Mongolia News

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) led a large-scale joint customs operation, NOXIA II, successfully targeting shipments suspected of containing illicit cigarettes, waste, drug precursors, and pesticides.The operation led to the coordinated seizure by the participating customs authorities of 149.5 million cigarettes, over 3,000 tonnes of illicit waste, 66.5 kg of pseudoephedrine, 52 tonnes of solid pesticides, and 21,000 liters of liquid pesticides.NOXIA II revealed the use of sophisticated global routes to smuggle cigarettes into the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

“During the first half of 2025, global coal shipments fell 6% y/y amid weak import demand in large markets. Cargo loadings headed to China and advanced economies slowed considerably, partly due to stronger electricity generation from renewables and to weaker steel production,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.In recent years, China has joined several of the world’s advanced economies in rapidly phasing out fossil fuels from its electricity generation, thus reducing import dependence.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation successfully completed the world’s first maritime pilot demonstrating the full value chain of onboard captured carbon dioxide (CO2) in China.The pilot encompassed two phases. In the first phase, Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology (SMDERI-QET) conducted a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of 25.44 metric tons (MT) of captured CO2 from the container vessel MV Ever Top to the receiving vessel Dejin 26. The CO2 was subsequently offloaded from Dejin 26 to a tank truck at a jetty in Zhoushan…

On Friday, China announced a tariff increase of 34% on all US imports, in retaliation to the new tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump. These are in addition to tariffs implemented in February and March, focusing on goods such as grains, coal, LNG and crude oil.In 2024, China was the third largest importer of US exports (measured by value), accounting for 7% of US exports. Chemicals, computer and electronic products, agricultural products, transportation equipment and oil and gas made up 18%…

“We estimate that coal shipments to China will show a 15% fall y/y during the first quarter of 2025, reaching a three-year-low. Seaborne cargoes have slowed due to weaker domestic demand and higher competition from domestic supplies and overland imports. Thermal coal cargoes have been particularly affected, though coking coal shipments have also decreased,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.During the first two months of 2025, thermal coal demand weakened due to a 6% y/y decrease in electricity generation from coal.

Mainland China's national plan identifies hydrogen as a key element in its low-carbon energy transition strategy. The nation is committed to using hydrogen for decarbonization, with Rystad Energy projecting the installation of approximately 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of hydrogen electrolyzer capacity by the end of the year.This capacity is expected to produce 220,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of green hydrogen, 6-kilotonnes-per-annum (ktpa) more than the rest of the world combined. Under its national plan…

“Despite China’s strategy of pursuing increased domestic coal production, which has meant that year-to-date production stands 5.8% higher than last year, its seaborne imports of coal have nevertheless surged 73% y/y so far,” said Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The Chinese government target for domestic coal production is 4.6 billion tonnes in 2025, which is 2.5% higher than in 2022. As production year-to-date has already increased by 5.8% compared to 2022, Chinese…

An Indian agency has stepped in to provide safety certification for most of Gatik Ship Management's fleet, a major carrier of Russian oil to India, after Lloyd's Register and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) withdrew classification for many of its vessels, records show.Mumbai-based Gatik, which has emerged this year as a significant player in Russian oil transport, also recently reflagged at least four of its vessels to Mongolia, according to data from maritime platform Lloyd's List Intelligence.This followed the de-flagging of 36 of the Gatik-managed fleet by St.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose to its highest level since early January on Thursday, supported by stronger rates across all vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 46 points, or about 4.2%, to 1,145, its highest since Jan.

Weak economic activity, a 10.5% increase in domestic coal mining, and a recovery in coal imports from Mongolia via rail alleviated coal shipments to China in 2022. However, the end of China’s zero Covid policy and an anticipated recovery of the Chinese economy have strengthened expectations for the country’s coal imports in 2023. A return of import tariffs, the end of China’s unofficial ban on Australian coal, and the energy transition in China could shape the coal shipment outlook.Coal shipments fell 12.2% in 2022…

The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output.The lifting of the unofficial ban on Australian coal imports, which were halted in 2020 in a fit of Chinese pique over questions on COVID's origins, is the clearest sign yet of the renewed ties between them. The resumption is also a reminder of their economic interdependence as Australia's raw materials play a crucial role in fuelling the export-oriented economy of China…

China and Russia have grown increasingly close in recent years, including as trading partners, a relationship that brings both opportunities and risks as Russia reels from tough new sanctions led by the West in response to its invasion of Ukraine.Total trade between China and Russia jumped 35.9% last year to a record $146.9 billion, according to Chinese customs data, with Russia serving as a major source of oil, gas, coal and agriculture commodities, running a trade surplus with China.Since sanctions were imposed in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea…

