TEL AVIV: February 27, 2019. Zim has invested in a US$1 million funding round by technology company Ladingo that enables personal importation of large and bulky items to shoppers purchasing from international online retailers.
Ladingo, founded in January of 2018 by Hagar Valiano Rips, Ruth Reiner and Guy Levi, offer an e-tailer solution for selling large and bulky items including furniture, bicycles, fitness equipment, garden equipment and electronics directly from overseas retailers or manufacturers to the shoppers’ door.
The company says its technology platform offers a transparent digital integration of the entire process.
According to Zim, nearly all B2C e-commerce purchases, estimated at US$2.5 trillion annually, are shipped via airfreight. The disadvantages of airfreight, it suggests, are weight and size limitations that prevent items from being shipped at a reasonable cost.
And the price obstacle and regulatory requirements limit the variety of products that online shops can sell to international customers, it adds.
In implementing its container-sharing solution for end shoppers, Ladingo says shoppers can now buy any size product online from any location in the world, just as easily as they’d buy an iPhone cover.
“Our support and investment in Ladingo is part of the greater ZIM vision, one of openness and the promotion of technological innovation in all aspects of our operations,” explained ZIM vice president of Global Customer Service Assaf Tiran. “We see tremendous potential in Ladingos’ platform, providing a real breakthrough simplifying the complex supply chain process all the way to the end-users’ homes. We believe that developments like Ladingo will lead to a significant change in global trade.”
Ladingo CEO Hagar Valiano Rips added: “Item location, size and weight have no significance and there is no longer a need for inventory. Looking a couple of years ahead, we will all buy directly from sellers or manufacturers abroad – without any intermediaries. This is the manifestation of a true global e-commerce revolution. ZIM is not only investing in Ladingo’s technology, they are engaging in a fully synergistic investment, one that will lead to a revolution within the B2C world.”
COPENHAGEN: February 21, 2019. The Baltic and International Maritime Consultative Organization (BIMCO), representing 56 percent of world shipping, says the forthcoming Fourth International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas Study should not include unrealistically high GDP growth projections to determine the future level of shipping industry emissions.
“It is imperative that the industry – and the world – base discussions and actions to reduce emissions from shipping on credible and realistic projections. If not, we risk making the wrong decisions and spending resources ineffectively,” claimed BIMCO deputy secretary general Lars Robert Pedersen.
BIMCO wants the next IMO study to ignore Scenarios 1 and 5 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Shared Socio-economic Pathways because they are based on unrealistic short- to mid-term economic growth projections.
“The previous [IMO] study’s most pessimistic projection of a 250 percent increase in CO2 emissions from shipping has since proven to be totally unrealistic, given the actual and projected economic development of the world,” said Pedersen. “Unfortunately, the 250 percent projection has frequently been used as a stick against the shipping industry and to shape regional policy. BIMCO wants to avoid that happening again.”
BIMCO says a new report by CE Delft, the consultancy that modeled and calculated the Third IMO GHG Study’s emissions projections in 2014, uses a more realistic GDP growth forecast to project a reduction of 20 percent against a goal of 50 percent by 2050.
Acknowledging the 30 percent shortfall, Pedersen said: “We will need new solutions, in addition to traditional efficiency measures, to reach the 2050 target. But to pick the right solutions, we need realistic projections.”
BIMCO has 2,000 members in more than 120 countries representing shipowners, operators, managers, brokers and agents.
Commenting on the role of shipping in emissions reduction, A.P. Moller - Maersk CEO Søren Skou said: “With the latest scientific assessments, there is no doubt that the world in general needs to embark on an all-encompassing transformation process away from the reliance on fossil fuels. This goes for shipping as well, and we have taken steps to respond to this need.
“In 2018 A.P. Moller - Maersk established the most ambitious goal for reducing CO2 emissions within our industry. We have begun a journey towards having net-zero CO2 emissions from our own operations by 2050. This is an important ambition and one we can only deliver on in collaboration with many other stakeholders by innovating and developing the technologies needed to reach the target," he added.
