News Bulletin – 17 April 2021

16 Apr

1. New World Bank Research Finds Major Opportunities in Decarbonizing Maritime Transport

16 April 2021 : To lower and ultimately eliminate its climate impact, maritime transport needs to abandon the use of fossil-based bunker fuels and turn toward ‘zero-carbon bunker fuels’, namely shipping fuels which emit zero or at most very low greenhouse (GHG) emissions across their lifecycles. The first report being launched today, “The Potential of Zero-Carbon Bunker Fuels in Developing Countries”, identifies two alternative fuels – ammonia and hydrogen – as the most promising zero-carbon bunker fuels for shipping at present, more scalable and cost-competitive than other biofuel or synthetic carbon-based options.

2. Container sector will play its part in vaccine logistics, eventually

16 April 2021 : Speaking at Containing Covid-19: Containerisation’s role in global vaccine distribution, the panel explained that pressure to move COVID vaccine cargoes to ocean freight will build as countries and companies look to cut the delivered cost of vaccines.

“We don’t have endless supplies of money and this is something governments need to be careful on. The target price for vaccines is $3-5 per dose and transportation costs can be up to 30 or 40%,” said Michael Culme-Seymour, VP & Managing Director at APAC Roambee.

3. India Gets its Very First FSRU

16 April 2021 : India’s First Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh Terminal in Maharashtra. On Monday, the FSRU HOEGH GIANT sailed from Keppel Shipyard, Singapore before being berthed at Jaigarh terminal. As per statements from H-Energy, this would become the first year-round Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Located in the Western Coast of India at the JSW Jaigarh Port in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, the port is set to serve as the first deep water, 24×7 operational private port in Maharashtra.

15 Apr

4. Philippines: Seafarers in Covid-19 vaccine priority list

15 Apr 2021 : CLARK FREEPORT — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that seafarers are included in the Covid-19 vaccination priority list.
This, after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the recommendation of the DOTr to include them in the priority recipients listed in the government’s national vaccination rollout.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade welcomed the development and cited the contribution of Filipino seamen in the country’s economy.

5. Remote Operations and the advantages for maritime

15 Apr 2021 : When it comes to industries undergoing large-scale digital disruption, the maritime industry may not be at the forefront. However, developments in remote technology are opening up new opportunities and efficiencies for maritime operations, and the effect of the global pandemic has been to significantly accelerate this.

For the shipping industry, a greater willingness to adopt remote processes in a sector that prioritised human intervention has emerged, as the world gets to grips with a huge growth in demand for video conferencing and e-commerce. Further, interest has peaked in applications for IoT, process automation, remote installation and support, and telemedicine.

14 Apr

6. Seafair selected to improve seafarer management for Pantheon Tankers

14 Apr 2021 : Pantheon Tankers, Alpha Bulkers and Alpha Gas, a group of companies that operate 70 vessels, have engaged Seafair to build customized software to improve seafarer management.The engagement aims at helping the company’s crew and training departments make more informed decisions on seafarer selection and monitoring. The outcomes are in line with the company’s long term commitment to retain, enable and develop its seafarers.Seafair’s engagement with Pantheon Tankers is in line with its commitment to build the next generation of crewing software. Seafair’s goal is to help the industry move from legacy systems to software that acts as a virtual assistant providing useful information and insights to its users.

7. Shipping companies can support seafarers mental wellbeing with technology

14 Apr 2021 : During Stress Awareness Month Hanseaticsoft is recommending that shipping companies take a fresh approach to mental wellbeing and make use of technology to support the mental health of seafarers.This follows research from Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS) which showed a rise in mental health problems among seafarers in a three-month period to the end of February. The report showed heightened anxiety from seafarers onboard, with burnout and depression being reported. MHSS also saw an increase in requests for counselling support, and this was highest during December, which includes Christmas and year-end holidays, and times normally spent with families.

12 Apr

8. Seafarers Grateful for Le Havre Support Initiative

12 Apr 2021 : Seafarers calling at Port of Le Havre are very appreciative of an initiative started by local associations and private operators providing moral support during their call at Le Havre. “As we had our call in Le Havre on March 17, we were really overwhelmed by the warmth of your welcome. Of course, we really appreciated the baguettes and croissants, but the (entire) gesture filled us with joy. We as seafarers are still appreciated!” the captain of the tanker Scheldedijk wrote in a letter to Seamen’s club Le Havre. The captain added that, during the pandemic, the life of seafarers is uncomfortable, with no permission to leave the ship at ports.

References :

– www.miragenews.com

– www.seatrade-maritime.com

– www.fleetmon.com

– www.sunstar.com.ph

– www.rivieramm.com

– www.hellenicshippingnews.com

– seanews.co.uk

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p align=”justify”>– www.cruiseindustrynews.com