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index on Wednesday rose for a fifth straight session to its highest in a month, as gains in panamax and supramax vessels offset a dip in the larger capesize segment.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, added 29 points, or 1% to 3,047, a peak since Nov. 2.The capesize index shed 19 points, or 0.4%, to 4,464, snapping a three-session streak of gains.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which transport 150…

Law firm HFW said Tuesday it had advised Chinese shipbuilder Shanghai Shipyard on a UK Court of Appeal win relating to a US$170 million payment under a shipbuilding contract for an offshore drillship.The Court of Appeal overturned an April 2020 decision from the UK High Court that allowed the buyer of an offshore drillship – Reignwood International – to withhold a final payment installment that was due on delivery of the vessel, pending the outcome of arbitration proceedings.The Court of Appeal unanimously overturned a first instance decision in a preliminary issues trial concerning the proper characterization of a shipbuilding performance guarantee issued by Reignwood…

China is paying a high price for its unofficial ban on coal imports from Australia, with the cost of domestic and alternative foreign supplies rising for both thermal and coking grades of the fuel.China, the world’s biggest importer, producer and consumer of coal, has effectively ended imports from Australia, the biggest shipper of coking coal used to make steel and number two in thermal coal used to produce electricity, as part of an ongoing political dispute between the two nations.The restrictions on imports from Australia came into effect in the second half of last year…

A backlog of container ships carrying consumer goods has grown in some key strategic ports after a near week-long blockage in the Suez Canal, adding to ongoing disruptions to global trade, industry sources say.Dozens of container ships were stuck when the 400-metre-long (430-yard) Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel.The suspension of sailings through the waterway left shipping companies - including container lines - with millions of dollars in extra costs…

Some coal imported into China had failed to meet environmental standards, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday in response to reports of dozens of shipments of Australian coal stalled in Chinese ports."In recent years Chinese customs have conducted risk monitoring assessments on the safety and quality of imported coal, and we found that many coal imports have failed to meet environmental standards," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said when asked about the Australian…

China will beef up its Caofeidian pilot free trade zone, prioritizing the development of international commodities trade and bringing in more foreign investments, local government said on Monday.The Caofeidian district, on the edge of China's top steelmaking city of Tangshan, aims to achieve trade volume of more than 50 billion yuan ($7.07 billion) and introduce 100 foreign projects by 2022, it said in a statement on its website.The district also plans to make a commodities trading center in northeast Asia in early 2025 and to make China's northwestern provinces and Mongolia a key shipping hub

Ukraine officials and traders do not expect the coronavirus epidemic to have an impact on the country's grain exports to China, although there are delays to transport and disruption to logistics throughout the country.China is a major importer of Ukrainian corn and sunflower oil."I see no reason to worry," said Mykola Gorbachev, the President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) traders' union."China is in the market, demand has not gone away, but just now American prices are quite competitive with ours so Chinese demand will be divided between us and them…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), Thailand’s Ministry of Transport and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia (UNESCAP) have recently organized the second regional Knowledge Partnership Workshop in Asia in Bangkok,The workshop was designed to support maritime technical cooperation activities in the region.The workshop brought together officials from transport ministries, responsible for maritime affairs, and finance ministries, responsible for official development assistance. Participants shared knowledge, skills, and experience and meet maritime and development cooperation counterparts from around the…

Research and development (R&D) expenses among the world's top ten wind turbine manufacturers are expected to exceed $2.6 billion by 2023.The  R&D expenses more than doubled in the last four years, reaching $1.8m in 2018, as demand grows for ever-bigger on- and offshore models, according to the latest research from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.The analyst said that over 90 new onshore and offshore turbines are expected to be launched within the next five years by the top 10 leading manufacturers."Turbine OEMs have accelerated R&D investments in next-generation turbine platforms, battling against new unit sales margin compression and the market’s need to further reduce wind energy’s Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE).

Paris MoU Committee approved the 2018 inspection results and adopted new performance lists for flags and Recognized Organizations (ROs) at its 52nd meeting last month."These lists will take effect from 1 July 2019," said a release from the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (PMoU) on Port State Control (PSC).The “White, Grey and Black (WGB) List” presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. The list is based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in that period.Regarding the “White, Grey and Black list” for 2018, a total number of 73 flags are listed: 41 on the “White List”, 18 on the “Grey List” and 14 on the “Black List”.

What do successful, well-run ports and female empowerment have in common? Both can make a significant contribution to sustainable economic development.International Maritime Organization (IMO)  provided support to eight female officials from developing countries, with an emphasis on Pacific Small Island Developing States, attended a Port Senior Management Program held at the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Nahalal, Israel, (6-19 November).The two-week course provides participants with key information and updates on innovations in the port industry. The participants are from: Cabo Verde, Fiji, Kiribati, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea…