520 - 04/07 - Lifeboat Safety - Worldwide
31/03/2007
The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has updated two of its Information Bulletins relating to lifeboat safety, after investigation into a recent tragic lifeboat drill incident.
The Association reported to Members, through Loss Prevention Bulletin 480 in July 2006, a large number of groundings in the Rio Parana/River Plate. The following guidance has been provided by the route and manoeuvring advisor to the Argentine Coastguard.
An incident has occurred on board a ship entered with the Association that echoes an incident and safety message of Loss Prevention Bulletin 428 issued in 2005.
Several bulletins have been published in recent years concerning ship ballast issues, particularly in countries such as the United States, Australia, and Ukraine. The United States and Australia in particular are sensitive to pollution and so strict compliance with ballasting requirements is necessary. However, some countries, notably in recent times the Ukraine appear to be imposing fines on ships entering its ports, where there is no evidence of pollution or lack of compliance with relevant ballasting requirements.
Club cover for passengers and seamen is limited to $3,000 million, with a sub-limit on passenger claims of $2,000 million. Decision to buy collective overspill reinsurance protection on behalf of each club in the Group for all categories of claim up to $1,000 million in excess of the limit of the Group's reinsurance programme of $2,050 million. Club retention raised to $7 million. No separate overspill protection purchased by the Club for 2007. Oil pollution claims remain subject to a special limit under Rule 5B(ii) of $1,000 million for owned ships and a combined single limit of $350 million for chartered entries. War Risks P&I and US voyage surcharge premiums reported separately in Club Circulars 3/07 & 4/07
The Club's local correspondent in Odessa, Ukraine has informed the Association of their concerns about problems often encountered by foreign ships when discharging cargoes such as palm oil.
Members should be aware that under the Canadian Criminal Code there may be a requirement to provide security for the cost of repatriating crewmembers should they be charged with offences, and this may also involve the detention of the ship.
511 - 02/07 - Stowaway Incidents - Turkey
01/02/2007
A Member appears to have been targeted by a criminal organisation stowing illegal immigrants in open-top containers bound for Europe from a Turkish port.
The Association has received the following notification from the Club's correspondents in Barbados. We wish to draw Members' attention to changes in customs and immigration reporting requirements and significant increases in penalties coming into effect in tandem with the creation of a single domestic space for various Caribbean jurisdictions for the period of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.