The insurance industry’s Joint War Committee (JWC) said in an advisory dated March 7 that the high-risk area had been widened to waters close to Romania and Georgia after initially adding Russian and Ukrainian waters in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov on Feb. 15.

At least five commercial ships have been hit by projectiles since Feb. 24, including one vessel that sank and another on which a seafarer was killed by a missile that struck the ship. Read full story

The new high-risk areas also extend to various inland waters and sections of the high seas, underscoring the increasing dangers.

“There is clearly a growing nervousness around the region in the insurance market, especially in relation to the Black Sea,” said Marcus Baker at insurance broker and risk adviser Marsh.

“Any future amendments to these areas will very much depend upon a further escalation of activity in the region.”

Insurance premiums for voyages in the region have soared since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, an action Moscow calls a “special operation”.

Many shipping companies have suspended sailings to affected ports and the United Nations’ shipping agency will convene a special meeting this week to discuss the worsening situation.

Guidance from the JWC is watched closely and influences underwriters’ considerations over insurance premiums.

The JWC advisory pointed to three ships that had been hit around the Ukrainian port of Odessa, adding that the situation is “dynamic” and being monitored closely.

The listed areas will be readjusted if the JWC believes it appropriate, the guidance said.

The JWC normally meets every quarter to review areas it considers high risk for merchant vessels and prone to war, piracy, terrorism and related perils. It had previously met in February before Russia’s invasion.

Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at trade association BIMCO, said there was a higher risk of Black Sea export disruption owing to shipping companies’ reluctance to service the area and because of increasing freight costs.

“Of particular concern to global supply is the export of wheat and maize, which is mainly loaded in the Black Sea (region).”

Source: www.marinelinks.com

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Fortunately, shippers can turn to a variety of solutions and tools that can help drive capacity, control for rates, enable visibility, manage inbound and outbound execution of shipments, and improve the freight audit and payment processes—cumulatively addressing those nagging obstacles that frequently surface.

ORDER MANAGEMENT

For instance, a lack of information on inbound orders can cause shippers to need to devote additional costs to labor throughout the supply chain. However, an order management tool within a transportation management system software solution can serve to provide shippers with full visibility for tracking and tracing shipments and the capability to manage events.

That visibility includes a view of purchase order fulfillment and creates the ability to quickly review with the supplier the timing of the shipment to schedule labor at distribution centers for outbound shipment execution.

When shippers struggle to find capacity from their providers, it leads to increased freight spend and labor costs. Getting status updates on shipments also can eat up time and resources. Through outbound shipment execution tools, shippers can take sales orders and interface with a transportation management system to manually or auto rate and auto tender shipments to transportation providers. Shippers can gain visibility of shipments down to part level, order number; receive alerts for shipments out of the delivery window; and at the same time control costs.

SPOT AUCTION

Global inbound shipments have been in turmoil in 2021 and are forecasted to remain that way at least through the first three quarters of 2022. Ocean shipments, in particular, are facing not only capacity challenges and longer transit times, but extremely high rates.

Operating in these markets means relying heavily on spot auction tools and automated bidding solutions to identify and lock in the best possible rates that match capacity and transit needs. Spot auctioning can be executed for all modes in a timed automated tool for both inbound and outbound shipments.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

Contract management is a necessary condition for successful end-to-end procurement and supplier performance—and arguably even more critical than the “sourcing” phase in the end-to-end supplier engagement process. Contract management tools can improve business functioning, control spending through better visibility of spending and identification of future savings, help to monitor and evaluate suppliers, and ensure compliance with clear rules and procedures.

PROCUREMENT TOOL

An RFP bid/tender sourced in one tool for multiple transportation providers offers the ability to run global multi-modes and establish tasks and activities. Shippers can build a generic bid and quickly view the low-cost providers. They also can award and allocate multiple providers a percentage of the lane or lanes that need carriers.

FREIGHT AUDIT AND PAYMENT

Tech-based tools can help avoid early payments (driving cash flow), duplicate payments, and late payment penalties, while ensuring shippers take advantage of payment terms. They also provide data for future rate negotiations and invaluable visibility to supply chain costs.

Source: www.inboundlogistics.com

Author: Dave Maddox, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Sales & Marketing, nVision Global

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A week later, the US House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology held a hearing titled “H2Success: Research and Development to Advance a Clean Hydrogen Future.”

