sandra

Ports Are Stronger Together

In 2019 Port of Antwerp signed Memoranda of Understanding with ports all over the world. Various project teams from the different ports are working towards wider partnership aimed at facing the challenges of the future together and achieving higher levels of performance.

Investigation of Marine Accident With Viking Sky Recalls Safe Return To Port

The Accident Investigation Board Norway has initiated a safety investigation after the incident with the cruise ship Viking Sky’s engine failure at Hustadvika (Norway) on Saturday 23 March 2019.

The AIBN issued an interim report with a simplified narrative and initial findings from the incident. The report also include actions taken by the company. Further, the AIBN support the Norwegian Maritime Administration’s recommendations issued shortly after the incident.

Areas of further investigation include:

• Engine room alarm management
• Passage planning
• Decision support
• Lubricating oil management
• Evacuation and LSA
• Safety management
• Local weather conditions and bathymetry
• Safe Return to Port

The international seminar “Breaking Waves”, brought together top leaders and maritime experts in Helsinki on 21 November 2019, in order to discuss themes of interest to the industry, such as digitalisation, automation and environmental sustainability.

In his speech at the event Mr Grimaldi commented on the future of shipping, its challenges and possibilities.

“While shipping is already today the most efficient method of moving goods and people around the world, its green bar will be set higher and higher. In April last year the IMO concluded a ground-breaking agreement on CO2 emissions, “The Paris Agreement for Shipping”. IMO’s ambition is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2050 comparing to the 2008 level. Considering that the fleet capacity will have increased dramatically meanwhile, this means that we will have to reduce greenhouse emissions per ship by 80%. This means basically to aim for a zero-emission ship creation and diffusion,” Grimaldi said.

Attica Group invests in Digital Transformation implementing the Fleet Management System SERTICA, in cooperation with Logimatic

In the framework of its Digital Transformation, Attica Group is implementing the Fleet Management System SERTICA, in cooperation with the Danish Company Logimatic. The aim is to ensure reliable vessel operations and high quality ship management.

Through SERTICA, all data related to the technical management and operation of the vessels is centrally controlled. This results in significant improvement of the workflow and in the efficient planning of scheduled maintenance works.

In addition, International Safety Management Code (ISM) is fully digitized. A particularly important advantage of the application is also the complete overview of all fleet data, reducing dry docking time and repair costs. The implementation of the System is expected to be complete in October 2020.

India Agrees to Ratify IMO Ship Recycling Convention

The largest ship recycling nation has agreed to ratify the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling which will push shipowners to take closer heed of how they dispose of tonnage.

• Ferry Shipping News understood that Grimaldi is now in advanced negotiation with Avic Weihai Shipyard for the imminent Finnlines order for the Super Star class ferries, Other shortlisted yards were GSI, Jinling, and Hyundai Mipo.
• The fast craft Adriatic Express, used by the new operator Split Express, is for sale.
• Moby reintroduced Moby Wonder and Moby Aki on their regular Livorno- Olbia crossings, after the cancelled deal with DFDS.
• Ro-ro ferry Eurocargo Trieste suffered an engine room fire after she left Livorno on 21 November. Fire was extinguished and she was towed into Livorno.
• Nanjing Jinling Shipyard started the construction of the second 7,800 lane metre ro-ro ship built for Grimaldi Group.

Support Strike for Postal Workers Paralyzed Finnish Shipping

The Finnish Seamen’s Union went on strike last Monday (25 November 2019) in support of a postal worker’s strike that had been underway for nearly two weeks in protest of the postal services unilaterally moving a segment of their workforce under a different collective agreement, which would have resulted in pay cuts of 30-40%.

All Finnish-flagged ships arriving in port after Monday morning were laid up; the strike hit Viking Line, Finnlines, Wasaline and Eckerö Line particularly badly, while Silja Line was also affected. The strike was resolved on Wednesday morning following negotiations led by the national conciliator Vuokko Piekkala, and shipping is expected to return to normal within a couple of days.

As a result of the strike, Viking Line’s CEO Jan Hanses issued a statement that the company were considering flagging the new Viking Glory to Sweden; currently all Viking Line ships sailing between Continental Finland and Sweden are Finnish-flagged and these services were thus entirely paralyzed as a result. Finnlines, meanwhile, attempted a creative solution: instead of leaving Travemünde for Helsinki, the Finnstar moved to the Travemünde-Malmö service – never arriving in a Finnish port and therefore not laid up for the strike – while the Swedish-flagged Europalink, normally sailing on the Malmö-Travemünde route was sent to Finland instead. In the end, the strike ended before the Europalink reached Finland.

Photo: Mariella, Gabriella and Silja Serenade all laid up at Helsinki on Monday 25 November