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Piracy seminar from ICS in London - 1 Dec

Day of the Seafarer follow up stats from Coracle

Coracle was delighted to support the IMO Day of the Seafarer initiative by running a promotion on the iPhone game Ship It and the iPhone app Maritime Glossary. We also set up and ran a maritime knowledge quiz and distributed a podcast from IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos

Apps

App downloads came in at nearly 11,500 and the game Ship It! became the #1 educational game in Germany.

The game reached #4 in The Netherlands and Portugal, #5 in Jordan, #6 in Taiwan and Turkey and #10 in Argentina, Greece and Japan.

UK ranking peaked at #13 and in the USA at #19

Quiz

The 'I'm the Captain' quiz at imo.coraclequiz.com was launched on Friday 24th.

509 people took and completed the quiz on Saturday 25th (the actual Day of the Seafarer) and we can show the following statistics:

Average score 51.88% (the certificate was awarded for scores over 60%)

312 people (61%) scored less than 60%

25 people got all 10 questions correct

Podcast

The message from Secretary General Mitropoulos was downloaded 289 times between publishing on Friday 24th and Sunday 26th.

Day of the Seafarer (June 25) and support from Coracle

June 25th is the IMO's Day of the Seafarer

To help do our bit at Coracle, we will be making our popular iPhone game Ship It! free for the day and offering over 9,000 nautical terms on our Maritime Glossary iPhone app available for just £1.19 for the day.

Why are we doing this? Well, the aim of the Day of the Seafarer is to raise awareness of the vital role seafarers play in the world economy, and of career opportunities at sea. It’s a chance to address the issues facing the modern day seafarer such as piracy. But most importantly it is an opportunity for us, the world, to say, “Thank You Seafarers”.

Last time we made Ship It! free (January 2011) we had around 40,000 downloads in a day and became the #1 educational game in the app store across 10 countries. Imagine all those people seeing that a ship isn't just a ship; that they differ and do different jobs... We would love to see the app back in the top spot, if only for a day... Please tell everyone to download it!

And lastly, we invite you to test your knowledge of maritime matters by taking the Day of the Seafarer quick quiz....

You could also click the badge below and 'LIKE' the campaign on Facebook:

#ship it #coracle #imo #seafarer

Baltex...

From the Baltic Exchange:

The UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) has authorised the Baltic Exchange’s subsidiary Baltic Exchange Derivatives Trading Ltd (BEDT) to run a Multilateral Trading Facility to offer trading in Forward Freight Agreements (FFAs).

Baltex, a central screen based trading solution for the dry FFA market, will go live shortly.

The Baltic Exchange board met on 4 May and gave BEDT its full support for the roll-out of the system. Baltic Exchange chairman Mark Jackson said: “In establishing and funding the Baltex system, the Baltic continues its core role in facilitating the development of the shipping marketplace in all its forms. This is the right response to broad market developments and emerging regulatory change.”

BEDT chairman Paul Over said: “FSA regulatory approval means that Baltex is also authorised in all European Economic Area countries. Baltex also has provisional approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), subject to receipt of letters to it from the FSA. Baltex will also be available in Singapore from the outset and is expected to gain authorisation from other jurisdictions in the coming months.”

Baltic Exchange chief executive Jeremy Penn said: “We are pleased to have finally received the FSA’s approval and Baltex will be opening for business very soon. We have held back the launch to allow companies wishing to participate enough time to deal with the formalities of signing documentation.”

Underpinned by the highest supervisory and compliance standards, the Baltic Exchange brand, as well as a high level of support from the market, the launch of Baltex will mark a step change in the way in which freight derivatives are traded. This is a trading system created by the shipping market and presents a unique opportunity for all freight derivatives stakeholders to benefit from faster execution and a more efficient transmission to clearing. It has been designed to attract new financial and commodity-orientated participants who prefer to trade in a regulated environment.

Baltex users will be able to trade the following routes:

Dry Bulk Voyage FFAs

C3 – Capesize Tubarao - Qingdao

C4 – Capesize Richards Bay – Rotterdam

C5 – Capesize W. Australia – Qingdao

C7 – Capesize Bolivar - Rotterdam

Dry Bulk Timecharter Trip FFAs

P1A – Panamax Transatlantic RV

P2A – Panamax Skaw-Gib/Far East

P3A – Panamax Japan-SK/Pacific RV

S7 – Supramax East Coast India – China

Dry Bulk Time Charter Average FFAs

Capesize TC Average

Panamax TC Average

Supramax TC Average

Handysize TC Average

Baltex has been developed by the Baltic Exchange, the world’s only independent provider of daily bulk shipping indices and route assessments, over the past two years. The trading system itself is run by Baltic Exchange Derivatives Trading Ltd, a subsidiary of the Baltic Exchange. Baltex is based on technology developed by Elysian Systems.

