FESCO Pauses Black Sea Orders After Drone Attacks
Last week's Ukrainian drone attack on one of its vessels has forced Russian logistics and shipping group FESCO to suspend accepting new shipment orders via the Black Sea, the company said on Tuesday.The announcement highlights the growing disruption to shipping from a sharp escalation of attacks on each other's vessels by both Russia and Ukraine, which has pushed wheat prices higher on global markets.Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which owns 92.5% of FESCO, said earlier that the vessel Yanina, which was transporting goods such as frozen food and construction materials, was damaged
U.S. Dredging Policy: Jones Act Waiver(s), Outdated Environmental Restrictions Hamper an Industry
The American maritime industry depends on policy that supports economic growth and investment and protects national security; however, recent policy decisions have too often relied on broad administrative actions and outdated assumptions rather than modern, data-driven approaches. The extension of the Jones Act waiver and the continued use of rigid seasonal dredging windows illustrate this trend. Though distinct issues, both carry significant consequences for maritime investment, operational efficiency, and the long-term strength of the maritime industry.
DCAās Doyle Delivers Vigorous Jones Act Defense at Dredger Christening
In a maritime market increasingly defined by volatility, from war in the Middle East and the resulting whiplash freight and energy rates, William Doyle chose a moment of celebration in New Orleans to deliver a message grounded in something far less fashionable: stability.Speaking at the March 21 christening of Frederick Paup, a 15,000-cubic-meter trailing suction hopper dredge built for Manson Construction, the CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America used the occasion not simply to praise a record-setting vesselā¦
Ships Seek to Avoid Red Sea Attacks With Messages That Claim No Connections to Israel
Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia.The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.Theā¦
Houthi Leader: Shipping Goods Related to Israel Through the Region Isn't Permitted
Yemeni Houthi militia leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday (July 10) that no company would be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through designated areas at sea.āIt is not permissible for any company transporting goods for the Israeli enemy through the declared area of operations. Our position in this regard is firm," said al-Houthi in his weekly televised speech.The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled in recent days after Yemen's Houthis attacked and sank two shipsā¦
MJR Power & Automation Secures Contract With Stena Line
MJR Power & Automation, a leading UK-based marine electrical engineering specialist, has been awarded a contract by Stena Line to upgrade the Power Management Systems (PMS) on board the Stena Scotia and Stena Hibernia vessels.The contract includes the design, engineering, supply, and commissioning of power management systems that will enhance the operational efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of the two vessels.Upgrades for this project will involve the integration of modern digital control technologyā¦
Shipbuilding Plan Could Undermine U.S. Operators, Industry Execs say
A Trump administration proposal aimed at reviving the U.S. shipbuilding industry may backfire by imposing steep fees on China-linked vesselsāpenalties that industry leaders say would hurt American ship operators and ports rather than help them, industry executives said at U.S. Trade Representative hearings on Monday.At issue are proposed, stacking fees on China-built vessels that could top $3 million per U.S. port call. The Trump administration says the fees would curb China's growing commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote domestically built vessels. U.S.
Lake Victoria's First Ro/Ro Vessel Sets Sail
East Africa Marine Transport has taken a significant step towards creating a more sustainable and efficient logistics solution for Lake Victoria with the commissioning of M.V. MPUNGU, the lakeās first scheduled roll-on / roll-off freight vessel.Offering faster and safer crossings and reduced carbon emissions, the fuel-efficient vessel is set to transform regional trade by cutting journey times from days to hours and supporting the decarbonisation of the regionās transport sector.Owned by East Africa Marine Transport (EAMT) and operated by Grindrod Logistics Africa - Uganda (GLAU)ā¦
Hapag-Lloyd Expects Shipping Volume Uptick to Continue
Hapag-Lloyd's CEO said on Thursday he expects continued strength in container shipping volumes, which are driven by global demand for transporting goods and seen as a proxy for trade and a health barometer for the world economy.The volume of twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers moved by its 292 ships rose to 9.3 million metric tons in the nine months from January to September, up 5% from 8.9 million in the same period a year ago, the German company said."I don't see much of a change there in the fourth quarterā¦
How a Minor Change in US Trade Law Turbocharged the Fentanyl Crisis
In January 2023, U.S. federal agents raided the home of a Tucson maintenance worker who had a side hustle hauling packages across the border to Mexico.They estimate that over the previous two years, the gray-bearded courier had ferried about 7,000 kilos of fentanyl-making chemicals to an operative of the Sinaloa Cartel. Thatās 15,432 pounds, sufficient to produce 5.3 billion pills ā enough to kill every living soul in the United States several times over. The chemicals had traveled by air from China to Los Angelesā¦
Tech Advancement is Key to Slashing Maritime Sector Emissions -DNV Report
Reaching the International Maritime Organizationās (IMO) target of a 20% reduction in shipping emissions by 2030 will hinge on significant advancements in energy efficiency, according to DNV's latest Maritime Forecast to 2050. The report underscores the need for immediate action to enhance energy savings, especially as carbon-neutral fuels remain limited and costly.To meet the IMOās decarbonization goal, the shipping industry will require between 7 and 48 million tonnes of carbon-neutral fuels by 2030.
