Unified Interpretation of the Appendix to the SOLAS Convention regarding the records of equipment

The Maritime Safety
Committee, at its ninetyfourth
session approved
a unified interpretation of
SOLAS regarding the
records of equipment
concerning nautical
charts and ECDIS.
The Maritime Safety Committee ninety-fourth session was held in London on 17 to 21
November 2014. The Sub-Committee of the MSC has issued a circular approving a unified
interpretation on the Appendix of the SOLAS Convention regarding the records of equipment
concerning nautical chart and ECDIS. More specifically, the circular includes a unified
interpretation in completion of items 2.1 and 2.2 of part 3 of the Form E as well as items 2.1 and
2.2 of Part 5 of Forms P and C.
What SOLAS Regulation V/19.2.1.4 requires?

Unified Interpretation of SOLAS Regulation V/23.3.3

The Maritime Safety

Committee, at its ninetyfourth

session approved

a unified interpretation of

SOLAS Regulation

V/23.3.3 on pilot transfer

arrangements. 

Through MSC.308(88), amendments have been adopted to SOLAS Regulation V/23 requiring

pilot ladders on all ships (new and existing) to be clearly identified, new equipment and

arrangements for pilot ladders to be certified by the manufacturer and it has been prohibited to

use mechanical pilot hoists.

The Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-fourth session held in London on 17 to 21

November 2014 approved a unified interpretation of SOLAS Regulation V/23.3.3 as prepared by

the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR), at its first

session.

What SOLAS Regulation V/23.3.3 requires?

The regulation states:

“Safe and convenient access to, and egress from, the ship shall be provided by either:

.1 a pilot ladder requiring a climb of not less than 1.5 m and not more than 9 m above the

surface of the water so positioned and secured that:

.1.4 the single length of pilot ladder is capable of reaching the water from the point

of access to, or egress from, the ship and due allowance is made for all

conditions of loading and trim of the ship, and for an adverse list of 15O; the

securing strong point, shackles and securing ropes shall be at least as strong

as the side ropes; or

.2 an accommodation ladder in conjunction with the pilot ladder (i.e. a combination

arrangement), or other equally safe and convenient means, whenever the distance

from the surface of the water to the point of access to the ship is more than 9 m.”

What is the interpretation of SOLAS Regulation V/23.3.3?

Subparagraphs 1 and 2 of SOLAS regulation V/23.3.3 address two different and distinct

arrangements – the former when only a pilot ladder is provided; the latter when a combined

arrangement of "an accommodation ladder used in conjunction with the pilot ladder" is provided.

 SOLAS regulation V/23.3.3.1 limits the climb to not more than 9 m on a single ladder.

If only a pilot ladder is to be used, the maximum height of 9 m from the "safe and

convenient access to, and egress from, the ship" to the surface of the water is to

include consideration of an adverse list of 15°.

 SOLAS regulation V/23.3.3.2 and section 3 of resolution A.1045(27) applies to a

combined arrangement of "an accommodation ladder used in conjunction with the pilot

ladder" for "Safe and convenient access to, and egress from, the ship" for which a 15°

list requirement does not apply. 

URGENT Re: WARNING for ships approaching MISURATA / LIBYA

URGENT



Re: WARNING for ships approaching MISURATA / LIBYA



We have just received the following information via  Lloyd’s broker in London, which is highly relevant should you have any vessels currently in or proceeding to Libyan waters and most specifically proceeding to/from Misurata.



“The Libyan Air Force, of the only internationally recognised government in Libya, threatened yesterday to strike with its jets at any ships approaching the port of the city of Misrata - Libya Herald
In a stern warning reported by LANA, the Commander of the Air Force, Brigadier Saqr Al-Jaroushi, said that ‘’any vessel or cargo ship approaching the port of Misrata would be targeted directly and immediately’’ as of Friday 9 January.
The warning follows the announcement on Monday that the LNA has received 4 new Russian-made Sukhoi SU-27 fighter jets reportedly capable of covering a distance of 3,530 km with a top speed of 2,500 kmh. In comparison, commercial passenger flights from Tripoli to Benghazi, for example, take about an hour to cover the distance.
Meanwhile, in a further development, the LNA Air Force yesterday threatened to shoot down any Sudanese or Turkish aircraft, military or civilian, that enters Libyan airspace. Turkish airline flights to Libya have been, and are still suspended until further notice.
The warning by the LNA Air Force to strike at any shipping approaching the port of Misrata comes also days after the LNA Air Force had on Sunday struck a Greek-operated oil tanker approaching Derna port in which a Greek and a Romanian were killed.”