The screen provides live FFA prices and will support straight through processing to the international clearing houses CME, LCH, NOS and SGX. The transaction’s clearing status is displayed in real time.   Baltex can be used by both brokers and principals and has been developed in close collaboration with the market. All live prices can be seen by Baltex screen members, but the trader’s identity is kept anonymous to all except the nominated broker.

As well as a live trading screen, a view only option will be available to those who simply want to see the depth of the market. This view only mode will also be made available through quote vendors. Baltex is designed to be an easy to use tool for freight derivative traders. It incorporates a fully bespoke screen layout, built-in warnings and functionality which can be tailored to traders’ needs as well as an Application Programming Interface (API) which can be used to interface into in-house systems. Baltex is closely monitored by a compliance team in London.

#baltex

Marine Society - Thomas Gray Medal

The Marine Society has put out a call for nominations for its Thomas Gray Silver Medal.

The award is in recognition of exceptional deeds of merit at sea and includes services to seafarers in the broadest sense.

These deeds may be related to any aspect of seafaring, including saving of lives, the well-being of seafarers and any exceptional deeds related to the business of seafaring.

So the spectrum of eligibility is quite broad. One award is made each year. This year’s award will be presented at the charity’s Annual Court on 12 October 2011.

The closing date for nominations is 30 June 2011.

The terms of this medal preclude its being granted if the recipient has already been honoured for the same action.

For a flavour of past winners, some background to this prestigious award, and more on the nomination process: http://www.marine-society.org

Delight at Irene SL release...

INTERTANKO (International Association of Independent Tanker Owners) Friday 8 April 2011

Delight at Irene SL release but piracy crisis in Indian Ocean calls for governments to show political will not political indifference.

INTERTANKO is delighted that the Irene SL has been released by the Somali pirates who hijacked this tanker and her 2m barrel oil cargo in February, and that Master, officers and crew are in good health after 58 days in captivity – especially after 12 days being used as a pirate mothership.

At the time INTERTANKO’s Managing Director Joe Angelo remarked that the Irene SL hijacking marked a significant shift in Somali piracy, taking the crisis into the middle of the main sea lanes coming from the Middle East Gulf.

Her crude oil cargo represented 20% of total U.S. daily crude oil imports, or 5% of total daily world seaborne oil supply.

But further developments are taking place, and seafarers are today closer than ever before to saying enough is enough. These latest developments in pirate tactics include the systematic torture of seafarer hostages, leading in some cases to execution / murder.

The systematic use of pirate motherships means that the Somali pirates’ outreach now extends right across the Indian Ocean. No ship in this area is safe from the risk of pirate attack.

There is no alternative route any more for the 17 million barrels of oil a day that come out of the Gulf – 40% of the world’s oil supplies have to pass through the Indian Ocean.

“The seafarers’ role in keeping world trade flowing in this area goes largely unrecognised by governments,” says INTERTANKO’s Chairman Capt Graham Westgarth. “Imagine if a 747 jumbo jet had been hijacked with 400 people onboard held for millions of dollars in ransom and that hundreds of other planes had been attacked week in week out over the last year in unsuccessful hijacking attempts. Would there be government action?”

There is little public outcry and therefore relatively little effort by national governments around the world to stop Somali pirates. National governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. But they seem unwilling to face reality and act, says Westgarth.

Their brief to the naval forces has, in most cases, been simply to deter and disrupt unless it involves a national interest.

Even when caught red handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released to attack again. Why? Because the world’s politicians don’t realise the severity of this critical situation.

How many ships need to be attacked? How many hostages taken, tortured and killed? How much is enough for national governments to take real action?

Governments might take note of India’s very recent actions. Three days after the decision by India’s government to crack down harder on piracy, a pirate mothership was re-taken by an Indian naval vessel. The hostage crew was released unharmed and 62 pirates were detained and taken to India where they await trial.

The shipping industry-backed campaign to draw government attention to the crisis that is Somali piracy (SOS SaveOurSeafarers) is sending letters to heads of government via the SOS website www.saveourseafarers.com.

