News
Global News
FMC Considers Invoking Emergency Powers to Alleviate Port Congestion
While West Coast congestion has declined it has increased in ports such as Savannah and Charleston (GPA file photo) PUBLISHED AUG 14, 2022 8:49 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE The Federal Maritime Commission is considering invoking its newly granted emergency powers...
Lines Prepare for Felixstowe Strike After UK Port Labor Talks Stall
Unions are planning an 8-day strike for the port later this month (Felixstowe file photo) PUBLISHED AUG 14, 2022 3:40 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, is heading for a crippling 8-day strike after mediation talks with...
Container volume at major Chinese ports up 6.1% in mid-July
According to statistics released by China Ports and Harbors Association, container volume at eight major Chinese ports increased 6.1% year-on-year in mid-July Katherine Si | Aug 05, 2022 The rate of growth was fairly consistent with the 5.9% volumes increase seen in...
The impact on shipping of China military exercises off Taiwan
In further disruption to the supply chain vessels face being forced to divert from the Taiwan Strait as China launches large-scale, live firing military exercises in the key waterway. Marcus Hand | Aug 04, 2022 China began live firing exercises at 12 noon, local time,...
Bulk carrier with grain grounding at Napoli Port, Italy
Bulk carrier IRVINE BAY ran aground in Napoli Port area while approaching berth, on arrival from Santana Brazil with cargo of grain, at around 1200 UTC Aug 4. She was refloated with high tide at around 0230 UTC Aug 5 with tugs assistance, and berthed. No damages, no...
War effect on crude trade: Long-lasting and just beginning
Euronav and Teekay execs see post-invasion trade patterns sticking Is the shift in global crude flows due to the Ukraine-Russia war a fleeting event or the start of a new era? At first, many market watchers and investors viewed it as short-lived. It now seems like...
What’s Causing So Many Port Strikes? It May be the Profits
Ocean carriers and some terminal operators have had a run of exceptional earnings, and dockers want a share. PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2022 9:29 PM BY BRIAN GICHERU KINYUA Besides congestion, strikes at major ports in Europe, Asia and North America have become another...
Container rates may have peaked – 280% above pre-pandemic levels
Long-term contracted ocean freight rates in the container market may have peaked, but remain 112% up on-year and 280% up on July 2019. Gary Howard | Jul 28, 2022 Data from container market intelligence outfit Xeneta showed a deceleration in the price rise of long-term...
51-Day Strike Ends as Questions of DSME’s Financial Stability Mount
PUBLISHED JUL 22, 2022 7:44 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. and the union representing subcontractors reached an agreement at the end of the day on Friday ending a 51-day strike that threatened the financial stability...
What Does the Black Sea Grain Agreement Mean for Africa?
PUBLISHED JUL 24, 2022 7:23 PM BY WANDILE SIHLOBO If Russia keeps to the deal it has signed with Ukraine allowing for the resumption of grain exports, much needed relief will be provided to importing countries, including many in Africa. The relief would be...
US exports of crude oil and diesel are climbing even higher
More diesel flows to Latin America, more crude to Europe At-the-pump prices for gasoline and diesel may be down from all-time peaks but they remain exceptionally high. Meanwhile, as domestic energy resources flow to the highest bidder, more U.S.-produced crude is...
Congestion shifts to US East Coast ports
Port congestion in the US has shifted eastwards with more vessels now waiting at New York and Houston ports than Los Angeles and Long Beach. Marcus Hand | Jul 19, 2022 Congestion at US West Coast ports hit the headlines last year as it reached record levels with...
Stark warning on European energy crunch
Oslo-based analyst, Rystad Energy, has warned that energy turmoil, caused largely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions that followed, may cause ‘vast demand destruction across industries and consumers’ in Europe. Paul Bartlett | Jul 19, 2022 Despite support...
Biden Heads Off Rail Strike With 60-Day Cooling Off Period
PUBLISHED JUL 18, 2022 10:49 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE To head off the supply-chain impact of a railway strike, U.S. President Joe Biden has established a presidential emergency board to help resolve a labor dispute between Class I rail carriers and their...
