Two seafarers die in blaze on Chemship tanker  | Trade Winds
Engine room fire brought under control but chemical carrier adrift off Portugal

Maersk charters cruiseship to repatriate stranded Kiribati seafarers | Trade Winds
Danish owner can get 140 crew members to Fiji, but Kiribati is still resisting direct return home

MAERSK container ship interrupted voyage after accident in engine room | Maritime Bulletin
Nov 23 UPDATE: The ship interrupted voyage to medevac a crew member, who was badly injured in an accident in engine room, understood on Nov 22 or Nov 23, when the ship was sailing along northwest coast of New Guinea, Indonesia, en route from Sydney to Shanghai. Filipino seaman was medevaced by Indonesian Navy, and transferred to hospital, JPO AQUARIUS resumed voyage with ETA Shanghai Nov 25 (she probably, won’t make it in time). Character of accident unknown.

Tanker Master’s Fatigue Cited in $73 Million Marine Accident | G Captain
A tanker operating company’s decision to change masters without a handover period led to a $72.9 million marine accident off the coast of Louisiana, according to a National Transportation Safety Board Marine Accident Brief issued Tuesday.

Eight More Merchant Mariners Charged in Test-Score Fixing Scheme | G Captain
Eight additional current and former merchant mariners have been indicted related to a test score-fixing scheme at a United States Coast Guard exam center in Louisiana.

How the world’s big shipping lines are spending their pandemic profits | Quartz
The world’s largest shipping lines are reaching the peak of their most profitable run in history. Now, they’re starting to decide how they’ll invest the billions of dollars they’re raking in each quarter.

The worst is over for global supply chains, but shipping association says industry faces lingering issues | CNBC
The worst of global supply chain disruptions is over, said Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping.
Retailers had made a “significant level” of pre-orders and that should help ease shortages of goods, and new container shipping capacity will be added in the next 24 to 36 months, he said.
But the shipping industry is still dealing with other lingering issues, including the difficulties in crew changes and the slow progress in vaccinating seafarers, said Poulsson.

Chinese seafarers’ basic salary to increase 7% from 2022 | Seatrade Maritime News 
China Shipowner’s Association and China National Committee of the Chinese Seaman & Construction Workers’ Union have agreed to sign the 2022 version of Chinese Seaman Collective Agreement, which will be effective starting from 1 January 2022.

GB Terminals' plans to cut 50 jobs at Sheerness docks prompts strike ballot | Kent Online
Dock workers in Sheppey are considering striking over plans to cut more than 50 jobs.
The proposals, from employers GB Terminals, also include cutting overtime and has prompted a strike ballot from employees at Sheerness docks, which will take place between Thursday, November 25 and Thursday, December 9.

Svitzer’s UK tug fleet to run on biofuel | Ship Insight
AP Moller-Maersk towing subsidiary Svitzer has announced that after conducting a successful pilot, it will convert its whole fleet of 10 tugs in London and Medway to be powered by marine biofuel.
 

Tackling the challenge of recognising seafarer vaccinations | Seatrade Maritime News
With crew change set to continue being a challenge in 2022 the vaccination of seafarers and recognition of that vaccinated status are seen as a key issues by senior leaders from across the spectrum of the industry including unions, shipowners, and government authority representatives.

Warning of future seafarer crisis due to pandemic suffering | Seatrade Maritime News
Maritime employers warn of a crisis brewing as seafarers quit due to Covid deprivations and young people turn away from the industry as a result of the suffering they can see.

ISWAN looks back on an extraordinary year for seafarers | Hellenic Shipping News
With calls and messages to its 24-hour helplines more than tripling last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) has had a unique insight into the challenges faced by seafarers around the world.

West coast dockworkers reject extension of US labour contract | Lloyd’s List
Letters seen by Lloyd’s List reject the request for another extension of the current contract. ILWU has dismissed concerns that negotiations will disrupt the already fragile global supply chain
‘We’ll see you at the bargaining table,’ International Longshore & Warehouse Union tells Pacific Maritime Association as the scene is set for a tense round of labour negotiations amid record profits for carriers

Ports congestion holds back nascent global growth revival | Hellenic Shipping News
Just as strained supply chains have weighed on global economy amid the enduring devastation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, congestion at many of the world’s major ports offer a snapshot of the clogged arteries of global commerce.

