1. India going off the rails, China next India decided to win a dubious, to say the least, title, of being the first country in the world to ban all plastics on board of all ships calling Indian ports, or transiting Indian waters, according to a document, sent to all ships of a major shipping company http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/10/22/india-going-off-the-rails-china-next/
2. Russian icebreaker disabled in stormy Norwegian sea, issued distress signal. Russian icebreaker TOR issued distress signal at 0430 UTC Oct 22 in Norwegian sea W if Alesund, Norway, reporting engine failure in stormy conditions. The ship is en route from S-Petersburg to Sabetta, Russian Arctic, with 33 crew on bard. The problem is, it’s an icebreaker with very high metacentric height, and as such, prone to violent roll in rough seas. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/10/22/russian-icebreaker-disabled-in-stormy-norwegian-sea-issued-distress-signal/
3. COSCO cargo ship collided with Indian container ship, Pakistan. COSCO heavy lift ship DA XIN collided with berthed Indian container ship DIYALA at Karachi Harbor while maneuvering to berth, at around 0140 UTC Oct 21. Reportedly and according to track, DA XIN struck Berth 25, bounced off and allided with DIYALA, moored at Berth 26. Pier was the one to suffer most, report says. No information on ships damages, allegedly damages weren’t serious. Both ships remain berthed at Karachi, as of morning Oct 22. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/10/22/cosco-cargo-ship-collided-with-indian-container-ship-pakistan/
4. Keppel Receives Takeover Offer That Could Too Good to Pass Up. Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte plans to take control of Keppel Corp. for about S$4 billion ($3 billion) and undertake a review of the oil-rig builder’s business that could involve a board shakeup. The state-backed investor, which already owns about one-fifth of Keppel, offered to buy an additional 30.6% stake at S$7.35 a share, according to a statement Monday. That’s 26% higher than what Singapore-based Keppel traded at before its shares were halted, pending the announcement. https://gcaptain.com/keppel-receives-takeover-offer-too-good-to-pass-up/
5. Russia Willing to Pay to Lure Shippers to the Arctic. Russia wants to make its Arctic waters more attractive to shippers than the Suez Canal and could be willing to compensate for potential risks to make that happen. President Vladimir Putin has made development of the Arctic one of Russia’s top long-term priorities and huge projects to export liquefied natural gas via the Northern Sea Route have already lured investors above the Polar Circle. But shippers of other products remain reluctant to make the detour from the Suez Canal toward the Arctic due to multiple risks. https://gcaptain.com/russia-willing-to-pay-to-lure-shippers-to-the-arctic/
6. Going Overboard? IMO 2020 Seen Shifting Pollution from Air to Sea. New global rules forcing ships to reduce air pollution by using cleaner fuels will see more sulfur and nitrates dumped into the oceans, analysts and civil society leaders say. From January 2020, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) will ban ships from using fuels with a sulfur content above 0.5%, compared with 3.5% now. https://gcaptain.com/going-overboard-imo-2020-seen-shifting-pollution-from-air-to-sea/
7. Maersk Lifts 2019 Profit Forecast. Shares in A.P. Moller-Maersk surged more than 7% on Monday after the Danish shipping company raised its expectations for 2019 profit despite headwinds from the U.S.-China trade war. Maersk said it expected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in a range of $5.4 to $5.8 billion, up from its previous expectation of around $5 billion. The rest of the guidance was unchanged, it said. https://gcaptain.com/maersk-lifts-2019-profit-forecast/
8. World’s Largest LNG Bunkering Vessel Launched in China. Total has announced the launching of its first large LNG bunkering vessel that will be used to fuel gas-powered ships in the Northern Europe. The 135-meter-long vessel, being built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding near Shanghai, will have a tank capacity of 18,600 cubic meters, making it by the far the largest LNG bunkering vessel in the world. https://gcaptain.com/worlds-largest-lng-bunkering-vessel-launched-in-china/
9. Ukraine Starts Accepting Bids for Olvia Port Concession. Ukraine has started accepting tender applications for a concession of the Stevedoring Company Olvia (SC Olvia), a state-owned company operating Olvia Port, a multipurpose seaport terminal in the Mykolaiv region. According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), the tender process which also includes selected assets of USPA was launched on October 18. The applications will be accepted until December 16, 2019. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285120/ukraine-starts-accepting-bids-for-olvia-port-concession/
10. MSC’s Messina Acquisition Gets Go-Ahead from Italian Regulator. Swiss shipping major Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has received the green light from the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) to acquire a minority stake in Genoa-based shipping company Ignazio Messina & C. The transaction will see MSC’s subsidiary Marinvest take over a 49 percent stake in Ignazio Messina and a 52 percent stake in Ro-Ro Italia, a new company that would control four of the Messina’s roll-on/roll-off container (ConRo) vessels. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285099/mscs-messina-acquisition-gets-go-ahead-from-italian-regulator/