News
ISU: Fresh Thinking Needed
International Salvage Union (ISU) President Arnold Witte called on all sectors of the shipping and insurance industries to approach the issue of salvage and spill prevention with "fresh thinking and open minds." Speaking at the ISU's Associate Members' Day conference in London last month, he said the cost of failure to prevent pollution can run into billions. Against this background he urged the P&I community - responsible for payment of pollution claims - to accept that new approaches to reward for salvage and spill prevention have a significant role to play in reducing the financial impact of pollution claims and, at the same time, contributing to lower levels of ecological and economic damage. Many shipowners as well as the P& I Clubs do not accept that there is any case for an Environmental Salvage Award. We will be working privately and, hopefully, with some intensity in the coming months with the P& I Clubs, as well as owners and property insurers, to convince them that there is a more beneficial approach to environmental issues. Over 120 delegates attended the London conference. The ISU President said: "It is time to work together to review a set of outmoded legal obligations, recognizing that the primary goal in most salvage operations today is to prevent pollution. These services deserve much greater recognition and we now need a more equitable system for remunerating the salvor. We also believe that more focus on environmental salvage will be financially beneficial to all concerned. An investment in Environmental Salvage Awards would be far outweighed by a reduction in pollution claims costs. The ISU would welcome the opportunity to put this to the test, by introducing Environmental Salvage Awards for a trial period." Witte continued: "Fears that this would mean a huge increase in salvage costs are groundless. Additional costs
Salvor can be Required to Disclose Submerged Wreck Locale
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that a salvor can, in some circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, be required to disclose the precise location of a submerged wreck before the court grants salvage rights. In the instant case, plaintiff salvors assert that they located a submerged wreck of historical importance in Lake Michigan. They brought an in rem admiralty action in federal court seeking an arrest warrant for the wreck. The State of Michigan intervened, claiming title to the wreck under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act. The federal court directed the salvors to disclose the precise location of the wreck so that the State of Michigan could determine whether the wreck was both abandoned and embedded in the state's submerged lands. When the salvors refused to provide the location (out of concern that the federal court might then lose jurisdiction to the State), the court dismissed the proceeding. Plaintiff salvors appealed the dismissal. On appeal, the court ruled that the federal court has authority to take sufficient steps to secure federal jurisdiction over the claim. Great Lakes Exploration Group v. Unidentified Wreck, No. 06-2584 (HK Law).
ISU President Arnold Witte.
would apply only when significant pollution damage is avoided. In fact, we believe the Clubs would save money by backing Environmental Salvage Awards. In our view, the best way forward is to work on a new edition of Lloyd's Form, LOF 2010, to incorporate Environmental Salvage Awards."
Faster Through Europe's Largest River Mouth
The Gironde Delta, Europe's largest estuary in the south-west of France, is well-known not only among wine connoisseurs. The Bordeaux region, synonymous with high-class wines, is situated in the D�partement Gironde, directly at the Atlantic coast. A ferry service runs across a six-km stretch between the picturesque towns of Verdon sur Mer and Royan. This ferry connection saves passengers a detour of approximately 155 km and/or a car trip lasting some three hours. The double-ended ferry "La Gironde," fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP), entered service in 2002. Now it will receive a sister ship, also installed with VSPs. Owing to large tidal differences, the river mouth of the Gironde into the Gulf of Biscay is characterized by strong currents. Varying flow directions and fierce, blustery winds aggravate ferry traffic. Already during the construction of "La Gironde" criteria such as high sailing stability and reliability proved to be the main incentive for the ship owner to decide in favor of the Voith Schneider Propeller as the ferry's propulsion system. Independently of the direction of prevailing currents, the VSP operates with continuously high efficiency and thus ensures a safe and economical ferry connection. Just like the first ferry, the new ship specifies a draught limit of only 2.6 m. "As a result of this limitation and the required sailing speed of at least 13.6 knots, the drive of the new ferry had to be divided into four VSPs size 21R5/135-2," said Peter Sartori of Voith Turbo Schneider Propulsion. The new ferry will be built at the French shipyard Chantier Piriou in Concarneau, Brittany, and is expected to take up service in spring 2010. It is owned by the public authority Conseil G�n�ral de la Gironde, which also operates the sister ship "La Gironde." As a preventive measure, the authority has ordered a fifth propeller as a spare. The "Gironde" offers room for 600 passengers and 138 cars or alternatively six trucks plus 93 cars. It is 78 m long and 18.3 m wide. In order to ensure a swift crossing of the six kilometerwide river, the ship is designed for a target speed of 13.6 knots. In recent years, ferry traffic has increased significantly, not least because of the area's growing popularity with tourists. Each ferry gets through approximately 6,000 operating hours per year.
The double-ended ferry La Gironde, fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP), entered service in 2002. It will now receive a sister ship, also installed with VSPs.
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