Patrick Verhoeven News

A Portuguese-flagged container ship, the MSC Aries, was seized by Iran on April 13 for "violating maritime laws", Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that there was no doubt the vessel was linked to Israel.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route."The vessel was diverted…

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…

Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the first countries to back a new initiative aiming to advance the production, export and import of low-carbon fuels for shipping.The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), along with the CEO-led Clean Energy Maritime Taskforce, unveiled the ‘Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative’ on Friday at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in Pittsburgh. The Initiative will be a convening platform for public and private senior-level stakeholders from the ports…

Ships and their crews must be able to trade freely with minimal port restrictions to ensure supply lines don't freeze up while the coronavirus shuts down much of the globe, shipping and port officials said on Tuesday.After draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus, China's economy is slowly coming back online but logistics chains are backing up in other parts of the world.This has been compounded by ships being quarantined for up to two weeks and seafarers held up as countries impose lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus.The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) association…

Ports are essential for the global supply chain - but do they need more international regulation?High-level speakers engaged in a lively debate at a joint Hutchison Ports, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) seminar (9 September), to address the question: "Do ports need international regulation?"IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim reminded the audience that the IMO Convention does give the Organization a mandate to regulate in ports and some current IMO regulations do indeed extend to port operations - for example those surrounding security, reception facilities and the Facilitation (FAL) Convention."However…

The Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) has been welcomed into the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) following the signing of the WPSP declaration by Bogdan Ołdakowski, BPO Secretary General.Guided by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Program aims to enhance and coordinate future sustainability efforts of ports worldwide, fostering international cooperation with partners in the supply chain.BPO was established on October 10, 1991, in Copenhagen, with an aim to facilitate cooperation among the ports and to monitor and improve the possibilities for shipping in the Baltic Sea region.Comprised of 47 members as well as friendship members…

Seven ports have now elevated the Paris Agreement Climate Goal to the top of their agendas to keep global warming well below 2°C.With their World Ports Climate Action Program announced, the port authorities of Hamburg, Barcelona, Antwerp, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Vancouver and Rotterdam will collaborate in refining and developing tools to facilitate reduction of CO2 emissions from maritime transport.The Port Authority organisations call upon the shipping industry and other ports to join the commitment to deliver on the Paris Agreement and to work together on actions that yield measurable results.Allard Castelein President & Chief Executive Officer of  Port of Rotterdam said: “The Paris Agreement has set a clear target: we need to limit global warming to well below 2°C.

ICHCA International, the global NGO and membership association for cargo handling operations, technical, HSSE and risk professionals has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) to pursue cooperative projects of mutual interest. This includes the sharing of the research and findings of ICHCA’s Technical Panel (ITP) with the IAPH membership through its own working groups. The ICHCA Technical Panel has recently launched four new working groups on Dangerous Goods, Digital & Innovation, Straddle Carrier Safety and Dry Bulk Cargoes. The four new working groups were established following consultation with the ITP’s 80+ members who represent cross-sectoral private and public-sector experience from the worlds of shipping…

Nearly 1,000 ports and port-related enterprises met in Antwerp, Belgium to sign the charter of the new World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP). Earlier, more than 250 professionals from ports, shipping, government and society gathered at the Port of Antwerp for the kick-off of the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP). Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians opened the event with a keynote address in which she underlined the important role that ports play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which are at the core of WPSP. International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Kitack Lim referred to the platform that IMO is offering for more collaboration between shipowners, ports, maritime administrations and other stakeholders.

European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) representing the European shipowners believe that important progress was made last week at the International Maritime Organziation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting. In the meeting a plan was agreed to develop a CO2 reduction strategy in line with the Paris COP21 Agreement on climate change. An initial strategy for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from the international shipping should be further developed in the next meeting of October 2017 and the next MEPC72 meeting should adopt it in 2018. The industry believes this should lay out a clear vision and short and medium term measures and quantified CO2 reduction objectives for the sector.

European shipowners are concerned about the continued piracy, armed robbery attacks and kidnapping for ransom events in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), and particularly off Nigeria. According to the latest International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy report in total 33 vessels were boarded and four fired upon in the first three months of 2017 worldwide. During the same period, of the 27 seafarers kidnapped for ransom, 63% were in the Gulf of Guinea. In its Global Maritime Security Conclusions adopted 19 June, the Environment Council recognised the problematic situation in the Gulf of Guinea. It underlined the need for regional states to take ownership and adapt their legal systems in order to fight piracy.

European Transport Ministers have adopted conclusions on the priorities for the EU’s maritime transport policy until 2020, says a press statement. The conclusions endorse the content of the so-called “Valletta Declaration” adopted at the informal ministerial conference organised by the Maltese Presidency end of March. “With the current EU strategy for maritime transport policy 2009-2018 coming to an end in less than two years’ time, we are pleased that the Council is identifying what to prioritise next”, commented European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven. “The conclusions adopted today set out the right priorities and challenges: competitiveness, simplification and digitalisation, decarbonisation and the reduction of air emissions”, he added.

