IBF declares Benin and Nigerian waters 'high risk' for piracy

Crew to get same benefits as in 'Somali' HRA

In response to the increasingly violent attacks on crews in the territorial waters of Nigeria and Benin in West Africa, the IBF (International Bargaining Forum) has declared those areas 'High Risk Areas' (HRA) for piracy. The decision will come into effect on April 1 and will give seafarers the same benefits in these waters as they get in the HRA off Somalia, including a doubling of basic wages and death or disability compensation, the need for enhanced security measures, advance notice of intent to enter the area and the right to refuse to enter it.

The IBF is a forum for discussion between the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and its member unions, and the maritime employers in the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG). Although the HRA decision pertains to ships that operate under an IBF agreement, the ITF is considering adopting these to non-IBF agreements as well, reports say.


The decision has come, the IBF says, as it is "increasingly concerned about the deteriorating situation in respect of security of crews employed on IBF vessels in the Gulf of Guinea. Specifically, available reports of attacks leading to forceful seizure of cargo and kidnapping of crewmembers have been considered at length. The increase in the number of attacks and the violent tactics of hostage taking applied by armed gangs have been found disturbing, particularly in the waters and ports of Nigeria and Benin. The necessity of an adequate response to the situation has become clear in an effort to bring greater security and guarantees to seafarers serving on IBF ships in the area".


Besides establishing coordinates for the West African HRA, the IBF has included "the territorial waters of Benin and Nigeria, including ports, terminals and roads anchorages, the delta of the Niger river, other inland waterways and port facilities, except only when the vessel is attached securely to a berth or SBM facility in a guarded port area". When ships are within the HRA, their crews will be entitled- in addition to adequate protection, advice and compensations already mentioned- to the advantages of Best Management Practices, sufficient notice of owners' intent to enter the HRA, repatriation at owner's cost at seafarer's request and support to seafarer families if a vessel is attacked.


It must be pointed out that, although the declaration of the new HRA was inevitable, there is a different dimension to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea when compared with that off Somalia: the former does not involve hijacking of ships for long periods because there are no safe havens for pirates off West Africa. Instead, pirates attack, loot valuables and cargo and take crews hostage for ransom. Some seafarers have been killed in the violence during the attacks; the GOG pirates seem much more trigger-happy.


Another worrying aspect of the GOG HRA for owners is this: Many vessels will stay for a much longer time within the GOG HRA than that off Somalia, where ships remain in the HRA for days, not weeks or even months as in the GOG. This is bound to escalate costs for all parties involved.

Anti Piracy floating armouries cause concern

The Associated Press reports that the use of floating armouries by private anti- piracy security outfits is drawing attention to a "legal grey area since few, if any, governments have laws governing the practice." The situation is further complicated by the fact that some of the vessels being used to store arms are conveniently registered across the world and some security firms "have simply not informed the governments of the flag their ship is flying," according to sources quoted in the report.


Nick Davis of the Maritime Guard Group asks for more control over these armed flotillas. "Everything has got to be secured correctly, recorded, bonded, the correct locks, and so on. It's not just a case of find a room, put some weapons in it and everybody chill out." In the absence of laws, "Companies are just being economical with the truth," he says.

The practice has mushroomed since last year but has only recently drawn media attention. Britain, which hosts many of these companies, is reportedly investigating if any laws are being broken. Analysts say that there up to a dozen of these arms carrying ships remain in international waters in the Red Sea, off the UAE and off Madagascar, and many are not operating legally. In addition, many are small, with no secure arms storage facilities or guards for protection.

Security companies use these armouries to circumvent strict weapons rules in many countries; the arms stay in international waters while mercenaries fly in and out without regulatory hassles. No proper logs of weapons or 'shots fired' are maintained. A ship will typically pick up weapons from one floating armoury and then drop them off to another after transitting pirate waters. The guards may or may not remain aboard. The system is cheaper than having to go into port to pick up armed escorts and it circumvents stringent regulations that many Flag States enforce.

The problem is that countries do not have a system to regulate these floating armouries. This allows shady operators to flourish. "Ships have to use armed guards, yet none of the governments want to provide an ethical and accountable way of using firearms," says Davis. The UN's Alan Cole says that these arms regulations are complex and ever-changing. Davis agrees, pointing out that Egypt, Oman and Kenya have all changed their regulations in the last month.

It is also easier for operators of these arms carrying flotillas to store them on Flag Of Convenience vessels, where controls are easier and where not too many questions are asked. However, those that want to follow the law complain that it is not easy to do so. Legislation has "simply not kept pace with the rapid growth of the maritime private security industry, says Adjoa Anyimadu, a piracy expert at British think tank Chatham House," quoted in the Associated Press.

