Page 52 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2023

ON THE SEAFRONT

of the contingency planning for a possible oil spill on a base level, much higher than the growth rate
from the FSO SAFER, in line with its mandate set recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022 and well
out in the International Convention on Oil Pollu- above analysts’ predictions of 4%.
tion Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Taking into account China’s economic performance
(OPRC). in Q1 2023, JP Morgan and Citi revised their full-
The FSO SAFER, a converted supertanker, con- year China growth estimates upward to 6.4% and
tains an estimated 150,000 metric tonnes (approx- 6.1%, respectively.
imately 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil, four times
the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez inci- CHINESE SHIPYARDS MAINTAIN TOP
dent in 1989. It has been moored at Ras Isa since POSITION IN Q1 2023 ORDERS
1988, where it received, stored and exported crude The continued increase in Chinese shipyard capac-
oil flowing from the Marib oil fields. But in 2015, ity is intensifying international competition, with
due to the war in Yemen, production, offloading China and South Korea vying for the industry
and maintenance operations on the FSO SAFER crown. China’s shipbuilding industry continued to
were suspended. lead globally in the first quarter of this year, gar-
FSO SAFER has not been inspected since then, nering higher percentages in both the new orders
but all assessments of its structural integrity sug- and the global order book categories.
gest it has now deteriorated to the extent that it Based on data from China’s Ministry of Industry
is beyond repair and at imminent risk of breaking and Information Technology (MIIT), Chinese ship-
up or exploding. The danger with an oil spill of yards won 62.9% of the orders placed in the first
such magnitude is that it would surpass Yemen’s quarter in terms of dwt, while 50.8% of the pending
resources and capacity to respond effectively. orders globally are for vessels currently being or to
On 9 March, the UN Development Programme be built in the future in Chinese shipyards.
(UNDP) signed an agreement to purchase a very Furthermore, of the ships built in the first quar-
large crude carrier (VLCC), the Nautica, to take on ter of 2023, 43.5% were constructed by Chinese
the oil from the FSO SAFER by emergency ship- shipyards. These ships had a total capacity of 9.17
to-ship transfer. Such operations are complex and million dwt and are the reason the output of Chi-
inherently risky. nese shipyards decreased by 4.6% compared to
The Nautica left Zhousha in China on 6 April. the corresponding period in 2022.
Contingency planning for the transfer operation
is, therefore, intensifying. However, a critical gap DENMARK LIFTS BAN IN THE NORD
identified in Yemen’s preparedness to respond to STREAM AREA
an oil spill is the lack of specialised equipment Denmark has lifted the ban on sailing the waters
within the country. near the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea,
Because of lengthy lead times for manufacturing where leaks had occurred last September.
and acquiring oil spill response equipment, IMO is The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) lifted the
asking for contributions of used or near-end-of-life ban at the recommendation of the Danish Energy
spill response equipment that can be transported Agency, assuring that it was no longer dangerous
to the region within weeks. for ships to navigate in the area. However, it contin-
ues to discourage anchoring, fishing, and seabed
INDIA EXPECTED TO OVERTAKE CHINA AS works within one nautical mile of the site where
THE WORLD’S MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY the leaks occurred due to “underwater obstacles”.
The UN announcement that India will overtake The leaks in Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2
China as the most populous country on the planet pipelines connecting Germany and Russia occurred
has sparked a debate on whether India will also in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and
surpass China in economic power. According to a Denmark. Since then, the West and Russia have
recent Xclusiv Shipbrokers report, India will take blamed each other for the leaks.
many years to overtake China in the economic
arena despite its strong population growth. For THE REASON RUSSIA IS BETTING ON THE
example, even if China’s growth remained con- NORTHERN PASSAGE
stant from 2023 onwards, it would take almost two Moscow continues to publish impressive predic-
decades for the Indian economy to catch up, even tions about the Northern Passage Sea Route’s
if it grew at a rate of 10% per year. development, reflecting its ambitious plans.
At the same time, despite the prevailing pessimism According to Rosatom’s projections, in 2035, the
about the Chinese economy’s sluggish growth, it goods transported through the Northern Passage
disproved forecasts, growing at a faster-than-ex- will reach 270 million tonnes, a tenfold increase
pected rate in the first quarter of 2023, i.e., by 4.5% compared to 2022. To understand the volume of

52