MARITIME HEALTH: TACKLING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG SEAFARERS In recent years, the maritime industry has observed a concerning rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) cases among seafarers, according to the West P&I Club. Incidents such as heart attacks and cardiac arrests are becoming alarmingly common, underscoring the critical need to prioritize heart health for those working at […]

TANKERS BEST PLACED IN THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE As shipping slithers somewhat apprehensively into the Year of the Snake, analysts reckon tankers – whether hauling gas or oil – are best placed to see an uptick in fortunes. The Lunar New Year is not starting too well with many sectors struggling to break even […]

CONTAINERS: SNAKES AND LADDERS he container shipping freight market has felt like a game of snakes and ladders since the pandemic. Shippers negotiate the trade board, hoping to make steady progress. Sometimes the rates they pay climb exponentially up a ladder for a while, for instance when the pandemic and the Red Sea crisis caused […]

BLAZE FORCES CREW ABANDON CONTAINER SHIP IN RED SEA The crew of Hong Kong-flagged container ship ASL Bauhinia abandoned ship after a cargo fire broke out on the vessel. The 1,930 teu, 2022-built, vessel owned by Asean Seas Line in Shanghai was transiting the southern Red Sea enroute from Jebel Ali to Jeddah when an […]

THREAT ‘REMAINS HIGH’ TO ISRAELI, UK AND US SHIPPING IN RED SEA Warnings to treat Houthi announcements with scepticism as Israel-Hamas ceasefire unfolds. The Houthi have lifted a ‘ban’ on vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden, but the situation remains fraught with risks for international shipping, according to security experts. […]

ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL FOR IMO TOTAL BAN ON SCRUBBERS Scrubbers have become the tool of choice for many shipowners to meet low sulphur regulations, but environmentalists argue they poison the seas. A study on the atmospheric and oceanic effects of scrubber residues and operations has seen environmentalists take their concerns to the IMO in a bid to see […]

THE RISING THREAT OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE: A CALL TO ACTION FOR SEAFARERS For over eight decades, antibiotics have been essential in combating bacterial infections. However, irresponsible usage and a lagging development pipeline have propelled the world to a tipping point. According to The Lancet, drug-resistant infections are rising steeply, with projections of 10 million annual […]

IMO POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE (PPR 12) The Twelfth Session of the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) Sub-Committee was held from January 27 to January 31, 2025, in London, where key issues related to marine pollution prevention were discussed. The Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) Sub-Committee addresses all matters related to pollution prevention and […]

You can take your pick of a wide variety of opinions about what Trump 2.0 will do to the global oil markets, but it’s a safe bet that nearly all those opinions amount to one effect: disruption. The US president has already dropped a heavy hint to Saudi Arabia to produce more crude oil to […]

COMMERCIAL SHIPPING IS BEING WEAPONISED – NORTHSTANDARD Insurer highlights tension between rising sanctions, geopolitical strain, a growing dark fleet, and the right of innocent passage under rules-based order. Commercial shipping is in the process of being weaponised, NorthStandard head of external affairs Mike Salthouse told journalists in London this week, in an environment of increasing […]