The Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) is a non-profit making body of Shipowners, Shipmanagers and their Agents, registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and is based in Mumbai. Members include companies which have a long association with Indian Manning and are identified as traditional employers of Indian Officers and Ratings. MASSA is an independent organization which enjoys an excellent rapport and working relationship with the Government of India, Indian Shipowners and allied shipping interests, the National Union of Seafarers of India, Forward Seamen’s Union of India and the Maritime Union of India. MASSA is represented in various Statuatory bodies in the shipping industry. MASSA has formed a Trust named Maritime Training And Research Foundation (MTRF) which has been setup by MASSA Members to receive employers contribution and disperse the same as required towards Maritime Training to the new cadets who wish to make carrier in the Shipping Industry. MTRF has two Institutes namely MASSA Maritime Academy (MMA) at C.B.D. Belapur, Navi Mumbai, and MASSA Interface Maritime Academy (MIMA) at Chennai. MASSA sails on... Shipowners failing to employ UK crew Nautilus claims owners using UK flag have broken promises given when tonnage tax came in ten years ago. ======================================================= Bulk carrier grounds off Mumbai Khalija 3 was carrying steel coils from China when water entered its holds. ======================================================== Singapore maritime trusts look forward Tuesday 13 July 2010 Finance THEY say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Executives at Singapore’s three listed shipping trusts are hoping this is not true.Following their much hyped debuts on the Singapore Exchange around four years ago, Rickmers Maritime Trust, First Ship Lease Trust. ---------------------------------------------------- Maersk disquiet over state aid package. Maersk reacts to news of German aid for slow steaming ====================================================== AP Moller-Maersk announces upward revision. Containers Company expects 2010 profit to beat 2008 figure of $3.5bn. Thursday 08 July 2010 ======================================================= Regulatory Reminder Subject: Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Ship Types: All crude oil tankers engaged in international trade Applicability: All tank ship owners and operators Effective Date: 1 July 2010 Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, adopted at IMO MEPC 58 on 10 October 2008, enter into force on 1 July 2010. Among the new mandatory requirements, Regulation 15.6 requires all crude oil tankers to carry on board and implement a ship-specific VOC (volatile organic compounds) management plan, approved by the Administration. The VOC management plan requirement applies to every tanker carrying crude oil regardless of whether it is a new or existing vessel. The purpose of the plan is to verify that the operations of a tanker, to which Regulation 15 applies, prevent or minimize the release of VOC as much as possible during cargo loading, sea voyage and discharge of cargo. The plan is to be prepared in accordance with the guideline provisions laid out in MEPC.1/Circ.680. It should be specific to each ship and at least: include written procedures and description of equipment/systems employed for minimizing VOC emissions during the loading, sea carriage and discharge of crude oil cargo; follow best management practices for preventing or minimizing VOC emissions; give consideration to VOC emission during crude oil washing (COW) operation; monitor the extent of VOC release by a system of record keeping; identify a person responsible for the VOC emissions control management; and identify a training program which facilitates the adoption of best management practices for the ship to control VOC emissions. Additionally, if tanker design modifications are made (such as using the method of increased pressure relief settings for VOC emissions control), the strength aspects need to be considered and evaluated in order to verify the ship’s cargo tank integrity is not affected. Plan approval scheme: The owner/operator may send the service request letter to the nearest ABS engineering office, together with a minimum of two copies of the ship-specific VOC management plan. Upon completion of review on behalf of the Administration, approved and stamped copies are distributed as follows: One copy to submitter (owner/operator) for placement on board the vessel One copy for ABS files Alternatively: The ship-specific VOC management plan may be submitted electronically on CD-ROM or as an email attachment to the ABS submittal database login group at the email address: O2Esubmittals@eagle.org. The approved copy of the VOC management plan, appropriately stamped, will be returned to the submitter