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September 2013

15 September 2013

COSTA CONCORDIA : Entrée au guiness book des records ?

Costa Concordia Wreck Removal (3)Si tout se passe comme prévu, ce lundi 16 septembre devrait faire date dans l'histoire du monde maritime. Jamais en effet une opération de cette envergure n'aura été menée pour renflouer un navire de la taille du COSTA CONCORDIA. Voila maintenant près d'un an que plus de 500 personnes, appartenant aux sociétés Titan et Micoperi, conglomérat choisi par le P&I Club pour mettre en œuvre les opérations relèvement et du retirement du navire, s'affairent sur l'île du Giglio.
L'autorisation formelle a été donnée vendredi 6 septembre, par l'autorité italienne de la Protection Civile. D'ultimes inspections techniques sur l'ensemble des supports et matériels de levage disposés autour du navire sont en cours avant que les autorisations finales ne puissent être données.
Les photos aériennes donnent une idée assez précise de l'envergure de l'opération qui sera menée lorsque les conditions de mer et de météo seront optimales. Une fois relevé et équilibré grâce à un système de caissons spécialement conçus par les chantiers Fincantieri, le Concordia pourra être remorqué vers un port de déconstruction. Les opérations de sauvetage sont menées par les en collaboration avec les autorités italiennes.
Cette opération s'annonce également comme étant l'une des plus coûteuses pour les assureurs. Au delà du prix du navire (USD 510 millions en valeur d'assurance), le coût prévisionnel du relèvement estimé initialement à USD 300 millions de dollars a littéralement explosé pour arriver aujourd'hui à près de 800 millions de dollars. Autrement dit, le coût du sinistre dépassera très nettement le milliard de dollars.

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08 September 2013

Naufrage du MV SMART le 19 août 2013

MV SMART capsize Richards Bay 19082013 (33)Ce qui est arrivé au vraquier SMART est la hantise des autorités portuaires : Un naufrage devant l'entrée du port. Aussi impensable que celà puisse paraître, le navire a subi une avarie majeure sur sa structure quelques minutes à peine après avoir quitté le port de Richards Bay en Afrique du Sud, rempli de sa préciseuse cargaison de charbon.

Et il n'aura fallu que quelques heures, balloté par la houle, le vent, et les vagues, pour que le navire ne se brise net en deux parties, laissant hébaïs les spectateurs venus assister au déferlement des vagues sur les jetées.

Cet accident n'est pas rarissime pour les vraquiers. Il en est de nombreux qui se sont brisés net en plein océan et dont on n'a plus jamais entendu parler. Il faut reconnaître que les efforts supportés par les structures de ces navires, tant au chargement qu'en navigation, sont de nature à fatiguer le plus que de raison et accélerer son vieillissement.

Ce phénomène est également connu sur les portes-conteneurs, avec le récent exemple du MOL COMFORT, navire relativement jeune, et qui a sombré en mer d'Oman il y a quelques semaines après s'être brisé en deux parties.

Au delà de la fatigue des structures, ce nouveau naufrage pose également la question de la course à la rentabilité et aux économies. A l'image du TK BREMEN, le commandant a fait le choix de quitter le port de RICHARDS BAY alors que les conditions météorologiques n'étaient pas optimales et auraient pu justifier de décaler de quelques heures le départ, la houle et les vagues à la sortie du port étant suffisamment importantes pour mettre en péril la navigation et le navire (l'enquête confirmera ou infirmera ce point soulevé notamment sur le site "gcaptain" par un internaute (voir la citation en fin d'article).

Ce cas pose également la présence du pilote à bord, ce dernier semblant également avoir quitté le bord quelques minutes avant le naufrage.

Quoi qu'il en soit, Fortunes de Mer suivra également ce nouvel évènement au travers d'une nouvelle page (ici) et sur laquelle vous trouverez toutes les informations concernant ce navire et de nombreuses photos, cartes, etc...

