If Nobody Entered Enclosed Spaces...

By Howard Nightingale 2018-12-08 16:45:23

It may be stating the obvious, but it is also an infallible truth. If human beings and enclosed spaces are potentially fatally incompatible, the engineering solution to the problem is to keep the two elements separated as far as practicable. How many times have the phrases “routine inspection” or “planned maintenance inspection” been inserted on the “Entry into an Enclosed Space” forms on vessels throughout the world on a six monthly or annual cycle? To what ends? If, during the...

Malaysia Incinerates Three Tons of Seized Pangolin Scales

By MarEx 2018-12-09 19:33:06

Close to three tons of pangolin scales were incinerated last week in Malaysia after record seizures made in 2017. The scales represented 12 percent of Malaysia’s African pangolin scale seizures in 2017 and included 2.1 tons found in West Port, Port Kelang in September of that year. The remainder were from seizures made at Kuala Lumur International Airport involving shipments from Ghana and the Congo. No arrests have been made in connection with the three cases, and DNA samples were...

Oil Spills from Well in Rattle Snake Bayou

By MarEx 2018-12-09 18:01:39

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to an oil discharge near Port Sulphur, Louisiana. On Sunday, Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center that a crude oil well in Rattle Snake Bayou, southwest of Port Sulphur, was leaking. The amount discharged has not been determined; the well is rated to produce 5,476 gallons of oil per day, but it is not known when the discharge began. The source of the discharge has...

Forty Seafarers Abandoned in UAE

By MarEx 2018-12-09 16:25:41

The U.K.-based charity Human Rights at Sea has documented a case of 40 seafarers abandoned in dire circumstances in the UAE. The charity was contacted by crew members from three Dubai-based Elite Way Marine Services EST vessels. They sent an urgent appeal for help. Their vessels, the deck cargo vessels Azraq Moiah and Tamim Aldar and the offshore supply vessel Al Nader, are at anchorage at the port of Sharjah in the UAE. The seafarers say that food and...

Rescue Diver Recognized with IMO Bravery Award

By MarEx 2018-12-09 15:09:03

A rescue diver from China who made a series of underwater dives to rescue three people from a sunken cargo ship, received the 2018 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea at this year’s IMO Awards ceremony held on December 6. Zhong Haifeng, senior diver and deputy of the Engineering Team of Guangzhou Salvage, was recognized for his tireless efforts under highly dangerous circumstances, repeatedly diving into the dark and submerged cargo hold of a ship to bring out survivors. “In...

International Maritime Prize Presented to Birgit Sølling Olsen

By MarEx 2018-12-09 14:49:52

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2017 has been presented to Birgit Sølling Olsen, former Deputy Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority. IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim presented the prize on December 6 at the annual IMO Awards ceremony, “Mrs. Olsen has had a distinguished career in the maritime field and made an outstanding contribution to the objectives of IMO. Her comprehensive knowledge of maritime law is combined with a deep understanding of the business aspects and growth potential of the...

Marine Autonomy: The Future is Now

By Sea Machines 2018-12-09 14:11:00

Vessel autonomy may be the most-discussed technology of the maritime industry's future. Its prospects are bright, but there is no need to wait: a vessel owner can buy it today, install it aboard a commercial boat and upgrade operations with modern capabilities in no time. Marine autonomy is no longer a theory or a prediction, but a product. Boston-based startup Sea Machines has been developing and perfecting a standardized autonomous control platform since 2015. The firm's SM300 package is an...

Global Exports Could Reach $19.6 Trillion in 2018

By MarEx 2018-12-08 22:20:28

Global merchandise exports could grow by 10.4 percent this year, hitting almost $19.6 trillion, according to data published in the 2018 UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics. The figures are the result of “nowcasts” based on merchandise and services trade trends. In 2017, global merchandise trade increased by 10 percent, after two years of decline, and trade in services grew by 9.5 percent. The Handbook underlines that factors contributing to the surge in the value of...

Keel Laid for Canada’s Third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship

By MarEx 2018-12-08 22:02:29

The keel has been laid for the future HMCS Max Bernays at Halifax Shipyard, Canada. Welder Vicki Berg laid a coin on the keel signifying the start of full production of the Royal Canadian Navy’s third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship. Chief Petty Officer Max Leopold Bernays is a Canadian naval hero who served as the Coxswain of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Assiniboine during the Battle of the Atlantic. The coin placed was...