News

Maersk and MSC to suspend AE2 Asia-North Europe loop for the second time



September 4, 2019 /

Alliance partners Maersk and MSC are to “temporarily suspend” their AE2/Swan Asia-North Europe loop from the end of the month until mid-November, removing up to 20,000 teu a week from the trade. Weakening demand and plummeting freight rates have so far obliged Asia-North Europe carriers to blank two-thirds more sailings than during the same period…


Carriers to fine rogue shippers for misdeclared goods in containers



August 14, 2019 /

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…


Post-Brexit freeport ‘gateway to prosperity’ plan comes under fire



August 7, 2019 /

Questions continue to be raised over the announcement that the UK government intends to establish a series of freeports across the country after Brexit. Trade secretary Liz Truss called on airports and ports to bid for the scheme, saying: “Freedoms transformed London’s Docklands in the 1980s, and Freeports will do the same for towns and cities…


Independent Container Line moves UK call from Liverpool to Southampton



July 10, 2019 /

Niche transatlantic carrier Independent Container Line (ICL) is to move its UK call from Liverpool to Southampton to improve schedule reliability. The US-headquartered, privately-owned shipping line has been serving Liverpool for the past 20 years, calling at the Mersey port along with Antwerp in a two-port North European hub strategy. However, ICL claims deteriorating weather…


Bunker market not ready for IMO 2020



June 19, 2019 /

The bunker market is far from ready for the substantial switch in demand to low-sulphur fuel, when the IMO’s 0.5% cap comes into force on 1 January next year, according to the Marine Bunker Exchange (MABUX).  In an article published by international shipping association BIMCO, the bunker exchange cautions that “shipowners are ready, but the bunker market…