Industry news
India imposes ban on oil tankers and bulk carriers over 25 years old
1 march | regulation
The Indian Government has decided to impose a ban on oil tankers and bulk carriers that are more than 25 years old.
The shipping regulator Directorate General of Shipping has withdrawn the licenses of these vessels to reduce emissions and the average age of the country’s fleet.
The order also imposes a ban on the purchase of vessels that are more than two decades old.
According to the existing guidelines, technical clearance is not required to acquire vessels that are less than 25 years of age.
The shipping regulator also stated that the world fleet’s average age is on a declining trend, while the Indian tonnage’s average age has been on a rising trend over the years.
Furthermore, the new age norms will help to gradually eliminate fossil fuel-driven vessels and transition to alternate/low carbon energy efficient vessels.
However, the new regulations will not apply to passenger vessels, floating storage regasification units, floating production storage and offloading units, or drilling and production units.
2 March | Conversion
Conversion works for Greece’s first FSRU project begin
Keppel Shipyard in Singapore has commenced conversion works on Gaslog Chelsea, recently renamed Alexandroupoli, thereby marking the start of progress in the development of Greece’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) project.
Gaslog Chelsea is a DNV-classed liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) that was recently reflagged to the Greek flag.
After conversion by Keppel Shipyard, a fully owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), the FSRU Alexandroupoli will act as an offshore storage and regasification facility.
The LNGC will also become a part of the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System.
Alexandroupoli is claimed to be the first FSRU conversion under the Greek flag for operation in the Aegean Sea.
1 March | Safety
Australia bans MSC container ship over performance
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has imposed a ban on the Liberian-flagged container ship, MSC Kymea II, for 90 days.
Operated by MSC Ship Management, the container ship has been served with a refusal of access direction notice from Australian ports.
The notice has been issued to MSC after months of sub-standard performance, including severe maintenance issues.
AMSA has detained nine MSC ships in the last two years, with five being detained this year.
Most of the detentions were due to systemic sub-standard maintenance practices on board, stated the authority.
An inspection conducted by the authority detected 21 deficiencies on the MSC Kymea II vessel.
1 March | Environmental
APM Terminals to prioritise electric vehicles at the Port of Gothenburg
As of 1 March, APM Terminals is granting electric trucks priority passage and handling at the APM container terminal at the Port of Gothenburg.
The initiative is being used by terminal operator APM Terminals to favour haulage firms that have already started to convert their vehicle fleets, while at the same time giving an additional incentive to those considering investing in electrification.
Electric trucks will be fast-tracked through APM Terminals’ gate 4 via a reserved lane, and also enjoy prioritised handling within the terminal area.
APM Terminals operates the container terminal in the Port of Gothenburg, the largest port in Scandinavia.
As well as APM Terminals, Gothenburg Roro Terminal and Stena Line also operate terminals that prioritise electric vehicles. Between them, these terminals handle around 90% of the port’s total truck flows.
28 february | environmental
Port of London Authority halves its carbon emissions
The Port of London Authority (PLA) has achieved a major decarbonisation milestone, having halved its carbon emissions last year.
The PLA, which oversees safe operations in the UK’s busiest port, has committed to achieving Net Zero by 2040. Last year’s performance at the port delivered a 50% cut in carbon emissions three years ahead of the original 2025 target.
The introduction of sustainable biofuel in place of diesel in its fleet of vessels as an interim measure was the key initial step in improving performance.
The PLA operates more than 20 vessels, including harbour service launches, driftwood collectors, hydrographic survey vessels, and a large mooring maintenance craft.
Before the switch to biofuel, vessel fuel consumption was responsible for more than 75% of the authority’s total carbon emissions.
24 february | cruise
MSC Cruises to launch new green cruise ship in June
MSC Group’s cruise brand MSC Cruises is set to carry out a naming ceremony for its new green cruise flagship, MSC Euribia, on 8 June in Copenhagen, Denmark.
MSC Euribia will become the brand’s second ship to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is anticipated to lower CO2 emissions by up to 25% compared to standard fuels.
According to the cruise line, emissions from the new green cruise ship will be reduced further when bio and synthetic fuels are made available.
The vessel will also be equipped with modern environmental systems, such as the ‘Baltic Standard’ advanced on-board wastewater treatment system and waste management handling.
