ICS Releases Latest Flag State Performance Table
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published its latest Flag State Performance Table which can be downloaded free of charge via the ICS website. See here
The ICS Table provides an annual overview of the performance of the world's flag states against a number of criteria such as port state control records, ratification of international maritime Conventions and attendance at IMO meetings. The Table is mainly intended to encourage shipowners and operators to maintain an open dialogue with their flag administrations with respect to any improvements that might be necessary.
ICS Director of Policy & External Relations, Simon Bennett, said:
"This year's ICS Table continues to highlight the sound performance of all of the world's major flag administrations, regardless of whether they are open registers or so called 'traditional' maritime flags. But in response to feedback from IMO Member States, our member national shipowner associations have agreed to some further refinements in order to make the Table as objective and useful as possible."
In particular, flag states which do not qualify for the United States 'Qualship 21' programme have not been given negative performance indicators in the latest ICS Table.
"The list of flag states qualifying for Qualship 21 now varies considerably from year to year. We therefore no longer currently view non-inclusion as being an indicator of negative performance" explained Mr Bennett. However, flag states that continue to qualify for the U.S. programme are still given a positive performance indicator.
An important development in the previous 12 months is that participation by maritime administrations in the IMO Member State Audit Scheme became mandatory in 2016. ICS therefore intends to add a new field to address this for inclusion in its next Annual Table in 2018.
The ICS Flag State Performance Table for 2016/2017 is now being distributed among ICS national shipowners' associations and their member companies, which cover over 80% of the world merchant fleet.
Source: ICSPosted On:22-Feb-2017
Credits: www.hellenicshippingnews.com |
LNG the fuel of the future for international shipping: Woodside
Woodside Petroleum will increasingly target a share of the massive international shipping fuel trade and the multi-billion-dollar Pilbara diesel market, as it attempts to open up sources of demand for its liquefied natural gas.
Woodside chief operating officer Mike Utsler said the company was working hard to demonstrate the capability and efficiency of LNG as a transport fuel, with Woodside yesterday formally unveiling a new LNG-powered boat that will support its extensive oil and gas operations off the West Australian coast.
The new vessel, dubbed the Thiima, is the first of its kind to arrive in the southern hemisphere. The company is also preparing to support third parties in deploying what it has called "power in a box" - effectively small-scale LNG fuelled power stations that can be mobilised to remote mine sites.
Speaking in Perth, Mr Utsler said the international shipping market represented total demand for about 700 million tonnes a year of LNG if the entire industry converted to gas.
"The entire global market for LNG at the moment is 245 million tonnes (a year), so even if you only saw a small fraction, from an international shipping standpoint, convert. it could represent anything from a quarter to a third of the existing global marketplace for LNG just for the marine aspect," he said.
New international shipping laws that require ships to cut their emissions in the years ahead are expected to drive a big uptake in LNG-fuelled vessels, with about 200 already sailing in the northern hemisphere and as many more in construction.
Mr Utsler said Woodside was eyeing the potential for LNG to be used in trucking, locomotives, shipping and power in the Pilbara's iron ore industry.
"It's three billion litres of diesel consumed per year onshore in the Pilbara and five billion litres a year in marine fuels out of the Pilbara. That's billions of dollars of fuel use in the Pilbara alone," he said. "There's an attractive market opportunity for us as Woodside in our own backyard."
Beyond its efforts to open up new sources of LNG demand, Woodside is also showcasing its success in introducing artificial intelligence, data analytics and robotics to its operations.
Engineers from NASA are due to arrive at Woodside tomorrow as part of a collaboration between the two groups that will ultimately see NASA-developed robonauts deployed at Woodside's remote unmanned offshore oil and gas platforms.
Woodside is the first oil and gas company in the world to strike such a partnership with the space agency, thanks to what Woodside's chief technology officer Shaun Gregory said were the company's industry-leading investments into cognitive and analytic programs.
Information that previously would have taken weeks or months to dig out of Woodside's 30-plus years of data can now be found by the group's engineers in an instant, thanks to a search engine built by Woodside.
"They used to spend 80 per cent of their time trying to find the data; now they spend 80 per cent of their time on insights," Mr Gregory said.
Source: The AustralianPosted On:22-Feb-2017
Credits: www.hellenicshippingnews.com |