electronically. ABS model VOC management plan: To assist tank ship owners and operators in complying with Regulation 15.6, ABS has made available a model VOC management plan as a reference for general use. This model plan is consistent with MEPC.1/Circ.680 and has the necessary guidance and clarifications, as well as the section templates on the contents of a VOC management plan. Areas where the ship-specific information/data will actually need to be filled in or modified by the user are highlighted. The model VOC management plan can be downloaded from the ABS website, Regulatory Information, Regulatory Newsroom section. Downloads: ABS model VOC management plan ======================================================= Odfjell order highlights confidence in chemical trades Shipowner and its partner order two of the largest chemical tankers ever to be built. ===================================================== Evergreen drops out of top five for the first time. Maersk retains top spot followed by MSC and CMA CGM. ======================================================== Somali pirates use swarming tactics. Multi-skiff attacks becoming more common as two chemical tankers are targeted in latest incidents. ==================================================== New naval tactics against piracy to alter risk levels in Gulf of Aden. ===================================================== Unions against flexibility in crew rest rules   ITF say exceptions allowed in revised STCW pose risk to seafarers and vessels’ safety.   ================================================== Ships failed to act on distress calls A number of vessels ignored multiple distress flares and maydays from a sinking ship in the Channel last December. A NUMBER of merchant ships ignored multiple distress flares and maydays from a sinking fishing vessel in the Channel last December, in apparent “dereliction of one of the most fundamental duties of the mariner”, according to an official Marine Accident Investigation Branch publication. One fisherman died as a result, leading MAIB chief executive Stephen Meyer to accuse some merchant vessels of failing to meet the longstanding legal and moral obligation to go to aid of those in peril on the sea. The former admiral has personally taken a number of shipping concerns to task directly as a result. ===================================================== UK to go ahead with ban on ship-to-ship oil transfers From October 2010, STS operations will only take place under licence in harbour authority areas. ====================================================== Clean Shipping Coalition gains IMO consultative status Pressure group gains consultative status at the International Maritime Organization. ======================================================= Arthur Regan makes shipping comeback Veteran teams up with Apollo Management in new shipping venture, Principal Maritime ====================================================== Flag states voice fears over Iran sanctions. International flag administrations concerned ships with Iranian links under their control could be targeted. ======================================================== Dutch court sentences pirates to five years’ prison Five Somalis found guilty of piracy offences in Gulf of Aden. =================================================== = German owners swap flags to protect against pirates. Shipowners flag-out vessels to allow mercenaries on board when transiting the Gulf of Aden. ======================================================== Somali pirates turn to Red Sea Thursday 10 June 2010 Ship Operations Pattern of piracy attacks change in June as Gulf of Aden patrols take effect. ======================================================= Maersk set to impose huge peak season surcharges. Line to bring in peak season surcharge on the westbound Asia-North Europe trade of $750 per teu, $1,000 per feu and $1,200 per high-cube. ================================================== Maersk to sell its last two medium gas carriers Tankers Group to sell Maersk Jade and Maersk Jewel to focus on operating very large and handysize vessels Monday 07 June 2010 ===================================================== Pirates shot dead as crew regain control of ship Up to nine people, including some Somali pirates, reportedly died after crew retake cargoship Rim. UP TO nine people, at least some of them thought to be Somali pirates, reportedly died today after a shoot-out on board the hijacked general cargoship Rim, operated by Libyan interests under the North Korean flag. Meanwhile, the pirates have captured another victim in the shape of a Panama-flagged general cargoship. According to EU Naval forces the 15,220 dwt, 1978 built QSM Dubai was seized early yesterday morning inside the internationally recommended transit corridor en route from Brazil. The vessel, which is owned by UAE-based Qawareb Ship Management had 