News to know - from ITF - october 2021
11.10.2021
Time for change: mental health is a collective responsibility | ITF Seafarers
On World Mental Health Day (Sunday 10 October 2021) the ITF is urging stakeholders across the transport sector to come together and recognise their collective responsibility in prioritising the mental health of all workers.https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/time-change-mental-health-collective-responsibility
Crews Are Abandoned on Ships in Record Numbers Without Pay, Food or a Way Home | WSJ
Failing companies ditch vessels too expensive to repair or too difficult to sell, leaving behind cargo-ship castaways trapped in ports or offshorehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/crews-are-abandoned-on-ships-in-record-numbers-without-pay-food-or-a-way-home-11633699978
Crew of Hermes Maritime VLCC sends out SOS claiming abandonment | Trade Winds
Frustrated seafarers want their wages and a ticket home but claim legal process is holding them captive on boardhttps://www.tradewindsnews.com/tankers/crew-of-hermes-maritime-vlcc-sends-out-sos-claiming-abandonment/2-1-1079278
AP Møller-Maersk Takes Action on Sea Year Sexual Assault Case | Maritime Executive
Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk is investigating a sexual assault case aboard a vessel operated by its U.S.-flag subsidiary, launching a comprehensive inquiry and suspending five American mariners.https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ap-moller-maersk-takes-action-in-sea-year-sexual-assault-case
Cadets are missing out on sea time due to pandemic travel restrictions | Hellenic Shipping News
Restrictions on crew change and repatriations are impacting cadets at a time when the shipping industry desperately needs to recruit more young people.https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/cadets-are-missing-out-on-sea-time-due-to-pandemic-travel-restrictions/
Vaccinations seen critical for Filipino seafarers | Manila Times
Shipowners and ship managers have not explicitly required Filipino seafarers to be fully vaccinated before they sign deployment contracts. They agree, however, other countries whose seamen are fully inoculated will have a definite edge over Filipinos if a vaccination requirement is not imposed.https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/10/11/tmt-anniversary/vaccinations-seen-critical-for-filipino-seafarers/1817778
How 20 workers keep cargo ships from crashing off Southern California | Press Enterprise
Supply chain woes mean a record number of cargo vessels wait off the Southern California coast. One might have been part of the spill off Huntington Beach.https://www.pe.com/2021/10/06/big-ships-big-traffic-big-waits-and-a-big-oil-spill/
Anchor may have hit US pipeline months before spill, says coast guard | Lloyd’s List
It is believed the pipeline has been struck at least once by an anchor, according to the US coast guard, which plans to review all vessel traffic passing through the area during the past 12 months
`We're fairly certain that there was one at least initiating incident that occurred several months to a year ago of an anchor-drag situation. We're confident now that it was a large vessel,' says US coast guardhttps://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1138456/Anchor-may-have-hit-US-pipeline-months-before-spill-says-coast-guard
A rising tide lifts all boats in maritime cybersecurity | Cyber Scoop
This past March, the world watched as the container ship Ever Given clumsily blocked a major artery in the global supply chain – leading to a six-day blockage of the world’s most important shipping corridor, the Suez Canal.https://www.cyberscoop.com/maritime-cybersecurity-rising-tide/
World’s first fully automated port starts operation in E China | The Global Herald
The first side loading and parallel layout fully automated container terminal in the world was put into operation on Saturday after automation transformation in east #China’s Shandong Province. Equipped with 22 overhead cranes, the port can deal with over 600 containers in a morning. #Techhttps://theglobalherald.com/news/worlds-first-fully-automated-port-starts-operation-in-e-china/
Sea Machines Brings Mariners' Union Aboard for Autonomous Voyage | Maritime Executive
Sea Machines Robotics has moved to ease labor tensions over autonomous shipping by incorporating a maritime union into a first-of-its-kind autonomous voyage around Denmark.https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sea-machines-diffuses-union-tensions-on-autonomous-voyage
Rough seas ahead for taxpayers working on the ships | Money Web
It is vital for seafarers to keep record of any income received or accrued.https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-opinion/rough-seas-ahead-for-taxpayers-working-on-the-ships/
