69 – Revolutionising seafarer nutrition as next frontier for shipping innovation
70 – Our regular diary section
ANALYSIS
72 – High number of deliveries could impact product tanker markets
SMART TECHNOLOGY &
AI
74 – The future of fuelefficient maritime operations is interconnected. Are you?
75 – Is it time for AI and Data Analytics to redefine Specific Fuel Oil Consumption and emissions?
76 – Challenging the current approach to data-driven hull management
77 – Revolutionising maritime operations: Smart Ship Hub’s digital platform as ‘single source of truth’
78 – Liquefied CO2 shipping: a new tanker niche
TECHNICAL LUBES
82 – Advancing Scavenge Drain Oil Analysis for Modern Marine Engines
CLEAN OCEANS
85 – Evac Group launches sustainable waste management solution for smaller vessels
SHIP SUPPLY
86 – Procureship and Shipnet sign deal to bring e-procurement services to maritime’s biggest operation ecosystem
NAVIGATION
88 – Navtech: Rethinking radar for the autonomous age
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
90 – Our pick of the most coveted creations
REVIEW
92 – Bringing you the best in arts & culture
LIFESTYLE
94 – Incivility - scourge of our times
The May/June issue of Ship Management International magazine (SMI 115) will feature a country report on European superpower Germany, as well as regional reports on Dubai & the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
There
STRAIGHT TALK
Destination net zero: shipping’s 2050 ‘moonshot’
“Shoot for the moon - even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” is a popular quote among business leaders and inspirational gurus alike, urging everyone to aim high.
The IMO’s mid-term measures to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping, agreed after much contentious debate at the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC 83) in early April, has inevitably divided opinion over whether the Flight Plan for industry’s own ‘moonshot’ – reaching net zero by around 2050 – is ambitious enough.
Many would have preferred a flat fixed-level carbon tax to have taken effect immediately, rather than a phased reduction of emission targets over an extended timeframe beginning in 2027. And others worry about the complexity of the new measures agreed, and whether the ‘waypoints’ on shipping’s decarbonisation journey will in reality be reached.
Incidentally, it might be worth pointing out that the first biofuel-powered spaceflight launch took place back in 2021. If even rocket science is embracing decarbonisation, surely shipping can do too. l The shipping
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But the ‘glass-half-full’ brigade rather welcome the fact that an agreement was reached at all, given the different staunch interest groups among IMO Members – ranging from petrostates jealously guarding their economies to small island nations fearful of extinction through rising sea levels. This view is supported by the fact MEPC 83 had to resort to actual voting, rather than relying on its usual consensus method.
The measures, once adopted at an extraordinary meeting of the MEPC in October as expected, will also represent the first legally required decarbonisation plan of any industry, they point out [see also following story].
So irrespective of how IMO’s net zero mission unfolds in practice, the strategy can still be viewed positively as a case of ‘aiming for the stars…’ – as implied by the front cover of this issue.
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Editor: Bob Jaques
Sales Manager: Julian Berry
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Melissa Skinner
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Regular Contributors: Michael Grey
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Margie Collins
Ema Murphy
Motoring Journalist: Rob Auchterlonie
Technical Editor: David Tinsley
Editorial contributors: The best and most informed writers serving the global shipmanagement and shipowning industry.
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Notebook
IMO approves framework of net-zero regulations for global shipping
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) met for its 83rd session in person at IMO Headquarters in London (with remote participation enabled) from 7 to 11 April 2025. The Committee finalised and approved the draft legal text for the ‘IMO Net-Zero Framework’, to be included as a new chapter in Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
The draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI were circulated to Member States immediately after the meeting, with a view to adoption at an extra-ordinary session of MEPC in October 2025 (MEPC/ES.2); a further meeting of the MEPC in Spring 2026 (MEPC 84) will approve detailed implementation guidelines. They are expected to enter into force in 2027.
The IMO Net-Zero Framework includes a set of ‘mid-term measures’ aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, in line with
the reduction targets set out in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy. These measures consist of:
• a technical element: a goal-based marine fuel standard designed to gradually lower the GHG intensity of marine fuels. Ships will have to reduce, over time, their annual greenhouse gas fuel intensity (GFI) – that is, how much GHG is emitted for each unit of energy used. This is calculated using a well-to-wake approach.
• an economic element: a pricing mechanism for maritime GHG emissions. Ships emitting above GFI thresholds will have to acquire remedial units to balance its deficit emissions, while those using zero or near-zero GHG technologies will be eligible for financial rewards. Following adoption, the measures are expected to enter into force 16 months later, under the tacit acceptance’ procedure, in accordance with the amendment provisions in MARPOL. They will become
mandatory for large ocean-going ships over 5,000 gross tonnage, which emit 85% of the total CO2 emissions from international shipping.
LEVELS OF COMPLIANCE
There will be two levels of compliance with GHG Fuel Intensity targets: a Base Target and a Direct Compliance Target at which ships would be eligible to earn ‘surplus units’.
Ships that emit above the set thresholds can balance their emissions deficit by:
• Transferring surplus units from other ships;
• Using surplus units they have already banked;
• Using remedial units acquired through contributions to the IMO Net-Zero Fund.
The IMO Net-Zero Fund will be established to collect pricing contributions from emissions. These revenues will then be disbursed to:
• Reward low-emission ships;
• Support innovation, research, infrastructure and just transition initiatives in developing countries;
• Fund training, technology transfer and capacity building to support the IMO GHG Strategy; and
• Mitigate negative impacts on vulnerable States, such as Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) cautiously welcomed the agreement. Speaking at the end of the meeting, ICS Secretary General Guy Platten said: “Today will hopefully be remembered as a historic moment for our industry. If formally adopted, shipping will be the first sector to have a globally agreed carbon price, something which ICS has been advocating for since COP 26 in 2021, when the industry agreed a net zero 2050 target.
“Shipping is now at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise rapidly to address the climate crisis,” he added. “The world’s governments have now come forward with a comprehensive agreement which, although not perfect in every respect, we very much hope will be formally adopted later this year.”
Platten referred to the “challenging political circumstances” in which agreement had been reached –taken to be a reference to the Trump administration having withdrawn participation of the US delegation before the MEPC talks began, threating retaliatory reaction against any financial measures imposed upon US ships.
“Shipowners and energy producers need a workable, transparent, and simple-to- administer regulatory framework that will create the necessary incentives to accelerate the energy transition at the pace required.” Platten continued. “We are pleased that governments have understood the need to catalyse and support investment in zero emission fuels, and it will be fundamental to the ultimate success of this IMO agreement that it will quickly deliver at the scale required.
“Shipping is already investing billions in new ships and green technologies to be ready for the new fuels when they arrive. We hope that this agreement will now provide the certainty which energy producers urgently need to de- risk their huge investment decisions.”
Addressing the fact that may sectors of the shipping industry had been pressing for a fixed-price carbon tax as the simplest financial mechanism to administer, the ICS Secretary General added: “We recognise that this may not be the agreement which all sections of the industry would have preferred, and we are concerned that this may not yet go far enough in providing the necessary certainty. But it is a framework which we can build upon. We will be studying the technical detail over the coming weeks and will continue to support the IMO process so that we have a system that also works in company board rooms as well as the governments’ negotiating rooms.”
