InterManager Daily News 03.04.2023.

1. The Cyprus Shipping Chamber welcomes the positive outcome of the recognition of Filipino seafarers training and certification by the EU. The European Commission announced earlier today that they shall continue to recognise the certificates of Filipino seafarers, confirming the compliance of the Philippines with the requirements of the STWC Convention.The Cyprus Shipping Chamber welcomes this very positive development which was catalyzed by the joint efforts of both the ECSA (European Community Shipowners’ Associations) and ICS (International Chamber of Shipping) with the authorities of the Philippines and other industry partners, working under the newly established International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA). https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/03/31/the-cyprus-shipping-chamber-welcomes-the-positive-outcome-of-the-recognition-of-filipino-seafarers-training-and-certification-by-the-eu/
2. Trans-Atlantic container rates still double pre-COVID levels. Container shipping rates are not back to normal quite yet. Trans-Pacific rates have returned to pre-COVID levels, but pricing in trans-Atlantic markets has not.Spot container rates from Europe to the U.S. — while falling — are still more than twice pre-pandemic rates. U.S. imports from Europe remain strong, with building materials supporting volumes. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/03/31/trans-atlantic-container-rates-still-double-pre-covid-levels/
3. Standard Chartered appointed to lead a USD89.6 million sustainability-linked loan for Vista Shipping in financing LNG dual-fuelled vessels. Standard Chartered was appointed to lead a USD89.6 million sustainability-linked loan (SLL) for Vista Shipping, a joint venture between Hafnia and CSSC Shipping Hong Kong, to finance the purchase of its first pair of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-dual fuelled vessels in support of both organisation’s decarbonisation ambitions. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/03/31/standard-chartered-appointed-to-lead-a-usd89-6-million-sustainability-linked-loan-for-vista-shipping-in-financing-lng-dual-fuelled-vessels/
4. First full-scale Oceanbird wing will be installed at Swedish shipyard. By the end of 2023, Oceanbird will assembly the land-based prototype at the Swedish shipyard Oresund DryDocks. It will be a full-scale, 40-meter-high wing sail placed by the Swedish coastline in Landskrona.Oceanbird´s first full-scale wing sail, a prototype of Oceanbird Wing 560, will be assembled on land at the Swedish shipyard Oresund DryDocks in Landskrona by the fall of 2023. The purpose is, among other things, to test functionality, crew training and develop the automation of the wing sails. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/03/31/first-full-scale-oceanbird-wing-will-be-installed-at-swedish-shipyard/
5. Trust in tomorrow the evolution of underwriting. The maritime industry is manoeuvring towards the destination of decarbonisation, but the unpredictable route, and ever-increasing complexity of the journey, creates major challenges for all ocean stakeholders. Skuld’s executive underwriter Matias Bøe Olsen assesses how underwriters can help create certainty and trust in tomorrow in uncertain times. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/03/31/trust-in-tomorrow-the-evolution-of-underwriting/
6. Part of the crew kidnapped in Monjasa tanker hijacking. A pirate attack on a Monjasa tanker in the Gulf of Guinea resulted in the kidnapping of some of its crew members. The Liberian-flagged Monjasa Reformer with 16 crewmembers was boarded six days ago by five armed people 140 miles (260 km) west of the Republic of Congo’s Port Pointe-Noire. https://splash247.com/part-of-the-crew-kidnapped-in-monjasa-tanker-hijacking/
7. Insurers brace for hefty claims from sunken Philippine tanker. The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) and the Shipowners’ P&I Club, the liability insurer of the sunken Princess Empress, have decided to open a claims submission office in Oriental Mindoro in the Philippines to facilitate the submission of thousands of claims for compensation. https://splash247.com/insurers-brace-for-hefty-claims-from-sunken-philippine-tanker/
8. CMA CGM lodges bid to run Lebanon’s postal services. French liner CMA CGM, via subsidiary Colis Privé, is the only company to have lodged a bid to take over Lebanon’s postal services.Lebanon’s caretaker minister of telecommunications Johnny Corm confirmed yesterday the offer made by CMA CGM to take over the nation’s postal service contract. https://splash247.com/cma-cgm-lodges-bid-to-run-lebanons-postal-services/
9. Big Ship Power: South Africa Pushed Forward On Electric Powership Deal. Eskom Holdings SOC is considering buying electricity from a Karpowership plant to be located offshore Mozambique after declining to sign agreements to procure power from facilities the Turkish company planned to moor off the South African coast. The South African utility is in talks with Electricidade de Mocambique for buying the output from a 415-megawatt Karpowership power station, which will be mounted on a ship stationed in Maputo Bay and burn low-sulfur oil. https://gcaptain.com/big-ship-power-south-africa-pushed-forward-on-electric-powership-deal/
10. Ghost Tankers: Spain Urges UN To Clamp Down On Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfers. Spain has called for tighter scrutiny of oil transfers involving tankers at sea as the number of unregulated ships hit by sanctions grows and raises pollution risks, a U.N. agency session heard this week. Hundreds of extra “ghost” tankers have joined this opaque parallel trade over the past few years as a result of rising Iranian oil exports as well as restrictions imposed on Russian energy sales over the war in Ukraine. https://gcaptain.com/ghost-tankers-spain-urges-un-to-clamp-down-on-ship-to-ship-oil-transfers/