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Honoring the Mariner

This week, we honor mariners and the contributions they make to transporting more than 90% of the world’s goods and energy.  They are the backbone of our industry, enabling ships to be the engine of global trade.  They are also facing incredible change as we move forward in the Fourth Revolution.

As we celebrate the Day of the Seafarer, what are some of the actions we can take—today and tomorrow—to ensure their well-being?  We can operate ships in the most responsible way possible.  We can ensure that our mariners receive continuous training on operations and safety.  We can provide connectivity so they can reach their families.  We can look for signs of isolation or depression to get ahead of the growing mental health issues affecting them.  We can enable them to do their best.

As to preparing them for the industry of tomorrow?  It is important for all of us to identify the important role that the mariner will play in the paradigm shift that is taking place.  Some students today are hearing of the autonomous ships of the future and asking if there is a place for them?  Why would they enter an industry that has a short horizon?  We need to incorporate seafarers into our discussions of the changes industry is facing and include them, through education and training, in our industry evolution.

Keep optimizing,

Carleen

• Day of the Seafarer
• Emissions
• Biofouling
• Hull Coatings
• Digital/Blockchain
• Market Innovation
• Sustainability
• Underwater Noise
• Autonomous Shipping
• SHIPPINGInsight Awards Accepting Nominations
• SHIPPINGInsight Updates

On Day of the Seafarer, a Focus on Well-Being

2018-06-25 – On this year’s Day of the Seafarer, the International Maritime Organization is using its global platform to raise awareness of issues affecting seafarer well-being and mental health.  Seafaring has always been a challenging job, and many different factors affect the quality of life at sea. They include shore leave, the threat of abandonment, prompt payment of wages, the prospect of criminalization and even simple things like internet access and exercise facilities. . . READ MORE

The Future of the Modern Seafarers’ Profession

2018-06-25 – Shipping and seafarers keep world commerce and trade running. There are over 50,000 merchant ships trading internationally, transporting every kind of cargo. Around 90 percent of everything we see around us has traveled by sea at some point in its life, carried by the international shipping industry. It brings benefits to people across the world and it is the most efficient transport mode when large amounts of manufactured items or bulk transport of raw material needs to be moved around. . . READ MORE

Day of the Seafarer: Mental Wellbeing in Focus

2018-06-25 – 2017 and 2018 have seen strong momentum in the industry to address seafarer wellbeing, especially their mental health. This year’s campaign is centered around specific strategies to tackle stress and other issues affecting seafarers’ mental conditions –  and make the tools available more widely known. . . READ MORE

Reducing Port Emissions with Next-Generation Diesel Power

2018-06-22 – Diesel technology keeps ports moving. Trucks, trains, locomotives, cargo handling equipment, tugboats and workboats all predominantly rely on diesel fuel. According to the latest in-use statistics, 98 percent of port trucks are powered by diesel while larger applications like locomotives, tugs and ferries are exclusively powered by diesel. . . READ MORE

USCG gets set to enforce 2020 fuel sulfur cap

2018-06-19 – “We don’t believe there will be a shortage of 0.5 percent compliant fuel,” Rear Admiral John Nadeau, USCG, assistant commandant for prevention policy, said in a panel discussion at Posidonia this month, giving a Coast Guard perspective on the IMO 2020 sulfur cap. . . READ MORE

Grant Supports Zero-Emission Cargo Handling at Port of Long Beach

2018-06-22 – The Port of Long Beach is moving ahead with a $16.8 million project to build infrastructure that will support electric-powered, zero-emissions cargo-handling at the port.  Funded in part by an $8 million California Energy Commission grant, the Port Advanced Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) Project supports the first phase of a transition to zero-emissions at Total Terminals International’s container terminal at Pier T, the port’s largest. . . READ MORE

US announces funds to improve ecosystem and climate research

2018-06-24 – The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $15 million in funding for 27 projects in atmospheric and ecological sciences, in an effort to improve the ability of Earth system models to predict weather and climate.  The projects cover a wide range of topics in atmospheric and terrestrial ecosystem studies, ranging from the role of aerosols in cloud formations to the affects of hurricane damage on carbon cycling in Puerto Rican forests. . . READ MORE

