Marine Republic

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• Nobody wants to buy the world’s oldest cruiseship

  by Marine Republic on 3 March 2021 at 11:39 am

   The world’s oldest cruiseship attracted no buyers willing to pay its hefty reserve price when auction bids were examined by administrators of Portuscale Cruises on Monday.Cruise sector sources told TradeWinds they were not surprised — not when the reserve for the 16,100-gt Astoria (built 1948) was set at €10m ($12.1m).In today’s market, that could buy a much larger and newer ship.An industry source familiar with the vessel believes the minimum bid was set high because of the administrators’ fiduciary responsibility to claimants.“Now that a sale has failed to materialise at the initial upper limit, they will have to organise a second auction in a more reasonable price range, or sell the ship by private treaty after the claimants have been allowed to weigh in,” he said.“It’s costing the people trying to get their money back more every day.”The Astoria has in effect been under the control of its mortgage holder, Portugal’s Montepio Bank, since the collapse of Portuscale Cruises in 2015.The bank has been trying with little success to sell the 560-passenger ship through broking channels since then.Rather than keep it in lay-up until a sale could be arranged, the administrator of its special-purpose shipowning vehicle, Island Cruises — Transportes Maritimos, Unipessoal, found gainful employment through a charter to the UK’s Cruises & Maritime Voyages (CMV).That charter came to an abrupt halt in 2020 after CMV became a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic.The ship was towed to Rotterdam after a period of lay-up in the UK. It was subsequently arrested in the Dutch port, although the Judicial Court of the District of Madeira, which exercised jurisdiction over the auction, would have delivered it to a new owner with a clean title.Despite its advanced age, the Astoria underwent a complete rebuilding in the early 1990s that saw it stripped to the bare hull, re-engined and rebuilt as a modern cruiseship.Its biggest claim to fame was when, as Swedish American Line’s Stockholm, it rammed and sank the 29,000-gt Italian transatlantic liner Andrea Doria (built 1951) off Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1956

• Did Maersk Tanker pay to take migrants from their tanker?Prosecutor accuses in the court.

  by Marine Republic on 3 March 2021 at 11:33 am

   The Prosecutor’s office of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, accused NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans of receiving money from a shipping company MAERSK after a commercial agreement between the above mentioned parties, to transfer migrants from tanker MAERSK ETIENNE to NGO’s boat in Sep 2020. 27 migrants were picked up by tanker on Aug 4 in Gulf of Gabes, Mediterranean, SW of Malta, and tanker couldn’t disembark them for 37 days, because all coastal States in the region refused to accept them. On Sep 11 they’ve been transferred to the NGO on Sep 12 they were disembarked at Pozzallo port, Ragusa, Sicily.

• India announces USD 82 Billion Dollars Shipping Industry investment

  by Marine Republic on 3 March 2021 at 11:26 am

   India’s government has announced a long term $82 billion plan to invest in the nation’s seaports. Speaking at the Maritime India Summit on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for massive public and private commitments to improve infrastructure for maritime trade. “As many as 574 projects at a cost of $82 billion . . . have been identified under the Sagarmala project for implementation [through] 2035,” said Modi. Pointing to the possibilities for foreign investors, he said that India’s ports ministry has identified an additional $30 billion worth of investment opportunities for about 400 different projects. “We will encourage private investment in the port sector . . . Invest in our ports. Invest in our people. Let India be your preferred trade destination. Let Indian ports be your port of call for trade and commerce,” he said. The investment plans include developing renewable power to supply more than half of the energy needs of India’s ports by 2030, Modi said. Modi also highlighted his government’s investments in inland waterway transportation, and said that it plans to continue to boost inland navigation. “Ours is a government that is investing in waterways in a way that was never seen before,” he said. “We aim to operate 23 waterways by 2030.”The Indian government’s maritime ambitions also extend to vessel scrapping, a key source of recycled steel for Indian industry. India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted plans to expand the nation’s share of the ship demolition market to 50 pecent of the global total, up from about 30 percent today. 

• Master dies of Covid-19 and other crew members test positive on bulk carrier

  by Marine Republic on 2 March 2021 at 10:56 am

   The master of the bulk carrier Tertnes died during a voyage out at sea due to Covid-19 complications. She was sailing to Norway to the Port of Dover. A post-mortem report sugested death due to coronavirus.On February 24, as Tertnes was under way in international waters en route to Dover, she made a distress call to Norway’s Main Rescue Center and requested assistance. The master was having a medical emergency. In response, two doctors were dispatched to the vessel aboard a helicopter; unfortunately the captain did not survive. The vessel diverted to the port of Mekjarvik, Norway, arriving on February 25. The authorities tested everyone on board for COVID-19, and seven individuals out of 17 tested positive, according to NRK. None showed symptoms of the disease. A sample taken from the remains of the master also returned a positive result, but it is not known whether he died of COVID-19 or of other causes, the chief physician for Randaberg told NRK. The vessel’s last crew change had been on February 12. She has now been quarantined at Mekjarvik, and all 17 of her crewmembers are required to stay on board. The two doctors who boarded the vessel have been quarantined, along with marine pilots and technical personnel who were recently on board.

