Liner Shipping News

It’s trite (but true) to say that in the maritime industry’s quest to cut emissions, there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, rather a series of small step changes that cumulatively add up over time. Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, recently hosted Giuseppe Gargiulo, Head of Newbuildings, MSC and Daniel Bischofberger, CEO, Accelleron, to specifically discuss the development and delivery of Accelleron’s FITS2 technology, and automation technology built with MSC and premised on Accelleron’s cumulative 100+ years of turbocharger experience.

The United Nations has launched the first ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035).The Implementation Plan, launched in New York, is the result of a participatory consultation process and provides a roadmap to align policies, finance, technology and data with sustainable transport to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.“This consultative and inclusive process has opened new avenues for cooperation, and we have been privileged to lead it. It has brought together governments…

Maritime transport carries close to 90 percent of global trade by volume, and container ports alone handle more than 80 percent of non-bulk merchandise. Today, these ports are undergoing a profound transformation, driven by rising trade flows, rapid advances in technology, and mounting pressure to meet climate targets.Against this backdrop, DNV and Menon Economics have introduced the industry’s first global container port ranking. The LCP report benchmarks 160 ports against 35 indicators grouped into five pillars: enablers…

The European Commission has adopted its communication on the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), setting out a roadmap to rapidly accelerate the energy transition of aviation and waterborne transport sectors.To meet the fuel targets set out in the ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime Regulations, a significant volume of around 20 million tonnes of sustainable alternative fuels (13.2 Mt of biofuels and 6.8 Mt of e-fuels) will be needed by 2035. This calls for substantial investments from the market…

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a consortium of lenders on an ECA-backed JOLCO financing for Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) to finance four newbuild container vessels. The consortium comprised BNP PARIBAS (acting through its Tokyo Branch and as ECA Coordinator), The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Tokyo Branch and Citibank, N.A., Tokyo Branch (as mandated lead arrangers) as well as Japanese export credit agencies Japan Bank for International Cooperation…

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released its annual Containers Lost at Sea report, showing that 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024.While this represents an increase from the record-low 221 containers lost in 2023, it remains well below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers lost annually, underscoring continued industry progress on safety and prevention.Container losses in 2024 were influenced by ongoing disruption in the Red Sea region, which led to a significant shift in global trade routes. Vessel transits around the Cape of Good Hope increased by 191% compared to 2023.

The IMO Net-zero Framework agreed at MEPC 83 last week is the first in the world to combine mandatory emissions limits and GHG pricing across an entire industry sector. The measures include a new fuel standard for ships and a global pricing mechanism for emissions. These measures, set to be formally adopted in October 2025 before entry into force in 2027, will become mandatory for large ocean-going ships over 5,000 gross tonnage, which emit 85% of the total CO2 emissions from international shipping.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) Board of Directors has elected Soren Toft, CEO of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, as the new Chair of the World Shipping Council Board.“It is an honor to step into the role of Chair for the World Shipping Council and to represent the global liner shipping industry alongside our members. WSC is today a respected voice of liner shipping, engaging with governments and organizations globally,” said Toft.“An ever-changing world presents both challenges and opportunities for our industry as we head into the future…

Hapag-Lloyd has reached an agreement with China-based Goldwind for the delivery of 250,000 tonnes of green methanol per year, which will lead to savings of up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions per year.The green methanol will consist of a blend of bio- and e-methanol, ensuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction of at least 70%, and comply with all current sustainability certification requirements.By 2030, Hapag-Lloyd aims to reduce the absolute GHG emissions of the fleet by around one third compared to 2022.

The designated European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, will play a pivotal role in securing supply chains and decarbonising the shipping sector, and the World Shipping Council (WSC) welcomes the opportunity to continue its dialogue with the EU Commission.The WSC says Commissioner-designate Tzitzikostas’ list of priorities should include protecting maritime supply chains against illegal trafficking and geopolitical dangers, integrating renewable energy into the transportation system…

International shipping company Hapag-Lloyd raised its full-year earnings guidance on Thursday citing stronger-than-expected demand and higher freight rates.Despite increased expenses from the diversion of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, Hapag-Lloyd says it now expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for 2024 of between $4.6 billion and $5 billion, up from previous guidance of $3.5 billion to $4.6 billion.However, given very volatile freight rates and major geopolitical challenges…

The World Shipping Council (WSC), a trade association representing the international liner shipping industry, announced it has appointed Tamekia Flack as its new Director of U.S. Government Relations, effective immediately. Flack will lead WSC’s efforts to advance key safety, security and environmental priorities in the U.S.Flack brings a wealth of experience from her career in maritime transportation law and policy, having most recently served as the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) following a period as MARAD’s Chief Counsel.