INTERCARGO Secretary General Kostas Gkonis was more outspoken, pointing out that IMO Member States had “agreed on a medium-term greenhouse gas reduction measure that differs from the levy-based approach INTERCARGO and industry partners have advocated for many years. INTERCARGO is concerned about the complexity of the measure taken forward by IMO, disregarding calls for a simple, practical and therefore predictable, enforceable, and effective approach.”
However, he added: “Despite these challenges, our Association remains committed to supporting the IMO process and its implementation. We will make every
effort to help the industry progress toward the fair and practical transition required for international shipping and the dry bulk sector.”
Sustainable shipping lobby the Global Maritime Forum (GMF) also expressed its reservations, saying the agreed measures “may not be strong enough on their own to deliver on the IMO’s strategy.” It added its belief that the GHG intensity targets create uncertainty as to whether the strategy’s emissions reduction checkpoints for 2030 and 2040 will be met.
“While we applaud the progress made, meeting the targets will require immediate and decisive investments in green fuel technology and infrastructure,” said Jesse Fahnestock, Director of Decarbonisation at the GMF. “The IMO will have opportunities to make these regulations more impactful over time, and national and regional policies also need to prioritise scalable e-fuels and the infrastructure needed for long-term decarbonisation.”
Jamaica, a member of the IMO Council, welcomed the agreement of targets as a “step in the right direction” and a “historic achievement” for the island and fellow member States of the Caribbean Community commonly known as the CARICOM group, which had been working in in collaboration with Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Together they had made proposals focusing on establishment of a NetZero fund to ensure that SIDS and developing countries would not be left behind as the shipping industry took significant steps to decarbonise.
CARICOM members and SIDS already incur relatively high transport costs and are having to make significant amounts of expenditure to replace infrastructure damaged by extreme weather events, pointed out Bertrand Smith, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.
What was “made clear at the end of the negotiations”, he added, “was that Caribbean and Pacific SIDS, regardless of their small populations, are now a major force to reckon with in the efforts to adopt mandatory provisions to incorporate IMO’s mandate to decarbonise the international shipping industry by or around 2050.”
SEA-LNG, the lobby group backing maritime use of Liquefied Natural Gas as a transition fuel, welcomed the fact that the IMO had held firm to its principles of “goal-based, technology neutral regulation”. While many details need to be decided, it said, the agreement “provides a clear decarbonisation framework for the global shipping industry and will enable all fuel pathways, be they methane (LNG), methanol or ammonia, to compete on a level playing field.” l
ILO delivers on key worker rights and fair treatment for seafarers
The fifth meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee (STC) of the Maritime Labour Convention at the International Labour Organization was held in Geneva in early April. The week-long talks concluded with some hard-fought achievements for seafarers, which will now be included as updates to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
Noteworthy amongst the amendments adopted was the designation and recognition of seafarers as key workers “… to facilitate their safe movement when travelling in connection with their employment or work, including, but not limited to, access to shore leave, repatriation, crew changes and medical care ashore.”
Leading the representation of seafarers’ interests in the talk was International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Seafarers’ Section Vice Chair, Mark Dickinson.
Deirdre Fitzpatrick, CEO of Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), commented: “This is a very significant win. SRI has long advocated for seafarers to be designated as key workers and in the end it was a tribute to tripartism that an amendment could be achieved. States now must meaningfully implement and enforce this historic amendment.”
Another significant win for seafarers and shipowners was the inclusion in a mandatory Standard of the Code of the two sets of ILO/ IMO Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the event of a marine casualty or detention of
seafarers in connection with alleged crimes. “This has been a hot topic for over 20 years and now it can be hoped that seafarers who find themselves in a nightmare situation of investigation, detention or criminal charges in connection with their professional work will be able to expose any injustices that they face. For too long this subject has been talked about without any meaningful accountability to the seafarers for any unfair treatment,” said Fitzpatrick.
Out of the 16 proposed amendments before the Committee, other amendments adopted included better protection around repatriation, shore leave, medical care, recruitment and placement, health and safety protection and the elimination of violence and harassment.
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) led the Shipowners’ Group at the ILO talks. Helio Vicente, ICS Director of Employment Affairs, commented:
“This has been a successful and historic week of discussions. Working alongside national governments, and transport workers unions, under the auspices of ILO, we have adopted potentially transformational changes for seafarers and the industry. These developments demonstrate our enduring commitment to improving the lives and working conditions of seafarers around the world.”
SRI points out thar the Maritime Labour Convention has achieved great success but that further work is needed to secure better implementation and enforcement of the Convention. In a worldwide study of the MLC conducted by SRI, research showed that the implementation and enforcement of the MLC around the world is only about 65% effective.
“The MLC is not yet being strictly and evenly enforced around the world,” pointed out Fitzpatrick. “The global playing field is not yet level.” l
Agreement reached on new global minimum wage for seafarers
The International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded the latest round of minimum wage negotiations for able seafarers at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission (JMC), held in Geneva in mid-April 2025.
This critical bipartite dialogue brought together shipowners and seafarers’ unions from around the world, coordinated by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Maritime transport remains the only industry with a formally recognised global minimum wage, in place for seafarers since 1958. ILO’s 2006 Maritime Labour Convention, mandates that the minimum monthly basic wage for an able seafarer be set periodically by the JMC.
Following the negotiations, a Resolution was adopted setting out the updated minimum wage levels, to be submitted for approval by the 355th session of ILO’s Governing Body, in November this year. The newly agreed figures are as follows:
• US$690 as of 1 January 2026.
• US$704 as of 1 January 2027.
• US$715 as of 1 January 2028.
The updated wage structure represents an increase of more than 6% and builds on the previous 3-year agreement concluded in September 2022, which set the minimum at US$673 as of 1 January 2025.
Mr Pål Tangen (Norwegian Shipowners’ Association), Spokesperson for the shipowners group during the meeting, said: “This agreement strikes a careful and considered balance between recognising the vital contribution of seafarers and maintaining the commercial sustainability of the global shipping industry. Seafarers play an indispensable role in keeping world trade flowing, often under tough and unpredictable conditions. These are not ordinary times, and this resolution reflects our respect for their service, while ensuring that shipowners can continue to operate in a highly competitive and volatile global market.”
Mr Mark Dickinson (Nautilus International), Spokesperson for the seafarers group, commented: “Seafarers are crucial in delivering 90% of all goods for people in every nation of the world and the ITF will always demand proper recognition for these workers. Last week we made an important breakthrough with recognition of seafarers’ key worker status in the Maritime Labour Convention. This week we have taken a further step to improve their welfare through pay rises that both retain and increase the value of the ILO AB minimum wage, taking into account increases in the cost of living since 2022.”
Mr Frank Hagemann, Director of the ILO Sectoral Policies Department, added: “The outcome of this wholly unique global collective bargaining forum represents more than just a technical adjustment to the minimum wage. It reflects a shared responsibility and commitment to uphold decent work at sea.”
