SMI Newsdesk Archives

India has slammed South Korea for victimising innocent seafarers and called on the Seoul government to allow the Captain and Chief Officer of the Hebei Spirit to return home pending the appeal process.

India told the 58th session of the IMO MEPC meeting in London, that it “will not and cannot support the criminalisation of seafarers nor the unjust, unreasonable or unfair treatment that is contrary to the principles … Read More…

Posidonia could be winging its way back to Piraeus after the port authority signed a €90 million agreement with a consortium of local investors and real estate developers and construction companies to build a new Expo Centre in the Palataki area of the port zone of Piraeus.

Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium, named AEAS, will build and operate the new Expo Centre. The projects will … Read More…

Jens Olsen from Denmark will be the next President of the International Ship Suppliers Association (ISSA) after he pipped rival Rocky Rocksborough-Smith to the position in a closely fought election at the association’s annual convention in Baltimore.

In a subsequent vote, Mr Rocksborough-Smith, from Triton Marine Supply, was re-elected as ISSA Senior Executive Vice President for an additional three year term.

Jens Olsen will take over from the … Read More…

Jamaica is positioning itself to fill the demand for junior officers in the seafaring trade, a spin-off from the increase in world fleet, Claudia Grant, deputy director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) has said.

According to Grant, a Baltic International Council/International Shipowners Federation (BIMCO/ISF) study conducted in 2005, showed a shortage of 10,000 junior officers in that year, with the shortage expected to grow to … Read More…

InterManager, the International Ship Managers’ Association which represents a worldwide fleet of more than 2,500 ocean‐going ships and some 100,000 crew, has condemned the lack of a co‐ordinated international effort to tackle the escalating piracy problem in the Gulf of Aden.

With more than 200 seafarers now being held hostage off the coast of Somalia, some of whom are associated with its members, InterManager is calling for a … Read More…

Bibby Line Group has responded to its decision to end its involvement in Liverpool-based Meridian Marine Management by launching a new full-service ship management venture, Bibby Ship Management Group.

Jon Osborne, Managing director of the new company, said: “In an increasingly competitive market place, ship owners are looking for ways to optimise their own performance and consequently seeking partners who can provide the right level of expertise and flexibility. A … Read More…

Rosslare Europort, the only Irish port to have substantial direct ro-ro services to the Continent, is continuing with its substantial investment plans.

The port, which is wholly owned by Iarnrod Eireann, the Irish State-owned railway company, last year handled 168, 000 freight units and close to 1,100,000 passengers. Rosslare Europort’ s continental direct business actually grew by 6.1% in the first six months of this year.

According to … Read More…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has launched a new safety campaign which will target MOL-owned and chartered vessels as well as MOL Group vessels including both ferries and cruise ships.

The main objective of this safety campaign is to promote the better exchange of opinions about measures that can reinforce safety management. The campaign is based on lessons-learned from serious marine incidents that occurred in 2006. MOL further hopes the … Read More…

Moving forward with the next phase of its Expansion Program, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has released a request for proposals (RFP) today soliciting bids for the third of four dry excavation projects.

This dry excavation project will help to create a critical access channel that will link the new Pacific locks with the Canal’s existing Gaillard Cut (the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal). The scope of … Read More…

Pacific Basin has secured a 100% interest in Meridian Marine Management, the Liverpool based ship management and marine services company, that was established in 2003. Pacific Basin will acquire the 50% interest of its partner, Bibby from October 1st 2008.

PB Maritime Services, which encompasses the Group’s ship management operations in Liverpool, Singapore, Germany, Cyprus, Russia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan states that the joint venture … Read More…

DNV has alerted to the major changes facing the future of the shipping industry, and with environmental preservation high on the agenda, a significant reduction in fuel consumption has been stressed along with new standards for ice navigation being drafted into force, as Arctic routes are forecasted to become a significant fixture in future trading routes.

Despite a major battle against carbon emissions, the rapidly shrinking ice plains of … Read More…

A jet-skier has been prosecuted and fined almost £2,500 (GBP) for riding his jet ski at nine-times the speed limit within the port area at Southampton, UK on an exceptionally busy day.

The incident happened when Cunard’s flagship liners, the QEII, QM2 and Queen Victoria, were in port.

As statutory harbour authority, Associated British Ports (ABP), which also owns and operates the port, is the prosecuting authority for Southampton … Read More…