Container liner shipping company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., announced it has entered into a new long-term operational cooperation with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on the Asia - U.S. East Coast and Asia - U.S. Gulf trades.The new services are scheduled to be launched in February 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and filings, ZIM said.Eli Glickman, ZIM President & CEO, said, "This important collaboration reflects ZIM's commitment to both delivering an outstanding shipping solution to its customers…

Cargo shipping companies will from next year no longer enjoy a decades-long exemption from EU rules against anti-competitive agreements because this derogation does not boost competition any more, EU antitrust regulators said on Tuesday.First adopted in 2009, the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) allows liner shipping operators with a combined market share below 30% to team up to provide joint cargo transport services as long as they do not fix prices or share markets between themselves.The European Commission said it would let the exemption, extended in 2014 and 2020, to lapse in Ap

Safetytech Accelerator, a non-profit established by Lloyd’s Register, has confirmed that UK maritime insurers, the UK P&I Club and TT Club, have signed up for its Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative (CFLII).The Initiative, launched in February 2023, is a multi-year collaborative technology acceleration program focused on reducing cargo fires and loss in maritime and its impact. It is already supported by anchor partners COSCO Shipping Lines, Evergreen Line, HMM, Lloyd’s Register…

The world's largest containership lessor Seaspan Corporation has signed an agreement with MAN Energy Solutions to refit 15 of its vessels with dual-fuel engines capable of running on cleaner burning methanol.Under the conversion commitment agreement, signed by Seaspan in collaboration with liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, MAN’s after-sales division MAN PrimeServ will deliver 15 engine retrofit solutions for conversion of vessels powered by individual MAN B&W S90-type fuel-oil…

The number of containers lost overboard from ships at sea has been on the decline, according to a recent report from the World Shipping Council (WSC).The 661 containers lost at sea during 2022 is significantly lower that the average of 1,566 containers lost each year since 2008.Lost containers in 2022 represents less than one thousandth of 1% (0.00026%) of the 250 million containers currently shipped each year, with cargo transported valued at more than $7 trillion.“The reduction in containers lost at sea in 2022 is positive news, but there is no time for complacency.

SAAM shareholders at an extraordinary shareholder’s meeting on Tuesday approved a deal valued at about $1 billion to sell 100% of the shares of its subsidiaries SAAM Ports and SAAM Logistics, as well as the real estate assets belonging to the logistics business, to the German liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd.The agreement, first announced earlier this month, consists of selling SAAM’s stakes in the 10 port terminals it operates in six countries in the Americas (five are in Chile)…

German container liner-shipping company Hapag-Lloyd on Thursday announced it has acquired a minority stake in Italy-based logistics group Spinelli Group.Hapag-Lloyd said it purchased a 49% stake in the Spinelli Group from existing shareholders, while the Spinelli family will continue to hold the majority stake of 51%.Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.The completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the responsible antitrust authorities, which is expected within the next months, Hapag-Lloyd said.

The number of containers being lost overboard from ships at sea has been on the rise, according to a recent report from the World Shipping Council (WSC).In 2021, international liner carriers’ onshore staff and crews managed 6,300 ships, successfully delivering vital supplies worth $7 trillion to the people of the world, in approximately 241 million containers. The WSC Containers Lost at Sea Report covering 2020-2021 shows that containers lost overboard represent less than one thousandth of 1% (0.001%).

Hapag-Lloyd announced it has closed its acquisition of the container liner business of German carrier Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL), as the German liner shipping company aims to continue its growth in the South African market.Hapag-Lloyd, which signed the framework agreement in March 2022, said the transaction has already been approved antitrust authorities and that full commercial integration is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022.Hamburg-headquartered DAL operates four liner services between Europe, South Africa and the Indian Ocean, and its liner business (including agencies) employs more than 150 people. The company owns a 6…

Supply chain issues tied to liner shipping have been front page news throughout 2021; just about everyone agrees that there’s a problem. The underlying cause is right out of Economics 101: a surge in demand for moving containerized cargo, in the face of “inelastic” throughput capacity (which includes vessels and their landside interfaces to surface transportation, trucks and rail) that could not handle the swell, attributable to re-stocking of containerized cargo as economic activity recovered from the pandemic induced jolts.

The United States Federal Maritime Commission and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Monday agreed to boost cooperation and communication in their respective oversight and enforcement responsibilities of the ocean liner shipping industry.FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei and Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers signed the first-ever interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two agencies on Monday. The MOU comes in succession to the executive order…