MNA CIRCULAR 2021 - #05 07Th April 2021
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MNA CIRCULAR 2021 - #05 07th April 2021 The Pulse The MISSION of The Merchant Navy Association is to bring all serving and retired Seafarers together in a spirit of companionship, consideration and commitment towards a united lobby for the Community of the Sea Hi Shipmates, Please find below more snippets of information since circular #04 was published 21st March 2021 My thanks to MNA National Secretary, Pete Sinke’s daily publication “Maasmond Maritime - Shipping News Clippings”, Lloyds List, gCaptain, Maritime London, Flashlight and many others from the T’internet, not forgetting the items sent in by Readers and any other source I can access. MNA National Contact Points Chairman, Malcolm Mathison - Mobile: 07831 622 312 Email: [email protected] Secretary, David Parsons Tel: 01935 414 765 Email: [email protected] Welfare & Events, Tim Brant, - Tel: 01733 205001, Email : [email protected] Membership, Roy Glencross - Mobile: 07738 425 875 Email: [email protected] MNA Slop Chest, The Supply Officer:- Sandra Broom Tel 0121 244 0190 [email protected] Full Ahead Editor, Sandra Turner,[email protected] Tel 01889 585 588 Change of Address???? If any member has changed any of their contact details (Postal, E- mail or Telephone) it is important that you inform the following people by email:- [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] _____________________________________________________________________________________ Giant walrus having a nap on a Russian submarine. Photo via Linkedin _____________________________________________________________________________________ 1 MNA CIRCULAR 2021 - #05 07th April 2021 The Pulse The Merchant Navy Association Bringing Seafarers past & present together Through meetings and communications Comradeship and Support for all seafarers Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets For information visit our website www.mna.org.uk _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Crew Change due to new COVID-variants Shipping is concerned that the numbers of seafarers being impacted by the crew change crisis are on the rise due to travel restrictions imposed by governments in response to new variants. The latest collective industry analysis shows that 200,000 seafarers are currently affected by the crew change crisis, a marked reduction from the height of crisis where 400,000 needed to be repatriated. However, with governments reintroducing stricter border control and travel restrictions due to new COVID-19 variants making it harder for crew to transfer to and from ships. So far, only 55 countries and two associate members of the IMO have declared seafarers as keyworkers and more work must be done to ensure crew do not once again become collateral damage in the pandemic. …………………. ` ` Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. _____________________________________________________________________________________ DERBYSHIRE SUBMARINERS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER TRADE JOURNAL 258 APRIL 2021 Your monthly newsletter a couple of days early due to new content up until today, thus full. Some Good, and Some not so Good. Available on the link http:www.godfreydykes.info/TJ%20258%20Apr%202021.pdf and also the last twelve months issues available on our Web Page below Thank you all for your feedback, always helpful and keeps us all in touch. I hope this finds members as well as they can be and best wishes for those suffering at present through various reasons. Regards Terry (Nobby) Hall Terry Hall, Hon. Secretary/Treasurer Derbyshire Submariners http://www.godfreydykes.info/derbyshire_submariners_page.html _____________________________________________________________________________ 2 MNA CIRCULAR 2021 - #05 07th April 2021 The Pulse ROYAL IHC HANDS OVER CSD MOHAB MAMEESH TO SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY The MOHAB MAMEESH during trails assisted by Herman Sr’s BARNEY Photo : Arie Boer © Royal IHC officially handed over the cutter suction dredger (CSD) MOHAB MAMEESH to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) on Thursday 18 March. The vessel is now ready for its official duties after successfully completing commissioning tests on the Dutch coastline and Haringvliet. With the delivery of the 29,190kW heavy-duty rock CSD, SCA now owns one of the most powerful dredgers in the world. With an overall length of 147.4 metres and a total installed cutter power of 4,800kW, the MOHAB MAMEESH can dredge to a depth of 35 metres. There are also accommodation facilities on board that can house over 70 people. The MOHAB MAMEESH will primarily be deployed to maintain and improve the artificial sea-level area that connects the Mediterranean