24 crew from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana on board at the time of the attack. Officers aboard the US warship USS Cole, which was operating under Nato’s anti-piracy operation in the region, reported seeing at least one person with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher on board the QSM Dubai after it was hijacked, however no further details on the attack were immediately available. Just a few hours later, EU naval forces were dispatched again after crew aboard Rim successfully retook control of the ship in a move that left one of the crew seriously injured and several pirates dead. The closest EU Navfor warship, SPS Victoria, was dispatched in order give medical assistance to the injured crew, however pirates in the vicinity initially tried to impede the operation by utilising another hijacked vessel the VOC Daisy. According to EU Navfor, once SPS Victoria’s helicopter approached the VOC Daisy pirates changed course but an undisclosed number of the pirates were killed during the incident that ultimately left Rim under the control of the crew. Nato forces believes the crew’s successful actions against the pirates, who had been holding Rim and its crew hostage since early February, was unprecedented. Wednesday 02 June 2010 by Richard Meade and David Osler Ship ======================================================== Maersk sells UK supermarket business Danish shipping and energy giant has sold its UK supermarket business Netto Foodstores ------------------------------------------------------ Ships openly allowed to carry arms in Saudi waters. Vessels can be armed for self-defence against pirates, subject to certain restrictions ======================================================== Shell halts Torm tanker charters Move comes less than six weeks after oil giant carried out an internal audit and inspection. SHELL has stopped chartering tankers owned by Danish shipping company Torm, less than six weeks after the oil company carried out an internal audit and inspection that disclosed safety concerns about how the ships were managed. Shell declined to comment on the reports, saying it was a confidential matter, while a public holiday in Europe meant Torm management were not in the office on Monday to approach for comment. New chief executive Jacob Melgaard has previously declined to talk to Danish press about the matter, also citing confidentiality. Monday 24 May 2010 by Michelle Wiese Bockmann and Martyn Wingrove Tankers ===================================================== ======================================================= Fears over growing piracy attacks in Cameroon CAMEROON is now known to have experienced two violent pirate attacks on the same day last weekend, after details of a second incident began to emerge today. Lithuanian concern Limarko Shipping, which operates the 1985-built, 5,002 dwt Argo, said that the vessel’s master, Dmitrij Baskirov, was seized during an attack on the reefer. David Osler - Wednesday 19 May 2010 ==================================================== Shortage of ships for naphtha raises rates LONG range one tankers taking Middle East naphtha to Japan saw spot market earnings double in the past month after charterers were faced with a shortage of ships for early June loadings, writes Martyn Wingrove. Spot rates for LR1s shipping 55,000 tonnes of naphtha on the Baltic Exchange TC5 route rose yesterday to W155. Martyn Wingrove - Friday 14 May 2010 ===================================================== Somali pirates release British ship with 6 Indians on board Pirates free St James Park after ransom payment UK-flag chemtanker St James Park, held by Somali pirates since December 28, was yesterday released on payment of a ransom, a statement from EU Navfor has confirmed. The 1993-built, 13,924 dwt vessel, which has been widely linked to Ofer brothers interests, had been on route to Thailand at the time of its capture."We have received information from the owner's representatives that the British vessel St James Park has been released on May 13 and all the 26 crew including 6 Indians are safe," a senior official in the Directorate General of Shipping said. "The vessel hijacked on December 28 last year from the Gulf of Aden is currently on route to a safe port of refuge," the official said. The official said the vessel was released after ransom was paid to the pirates at a Somalian port but there was no word on the amount. The number of Indians still held hostage by the pirates is 57 including those on board a Belgium-bound chemical tanker M V Marida Marguerite with 22 crew members including 19 Indians, hijacked on May 9 from the Gulf of Aden. The tanker en-route from Kandla in Gujarat to Antwerp in Belgium was carrying approximately 11,000 MT of chemicals. Somali pirates had seized 11 dhows (slow-moving vessels) with over 120 Indians on board over a month ago. Of them, five