10 AUG 2019 The semi-submersible heavy lift vessel Black Marlin has arrived at the Port of Rotterdam with a monster load of prefabricated hulls for Damen. The load in total comprised of seventeen inland shipping vessels hulls and Damen crane barge. The hulls and crane barge were constructed in China …
Read More »BALTIC INDEX NUDGES UP, BUT POSTS THIRD WEEKLY FALL
09 AUG 2019 The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index rose on Friday, buoyed by an uptick in demand across all vessel segments, but still posted its third straight week of losses. * The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 28 points, or 1.6%, …
Read More »U.S. TELLS COMMERCIAL VESSELS TO SEND GULF TRANSIT PLANS IN ADVANCE
08 AUG 2019 The U.S. maritime agency has told U.S.-flagged commercial vessels they should send transit plans in advance to American and British naval authorities if they intend to sail in Gulf waters following several incidents over tankers involving Iran. The seizure of commercial vessels and attacks on tankers near …
Read More »2020 BUNKER PRICING PAINS
07 AUG 2019 With the IMO 2020 regulations approaching, it is important that commercial operators are aware of the potential impact that volatile fuel prices may have on their operations. The effect the new MARPOL provisions will have on bunker prices is not yet clear though it is expected to …
Read More »SANCTIONS AND TARIFFS: THE NEW ECONOMIC BATTLEFIELD
06 AUG 2019 Economic warfare is being fought with an intensity not seen since the period leading up to World War II as countries deploy tariffs, embargoes and economic sanctions to force policy changes or punish their adversaries. Free trade is coming off second best, and global trade has stalled. …
Read More »STENA BULK PRESSES FOR RELEASE OF TANKER’S CREW
05 AUG 2019 The Swedish tanker operator Stena Bulk protested the continued detention of the UK-flagged Stena Impero by Iranian authorities, describing the action as “unacceptable and unjustifiable.” The vessel has been in Iranian custody for 19 days. “We are maintaining limited communication with the crew onboard and although they remain in …
Read More »TROUBLE AHEAD FOR CARRIERS AS TRADE WAR INTENSIFIES
04 AUG 2019 The sharp escalation in the US/China trade war could see some short-term front-loading gains for transpacific carriers on the headhaul route, but it spells trouble longer-term, particularly on the backhaul. Hitting back at President Trump’s Twitter announcement last week of a 10% tariff on a further $300bn …
Read More »TITANIC SHIPBUILDER HARLAND AND WOLFF TO FILE FOR INSOLVENCY
03 AUG 2019 Harland and Wolff, the Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic, was put into administration on Monday after its bankrupt Norwegian owner failed to find a buyer and calls for its nationalization were rebuffed. The shipyard, whose towering yellow cranes dominate the Northern Irish city’s skyline, has been …
Read More »SPANISH NGO SEEKS SAFE PORT FOR 124 PEOPLE RESCUED IN MEDITERRANEAN
02 AUG 2019 A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organization said. Non-governmental organization (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments …
Read More »SHELL NOT TAKING BRITISH-FLAGGED TANKERS THROUGH HORMUZ
01 AUG 2019 Royal Dutch Shell is not taking any British-flagged tankers through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran in the vital chokepoint for oil shipments. “There are Shell-managed vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and that will probably continue to be the case. Currently, though, there …
Read More »