Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Capt. Silverio Balbuena CARACAS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Armed assailants murdered the captain of an oil tanker after boarding his ship while it was anchored off the coast of eastern Venezuela, according to a local union leader and a report from a Venezuelan port authority. Six armed individuals boarded the San Ramon tanker early Monday morning in … [Read more...]
As Shipowners Slash Costs, Some Crews Are Left Behind
By Keith Wallis (Reuters) Unpaid, underfed, and thousands of miles from home on a rusting tanker, captain Munir Hasan says he is a victim of a shipowner who has slashed costs in the face of an eight-year shipping downturn. Marooned on the medium-sized tanker Amba Bhakti that is moored close to Shanghai and is in urgent need of repair, Hasan claims he and his crew of … [Read more...]
Maritime Industry Advocates Slam New York Times Article as Attack Journalism
WARNING: Video auto-plays below: In the below interview by Maritime TV, maritime industry advocates Clay Maitland and Carleen Lyden-Kluss, Executive Director of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), criticize the recent New York Times article Stowaways and Crimes Aboard a Scofflaw Ship by Ian Urbina as a … [Read more...]
Traces of Blood Indicate Foul Play in Case of Missing Sailor
Ukrainian sailor Igor Yavorskyy, Chief Mate on board the bulk carrier M/V Ocean Lion was last seen on Friday evening when the ship's captain ordered him to investigate an incident involving his drunken shipmates. According to local police, "a red bloodlike substance was subsequently found on the ship’s main upper deck by contract workers." The captain immediately mustered … [Read more...]
For Nearly 2 Years Shipmaster Remains Locked In Panamanian Prison
In February 2012, gCaptain reported that in March 2011 Bulgarian shipmaster Captain Svetlozar Lyubomirov Sobadzhiev was arrested in Cristobal, Panama after 168 kgs of drugs were found in the bow thruster compartment of his ship. The Council Of American Master Mariners (CAMM), upon request by the Bulgarian Shipmaster’s Association, aided in finding defense counsel for … [Read more...]