• Stena Bulk writes to Indian Prime Minister for help to release ship.

  by Marine Republic on 13 August 2019 at 7:50 am

  Stena bulk shipping company’s chief executive officer has appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene to negotiate with Iran in order to secure release of its vessel Stena Impero. As per media reports, after all the efforts of shipping company Stena Bulk  failed to secure the release of its vessel Stena Impero,  President of Stena Bulk Erik Hanell has written a letter to Indian Prime Minister to personally negotiate with Iran to release its ship and crew members. The British flag oil tanker stena Impero was seized by Iran on 19th July  in the strait of hormuz. Since then the ship and it’s 23 crew members are under arrest. Out of total 23 crew members 18 are Indians on board. As reported by NDTV India India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar confirmed that Indian Embassy in Iran is working with Iranian authorities to release and repatriate all 18 Indian crew members on board ship. The oil tanker of Stena Bulk Shipping Company Stena Impero was arrested by Iran while passing through the strait of Hormuz.  It was done in retaliation after Iran’s oil tanker Grace 1 was detained by Britain in the Gibraltar.

• Pilot falls from Pilot Ladder while boarding. Falls in water and dies.

  by Marine Republic on 12 August 2019 at 4:52 pm

  Senior Marine pilot captain V.P. Gupta fell from the The Pilot ladder while boarding the ship on 10th August 2019 at Mumbai inner Anchorage in India. He slipped from the pilot ladder while climbing to board the ship M.T. FUJI Galaxi. After falling he went missing and could not be traced. Although the cause of the accident is not clear, it is believed that he was probably hit by the bow of the boat in which he had arrived. Capt Gupta was apparently not wearing life jackets and safety helmet. It is very important to wear proper safety gears during risky duties. An enquiry has been set up by the Port Trust to find the root cause of the accident. Although prima facie no lapses have been found on the part of the pilot boat and ship. Pilot boarding arrangements have been found visibly in order. After falling from the pilot ladder Capt V P Gupta could not be traced. Next day on 11th August 2019 his dead was found. His body was sent for postmortem to hospital. These types of incident once again highlight the safety measures required for safe pilot boarding arrangements, trained crew for Pilot boat and importance of safety gears to be used by the Pilot. Boarding the ship in ballast condition is a risky task. Due to the presence of swell and waves this becomes more risky. Extreme care needs to be exercised by the Marine Pilots while boarding the ship.

• 28 Crew members jumped in Sea after massive fire on ship. Watch their Dramatic rescue.

  by Marine Republic on 12 August 2019 at 10:30 am

  The Offshore support vessel coastal Jaguar caught massive fire after an explosion on 12 August 2019 at 11.30 AM. All 29 crew members jumped into the water to save their lives. Crew members of the other ships in the vicinity through lifebuoy to the swimming crew members of coastal Jaguar. Indian Coast Guard ship and helicopter has been deployed for the rescue operations. Out of 29 crew members 28 have already been rescued and the search is on for the missing one crew member. Although the reason for this massive fire is unknown, as per eye witness, the fire is followed by a massive explosion on the ship. Indian coast guard ship said in a statement that crew members heard a loud sound which followed a huge fire. To save their lives all crew members jumped in the Sea. 28 crew members have been rescued successfully and medical assistance is being provided to the injured Seafarers. Search is on for the missing one crew member. Coast Guard is hopefully of finding him at the earliest.

• Budget 2019: Changes for Indian Seafarers Income Tax

  by Marine Republic on 12 August 2019 at 3:57 am

  The biggest advantage of seafarers profession in India is exemption from income tax. If one completes NRI days in a financial year that is if he stays outside India on ship for more than 182 days then he doesn’t have to pay Income Tax in India.  From last many years seafarers of India have this apprehension that this exemption can be lifted anytime.  Previously Narendra Modi government provided a big relief to Indian Seafarers sailing on ships which are playing in Indian waters. Then finance minister Arun Jaitley made it clear that the counting of NRI days will be done according to the entries in CDC for the seafarers working on coastal ships. On 5th July 2019 as Finance Minister Nirmala sitharaman tabled Union budget 2019 in the parliament, all Eyes of seafarers community were on the changes made in the NRI status requirement. Union budget 2019 neither brought good news nor bad news for the Indian seafarers. Finance minister Nirmala sitharaman did not touch the clause of NRI days and made no changes to it. In budget 2019 also there are no changes in the NRI days to be maintained by Indian seafarers in order to get income tax exemption. To get income tax exemption Indian seafarer has to maintain following things: 1. Seafarer has to stay on ship for more than 183 days in a financial year. 2. The salary received by the seafarer should be in foreign currency  and same should be received in his NRI account. 3. If the ship sails in Indian waters then the NRI days will be counted according to the entries in CDC. If the ship touches any foreign port during the Voyage then the full voyage will be counted as NRI days even if the ship has sailed in Indian waters. The biggest advantage of maintaining NRI account is that the interest earned from the fixed deposits or other Investments like mutual funds and equity shares does not attract any income tax and is totally tax free. Indian seafarers are suggested to maintain their NRI account and make all the Investments via their NRI account onl

