MANILA, Aug. 4 -- The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday appealed to concerned local government units (LGUs) to take the first step in ridding their areas of “informal settlers,” especially those residing along waterways whom the agency has blamed for flash floods in the metropolis.

August 4 - The US Coast Guard has announced that the entire length of the river is open to navigation, but safety restrictions remain in place. Salvage operations on the partially sunken barge Tintomara continues. More than 500 vessels have been cleared and released since operations began on July 23. A summary of findings was announced by USCG pending a full investigation.

HOUSTON, August 4 - Patrick H. Stinson, of Conroe, Texas, has been sentenced to two years probation for violating the Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA), United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today. The violation occurred in connection with the operation of his business, Marine Waste Services, in the receipt and storage of certain waste products collected from commercial shipping vessels arriving in the Southern District of Texas after traveling to foreign ports. This is the first criminal enforcement of the 2002 Animal Health Protection Act in the Southern District of Texas.

August 5 - NYK has concluded a three-year charter contract with Japan Biofuels Supply LLP (JBSL) that comes with an option to extend the contract for two additional years. A 37,000 DWT class chemical tanker will be used for shipments of the biofuel bio-ETBE (ethyl tertiary-butyl ether).

August 4 – The Filipino Shipowners Association (FSA) the grouping of Filipino owners and operators of overseas trading vessels has asked the Philippine Coast Guard to be exempted from the new blanked sailing ban during foul weather.

August 4 – Data from China’s ministry of transport claims that the country now has the world’s fourth largest fleet of commercial vessels and that five of its ports are among the global top ten in terms of cargo handled.

August 4 - NYK will be building a state-of-the-art container hangar, the first of its kind, at its Oi Container Terminal in Japan. According to the company, the new hangar which will be built in 2010 and be operational by 2011, will improve yard usage, lead to increased efficiency in loading and unloading, and result in operations that are much more environment friendly.

MANILA, July 30 -- The Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) investigating the sinking of the Sulpicio Lines vessel Princess of the Stars is expected to submit its report tomorrow (Friday) after delays brought about by a directive from the coast guard commandant for the body to “strengthen” its report.

PANAMA CITY, July 28 - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released ITS third quarter (Q3) operational metrics today for fiscal year (FY) 2008. In Q3, total Canal transits and tonnage increased. There was also growth in key segments, most significantly tanker and passenger transits. These metrics are based on operations from April through June 2008, the third quarter of the ACP's 2008 fiscal year, and are compared with Q3 of FY 2007.

July 30 - With its highest score in five years, Crystal Cruises has been voted the "World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine for a 13th consecutive year. The ultra-luxury Crystal Cruises is the only cruise line, resort or hotel to have won the prestigious award each year since the awards' inception. Crystal's 2008 World's Best score of 90.67 marks the highest score of any cruise line – large and small. This score ranks Crystal with the survey's most highly noted hotel in the world.

BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan, July 30 -– Montenegro Lines will soon provide fast craft services to and from Boracay Island according to a report from the management of the Caticlan Jetty Port.

July 30 – McQuilling Services has released its weekly note today focusing on the very strong market showing of Aframaxes in the first half of 2008. The report featured half a dozen graphs and tables that describe a steady surge in freight and charter rates for the first half of the year.

SINGAPORE, July 28 - The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) Chief Executive, BG(NS) Tay Lim Heng, gave the Pilotage Incentive Award to five maritime pilots for their outstanding performance.

NEW ORLEANS, July 29 - A preliminary US Coast Guard investigation has discovered that the crewmember piloting the tug boat Mel Oliver, which collided with the chemical tank ship Tintomara early Wednesday morning spilling 420,000 gallons of fuel oil into the Mississippi River, held an apprentice mate's license.
This discovery is seen as a major violation of maritime safety rules, according to USCG. Digging deeper, the agency found a number of recent incidents involving tug boats owned or operated by DRD. Another tug boat operated by DRD Towing, Ruby E, was involved in an incident on July 13, 2008, resulting in the sinking of that vessel. The preliminary investigation into that incident revealed that the crewmember piloting the Ruby E also held an apprentice mate's license. Under US maritime rules, apprentice mates require the presence of a licensed master on board, which was absent on both the Mel Oliver and the Ruby E.

