Month: May 2010

Shipsat: Affordable Maritime Internet Via Satellite

Elaborate Communications

World-Link Communications’ Hybrid Broadband Solution Makes the Internet at Sea a Reality

ShipSat is the only complete managed maritime broadband solution that provides:
Hardware. Trac Phone V7, FB 150, ShipSat Gateway Airtime. Unlimited Ku-band mini VSAT, 50Mb FleetBroadband Value-added Products. ShipMail, World-Link’s email application and ShipForms, World-Link’s award winning electronic port of entry forms and the impeccaple 24/7 managed communications services.

This is the all-in-one maritime broadband solution from only one satellite service provider: World-Link Communications. The Company, a veteran of the maritime industry, is able to offer the all solution at an affordable fixed monthly rate of $1,850. After the required three year contract, the customer owns the hardware.

The ShipSat gateway is the core component of this Ku, L-band broadband solution that acts as a least cost router and firewall, determining least cost routing between Ku-Band and L-Band.
With the gateway following the Ethernet standard for vessel networking, it’s possible to set up virtual networks onboard, separating traffic between seafarers and the main office. ShipSat also serves as a firewall, separating crew-based web traffic from office web traffic, to strictly control the type of Internet traffic that is accessible by the network. The onboard firewall blocks all unwanted traffic from the ship’s computers to the Internet.

Part of ShipSat software is the Internet café, where crew members can use World-Link’s prepaid web browsing card, CrewMail. In this way, crew based web traffic is effectively separated from office web traffic.

“We are sure that our ShipSat managed broadband solution is an incentive for ship owners and managers to adopt broadband quickly investing in this new technology. And, finally seafarers can use the Internet to stay connected as if they are ashore” said Asad Salameh, World –Link Communications, President.

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Ship Suppliers Should Work With Ship Managers To Overcome Ship Owners Cash Flow Problems, Warns ISSA

Elaborate Communications

Ship managers and ship suppliers “find themselves in the same boat” when it comes to dealing with ship owners’ cash flow problems, the head of the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA) has claimed.

Jens Olsen said now was the time for owners to be more upfront with their suppliers if they are experiencing problems as late payment can have disastrous effects on suppliers’ own cash flow and their ability to supply ships in the world’s major ports.

“Late payment, and in some cases the non-payment of ship supply invoices, is a growing concern for ship chandlers in the world’s ports and causes us further concern now we are in the midst of the global downturn and the slump in shipping movements,” he told delegates attending a shipmanagement conference in Limassol, Cyprus.

“We are working as an association to help our members by showing owners the impact their slow paying has on the ability of companies to continue to supply them. Other innovative ideas are under active consideration to get around this problem but it remains our principal cause of concern on behalf of our members.

“I believe the time has come for ship owners and managers to look upon their ship suppliers as partners without whom their vessels simply could not operate. You have to question whether you regard your supplier as an ally or as a foe: a partner or a necessary evil. I would hope the former in both cases,” he told delegates.

“We have touched on this issue of the impact of poor freight rates and tight cash flow on the ship supply sector. We sympathise with our manager colleagues who complain about the pressure they face from owners keen to pass on late payment issues down the line. We want to help but that does not mean ship suppliers should end up being the bankers to the managers and the owners.
“I know of one instance where a ship supplier member waited 12 months for a £1,000 payment only to be asked by the manager if he would finally accept discount terms on the heavily overdue
amount. Another ISSA member secured a court order payment for the late payment of a £25K bill only to be told that the debtor defaulted on his second £10 monthly payment,” Mr Olsen stressed

He said that as an industry, ship suppliers couldn’t continue to operate like this. “If the owner and the manager fail in their obligations soon you will have no suppliers left.

“Ship arrest is still an option but a trusting relationship can mean ships are supplied correctly and efficiently and the supplier gets paid. Ship suppliers are starting to consider more seriously, the legal route, but we are always open to negotiation and enhancement of the benefits of a relationship,” he concluded.
—ends—

Notes for Editors
• ISSA is the international trade association for the world’s ship supply sector with a membership of nearly 2,000 ship suppliers throughout the world.
• It has 43 national associations of ship suppliers as full ISSA members and associate members in 52 other countries where no national association exists.
• Quality operation is an essential pre-requisite to ISSA membership and as a result, ISSA members have to undergo a rigorous vetting procedure before gaining admittance. Our members and the goods and services they offer can be found in every major port in the world.
• The Association was formed in 1955 and celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2005 of half a century of service to the maritime industry.