"There's lots of calls — particularly from the shipping industry — for there to be more regulation," she said.

EU to attack pirates on land in Somalia.

In what is undoubtedly a significant development, the European Union will enlarge its mission against piracy to give its military forces the authority to attack Somali pirates on land, along the coast and in the internal waterways of Somalia. The EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels last week did not explain what it meant by “coastal territory and internal waters,” but officials have confirmed that the new mandate will mean that the forces of 'Operation Atalanta'- started in 2008 against Somali piracy- will now be able to target boats, fuel dumps, logistical support centres or land vehicles well within Somali waters or territory.


In addition, Operation Atalanta will be expended till at least the end of 2014, a statement after the meeting clarified, adding that the Somali transitional government has accepted the EU’s offer for greater collaboration in the operation. "Today’s decision will enable Operation Atalanta Forces to work directly with the transitional federal government and other Somali entities to support their fight against piracy in the coastal areas,” the statement said.

The EU, with between five and ten warships, is just one of the many navies involved off the Horn of Africa in anti piracy operations. NATO has a similar number of vessels in the area, and countries across the world have sent in their navies to fight piracy in the region over the years.

Commander of Atalanta Rear Admiral Duncan Potts told the Associated Press: "Piracy has caused so much misery to the Somali people and to the crews of ships transiting the area and it is right that we continue to move forward in our efforts."

Somalia's long coastline has meant that it has been relatively easy, thus far, for pirates to hide their boats, fuel supplies or hostages. With pirates- and their accomplices in the terrorist Al Shabaab- using these havens to hide hostages, including those taken from border resorts in Kenya, the EU and NATO stepped up military operations in Somalia months ago. The success of those missions has undoubtedly encouraged the EU to give its forces more teeth in dealing with the scourge.

In line with its pronouncement, the French naval amphibious assault ship Dixmude has been stationed to reinforce Atalanta. The 21,000-ton warship can act as a full support base for 16 helicopters; no doubt, some of these will be pressed into service soon. With pirate attacks declining thanks to the relatively widespread use of armed guards on merchant vessels, it appears that the EU feels that it is time to escalate operations against pirates to weed out the menace once and for all.

NATO and the EU have obviously coordinated their military efforts. Speaking anonymously, a NATO official said that the organisation too was revising its rules of engagement “with a view to reinforcing them.” He added, though, that “actions on land are not part of this reinforcement.”

'Titanic' Director Cameron heads for the deepest point on earth.

                                          "Deepsea Challenger"

"Titanic" director James Cameron will attempt to dive to the deepest place on earth - the deepest any human has gone solo- in a submersible "as futuristic as anything in his movies," project partner National Geographic Scientific Institution says.  He is headed for the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep; at seven miles deep, Mount Everest would be one mile below the surface if it were dropped here.

Cameron has already broken the record during testing of his submersible 'Deepsea Challenger' off Papua New Guinea earlier this month, when he dived 5.1 miles below the surface, says National Geographic. He will return from Challenger Deep in the Western Pacific with photographs, animal specimens and other samples; National Geographic said the mission would "expand our knowledge and understanding of these largely unknown parts of the planet." Scientists say that the dive will also help in predict earthquakes and answer some questions on how life began on the planet.

Fifty seven year old Cameron will not be the first human to visit Challenger Deep- two men aboard the US Navy submersible Trieste hold that honour since 1960. They could stay down for only twenty minutes, though, with a view obscured by silt stirred up when they landed. Cameron expects to stay six hours solo on the seafloor during which he will film and collect specimens with a robotic arm. His submersible, the 26 foot Deepsea Challenger, weighs just 12 tonnes; twelve times lighter than Trieste. Cameron will be stuffed into a three and half foot steel "pilot sphere", where he will not be able to extend his arms or legs completely. The pressure on the submersible will be- at 16,000 lbs per square inch- tremendous. "It would be about the equivalent of turning the Eiffel Tower upside down and resting it on your big toe," says team member Patricia Fryer.

"It's like a clown car in there," Cameron said. "You barely have room to get in, and then they hand you another 50 pounds of equipment."

Cameron and his team will test the Deep Sea Challenger off Guam next, close to the 1500 mile long Mariana Trench. For safety, the submersible has three independent systems that can jettison the heavy steel plates that allow it to sink—sending the craft up to the water surface automatically. Because of the extreme pressure, the Deep Sea Challenge will actually shrink more than six centimetres during the one and a half hour long descent. Once down, twelve thrusters will allow it to move or hover in place. Special independent 'landers' with bait sent down separately will lure any sea creatures which will be retrieved "still cold, still under pressure" by the team for study, says Kevin Hardy of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, adding that some of these species may be alien. "If you can imagine a wild animal, you'll find it down there," he says.