The negotiations in Geneva took place against the backdrop of the escalation in global trade tensions. In their opening remarks, both sides expressed concern about the current cloud of uncertainty and the prospect of a potential full-scale trade war, which could divide the world and reshape global trade, with shipping caught in the crosshairs and therefore impacting the lives and livelihoods of the world’s nearly two million seafarers. Seafarers must not be collateral victims of global economic conflict, the meeting resolved, reaffirming that fair trade must also mean fair treatment for those who keep global trade moving. l
Tribunal limits managers’ disclosure duties under SHIPMAN 2009 Clause 22
IBy Mikaela Koni, Senior Claims Executive, ITIC
TIC often advises on and assists with disputes arising under the BIMCO SHIPMAN, whether it is the 1998, 2009 or the newly issued 2024 version. Most disputes involving ITIC members typically relate to whether managers have performed their services to the standard imposed by the SHIPMAN and/or issues related to budgeting and expenditure. However, disputes can occasionally arise regarding the actual interpretation of the SHIPMAN contract itself and the parties’ respective obligations and duties. When such a situation occurs, if the claim is decided in court, clarity is provided on the interpretation of the clause in question, which benefits the industry as it creates certainty for the users of the contract.
When a matter is decided in arbitration (which is not appealed to the court), the decision is not publicly available due to the private and confidential nature of arbitration and cannot be used to provide clarity to other
parties. However, the LMAA does sometimes produce anonymised versions of awards in the Lloyds Maritime News Letter (LMNL). Unlike court judgements, arbitration awards do not set precedents –although they are persuasive and can be adduced in proceedings.
Some clarity was provided in a recent arbitration award in relation to Clause 22 of SHIPMAN 2009 and specifically in relation to the documents that an owner is entitled to request upon the termination of the SHIPMAN. It is widely considered to be the case that any documents produced during the management of the vessel belong to the owners and should be handed over to the owners when requested. This is also the case when it comes to the termination of the SHIPMAN 2009 contract where Clause 22 paragraph (i) states that “on the termination, for whatever reason, of this Agreement, the Managers shall release to the Owners, if so requested, the originals where possible, or otherwise certified copies, of all accounts and all documents specifically relating to
the Vessel and its operation.” The interpretation of this clause seems simple at first glance: that owners are entitled to the originals and certified copies of all accounts and documents related to the vessel and its operation. However, this may not be as straight forward. The clause aims to ensure that shipowners can, upon termination, request all necessary documents to allow for the smooth operation of the vessel and the transition from one ship manager to another.
In a recent dispute between an ITIC member and the shipowner, it became apparent that the interpretation of the clause was not as simple as once thought, specifically regarding the timing and extent of the documents that may be requested. In this case, the ship management agreement was terminated and the shipowners requested the production of a long list of documents related to the vessel. The manager supplied some of the requested documents, but the owners claimed that the ship managers failed to provide all the required documents, thereby
breaching Clause 22(i) of the agreement. It is also important to note that owners did not advance any other claim for breach of the SHIPMAN to which these documents may have related.
ITIC’s members acted as both crew managers and technical managers. The owners sought to rely on Clause 22(i) of the contract when requesting the documents. The managers contended that they had already provided a substantial number of documents and the owners did not have a contractual right to additional categories of documents. They argued that Clause 22(i) was limited to documents requested at the point of termination and did not extend to all documents produced or held during the management period. The managers also sought reimbursement for any costs incurred in producing additional documents.
The owners argued that they were entitled to all relevant documents under the managers’ control, including 29 specific categories of documents. They also claimed a broader right to all documents related to the vessel’s management, based on an implied term of the agreement and common law principles. However, the tribunal found that Clause 22(i) did not impose such an open-ended obligation on the managers to produce all documents indefinitely. The clause was originally intended to facilitate the transfer of management upon termination and was limited to reasonable documents specifically requested at that time. The tribunal rejected the owners’ broader interpretation of the clause and their claim based on an implied term.
The clause specified that the managers were to release documents “if so requested” and “specifically relating to the Vessel and its operation.” This indicated that the provision was intended to limit the production to documents necessary for facilitating the transfer of management upon termination and was not meant to cover all documents produced or held during the entire management period. The tribunal emphasised the ordinary meaning of “on the termination,” which did not imply an obligation that extended beyond the termination event. The wording suggested that the provision was meant to cover just documents needed for the immediate transfer of management reasonably requested at the time, not an indefinite ongoing obligation to produce all documents after termination.
The tribunal noted that the owners’ interpretation would require the production of every email and personnel record, which would be both onerous and uncommercial. Clearer wording would be needed to impose such a broad obligation. The BIMCO explanatory notes for Clause 22(i) indicated that this derived from the auditing provision of Clause 14 of SHIPMAN 98. This historical context suggested that the clause was intended for specific documents needed at termination to allow the new manager to continue with the management, not a broad, indefinite obligation.
The tribunal concluded that the owners were not entitled to the documents claimed under an implied term contained in Clause 22(i). The documents requested
were not within the scope of Clause 22(i) because they were not requested on or in relation to termination and were not needed for the transfer of management (all such documents had already been provided and managers had cooperated with the incoming managers for the transfer of the vessel). The owners’ broader claim for all documents in the managers’ control was also rejected. The tribunal found that the owners’ interpretation was not supported by the contract’s wording and would impose an uncommercial and onerous obligation on the manager.
Although the tribunal did not find for the owner in respect of all documents, they did find that the owners were entitled to the return of the vessel’s logbooks, which were their property. The managers were ordered to deliver these logs to the owners. However, the owners were ordered to bear their own costs and pay the managers’ costs of the claim, with interest.
This is a very important decision issued by the tribunal indicating that managers do not have a broad indefinite disclosure obligation after termination, thus raises questions in relation to the statement that any documents related to the operation of the vessel belong to the owner at least following termination. It also does appear that this decision applies to SHIPMAN 1998, but it remains to be seen whether it does in relation to SHIPMAN 2024. Clause 22 of SHIPMAN 2024 is similar to its predecessors, but slightly different wording is used. Therefore, it could potentially be interpreted differently. l
InterManager Outlook Team effort results in IMO success
InterManager’s input into international greenhouse gas regulations has been successful, as Capt. Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General, explains
InterManager’s efforts during the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC83) have contributed to achieving a draft ruleset that is significantly improved over its predecessor drafts.
In the words of our President, Sebastian von Hardenberg of BSM: “I am very happy to report that IMO MEPC 83 ended with a vastly improved position on the responsible party matter and a clear decision to provide ship owners with a way to claim back from charterers, therby turning the ruleset into a true ‘polluter pays’ scheme.
“I am also pleased that so many of our members and shipmanagment peers joined in these efforts. This really was an excellent example of ship managers speaking with one voice on a global level.”
The IMO’s starting point had originally been to attribute “responsible party” responsibility to the DOC holder. However, as InterManager has repeatedly argued, ship managers are effectively the facility manager not the factory owner. Since we have no control over the type of fuel used, the trading area, or the speed of the vessel, we have next to no ability to control emissions or impact decarbonisation significantly.
It is reassuring to see that IMO in the end decided to see the responsibility fall back in line with the rest of Marpol Annex 6, attaching responsibility back to “the ship”, with the primary prosecution method being detention.
