Vessel Operation

All posts relating to vessel operations including stowage planning, misdeclarations etc..

Thousands of containers overboard in worst containership disaster-ONE Apus

by Categories Hazardous, Maritime, Maritime Disasters, News, Shipping, Vessel Operation Tags 14 Comments Estimated reading time = 4 minutes
Image : https://twitter.com/connorhelm

The year 2020 has been disastrous to many in so many many ways with the whole world in a crazy tizz due to the COVID-19 pandemic.. The pandemic aside, even as we hit the last month of the year, 2020 looks like it is still not done with maritime disasters..

In the latest edition of maritime disasters, the ONE APUS a 14,052 TEU containership built in 2019 and operating on Ocean Network Express’s (ONE) Far East Pacific 2 (FP2) Service suffered multiple stack collapse on board due to severe weather conditions while the vessel was enroute from Yantian in China to Long Beach in USA..

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IMO welcomes UN resolution on key worker seafarers

by Categories IMO, Maritime, News, Shipping, Vessel Operation Tags , , , Leave a comment Estimated reading time = 3 minutes
shipping and freight news - shipping and freight resource

The United Nations General Assembly has called on UN Member States to designate seafarers and other marine personnel as key workers and to implement relevant measures to allow stranded seafarers to be repatriated and others to join ships, and to ensure access to medical care.

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Carriers struggle with container shortages while rollovers increase

by Categories News, Ports & Terminals, Press Release, Shared Articles, Shipping, Trade, Vessel Operation Tags , Leave a comment Estimated reading time = 4 minutes
cargo rollover

Carriers struggle to cope with equipment shortages as transshipment ports see an increase in October cargo rollovers, reveals the latest Ocean Insights data.

Strong demand for container shipping space on major trade lanes from Asia to Europe and North America saw cargo rollovers increase month-on-month in October as carriers struggled to keep ocean supply chains operating smoothly.

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Letter of Indemnity – Dos and Don’ts

by Categories Bill of Lading, Documentation, Legal, Shipping Knowledge, Vessel Operation Tags , , 6 Comments Estimated reading time = 9 minutes
loi

Many of you might have heard the term Letter of Indemnity (LOI) in day to day shipping practice..

There have been several arguments, discussions, commercial threats, litigation etc surrounding this LOI..

But many still have doubts on what an LOI is, when it can and should be used, whether it is legally enforceable and whether it is worth the paper it is written on..

I will try to answer these questions in this article..

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Transnet procedures for hazardous cargoes in South African ports

by Categories Hazardous, IMO, Ports & Terminals, Press Release, Shared Articles, Vessel Operation Tags , , , , Leave a comment Estimated reading time = 4 minutes
dangerous goods declaration

As has been covered across various articles on this site, the process of hazardous cargo approval, acceptance and shipment is quite complex and ALL stakeholders involved in the shipment of this highly specialised cargo must be fully aware of the requirements..

This cannot be repeated enough..

From pre-shipment approval, approval of shipment, movement to port of load, loading on board, precautions while at sea, discharge at destination, movement to place of delivery, every process required to be followed by the IMDG Code must be followed at all times..

Seemingly there are several cases of non-compliance and non-adherence in this regard, based on which, Transnet, the State Owned Enterprise in South Africa responsible for all port operations has amended its Handling and Transport of Dangerous Cargoes National Procedures..

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Transnet shares concerns on incorrect labelling of hazardous containers

by Categories Hazardous, Ports & Terminals, Vessel Operation Tags , , , 5 Comments Estimated reading time = 5 minutes
All about hazardous cargo

Undeclared or misdeclared hazardous goods (Dangerous Goods) have been the bane of many vessel operators and shipping lines since the start of carriage of hazardous goods on ships..

The incidents created due to this issue has been increasing over the years with 9 major maritime disasters recorded in 2019 alone and as per TT Club, a containership is involved in a major fire every 60 days..

As per a statement issued by the Office of the Chief Harbour Master, Transnet National Ports Authority has identified the following risks and challenges that have emerged in the past years which requires immediate attention..

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Findings of the Maersk Honam fire by TSIB – what really happened..

by Categories Hazardous, Maritime Disasters, Vessel Operation Tags , , , , , 1 Comment Estimated reading time = 7 minutes
maersk honam TSIB report

On the 6th of March 2018, Maersk Honam, one of Maersk’s ultra-large containerships caught fire in the Arabian Sea while en-route from Singapore to Egypt..

The Singapore registered container ship which was carrying 7860 containers encountered a severe fire that started from no.3 cargo hold about 900 nautical miles west of the coast of India..

Five crew members eventually perished in this incident which was one of several containership disasters that have happened in recent history..

The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau of Singapore (TSIB) conducted the investigation into the fire on board the Maersk Honam and here is what they found..

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More calls for Governments to recognize seafarers as keyworkers amidst humanitarian crisis

by Categories Maritime, News, Vessel Operation, Women in Shipping Tags , 1 Comment Estimated reading time = 8 minutes
IMO - shipping and freight resource

Yet another appeal has been sent to Governments to recognize seafarers as keyworkers and address the humanitarian crisis faced by the shipping sector, ensure maritime safety and facilitate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic..

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Liner and Tramp Service – similarities and differences

by Categories Information, Maritime, Shipping, Vessel Operation Tags , , , , 3 Comments Estimated reading time = 5 minutes
liner and tramp

Currently, there are more than 55,000 merchant ships plying global trade around the world..

These ships include General Cargo ships, Bulk and Break Bulk ships, Container ships, Chemical, Oil and LNG Tankers, Passenger, and various other types of ships..

While these are types of ships, these ships could be operating on two main types of services – Liner and Tramp services..

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What is Dangerous Goods Declaration and who should submit it..??

by Categories Education, FAQ, Hazardous, Maritime Disasters, Shipping, Vessel Operation Tags , , 5 Comments Estimated reading time = 6 minutes
dangerous goods declaration

The safe carriage of Dangerous Goods requires several considerations, processes of approval, acceptance, carriage protocols and documentation..

For the shipping line/carriers, while containerisation brought along ease of handling cargo, it also brought about the headache of not knowing WHAT IS INSIDE THE CONTAINER..

Carriers have no way of knowing what is inside the container and depend on the STC and SLAC information provided by the shipper..

For dangerous goods, this cargo information is provided to the carrier in the form of the Dangerous Goods Declaration..

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The Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius – what happened and lessons learnt

by Categories Maritime Disasters, Shared Articles, Vessel Operation Tags , , 1 Comment Estimated reading time = 6 minutes
MV Wakashio mauritius oil spill - shipping and freight resource

The MV Wakashio left China on 14 July, heading for Brazil. The vessel, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, hit a coral reef, Pointe d’Esny,  Mauritius on 25 July, 2020.

What is significant about this incident is that the vessel was carrying 4,000 tonnes of heavy oil, lubricants and diesel, a large amount of which was pumped out but a significant amount still entered into the Indian Ocean.

Here is an overview of what happened, the clean up measures and lessons learnt from this maritime disaster..

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