This week A. P. Moller - Maersk reported a 26 percent increase in revenue for 2018 to US$39 billion, a profit of US$3.2 billion and an underlying profit of US$220 million from continuing operations.
Pictured: On September 28, 2018, M/V Venta Maersk called the port of Saint Petersburg after successfully completing a 37-day trial passage of the Northern Sea Route. The vessel, one of Maersk Line’s new Baltic feeders, departed Vladivostok in August and after further stops in Vostochny Stevedoring Company and Busan, passed through the Bering Strait in early September on its way to Bremerhaven.
DUBAI: February 20, 2019. DP World has reacquired the holding company of P&O Ferries and P&O Ferrymasters for £322 million. The purchase is expected to close in the first half of this year.
P&O Ferries operates a fleet of 21 vessels on cross-Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea routes linking 11 ports while P&O Ferrymasters provides supply chain solutions in 19 European locations.
The ferry business handles over 2.5 million freight units per year and accounts for 75 percent of group revenues that totalled US$1.4 billion in 2017 for an EBITDA of US$131 million.
DP World Group chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem commented: “We are pleased to announce the return of P&O Ferries back into the DP World family. P&O Ferries is a strong, recognisable brand and adds a best-in-class integrated logistics provider into our global portfolio.
“Importantly, P&O Ferries provides efficient European freight connectivity building on last year’s acquisition of Unifeeder. This transaction is in line with our strategy to grow in complementary sectors, strengthen our product offering and play a wider role in the global supply chain as a trade enabler.”
DP World originally acquired the British P&O Group in 2006 at a cost of £3.3 billion. Founded in 1840, Queen Victoria granted a royal charter to the company to carry freight and mail throughout Britain’s empire.
In January this year the ferry company announced it was to transfer the registry of its six cross-Channel ferries from the UK to Cyprus due to the continued political uncertainty surrounding a post-Brexit Britain.
In April 2016 DP World was awarded a 25-year concession to manage the three-quay, multi-purpose terminal in Limassol, Cyprus. In addition to a new passenger facility capable of handling the world’s largest cruise ships, operations include break-bulk, general cargo, RoRo, and oil & gas services.
The company says it wants to improve the port’s prospects for the long term, leading to job creation and better services for the wider Cypriot business community.
ROTTERDAM: February 04, 2019. A proof-of-concept coalition made up of global mining company BHP, NYK, sustainable biofuel supplier GoodFuels and an applications developer Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration (BLOC), has delivered verifiably sustainable biofuels to the BHP-chartered, NYK-owned bulk carrier Frontier Sky.
The biofuel, supplied by GoodFuels via logistics partner Varo Energy, is a “drop-in” marine gasoil (MGO)-equivalent and was blended with conventional fuel in a 30/70 percent mix biofuel/MGO to save over 50 tonnes of CO2.
NYK’s reduction targets for GHG emissions are 30 percent per tonne-kilometre by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050 compared with a 2015 base year.
BHP says it has worked with GoodFuels to explore the use of sustainable, advanced, second generation biofuels for shipping that includes verifiable chains of custody and that the origin, emission reductions and fuel quality metrics are traceable and transparent.
The solution has now been provided by BLOC’s Maritime Blockchain Labs. BLOC CEO Deanna MacDonald commented: “This is an important demonstration of how blockchain technology could play a role in creating a global trusted monitoring, reporting and valuation system for broader adoption of cleaner fuels both in terms of meeting 2020 sulphur cap requirements and the IMO’s 2050 decarbonisation goal.”
Abdes Karimi, head of Strategy and Planning at BHP noted: “We fully support moves to decarbonise the freight industry, including implementing IMO2020. Biofuels offer an innovative approach to more sustainable bunker fuel. It’s important for us to ensure the biofuel we use is sustainably produced and traceable. This consortium has invented new ways of working. It demonstrates an effective model for the whole industry to build on in the future.”
GoodFuels head of Marine Isabel Welten added: “We want to make it as easy as possible for vessels to use biofuels to reduce their footprint. By documenting emissions savings and chains of custody, and combining this with smart incentives to use cleaner fuels, we can build a trusted, financially viable pathway towards zero-carbon shipping.”
