According to the International Maritime Bureau, the number of attacks on vessels off the Nigerian coast (Gulf of Guinea) could exceed those off the Somalian coast ( Gulf of Aden).

Armed robbery incidents could vary from robbers boarding with knives or with highly sophisticated weapons.  As of Wednesday night there had been 48 attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia reported since the start of the year. Five vessels were hijacked, 102 crew members taken hostage and a further 24 vessels fired upon. Seven ships and 118 crew were still in detention.

The number of vessels that have actually been hijacked has been steadily dropping. While in October last year the ratio of attacks to hijacks was one in three, this ratio has dropped to one in 19 by this month, as a result of the increased presence of naval forces patrolling in the gulf.

Recession has the potential to do a considerable amount to improve the safety aspects as ships get laid up, thereby reducing the number of seafarers required overall. 

Owners and shipmanagers have been spread too thin in recent times in their efforts to control ever-increasing volumes of new ships in this frantic bull market.  

This resulted in the spiraling wage bills as owners competed with each other for quality crews. 

Insurers complain of a major rise in claims on new machinery as inexperienced engine room staff failed to deal with problems which occurred on ships spewing from the yards. 

A period of moderation might allow the managers to restore the quality levels that have slipped over the last four years and who knows, the pricing may fall as well.

Bangladeshi ship recyclers and cash buyers from the scrapping industry have reacted with frustration to news that the Bangladeshi High Court has ordered the closure, within 2 weeks, of yards operating without environmental clearance.

The Court also banned end-of-life vessels from coming to

The ruling was unopposed because no industry experts knew the case was going to court. The Bangladeshi Ship Breaker’s Association reacted quickly to the ruling and filed a petition to appeal.

It is predicted that over 1,000 ships would be scrapped this year. If the order was implemented it would mean the end of ship breaking in

It is estimated that around 250,000 people are directly or indirectly employed by the ship breaking industry in

Piracy acts in the

Shipping is a dangerous profession.

Safety and security are keys points. You must make sure that your crew has received a high level of safe instructions and your ship has no failure before going.

However, all these measures cost a lot of money. According to a leading classification society report, some owners are skimping on maintenance budgets.

Delaying such work is somehow understandable in this period of credit crunch, but it means endangering the life of your crew. If no effort is made on ships’ maintenance, the shipping industry as a whole will stand condemned.

At present, it is estimated that approximately 1,000 vessels are laid-up around the world’s anchorages. According to the Classification society Det Norske Veritas, the overcapacity of vessels could reach 10,000 with some 6,000 laid up by 2013.

However, this is not bad news for everyone. It can be a business opportunity. Indeed, in Southeast Asia, sheltered bays are being marketed as safe havens of unemployed tonnage. Bays in the Philippines are being touted as ideal low-cost locations to park vessels.

Great meeting - Duncan Buchanan DfT was the main speaker, he was talking on DASTS (Delivering a Sustainable Transport System) and is keen to get the industry involved in talking about the 16 themes for logistics.

Lets discuss and we can forward ideas/comments to him.