World Maritime News
WMNF 2020/12/10
ONE Apus redirected to Japan after losing 1900 containers in storm
Violent weather caused more than 1,900 containers including 40 containers categorized as dangerous goods to be lost or damaged while ONE Apus was en route to Long Beach 30 November off 1600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. The vessel redirected to Kobe due to arrive 8 Dec. A full damage assessment and investigation takes place. The storm produced gale force winds and large swells which caused the ONE Apus to roll heavily according to shipowner Chidori Ship Holding and manager NYK Shipmanagement. Jeremy Nixon, the CEO of ONE, has repeatedly warned that stronger and more frequent severe storms are challenging schedule reliability.
Read more: ONE APUS | JOC | Lloyd’s List1 | Lloyd’s List2 | Lloyd’s List3
Gravity of global economy is rapidly moving east
15 Asia-Pacific countries have signed a free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The deal, which took years to negotiate, include China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and all of 10 ASEAN countries. RCEP covers nearly a third of the global economy but, given the pace of the growth in these countries compared with the rest of the world, it will cover half of global GDP within 10 years. The agreement to reduce tariffs will be crucial but expects container shipping lines, especially those that specialize in intra-Asia trade to benefit from RCEP. The other sector we see positive as a result of RCEP would be cross-border trucking, according to a maritime analyst at Dynamar.
Source: Container trade statistics/Lloyds List
Read more: JOC | Lloyd’s List
Shippers and forwarders demand change to failing ocean freight market
Container lines are being urged to review their current operational and business practices and return to “respecting schedule reliability and service quality” in accordance with their contractual terms with customers under the circumstances where they have been struggling to maintain supply chains in the current environment. On-going service unreliability and hikes on spot rates as well as heavy surcharges above the fixed-term contractual rates put shippers and forwarders in a difficult condition. The very short carriers’ notice of equipment and slot availability and multiple roll-overs and numerous surcharges disrupt the value chains, according to the European Shippers Council, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services (Cleat) said.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
LA port giving near real-time info to help empty container return
The Port of Los Angeles is hoping a new digital platform that provides near-real-time information meant to ease the return of empty containers will help improve the congestion woes that have at times almost crippled the Southern California supply chain in recent months.
The new product, called “Return Signal”, provides data to truckers on which of the 12 terminals in Los Angeles – Long Beach are available to receive empty containers. Los Angeles is encouraging harbor truckers to sign up for the free offering as average truck turn times in October hit 84 minutes, according to the Harbor Trucking Association.
Read more: JOC
Regulators investigate congestion at key US ports
Detention and demurrage were created to promote efficiency. The reality is that there is lots of inefficiency and the fees have become revenue models for those who are creating it, according to the Harbor Trucking Association in US. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said the formation of shipping alliances has created more efficiency on the ocean side of the supply chain, but that in turn has caused much more inefficiency and congestion on the land side and that is something that FMC might need to tackle directly. FMC issued letters on 25 November to the three global alliances requiring them to file certain “carrier-specific-trade data” on a monthly basis instead of the current quarterly basis.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
Lloyds List top 10 technology leaders 2020
Lloyds List awarded MAN Energy Solutions with the top one of the 10 leading technology leaders 2020. The company joined industry stakeholders this year in setting up the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, a move aligned with corporate strategy. MAN Energy Solutions took leadership of a consortium to develop a two-stroke, ammonia-fueled engine for shipping. The project will develop the engine in 2024. It follows work on engines driven by methanol, ethane, and LPG. ABB Marine & Ports was laureled as the second and the third position was honored to WinGD.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
Zero-carbon uncertainty restrains container ship ordering
Uncertainty over the timing and technology of zero-carbon fuels is a growing factor in the restraint shown by container lines in ordering new ships, making it less likely that overcapacity will return to the sector in coming years given that research into viable new fuel types is only in the early stage. While there are several potential zero-carbon fuels and technologies, the emissions reduction called for by international community and industry require a huge amount of research and development before they can become viable. Low oil prices might also delay the shift to alternative fuels or the use of operational measures that can reduce bunker fuel consumption.
Read more: JOC | Lloyd’s List | IEA
Bio-LNG green fuel commercial advantages over hydrogen or ammonia
Transition from fossil-based fuel to bio-liquefied natural gas offers a clear commercial advantage over switching to zero-carbon fuels like green hydrogen and ammonia, one joint study by an LNG-focused group of advocacy bodies said. Bio-LNG, which is produced from secondary food crop, biomass or recycled methane, can be transported using existing infrastructure for LNG now derived from fossil sources without incurring costs for modifications, according to a joint paper by SEA-LNG and three other European gas and bio-gas associations.
Read more: SEA-LNG | Lloyd’s List