• World’s Most dangerous place for Seafarers

  by Marine Republic on 23 August 2018 at 8:37 am

  As Somalian Pirates horror diminishes due to continued efforts of world Navies, another area has emerged as a hub of piracy. The International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center has once again identified Nigerian waters as being extremely dangerous. Nigerian pirates have again come under global attention as they have been accused of  kidnapping 35 seafarers from cargo-laden vessels in the Gulf of Guinea so far this year. The Gulf of Guinea has become an epicentre of piracy  after the pirate threat diminished off the coast of Somalia. All 35 crew kidnappings reported this year occurred over six incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, highlighting higher risks in this area. The true number of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea is believed to be “significantly higher” than reported to the IMB PRC, according to the report. In the latest incident a tanker with 17 Georgian sailors on-board has been missing for a week off the coast of Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea, a notorious area for sea piracy, officials said.The ship “disappeared” from tracking screens on August 14, and the potential search area was between the Gabonese coast and the Sao Tome and Principe archipelago, a regional military source said Tuesday. Quarterly report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) shows all 2018 crew kidnappings have so far occurred in the Gulf of Guinea in six separate incidents. There were no reported incidents recorded off the coast of Somalia in the second quarter of 2018 The number of incidents in the Philippines dropped from 13 by the second quarter of 2017 to three in the same time period this year. Worldwide in the first three months of 2018, 100 crew were taken hostage and 14 kidnapped from their vessels. A total of 39 vessels were boarded, 11 fired upon and four vessels hijacked. “The hijacking of product tankers from anchorages in the Gulf of Guinea is a cause of concern.  In these cases, the intent of the perpetrators is to steal the oil cargo and kidnap crew. The prompt detection and response to any unauthorised movements of an anchored vessel could help in the effective response to such attacks,” commented an IMB spokesperson.

• Funniest Reason for 2 days ship delay in departure from port.

  by Marine Republic on 25 July 2018 at 9:34 am

  Two monkeys delayed the departure of a cargo ship from Chennai by two days. The monkeys virtually played hide and seek with the ship crew and wildlife personnel.Wildlife officials said they received a call from Chennai Port on Friday morning stating that two monkeys had entered a ship that was to depart from the port on Friday night. A team of monkey catchers, led by range officer Mohan, went to the port and conducted searches in the ship. However, the simians could not be traced.“Our team searched the whole vessel from morning till evening and the monkeys could not be traced,” he said.On Saturday morning, the ship left Chennai port for Singapore. When she was nearing the Ennore port, the crew saw one of the monkeys onboard.Following this, the vessel was berthed at Ennore port and wildlife officials were alerted. Monkey catchers searched the vessel on Saturday and Sunday. But they could not trace the monkeys.On Monday morning, the ship resumed her journey, probably carrying the monkeys

• List of companies giving sponsorship to Merchant Navy candidates . ( GME, DNS, Deck Cadet, B.tech. )

