AEC Loading Steels Slabs with MV Wellpark (37,429MT DWT) in Brazil.

AEC becomes a signatory of The Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy

The security situation in the Gulf of Guinea is still unacceptable, with hundreds of seafarers kidnapped and held for ransom under dangerous conditions in the Niger Delta.

The piracy incidents are growing in complexity and violence: in 2021 there have been cases of pirates breaking into citadels and during the process of one such incident,

a seafarer was shot and killed. The level of violence in the area was demonstrated by the pirates who opened fire on the helicopter and RHIBs from the Danish frigate,

Esben Snare on 24 November, 2021. Five pirates were killed in the subsequent exchange of fire and one was wounded whilst the rest were captured and the skiff was sunk.  

 

In mid-2021, BIMCO launched the attached Declaration on Suppression of Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea after having consulted key stakeholders in the industry and having

taken into consideration some valid points raised by ICS. The Declaration calls for a series of concrete actions by states, emphasizing the need for short-term as well as

longer-term responses. One of the simple yet effective solutions includes modest naval intervention from non-regional forces in cooperation with Gulf of Guinea states’ navies.

This initiative should make it easier for various national parliaments to commit naval forces for antipiracy operations (as already done by the Danes and the Italians)

because it constitutes such a clear call for action from a large cross section of the shipping industry.

 

To date, there is support from over 515 shipping stakeholders including the three biggest flag states as well as some of the largest shipowners and ship managers from

around the world plus a selection of P&I Clubs and organizations such as The World Economic Forum. T

 

The Declaration has been submitted to IMO MSC by BIMCO and co-sponsored by Liberia, Panama, ITF, BIMCO, INTERMANAGER, and World Shipping Council.

 

MV RUI FU XING – Crossing Magellan Strait

MV RUI FU XING – 36,699 DWT – KOREAN YARD – Crossing Magellan Strait going to dicharge Steels in Callao, Peru.

 

 

Season Greetings

The Natural Disaster in the Northern Bahamas – Hurricane Dorian

1st of September 2019 – Dorian made landfall in The Abacos as a super Category 5 Hurricane with wind gusts up to 220mph/350km/h and storm surge between 15 and 25 feet. The storm continued very slowly towards Grand Bahamas, where it slowed down close to a halt, generating even further damage than normal moving hurricane of any strength.


Hurricane Dorian was the strongest hurricane that had ever made landfall in The Bahamas. The devastation is total in The Abacos, Grand Bahamas/Freeport. Most areas have been flattened and flooded. There are really no words that can describe the tragic natural disaster. Our prayer are with everyone that continue to suffer in the many areas that are currently inaccessible. From New Providence/Nassau many are doing their best to prepare for the needed hurricane relief, with great support from abroad, and we hope that others will support the efforts.

Rescue workers are fighting hard to get access to the islands
Flooded in sea water from the huge storm surge

AEC is financially supporting our local pilot Mr. Paul Aranha from Trans Islands Airways with their hurricane relief efforts. We are close to them, they are very professional and we have worked with them before with relief work. AEC staff have also offered their personal help with the relief preparations. Money for the Mr. Aranha lead efforts can be donated via the following account which is eligible for a 501(c)(3) charitable tax deduction;

Bank: Chase

Routing No.  267084131

Account No. 215828721

Name: Seahorse Children’s Foundation 

Reference: TIA Dorian

You can also pay via the following PayPal account;

http://seahorseinstitute.org/donate/

Please send a copy/screen shot of your wire transfer receipt or PayPal confirmation to smichelmore@hotmail.com so that your donation is confirmed in the running costs for the operation.

Cleaning up Houston !

Steel scrap alongside MV AEC Diligence

The good vessel MV AEC Diligence started loading a full cargo of steel scrap in the port of Houston. The vessel is headed on the long sea voyage from Houston, down the Caribbean, along the North East coast of South American, cross the Atlantic, pass the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar on starboard, keeping clear of Somalia, Oman to port and then into the Arabian Gulf to discharge the cargo in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Voyage Route
First grab load onboard

AEC loads bagged rice at Kaohsiung

AEC’s period vessel MV Nord Taipei 33,142 dwat built 2011 loads just over 23,000 mt of bagged rice at Kaohsiung destined for West Africa.

Portions of the bags are hoisted up from barge alongside and into the vessel’s holds.

The Stevedores neatly stack and organize the cargo for optimal stability and stow.