and Red seas. As the vessel was designed in close cooperation with SCA, it has the capacity to work effectively in the harsh conditions of the region. The new CSD will now be transported to Egypt. It will be first loaded on to a semi-submersible cargo vessel next week, after which it will depart from Rotterdam to the Suez Canal. Its sister vessel – HUSSEIN TANTAWY – is expected to depart for sea trials in the next couple of months. “We were confident from the start of the project that Royal IHC was the right partner for this important assignment,” says SCA’s Chairman and Managing Director, Admiral Osama Rabie. “The MOHAB MAMEESH is a truly impressive vessel and many people are enthusiastic to see it performing live operations as soon as possible. We expect to achieve incredible results with this state-of-the-art CSD for many years to come.” Royal IHC’s CEO, Gerben Eggink, adds: “I’d like to reconfirm the sentiments we held at the start of this journey, that we were – and remain – truly honoured that SCA placed its trust in Royal IHC for such an innovative vessel. A great deal of hard work and dedication has led to this moment, and many people will feel deep satisfaction at seeing the final result. We would like to wish the owners and crew of the MOHAB MAMEESH good fortune and smooth sailing ._______________________________________________________________________________ Officials seize four tonnes of cocaine at Rotterdam port Customs officials in Rotterdam port have seized four tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container from Ecuador. The cocaine, divided into 4,425 separate packages, has a street value of over €300m, the public prosecution department said in a statement. The container was destined for a fruit company in Rotterdam and came to the Netherlands via Antwerp. In February, police in Hamburg and Antwerp seized 23 tonnes of cocaine destined for the Netherlands. The first consignment, totalling 16.1 tonnes, had been disguised as tins of wall plaster from Paraguay. The second shipment was hidden among pineapple, squid, wood and mackerel from Panama. Customs officers in the Netherlands and abroad prevented over 115,000 kilos of cocaine from reaching the country in 2020. Source : DutchNews _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 MNA CIRCULAR 2021 - #05 07th April 2021 The Pulse UK set for shipbuilding strategy refresh by Richard Scott The United Kingdom has embarked on a refresh of its National Shipbuilding Strategy to take a broader and more holistic approach to the maritime enterprise and supply chain. Designed to reinvigorate the shipbuilding and maritime sector across the UK regions as part of the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda, the updated strategy is expected to be released in the third quarter of 2021. It will be accompanied by the publication of a 30-year procurement plan for all government owned vessels. The Royal Navy’s (RN’s) current shipbuilding plan includes eight Type 26 frigates, five Type 31 frigates, and a projected follow-on Type 32 general-purpose frigate. Three new solid support ships are also planned. Addressing the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) annual conference on 16 March, Secretary of State for Defence and ‘Shipbuilding Tzar’ Ben Wallace said his vision was for “a supercharged, successful and sustainable UK shipbuilding enterprise. “By 2030, I want our industry to be at the forefront of the technological and environmental revolutions driving our sector.” According to Wallace, while the original National Shipbuilding Strategy published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2017 was focused on naval shipbuilding alone, the refresh would be much more wide-ranging. “It will no longer be primarily about hulls but about looking right across the shipbuilding enterprise, from naval and commercial shipbuilding to systems and subsystems,” he said, adding, “We’re going to be sending you a much clearer demand signal about what we’re trying to achieve with our procurement programmes – for the first time releasing a 30-year pipeline of all government vessel procurements over 150 tons.” Source : Janes _____________________________________________________________________________________ WORLD SHIP SOCIETY Founded in 1947, the World Ship Society has some 2,000 members worldwide who are interested in ships, past and present. Its monthly journal “Marine News” is a byword for accurate information. MARINE NEWS- provides the most comprehensive and convenient listings of merchant ship activity for enthusiasts – some 10,000 entries a year covering launches, name and ownership changes, details of casualties and demolitions, all available as a 64-page digital magazine delivered to members’ computers around the first of each