India is the number one receiver of the total of 8,500 SOS letters sent so far, with 1,460 letters received to date by India’s Prime Minister’s Office. We encourage as many as possible to send a letter to their government – just two clicks will do it. Of course governments should be engaged in efforts to tackle the root causes of piracy. But this work may take years to have effect. “In the meantime piracy is out of control,” says Westgarth. “International trade is threatened. Governments need to protect the world’s shipping lanes by showing political will, not political indifference.”

ICS appears to turn away members as they quietly suspend a membership category

The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS), with a world-wide membership of around 3,500 has taken the surprise step of suspending the Affiliate Membership category, pending a review of all membership types.

According to the ICS's application form for Affiliate membership, qualification for the category was stated as being based on candidates demonstrating that they had passed an ICS one day course; had passed one or more examinations from the ICS syllabus; had passed any recognised maritime related course (such as Background to Shipping); or had over 20 hours of study as part of a related degree programme.

We became aware of, and raised questions with the ICS on this matter following feedback from a prospective affiliate member who recently had their application rejected. The affiliate membership form was still available on the ICS website on March 4, but has been removed since we asked about this category suspension. It appears that the decision was made somewhat on the quiet and that not even everyone in the office was fully aware...

We believe that the affiliate category was a valuable addition to the membership base as it attracted a significant group of people for whom full membership may not be appropriate or even desired, but did provide a useful stepping stone for those who favour the 'climbing the ladder' approach, building up to full membership over time and collecting recognition along the way.

We would suggest that this method can be shown to build trust and loyalty to the ICS and was previously seen as a valuable way of engaging with students before they qualified as Members.

The category of Affiliate is valid under the ICS Bye-Laws (which exist by Royal Charter) and is defined as "a person who is an Affiliate by virtue of Bye Law 13 or may be registered as such pursuant to these Bye Laws"

Bye Law 13 states:

"REGISTERED STUDENTS & AFFILIATES

Candidates wishing to take the Institute’s qualifying examinations must register as a student and pay such registration fees as may apply. Applicants for registration as a student shall comply with such educational and employment qualifications as the Controlling Council may prescribe.

A Registered Student who has completed his qualifying examinations but is not eligible for admission to Membership pending completion of practical tests may on application to the Membership Committee be granted Affiliate status for a period not exceeding five years or until he is eligible, whichever is sooner.

A registered student may take such other examinations or practical tests as the Education & Training Committee shall determine from time to time and on completion of such non-qualifying examinations may be granted Affiliate status for so long as he continues to pay the annual affiliates subscription. "

It seems clear to us that the affiliate category is NOT the same as being a member (see also Bye Law 3), but that it does allow for the candidate and the ICS to engage with each other in a constructive and purposeful manner.

We can't help but wonder if one of the issues at stake here relates to members benefits, as affiliates may have had access to the same benefits as full members (with the exception of actually describing themselves, legitimately, as members)? Perhaps the fact that the ICS has embraced some technology and now offers their quarterly magazine to anyone (member or not) online rather than in printed copy, has ruffled some feathers? (Missed the last copy? Here it is) Or is there some other tussle over what membership means at play?

To be absolutely clear, we are fully supportive of a review of membership categories and the benefits of belonging to each, but we have concerns that a committee room decision, arrived at without consultation, to suspend an integral part of the potential membership process is short sighted. We have offered to provide the views, feedback and experience of students who like online study and also value the affiliate membership category and hope that they will be taken into consideration in the review process.

For those of you taking Background to Shipping, you will still get your ICS endorsed certificate and we will continue to try and get this category, or something equivalent, re-instated.

#ICS,#affiliate membership,

Save our Seafarers - Sign up, now!

An advert will appear in the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal tomorrow (March 1, 2011) to try and drive people to understand that Piracy is not just a diversion for the shipping industry, but is an issue that deserves international governmental attention, and deserves it now.

The advert (click to enbiggen):

We say well done to ITF, ICS, Intertanko, Intercargo and BIMCO for placing this advert and we urge YOU (if you agree that the enough is enough) to sign up your support on www.SaveOurSeafarers.com

#save our seafarers #piracy #intercargo #ics #itf #intertanko

Just how low can the container index go, and is ordering more ships sensible?

