The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA), BIMCO and the International HazMat Association (IHMA) have collaborated to develop a new guide to help both shipowners and ship suppliers comply with both the current EU Ship Recycling Regulations (EUSRR) and the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling (HKC) where ratification is anticipated next year.

Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) and Marine Capabilities (MARCAP LLC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Abu Dhabi that will lead innovation and shape the technological future of the maritime sector in the Middle East Gulf region.

Storylines is offering a unique residential cruise ship experience that is set to launch in 2025. Residents will live aboard Storylines' MV Narrative ship all year-round, travelling the world from the comfort of their own homes.

ln its latest act of defiance, Ukraine announced it set a new daily record for grain shipments two days after Russia announced it was officially suspending its participation in the grain export agreement and threatened new blockades in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian naval forces in occupied Crimea. Despite the Russian announcement, the United Nations, Turkey, and Ukraine were able to agree on a plan for the vessels to proceed today, October 31, while diplomats and UN officials worked to broker a new agreement. The existing effort was for 120-days and is due to expire in mid-November.

Two civilian tugboats were hit by Russian fire at the port of Ochakiv, Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian Operational Command South. The Russian strikes are the first hits on civilian vessels reported since the signing of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in late July. Russia withdrew its security guarantees and participation in the initiative over the weekend, citing the drone boat attack on Sevastopol on Friday night.

On Friday afternoon, the tanker Nissos Keasurvived an apparent attempted strike by two drones off the coast of Yemen, according to her operator. 

The undersigned associations representing European ports, private port companies and terminal operators and tugowners support an effective and robust maritime EU ETS that enables the green transition of the maritime sector. The three associations recognise and reiterate the need for the shipping sector to reduce emissions. It is for this reason that we support requirements for ships to reduce emissions, alongside requirements for the use and deployment of OPS where it makes sense in ports.

In the first nine months of 2022, almost the same freight volume was handled in the port of Rotterdam as last year: 351 million tonnes (+0.3%). There are some underlying major differences, though, especially due to the war in Ukraine, the sanctions against Russia, and the changes in global energy flows. For instance, considerably higher volumes of coal and LNG were imported as alternatives to Russian natural gas. Container transhipment decreased, especially as a result of the loss of trade with Russia.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and its ferry operator, Ferry Sunflower, are launching a nearly seven-month trial of a technology system designed to aid vessels during berthing operations. The trial is the latest step in efforts by the Japanese companies to deploy technology to improve the safety of the operations of vessels and which could eventually automate navigation.

Zita Tallat-Kelpšaitė is an artist, a painter, a book writer and publisher of an international business magazine, who lived and worked in Klaipėda for the past 45 years.
Currently she has settled in Šventoji, in the neighbourhood of wind-blown sand dunes, blossoming pines and stormy sea.

A SLOWING of import volumes into North Europe has done little to mitigate congestion at hub ports in the region, with full container yards and labour shortages hampering operations across terminals, warehouses, and trucking services, resulting in lengthening ship delays.

The shipping industry is facing its own version of 'long COVID' says INTERCARGO, following warnings received from members.

HONG Kong's exports surprisingly improved slightly in April, though trade with China continued to be hit as the country's Covid restrictions intensified and disrupted trade, reports Bloomberg.

Iran has relocated the two Greek tankers it seized last week to the port of Bandar Abbas, where they have been impounded. The crew have "not been detained" and are being "protected," Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization said in a statement Saturday. Nine Greek nationals are among the two ships' crews.