Racism evident in the way New Zealand is tackling the RENA grounding issue?

An interesting and topical article, appended, seeing how the complete "system" in New Zealand seems to be coming together to criminalise the Second Officer and the Master of the RENA, who happen to be Asians (Philipinos), while conveniently ignoring the consequential and direct responsibilities and accountabilities of the people who in the first case set the schedules for this ship and MSC's CAPRICORN SERVICE and then also approved it.

If the New Zealand authotities had even the least bit of interest in finding out why this grounding really happened, then they need to get further with the shipping lines, MSC or competitors, and see what sort of complicity there was in setting thee schedules. Maybe some inconvenient truths will then emerge - who are the people who push such brutal and killing port rotations?

Even a taxi driver in New Zealand is not permitted to work more than 10-hours a day, here within National territorial waters, seafarers often work double that amount per day, basis schedules approved by the authorities.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/rena-highlights-flag-convenience-issue/5/105014

Rena highlights flag of convenience issue
:
Voxy News Engine Friday, 21 October, 2011 - 09:41 Manila - The International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation, laments the tragic incident involving the vessel MV Rena of Liberian registry, which ran aground the Astrolabe Reef at the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

The damage to New Zealand's ecosystem is enormous, with the oil spill that has already claimed the lives of 1,290 birds, 4 other animals, and that has injured seals, marine life and birds.

The trauma, fear and physical sufferings of the mostly Filipino crew on board, who were made to stay on board the tilting ship for six days without rescue, highlights the human and environmental damage that this incident has caused.

This is further worsened by some racist and extreme right elements in New Zealand who blame the national origin of the Filipino crew for the incident, in order to launch a racist attack on the some 20,000 Filipino migrants who are now in New Zealand.

This is an accident that is waiting to happen. Without pre-empting the results of the on going maritime investigation, this incident reveals the half a century old problem of substandard shipping and the use of Flags of Convenience by unscrupulous shipowners to reduce cost and to amass more profit.

The MV Rena is flying the Flag of Convenience of Liberia although the real or beneficial owners are Greek.

It is an old and substandard vessel that was built in 1990.

For the past 36 months, 50% of inspection for deficiencies resulted in the detention of the vessel.

Last July, 21, 2011 it was inspected and detained in Fremantle , Australia for 17 deficiencies. It is not surprising then, that this vessel would figure, sooner or later, in an accident of this sort.

Many incidents involving substandard vessels flying Flags of Convenience tragically led not only to massive oil spills but to the loss of human lives.

This is regardless of the color of the skin, or of the racial origins of the officers and men crewing these vessels.

We at ISAC condemn the Flag of Convenience system and the proliferation of substandard ships that is the root of maritime disasters occurring all over the world. We are one with the people of New Zealand who shall be battling the effects of this environmental tragedy for many years to come.

Finally we stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of seafarers of all races and nationality who are driven by extreme economic hardships at home and who have no other recourse but to work on substandard ships and Flags of Convenience, undaunted by the serious risks to their lives and limbs.

Oppose the Flag of Convenience system! Ensure decent work for seafarers! Keep our seas safe! - International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation - www.isac.org.ph - isacinfo.seafarers@gmail.com

mv RENA (MSC chartered container ship aground in New Zealand) / AMSA reports

https://www.amsa.gov.au/Shipping_Safety/Port_State_Control/Ship_Detention/201107.asp





Ship name:RENA
IMO:8806802
Flag:LIBERIA
Ship type:container ship
GT:37209
Deadweight:
Year keel laid:1989
Cargo type:containers
Classification Society:American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
ISM issuing authority:Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
Last special survey:04.2010
IMO registered owner:5567387
Registered owner:Daina Shipping Co, LIBERIA
IMO company:1996297
ISM company:Ciel Shipmanagement SA, GREECE
Charterer:MSC Australia
Date time of detention:21.07.2011 @ 14:00
Port of detention:Fremantle, WA, AUSTRALIA
Date time of release:22.07.2011 @ 20:15
Port of release:Fremantle, WA, AUSTRALIA
Detention period:1 d 6 h 15 min
Delayed beyond scheduled sailing time:0 d 14 h 15 min
Recognised organisation attended:Yes
ISM issuing authority attended:No
Serious deficiencies related to RO:Hatchway cover securing arrangements defective.
Incorrectly tensioned quick action cleat for hatch cover
Cracked compression rubber pad and rusted adjustment thread and not on quick acting cleat
Serious deficiencies relating to ISM:Nil.
Other serious deficiencies:Cargo not stowed and secured as per cargo securing manual.
Securing pins for lashing bar not original
Vessel has not been maintained between surveys.
Conditions of release:MF/HF radio equipment, hatch cover securing arrangements & cargo securing equipment to be permanently repaired as per Flag dispensation.