The impending regulation now also includes a clause on upstream recovery from the commercial managers, who are the ones ordering the vessel’s fuel, which is important to ship owners. l
Opening of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee 83rd meeting (Pic IMO)
How I Work
SMI talks to industry leaders and asks the question How do you keep up with the rigours of the shipping industry?
NPia Meling
Managing Director of EVIGO, OSM Thome’s newly rebranded green services division
orwegian sustainability specialist Pia Meling brings a wealth of maritime and business management experience to her new role heading up EVIGO, formerly the green services division of leading ship manager OSM Thome but now relaunched under its own brand identity.
Starting out as a strategy consultant with multinational professional services company Accenture after completing her MBA in Bergen, she soon moved into shipping with a series of operational roles at Klaveness, including Senior Chartering Manager, followed by a move to the exhaust gas cleaning
system provider Clean Marine. Further senior positions followed at Radio Holland (Norway) and Wilhelmsen Ships Service, until she really found her environmental vocation serving four years as VP Sales & Marketing for Massterly - set up by Wilhelmsen as the world’s first company to operate zero emission autonomous vessels. From there it was a natural progression to become MD of Grieg Green, a worldleading ship recycling and sustainability services company owned by Norwegian shipowner Grieg Group, before assuming her present role at EVIGO this March. Pia also serves as a Board Member for MPC Container Ships and
real-time ocean insights tech company Miros, as well as having served for two years as President of WISTA Norway.
“It was a little bit by chance that I came into shipping,” she tells SMI. “But I fell in love with the fast pace of business and its people so having felt that pulse, I’ve stayed in shipping.” And although all her roles to date have been based in Norway, she has travelled extensively and always worked alongside overseas colleagues, so relishes the international dimension that OSM Thome’s main operational hubs in Singapore, Cyprus, Norway (Oslo, Arendal and Bergen), India (Delhi and Mumbai) and the Philippines will bring.
In fact, Pia is excited about her new role as she feels EVIGO “has the potential to have real impact” thanks to “the amount of data we can draw upon and the insights we can gain” through the sheer size of the OSM Thome operation. The twoNorwegian-origin ship managers OSM and (Singapore-based) Thome merged in mid-2023, followed by the takeover of Klaveness Ship Management earlier this year. Today OSM Thome “has close to 400 vessels under full technical management and a bit more on crewing,” she says, “so close to 1,000 ships in total”, for which 29,000 seafarers are employed plus more than 2,000 personnel onshore.
“At EVIGO we’ll be doing performance management for most of the vessels under full technical management, about 300,” the MD continues. “So both in terms of performance handling and complex regulations we have the scale that it’s
Pia Meling, seen here in a Remote Operating Centre in Finland, brings a wealth of experience to her new role.
difficult for small and medium-sized ship managers to keep up with.
“We help shipowners make informed decisions on what energy efficiency technologies fit their vessel and operational profile best, providing an acceptable payback time in fuel savings. With our global reach we can also assist with physical retrofit projects; procuring equipment, securing drydock and repair yard slots and overseeing or undertaking installations onboard.
“We also want to grow new services, not mandatory but valueadded management services,” she adds. “We’re just starting out on the journey of what services we’ll be building for the benefit of existing clients, and to attract new ones, because that’s a good test for the value of services.” Such new clients might fall outside the realm of traditional shipowners, she hints, including for example “charterers, or vessel poolings for Fuel EU compliance, or green finance”. And the scope of services can include activities such as arranging financing and undertaking turnkey projects. “So there’s a lot to be explored.”
As for the origins of the new brand name, it derives from both ‘vigour’ and
the fact that ‘evig’ in Norwegian means ‘eternal’, Pia explains.
“It’s a very dynamic name. Our mission is to help shipowners reduce their emissions while staying competitive, as well as staying compliant with what is a tsunami of regulations today.
“And while there’s a lot of data around, it needs compiling and cleansing. This in turn means communicating with crew on a constant basis to make sure we have the correct data.
“So job No. 1 is delivering solid data to shipowners, and job No. 2 is delivering advice based on that. We also have to make sure that the crew has enough time to focus on the safe operation of the ships. We can work on training, reducing manual errors and reducing the workload burden on their crew.”
As to what specific strengths she brings to her role, the new EVIGO MD cites her varied professional career, which means “I have a good strategic understanding and a ‘helicopter view’ of what it means to be in shipping, not just from the shipowner’s but from the charterer’s point of view. So I think I bring insights that complement
the technical base we’ll have with my other colleagues and that commercial mindset will bring value to our offering. Plus I have a wide network of people and competencies to draw upon.”
Then there’s the natural inclination towards environmental consciousness that she feels is inherent in people growing up in such pristine yet fragile ecosystems as that of Norway, matched in equal part as influence by the Norwegian government’s strong regulations on sustainability - such as the latest zero-emission requirements for ferries sailing in the country’s five UNESCO World Heritage fjords from 1 January 2026.
Indeed, when not working Pia enjoys nothing more than outdoor sports such as skiing, cycling and hiking - together with her husband Tore and children Leo (20) and Julia (18), alongside more meditative pursuits such as yoga and reading. These, together with exercising her Portuguese water dog described as “a lot of fun”, help maintain her fitness levels and stamina, as well as a youthful appearance that belies her almost 25 years’ experience in multiple strategic management roles within maritime. l
Pia Meling’s interests including hiking, skiing with her husband Tore and two children, and having fun with the family’s Portuguese Water Dog.
Dispatches Blurring the dividing line between ship and terminal operations
With the liner industry enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity amid near-constant trade disruptions, cash-rich carriers are busy expanding into terminal operations and related logistics like never before. Felicity Landon examines the reasons why, warning that not all deals may go through.
The sale of 80% of Hutchison’s ports division to BlackRock and MSC-controlled TiL (Terminal Investments Limited) for US$22.8bn – assuming it goes ahead – would be the largest acquisition ever in terminal operation history, according to Eirik Hooper, Senior Associate - Ports and Terminals, speaking at a recent Drewry ports webinar.
The deal would deliver a 100% increase in MSC/TiL terminal capacity and take MSC and its subsidiaries to holding roughly 15% of market share in global container terminal capacity. This means MSC/TiL leapfrogging over PSA, COSCO and APMT to take top place on
Drewry’s Global Terminal Operator (GTO) league table, way ahead of PSA in second place with about 10% market share.
But will the deal go ahead? And if/when it does, how will competition authorities view MSC/TiL’s vastly increased market concentration in key locations?
The sale notably includes Hutchison’s two Panama Canal ports, Cristobal on the Atlantic side and Balboa on the Pacific site, where the Hong Kong-based terminal operator’s presence – in the form of Panama Ports Company (PPC) - apparently so much offends President Trump. But Beijing is pushing back, seeking to block
Terminal operators owned by carriers are gaining the upper hand in the market.
the transaction which had been due to go through at the end of March, and Panamanian authorities are now casting doubt on the legality of PPC’s renewed concession agreement.
China has said that the sale, covering 43 ports in 23 countries, will be reviewed by its state administration for market regulation. In the context of Trump’s tariff wars and protectionist policies, and China’s response, including condemnation of US ‘bullying’ and an attack on the US for pressuring the deal ‘through despicable means’, the Hutchison sale represents another battle line drawn.
