RINA has signed an agreement with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) for the classification of the largest ever cruise ship to be built in China.

Zurich / Colombes, 21 July 2021 – French Specialty Materials manufacturer Arkema is now harnessing the capabilities of Swiss 'trade tech' pioneer Nexxiot. The two companies have joined forces to digitize Arkema's Isotank (Tank Container) and rail freight wagon fleet using Nexxiot's cutting-edge IoT devices and intelligent cloud platform. This partnership will deliver end-to-end visibility for Arkema customers to improve quality standards and trans-form the overall service experience.

In a new effort to pressure the shipping industry to accelerate its efforts to improve the environmental performance of large containerships, two environmental NGOs issued a new report which they say “exposes the environmental and public health impacts of retailing companies’ reliance on fossil-fueled maritime shipping to bring products into the United States.” The groups Pacific Environment and Stand.earth, are focusing on the retail industry, including Walmart, Ashley, Target, Home Depot, Ikea, and Amazon, as the top maritime polluters as the NGOs launch a new campaign calling for the carriers and their customers to stop moving commerce on fossil-fueled ships.

Responding to the ongoing complaints from shippers regarding fees being charged by the liner companies and terminal operators, the Federal Maritime Commission has established a new audit program focusing initially on the nine largest ocean carriers along with a dedicated audit team to assess carrier compliance with the rule on detention and demurrage. The FMC has recently announced a series of efforts, including partnering with the US Department of Justice, while President Joe Biden has called for actions to ensure competition, reduce monopolies and unfair pricing practices among the large carriers.

Marine scientists often feel like they’re fumbling in the dark. The global ocean covers about 71 per cent of our planet and is central to life as it exists on Earth. But only about 20 per cent of the seafloor has been directly mapped so far.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) once again demonstrates its commitment to seafarer safety by being the first registry to instigate a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) for pilot transfer arrangements.  It will continue to run until the end of 2021.

HONG Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific carried a total 109,423 tonnes of cargo and mail in June, an increase of 17.4 per cent compared to the same month last year.

TAIWAN's Evergreen Airways (EVA) has launched a digital platform for passengers to upload Covid crisis test results and proof of vaccination, reports Taipei Times.

ETHIOPIAN Airlines Cargo has signed up for another five years at Belgium's Liege Airport, thus continuing its role as a freighter gateway between Africa and Europe until 2026, reports London's Air Cargo News.

On Saturday evening, an appeals court in the U.S. 11th Circuit ruled that the CDC will still be able to impose COVID-19 health and safety restrictions on the cruise industry, at least for now.

Fully 247 out of the 301 personnel aboard the South Korean destroyer Munmu the Great have tested positive for COVID-19, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

* Save the date: 3-5 August 2021
* Tech Summer is a 3-day online event open to all
* The goal of the Tech Summer series is to talk about the ways air cargo stakeholders can elevate their digitalization activities through easy-to-apply tools and strategies in order to level up

Netlog, a major Turkish logistics provider with operations in Europe, the Middle East and North America, has chosen the IRU RoadMasters platform to improve driver talent management.

IRU, the voice of almost one million European passenger and goods road transport operators, has cautiously welcomed some parts of the European Commission’s Fit-for-55 proposals. However, the industry group warned that energy tax and emissions trading together risk an unbalanced double-dip hit to road transport costs for EU citizens and business.

Greek startup Harbor Lab welcomed in June its 300th vessel to its online disbursements platform. The achievement was realised 15 months after the software company launched its disbursements accounting (DA) processing solution for the shipping industry, which gives vessels’ operators access to agents and vendors at ports across the globe reducing back office administration by 75%.