MANILA, July 29 -- The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) gave on Tuesday lawyers of shipping company Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) and the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) 30 days within which to submit their respective memoranda on the appeal for a temporary injunction filed against the BMI.

SACRAMENTO, July 28 - The California Air Resources Board has adopted a regulation that eliminates 15 tons of diesel exhaust daily from ocean-going vessels in the hope of reducing cancer rates and premature deaths associated with living near seaports and trade corridors along California's coast, according to a statement released today.

Paris, July 28 – The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on port State Control is observing is 25th year in 2008, with a series of more determined plans to promote tougher inspections beginning in 2011.

July 29 – Shipping consultancy firm Drewry has just released its annual review of ship operating costs for 2008, saying that a number of major uncertainties pose significant challenges to owners and agents despite increased revenues.

CEBU CITY, July 28 – An official of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) said the agency will outsource to private sector experts, either local or international, the audits on the seaworthiness of Sulpicio Lines vessels and the vessels of other shipping firms in the country.

WASHINGTON, July 28 - The United States Coast Guard has cleared the limited resumption of shipping along the Mississippi River last Friday. The river was closed since July 23 following the collision between a ship and a barge that resulted in a spill of 1.5 million liters of fuel oil that closed a 100-mile section of the river.

July 28 – The Indian transport ministry has given the green light for Indian shipowners to start recruiting badly needed ship officers from an approved list of 12 countries – which does not yet include the Philippines. Calling the request from shipowners “reasonable and in the national interest”, the director general of shipping issued the approval and the sourcing list last week. The list includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, Russia, the UK and Ukraine. However, the Indian Shipowners Association is petitioning for the addition of at least nine other countries which include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines from where they believe recruitment will be easier.

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- —A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned a second superseding indictment charging Fleet Management Limited, a Hong Kong ship management company, with negligently causing the discharge of 50,000 gallons of oil from the Cosco Busan and falsifying documents after the crash to cover-up the company’s negligence, the Justice Department announced today.

July 24- The London P&I club has circulated a notice to its members yesterday that no cargo vessels are being allowed into Port Rashid and all incoming ships are instead being diverted to Jebel Ali and other UAE ports.

MANILA, July 24 --The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) warned on Thursday ordered commercial vessels transiting the Verde Island passage to strictly comply with the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) established for the said area.

July 22 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced today that with President Bush’ July 21 signature of the Maritime Pollution Protection Act of 2008, U.S. agencies are setting course to implement a key international agreement to reduce air pollution from large ships.

Washington, DC July 22 - The United States National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the Empress of the North was the failure of the officer of the watch and the helmsman to navigate the turn at Rocky Island, which resulted from the master's decision to assign an inexperienced, newly licensed junior third mate to the bridge watch from midnight to 4:00 a.m. The third mate was not familiar with the route, the vessel's handling characteristics, or the equipment on the vessel's bridge.

CEBU CITY, July 23 -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has instructed the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to review and revise the Philippine shipping standards to be at par with international standards so that the "brain drain" of competent Filipino seafarers is kept to a minimum, Transportation undersecretary Ma. Elena Bautista said today.

July 22 - International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) recently named Capt. Naoki Yamauchi as the new general manager of its Japanese unit, Naha International Container Terminal, Inc. (NICTI).

MANILA, July 22 -- The Board of Maritime Inquiry (BMI) officially submitted on Tuesday the official findings and recommendation regarding the M/V Princess of the Stars tragedy to Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant,

July 22 - K" Line held its the second "K" Line Maritime Academy (KLMA) Global Meeting on July 17-18 at KLMA Phils, training center in Pasay City.

By Malou Dungog

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, July 21 -- Authorities in this free port had allowed Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) to resume operations at its Assembly Shop C, where an accident on July 12 killed a worker, after the investigation into the fatal mishap was concluded over the weekend.

July 21 – The state of California has increased the fee collected for its campaign against invasive marine species spread by ships calling at its ports by over 50% starting August 1.