Do you think I surprised this morning to read the following:

HONG KONG, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering <042660.KS> has won a $2 billion order from A.P. Moeller-Maersk AS <MAERSKb.CO> to build 10 container ships, and is in talks for another 10 ships, worth $4 billion in total, a source close to the deal said on Friday.

"The deal has been signed and they are preparing for details ahead of a public announcement expected next week," said the source, who declined to be named as the deal is not publicly announced.

Both Daewoo and Maersk declined to comment.

Daewoo, the world's No.2 shipbuilder, has received the order to build a 18,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units)-sized carrier, the largest ever container ship, for the Danish company, the owner of the world's largest container shipping firm Maersk Line.

Maersk Line's North Asia chief, Tim Smith, plans to hold a news conference on Monday in Hong Kong over its business plans in Asia.

(Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)

To be honest, I knew something was up, having been invited to attend a presentation on 'The Future of Shipping' to be given on Monday by Eivind Kolding, CEO Maersk Line (Denmark) and Nam Sang Tae, President, CEO and Director Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (S.Korea) but, following a slide this week across all the major four routes, there doesn't appear to be much upside in the short term and so, yes, I think I was a little surprised at the size of this order.

In terms of market numbers, GFI tell us that:

SCFI slipped -30.86 to 1060.47 (-2.8%)

Europe fell -59 to 1246 (-4.5%)

Med fell -37 to 1167 (-3.1%)

US West Coast fell -65 to 1835 (-3.4%)

US East Coast fell -68 to 3056 (-2.2%)

Meanwhile, Clarksons tweeted (18 Feb) :

All of which makes for depressing reading...

So... Let's see what the bosses at Maersk and Daewoo have to tell us on the future of shipping on Monday.

#maersk #daewoo #container #shipping

@intertanko on the Irene SL hijacking...

The hijacking by pirates of 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude oil destined for the U.S. in a large Greek tanker in the middle of the main sea lanes coming from the Middle East Gulf marks a significant shift in the impact of the piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean.

The Irene SL’s cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil represents nearly 20% (one fifth) of total U.S. daily crude oil imports. This one cargo is 12% of all oil coming out of the Middle East Gulf each day, and 5% of total daily world seaborne oil supply.

The piracy situation is now spinning out of control into the entire Indian Ocean right to the top of the Arabian Sea over 1,000 miles from the coast of Somalia. This rapid expansion has been accomplished through the pirates’ use of motherships.

If piracy in the Indian Ocean is left unabated, it will strangle these crucial shipping lanes with the potential to severely disrupt oil flows to the U.S. and to the rest of the world.

We need to see a significant increase in government ‘will’ to eradicate piracy in the Indian Ocean and not just contain it.

Joe Angelo, Managing Director, INTERTANKO

#pirate #somalia #tanker #oil

Shipping industry outraged at execution and torture of seafarers by pirates

BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers’ Federation are outraged that Somali pirates have executed, apparently in cold blood, a seafarer on the merchant ship Beluga Nomination which had been attacked and hijacked by armed pirates on 22 January in the Indian Ocean, 390 nautical miles north of the Seychelles. Three seafarers were reportedly taken aside for ‘punishment’ after an attempt by the Seychelles coastguard to free the hostage crew resulted in the death of a pirate. We express our deepest sympathy to the seafarers involved and to their anxious families.

The international shipping industry is truly disturbed at reports that pirates have been torturing seafarers physically and mentally, often in the most barbaric ways, including hanging them over the ship’s side by ropes around their ankles with their heads under water and even subjecting them to the horrendous practice of keelhauling.

We wholeheartedly condemn these violent acts and once again strongly urge governments to empower their naval forces to take fast and robust action against pirates, and the vessels under their control, before passing ships are boarded and hijacked.

This latest particularly atrocious action appears to represent a fundamental shift in the behaviour of Somali pirates. The cold-blooded murder of an innocent seafarer means that ship owners and their crews will be re-evaluating their current determination to ensure that this vital trade route remains open – over 40% of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The shipping industry will be looking at all possible options, including alternative routes, which could have a dramatic effect on transport costs and delivery times - piracy is already estimated to cost the global economy between $7-12 billion per year (* Cost to the industry - see link)

