1. Columbia Shipmanagement and Khobar-based Spectrum Group sign strategic joint venture that could position Saudi Arabia as the global hub for future-proofed ship management
Columbia Shipmanagement has entered into a strategic joint venture with Khobar-based Spectrum Group in a move that will see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the neighbouring Middle East region emerge as one of the most technologically advanced and optimised ship management service centres in the world. The new company, CSM Saudi Arabia, will be a truly Arabic company operating at the highest international standards with a portfolio of ship management and ancillary services specifically tailored for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other clients in the region. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/23/columbia-shipmanagement-and-khobar-based-spectrum-group-sign-strategic-joint-venture-that-could-position-saudi-arabia-as-the-global-hub-for-future-proofed-ship-management/
2. San Marino sets up business as a ship registry despite being landlocked
Tiny, landlocked San Marino on the Italian peninsula has no clear maritime connections, which are usually the basis for a country setting up a flag registry. Furthermore, ITF investigations using global shipping data could not identify any shipowners from San Marino who have registered vessels with other countries’ flags. So why is a country with no coast setting up a commercial ship registry? We ask them. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/23/san-marino-sets-up-business-as-a-ship-registry-despite-being-landlocked/
3. Fires in containers caused by Seed Cake
The carriage of Seed Cake cargoes continues to cause confusion and the potential for mis-declaration remains high with the consequent risk of fire onboard. Recently, a container ship entered with Gard was about to depart its port of loading when the crew observed smoke coming from one of the portside bays. An inspection of the area confirmed that a fire had developed inside one of the containers. The crew used one of the ship’s water mist lances to penetrate the container on fire, and the ship’s fire hoses for boundary cooling and protection of nearby structures and containers. Due to the early detection and the immediate response and action by the crew, the fire was quickly extinguished. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/23/fires-in-containers-caused-by-seed-cake/
4. Billion-dollar dredging work at Port Houston expected to start this fall
The Port of Houston Authority has signed a project partnership agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to widen and deepen the Houston Ship Channel. The PPA commits Port Houston to the responsibilities of the project, details the terms of the expansion and permits the start of dredging of the federal waterway. Known as Project 11, the billion-dollar dredging project is the 11th major improvement of the channel in its more than 100-year history. https://splash247.com/billion-dollar-dredging-work-at-port-houston-expected-to-start-this-fall/
5. Port of Long Beach completes new all-electric container terminal
The Port of Long Beach on Friday announced the completion of the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor. The terminal is equipped with nearly all electric and zero-emissions equipment, and is being touted by the port as one of the most technologically advanced cargo facilities in the world. Mario Cordero, executive director of the port, says the terminal is “the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission mega terminal” and “will allow us to increase our throughput, improve air quality and maintain our status as a leading gateway for trans-Pacific trade.”
https://splash247.com/port-of-long-beach-completes-new-all-electric-container-terminal/
6. Asian container lines report massive surges in H1 profits
Hong Kong-listed Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL), which owns OOCL, reported a massive surge in first half net profit to $2.81bn compared to $155m in the same period in 2020. With an EBIT of $2.85bn OOCL reported an EBIT margin of 40.8%. Revenues also more than doubled in the first half of 2021 to $6.99bn compared to $3.43bn a year earlier. https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/asian-container-lines-report-massive-surges-h1-profits
7. ICTSI’s TecPlata to link Port of Santa Fe to Brazil and Asia
Bruno Porchietto, TecPlata Chief Executive Officer, and Carlos Arese, Santa Fe Port Administrative Entity President, have signed an agreement establishing the service that would make a minimum of two calls per month using 500-teu- barges operated by Newport Management. “We are very eager for this project to begin. The opportunity to reactivate the Port of Santa Fe, and that we are part of it, is very important because we are going to start this new logistics circuit that will connect the export cargo of the province with Brazil through a transfer in TecPlata,” said Porchietto. https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/ports-logistics/ictsis-tecplata-link-port-santa-fe-brazil-and-asia
8. Piracy at sea should be eliminated
Interview of CAPT BJORN HOJGAARD, Hong Kong-based CEO of world’s leading shipping company and a major employer of Indian merchant navy officers, Anglo-Eastern Univan Group. What steps are essential to fight the menace of armed robbery and piracy at sea through global cooperation? Pls explain in-depth. If armed robbery and piracy at sea only involved ill-gotten gains that would be one thing, but more often than not innocent seafarers are caught in the thick of things, their lives and safety put at undue risk. Often held up or taken at gunpoint for ransom, violence is not uncommon and on the rise in increasingly sophisticated attacks aimed at merchant vessels. This is particularly true in the Gulf of Guinea, which last year accounted for more than 95% of the world’s pirate attacks and kidnappings. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/piracy-at-sea-should-be-eliminated/
9. GatewayRail Becomes India’s First Rail Operator To Join TradeLens
GatewayRail, India’s leading intermodal logistics service provider and rail-linked Inland Container Depots (ICD) operator, has become the first rail operator in India to join TradeLens, a blockchain-underpinned digital logistics platform, jointly developed by A.P. Moller – Maersk and IBM. The association between GatewayRail and TradeLens is a major milestone in digitizing India’s vast inland container logistics ecosystem with a significant impact on efficiency gained by exporters and importers. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/GatewayRail+becomes+India’s+first+rail+operator+to+join+TradeLens
10. Cargo Abandonment
Cargo abandonment occurs when cargo interests fail to collect the cargo or the take the delivery order, most commonly at the port of discharge. The reasons behind abandonment of cargo may vary, for example, it may be a result of the receiver’s insolvency, damage or delay to the cargo, or issues under the sales contract. The increase of cargo abandonment during COVID-19 is largely attributed to the various lockdowns imposed worldwide and the recessions experienced by global economies.
https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Cargo+abandonment
