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NEW VENUE | NEW FORMAT | NEW IDEAS | NEW OPPORTUNITIES | NEW ERA

Happy New Year!  I hope the holidays were kind to you!

With the new year underway, I reached out to learn what some of our industry leaders are seeing in their 2019 crystal balls:

Kirsi Tikka, Executive Vice President and Senior Maritime Advisor, ABS
Shipping’s focus in 2019 will remain fixed firmly on the IMO 2020 regulatory deadline on sulfur limits in marine fuel, and at the same time the industry will start to prepare for the reduction of greenhouse gases from shipping to meet the 2030 and 2050 targets.

These targets are not challenges that we have solutions for at present. We won’t be able to use today’s technology alone to meet tomorrow’s efficiency, air pollution or carbon emission requirements. Instead, it will require new ways of thinking about innovation and collaboration.

Although 2050 may seem far away today, the technology development, adoption and implementation must start well before 2030 to enable the required shifts in technical and logistical solutions.

Don Carroll, VP Group Operations, MTM Management:
What will 2019 bring to the Maritime Industry?  First thought is uncertainty.  Trade wars and tariffs can only hinder growth, trade and shipping.  China and the US have to come to terms.   Is it possible for them to achieve this?

Second is volatility.  The IMO has shown a total disregard for the global economic impact of some of their regulations.  People have rioted in France in 2018 due to intended fuel taxes.  What will they and many other nations do once the 2020 Sulphur regulations take effect?   It is not just ship owners who face higher fuel costs, but globally, so will the trucking industry, airline industry, and private citizens who own automobiles.  All may be paying higher fuel costs due to higher demand for the clean fuels.  This will then raise the costs for all who use these services which in turn will be passed on to consumers.  This will result in price increases for almost all products used by the average consumer worldwide.  The initial stages of this most likely will begin 4th quarter 2019.  Safeguarding the environment is extremely important, but all the mistakes of years passed cannot be fixed “overnight”!  Reasonable structure is needed.

Third, an extreme need by ship owners for rising freight rates.  Charterers have to accept higher freight rates are coming.  Many would drive an owner out of business for a 50 cents per ton freight reduction, and many brokers would assist them by trying to get an additional 50 cents reduction – all the while knowing Owners can’t afford the reductions.  Owners have no choice but to start passing costs for 2020 fuel regulations, ballast water treatment systems, emissions compliance costs, and rising operating costs onto Charterers.  Either they do this, or many will go out of business.

Let me know what you think 2019 will deliver to us!

Keep optimizing,

Carleen

• Interview with Daniel Giani, Bureau Veritas
• Scrubbers
• Autonomous
• Sulphur
• Blockchain
• Alternative Fuels
• Trends
• SHIPPINGInsight Updates

Pollution-Busting Scrubbers Spark Uproar in Global Shipping

2018-12-21 – They’re large, they’re expensive and they’re increasingly controversial.  Scrubbers, a type of exhaust filter installed in ships, have been hailed by some as the key to efforts by the industry to comply with new pollution regulations due in 2020. Yet ports and shipping companies are starting to question their credentials when compared with cleaner fuel, and environmental organizations have warned they may enable shippers to dodge obligations to move on from dirty fuel. . . READ MORE

Autonomy: The Vision of Autonomous Shipping

2018-12-24 – The end of 2018 provides an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the measures that have been taken by the maritime industry over the past year to develop a better understanding of autonomous shipping. . . READ MORE

Twelve Months to D-Day: Is the Industry Ready for the Sulfur Cap?

2018-12-26 – As we head into 2019, the sulfur cap regulation remains top of the agenda for shipowners and operators. Effective enforcement of the regulation continues to be a daunting challenge for shipowners and regulators alike, and with only 12 months to the implementation date, the lack of robust enforcement mechanisms is giving rise to widespread concerns – and rightly so. . . READ MORE

A Force Awakens

2018-12-25 – Blockchain is revolutionizing the way transactions are done – and cutting costs in the process. Is it right for you?. . . READ MORE

NYK gets green loan to finance methanol-fueled newbuild

2018-12-27 – Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) is to receive 2 billion yen (about $18 million) from Taiyo Life Insurance Company as a green loan to finance the building of its first methanol fueled chemical tanker. . . READ MORE

Shipping trends: A look into a Millennial’s mind

2018-09-03 – Millennials, one of the largest generations in history, is undoubtedly at its prime spending years. Have you ever wondered how the Millennials are poised to reshape maritime industry? Their unique experiences are going to change the ways we live and work, forcing shipping organisations to examine how they will operate for decades to come. . . READ MORE

AIS Problems Revealed in East China Sea

2018-12-27 – Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are causing problems for mariners transiting waters where there are high concentrations of fishing vessels, particularly in the East China Sea. The issue is not the fault of the AIS but the inappropriate use of the technology. . . READ MORE

Cargo Ships Can Go Green With New Technologies: Editorial

2018-12-28 – Shipping is the lifeblood of global commerce — more than 80 percent of world trade goes by water. But the industry is also an environmental menace, producing as much carbon dioxide annually as Germany. . . READ MORE

Winds of Change

2018-12-31 – Tugboat operations in the U.S. haven’t changed much in decades. Long-established companies – often family-owned – see little reason to change in a sector that, by and large, works effectively and provides vital links in America’s complex supply chain. . . READ MORE

2019: Smart Containers, Trade Wars, Automation Gains

2018-12-27 – Major opportunities are on the horizon for ocean shipping as the rapid pace of technology change will continue unabated through 2019 and beyond, according to industry research conducted by Navis, a part of Cargotec Corporation. The company predicts that the biggest trends driving the industry over the next year will include increased IT spending, greater collaboration and data standardization, trade wars, smart containers, automation productivity gains, and improved carrier capacity management and environmental efficiencies. . . READ MORE