Know Your Charterer & Other Contractual Parties – Avoid Fraud & Sanctions Issues

IMPORTANT NOTICE -  Due Diligence – Know Your Charterer & Other Contractual Parties – Avoid Fraud & Sanctions Issues

1.KNOW YOUR CHARTERER
There is a growing concern that ship owners are not performing sufficient pre-fixture investigations into the status and reputation of the charterers with which they are contracting. The lack of due diligence shows that ship owners are not checking the financial standing of their prospective contractual counter-parties, which is especially vital if a company is relatively new, or without an established track record. The message from the global P&I insurers is that ship owners should check before fixing and consider seeking updated information if it appears that a charterer is struggling to pay amounts due on time. There are a number of companies which offer a due diligence process and a list of such companies is available on the following link:-

www.londonpandi.com (follow Links then Profiling and Analysis)

For those ship owners who include FD&D / Legal Expenses insurance when arranging their P&I cover, please be reminded that this insurance is discretionary and insurers will have expected ship owners to have exercised care and due diligence when negotiating their chartering arrangements.

2.SANCTIONS
It follows from the above that ship owners should be extra cautious when fixing a ship to trade to a sanctioned state. This has greater impact on voyage charters where ships can be delayed for significant periods of time when the sale of the cargo on-board has been suspended, or delayed due to sanctions. A ship owner will be exposed to significant operational costs, without the certainty of receiving prompt payment of freight. Clearly an owner may not be entitled to collect demurrage until after a cargo has been discharged. On the other side the cargo interests will seek to secure a claim for the delay and losses from the ship owner and the ship owner, or its P&I insurer may be unable to pay a claim, or put up security without breaching sanctions. All insurances include strict Sanction Exclusion Clauses and ship owners are seriously exposed in this regard. It is highly recommended that all fixtures involving trade to sanctioned countries are checked carefully. P&I insurers can utilise their Compliance personnel to run checks on prospective shippers, charterers and receivers, although this can take time and ship owners should be aware of this.

3.EMAILS AND DOCUMENTARY FRAUD
Unfortunately there are fraudsters operating in the world and this is another reason why it is important for ship owners to accurately know their contractual counterparties. Below is a Circular issued by RaetsMarine Insurance outlining some of the common scenarios. What is known as “Intercept” fraud is being highlighted and utilises the hacking of email systems so that fake emails are sent giving notice of changes to bank accounts. Please study the fraudulent techniques that are listed, along with the methods of how to make checks and the warning signs. As mentioned in the Circular the best way to avoid these situations (which could be extremely costly) is awareness and sufficient time to review the information. A checklist is provided to minimise the risk of missing something out.

Indian Ports – Ban on the Use of Thuraya & Irridium Satellite Phones

IMPORTANT NOTICE -  Indian Ports – Ban on the Use of Thuraya & Irridium Satellite Phones

Please note the below advice , notifying the risk of a penalty if unauthorised use of Thuraya, Irridium or other satellite communication is used in Indian waters.

Please ensure that the information is noted by the Master and all relevant shore-based staff to avoid any complications when calling at Indian ports.

INCOTERMMS..... المصطلحات التجارية الدولية

International Commercial Terms (INCOTERMS) are a set of rules which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under sales contracts. They are published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and are widely used in commercial transactions.

INCOTERMS 2013

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC ) published the 8th and current version of its International Commercial Terms, also known as INCOTERMS® on January 1, 2011.

The revised rules, originally designated “INCOTERMS 2010″, contain a series of changes, such as a reduction in the number of terms to 11 from 13. The DAF, DES, DEQ, and DDU designations have been eliminated, while two new terms, Delivered at Terminal (DAT) and Delivered at Place (DAP), have been added. INCOTERMS 2010 also attempt to better take into account the roles cargo security and electronic data interchange now play in international trade.

WHAT INCOTERMS ARE

INCOTERMS are a set of three-letter standard trade terms most commonly used in international contracts for the sale of goods. First published in 1936, INCOTERMS provide internationally accepted definitions and rules of interpretation for most common commercial terms. In the US, INCOTERMS are increasingly used in domestic sales contracts rather than UCC shipment and delivery terms.

WHAT INCOTERMS DO

Marine distances in Nautical miles

The tables of  marine distances in nautical miles between Egyptian main ports and World ports

Annex 1- Flag State contact points for PSC matters, Casualty investigation services and Ships' inspection services (including Secretariats of Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control)

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Annex 2 DD 31.12.2014

MSC-MEPC.6/Circ.13
31 December 2014
ANNEX 2
LIST OF NATIONAL OPERATIONAL CONTACT POINTS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RECEIPT, TRANSMISSION AND PROCESSING OF
URGENT REPORTS ON INCIDENTS INVOLVING HARMFUL SUBSTANCES,
INCLUDING OIL FROM SHIPS TO COASTAL STATES
1 The following information is provided to enable compliance with Regulation 37 of
MARPOL Annex I which, inter alia, requires that the Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan
(SOPEP) shall contain a list of authorities or persons to be contacted in the event of a
pollution incident involving such substances. Requirements for oil pollution emergency plans
and relevant oil pollution reporting procedures are contained in Articles 3 and 4 of the 1990
OPRC Convention.