SHIPS calling at Great Lakes ports are in a mad dash to get out before the St Lawrence Seaway annual freeze-up when the canal system closes for the winter December 30, reports American Shipper.
"With just under a month remaining in the 2015 navigation season, we anticipate vessel activity in the Seaway System to be robust right up to closing," said Betty Sutton, administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
"The 2015 shipping season has been a bellwether for North American economic trends," said Stephen Brooks, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.
"Ships are delivering cement, stone, gypsum, aluminum and machinery to support an eight-year high in US construction spending, along with growth in the automotive sector in Great Lakes states," Mr Brooks said.
Domestic general cargo via the Seaway saw an increase of 27.7 per cent this season, due mainly to increased shipments of aluminum ingots moving from Sept Iles, Quebec to ports in Oswego, NY, and Toledo, Ohio for the automotive industry and other uses.
"The Port of Milwaukee has really proven its value to our regional manufacturers with an increase in large-scale movements of machinery for both export and import," said Milwaukee's port director Paul Vornholt.
"We saw increased exports of grain and other bulk products moving to Quebec in recent shipments," said Rick Heimann, port director for the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbour.
"Quebec is a key trading partner for us because that region serves as a gateway to the Great Lakes in a similar way that our port serves as a gateway to the US Midwest and the extensive inland waterway system," he said.
Grain from Midwestern farms can be shipped on Great Lakes vessels from our port to Quebec and loaded onto larger ocean vessels for transatlantic shipments.
Marshall Islands commended for high standard shipboard armed guards rule
THE decision by Marshall Islands Registry to only authorise shipboard armed guards who have met ISO standards aboard its ships has been applauded by ESC Global Security, major independent security consultants, based in Tallinn, Estonia.
"ESC Global Security believes more flag states are likely to follow the Marshall Islands' lead and implement the recommendations," said the company statement.
"The Republic of the Marshall Islands has informed those companies with vessels under its flag that 'effective 1 January 2016, companies shall engage only those PMSCs [Private Maritime Security Companies] that are certified to the new ISO 28007-1:2015 standard by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) authorised certification body," the statement said.
The Marshall Islands, the world's third largest registry with a fleet of over 3,640 ships, is the first flag to implement the new rules following revised interim recommendations published in June's Maritime Safety Committee circular MSC.1/Circ.1406/Rev.
Now flag states should ensure that PMSCs onboard ships hold a valid ISO 28007-1:2015 certification.
"The main difference between the new standard and the existing ISO PAS 28007:2012 version is that it includes a clause to ensure PMSCs have measures and procedures in place that are compliant with international law on human rights," said the company statement.
"This is a new area for PMSC certification and a core aspect of ISO 28007-1:2015. It shows that PMSCs conform with all the relevant legal and regulatory obligations pertaining to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," its said.
ESC Global Security believes more flag states are likely to follow the Marshall Islands' lead and implement the recommendations
Further information about the new regulation is available here: Marine Notice No 2-011-39 Rev. 12/15. https://www.register-iri.com/forms/upload/MN-2-011-39.pdf
WORLD SHIPPING
13 December 2015 - 23:56
Dash to get out of St Lawrence Seaway as winter freeze-up approaches
SHIPS calling at Great Lakes ports are in a mad dash to get out before the St Lawrence Seaway annual freeze-up when the canal system closes for the winter December 30, reports American Shipper.
WORLD SHIPPING
13 December 2015 - 23:56
Dash to get out of St Lawrence Seaway as winter freeze-up approaches
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