Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar has agreed to end his eight-month blockade on the oil terminal at Tobruk, allowing a tanker to enter the port and take on a load of crude oil. In talks brokered by the Russian government last week, Haftar negotiated a deal with Ahmed Maiteeg, the deputy prime minister of the internationally-recognized […]
Far from the world’s attention in the middle of the Bay of Bengal east of India, a health emergency is unfolding for seafarers in the Andaman Islands. According to reports from the UK charity Sailor’s Society as many as 300 seafarers may be ill with COVID-19, quarantined, and stranded without medical supplies. The danger of […]
Echoing Brexit warnings dating back to 2017, the UK government has issued a new “reasonable worst case scenario” for the transportation impact of completing the UK’s exit from Europe without a free trade agreement. The UK formally left the EU in January, but its trade is still covered by a status-quo transition period until December 31. After that point, if […]
Using World Maritime Day as the backdrop, United Nations agencies joined with leaders of the maritime industry in hosting a conference to again highlight the urgent need for action to address what they called a humanitarian crisis among seafarers. Convened by the UN Global Compact, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Labour Organization, in […]
In a new report based on discussions with maritime stakeholders, Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis E. Sola has catalogued the economic impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s cruise sector and its seaports. The effects of the cruise shutdown have been serious for cruise operators, but the collateral damage has also extended to port authorities and cities throughout […]
Adding its voice to the chorus of calls for action to address the challenges of crew change on this World Maritime Day, a federation of maritime unions called on the world’s port states to take a more active role in support of seafarers. The Nautilus Federation of 22 maritime unions issued a statement highlighting the […]
Researchers with the Pew Charitable Trusts have created a new tool for port states, fishing regulators and seafood buyers to determine where illegally-caught seafood is most likely to come ashore. By launching the tool on World Maritime Day, Pew hopes to draw attention to the problem of IUU fishing and the potential solutions. Illegal, unreported, […]
As ocean carriers and the shippers work to rebound from the economic effects of the pandemic, ports have been reporting steady, sometimes dramatic, increases in volumes in recent months. One of the downsides of the increases in traffic has also been reports of increased port congestion. Some of the congestion concerns have been due to operational […]
The Port of Antwerp is becoming the latest port to expand its digitalization efforts to enhance the flow of containers through its terminals. According to the port authority, the new certified pickup program will simplify administrative processes, allow employees to work more securely, and reduces the turnaround time of import containers while also permitting customs […]
HMS Queen Elizabeth has embarked the largest number of warplanes ever onto her deck as she prepares to take her place at the heart of a UK-led NATO Carrier Strike Group. Two squadrons of F-35B stealth jets, the RAF’s 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) and the US Marines Corps VMFA-211 (The Wake Island Avengers), have joined […]
An analysis by five leading environmental organizations suggests that the EU could violate its own laws and international treaty agreements if it decides to allow the exportation of end-of-life vessels to South Asia. The overwhelming majority of aging ships are scrapped on tidal flats in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and labor and environmental protections at these […]
A project partially financed by the EU is working on developing the next steps in the electrification of shipping focusing on the power banks for ports. Among the techniques that the project is investigating is how used batteries from the transport sector can be reused to create energy storage in ports. Being undertaken by European […]
