World

01 AUG 2020 The heads of the three unions representing Military Sealift Command civilian mariners are calling on MSC to reevaluate the “Gangways-Up” order as concerns mount over the mental health safety of the mariners. In a July 29 letter to Admiral Michael A. Wettlauer, Commander of the Military Sealift Command, the …

30 JUL 2020  The Mission to Seafarers’ latest Seafarer Happiness Index survey shows growing levels of stress and unease amongst the seafaring community due to the COVID-19 crisis, the maritime charity reported Wednesday. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 seafarers are stuck on board because of government policies that prohibit regular …

28 JUL 2020 The U.S. military will help Japan monitor “unprecedented” Chinese incursions around East China Sea islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing as Chinese boats prepare to begin fishing in nearby waters, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan said on Wednesday. “The United States is 100 percent …

27 JUL 2020 Global port operator DP World recorded a fall of 8.8% in second quarter container volumes, warning on Monday the outlook remained uncertain. The coronavirus pandemic shut cities and factories worldwide for months, disrupting shipments and global supply chains, while some cities are now reintroducing curbs after a …

15 JULY 2020 The Gulf of Guinea off West Africa is increasingly dangerous for commercial shipping, accounting for just over 90% of maritime kidnappings worldwide. Meanwhile ship hijackings are at their lowest since 1993, the IMB said. In total, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre recorded 98 incidents of piracy and armed …

24 JULY 2020 For years, scientists have been gripped by the existence of a strange anomaly weakening Earth’s magnetic field. It’s located in the midst of the South Atlantic ocean, extending all the way from South America to the west coast of southern Africa. This giant, puzzling expanse of reduced magnetic intensity …

23 JULY 2020  Despite reporting steep declines in the most recent quarter, Chinese shipbuilding is showing signs of recovery, possibly with the aid of the Chinese government, as the shipbuilding industry continues its competition with Korean shipbuilding. For the first six months of 2020, China reported a nearly 11 percent …

20 JULY 2020  Norway has received permission from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to proceed with a $2.4 billion investment in two large-scale carbon capture facilities, along with the infrastructure needed to transport and store the CO2 in subsea reservoirs. It is the largest single state aid award ever …

18 JULY 2020  Nine Japanese companies have started the Ship Carbon Recycling Working Group as part of Japan’s Carbon Capture & Reuse (CCR) Study Group. The Working Group aims to explore the feasibility of the concept of utilizing methanation technology for zero-emission ship fuels. Carbon recycling, a method used to …

15 JULY 2020 Asian waters accounted for a third of the shipping industry’s total losses at sea globally last year, even as shipping losses continued their declining trend, says marine specialty insurer Allianz Global. In their annual Safety & Shipping Review, Allianz tallied 41 total losses reported around the world in …