Evergreen Group places order for 10 ships

THE Evergreen Group has signed an agreement with CSBC Corporation in Taiwan for ten 2,800- Twenty foot Equivalent (TEU) class B-type vessels.

The delivery of the first ship is scheduled for the second half of 2017 while the remaining ships is to be delivered by the first half of 2018.

The group’s second vice chairman Bronson Hsieh explained in a statement that “After the negotiations of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are concluded, the ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand are expected to remove trade barriers, enhancing bilateral trades and thereby boosting regional cargo growth”.

The statement said: “Our decision to invest in these new buildings is aimed to providing for the growth potential brought about by this free trade development.”

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Ship owners Association (HKSA) is warning of an “environmental catastrophe” if crippled ships are left at sea and forbidden to land, thus increasing the risk of break-up and spilling its cargo and fuel into the ocean.

The HKSA calls on ships in such incidents to urgently remove any remaining cargo and bunkers and to repair the damage, ideally, in a sheltered place, or place of refuge.

Governments, especially those in Asia, are urged to consider adopting the  International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Place of Refuge Guidelines and as a matter of urgency, and similar measures to those prescribed in the European union directive.

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Assembly Resolution A.950(23) “Guidelines on Places of Refuge for Ships in Need of Assistance” provides the master, owner and coastal state with a framework to enable them to respond effectively in the event of an incident.

In Europe, the existing measures are contained in the European Community Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (Directive 2009/59/EC as amended by Directive 2009/17/EC).