RINA management software chosen for fast cruise ferries

Italy’s leading cruise ferry operator Moby S.p.A. has chosen the RINA InfoSHIP software suite for managing maintenance and purchase processes across its entire thirteen-ship fleet.

RINA InfoSHIP Maintenance and Purchase Module (MP), developed in cooperation with IB Software and Consulting, facilitates and reduces the costs of management of planned and unplanned maintenance, stocking and inventory.

Paolo Moretti, General Manager Marine, RINA Services, says, “Moby operates a modern fleet of high capacity and high speed cruise ferries on demanding trades. Choosing this software will deliver cost and operational efficiency benefits and minimize downtime. The choice confirms our strong partnership with Moby and RINA’s ability to assist owners and operators with operational services.”

The package of software which Moby will deploy is the core of the InfoSHIP suite and is equipped with a wide range of features for encoding and building a model of the technical structure of the ship, for the creation of an on-board database, for the control of the entire range of maintenance activities, and for managing the supply chain of spare parts, consumables, services and material management.

Moby has already implemented the InfoSHIP MS (Quality & safety Management) package which has delivered:

·   Tracking hazardous occurrences (Accidents/ Incidents/ Near-Misses) and promoting preventive actions, improving safety standards on board.

·        Monitoring safety equipment and managing quality and compliance documents to support ISM and SMS requirements.

Moby S.p.A. operates five 2,000+ pax high speed cruise ferries, two 1,600 pax cruise ferries and six mid-size ferries on routes linking the Italian mainland with Sardinia, Corsica and Elba.

RINA is the global classification leader for passenger ferries and joint leader in the combined cruise and ferry market globally.

RINA Services S.p.A. is the RINA group company active in classification, certification, inspection and testing services. RINA is a multi-national group which delivers verification, certification, conformity assessment, marine classification, environmental enhancement, product testing, site and vendor supervision, training and engineering consultancy across a wide range of industries and services. RINA operates through a network of companies covering Marine, Energy, Infrastructures & Construction, Transport & Logistics, Food & Agriculture, Environment & Sustainability, Finance & Public Institutions and Business Governance. With a turnover of over 294 million Euros in 2013, over 2,500 employees, and 163 offices in 57 countries worldwide, RINA is recognized as an authoritative member of key international organizations and an important contributor to the development of new legislative standards.        

For a photo of a Moby fast cruise ferry go to http://bit.ly/1Mx6jR1  or e mail john@merlinco.com

VISIT RINA AT CRUISE SHIPPING MIAMI STAND NO 2159

Contacts:

Giulia Faravelli

Media Relations Manager RINA

+39 010 5385505

giulia.faravelli@rina.org

Victoria Silvestri

Media Relations RINA

+39 010 5385555

victoria.silvestri@rina.org

LISCR appoints new managing director for Hong Kong

The Liberian Registry has appointed shipping executive Gerry Buchanan as managing director of its dedicated office in Hong Kong.

As the recently retired president of Genco Shipping & Trading, Gerry Buchanan’s experience spans an extensive career in the management and operation of a wide array of ships. After successful careers with Denholm Ship Management and Canada Steamship Lines, Gerry was appointed as the managing director of Wallem Ship Management in Hong Kong. In 2005 he was appointed president of Genco Shipping & Trading, where he joined the team which oversaw the company’s successful transition from a private entity to a publicly traded company on first NASDQ and then the New York Stock Exchange.

Gerry says, “I relish the challenge of joining the world’s most innovative and responsive ship registry, helping it strengthen still further its position in an area of strategic importance for international trade and shipping. Hong Kong is a ship management stronghold, and I am looking forward to using my contacts, knowledge and experience to the advantage of the Liberian Registry and the continually growing number of shipowners whose vessels fly the Liberian flag.”

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “Gerry is the latest in a number of key executive appointments made by the Registry as we continue to strengthen our global presence and add further value to the services and expertise which we provide to owners and managers worldwide.

“Gerry has a unique blend of seagoing, shore-based and executive management, and we are delighted to have secured the services of such a highly regarded, experienced and knowledgeable person. Gerry has lived and worked in India, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong and the US, so he has the global outlook necessary to operate effectively in the shipping industry. We welcome him back to Hong Kong.”

www.liscr.com

ITIC launches ship management e-learning seminar

International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has launched an e-learning seminar to help ship managers successfully negotiate the pitfalls they may encounter when asked to sign letters of undertaking.

Particularly in today’s difficult financial markets, ITIC is frequently asked to comment on letters of undertaking which ship managers are asked to sign. The e-learning seminar, conducted by ITIC legal adviser Mark Brattman, highlights some general points which ship managers should be aware of.

Letters of undertaking are traditionally documents provided by a bank or other lender or financial institution, and typically state that the ship manager will observe a number of undertakings relating mainly to claims priorities and the right to obtain security.

Mark Brattman says, “Ship managers must take care when asked to sign these documents. The original ship management agreement is with the owner, who remains the manager’s principal. The ship manager must not agree to any letter of undertaking unless the manager has the owner’s full permission to do so, because some of the terms can be contrary to the interests of the owner.

“If the letter of undertaking substantially alters the ship management agreement, the manager may need to consult with its professional indemnity insurer. It is important to remember that, in signing such an undertaking, the manager could be giving up its right to recover funds that it may be owed.”

The e-learning seminar guides ship managers through the purpose of a letter of undertaking, key issues to consider and how a letter of undertaking might affect cover with ITIC. A mock ship managers’ undertaking wording can be accessed and read in conjunction with the seminar.