  by Marine Republic on 24 July 2018 at 2:17 pm

  Companies Providing Sponsorship for Merchant Navy This is the list of companies providing sponsorship to the Merchant Navy candidates in India. The list includes both Indian and Multi – National companies. All these companies take candidates as per their requirement. Sometimes their requirement can be big and sometimes there may be no demand at all. Therefore you must contact the individual company regarding their openings for fresh candidates. Companies can be contacted either via email or via their website. Click here to get regular ALERTS about companies requirement 1 ABS MARINE SERVICES PVT LTD. (BG IN NEW FORMAT) 2 ADMIRAL MARINE SERVICES PVT.LTD 3 ANDROMEDA SHIPPING (INDIA) PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 4 ANGLO- EASTERN SHIP MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED 5 APEEJAY SHIPPING LIMITED 6 ASP CREW MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED 7 AURUM MARINE MANAGEMENT SERVICES PVT LTD., 8 BERNHARD SCHULTE SHIPMANAGEMENT (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 9 BERRY INTEROCEANIC COMPANY NEW DELHI 10 BW SHIPPING MANAGERS PTE LTD., MUMBAI 11 CENMAR MARITIME AGENCIES (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 12 CONFIDENCE SHIPPING CO. PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 13 D’AMICO SHIP ISHIMA INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED 14 DRS MARINE SERVICES PRIVATE LTD., NAVI MUMBAI 15 DYNACOM TANKERS MANAGEMENT PVT.LTD. 16 ELEGANT MARINE SERVICES PVT LTD., 17 ELITE MARINERS PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 18 Essar Shipping Limited 19 EXECUTIVE SHIP MANAGEMENT PVT.LTD. 20 EXMAR SHIP MANAGEMENT INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED 21 GEEPEE SHIPPING AGENCIES PRIVATE LIMITED, MUMBAI 22 GOODWOOD MARINE SERVICES PVT LTD., 23 GULF ENERGY MARITIME SERVICES PVT LTD 24 HERALD MARITIME SERVICES PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 25 IMS SHIP MANAGEMENT PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 26 K STEAMSHIP AGENCIES PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 27 M.T.M. SHIP MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED 28 M/S DOCKENDALE SHIP MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 29 M/S XT SHIP MANAGEMENT INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED 30 M/S. AG. MARITIME PRIVATE LIMITED. 31 M/S. AURUS SHIP MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED 32 M/S. CAMPBELL SHIPPING PRIVATE LIMITED 33 M/S. CROWLEYACCORD MARINE MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED. 34 M/S. DARYA SHIPMANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED. 35 M/S. NAVIG8 SHIPMANAGEMENT SERVIES PRIVATE LIMITED 36 M/S. TANGAR SHIP MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED 37 M/S. TW SHIP MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED 38 MAERSK LINE INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED 39 MEDALLION MARINE PRIVATE LIMITED 40 MERCATOR LIMITED 41 MITSUI O.S.K. LINES MARITIME (INDIA) PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 42 MMS MARITIME AGENCY (INDIA) PVT. LTD 43 MSC CREWING SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED. 44 MSI SHIPPING SERVICES INDIA PVT LTD., 45 NAUTICAL MARINE MANAGEMENT SERVICE PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 46 NAUTILUS SHIPPING INDIA PVT LTD. 47 NORTHERN MARINE MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 48 OCS SERVICES (INDIA) PVT. LTD. MUMBAI 49 ORIENT SHIP MANAGEMENT AND MANNING PVT. LTD., MUMBAI 50 SCORPIO MARINE MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PVT LTD., 51 SEAARLAND MANAGEMENT SERVICES PVT LTD. 52 SEASPAN CREW MANAGEMENT INDIA PVT., MUMBAI 53 SELANDIA CREW MANAGEMENT (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED. 54 SYNERGY MARITIME RECRUITMENT SERVICES PVT LTD 55 TEEKAY SHIPPING (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 56 THE GREAT EASTERN SHIPPING COMPANY LTD 57 THE SHIPPING CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED 58 THOME SHIPPING (INDIA) PVT.LTD. 59 UNIMAR MARINE SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED 60 V. SHIPS INDIA PVT. LTD. 61 VR MARITIME SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED 62 WALLEM SHIPMANAGEMENT (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 63 WORLD TANKERS CREWING (INDIA) PVT.LTD. 64 ZODIAC MARITIME AGENCIES (I) PRIVATE LIMITED

• Ship & Master arrested for hiding Indians illegally in Engine Room.

  by Marine Republic on 23 July 2018 at 5:33 pm

  Four ‘undocumented’ Indian crew members of an Iran-bound merchant ship “ Rise Dignity”  have been rescued by immigration officials during a check after it docked here and its captain arrested on charges of trying to hide them, police said. The four crew members, including one from Tamilnadu, were found kept hidden in the engine room of the Panama-registered crude oil carrier “Rise Dignity”. One of the crew member held captive in the engine room called his relatives when vessel arrived in Chennai Port. Relatives of that crew member informed immigration officials and asked for help. Captain of the ship Pavan Kumar, who allegedly did not include the names of four in the list of crew members and tried to hide them from Immigration officials, had been arrested, the police said. Throughout the search deck cadets and other staffs kept moving these four Indian crew members, so that immigration officials could not find them. Finally, Master broke down in front of immigration officials when grilled. R Prakash of Cuddalore in Tamilnadu, A Suresh Kumar from Andhra Pradesh, Thejos Pukkot from Kerala and Punit from Uttar Pradesh were rescued and handed over to the Harbour Police and later allowed to go (to home towns), according to police. According to a complaint filed by 24-year old Prakash with police, he and other three Indians were ‘cheated’ by their Mumbai-based employer and the captain and brought onboard the vessel. “When we learnt that our names were not in the list of crew members. We asked them and all they said was they will manage… but the captain and other crew members hid us four in engine room to avoid being caught,” they said.

• Unbelievable : Ship’s Crew fell Overboard, rescued ALIVE after 22 Hours in Sea by another ship.

  by Marine Republic on 23 July 2018 at 7:45 am

  A Norwegian crew member is lucky to be alive after falling overboard.Amazingly, the missing crew member was rescued by a passing cruise ship after treading water for some 22 hours without a flotation device. The man did not have any safety device on when he was picked up. He was likely treading water the entire time.The U.S. Coast Guard says the 33-year-old crew member was seen falling overboard from the Norwegian Getaway around 3:20 p.m. on 2nd July 2018, as the ship was about 28 miles northwest of  Cuba.The Coast Guard says it search around 1,630 square miles before suspending the search as night fell on. Norwegian Getaway had also stopped its search by that time. On the next day at around 1320 hrs. cabin steward from the another passing by ship Carnival Glory spotted the crew member in the water.Immediately, Carnival Glory changed course to pick up the crew member. Crew member helth is stable now.“This is nothing short of miraculous,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer.” “We are so happy to know that the individual is safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family,” the Norwegian statement said.