Also, of note, the US Department of Energy published two hydrogen RFIs – “requests for information.” One on “Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing, Recycling, and Electrolysis.” The second on establishing “Clean Hydrogen Hubs.” The recent infrastructure bill provides $8 billion for hydrogen work. (“Clean” is used deliberately to reference H that is de-linked from sources or processes that can cause greenhouse gases.)

Hydrogen, of course, is one alternative fuel mentioned for marine applications, either directly or as an element within the production of ammonia as fuel.

DOE’s outreach has two broad parts:

One, hydrogen manufacturing and recycling research, development, and demonstration (RD&D). Electrolysis is given a high priority, particularly research to reduce capital costs. DOE seeks comments on increasing the applicability of H as a widely used fuel.

Second, DOE is tasked with establishing “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs.” These Hubs will aid with research and demonstrate production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of hydrogen, leading to a national clean hydrogen network to facilitate a clean hydrogen economy.

During the Senate hearing Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) asked specifically about H and maritime uses. She said Alaska’s commercial fishing industry “wants to decarbonize fishing” and is interested in alternative fuels. She was told that, yes, work on maritime applications is ongoing and will be part of DOE’s upcoming research. And a H demonstration is planned for a ferry, although that work is in California, not Alaska.

DOE’s comment period ends March 29.

Source: www.maritimeprofessional.com

Image: www.pixibay.com

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Guidance from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) and representatives from the London insurance company market, is watched closely and influences underwriters’ considerations over insurance premiums.

Following a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine, Russia said on Tuesday some were returning to base after exercises close to the border and mocked repeated Western warnings about a looming invasion, but NATO said it had yet to see any evidence of de-escalation.

Neil Roberts, head of marine and aviation with the LMA, which represents the interests of all underwriting businesses in the Lloyd’s market, said the addition was “a precautionary notification so that insurers and shipowners will be able to properly negotiate their exposure as it develops”.

“We would be remiss if we did not advise the market now and give it the ability to react,” he told Reuters. “With the increased naval activity, the possibility for a miscalculation is definitely there.”

The Committee normally meets every quarter to review areas it considers high risk for merchant vessels and prone to war, strikes, terrorism and related perils. Roberts said it had been scheduled to meet next month but had convened a meeting due to developments.

Apart from the critical sea lanes around Ukraine, ensuring insurance cover for air flights is another factor at play.

Two Ukrainian airlines disclosed problems in securing insurance for some of their flights on Monday.

Roberts said London’s Aviation Hull War Committee had met separately on Tuesday and continued “to look at risks as they develop”.

“There is the potential for significant ground exposure for aircraft and there is the additional possibility that Russia’s actions could affect areas beyond Ukraine.”

Aviation insurers have told clients they could give just 48 hours notice to exclude Ukraine, but that did not mean cover had been terminated.

A spokesperson with Lloyd’s of London, the world’s leading insurance market, said on Tuesday that “underwriters will react and adjust their risk appetite to reflect the current changing circumstances”.

Airlines and the leasing companies that control billions of dollars’ worth of passenger jets are drawing up contingency plans for a freeze in business with Russia if the standoff on Ukraine’s border boils over into a military conflict.

Source: www.marinelink.com

Image: www.pixibay.com

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Turkish marine operations company, ARAS Marine will use the Falcon to support the wide range of projects it undertakes in both International and Turkish territorial waters. These projects range from marine construction and offshore supply services, to seismic research support, emergency response and salvage and wreck removal.

“Equipped for the wide array of tasks ahead, ARAS’s 1000m depth-rated Falcon comes complete with a fibre optic upgrade, manipulator, soft rope cutter, cameras, Tritech sonar and Applied Acoustics’ USBL system,” said Saab Seaeye.

Modular functionality

ARAS can add further systems any time as the Falcon can handle an array of cameras, sensors, tooling and complex systems typically found on much larger robotic vehicles.

The ease of adding systems comes from the Falcon’s iCON intelligent distributed control architecture. Module-focused iCON provides each device with its own microprocessor for individual control – a concept that also makes it future-flexible for evolving technologies.

The Falcon’s 20-year success comes from being a portable, metre-sized, intelligent, powerful, five-thruster, highly manoeuvrable, multi-tasking, easy to use vehicle, depth rated to 1000 metres.

