The Maritime Executive

Articles posted by the international team of staff writers at The Maritime Executive.

Captain Gennadi Kukvinof and Pauline Robertson

Leith Chaplain Supports Abandoned Crew

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-21 02:21:00

The abandoned crew of the Alexander Tvardovskiy is being supported by Sailors' Society port chaplain Pauline Robertson in Leith. Captain Gennadi Kukvinof said, "We have no idea when we can set sail and go home." The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed it had found "several deficiencies" with the Cook Islands-flagged vessel. Kukvinof added, "The ship is almost ready to set sail, but the owners are fighting against paying our salary, I'm not sure how the situation will be resolved."...

HRAS Advisory Board Member Becomes First Female ITLOS Judge Ad Hoc

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-21 02:18:08

Human Rights at Sea is delighted to report that Prof. Dr. Anna Petrig, Professor of International Law at the University of Basel, Human Rights at Sea Advisory Board Member and co-author of the emerging Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea, was appointed as a judge ad hoc at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg for the San Padre Pio case. First reported by the University of Basel, the appointment of Anna Petrig marks...

First Portable Communication Pod Open in Port of Tin Can Island

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-21 02:10:03

The first in a planned series of innovative portable communication ‘pods’ to enable visiting seafarers to contact family and friends at home has been formally opened in one of Nigeria’s busiest ports. The specially adapted 20ft solar paneled container is designed to accommodate up to 15 seafarers at a time, giving them access to wi-fi, tablet consoles and connection sockets. The pods have been developed by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust in response to concerns that changes in shipping operations are...

Fast Facts: Why Do We Name Tropical Storms and Hurricanes?

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 23:33:22

Until the early 1950s, tropical storms and hurricanes were tracked by year and the order in which they occurred during that year. Over time, it was learned that the use of short, easily remembered names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and reduces confusion when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time. In the past, confusion and false rumors resulted when storm advisories broadcast from radio stations were mistaken for warnings concerning an entirely...

Remains of Servicemen Killed in Battle of Tarawa Returned

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 23:22:43

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has returned the remains of at least 22 servicemen killed during the battle of Tarawa in World War II to the United States. The Honorable Carry Ceremony was held on July 17 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The Battle for Tarawa was part of a larger U.S. invasion (Operation GALVANIC) to capture Japanese-held territory within the Gilbert Islands. The operation commenced on November 20, 1943, with simultaneous attacks at Betio Island (within the Tarawa...

The Rise of the Safety Industry

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 23:07:05

Reflecting on safety, diving contractor KD Marine’s managing director, Hamish Petersen, thinks back to a lecture at Aberdeen University around a decade ago titled “Is HSE going to be the end of the North Sea?” delivered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). “We were shown a really good slideshow about a circus act,” says Petersen. “This trapeze artist came and jumped out on the trapeze, then someone put up a balloon which said 'at work.' Someone then came along...

Offshore Wind Industry Faces Technology, Natural Catastrophe Risk

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 21:52:33

Claims data from specialist renewables underwriter GCube Insurance highlight that offshore wind cost reduction must not come at expense of risk management. As the offshore wind sector expands globally, prices fall, and technology evolves, asset owners and investors are becoming increasingly exposed to technical and supply chain risks, alongside natural catastrophe and extreme weather, says Gcube which underwrites over 13.5GW of offshore wind capacity in Europe, the U.S., Taiwan and Japan. GCube’s analysis of claims data gathered over the past...

Illicit Trade Compromising All 17 Sustainable Development Goals

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 21:26:09

The Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have demonstrated how progress on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is inhibited by illicit trade in some of the world’s most important economic sectors. “From smuggling, counterfeiting and tax evasion, to the illegal sale or possession of goods, services, humans and wildlife, illicit trade is compromising the attainment of all 17 of the U.N. SDGs,” stated Jeffrey Hardy, Director-General of the...

China Retains Liner Shipping Connectivity Lead

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 20:55:52

UNCTAD has released its liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) for 2019, showing China retains its lead as the country best connected to others by sea, the index shows. The country’s LSCI has increased by 51 percent since 2006. Five of the top 10 best connected economies in 2019 are in Asia, with Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia rounding out the top-five list, each with a score of more than 100, according to the index’s metrics. At the other end...

Australia Starts Construction of Hydrogen Liquefaction Facilities

By The Maritime Executive 2019-07-20 20:16:12

Construction has started on a half-billion dollar pilot hydrogen liquefaction facilities at Port Hastings in Victoria, Australia. The project will look at the feasibility of turning brown coal from the Latrobe Valley into hydrogen, which would then be liquefied and exported to Japan on specialized ships. Australia's Minister for Resources Matt Canavan said it has the potential to create $2 billion in exports for Australia. The Australian and Victorian Governments have committed $50 million each to the $500 million project,...