Stephen Hammond News

The British Government has once again thrust its weight behind London International Shipping Week with an official visit to the LISW2015 stand at Posidonia in Greece by the British Ambassador in Athens followed by public shows of support at additional events by the head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Sir Alan Massey, and U.K. Shipping Minister Stephen Hammond MP. More than 70 guests gathered for an informal British drinks reception at Posidonia 2014 to mark the beginning of the countdown to London International Shipping Week (LISW) which is set to take place September 7-12, 2015.

The UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport and Wimbledon MP, Rt. Hon. Stephen Hammond MP has paid a visit to DP World London Gateway to congratulate the team on their success. During Hammond’s last visit in January 2013, the port had only just started to install the first of its yard cranes. Since opening in November 2013, DP World London Gateway has seen a continued increase in ship traffic and is due to see a new West Africa service start in a few weeks. During the winter…

An attempt by the UK’s Chamber of Shipping last week to persuade the British government that the industry needed more time to comply with new sulphur emission limits entering force on 1 January next year received short shrift from the shipping minister. However the Chamber, along with other European shipowners' associations, is reported to be determined to continue its campaign, reports shipping trade association Maritime London. The owners’ organisations say that switching to distillate fuel will be too costly and would lead to job losses and modal shifts from sea to road transport while the other option of fitting scrubbers has only just become available and it will take time to to fit this equipment.

Northern European regulators will face a battle with many shipping companies over new EU rules aimed at cutting pollution from ship fuels as some owners are likely to find it cheaper to pay fines than to comply. Ships are typically powered by heavy fuel oil or bunker oil, both of which produce harmful pollutants such as sulphur dioxide which can cause respiratory and heart problems. Such fuels contain 2.5 to 3 percent sulphur on average, which is up to 3,000 times the sulphur content of road fuel in Europe, according to marine campaigners Seas at Risk. Under EU rules from Jan. 1, 2015, all ships operating in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and English Channel will have to use a fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 percent.

The International Festival for Business in Liverpool opens today Tuesday 17 June 2014. A major component of the 250,000-visitor International Festival for Business in Liverpool this summer is the one-day CEO-level conference will focus on the crucial role the shipping and port sectors play in driving forward trade growth in the UK and abroad. The theme of the conference being 'Harnessing the Strength of Shipping Innovation'. Shipping is a cyclical industry and remains high risk for investors compared to other asset classes. Since the global financial crisis began in 2008, the shipping industry has been through one of the deepest recessions in living memory.

Stephen Hammond, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, United Kingdom, welcomed delegates to the 28th IMO Assembly, the Organization's highest governing body, on behalf of the host Government. In his opening address, Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu outlined the achievements of the Organization during the 2012 to 2013 biennium, stressing the work on passenger ship safety, following the January 2012 Costa Concordia accident; preparation for the introduction of the mandatory IMO audit scheme…

Philip Cave, from Fleetwood Nautical College, whose training company is Princess Cruises, has been recognised for his dedication and achievements throughout his training by the award of this year's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Trainee Officer of the Year award. The award aims to encourage and recognise quality within the maritime industry. Nominations are made by nautical colleges alongside the trainee’s sponsoring company. The winner is decided by a panel of judges, including representatives from the MCA and other industry figures.

Governments and industry representatives met in London during the current London International Shipping Week to discuss the future availability of low-sulphur fuel which will be needed for ships to burn in order to comply with planned anti-air pollution legislation. The sulphur limit for fuel used in seas other than specially designated emission control areas, which have stricter limits, is currently 3.50%, and will be reduced to 0.50% from 1 January 2020 – subject to a review of the availability of 0.50% sulphur fuel. As part of London International Shipping Week, Secretary-General of the IMO, Koji Sekimizu, and Shipping Minister Stephen…

The Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 (MLC) has been ratified by the UK. This new International Labor Organization (ILO) convention consolidates and updates more than 68 international labor standards in the maritime sector. It sets minimum global standards for seafarers living and working conditions. The ratification of the Maritime Labor Convention has been a lengthy process that involved a number of Government departments including DWP, FCO and BIS alongside extensive contributions from the U.K. Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus International, the RMT union and other stakeholders. It presented us with the opportunity to update legislation. The U.K. has 1,383 vessels on its register totaling 16.57 million gross tonnage.

One of the most senior figures in the UK Ports Industry, Peter Jones, has been appointed Chairman of the Port of Milford Haven and will take up the post on 1, August 2013. Having retired earlier this year as Chief Executive of the UK’s largest ports group Associated British Ports, and with a career stretching back over 30 years in the ports sector, Mr Jones will bring a wealth of experience to the UK’s 3rd largest port. The Port of Milford Haven is the country’s single largest energy gateway responsible for handling up to 25% of the UK’s seaborne energy trade.