To minimise the effects of vibrations on marine life, it will use an underwater radiated noise management system.
20 february | business & Operations
Stena Line to manage Peel Ports’ Birkenhead port operations
Swedish shipping line Stena Line has reached an agreement with port operator Peel Ports to perform port operations at Birkenhead, UK.
Under the deal, Stena Line will be responsible for operating Peel Ports’ 12 Quays port and ferry terminal in Birkenhead for 77 years or until the start of the 22nd century.
Birkenhead is a key focus for investment, as Stena Line operates six routes and 12 vessels across the region.
In line with this focus, Stena Line acquired two sites near the 12 Quays Terminal to offer additional freight storage for its customers.
16 February | fuels
DB Schenker and MSC agree biofuel deal
German freight forwarder DB Schenker has reached an agreement with container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on the use of biofuel to decrease supply chain emissions.
The agreement will enable DB Schenker to use 12,000 tonnes of biofuel components in MSC container ships.
DB Schenker will use the biofuel to transport all its consolidated cargo, less-than-container load, full-container-load and refrigerated containers (reefer containers).
The biofuel will be blended between 20% and 30%, leading to the use of around 50,000 tonnes of blended biofuel across MSC’s box ship fleet.
Claimed to be the ‘first-of-its-kind’ agreement between a freight forwarder and a shipping line, the move is expected to help ship around 30,000 standard containers with net-zero emissions this year.
In brief
Himalaya Shipping hands over first dual-fuel Newcastlemax
China-based New Times Shipyard has delivered the first dual fuel and long-range Newcastlemax vessel to Bermuda-based Himalaya Shipping.
Mount Norefjell is the first of 12 Newcastlemax newbuilds ordered by the Bermudian company.
MOL and Air Water partner on liquefied bio-methane study
Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has reached a memorandum of understanding with Air Water to assess the use of liquefied bio-methane (LBM) as a marine fuel.
The companies will jointly evaluate the use of LBM drawn from cattle manure, trialling it in liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled vessels.
Aurora Expeditions christens the Sylvia Earle
AE Expeditions, part of Aurora Expeditions Group, has christened its newest purpose-built small ship, the Sylvia Earle.
The vessel’s namesake and godmother, Dr Sylvia Earle, did the honours during a ceremony in Antarctica in recognition of the ship’s pioneering nature.
ZeroNorth acquires bunker supplier software provider BTS
Technology company ZeroNorth has announced that it has acquired BTS, a software platform for marine fuel suppliers, headquartered in Singapore.
The deal will see ZeroNorth acquire BTS’s flagship suite of services, Intelligent Bunker Management System (iBMS), which is specially tailored for the marine fuel supply chain.
Golden Ocean buys six Newcastlemax vessels for $291m
Dry bulk shipping company Golden Ocean Group has reached a $291m deal for the purchase of six Newcastlemax vessels.
The 208,000 deadweight tonne vessels are all installed with exhaust gas cleaning systems or scrubbers.
20 february | business & Operations
Stena Line to manage Peel Ports’ Birkenhead port operations
Swedish shipping line Stena Line has reached an agreement with port operator Peel Ports to perform port operations at Birkenhead, UK.
Under the deal, Stena Line will be responsible for operating Peel Ports’ 12 Quays port and ferry terminal in Birkenhead for 77 years or until the start of the 22nd century.
Birkenhead is a key focus for investment, as Stena Line operates six routes and 12 vessels across the region.
In line with this focus, Stena Line acquired two sites near the 12 Quays Terminal to offer additional freight storage for its customers.
16 February | fuels
DB Schenker and MSC agree biofuel deal
German freight forwarder DB Schenker has reached an agreement with container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on the use of biofuel to decrease supply chain emissions.
The agreement will enable DB Schenker to use 12,000 tonnes of biofuel components in MSC container ships.
DB Schenker will use the biofuel to transport all its consolidated cargo, less-than-container load, full-container-load and refrigerated containers (reefer containers).
The biofuel will be blended between 20% and 30%, leading to the use of around 50,000 tonnes of blended biofuel across MSC’s box ship fleet.
Claimed to be the ‘first-of-its-kind’ agreement between a freight forwarder and a shipping line, the move is expected to help ship around 30,000 standard containers with net-zero emissions this year.
