Listed by Brussels or priced by London, a UK first call would lose its ETS saving
The European Commission has proposed listing non-EU ports within 150 nautical miles of the EU on their infrastructure alone, a test Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton would meet. Ports in countries that apply equivalent carbon pricing would be exempt, and the UK plans to price international voyages from 2028. 15 Oct 2026Kate Wilson A carrier…
Germany puts $448m behind 47-point green shipping plan
Sam ChambersOctober 15, 2026 Port of Kiel Germany has approved a national shipping decarbonisation programme backed by €400m ($448.8m) in funding, including proposals for greener shipping corridors, alternative fuel infrastructure and financial incentives for vessel renewal. The federal cabinet adopted the National Action Plan for Climate-Friendly Shipping yesterday, establishing 47 measures aimed at accelerating the…
FMC Proposes Remedies to Counteract Unfavorable Spanish Shipping Conditions
October 14, 2026 © Adobe Stock/Zerophoto After investigating reports of restrictive port practices by the Government of Spain, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has determined that Spain has created unfavorable shipping conditions against U.S.-flagged vessels. As a result, the FMC is proposing remedies to counteract those unfavorable conditions, including charging fees for all Spanish-flagged vessels…
U.S. Customs Proposes New Rules for Low-Value Goods
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register targeting low-value goods, applicable to eligible shipments from all countries of origin. CBP is proposing adjustments to the informal entry process for goods valued at $2,500 or less, addressing declaration timelines, data transparency, and bond obligations – while also…
ABS, U.S. Energy Department Team Up on Nuclear-Powered Ships
Photo caption (L to R): Ted Garrish, United States Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, and John McDonald, ABS Chairman and CEO Mike Schuler October 12, 2026 The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed an agreement to advance the use of nuclear power in commercial shipping, including nuclear-powered…
Europe’s shore power deadline is racing ahead of the grid
SplashOctober 13, 2026 Port of Seattle Two EU regulations will require ports to provide shore power and ships to use it from 2030. But with grid upgrades taking up to a decade, the infrastructure needed to meet the deadline is struggling to keep pace. Alex Byelyavtsev reports. By 2030 two EU rules meet at the…
German government definitively blocks COSCO takeover of Zippel
Published on 2026-10-08 at 07:11 Illustration / Archive Shutterstock The German government has blocked the planned acquisition of an 80% stake in logistics company Konrad Zippel by Chinese state-owned shipping company COSCO. Berlin fears the deal would increase Germany’s strategic dependence on China. The decision comes as no surprise. Reports emerged last week that COSCO…
Container battery fire risks prompt US labeling legislation
Bill targets import ocean containers moving inland, echoing recent safety pushes at the IMO John Gallagher,US Correspondent October 7, 2026 Credit: USCG Regulatory pressure is mounting on both the US domestic and international fronts to end the era of “invisible” battery cargoes and their associated fire hazards. Weeks after an International Maritime Organization (IMO) subcommittee…
Republican Senator Says Trump’s Russian Diesel Deal May Be Illegal
The Soho Square, a crude oil tanker sailing under the flag of Liberia, is at anchor in the Galveston Bay as it makes it’s way to the Port of Houston shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act shipping law, in Texas City, Texas, U.S. March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Antranik…
Baltic states push for EU-wide ban on Russian grain transit
Adis AjdinOctober 12, 2026 Port of Riga Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have called for an EU-wide ban on Russian grain transit, seeking to block Moscow from redirecting agricultural exports through European transport networks as disruption in the Black Sea reshapes regional grain flows. The three countries have submitted a joint letter to European Council president…
Germany to block COSCO’s planned acquisition of Zippel, report says
Published on 2026-09-30 at 09:41 Zippel operates a fleet of around 200 trucks Konrad Zippel Spediteur GmbH / LinkedIn The German government intends to block COSCO’s planned acquisition of an 80% stake in Hamburg-based logistics company Zippel over national security concerns, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing German newspaper The Chinese state-owned shipping group plans to…
Cabinet rejects cap on foreign ownership of Dutch terminals
Published on 2026-09-29 at 06:58 ECT and Delta II terminals at Maasvlakte, port of Rotterdam / Archive Shutterstock The Cabinet does not intend to introduce foreign ownership limits on Dutch container terminals, Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Vincent Karremans has informed the House of Representatives. The Cabinet has investigated the possibility of setting a maximum…
Brazil puts container demurrage rules under review
Adis AjdinSeptember 28, 2026 TGS Brazil has opened a formal review of its container demurrage rules, putting one of the country’s more contentious liner charging issues back on the regulatory agenda. Waterway regulator ANTAQ has launched a public call for evidence covering container demurrage under Resolution 62/2021. The exercise is based on a preliminary regulatory…
Shipping urges Chinese vessel port fee delay as Trump-Xi summit