July 21 – Singapore and Indonesia are expected expand an existing Moue to cover a ferry and mishap management training program to help enhance the safety of ferry services plying between Singapore and the Indonesian islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

MANILA, July 20 -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) bared on Sunday its plan to ask from Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) reimbursement of the P15 million fuel expenses it used in the conduct of search and rescue and retrieval operations following the capsizing of the M/V Princess of the Stars off Sibuyan Island, Romblon last June 21.

MANILA, July 20 — The Supreme Court, in a 10-page decision, affirmed an earlier ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) which states that shipping company Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and agent Overseas Agency Services, Inc.
(OASI) is only liable to reimburse shipper Fukuyama Manufacturing Corporation and its insurer, Philippine Charter Insurance Corporation (PCIC), US$ 1,500 for three sets of warp yarn which was lost at sea during the course of the voyage from Hongkong to Manila in 1993.

GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Audit (COA) has cited several lapses committed by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) that could have contributed to sea mishaps and accidents in the country, a television report said Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines — An environmental threat similar to the one involving the capsized MV "Princess of the Stars" looms in Antique province in Western Visayas, this time from a sunken cargo ship off Culasi town.

MANILA, Philippines - Nearly a month after government suspended its operations over the capsizing of the MV Princess of the Stars, Sulpicio Lines Inc. has laid off 136 of its workers in Cebu. DZBB Cebu reported Thursday that the management blamed the suspension for the layoffs, citing losses of some P1 million a day.

July 10 - K Line’s newest 80,000m3 type LPG Carrier Summit River was delivered today and immediately sailed for her maiden voyage. Summit River is one of K Line’s training ships for up-grading of officers, with an additional six berths for trainees with individual shower and toilets. The vessel’s master and chief engineer also perform roles as instructors. K Line’s statement further said two navigation officers and two engineers have been onboard as trainees before her delivery at dockyard.

MARIVELES, Bataan, July 16 (PNA) -- Chairman Dante A. Ang of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas on Wednesday described local seafarers as world-class and one of the most-respected among Overseas Filipino Workers.

MANILA, July 16 - The Philippine maritime manning industry today held a technical workshop dubbed as Philmancon 2008: Navigating the Road Map at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The event was attended by representatives from maritime industry associations from the private sector – overseas shipowner representatives, unions, maritime educators, professional groups, lawyers, travel agents, clinics as well as government agencies such as CHED, DFA, DOLE, DOTC, MARINA, MTC, NCMB, NLRC, OWWA, PRC, POEA, and TESDA.

MANILA, July 15 -- Embattled Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) rested on Tuesday its case in their appeal for a temporary injunction against the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) after presenting four witnesses before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC).

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- The severe lack of training berths for cadet officers and the lure of serving in foreign-based shipping companies have resulted in a shortage of officers in the local maritime industry.

July 14 – Keymax Maritime, one of Japan’s largest ship operators, has announced the the successful launching of another vessel, the 52,224 GT bulk carrier "MV Shirakami" last week at Oshima Shipyard, Japan.

TOKYO- July 15 - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that the training vessel Spirit of MOL transported aid supplies for the Philippine government to assist with relief efforts in Iloilo state, which was severely damaged by Typhoon No. 6 in late June. Trainees from the ship also helped with cleanup efforts.

ILOILO CITY, July 14 – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Director Drusellah Ong-Bayate and Oton Mayor Vincent Flores led the “bodul” fight today to show to the public that it is still safe to eat squid, fish and other marine products.

CORPUS CHRISTI, July 14 - Coast Guard boat crews from Station Port Aransas have set up a one mile safety zone around vessel VENUSGAS within the La Quinta marine channel in Ingleside, Texas until 4:30 p.m. today while a space inside the vessel is being ventilated.

July 14 - Aker Solutions has been awarded two contracts with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd in South Korea for the delivery of identical drilling equipment packages for Odebrecht's two new drillships. The total contract value for Aker Solutions is approximately USD 260 million.

MANILA, July 14 -- Senator Mar Roxas seeks to raise to international standards Philippine laws in prevention of maritime pollution and in controlling the damage to the country's rich marine resources as a result of shipping operations.