Clearance of Snake Island Opens Route to Ukraine’s Danube River Ports
The Reni port complex on the Ukrainian side of the Danube. Reni, Izmail and Kiliya now have improved access to the Black Sea (USPA file image) PUBLISHED JUL 11, 2022 2:48 AM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Ukraine is working to revive long-idled inland ports along the...
Post-Covid container demand boom coming to an end
The post-Covid demand surge for container shipping appears to have run its course according to Drewry’s port throughput indices. Marcus Hand | Jul 11, 2022 The Drewry Global Port Throughput Index stood at 141.1 points in April 2022 some 1.5% lower than April 2021,...
Long Beach container backlog crosses red line as delays mount
Long-dwelling containers in the Port of Long Beach now up 9% vs. Oct. 28 he number of container ships waiting off Los Angeles and Long Beach is well off its highs, but the pileup of import containers waiting on Southern California terminal yards is rapidly...
Offshore ship sunk by typhoon off Hong Kong, 27 people missing UPDATE
Jul 2 1500 UTC UPDATE: The ship is identified, it’s offshore construction ship FU JING 001. SAR is under way in extremely challenging weather conditions, 3 SAR ships in the area. So far, 3 people were rescued, 27 remain missing. Offshore construction ship, not yet...
New Maersk feeder servie cuts Asia – Italy transit times
Maersk has launched a new feeder service between Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal and Vado Gateway at the Port of Genoa, which will reduce transit times. Michele Labrut | Jul 01, 2022 The first 3,000-teu feeder of this new service will depart from SCCT...
US outbound container volume drops for 12th month straight
While inbound container volumes continued to rise in the US, export volumes fell for the twelfth straight month in May. Gary Howard | Jun 29, 2022 According to the McCown Report, East Coast and Gulf Coast imports helped inbound volumes rise 2.9% in May across the top...
Containers lost at sea increased 400% in 2020 – 2021
There was a four-fold increase in the number of containers lost overboard during the 2020 – 2021 compared to the previous two-year. Marcus Hand | Jun 22, 2022 According to figures from the World Shipping Council (WSC) 3,133 containers were lost overboard in the 2020 –...
Analysis: The next COVID-19 booster shots will likely be updated for Omicron
NEW YORK: COVID-19 vaccines this fall are likely to be based on the Omicron variant of the coronavirus rather than the original strain, although some experts suggest they may only offer significant benefits for older and immunocompromised people. Moderna, Pfizer and...
UN Ocean Conference is a Key Step to Restoring Ocean Health
PUBLISHED JUN 26, 2022 3:50 PM BY CHINA DIALOGUE OCEAN [By Peter Thomson] With every breath we take, we are connected to the ocean. The planet-defining blue covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, providing half of its oxygen, stabilising our...
US and Norway Launch Green Shipping Challenge to Build Decarbonization
The U.S. and Norway are challenging the shipping industry to develop decarbonization plans ahead of COP 27 PUBLISHED JUN 17, 2022 7:58 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Speaking with world leaders at the third virtual Major Economies Forum President Joe Biden...
Surge in Boxship Orders Could Create Capacity Surplus as Early as 2023
Many of the next generation of boxships will be dual-fuel, like this CMA CGM LNG-powered container ship (CSSC Hudong Zhonghua / CMA CGM) PUBLISHED JUN 17, 2022 7:47 PM BY BRIAN GICHERU KINYUA Although trade volumes are cooling, the appetite by major ocean...
Freight data wars on the horizon
When it comes to anything related to supply chains, uncertainty pervades. Barry Parker | Jun 15, 2022 An early June report from the Freightwaves platform, with the headline, "US import demand is dropping of a cliff”, received a great deal of traction, and caused...
Livestock carrier with 16,000 cattle capsized in Red sea
Posted in Accidents by Mikhail Voytenko on Jun 12, 2022 at 04:10. Livestock carrier AL BADRI 1 capsized and sank along pier at Suakin Port, Sudan, Red sea, in the evening Jun 11, while about to leave port. The ship with some 16,000 cattle on board is resting starboard...