Container shipping lines smash profits made by Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google | Splash 247
Shipping, long castigated for its lack of appeal to millennials and Gen Z, has chalked up an impressive stat to give it some street cred to today’s college graduates. Liner shipping is now earning more dollars than many of the the best known names in Big Tech.

California ports report supply chain progress, delay fines for lingering cargo containers | CNBC
The nation’s busiest port complex will delay imposing fines on carriers for lingering containers awaiting pickup, citing significant improvements in the supply chain.

UK revealed to have the highest shipping costs in Europe as dockers struggle to clear backlog of deliveries | iNews
The average price for sending a 20ft container of goods from Shanghai to the UK is 24 per cent higher than for ports on the Continent

EU states block zero-emissions resolution at IMO | Lloyd’s List
European Union member states said the target should be discussed instead alongside concrete emissions measures, or as part of the 2023 revision of the IMO’s greenhouse gas strategy
A host of EU members as well as China, Russia and India lined up to oppose a resolution for the IMO to set a zero-emissions target by 2050, just as they spoke of the need for strong action on climate change

Yara Debuts Yara Birkeland, the World’s First Autonomous and Emission-Free Containership | G Captain
Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara has debuted its long-awaited Yara Birkeland, the world’s first electric and autonomous container ship for emission-free shipping. The ship departed for its maiden voyage Friday in the Oslo fjord.

Vaccinations are key to solving supply chain issues, says UN report | Lloyd’s List
Review of Maritime Transport report finds no end in sight to high freight rates until demand for goods and services rebalances
UN Conference on Trade and Development says it is concerned about container lines expanding into ports, freight forwarding and intermodal transport, saying the oligopolistic nature of the box shipping industry was ‘not a good sign’

Two years into our brave new Covid-19 world, let’s hear it for shipping | Lloyd’s List
Coronavirus will be with us for a long time yet. But our industry will keep world trade moving, and deserves massive credit for doing so
No one would describe the last two years as getting off lightly. But the ingenuity of humanity — aided in no small way by shipping’s tenacity — has averted the doomsday scenario

Vatican warns of human rights violations against seafarers | NCR
Vatican City — World leaders and international organizations must do more to protect thousands of men and women in the fishing industry who suffer continued human rights violations, said Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

One of the largest ports in North America is experiencing big delays due to flooding in Pacific Northwest, officials say | CNN
Traffic to the Port of Vancouver has been stalled due to flooding in the Pacific Northwest -- and the disruption could last for days.

‘I can’t see any positives’: return of cruise ships may bring a storm of protest to regional Australian ports | The Guardian
Post-Covid cruising industry wants picturesque towns on its itineraries, while locals fear the pollution and damage the ships can bring

ISOLATED SEAFARERS JABBED AT SEA BY MAKESHIFT CLINICS | NBN
There were 10 new covid cases in the Hunter today, and while most freedoms have returned for the double jabbed, hundreds of seafarers remain stuck on ships off our coast.

Timaru Port workers vote to strike | Voxy
The results of a secret ballot of Port of Timaru workers saw an overwhelming majority vote for strike action to pursue a general wage increase of 8%. 94% of workers voting supported industrial action.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) South Island Organiser John Kerr says the decision was not taken lightly, but was a reflection of the strongly held views of port workers.

UK’s first new freeports ‘open for business’ | Lloyd’s List
Humber, Teesside and Thames are the first three special economic zones in the freeports package of eight locations, the UK Treasury confirmed last month Thames Freeport says a new range of financial incentives for businesses, including ‘being part of a customs zone, which will enable businesses to continue to have low-friction trade processes with the EU and global markets’. Humber and Teesside freeports also understood to be up and running this month

APMT to operate new container terminal at Plaquemines Port | Port Technology
Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District (PPHTD) has announced a Letter of Intent which states APM Terminals (APMT) will become the operator of a newly planned container terminal and intermodal rail facility at the port.