COMPETITION CONCERNS
But aside from Beijing’s opposition, there would be plenty of interest from competition authorities in MSC’s enlarged portfolio if the sale proceeded.
Hooper noted that with any deal of this magnitude, there are always going to be overlaps between the two portfolios.
For example, following TiL’s acquisition of the Altamira terminal in November 2024, and with the Hutchison portfolio incorporated, MSC/TiL would have capacity in each of Mexico’s five largest container ports in one of the fastest growing markets in the world.
“It’s likely the competition authorities in certain key locations will want to scrutinise the deal,” said Hooper. “In particular, we note that there’s a risk of market concentration in the Netherlands, where the combination of portfolios would give MSC majority stakes in over 30m TEU of capacity in the Port of Rotterdam – not to mention its already significant exposure in Le Havre, Antwerp, Bremerhaven and Hamburg.”
Regarding the latter, MSC Group late last year completed its investment in Port of Hamburg‘s major terminal operator HHLA. Going forward, HHLA will be operated as a strategic joint venture, with the City of Hamburg holding a stake of 50.1% while the remaining 49.9% is held by the MSC Group.
In Spain, the authorities would consider whether Hutchison’s BEST terminal in Barcelona addresses the same market as MSC’s terminal in Valencia, and its €1bn development project there, Hooper continued. There would also be a review of the Panama Canal ports, “ostensibly the prime mover in bringing the parties to an agreement”; and the Panama Maritime Authority would be
Eirik Hooper, Senior AssociatePorts and Terminals, Drewry
unlikely to overlook MSC’s minority stake in PSA’s Rodman port, he said.
HYBRID OPERATORS
Liner company-owned terminals normally declare themselves to be common user facilities but the general assumption is that the ‘home’ line receives priority berthing rights, as well as equipment upgrades geared around their fleet’s needs. Indeed APM Terminals – albeit nominally at arm’s length from Maersk – has had quite a lot to say recently of how it has prepared the ground for calls of the Gemini collaboration between Maersk and HapagLloyd, thereby helping facilitate the new service which began in February after MSC quit its 2M vessel sharing agreement with Maersk on East-West trades.
Eirik Hooper’s view is that hybrid operators – i.e. the terminal operators owned by carriers – are gaining the upper hand in the market.
The MSC/TiL expansion is ‘the’ example of this trend. But who else has been buying what on the liner/terminal/ logistics interface in recent times?
In February, APM Terminals announced it had acquired the Panama Canal Railway Company from Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited and the Lanco Group/Mi-Jack. PCRC operates a 76-km single-line railway next to the Panama Canal that mainly carries cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. “The Panama Canal Railway Company represents an attractive infrastructure investment in the region aligned to our core services of intermodal container movement,” said Keith Svendsen, CEO of APMT. “The company is highly regarded for its operational excellence and will provide a significant opportunity for us to offer a broader range of services to the global shipping customers we serve.”
In March, AD Ports Group announced it had formed a joint venture with Columbia Group, called Noatum-CSM Limited, “to optimise third-party vessel operations, and that of AD Ports Group’s ocean-going fleet, through stateof-the-art fleet management systems”.
Capt. Ammar Mubarak Al Shaiba, AD Ports Group’s CEO, Maritime & Shipping Cluster, said: “This partnership symbolises a pivotal advancement in maritime asset management, merging the strengths of Columbia Group and AD Ports Group. As we expand our capabilities, we are benefiting our clients by elevating quality and efficiency. We are committed to offering a holistic suite of services with exceptional operational competency and expertise, further fortifying our position as a global maritime service provider.”
AD Ports Group’s maritime & shipping cluster is led by Noatum Maritime, which has a fleet of 250 vessels and a network of services covering shipping, offshore & subsea, marine services, shipbuilding & drydocking, and agencies & maritime services. In March, Noatum Maritime took delivery of its first LNG powered pure car and truck carrier, to be operated by United Global Ro-Ro – another joint venture, formed with Turkish company Erkport in February, for global ro-ro and vehicle logistics transport.
In November 2024, DP World Australia announced the acquisition of Silk Logistics, a port-to-door logistics services provider which operates 21 logistics hubs and 25 warehousing sites across five Australian states. However, the deal has attracted the attention of The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), which has outlined “preliminary competition concerns” about DP World Australia, a major container stevedore, owning a national container transport provider.
Meanwhile, Hapag Lloyd’s recently rebranded terminals division Hanseatic Global Terminals (HGT) in March bought a 60% share in the company CNMP LH,
operator of the Atlantique terminal in Le Havre, France’s busiest container port.
And fellow liner giant CMA CGM announced in late 2024 that it was acquiring a stake of around 48% in multiterminal operator Santos Brasil – whose holdings include largest South American container terminal Tecon Santos in the Port of Santos – and would be making a public offer for all outstanding shares in due course.
This blurring of ownership lines between container carriers and terminals is not one-way traffic, of course. DP World has been moving over into operating shipping lines, most notably through its ownership of Unifeeder, largest feeder operator in the Med, while fellow Global Terminal Operator group PSA also now has a shipping function via its PSA BDP joint venture, whose services include NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) ocean transport.
PRECARIOUS TIMES
Extended stakeholding in operations along the supply chain of course brings a greater degree of control – no bad thing amid growing geopolitical pressures that mean precarious times for trade. The UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted when releasing data a few weeks back –long before Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ – that protectionism and shifting trade strategies could disrupt global trade. “As trade uncertainty grows, global cooperation and balanced policies will be key to preventing economic fragmentation and safeguarding long-term growth,” it said.
Given what’s been happening since, UNCTAD’s statement urging ‘balanced policies and multilateral cooperation’ seems rather a quaint concept. Instead major liner operators and terminal groups alike seem to be ‘battening down the hatches’ by bolstering their defences against trade volatility, reaping the financial benefits of shipping’s inherent ability to ride out disruption in the process. l
Ship Operations
Enhancing vessel efficiency with latest lubricant technologies
By Jason Ho, North Asia Regional Director at Shell Marine
Modern shipping is changing rapidly, especially in response to tightening environmental standards. But, in many ways, the job is the same as ever. Keep vessels running as efficiently as possible, helping to maximise performance when waters are calm while ensuring little when things become complicated.
One such disruptor is the introduction of new, more efficient engines such as those running on very-low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) or ultra-low-sulphur fuel oil (ULSFO). While these engines help operators reduce the amount of sulphur emitted from their vessels, it also
introduces a new maintenance issue for crews to resolve.
Modern engines operate at higher temperatures and higher pressures, which can lead to the formation of deposits on engine components. This puts them at risk of failure and breakdown, reducing the efficiency of the vessel and potentially increasing costs. It emphasises the importance of effective lubrication, which can help to make vessel engines more efficient by reducing the risk of component failure.
