Rena officers released from jail
Officers of the Rena held responsible for the vessel running aground last year have been released from prison. In May the master of the ship Mauro Balomaga and navigation officer Leonil Relon were sentenced to seven months behind bars for the incident in October last year when their container ship ran aground at Astrolabe Reef.
Salvage teams have now recovered 1003 containers from the wreckage. This leaves 365, with most around the wreck site or in the stern section, according to a report from Maritime New Zealand.
Pirates are holding hijacked vessels for longer
Vessels are being held by pirates for longer periods while the volume of pirate attacks on merchant ships are decreasing, say maritime security experts.
On average, the amount of time a vessel is held is now 289 days and that duration is increasing, US Commander Kenneth Klima from the Pacific Maritime Liaison Unit told delegates at the Ports and Maritime Security conference in Sydney recently.
Pirates are holding hijacked vessels for longer
Vessels are being held by pirates for longer periods while the volume of pirate attacks on merchant ships are decreasing, say maritime security experts.
On average, the amount of time a vessel is held is now 289 days and that duration is increasing, US Commander Kenneth Klima from the Pacific Maritime Liaison Unit told delegates at the Ports and Maritime Security conference in Sydney recently.
Australia and US target money laundering
Customs and immigration authorities in Australia and the US have signed an agreement to work together to combat crimes associated with imports and exports.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Australia’s Customs and Border Protection Service will target trade-based money laundering, customs fraud, movement of counterfeit goods and other import-export crimes.
Anger over stevedore side-loader fee
Industry executives have expressed displeasure over a new fee being imposed on operators of side-loader trucks at the Patrick container terminal in Port Botany.
Citing an increase in the use of side-loader trucks at its Port Botany container terminal, Patrick will be introducing a fee of $100 plus GST for every side-loader truck visit, as of October 25, 2012.