#shipping,#piracy

Congratulations to Peter Swift

Swift receives Lifetime Achievement Award from IMO Secretary General Dr Peter Swift has been presented, by the Secretary General of the IMO, Efthimios Mitropoulos, with a special Tanker Shipping & Trade Lifetime Achievement Award. Mitropoulos spoke of “the tremendous contribution made to shipping by Peter throughout an illustrious career in the service of shipping.” He went on to say that Peter’s name is synonymous with so many worthy causes, with which he has engaged energetically, dynamically and with such success. “Few have earned the recognition of their peers more than he has. He has served with great distinction.” Swift commented later: “It is a great honour to receive this award after nearly 50 years in the shipping business, almost entirely built around oil, chemical and gas tankers. It is also pleasing to note that the tanker industry over the last decade has been able to restore its credibility and reputation that were seriously dented following the high profile Erika and Prestige, and that this sector routinely champions best practice and respect for our seafarers.” Appointed in February 2001 as Managing Director of INTERTANKO (The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners), Swift has spent the last ten years energetically and effectively representing the interests of more than 250 oil/chemical tanker owners with over 260m dwt of tonnage and a further 320 associate members from the broader shipping industry. “Peter’s energy and enthusiasm as well as his ability to engage and forge relationships, not only with shipping and oil industry people but also with politicians and statesmen, have been a significant driving force behind INTERTANKO for the last ten years,” says Capt Graham Westgarth, INTERTANKO’s Chairman. Swift is a graduate of King’s College, Durham (UK) where he studied naval architecture. He spent a short time in the late 1960s in the shipbuilding industry with Swan Hunter where he led a team in a concept design of a 1m dwt tanker which was both twin screw and also double-hulled. He then obtained a doctorate in Transportation Economics from the University of Michigan where his projects included pioneering work on Computer Aided Design. He went on to work for 24 years for the Royal Dutch/Shell Group where he held a series of senior positions including General Manager for Shell International Trading and Shipping Company. As Group Naval Architect he was responsible for design and commissioning oil, LPG/LNG, chemical, offshore and even coal shipping. He pioneered the first Emergency Response System with Lloyd’s Register and was founding chairman of the Tanker Structure Cooperative Forum. He is acknowledged to be the first to coin the use of the term ‘recyling’ to better describe scrapping/demolition. As General Manager of the Australian LNG Ship Operating Company, he managed the lead team on the establishment of the North West Shelf LNG project. Having taken early retirement from Shell in 1999 to enjoy a ‘quieter life’, he spent two years as Director of Business Development with Braemar Seascope before INTERTANKO’s selection committee persuaded him to join up. As Managing Director of INTERTANKO he has spearheaded the Association’s activity on a number of vital fronts: working to prevent the criminalisation of seafarers and to show concern for seafarer welfare issues including lack of shore access and adequate accommodation; putting over with undying vigour and unswerving conviction INTERTANKO’s ‘distillates option’ position, with the Secretariat working alongside him, helping to shift opinions as the industry started to see the operational advantages of switching to cleaner fuels, and the impracticality and high risk of the alternatives; ensuring that INTERTANKO has been proactively engaged in all the important environmental issues, with the association’s members and committees showing the way in minimalising tanker shipping’s impact on the global environment; pressing for international solutions not regional solutions; forging deeper relationships with key industry players such as the IMO, OCIMF, the Round Table of international shipping associations, the Asian Shipowners’ Forum, IACS, the International Group of P&I clubs, ensuring that their combined forces became more active and influential. being instrumental in establishing the annual Tripartite discussions between ship owners, shipbuilders and class, which forum initiated talks around the IACS Common Structural Rules, which were born out of the drive which Swift and others in INTERTANKO and OCIMF led to produce higher uniform design and construction standards for tanker structures. helping and encouraging the Secretariat to achieve increasing acceptance for the Tanker Officer Training Standards (TOTS) initiative. Mitropoulos particularly emphasised Peter’s role in encouraging INTERTANKO staff and Members to participate actively in the struggle against piracy, particularly in the Gulf of Aden. Swift pointed to the 450 seafarers currently held hostage due to acts of piracy, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time simply doing their job in keeping open the vital arteries of world trade. He compared the indifference of the world to their plight and that of their families after 100 days or more of illegal detention, to the wonderful and thoroughly justified global euphoria at the release of the Chilean miners. “We need to take every opportunity to speak up on their behalf,” he said. Swift is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and a Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. He is also a member of the Committee (Advisory Board) of the Green Award, Chairman of the European Committee of the Korean Register and a Director of the Maritime Industry Foundation.

