DNV Customer Presentation: Golden Union. Also in this issue: IMO changes its mind, Timber deck cargoes and SOLAS revision.
Golden unionDate: 12 February 2008
Golden Union
The Golden Union Shipping Company will shortly be celebrating 28 years of operation in the dry bulk sector. Today, this company, which has more than 25 bulk carriers of close to 2,500,000 tons DWT - predominantly Panamax size but with five modern Capes - is looking to the future with optimism.
Editorial: Double skin – single skin
At the time of writing, the 78th session of the Marine Safety Committee (MSC 78) has just come to an end. I dare say that the outcome of a MSC meeting has seldom been observed with more interest by the world’s bulk carrier owners and newbuilding yards.
The IMO changes its mind ondouble hull bulk carriers
At the 78th session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 78), the proposed SOLAS CH XII as drafted by the sub-committee on Design and Equipment (DE47) in March of this year, which required future bulk carriers to be of double side skin (DSS) construction, was rejected and the IMO ditched the plans to make double hulls mandatory as from 2006.
Is there a problem with timber deck cargoes?
Many masters/operators have discovered a conflict between the damage stability requirements (SOLAS Ch II-1 Reg.25) and the need to have a reasonable GoM value for the securing of the cargo (avoiding excessive transverse accelerations). So the question one has to ask is whether this is a problem related to contradictory regulations, a design problem or not a problem at all!
IMO backtracks on SOLAS XII revision
At the 78th session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 78) the proposed amendment to SOLAS chapter XII was reversed and IMO has now ditched plans to make double hull mandatory from 2006. A draft proposal, made by the sub-committee on Design and Equipment in March this year, required that all future bulk carriers be of double side skin (DSS) construction.
Dry bulk market softening further
The dry bulk boom experienced since last autumn has had a big impact on all dry bulk commodity markets.