Selecting the right engine cylinder oils can help operators to reduce deposits, improve cleanliness and enhance the reliability of their engines. However, this is not always
By Jason Ho, North Asia Regional Director at Shell Marine
easy to do, which is why we see a lot of lubricant switching taking place. This is a process where crews swap between a lubricant that improves cleanliness but potentially reduces engine efficiency and a lubricant that maximises engine performance but is less effective at addressing deposits. It can be a hugely inefficient way to operate, which makes crews work harder and can cost more money. That is why we developed Shell Alexia 40 XC, after various trials with MAN, our Category II cylinder oil designed for low-speed, two-stroke marine engines powered by low-sulphur fuels.
Formulated to minimise deposits, control wear and prolong
Modern container ship Shell LubeMonitor
component life, it is 30% cleaner than Category I BN40 cylinder oils while offering the same cleanliness as Category II BN100 products. So, it can improve the efficiency of on-board operations by removing the need to switch between the two.
This is demonstrated by our customers in the region. For example, T.S. Lines Ltd of Taiwan were able to improve the cleanliness of their engines and reduce wear on the cylinder liners of the MV THE Victory by using Shell Alexia 40 XC. The vessel crew has also reduced inspection and repair time by 10 hours a month, all of which generated $5,000 of savings a year in addition to improving engine reliability.
In China, Shanghai Run Yuan Shipping Management Company has been using Shell Alexia 40 XC on its Yangze 23 vessel for more than a year, delivering visible improvements in cylinder cleanliness. Optimising the lubricant feed rate has helped the crew to simplify onboard processes, cut oil consumption by a quarter and generate $4,200 a year in workforce costs due to the reduced need for inspections and repairs.
Highlighting maintenance issues
Using the right lubricants can have a significant impact on vessel efficiency, but there is more that operators can do to improve engine performance further. For example, cylinder oils can also help to highlight potential maintenance issues within the engine.
It is important to know that two-stroke engines consume oil all the time. They constantly inject lubricants – and they have a lost-lubrication system, which crews can use to monitor the performance of the engine. Vessel crews should be monitoring their used lubricants for traces of wear metals that can indicate wear on the engine itself.
There is also the need to adjust the amount of lubricant injected into the engine’s power cylinders to maximise performance and avoid costly overconsumption. The challenge for crews, however, is that monitoring can be a lot of work for them if not done efficiently. This is where lubrication monitoring services like Shell LubeMonitor come in. Combining on-board and lab testing, engine inspection photos and measurements, and expert technical
advice all in one place, it gives operators real-time information on the performance of their engines.
This means that, when deposits do occur, they can be identified swiftly and addressed properly – helping crews to extend component life and reduce maintenance costs.
It is all part of making vessels more efficient. Effective lubrication monitoring can help to reduce oil consumption, enhance engine performance and keep vessels out at sea for longer. It is all part of helping crews to optimise onboard operations.
ADAPTING TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Another challenge that effective lubricant monitoring will be essential for is the switch to alternative fuels. In 2024, half of new shipbuilding orders by tonnage involved alternative fuel, meaning that 7% of the global fleet has some form of alternative fuel technology.
As the adoption of low- and zero-emission fuels becomes more widespread, the requirements for cylinder oils will shift. Looking at liquified natural gas (LNG), for example, there is a whole pathway from its current form to bio-LNG through to synthetic e-LNG. This will need careful consideration about the right lubricants to use at each stage to deliver the optimum balance of performance and cleanliness.
To make those careful considerations, it will be vital for operators to gather the in-depth vessel data they can gain from lubricant monitoring. This can then help them to work with suppliers to find the right solutions throughout their alternative fuels journey.
Ultimately, it is less about the specific products themselves and more about working with the right supplier to futureproof your operations. Having the supporting data will help those suppliers unlock the insights that can drive optimal efficiency.
Shipping operators might not be able to predict the future of the industry – or the circumstances they will face. But they can equip themselves with the tools to adapt quickly and easily to the challenges that come their way.
Whatever the future holds for shipping, Shell Marine says it will always strive to help operators get the most from their vessels. l
Wallem Commercial Services introduces new players to the maritime sector
Financial advisory and asset managing capabilities help smaller ship owners, and financial and industrial groups alike overcome complex market challenges, writes Capt. Anurag Mathur, Managing Director, Wallem Commercial Services.
Smaller shipowners seeking expansion, as well as multinational corporations entering the maritime industry for the first time, often encounter a shared challenge: the complexities of the market frequently exceed their own expertise and that of the advisors they typically consult.
However, what may be a perceived obstacle to maritime business development has become a catalyst for growth within Wallem Group, manifested in the success of Wallem Commercial Services.
Expanding its range of capabilities has helped Wallem Commercial Services achieve double digit growth over the last couple of years, based on its ability to boost the performance of its partners.
Launched in 2008, Wallem Commercial Services initially focused on areas such as commercial ship and cargo management, broking, chartering and S&P, but has evolved to take in insurance, advisory financial services, loan facility and distressed asset management as core activities.
The unique portfolio of capabilities means that Wallem Commercial Services can effectively perform in the role of shipowner for companies without their own expertise, or act as the point of worldwide contact for smaller owners wishing to serve different vessel types or enter new markets.
In doing so, the Wallem’s Commercial Services team leverages Wallem Group’s experience in areas that are usually closed to third party managers – such as market research, commercial knowhow, back-office support and asset financing.
CLOSER TO MARKET
Originally set up to help Wallem get closer to shipping markets as a ship broker based in Hong Kong, Wallem Commercial Services moved into sale and purchase activities. After it started acting on
behalf for a distress asset management company, it expanded into operating vessels commercially as well as technically.
Over time, evolution has enabled Wallem to provide a one-stop service for ship owners seeking new opportunities, diversification or to deal with increasingly complex regulatory requirements and financial modelling. Wallem Commercial Services works with a number of international shipowners in support of bulk carriers, tankers, chemical tankers and PCTC vessels.
In Asia, its activities have been driven by large commercial groups seeking to enter shipping markets where they see strong opportunities to assist their growth. An example has been an unfolding relationship with a giant Chinese That work led on to providing support for other maritime functions such as cargo bookings and vessel performance management, with Wallem emerging as a key value-add partner, providing support to the Automaker’s vision for fleet expansion.
Capt. Anurag Mathur
CONFIDENTIAL PARTNERS
Wallem’s 122-year legacy of quality operations also puts the group in a strong position to work with new interests as counterparty. It takes boldness for industrial groups
to become ship owners, no matter how large they are, but Wallem Commercial Services has the attributes to manage the transition safely and efficiently, and to help build the teams and strategy that will lay the best foundations for their businesses.
Smaller ship owners that lack the management resources or inhouse expertise to expand into new sectors or wish to go from a local base to global operations have also benefited from partnering with Wallem Commercial Services.
In these cases, private owners can prefer to keep relationships confidential but, for example, Chinese and S.E. Asian ship owners may want to work worldwide, and Wallem can help by facilitating negotiations with established charterers and operators. In addition, Wallem draws on longstanding relationships with oil majors and big commodity players, for example, and enjoys a growing niche position with Asian financiers due to its close ties with
Chinese and Japanese leasing houses.
We have seen the need for alternative financing for shipping markets grow because of the size of investments, and a reduced appetite from traditional bankers. Chinese and Japanese finance leases are often now a more attractive way to fulfil new investors’ requirements as ship owners.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
A major challenge for all owners, new or established, is the changing technological sphere and environmental regulatory requirements as the industry gets to grips with digitalisation and decarbonisation.
