Ecsa News

The international maritime industry, led by the International Chamber of Shipping, has joined together to express their concern for the seafarers from the Galaxy Leader who have been held hostage and call on the Houthis to release them.Monday February 19, 2024 marks the three-month anniversary since the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader and its 25 seafarers in the Red Sea.The roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier was seized on November 19.“The 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shipping…

The European Commission has published its proposal for a 2040 climate target: greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 90% by 2040 at the latest, receiving positive feedback from European shipowners.The shipowners welcome the strong commitment of the Commission to address “barriers to the deployment of low- and zero-emissions fuels including e-fuels and advanced biofuels” in shipping and to give the sector “priority access to these fuels over sectors that have access to other…

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) has welcomed the Polish Shipping Association as a full member as of January 1, 2024.The Polish Shipping Association brings together the Polish Shipowners’ Association (ZAP) and the Polish Shipping Companies Association (PZPŻ).“We are proud to welcome the Polish Shipping Association as a new member of ECSA. The Polish Shipping Association extends the geographical scope covered by our membership, brings additional expertise and knowledge…

Karin Orsel has been appointed the first female President ever in the history of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), starting on January 1, 2024 for a two-year term, with Mikki Koskinen joining as the new Vice-President. She succeeds Philippos Philis, who has held the position since January 2022.Commenting on her appointment, new ECSA President Karin Orsel said, “The strategic role of European shipping for the security of the Europe has come to the forefront.

Interferry – representing more than 270 companies and some 1,200 individual members from over 40 countries – is co-hosting a workshop at next month’s European Shipping Summit in Brussels to stress the importance of shifting more goods transport from road to short sea services, notably through better use of European Union funding to enhance the sector’s competitiveness.The workshop – ‘How to increase the share of maritime transport in Europe’s trade’  – takes place at 09:30 on September 19 in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and is open to all interested professionals.

The European Commission has decided to continue recognising certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines, one of the world’s largest maritime labour supply countries.In December 2021, following a detailed assessment of the training and certification system in place, the Commission had informed the Philippines that recognition of their seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious measures were taken, including the compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW).

Global leaders from organizations representing seafarers, shipowners and other maritime employers signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines’s Department of Migrant Workers on Wednesday 11 January, to form the International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA).The IACGMA is composed of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC), and the…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, edged up on Wednesday as capesize and supramax vessel segments gained.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 17 points, or about 1%, at 1,746, in its second day of gains after Tuesday's 11.3% jump."The recent weather disruption in Asia supported owners’ sentiment which coupled with the strong grain stems out of both the ECSA and NCSA (east coast and north coast, South America) led to w-o-w improvements across all sectors," ship bro

The board of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing 80% of the world’s merchant fleet, on Wednesday appointed Emanuele Grimaldi, President and Managing Director of Grimaldi Euromed SpA, as Chairman of the Board.Grimaldi, a former president of both Confitarma and European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), was formally voted in as chair by the ICS Board of Directors, following the announcement of his nomination last year. Alongside ICS Secretary General…

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced Tuesday that it will postpone increasing canal transit fees following calls from the shipping industry to reconsider the rate hikes amid a spate of global supply chain disruptions.The higher rates for the canal's transit reservation system were scheduled to take effect on Thursday but will now start on June 1, allowing the maritime industry more time to prepare for the adjusted booking fees, ACP said. The proposed changes represent a minimum cost increase per transit reservation of $20…

Danish Shipping is focusing on enhanced participation of women in shipping and has introduced many initiatives that have been launched to increase the number of women on board.With its task force for more women at sea, 10 recommendations for the industry and finally the charter for more women in shipping, Danish Shipping has taken the lead in Europe when it comes to making extra efforts to attract women.Recently, Anne W. Trolle, executive director of employment conditions, recruitment & training of Danish Shipping, is invited to Brussels to speak about how to attract more women to pursue careers in the maritime industry. It is not only…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to a two-week high on Tuesday, as higher rates for panamax and supramax vessels more than offset the capesize segment lingering in the negative zone.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, rose 16 points, or 3.7%, to 450, registering its biggest one-day percentage gain since late November.The capesize index gained for a second straight session, up 30 points at -257."Capesize is gradually gaining because there are other geographies besides China…

The European Community Shipowners’s Association (ECSA) has published its new strategic priorities for 2019-2024, in line with the new cycle of the EU institutions where the European Parliament has just started its mandate and the European Commission's College is being composed.Entitled "Sailing ahead - European shipping sets ambitious goals for its next chapter", the publication outlines ten priority areas which the European shipping industry will be focusing on."To be very clear, climate is the top priority for the whole shipping sector," commented ECSA Secretary General, Martin Dorsman."The industry is keen to work with its European and global partners to reach the goal set by the IMO to cut CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2050.