Over 200 trade groups call on USTR to extend Section 301 tariff suspension before November deadline John Gallagher,US Correspondent September 25, 2026 Credit: The White House A massive coalition of American business and maritime shipping organizations have called on the US to extend the suspension of Section 301 tariffs and fees on Chinese-built vessels as…
Canada moves to limit port and rail strikes
Published on 2026-09-23 at 17:44 Teamsters picketing outside CN’s headquarters in Monteral TCRC via X The ILWU Canada is calling a new Federal Government bill that makes changes to the Canada Labour Code “an attack on our members fundamental rights”. The Canadian Federal Government has introduced “Bill C-39 | Building Canada Strong Act”, legislation that…
Trump Takes Aim at Shipping’s Net-Zero Plan at UN
US President Donald Trump addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR Mike Schuler September 23, 2026 President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to renew his attack on the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework, accusing…
Coast Guard Awards $315 Million Kodiak Pier Contract to Support Arctic Fleet Expansion
Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21) conduct helicopter operations with an MH60-Jayhawk helicopter air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, while underway in the Gulf of Alaska, Aug. 20, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard Photo Mike Schuler September 23, 2026 The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $315 million contract to Tutor…
FMC Change Could Revive Older Detention and Demurrage Claims
The Pier 300 channel at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles The Loadstar September 22, 2026 By Alexander Whiteman (The Loadstar) – A potentially significant change at the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has gone largely under the radar, after the regulator confirmed there is no three-year statute of limitations on…
New York Leads Lawsuits Challenging $1.4 Billion Offshore Wind Buyouts
The first offshore wind turbine is installed at the South Fork Wind project offshore New York. Photo courtesy New York State Mike Schuler September 22, 2026 New York is leading a coalition of states in two new lawsuits challenging Trump administration agreements that would cancel offshore wind leases and redirect roughly $1.4 billion toward liquefied…
Spain introduces fuel law for ports – PortXchange warns
Sep 22, 2026 at 2:35 PM Nine months after the introduction of a binding decarbonization obligation for fuel suppliers in the Netherlands, Spain has followed suit with Royal Decree 611/2026. This law requires fuel suppliers to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the bunker fuel sold in Spain. According to PortXchange, a specialist in…
More Jones Act Waiver Voyages Went Unreported Than Previously Known
Oil tanker, Gas tanker operation at oil and gas terminal, View from above.; Shutterstock Mike Schuler September 21, 2026 The number of foreign-vessel voyages missing from federal Jones Act waiver records appears to be larger than previously known, with new analysis identifying at least 15 movements that never showed up in the U.S. Maritime Administration’s…
NTSB urges fleet audits as preventable casualties mount
The US safety board’s latest annual investigations report calls on operators to re-examine procedures against recurring operational hazards John Gallagher,US Correspondent September 17, 2026 Fire-fighter response to Grande Costa D’Avorio in 2023Credit: USCG America’s top transportation safety agency is urging maritime operators to re-examine their daily operations against recent real-world casualties as familiar hazards continue…
Putin pushes BRICS insurance challenge to Western shipping establishment
Sam ChambersSeptember 15, 2026 The Kremlin Vladimir Putin has urged the world’s largest emerging economies to accelerate the creation of their own reinsurance mechanism, adding momentum to efforts that could eventually loosen the maritime industry’s century-long dependence on Western-centred insurance infrastructure. Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend, the Russian president…
Carney Pushes Idea Of Making Canada ‘Associate Member’ Of EU
A drone view shows shipping containers at the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio Reuters September 13, 2026 BRUSSELS, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney wants a closer relationship with the European Union and is exploring whether his country could become an “associate member” of the bloc, the…
Flexport beats Peloton’s $33.7m FMC claim
Adis AjdinSeptember 11, 2026 Port of Long Beach Flexport has defeated a $33.7m Federal Maritime Commission claim brought by Peloton over detention, demurrage and storage costs accumulated during the pandemic-era supply chain crunch. Administrative law judge Mary Apostolakos Hervey rejected Peloton’s amended complaint in full, finding that Flexport had not violated the Shipping Act provisions…
Bremen: More military use at port and airport
Sep 9, 2026 at 6:24 PM The Senate of Bremen decided on September 8, 2026, to expand the Bremerhaven overseas port. This measure aims to prepare the port for the rapid relocation of personnel and materials of the Bundeswehr and its NATO partners in the event of a defense scenario. The Budget Committee of…
Port of Antwerp-Bruges strengthens trade with India
Sep 7, 2026 at 10:27 AM During the visit of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to India, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will host a high-level dialogue on the free trade agreement between India and the EU in Mumbai on September 4. Politics and business are to discuss trade opportunities. The port aims to…