• Two Cadets left to die fighting fire on Maersk Ship. Where were Master & Other seniors?

  by Marine Republic on 12 April 2018 at 6:25 am

  On 6th March 2018 container vessel MAERSK HONAM reported a serious fire in a cargo hold,  enroute from Singapore towards Suez. After being unsuccessful in their firefighting efforts, the crew sent out a distress signal and a total of 23 crew members were safely rescued. Unfortunately,  along with 2 Engine Cadets, 4 crew members were reported missing. As per shocking revelations made by family of one of the Cadets who lost life in the accident, these two Engine Cadets were ordered to fight the fire on Bridge Area. Both Engine Cadets,  John Rey Begaso and Janrey Genvatin  lost their life while fighting fire. As per reports they were not even wearing proper fireman’s outfit. Being the engine Cadet, probably they were not aware of the toxic cargo which vessel was carrying. Questions are being asked how come Engine Cadets were ordered to fight the fire in Navigation Bridge Area? Did Master and other senior officers forced them to perform the fire fighting duty? Why no other senior officer or Deck crew were involved in fire fighting team and did Master of the vessel abandoned Engine Cadets to die? Cadets are not the right person to handle any kind of emergency as they have hardly any experience. They are officer under training. In such kind of emergency how come Master & Chief Engineer ask them to handle the situation. Mother of Engine Cadet Janrey Genvatin revealed these shocking facts in her open letter to Maersk. After a month also, remains of these cadets are lying in port area. There bodies could not be identified. Their families are waiting for their remains to perform last rituals. In one month even the DNA samples have not been matched, so that families can claim the dead bodies which can’t be recognized. A reputed company like Maersk is also not cooperating with the families and trying to run down the whole episode. The reason may be the toxic and explosive cargo which Maersk Honam was carrying. Role of the Master and Chief Mate is also under suspicion as how they ordered Engine Cadets to fight the fire in Bridge Area without breathing apparatus. Their head should hand in shame.

• Pirates kidnapped Indians, Demanded huge ransom, but Indian Govt’s swift action saves them.

  by Marine Republic on 11 April 2018 at 2:20 pm

  3 Indian sailors from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh were kidnapped by Nigerian Pirates from their ship when it was in Nigerian waters. After 10 days of their kidnapping, on March 12, 2018 Pirates made a satellite phone call to their family members in India and demanded huge ransom. Ransom call was made to Captain Sushil Kumar’s family who was Master of the ship and now in captivity of Pirates. “I got the call at around 3 pm Saturday. My brother spoke to us first informing about the demand made by the pirates for their release. Then, one of the kidnappers came on the phone telling us in English to handover the money if we wanted the safety of the three persons,” Vinay Kumar, brother of Capt Sushil Kumar told. Apart from Sushil Kumar, Pankaj Kumar  and Ajay Kumar were the other two hostages. Family then reported the incident to External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma swaraj office and also to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. After securing the information, External Affairs Ministry started it efforts to secure the release of Indian Seafarers. Finally, on 11th April 2018 with the help of Nigerian Government and Nigerian Navy, release of all three sailors was secured safely. Sushma Swaraj tweeted about the success of the mission. Indian High commission in Nigeria worked effortlessly to secure the release of Indian Seafarers. Government’s proactive approach has saved many Seafarers in trouble. Family was not only contacted by MEA , but also was kept in loop during the whole operation. Vinay said the family was contacted by Sushma Swaraj’s private secretary and was assured that the government was doing the needful. “The boys will return safe. We are on the job and our ministry in Nigeria is working on it” he was told.

• Chief Engineer’s daughter wins Gold in Commonwealth Games. Proud moment for Seafarers fraternity.

  by Marine Republic on 10 April 2018 at 2:42 pm

  Ram Krishna Bhaker, A Chief Engineer in Merchant Navy elated with joy when his daughter , Manu Bhaker, still only 16 years of age, grabbed the women’s 10m air pistol gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Sunday. India’s teen shooting sensation, Manu Bhaker, shot a record 240.9 to clinch the title. When Manu Bhaker asked her father to get her a pistol, one month after talking up the sport, Ram Kishan Bhaker, a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy, wondered if the investment of Rs 1.5 lakh would be really worth it. On Sunday, she showed she had made the right decision by taking up shooting. Her proud father Ram Kishan Bhaker on Sunday said he was confident of his daughter’s success.Delighted at the 16-year-old’s feat, the senior Bhaker said Manu was always never in the habit of returning empty-handed from any competition.”It is easy to boast after a win. But the truth is she never returned empty-handed from any tournament, whether it be the school or national level,” Ram told IANS.”Before leaving for Gold Coast, I asked her to enjoy her game and not worry about the result. Winning and losing are part of any sport,” he said.Opening up on his plans of celebrating the gold medal effort, Ram said: “There will be grand celebrations once Manu returns to her native in Goria, Haryana.” What makes her performance impressive is that two years ago she had not even taken up pistol shooting. “On April 28, it will be two years since I took up shooting,” Manu says. Bhaker’s meteoric rise has popularised the sport of shooting in the village of Goria in Haryana, where she was born. Father, Ram Krishna Bhaker has described Manu as ‘very competitive’ and ‘one who hates to lose’. The Jhajjar-born Manu Bhaker was a picture of composure, one of the traits developed during long hours under pistol legend Jaspal Rana’s tutelage. She blew the opposition away with impeccable shooting in the qualifying and followed that up with similar calm in the 24-shot final. It was only after the golden deal was sealed that she allowed a vestige of emotion to show on her face. “I am very happy… it is my first Commonwealth Games and I won with a qualification record also. The gap between me and the second competitor, that was a huge margin. So it was a pleasure winning this medal for India and I am very, very happy,” Manu said after the event.