We also see a growing number of queries regarding what owners need to do to improve vessel efficiency, as it can be extremely difficult for ship owners to plan which new technologies will make their fleets more sustainable and which alternative fuels will be available worldwide.
Wallem has developed its own
advisory software inhouse to help make vessels more efficient and find what routeing and utilisation will achieve the best environmental ratings under the CII system. We can work with owners’ own IT to ensure that the best stowage, routing or hardware options are selected to ensure regulatory compliance for the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime regimes, for example.
Increasingly, Wallem Commercial Services is involved with owners at the strategic level over how these issues will develop, utilising our experience and connections to develop project management pathways with our customers.
Across multiple ship types, Wallem Commercial Services will continue to serve the best interests of its partners, whether by giving smaller owners the network they need to achieve sustainable growth, or by putting our strong operational capabilities at the disposal of international conglomerates.
In fact, I believe there are opportunities in every situation; the ‘right’ answer may not be the same for all because much depends on the position of the asset and the owner in the investment cycle. For instance, a vessel may at one and the same time be a candidate for investment based on sustainability criteria which one owner wants to sell and another to buy. l
Wallem Bridge Team Management (above) and Engine Room Management (left) training
Caravel Group principals buy Indian training institute IMI Maritime Training
In a major development within the maritime training sector, Dr Harry S. Banga and Mr. Angad Banga of Hong Kong-based The Caravel Group, owner of Fleet Management Limited, have acquired the International Maritime Institute (IMI) of India. This initiative in the not-for-profit segment reinforces Group’s commitment to developing the next generation of global maritime professionals and ensuring the industry’s long-term sustainability.
The Caravel Group says it will apply IMI’s knowledge and expertise to advance the learning and development programmes on offer to its 28,000-strong workforce across Fleet Management Limited (Fleet) and other maritime operations. This will include advanced simulator training, as well as specialised courses in alternative fuels, emissions reduction, and digital navigation. The Caravel Group will also expand leadership programmes to support career progression from cadet training to senior command roles.
Welcoming IMI into the Group, Caravel Chairman Dr Banga explained the rationale behind the move, saying: “The maritime industry is experiencing radical change. Digitalisation, decarbonisation, automation, and regulations are reshaping the way we manage fleets and operate vessels. But no matter how much the industry transforms, one thing remains constant - we will always
need highly trained, skilled, and competent seafarers to keep global trade moving. With 90% of world trade transported by sea, our industry is not just important, it is essential to the global economy.
“At The Caravel Group, we believe that investing in maritime education is a responsibility. We are here to ensure that the next generation of seafarers is fully prepared - prepared to navigate modern fleets, to comply with stringent regulations, and to master the cutting-edge technologies that will define the future of shipping.”
Established in 1991 by a group of distinguished mariners, the International Maritime Institute (IMI) in Noida, India, is one of the country’s most respected maritime academies, specialising in pre-sea training for cadets. It was founded with a guiding mission to train world-class mariners who uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and dedication. IMI will continue to serve as a beacon of excellence with state- ofthe-art maritime simulators and training facilities for Deck and Engine cadets, overseen by world class faculty and academic staff.
Capt. GPS Bhalla, the IMI’s Promoter Director, said: “The International Maritime Institute has built a strong foundation through long-standing industry partnerships and a commitment to excellence in maritime training.
Dr Harry Banga, Chairman of The Caravel Group, meets cadets at the International Maritime Institute (IMI)
Under The Caravel Group, and the Banga family’s stewardship, IMI will continue to provide exceptional career development opportunities and shape the next generation of maritime professionals for decades to come.”
Fleet has worked closely with IMI for more than 20 years. “We have welcomed many graduates onto our vessels, watched them grow into officers, and supported many as they transition into shore-based leadership roles,” said Dr Banga. “We know first-hand the quality of an IMI graduate. We know the work ethic they bring, the technical expertise they possess, and the values they uphold. When the opportunity came to bring IMI into The Caravel Group family, there was no hesitation. We did not acquire an institution—we invested in the people, the legacy, and the future of maritime education to ensure the industry’s long-term sustainability.”
Fleet today boasts a workforce of more than 27,000 seafarers and 1,300 onshore staff so creating a culture that unites both is a major focus of the business, especially at a time when the maritime industry grapples with maintaining a strong pipeline of talent, Dr Banga continued.
By focusing on safety, wellbeing, and the delivery of quality operations, the company says it is cultivating an environment which positions it to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable shipping operations for decades to come.
What will this look like in practice? Fleet says “first - and above all - an enduring commitment and continual reinforcement of safe operations. Nothing could be more important. And then a renewed focus on recruitment and retention – a challenge shared across the shipping sector as we grapple to build a pipeline of next-generation talent to power the industry.”
Technical training is just one aspect of the company’s approach. There is significant investment in maintaining a
safe working environment through regular safety training, such as Fleet’s SafeR+ course. In addition, the company incentivises seafarers who can earn credits for safe operations which is paid to their families at the end of a contract, alongside recognition for their diligence from the Fleet’s senior leaders.
Recognising the strain that months away at sea can place on both seafarers and their families, Fleet 15 years ago launched Fleet Care, which takes an innovative approach to seafarer wellbeing – whether they are at sea or at home - and extends the same care to their families too. Fleet has invested in welfare programmes including on-staff psychologists to support seafarers’ mental health. Local teams are also in regular contact with their families to offer support.
Medical insurance - Marine Benefit - is provided to seafarers’ families, as well as seafarers on leave, to ensure that their health and wellbeing is looked after when they sail with Fleet.
The Fleet Care team is also charged with the company’s approach to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Offering careers – not jobs - is a core part of Fleet’s strategy. The company helps bright talent to transition from ship to shore and contribute their expertise and talents to support the ships and crew.
“We will apply the skills and knowledge of IM,” Dr Banga concluded, “to train and develop future officers who will sail on our vessels, strengthen leadership programs that will allow seafarers to transition into shorebased roles, and enhance our ability to meet the evolving demands of fleet management and ship operations.
“With IMI, we are not just managing ships - we are shaping the future of the maritime industry.” l
Caraval Group Chairman Dr Harry Banga and Chief Operating Office Mr Angad Banga JP, pictured on their acquisition of the International Maritime Institute (IMI) in Noida, India
Intership upgrades with Mintra Trainingportal
Cyprus-based Intership Navigation, a leading global independent ship manager, has partnered with Mintra to revolutionise its seafarer training and competency management. This strategic collaboration marks a significant step forward in Intership’s commitment to maintaining high service and safety standards across its fleet of over 60 vessels.
Intership manages a diverse fleet, including dry bulk carriers, tankers, gas carriers, and PCTCs. With a remarkable crew retention rate of 96%, the company’s investment in seafarer training and career progression has been central to its operational success. However, the need for a more flexible and technologically advanced training solution prompted Intership to seek a new digital training partner.
Intership’s existing Learning Management System (LMS) was server-based and only accessible onboard. With a workforce of 3,000 seafarers, the company required a scalable, user-friendly solution to provide continuous access to training, both online and offline, while integrating with its crew management system and automatically recording training outcomes.