Madrid tweaks shipbuilding support rules amid yard revival
Adis AjdinSeptember 7, 2026 AD Ports Spain has widened the rules governing state-backed ship financing, allowing previously approved projects to amend their subsidy awards when construction contracts or financing structures change substantially before delivery. Royal Decree, which entered into force on September 4, plugs a gap left by revisions to Spain’s shipbuilding support framework introduced…
Spirit of IMO alive, but Net Zero Framework progress limited
Following the end of the MEPC’s Intersessional Working Group on GHG the feeling was that the collaborative resolve remained but there was little tangible progress Nick Savvides,Europe correspondent September 7, 2026 Credit: IMO Delegates at the ISWG-GHG effectively had similar views on the four-day meeting that ended on Friday, that there was no shift in…
China and Europe Call for Cooperation in Shipbuilding
Sep 4, 2026 at 3:53 PM Chinese shipbuilders and European shipowners have called for closer cooperation in the areas of ship design, alternative fuels, and digitalization during the first China-Europe Maritime Summit, which took place as part of SMM 2026. The event was jointly organized by the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry…
COSCO brands US spying claims ‘totally unfounded’
Sam ChambersSeptember 4, 2026 Cosco COSCO, the world’s largest shipowner by fleet size, has strongly rejected allegations that its commercial vessels are being used to collect military intelligence for Beijing. The Chinese state-controlled group issued a statement after Reuters reported that two senior US administration officials believe COSCO ships carry concealed signals-intelligence equipment capable of…
US customs seeks 'heightened' import data from ocean carriers
CBP proposal could force earlier loading deadlines and raise port demurrage risks shipping companies John Gallagher,US Correspondent September 3, 2026 Rodney Scott, CBPCredit: CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is launching a broad effort to modernise trade data collection and close enforcement gaps across international supply chains with potential updated…
U.S. Lawmakers Push Tax Break for Merchant Mariners Working Overseas
Passakorn Umpornmaha/Shutterstock Mike Schuler September 2, 2026 A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced legislation that would give U.S. merchant mariners working in international trade a tax break similar to the one available to other Americans working overseas, part of a broader effort to address persistent mariner recruitment and retention challenges. The American Mariner…
New Zealand, US to Fund Cook Islands Port Upgrade
August 31, 2026 © Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock New Zealand and the U.S. will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War Two port on a Cook Islands’ atoll, the three governments said on Tuesday, in a fresh sign of Western efforts to reinforce ties in a Pacific region that is increasingly…
Seafarer dock work battle heads towards EU court
Photo of Grant Rowles Grant RowlesAugust 28, 20261 1,076 1 minute read A European legal battle over whether ships’ crews can be required to undertake cargo handling work in port has widened after the European Trade Union Confederation was allowed to intervene in an appeal before the Court of Appeal of The Hague. The case…
Malacca Strait littoral states stand firm on freedom of navigation
Conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz have put the even busier Straits of Malacca and Singapore under spotlight Marcus Hand,Editor August 25, 2026 Credit: Marcus Hand Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia have publicly reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The issue…
U.S. Takes Next Step Toward Nuclear-Powered Commercial Ships
FILE PHOTO: By Mr Nai / Shutterstock Mike Schuler August 24, 2026 The U.S. Maritime Administration has signed an agreement with nuclear technology developer CORE POWER to explore a pathway toward U.S.-flagged nuclear-powered commercial ships, expanding the Trump administration’s push to bring small modular reactors into the maritime sector. MARAD and CORE POWER (US) Inc.…
US Will Impose ‘Toughest Sanctions in History’ on Iran, Bessent Says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to the media after two days of meetings with a Chinese delegation, in Paris, France March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo Reuters August 20, 2026 By Kanishka Singh and Jana Choukeir WASHINGTON/DUBAI, Aug 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. will impose “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran, Treasury Secretary…
Trump delays higher tariffs for Canada as negotiations continue
Published on 2026-08-19 at 21:41 President Trump and Prime Minister Carney Shutterstock Two hours before his self-imposed deadline, President Trump has announced “a deal” with Canada and an agreement to postpone new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods for a further three days. Whether there is a new trade deal between the US…
Hapag Lloyd’s Zim deal scrutinised by Brazilian anti-trust
Brazil has launched a full review of Hapag-Lloyd’s acquisition of Zim due to overlapping operations on key services, potentially delaying the closure of the deal Nick Savvides,Europe correspondent August 19, 2026 Credit: Mr YC Chou via Zim During Hapag-Lloyd’s recent Q2 results announcement, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said he had no reason to believe the…