1. London P&I Club strengthens team with two new hires
The London P&I Club has expanded its team with the appointment of two experienced underwriters Mark Esdale, who has worked in the P&I industry for 20 years, joins the London P&I Club as Associate Director. Mark began his career with a leading P&I insurance provider, underwriting small craft business. He later moved to another P&I Club to set up and develop the company’s fixed premium facility. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/03/31/london-pi-club-strengthens-team-with-two-new-hires/
2. ABB to provide comprehensive vessel services to Canadian Coast Guard fleet
ABB has been awarded a National Individual Standing Offer1 (NISO) to provide full-scope services for equipment installed on board Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, reducing maintenance costs and increasing uptime The NISO covers the full range of remote diagnostics and global technical support, cyber security, condition monitoring, spare parts, operational reviews, preventive maintenance and drydocking services. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/03/31/abb-to-provide-comprehensive-vessel-services-to-canadian-coast-guard-fleet/
3. Hapag-Lloyd enhances Asia – East Africa connections with new service
The new East Africa Service 3 (EAS3) will offer direct weekly sailings between China, South-East Asia, Kenya and Tanzania with very competitive transit times. It will be launched in late April enabling our customers to enjoy even better connectivity between Asia and East Africa. In addition, the EAS3 will offer excellent connections to Hapag-Lloyd’s global network via the hub ports of Singapore, Port Kelang and Shanghai. Seven 2,800 TEU vessels will be deployed in the service, including two provided by Hapag-Lloyd. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/03/31/hapag-lloyd-enhances-asia-east-africa-connections-with-new-service/
4. The blockage of the Suez Canal would have ripple effects on global supply chains with loss of capacity in the range of 20-30 percent
After the Ever Given was re-floated yesterday and moved to the Great Bitter Lake, the 43 vessels waiting at anchorage in the lake was able to form a southbound convoy – three of them Maersk vessels – and pass through the canal. We expect that it will take approximately a week to move the complete queue through the canal, conditional to safety and other operational circumstances. As more vessels reach the queue, this is an estimate and is subject to change. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/03/31/the-blockage-of-the-suez-canal-would-have-ripple-effects-on-global-supply-chains-with-loss-of-capacity-in-the-range-of-20-30-percent/
5. Maersk Containership Broken Down in the Pacific Ocean
An ocean-going tug from Dutch Harbor, Alaska has arrived at a Maersk containership which has been been broken down for more than two weeks in the Pacific Ocean. As of the latest update, the ship was currently located some 650 miles off Dutch Harbor, AK. https://gcaptain.com/maersk-eureka-containership-broken-down-in-the-pacific-ocean/
6. Speed A Factor in 2019 Houston Ship Channel Collision -NTSB
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that vessel speed was a factor in the 2019 collision between a liquefied propane gas tanker and a barge in the Houston Ship Channel. The incident occurred May 10, 2019, when the 754-foot-long liquefied Genesis River collided with the 297-foot-long tank barge 30015T being pushed by a tug on the Houston Ship Channel, in Texas’ Upper Galveston Bay. https://gcaptain.com/speed-a-factor-in-2019-houston-ship-channel-collision-ntsb/
7. UN Bodies Call for Seafarers and Aviation Workers to Be Given Priority Access to Vaccines
As the world watched the Ever Given salvage over the last week, the heads of five UN organizations joined together in a call for maritime and air transport workers to be given priority access to COVID-19 vaccines given their key role in supporting global trade.
The joint statement called on governments to prioritize seafarers and aircrew in their national COVID-19 vaccination programs, together with other essential workers. https://gcaptain.com/un-bodies-call-for-seafarers-and-aviation-workers-to-be-given-priority-access-to-vaccines/
8. PIL completes $600m restructuring
Singapore-headquartered PIL completed its restructuring on 30 March in a rescue package from Temasek Holdings unit Heliconia Capital Management. The restructuring included a $200m investment by Heliconia by way of convertible preference shares and a $200m term loan facility and $200m revolving credit facility by Heliconia.
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/finance-insurance/pil-completes-600m-restructuring
9. Iraq Signs Agreement With Total For Four Energy Projects
Iraq has signed a heads-of-agreement deal with French firm Total spanning four projects involving natural gas, solar energy and seawater reprocessing, the oil ministry said on Monday. Total will make a “multi-billion-dollar” investment and the four initial deals will be submitted to the cabinet for final approval, Oil Minister Ihsan Abul Jabbar was quoted as saying in a ministry statement. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Iraq+signs+agreement+with+Total+for+four+energy+projects
10. Baltic Index Falls On Softer Demand For Vessels
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index that tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities declined on Tuesday, weighed down by muted demand across vessel segments. The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was down 59 points, or 2.7%, to 2,103, its weakest since March 16. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Baltic+index+falls+on+softer+demand+for+vessels