Shipping directly employs over 640,000 workers at sea and on shore, and supports over 1.4 million workers through indirect and induced employment, said European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA).These professionals possess a wealth of maritime knowledge, skills and heritage unique in the world. If Europe is to retain its pre-eminence in global shipping, this know-how needs to be cherished and cultivated.The sector must therefore attract a sufficient number of quality new entrants and retain experienced seafarers, including women seafarers and other under-represented groups.“European shipping and the broader maritime sector are strategically important for the EU – in terms of its contributions to trade, geopolitical role and as an important source of employment.

Following the seizure of the oil tanker ‘Stena Impero’ on 19 July, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the Asian Shipowners' Association (ASA) jointly urge immediate action by the international community to stop the escalation of tensions and fully respect international law. All countries should ensure the safe passage of merchant vessels, by respecting the Freedom of Navigation enshrined in Article 87(1)a and…

Global Shipping Industry Delivers Comments to Official Consultation on Proposed Modifications to Panama Canal Tolls.The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is conducting a public consultation on a proposal to adjust the Panama Canal tolls for containerships, vehicle carriers, dry bulk carriers, tankers, chemical carriers, LPG and LNG vessels, passenger vessels and small vessels. The proposed new toll charges are anticipated to enter into effect on 1 January 2020, the same day as the IMO ‘Global Sulphur Cap’ regulation.

The European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) informed that its Board met in Brussels on 26 June, to discuss the issues the European shipping industry is currently working on.A broad discussion was held about how the industry will work with the incoming European Parliament and European Commission on the broad policy areas that the two EU institutions will likely be prioritising.The Board also had an in-depth exchange on the future of shipping, said a press notification.Currently, shipowners are exploring new ideas together with researchers and other partners in the maritime cluster on ways to help the whole maritime transport meet the IMO 2050 emission targets…

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has issued updated guidance to help shipowners comply with new UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations, with just six months to go until the implementation of the ‘Global Sulphur Cap’ICS said that taking full effect on 1 January 2020 the legal framework will require merchant ships worldwide to use fuel with a sulphur content of less than 0.50 percent or use alternative mitigation technologies.“These new regulations are good for human health and good for the environment. With just six months to go before implementation these free ICS guidelines will help shipping companies with the vital task of preparing for compliance.

European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA)’s Maritime Security Working Group met with the EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta at their operation headquarters in Rota, Spain. Representing the European shipping industry, the ECSA delegation met with the EU NAVFOR's team to discuss the current state of piracy off the coast of Somalia. The delegation also visited the naval assets participating in Operation Atalanta.For the past ten years, EU NAVFOR has deterred and prevented acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, protected vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) and African Union Mission Somalia (AMISOM), and monitored acts of illegal fishing."While it is true that today the number of attacks is minimal…

The Maritime Day was established in 2008 by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission as part of the European Union (EU) Maritime Policy to raise the awareness of the seas and their importance.This year, the annual event is being held over two days, 16-17 May, at the Lisbon Congress Centre in Portugal. The theme of the event is "blue entrepreneurship, innovation and investment to transform traditional maritime sectors and boost emerging technologies and value chains".Representing EU and Norwegian Shipowners, ECSA will be represented at the European Maritime Day 2019 by its Secretary-General Martin Dorsman.

The internet access for seafarers for personal use on board ships more widespread and available than previously imagined and the positive benefits associated with this access outweigh the feared safety concerns around the technology, said a survey.The responses to the survey carried out by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), with support from the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA), indicate that the provision of internet access to seafarers for personal use may have improved the mental health and well-being of seafarers (according to 60% of respondents) and the morale…

Container throughput in ports of Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 7.7% in 2018 in comparison with the previous year.According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), this analysis is based on the performance of a sampling of 31 countries and 118 ports and port areas in the region.According to the annual report unveiled by the United Nations organization – which was called  “port ranking” in prior years – the data largely maintained the heterogeneity seen in throughput behavior in previous periods, both in reference to ports and countries. Of the total sample, 66 ports and port areas saw their figures improve versus 2017.The total volume of activity in 2018 exceeded 53.2 million TEU which represents 7.1% of global throughput…

The EU Social Partners in the maritime sector, European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), welcome the adoption by Members of the European Parliament of the proposal for a Regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment.The industry associantions said in a joint press release that they look forward to the soon expected formal adoption by the Council in order for the Regulation to enter into force and deliver on the much-awaited administrative simplification for shipping.For several years now the maritime transport social partners have called for a reduction of the administrative burden for shipping.