Members should note that the Correspondent in Ho Chi Minh City, Spica Services, advises that sand from Vietnamese waters is reportedly being dredged illegally to the detriment of the local environment and residents. Consequently Members loading sand from Vietnamese waters (and charterers considering entering such contracts) should note the Correspondent’s advice.
News Alerts
We issue News and other Alerts to keep members posted about developments at the Club and other industry news. Please see our latest Alerts below.
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20 March 2017
7 March 2017
Members who call at ports in the US should note that President Trump has now issued a new Executive Order (EO), on 6 March 2017, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”. This revokes and replaces the previously suspended EO on the subject (click here to access the Club’s News Alert of 16 February 2017).
16 February 2017
Members who call at ports in the US will be aware of the Executive Order issued by President Trump on 27 January 2017 to restrict the entry into the US of foreign citizens from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya, as reported in the Club’s recent News Alert (click here). As a consequence of legal challenges being made, US law firm Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP now report that the Executive Order has been temporarily suspended and is not currently being enforced.
9 February 2017
Members calling at Chinese ports will be aware of PRC Regulations, effective since February 2011 and amended in 2013, that require international ocean-going vessels to dispose of pollutants on board and to present a valid Pollutant Disposal Certificate (PDC) to the China Maritime Safety Administration prior to departing China.
3 February 2017
Members who call at ports in the US should be aware that, on 27 January 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”. This restricts entry into the US of foreign citizens from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya for the next 90 days, whether they hold visas or not.
27 January 2017
Shipowners and Charterers may be aware that as of 1 June 2016, a service tax on freight was imposed by the Indian Government for FOB cargoes on ships chartered by importers domiciled in India. This tax has, to date, been paid by the Indian importer. There was an express exemption for goods shipped by a party that was not domiciled in India i.e. goods shipped on a CFR basis.
20 January 2017
Shipowners should be aware that the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention 1978 was amended by the 2010 Manila Amendments, which contained new training requirements for seafarers. Between 1 July 2013 and 1 January 2017 (as appropriate), all seafarers were required to undertake additional training in compliance with the Manila Amendments and hold the requisite certification.
19 January 2017
Members will be aware that the US had been maintaining broad trade and financial sanctions on Sudanese goods, persons and entities including wide prohibitions on the assistance/facilitation that can be given by a US person/entity under their Sudanese Sanctions Regulations (SSR) and Executive Orders 13067 and 13412. However, on 17 January 2017, a new general licence came into effect which now authorises all transactions that were prohibited under the SSR and Executive Orders 13067 and 13412.
11 January 2017
Members will already be aware of the requirements of the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks that entered into force in April 2015 in various countries (click here to access the Club’s News Alert of 19 January 2015). The Convention will shortly come into force in Finland as of 27 January 2017 and in China as of 11 February 2017.
4 January 2017
Members will already be aware of the Regulations concerning the sulphur content of fuel to be used by vessels at certain times during berthing in specified Emission Control Areas (ECA), Shanghai, Ningbo–Zhoushan, Suzhou and Nantong, as outlined in the Club’s previous News Alerts (click here). As advised by the Correspondent, Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service Limited, from 1 January 2017 onwards, the requirement to use fuel oil with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.