News and Commentary

3 Jul 2020

News: The current regulatory framework for disposing waste in Portugal is blocking 150 waste containers at Sines and 36 waste containers at Leixoes ports

​Carriage of waste by sea is regulated by regional, national and international legislation that decide how to transport such cargo between different countries. These shipments must be authorised by all the concerned states.

2 Jul 2020

Article: English courts clarify parties’ obligations in a chain of letters of indemnity

The English Court handed down a judgment on two related actions which provided guidance on the requirements imposed by the International Group of P&I Clubs’ Letter of Indemnity ('LOI') wording and the position of parties in a back-to-back charterparty chain.

2 Jul 2020

Press Article: Many shipowners likely to miss EU recycling deadline

Standard Club suggests that in order to avoid any compliance-related issues all inventories of hazardous materials should be submitted two months before the EU’s December 31 deadline.

1 Jul 2020

News: Reminder - South Korean ECA to take effect from 1 September 2020

Members are reminded that from 1 September 2020 it will be mandatory for ships calling at certain ports to use fuel with maximum 0.1% sulphur content

1 Jul 2020

News: Australia maximum employment period for seafarers

We have been informed by our Correspondent in Western Australia of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Marine Notice 04/2020 which refers to the maximum period of ship board service for seafarers.

29 Jun 2020

News: BIMCO publishes COVID-19 Crew Change Clause for Time Charter Parties 2020

In response to the extraordinary difficulties that owners are facing with crew changes in the COVID-19 “lockdown”, BIMCO have published a clause for use in time charterparties that gives owners liberty to deviate with the option for sharing hire and bunker costs with charterers.

29 Jun 2020

Press Article: Tankers to the rescue again: a solution to storage woes

Standard Club comments on how the current crisis in oil prices coupled with the fall in demand has pushed several oil producers, traders and consumers to stock up, leading to a shortage in storage space for oil, not just crude but even clean products such as aviation fuel and gasoline.

25 Jun 2020

Press Article: Maritime Security in the wake of COVID-19

Brett Hosking and Akshat Arora, of the Standard Club, remind the shipping sector that it cannot ignore security in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

25 Jun 2020

News: The Sea newspaper - Q2 2020

The 2020 quarter 2 edition of The Sea, which updates seafarers on the latest news and safety information, is now available.

23 Jun 2020

News: IMO celebrates 10th anniversary of the annual Day of the Seafarer on 25 June

This year, the Day of the Seafarer campaign calls on Member States to recognize seafarers as key workers – and to provide them with the support, assistance and travel options open to all key workers during the pandemic.

23 Jun 2020

News: ISWAN - Seafarers' Health Information Programme (SHIP)

ISWAN’s ‘The Seafarers’ Health Information Programme (SHIP)’ is a long-running project which aims to offer both shipping companies and seafarers information on how to stay fit and well on board.

23 Jun 2020

News: International Safety Guide for Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT 6) launched

OCIMF and ICS together with the IAPH have worked together to revise and update the International Safety Guide for Tankers and Terminals.

19 Jun 2020

News: Singapore pushes to accelerate Maritime digitalisation and updates crew change requirements

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have launched the Maritime Digitalisation Playbook (MDP), to support maritime companies in accelerating their digitalisation plans as the economy reboots and enters a new normal post-COVID-19.

19 Jun 2020

News: Updated guidelines for the carriage of seed cake in containers

Read more in this news item.

18 Jun 2020

News: Australia introduces increased fines for pollution related incidents

Ship owners, charterers, masters, operators need to be aware of increased liabilities for fines being introduced in Australia, in addition to any pollution clean-up costs and damage claims.

18 Jun 2020

Press Article: Fire in the hold

As larger container vessels continue to be built, classification societies and shipowners are proactively developing new and more efficient firefighting capabilities to combat the fire risks they pose. Captain Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention, shares with Safety at Sea his opinion that although these are positive steps, more needs to be done to combat the root of the problem in order to improve maritime safety.

17 Jun 2020

Article: Tankers to the rescue again: a solution to storage woes

The current crisis in oil prices coupled with the fall in demand has pushed several oil producers, traders and consumers to stock up, leading to a shortage in storage space for oil. Members are seeking guidance for using tankers for the storage of oil in the current climate, as a solution to these storage issues. This article shares lessons learnt from previous claims and offers practical and operational considerations.

12 Jun 2020

News: Industry bodies issue guidance ensuring safe continuation of maritime trade

IACS has issued a statement that provides guidance on how potential physical interaction between surveyors and ships’ staff is planned and managed in a manner that recognizes and addresses the personal COVID19 risk to all involved.

12 Jun 2020

Article: Drug Smuggling Preventative Measures

This article aims to provide advice on the preventative measures for ships calling at all ports vulnerable to drug smuggling.

11 Jun 2020

News: Hong Kong Resumes Crew Changes

The Maritime Department of the Hong Kong administration (MARDEP) has authorised crew changes without compulsory quarantine for cargo ships without scheduled cargo operations in Hong Kong.