More updates on the MSC chartered FOC ship RENA off New Zealand

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/5762082/Rena-riddled-with-problems

 

Rena 'riddled with problems'

The Maritime Union claims the Rena was riddled with problems, including issues with its charts, which could explain how it ended up getting stuck on a Tauranga reef.

The union released a statement today, claiming Maritime New Zealand found multiple deficiencies with the cargo vessel when it carried out an inspection on the ship in Bluff on September 28.

Prime Minister John Key is calling for answers on how the Liberian-flagged 235m vessel became stuck on the reef in the early hours of October 5.

The Maritime Union says it has information that the Rena had many deficiencies, including problems with its charts, "a possible clue as to how the vessel may have ended up running into the Astrolabe Reef at top speed".

It wants MNZ to release all of its reports on the ship and confirm whether it was aware of problems with the ship, including charts.

If MNZ was aware of the problems then it needed to explain why the Rena was allowed to sail on the New Zealand coast, the union's general secretary Joe Fleetwood said.

A spokesperson for MNZ said they would not release the most recent inspection report on Rena because it formed part of the ongoing investigation.

Fleetwood said the ship's grounding was a major shipping hazard, "with threats from oil and chemical spillage, the safe evacuation of crew and the possibility the vessel will break up".

"As a union our first concern is that the crew are safe and well and no one is endangered in the salvage operation. But we also want to quickly get answers that throw some light on why we are in this situation in the first place."

Fleetwood said that the union had a "source" who confirmed the Rena had multiple deficiencies.  They included issues with maintenance and equipment, propulsion main engine, covers and doors, lighting, stowage of lifeboats, emergency fire pump and the auxiliary engine.

Fleetwood said many of these deficiencies were similar to problems reported by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority during inspections of the Rena in Australia.

RENA grounding in NA, or "MSC charter once again" . . .

Very interesting investigatives on the RENA grounding off Astrolabe/New Zealand.

http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/10/who-owns-rena.html

Who Owns Rena?

Written by The Jackal at 11:34 AM

Recently deceased Sammy and Yuli Ofer

I first became interested in who actually owns the MV Rena, a ship that ran aground on Wednesday night causing a large oil spill in the Bay of Plenty, because the mainstream media was failing to report this information.

Something felt very wrong about the lack of disclosure and National's slow response to this disaster... and it appears my hunch was right!

The MV Rena, which was built in Germany in 1990 is currently registered to the Ofer Brothers Group, an Israeli company with ties to the Israeli military. The company's holdings include Zim, Israel Chemicals, Oil Refineries Ltd (BAZAN) in Haifa, Bank Mizrahi, Tower Semiconductor and more.

During the 1960s ZIM started to transport crude oil from Iran to Israel, and oil byproducts from Israel to Europe. The 1970s saw ZIM expanding into the container shipping business and in the 1990s ZIM had 15 more ships built in Germany. At this time, the ownership of ZIM was divided between the Israeli government and Hachevra Le-Israel.

In 1999, the Ofer Brothers Group became the controlling shareholder of ZIM and In 2004, the Ofer Group-controlled Israel Corporation acquired the Israeli Government’s remaining Zim shares, completing the privatization of the company.

The new official name after privatization became Zim Integrated Shipping Services. The purchase deal for about five hundred million New Israeli Shekels was severely criticized as being undervalued.

The MV Rena under its previous name the Andaman Sea

Zim-American Israeli Shipping Company have also been accused of helping in the theft of nuclear cores from Pantex nuclear facility near Amarillo, Texas. The cores were transported by refrigeration trucks to the port of Houston and then transferred to refrigeration containers, which were loaded onto ZIM ships. This report and many others claim ZIM has close links with Israels institute for intelligence and special Mossad operations. The plutonium cores were shipped to Israel and Dimona.

