ShareThis
A safe track record in terms of oil spills has gradually become the norm across the tanker shipping segment, despite the fact that recently there has been a spate of serious casualty incidents involving bulk carriers and container ships for which early indications suggest severe hull failure.
According to the latest report from shipbroker Gibson, "while any incident of this nature is regrettable, the shipping industries safety record has considerably improved not just because improvement in the age profile of the fleet, but also tighter regulatory measures adopted across the industry over the past quarter of a century as well as a major rethink in attitudes towards safety and the environment. Of course the focus of this report is on tankers and the latest statistics published by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) makes the point that increased oil movements imply increased risk of spills. Over the last quarter of a century, seaborne crude and product trade has almost doubled, while at the same time tankers have also grown in size to cope with heavier demands. ITOPF’s latest statistics show that no large spills were recorded for 2012 and they report that the total amount of oil lost to the environment is the lowest on record, with 7 medium spills which equates to an average of approx. 100 tons per incident", Gibson noted.
The London-based shipbroker added that "ITOPF records can be questioned as there are almost certainly spillages in some of the remote areas where incidents go unreported. However, the ITOPF report clearly shows the general trend is downwards and the commitment by the tanker industry of not just maintaining these standards but improving them. Tankers are probably the heaviest regulated sector of the shipping industry. Many of today’s standards have been developed as a result of past spill incidents, which has led to the modern double hull fleet apparent today. With the introduction of measures to reduce bunker consumption, such as slow steaming and the advent of de-rated engines, it is possible that we could be increasing the risk of a major tanker spill unless steps are taken to ensure that these necessary solutions are not abused. ITOPF’s list of major oil spills include the BRAER, which spilt 85,000 tonnes of crude of the Shetland Islands 20 years ago following engine failure in heavy weather. So we still need to ensure that the new breed of tankers have sufficient power to deal with the worst conditions that nature can throw at them", Gibson said.
It concluded its analysis by mentioning that "certainly tankers will be spending more time at sea, even if it is just waiting for cargoes - there is no room for complacency. It may be too early to tell if the above measures will impact on safety aspects within the industry. One thing that we all agree on in the industry is to maintain and even improve the excellent safety record of tankers, despite the bad press the industry still seems to attract".
Meanwhile, in the crude tanker markets this week, in the Middle East, Gibson said that "a steady enough week for VLCCs in terms of volume, and there was some small compensation for higher bunker prices gained, but owners still failed to find enough muscle to power the market into noticeably improved TCE territory. The September end -game is now well underway and sentiment is certainly hardening, so any large scale pre-emptive strike by charterers on the October programme could quickly convert into something more meaningful. owners can only hope. Suezmaxes initially drifted a little lower, but activity then picked up somewhat, and rates ticked up again to 130,000 by WS 55+ to the East and close to WS 35 to the West, though nothing spectacular looks on the cards. Aframaxes struggled manfully, but in the end failed to hold the line. Rates dipped to 80,000 by WS 80 to Singapore, and look set to stay pegged for a while yet.
In the North Sea, Gibson noted that "eate erosion continued steadily in the Aframax sector. Not as severely as last week, but it was still downwards, nonetheless. 80,000 Cross UKC now moves at WS 80 and 100,000 from the Baltic at down to ws57.5 with further easing possible. Suezmaxes saw the usual sprinkling of interest with 135,000 by WS 47.5 typical for US Gulf discharge, whilst VLCCs found a few rare partners for Eastern runs where rates bobbed back to an average US$33.25 million for Fuel Oil to Singapore.
Post to be found at:
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/News.aspx?ElementId=741e8575-19b9-4d1d-8d95-8c8b0f641100&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily
No comments:
Post a Comment