InterManager Daily News 15.12.2023.

1. Threats made to commercial shipping in the Red Sea Statement by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim:“The recent reports of threats made to commercial shipping in the Red Sea are extremely alarming and unacceptable. Commercial shipping should never be a collateral victim of geopolitical conflicts. Any attack on commercial shipping is contrary to international maritime law, including laws which protect the freedom of navigation. Any action which might adversely affect shipping engaged in international trade must be avoided. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/12/13/threats-made-to-commercial-shipping-in-the-red-sea/
2. Takeover offer for HHLA – MSC reaches final acceptance rate of 9.74 percent Port of Hamburg Beteiligungsgesellschaft SE, a wholly owned subsidiary of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. announced the final result of its voluntary public takeover offer to the shareholders of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik Aktiengesellschaft : At the expiry of the acceptance period, which was extended until 7 December 2023 at 24:00 hrs , the takeover offer had been accepted by shareholders holding 7,325,366 Class A shares. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/12/13/takeover-offer-for-hhla-msc-reaches-final-acceptance-rate-of-9-74-percent/
3. APM Terminals Callao commences US95 million general cargo expansion APM Terminals Callao commenced works on stage 3A of the Multipurpose North Terminal Modernization Project in the Port of Callao this week. The US$ 95 million, 100% private investment, exceeds contractual commitments in the addendum by almost 40%. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/12/13/apm-terminals-callao-commences-us95-million-general-cargo-expansion/
4. DNV expands climate change services by gaining GCC accreditation to support more companies with GHG emission reduction projects DNV has been awarded accreditation by the Global Carbon Council which certifies it to deliver validation and verification services for greenhouse gas emission reduction projects worldwide, in alignment with the GCC program. As one of 14 GCC approved verifiers, DNV can now deliver validation and verification services for businesses whose GHG emissions reduction projects are developed in line with the GCC scheme. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/12/13/dnv-expands-climate-change-services-by-gaining-gcc-accreditation-to-support-more-companies-with-ghg-emission-reduction-projects/
5. IMO history book launched A book detailing the history of the International Maritime Organization has been published to mark 75 years since the adoption of the IMO Convention, creating for the first time a global body to promote the safety and security of shipping and the protection of the marine environment. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2023/12/13/imo-history-book-launched/
6. Havfram seals German offshore wind deal Norwegian contractor Havfram Wind has firmed up a contract for wind turbine transport and installation work on the RWE’s up to 1.6 GW offshore wind cluster in the German North Sea.RWE is developing four wind farm sites under the Nordseecluster project located north of the island of Juist. https://splash247.com/havfram-seals-german-offshore-wind-deal/
7. Ignitis and CIP claim Estonian offshore wind prize Ignitis Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) have won the auction to develop an offshore wind farm in the Liivi 2 sea area in Estonia with a total capacity of up to 1.4 GW. https://splash247.com/ignitis-and-cip-claim-estonian-offshore-wind-prize
8. Shipboard Guards Exchanged Fire with Attackers in Latest Red Sea Incident Armed guards on a fuel tanker exchanged gunfire with a small boat in the Red Sea, another sign of escalating risks in one of the world’s most crucial waterways.The frequency of attacks in the maritime corridor handling about 12% of global trade has increased in recent days. The latest incident takes the number of merchant ships attacked or approached around Yemen since Israel’s war with Hamas broke out in October to about a dozen. https://gcaptain.com/shipboard-guards-exchanged-fire-ardmore-encounter/
9. Union Fights Back On Proposal To Import Foreign Labor Into US Merchant Marine A pivotal debate is unfolding, one that carries the potential to redefine the trajectory of the U.S. Merchant Marine. Central to this dynamic discourse are two divergent perspectives, championed by prominent industry figures. Adam Vokac, President of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association Union (MEBA), and Sam Norton, CEO of Overseas Shipping Group (OSG), have stepped into the spotlight with their responses to my editorial that shed light on the deepening crewing crisis afflicting the U.S. maritime sector and the paucity of union pressure applied during what is arguably the most pro-union administration since FDR. https://gcaptain.com/union-fights-back-on-proposal-to-import-foreign-labor-into-us-merchant-marine/
10. Baltic index extends gain on strong capesize rates The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, helped by higher capesize rates.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, added 42 points, or 1.7%, at 2,551. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Baltic+index+extends+gain+on+strong+capesize+rates