In May this year the Ofer Brothers Group was added to the U.S. State Department sanctions list and accused of being part of a deal to sell Iranians a tanker for $8.65 million. The sanctions barred Ofer Brothers Group from securing financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, from obtaining loans over $10 million from U.S. financial institutions and from receiving U.S. export licenses. However on 13 September the Israeli holding company was removed from the sanctions blacklist. Two other companies also owned by the Ofer conglomerate were substituted, one a corporate manager and the other a ship-owning company. Allvale Maritime Inc. (based in Liberia) and Société Anonyme Monégasque D’Administration Maritime Et Aérienne (SAMAMA) (based in Monaco).

A State Department official today admitted that it sanctioned the wrong entity in its May 24th announcement, stating:

"In issuing this clarification, our intent was to sanction the specific entities in the Sammy Ofer shipping organization that were responsible for providing a tanker to Iran. The use of the name ‘Ofer Brothers Group,’ a commonly used trade name, caused confusion for some banks and companies that were trying to comply with U.S. sanctions. The complex nature of the conglomerate's business structure necessitated that we take the time to look closely at these companies in order to ensure that we were identifying the precise legal names of the entities directly responsible for the sanctionable transaction.

In June it was reported that Ofer Brothers Ships were found to be carrying IDF choppers for secret missions that may have included surveillance in Iran’s nuclear sites. The ships that allegedly docked in Iranian ports may have concealed helicopters in special shipping containers.

In August this year, Australia detained the MV Rena because of cracked and rusted parts. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority after “serious deficiencies” were found detained the vessel for a day in Fremantle, Western Australia. The authority's report found the vessel had "not been maintained between surveys", the "hatchway cover securing arrangements are defective" and cargo was not stowed and secured as stipulated in the cargo-securing manual.

Despite the Rena being beached in New Zealand’s territorial waters, authorities were not allowed to board the vessel to breath test the crew to ensure drunkenness was not a reason for the accident. 

The hazardous substance that authorities have confirmed is being transported by the Rena is Ferrosilicon, which is used by the military to quickly produce hydrogen. The chemical reaction uses sodium hydroxide, ferrosilicon, and water. The materials are stable and not combustible, and they do not generate large amounts of hydrogen until mixed. Ferrosilicon will slowly release hydrogen when in contact with water.

There are numerous other questionable activities of the Ofer Brothers Group and their subsidiaries. The few that I have listed should raise serious concerns about the safety and cargo of Rena.

Rena's Former name(s)

Andaman Sea (Until 2010 Nov 24) Flag: Malta - Call sign: 9HAB8
Zim America (Until 2007 Mar 12)
Andaman Sea (Until 2007 Jan 29) - Operator: ZIM

Name: Rena
IMO Number: 8806802
MMSI: 636014911
Callsign: A8XJ7
Current flag: Liberia
Home port: Monrovia


Class society: American Bureau Of Shipping
Builder: Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft Kiel, Germany
Current owner: Ofer Brothers Group Herzliyya, Israel
Owner under name Andaman Sea: ZIM Integrated Shipping
Manager: Ciel Ship management Athens, Greece 
Chartered to: Costamare Inc.

Voyage Related Info (Last Received)

Draught: 9.6 m
Destination: TAURANGA
ETA: 2011-10-05 13:00
 

Speed recorded (Max / Average): 17.7 / 17 knots
Speed marching: 21 kn
Main engine: 8RTA76
1240 KW, 8 cylidners, Cegielski Poznan - Poland

Build year: 1990
Vessell type: Container Ship
Hull: Double, Dry Cargo

Maximum TEU capacity: 3351
Gross tonnage: 37,209 tons
Summer Dead Weight: 47,230 tons
Handling equipment: (swl 6,1 Tons)
LOA (Length Overall): 235
Beam: 32

 

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And also:-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5741896/Could-ship-be-a-scavengers-bonanza

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Meanwhile, MSC have issued the following statement which can be seen here:-

http://www.mscgva.ch/news/news_detail_eid_403_lid_2.html

"MSC chartered mv RENA from Costamare Inc. to carry some of its cargo. MSC is neither the owner of the vessel nor responsible for its navigation"

Anybody who has been on a ship chartered from one of the container lines knows about the pressures to maintain schedules and reach ports faster and other such issues. Is it MSC's contention that there were no interactions between the ship and them?