vessels, including a dhow, and 38 Indians continued to be in their custody. Repeated attacks on Indian vessels had also prompted the government to issue warning to dhows about the dangers in those waters, particularly along the sea-lanes of Salalah and Male. David Osler - Friday 14 May 2010 =============================================== Teekay Corp swings to $4m loss TEEKAY Corp said it has made good progress in its effort to pare back its heavy debt, even as it swung to a net loss for the first quarter of the year. The New York-listed tanker major, which claims to transport 10% of the world’s oil in its fleet of 154 ships, reported an adjusted net loss of $3.9m on the period. Rajesh Joshi - Thursday 13 May 2010 ====================================================== UN general assembly to discuss piracy PIRACY will be discussed for the first time by the United Nations General Assembly in New York on tomorrow. Although the subject has been raised several times at the UN Security Council, it has not previously been raised at the full General Assembly. It will focus particularly on the situation off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. Steve Matthews - Thursday 13 May 2010 ==================================================== Volcanic ash helps boost Irish Continental EUROPE’S aviation shutdown helped Irish Continental Group gain a passenger bonus from volcanic ash, while the Dublin-based operator has seen growth in container traffic and detected a modest improvement in the depressed ro-ro freight market. Roger Hailey - Thursday 13 May 2010 ====================================================== Iran crude floating storage levels hit record 5.8m tonnes IRANIAN crude in floating storage has risen 28% in two weeks to a record 5.8m tonnes, or 42.5m barrels, with 21 very large crude carriers now deployed, four more than two weeks ago. The country ramped up April crude production by 70,000 barrels per day to 3.8m bpd in April according to the International Energy Agency. Michelle Wiese Bockmann - Wednesday 12 May 2010 ======================================================= Somali pirates secure ransom to free Talca SOMALI pirates have today released Talca, a Bermuda-flag reefer associated with Padova-based DNG De Nadai Group, on payment of an unspecified ransom. The 1988-built, 11,055 dwt vessel was hijacked on March 23 on its way to Iran from Egypt. David Osler - Tuesday 11 May 2010 ======================================================== Intertanko calls for more aggressive action against pirates THE chairman of Intertanko has called for more aggressive military rules of engagement to tackle the expanding piracy scourge in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, claiming nearly half of all the estimated 1,000 Somali pirates operating in the area have been captured over the last 18 months but then released. Michelle Wiese Bockmann - Friday 7 May 2010 ===================================================== Pirates hijack tanker with 19 Indian crew Nairobi: Somali pirates armed with rocket- propelled grenades and automatic guns hijacked a chemical tanker off East Africa with 22 crew members, a majority of them Indians, on board, the European Union Naval force said on Saturday. Spokesman Cmdr John Harbour said there is little chance that military forces can storm the ship because officials don't believe the crew all made it to a safe room before the pirates boarded. The crew consists of 19 Indians, 2 Bangladeshis and 1 Ukrainian, he said. The ship -- the Marida Marguerite -- was heading from India to Belgium. Also on Saturday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said a Taiwanese fishing boat was hijacked off the Somali coast by pirates who demanded a ransom for the crew. The ship's Taiwanese owner lost contact with Tai Yuan 227 two days ago as it headed for the Maldives. When the owner resumed contact with the vessel a day later, he was told by hijackers to pay a ransom for the crew, the ministry said. "The boat has since changed direction to sail toward Somalia, so this may very well have been done by the Somali pirates," the ministry said in a statement. "We hope that the many other boats sailing in the area can stay alert and avoid the pirates from launching an attack at other boats from the Tai Yuan 227." It wasn't immediately clear how many crew were aboard the trawler. Foreign Ministry officials refused to provide contact information for the boat's owner, saying he wanted to remain anonymous until the crew was released. Pirate attacks have continued to climb despite the presence of about 35 international warships patrolling the waters off the lawless Somalia coast. ================================================= Torm to gauge market before taking on new pool partners DANISH shipowner Torm is unlikely to seek new partners to immediately replace the two Swedish companies that have withdrawn from