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07 September 2013

Naufrage du MV SMART le 19 août 2013

Summary : On the 19 august 2013, The 151,000 dwt bulk carrier MV Smart ran aground on a sandbar Monday in 10 meter swells after departing Port Richards Bay. The vessel had finished loading coal at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) earlier Monday. Photos of the grounded ship show the hull has suffered structural failure at around amidships and is severely sagging. The National Sea Rescue Institute was alerted of the grounding at about 1:30 p.m. local time. At approximately 4 p.m., the structural integrity of the ship was compromised and the captain gave the order to abandon ship, NSRI said in a statement. All 23 crew members have been rescued by NSRI helicopter crews. Some hours later, the ship broke in two and has to be considered as a total loss. Efforts are now made to avoid a pollution and to remove the wreck, the bunkers, and the cargo. There are no information about the cause of this failure

 

Vessel & Interveners 

 

1 - IMO NUMBER 9137959 2- NAME OF SHIP SMART
3 - Call Sign 3FKG6 4 - MMSI 356659000
5 - Tonnage Brut 77 240 7 - DWT 151 279
8 - Type de navire Bulk Carrier 9 - Status of Ship Total loss
9 - Flag Panama 9- Year of build 1996
10 - Propriétaire déclaré ALPHA MARINE CORPORATIONS 10-1 Address

 

Care of UNIMAR SUCCESS SA

47-79, Boumpoulinas Street

185 35 Pireaus

Greece

 

11 - Ship Manager

UNIMAR SUCCESS SA

11-1 Address

 

47-79, Boumpoulinas Street
185 35 Pireaus
Greece

 

 

12 - ISM Manager

 

FML SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD

 

12 -1 Address

 

Office 601, Ghinis Building

58-60 Digeni Akrita Avenue

1061 Nicosia

Cyprius

 

13 - Classification Society

 

Nippon Kaiji Kyokai

14 - P&I

 Japan Ship Owners' P&I Association

 

15- Hull Insurers

 

 Unknown

16 - Salvors

 

 

  

Location of the casualty

 

 

 

Pictures

 

 

 

Story

 

 25 August 2013 : Department of Environmental Affairs' Coastal Oil Spill Contingency Plan in Place At Richards Bay

 

PRESS RELEASE
The Department of Environmental Affairs' (DEA) coastal oil spill contingency plan in the Richards Bay area, where a bulk carrier vessel, MV Smart, ran aground last Monday, is firmly in place as efforts to transfer oil from the vessel are set to commence. The contingency plan is to ensure that the environment and health of marine species in the area are protected.
At the moment, no oil spill from the vessel has been reported. As part of the contingency plan, containment booms have been deployed around the vessel to protect the coastline against any possible pollution during the salvage operations. A team comprised of the relevant environmental, disaster management agencies and salvage experts is on standby to boom off the uMlathuze Sanctuary, Richards Bay harbour and near-by estuaries from any possible oil spills.
The department's oil spill aerial surveillance aircraft, Kuswag 9 (K9), will continue to fly over the area to gather information that will be used during the salvage operations. The aircraft will also assist with monitoring and assessment of any possible environmental threat in the area. In addition, the Department has also requested samples of the coal on board to determine the impact it may have on the marine environment.
The uMlathuze Sanctuary is considered important, from both conservation and social perspectives, as it is a breeding and nursery area for important fish species. It also provides a home to over 20 000 birds of various types and is an area that provides life-supporting and recreational benefits. It is for these reasons that the department will do all it takes to ensure that this sanctuary and nearby estuaries are not compromised, particularly during salvage operations.
Plans to pump the oil out of the vessel are at an advanced stage. It is anticipated that the removal of oil from the vessel may take anything between five and seven days, while it may take several months to remove the coal. Furthermore, it is unclear at this stage as to how long it would take for the stricken vessel to be removed.
DEA, along with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and other responding environmental agencies and local authorities are on high alert to provide rapid response in the event of any oil pollution from the vessel.

