COVID-19 Cuts a Swath Through Containership Charter Earnings -MSI
While the implications of COVID-19 for containership demand and freight rates are directionally clear, the time charter market often marches to its own drum.The latest Container Shipping Forecaster from Maritime Strategies International analyzes the impact of the pandemic on time charter markets in the light of reduced demand and falling fright rates.Containership time charter rates have broadly retreated in recent weeks…
Acting Navy Head Blasts Fired USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain
The acting head of the U.S. Navy, in a surprise speech to the crew of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, castigated their former commander for writing a leaked letter that demanded the Navy take stronger action to halt the spread of the illness.Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly stood by his decision to relieve Captain Brett Crozier of his command in a speech to crew members of the aircraft carrier…
US Says No Requests Yet to Waive Jones Act to Help Oil Companies
The U.S. government said on Monday it has not yet received requests to waive a 100-year-old law on shipping goods between domestic ports, despite some interested parties who say temporarily lifting the regulation would help energy companies hurt by the oil price plunge.Kelly Cahalan, a spokesperson at the U.S Customs and Border Protection agency of the Department of Homeland Security, said no requests to waive the Merchant Marine Act, better known as the Jones Act, have been received.U.S.
Vietnam Protests Beijing's Sinking of South China Sea Boat
Vietnam has lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat it said had been rammed by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel near islands in the disputed South China Sea.The Vietnamese fishing vessel, with eight fishermen onboard, was fishing near the Paracel Islands on Thursday when it was rammed and sunk by the Chinese vessel, Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement posted on a government website on Saturday.All the fishermen were picked up by t
ABB Accelerates Remote Connectivity Rollout
Technology comany ABB said it has expedited the rollout of and access to its remote service tools and digital solutions across critical industry as companies around the world find new ways to maintain operations throughout the coronavirus crisis.“During the COVID-19 crisis, governments and companies are having to make difficult choices, balancing people’s safety with economic livelihood. ABB is committed to supporting both: protect people…
ABS Publishes New Data and Digital Advisories
Classification society ABS launched two new advisories designed to help harness the potential of digital technologies for the maritime and offshore industries.The ABS Advisory on Structural Health Monitoring: The Application of Sensor-Based Approaches focuses on the use of sensors to determine structural health status and predict future condition. Sensors on modern assets provide vital information on the structural health…
Stena Line Announces More Job Cuts Due to COVID-19
Swedish ferry company Stena Line said Monday it will furlough 600 employees and make 150 redundant in UK and Ireland due to the COVID-19 pandemic's damaging effect on travel and transport across Europe.The announcement comes several weeks after the company laid off hundreds in Scandinavia and the Baltics as the coronavirus crisis weighs heavily on travel bookings and freight volumes. Already the company has reduced its number of sailings on several routes…
New Campaign Aims to Raise Emergency Funds for Seafarers
A new crowdfunding campaign aims to raise funds for developing world seafarers and their families that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.The world's seafarers, especially those from poorer countries, are facing a number of challlenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are in lockdown with casual contracts and unable to work; others are facing difficulties due to lockdowns when they leave ships and are unable to return to their families with costs and little income coming in…
Solomons Retrieve Five Bodies Swept off Ferry
Solomon Islands police said on Sunday they had retrieved five bodies in their search for 27 people who were swept off a ferry during a tropical cyclone that is now threatening the nearby South Pacific nation of Vanuatu as category four storm.The MV Taimareho set sail early on Friday in strong winds with 738 passengers including crew and the captain on board. Police said the missing are believed to…
US Defense Chief Backs Navy Ouster Amid Report Captain has Coronavirus
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper defended the Navy’s controversial decision to remove the commander of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, who was reported on Sunday to have tested positive for COVID-19 as the number of its sailors with the highly-contagious disease also grew.Captain Brett Crozier started showing symptoms of the virus before he was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday and has tested positive…
Coronavirus-hit Carnival Cruise Ship Docks in Australia
Carnival Corp’s troubled Ruby Princess cruise liner, the biggest single source of coronavirus infections in Australia, docked south of Sydney on Monday to get help for sick crew members requiring urgent medical treatment.The Ruby Princess, now the target of a criminal investigation led by the homicide squad in the state of New South Wales (NSW), has more than 1,000 crew still on board, after passengers disembarked in mid-March without health checks.There have been at least 360 COVID-19 cases…
USCG Oversees Disembarkation of 250,000 Cruise Ship Passengers Due to COVID-19
The disembarkation of more than 1,200 passengers from the cruise ships Zaandam and Rotterdam in Port Everglades, Fla. on Friday, combined with one remaining disembarkation being coordinated, add to the U.S. Coast Guard's processing of more than 120 vessels in the last three weeks to remove 250,000 passengers from cruise ships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Coast Guard, under guidance from the Centers…
Malaysia Intercepts Boat Ferrying 202 Suspected Rohingya
Malaysian authorities said on Sunday they had intercepted a boat ferrying a group of 202 people believed to be ethnic Rohingya.Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status…
ONE, Maersk, MSC Suspend China-Australia Service
Container shipping companies Ocean Network Express (ONE), Maersk and MSC will suspend their jointly operated China Australia service (CAE) until at least the second quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The last CAE sailing before the suspension will be scheduled to depart Xiamen April 22. The CAE port rotation is as follows: Xiamen – Nansha - Hong Kong – Yantian – Melbourne – Sydney – Brisbane – Xiamen.Alternate coverage will be provided by the North East Asia Australia (AUN) Service…
Containership Crewman Medevaced
An injured crewmember aboard a Taiwanese flagged containership was medevaced approximately six miles from the San Francisco Bay, Friday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard said.San Francisco Vessel Traffic Service personnel contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders, reporting a crewmember of the 1,092-foot containership Yang Ming Unanimity had fallen and struck his head on the ship’s radar…
Cloud Tech: An Enabler in the Digital Revolution
The shipping industry is finally embracing technology that is changing how companies operate. Despite lagging behind other industries, the shipping industry is currently experiencing an exciting period of digital transformation, with cloud technology and mobile apps welcomed by leading global shipping companies, changing ship management forever.Companies are increasingly using mobile apps to manage all aspects of their business – to automate tasks…
Diego Aponte: MSC CEO Offers Insight on COVID-19 Impact
In an open letter posted on the MSC website, MSC Group President & CEO Diego Aponte offered public comment and perspective on the COVID-19 situation for MSC's cargo business. “The spread of COVID-19 has created a public health issue unprecedented in our lifetimes, triggering an unexpected shock for societies and economies,” said Aponte.Calling the industry “as an essential cog for global trade” Aponte’s…
