Law & Regulation
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Palau defends actions in Dubai tug operator abandonments
The Palau registry is defending the actions it took in the Middle East Marine LLC seafarer abandondment cases. The Dubai tug operator was accused last week by the ITF perpetrating the ‘worst case of serial seafarer abandonment ever seen’, while Palau was called out by the union for irresponsiveness
Former SIPG president faces prison for $5m bribery
If convicted, Yan may face a long prison sentence. His former superior at SIPG, Chen Xuyuan, was sentenced to life in prison by another Chinese court in March
MLC complaints down 18% in Australia in 2023
Australia says complaints about breaches of the Maritime Labour Convention fell in 2023, which suggested seafarers trusted its regulator to take their welfare seriously. But abuses by employers continued to come to light
Australia bans Indian bulker for serious engine defects
India-flagged bulk carrier banned from Australia for 180 days after inspectors at Melbourne found a litany of deficiencies, including defective main engine control and monitoring systems
Guy Platten to step down as International Chamber of Shipping secretary-general
After seven years at the helm Guy Platten has announced it is time to step aside and let someone else lead the global trade association for shipowners
Two engineers face US prison sentences for dumping oil off Greek tanker
Two ship engineers face potential jail time in the US for violating pollution laws. The US says the two admitted oil was illegally dumped from their vessel when it was in New Jersey in 2022, and they instructed crew to cover up the act
Baltic Sea scrubber pollution cost society €680m, study estimates
Researchers in Sweden estimated the cost of marine ecotoxicity damage from the discharge of scrubber water in the Baltic Sea from 2014-2022 was more than €680m, while shipowners quickly recouped the cost of installing scrubbers
Baltimore casualty may top pool scheme coverage limit, Gallagher warns
Next year’s P&I general increases expected in line with inflation, but Dali incident could have lasting impact on reinsurance levy
ITF calls out Dubai tug operator for ‘worst case of serial seafarer abandonment ever seen’
Amid an alarming rise in seafarer abandonment cases, the ITF is accusing Dubai tug operator Middle East Marine of ‘systemic abuse and neglect’, with 17 abandonments reported since November 2022
MSC fires back at FMC’s ‘astonishing’ and ‘unprecedented’ $63m penalty demand
Mediterranean Shipping Company argues that the FMC enforcement bureau has gone too far — way too far — in seeking a record $63m penalty for the carrier’s alleged behaviour during the supply chain crisis. It calls for a much smaller fine of $2m-$3m
Russia oil logistics hotspot off Greece interrupted
Laconia Bay, a ship-to-ship transfer hotspot for Russian crude off the Greek coast, is free from Russian oil-carrying ships for the first time in the past 18 months amid reports of a Greek naval exercise taking place
The International Group is right. The Russia oil price cap is unenforceable
The onus to sort this mess out rests with the politicians, not marine insurers. Given the inordinate amount of time the US Congress took just to agree Kyiv’s request for more shells, hopes can sadly not be high
New UK economic crime law affects shipping companies everywhere, lawyers warn
The UK’s Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is expressly worded to have extraterritorial effect. Big multinational shippers could choose to mitigate the risk of falling foul of the law by using stronger charterparty wording
EU ETS and Red Sea crisis swell Maersk bunker bill in first quarter
Maersk introduced a €23 per dry teu ETS surcharge on the east Asia to north Europe route during the first quarter based on an ETS price estimate of €82 per tonne of CO2
Lloyd’s Register Foundation funds maritime human rights project
Human Rights at Sea is seeking greater visibility on its Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea, including adoption by UN bodies
Former Guangzhou port bosses ensnared in China anti-graft sweep
Shake-up in Guangzhou port’s top management is part of broader results from Beijing’s anti-graft drive, which has impacted many public and private sectors, including shipping
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