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World Push For Piracy Action Launches Tomorrow

Elaborate Communications

An unprecedented coalition of organisations – from trade unions to shipowners’ associations and insurers – has joined forces to back a global e-petition demanding concrete action to end the piracy that is putting lives at risk and threatening world trade.

The petition www.endpiracypetition.org, which launches tomorrow (Thursday), is the centrepiece of a new campaign to persuade all governments to commit the resources necessary to end the increasing problem of Somalia-based piracy. It is intended to deliver at least half a million signatures to governments by IMO World Maritime Day, September 23rd. It calls on nations to:
• Dedicate significant resources and work to find real solutions to the growing piracy problem
• Take immediate steps to secure the release and safe return of kidnapped seafarers to their families
• Work within the international community to secure a stable and peaceful future for Somalia and its people

The campaign is being backed by BIMCO, ICS, IFSMA, IMEC, IPTA, Intercargo, InterManager, International Group of P&I Clubs, INTERTANKO, ISF, ITF, IUMI and SIGTTO*, as well as national shipowners’ associations and trade unions worldwide.

ITF General Secretary David Cockroft commented: “With one click everyone can now make their feelings about piracy known, and then pass the link on to all their colleagues around the world who feel the same. In this way we can signal our belief that it is past time for all governments to do what has to be done to protect seafarers, ships and the goods that they carry and on which we all rely.”

Speaking on behalf of all the signatory associations, ISF President, Spyros M Polemis, explained: “Together we must encourage all governments to do everything necessary to protect the lives of seafarers who are subject to increasingly violent attacks, with over 1800 kidnapped in the last two years alone. Ninety per cent of world trade is carried by sea and governments have a duty to extend the naval protection being provided – which is currently inadequate – and regain control of the Indian Ocean from a handful of criminals.”
The text of the petition is:

Enough is enough! Governments must act now to fight piracy

Almost every day seafarers are being kidnapped and exposed to an increasing risk of injury or even death

Every day seafarers transport the world’s goods through areas where the risk of pirate attack is increasing

Every day seafarers’ families are suffering worry and uncertainty

Every day the chances of attracting people to jobs at sea – on which all our economies rely – are shrinking

Every day shipping companies and their insurers have to pay for increasing anti-piracy measures, extra fuel and ransoms – costs that are eventually passed on to the consumer

Every day the risk of a major ecological disaster due to an oil spill caused by piracy increases

Every day the chances of a recovery in the world economy are being jeopardised by this threat to world trade

We, the undersigned, urgently call on Governments to do everything possible to protect the thousands of seafarers and the hundreds of ships at risk of attack by pirates by:

• dedicating significant resources and concerted efforts to find real solutions to the growing piracy problem;

• taking immediate steps to secure the release and safe return of kidnapped seafarers to their families;

• working within the international community to secure a stable and peaceful future for Somalia and its people.
—ends—

BIMCO (The Baltic and International Maritime Council) www.bimco.org
ICS (International Chamber of Shipping) www.marisec.org
IFSMA (International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations) www.ifsma.org
IMEC (International Maritime Employers’ Committee) www.imec.org.uk
IPTA (International Parcel Tankers Association) www.ipta.org.uk
Intercargo (International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners) www.intercargo.org
InterManager (International Ship Managers’ Association) www.intermanager.org
International Group of P&I Clubs (IGP&I) www.igpandi.org
INTERTANKO. www.intertanko.com
ISF (International Shipping Federation). www.marisec.org/isf
ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) www.itfglobal.org
IUMI (International Union of Marine Insurance) www.iumi.com
SIGTTO (Society of International Gas Tankers & Terminal Operators Ltd) www.sigtto.org

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Watch Your Weight While At Sea Warns Hutton’s Medical

Elaborate Communications

Modern seafarers should keep an eye on their weight as well as the horizon to avoid storing up health problems, advises Hutton’s, the UK’s leading ship supplier which is calling for seafarers to make a conscious effort to switch to a healthier diet.

“Seafarers can easily become overweight if they load up on calories to get through long working shift patterns,” says John MacDonald, General Manager of Hutton’s Medical.
“They just load up with calories to get them through the day but that doesn’t do your body any good at all. The energy is stored as fat and you are setting yourself up for problems later in life,” he explains.

John says its not just ship owners and managers who need to change their attitudes to crew health by purchasing healthier foods, but individual seafarers themselves who can take more responsibility for their own health and diet.

High fat, high calorie, high cholesterol foods may taste nice but are inadvisable on a regular basis warns John: “Fried sausages, fried bacon in a sandwich, it’s lovely I’ll admit, I’ve done it myself – but it doesn’t do you any good in the long run!”

