Is it time for the US to set the Jones Act adrift?

The Jones Act: an arcane law that should be consigned to the maritime history books, or a timeless piece of legislation that continues to strengthen US national security, and protect both maritime workers and the environment?

Outside of shipping circles, the question has been raised periodically, most recently in 2017 when President Donald Trump suspended the law for ten days to allow US-registered ships to deliver relief supplies to Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria.

Under the Jones Act, the...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/jones-act-shipping-american-ports/

Zencargo: a digital approach to shipping efficiency

The shipping industry is known to be sceptical towards new technologies and scarcely interested in digitisation, but, willing or not, it is increasingly required to embrace it.

Digital logistics company Zencargo couldn’t find better timing to enter this market. Launched by entrepreneurs Alex Hersham and Richard Fattal in 2017, Zencargo is a platform that aims to make logistics easier for shippers.

Estimates from the company predict the logistics sector to be worth $15.5bn by 2023, and the marine...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/zencargo-digital-approach-shipping-efficiency/

Berth control: looking at the potential of auto-berthing technology

In August this year came the announcement that a group of Japanese organisations had joined forces to come up with a new auto-berthing shipping technology.

The consortium, which includes shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), alongside Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMST), aims to bring autonomous berthing and un-berthing tech to the Japanese market by 2025.

The project is ambitious in its scope, but comes as little surprise. Tokyo – which is funding the initiative – has made...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/berth-control-looking-potential-auto-berthing-technology/

Fair Winds Trading Company: building an ethical ship

The Senegalese region of Casamance, in West Africa, is a remote coastal area that, due to its location, has been excluded from world markets for many years. The population has faced poverty and isolation but were recently given a chance of economic rebirth.

In 2007, Madadh MacLaine, a Scottish activist and entrepreneur, landed in the Casamance region with her infant daughters and saw in the area and its inhabitants a business opportunity that is slowly becoming a reality.

A ship enthusiast and...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/fair-winds-trading-company-building-ethical-ship/

A tour de force of Viking Orion’s maiden voyage

When Torstein Hagen, founder and chairman of Viking Cruises, shares the figures that prove Viking’s success since sailing into the cruise market 21 years ago, he calls them “propaganda”.

A warm, straight-talking man, whose inherent modesty never fails to raise a smile, Hagen founded what is now one of the fastest-growing cruise lines in the industry, achieving $3bn a year in revenue.

Making waves: ten ocean cruise ships in under ten years

Originally renowned for its high quality,...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/tour-de-force-viking-orions-maiden-voyage/

Cuba: cashing in on thawed relations

Last year, Havana’s port handled 328,000 passengers; in 2018, it is predicted that this number will reach 700,000 by the end of the year. The port currently has two cruise terminals, though with the assistance of Global Ports Holding (GPH) it plans to develop another four by 2024.  The world’s largest cruise port operator, GPH will be managing the development as part of a 15-year deal that will see the company operate a cruise port in Havana. The agreement sees GPH’s total number of ports rise...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/cuba-cashing-in-on-thawed-relations/

A storm is brewing for India’s domestic shipping industry

With a vast coastline spanning 7,500km and a strategic location nearby major shipping lanes, India has always been well-placed to enjoy the benefits of a burgeoning maritime sector. According to the country’s Ministry of Shipping, maritime transport accounts for around 95% of India’s trade by volume. Over the course of this year, nearly 680 million tonnes of cargo traffic passed through the country’s twelve major ports.

In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Make in India’, an...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/storm-brewing-indias-domestic-shipping-industry/

Ship recycling: can Europe clean up its own mess?

For decades, the European shipping industry has taken its decommissioned vessels to China to be recycled.

But from 1 January 2019, shipowners on the continent will need to find an alternative scrapping destination. As announced in May, the Chinese Government added old ships to its growing list of prohibited imports.

Beijing claims it has implemented the ban in the name of environmentalism, but this has done little to appease European shipowners, who fear the embargo will drastically reduce their...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/ship-recycling-can-europe-clean-mess/

Backing biofuels: will the shipping industry ever get on board?

In April 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced the world’s first full agreement on tackling climate change in the global shipping sector. Following a marathon two-week meeting involving representatives from more than 170 countries around the world, it was agreed that by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by 50% compared with 2008 levels.

The announcement was made amid mounting pressure on the IMO, after international shipping was left out of the 2015 Paris Climate...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/backing-biofuels-will-shipping-industry-ever-get-board/

Ship Technology Global: Issue 59

Ship Technology Global is now available on all devices. Read it for free here.

In the aftermath of the tragic Maersk Honam fire, where five crew members lost their lives, the industry had to grapple with the realisation that precautions traditionally taken to avoid container ship fires are failing to adequately mitigate the risk to crews and cargoes. In this issue, we look into what’s causing fires on-board vessels and what can be done to prevent them.

China’s decision to ban the import of...

https://www.ship-technology.com/features/ship-technology-global-october/