperson told USNI News. carriers are creating a big boost in available slot capacity relative to “We need the USNS Mercy back in Los Angeles. But I have heard years past - though it still leaves unsolved issues with container reports that the ship is dry-docked in Portland for 'scheduled mainte- shortages and port congestion. nance," said Hahn in a social media message. "I am not an expert, but I have to question the wisdom of dry-docking a hospital ship in the On Wednesday, AIS data showed about 30 container ships anchored middle of a pandemic. This surge is overwhelming our hospital off the ports of Los Angeles / Long Beach alone. The ports have been system. The Navy should expedite the Mercy’s maintenance and working to handle record volume for months, and the demand is not return her to service as a hospital ship— or at the very least find a way letting up: Los Angeles' volume forecast tool predicts a traffic spike of at least 50 percent year-on-year in the first three weeks of January to send the Mercy’s medical team.” (and 70 percent in the first week). The surge of cargo from Asia to the The Mercy has been at the yard since July 2020 for a "major over- west has pinched the world's container supply as well, prompting haul," including a flight deck upgrade, lifeboat upgrades and propul- carriers to return more empty boxes to China in order to meet demand sion and structural work - part of a service-life extension program that on the highest-revenue routes. This has prompted complaints from is intended to carry her through to 2036, spokesman Tom Van Leunen some exporters in the U.S. and the EU, who assert that some carriers told USNI. She will not be available until refit work and sea trials are have restricted container availability or imposed unfair charges for containers in use. completed this spring.

Clerc predicted that there will not be much slowdown in demand in the near term, even though much of Europe is moving into lockdown. Consumers who are now stuck at home will likely continue to buy This time the need is different, local officials say. The LA hospital durable goods, keeping up demand for Asia-Europe shipping, Maersk system is running out of ICU beds to treat ordinary patients with predicted. serious medical conditions, and it is even running short on medicalgrade oxygen. According to the county's data, there are only about 40 ICU beds available across the entire system of 70 hospitals in the region - down from 300 ICU beds in April. "This situation has drastically changed from the original docking of the USNS Mercy . . . in [March] 2020. The need has not been any greater to assist with other medical ailments such as heart, cancer and nonCOVID-19 related illnesses," said Patrick Furey, the mayor of the city of Torrance, in an appeal to the county.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

laughter club 1.Why are there ﬁsh at the bo om of What did the newbie say to the Dead ahead, through the pitch-black night, a captain sees a light on a skipper? the sea? collision course with his ship. Because they dropped out of school. Newbie: “Do yachts like this sink very o en?” Skipper: “No, usually it's only once.”

The 2 best days of a man's life... The ﬁrst is... the day he buys his boat. The second is... the day he sells it. Two sailors are talking: Sailor A: “I hear ﬁsh is good brain food.” Sailor B: “Yeah, I eat it all the me.” Sailor A: “Well, there goes another theory!” How many boaters does it take to change a lightbulb? None, because the right size bulb isn't on board, the local marine-supply store doesn't carry that brand, and the mail-order house has them on back-order.

January 2021|SEA AND COAST

Reaching for the radio, he says: “Change your course ten degrees east.”

A doctor, a den st and a lawyer were in a boat together when a wave came “Change yours ten degrees west,” along and washed them all overboard. comes the reply.

Unable to get back into the boat, they The captain responds: “I’m a navy decided two would hold on to the boat captain! Change your course, sir!” and the third would swim to shore for “I’m a seaman second class,” the help. next reply comes back. “Change your course, sir.” They no ced that there were hundreds of sharks between them and land. The captain is furious. “I’m a battleship! I’m not changing Without a word the lawyer took oﬀ! As course!” he swam the sharks move aside. The man replies: “I’m in a lighthouse. Your call.” The den st yelled: “It’s a miracle!” “ N o ”, s a i d t h e d o c t o r, “ T h a t ’s professional courtesy!”

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January 2021|SEA AND COAST

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January,2021 January,2021

SEA AND COAST MARITIME MAGAZINE (January 2021)

Articles inside

Icebreaker fitted with hybrid motorized removable bow Fisherman Killed in High Speed Collision With Sea Shepherd Vessel

Container ship suffered water ingress, listed, taken to port, China

Pandion buys stake in two Norwegian offshore licences Korean Shipbuilders Sweep New Orders Worth US$13.9 Bil. in Q4 of 2020

Castor Maritime secures financing for bulker duo

What 2021 will bring to East Med energy?

NEWS

Royal Caribbean Resumes Singapore Cruises Days After COVID-19 Scare Boxship Arrives in UAE With Toppled Containers

Search and Rescue Underway After Chinese Cargo Ship Sinks off Vietnam

South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran, Seoul demands release

India Proposes Crew Change at Sea for Ships Stranded off China

Sri Lanka coughing up a container terminal