Two LPG Carriers Catch Fire at Chittagong During STS Transfer
14.10.2024
On Sunday, a major fire broke out aboard two LPG carriers during an allegedly illegal ship-to-ship transfer off Bangladesh.
The LPG carrier Captain Nikolas was moored off Kutubdia, Chattogram over the weekend to offload its cargo to a lighterage vessel, the B-LPG Sophia. At about 0045 hours Sunday morning, a fire broke out aboard both vessels during cargo transfer operations. The Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladeshi Navy responded to the scene with a total of seven vessels, and they brought the fire aboard both vessels under control.
31 crewmembers jumped over the side from both vessels to escape the flames, and all were pulled from the water. No significant injuries were reported.
According to New Age Bangladesh, the Captain Nikolas escaped the fire relatively unscathed, but the Sophia sustained significant damage.
The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) claims that the origin of the cargo aboard Captain Nikolas was misdeclared, and that it actually came from Iran, a sanctioned supplier. Captain Nikolas' AIS record shows a weeklong gap in mid-September, just before she departed the Persian Gulf, according to data provided by Pole Star.
CPA Secretary Mohd Omar Faruk told The Business Standard that the vessel was searched and no evidence of an illicit cargo was found. The papers aboard showed that the Captain Nikolas took on the LPG in Dubai or Oman, Faruk said.
The Chittagong Port Authority has set up a committee to determine the cause of the fire, with a rapid one-week timetable for completing the investigation, according to New Age.
Captain Nikolas is a 50,000 dwt LPG carrier built in 1992 and flagged in the Cook Islands. It was detained in Hunen, China in January for two issues with fire protection in the cargo deck area, among other fire safety issues - and was cited for the same problem again when it returned to Hunen in March.
The incidents aboard Captain Nikolas and B-LPG Sophia were the third and fourth major vessel fires off Bangladesh within two weeks. A blaze broke out aboard the tanker Banglar Shourabh on October 4, killing one crewmember, and a fire aboard the tanker Banglar Jyoti (video below) killed three on September 30.
Safety concerns emerge after container collapse at COSCO’s Piraeus Port
07.10.2024
Several containers collapsed at the COSCO-owned port of Piraeus on October 5, prompting port workers to voice their deep concerns about safety issues.
The port workers’ union stressed that if the incident had occurred moments earlier or later, lives could have been lost. Despite the dangers, COSCO continues to prioritize profits over worker safety, according to the union.
Greek Workers demand action for better safety measures, highlighting dockworkers on the United States East Coast, who successfully fought for better conditions and pay.
MSC orders ten LNG/dual fuel ULCVs from Chinese shipyard
30.09.2024
The world’s largest container shipping company MSC has signed a letter of intent (LOI) for ten LNG/dual fuel ships of 21,000 TEU capacity with Hengli Heavy Industries of China, according to a recent DynaLiners report.
The delivery of the container vessels is expected to start in 2027.
The Swiss-Italian box line appears to be continuing its aggressive newbuilding order spree, aiming to further solidify its position as the market leader in terms of TEU capacity. This strategic move comes as the company prepares for its solo journey following the formation of the new container shipping alliances set to take effect in February 2025.
It is important to note that this is the first container ship order of the Chinese shipyard, which stems from the defunct STX Dalian and mainly focusses on dry and wet bulk carriers.
Container crane crashes down on MSC feeder at Yantian port
17.09.2024
On 16 September, an MSC feeder boxship, the 1,730 TEU MSC Riona, was involved in an accident at Yantian Port in southern China, resulting in part of a ship-to-shore crane collapsing onto the vessel.
As a result, a number of boxes from the ship fell into the sea, according to local sources.
MSC Riona was built in 1998 and was deployed on an intra-Asia service.
The accident occurred around 8:40 am, causing the suspension of operations at berth two of the Shenzhen port. At the time of writing, no injuries have been reported.
Super Typhoon Yagi forces suspension of container handling operations in Hong Kong
05.09.2024
Terminals in Hong Kong and southern China have stopped handling containers for today (5 September) as Super Typhoon Yagi approaches.
Hong Kong Observatory has issued the No. 8 signal today and this is expected to be in place until 6 September. The observatory has determined Yagi to be a mature storm. Consequently, schools have been ordered to shut and outdoor activities are discouraged. Several domestic ferry services have also been suspended.
Yagi, the Japanese word for goat and Capricorn, is set to move 300km (186 miles) to the southwest of Hong Kong tonight and tomorrow morning.
The observatory said: “Gales associated with Yagi are set to edge closer to the Pearl River Estuary later today. Local winds will strengthen further and weather will deteriorate.”
Yantian International Container Terminal said in a WeChat notification that handling of empty containers stopped at 3am local time today, although loaded containers will still be accepted.
Hong Kong Container Terminals 4, 6, and 7, as well as COSCO-HIT Terminal and Asia Container Terminals, stopped all container deliveries at 12:00 noon local time today.