World Maritime News
WMNF 2021/7/29
EU Proposes tax on all shipping emissions and to limit polluting fuels
The European Commission has unveiled its plan to tax almost 70% of emissions from voyages to the European Economic Area. It also wants ships to burn less greenhouse gas-intensive fuels, some bunkers to be taxed for the first time, and ports to provide more LNG and onshore power supply.
Maersk supports the phased-in approach of the EU emissions trading system. However, other shipping groups repeated their warning that extending the grasp of EU law far beyond Europe would impede efforts to set global regulations.
Read more: Lloyd’s List1 | Lloyd’s List2 | JOC | Lloyd’s List3 | Lloyd’s List4
Shipping companies address decarbonization
Mediterranean Shipping Co. and oil major Shell will collaborate on developing technologies designed to produce zero-emission “fuels of the future” as the container shipping sector continues to push research as the best path to decarbonization.
Privately owned Swedish shipping company Wallenius Lines has ordered two low-emission vehicle carriers, with options for four more, from Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles.
US regulator to begin auditing alliances
The US government is tightening scrutiny of ocean carrier alliances and marine terminals with a new audit program and a unit within the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
The FMC told the top nine container lines operating on US trades that the agency will immediately begin auditing how they bill customers for detention and demurrage charges amid increased pressure from shippers, Congress, and the White House to crack down on unreasonable storage fees tied to ongoing port congestion.
Read more:Lloyd’s List | JOC
Temporary suspension and rationing spaces of intermodal service from US west coast to Midwest
Union Pacific Railroad halted all international intermodal service from the West Coast to its Global IV terminal in Joliet, Illinois, for up to seven days beginning early Monday (July 19), an emergency measure designed to get thousands of ocean containers in stacks to their cargo owners.
BNSF Railway began rationing space on international intermodal trains for two weeks between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and Chicago in an attempt to slow the deluge of volume that has overwhelmed Chicago-area rail terminals.
Read more: JOC1 | JOC2 | JOC3 | JOC4
A lot of new mega container ships might cause overcapacity if global container demand growth slows
Cosco Shipping Holdings has placed a $1.5 billion order for 10 new container ships, extending the carrier’s on-order capacity to almost 15 percent of its in-service fleet.
The current boom in container demand into the US is masking a slower growth pattern elsewhere that could see the specter of overcapacity rearing its head again when markets normalize following the pandemic.
An analysis of Container Trades Statistics by Sea-Intelligence shows that volume growth remains extremely strong on the transpacific trades to North America, but it significantly weakening elsewhere when viewed on a long-term basis.
Read more: JOC | Lloyd’s List
GSBN launches container release tool in China
The Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) launched a new product, Cargo Release, which will offer a paperless, efficient, and transparent solution connecting logistics chain stakeholders, including shipping lines, consignees, their agents, and terminals.
Read more: Lloyd’s List | JOC
DCSA standardizes key port call events
The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) released standards designed to improve data exchange between shipping lines, ports, and terminal operators related to vessel calls.
According to DCSA, the standards are being tested at two unnamed ports to gather feedback on how to ultimately improve them and drive widespread adoption. Eventually, DCSA plans to release a broader set of 50 event timestamps to be standardized as part of its broader JIT Port Call Program.
DCSA member carriers include Mediterranean Shipping Co., Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, Evergreen, Yang Ming, HMM, and Zim Integrated Shipping Services.
Read more: JOC