Ever Given owner vows to remain a regular customer of Suez authority

Author:

Zaynab Khojji

ID:

1625769662463163200

Thu, 2021-07-08 21:46

CAIRO: Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the Japanese owner of the Ever Given cargo ship, said on Thursday that it will remain a regular and loyal customer of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
In March, the giant container ship ran aground during its crossing of the Suez Canal, causing disruption to international traffic, particularly oil tankers.
On Wednesday, the ship resumed its journey and left the Suez Canal, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week.
After being dislodged, it was held by the SCA under court order while the authority sought compensation from the ship’s owner and its insurers.
After protracted negotiations, an undisclosed settlement between the parties was reached and the SCA announced that the ship would be released.
In a statement, the company said it still maintains a good relationship with the SCA and that it has been strengthened through the experience.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha also thanked the authorities and those who worked to release the ship as soon as possible.
Yukito Higaki, head of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., which owns Shoei Kisen Kaisha, said the Suez Canal is one of the main pillars of international maritime trade.
In a recorded speech during the signing ceremony of the settlement agreement with the SCA, he praised the authority’s help in floating the ship safely within seven days, noting that the company owns a large fleet of ships and will remain a regular and loyal customer of the SCA.
Higaki said that the situation was difficult, and expressed his gratitude to Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, SCA chairman, and the Egyptian people for accomplishing the task of floating the ship.
He expressed his happiness over the “excellent relationship” between the ship-owning company and the SCA that had been maintained and had even been enhanced through the success of floating the ship.

Ever Given is seen at the Suez Canal after the canal authority reached a settlement with the vessel's owner, in Egypt's Great Bitter Lake in Ismailia, Egypt, July 7, 2021. (Reuters)

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Secondment agreement between DoJ and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank signed

The Department of Justice (DoJ) signed a secondment agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) yesterday (June 29) for the secondment of a DoJ legal officer to the legal department of AIIB for 12 months commencing on August 23.

Through participating in the work of international organisations, local legal talent will expand their knowledge of the operation of international organisations and broaden their horizons through learning from international law experts. It will also facilitate the sustainable development of the Hong Kong legal community and the development of Hong Kong's position as a leading international legal and dispute resolution services centre. The department is grateful to the AIIB, a multilateral development bank with members from all over the world, for providing the secondee a valuable opportunity to work in and learn from its operation.

Meanwhile, the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has also confirmed the arrangement for one counsel from the DoJ and one lawyer from the private sector to commence their six-month secondment programme in September 2021 and February 2022 respectively, under the memorandum of understanding between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the HCCH signed in December last year.

The DoJ has also put in place programmes to second local legal talents to the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and it is expected that the respective secondment will commence in the near future. The department will continue to explore with other renowned international organisations to provide Hong Kong legal professionals in both the public and private sectors with more secondment opportunities.

Final report on serious incident of Cathay Dragon aircraft published

The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) today (May 14) published the final report (1/2021) on the investigation into a serious incident that involved a Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-343 aircraft (registration mark B-HLT) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on January 24, 2020.

At around 4.45pm, the aircraft was pushed back by a tow tractor from Parking Bay N66 of HKIA to Taxilane B7 for departure to Kaohsiung. After the pushback, the aircraft collided with the left-hand side of the tow tractor, causing damage to the nose landing gear (NLG). No person was injured. The occurrence was classified as a serious incident according to the criteria of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

     The investigation was conducted by a team of professional investigators in adherence to international standards established by the ICAO. The investigation identified that the ground handling crew disconnected the towbar without confirming that the parking brake light on the NLG was on and a chock was placed in front of the NLG wheels. The investigation team has made four safety recommendations.

     "The investigation report was published by the AAIA with the objective of identifying the circumstances and causes of the serious incident with a view to preventing recurrence," an AAIA spokesperson said.

     Throughout the investigation, all parties concerned were properly consulted on the report. The report is available for download at the AAIA webpage (www.thb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/investigation_reports/index.htm).

Deals signed during Egyptian PM’s Libya visit

Tue, 2021-04-20 18:30

CAIRO: Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, accompanied by a team of ministers, visited Tripoli on Tuesday to discuss economic and political cooperation with the Libyan Government of National Unity.

It followed instructions from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is planning a visit to Libya.

During Madbouly’s visit, several agreements were signed between the two governments, most notably on the establishment of power stations in Libya to strengthen its energy networks.

