Columbia and Premuda join forces 
Could it be the beginning of a wonderful friendship? The Italian ship-owning Group Premuda, controlled by Pillarstone, a financial platform supporting companies in temporary difficulty, has found a partner in Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM). Under the joint venture agreement,... more
Two CTVs from Singapore
Singapore-based shipbuilder Strategic Marine has inked a newbuild contract for two 27 m crew transfer vessels (CTVs). The contract includes an arrangement with financial investors providing WEM with an end-to-end package from shipbuilding construction financing to post-delivery... more
Margins to stay, says Fitch Ratings
According to the rating agency Fitch, container shipping spot rates have continuously risen in recent months, despite a significant reduction in demand for maritime transport due to the effects of the corona pandemic, but driven by shipping companies' supply discipline and... more
IMB sees pirates growing stronger
Pirate attacks on merchant ships continue to rise, according to figures from the most recent edition of the quarterly report of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). In particular, the number of kidnappings in the Gulf of... more
Green hydrogen from Iceland?
A new source for clean fuels is in the making. Landsvirkjun, Iceland's national power company, and the Port of Rotterdam have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to perform a pre-feasibility study regarding the export of green hydrogen from Iceland to Rotterdam. According... more
EU funding for Swedish and Finnish ports
The Ports of Stockholm are to benefit from European investments. In total, the EU has decided to support eight Swedish infrastructure projects this year with grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Fund. One of the agreements has now been signed, with the goal to... more
Seasonal REX service is back
The Turkish shipping company Arkas and its partner Sealand Europe & Med, a Maersk affiliate, have decided to resume their seasonal reefer service. REX, the "Russia Express Service", will commence with the departure of the "Bomar Resolve" from Mersin on 31... more
K Line and NYK set LNG landmark
In Japan, K Line has launched its LNG bunkering business in the Chubu region through its joint venture company with Jera, the Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). The first LNG bunkering vessel in Japan, the "Kaguya” owned by the joint... more
8.8% decline in Rotterdam
In the first nine months of 2020, the port of Rotterdam, Europe's biggest sea hub, handled 8.8% less volumes and recorded a total of 322.3 million t (353.480 million t in 2019). The volume of containers handled in Rotterdam up to and including Q3/2020 was less affected. It... more
Haropaports acts upon greenhouse gas
Haropaports, the coalition of French ports, has joined the “getting to zero” initiative. The coalition was launched on the occasion of the United Nations climate action summit (September 2019), as part of a partnership between three intergovernmental organisations (the Global... more