EU strikes initial deal on ETS for shipping
EU institutions have hammered out a preliminary agreement to include shipping within the scope of the emissions trading system (ETS). Under the deal struck last week, all ships of 5,000 gt and over within the EU will be required to pay for 100 per cent of their emissions, while 50 per cent of the emissions…
US FMC announces interim procedures for processing charge complaints
Kim BiggarDecember 2, 2022 Port of Long Beach The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) yesterday announced its interim procedures to review, investigate and adjudicate charge complaints. The FMC said in a release that US shippers have responded positively to the new opportunity, established via the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, to challenge carrier charges…
EU to levy CO2 emission tax on shipping beyond its waters
THE European Commission has decided to impose its market-based carbon tax on shipping, beyond its territorial waters, forcing vessels to pay for their emissions, reports Reuters. The shipping sector has so far escaped the EU tax, which requires factories and power plants to buy permits when they emit carbon dioxide, providing a financial incentive to…
Tsakos urges Rishi Sunak to make London a more attractive place for shipowners
Sam ChambersNovember 30, 2022 Intertanko One of Greece’s most famous shipowners has called on the new Rishi Sunak administration in the UK to make London a more attractive place for shipowners. Nikolas Tsakos, the head of tanker giant Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN), has decided to come onboard as a sponsor of next year’s London International…
EC must rethink a consortia block exemption not fit for purpose, say shippers
© Wissanu Sirapat Dreamstime.com. By Nick Savvides 29/11/2022 Shippers expect the latest review of the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) to result in changes to the rules, following the delayed publication of the EC’s initial view on the consultation. Henrik Mørch, director of services, DG comp at the EC, revealed at last week’s Logistics…
Marine sector suspects EU CO2 tax will go to non-marine use
EUROPEAN policy-makers are facing criticism from the maritime sector as they finalise the cap-and-trade emissions reduction system that kicks in January 1, reports IHS Media. The three policymaking bodies – the European Commission, European Parliament, and European Council – meet November 29 in a final negotiating round to thrash out differences in how the EU…
Stena ferry boss attacks EU over border controls
Fears grow that UK trade will suffer if Brussels refuses to soften new border checks By : Oliver Gill, Niclas Mårtensson has called for a ‘compromise’ between the EU and UK on trade across the Irish border CREDIT: Stena Line The EU is complicating post-Brexit trade with its tough approach towards border controls, according to…
Sales of German chip facilities to Chinese investors blocked
GERMANY has blocked the sale of two important companies to Chinese investors as Berlin toughens its stance on attempts to scoop up critical assets and “Made in Germany” technology, reports Bloomberg. The German government blocked the sale of Elmos Semiconductor SE’s wafer facility to a Swedish subsidiary of China’s Sai MicroElectronics as well as a…
Canada moves to “modernise” port authorities and strengthen foreign investment controls
News24 Nov 2022by WCN Editorial Reforms will give port authorities a wider mandate to manage vessel traffic, invest in inland terminals and collect and share data; and lower the financial threshold triggering a review of private investment in port infrastructure. The Canadian Federal Government has introduced legislation that amends the Canada Marine Act and several other…
Mississippi GOP senator protests Puerto Rico Jones Act waivers
MISSISSIPPI Senator Roger Wicker, the ranking member on the Senate transportation committee, has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas criticising his decision to waive the Jones Act for shipments of diesel and LNG to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona. “These waivers were unlawful, unnecessary, and in direct contradiction to…
Samsung lodges 'unreasonable D&D fees' complaint against Zim with FMC
Photo 181270733 © Hieronymusukkel | Dreamstime.com By Gavin van Marle 27/10/2022 South Korean electronic goods giant Samsung has become the latest major shipper to head to the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in protest at “unreasonable demurrage and detention” fees, in a complaint lodged yesterday against Israeli carrier Zim. From the beginning of 2020, Samsung…
FMC probes chassis supply under Ocean Shipping Reform Act
THE National Academies of Science will conduct the US$500,000 review of existing chassis pools serving American ports to determine the way forward. The Federal Maritime Commission is funding a study to address challenges within US intermodal chassis pools, which have contributed to congestion at major US ports during the pandemic, reports Transport Dive of Washington,…
EU Warned Germany Against China Port Buy
Port Of Hamburg Photo by Hamburg Water Police Reuters October 23, 2022 Related News German Chancellor Tries to Quell Dispute Over Port Deal with China’s COSCO October 21, 2022 Hamburg Port Backs COSCO Terminal Acquisition Over German Government’s China Concerns September 22, 2022 Hamburg Mayor Says Rejecting China COSCO Bid for Container Terminal Would Be…
Politicians demand answers on ‘novel and problematic’ Jones Act waiver
Kim BiggarOctober 24, 2022 Ruud Coster / MarineTraffic Bipartisan leaders of the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote last week to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Transportation to express their concern related to a Jones Act waiver issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the delivery of fuel to…
Shots Fired In Jones Act Debate
Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Navy Capt. (Dr.) Kelly Elmore, Chief of Staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center participate in a fireside chat at WRNMMC June 29 in observance of Pride Month. (Photographs by Harvey A. Duze – Office of Command Communications) John Konrad October 21, 2022 Related News American…
MARAD Letter Reveals New Details About Latest Unusual Jones Act Waiver in Puerto Rico
Stock Photo: By donvictorio / Shutterstock Mike Schuler October 20, 2022 MARAD determination letter reveals a sudden weekend scramble to waive the Jones Act to avoid what Puerto Rico’s governor described as an imminent power emergency. A determination letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is shedding new light on the Jones…
Canberra presses ahead with national fleet plans
Sam ChambersOctober 20, 2022 The new Australian government today laid out plans towards the creation of a national fleet, something vehemently opposed by the local shipowning association. A new taskforce has been appointed to speed up the creation of an Australian-flagged and crewed fleet. Infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government minister Catherine King said:…
Brexit has resulted in a 'significant decline' in trade flows with the EU
© Mariusz Burcz By Charlie Bartlett 20/10/2022 Brexit has caused UK-EU trade flows to fall by 16%, while EU-UK trade has dropped 20%, according to a report today by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Based on data by HMRC and Eurostat, ESRI said the impacts it had quantified were solely as a result…
Europe’s lawmakers vote for world’s first green shipping fuel requirement
T&E news release View in your browser Europe’s lawmakers vote for world’s first green shipping fuel requirementFor immediate release – Brussels, 19 October 2022 Link to reaction Europe’s lawmakers voted today in favour of a 2% mandate for green shipping fuels by 2030. Transport & Environment (T&E) welcomes the world’s…
FMC Proposing New Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements
Cargo containers pile up at a marine terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles Cargo containers pile up at a marine terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles GCaptain October 14, 2022 The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is proposing a new rule…
What does the 20th Party Congress mean for shipping?
SplashOctober 13, 2022 Shipping is holding its breath as political leaders gather in Beijing. Charlie Du Cane pours some caution to those hoping Xi Jinping’s reappointment will instantly see an economic boost to shipping’s most important nation. Chinese ‘Kremlinologists’ have been working overtime recently – to their usual lack of good effect. We have had…