• COC Revalidation course reduced to 3 days for Marine Engineers. Procedure to revalidate MEO COC.

  by Marine Republic on 4 April 2018 at 12:21 pm

  In yet another instance of seafarer friendly move , Director General of Shipping has issued a circular no. 143 of 2018 dated 26.March.2018 which reduces the COC Revalidation course duration from 11 days to ONLY 3 days. This move is beneficial for Seafarers at large as 11 days RUT course was waste of time and money. Specially Engineers working abroad were facing tremendous problem as they had to leave their work for a month and come to India in order to revalidate their COC. Also whole application process has been made online which will again provide relief to Seafarers as they don’t have to run to MMD again and again. Requirements for Revalidation of COC are same as before. New procedure is as follows : Procedure for Revalidation of Marine Engineer Officers COC: All of the following need to be fulfiled for revalidation of COC1.  Undertake the Refresher and Updating training course for revalidation (three dayscourse) in an approved training institute conducting the course. 2. Meet the standards of medical fitness as prescribed in the Merchant Shipping(Medical Examination) Rules 2000 as amended and the STCW Code; 3. Complete the approved Refresher training course for Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boat other than Fast Rescue Boats(PSCRB), Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF) /Advanced Fire Fighting (AFF), Medical first Aid (MFA) wherever such certificates are five years old. On fulfillment of above requirements and submission of online application, Certificate of Competency shall be revalidated and revalidation sticker will be dispatched to candidate.On receipt of revalidation sticker, candidate will have to paste the same in his CoC. The requirements of this notice are to be complied in totality at the time of Revalidation of CoC which are already upgraded to 2010 STCW amendments and the requirements of this Refresher and Updating Training Course for revalidation of engineer officers will come into force with effect from l st April 2018.

• VLCC, carrying 2 million barrels oil attacked with missiles by Yemen’s rebels. All crew safe.

  by Marine Republic on 4 April 2018 at 9:30 am

  A VLCC owned by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri group reported to be attacked by Yemen’s rebel Houthi group. Houthis hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea  with missiles. Oil tanker was in international waters when it came under “Houthi-Iranian attack” at around 13:30 local time (1030 GMT).Tanker could be VLCC Abqaiq owned by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri group.A coalition warship conducted a “swift intervention” foiling the attack. Although missile hit the VLCC , but it could cause only superficial damage to the vessel. No Oil spill has been reported from the Tanker. It was hit on the starboard side damaging a ballast tank. All crew are safe and vessel is continuing it’s voyage escorted by Naval warships. “As a result of that attack, the tanker was subjected to a slight but ineffective hit and it resumed its naval course northwards, escorted by a coalition warship,” the statement said. The attack is seen as attempt to hamper commercial shipping and maritime movement in the region which is the key choke point between the Arabian peninsula and  Horn of Africa. Any disturbance in this area can largely affect the Crude Oil movement from Saudi Arabia which the world’s biggest crude exporter. This attack has raised the fear in the Crude market as restrictions in commercial shipping can impact the world wide crude oil prices. Also Saudi Arabia’s economy can come under pressure if Houthi choose to continue attacks and hamper the maritime movement.

• Suicide, Murder or Accident? Trainee Electrical Officer disappears from Anglo Eastern ship

  by Marine Republic on 3 April 2018 at 2:55 pm

  Trainee Electrical Officer gone missing from Anglo Eastern Ship Management managed ship MV Shahrastani on 29 March 2018. 24 Yrs old ETO Ashwin Kumar Hari, went missing within three weeks after joining the ship.He  joined ship on March 6 from Shenzen, China. It was his very first ship after passing out from the Anglo Eastern Training Academy as ETO. Shocked and shattered with his disappearance his parents are not able to accept it as an accident. They were in touch with Ashwin till March 28, 2018, through WhatsApp and IMO. They did not sense any abnormal behaviour. His parents have approached the Union Government for a probe. They also filed a petition against the company suspecting a foul play.According to the company, Ashwin had gone missing since 2000 LT on March 29, 2018, while the ship was at sea off the Mauritius coast. The company also said that the search operation for Ashwin is still being carried out. Anglo Eastern company’s letter said that Ashwin was last seen by the crew at 2000 LT when he was going to read manuals in the Engine Control Room. This raises a doubt on company’s version as MV Shahrastani, the ship he was on board, is an Unmanned Machinery Space (UMS) ship. In UMS ship NO engineer goes in the Engine room alone after 6 O’clock. Then why did he go to the Engine room alone. Chief Engineer’s role needs to be investigated as it is his responsibility to enforce UMS rules. There are chances that ETO might have been pressurized by the Chief Engineer or by Seniors or may be harassed also.Harikumar , father of Ashwin urged the Union Minister to initiate steps to obtain the original Simple Voyage Data Recorder report of MV Shahrastani from March 27 onwards from the company to facilitate investigations. “Other than the letter, the company seems to be absolutely silent on the issue. Though there were indications the search operation may be called off, the office of DG Shipping said there is no such decision. MMD officers too have informed they would carry out an investigation when the ship next touches port,” said Ashwin’s uncle Sampath Kumar. Though the company says Ashwin went missing on Thursday, the family suspects something may have happe esned on the previous day. “On March 28, Ashwin had messaged his mother about getting his first salary. There was no communication thereafter,” Sampath added. Based on Harikumar’s complaint, the police have already registered an FIR..