Following the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) encourage the intentions of the European Union and the People's Republic of China to intensify cooperation in achieving a global climate deal for shipping. Indications of such cooperation materialised during the 19th EU-China Summit held in Brussels last week. At the Summit, EU and Chinese leaders reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change. EU and Chinese leaders also looked forward to co-hosting, along with Canada, a major ministerial gathering in September to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the clean energy transition.

European ship owners have published their priorities when it comes to Brexit negotiations outcome. The shipping community embodies a fundamental acquis of the EU: free movement of goods and persons. European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) believes that the current operating climate should be preserved as much as possible even after the Brexit. “European ship owners strongly believe that to the extent possible, EU and UK should aim for conformity in legislation relating to maritime affairs,” said ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven. An overall concern of EU ship owners relates to their competitiveness, among others in the fiscal area.

Patrick Verhoeven will leave the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) on September 1 this year to become Managing Director Policy and Strategy at the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH). This is a new leadership function that was created following a fundamental reform of the organization, which is meant to increase its international relevance and visibility as well as strengthen its membership base. Announcing the decision, ECSA President Niels Smedegaard said, “Patrick has regretfully decided to leave his position with us after four years, to take up a new role in a global environment. I would like to thank him for his modernisation of the ECSA secretariat…

European shipowners welcome the European Parliament’s adoption of the Recommendations on the 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 in its Plenary-session this week. This provides the necessary consent required for the adoption of the Council Decisions authorising Member States to ratify or accede to this international agreement as appropriate. “We welcome this decision as we are now one step closer to the closure of the EU legislative process by the adoption of the Council Decision allowing for the Member States to ratify and accede to the Convention”, commented Patrick Verhoeven, European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) Secretary General.

Adding supply chain and worker spending multiplier impacts, the shipping industry’s total employment contribution rises to 2.1 million people and its total GDP contribution is estimated to have been € 140 billion in 2015. These are the key findings of the latest update on the economic value of the EU shipping industry which ECSA commissioned from Oxford Economics. The report further indicates that, at € 89,000 per worker in 2015, productivity in the EU shipping industry remains above the EU average, as well as that of sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. ECSA publishes the new figures at the start of European Shipping Week, a week-long series of shipping events meant to raise the profile of the sector with EU policy-makers.

European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) regrets that European port and cargo interests have come out in favour of the European Parliament’s position to conditionally include shipping in the EU Emission Trading Scheme as of 2023 if the International Maritime Organisation does not have a comparable system operating by 2021. European port and freight forwarder associations did confirm that a global agreement is their preferred option to curb greenhouse gas emissions of ships. By supporting regional pressure to achieve this goal, ECSA however believes they will obtain the exact opposite. "And then we don’t even mention the detrimental effects a regional ETS will most certainly have on EU ports that are open to competition from non–EU neighbours…

Anthony Luzzatto Gardner, former US Ambassador to the European Union and Visiting Fellow at the College of Europe, will be the guest speaker at the European Shipping Week Gala Dinner, to be held on Wednesday 1st March 2017 at the Steigenberger Wiltcher Hotel in Brussels. Ambassador Gardner, who has dedicated more than 20 years of his career to US-European affairs, will speak on the important subject of ‘US-EU Relations: Looking Back, Looking Forward’. Welcoming the news, Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and Chairman of the European Shipping Week Steering Group, said his speech would be very insightful considering the political developments which have taken place in Europe and the US over recent months.

The International Maritime Organization’s proposals to reduce sulfur levels in marine fuels to a maximum of 0.5 percent m/m (mass/mass) by 2020 may prove to be controversial, having met with various responses from major shipping organisations and other bodies. The decision to implement the proposals by 2020 was taken by IMO, the regulatory authority for international shipping, during its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) meeting, which was held in London, UK in October 2016, and represents a significant reduction from the 3.5 percent m/m global limit currently in place.

The European Commission recently published its first edition of the EU list of approved ship recycling facilities. At this stage, it only features yards situated in Europe and reaches under 30% of the EU’s own recycling capacity target. For European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), this demonstrates clearly that third country ship recycling yards should get EU recognition to raise standards worldwide and respond to demand. The first edition of the European list of ship recycling facilities includes 18 European recyling yards that are deemed safe for workers and environmentally sound, in accordance with the relevant requirements of the 2013 EU Ship Recycling Regulation.

European shipowners welcomed earlier this year the adoption of the integrated European Union policy for the Arctic region. “We believe that the three priority areas identified cover all topical Arctic matters. Climate change and environment, sustainable development and international cooperation all deserve equal attention”, said European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven. As the European Commission is implementing the EU policy and as the European parliament is working on its own-initiative report, European shipowners now adopted a position paper endorsing a number of EU actions that are expected to concretely improve polar shipping conditions.

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) welcomes the European Council’s decision of 25 November to extend the mandate of Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy operation along the East African coast. “The two-year mandate extension comes at the right moment”, said ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven, “Pirate attacks on merchant ships have been significantly reduced over the years compared to when the operation started in 2008, but a recent armed attack on a chemical tanker shows that piracy is unfortunately still alive along the coast of Somalia,” he added. The EU, together with other international partners and industry…