Cameron, who built his miniature submarine secretly in Australia over eight years, is well aware of the dangers of the expedition. "When you're making a movie, everybody's read the script and they know what's going to happen next," he says. "When you're on an expedition, nature hasn't read the script, the ocean hasn't read the script, and no one knows what's going to happen next," he says.

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UNESCO team in Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef

The United Nations has sent an environmental team to Australia to investigate the situation around the Great Barrier Reef amidst concerns that the growth of the mining industry, the development of ports in Queensland and the explosion in the number of ships carrying coal will put the entire world heritage site under threat. Experts say that the coral ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is at a crossroads thanks to soaring mining activity: Queensland is Australia’s largest coal producing State.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) team will meet with government officials, NGOs and environmental groups to try to determine the way forward to protect the site. Environmentalists say that besides mining, gas exploration is another big threat to the 1,800-mile long reef. UNESCO had said last year that it was "extremely concerned" that the Australian government had not informed it of plans to build a major LNG hub on Curtis Island near Queensland. The result of that development, critics say, has seen water quality drop and marine disease spread. 

"The Great Barrier Reef is definitely at a crossroads and decisions that will be taken over the next one, two, three years might potentially be crucial for the long-term conservation (of the reef)," said Fanny Douvere of the UNESCO World Heritage Marine Programme. Experts are particularly concerned about the so far undeveloped Galilee Basin in Queensland; fears are that proposed mining and port development in that area- including at Abbot Point- will have a particularly detrimental impact on the close by reef. There are reportedly a dozen commercial ports in the wider area, seven of which have large development proposed or underway.

Australia's coal boom has brought prosperity to the country but it is a mixed blessing, as the 2010 ‘Shen Neng I’ grounding and oil spill on the reef showed; the reef is particularly vulnerable to a shipping casualty- and traffic is set to surge. Analysts’ projections indicate that we could see more than 10,000 bulk carriers crossing the Great Barrier Reef annually by 2020 (more than one per hour); the figure for last year was just 1,722. Parts of the coral reef are narrower than the English Channel and are home to the endangered Olive Ridley turtle and the snubfin dolphin. Besides, the region generates a massive 6 billion Australian dollars in revenue annually, thanks to tourists that flock to the so far pristine beaches of Queensland.

Environmental groups have predictably been critical of the Australian government’s development plans. “We are looking at an enormous, unprecedented increase in coal, oil and gas exploitation here," a Greenpeace spokesperson said. "The Great Barrier Reef is priceless but it is being treated like it's a worthless. It has been mismanaged for years and we are now at a tipping point."

Australian environment minister Burke said that shipping levels were a cause for concern,"as the vessels move through the reef area. So those shipping movement issues are issues that really have to be front of mind throughout all of this."

Activists are not convinced. Senior campaigner from Greenpeace John Hepburn the BBC, "The Great Barrier Reef is in danger from the coal industry and the fossil fuel boom that is happening, but it is a reckless expansion that will have direct impacts both in terms of the dredging as well as the increased shipping, as well as the impact of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef."

Two ex-employees paint picture of sleaze, molestation and drug abuse on Costa vessels.

As if things weren’t bad enough for Costa Cruises, the Costa Concordia investigations now underway have seen accusations of sleaze and drug abuse made against senior officers on Costa vessels- including Captain Schettino of the Concordia- that go back at least two years. At least two ex employees of Costa have told prosecutors in Italy that Captain Francesco Schettino and other senior officers took drugs and molested female staff members.

 A nurse- identified only as Valentina B, has accused Captain Schettino of being a big part of the racket, claiming that he regularly 'used women as goods to be bartered with.’ Valentina says she saw Schettino’s behaviour first hand on another liner, the Atlantica, when she sailed with him in January-February 2010.

'Do not tell me it’s my word against them (sic) - I saw directly with my own eyes senior officers take cocaine,” she alleged, adding, 'I found corruption, prostitution and drugs. Valentina says that conditions were very bad for the crew on board, and that she left because she was being threatened. 'Crewmembers were reduced to virtual slaves by the officers,' she says, adding that Costa still owes her money.

Valentina’s claims have come shortly after Schettino’s hair tested positive for cocaine in a routine test. He is denying all charges of taking alcohol or drugs, and is demanding a re-testing. 

