Page 9 - Shipping Industry

Govt asks shipping firms to enhance reporting, tracking on West Asia routes

The government has issued advisories to ship companies to enhance reporting, tracking and security protocols for vessels on West Asian routes and coming into Indian waters. In a circular dated April 10, 2024, the Directorate General of Shipping (Mumbai) advised ship managers, ship masters and seafarers to enhance the mechanism for reporting and tracking maritime activities to safeguard the interest of merchant ships and their crews. The ministry has identified sensitive zones that include the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf Of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab Al Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, Somali Basin and Arabian Sea region. The circular said in the event of any incidents or security escalation due to incidents, all vessels transiting through these areas are requested to submit their details via the online Ship Reporting Form. "This measure is critical for maintaining a comprehensive and up-to-date vessel. database, which will facilitate easier tracking and coordination at th

Iran-Israel flare-up: Traders, shippers brace for fresh price shocks

Freight costs, war risk premia on marine insurance rise

Shipping industry set for tougher times ahead due to tensions in West Asia

The global maritime industry is set for tougher and more challenging times after Iran ramped up West Asia tensions by launching an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, causing supply chain disruption and increasing the probability of choking shipping routes, experts here have said. Iran's attack on Israel marks a distinct escalation in hostilities by bringing the two nations into direct conflict. Iran and its proxies launched 330 missiles and drones on Israel late on Saturday night in retaliation to an alleged attack by Israel on a diplomatic mission of the Islamic Republic in Damascus on April 1 in which several people, including two top commanders, were killed. There is a concern about the probability of a Persian Gulf shutdown, though many maintain hope of defusing fierce tension in the region, a delegate at the opening of Singapore Maritime Week on Monday, told PTI. The Persian Gulf is a Mediterranean Sea in West Asia. It is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the eas

Seized MSC Aries for violating maritime laws: Iran's foreign ministry

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had seized the freighter in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1

Long pending reforms to boost shipping industry, promises BJP manifesto

The proposed reforms may include changes in the Merchant Shipping Act with a focus on decriminalising certain offences

Baltimore bridge collapse: Investigators focus on electrical system of ship

During the initial stages of a federal probe into the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said her agency is gathering data with assistance from Hyundai, the manufacturer of equipment in the ship's engine room. Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday morning, she said investigators have also requested assistance to examine its circuit breakers. That is where our focus is right now in this investigation, she said. Of course, that's preliminary. It could take different roads, different paths as we continue this investigation. Homendy said they've zeroed in on the electrical system. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as evidenced in videos showing its lights going out and coming back on. Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel's voyage data

Construction of Indian Navy's fleet support ships begin at HSL, Vizag

HSL, Visakhapatnam will build the five FSS at an overall cost of approximately Rs 19,000 crore

China's EV makers order record number of ships to support car exports

BYD alone exported over 240,000 cars in 2023, about 8 per cent of its global sales, and plans to export up to 400,000 this year

"Going to move heaven and earth" to rebuild Baltimore bridge, says Biden

Biden delivered the remarks as he surveyed the wreckage from last week's bridge collapse in Baltimore, reaffirming his commitment to the people there

Sri Lanka unaware of ship carrying toxic waste from the US, say official

Sri Lanka is not yet aware of the nature of hazardous materials on the cargo vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week as it was supposed to declare the contents of containers only 72 hours before the time of arrival into the Colombo Port, officials here said. The Singapore-flagged container ship vessel Dali, which was mainly manned by an Indian crew, collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ship was carrying 764 tonnes of hazardous materials as reported by the US media. According to the information available, there are 57 containers with such toxic materials that can be categorised under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. The waste included mostly corrosives, flammables, miscellaneous hazardous materials, and Class-9 hazardous materials, including explosives & lithium-ion batteries in 56 ...

Engineers find limited-access channel to Baltimore port to open in 4 weeks

Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore have said that they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore by the end of this month. The bridge collapsed within seconds on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge. Authorities believe six workers plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River; two bodies have been recovered so far. Two others survived. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced a tentative timeline Thursday, saying in a news release that it expects to open a limited access channel to the port within the next four weeks measuring some 280 feet wide by 35 feet deep (85 metres by 11 metres). The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for ...