Libya is considered a natural extension of the Egyptian market, due to the geographical proximity and long history of trade exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

Egyptian companies are awaiting government decisions regarding participation in the reconstruction of Libya, which they hope will produce new opportunities in a renewed market.

According to local sources, Madbouly’s visit is focussed on investments in the country, Egyptian labor issues and the reopening of diplomatic missions.

Last month, El-Sisi discussed with the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, prospects for enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s full and absolute support for the new executive authority in Libya in all fields and for its success in holding general elections at the end of the year.

He said Egypt was fully prepared to provide its expertise to the Libyan government to help restore its national institutions, especially security and police forces, to achieve greater stability.

Since the beginning of the Libyan crisis, Egypt has promoted political settlement by hosting the warring factions in key meetings.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s visit to Libya is focussed on investments in the country, Egyptian labor issues and the reopening of diplomatic missions. (AFP)

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Chinese medicine further engaged in anti-epidemic treatment

The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, visited the Community Treatment Facility (CTF) at AsiaWorld-Expo today (February 11) to learn more about the operation of the special Chinese medicine (CM) services provided by the Hospital Authority (HA) for COVID-19 patients staying in the CTF.

Accompanied by the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, Professor Chan visited the working area dedicated for CM services in the CTF, met the resident Chinese Medicine Practitioners (CMPs) and Western medicine (WM) team, and was briefed on the arrangement and workflow of the service, etc. Furthermore, Professor Chan also spoke with patients receiving CM services through video calls, to gauge their views on the service.

"The Government has all along been committed to promoting in Hong Kong the development of CM which has been incorporated into the healthcare system of Hong Kong. With the facilitation and support of the Food and Health Bureau, the HA is providing CM services to patients in the CTF. Not only does it provide patients with another option of treatment, it also allows CM to give full play to its strength in our anti-epidemic control efforts. I would like to thank the participating CMPs and members of the Expert Panel for their support in launching the services," Professor Chan said.

Since January 26, the HA has provided the Special Chinese Medicine Programme for COVID-19 In-patients (In-patient Programme) at the CTF through the tripartite Chinese Medicine Clinic cum Training and Research Centres (CMCTRs). Fifty patients have joined so far, with more than 230 consultations conducted.

Patients' participation in the In-patient Programme is voluntary. Patients are clinically assessed by the WM and CM teams to confirm the suitability of receiving treatment under the In-patient Programme. The HA also set up an Expert Panel comprising CM experts in the area of clinical practice and drugs from the schools of Chinese medicine of three local universities, together with medicine, infectious diseases and toxicology experts from the HA, to formulate the clinical protocol for the In-patient Programme.

Having regard to the clinical operation mode and infection control measures of the CTF, resident CMPs provide consultation services in non-isolation areas via video calls. CMPs will prescribe CM medication according to the clinical protocols promulgated by the Expert Panel. After the first consultation, CMPs will arrange follow-up consultations and treatment according to clinical needs.

"Discharged patients may also join the Special Chinese Medicine Out-patient Programme for Discharged COVID-19 Patients (Out-patient Programme) to receive follow-up rehabilitation treatment. Over 850 discharged patients have joined the Out-patient Programme since its launch in April last year," Professor Chan added.

All eligible persons who have been discharged from public hospitals after COVID-19 treatment can enrol in the Out-patient Programme to receive 10 free sessions of CM general consultation services in the 11 participating CMCTRs. For details of the Out-patient Programme, please contact the CM Department of the HA (Tel: 2794 3068) or visit the HA CM KINEtics (CMK) website at cmk.ha.org.hk.

"Since the emergence of the epidemic, the Government has all along been maintaining close liaison with the CM sector to jointly work for the prevention and control of COVID-19. I am pleased that the CM sector is committed to promoting CM anti-epidemic knowledge to the public, with a view to encouraging the latter to put into practice the CM concept of preventive medicine in their daily lives," Professor Chan said.

The Government has been providing the latest information and guidelines in relation to the epidemic development to the CMPs. To enhance the role of the CM sector in the anti-epidemic efforts, the Government has included the "Novel Coronavirus Epidemic Related Projects" in the Chinese Medicine Development Fund (the Fund) as a priority area, to support related training, research and promotion projects. The scope of the "CM Clinic Improvement Funding Scheme" under the Fund has also been expanded to subsidise CM clinics to upgrade their infection control facilities. The Government will continue to provide support to the CM sector in order to give full play to the strengths of CM.