By Jonathan Saul LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of weary seafarers stuck on ships for many months and unable to go home due to the coronavirus pose a risk to the safe operation of the world's merchant fleet, the UN's shipping chief said on Tuesday. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea and continued complications with changing over ship crews due … [Read more...]
UN Agencies Make Urgent Plea for Crew Changes and ‘Key Worker’ Designation for Seafarers
The heads of the maritime, labor and aviation agencies at the United Nations have issued a plea for urgent action on crew changes and for "key worker" designation so that ship and airplane crews can be relieved and repatriated safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint statement, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization … [Read more...]
Defending HFO Carriage Ban Breach, MSC Says Could Not Fit Scrubber Due to Coronavirus
MSC Joanna. File Photo: MarineTraffic.com/ARATINO By Jonathan Saul LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - The world's number two container line MSC is in talks with the United Arab Emirates after the Gulf country banned one of their vessels from entering its waters over what authorities said was a breach of tough new sulphur emissions rules for ships. This is one of the first … [Read more...]
IMO Headquarters Closes, Meetings Suspended Due to Coronavirus
IMO headquarters in London. Photo © IMO LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations'shipping agency, has closed its headquarters in London and postponed a session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). The IMO said the moves followed an assessment on Wednesday by the World Health Organization, … [Read more...]
IMO 2020 Entering New Phase with Carriage Ban
File Photo: Federico Rostagno / Shutterstock By Jack Wittels (Bloomberg) -- A tweak to new environmental rules for the shipping industry is just days from taking effect, closing off a loophole for would-be cheats looking to cut their fuel bills. Starting March 1, shippers will be prohibited from carrying highly sulfurous marine fuel for later consumption at sea, far from … [Read more...]