However, it seems the maritime community is beginning to embrace a healthier lifestyle: Hutton’s reports an increase in ships choosing to stock up on healthier foods. “Our chandlery division is supplying increased quantities of healthier and ethical food products,” reports Hutton’s Managing Director Alex Taylor. “A number of ship managers and caterers are really taking welfare seriously and increasing the quantities of fruits and vegetables they order, in addition to reducing the amount of fatty foods onboard.”

Huttons reveals that:
• Sales of alcoholic beverages and tobacco reduced by 50% over the past three years
• Fresh salad, fruit and vegetable orders increased by 10% over the past two years
• Some customers are now specifying free-range or low-fat foods
• The company has also noticed an increase in orders for the provision of fitness equipment onboard vessels.

Alex Taylor concludes: “There’s so much choice available now and a much greater awareness of the need to manage health for long-term benefit that we expect this market to continue to grow.”

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New Third Party Ship Management Venture Sets Up In Dubai

Elaborate Communications

A new ship management company specialising in the offshore vessel, bulker and tanker markets has been set up in Dubai by two shipmanagement heavyweights, ex-Thome and EMS Ship Management boss Svein Pedersen and past ITM Vice President Thomas Arakal.
Noah Ship Management was inaugurated in May 2010 and will start trading by first week of June. It has already started third party management negotiations with local and overseas owners and hopes to have at least 10 vessels under management this year and up to 30 by the end of the next five years.
Once operational, it will be one of a small handful of, if not the only, ship management company in Dubai specialising in the third party management of offshore support vessels. This vessel sector has undergone something of a growth spurt over recent years and there are more than 500 such vessels trading offshore UAE.

Svein Pedersen said: “Although Noah Ship Management is a new company, the employees and the systems we have invested in make us unique in that we can operate an owner’s fleet to his liking, in a cost effective way, while still fulfilling all the international requirements and keeping the owner fully updated on the status of his vessels at any time.

“We have invested in a state-of-the-art IT system which links all segments of the operation such as the owner, operator, ship, shore office, crewing agent, yards and other parts of the operation,” he added.

Noah Ship Management has also established crew supply and training arrangements with a number of large crewing managers and has also been in contact with a number of the oil majors over vettings and oil company approvals.

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Intermanager Takes Shipmanagement Messages To EU

Elaborate Communications

Criminalisation, piracy, transparency and a lack of unity across member states towards maritime issues were some of the subjects on the agenda for discussion today when senior representatives from InterManager met with top European Union officials in Brussels.

In addition, the InterManager team gave a presentation on its pan-industry KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Project.

InterManager was represented in Brussels by Secretary General Guy Morel and Secretary General elect Captain Kuba Szymanski, Svein Sorlie, Group Senior Vice President at Wilh. Wilhelmsen, George Hoyt from Newslink and Harald Sleire, Senior Research Engineer at Marintek. Together they met with EU officials from the Maritime Transport Directorate including Dimitrios Theologitis, Head of Unit Maritime Transport and Ports Policy, Jacques Michaux, Torsten Klimke, Josep Casanovas and Anne Devouche.

Secretary General elect Capt. Kuba Szymanski said: “This was an important opportunity for us to discuss the issues which affect ship managers throughout the world. We enjoyed an informative exchange of views on a wide range of subjects.”

Secretary General Guy Morel, who has pioneered the association’s KPI project, added: “We welcomed this chance to explain thoroughly how industry-wide performance monitoring will benefit shipmanagement and move us forward to greater transparency and effectiveness. I am delighted that the EU officials found our project interesting and effective and we look forward to gaining their support.”

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Braemar Seascope Announces New Appointments

Elaborate Communications

Braemar Seascope is delighted to announce the appointment of three new Directors.

Suen Ka Pok, Chief Representative of Braemar’s Shanghai office for the past six years has been appointed to the role of Director of Braemar Seascope Limited. Suen Ka Pok has extensive experience in the Chinese sale and purchase market.

James Hsiao is also appointed to the role of Director of Braemar Seascope Limited, and to the position of Head of Braemar’s London and Beijing dry bulk chartering activities. James Hsiao has worked in the panamax and cape sectors for many years.

James Buck is appointed to the role of Director of Braemar Seascope Limited and the position of Head of Containers, covering the company’s offices in London, Singapore and Shanghai. He has been with the company for six years and is now based in Singapore.

Braemar Seascope Limited Chairman Alan Marsh said: “We are delighted to announce these well-deserved appointments. These three highly-valued members of staff have already achieved a great deal in their years with Braemar Seascope and we look forward to even greater successes in their new roles with us.”

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