Iran Says It Has Increased Gulf Patrols
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned the United States about its military activities in the Gulf on Sunday, adding that their navy had as a result increased patrols, which would also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.The U.S. military said on Wednesday that 11 Revolutionary Guards naval vessels had come close to its navy and Coast Guard ships, describing the moves “dangerous and provocative”.The Guards’ statement on Sunday…
Taiwan Coronavirus Cases Jump After Ship Visit to Palau
Taiwan reported 22 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, almost all of them sailors who were on a navy visit to the small Pacific islands state of Palau, which said there was “little chance” it was the source of the infection.Taiwan’s government on Sunday said 700 navy personnel were being quarantined and tested and there were 24 positive cases altogether. Of those, three cadets had been to Palau, one of only 15 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan…
Tanker Bottleneck Grows at Mexico's Ports
More than 20 vessels loaded with fuel have waited a week or more to discharge gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas at Mexico's ports, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, as demand craters due to coronavirus-related lockdowns.Mexico imports most of its fuel and has very limited storage capacity. State oil company Pemex and about a dozen independent importers typically discharge at least two gasoline cargoes per day…
Brazil Agrees to Raise Level of the Parana River
Brazil has agreed to release water at the giant Itaipu hydroelectric dam to raise low water levels in the Parana River, a key thoroughfare for grains shipments, Argentina's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.Decade-low water levels on the Parana are forcing Argentine exporters to load less soy and other grains on ships bound largely for China, adding a new problem to a sector already beset by bottlenecks due to the coronavirus pandemic.The agreement with Brazil will allow for an additional 1…
Ukraine Wheat Exports Jump Despite Government Warning
Ukrainian wheat exports jumped nearly 50 percent in the week of April 11-17 despite a government warning that it could ban shipments if export rates are too high.Preliminary data from the APK-Inform consultancy on Sunday showed that Ukraine exported 319,000 tonnes of wheat last week, up from 217,000 tonnes a week earlier.Taras Vysotskiy, deputy economy minister in charge of agriculture, told Reuters last week that Ukraine, one of world's top grain exporters, was ready to ban wheat exports if sal
Japan Exports Slump as Coronavirus Hits Demand
Japan's exports slumped the most in nearly four years in March as U.S.-bound shipments, including cars, fell at the fastest rate since 2011, highlighting the damage the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on global trade.Monday's bleak data underscored the challenges Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government faces in dealing with a collapse in activity that is expected to send the global economy into its deepest slump since the Great Depression of the 1930s.After a jump in virus cases…
China to Build Commodity Trading Center in Caofeidian
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 nor
LNG Tanker to Discharge First US Cargo in China in 13 Months
The tanker Maran Gas Vergina has arrived in China with the first delivery of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 13 months, shipping data showed on Monday.This is…
Bank Seeks Impounding of Ocean Tankers' Ships
India's ICICI Bank is seeking the impounding of two vessels operated by Ocean Tankers (Pte) Ltd, a unit of Singapore oil-trading company Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd (HLT), an ICICI source said on Monday.The tankers, Wu Yi San and Chang Bai San, were carrying cargoes financed by ICICI, the source said, adding that the bank had about $100 million exposure to HLT.According to a court filing reviewed by Reuters, HLT's founder and director had directed his firm not to disclose hundreds of millions of d
Thailand's EGAT to Receive 2nd Spot LNG Cargo from Malaysia's Petronas
State-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand said it will buy a second spot-market shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on Tuesday.The state-owned PTT's Map Ta Phut LNG receiving terminal in the eastern part of Thailand will receive the 65,000-tonne LNG cargo from Malaysia's state oil and gas company Petronas, the Thai state utility said in a statement late on Friday.The April shipment is the second, after the spot-market LNG cargo in December.
