InterManager Daily News 05.11.2019.

1. Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. Provides Update on the Progress of the Fleet’s Scrubber Installations and its Environmental Social Governance Practices. Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. announced the successful installation and commissioning of the first three exhaust gas cleaning systems (“Scrubbers”) on the M/V Lordship, M/V Partnership and M/V Championship. The Scrubbers are open loop U-Type design, built by Hyundai Materials Corporation of Korea and have the capacity to comply with the stricter 0.1% Sulphur fuel content limit applicable in the environmentally controlled areas (“ECA”). The installations took place at Yiu Lian shipyard in Zhoushan, China, our chosen partner for all scrubber installations and dry-dockings for periodic surveys for our entire fleet. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/seanergy-maritime-holdings-corp-provides-update-on-the-progress-of-the-fleets-scrubber-installations-and-its-environmental-social-governance-practices/
2. Hapag-Lloyd introduces IMO2020 Transition Charge (ITC) for short-term contracts. The introduction of the IMO2020 sulphur cap as of 1 January 2020 marks a milestone for the shipping industry to reduce marine pollution and become more sustainable. Hapag-Lloyd has taken various actions to be fully compliant with the new regulations. Adjusting to IMO2020 comes along with significantly higher costs for the whole industry. To mitigate fuel price volatility and transitional operational expenses, Hapag-Lloyd will introduce an IMO2020 Transition Charge (ITC) for short-term contracts as of 1 December 2019. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hapag-lloyd-introduces-imo2020-transition-charge-itc-for-short-term-contracts/
3. UN calls for shipping ‘propulsion revolution’ to avoid ‘environmental disaster’. If emissions from the maritime industry are not cut, we are headed for “an environmental disaster”, Isabelle Durant, the deputy head of the UN trade body, UNCTAD, told the Global Maritime Forum summit. Her views were echoed by the UN shipping agency IMO, whose spokesperson, Lee Adamson, told UN News in an exclusive interview that current levels of emissions from shipping are “not acceptable”, and the industry needs a “new propulsion revolution”, to completely cut emissions from the sector. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/un-calls-for-shipping-propulsion-revolution-to-avoid-environmental-disaster/
4. US refiners increase HSFO throughput as IMO 2020 nears. In addition to maximizing diesel production and running lighter, sweeter crudes, US refiners are looking to blendstocks and feedstocks as they create and market their own low-sulfur marine fuel ahead of 2020. This switch from 3.5% sulfur to 0.5% sulfur in bunker fuel at the start of the new year, as mandated by the International Maritime Organization, has created consternation for some refiners and opportunity for others, particularly those with high-complexity coking plants along the US Gulf Coast. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/us-refiners-increase-hsfo-throughput-as-imo-2020-nears/
5. Capital Product Partners Eyes Scrubbers for Six More Ships. Greece-based Capital Product Partners L.P. (CPLP) is looking to equip at least six more vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems in the coming period following the completion of the first scrubber retrofit, the shipping company revealed in its Q3 2019 financial report. M/V Agamemnon, one of the CPLP’s containerships, recently completed the installation of a scrubber and ballast water treatment system, passing its special survey. The 108,892 dwt vessel commenced its long-term charter with Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in September. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285730/capital-product-partners-eyes-scrubbers-for-six-more-ships/
6. Hurtigruten Starts Biodiesel Tests. Norwegian expedition cruise operator Hurtigruten has started testing a new biodiesel fuel that has the potential to reduce emissions up to 95 percent. The company noted that the fuel that is being tested on board the ship MS Polarlys was free of palm oil. The tests started several weeks ago, according to the company, and will continue in the coming weeks. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285719/hurtigruten-starts-biodiesel-tests/
7. Construction Starts on MSC Cruises’ First LNG-Powered Ship. French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique has hosted a steel-cutting ceremony for MSC Cruises’ LNG-powered cruise ship MSC Europa. The liner, which is set for delivery in May 2022, is the first of five new units MSC Cruises ordered from the French shipbuilder between 2017 and 2018. In addition to being the first unit of a new batch of ships, MSC Europa will also be the first LNG-powered ship built in France, according to MSC Cruises. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285691/construction-starts-on-msc-cruises-first-lng-powered-ship/
8. Japanese Big Three Deliver Profit as Liner Business Improves. Japanese big three shipping companies, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), wrapped up the first half of the fiscal year 2019 with a profit. As explained, the companies’ performance improved as their container shipping joint venture Ocean Network Express (ONE) returned to profitability from a significant loss suffered last year. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/285672/japanese-big-three-deliver-profit-as-liner-business-improves/
9. Shipping Number Of The Week: 82% Drop In US Soya Bean Exports To China. US soya bean exports to China are 82.8% lower in the first seven weeks of the 2019/2020 marketing season compared to the same period of the 2017/2018 marketing year, before the trade war started affecting this trade, according to BIMCO’s market analysis team. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Shipping+number+of+the+week%3A+82%25+drop+in+US+soya+bean+exports+to+China
10. Maersk Join Forces With Industry Peers And Customers To Develop LEO. A.P. Moller – Maersk alongside with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, BMW Group, H&M Group, Levi Strauss & Co. and, Marks & Spencer to explore LEO – a blend of lignin and ethanol – that could be part of the future solution for sustainable shipping. From the phone, tablet or computer you are reading this on, to the fruit you eat, the trousers you wear or the car you drive, around 80% of the goods you use every day are delivered to you by sea. Shipping accounts for 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, a proportion that is set to increase as global trade continues to grow at a sluggish but steady pace. As such, this industry has an urgent need to reduce its environmental impact. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Maersk+join+forces+with+industry+peers+and+customers+to+develop+LEO