New Collision Recovery Insurance from The Swedish Club Assists Shipowners’ Cash Flow

24th October 2017Debra Massey

‘Cash is King’, and all too frequently shipowners can find themselves struggling to maintain cash flow following a serious incident, despite having a sound business and a comprehensive set of insurances. The Swedish Club has now designed an insurance solution, Collision Recovery Insurance (CRI), which provides upfront cover for the uninsured losses that are expected to be recovered from a third party following a collision.

“Collisions between vessels can prove to be costly and time consuming, leaving owners out of pocket for substantial amounts over a long period of time,” explains Lars A Malm, The Swedish Club’s Director, Strategic Business Development & Client Relations. “These losses consist mainly of deductibles and loss of earnings, and can have significant cash flow implications.”

CRI is available to any member entered for H&M Lead with the Club, and the Club’s expert team of claims handlers will manage and adjust the claim in-house. Under CRI, the cover is designed to pay the owner the amount expected to be recovered, and this then becomes subrogated to the recovery which will normally be finalised a considerable time after the collision.

KVH Videotel Introduces ‘Cyber Security at Sea’ Training Programme for Seafarers

24th October 2017Debra Massey

MEDIA ADVISORY

Produced with BIMCO, the new programme is designed to help seafarers recognise and respond to cyber threats

KVH Videotel^TM has launched a cyber security training programme, produced in association with global shipping association BIMCO, to address the threat of ransomware and other computer system breaches that could severely affect the safety of ships’ crew, systems, and operations.

The maritime industry is in the midst of a focus on cyber security, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently announced that it will soon be mandatory for companies to ensure that cyber security procedures are properly addressed in their ship’s Safety Management System (SMS). To create the training programme, KVH Videotel partnered with BIMCO, which has been active in recent years in researching maritime cyber security; BIMCO published guidelines in 2016 that have become an industry reference on the subject, and released an updated version in July of this year.

ICS ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Canadian Legislation that will Interfere with International Maritime Trade

18th October 201718th October 2017Debra Massey

The Canadian Parliament is giving consideration to legislation that would have the effect of establishing a moratorium on the shipment of crude oil in the waters of Northern British Columbia (Bill C-48: An Act respecting the regulation of vessels that transport crude oil or persistent oil to or from ports or marine installations located along British Columbia’s north coast). The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing the world’s national shipowners’ associations and 80% of the world merchant fleet, has voiced deep concern about this proposed legislation which it says will interfere with international maritime trade.

“Such a draconian step could lead to serious concerns being raised by Canada’s international trading partners” said ICS Director of Policy and External Relations, Simon Bennett.

ICS asserts that the proposals have not been developed through an evidence-based process, and believes that it would establish an unwelcome precedent that might be emulated elsewhere, including by individual U.S. States, with the potential to impact greatly on the efficiency of world trade, as well as that of Canada.

Take Your Seat for the ICS International Shipping Conference

18th October 201718th October 2017Debra Massey

Emissions, green shipping, manpower – the debate at the International Chamber of Shipping’s (ICS) conference last month was fast paced and at times controversial. With a capacity crowd, and a full LISW schedule there were some who were disappointed when they found this annual highlight clashing with other commitments.

Those who couldn’t make the event can now experience what they missed at this year’s International Shipping Conference. ICS has produced a video of the conference, and today the shipping community can share in the debate first hand.

For many years members and supporters have requested that ICS record the Conference, and this LISW year, with such a strong line up of participants, provided the ideal opportunity.

During the Conference ICS had many positive comments from visitors to the event, who enjoyed watching the high quality moderators challenge the expert panel members. Shipowners and NGOs grappled with the practical steps needed to reduce carbon emissions, panel members pondered whether zero emission vessels were in the realm of fantasy, and there was much debate over the role of crewless ships in our future.

This is all now delivered online through four videos, produced in conjunction with KVH Videotel. Each covers one of the four panel sessions:

• CO2 Reduction: Developing the IMO Road Map
• New Environmental Regulation: Costs of Compliance
• Maintaining Free Trade: Dusk or New Dawn?
• Decent Work for Seafarers: Are We Delivering

For your seat at this year’s ICS Conference click here and choose your debate.

