Harbour Master
Harbour Masters
Worldwide there are approximately 3,000 merchant ports and the work of the Harbour Master can vary widely from country to country and from port to port even within the same country.

New safety guidance for the stowage of classified dangerous goods on board containerships has been published by the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS).
The new publication entitled: Safety Considerations for Ship Operators Related to Risk-Based Stowage of Dangerous Goods on Containerships can be downloaded from the CINS website here: www.cinsnet.com
This guidance has been prepared by CINS, the international container shipping line organisation, established with the remit of increasing safety in the supply chain, reducing the number of cargo incidents on-board ships and highlighting the risks caused both by certain cargoes and by packing failures.
These industry-developed safety considerations represent the first in a series of initiatives undertaken both by ship operators and by regulators specifically aimed at enhancing safety on board container ships.
The publication has been created in response to a number of serious fire incidents in recent years, often caused by deficiencies in cargo declaration and cargo packing. It both recognises and takes into account the significant complexities involved in achieving effective and compliant stowage of containers on board ships.
Prepared by a work group comprising CINS shipping line members, together with representatives of classification societies and insurance organisations, these safety considerations are intended to be used by ship operators, cargo carriers, and port personnel. They provide a risk-based dangerous goods stowage strategy, applying to all sizes of containerships.
New safety considerations within the publication complement, but do not replace, existing measures already developed and implemented by ship operators for the carriage of properly declared dangerous goods. Likewise, they do not replace the SOLAS and IMDG requirements for stowage and segregation, In fact, they will enhance requirements of these regulations.
Commenting on the significance of this new publication, CINS Chairman Uffe Ernst-Frederiksen notes: ‘Cargo-related incidents which result in fire and explosions are rooted in cargo problems. Subsequent investigations demonstrate a wide range of deficiencies relating to cargo presented for shipment. These deficiencies include erroneous classification and declaration; packing, segregation and securing not complying with IMDG or not following the CTU Code1; and packaging not complying with IMDG.
‘This new best-practice guidance for DG stowage is intended to help improve fire safety in our industry.’
About CINS
The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) is a shipping line organisation launched in 2011. Its aim is to increase safety in the supply chain, reduce the number of cargo incidents on board ships and highlight the risks caused by certain cargoes and/or packing failures.
CINS’s board comprises five of the world’s largest container shipping lines: Maersk Line, Hapag Lloyd, MSC, CMA CGM and Evergreen Line together with three Advisory Board Members (the International Group of P&I Clubs, TT Club and Exis Technologies).
Membership of CINS comprises over 85% of the world’s container slot capacity.
1 See here:
UNECE, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2014/wp24/CTU_Code_January_2014.pdf
A new report from the FAO shows that while most fish stocks remain overexploited, the number of stocks subject to overfishing has decreased for the first time in decades. This was announced from FAO HQ in Rome in mid-December. Readers are invited to see the full report here: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2429en
After decades of increasing human pressures on the Mediterranean and Black Sea marine ecosystems and fisheries resources, the latest data suggest that a corner is finally being turned on overexploitation of the region's vital fish stocks.
According to a new report on the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi 2020), released on 14 December, while 75% of fish stocks remain subject to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10% between 2014 and 2018. Exploitation ratios are down by a similar proportion. Taking into account newly assessed stocks, the number of fish stocks with high relative biomass has doubled since the last edition published in 2018.
Crew changes are once more becoming difficult as much of the world locks down again following the emergence of several new and more transmissible variants of Covid-19, crew specialist Danica has warned.
With travel corridors being closed and new travel restrictions imposed, airlines are once again cancelling or reducing flights which poses a problem for crew transiting to vessels. It is understood from Danica that ports too, if they have reopened, are imposing greater restrictions.
Henrik Jensen (pictured), Managing Director of Danica Crewing Services, has warned: ‘I believe we may be heading for a new crew change crisis every bit as bad as last spring. Over the past six months crew changes have been possible in many cases, although they have been costly and complex. However, now we are seeing a range of new restrictions and barriers to crew travel while also facing some serious issues in relation to crew health risk factors. I can foresee this impacting heavily on crew changes for the next few months.’
Danica specialises in crew deployment and has been assisting a range of ship operators in order to achieve crew changes over the past year. As a result, the company is fully aware of the latest rules and restrictions and well-placed to notice how they are impacting crewing.
Jensen explained: ‘In response to the rapid increase in infections around the world, governments are imposing new or additional measures including travel restrictions. Although these measures are understandable in the circumstances, based on scientific evidence, and intended to provide protection for their populations, they also cause operational and logistical problems for crew changes.