• These Shipping Companies are involved in Slavery & Human Trafficking. DG Shipping warns.

  by Marine Republic on 2 April 2018 at 3:34 pm

  Govt of India Black Listed  two UAE Ship Owners who practice Slavery & Human Trafficking. There had been several instances where non payment of salary was reported from these two ship owners. Also working and living condition on ships owned by these two ship owners has been found horrible. After getting multiple complaints Director General of Shipping has black listed these two UAE based ship owners. 1. Shah Al Arab Marine agency 2. ALCO Shipping LLC  Any Indian shipping company or Maritime Training Institutes or Indian Seafarers found working with them will be penalised. Indian Seafarers are required to be extra careful while going abroad to join a ship. There is a huge increase in instances where ship owners are not paying salary to the Seafarers. Once a seafarer goes on ship he gets stuck in Slavery like conditions. Owners are not paying salary and also not providing basic amenities like food and water onboard. Last year Government of India has rescued more than 3000 sailors from UAE only from these type of dead ships. Indian sailors should go through authorized RPSL agents only to join a ship abroad. It is advised to keep your family and friends informed about your location and condition.

• GP Rating vs STCW Courses, which one is the best to join Merchant Navy? Read it here.

  by Marine Republic on 25 January 2018 at 4:55 pm

  Govt. of India notified a new rule that from 18 Jan 2018 onwards you can get Indian CDC for just 700 rs. after doing 5 basic STCW Courses. The fees of 5 STCW Courses is approximately 12000 rs. including INDOS NUMBER. So, what happens to G.P. Rating course now? Is it still useful? Which course you should do to join Merchant Navy? G.P. Rating course is better or 5 STCW Course? We will answer all these questions in this article. You can also watch it in Hindi : Highlights of STCW Courses : Very less fees. Total you have to spend 15000/- Rs. to get Indian CDC Total courses duration is 10 days only. There are many DG Shipping approved institutes in cities near you. You can do this course as fees is less and your loss will be very less. You will get watch keeping certificate after 15 months service. Highlights of G.P. Rating Course : Course fees is very high, up to 3 to 4 lakhs. Duration of course 6 months. You should do this course only if you have relatives in Merchant Navy who can arrange Job for you, otherwise if you don’t get job your full money will be wasted. You will get watch keeping certificate after 6 months of service. What is the difference in ranks after doing these Courses? You will get same rank and same salary on ship whichever course you do. Your rank will be same either you do G.P. Rating course or you do STCW Courses. Which course you should do ? As fees for GP Rating course is very high, you should do this course ONLY when you have some sources to get the job. Don’t trust agents as they always cheat you. So if you have any relative who can refer you a job, then only you do GP Rating course. GP Rating course has more weightage and you get watch keeping certificate in just 6 months. For STCW Courses fees is very less which is the best thing of this course. Only small amount of your money is at stake. Which course will give you job? No course can give you job. Job market is very tight. Whichever course you do, you have to really work hard to get a job. But once you start, it’s a good career. Also Read : Step by step procedure to get Indian CDC in just 700 rs.

• Good step by DGS : Now seafarers Medical certificate will be available online for all official purposes.

  by Marine Republic on 24 January 2018 at 6:21 pm

  Director general of shipping has clearly set the agenda of reforms in order to make the system transparent and friendly for the seafarers. Last week only new CDC rules have been implemented to regulate the institutes and tame the fake agents. Read : New CDC rules 2018. Just 700 rs fees for new CDC In yet another step to make seafarers life easy, The Director general of shipping has decided to make the seafarer medical available online. With this is step, seafarers medical will be uploaded online on dgshipping.gov.in website by the DG Shipping approved doctors. Once it is uploaded it will be available for the companies and for the MMDs  as well for all kind of official works. So next time when you are going to MMD for any official work, like renewal of your COC or the DCE or any other work, which requires a valid medical certificate, you don’t have to carry your medical certificate with you. Neither  you have to run to the doctor again and again.  Companies and MMDs can check your medical online in DG Shipping website. So basically for all the official works your medical will be available online and you don’t have to go to the doctor again till the validity of your medical certificate. Also there will be no possibility of losing the certificate. As per the new system from 1st February 2018, when you go to the DG Shipping approved doctor for your Medicals either on your own or on companies’ requirement your medical certificate will be uploaded to DG Shipping website by the doctor. Once it is uploaded it will be available for all the official purposes till the expiry of the certificate. Like many other steps of e-governance, this step is also going to make the seafarers life easier. 

