Global News
Belgium Bans Exports of “Dirty Fuels” to West Africa
The Port of Antwerp will no longer be used by oil companies and traders to export so-called dirty fuels to West Africa. The Belgium government banned the export of toxic motor fuels that are highly harmful to public health and the environment. Belgium’s Minister of...
Three Crews from the UK’s RNLI Coordinate to Save Historic Sailing Vessel
The UK’s volunteer Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is being commended for its operation earlier in the week to assist a historic sailing vessel that was taking on water and requested urgent assistance. It became a 10-hour operation involving three of the...
ILWU Canada Delays Strike Notice for DP World’s Vancouver Terminals
Canadian officials are again preparing for a potential strike that would impact DP World Canada’s West Coast operation, including the second-largest Vancouver container terminal, while holding out hope for a new round of federal mediation. Yesterday, May 15, the...
IMO Urges More Efforts as World Marks Women in Maritime Day
Organizations around the globe marked the annual Women in Maritime Day, on May 18, highlighting the advancements women are making in the field while calling for continued actions for training and to support equality. The International Maritime Organization marked the...
Three Missing After Turkish-Owned Cargo Ship Sinks Off Romania
Romanian authorities have a search and rescue mission underway on Saturday, May 18, after a small, Turkish-owned general cargo ship sunk off the northern coast near the border with Ukraine. Three crewmembers, Syrian nationals, are reported missing while eight were...
Oregon’s Port of Portland Gets State Funds to Maintain Container Ops
The Port of Portland, Oregon’s only ocean-going seaport, announced it will reverse course and not suspend container operations. The move came after the state’s governor, Tina Kotek, released a letter on Thursday reporting she would provide stop-gap funding and would...
Refloating of Dali to Begin Sunday for Monday Removal to Baltimore Berth
The Unified Command overseeing the recovery operation in Baltimore reports that the removal operation for the Dali is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 19 with the vessel expected to begin the journey from the wreck site to the berth early on Monday, May 20....
Explosive charges set to bring down Key Bridge section
Small explosive chargers are being set for the controlled demolition of the piece of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge which lays across container ship Dali. The Key Bridge Response Unified Command said precision cuts to the bridge section and small charges was the...
Future proofing shipping against the next crisis
Turbulence across global supply chains is nothing new. But escalating geopolitical conflict and unpredictable weather events are raising the risks for ships, crew and cargo, demanding new levels of awareness and speed of response from both Masters and shipping owners...
Red Sea rerouting causing Asian port congestion
Fluctuating services configurations has seen congestion building at some ports as a combination of unexpected events and higher volumes increases pressure on infrastructure and the inland operations whose ability to cope with changeable volumes is causing backlogs and...
Port of Salalah offers overland route to avoid Southern Red Sea
ort of Salalah in Oman has launched a multi-modal service connecting to the Saudi Port of Jeddah as an alternative to rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope. From the Port of Salalah, an in transit overland route by truck connects to Jeddah located in the safer...
DP World makes first foray into landlocked Laos
Savan Logistics operates Savannakhet dry port part of the Savannakhet Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Laos, the first SEZ in the country. The 140,456 sq metre dry port includes 23,000 sq metres of warehousing with 11,000 sq metres of bonded space. Related: DP...
Salvors Remove Sections of Bridge from Dali Preparing for Bigger Lifts
In its latest update, the Unified Command highlights that the salvors are preparing for the removal of the piece of the bridge lying on top of the Dali as the recovery efforts proceed in Baltimore. Pictures released by the various teams on site show the...
Baltimore Welcomes its First Container Ship Since Bridge CollapseSteamer that “Went Missing” 115 Years Ago is Located in Lake SuperiorBaltimore Welcomes its First Container Ship Since Bridge Collapse
The mystery of a wooden steamship that went missing 115 years ago on Lake Superior with 14 sailors onboard has finally been solved. After painstaking research, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) confirmed they had located the final resting place of...
Belgium and Namibia to Develop Africa’s First Hydrogen Ship, Infrastructure
Partners from Belgium and the African nation of Namibia mapped out a plan to develop the continent’s hydrogen infrastructure for the production and export of the energy source as well as launching Africa’s first hydrogen-fueled vessel. It is part of an ambitious plan...
Houthis Escalate Threats Against Shipping Launching “Fourth Stage”
The leader of the Houthi movement called for a further escalation of the attacks on shipping citing the potential attack on the city of Rafah and as Western pressure grows on Hamas to accept the terms of a proposed ceasefire. The statements came during their weekly...
