Back in April, a civil court in Brussels issued a non-final ruling in the case of Pfizer Export vs. Poland. The court ordered Poland to take delivery of roughly 64 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and pay Pfizer around €1.3 billion, plus interest and legal costs. It rejected Warsaw’s arguments that circumstances had changed, demand had fallen, the war in Ukraine had placed an exceptional burden on the country, and Pfizer had abused its dominant market position. Poland can appeal, but the ruling may be enforced before the appeal is decided. The case is being heard in Belgium because the vaccine contract, negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of EU member states, is governed by Belgian law.

The CMA CGM NOTRE DAME, a 400-metre-long and 62-metre-wide vessel operated by the French shipping company CMA CGM, made her first call at the Port of Hamburg on 12 July as part of the rotation of the FAL-3 (French Asia Line) service. With a capacity of 24,212 TEU, CMA CGM NOTRE DAME is currently the largest containership sailing under the French flag and the first in a series of ten identical LNG-powered ultra-large container vessels operated by CMA CGM.

The ESPO Secretariat has received eleven submissions for the 18th edition of the ESPO Award!

IMCA highlights “unacceptably high” levels of fatalities and injuries from underwater ship husbandry, as vessel owners prepare for Strait of Hormuz reopening

Demand for the cleaning, inspection, and maintenance of an estimated 600 vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf has risen sharply following Middle East peace deal

Underwater ship husbandry is essential to maintain vessel efficiency and protect marine eco systems, but requires proper planning, competent personnel, and suitable equipment to safeguard divers, IMCA warns

Solutions for resilient and climate-neutral ports in focus: On 2 and 3 September, All About Ports will bring together international experts at the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg to address key challenges facing the port industry. As an international conference accompanied by an exhibition, the event will take place alongside SMM – the world’s leading maritime industry event. The programme features renowned speakers including Dr Melanie Leonhard, Hamburg’s Senator for Economic Affairs and Innovation, Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), Roy Avrahami of the Port of Ashdod, and numerous other international experts from the port, logistics and political sectors.

IRU members have voted to adopt a new Charter for Women in Road Transport. It sets out core principles to increase women’s participation across the industry’s workforce.

From Energy Efficiency to Maritime Security & Defence: SMM 2026 Brings the Industry’s Future Topics to the Stage.

Growing cooperation between Europe and Asia drives participation at the world’s leading maritime industry event

Singapore, 23 April 2026 - RINA has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to ST Engineering Marine for a retrofit concept involving the installation of a hydrogen‑powered fuel cell system onboard Asean Raider I, a 25‑metre aluminium fast passenger ferry operated by BatamFast.

Today UNESCO designated 12 new geoparks, bringing the total number of sites in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network to 241 in 51 countries. The network now covers an area of over 882,000 km2, equivalent to the size of Venezuela.

EU transport ministers convened today in an informal video conference to assess the impact of developments in the Middle East on the transport sector, marking an important step towards a coordinated EU response to rising fuel costs and market volatility.

UNESCO's latest report highlights the extraordinary contribution of its sites for both people and nature. While global wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970, those within UNESCO-protected areas have remained comparatively stable. These sites represent over 1,000 languages, and a quarter of them overlap with Indigenous Peoples' territories. People and Nature in UNESCO-Designated Sites: Global and Local Contributions is the first report to examine all UNESCO categories – World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks – as a single network of over 2,260 sites covering more than 13 million km², an area larger than China and India combined.

MMI Asia Pte Ltd today announced that the third
edition of transport logistic Southeast Asia and air cargo Southeast Asia
(tlacSEA) 2027 will be held from October 25–27, 2027 (Monday to Wednesday).

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is entering into full operation across Schengen external borders, marking a new phase in its rollout.

West Africa – now hosting the biggest of ships 

Dynamar has just released its latest edition of the West Africa Container Trades, a biennial survey of  shipping services, carriers and ports active along all West Africa’s routes.