The International Maritime Organization is expecting a 77 percent drop in sulphur emissions now that the official sulphur cap regulations are in place. This equates, the IMO estimates, to an annual reduction of about 8.5 million metric tons of SOx.
Deadly Disasters and Other Incidents
In Germany, a self-propelled barge with a load of aluminum hydroxide ended up alliding with a submerged jetty on the Rhine at Colonia-Niehl. The Thekla suffered starboard bow damage, however there were no reports of injuries.
In Turkey, a collision between two ships in Izmit Bay near Darica, in the Sea of Marmara, resulted in a hull gash above the waterline to the Stadt Dresden container ship, while the Ibrahim Simsek cargo vessel sustained significant damage to her bow. Thankfully there were no injuries.
The Izel Vor small fishing vessel had trouble when it began taking on water in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, France. Two rescue vessels were called to help, and the two crew aboard were taken to safety at Saint-Quay-Portrieux before the ship sank.
Insulation in the engine room of a self-propelled tanker barge caused one person aboard to be treated for smoke inhalation at a landside hospital. The incident occurred on the Nieuwe Waterweg in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Several vessels were dispatched to aid in extinguishing the fire on the Blackbear.
The captain of the Maersk Batam box ship had to be medevaced off the vessel as it was transiting south of Puerto Rico when he suffered symptoms of what was believed to be a stroke. The ship was enroute to Southampton, England from St. Marta, Colombia at the time. Area Coast Guard were deployed with a rescue swimmer, who was lowered onto the bridge to assess the master, then help hoist him onto a helicopter, which took him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Piracy Pulse
Ten bandits in a skiff tried to hassle the master and crew aboard a tanker that was underway near Lome, Togo. But the Master was too quick for the laboring marauders and took evasive measures, including increased speed, as well as mustering the crew in the citadel before the group decided their mission had failed and then moved off.
At Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia, two robbers got aboard an anchored container ship. One was positioned near the forecastle and was also armed, and when he was noticed by the duty man, the alarm was raised, and in the flurry, a second would-be thief made a quick getaway via the anchor chain.
An ingenious idea saw the engine crew of a bulk carrier underway in the Singapore Straits, lock three would-be robbers in the engine room workshop, interrupting their mission to steal what they could. As a result, armed guards from the Indonesian Authority were able to arrest the bandits, while their waiting accomplices in a nearby skiff were thwarted and sent packing by the ship’s crew.
Odds and Ends
Stena Bulk is introducing the use of biofuel on one of its ships. The MR tanker Stena Immortal is set to run the test using MR1-100 bio-fuel oil, produced from used cooking oil. The biofuel, manufactured and supplied GoodFuels in Rotterdam, will be used in normal ship operations to power the main engine. It is expected that using this biofuel could result in an 83 percent reduction of carbon dioxide.
Wärtsilä has initiated combustion trials using ammonia as fuel which could reduce shipping and energy sector greenhouse gas emissions. Ammonia was injected into a combustion research unit during part of the testing to better understand its properties. Based on initial results, the tests will be continued on both dual-fuel and spark-ignited gas engines. If all goes well, field tests will be carried out in collaboration with shipowners starting in 2022.
Have questions?
Could be about news, trends, basic industry terms, ‘how-it’s-done’ or something you’re observing in your own industry sector. Send them to maritimewriter@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer them, either by email or in one of my upcoming columns (where first name-only references will be used).
Kathy Smith writes for global maritime trade journals and provides marketing copy to maritime businesses worldwide. She can be reached at maritimewriter@gmail.com.