With a reliability record covering over a million hours underwater, including deep tunnel work, the Falcon can remain stable in turbulent waters and strong currents whilst undertaking both robust and precision tasks.

The contract was negotiated through Saab Seaeye’s Turkish distributor, Aspiro.

Source: www.maritimejournal.com

Image: www.pexels.com

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Rolls-Royce and Sea Machines Robotics have announced a new collaboration that will deliver remote command, autonomous control and intelligent crew support systems to the marine market and expand Rolls-Royce’s mtu NautIQ marine automation portfolio.

As part of this agreement, Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems and Sea Machines will join forces on the development and sale of fully and semi-autonomous vessel control systems.

Industry “milestone”

Moran David, chief commercial officer at Sea Machines, stated: “This partnership is a milestone for the marine industry. It signifies Rolls-Royce’s trust with Sea Machines in continuing their long tradition of being at the forefront of innovation. Expanding on Sea Machines’ commercially deployed product range, the companies are already aiming at joint efforts reaching far beyond the development of autonomous ship controls.”

Denise Kurtulus, vice president of global marine at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “As part of our PS 2030 strategy, we are evolving from a propulsion supplier to a provider of integrated sustainable solutions. In the marine sector, we want to provide our customers with complete solutions from ‘bridge to propeller’ with the highest quality customers have come to expect from us. We are delighted to have found another strong and agile partner in Sea Machines to help us achieve this.”

The strategic cooperation will focus on products for remote and autonomous vessel control and situational awareness, primarily for yachts, commercial and government vessels.

As part of the agreement, Rolls-Royce Power Systems will receive sales and service rights for existing and future Sea Machines products.

The two companies will also work together to develop new capabilities to provide customers with advanced total solutions that aggregate and analyse all vessel data and intelligently control vessels based on this information.

Source: www.maritimejournal.com

Image: www.pexels.com

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Dynamic Load Monitoring (DLM) is continuing to invest in its hire equipment, such as its running line monitors (RLMs), to meet technical and specialist requirements and service multiple projects with identical requirements at the same time.

“The customer can have up to date, certified and reliable equipment every time they need it without having the maintenance costs,” said Jamie Woodcock, business development manager at DLM. “As a lot of offshore projects last from 30 to 90 days, the benefits of not owning the equipment can help to reduce CapEx spend and overall project cost. Short-term hire will be cheaper than purchase.”

Multiples are important

Woodcock explained that most hires are for multiple items of equipment, which might be several tensile links, shackles, or compressive load cells for the lifting and rigging sector, or multiple RLMs & displays for an offshore project. This requires DLM to have multiple units of the same equipment and working ranges available. The marine industry also regularly hires multiple items, to be used in conjunction with each other, such as RLMs with a saddleback and a grapnel train.

With rentals for the marine/offshore industry often lasting up to 120 days at a time, there is a clear need for a large rental inventory. In contrast, hires for lifting, rigging, test and inspection applications can be as short as a single day. However, with only 12 hrs notice for mobilisation, sometimes the equipment needs to be ready for immediate despatch.

Connect with DLM at Seawork Connect from 5th to 7th October.

Source: www.maritimejournal.com

Image: www.pexels.com

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In some cases, the financially unpalatable proposition of placing equipment with helicopters is the most cost-effective solution.

At a much smaller scale installing beacons at the end of inaccessible moles or piers poses the same challenge. The equipment may cost a few thousand euros and the logistics tens of thousands per hour.

To address this issue, Spanish navaids specialist company Almarin has developed modular steel towers. Each component is light enough to be transported and assembled by two people however is strong enough to resist the harsh marine environment.

The assembly team can safely carry the different modules over breakwaters without requiring the use of a crane or other means. Besides facilitating transport and installation, this type of marine aids to navigation can be customised to fit the different requirements of the customer.

Almarin has extensive experience in the manufacture of towers and beacons for port and coastal marking. Almarin engineers develop the most suitable solution: from 40-meter towers with sector lights to 3-meter beacons marking the entrance of a small harbour.

The company provides marine aids to navigation made of stainless or galvanized steel, fiberglass (GRP) or rotomolded materials. These beacons can be equipped with standalone energy systems to cope with most AtoN energy requirements. The solutions provided by Almarin are designed and painted in accordance with IALA recommendations.

Source: www.maritimejournal.com

Image: www.pexels.com

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