The Netherlands-based company has created a one-stop shop for marine industry customers integrating the entire supply chain for sustainable marine biofuels. It has also partnered with Varo Energy on the distribution and development of speciality blending solutions for low carbon marine fuels.
NYK’s shipping fleet includes 361 bulk carriers, 119 car carriers, 95 containerships, 71 LNG carriers, 65 tankers, 42 wood-chip carriers, one cruise liner, and 42 other ships including multipurpose and project cargo vessels.
OSLO: December 21, 2018. Hyon, a fuel-cell joint venture owned by Hexagon Composites, Nel and PowerCell Sweden, has been awarded grants to develop and produce a high-speed ferry and a short-sea freighter powered by hydrogen.
The funding is provided by a PILOT-E scheme set up by the Norwegian Research Council, Innovation Norway and Enova.
‘Project ZEFF’, a zero-emission fast ferry designed to carry up to 300 passengers, will be powered by hydrogen and batteries with a cruise speed of 25-45 knots using hydrofoils.
‘Project SeaShuttle’ will be a zero-emission short-sea container ship with automated cargo handling and powered by hydrogen and fuel cells.
“We’re very proud to announce our participation in these projects. The projects will develop unique solutions for two very interesting maritime markets for hydrogen; the high-speed craft market and the short-sea freighter market,” said Hyon managing director Tomas Tronstad. “The award shows that Hyon with owners possess technology and competence that are attractive for the maritime market, and that the shipping industry is gaining momentum in driving green solutions.”
Hyon will use PowerCell for the fuel cells, Hexagon for hydrogen storage tanks and Nel as the supplier of on-shore hydrogen production and fuelling facilities.
Enova is owned by the Norwegian ministry of Climate and Environment with a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, development of energy and climate technology and a strengthened security of supply; Innovation Norway is the government's vehicle to encourage innovation and development of enterprises and industry; and the Research Council of Norway distributes over US$1 billion a year on research and innovation projects.
BRUSSELS: January 30, 2019. According to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, 744 large ocean-going commercial vessels were sold to scrap yards in 2018. Of these, 518 were broken down on tidal mudflats in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, amounting to a record-breaking 90.4 percent of the gross tonnage dismantled globally.
The Platform said at least 34 workers lost their lives when breaking apart beached vessels last year with 14 dying in Alang, India, 20 in Bangladeshi yards and one in Pakistan.
The “worst corporate dumper” in 2018 was South Korean company Sinokor Merchant Marine that sold 11 ships for breaking on Asian beaches in 2018 - eight in Bangladesh and three in India. Norwegian Nordic American Tankers (NAT) was “runner up” with three vessels sold to Alang for breaking and five in Chittagong.
Other companies that sold their vessels for the highest price to the worst breaking yards last year included Chevron, Costamare, H-Line, Louis plc, Seabulk, SOVCOMFLOT, Teekay, Zodiac Group and CMB, according to the NGO.
"Clean and safe solutions are already available. Responsible ship owners, such as Dutch Boskalis, German Hapag Lloyd, and Scandinavian companies Wallenius-Wilhelmsen and Grieg, recycle their vessels off the beach. The EU maintains a list of clean and safe ship recycling facilities. More ships need to be diverted towards these sites," said Nicola Mulinaris, NGO Shipbreaking Platform Communication and Policy officer.
The organisation has also recorded an increase in offshore units that have gone for scrap with 96 out of 138 ending up on the beaches of South Asia in 2018. They included 81 small-sized tug/supply ships and 33 semi-submersible platforms dumped by companies including Noble Corp, ENSCO, Tidewater, Diamond Offshore and Petrobras, it said.
"The figures of 2018 are shocking. No shipowner can claim to be unaware of the dire conditions at the beaching yards, still they massively continue to sell their vessels to the worst yards to get the highest price for their ships,” said NGO Shipbreaking Platform founder and executive director Ingvild Jenssen. “Ship owners have a responsibility to sell to recycling yards that invest in their workers and environment," she added.
