British Ports Association Calls for ‘Frictionless’ Brexit
The British Ports Association has published a new strategic report - ‘A Brexit Dividend’, which calls on the UK Government to deliver on the Prime Minister’s pledge of ‘frictionless’ trade after Brexit. Following Monday's (March 19) agreement between UK and EU negotiators on the terms of a transition deal and ahead of the EU Council meeting later this week, the British Ports Association has published ‘A Brexit Dividend’. Ports are calling for a pragmatic deal with the EU on both customs and regulatory recognition that allows both British and European businesses to get their goods across borders as quickly as possible. ‘A Brexit Dividend’ outlines the potential opportunities for ports.
Governments Must Act on Ballast Water Chaos: ICS
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) notes Finland’s significant announcement that it has acceded to the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention. This suggests that this new regime, to protect local ecosystems from the impacts of invasive species, will enter into force worldwide during September 2017. ICS therefore reiterates that it is now more vital than ever that IMO Member States finalise the revision of the G8 Type Approval Guidelines for treatment systems at the next session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee this October. ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson said: “We must ensure that shipowners can have absolute…
BWM Convention – Will Logic Prevail?
As Belgium became the 48th signatory party this week, the Ballast Water Management Convention has now almost gained sufficient ratification to come into force, and will do so in 2017, reports UK Chamber of Shipping. The remaining 0.18% tonnage will not be difficult to meet within the next one or two months, introducing the industry to a tsunami of compliance costs and uncertainties. The complexity of the issues that underlie the Convention, which has faced and continues to face stubborn criticism, means that the slow progress in ratification is hardly surprising. Member States have now finally realised that the implementation of the Convention is harder than they initially thought 12 years ago, with some of them having adopted a cautious ‘’wait and see approach’’.
“Safe Container – Steering Changes” – SOLAS Amendment
With the SOLAS Convention now requiring container weight verification from 1st July 2016 onwards following the amendment approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) last November, the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI) jointly with the Indian Maritime Administration conducted a Conference on “Safe Containers Steering Changes” on 10th December at The Lalit, Mumbai. The objective of the conference being to bring together various stakeholders in the container supply chain and provide an opportunity for an in-depth understanding of the different issues and their implications. Deepak Shetty, the Director General of Shipping and Additional Secretary, Government of India, stated that the Indian Maritime Administration was totally prepared to implement the new requirement.
EU: Ships Will Measure CO2 Emissions
Shippers to begin monitoring from 2018; Environmental groups say law is weak, shippers favorable. The shipping sector will for the first time have to monitor its carbon emissions under a law agreed by the European Union on Wednesday, intended as a step towards tackling a growing source of pollutants linked to climate change. International shipping accounts for around 3 percent of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide, a share which could increase to 18 percent by 2050 if regulation is not in place, according to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The law stops short of including shipping in the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc's flagship tool for cutting pollution, but EU officials said it was a step in that direction.
Logistics Market Intelligence Newcomer Raises Funds
Norway-based Xeneta gets funding to advance their comparison engine to the shipping industry & expand into new markets. The company, a price comparison service for sea freight, say they have received €1.2m in institutional financing. The round was led by Stockholm based venture capital firm Creandum with Norwegian private investment company Alden co-investing. Using the principle of crowdsourcing, Xeneta delivers transparency to an industry burdened with supply chain complexity and hidden rates. Xeneta’s SaaS platform represents a new generation of open information links in shipping, allowing freight buyers and sellers to compare their rates both to the market average-and best-in-class rates.
Payload Pivotal to Fast Sealift Ship
While catamaran and multi-hull vessel technology is increasingly being explored for its potential in high-speed military and logistical support applications, Rolls-Royce has unveiled a proposal for a fast naval sealift ship based on a monohull RoPax ferry design. The impulse for developing a vessel type with that rare combination of exceptional speed and relatively high payload capacity originates from the changing emphasis in military support requirements, not least the deployment of rapid response forces to distant areas at short notice. The project has also been driven by a general trend towards faster combatants and the complementary need for a faster speed of back-up and replenishment. The Rolls-Royce proposal entails a 4,000-dwt vessel of 581 ft.