07.10.2021
Goa seafarer dies at sea; family alleges ship denied him medical assistance | Hindustan Times
The Goa Seamen Association of India (GSAI), a collective of seafarers, has called for a ‘fair inquiry’ into the death of Beejoy Sequeira, a local lad who worked as a chef on board Ship MV Jabal Alkawar on September 17. His family has accused the shipping company of neglecting his health and denying him emergency medical evacuation, which they say, resulted in his death. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/goa-seafarer-dies-at-sea-family-alleges-ship-denied-him-medical-assistance-101633443195497.html
NTSB Reports Probable Cause of Engine Room Fire Aboard Fishing Vessel ‘Master Dylan’ | G Captain
Failure of a diesel generator caused an engine room fire aboard a commercial fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.https://gcaptain.com/ntsb-reports-probable-cause-of-engine-room-fire-aboard-fishing-vessel-master-dylan/
Shipping group slams bill on seafarers | Yahoo News
THE Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association (PCSA) has warned it will stop accepting maritime apprenticeship should Senate Bill 2369 or the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers bill get passed into law.https://ph.news.yahoo.com/shipping-group-slams-bill-seafarers-153200379.html
POEA bans employers of Filipino seafarers stranded in China | Business World
THE PHILIPPINE Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has blacklisted the employers of 29 Filipino seafarers stranded in Xiamen, China, who were abandoned after their respective vessels ceased operations in May. https://www.bworldonline.com/poea-bans-employers-of-filipino-seafarers-stranded-in-china/
Port Strikes in Australia Halted After 2 Positive Cases of COVID-19 Detected | Epoch Times
A union-led strike at the Port of Melbourne has been halted after two cases of COVID-19 forced over 100 workers into isolation, heavily impacting operations.https://www.theepochtimes.com/port-strikes-in-australia-halted-after-2-positive-cases-of-covid-19-detected_4034234.html
Expansion of Port Welfare Committees in Australia driven by the changing dynamics of seafarer care | Human Rights at Sea
A vision to reinvigorate Australia’s network of Port Welfare Committees is stimulating discussion surrounding the evolving needs of seafarers, and how maritime welfare organisations can maximise their support.https://www.humanrightsatsea.org/2021/10/06/expansion-of-port-welfare-committees-in-australia-driven-by-the-changing-dynamics-of-seafarer-care/
ITF WILL SUPPORT SEAFARERS WHENEVER OWNERS FAIL TO PAY UP | Media Net
The International Transport Federation (ITF) Australia welcomes the six-month ban placed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on the bulk Carrier MV Western Callao for underpayment of crew wages.https://www.whatsonoz.com.au/news-releases.html?rkey=20211006medianet_pr_959716&filter=17281
How a coast crowded with ships, port gridlock and an anchor may have caused O.C. oil spill | LA Times
In a year that has set records for the number of ships coming and going through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Friday was not unusual. Winds were light, and the steady movement of traffic at sea was routine.https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-06/did-shipping-gridlock-and-an-anchor-spark-massive-oil-spill
New mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements will not apply to BC Ferries | Summerland Review
The Canadian government announced today that federally regulated transportation employees and travellers will be subjected to mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirements starting Oct. 30.https://www.summerlandreview.com/news/new-mandatory-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-will-not-apply-to-bc-ferries/
AMO union officers in Boston command autonomous tugboat’s voyage around Denmark | Marine Log
In a first between a maritime union and an autonomous technology company, American Maritime Officers (AMO) has entered into a labor agreement with Sea Machines Robotics, the leading developer of autonomous command and control systems.https://www.marinelog.com/technology/amo-union-officers-in-boston-command-autonomous-tugboats-voyage-around-denmark/
COVID drives big demand for crew-change specialists | Hellenic Shipping News
Crew change specialists are in big demand from shipping companies struggling to get seafarers on or off vessels because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, an industry figure has revealed.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/covid-drives-big-demand-for-crew-change-specialists/