World Maritime News
WMNF 30/10/2024
Californian port majors come out trumps in transpacific alliance shake-up
California’s major container ports, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland, are set to benefit significantly from a shake-up in transpacific shipping alliances starting in early 2025. This realignment will see the top 10 largest container carriers form new or revised alliances, leading to more direct calls at these ports. Maersk will partner with Hapag-Lloyd in the Gemini Cooperation, while Ocean Network Express, HMM, and Yang Ming will form the Premier Alliance. The Ocean Alliance remains unchanged, and MSC will operate independently but share slots with Zim on specific routes. Los Angeles and Long Beach will gain additional direct calls, making them the most frequented Pacific coast ports. Oakland will also see an increase in calls. Other ports like Houston and Mobile will benefit from new services, while some, like Tacoma and Portland, will lose direct calls. The changes reflect a strategic shift in carrier alliances, impacting port call patterns and trade routes between Asia and North America.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
ILA, USMX said to resume talks on new master contract in November
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), maritime employers on the US East and Gulf coasts, will resume negotiations in November for a new six-year master contract after agreeing on a 62% wage increase that ended a three-day strike. The main unresolved issue is the use of marine terminal automation. The ILA opposes any form of automation that could replace jobs, while the previous contract allowed semi-automated equipment with mutual agreement on staffing but banned fully automated terminals.
Read more: JOC
US port automation holds promise, but hardly a sure shot
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on port automation, highlighting both its potential and challenges. While automation can increase efficiency and capacity, high costs, labor opposition, and economic feasibility are significant hurdles. The report emphasizes that automating processes, rather than equipment, holds more promise. US ports lag behind their foreign counterparts in adopting advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, and digital twins. Despite these challenges, automation can help space-constrained ports and improve safety. However, more significant supply chain issues and the need for coordinated improvements across the supply chain are critical for realizing the benefits of automation.
Read more: JOC
Climate change increasingly challenging European ports
The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) ‘s annual environment report said climate change remained the biggest priority, followed by energy efficiency and air pollution, according to data from 83 ports in 21 countries. ESPO said 64% of ports surveyed reported climate-related operational challenges, up from 47% last year. 73% of ports worked to make infrastructure more resilient, and 86% were integrating climate adaptation into new projects. However, 98% of surveyed ports now had an environmental policy, and a growing share were monitoring their carbon footprint and energy efficiency. The report said the provision of green services for shipping has expanded notably, with 58% of surveyed ports offering onshore power supply at one or more berths and 56% providing high-voltage options. The main obstacles to OPS were insufficient grid infrastructure (45%) and inadequate grid capacity (40%). LNG bunkering was available at 48% of surveyed ports, with another 16% planning to introduce it within the next two years.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
Cosco to deploy green methanol-powered vessels on corridors linking Shanghai with San Pedro Bay, Hamburg
COSCO Shipping Lines will initiate the deployment of green methanol-powered vessels along the green corridors connecting Shanghai and ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Hamburg from next year, with a target to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030. The vessel deployments align with the green corridors’ frameworks and are poised to progressively reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2030, Qin Jiangping, deputy general manager of CSL, said at the 2024 North Bund International Shipping Forum. In 2022, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Shanghai ports inked the green shipping corridor agreement for the trans-Pacific trade route, involving carrier partners such as CMA CGM, Cosco, Maersk, and Ocean Network Express. During this year’s forum, Shanghai and Hamburg also signed a green shipping corridor MoU, with Cosco and Shanghai International Port Group as key partners.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
Seafarers willing to work with ammonia but more training needed
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping survey of 2,000 maritime professionals found that 59% of seafarers and 57% of shore personnel were willing to work with ammonia. One-quarter of the respondents, however, said they were unsure about ammonia operations. In contrast, about 12% of respondents reported they would not accept sailing on ammonia-fuelled ships or working with ammonia. Many survey responses emphasized the need for more knowledge and training about ammonia, highlighting many topics relating to safety, such as ammonia’s impact on humans and the environment, the center said. Analyzing the survey results, the center concluded that important work remained to enable the safe implementation of ammonia on board vessels, especially regarding training, systems safety and designs.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
NGOs call on UK to extend ETS to international shipping
Green lobby groups and academics have urged the UK government to extend the Emissions Trading System (ETS) to international shipping, which could generate over £1 billion annually. This extension would include all vessels over 400 gross tonnage (gt) and help avoid carbon leakage from the EU ETS. The revenue could support the UK’s zero-emission marine fuels industry without costing taxpayers. The UK plans to extend its ETS to domestic shipping by 2026. The UK Climate Change Committee also supports this move to align with the EU and minimize perverse incentives. The funds could be used to produce renewable and hydrogen-based fuels, with significant private investment expected.
Read more: Lloyd’s List