Dredging: Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released guidance to help state and local jurisdictions and the private sector identify and manage their essential workforce while responding to COVID-19.The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) helped the federal government develop this first-of-a-kind guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure…
Container Shipping Firms Brace for Coronavirus Hit
Leading container shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk scrapped its 2020 earnings forecast on Friday, while rival Hapag-Lloyd warned of slowing growth until at least June, as the coronavirus pandemic takes a heavy toll on global tradeThe container shipping industry, a bellwether for international trade, has been blown off course by the new virus, which brought parts of China to a standstill before spreading around the world…
FSL Trust Names Wenker CFO
Singapore-based First Ship Lease Trust (FSL Trust) has appointed Markus Wenker as chief financial officer, to replace Alan Mitchell, who is retiring.Wenker will take over the role and responsibilities May 4, following a handover process.Wenker was most recently head of ship finance at Hellenic Bank from 2016. Previously, he held a number of roles at HSH Nordbank from 2002 to 2016.FSL Trust's current fleet of 16 vessels comprises containerships and a variety of tankers.
France Sends Warship to Evacuate Coronavirus Patients
France will use a helicopter warship to transfer coronavirus patients in critical condition from Corsica to hospitals in the southeast of the country, its armed forces minister said on Friday.As of Thursday, there were 162 confirmed coronavirus cases on the Mediterranean island.
Video: IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim Weighs in on COVID-19
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General stressed vital need to maintain commerce by sea and protect seafarers' welfare in face of coronavirus shutdown.IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim issued the following statement addressing the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the shipping industry and the global supply chain:The spread of the coronavirus has placed the entire world in an unprecedented situation.
Eye on Maritime Design: Better Ferries by (EBDG) Design
Elliott Bay Design Group is a well-known, long tenured Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.We checked in with John Waterhouse, Chief Concept Engineer at EBDG, for insights on some of the design elements on the new Staten Island Ferries.Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) served as the design lead on the new “Ollis” class of Staten Island Ferries. “We started with them at the end 2014 to make a preliminary design investigation…
U.S. Clean Energy Sector Seeks Subsidies to Keep Projects Moving
Wind and solar energy companies on Thursday called on Congress to pass tax incentives that would help the sector avoid project delays and keep financing flowing amid a pandemic that has choked off supply chains and slowed construction.In a letter to House and Senate leadership, seven clean energy trade groups asked lawmakers to extend deadlines that would allow their projects to qualify for generous…
Hapag-Lloyd Advises that Coronavirus to Slow Growth through H1
German container shipper Hapag-Lloyd on Friday said the coronavirus outbreak would curb business growth at least until mid-year after reporting a jump in 2019 profit and proposing a higher dividend.Larger rival Maersk on Friday also warned of a first-quarter hit from the outbreak and suspended its 2020 earnings outlook.Hapag CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said that impact from the coronavirus was impossible to determine for the time being…
Maersk Records Strong Q1, but Suspends 2020 Outlook on Coronavirus Uncertainty
Cost-cutting and price rises will help Maersk deliver higher first-quarter earnings than a year ago, the shipping giant said on Friday, though it scrapped its full-year forecast due to uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.The Danish company said its guidance on earnings before interest, tax and amortization (EBITDA), previously $5.5 billion for the year, was suspended until further notice.Preliminary…
Passengers On Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship Can Disembark in Marseille
Passengers who have tickets to travel back to their home countries will be allowed to disembark from the coronavirus-hit Costa Luminosa cruise ship in Marseille, the port authority and the cruise operator said on Thursday.A port official told Reuters that 639 passengers, including 187 French nationals, would be allowed to leave the ship in small groups, depending on the timing of their transport home.There were more than 1…
Barge Lines Boost Crew Safety as Virus Threatens Crucial Cargo
The world has radically changed since towboat captain Terry Hall boarded his vessel late last month in Wood River, Illinois, for his four-week shift hauling bargeloads of crude oil, chemicals, scrap metal and other goods up and down the Mississippi River.His employer, Canal Barge Co, has beefed up pre-board health screenings for all crew to include a temperature check and disclosures about recent travel…
Seawork Postponed
Event organizers say they have been forced to postpone Seawork and its co-located exhibition the Marine and Coastal Civil Engineering Expo (M&CCE Expo), due to be held from June 9-11 and Speed@Seawork, due to be held on June 8, in the U.K., due to the coronavirus pandemic."We are aware that the events are vital business tools in the commercial marine industry and regret that we have had to take this decision…
Shipping Not Immune to a Pandemic -BIMCO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. There is little doubt that this will have significant implications for the shipping industry. But to what extent? BIMCO expects that the strict containment measures imposed by governments around the world will result in substantially lower global economic growth and consequentially, lower demand for shipping.
AAPA Elects Cordero as Board Chairman
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has elected Mario Cordero, executive director of California’s Port of Long Beach, to serve as the association’s next Chairman of the Board.Cordero will be installed as Chairman on the final day of AAPA’s 2020 Annual Convention, set for September 13-16, in Québec City, QC, Canada. He will assume the AAPA chairmanship from Gary G. Nelson, executive director of Washington State’s Port of Grays Harbor…
Houston Box Terminals Shut After Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19
Operations are have been suspended at Houston's Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals after a worker tested positive for COVID-19.Both public terminals are closed and operations are temporarily suspended while a thorough investigation is being conducted, the Houston Port Authority said in a statement."The health and safety of Port Houston’s employees, users, customers and community remains its first priority.
Trump Says Carnival Offers Ships for Medical Use
U.S. President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that Carnival Corp. chairman Micky Arison has said he will make some cruise ships from his idled fleet available to be used in addition to the U.S. Navy hospital ships being deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.“This morning, I spoke with Micky Arison of Carnival Cruise Lines and he’s going to make ships available. So in addition to the big medical ships that you have coming…
SunStone's Ocean Victory Launched
The third ship in SunStone Ships' INFINITY series was launched on Monday at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China.Ocean Victory, though a sister vessels to the first vessel in the INFINITY series, Greg Mortimer, the latest newbuild differs from in several ways, reflecting the flexibility of the design series, according to Ulstein Design & Solutions, who is providing the design and equipment package to this project.
Baltic Index Inches Higher On Capesize Demand
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index inched up on Thursday, as stronger demand for capesize vessels offset a fall in panamax and supramax vessel rates.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, was up by a point, or 0.2%, at 630.The capesize index rose for the fifth straight session, gaining 38 points to -166.Average daily earnings for capesizes…
GPA Adds Container Storage Space
The Port of Savannah is bringing online 400,000 TEUs of annual container capacity at just the time when many port customers are seeking new storage options."With slowing demand related to the coronavirus, port users need space to stage their cargo until that demand returns," said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. "With these new container stack areas, Savannah is delivering the flexibility our customers need."GPA recently added container slots totaling nearly 5…
Take the MarTID 2020 Survey
The deadline to take the 2020 MarTID survey of mariner training practices has been extended to March 31, 2020, and your participation is vital to its success.Take the survey today:Vessel operators: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020MarTIDOperatorTraining institutions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020MarTIDMETISeafarers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020MarTIDSeafarerFor a full background on the initiative, visit http://scholar.wmu.se/martid.