For media queries contact:
Zolile Nqayi:
Tel: 021 819 2423
Cell: 082 898 6483
Ernest Mulibana
Cell: 082 263 7372
Tel: 021 405 9439
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
25 Aug 2013

 

21 August 2013 - Gcaptain
It's been just two days since the bulk carrier MV Smart ran aground on a South African beach, but the incident is already being coined as the biggest salvage event in the history of the country.

As gCaptain reported, the 273-meter long bulk carrier ran aground on a sand bar on August 19, 2013 while departing the Port of Richards Bay laden with 147,650 tons of coal. In an emailed statement on 22 August from ship owner spokesperson Pat Adamson, "the Master believed that MV Smart had suffered extensive damages to her hull and steering gear" which led to a loss of steering control immediately outside the breakwater. The result was catastrophic as she ended up snapping in half at around amidships while being battered by waves up to 10 meters.

Adamson notes that "in consultation with Richards Bay harbour authorities, the crew was ordered by the port authorities to abandon the ship" approximately 90 minutes after running aground.

Although severe weather kept salvage crews at bay for most of Tuesday, it seems that effort have began to pick up.

The South African-based maritime services company, Subtech Group, has been hired to head the pollution response and fuel removal along with SMIT, and efforts to mobilize crews and equipment have been ongoing.

In an update from Subtech, the company said that Salvage Master, Neil Scott-Williams is on site with Morgan Castle and a dive team and RHIB which were mobilized Tuesday night. The update said that a Subtech crane truck/barge and the tugs Reier and Teras Hydra are mobilizing today. Meanwhile, the Fairmount Glacier will mobilize out of Cape Town and additional resources are being flown in from Holland by SMIT.

Initial efforts will focus on the fuel and lube oil removal. Reports in the media have indicated that there is estimated 1,769 tons of fuel oil and 129 tons of diesel on board the vessel.

A marine conservation officer from Richards Bay, Kevin Green, told local iOL news earlier Wednesday that although there was no fuel leaking from the ship, some of the ship's payload had begun to shift out.

"There is coal dust coming out of the ship, which our scientists are currently evaluating to assess the threat," Green told the paper. He added the coal did not pose an immediate threat and the main focus will be on keeping the fuel contained.

With any luck the weather will hold out and salvage crews will make quick work of the remaining fuel, cargo and remaining hull from the area. We'll be sure to update as new information comes in.


21 August 2013 - Gcaptain
The MV Smart has fully split in two overnight and authorities are scrambling to put together a plan to offload the fuel oil and cargo from the wreck perched on a sandbar just off a popular surfing beach at Richards Bay, South Africa.
A spokesperson for the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) has said there is an estimated 1,769 tons of fuel oil and 129 tons of diesel on board, but there is no immediate threat of a spill. The salvage will focus on the removal of the fuel first, the spokesperson said.
The ship had just finished loading 147,650 tonnes of coal at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) when she ran aground in 10 meter swells.
The Panamanian-flagged ship is registered to Alpha Marine Corp., Reuters reports. After loading at Richards Bay it was intended to deliver its cargo to a port in China, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Experts from the SA Maritime Safety Authority and salvage company Subtech are currently on board the Smart assessing the situation according to reports.

 

20 August 2013 - Sea News
The 151,000 dwt bulk carrier MV Smart ran aground on a sandbar Monday in 10 meter swells after departing Port Richards Bay. The vessel had finished loading coal at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) earlier Monday.
Photos of the grounded ship show the hull has suffered structural failure at around amidships and is severely sagging.
The National Sea Rescue Institute was alerted of the grounding at about 1:30 p.m. local time. At approximately 4 p.m., the structural integrity of the ship was compromised and the captain gave the order to abandon ship, NSRI said in a statement.
All 23 crew members have been rescued by NSRI helicopter crews.
A source has told us that the vessel started to break in half and at this point may be in two pieces.
SAMSA (South African Maritime safety Authority) are en route to investigate and begin evaluations for salvage, the NSRI statement said.
A local news report said that the vessel was no longer under pilotage and may have experienced engine failure.
The incident comes just as the bulk carrier Kiani Satu was pulled free from a South African beach this weekend, but is believed to be in danger of sinking in deep water
The ship belongs to Unimar, an Athens based shipping company.