For more details of the seminar, go to http://www.itic-insure.com/knowledge-zone/e-learning-seminars/ship-managers-undertakings/#seminar


ITIC is managed by Thomas Miller. More details about the club and the services it offers can be found on ITIC’s website at www.itic-insure.com


For more information:
Charlotte Kirk
ITIC
Tel. +44 (0)20 7338 0150
Fax. +44 (0)20 7338 0151
charlotte.kirk@thomasmiller.com

Bad vibrations lead to costly dispute for shipmanager

International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has emphasised the importance of shipmanagers using the right contracts and having appropriate insurance in place to cover the legal costs of defending even weak claims.

In the latest edition of its Claims Review, ITIC relates the case of a shipmanager which took on the management of a vessel. One of its duties under the BIMCO Shipman 98 management agreement was to provide crew for and on behalf of the owners. In 2004, while the vessel was heading towards Shanghai, the master reported that it had experienced “excessive vibration” after passing close to a buoy marking a wreck.

After the master had left the ship at Shanghai and returned home, the shipmanager received an anonymous fax from the vessel, advising that it had actually hit a wreck. When the vessel reached its final destination it was drydocked, and damage was noted. Under the terms of the management agreement, the shipmanager was a co-assured under the hull policy, but the owner started arbitration proceedings against it, claiming that substantial additional costs had been incurred. The claim was based on an allegation that the shipmanager was vicariously liable for the actions of the master.

Wide-ranging allegations were also made to the effect that there had been significant tension, distrust and acrimony between the master and some of the vessel’s officers, which were a direct cause of the damage to the ship. The defence of the shipmanager was that, under the terms of the management agreement, it had no liability for the negligence of the crew. Rather, the manager’s sole obligation was to provide an appropriately qualified crew.

Negotiations and investigations by experts and lawyers continued for the next five years, and substantial costs were incurred. The arbitration hearing was scheduled to take place in early 2010 but, by late 2009, the owner (probably realising that its claim for crew negligence was unlikely to succeed) served an entirely revised claim, backed up by a lengthy report from an expert. The claim was fundamentally altered and was now focused on the shipmanager’s application of the ISM code and the role of the ‘designated person ashore’. A further allegation was made that the bridge team, or at least the principle members of it, were suffering from fatigue at the time of the incident and that the shipmanager should have been aware of this.

By this time, the costs of investigation and preparing the defence had reached $659,000. A defence was submitted on behalf of the manager that, on the evidence available, there was no error in navigation and so the claimant’s case could not be proven. Although ITIC’s lawyers were confident that the claim could be successfully defended, it was recognised that the hearing could last up to seven days, resulting in legal costs in the region of $560,000, in addition to $659,000 already spent preparing the defence.

In 2011, the owner made an offer to settle the claim on a ‘drop hands’ basis, with each side bearing its own costs. Although the shipmanager felt that it had been presented with an extremely weak case, it was not possible to completely rule out the possibility of adverse findings. Accordingly, the offer was accepted.

ITIC says, “This case shows how important it is to use the right contract and to have insurance and knowledgeable assistance to cover the legal costs and support and time needed to defend even weak claims. The defence of a shipmanager is always expensive and very time-consuming.”

Copies of the ITIC Claims Review can be requested from: chris@merlinco.com

ITIC is managed by Thomas Miller. More details about the club and the services it offers can be found on ITIC’s website at www.itic-insure.com.

For more information:
Charlotte Kirk
ITIC
Tel. +44 (0)20 7338 0150
Fax. +44 (0)20 7338 0151
charlotte.kirk@thomasmiller.com

Graig to manage Chinese-owned vessel

Cardiff-based Graig Ship Management Limited has taken delivery of the 79,600 dwt bulk-carrier King Peace, for which it is providing full technical management and crewing on behalf of Shanghai-based Zhong An Shipping. The vessel was built at China’s Wu Jia Zui Shipyard under the supervision of Graig China Ltd.

Ian Morgan, ceo of Graig Ship Management, says, “This is an important new contract, because it is the first for us as a UK ship manager to manage a Chinese-owned, Chinese-built and Chinese-crewed vessel. It makes a lot of sense, we know the ship inside out because we helped build it, we know bulk carriers and we know China. China is a massive market for maritime expertise and we see this as a first step to a growing business becoming a local ship manager for Chinese owners.”

Managing ships for Chinese owners is a logical step for Graig, which began business in China in 1995, building ships there for itself, then building up expertise in newbuilding supervision and Chinese yard capabilities to help other Western owners to get the best out of China. The next step was to help Chinese yards with new designs, such as the Diamond bulk carriers, and to supervise newbuildings for Chinese owners.

Twenty-two of Graig’s current newbuilding supervision contracts are for Chinese owners, a series of eighteen 76,000 dwt bulkers being built at Jiangsu Rongsheng for Minsheng Financial Leasing Co and four 45,000 dwt bulkers for Shanghai Xiang An Electric Power Shipping Co being built at Chengxi Shipyard. Says Morgan, “We hope to build on this expertise in China to help more Chinese owners to build good ships and manage them efficiently in the global marketplace.”

The Graig Group is a broad-based international shipowning and shipping services group delivering technical and commercial ship management, newbuilding supervision, lay-up services, ship design, ship owning and ship finance to global clients who appreciate personal service.

Graig has been building, managing and owning ships since 1919. Today it provides technical management and crewing for a mixed fleet of vessels on behalf of a number of owners. It has supervised over 120 newbuildings for itself and major shipowners. It provides technical consultancy services to a major European bank with a portfolio of 90 vessels. It develops innovative designs such as the Diamond bulk carriers and it can source yards and finance and provide newbuilding supervision and follow up with in service management. Based in the UK, Graig has offices in Cardiff, London, Shanghai and Singapore.

You can use the download button to get a hi res photo of the King Peace from:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/Graig

or e mail john@merlinco.com

For more information contact:
Ian Morgan
Graig
44 2920 440 200
ian.morgan@graig.com