The Platform said shipowners are now facing increased pressure from investors and credit providers to stop selling their ships to beaching yards. In early 2018, Scandinavian pension funds KLP and GPFG were the first to divest from four shipping companies due to their beaching practices.
From December 31 last year, EU-flagged commercial vessels above 500 GT must be recycled in safe and environmentally sound ship recycling facilities that are included on the European List of approved ship recycling facilities.
"For too long, EU vessels have been dismantled in poor environmental and social conditions. This is not acceptable any longer." declared European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella. "The full entry into force of the EU Regulation on ship recycling is a milestone for this sector, as it provides for the first time clear and specific rules on how EU-flagged vessels should be recycled. Like other recycling activities, ship recycling can be carried out sustainably, in a way that is good for workers, the environment and the economy. We count on all actors in the sector to work constructively with us to make it happen,"
COPENHAGEN: December 05, 2018. A.P. Moller - Maersk says it plans to operate “commercially viable” carbon neutral vessels by 2030 and will begin transparent discussions next year with anyone and everyone in the logistics industry in a bid to tackle climate change.
To achieve a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, the company says R&D is the key to avoid dependency on fossil fuel technology. Maersk hopes to encourage researchers, developers, investors, cargo owners and legislators to find solutions for a sustainable maritime industry.
Maersk says although its relative CO2 emissions have dropped 46 percent from a baseline in 2007, improvements based on fossil fuel technology will only keep shipping emissions at current levels as world trade continues to grow.
"The only possible way to achieve the so-much-needed decarbonisation in our industry is by fully transforming to new carbon neutral fuels and supply chains," said A.P. Moller – Maersk COO Søren Toft.
"The next 5-10 years are going to be crucial. We will invest significant resources for innovation and fleet technology to improve the technical and financial viability of decarbonised solutions. Over the last four years, we have invested around US$1 billion and engaged 50-plus engineers each year in developing and deploying energy efficient solutions. [However] going forward we cannot do this alone," he added.
Maersk says it wants to solve emission problems specific to maritime transport and calls for different solutions in the automotive, rail and aviation sectors.
While an electric truck will carry up to two TEU and travel 800 kms per charge, a 20,000 TEU container vessel sailing from Panama to Rotterdam travels over 10 times the distance and there are no charging points along the route. Given the 20-25-year lifetime of a vessel, the company says now is the time to develop ships that will solve this challenge before it is too late.
BREST/PORTSMOUTH: January 15, 2018. As the UK Parliament today rejects the Brexit plan of Britain's prime minister Theresa May, Brittany Ferries is increasing capacity 
by 50 percent on sailings between Roscoff and Plymouth, Cherbourg to Poole and Le Havre to Portsmouth after the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU on March 29.
The move follows the award last month of a £46.6 million contract from Britain’s Department of Transport to provide more post-Brexit freight capacity between the UK and France.
“Our priority is to prepare for a no-deal Brexit and to create additional capacity,” declared Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu. “By increasing the number of rotations on routes like Le Havre – Portsmouth we will be able to meet the Department for Transport’s Brexit requirement.”
The company began operating between France and Britain the day after the country joined the EEC on January 02, 1973 with the first sailing carrying market garden produce grown by Breton farmers seeking new markets.
Today it operates 12 ships on 11 routes linking the UK and Ireland with France and Spain, with the first LNG-powered vessel scheduled to begin operating between Portsmouth and Caen this summer. In addition to 2.5 million passengers, it carries an average of 210,000 freight units per year.
REDCAR, UK: November 28, 2018. The world’s oldest surviving lifeboat has made its first journey for 55 years, leaving Redcar for logistics company AV Dawson on the nearby River Tees where it will be restored to preserve its structural integrity for the future.
The Zetland Lifeboat was built in 1802 in South Shields for the North Yorkshire coastal town of Redcar. It saved more than 500 lives before retiring in 1864. In 1880 it was brought out of retirement for one last rescue when the brig Luna breached Redcar pier – all seven members of the vessel’s crew were saved.
