Never heard it called that, even by the resident Geordies!
welcome back Bro
Lost containers!
“Chips”, of course.
If they were “French Fries”, they would have come ashore on the opposite side of the Channel (la Manche)!
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Threat of tariffs and conflict affect shipping in what should be the “friendly waters” of the North Atlantic:
Not everybody is convinced the Red Sea/Suez route is going to be safe for shipping in the foreseeable future:
Tanker market is affected by the Venezuela situation:
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The President of the Union of Greek Shipowners has warned against the escalating targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Source: https://safety4sea.com/ugs-president-shipping-is-not-a-battlefield/
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A look at the future for shipping:
Worst flag I have sailed under - Comoros - gives no surprise at all the red boxes. They are keeping their head down!
I delivered an old former Maersk liner from Singapore to Taiwan back in 1974. She was flying the Somali flag.
Part of my contract was to deregister the ship after delivery at the scrapyard in Kaohsiung. The problem was that Somalia only had one foreign embassy where that could be done, in Italy.
Long story that doesn’t fit here.
What is “Safe manning” isn’t as simple as looking at the GT:
Anybody want to elaborate with some horror stories about when “safe manning” isn’t safe, and why?
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Have here some links:
Regarding above.
The screen shot below determines precisely whose job it is to make a proper assessment and determine how many crew is required to run a ship in a safe manner what can be different under different operating and geographical conditions. From above 2nd link looks like PandI is also looking into the matter and this means it is 11th hour .
So what does stop the responsible parties( Owners/Managers) from taking action ???
I may be wrong but my conspiracy mind tells me it is : greed what should be written in capital letters but I was merciful 
ISM code:
Some if not all virtue signalling personalities in these articles/links seem to be keen to shift the responsibility and burden of making proper assesment of vessel needs to Flag states . In my opinion it is fallacy as from the ISM code above it is obvious that such duty to properly man the vessels rests with the Owners /Managers and they are in the best possition to determine such needs and provide adequate crew in excess of what is required by minimum safe maning.
It’s like requesting the Class to maintain continuous monitoring of the ship technical condition what is a nonsense as that is the Owners/Managers duty while the Class does only periodical checks/audits.
SamE with STCW licences, which represents the bare minimum, what does not mean the Owner/Manager and even individual seafarer may not opt to increase his/her skills /competencies well beyond that minimum.
There is another issue with this call and sudden attention with the seafarers fatigue issue by those office high rollers.
The issue of fatigue has been on the agenda as long as I remember .
My library list below, shows items downloaded from INDUSTRY !!! websites already in 2008 - highlighted in red.
Since abt 1995 hundreds of pages were written , thousands of meetings , debates , conferences , flight miles/hours , dinners and glasses of champagne sipped, while contemplating the faaaaaaaaaatigue issues and emphatizing with exhausted seafarers and it looks the industry is in square one again chewing the old cud with great passion and diligence.
Even the holly nautical temple high priests released one issue of Navigator dedicated to guess what ??? FATIGUE in 2022 - 4 years ago and what happened???
So with this fatigue issue, me thinking it looks like a yearly D day celebration RITUAL - remembering the fatigue 1996 landing. Link above:
Cheers
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Somali flag is back:
Somali flag was popular as the cheapest FOC register back in the 1970s.
PS: I delivered a ship under Somali flag back then. (From S’pore - Kaohsiung)
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This is a pilot project preceding the launch of another 100 pirate mother ships and flag them accordingly.
Interesting to see how this thread has evolved over the years. The latest development that caught my attention — US port fees on Chinese-built vessels starting April 5 ($50/net ton, rising to $140 by 2028). China already retaliated with matching fees on US-linked vessels.
Combined with fleet overcapacity (3.6-5% growth vs 1.5-3% demand), this could reshape trade routes significantly. Curious to see how operators adjust — anyone here seeing route changes or chartering shifts already?
Limping home for repairs?
MARPOL Annex V prohibits discharging cargo hold wash water containing Harmful to the Marine Environment (HME) substances, which must be sent to port reception facilities. Non-HME wash water can be discharged outside Special Areas (>12nm from land). In Special Areas, discharge is strictly limited to cases with no available reception facilities.
Key MARPOL Annex V Regulations for Wash Water (Since 2013):
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HME Cargoes: Wash water containing residues classified as HME (Harmful to the Marine Environment) cannot be discharged into the sea. Shippers must declare if cargo is HME.
