Port of Geraldton cancels suite of anti-COVID measures

Pictured: a conceptual representation of different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Graphic: colour modified by Shipping Australia of the original provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Several maritime-related rules to combat COVID have been cancelled at the Port of Geraldton, according to a new Harbour Master Instruction from Mid West Ports.

The Instruction noted that vaccinations have occurred on a global scale, that a “high” level...

https://www.shippingaustralia.com.au/port-of-geraldton-cancels-suite-of-anti-covid-measures/

Embracing Port Call Digitalisation

Credit: Stolt Tankers

At a recent joint symposium organised with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and BIMCO, and hosted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) to mark one year until it is mandatory for ports, says an article published on Porttechnology.

Electronic exchange of information

In Member States to operate Maritime Single Windows (MSWs) for the electronic exchange of information, a senior development official commented: “Given the importance, one is a little...

https://mfame.guru/embracing-port-call-digitalisation/

Due To Covid Limitations, Sinopec’s 2022 Net Profit Declines By 6.9%

Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

Sinopec Corp., commonly known as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (600028.SS), reported a 6.9% fall in net income for 2022 as a result of Beijing’s COVID-19 control measures and a decline in petrochemical consumption, as reported by Reuters.

Sales tumbled 

According to Chinese accounting norms, net profit last year was 66.3 billion yuan ($9.65 billion), down from 71.21 billion yuan in 2021, the largest Asian oil refiner reported in a stock exchange filing on Sunday.

Sinopec...

https://mfame.guru/due-to-covid-limitations-sinopecs-2022-net-profit-declines-by-6-9/

Global Oil Stocks At 18-Month High: IEA

Credit: ian-taylor-unsplash

Global oil stocks have built to their highest level in 18 months, the IEA said today, which could provide a buffer later in the year when supplies will be “nowhere close” to matching demand, says an article published on Argusmedia.

Global inventories

The IEA’s monthly Oil Market Report (OMR) said global inventories rose by 52.9mn bl in January to 7.8bn bl, the highest since September 2021.

There were big builds in OECD countries, driven by reduced demand and by European...

https://mfame.guru/global-oil-stocks-at-18-month-high-iea/

Learning lessons from the pandemic

Designating transport workers, including seafarers, as keyworkers and ensuring such workers’ needs and challenges are voiced during a pandemic are among the recently published recommendations from a joint United Nations and industry sector action group.

The Joint Action Group was established in December 2021 to review the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s transport workers and the global supply chain.

The Group included IMO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World...

https://maritime-professionals.com/learning-lessons-from-the-pandemic/

Cruise Ships Return to Japan Three Years After ‘Diamond Princess’ Kicked Off a Global Pandemic

By Low De Wei (Bloomberg) — International cruise ships are returning to Japan, three years after the Diamond Princess became the world’s first luxury ship to face a major Covid outbreak.  Amadea, operated by Germany-based Phoenix Reisen, is now docked in Tokyo Bay after earlier arriving at a port in Shizuoka prefecture in western Japan, according to shipping data tracked by Bloomberg. The outbreak on Carnival Corp.’s Diamond Princess, which docked on the country’s shores in February 2020, drew...

https://gcaptain.com/cruise-ships-return-to-japan-three-years-after-diamond-princess-kicked-off-a-global-pandemic/

The US And China Exchange Words Over Covid-19 Origins

Credits: Vladimir Fedotov/Unsplash

The US envoy to China has called on the country to be “more honest” about the origins of the Covid-19 virus. His comments come a day after US media reported that a federal agency had found the pandemic probably started from a laboratory leak in Wuhan.

Accidental Leak ?

The Department of Energy reportedly concluded with “low confidence” that the virus was accidentally leaked. China’s foreign ministry hit back, saying Covid’s origin “was about science and should...

https://mfame.guru/the-us-and-china-exchange-words-over-covid-19-origins/

Pentagon Not Pursuing Separate Reentry Path For Vaccine Separated Service Members

Lance Cpl. Carlos Benitez, assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, receives a COVID-19 booster shot aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) on March 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Department of Defense will not issue a separate policy to bring back service members who were separated for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a top Pentagon personnel chief testified to Congress on Tuesday.

Service personnel who were separated for failing to get vaccinated...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/28/pentagon-not-pursuing-separate-reentry-path-for-vaccine-separated-service-members

Opinion: World Trade Boom Keeps De-Globalization at Bay

By Jamie McGeever ORLANDO, Fla., Feb 27 (Reuters) – Globalization may have peaked, but the resilience of world trade in the face of mounting headwinds means a reversal of the past three decades is not inevitable.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shattered global supply chains, debate has raged over how integrated the global economy will be in the future compared with the previous 30 to 40 years. ‘Globalization’ is an amorphous subject. According to the International...

https://gcaptain.com/opinion-world-trade-boom-keeps-de-globalization-at-bay/

Navy Lifts Deployment Restrictions on Sailors Not Vaccinated Against COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are pre-staged for a shot event in the hangar bay aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Dec. 28, 2021. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO – The Navy will no longer consider COVID-19 vaccination status when making decisions about sailor deployments – a reversal of more than a year of service policy, according to new Navy guidance released this week.

COVID-19 vaccination status cannot be considered when determining if someone can be deployed, according to the new standardized...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/16/navy-lifts-deployment-restrictions-on-sailors-not-vaccinated-against-covid-19

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