Another ex employee, identified only as Mary G, had a similar tale to tell about Costa. 'The crew and officers are very superficial when it comes to dealing with an emergency. I only worked for Costa for two months in 2010 but a lot of the time officers and crew were drunk. At parties a lot of the time, we would ask ourselves ‘If there is an emergency who is going to save the ship?’ 

Mary G says she was assaulted by a drugged crewmember and is now going to court. 'I was also molested by a crew member at a lunch once after he had taken drugs. They made me sign doctored work sheets and time sheets. I am taking action against them and it will be in court soon,' she said.

Capt. Schettino is already facing charges of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, abandoning ship when passengers were still onboard and failing to communicate with maritime authorities. The Costa Concordia is lying partially submerged just outside Giglio harbour while salvage experts try to pump out more than 500,000 gallons of fuel from her tanks.

Meanwhile, Costa Cruises has said that they have a very strict drug and alcohol policy in place. Without reacting to the allegations of the two ex employees, Costa’s statement says, “It is not allowed in any way to bring on board, possess, trade or use narcotics, drugs or psychotropic drugs. On board our ships there are strict safety and surveillance measures concerning drugs possession’. Costa says that immediate disciplinary action is taken if required.

As for alcohol, Costa says 'It is not allowed to consume alcohol in quantity that can impair the capacity to perform the on board duties. The crew must abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages at least 4 hours before the start of their shift.'

Two ex-employees paint picture of sleaze, molestation and drug abuse on Costa vessels.

As if things weren’t bad enough for Costa Cruises, the Costa Concordia investigations now underway have seen accusations of sleaze and drug abuse made against senior officers on Costa vessels- including Captain Schettino of the Concordia- that go back at least two years. 

At least two ex employees of Costa have told prosecutors in Italy that Captain Francesco Schettino and other senior officers took drugs and molested female staff members. A nurse- identified only as Valentina B, has accused Captain Schettino of being a big part of the racket, claiming that he regularly 'used women as goods to be bartered with.’ Valentina says she saw Schettino’s behaviour first hand on another liner, the Atlantica, when she sailed with him in January-February 2010.

'Do not tell me it’s my word against them (sic) - I saw directly with my own eyes senior officers take cocaine,” she alleged, adding, 'I found corruption, prostitution and drugs. Valentina says that conditions were very bad for the crew on board, and that she left because she was being threatened. 'Crewmembers were reduced to virtual slaves by the officers,' she says, adding that Costa still owes her money.

Valentina’s claims have come shortly after Schettino’s hair tested positive for cocaine in a routine test. He is denying all charges of taking alcohol or drugs, and is demanding a re-testing. 

Another ex employee, identified only as Mary G, had a similar tale to tell about Costa. 'The crew and officers are very superficial when it comes to dealing with an emergency. I only worked for Costa for two months in 2010 but a lot of the time officers and crew were drunk. At parties a lot of the time, we would ask ourselves ‘If there is an emergency who is going to save the ship?’ 

Mary G says she was assaulted by a drugged crewmember and is now going to court. 'I was also molested by a crew member at a lunch once after he had taken drugs. They made me sign doctored work sheets and time sheets. I am taking action against them and it will be in court soon,' she said.

Capt. Schettino is already facing charges of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, abandoning ship when passengers were still onboard and failing to communicate with maritime authorities. The Costa Concordia is lying partially submerged just outside Giglio harbour while salvage experts try to pump out more than 500,000 gallons of fuel from her tanks.

Meanwhile, Costa Cruises has said that they have a very strict drug and alcohol policy in place. Without reacting to the allegations of the two ex employees, Costa’s statement says, “It is not allowed in any way to bring on board, possess, trade or use narcotics, drugs or psychotropic drugs. On board our ships there are strict safety and surveillance measures concerning drugs possession’. Costa says that immediate disciplinary action is taken if required.

As for alcohol, Costa says 'It is not allowed to consume alcohol in quantity that can impair the capacity to perform the on board duties. The crew must abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages at least 4 hours before the start of their shift.'

'Rena' Captain, Second Officer plead guilty ..face fines, jail terms

Their names will remain suppressed until they are sentenced, but the Filipino captain and Second Mate of the ‘Rena’ have pleaded guilty to causing the country's worst ever environmental disaster and now face huge fines and jail terms. Maritime New Zealand says that the Captain has pleaded guilty in a Tauranga District Court to operating a vessel in a dangerous manner, releasing toxic substances and attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering the ship's documents. While the Captain pleaded guilty to all six charges against him, the Second Officer has pleaded guilty to all but one of the lesser charges. The two were charged in October under the country’s Maritime Transport Act, Crimes Act and Resource Management Act. Another legal hearing is set for May 22; sentencing is scheduled three days later.

