BIMCO’s Dry Bulk Terminals Vetting Report for 2018

On 18th January 2019 BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, published annual report named “Dry Bulk Terminals Vetting Report”. The report collected input from 144 ships covering 381 terminals.

The questionnaire consists of 36 specific questions divided into the following five main categories:

  1. mooring and berth arrangements,
  2. terminal services,
  3. terminal equipment,
  4. information exchange between the ship and the terminal,
  5. loading and unloading handling.

In the 2018 report five ports were distinguished which were rated the highest. The first place was taken by the sea port in Szczecin. The ports of Quebec (Canada), Newcastle (Australia), Gladstone (Australia) and Ciénaga (Colombia) were singled out.

 

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Costa Rica accedes to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), Hamburg, 27 April 1979.

On 7th January 2019 at IMO Headquarters in London, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United Kingdom, Rafael Ortiz Fábrega, met with IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim to deposit the instrument of accession to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR). Thus, Costa Rica became the 112th State which accede the treaty.

Currently, the Convention’s signatories represent over 80% of the world merchant shipping tonnage.

 

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Amendments to the Labour Code

Amendments to the Act of 26 June 1974 – Labour Code entered into force on 1 January 2019.

The amendment provides, among other things, that the payment of remuneration is to be made to the payment account indicated by the employee, unless the employee has submitted an application for payment of remuneration to their own hands – in cash. Therefore, in Article 22 § 2 has been added point 3, according to which the employer has the right to require the employee to provide the payment account number if the employee has not submitted the application for payment of remuneration to his own hands. Until the end of 2018, as a rule a remuneration used to be paid to employee’s in cash, unless he applied for payment to a bank account.

Another novelty that came into force on January 1, 2019 is the change of art. 94 point 9a, regarding employee documentation. According to the aforementioned provision, the employer is obliged (in particular) maintain and store paper or electronic form on matters related to the employment relationship and personal files of employees. Both forms of conducting the above documentation is now equivalent. However, what is important, the digital representation of the documentation will require an electronic signature or an electronic seal confirming the compliance of the digital representation with the paper document.

In addition, the layout of the employee records has been changed – to the previously applicable parts A, B and C, legislator added part D, which is to contain documentation related to the employee’s liability for housekeeping. The hitherto binding the decree of 28 May 1996 on the scope of keeping records by employers in matters related to the employment relationship and the manner of keeping personal records of an employee has therefore lost its validity, and in its place, on 1 January 2019, a new act – the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Decree of 10 December 2018 on employee documentation – came into force.

 

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