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Non-HME Cargoes: Wash water containing non-HME residues can be discharged more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
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Special Areas: Discharge is prohibited in special areas (e.g., North Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic) unless the port of departure and next port of destination are both within the Special Area, no adequate reception facilities exist, and residues are non-HME.
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Cleaning Agents: Cleaning agents added to wash water must not be harmful to the marine environment.
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Documentation: All wash water discharges or disposal to port facilities must be recorded in the Garbage Record Book.
Required Procedures:
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Pre-wash: Highly encouraged to minimize residues before washing.
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Reception Facilities: Use port facilities when in Special Areas or for HME residues.
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Exemption: If discharging within 12 nm as an “exceptional” case is not allowed, it must be handled by reception facilities.
For detailed regulatory guidance on specific areas, you can refer to the official 675 Discharge cargo hold washing water Gulfs and Mediterranean and 675/Rev.1 Discharge of cargo hold washing water - Overheid.nl documents.
““““ At about 0800 on Sunday morning, the Swedish Coast Guard patrol vessel KBV 003 interdicted the Panama-flagged bulker Hui Yuan at a position off Ystad, to the south of Sweden. Officials with the Kustbevakningen suspected that the ship had washed off coal residue into the water, which is forbidden in Sweden’s Baltic waters. “““““
Authors declined to give precise position which is detrimental to establish if violation existed or not .
The whole article seems like another propaganda item targetting China and Russia in demonstrating their alleged violations and thus justifying to public the unprecedented harassment of foreign shipping in the Baltic.
Investigating further.
are coal wash waters from ship hold harmfull to environment
Answer.
Yes, coal wash waters from ship holds can be harmful to the marine environment. Under international regulations, hold wash water containing residues from coal—particularly those classified as Harmful to the Marine Environment (HME)—is restricted and, in many cases, prohibited from being discharged into the sea.
Coal residue is not considered inert, and its discharge can cause both physical and toxic effects on marine organisms.
Why Coal Wash Water is Harmful
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Toxic Components: Coal contains trace elements and substances like mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can leach into the wash water.
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PAHs Toxicity: PAHs found in coal residues can exist in high concentrations and are toxic to marine life, affecting fish, larvae, and coral reproduction.
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Heavy Metal Pollution: Coal residues can release metals like Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), and Nickel (Ni) into the water column.
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Physical Damage: Fine coal particles (microparticles) can cause physical damage to marine flora and fauna, such as coating algae and reducing photosynthesis, or clogging the gills of fish and crabs.
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Chemical Additives: Cleaning agents (alkaline cleaners) used to remove coal residue from holds are often added to the wash water, increasing its overall toxicity.
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Environmental Impact: Coal dust in seawater can reduce light penetration by 44-99%, disrupting the local ecosystem.
Regulations and Restrictions (MARPOL Annex V)
Due to these risks, the discharge of hold wash water is governed by the MARPOL Convention:
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HME Classification: If the coal cargo is declared HME (Harmful to the Marine Environment), the wash water must not be discharged at sea, but rather discharged into port reception facilities.
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Special Areas: In designated “Special Areas” (e.g., the Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea), regulations are stricter, often requiring that residues are not discharged at all.
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12-Mile Rule: Generally, no discharge of cargo residues (including coal wash) should occur less than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
Best Practices
To minimize damage, ships are expected to sweep up as much dry coal residue as possible before washing the holds. Furthermore, the shipping industry is increasingly using biodegradable and non-hazardous hold cleaning chemicals to reduce the impact of the wash water.
In conclusion:
Can coal wash waters from ship hold be discharged in the Baltic beyond 12 nm territorial waters?
No, coal wash waters from ship holds generally cannot be discharged in the Baltic Sea
, even beyond 12 nautical miles (nm) from the nearest land.
The Baltic Sea is designated as a “Special Area” under MARPOL Annex V (Regulation 6), which strictly prohibits the discharge of cargo residues contained in hold wash water, with very limited exceptions.
What means the comment should start with last question .
However reader would then miss all necessary minimum knowledge concerning relevant regulations.
Note the remark in yellow.
GENERALLY.
That means that further details unavailable to authors and readers need to be examined regarding actions of littoral state authorities.