PIRACY, A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO SHIPPING.

PIRATES, STILL POSE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO SHIPPING.

‘Pirates attack vessels to take control of the vessel itself or to kidnap the crew and ask for ransoms.’

A total of 406 incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported in the 2009 annual piracy report issued by the icc international maritime bureau’s piracy reporting centre (imb prc).

The total number of attacks reported to the imb’s piracy reporting centre (prc), the first nine months this year (2010), is 289.

Somali pirates intensified attacks away from their own coast and were responsible for 44% of the 289 piracy incidents on the world’s seas in the first nine months of 2010, according to a report published by the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre’s worldwide figures show that in the past nine months pirates boarded 128 ships and fired at 52.  A total of 70 vessels reported thwarting attacks.  Pirates used guns in 137 incidents and knives in 66, killing one crew member, injuring 27 and taking 773 hostages.

Globally, the number of vessels hijacked was higher than the 34 recorded in the same period last year, despite a slight fall in the number of piracy incidents, down from 306 in the first nine months of 2009.

Pirates attack vessels to take control of the vessel itself or to kidnap the crew and ask for ransoms.

Ransom demands for a ship’s crew average usd 1m with the largest over usd5m settled.

To date over usd 30m have been paid in ransom monies.

In the Gulf of Aden attacks were greatly reduced, with only 44 reported this year compared with 100 for the same period of 2009.  The monsoon weather that had been deterring piracy further out to sea ended in mid-September, opening the way for renewed attacks, warned IMB.

A new area of increased piracy is the South China Sea, which suffered 30 piracy attempts in the last nine months, resulting in 21 successful boardings. This is triple the number of incidents reported in the same period last year. 

RED ZONE AREAS

gulf of aden, lagos, dar es salaam mogadishu, somalia,  port of monrovia, liberia, hanish al kubra island, southern red sea, off oman coast, arabian sea, indonesia, bangladesh, malacca straits, south china sea, malaysia, philippines, vietnam, singapore straits, South China.

-MARASCO MARINE LTD  AND WHAT COVERAGE THERE IS FOR YOU?FOR WE C

- You will be covered for the following events:

-hijack of vessel with demand for ransom in exchange for release of crew, cargo or          ship.

-loss, seizure or destruction of a ransom during delivery

-covered losses

-ransom payment

-ransom payment lost, seized or destroyed

-additional expenses including, but not limited to:

--legal fees

--fuel costs

--cost associated with delivery of ransom

--port fees

 Statistical information was gathered from IMB, ICC and various insurance gazettes.

I wold be delighted to share your comments and thoughts on the subject of mdern piracy as a threat to the shipping industry and the lives of inocent crew members.

Anastasios Maraslis

President/Marine Insurance Broker, Since 1983.

http://www.marasco-marine.com/
info@marasco-marine.com

'THE CREW FACTOR IN MARITIME CASUALTIES'

CREW FACTOR IN MARITIME CASUALTIES

“80% of accidents are caused by human error”.

Admiral Sir N. Hunt.

Since the 1970s, maritime casualties have occurred to oil tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo vessels and passenger ships. These casualties have been met by the International shipping community with great astonishment and they have shown solitude for the establishment and implementation of the International Conventions and regulations.

After the tragic loss of the Ro-Ro ferry Herald of Free Enterprise, the I.M.O. adopted Resolution A.596(15) and started dealing with the role of the human element in maritime casualties and accidents.  Since then the International community and the maritime industry have studied the issue and recognised that the great majority of maritime casualties and accidents were due to human error.

However casualties continue to happen very often and raise great concern and doubts in public opinion.

There is a growing realization in the world shipping community that the qualifications of the seafarers

manning the world fleet is the single most important issue in achieving higher safety standards on board

ships.

Considering a significant number of casualties at sea occurred lately and researches by P & I Clubs,

Classification Societies and Hull Underwriters, into the causes of accidents have established that

approximately as much as 80 per cent of all accidents are the result of human error. 

Statistics reports from 1997-2007 show that human error was responsible for 50% of pollution, 65% of personal injuries, 80% of property damages, 90% of collisions and 50% of cargo claims.  The causes found were: lack of knowledge and experience, overconfidence, recklessness in responding to commercial pressures, fatigue (related mainly to collisions), discomfort, boredom, anger, unhappiness, illness, confusion and lack of adequate communication.

Therefore a reduction in the human error ratio would result in considerable improvement in the safety of ships, lives at sea and to the economy of the Shipping Industry and specifically to the ship operator.  The need and the importance of loss prevention is undisputed and can be achieved through crew training and careful selection of seamen. The qualifications of seafarers will therefore remain a key issue in shipping for years to come BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT their ability to communicate adequately-something which can be taught, learnt and practiced-

Marasco Marine Ltd, and the undersigned, fully aware of the major importance of crew factor in Ships Economies and Safety co operates closely with a global network of Manning agents in training the crew members in the 'Art of effective Communication' which is the key element in accidents prevention.

Moreover Marasco-Marine team of experts step by step compliment Insurance Underwriters requirements for qualitative risk assessment, before issuing a policy, in a detailed and transparent way, that Underwriters remunerate such an effort in more favourable premiums for our shipping client companies and vessels.   

Marasco Marine Ltd.

Anastasios A.Maraslis
 ManagingDirector                                                                                                
info@marasco-marine.com                                                              

http://www.marasco-marine.com/

 

                  

YOUR NEW SOURCE OF BRIEF, CLEAR CUT, SHIPPING & MARINE INSURANCE INFORMATION

Considering the variety of information available in the market and YOUR limited time available, to go through and read whatever is 'thrown' at you, I have decided to put some extra effort in the word of service and make YOUR LIFE easier -I hope to manage my goal - particularly for you, the shipping professional, who wishes to be BRIEFLY and WELL informed, before a decision is made.

Any of you who receives tons of information every day, sometimes useful and other times useless, I can understand you and I fully agree on how important it is for anyone to have specialised and tested reliable information nowadays, in a few words.

In this respect and appreciating your valuable time I have created this blog, which will provide to you, this kind of information ONLY, alongwith its source -if not coming from the undersigned- and in a simplified manner, starting from the Headline which will be clear cut, right to the point of its subject of interest.

The information will be strictly Marine Insurance and Shipping related, which will probably have an effect in your day in and day out business working decisions and thinking.

I hope this effort to be supported by all of you who can see such an effort as a beginning to contribute collectively and make this blog a major source of information and advices for our joy and satisfaction.

This 'new & friendly, communication platform' , hopefully will earn your attention and that you will love it as your own, because, I truly believe that, each of you has something valuable to share, either from his daily business experiences, or through a reading which came across his desk.

I have to admit that my goal will not stand a chance without you, as anything else in life has no chance to survive, without any attention and support.

I welcome all good will friends and associates from both Shipping and Marine Insurance industries, to participate and share their valuable information, ideas and comments in this blog, by posting in here, or sending me by e mail their post.

Sincerely yours.

Marasco Marine Ltd.
Anastasios Maraslis
President/Managing Director
Marine Insurance Broker Since 1983.
http://www.marasco-marine.com/
info@marasco-marine.com
Tel      :+30 210 4529500
Mobile:+30 6932 201053