#swift,#intertanko

Combating Somali Piracy: the EU's Naval operation Atlanta

Summary of the UK House of Lords report:

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean is a serious and ongoing threat to UK and EU interests. It could spread within the region, which is unstable. The EU’s Operation Atalanta, with its operational headquarters based in Northwood, UK, has made a strong contribution to combating piracy, in particular protecting World Food Programme (WFP) ships and coordinating with other maritime forces in the area. However there are a number of areas that need improvement and require action. Naval vessels and their crews are very expensive resources in short supply. With more surveillance aircraft the Atalanta fleet could be far more effective and efficient. Similarly, the permanent availability of a tanker would prevent Atalanta vessels from having to return to port on a regular basis solely to refuel. The WFP’s use of small, slow ships makes them especially vulnerable to pirate attacks. As a result they require greater military protection and resources. The Government and the EU should insist that the WFP charter faster, larger and more modern vessels. It is even more efficient for military contingents to be placed on these vessels rather than having warships and their crew shadowing each delivery. It should be a condition of the award of a WFP contract that, when requested, the flag state allow these vessels to carry Atalanta military forces on board. Military personnel placed on commercial shipping should be given specialised training. We agree with UK policy that private security guards should not be placed on commercial shipping because of the increased risks to crew and ships. The insurance industry is not taking sufficient responsibility for ensuring that commercial shipping transiting the area complies with readily available, tried and tested procedures to reduce the risk of capture by pirates. At a minimum the industry should impose increased insurance premiums on ship operators who do not comply. We agree with the increasingly robust action taken against pirates by Atalanta forces. There is a need to change the perceived risk/reward ratio for pirate activity. We welcome the EU’s agreements with Kenya and the Seychelles to prosecute pirates, and the negotiations now taking place with other states in the region. We wait to see the number of successful prosecutions that result. There will be no solution to the problem of piracy without a solution to the root causes of the conflict on land in Somalia. We support the EU’s efforts to deal with Somalia’s problems by building up the security sector in line with democratic norms, providing humanitarian assistance and assisting the authorities in Somaliland and Puntland to strengthen their coastguards. If the piracy problems of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean are not robustly tackled, there will be copy-cat piracy elsewhere on the world’s shipping lanes adjacent to failed states or regions where a government’s writ fails to reach.

Read the full report here

#piracy,#somalia

Launch of the Coracle Time Pursuit campaign. We need your input!

Every Easter weekend since 1948 a group of canoes has headed off from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminster in London. The race is 125 miles and has 77 portages : non-stop... This is no ordinary race!

You can read more about the "DW" on their website

I am planning on entering the race (April 2011) in a boat called 'Coracle Time Pursuit' with my good friend Oliver Wigdahl. Oli is the founder and managing director of Open Frontiers whose Time Pursuit product name will be carried on the boat.

We're really fired up for this challenge and at the moment we're on the hunt for:

+ your nomination for a charity or charities for us to support (we have ideas ourselves, but we wanted to see who you think we should raise money for)

We're also keen on finding

+ training advice !

+ equipment !

+ moral support !

So please leave a comment, email me, or send a tweet with the hashtag #coracle and let me know who you think we should support, and why.

Thanks

James Tweed / Coracle

#devizes westminster,#k2,#kayak,#coracle time pursuit

Merchant Navy Medals awarded

Oct 21 - The Merchant Navy Medal Fund has announced the 18 seafarers and shipping industry personnel who are to receive this year’s Merchant Navy Medals recognising meritorious service by British merchant seafarers and other people who have made a significant contribution to merchant shipping. The list includes 12 seafarers who are being honoured for achievements in their seafaring careers and three people, honoris causa, for services to seafarers and shipping. Three seafarers are being awarded the medal for courage afloat – two who were involved in the rescue of a man overboard in difficult conditions, and the third who rescued a badly injured colleague when a fire broke out in an engine room. This year’s MN Medal winners are: Captain David Bancroft for services to merchant shipping, especially as Officer-in-Charge of UK Maritime Trade Operations, Dubai, 2007-2009

Brian Barry, National Standard Bearer, Merchant Navy Association, for services to enhancing the profile of merchant shipping and merchant seafarers

Tim Brant, National Secretary, Merchant Navy Association, for services to the welfare of retired merchant seafarers and to the Merchant Seafarers’ Veterans Badge

Captain Rex Cooper OBE for services to the welfare of serving and retired members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Chief engineer P.E. Doherty (Klaret Marine) for services to merchant shipping and to ship safety systems

Geoff Chandler, Senior Superintendent, Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, Hull, for services to the welfare of serving and retired fishermen and their communities. Honorary.