KVH Videotel Announces Sales Director in Middle East for Maritime Focus

6th October 20176th October 2017Phil Page

Capt. Milind Karkhanis, an experienced maritime industry professional, will head efforts in Middle East and India

KVH Videotel^TM has named Capt. Milind Karkhanis as sales director for the Middle East to develop business in this strategically important maritime location. Capt. Karkhanis has more than 40 years’ experience in the maritime industry, including 15 years at sea on tankers, bulk carriers, and containerships; on shore, he worked in Mumbai and Hong Kong in ship manning and operations roles. Capt. Karkhanis has recently relocated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“I am looking forward to servicing our current clients in the region and expanding our operations to new clients who are based in this part of the world,” says Capt. Karkhanis. “With the launch of Videotel Performance Manager earlier this month, we have an exciting platform for optimizing crew training, designed to help ship owners and managers effectively train their seafarers and maintain records as required by the IMO and ILO.”

National Marine Electronics Association Recognizes KVH Marine Satellite Systems with 2017 Product Excellence Awards

6th October 2017Phil Page

KVH’s TracPhone^® V3-IP and TracVision^® TV3 systems win awards at the annual NMEA conference

MIDDLETOWN, RI – October 3, 2017 – KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) is pleased to announce that the top marine electronics professionals in the country have honored two of KVH’s marine satellite antenna systems for their outstanding performance and reliability. KVH’s TracPhone V3-IP received the National Marine Electronics Association’s (NMEA) 2017 Product of Excellence Award in the satellite communications antenna category, while the TracVision TV3 received the 2017 Product of Excellence Award in the satellite TV antenna category.

This is the 20th consecutive year that KVH has achieved the NMEA distinction for its TracVision satellite television antenna systems and the 15th time that KVH’s TracPhone satellite communications antenna systems have been recognized. The NMEA awards are presented annually to recognize excellence in design, performance, and reliability in marine electronics products. The winners are selected by a vote of the members of NMEA, an industry group made up of more than 600 companies, including manufacturers, dealers, and boat builders.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition from NMEA knowing that it represents the opinion of skilled professionals who have firsthand experience with the installation and performance of our products, as well as those of our competitors,” says Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH chief executive officer. “They work with our TracVision and TracPhone systems every day, and we consider their recognition as the highest honor.”

Hello Nautilus Crew, You’re Connected

6th October 20176th October 2017Phil Page

KVH and Ocean Exploration Trust announce partnership enabling Nautilus research crew to have Internet and daily news content while at sea

MIDDLETOWN, RI – October 4, 2017 – KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), today announced a partnership with Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), the international scientific research organization founded by RMS Titanic discoverer and renowned oceanographer Dr. Bob Ballard, to provide services and products to enhance the onboard experience for OET’s research team. In exchange, the team will provide firsthand feedback on various products that KVH develops.

“I am thrilled to be working with KVH, a leader in satellite communications headquartered right across the bay from the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography,” says Dr. Ballard. A professor of oceanography at URI, Dr. Ballard is known for his ocean exploration efforts and his longtime commitment to providing real-time data and video from the vessel to land. “It’s been a dream of mine to have super high-speed data capabilities right from our vessel to reach the next generation of scientists and engineers and keep our own research team as connected as possible.”

The Swedish Club: Don’t overlook the risk of cargo fires

5th October 20175th October 2017Debra Massey

Cargo fires occur so infrequently that awareness of the risk can slip under the radar. Yet such an incident on board a vessel can have disastrous consequences including loss of life or catastrophic loss of the vessel involved. With the average cost of a cargo fire at several million USD, cargo fires are not a risk to be overlooked.The Swedish Club, working in conjunction with Burgoynes, experts specialising in the investigation of fires, explosions and other major incidents, has produced a handbook, ‘Fire! A guide to the causes and prevention of cargo fires’, which can be used alongside the regulations to assist seafarers in their daily loss prevention efforts.

‘Fire!’ offers loss prevention advice on a number of incidents – focusing specifically on self-heating cargoes, but also examining those vessel fires caused by other sources such as cargo hold lights, fumigation, movement of cargo and of course smoking and hot work. It also highlights how different vessel types fare when the frequency of cargo fires is compared. Tanker figures are found to be relatively low, a testament to the tight regulation and safety culture that exists in this industry. On the other hand ro-ro figures are surprisingly high due to the non-homogeneous nature of the cargo they carry.