Cape of Good Hope Diversions Threaten CII Grades – and Show Value of Data
The shipping industry has been enveloped by a sustained period of intense geopolitical volatility. Previous challenges - like the emergence of the Russian ‘dark fleet’ and the reduction in traffic through the Panama Canal - have now been superseded by the mass...
Baltimore Welcomes its First Container Ship Since Bridge Collapse
On Saturday, the Port of Baltimore received its first container ship since the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge one month ago. The arrival is an important milestone for Baltimore businesses and longshoremen, who have been heavily impacted by the closure...
Ammonia as an alternative fuel gathers pace, safety concerns remain
One the most noticeable changes attending Singapore Maritime Week from 12 months earlier was how much further ammonia has moved up the agenda as a zero-carbon fuel for the future. Marcus Hand | Apr 23, 2024 There was far more discussion about ammonia as a...
Mixed signals on container freight rates as Red Sea alarm subsides
reight rate indices are sending mixed messages but most of the latest indicators show a steady decline in rates as lines and shippers negotiate annual contracts on the transpacific. Nick Savvides | Apr 24, 2024 Linerlytica, however, reported this week that “the stage...
Asia’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Commissioned by Ørsted in Taiwan
Ørsted along with officials of the government of Taiwan gathered today to celebrate the commission of the first sections of the Greater Changhau offshore wind farms. In addition to being the largest of its kind in Asia, the wind farm doubled Taiwan’s offshore wind...
Nigeria’s Calabar Port Hasn’t Received a Large Container Ship in 25 Years
With Nigeria considered Africa’s largest economy, it goes without saying that its maritime sector has to play a substantial role in facilitating the country’s trade. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s maritime sector - especially the public-owned port system - continues to reel...
Shipping Trade Groups Call on UN to Protect Seafarers
Sixteen commercial maritime industry associations joined together in a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres calling for action while saying the current situation where merchant ships and their crews are being targeted is “intolerable”...
New York Ends Third Wind Round Without Awards Due to Material Modifications
In the latest setback to U.S. plans to accelerate renewable energy development, New York State regulators today reported they closed the third round of offshore wind solicitation with no final awards. Last fall, New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul had hailed the round as...
Danish Ferry Forced to Maneuver to Avoid Russian Warship
Danish media is widely reporting an incident this morning that involved a high-speed passenger ferry that was forced to maneuver when a Russian warship failed to yield or acknowledge the ferry which was underway at full speed. Shipping operator Molslinjen is...
Japan Plans Next Generation Containership for Zero Emissions and Efficiency
A Japanese consortium made up of coastal shipping company Imoto Lines and marine software company Marindows is launching a government-backed effort to develop a next-generation containership. Plans call not only for the vessel to address decarbonization with the...
Is China Ready to Put Solar Panels Out at Sea?
China is increasingly seeking to put solar panels on the seas off its coastline, with some state-run companies experimenting as far offshore as 30 kilometers. A global leader in renewable energy, China has already been looking to the ocean to meet its future power via...
Vessel Condition, Human Error Blamed for Loss of Thai Navy Frigate
The Royal Thai Navy has completed its investigation into the sinking of the frigate Sukhothai in 2022, blaming a combination of bad weather, vessel condition and human error for the casualty. On the night of December 18, 2022, the 36-year-old frigate Sukhothai...
Cruise ships sailing into the port of Seattle for the 2024 season will plug in to shore power at the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66.
After a $44 million investment in shore power infrastructure and equipment, all three cruise berths at Pier 66 are now electric. In effect, this advances plans by the facility to become the greenest port in North America with the 2024 Cruise Season seeing more vessels...
DP World Sets Up Latin America’s First E-Truck Charging Station
DP World’s terminal at the Port of Callao, Peru has begun using the first electric charging station for trucks in Latin America. The new infrastructure is part of the port operator’s decarbonization plans at Callao, with an aim of reducing over 2000 tons of carbon...
Repurposing Harmful Fisheries Subsidies Could Reduce Poverty
Each year, governments around the world give billions of dollars to their fishing sectors. These public funds – around $35.4 billion annually, according to 2018 estimates – pay for everything from building ports to research and development. Some subsidies...
East Coast’s Biggest Crane Barge Hoists Giant Piece of Baltimore Bridge
For the first time, contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have brought in the East Coast's biggest crane barge to remove a section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The large section of the main span was located in the federal navigation channel, and...
Red Sea crisis has negative impact on gas ship CII ratings
The firm’s statistics recorded 64 LNG carriers navigating through the Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal during January and February 2023. In the same period this year, the number had fallen to just seven. In the reverse direction, 59 vessels took the Suez/Gulf of...