J. Fellowes, formerly fisherman, Brixham, Devon, for brave conduct in the rescue of man overboard from trawler Korenbloem, English Channel, 6 November 2009

Captain Duncan Glass OBE, Rental Warden, Corporation of Trinity House, for services to navigational safety and to seafarers’ charities

J. Graham, fisherman, Kilkeel, Co. Down, for brave conduct in the rescue of crew member from an engine room fire aboard trawler Celtic Harvester on 30 October 2009

Chief engineer Charlie Hill (P&O Cruises) for services to the cruise liner sector Dieter Jaenicke, Chairman and Managing Director, Viking Recruitment Ltd. for services to merchant shipping, especially in the expansion of British officer cadet opportunities

J.P. Kimble, fisherman, Paignton, Devon, for brave conduct in the rescue of man overboard from trawler Korenbloem in the English Channel

Captain Michael Lloyd RD, Senior Marine Advisor, Witherby Seamanship International Ltd, for services to merchant shipping and to maritime education and publishing

Revd William McCrea, (honorary) for services to the welfare of retired seafarers, especially alumni of the National Sea Training School/College/Centre, Gravesend.

Peter McEwen MBE, Secretary, Nautilus Welfare Fund, (honorary) for services to the welfare of serving and retired merchant seafarers and their dependents.

Revd Kenneth Martin, Sailors’ Society Port Chaplain, Felixstowe (honorary) for services to merchant shipping and to retired merchant seafarers and their dependents

Captain David Morris, Master, ERRV Grampian Corsair (North Star Shipping Ltd.) for services to offshore oil rig safety and to the development of best practice in this sector

Captain John Sail, National Chairman, Merchant Navy Association, for services to merchant shipping and to the welfareof retired merchant seafarers

- From all of us at Coracle, well done -

#merchant navy medal

Can you help the maritime community?

Do you have a particular interest in some part of the maritime scene? Would you be willing to share your knowledge for the benefit of the maritime community at large? If so, we want to hear you on Shipping Podcasts...

Please send your mp3 audio recording to [email protected] or simply email us with a time that would be convenient for us to call you and we'll record you over the phone. Our first listener podcast is from Henry Samut on the topic of piracy. Henry is studying for a post-grad in Maritime Law having worked for AP Moller-Maersk since the mid 1980's. You can hear his podcast here...

What's up maritime stock pickers?

What is a shipbroker? a person having one or several occupations: chartering agent or owner's broker, negotiating the terms of the charter of a ship on behalf of a charterer or shipowner respectively; sale and purchase broker, negotiating on behalf of buyer or seller of a ship; ship's agent, attending to the requirement of a ship, her master and crew while in port on behalf of the shipowner; loading broker, whose business is to attract cargoes to the ships of his principal. "One or several occupations" - this is a key part of the definition, as it gives the clue to one of the amazing abilities that shipbrokers possess: the ability to redefine their services to fit prevailing market conditions. Make no mistake, shipbrokers are working really hard at the moment trying to earn their living. Some of their ship owning clients are operating their ships at less than break even - listen here to the tanker podcast - and when the market rates for chartering ships is low, the brokers' commission is low. (Brokers typically earn 1.25% of the value of the fixture or 1% of the value of the ship in a sale and purchase transaction) So, what's going on with the share price of the big listed brokers? The graphs below show the 12 month share price of 3 brokers.

Clarksons:

Braemar Seacope:

ACM:

Why the disconnect between shipbroker commissions and the share price of the companies that rely so heavily on those commissions for their revenue? Here's how they define themselves: Clarksons - '...are the world's leading provider of integrated shipping services...' Braemar Seascope '...is a leading international provider of shipbroking, consultancy, technical, logistics and other services to the shipping and energy industries...' ACM '...is one of the world's leading shipbrokers providing a single point of contact for the seaborne transportation of oil, refined products, liquid petroleum gas and dry bulk commodities...' Given that 'shipbroking' revenue accounts for 75% of Braemar Seascope profits, for 83% of Clarksons turnover and that ACM shares have bounced back since falling on their June announcement of a 24% fall in profits it seems like shipbrokers are masters at redefining their services because someone's marking their share price up!

#acm,#shipbroker #clarksons #braemar seascope #maritime

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