InterManager Daily News 04.07.2023.

1. Baltic index extends losses as demand for larger vessels wanes. The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index recorded its biggest daily percentage decline in nearly a month on Tuesday as demand for larger vessels weakened. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels carrying dry bulk commodities, fell 50 points, or 4.1%, to 1,183 — its biggest dip since June 1. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/06/30/baltic-index-extends-losses-as-demand-for-larger-vessels-wanes/
2. DNV acquires Åkerblå Group to build aquaculture powerhouse. Independent assurance and risk management provider DNV has entered into an agreement to acquire Norway-headquartered marine health company Åkerblå Group, strengthening its existing aquaculture and offshore renewables services portfolio in Europe. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/06/30/dnv-acquire-akerbla-group-to-build-aquaculture-powerhouse/
3. Always aiming higher – Sustainable casualty handling in Skuld. Nina Hanevold-Sandvik, VP, Casualty and Major Claims , Skuld, has her sights set on a journey of continual improvement. For her, her C&MC colleagues, and indeed the rest of Skuld, it’s crucial to the evolution of the industry that ESG becomes increasingly central within the context of casualty handling – protecting the ocean, assets and all the people connected to them. Minimum standards are never enough, she says, “when there’s an opportunity to do more”.https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/06/30/always-aiming-higher-sustainable-casualty-handling-in-skuld/
4. Basel III Rules Recognition of ship finance positive but further action is needed. European shipowners welcome the agreement on the Basel III rules reached between the European Parliament and the Council yesterday that gives explicit recognition to ship finance. The new rules will allow banks to apply preferential treatment to shipping portfolios on specialised lending when calculating risk weights and ultimately their capital requirements. As a result, the new law will enable banks to finance at a competitive price. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/06/30/basel-iii-rules-recognition-of-ship-finance-positive-but-further-action-is-needed/
5. Explore the Port of Immingham. Associated British Ports , the largest port group in the UK, will open the Port of Immingham to the public on Saturday 22nd July, as part of its behind-the-scenes tours.Immingham, the largest of the four Humber ports by volume of tonnage, was officially opened on 22ndJuly 1912 by HM King George V and Queen Mary, the great grandparents of King Charles III. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/06/30/explore-the-port-of-immingham/
6. Crowley takes over compatriot NVOCC Tamarind Consolidated. US-based Crowley has acquired a compatriot non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) Tamarind Consolidated that provides logistics services from the US to the British Virgin Islands. The deal will transition Tamarind’s operations and services to Crowley, a move that is expected to bolster the company’s end-to-end supply chain capabilities for the Caribbean region where it has provided ocean shipping, warehousing and distribution, customs brokerage, insurance and door delivery for more than 60 years. https://splash247.com/crowley-takes-over-compatriot-nvocc-tamarind-consolidated/
7. IACS names RINA’s Roberto Cazzulo as next chair. The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has named RINA’s Roberto Cazzulo as its incoming Council chair. Cazzulo will take the reins from Lloyd’s Register CEO Nick Brown in January 2024. “It is an honour for me to be elected and I look forward to building on the excellent work done by Nick Brown in ensuring IACS is well positioned to meet the environmental and technological challenges faced by shipping,” Cazzulo said. https://splash247.com/iacs-names-rinas-roberto-cazzulo-as-next-chair/
8. Spanish Archaeologists Plan Rescue Of 2,500-Year-Old Phoenician Shipwreck. A group of Spanish archaeologists have made detailed diagrams of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck to help work out how best to recover it from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.The eight-meter-long Mazarron II, named after the municipality in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia where it was found off the coast, is a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.https://gcaptain.com/spanish-archaeologists-plan-rescue-of-2500-year-old-phoenician-shipwreck/
9. Panama Canal To Keep Limits In Place As Drought Hits Lake Levels. The Panama Canal will likely keep restrictions on shippers in place this year as a drought has caused water levels at its main lake to drop to a four-year low, leading to a line of ships waiting to transit the waterway. The canal authority said it will aim to keep draft restrictions, which limit how deep a ship can sit in the water, at no lower than 44 feet (13.4 meters) for large, Neopanamax ships throughout this year’s drought, Ricaurte Vasquez, authority administrator, said in an Wednesday interview from Panama City. https://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-to-keep-limits-in-place-as-drought-hits-lake-levels/
10. Gray Whales Population Decline But With Signs Of Hope. Gray whales on the North American Pacific coast fell this year to their lowest population since the late 1960s and early 1970s, but have also shown encouraging signs such as an increased number of calves born and healthier looking animals, scientists report.The gray whales are a majestic component of the West Coast ecosystem, visible from the coastline as they migrate thousands of miles back and forth between Alaskan waters and the lagoons of Baja California Sur in Mexico, where they birth and mate. https://gcaptain.com/gray-whales-population-decline-but-with-signs-of-hope/