Baltimore bridge cleanup: Maritime terminal prepares for redirected ships

The only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore is preparing to process an influx of redirected ships as crews continue clearing the mangled wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Tradepoint Atlantic will unload and process an estimated 10,000 vehicles over the next 15 days, according to a statement from the company. That includes six regularly scheduled ships and nine that have been redirected since the deadly bridge collapse blocked access to the port's main terminals, which remains closed to traffic in a logistical nightmare for shipping along the East Coast. Crews opened a second temporary channel through the collapse site Tuesday, but it's too shallow for most commercial vessels to pass through. The two existing channels are meant primarily for vessels involved in the cleanup effort, which began last week. Work continues to open a third channel that will allow larger vessels to pass through the bottleneck and restore more commercia

Baltimore bridge collapse piques concern on safety, communication measures

In the moments before the cargo ship Dali rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and sent it crumbling into the water, a flurry of urgent warnings crackled over radios and enabled police to block traffic from getting on the span, likely saving lives. But those warnings seemingly didn't reach the six construction workers who were killed in last week's collapse of the Baltimore bridge. Their deaths have raised questions about whether the construction company took proper precautions, including keeping a safety boat nearby that might have been able to warn them at least a few seconds before impact. Federal regulations require construction companies to keep such boats, commonly known as skiffs, on hand whenever crews are working over waterways, safety experts told The Associated Press. There is no indication that the construction company, Brawner Builders, had a rescue boat on the water or ready to be launched as the bridge fell. If you're working over a bridge like that, the standard

Baltimore collapse: Ship crew to remain on board until probe is completed

The crew of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan of the container vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week is busy with their normal duties and will remain on board until the investigation into the accident is completed. It is confirmed there are 21 crew members on board. The crew members are busy with their normal duties on the ship as well as assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board," a spokesperson of Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told PTI. The crew is on board the container vessel Dali that collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. On how long the crew would have to stay on board the ship, the spokesperson said, At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board. The Singapore-flag

Shipowner in Baltimore bridge collapse seeks to limit liability to $43.7 mn

The company, Grace Ocean, could face hundreds of millions of dollars in damage claims, legal experts say

Baltimore bridge: US Coast Guard opens temporary channel for vessels

The US Coast Guard has opened a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in the clearing of debris at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main channel leading to the vital port, officials said. Crews are undertaking the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site of the bridge's deadly collapse into the Patapsco River after a container ship lost power and crashed into a supporting column. On Sunday, dive teams surveyed parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in lifts used torches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure. Officials said the temporary channel is open only to vessels that are helping with the cleanup effort. Authorities believe four workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse. Recovery of their bodies is a key part of the ongoing salvage operation. Officials earlier said the channel would have a controlling depth of 11 feet (over 3 meter

Crews start removing first piece of steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

Teams of engineers worked Saturday on the intricate process of cutting and lifting the first section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumpled into the Patapsco River this week after a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its supports. Sparks could be seen flying from a section of bent and crumpled steel in the afternoon, and video released by officials in the evening showed demolition crews using a cutting torch to slice through the thick beams. The joint incident command said in a statement that the work was being done on the top of the north side of the collapsed structure. Crews were carefully measuring and cutting the steel from the broken bridge before attaching straps so it can be lifted onto a barge and floated away, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said. Seven floating cranes - including a massive one capable of lifting 1,000 tons - 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats were on site in the water

Baltimore bridge collapse: Focus on removing heavy structure from water

Teams of engineers are now focused on the formidable job of hauling the shattered remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge out of Maryland's Patapsco River, the first step toward reopening the Port of Baltimore and recovering the bodies of four workers who are still missing and presumed dead. A massive cargo go ship felled the span Tuesday after striking one of its main supports. Experts are trying to figure out how to break that bridge up into the right-sized pieces that we can lift, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said Friday at a news conference. The tools that are needed have been coming into place. They include seven floating cranes - one of which is one of the largest on the Eastern Seaboard, capable of lifting 1,000 tons - 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats. To go out there and see it up close, you realize just how daunting a task this is, Gov. Wes Moore said Friday afternoon as the massive crane loomed behind him. With a ..

Cranes arriving to remove wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city's vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crane, which was arriving by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the cargo ship that hit it this week. "The best minds in the world are working on the plans for removal, Moore said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District told the governor that it and the Navy were mobilizing major resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel. This is not just about Maryland, Moore said. This is about the nation's economy. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America. He warned of

Baltimore bridge collapse: New structure would take years, cost $400 mn

Rebuilding Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge could take anywhere from 18 months to several years, experts say, while the cost could be at least $400 million or more than twice that. It all depends on factors that are still mostly unknown. They range from the design of the new bridge to how swiftly government officials can navigate the bureaucracy of approving permits and awarding contracts. Realistically, the project could take five to seven years, according to Ben Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University. The lead time on air conditioning equipment right now for a home renovation is like 16 months, right?" Schafer said. He continued: So it's like you're telling me they're going to build a whole bridge in two years? I want it to be true, but I think empirically it doesn't feel right to me. Others are more optimistic about the potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could take as .