1. CMA CGM scraps low-sulfur surcharge as fuel price collapses
Shippers pressuring carriers to drop low-sulfur surcharges have some impressive data to support their push, with the price of very low-sulfur fuel oil in Singapore having collapsed by 70 percent since the first week of January. https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/cma-cgm-scraps-low-sulfur-surcharge-fuel-price-collapses_20200422.html
2. COVID-19 changes big ship, Asia focus for US ports
The devastating impact of the US-China trade war followed by the COVID-19 destruction of consumer demand in the US will result in a dispersal of trade lanes connecting North America with growing production clusters in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Latin America. https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/trade-lanes/covid-19-changes-big-ship-asia-focus-us-ports_20200422.html
3. US ports offer temporary storage ahead of anticipated May surge
Terminal operators are preparing now to prevent anticipated cargo surge in May and June by offering on-terminal storage space for containers carrying non-essential merchandise. https://www.joc.com/port-news/terminal-operators/us-ports-offer-temporary-storage-ahead-anticipated-may-surge_20200416.html
4. Hapag-Lloyd Reduced Emissions by 50% Since 2008
Significant reductions in CO2 emissions per container transported, a successful conversion of the vessel fleet to operate using low-sulphur fuel oil, and considerable improvements in quality – these are the key advances that Hapag-Lloyd made in the 2019 financial year in terms of its sustainability strategy. Today, the company is presenting its third sustainability report. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hapag-lloyd-reduced-emissions-by-50-since-2008/
5. “You are not alone” – IMO Secretary-General issues impassioned personal message to seafarers
„You are not alone. You are not forgotten”. So said IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim in a moving personal message to seafarers everywhere, assuring them that IMO understands the unique problems they face during the coronavirus pandemic and has been working tirelessly at all levels to find solutions for them. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/you-are-not-alone-imo-secretary-general-issues-impassioned-personal-message-to-seafarers/
6. The world’s largest containership named at DSME
South Korean shipping major HMM has held a naming ceremony for the first of its twelve 24,000 TEU containerships. The HMM Algeciras, described as the world’s largest boxship, was named at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s (DSME) Okpo shipyard in Geoje, Korea. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/the-worlds-largest-containership-named-at-dsme/
7. South Korea to give $1 billion to ailing shipping firms during COVID-19
The measure was prepared by Minister Moon Seong-hyeok, the country’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), as the worldwide spread of COVID-19 has caused substantial damage to the shipping industry. According to the Minister, South Korean shipping companies are expected to suffer greater damage after the second quarter of this year, taking into account the time lapse between the global economic deterioration and reduced sales. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/south-korea-to-give-1-billion-to-ailing-shipping-firms-during-covid-19/
8. ITF: Two stranded bulkers with 25 seafarers on board just a drop in the sea
Two bulk carriers with at least 25 seafarers on board have been left to their own devices at anchor in the Port of Djibouti at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the two ships have been arrested over unpaid debts and the ships have been at anchor for months pending resolution of court proceedings. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/itf-two-stranded-bulkers-with-25-seafarers-on-board-just-a-drop-in-the-sea/
9. COVID-19 Disruption: Container Shipping Can be Protected By More Automation
COVID-19 has taken the world by surprise. The whole world today is struggling, holding on to hope that normalcy will be restored soon. But for now, humanity and the economic trajectories are staring into an unpredictable tomorrow. In these troubled waters, protecting our container shipping supply chain is one of the keys to protecting the global economy, an insight provided on the industry by Mike Wychocki, Chairman & CEO of EagleRail Container Logistics. https://seanews.co.uk/features/covid-19-disruption-container-shipping-can-be-protected-by-more-automation/
10. Hospital Ship USNS Comfort to Return to Virginia
The U.S. Navy hospital USNS Comfort has been ordered to return to its homeport in Virginia less than a month after arriving in New York to offer surge capacity for overwhelmed New York area hospitals, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a coronavirus task force press briefing on Tuesday. https://gcaptain.com/hospital-ship-usns-comfort-to-return-to-virginia/
