Surprisingly bright outlook for container shipping 
The Berlin (Germany)-based European credit rating agency Scope ratings published its 2020 outlook on container shipping. According to its expectations, and maybe surprisingly, the container shipping industry is sailing into less choppy waters this year. Due to improved cost... more
Pushing women's careers in shipping
A programme to support the qualification of female seafarers has been launched by the Palau International Ship Registry (PISR). Special emphasis is given to the certificates of competency (CoC), certificates of proficiency (CoP) and certificates of endorsement (CoE) as part of... more
Outstanding year for the port of Toronto
The port of Toronto enjoyed a good year in 2019, handling 2.3 million t (MMT) of cargo. This load marked a peak over the last 15 years. The number of ships visiting the port increased by a significant 20%, with 213 ships calling in 2019 versus 179 ships in 2018. Overall, the... more
Container streams struck by coronavirus
In its Sunday Spotlight 449, the Copenhagen (Denmark)-based maritime consultancy and analyst Sea-Intelligence pointed out "the rapid escalation in blank sailings" and further consequences that the coronavirus has for the global container market. Since export... more
Barcelona's 2019 figures hold the balance
Altogether, the port of Barcelona sees 2019 as a year of consolidation. It achieved a turnover of EUR 172 million in 2019, moving sideways with regards to the 2018 result of EUR 174 million. This income stability was achieved despite the 10% reduction of the cargo fees, which... more
A dozen more vessels for UHL's fleet
Recently, United Heavy Lift (UHL) in Hamburg took over a heavy lift fleet of nine newbuilds. “Carbon emissions of the eco-friendly F900 vessels are 30 - 50% lower compared to the existing heavy lift fleet in the market,” said managing director Lars Rolner. The current... more
ONE holds its plus 
The major Japanese containers shipping company, having got off to a bumpy start in April 2018, promised a better financial year than 2018 / 2019. It looks as if the Japanese can keep their word – and also largely defy the ‘Wuhan coronavirus’ in China. more
Transatlantic EMA service to kick off in April
A coalition of Asian shipping companies is on the move. Cosco Shipping Lines, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Yang Ming will launch a new transatlantic service, the East Mediterranean – America service (EMA) covering ports in Turkey,... more
A good year for the Port of Trois-Rivières
In 2019 the volumes in the Canadian Port of Trois-Rivières clearly surpassed the level of goods handled in 2018. A total of 4.2 million t represented a rise of 10% in comparison to the record of 3.8 million t of the year before - which was a record year. While solid bulk traffic... more
"Tohoku Maru" enters K Line's fleet
Japan-headquartered K Line recently took delivery of the “Tohoku Maru,” a 92,000 DWT-type special coal carrier at Oshima Shipbuilding. The vessel is the same type as K Line’s specialised fleet for the transport of thermal coal known as the “Corona-series”. Nothing to do with... more