U.S. Tells China to Stop 'Bullying Behavior' in South China Sea
The United States called on China on Saturday to stop "bullying behavior" in the South China Sea and said it was concerned by reports of Beijing's "provocative actions"…
The Path to Zero: Creating a Pathway to Carbon-Negative Shipping
Greenhouse gas emissions capture and storage may be a more practical alternative to emissions reduction for meeting the IMO’s 2050 CO2 target. Tom Mulligan reports.Shipping emits close to 1 billion tons of CO2 each year and the shipping industry needs carbon-free solutions to achieve the IMO’s 2050 target of a 50 percent reduction, compared to the 2008 level, in these massive emissions. However, according to Denmark’s Maritime Development Center…
Nigeria Pledges Improved Information Sharing
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigeria Navy are set for a regime of improved information sharing as arrangements to integrate the Command, Control, Computer Communication and Information (C4i) Cente of the Deep Blue Project along with the Falcon Eye of the Nigerian Navy.The Director General of NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh said, “Just like we did by ensuring that our Special Mission Vessels are manned by men of the Nigerian Navy…
Petrobras Eyes Restart at FPSOs Hit by Coronavirus
Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras plans to restart operations in the coming days at two ships used in offshore oil production that suffered coronavirus outbreaks, an executive told journalists during a call on Friday.Petrobras Exploration and Production Director Carlos Alberto de Oliveira said operations at the Cidade de Santos should restart over the weekend, and operations at the Capixaba should restart within 10 days.
Tanker Crewman Medevaced Off the Coast of Florida
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Charles David Jr. (WPC-1107) crew medevaced a 31-year-old Filipino man from the 820-foot motor tanker, Philotimos, approximately 155 miles southwest of Key West, Fla., Thursday.Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a medevac request from the Philotimos crew stating a 31-year-old crewmember was suffering from a possible appendicitis.The Coast Guard crew arrived to the scene…
Retreating Chinese Steel Stockpiles a Positive for Iron Ore Demand -EastGate
Chinese steel stockpiles reached record highs amid the coronavirus outbreak, but are now steadily easing. This paints the picture of an increased construction activity and a growing seaborne demand for the key dry bulk commodity of iron ore, says EastGate Shipping Inc. Demand returning to normal levelsSteel inventories in China have been showing a steady downward trend following the all-time highs recorded in mid-March.
Crystal Endeavor Launch Delayed Due to COVID-19 Shipyard Closure
Genting's Crystal Expedition Cruises announced the launch of its new polar class luxury expedition ship Crystal Endeavor will be delayed due to the temporary closure of the MV Werften shipyards during the COVID-19 pandemic.The 164-meter, 20,000-gross-ton Crystal Endeavorc is currently berthed in MV Werften's Stralsund yard for final outfitting and was due to enter service in August before the shipbuilder in mid-March announced a four-week pause on operations at its locations in Wismar…
M/V Trudy Takes on Biofuel Bunkers in Rotterdam
Bavarian ship management company MINSHIP and its subsidiary MINMARINE said that a bulk carrier in their fleet of managed vessels, M/V Trudy, has successfully bunkered biofuel at the Port of Rotterdam.The biofuel bunkered by the 2009-built, 30,790-dwt bulk carrier on April 17 was GoodFuels’ sustainable Bio-fuel Oil MR1-100: which is a second generation sustainable biofuel produced from certified feedstock…
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Brings its Fleet Home
“Stay at home” is the global message of the moment. The fleet of the Hamburg-based cruise company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which would normally be sailing the seven seas, is now heading for the waters of its home port. The expedition ship, the HANSEATIC nature, will be the first to return and is expected to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Its sister ship, the international HANSEATIC inspiration…
Singapore Mulls Placing Workers who Recover from COVID-19 on Cruise Ships
Singapore is assessing whether migrant workers who have recovered from coronavirus might be safer on cruise ships than back in dormitories that have become infection hotbeds, despite problems controlling onboard outbreaks encountered elsewhere.The city-state has seen virus cases surge in sprawling housing complexes for foreign laborers, recording its biggest ever jump in cases on Thursday, and is looking for new accommodation solutions for hundreds of workers.Around 60% of the 4…