X-Press Feeders signs green shipping corridor MoU with major European ports
Belgium’s Port of Antwerp Bruges, Estonia’s Port of Tallinn, Finland’s Ports of Helsinki and HaminaKotka, Latvia’s Freeport of Riga and Lithaunia’s Klaipeda Port all signed the agreement with the carrier. Collaboration under the agreement begins with the establishment...
End-April target to reopen Port of Baltimore to smaller container ships
The Port of Baltimore could re-open to container ships of up 4,500 teu by end April as work continues to clear the wreckage of the Key Bridge after it was struck by the vessel Dali. Barry Parker | Apr 08, 2024 The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), the agency...
Global names back association to promote nuclear power in shipping
NEMO will be headquartered in London and will officially start activities in the second quarter of 2024. The association aims to assist nuclear and maritime regulators in the development of appropriate standards and rules for the deployment, operation, and...
Tangshan port adds two large bulker berths
The northern Chinese port of Tangshan in Hebei province is planning to build a 300,000 tonnes-class bulk cargo berth and a 300,000 tonnes-class ore berth. These two new berths will bring 25.6 million tons annual cargo handling capacity to the port having a...
T&E survey shows lines profiteering over EU ETS charges
A study by the Brussels-based Transport & Environment group analysed 565 journeys taken by 20 vessels to and from Europe operated by four of the world’s largest carriers, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and CMA CGM, and found that the lines were over-charging in more...
Wartsila says fuel price parity possible by 2035
In its report – ‘Sustainable fuels for shipping by 2050 – the 3 key elements of success’ – the Helsinki-based company declared that decisive emissions policies such as the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) from January this year, and...
OceanScore boss warns of ETS compliance issues
Grell cites demarcation of responsibility between owners, managers, and charterers, the buying and selling of EU Allowances (EUAs), charter party terms, and data management, as some of the issues that have not yet been properly addressed by many shipping firms. ...
Ports of Southampton and Singapore explore green partnership
The two ports discussed various areas of potential cooperation regarding sustainable maritime transport during the UK-Singapore Green Economy Framework (UKSGEF). The meeting was seen as paving the way for further discussions on green and digital shipping cooperation...
Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
However, some shippers and forwarders believe an electronic payment system favours the shipping lines, who can use the system to make late payment charges, adding another minor revenue stream to their income. Container Trade Statistics calculates that around 173m...
The ‘vastly different’ time horizons of shipping bosses and investors
Did container liner execs recklessly binge on newbuilding orders, needlessly sabotaging their own bottom lines (and stocks) for years to come? Are some public tanker companies shortchanging their own shareholders by not returning enough capital via dividends and...
Taiwan International Port upgrading terminal facility at Kaohsiung
TIPC is to invest NT$4.47 billion ($139.8 million) to upgrade infrastructure at the third and fifth container terminals of Kaohsiung port which will significantly increase the terminals handling capacity and operational efficiencies. Draught will be deepened and...
Decarbonisation set to boost Middle East oil producers and VLCCs
The analysis will please the small group of VLCC owners who have embarked on something of a VLCC spending spree in recent weeks. Through the course of 2023, VLCCs on order had fallen to a long-time low. The few contracts that were placed were at significantly higher...
Port of Los Angeles container volumes up 60% in Feb
The Port of Los Angeles handled 781,434 teu in February this year compared to 487,846 teu in February 2023. “Market confidence in our gateway is as strong as it’s ever been,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka at a media briefing. “We’ve...
Wartsila says fuel price parity possible by 2035
In its report – ‘Sustainable fuels for shipping by 2050 – the 3 key elements of success’ – the Helsinki-based company declared that decisive emissions policies such as the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) from January this year, and...
Saudi launches port community system
The President of the General Ports Authority, Omar bin Talal Hariri, explained that the launch of the PCS is part of MAWANI’s effort to channel technology to serve the maritime transport system, raise the efficiency of the operational performance of the Saudi...
Dearth of tonnage drives ship recyclers to chase small vessels
Bangladeshi breakers lead the way, followed closely by recyclers in Pakistan, but they are bidding on low-quality units with components already removed, poor steel, corroded ballast tanks and permanent ballast., according to GMS, the world’s largest cash buyer of...
DP World launches global freight forwarding network
DP World said that with businesses seeking increased control over their supply chains, its expansion comes at a pivotal time for the global logistics and supply chain industry. By expanding its freight forwarding offering, with a focus on air and ocean freight. DP...