Government shipping policy is set to come under intense scrutiny as The House of Commons Transport Committee calls for evidence on the government’s strategy for the maritime sector. The committee will take oral evidence in September, coinciding with London International Shipping Week. Meanwhile, Shipping Minister Stephen Hammond has stressed the importance of Britain’s growing shipping industry, who praises the vital economic contribution made by the UK shipping industry, worth GBP14-billion per year, and recognises the continued role of the UK as a leading maritime centre.

There is alarm amongst port authorities about the prospect of Marine Conservation Zones being designated either within or near to port areas when decisions are announced later this year on which sites will receive formal designation. There are currently 31 sites on which a decision will be taken over the coming months, some of which could have a major influence on port traffic. There are further  sites, not due for designation in this first round, but which could be designated at a later date.

Shipping Minister Stephen Hammond MP has just returned from a Greek-British Shipping Forum where he addressed Greek businesses. Here he writes, exclusively for Maritime U.K., on the success of the event and the importance of Britain’s growing shipping industry. I was pleased to be invited to give the opening speech at the Greek-British Shipping Forum in Athens on Monday, alongside the Greek Maritime Minister Mr. Mousouroulis. The visit was a great opportunity for me to meet key players in the Greek maritime world and to further strengthen ties between our two great shipping nations.

Maritime London will be leading a delegation of British maritime professionals to Athens, Greece, next month. The high level group will present to an audience of shipowners at the British Ambassador’s Residence on 17 June, 2013. The delegation will be accompanied by UK Shipping Minister, Stephen Hammond, and Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive of the UK Ship Register. Maritime London chief executive Doug Barrow said: “The Greek British maritime relationship has always been strong and I’m delighted that we have government recognition of the importance that Greek shipowners play in the UK economy.

U.K. Shipping minister says he is committed to putting the £31.7-billion shipping industry center-stage. Stephen Hammond, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, speaking at a Maritime London/Shipping Professional Network London event underlined the government’s commitment to the U.K.’s maritime industry and declared its importance to Britain’s economic growth. Contributing £13.8bn to the U.K. economy directly and enabling a further £17.9 billionn, the U.K.’s maritime industry accounts for 2.1% of the entire economy, supports one in every 50 jobs and creates £8.5 billion for the U.K. Exchequer. Announcing the beginning of a “much more coordinated approach from the government to shipping policy,” Mr.

The U.K. Government has put its support firmly behind the inaugural London International Shipping Week (LISW) by confirming two of its Ministers as main speakers at the LISW Conference to be held at the Lloyd’s Building on Thursday, September 12. Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister for Trade and Investment will address delegates on the key issue of London’s role in propelling world trade while the Rt Hon Stephen Hammond, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport and the Shipping Minister, will give a keynote address emphasizing London’s position at the center of world trade, shipping and maritime services. Confirmed speakers include The Lord Mayor of the City of London…

UK Transport Minister, Stephen Hammond, goes to see London Gateway’s state-of-the-art port technology. Fully automated stacking cranes (ASCs) currently being installed at the UK’s new national hub port will increase reliability and ensure smoother, more efficient operations 24 hours a day, even in weather conditions that would force non-automated systems to close. One of the first to view the new equipment being erected was UK Transport Minister Stephen Hammond, who witnessed the first of 40 ASCs being constructed at London Gateway, which opens later this year.

A new European Union regulation gives passengers travelling by water improved rights to assistance in cases of cancelled or delayed departures. Passengers travelling by water are set to enjoy improved rights to assistance in cases of cancelled or delayed departures as a new EU regulation on maritime passenger rights enters into force.. These passengers will now benefit from similar rights to those travelling by air and rail. The EU regulation, which will apply to most cruise and ferry services operating within the EU, also provides disabled persons or those with reduced mobility the same rights and accessibility assistance when travelling by water, as they have in other transport sectors.

'Ever Leading' welcomed at container terminal Felixstowe, UK, on maiden voyage, the third Evergreen L-Type on UK shipping registery. The new container ship is owned by Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd. is 334 meters in length, 45.8 meters wide, with 942 reefer plugs and a draft of 14.2 meters. The L-type vessel can cruise at a speed up to 24.5 knots. The latest L-class containerships meet the standards of international regulations for environmental protection and can reduce CO2 emission by 15 percent compared to the carrier's earlier award-winning S-class eco-ships.