Mission to Seafarers re-opens Singapore drop-in centre
The Mission to Seafarers has officially re-opened its drop-in centre at Jurong Port after a two-year closure due to Covid restrictions. Marcus Hand | Jun 10, 2022 “It’s great to be back!” declared the Mission to Seafarers Singapore (MtSS) Chairman, Capt. Rob Walker,...
Retailer inventories could drag US-China box rates lower
Falling demand and high retailer inventories could bring US-China container rates even lower, according to a supply chain analyst. Gary Howard | Jun 06, 2022 Shifl said that US retailers are sitting with excess inventory and in many cases still awaiting orders which...
Ports get ‘much needed respite’ as container-ship traffic jam eases
Ship queues down off Southern California, Virginia and Charleston It could be the relative calm before the peak-season, post-Shanghai-lockdown storm. Or it could be the final unwinding of COVID-era congestion as inflation takes hold. What happens next is still highly...
Shanghai’s Port is Nearing Normal Operations After Two-Month Lockdown
PUBLISHED JUN 6, 2022 2:34 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE As China continues to roll back restrictions on most parts of Shanghai, port operations appear to be approaching normal levels. It, however, remains to be seen how quickly throughput can be restored at the...
IMO Breaks Deadlock on Carbon Pricing for Shipping
PUBLISHED MAY 27, 2022 8:35 PM BY NJIRAINI MUCHIRA The push to decarbonize the commercial shipping industry has achieved a major breakthrough after countries reached a consensus on carbon pricing of shipping emissions, a development that comes after more than 10...
World-First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat to Be Welcomed by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges
Posted in Ship Building and Technology by Raghib Raza on May 26, 2022 at 06:00. The world's first hydrogen powered tug, HYDROTUG, was launched from the Armón Shipyard in Navia, Spain, on May 16th. After the completion of the remaining construction and the passing...
Video: Barge Loses Containers on Route to Singapore
Tug lost control of the container barge during the tow to Singapore dropping at least 18 containers into the ocean (Indonesian SAR) PUBLISHED MAY 27, 2022 8:06 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE An Indonesia tugboat pulling a container barge encountered unexpectedly...
$60bn first quarter windfall for container sector
The container industry made a $59.3bn profit in the first quarter, the sixth consecutive record quarterly profit for the sector. Gary Howard | May 20, 2022 The McCown Container Results Observer noted that the result marked more than a threefold improvement over the...
LNG and the Road to Net Zero
PUBLISHED MAY 22, 2022 2:08 AM BY MARK VENABLES (Article originally published in Mar/Apr 2022 edition.) Driven by an ambitious IMO decarbonization strategy and calls from the European Parliament and European Commission to reduce global emissions from shipping,...
National Maritime Day: Why are We Still Asking if Women Belong at Sea?
PUBLISHED MAY 22, 2022 1:43 AM BY ALLY CEDENO Over the last year much has been written about female mariners and our role in the maritime industry; unfortunately, the tone and tenor of the coverage might unintentionally dampen the remarkable progress women are...
Container shipping rates: Still sky high but falling back to Earth
Asia-US container shipping indexes down around 20%-30% from peaks It’s still very expensive to ship containers full of goods across the oceans. Spot rates globally are still more than quadruple pre-pandemic levels. But rates are now materially lower than they were a...
Climate Change is Making Both Hurricanes and Hurricane Flooding Worse
PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2022 9:31 PM BY THE CONVERSATION Super cyclones, known as hurricanes or typhoons in different parts of the world, are among the most destructive weather events on our planet. Although wind speeds within these storms can reach 145...
South Korea’s Shipbuilding Orderbook Reaches Six-Year High
Despite concerns that the global boom in shipbuilding orders is slowing, South Korean shipbuilders’ orderbook reached a six-year high in April 2022. Driven by the strength of the market in 2021 and brisk orders in the first four months of this year, the South Koreans...
The world is ‘crying out for diesel.’ Product tankers could win big
Product tanker owners Ardmore, INSW, Scorpio see scramble for diesel supplies Retail gasoline prices in the U.S. are up 45% year on year. Diesel used by American truckers is up 75% and just hit an all-time high. But this is not just an American problem. Pain at...
