The hot topic in the merchant industry at the moment is the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2050 target of reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) from shipping by 50% compared to 2008 levels. This comes in addition to previously established NOx and SOx caps. With these new targets the regulatory environment is becoming increasingly complex and challenging, which also impacts financing as bulkers and tankers are often considered to be obsolete after a short lifespan. This makes it imperative for shipping companies to invest in flexible and future-proof technologies – but the ...

Challenge for start-ups and SMEs will fund and test application that helps improve the safety of deck operations, minimises fatigue on board, reduces administration on board and improves overall crew welfare. 3 August 2020: Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has joined forces with Shell Shipping and Maritime and maritime digital consultancy Thetius to launch a new ‘Open Innovation Challenge’ for start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The Challenge aims to identify technology that can benefit crew safety, health and wellbeing at sea at a ...

Shipping is navigating a unique period of disruption. As the sector looks to rebuild and restructure in the short and medium term beyond the events of 2020, many of the long-term impacts of the year will not be clear for some time. Whatever happens, it’s unlikely to return to the old “business as usual” approach and will have to adopt new ways of working. Our sector has been forced to pause and reflect on the viability of long-term strategies in a world that presents constant challenges. No part of the ...

Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd. becomes the eleventh shipowner to publicly disclose its approach to ship recycling through the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI) online platform. In a corporate statement Evergreen said, “We are committed to the planning of a completely sustainable life cycle for our vessels from design, construction, operation and ultimately to decommissioning. As such, we are delighted to join SRTI, through which signatories can share their ship recycling information via an online platform, helping the industry to improve its eco-friendly recycling policies and practices, and to work ...

The pace of container port capacity expansion is forecast to contract at least 40% over the next five years in the wake of the COVID-19 induced slowdown in port throughput, according to the latest Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Review and Forecast report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Global container terminal capacity is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.1% over the next five years, equating to an additional 25 million teu a year. This is well below the capacity growth seen over the past decade, ...

Nippon Paint Marine has completed the recoating of seven Danaos-managed containerships, with the last two vessels in the series, the 8,463TEU Phoebe and the 6,500TEU CMA CGM Moliere, leaving drydock in June. The first vessel in the series, the 13,100TEU Hyundai Honour, left drydock in January, followed in May by sisters Hyundai Respect, Hyundai Smart, and Hyundai Ambition, and the 366m Hyundai Speed in June. Five of the seven vessels were applied with Nippon’s proven A-LF Sea antifouling system during scheduled drydockings at Zhoushan Changhong Shipyard in China. Each hull ...

Port of Hamburg The Port of Hamburg could play a major role in Germany’s national hydrogen strategy. A German port is being backed as a future hydrogen hub as the German government gears up to implement a new national hydrogen strategy. The Authority for Economy and Innovation (BWI) in Hamburg said the Port of Hamburg “has ideal prerequisites to become a hydrogen hub”. Speaking exclusively to Port Strategy, BWI explained: “It is home to several large industrial companies, which have a high demand for green hydrogen and will become key ...

Measures introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have brought widespread disruption to normal crew change operations, with many seafarers prevented from disembarking or joining their vessels. GAC Malaysia’s Pradeep Kumar & Chew Yeow present their guide to the current status of crew changes in the country including: where they may be conducted; what restrictions are in place; what requirements must be met; and how many changes GAC Malaysia has handled to date. What challenges and restrictions do shipowners/operators face when arranging crew changes in Malaysia, and how have your ...

WOC and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster “Ocean Startup Project” Team Up to Engage Ocean Solution Providers Canada’s Ocean Supercluster “Ocean Startup Project” and the World Ocean Council (WOC) are collaborating to broaden the search for problem-solvers to take part in the Ocean Startup Challenge – applications close on 14 August. The Ocean Startup Challenge is one of the newest leaders in the growing ecosystem of ocean-related incubators, accelerators and challenge competitions that the WOC is working to connect through the “Global Blue Economy Innovation Initiatives Network”. The network fosters and facilitates ...

KPI Bridge Oil and OceanConnect Marine today announced that the two companies have formally completed a merger to create a new brand and entity, KPI OceanConnect. The merger, first announced in February 2020, now has full regulatory approval, and creates one of the largest and most experienced independent marine energy service and solutions providers in the world. KPI OceanConnect has a 170-strong team operating across 15 locations globally, and an established foothold in every major maritime hub and time zone. KPI OceanConnect has a rich maritime heritage dating back almost ...

MANCHESTER UK headquartered tech firm SRO Solutions has completed a 14-month high value contract to replace the asset management software system on six vessels operated by Stena Drilling. SRO won the deal with Stena Drilling to replace its existing asset management system with IBM’s Maximo software. The highly specialised upgrade was delivered on time and to budget by a team of six engineers from SRO who also delivered training on the fleet in the Canary Islands, Israel, Guyana and Scapa Flow in Scotland. SRO operations director Andrew Carrie led the ...

A projected rise in Rhine water levels this week is likely to ease pressure on European petrochemical market supply chains, impacted by weeks of warm, dry weather. Water levels at Kaub, a key choke point along the Rhine river, have been falling since the beginning of July, reaching 108 cm on August 3, down from 207 cm a month before, data from the German waterways authority showed. Petrochemicals market sources said barge capacity upstream has been reduced by around 30-40% in recent weeks. A petrochemical producer located in the Cologne ...

As we approach the traditionally stronger second half of the year, we are starting to see improved rates for dry bulk but is this uptick down to the usual seasonality or are there other underlying reasons behind this current market rally? The period market has experienced a boost, with capesize rates one-year rates across both basins up 31% from the previous week and this has supported owner’s sentiment for firm rates in the short term. Hopes of a summer resurgence have been raised by new stimulus measures from Beijing put ...

In response to several incidents of containers being lost into the sea, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has initiated a focused inspection campaign on container stowage and securing arrangements, both fixed and portable, that will run from 1 August 2020 to 31 October 2020. Introduction Containers lost at sea present a serious safety and an environmental hazard. The World Shipping Council estimates that over the last 12 years (2008-2019), 1,382 containers have been lost at sea on an average each year due to both catastrophic and non-catastrophic incidents. A ...

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has received an order for four forklifts from Yizheng Port Co., Ltd., including two Kalmar Essential Forklifts with a lifting capacity of 16 tonnes and two Kalmar Heavy Forklifts with a lifting capacity of 25 tonnes. The order, which was concluded through Kalmar’s local dealer Suzhou Hefeng Industry Equipment Co., Ltd., was booked in Cargotec’s 2020 Q2 order intake, with delivery scheduled in Q4 2020. Yizheng Port Co., Ltd., a provider of goods warehousing services, is about to commence a new port project. The company has ...