two of its three pool arrangements. The Copenhagen-listed tanker owner operates its vessels in a medium-range pool and two long-range pools in conjunction with a number of other operators. Craig Eason - Thursday 6 May 2010 ================================================= Tankers make 1,000-mile detours to avoid pirates The Sirius Star was hijacked in November 2008 LADEN tankers are deviating even further on journeys from the Middle East to western destinations to avoid Somali pirates, provoking charter party disputes and adding at least $16m in crude transportation costs to shipowners and charterers’ bottom lines in 2010. Michelle Wiese Bockmann - Wednesday 5 May 2010 ===================================================== China claims top spot from India CHINESE breakers stepped up to secure several vessels at strong prices last week, knocking rivals in the Indian subcontinent off the top peg in the demolition market. Yards in China had been pushing hard on the heels of market leaders India and Bangladesh and last week edged ahead with rates in the low to mid $400s per ldt. Brian Reyes - Tuesday 4 May 2010 ======================================================== TORM loses top tanker team to new competitor DANISH tanker operator Torm has lost three of its most senior staff to a new management pool being launched by a Swedish competitor. Torm executive vice-president Anders Engholm is to leave the Copenhagen-listed company to help launch Hafnia Shipmanagement, a product tanker management pool being established by Swedish shipowner Marinvest. Craig Eason - Monday 3 May 2010 ===================================================== Sailing restrictions imposed in US Gulf area SOUTHWEST Pass, the main route for deep draught traffic between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, was open for traffic as of this morning, but sailing restrictions were in place in other approaches where booming operations were under way. Rajesh Joshi - Friday 30 April 2010 ========================================================= HCI Hammonia collapses €2.8m loss HCI Hammonia, the stock-listed ship financing vehicle sponsored by KG house HCI Capital and shipowner Peter Döhle, has suffered an after-tax loss of €2.8m ($3.7m) in 2009, compared with a profit of €9.5m in 2008. Patrick Hagen - Monday 3 May 2010 ===================================================== US plans to outlaw pirate ransom payments panned THE International Chamber of Shipping and International Shipping Federation have issued a scathing attack on US plans to outlaw ransom payments to pirates, while calling for increased naval protection in the Indian Ocean. Steve Matthews - Friday 30 April 2010. ===================================================== Sailing restrictions imposed in US Gulf area SOUTHWEST Pass, the main route for deep draught traffic between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, was open for traffic as of this morning, but sailing restrictions were in place in other approaches where booming operations were under way. Port of New Orleans spokesman Chris Bonura told Lloyd’s List Friday morning. Rajesh Joshi - Friday 30 April 2010 ====================================================== Indian Ocean transit lanes could protect ships SPECIAL transit corridors could be created in the Indian Ocean following a rise in the number of attacks that have been closer to the Seychelles and Indian sub-continent, International Chamber of Shipping marine director Peter Hinchliffe says. Keith Wallis - Tuesday 27 April 2010 ===================================================== UN mulls special court to try pirates A MEETING of the UN Security Council discussing Somalia has adopted a Russian proposal to consider the creation of a new regional court to prosecute pirates attacking shipping off the Somali coast. A unanimous vote of the 15 Security Council members called on UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to report within three months on options. Steve Matthews - Tuesday 27 April 2010 ===================================================== CAPESIZE SINKS OFF CHINA. A capesize bulker laden with iron ore has sunk off China after colliding with another ship in thick fog. The ship is the 178,739-dwt Bright Century (built 1997) Hong Kong-based shipmanager Bernhard Schulte confirmed to TradeWinds. A number of databases name New Asian Shipping Co as the vessel's owner, but a spokesman for Bernhard Schulte denied this. The incident occurred off Weihai City, east of China’s Shandong Province on Sunday at about 05:23 in the morning. The capesize bulker was in a collision with the Liberian-flagged handysize bulker Sea Success (built 1998). Unconfirmed reports say the Sea Success has sustained damage to its bow, which is now flooded, but still remained afloat. Chinese officials reported that the crews of both ships, a mixture of Chinese and Indian citizens, were rescued