International Association of Marine and Shipping Professionls NEWS BULLETIN 27 Aug – 02 Sep 2018 CALL US ON +41 22 519 27 35 @ [email protected] WWW.IAMSP.ORG About I.A.M.S.P The International Association of Marine and Shipping Professionals (IAMSP) is the professional body for Marine and Shipping professionals world-wide, formed in 2015. The association is an independent, non-political organization aims to: Contribute to the promotion and protection of maritime activities of the shipping industry, the study of their development opportunities and more generally everything concerning these activities. Promote the development of occupations related to maritime and shipping; serve as a point of contact and effective term for the business relationship with the shipping industry (charter brokers, traders, shipping agents, Marine surveyors, ship inspectors, ship-managers, sailors, and stevedores etc.). Ensuring the representation of its members to the institutions, national and international organizations as well as with governments, communities and professional groups while promoting the exchange of information, skills and the exchange of experience. Develop the partnership relations sponsorship, collaboration between IAMSP and other associations, companies, national and international organizations involved in activities related to Maritimes and shipping. Contribute to the update and improvement of professional knowledge of its members and raise their skill levels to international standards. Progress towards a comprehensive and integrated view of all marine areas and the activities and resources related to the sea. INTERNATIONAL news Terminal operators: Hutchinson launches regional operations centre in Pakistan 02/09/2018 Hutchison Ports Holdings (HPH) is establishing a regional operation centre (ROC) in Pakistan. The ROC will be based at the new Hutchison Ports Pakistan (HPP) facility in Karachi, which is equipped with advanced container handling systems and a sophisticated in-house terminal management operating system, called nGen. The aim of the in-house ROC concept is to centralise stowage planning delivery for both of the HPH terminals in Pakistan, including HPP and the longer established Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT). The ROC in Pakistan is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of the year. From this centre, the intention is that shipping operations across HPH’s Asian ports will be monitored and managed by a specialist team. HPH says it has chosen to develop the ROC in Karachi due to the relatively low operating costs and the ready availability of a young, talented and educated workforce. The location also benefits from less restrictive regulations and a high-quality telecommunication service, as well as strong economic ties with China as part of the One Belt, One Road initiative. The commissioning of the ROC in Karachi started in the second quarter of 2018 at HPP and will be followed by a similar process covering KICT in the third quarter. Andy Tsoi, Managing Director – Middle East & Africa, Hutchison Ports, says, “We are committed to the continued development of Pakistan and aim to provide local industries with a unique and well-equipped gateway to world markets.” [Maritime Standard] Terminal operators Egypt: DP World starts Sokhna port expansion 02/09/2018 China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has started construction of a new terminal basin in Sokhna Port, on Egypt’s Red Sea coast south of the Suez Canal, as part of a contract awarded by DP World. The project is expected to be completed in 2019. The Egyptian economy has been growing at a rapid rate in the last couple of years, stimulated by overseas investment and this has created demand for additional capacity at Sokhna Port, which is operated by a local division of DP World. This year container volumes are reported to be running around 10% higher than last year, while bulk shipments moving through the port are over 30% higher than in 2017. DP World plans to build a second container terminal at Sokhna, doubling the port’s existing 1.1 million teu annual capacity. The development of the new basin is a key part of this project, which will involve significant dredging, land reclamation and quay construction work. [Maritime Standard] Saudi Arabia may dig canal to turn Qatar into an island 01/09/2018 Plan takes shape amid bitter dispute that led the Saudis, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to cut ties with small peninsula nation. A Saudi official hinted on Friday the kingdom was moving forward with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations. “I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region,” Saud al-Qahtani, a senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on Twitter. The plan, which would physically separate the Qatari peninsula from the Saudi mainland, is the latest stress point in a fractious 14-month long dispute between the two states. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being too close to Riyadh’s arch rival, Iran – charges Doha denies. In April the pro-government Sabq news website reported government plans to build a channel 60km long and 200m wide stretching across Saudi Arabia’s border with Qatar. Part of the canal, which would cost up to 2.8 billion riyals ($750m), would be reserved for a nuclear waste facility, it said. Five unnamed companies that specialised in digging canals had been invited to bid for the project and the winner would be announced in September, Makkah newspaper reported in June. Saudi authorities did not respond to requests for comment and there was no immediate reaction on the plan from Qatar. After the dispute erupted last year, Qatar – a small peninsula nation – found its only land border closed, its state-owned airline barred from using its neighbours’ airspace and Qatari residents expelled from the boycotting countries. Mediation efforts led by Kuwait and the US, which has its largest Middle East air base in Qatar, have failed to resolve the dispute. [Agence France-Presse / The Guardian] Marine insurance: More infrastructure support is required to facilitate provision of adequate insurance in Arctic sailings 31/08/2018 More infrastructure support is required to facilitate the provision of adequate insurance for Arctic sailings, says the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) in a new position paper. Helle Hammer, IUMI’s chair of its Policy Forum and co-author of the IUMI Position Paper Arctic Sailings said that the change in ice conditions was opening the high Arctic as a trade route, fishing ground and potential tourism destination. “The marine insurance sector, like all sectors, wants to see enhanced safety for ships operating in Arctic waters. We would strongly encourage an improved infrastructure to provide the required level of search & rescue capacity alongside suitable places of refuge. We would also like to see updated surveys and more reliable charting of the region. This would assist marine underwriters to quantify the risks involved”, Hammer said. IUMI’s position paper listed a number of considerations to be observed when assessing individual voyage risk. These included: • regional rescue and salvage facilities, • potential places of refuge, • expected weather conditions, • experience of crew • the operational performance of the vessel itself. IUMI noted that, because of the current limited number of sailings and constantly changing ice conditions, historical information was not available and this was forcing marine insurers to take a more cautious approach to risk assessment. Hammer said that IUMI was encouraging insurers to consider the vessel’s Polar Ship Certificate and the vessel operator’s level of preparedness and planning. The position paper concluded that, with heightened probability and the potentially severe consequences of even small incidents occurring in the harsh Polar environment, insurance would only be available on a case-by-case basis – if at all – in certain defined areas of the region. “In the coming years, more traffic related to energy, fisheries and destination cruises is to be expected. Over time, this will gradually provide marine insurers with more statistical data to assist in the risk assessment”, IUMI said. Going forward, IUMI said that it: • Supported the implementation of the Polar Code through further guidance, requirements and performance standards. • Supported the urgent consideration for an instrument to address non-SOLAS vessels operating in polar waters. • Strongly encouraged an improved infrastructure in Arctic waters to provide necessary rescue capacity and places of refuge. • Encouraged more surveys to produce increasingly reliable charts. • Participated in the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum responsible for an information web portal to support implementation of the Polar Code: ➢ https://pame.is/arcticshippingforum#part-ia-safety-measures ➢ https://iumi.com/opinions/position-papers [IUMI] The rise of financial operators in ports: Typologies, objectives and entry modes 31/08/2018 Over the last two decades, terminal and stevedoring industries have been experiencing a profound reorganization process produced by the port reform worldwide, the progressive opening of formerly monopolistic (local) markets and a fast internationalization