“This is a project six years in the planning that will preserve the Zetland Lifeboat for many future generations to enjoy. The boat is mostly sound, and we will be keeping as much of the original construction as we possibly can,” explained Zetland Lifeboat Museum chair, Janette Picknett. “The Zetland has scars and old repairs that bear witness to her many decades of life-saving work in Redcar, and it’s essential that her unique character is preserved.”
The vessel will return to its boathouse at the Zetland Lifeboat Museum and Redcar Heritage Centre when the venue reopens in Spring 2019.
“This is a very special project and one that is of huge historical im-portance," said AV Dawson managing director Gary Dawson. "When it was brought to our attention that they were struggling to find a warehouse with an overhead crane in order to carry out their conservation project we were more than happy to offer one of ours.
“It’s quite apt that the oldest lifeboat in the world now comes to one of the oldest quaysides on the Tees to be restored and conserved for the enjoyment of many generations to come,” he added.
Pictured left to right: AV Dawson and Zetland Museum personnel David Pearson, Arthur Smith, Zetland Museum Curator; Andrew Watkins, AV Dawson Operations director; Jim Veitch, Zetland Museum Secretary; Janette Picknett, Zetland Museum Chairperson; Martyn Johnson, George Cuthbert and Philip Boville, Zetland Museum Treasurer.
HAMBURG: January 25, 2019. UPDATE: A fire that broke out on Hapag-Lloyd’s Yantian Express container vessel on January 03 is now under control.
According to a statement today from the shipping line, the master from Dutch salvage company Smit has decided to sail the vessel to the Port of Freeport, Bahamas in order to determine the damage and recover the cargo. The containership is approximately 1,250 nautical miles from the Bahamas and is expected to arrive in Freeport next week under its own power and accompanied by tugs.
The fire began in one container on the deck of the ship (pictured) and spread to additional containers. Since then efforts to put out the fire continued under the direction of Smit, the Hapag-Lloyd crew on the scene and the company’s emergency-response team in Hamburg.
On January 09, a Hapag-Lloyd crew of five safely transferred back from the ocean-going tug Smit Nicobar to the vessel.
The company says it is not possible to make a precise estimate of any damage to the vessel or its cargo as it continues to work “in close cooperation with all relevant authorities”.
The 7,510 TEU containership, which is 320 meters long and sails under German flag in the East Coast Loop 5 (EC5) service, was built in 2002 and was on its way from Colombo to Halifax via the Suez Canal.
NEW YORK, NY: November 15, 2018. The New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX) reports a 420 percent rise in trans-Pacific eastbound and westbound container trade volumes between June and October this year.
"This trans-Pacific peak season we saw, and continue to see shippers of all sizes struggling to obtain vessel space,” commented NYSHEX vice president of Sales & Marketing Kim Cockrell. “We have seen some of the largest [US] retailers acknowledging their need for contingency plans, joining NYSHEX.
“Introducing a new industry standard - cargo moving on a vessel as booked 98 percent of the time - is a huge step forward for ocean shipping and we are thrilled to be seeing significant recognition for its value," she added.
Matthew Koivisto, NYSHEX member and Damco’s Head of Ocean Product for the East Area, said that two years ago all the company could do was make an FAK booking at a high rate and hope for the best – and half the time the booking could get rolled during peak periods. “Now we have a more secure way of offering a booking that we know is going to sail and many of our customers are pleased to have this secure option for their supply chains."
Cockrell says a 38 percent increase in NYSHEX membership since June is a sign shippers are trying to protect their volumes from the volatility of impending U.S.-China tariff rises from January 01 next year; fluctuating ocean carrier capacity; pre-Chinese New Year demand; and the new IMO Sulphur regulation and its associated surcharge by 2020.
“With 14 percent fuel cost increases having been unrecovered by carriers, combined with IMO Sulphur regulation coming into play in 2020, you can count on rate volatility and, potentially, fewer service options due to capacity withdrawals this upcoming contract season,” she declared.