unharmed. Wainwright,TradeWinds, 02 May 10 Maersk eyes transatlantic shellfish trade MAERSK is to return to the Canadian port of Halifax following the development of new technology that allows shellfish to be transported live in sea freight containers. Maersk will include Halifax as the last port call in North America on the TA4 service that links Montreal with Bremerhaven and Rotterdam, after the line and Danish firm Aqualife. Gavin van Marle - Friday 23 April 2010 =================================================== Somali pirates threaten to blow up VLCC SOMALI pirates are reportedly threatening to blow up South Korean very large crude carrier Samho Dream if a nearby South Korean warship attempts to recover the tanker. The pirates have also captured a Panama-flag bulk carrier. Reuters quotes a pirate commander as stating: “We are demanding $20m to release the large South Korea ship. David Osler - Thursday 22 April 2010 ====================================================== Panamax surplus forecast to send rates crashing to 2002 levels PANAMAX freight rates are forecast to be “similar” to 2002 average rates of $13,000 per day when the near-record numbers of new ships being delivered in 2010 and 2011 outstrip dry bulk demand for this ship type. Major German ship financier DVB Group said there would be a surplus of up to 261 panamax bulk carriers by the end of the year. Michelle Wiese Bockmann - Friday 16 April 2010 ======================================================= APL charters MISC newbuilding pair SINGAPORE line APL has chartered a pair of 8,500 teu newbuildings originally committed to Malaysia’s MISC, according to broking sources. The fixture, confirmed late last week, comes at a time when ocean carriers are reactivating services in anticipation of a seasonal upturn in cargo volumes after an unexpectedly strong start to the year. Janet Porter - Friday 16 April 2010 ====================================================== Obama's ransoms order allows discretion PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s executive order on Somalia and piracy is designed to allow the US government sufficient flexibility to be able to target and penalise ransom payments to pirates “at its discretion”, reliable sources have confirmed to Lloyd’s List. Rajesh Joshi - Thursday 15 April 2010 =================================================== Asian crude demand fuels tanker recovery THE global tanker sector is emerging from a market slump much earlier than expected, as strong crude demand from Asia and tentative signs of economic recovery in the US see the world’s leading shipping analysts release a flurry of optimistic forecasts. Michelle Wiese Bockmann - Wednesday 14 April 2010 ===================================================== UK to axe tonnage tax loan transfer concession SHIPPING companies in the UK tonnage tax scheme could be caught out by a new decision by the HM Revenue and Customs, warns shipping accountant Moore Stephens. It says that companies should urgently review their financing arrangements following a decision to withdraw, with effect from December this year. UK to axe tonnage tax loan transfer concession Steve Matthews - Friday 9 April 2010 ======================================================== Maersk Line to charge box damage fee MAERSK Line is to levy between $150 and $350 per box for damaged container equipment and an Out of Service charge from May 1. In its weekly briefing to shippers, the carrier said: “Maersk Line will introduce a new Out of Service charge. This fixed charge of $150 per dry container and $350 per reefer container is intended to cover the addition. Roger Hailey - Wednesday 7 April 2010 ========================================================= US shippers sound alarm over Shanghai Exchange CHINA will come under pressure from the US to provide some clear answers about Shanghai Shipping Exchange rules when the two sides meet next month, amid concerns that confidential freight rate information could be leaked. US shippers importing cargo from China have expressed concern to the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington. Janet Porter - Wednesday 7 April 2010 ===================================================== ============================================== US urges signing of piracy declaration COUNTRIES asked to sign up to New York Declaration to combat piracy and resist ransom payments. =================================================== Somali pirates threaten to kill Ariana crew David Osler - Monday 26 October 2009 SOMALI pirates say they will kill the Ukrainian crew bulk carrier Ariana, held since early May this year, as soon as fuel on the ship runs out, a Russian seafarer union has claimed. =================================================== Exmar secures bank finance for gas ship Martyn Wingrove - Monday 19 October 2009 BELGIUM vessel owner Exmar has gained finance to pay for its