There was outrage in New Zealand after the 47,230-tonne Liberian-flagged Rena struck the well-marked Astrolabe Reef about 12 miles from Tauranga- New Zealand’s biggest export port- in early October last year. The environmental disaster raised questions about competency and training of crews; the outrage escalated after an investigation by AP found that Australian authorities had impounded the ship more than two months before the grounding until the Liberian maritime authorities intervened, after which the Rena was released. 

Prime Minister John Key said after the Captain's guilty plea that the charges against him have been vindicated. "It's important justice is brought to bear here; significant environmental damage has occurred in New Zealand and the Government is very concerned about that," he said. 

The stricken Rena broke in two in January after hundreds of tonnes of oil had leaked and killed thousands of seabirds after the grounding; beaches were fouled with oil sixty miles away in what was a pristine resort area. Since then, salvors have been working around the clock and have recovered about half of the ship’s 1300 containers and a thousand tonnes of oil; many containers had spilled into the water after the ship broke up.  The rear section ship has fallen off the reef and is almost completely submerged but the bow section is still aground and wedged upright. 

The vessel is owned by a unit of Greece's Costamare Inc., and was under charter to Swiss based Mediterranean Shipping at the time of the incident. New Zealand’s government has estimated the costs of the cleanup at US $108 million, some of which has been paid by taxpayers. 

Sentences doled out to the two Rena officers may be heavy. One of the charges they face- under the Resource Management Act 1991- for 'discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations' carries a maximum fine of $300,000 or two years imprisonment and $10,000 for every day the offending continues. And at least the Captain faces- under the Crimes Act for altering ship documents- a maximum of seven years in jail.

Battle of the Giants: MSC and Maersk fight for market share in the Asia-Europe sector.

The two heavyweights have been jockeying for position in the market share war for a long time. As Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk Line continue to modify their strategies in the punishing economic climate existing today, UK based Containerisation International says that MSC has replaced Maersk Line as the world's biggest container shipping company, but only if Maersk's units Safmarine and MCC Transport are excluded. If those two are taken into account, the Maersk Group is still nine per cent larger as a container carrier, said the CI report, adding that MSC had a capacity of 1,848,440 TEU in service in the middle of February.

The cusp of the rivalry lies in the Asia-Europe business, with both companies rolling out plans for giant container vessels that each hopes will allow it to take advantages of economies of scale and garner market share. In the process, other carriers are feeling the pressure already, trying to adopt either similar policies or choosing to stay away from the bruising fight. Alphaliner says that MSC, which has a fleet of 43 box ships over 12,500 TEU, is likely to increase its market share at Maersk Line's expense; the company took over the 43rd ship earlier this month. MSC will operate these vessels on its Far East-Europe-Mediterranean services. In contrast, Maersk has 21 vessels of 11,500 TEU each. 

Maersk is not expected to receive any of its massive 18,000 TEU Triple E class vessels before 2013, while MSC is expected to add to its ultra large container vessels this year, ending up with a final tally of 56 vessels at current order book levels.  Of these, 52 will be bigger than 12,500 TEU.  “This gives MSC an edge to increase its market share substantially this year, mainly at the expense of Maersk,” says Alphaliner.

Interestingly, Maersk has cut back on its capacity in the Asia-Europe sector by 9 percent as it entered into an agreement with CMA CGM to share vessels on that circuit. The company has stated its intention to defend its market share "at any cost."

Alphaliner says that the “expected introduction of new tonnage by MSC on the Far East-Europe route could boost the carrier's capacity share from 15.5 percent to around 17.5 percent by the end of the year, while Maersk's share of market capacity would be reduced from 23.6 percent to 21 percent over the same period.”

Analysts say that the slugfest between the two giants is already threatening other companies, and that the weaker ones will face tremendous pressure in the coming months as they simultaneously fight overcapacity and a profit squeeze; a shakeout is likely, experts warn. Others point out that even Maersk Line decided last month not to exercise an option to order another ten  18,000 TEU vessels from South Korea’s Daewoo shipyard; those would have been delivered around 2015.

"That had been implied quite a while ago,” says Martin Dixon, editor of Drewry’s Container Freight Rate Insight. “There’s too much capacity, and demand on the Asia-Europe trade where those vessels would have been deployed is slowing. Demand is unlikely to be strong on that trade in the two years ahead.”