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What really happened to the BELUGA NOMINATION in Somalia?

Every piracy and hijacking episode has its own human toll, which is seldom ever revealed, but the episode involving the BELUGA NOMINATION stands out for a variety of reasons. Of late, violence against seafarers seems to have grown from bad to worse, and those on board BELUGA NOMINATION's experienced some of the worst leading to multiple deaths and injuries.

BELUGA, a German company, has been in financial trouble for quite some time now. About 50 of its 140-odd vessels are currently impounded or in trouble worldwide for fiduciary reasons, and more are re-possesed or trade under other fundamentals Even the BELUGA NOMINATION, by the time it was released, had been renamed NOMINATION.

Seized on 22jan2011, she was on a voyage from Italy via Malta to South Korea via Seychelles, carrying cargo listed as "steel" but actually much else - including structurals, boats and yachts. This company is known to be in the business of delivering arms globally, also, and till today it has not been revealed what cargo she was actually carrying.

The crew were able to withstand the attack for 49 hours in the citadel, and even managed to steer and control the vessel while inside. However, despite the presence of naval forces nearby, no action was taken to remove the pirates - who finally broke into the citadel using blow-torches and gas-operated cutting tools.

Initially, the vessel was part of the convoy leaving the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and despite reports of pirates circling the convoy looking for stragglers, the vessel chose to break away from the convoy in full sight of the pirates, who then followed her. With a slow speed, loaded down to her marks with deck cargo visible, and a 2 metre freeboard as a heavy-lift carrier small general cargo ship, she was a sitting duck target - and other ships in the convoy wondered.

In the initial turmoil due to the citadel being breached, two seafarers managed to escape - the Ukranian 2nd Officer launched the lifeboat and a Filipino cook jumped into the water to get into the boat, and were rescued by the Danish warship HDMS ESBERN SNARE, which was suddenly on-scene.Two more seafarers who jumped into the water went missing, and a pirate was killed in the fighting that followed, after which yet another seafarer was killed in retribution.

It was after this that the naval ships nearby, Danish and Seychelles Coast Guard, also fired on the engine room to disable the ship. Why they did not do this before the citadel was breached is yet unknown, some attribute it to lack of information on the explosive nature of the cargo as well as communication with the Master of the ship, which as mentioned before was carrying some probably undeclared cargo in the holds.

After this, the pirates brough the Long Range Mother Ship, the previously pirated gas tanker YORK, and used her engine crew to work and repair the BELUGA NOMINATION, after which both sailed back to the Somali coast.

It was also reported that the Chief Engineer of the BELUGA NOMINATION died under terrible circumstances.

As this blog is written, the NOMINATION (as she is now called) is now released and in safe waters, the status of cargo onboard as well as seafarers is not reliably known, and interim since the owners, managers and operators have all changed, the only remaining thread is with the insurance company - Danish company SKULD.

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The BELUGA NOMINATION episode, if and when the truth about the remaining 6 or 7 seafarers from the original 12 or 14 is revealed, brings out many important issues:-

# Management companies are still not able to do much, despite being the link, for seafarers. The seafarers onboard this ship were covered under an ITF agreement between Marlowe Navigation and Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, both of whom were not able to do much.

# The situation with number of ships currently seized and seafarers being held captive is grossly under-stated. According to one EU-NAVFOR report, the actual number of ships and seafarers is double that of official figures - there are many piracy incidents which are simply not revealed.

# The old method of citadels built around steering gears and after peak tanks will not work, and citadels will have to be built to withstand at least 7 days of effort, to permit naval ships to take action, especially if it involves coordination with multiple entities representing owners, charterers, flag state, cargo receivers, ITF, insurers and other interests.

# Seafarers own insurance terms and conditions for working in piracy areas need to be defined more clearly, in advance, and next of kin taken into confidence at all times.

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There is much that is still unknown about what actually happened with the crew on the BELUGA NOMINATION. And this was one of the so-called "best of breed" European owners, with European officers and Philipino crew, all covered by a variety of agreements. And half of them now dead.

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