• Income Tax rules for Indian Seafarers 2018 for F.G. and Coastal ships.

  by Marine Republic on 22 January 2018 at 2:53 pm

  Income tax rules for Indian sailors are different than other Indian citizens. These rules are unclear to most of the CAs and even to Income Tax officials. In this article we will try to explain these rules in simple terms. We will cover following topics in this article. Ø  Foreign Flagged Foreign Going vessels Ø  Indian Flagged Foreign Going vessels Ø  Foreign Flagged Coastal vessels Ø  Indian Flagged Coastal vessels What is NRI status ? If a person stays outside India for more than 183 days in a financial year ( i.e. from 1st April to 31st March ) his resident status will be NRI for that financial year. Case 1 : Ship is Foreign Going and salary is in foreign currency- If you complete NRI days then your income is totally tax free and you don’t have to pay any Income tax. You also don’t require to file IT Return. But if you fail to complete NRI days you have to pay Income tax as per Income tax rules for that Financial Year. Ø  For Foreign flagged ships, NRI days will be counted as per date on Passport Ø  For Indian flagged ships, NRI days will be counted as per date on CDC Case 2 : Ship sometimes coming to India and salary is in foreign currency- If you complete NRI days then your income is totally tax free and you don’t have to pay any Income tax. You also don’t require to file IT Return. Ø  NRI days will be counted as per stamp on CDC for both Indian & Foreign flagged ships. Note : At least one Port in the voyage should be Foreign Port.  If a voyage starts from Indian port & Ends in Indian Ports, then that voyage will NOT be counted for NRI days. Watch the video for more description : Case 3 : Ship is always sailing in Indian waters ( Full time coastal ship ) You have to pay Income Tax as per Income Tax rules whether you are sailing in Foreign Flagged vessel or in Indian flagged ship. Points to Remember : 1.    Dates stamped should be included for counting days stayed outside India. 2.    In order to get exemption from Income Tax due to NRI status, payment must be given in foreign currency and NOT in Indian Rupee

• How to get Indian CDC in just 700 Rs. New Indian CDC Rules 2018. Full explanation

  by Marine Republic on 20 January 2018 at 2:59 pm

  Say Good Bye To the Fraud Agents & CDCs of other countries. From 18 Jan 2018 onwards you can get Indian CDC for just 700 rs. What is CDC and what is the need of Indian CDC? CDC stands for Continuous Discharge Certificate. It’s like an Identification document for Seafarers. Without CDC one can not join Merchant Navy. To join Merchant Navy in any rank you must have CDC. Other than Indian CDC ,there are CDCs of many countries like Panama, Belize, Liberian, Marshall Island etc. Never go for  CDCs of other countries. Always get Indian CDCs so that you can get jobs easily. How much money you have to spend to get Indian CDC? Previously it was very difficult to get Indian CDC. But from 18 Jan 2018 Govt. of India has changed the rules and now you can get Indian CDCs very easily. Indian CDC fees – 700 rs. only Which courses you have to do before applying for Indian CDC? You are required to do only 5 basic STCW course. Personal Survival Techniques (PST) Elementary First Aid (EFA) Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities Fire Fighting & Fire Prevention STCW Proficiency for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties Fees for all above 5 courses – 11000 Rs. only Which documents you should have before applying for Indian CDC? All above 5 Basic STCW courses. INDOS Number ( It will be issued by the Institute from where you will do STCW courses ) Medical certificate from DG Shipping approved Doctor Educational qualification 10th Pass Age – Above 18 yrs. How to apply for Indian CDCs After getting all above documents, you can apply Indian CDCs online via www.dgshipping.gov.in website. Watch this video for full step by step procedure.

• “Hijacked” V ships vessel rescued from Pirates captivity after 6 days.

  by Marine Republic on 19 January 2018 at 7:13 am

   January 18, 2018 The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Barrett and its 22 crew members have been released from captivity after a six-day ordeal, UK-based tanker owner and operator Union Maritime informed. Thankfully all the crew is safe. Vessel owner efforts and negotiations led to peaceful release of the crew and the vessel. Vessel was hijacked on 12th of January and surprisingly nobody in India knew about the Incident. No authorities, no media houses and of course MUI knew about the hijack of the vessel.  Marine republic published the news of possible hijack of the ship on 15th January which ultimately turned out to be true. “MT Barrett has been released after a Gulf of Guinea piracy incident lasting six days. All crew are safe. We are extremely grateful to the many parties that assisted in achieving the successful resolution of this incident,” a company update said. “We are focused now on supporting the crew and their families. The crew are safely back in Lagos, Nigeria and were met by senior representatives from Union Maritime and the technical managers.”The company lost contact with the ship on January 10, when the ship was at anchor off Benin, West Africa.The company activated its emergency response plan and alerted regional maritime authorities and other vessels in the area.According to Union Maritime, the exact nature of the incident only became clear late on January 12, when those holding the vessel made contact with the company.“A resolution process began, which ultimately led to the release of the vessel and all crew on board on January 16,” the update reads.“We sincerely appreciate the support and efforts of all involved, including the authorities in Benin, Togo, Nigeria and India.”