July 10 - Aker Yards has delivered from its Helsinki yard a cruise ferry called Baltic Princess for Tallink. The vessel worth EUR 165 million required 1,700 man years of work from the yard, according to Aker.

July 14 – Class NK of Japan yesterday announced that it has developed advanced calculation software for IACS Common Structural Rules which it called Primeship-HULL (CSR).

July 14 – Citing risks associated with taking bunkers outside of Singapore port limits, Intertanko and its Asian Panel have issued a circular to its members lending support to the Singapore MPA’s concerns on potential contamination of bunker fuels supplied within the port.

July 13 - Experts from the World Health Organization and the Department of Health will go near the capsized MV Princess of the Stars on Tuesday to inspect the waters there for contamination. In an interview aired over dzBB on Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard commandant, Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, said the inspection team will include three from the United Nation's WHO and two from the DOH.

MANILA, July 10 -- A number of survivors from Cebu are expected to testify Friday before the Board of Marine Inquiry to shed light on the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars.

July 10 - Aker Yards has signed a contract with DOF ASA for building of three Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels (AHTS). All the vessels will be of Aker Yards' own design and equipped for operations in the Brazilian market. The three ships are scheduled for delivery at the end of 2010, mid 2011 and towards the end of 2011 respectively.

July 9 – A study recently released by the American Institute of Marine Underwriters found that many shipping companies are becoming vulnerable to container-related accidents as they cram for last-minute loading to try and compensate for rising fuel cost.

July 10 - Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. announced yesterday its launch of a new midterm management plan called “K” Line Vision 100. The plan was activated since April 25, covering five basic management issues including safe ship operation, enhanced shipmanagement administration and an intensified training of officers.

MANILA, July 10 -- The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) denied on Thursday afternoon for lack of merit the appeal of Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) in its bid to stop the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) from looking into case of the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars.

WINNIPEG, July 8 – A territorial court in Nunavut found the tugboat Edgar Kotokak guilty of for discharging 1,000 liters of diesel fuel into the Arctic waters of Coronation Gulf near Kogluktuk on August 8, 2006 and levied a fine of $10,000.

July 9 – Lloyds will once again stage its manning and training conference in Manila on Nov 4-5, focusing on the latest approaches to seafarer training and bringing together global experts on manning issues.

July 9 - Maersk Line yesterday advised its customers that a it is reducing its rates effective October 1 on its European services covering Scandinavia, Baltic Sea, North and Central Europe, United Kingdom and Ireland, Mediterranean, North Africa and Black Sea to Australia and New Zealand.

July 9 – Marine transport advisors McQuilling Services, LLC issued a warning of between two to five major hurricanes hitting the United States this year, significantly impacting the offshore oil industry.

July 8 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve the Senate version of the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2008 (H.R. 802), which President George Bush, who supported the bill, is expected to sign soon. The law is expected to be submitted by the U.S. government to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of its official accession to MARPOL Annex VI rules.

ILOILO CITY, July 9 – One hundred thirty two training cadets of the Mitsui O. S. K. Lines (MOL), one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, arrived here Wednesday (yesterday) to volunteer help to Iloilo City, especially in Jaro District, in its clean up drive after the devastation brought by typhoon "Frank".

July 7 - With pest-infested wood packaging materials a continuing presence at U.S. ports of entry, CBP is reminding importers to avoid potential losses by making sure that the material used to transport shipments is treated and marked in compliance with International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) before it leaves the country of origin.

SYRIA, July 8 - Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottari of Syria has officially inaugurated the Tartous International Container Terminal (TICT), Syria’s newest international trading gateway nearest to the country’s capital Damascus.

July 9 - A UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigation has determined that a fire which took place onboard a container ship last June 8 in the port of Hamburg was the result of improper clean up procedures undertaken by the crew.

MANILA, July 7 --- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) appealed on Monday to the group of young seamen who survived the sea tragedy in Romblon two weeks ago to come out in the open and help the agency in finding clues as to why the Princess of the Stars capsized.

July 7 - The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 3, upheld the determination of the federal district court regarding allocation of liability in a collision case where both ships had violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 8 – Senator John Kerry today introduced legislation that would improve cruise ship safety and accountability. The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008, S. 3204, would require crimes aboard cruise ships to be reported to the Coast Guard and FBI. Cruise ships, which operate under foreign flags, are not currently required under U.S. law to report crimes that occur outside of U.S. territorial waters.

July 8 - The United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board will meet in Washington, DC on August 11 to discuss guidelines cruise and passenger ships.

GMANews.TV

MANILA, July 6 - Hundreds of fishermen were the “third" casualty of typhoon “Frank" (Fengshen) whose death and disappearance went largely unnoticed as rescue operations centered on victims of MV Princess of the Stars, and residents of provinces that were badly hit by the natural disaster.

July 2 - The Baltic Exchange and Q88.com LLC. ("Q88") has announced the launch of www.baltic99.com , a new website for the dry bulk shipping industry. In conjunction with the launch, the Baltic Exchange has revised Baltic99 its standard dry cargo questionnaire for owners and charterers. A new version is available for download from www.baltic99.com.

MANILA, July 6 -- The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on Sunday disclosed that re-floating is the best option for the M/V Princess of the Stars.

July 6 - Offshore Europe Partnership has announced that Thomas Thune Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of Maersk Oil, has accepted the role of Chairman for Offshore Europe 2009.

WASHINGTON, July 4 – The United States and Japan has agreed to establish a pilot center for x-ray scanning of US-bound containers in Minami Honmoku Terminal of the Port of Yokohama. The press announcement was made by the US State Department today.

MANILA, July 3 -- Sulpicio lawyer Arthur Lim on Thursday asked the seven-man panel not to jump into conclusion that the ship was not stable and that ship officials made some lapses when the M/V Princess of the Stars set sail during the continuation of Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI). Lim testified before the BMI’s panel, headed by Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag, as to the seaworthiness of the vessel which left the port of Manila on the night of June 20. Also during the hearing, Sulpicio Manila port Capt. Benjamin Eugenio testified that the ship was in good running condition when it set sail toward Cebu, the port of destination. He also said that all the cargoes were properly lashed and placed in safe areas inside the vessel.

SUBIC, Zambales, July 3 -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be the guest of honor tomorrow at the naming ceremony of the first ever cargo-carrying vessel built by ship-building leader Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-Phil) in its sprawling ship building facility in the Redondo Peninsula here.

July 3 - A.P. Moller - Maersk has signed an agreement with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. in Korea for the delivery of 16 container vessels in 2010-12. The vessels have individual capacities of 7,450 TEU and equipped with reefer plugs enabling them to carry 1,700 refrigerated containers each. This is the highest number ever carried on a container vessel.

OSLO, July 2 - Progress towards developing a mandatory regime to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping was made during the first intersessional meeting of IMO's Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, held in Oslo, Norway June 23-27. The meeting was attended by more than 210 delegates, comprising experts from all over the world.

TOKYO, July 3 – Mitsui OSK Lines today announced that its Technology Research Center has successfully completed tests of a water-based antifouling treatment technology called Water Coat on six ferries. The test was a joint project with MOL Group company M.O. Engineering Co., Ltd. and NM Corporation Watercoat enterprise.

BRUSSELS, July 2 - The EU has issued a set of guidelines June 26 for its member countries to pursue the development of a regional unified maritime policy that covers transportation, energy, manpower, environment and other strategic issues.

July 3 - The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the federal government may prosecute a ship owner and chief engineer, under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), for failure to properly maintain an oil record book (ORB) when the ship entered a US port with an ORB onboard that the chief engineer knew to contain false material entries.

July 2 – The European Maritime Safety Agency and Equasis have released the The World Merchant Fleet in 2006, a compilation of ship statistics for that year.

TOKYO, July 1 - NYK has announced that it dissolved its advisory board on June 30, 2008. The board was established in June 2006 to act as a consultative body for the company's Executive Committee for Strategic Management, and consisted of six outside experts who offered objective and varied advice about the business environment and management issues facing NYK.

