The IMO has decided on a goal-setting approach by member states to decarbonise shipping, rather than progress the proposals put forward by some members for a mandatory speed reduction on vessels. The strategy, decided last week in London, not to opt for speed restrictions has angered the members of the Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC) who…

Decarbonisation is now the second most important issue for the shipping industry, according to a report released today by the Global Maritime Forum. The Global Maritime Issues Monitor 2019, which surveyed respondents from 46 countries, ranked only the “global economic crisis” ahead of “decarbonisation of shipping” as the issue to have the greatest impact on…

MSC is on course to overtake alliance partner Maersk as the biggest ocean carrier by capacity within the next two years. A new order for five 23,000 teu ULCVs from the South Korean Daewoo yard will take the Geneva-based carrier’s orderbook to 16 vessels, for a massive 305,352 teu, according to Alphaliner data. A disclosure…

After Brexit there will be changes that affect businesses and hauliers across the UK. Make sure you are prepared for them, particularly if your business: Imports goods Exports goods Receives personal data Exports services The Department for Business is holding a series of free face-to-face Business Readiness Events across the UK, to help businesses find…

The aviation and shipping sectors should formally be included in Britain’s target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the government’s climate advisers said on Tuesday. Britain earlier this year became the first G7 country to set a net zero emission target although the shipping and aviation sectors were not explicitly…

A wave of ULCV deliveries this year has pushed the total containership fleet capacity over the 23m teu mark, with the last million slots added in a breath–taking 14 months, according to an Alphaliner report.  However, the newbuilds, mostly consisting of ULCVs, have arrived at a time of softening demand growth across the major tradelanes of the world, which is already forcing carriers to blank a significant amount…

Scrubbers will be vital to ensure compliance to the International Maritime Organization’s low sulfur mandate despite facing skepticism from some quarters about their limitations, delegates said at an industry event this week. By January, 1, 2020, when the IMO 2020 rule is implemented, S&P Global Platts Analytics predicts around 2,400 scrubbers to be operational worldwide.…

MSC has revised the official capacity of its new ULCV, MSC Gulsun, by an additional 805 teu, to 23,765 teu, making it more than 2,000 teu larger than the biggest ships operated by its competitors. The liner said the new class of vessel had “been designed with a wide range of environmental, efficiency, stability and safety…

RZD have begun a new container service, with a new connection between China and Germany. Connecting Yantai and Duisburg, the service initially will operate on a limited schedule, but RZD chief executive Vyacheslav Valentik expects it to become regular by the start of Q4. “Our cooperation with Yantai station is developing rapidly – just a…

Carriers are cracking down on rogue shippers by threatening significant financial penalties for misdeclared shipments, following a series of vessel fires. Evergreen was first out of the gates announcing fines, ranging from $4,000 to $35,000, for misdeclarations (see below), with Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL following suit. Hapag-Lloyd, which suffered as misdeclared goods caused a high-profile fire…