London to Trial Shipping Light Freight on the River Thames
A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, Londonās first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Irelandā¦
Maersk to Cut at Least 10,000 Jobs as Shipping Boom Unravels
Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk reported a steep drop in third-quarter profit and revenue on Friday and said it would cut at least 10,000 jobs in the face of overcapacity, rising costs, and weaker prices.Maersk, which controls about one-sixth of global container trade, transporting goods for a host of major retailers and consumer goods companies such as Walmart and Nike, flagged a steeper downturn in demand than analysts and investors had expected."Our industry is facing a new normal with subdued demandā¦
Headwinds for the Poseidon Principles
The Poseidon Principles provide a platform for financing shippingās sustainable future, but the technical guidance underpinning the initiative remains under scrutiny.In July 2023, the International Maritime Organizationās Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) will consider revising the UN agencyās strategy on greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Moving on from a current target to reduce CO2 emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050, based on 2008 levels, influentialā¦
Headwinds Hamper the Poseidon Principles
The Poseidon Principles provide a platform for financing shippingās sustainable future, but the technical guidance underpinning the initiative remains under scrutiny.In July 2023, the International Maritime Organizationās Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) will consider revising the UN agencyās strategy on greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Moving on from a current target to reduce CO2 emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050, based on 2008 levels, influential administrations seek to accelerate towards net-zero or even zero by 2050.
HGK Shipping and Hydrogenious to Design Inland Waterway Vessel with Hydrogen Carrier Tech
Germany-based inland waterway shipping firm HGK Shipping has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies to work on developing a scalable solution to make hydrogen available as a source of energy on a large scale. The technology is based on hydrogen, which is bound in a liquid carrier (LOHC, liquid organic hydrogen carrier). The partners are planning to develop a demonstration vessel by 2028 and then put it into serviceā¦
Rhenus Upgrades Engines on Two Pushboats
The Rhenus Group announced it has upgraded two canal push boats operated by Deutsche Binnenreederei (DBR) with new stage V engines.While the new construction of more sustainable hydrogen-powered vessels is a long-term project, the Rhenus Group is retrofitting its older vessels with modern and therefore more environmentally-friendly technology in the short term. The two canal push boats, RSPSB146 and RSPSB153, which were built in 1978 and 1979 respectively, are the first to undergo this process.It has taken about ten months to convert the two vessels.
US Awards More than $653 Million for Port Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportationās Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investmentsāpart of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the Presidentās Bipartisan Infrastructure Lawāare intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inlandā¦
New EU Sanctions Could Hit Russian Shipping
The European Union would ban trans-shipment of Russian LNG, the use of EU ports by vessels transporting goods contributing to Russia's war effort and make EU operators more accountable for any sanctions violations, according to a text under discussion.The text seen by Reuters on Monday covers proposals that would constitute a 14th package of sanctions against Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine now being debated by EU members before it enters force.According to the proposals presented to EU envoys on Fridayā¦
OPINION: Seeing the Ship as a System Changes Everything
Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years, as a āstakeholderā simultaneously mindful of the perspectives of owners, seafarersā¦
Houthi Leader Vows to Escalate Attacks on Merchant Shipping
The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group would target ships of any company related to supplying or transporting goods to Israel regardless of their destination.He said this was a fourth stage of escalation in retaliation to "the Israeli aggression on Rafah" in the southern Gaza Strip."From now on, we are also thinking about the fifth stage and the sixth stage, and we have very important, sensitive and influential choices on the enemies," he added.Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer a
Seeing the Ship as a System Changes Everything
Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years, as a āstakeholderā simultaneously mindful of the perspectives of ownersā¦
Chemical Tanker is World's First Equipped with Wind Propulsion
Chemship commissioned its first ship with wind assisted ship propulsion. This makes the MT Chemical Challenger the first chemical tanker in the world to be equipped with sustainable wind technology. The ship will serve on shipping company Chemshipās Trans-Atlantic route between the East Coast of the United States and the Mediterranean.This week four 16-metre-high aluminum wind sails were installed on board the 134-meter-long vessel. The VentoFoils from Econowind create a direct wind surface of 180 m2.