Major Chinese ports container volume falls 5.7% in mid-April
Container volume at eight major Chinese port declined by 5.7% year-on-year in mid-April affected by the recent Covid outbreaks in Yangtze River delta region. Katherine Si | May 06, 2022 Export container volumes dropped 4.1% while the domestic volumes declined...
Retail Imports Set New Monthly Record at U.S. Ports
PUBLISHED MAY 6, 2022 8:39 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Imports at the U.S.’s major container ports set a new record this spring and are expected to continue at near-record levels into the summer of 2022 as retailers bring in merchandise ahead of rising costs and...
Despite rising risks, shipping lines on track for another record year
Kuehne+Nagel reports 15% drop in Chinese exports but expects quick recovery The year is almost a third over, and with each passing month, shipping lines look increasingly likely to pocket even more cash in 2022 than in record-trouncing 2021. New data and...
China lockdowns are not causing shipping chaos, say liner CEOs
Maersk and Matson don’t see severe China lockdown fallout yet It was predicted that China lockdowns would cause container shipping havoc. Six weeks into Shanghai lockdowns, it still hasn’t happened. Two liner CEOs — Maersk’s Soren Skou and Matson’s Matt Cox —...
How COVID transformed trans-Pacific container shipping
COVID-driven cargo demand has dramatically altered the trans-Pacific shipping landscape. New data from Alphaliner highlights just how much the Asia-U.S. trade lane has changed over the past two years. There’s now far more container shipping capacity in the trade than...
Are We Facing the End of a Pandemic-Driven Shipping Boom?
File image courtesy CSCEC PUBLISHED APR 20, 2022 2:57 PM BY BRIAN GICHERU KINYUA For the past two years, it has been a roller coaster ride in the ocean freight business. After the early-pandemic slowdown in 2020, demand soared in 2021, resulting in massive...
FMC Completes Meetings with Ocean Carriers Regarding Export Services
FMC increases focus on ocean carriers as export volumes continue to fall (Seattle file photo) PUBLISHED APR 22, 2022 5:56 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE The imbalance between U.S. imports and exports and the repeated complaints from manufacturers and the...
Shanghai lockdown: Container line blank sailings remain ‘normal’
The continuing Shanghai lockdown against Covid has not translated, as yet, into a large number of blank sailings by container lines. Marcus Hand | Apr 22, 2022 Analysts Sea-Intelligence compared the number of blank sailings that resulted from the Covid outbreak...
Experts Warn of China’s Near-Monopoly on Freight Container Production, Threatening Global Supply Chain
Expert says it's ‘deeply concerning’ China produces 95 percent of the world’s shipping containers A recent report from the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) showed that China’s control of global container manufacturing poses a threat to supply chains and...
Local News
Northport receives the largest ever container vessel to berth at its terminal
Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (“Northport”), a member of MMC Group, celebrated a historic milestone as it welcomed MV OOCL Japan on 20 May 2024, the largest ever container vessel to berth at its facilities. Owned by Orient Overseas Container Line (“OOCL”) Limited, MV OOCL...
Dry days coming with south-west monsoon, possible water shortages, says Zahid
PETALING JAYA: The incoming south-west monsoon is expected to bring back hot and dry weather with water shortages a possibility, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Deputy Prime Minister and National Disaster Management Committee (Nadma) chairman said in a...
PM Anwar: Malaysia, Uzbekistan to transform joint committee on trade into joint commission
TASHKENT, May 17 — Malaysia and Uzbekistan have agreed to activate the work of the intergovernmental Joint Committee on Trade and transform the committee into the Intergovernmental Joint Commission. In a joint statement today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim...
Transport minister: Official HSR project discussions only after Cabinet approval
PUTRAJAYA, May 17 ― Any official discussion with Singapore on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) will only be held after obtaining approval from the Cabinet, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said. He added that the working paper on the suggested project...
Insights into Malaysia’s Standing in the 2024 Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index
The Malaysian state of Selangor is positioning itself to be the gateway to business in Southeast Asia, as the region aims to become the fourth-largest economy by 2030. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which currently trails the economies of the US,...