Scorpio Tankers Opts Out of Scrubbers for Now

2018-06-22 – Scorpio Tankers, a pure product tanker company based in Monaco, plans to meet the IMO’s sulphur cap by burning compliant fuels, the company said.  All ships trading outside of sulphur Emission Control Areas (ECAs) will be required to use fuel with a sulphur content of up to 0.5 pct, a considerable reduction from the currently permitted maximum of 3.5 pct. . . READ MORE

Korea’s largest steel mill gets shipping partners to install scrubbers

2018-06-22 – Korea, Inc has thrown its weight behind scrubbers.  In a significant move, POSCO, one of the top five steel mills in the world, has signed with state-backed Korea Development Bank (KDB) and local lines to get scrubbers installed on bulkers delivering coal and iron ore to the steelmaker. . . READ MORE

IMO Workshop Addresses Impacts of Fouling

2018-06-21 – The build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures is known as biofouling. This can introduce potentially invasive non-native aquatic species to a new area. Fouling can also slow down a ship and impact on its energy efficiency.  An International Maritime Organization (IMO) regional workshop in  Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (20-22 June) aims to provide participants with a greater understanding of the requirements and implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the anti-fouling systems (AFS) convention and implementing biofouling guidelines. . . READ MORE

US Navy to develop fuel and energy saving coating

2018-06-22 – The US Navy informed that it is developing a new ship coating that will reduce fuel and energy costs. Namely, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring work by Dr. Anish Tuteja, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, to create an omniphobic coating. This coating is clear and can be applied to numerous surfaces. . . READ MORE

Blockchain technology: Big industries it will transform

2018-06-22 – More and more innovative uses of blockchain technology are showing up after the “cryptocurrency boom”. Not only banks and governments are assessing how to use the blockchain technologies but also sectors such as logistics, healthcare or media. The demand for greater understanding of this newly emerging decentralized technology is rising much faster than expected! Which other areas could, therefore, have blockchain in their future?. . . READ MORE

Shipping Must Embrace Digital Technologies -Marine Money Panel

2018-06-19 – “To be a top performer, you must embrace technology,” said Søren Meyer, Chief Strategy Officer, Maersk Tankers, speaking at the Marine Money Week conference in New York on Tuesday.  Meyer was referring to the industry-wide digitalization evolution currently underway in the tanker shipping sector, as part of a panel discussion with Frank Coles, President, Transas Group, Wartsila Voyage Solutions; and Scott G. Borgerson, Ph.D., CEO, CargoMetrics Technologies LLC. . . READ MORE

Approval Explorer – a new search engine to identify, locate and contact certified service suppliers and product manufacturers

How challenging is for shipping industry to be sustainable?

2018-06-01 – Around 90 % of the world trade is handled by the international shipping industry. Meaning that our industry is an integrated part of the global economy. But, which comes first? Profit, society or environment? It is critical to meet both the increasing environmental and social challenge with the right mindset and resources . . READ MORE

Sustainable shipping: Best practices

2018-06-03 – Sustainable shipping should be part of organizations’ corporate strategy; it recommends beneficial actions for various stakeholders that the organization relates with by achieving simultaneously financial, social and environmental benefits. Overall, these actions aim at the improvement of the competitiveness of the organization. The following examples describe good practices and successful cases of sustainable shipping implementation in the industry . . READ MORE

UN event focuses on reducing underwater noise

2018-06-19 – The nineteenth meeting of the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP 19) takes place from 18 to 22 of June 2018 at the UN Headquarters in New York, under the theme “Anthropogenic underwater noise.” The aim of ICP 10 is to protect marine life from ship noise . . READ MORE

Finland amends law to promote automation in maritime

2018-06-19 – Finnish Government submitted a bill on ships’ crews and the safety management of ships, promoting autonomous tests in maritime transport with regard to manning and watchkeeping. Under the submission, in future, exemptions to minimum vessel manning requirements and watchkeeping may be made for a fixed term in order to promote technological innovations . . READ MORE

Online Nominations Now Being Accepted for 2018 SHIPPINGInsight Awards

2018-06-21 – SHIPPINGInsight annually recognizes the partnership between shipowners and solution providers to improve industry operations.  The nominating period is now opened!  The 2018 SHIPPINGInsight Award will be presented at an Awards luncheon on the second day of the seventh SHIPPINGInsight Fleet Optimization Conference & Exhibition, Oct. 16-18, in Stamford, Connecticut . . READ MORE