CMA CGM revenues double on higher freight earnings | Lloyd’s List
Congestion meant fewer liftings for the French carriers but earnings still soared
CMA CGM expects the market to remain strong during the fourth quarter of the year. It has boosted its spending on ships and terminals, and is now adding more aircraft as well

Shipping lines have reached the peak of their pricing power | Quartz
Before the pandemic, the world’s largest shipping lines eked out narrow profits in a fiercely competitive industry. Retailers booked and canceled orders with impunity, while shipping firms slashed freight prices to retain their mercurial customers. Then, covid upended global supply chains and reversed that power dynamic virtually overnight.

Maersk turns to green finance for methanol newbuildings | Lloyd’s List
Instruments are designed to integrate sustainability into finance model 
Maersk has been at the forefront of putting money into decarbonisation. It has now put a framework in place to raise funds to finance those developments

France Is Prepared To Help Their Fishermen If They Don’t Obtain Licenses From U.K. | G Captain
France will continue supporting its fishermen as talks with the U.K. on post-Brexit fish licenses drag on, according to Gabriel Attal, the spokesman for the French government.
 

8. november

Global Maritime Forum backs ITF just transition plan in new employer-union climate alliance | ITF Seafarers
A clear, common purpose is emerging in the shipping industry for stronger action on climate change ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this week.

Transport workers and their unions are showing up at COP: We demand climate action and decent work | ITF Seafarers
The COP26 Summit is underway in Glasgow and trade unionists and activists are in the thick of the proceedings.

Shipping giant Maersk’s shift into air freight is undermining its green ambitions | Quartz
A.P. Moeller Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, announced an expansion of its air freight business this week, dipping into the record profits the company is earning during the pandemic-induced supply chain chaos. The deal included acquiring Senator, a German logistics company that runs 19 cargo flights a week around the world , for $644 million, two new Boeing 777F cargo planes that sell for about $350 million each in the open market, and leasing three more cargo planes.

The Next Shipping Crisis: A Maritime Labor Shortage | The Washington Post
There are dozens of ships anchored off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach this week, imperiling global supply chains and holiday gifts. Also imperiled? The safety and well-being of the seafarers working on those ships, many of whom haven’t touched land in more than a year due to pandemic-era restrictions and the backup of vessels vying for berths in clogged ports. Among other issues, seafarers stuck on ships report declining mental and physical health, with limited access to medical care, growing tensions between crew members and fatigue that labor groups say jeopardizes maritime safety.

Employing women on board ships: a solution to the problem of seafaring shortages | Medi Telegraph
Compared to 2015, the number of women employed on ships has increased by 45% to around 24,000, including 7,300 officers and 16,800 ratings. Still very few, less than 1.30% of the seagoing personnel, with a prevalent use in the cruise sector

APMT starts construction on Rijeka Gateway terminal | Lloyd’s List
Joint-venture terminal will have a capacity of over 1m teu when completed
Maersk’s terminal operating division is expanding into the Adriatic. It expects its new Croatian terminal will become a hub for central European cargo

Transport Workers Call For Radical Transformation To Public Ownership | Scoop NZ
As members of the Labour Party get ready for their 2021 Conference, four transport unions - representing 40,000 workers across Aotearoa - have written to the Party leadership, calling for a new level of ambition to match the scale of the climate crisis, with an emphasis on decarbonising transport through public ownership.

Suez Canal to raise fees, heaping pressure on global supply chains | The Guardian
With shipping industry still recovering from Ever Given crisis, transit tolls are increasing by 6%

Shipping is broken. Here’s how to fix it. | Vox
Holiday season shipping is making supply chain problems worse, but there’s hope for next year.

Tugboat towing barge runs aground off B.C. coast | Vancouver Sun
The close call happened near the place where the tugboat Ingenika sank in February, killing two men.