Loss Prevention Advice
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According to the annual piracy report published recently by the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), piracy and armed robbery at sea last year has reached an all-time low since 1994. But the threat remains.
The report shows that in 2021, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre recorded a total of 132 incidents against ships. Out of these, 115 vessels were boarded, 11 were attempted attacks, 5 vessels were fired upon and 1 vessel was hijacked.
The overall decrease in incidents does not mean that the piracy has been almost eradicated,” commented Wilfried Lemmens, Managing Director of the Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association. “Several factors such as the global pandemic, the decrease in maritime traffic, and the increased presence of international including European naval vessels in specific high-risk zones all contributed to lower numbers last year.”
SEAFARER PRESUMED DEAD AFTER GOING OVERBOARD FROM A CARGO SHIP OFF TURKEY (COURTESY OF SAFETY 4 SEA)
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A crew member is missing and is presumed dead after going overboard from a general cargo ship off Turkey, on January 26.
After the seafarer went missing, a search and rescue operation took place with coast guard vessels and helicopters, but it was halted due to adverse weather conditions.
The St Kitts and Nevis-flag vessel, Karelis 71, was sailing from Gemlik in Turkey to Temyruk in Russia when the accident took place off the Kurucasile district of Bartin, with the ship laterr anchoring at Amasra port.
Testimony from the rest of the crew was taken, and an investigation has already started.
According to information, the cargo ship has a clean port state control record going back to February 2018, when it was held in Russia for three days with 15 deficiencies.
Then, the grounds for detention regarded missing firefighting equipment, insufficient rescue boats and hull corrosion.
2.2.22
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International support for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea by non-regional navies is growing and supporting the efforts committed to repress piracy in the region.
On 19 January 2022, the 4th Plenary Meeting of the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum/SHARED Awareness and De-Confliction (GOG-MCF/SHADE) enjoyed participation by the majority of navies from the countries in the Gulf of Guinea area as well as many non-regional countries and military and shipping stakeholders.
The communication and exchange of information between reporting centres ashore, merchant ships, non-regional navies and regional navies was discussed at length and several concerns were raised.
Namely, there had been recent incidents where information regarding ongoing pirate action group disruptions had not been shared until after the completion of the operation because of concerns over the operational security for the involved military forces.
A plan for communication between all stakeholders, ashore and at sea, and that the relevant working group had not yet been able to agree on a communications plan.
The co-chair of the meeting concluded that the proposal for a communications plan should be revisited with an aim to expedite its finalisation.
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COVID-19 restrictions on movement led to the death of a ship’s officer at the port of Tianjin on January 29, according to a Turkish maritime industry association.
Namely, the bulker Mathilde Oldendorff was moored alongside the Yuanhang Ore Terminal in Tianjin. The first officer went to read the draft marks on the stern.
However, he was not allowed to come down the gangway and read the marks from the pier, due to China’s strict restrictions on COVID-19 quarantine.
Instead, he rigged a pilot ladder from the rail and climbed over the side to read the marks. Unfortunately, he slipped in the process and fell 30 feet on to the concrete pier, according to Hurriyet.