half of the new gas ship Expedient and has sold its share in the newbuilding Exquisite to improve its debt position. ===================================================== Pirates attack Chinese panamax David Osler - Monday 19 October 2009 CHINESE panamax De Xin Hai was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean yesterday at around midday local time, according to a spokesman for EU Navfor. According to the Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit database, the vessel is associated with Cosco Qingdao. ==================================================== 4 Indians on the board the ship hijacked by Somali pirates 4 Indians sailors are among 21 crew members on board the ship MV Kota Vazir that was seized from north of seychelles by Somali pirates on October 15. Pacific International Lines that owns the ship has refused to divulge any details about the incident. When CNN-IBN contacted the family members of the Chief Engineer of the ship they said the company had assured them that all crew members are safe. However, the incident raises some big questions: In September, NATO had reportedly warned of possible attacks by pro-Al Qaeda Somali pirates on Indian vessels and sailors over the next few weeks. Was this intelligence ignored? How did the pirates get away when international naval forces including the Indian Navy have stepped up patrolling in the Gulf of Aden? And Why is the Government of India not intervening in the matter? ================================================= AP Moller-Maersk to reflag from UK to Denmark AP MOLLER MAERSK is set to re-flag vessels from the British to the Danish International Registry as part of a wide-ranging simplification of its ownership and registration structure. A total of 55 vessels will be included in the group-wide simplification strategy, which will see 15 containerships and tankers leave the UK and 17 supply vessels exit ... ================================================== Tanker flat rates set to fall 26% in 2010 Falling bunker prices push down rates ================================================== Danish owners call for CMA CGM and Hapag Lloyd capacity cuts Box lines should be forced to cut their fleet capacity in return for government financial support ==================================================== Somalia fails to get bulk of piracy aid LESS than one third of the aid pledged by international donors six months ago to boost security and fight piracy has been received. ================================================= High crude inventories hampering tanker recovery HIGH global crude inventory levels are hindering the prospect of any recovery in the fragile tanker trades in the last quarter of 2009. =================================================== Maersk looks to axe over 280 officers Box giant aims to replace 170 of its 800 Danish seafarers with cheaper Asian crew and cut 113 of its 560 British officers through voluntary redundancies. ============================================= Jamaica aspires to become global shipping hub ================================================= Somali pirates kill another seafarer(Friday, 25 September 2009 ) MASTER deliberately murdered after refusing to divert course. Bid to grant immunity to seafarers who kill pirates ===================================================== Hamburg ship valuation formula adds up, says PwC SHIP valuation standard now fulfils the strict standards of German auditors’ association.  ==================================================== Germany confident Hapag-Lloyd aid will pass EU test GOVERNMENT sources optimistic that carrier’s bid for support will not be derailed following preliminary talks with Brussels. ====================================================== Pirates free Irene EM ============================================= MSC has no desire for bailout funds MSC chief Gianluigi Aponte says company will not be among those queuing for state handouts ============================================== Saadé slams European ban on liner conferences BRUSSELS accused of penalising Europe’s owners. ================================================= Maersk Tankers in bid to delay deliveries COMPANY negotiating with Asian yards to delay deliveries or reduce prices for vessels on order. ============================================= Maersk eyes investment opportunities after unveiling $1.8bn share sale OFFERING will give AP Moller-Maersk ready cash to grow in the offshores and port sectors. ====================================================== Evergreen plunges into the red Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp has followed its mainland Chinese rivals, China Cosco and China Shipping Container Line, to reveal swathes of red ink between January and June. ======================================================== GRACE OF GOD Man lives not by the beats of his heart but by the grace of God! - Sadhu Vaswani