As European Commission has asked Vietnam to take appropriate action against illegal fishing, the country takes steps to implement national action plan to combat illicit fishing activities

Japan is planning to ship out the bluefin tuna fish as early as November 2017, and have also considered exporting the fish to the bigger market

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced last week that the import into and sale within Hong Kong of raw oysters harvested in Zwembesi Farms of South Africa has been suspended with immediate effect

The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately should they possess it.

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS was notified by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of four food poisoning cases which involved consumption of raw oysters at branches of a restaurant chain in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. The CFS conducted investigations at the restaurants concerned and found that the three restaurants had sold raw oysters from South Africa supplied by the same local supplier. The restaurants concerned also confirmed that they did not have any remaining stock of the affected raw oysters. In its follow-up investigations, the CFS noted from the information provided by the supplier that the affected raw oysters were harvested in Zwembesi Farms of South Africa. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately suspended the import into and sale within Hong Kong of all raw oysters harvested in Zwembesi Farms of South Africa."

The CFS has instructed the supplier concerned to stop supplying and selling the affected raw oysters immediately and is tracing the distribution of the affected product. The trade should also stop using or selling the product in question.

The spokesman pointed out that as oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens (such as norovirus), chemical contaminants or natural toxins can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Regardless of the season or the region in which the oysters are harvested, consuming oysters, particularly raw or partially cooked ones, carries an inherent food safety risk. Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters.

The CFS will inform the South African authorities and will also notify the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. Investigation is ongoing.   

Wärtsilä has been contracted to deliver the ship design for a new processing and transportation vessel to be built at the Balenciaga shipyard in Spain on behalf of Hav Line AS of Norway

In addition to the design, Wärtsilä will also supply an integrated solution comprising a 10-cylinder Wärtsilä 31 main engine, auxiliary engines, propulsion machinery, the propulsion remote control system, and the electrical and automation system. The delivery of the Wärtsilä solutions will be during autumn 2017 and the vessel is scheduled for delivery in summer 2018. The order was recorded in Wärtsilä's order book in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Notable environmental gains are made possible by a Wärtsilä hybrid propulsion solution supported by batteries, which results in very low emission levels. This is the world's first processing and transportation vessel for the fish farming industry to utilise this solution. By absorbing most of the engine's load fluctuations and vessel load variations through batteries, the engines can be operated close to its optimum design point, thereby providing the highest level of efficiency, which in turn minimises the exhaust emissions.

The design is tailor-made to the customer's specifications. During the development phase of the project, Wärtsilä acted as the owner's consultant to ensure an environmentally sound and functionally effective solution. The vessel's hybrid propulsion machinery has the PTI/PTO (power take-in/ power take-off) powered by batteries, and is combined with the very fuel efficient Wärtsilä 31 main engine. The environmentally sustainable hybrid battery configuration is new for this type of vessel.

"The fish farming industry, like other marine industry sectors, is seeking better ship designs and greater efficiencies that reduce overall operating costs and lessen the environmental impact. Wärtsilä is proud to have been selected for this project that introduces the world's first hybrid propulsion system for this kind of vessel," says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Design.

"We very much appreciate Wärtsilä's support in designing a vessel that meets our operational and environmental requirements," says Jon Hinder, Chairman of the board, Hav Line Gruppen AS.

Wärtsilä's integrated solution includes the initial, basic, and detailed  ship design, a 10-cylinder Wärtsilä 31 main engine, a Wärtsilä 2-speed gearbox, a Wärtsilä controllable pitch propeller (CPP) including the HP propeller nozzle, stern tube seals and bearings, the Wärtsilä ProTouch propulsion remote control system, two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 auxiliary engines, and the electrical and automation system including a hybrid battery PTI/PTO package.

The Wärtsilä 2-speed gearbox enables lower propeller speeds and optimised propulsion efficiency during transit, while still using the main engine to power the shaft alternator. This results in lower fuel costs, both for production and production of electrical power. The custom designed CPP propeller is of Wärtsilä's successful G-hub configuration and is combined with the HP nozzle. This provides maximum reliability and efficiency and is a popular choice for vessels with this operational profile.

Tuna export turnover in Vietnam has risen 21 per cent year-on-year to hit US$271mn in the first half of 2017, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP)