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Port Calls News

05 Mar 2024

Singapore and Australia Formalize Corridor Collaboration

© ake1150 / Adobe Stock

Singapore and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formally collaborate on establishing the Singapore-Australia green and digital shipping corridor.The MoU was signed by Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, and Catherine King, Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.Both countries will work with interested partners to explore opportunities to develop zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission fuel supply chains for the maritime industry


01 Feb 2024

2024 a Milestone Year for Maritime Single Window

Source: IMO

2024 marks a milestone in the acceleration of digitalization in shipping that has been brought about by the mandatory requirements for a Maritime Single Window.The requirement under the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) requires governments to use a single digital platform or “Maritime Single Window” to share and exchange information with ships when they call at ports, from January 1, 2024. This streamlines procedures to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships and greatly enhances the efficiency of shipping worldwide


12 Jan 2024

As Missiles Soar, Freight Rates Soar, too

Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta. Image courtesy Xeneta

Missile strikes by the US and UK against Houthi militia in Yemen has brought heightened tensions across the region with disruption to ocean freight shipping set to deteriorate further.At approximately 2.30am (Sanaa/Red Sea time) today, Friday, the US and UK military carried out air strikes on targets in Yemen in response to Houthi militia attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, which have totalled 27 since November 19.“We want to see safe, risk-free voyages through the area for vessels and the situation must calm down for that to happen," said Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta.

26 Dec 2023

Singapore Sets Arrival Tonnage Record

Source: MPA

The Port of Singapore has registered a record three billion gross tonnage (GT) in annual vessel arrival tonnage.The record was reached with the arrival of the 8,628 TEU, 98,799 GT Singapore-flagged container ship, ONE Olympus, at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on December 25, 2023.The annual vessel arrival tonnage at the Port of Singapore for 2023 is expected to reach just over three billion GT in 2023, up from 2.83 billion GT in 2022.The record was marked at an event organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and attended by Chee Hong Tat, Acting Minister for Transport.

20 Dec 2023

Russia Oil Price Cap Coalition Toughens Shipping Rules

© AUUSanAKUL+ / Adobe Stock

The U.S.-led coalition imposing a price cap on seaborne Russian oil announced changes on Wednesday to its compliance regime the Treasury Department said will make it harder for Russian exporters to bypass the cap.The Treasury also imposed fresh sanctions on a ship manager owned by the Russian government and three oil traders involved in Russian oil trade.The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries last year imposed a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian oil shipments in


07 Dec 2023

Maersk to Deploy First Large Methanol-Enabled Vessel on AE Trade

Source: Maersk

A.P. Moller - Maersk is about to launch the first of its 18 large methanol-enabled vessels currently on order. On February 9, 2024, it will enter service on the AE7 string connecting Asia and Europe, which includes port calls in Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo and Hamburg, with Ningbo, China, being its first destination.The container vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea has a nominal capacity of 16,000 TEU and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine enabling


15 Nov 2023

Digitalization: Maritime Charts its Course

Data collaboration among maritime players will be vital to facilitate more efficient ship performance as operations become more digitalised. Photo: Shutterstock

Maritime players plotting pathways to data collaboration with digital projects in line with new BV-backed research study.Digital technologies are increasingly being leveraged by shipping players to facilitate data collaboration among different actors in areas like ship design, vessel performance and port calls as a new Thetius research study backed by Bureau Veritas (BV) shows this will be vital to drive decarbonization, an OrbitMI-hosted panel heard at the recent Shipping Insight event in the US.“Data-powered


02 Nov 2023

Israel's Ship Industry Urges Government to Help with Jump in War Insurance

© MagioreStockStudio / Adobe Stock

Ships sailing for Israel face a 10-fold jump in war risk premiums as the conflict in Gaza intensifies, prompting industry calls for the government to help ensure vital imports keep coming.Israel has vowed to annihilate Islamist group Hamas after its fighters stormed through Israeli towns from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people and seizing more than 220 hostages.Israeli forces have hit back with deadly air strikes and now a ground offensive on the narrow coastal strip, with growing fears the conflict could escalate and pull in the whole region.Israel


12 Oct 2023

US Sanctions Two Tanker Owners for Carrying Russian Oil Above Price Cap

The U.S. on Thursday imposed the first sanctions on owners of tankers carrying Russian oil above the G7 price cap of $60 a barrel, one based in Turkey and one in the United Arab Emirates, in an effort to close loopholes on the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.The U.S., other G7 countries and Australia imposed the cap last year, seeking to reduce Russia's revenues from seaborne oil exports as part of sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services, including insurance, finance and shipping, for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel, while seeking to keep oil flowing to markets. Caps also were imposed on Russian fuel exports.U.S.

31 May 2023

CMA CGM Acquires La Méridionale, New Ship Orders Planned

Copyright CMA CGM

The CMA CGM Group today finalized the acquisition of La Méridionale, a mixed-use freight and passenger shipping company established in Marseille since 1931. La Méridionale currently has four RoPax vessels, which operate up to 13 weekly crossings between Marseille, Porto Vecchio and Ajaccio, plus connections between Marseille and Morocco.The acquisition of La Méridionale complements the new division of the CMA CGM Group dedicated to specialized shipping operations. This division encompasses the new car carrier business


24 Apr 2023

Ultratank Taps Seaber to Optimize Operations

(Photo: Ultratank_

Ultratank announced it has signed a long-term contract with Seaber.io, a Finnish maritime technology company that develops data-led fleet scheduling and optimization solutions, helping the chemical bulk operator to increase efficiency as it aims to reduce CO2 intensity by at least 40% by 2030.Seaber’s product is an AI-assisted planning solution developed to revolutionize the tanker and bulker shipping industry. It is a schedule planning software that help plan, communicate, operate and optimize cargo flows and fleet schedule.

27 Jan 2023

S5 Inks Deal with Deutsche ReGas to Manage Shuttle Tankers

Transfer carrier Coral Furcata delivers LNG to FSRU Neptune at Deutsche ReGas's Terminal, Lubmin, Germany. Image courtesy S5 Agency World

S5 Agency World (S5) signed a contract with Deutsche ReGas to act as terminal agent at its new Deutsche Ostsee LNG terminal at Lubmin Port, on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. The new LNG terminal will process LNG imports into Germany and has a regasification apacity of up to 5.2 bcm of natural gas per year. The agreement will see S5 Agency World managed the incoming clearance, pilot coordination and necessary paperwork for three shuttle tankers working between a floating storage unit moored near the port in the Baltic Sea and the floating regasification vessel Neptune at the Lubmin terminal.

29 Dec 2022

The More ‘Eyes On The Water’, The Better

An Ocean Aero Triton unmanned surface vessel operates alongside U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) in the Arabian Gulf, November 29, during Digital Horizon 2022. (Credit: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)

Manama, Bahrain -- Advancing maritime domain awareness in the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) is a challenging task. Yet keeping the sea lanes open is critical for the region, for the U.S. and the world.U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) are all headquartered here in Bahrain, under the command of Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. U.S. Fifth Fleet oversees the operations for all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.

07 Dec 2022

Decarbonization Group Seeks Proposals for Carbon Capture Shipping Project

A Singapore-based decarbonization group said on Tuesday it was seeking proposals to study ways to offload captured carbon dioxide from ships during port calls.The call for proposals is part of the world's first project aimed at building and testing a full-scale carbon-dioxide capture system aboard an oil tanker.The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), a non-profit organisation based in Singapore that supports decarbonisation of the maritime industry, announced the project in October.The GCMD said on Tuesday it expected by the second quarter of 2023 to choose a proposal for a study into means of offloading carbon dioxide.

25 Jul 2022

USS Whidbey Island Decommissioned

USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) (Photo: Rachael L. Leslie / U.S. Navy)

Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship namesake, USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) held a decommissioning ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. on July 22 before its inactivation next month.The ship’s decommissioning ceremony was held on the quay wall, alongside the moored USS Whidbey Island. The ceremony was attended by nine of her previous Commanding Officers and over 50 plankowners. “The last crew of Whidbey Island performed with great dignity and resiliency,” said Cmdr. Matt Phillips, the ship’s final commanding officer.

05 Jul 2022

New Dry Bulk Commodity Analytics Company Launched

© woodpencil / Adobe Stock

DBX, a new dry bulk commodity analytics firm based in London, officially launched earlier this year having successfully completed Signal Venture’s incubation program, and it has now initiated a round of seed funding.The venture started in the summer of 2020 with all around support from Signal Ocean. This support included financial, data, technology and recruitment, OilX, an oil commodity analytics firm previously launched by Signal, also provided high level technical support.DBX


28 Jun 2022

Swire Bulk Launches Liner Service Between Southeast Asia and Europe

(Photo: Swire Bulk)

Swire Bulk said it will operate a new liner service between Southeast Asia and Europe from June 2022 in addition to its tramp services.The company said it will deploy one to two vessels on a monthly rotation into Europe, calling at Amamapare (Indonesia), Singapore, and Dahej (India) to load cargo before arriving in Huelva (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium) and Brunsbüttel (Germany) for discharge operations. Customers will also be able to request additional port calls at countries between Southeast Asia to Europe.Launched by Swire Bulk’s Parcelling division


22 Jun 2022

US Grain Shipments Through Great Lakes-Seaway Up 39%

(Photo: Nick Corbin, courtesy Chamber of Marine Commerce)

U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 312,000 metric tons from March 22 to May 31, up 39% compared to the same period in 2021. Much of the increase is due to exports of corn and soybeans out of the Port of Toledo and some new trade starting at the port of Oswego this shipping season. The rise in shipments, which are predominantly heading to Europe and North Africa, are in part due to shifting global grain trading patterns as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine — both major grain exporters — continues.“The Great Lakes-St.

23 Jun 2022

Pacifica Shipping Adds Second Ship on NZ Coastal Service

(Photo: Pacifica Shipping)

Pacifica Shipping confirms it is introducing a second vessel onto its New Zealand coastal shipping service, which is expected to be operational mid-September this year.The vessel will add 1,300TEU extra capacity every week and will complement the existing coastal service provided by Pacifica Shipping’s MV Moana Chief, a 1,700TEU ship, which has been operating since August 2019.Country Manager for Pacifica Shipping and Swire Shipping New Zealand Brodie Stevens, said the service


13 Jun 2022

New Hybrid Self-discharging Coaster Will Offer "Zero Emission" Port Calls

Image courtesy EST Floattech/ Royal Bodewes

EST-Floattech has been contracted by Hoogendijk Electric to design and deliver the complete battery system for Hagland Pioneer, the third newbuild hybrid coaster for Norwegian shipping company Hagland, currently being built at Royal Bodewes shipyard and due for delivery halfway 2023.EST-Floattech’s battery system enables the 5,000-DWT self-discharging bulk carrier to make zero-emission port calls. The vessel, one of a series of three, will also sail in full-electric mode, for example in environmentally sensitive environments, such as in fjords or near-coastal communities.

02 Jun 2022

New Product: TruCare – Turbocharger Anomaly Detection and Predictive Maintenance-as-a-Service

Image courtesy Tru-Marine

Tru-Marine launches TruCare, designed to transform the technical management of marine turbocharger maintenance and repairs.“TruCare is a disruptive digitization approach in managing asset maintenance onboard vessels in a completely different way," said James Loke, Group Chief Executive Officer, Tru-Marine. "More importantly, it is our response to the urgency of decarbonization imposed by world maritime and the Singapore government’s raised climate ambition to net zero by or around 2050.”Designed for turbochargers onboard all ocean-going vessels


28 Jun 2022

ESL's AtoB@C Shipping Orders Six Hybrid-electric Bulkers

(Image: AtoB@C Shipping)

Sweden-based AtoB@C Shipping has ordered six energy-efficient hybrid-electric 5,350 dwt vessels from Chowgule and Company Private Limited shipyard in India.Total investment value of the six ships is approximately 70 million euros, according to AtoB@C, part of ESL Shipping. The order includes options for several additional ships.These new 1A ice class vessels are due for delivery starting from the third quarter of 2023.The design work of the ships and comprehensive model tests have been carried out together with the Dutch SMB Naval Architects.The greenhouse gas emissions


08 Jun 2022

ABB Signs 'Shore-to-Ship' Power deal for Cruise, Ferries in Port of Toulon

(Photo: ABB)

Port of Toulon, which handles over 1.6 million ferry and cruise passengers annually, has committed to ABB Shore Connection technology at a key stage in its sustainability drive.With around 1,300 yearly calls from ferries and cruise vessels right in the heart of the city, the port of Toulon plays an important role in developing the attractiveness of the region for business and tourists. The port is also central to the “Zero-smoke stopovers” plan by the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Région Sud PACA)