Saifuddin Nasution: Home Ministry signs 14 contracts with local firms worth over RM2b
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The Home Ministry (KDN) has inked 14 contracts with local companies valued at RM2.156 billion in conjunction with the Defence Services Asia (DSA) Exhibition & Conference 2024 and National Security (Natsec) Asia 2024. Home Minister Datuk Seri...
Iran is using Malaysian providers to move sanctioned oil
ran’s capacity to transport its oil is reliant on service providers based in Malaysia, with oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the region, a senior US Treasury official told Reuters on Tuesday. The US Treasury is scrutinising the financing...
Transport minister: Ship allegedly owned by Israeli firm has changed ownership to HK company
PUTRAJAYA, May 9 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said the ship claimed to be owned by an Israeli company while using the port in this country has actually changed ownership to another company based in Hong Kong. He insisted that his ministry had inspected and...
Miti: Semiconductor industry offers Malaysia chance for exponential growth
BATU KAWAN: The semiconductor industry presents Malaysia with a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity for exponential economic growth and industry players are advised to capitalise on this billion-dollar sector. Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister (MITI) Liew...
Maybank IB: Johor-Singapore SEZ has competitive advantage in attracting fresh FDI
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) could be a formidable competitive advantage in attracting fresh foreign direct investment (FDI) from multinational companies (MNCs). This can be achieved by integrating Singapore’s global...
Rail route connects China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia
(KPL/VNA)The first China - Laos - Thailand - Malaysia express freight train recently departed from Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, marking a significant milestone in regional trade connectivity. The train, carrying 30 containers of LCD...
Seizing Malaysia’s economic momentum
The drastic depreciation of the Malaysian ringgit, comparable in magnitude to the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, has spooked many and triggered debates on the nation’s economic performance. External headwinds such as persistent high inflation in the United States,...
Malaysia makes its stand on waste | #AsiaNewsNetwork
PORT KLANG (The Star) - Even Bangladesh is sending its contaminated plastic waste to Malaysia. The government will be sending 450 metric tonnes of contaminated plastic waste in 10 containers back to their countries of origin immediately. Besides the one container from...
Malaysian supplier bunkers containership with ISCC-certified biofuel
Tumpuan Megah supplied approximately 4,500 metric tonnes of ISCC EU-certified B24 marine biofuel to a containership operated by Danish container shipping giant Maersk. The bunkering operation took place at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in the state of Johor on April 25,...
Product innovation drives sales of local plastic packaging
KUALA LUMPUR: The adoption of new product innovations is giving local plastic packaging manufacturers an edge over their global peers as they vie for market share amid a period of inventory restocking. Two new products - nano stretch film and mono film - are gaining...
Expert: Introduction of EPF Account 3 can help contributors in times of emergency
KUALA LUMPUR: The introduction of the Employee Provident Fund's (EPF) Account 3 or Flexible Account is seen as one of the institution's alternatives to meeting the emergency needs and funds of its contributors in tackling life's challenges before retiring. Bank...
DP World and Sabah Ports to expand East Malaysia terminal
Under the agreement, DP World will support efforts currently underway to increase SBCP’s container handling capacity from 500,000 teu to 1.25 million teu by 2025. Investments will also be made to optimise terminal workflows, accelerate digitalisation for greater...
Finance Ministry seeks logistics industry’s views on targeted diesel subsidies
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican held a discussion yesterday with the logistics industry on the implementation of the proposed targeted diesel subsidies. “This discussion was held to seek the views of associations and...
Container vessels supply to exceed demand, pressuring freight rates, says analyst
KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — The supply of container vessels will continue to outpace demand, putting pressure on freight rates as more newly built containerships are introduced into the market amidst ongoing geopolitical conflicts. -ADVERTISEMENT- Veson Nautical senior...
Tengku Zafrul: Miti closely monitoring situation in Middle East for possible escalation in conflict
RAWANG, April 19 — The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) is closely monitoring reports on the Middle East conflict for a possible escalation in the region. Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said so far, shipments through the Red Sea shipping...