The charging of recruitment fees to seafarers is forbidden under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) but the practice is still widespread. Under the MLC there is the employer pays principle, however, a presentation by Ben Bailey, Director of Programme for Mission to...

Implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for shipping is still creating challenges for the industry with some parts of the legislation yet to be enacted and decisions to be made on who will be responsible for paying the charges still undecided....

Port officials in South Africa are reporting it is likely to take until 2024 and possibly till February to clear the current congestion that has built up at the container port in Durban. Consistently at the bottom of port rankings for efficiency, Durban is facing a...

Discussing ‘Solutions heading for zero carbon’ at the Greener Shipping Summit in Athens last week, Michael Jeppesen, Promotion Manager, MAN Energy Solutions, said the company will “by the end of 2024, be able to deliver our first ammonia powered engine, a...

Thailand is seeking investors for a $28 billion landbridge across the Isthmus of Kra which would allow shipping bypass the busy sea route of Malacca Straits, reviving the centuries old Kra Canal project. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is expected to...

Port of Los Angeles (Port of LA) Executive Director Gene Seroka provided some very useful insights into developments at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and on the ongoing efforts among transportation community participants to improve information flows in his...

Across every continent shipping is having to contend with the fallout from this year’s El Niño, a weather phenomenon that has helped cut drafts along major waterways, slashed agricultural production in key export markets, and could herald a stormy Pacific for vessels...

As a record-setting drought throttles transits through the Panama Canal, most of the focus has been on higher-capacity ships: the container vessels, liquefied natural gas carriers and liquefied petroleum gas carriers that use the larger Neopanamax locks. But...

Terminal operations resumed at DP World Australia’s four locations after a weekend stoppage due to what government officials described as a “serious” cyberattack. The company’s ability to quickly recover from the incident however may be hampered by the Maritime Union...

Even restricting the Panama Canal number of Neo-Panamax transits to just five there should still be enough capacity for containerships, however, it will be a different story for other vessel types such as gas carriers. Marcus Hand | Nov 10, 2023 As Panama...

Article-Panama Canal making drastic cuts to booking slots as drought worsens. The Panama Canal announced a series of sharp reductions in booking slots to just 18 daily by February 2024 following the driest month of October in 73 years. The Panama Canal stated in an...

Concessions to operate container terminals around the globe are coming to an end and the competition between terminal operators to win the new contracts on offer is intensifying in a number of locations. Drewry Shipping Consultants conducted a global survey of 27...

A series of analyst reports over the last week from Xeneta, HSBC Global Research, and Sea-Intelligence present a downbeat picture ahead for container shipping with overcapacity leaving carriers subsidising shippers on key routes. Despite a spell of super-profits as...

Ships are again moving along Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor after what appeared to be a multi-day stop in all traffic as a result of reports that Russian forces were again dropping explosive devices in the area. Despite continuing Russian activity, the ships are again...

The Nunavut government and Canada are scrambling to deal with a potential environmental issue and boating hazard in the northernmost territory, a region located south of the Arctic Circle but with a polar climate and freezing cold for much of the year. Late on Friday...

The global container shipping industry is at the cusp of a major configuration in terms of fleet age as newbuilds prepare to enter service over the next two years and replace an aging fleet. According to the industry trade group BIMCO, the container fleet has reached...

The container shipping segment could be beginning a much longer and more challenging period according to a new analysis from Sea-Intelligence. The Danish analytics firm issued a forecast this week highlighting that the container segment’s current level of overcapacity...

War in the Middle East changes the geopolitical calculus for ocean shipping, compounding existing threats from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Two of the top energy cargoes at risk in the Middle East are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — propane and butane — and liquefied...

Most of the complaints over congestion surcharges have been leveled by shippers and trucking companies against carriers and terminals, but in a reversal of fortune, the Federal Maritime Commission yesterday received its first complaint from a carrier against a...

Two-thirds of the respondents in a recent Accelleron survey see a competitive advantage in the use of e-fuels and no fewer than 93% of the 200 participants believe e-fuels will make a decisive contribution to more sustainable shipping. Retrofitting existing ships is...

The Panama Canal has reduced its maximum draught to 44 feet and is cutting the number of daily transits to 31 compared to 36 – 38 normally as it battles an extended dry season. Explaining the decision for an additional reduction in the daily transit maximum to 31 from...

Indications of charges to be levied by Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM to cover the costs of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) have been released this week, with estimates ranging from €7 to €105 per teu. Nick Savvides | Oct 13, 2023 From January the EU...

As suspicion grows of Iranian involvement in the planning of the terrorist attacks in Israel last weekend, analysts are turning their attention to the potential for the conflict to spread to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important...

Wars and pandemics — geopolitical and global health crises causing widespread suffering and death — have the side effect of hiking profits in certain industries. Wars inflate returns for defense contractors. The pandemic was a bonanza for certain pharmaceutical...

The Port of Rotterdam announced it will begin offering a substantial port fee reduction for ships that bunker sustainable fuels as part of its efforts to support the early adoption of new green fuels including methanol and in the future ammonia. The effort is ahead of...

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced it will reduce daily transits to 31 from 32 as a severe drought continues and may last until next year. To avoid delays and ship backlogs, the ACP will also offer a new schedule for the Neopanamax locks and the Panamax...

The Port of Cartagena Group (SPRC) is Colombia’s main export port, connecting over 840 ports in 140 countries making it the largest hub and most connected port in Latin America and the Caribbean. Michele Labrut | Oct 06, 2023 SPRC operates 3 port facilities...

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) recovered some $36 million in unpaid wages to seafarers in 2022, a figure very similar to the previous year. Publishing figures on World Maritime Day the ITF said it had recovered $118.5 million in wages to...

Russia's trade with the West has plummeted since the invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions, and it has quickly substituted commerce with China instead. That exchange, however, is not evenly balanced - and it is resulting in a steady accumulation of empty...

The Panama Canal has announced that it will modify the variable component of the Fresh Water Charge (FWC) which will take effect on 1st October. As part of the Canal's efforts to manage the maximum draught available for transit through the Canal, The Panama...

Overcapacity and stalling demand are driving container shipping rates to new lows, according to the latest Market Pulse report from consultant Linerlytica. Nick Savvides | Sep 27, 2023 Asia to Europe rates are already below 2019 levels and there is a real risk...

With all the attention on U.S. consumers and inventory levels, Europe’s importance to shipping lines can get lost in the shuffle. The Asia-Europe trade is pivotal to container shipping operators — and this trade is now under severe pressure. Judah Levine, head of...

Trans-Pacific spot rates have fallen by double digits over past month It’s not looking good for container shipping lines. Peak season is running out of whatever limited steam it previously had. Spot rates are sliding into loss-making territory. Rates “continue to lose...

New fuels, new risks The rise of alternative fuels both for vessel propulsion and as part of cargo such as electric vehicles is resulting in new risks for marine insurers. Marcus Hand | Sep 20, 2023 The emerging risks come against the backdrop of a generally positive...

Alan Murphy, CEO and founder of Copenhagen supply chain analyst Sea Intelligence, has warned of widespread service cancellations on major trade lanes across the Pacific Ocean and between Asia and Europe between now and the end of the year. Paul Bartlett | Sep 22, 2023...

The number of blank sailings by container lines during China’s Golden Week has surged sharply according to analysts Sea-Intelligence. Despite concerns that shipping lines were failing to act ahead of the seasonal lull around the week-long Chinese Golden Week holidays...

Increasing congestion at container depots and the end of the 2M alliance in January 2025 could see further supply chain disruption and another shake-up in carrier collaboration and operations. MSC and Maersk announced the break up of their alliance earlier this year,...

As shipping companies face mounting pressure to introduce or strengthen their environmental, social, governance (ESG) strategies, a new framework has been developed to assist in this process. Speaking at The Time for Change is Now, a joint WISTA UK and Seatrade...

In its latest research into the energy transition DNV estimates that between 44 and 62 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) production will be produced by 2030 with an estimated demand for carbon neutral fuels of 17 Mtoe by that date. Highlighting the challenges...

BTP was reported to have been unable to receive two scheduled container ships for operation last week. BTP is a joint venture between APM Terminals, part of AP Moller Maersk, and MSC’s Terminal Investment’s Ltd (TIL). Both vessels attempted to divert to the other two...

Capital Gas Ship Management Corp. announces the order for the world's first two 88,000 CBM (?) very-large ammonia carriers (VLAC) with KSOE. The innovative vessels will be constructed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan and are scheduled to be delivered by the...

Shipping lines, shippers, and governments are working together to combat the global issue of pests carried in containers and bulk cargoes that can cause billions of dollars in crop damage. Nick Savvides | Aug 25, 2023 The spread of invasive species via the...

The number of vessels waiting to transit the Panama Canal has grown, however, containerships with reservations have seen minimal impact in terms of waiting times. Marcus Hand | Aug 31, 2023 The restrictions on transit numbers and draught put in place by the Panama...

The improvement in volumes at the Port of Los Angeles came to abrupt end in July. Marcus Hand | Aug 24, 2023 An improving trend in monthly volumes at the Port of LA which had seen June volumes down just 5% year-on-year, compared to a 43% drop in February, has not...

The backlog at the Panama Canal has eased slightly but the drought is likely to mean the restrictions continue for at least the next 10 months (file photo) PUBLISHED AUG 25, 2023 3:44 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Restrictions on the draft of vessels and the...

PUBLISHED AUG 27, 2023 3:46 PM BY EDMOND SANGANYADO Japan’s decision to release water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has been greeted with horror by the local fishing industry as well as China and several Pacific Island states....

Shandong Port Group (SPG) is to accelerate efforts to establish a world-class port cluster in the Chinese province. Michele Labrut | Aug 23, 2023  “Currently, a coastal port cluster has formed in Shandong, with Qingdao Port as the leader and Rizhao Port and...

PUBLISHED AUG 20, 2023 8:49 PM BY ROBERT SCHLUTER There's a growing demand for shoreside power, but many ports lack the electrical infrastructure to support traditional systems. A new solution is required. A series of global supply chain shocks have tested the...