MANILA, July 1 - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday gave the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) until July 16 to submit its investigation report on the circumstances behind sinking of M/V Princess of the Stars.

July 1 - The US Senate has unanimously approved a version of Marpol VI last Friday, differing only in minor points with the bill passed by the House of Representatives last March.

NIAGARA FALLS, June 30 – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today the apprehension of a Turkish citizen who jumped ship in 2004.

June 30 - Maersk Line has announced changes to its Asia - Europe services, saying that fuel costs are increasing significantly and “we find it necessary to take measures to ensure the sustainability of our services.” In early July 2008, the AE5, AE7, AE2, and AE8 services will undergo minor changes in order to remove capacity from the Maersk network which it hopes will improve its bunker picture. This move is expected to reduce space by 2,000 FFE (forty-foot equivalent) per week while keeping all corridors served in the network.

July 1 – The United Arab Shipping Company S.A.G. has announced the signing of a newbuilding contract for nine 13,100 teus ships (A13) with Samsung Heavy Industries. The contract is the biggest containership newbuilding order ever placed by a Gulf company, and is worth more than 1.5 billion dollars.

SWEDEN, June 28 - Twelve of Sweden’s biggest importers and exporters are now placing environmental demands on their shipping operators. The twelve companies are asking shipowners to report environmental data that will be used as input to a new index developed by the Clean Shipping Project. The deadline is the end of August. “This is a winning concept for many parties and will lead to a more sustainable growth” says Jan Hallberg, chairman of the The Göteborg Region Association of Local Authorities.

NEW DELHI, June 30 - A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Steel Authority of India and the Shipping Corporation of India is reportedly in the works to take advantage of rising rates to ship coking coal.

June 30 - Due to rising preference for double hull tankers, the charter rates for tankers to and from the Middle East will continue to rise beyond its 16th day, according to operators and brokers.

WASHINGTON, June 26 – The United States Coast Guard has identified five additional ports in Indonesia and one in Liberia that it deemed as not able to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures, thus entailing greater efforts – and costs – for vessels entering US waters from those ports of origin.

LONDON, June 26 - The International Maritime Organization has declared that the theme for the 2009 World Maritime Day will be "Climate change: a challenge for IMO too!", as unanimously agreed by the IMO Council last week, following a proposal from IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos.

HK Law

June 26 - The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that if the cost of disposing of waste from an oil spill from a tanker is not or cannot fully be borne by the ship owner and/or the International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, the national law of a Member State of the European Union may provide for that cost to be borne by the producer of the product from which the waste came.

BEIJING, June 26 - The Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service Ltd, P&I Correspondents in China, has issued a circular to its members summarizing various recent reports on the restrictions on the carriage of hazardous cargoes, ship operations and navigation in several Chinese ports during the period of the Beijing Olympics.

TOKYO, June 25 - The member lines of The New World Alliance (TNWA) and the Grand Alliance (GA) announced yesterday a jointly operated service from Asia to the Black Sea starting mid-June 2008. TNWA and the Grand Alliance carriers began co-operating in February this year with a slot exchange on their respective fortnightly services to the Black Sea. The new joint service will now provide shippers a weekly frequency with the common port coverage.

By Marie S. Neri

MANILA, June 23 - Sulpicio Lines on Monday denied that its ship, the “M/V Princess of the Stars” capsized due to engine trouble at the height of Typhoon "Frank." Sally Buaron, vice-president for passage of Sulpicio Lines, Inc., claimed that the vessel was in "tip-top" shape and “never recorded any problem” during its entire operations since they acquired it in May 2001. “We have certificates to show that the vessel is seaworthy and has the necessary compliance certificates and never it recorded any problem, kaya nagtataka kami bakit sinasabi nasira ang makina (that's why we were surprised that there was engine trouble),” Buaron said during a press briefing Monday.

MANILA, July 24 -- Frogmen from the Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday are set to cut holes on the hull of the sunken "M/V Princess of the Star" to check on bodies trapped inside the vessel. The Cebu-bound ship, carrying 849 sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon at the height of Typhoon Frank last Saturday.