 

20 August 2013 - News 24
Durban - A coal carrying vessel run aground at the Port of Richards Bay on Monday, Port management said.
"Whilst leaving the Port of Richard's Bay at 14.10 on Monday the vessel MV "Smart", carrying 147 650 tons of coal, ran aground off the Port's entrance channel," Chief Harbour Master Transnet National Ports Authority, Captain Rufus Lekala, said in a statement.
He said the vessel finished loading at Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) at approximately 10.10 on Monday and sailed from the terminal just before 13.30.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was no longer under TNPA pilotage.
It is said the vessel experienced engine failure on leaving the Port.
"Three TNPA tugs tried to assist the vessel but to no avail. The vessel has buckled and broken in two and is partly submerged," he said.
Twenty three crew members, including the Master of the vessel, were airlifted from the vessel by the TNPA helicopter.
TNPA said it was closely monitoring any impact on the environment and there is no anticipated economic impact on the Port of Richards Bay.
"The entrance channel is safe for shipping, however, due to current adverse weather conditions ingress and egress to the port has been suspended until further notice," he said.

 

Costs

 

1 - Hull & Machinery

USD 66 Millions  

(with USD 17 Millions of Increase Value)

2 - Cargo USD 
3 - Salvage USD  4 - Costs USD 

 

 

Liabilty Limits

 

1- LLMC 1976 DTS XX 2 -LLMC 1996 DTS XX
3 -CLC PROT 1992 DTS XXX 4 - CLC PROT 2000 DTS XXXX
5 - PAL 1974 DTS XXX 6 - PAL PROT 2000 DTS XXX
7 - BUNKER 2001 SANS OBJET    

 

Cause of the casualty

 

Under investigation

 

Sources - Links - Reports

 

Port of Richards Bay

 

GCaptain

 

 C

 

 D

 

 

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05 September 2013

Petite histoire de la responsabilité des pilotes maritimes *

kidd-gibetAprès Paul Watson le pirate, mes lectures m'ont renvoyé au XVIIième siècle, dans "les Us et Coutumes de la Mer" dont les hasards de la navigation sur Internet m'ont permis de faire l'acquisition.

Ecrit par Cleirac, cet ouvrage, qui reste un des fondements du Droit Maritime Français, rassemble plusieurs textes anciens comme le Guidon de la Mer ou les ordonnances d'Amsterdam sur les Assurances, celles de Wisby sur le commerce maritime, la juridiction de la Marine ou d'Amirauté, etc...

On y trouve aussi les rôles d'Oléron, recueil de jugements compilés en un code à la fin du XIIième siècle et dont l'origine serait une décision de la Reine Aliénor d'Aquitaine. Cette origine, quoique non confirmée et discutée[1], a donné et donne toujours à l'ouvrage un caractère unique dont la renommée a largement dépassé les côtes Aquitaines[2]. Ces jugements concernent aussi bien les marins que les marchands, les capitaines, les affréteurs, les navires, la cargaison, les manœuvres, etc...

Mais parmi ces jugements, ce sont les numéros XXIII et XXIV consacrés aux pilotes et à leur responsabilité en cas de naufrage qui ont particulièrement attiré notre attention. Et ce qu'ils en disent est si contrastant avec le régime prévalant actuellement qu'il nous est apparu intéressant de s'attarder sur un sujet qui demeure d'actualité, les dernières évolutions datant d'il y a à peine trois ans lors de la publication du Code des Transports.

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