04 FEB 2021 The latest benchmark Seafarers’ Happiness Index from Mission to Seafarers sounds a dark note as the COVID-19 pandemic and the crew change crisis drag on. Overall index scores last quarter were up slightly, but individual written responses reveal “a real sense of resignation and antipathy” due to heavy workloads, …
Read More »Monthly Archives: January 2021
SHIPS’ RECYCLING ACTIVITY LOSES SOME STEAM
03 FEB 2021 The ships’ recycling market started 2021 rather strongly. However, as things stand, some of the momentum built has gone, which could be an indication that some fluctuations could be on the cards. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Clarkson Platou Hellas said that “the market appears to …
Read More »SPITTING COBRA VENOM DIDN’T EVOLVE TO KILL – JUST TO PUT US IN A WORLD OF PAIN
02 FEB 2021 Like pappy used to say: if you see it writhe and hiss, give it a miss. Humans have passed on similar nuggets of wisdom since time immemorial, giving us a healthy (and sometimes less than healthy) respect for backing away from snakes. Yet the fact snake bites …
Read More »PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCED AT DAVOS TO ACCELERATE SHIPPING
01 FEB 2021 A new coalition is being formed to accelerate the decarbonization of shipping, transportation, and other heavy industries that collectively represent 30 percent of global emissions. Launched today at the Davos Agenda as part of the World Economic Forum, the Mission Possible Partnership brings together over 400 companies, …
Read More »ONE KILLED, 15 ABDUCTED IN GULF OF GUINEA PIRATE ATTACK
25 JAN 2021 On Saturday morning, a boxship was reportedly boarded by pirates and its citadel breached at a position off Sao Tome, according to security consultancy Praesidium International. Praesidium reports that at about 0530 hours on Saturday morning, the Turkish-operated container ship Mozart was transiting about 95 nm to the northwest …
Read More »6 LIFESTYLE ‘MEDICINES’ FOR A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE
31 JAN 2021 The majority of Americans are stressed, sleep-deprived, and overweight and suffer from largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Being overweight or obese contributes to the 50 percent of adults who suffer high blood pressure, 10 percent with diabetes and additional 35 percent with pre-diabetes. And the costs are …
Read More »COVID-19 STRAINS ARE SPREADING FASTER THAN OTHERS, HERE’S WHY!
30 JAN 2021 A new variant of coronavirus has swept across the United Kingdom and been detected in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. Scientists are concerned that these new strains may spread more easily. As an evolutionary biologist, I study how mutation and selection combine to shape changes in populations over time. Never …
Read More »U.S. FINALIZES 2025 BLUE ECONOMY STRATEGY
29 JAN 2021 The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) yesterday released its Blue Economy Strategic Plan for 2021-2025, laying out a roadmap for new ways to advance America’s Blue Economy and enhance a global ocean economy expected to double in value to $3 trillion over the next decade. The …
Read More »DESPITE COVID, CHINESE EXPORTERS STRENGTHEN POSITION IN WORLD TRADE
28 JAN 2021 Analysts are expecting China’s economic output in the first three months of 2021 to be 15 percent to 18 percent higher than in the same period in 2020 when the coronavirus struck, highlighting the enormous power and resilience of the country’s vast manufacturing sector. Perhaps the biggest …
Read More »IAPH AND WORLD BANK CALL FOR ACCELERATION OF MARITIME DIGITALIZATION
27 JAN 2021 The World Bank joined with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) calling for efforts to accelerate the digitalization of the global maritime industry. Hosting a webinar to launch their new report on digitalization, the organizations expressed their belief that digitalizing the sector would bring wide-ranging …
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