Following a comprehensive evaluation, Intership selected Mintra’s Trainingportal Learning and Competency Management System. Mintra, a global leader in digital learning and human capital management, serves some of the world’s largest shipping companies, offering a platform specifically tailored for the maritime industry. Its intuitive interface allows seafarers to access training materials from any location, online or offline, through the Trainingportal app.
Intership is utilising a training matrix consisting of 60 of Mintra’s accredited courses and 40 of its own. The platform integrates seamlessly with Intership’s crew management system, consolidating training and certification records into a single, centralised location.
“Pairing our in-house training platform with a new provider was a daunting task,” said Capt. Rene Dzicki, Head of Training at Intership. “We aimed to preserve the experiences of the past whilst preparing our sea staff for the technologies of the future.” He added that having worked with many training providers over his 40 years on and around the sea, he was “consistently impressed with Mintra’s professional and straightforward approach.”
Mintra’s migration team executed the transition over eight months, working closely with Intership’s training and IT teams to minimise disruption. The system was installed on existing vessel hardware, eliminating the need for additional
equipment. Mintra’s SafeMetrix psychometric assessment platform was also integrated, enabling Intership to assess non-technical skills such as leadership and decision-making to improve crewing decisions and targeted training.
Since the migration, over 23,000 courses have been completed, with more than 2,500 active users accessing the platform. The new system has streamlined training administration, automatically updating certifications and competence records. The centralised dashboard gives seafarers a clear view of their career progression, empowering them to take charge of their development. The intuitive, userfriendly dashboard of Trainingportal allows the Intership team to fully manage the system and make administrative changes independently, without relying on Mintra’s support.
Capt. Dzicki, added: “The first weeks of intense collaboration, and the ease of communication, have left no doubt that our ambitious goals will be achieved.”
According to Dieter Rohdenburg, CEO of Intership Navigation: “The successful migration of our fleet and crew to Mintra’s Trainingportal marks a significant milestone in our partnership. Together, we are setting new standards in maritime training and competency management, ensuring that seafarers are well-equipped to navigate today’s challenges and the innovations of tomorrow.” l
Alernative fuels and the safety training challenge
Capt. Pradeep Chawla, CEO and Founder of maritime training solutions provider MarinePALS, explains how the maritime sector can deal with the enormous training requirements presented by novel fuels.
The news on geopolitics may be changing every morning, but the discussion on Alternative Fuels for the maritime industry is a constant point of debate in every shipping company. And while there are a host of different contenders, all differing in their efficiency and costs and in the hazards or challenges that they pose, the main concern remains the samehow is the industry going to cope with the requirements to train the crew going on these ships?
According to one oft-cited report, alternative maritime fuels may involve as many as 800,000 users, and even if it turns out that training is required for only half that number, the necessity to train such a large number of seafarers in a very short period of time is formidable and unprecedented. The industry has to look for solutions quickly!
IMO has worked swiftly to provide Interim Guidelines for the alternative fuels ahead of its more comprehensive review of STCW, that is still some years off. The theoretical aspects of the hazards and safety systems provided in the design of these ships are covered in these guidelines. The maritime training institutions will create the learning content and lesson plans and will be ready to deliver the courses very soon but the main challenge for the shipping companies will be the logistics of bringing thousands of seafarers into the classrooms, especially as the same seafarer may require training for several different fuels within a short space of time.
STCW 2010 and the planned revisions do allow the use of modern technologies for training. However, the education institutions have their own challenges in adopting these new approaches. These could include availability of funds, adoption rates of technology in the particular country, reluctance of the teachers to accept
new technology and the sheer lack of teachers with the knowledge and experience in the subject matter because these fuels are so new to the industry.
It is my strong belief that private maritime training providers, such as MarinePALS, are better geared to use modern technologies for delivering the quality training required to answer this urgent need within the industry.
Administrations and companies will need to be mutually supportive and to collaborate with the industry in allowing the adoption of modern technologies for a blended learning approach.
The solutions that we can envisage and already offer include a combination of traditional or online teaching together with cutting edge technologies like Digital Twin training and training on simulators. Another change that we have pioneered in the industry and continue to focus upon through our innovative videos, is to condense knowledge into shorter, critical packets of micro-learning or bite sized learning that is always available to the seafarer on their personal devices.
We believe that in modern times every individual is dealing with an overload of information through multiple channels. We can see that society is changing and even the TV news channels are now providing news in ‘Headlines’ and long discussions and debates are no longer popular.
The underpinning knowledge to gain proficiency in any subject must of course not be neglected. Our approach is that if you want to eat an elephant, you can do it in small steaks. You are likely to enjoy learning a lot more when it is delivered in bite sizes rather than in long lectures of 45 minutes where half the class is yawning or on their mobile phones. We, instead give them the learning content on their mobile phones! l
Shift in fuels training underway
As we look at the changes that need to happen in order for the maritime industry to achieve decarbonisation by 2050, there are signs of progress. Training programs are already in place in early adopter companies addressing the risks and hazards associated with ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol.
We can’t be complacent, however. The reality is that heavy fuel oil has predominated for so long, it has created a homogenous situation where a vast majority of the world’s 1.8 million seafarers have only ever worked on vessels running on heavy fuels.
That’s going to be changed fundamentally, as the global fleet starts to fragment into alternative types of fuels and different types of ships. The shift has begun.
The glaring issue emerging in this transition is the readiness of seafarers. We already have a problem with finding the right people with the right experience and knowledge to work on specialist vessels and that problem will be massively exacerbated in a multi-fuelled future.
With relatively small numbers of ships with alternative fuels on the water today we still have time to prepare people, that’s the good news.
The less-good news is how long it takes to create effective training programs and then put enough people through that training in good time to ensure the safety of seafarers and avoid disruption to crewing and world trade.
The development of standards that we all agree on for alternative fuels training programs must come first. As a supportive participant in the Maritime Just Transition Task Force, and the leading provider of training to the maritime industry, Ocean Technologies Group (OTG) welcomes the interim guidelines for ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol recently adopted by the IMO as a leap forward. With standards in place, we can create a curriculum, design training materials, and provide delivery methods to suit the widest possible range of seafarers, from cadets on up.
By Raal Harris, Chief Creative Officer, Ocean Technologies Group (OTG).
Moving the workforce to alternative fuels has its challenges but is not without precedence. LNG for example is well established and in use on vessels that are running on LNG as fuel. IGF code, basic and advanced courses, sea time requirements for mariners - all of that is already in place for LNG. That fact is one of the reasons why LNG is potentially both an attractive fuel from a transition point of view, but can also act as a blueprint for how we approach other alternative fuel training standards.
It’s important to acknowledge the mixed picture at the moment in terms of how comfortable everyone is in working with more dangerous, volatile fuels. There are very different pictures across the world fleet. Seafarers working on oil, chemical and gas tankers, have been working typically to a very high safety culture, risk averse, control heavy, competency focused. That experience puts those seafarers in a very good position to work with some of these more volatile fuels. Seafarers coming from a heavy fuel oil cargo carrier have been working under a very different sort of regimen than a tanker, so they have a bigger mountain to climb in terms of thinking about how to work with potentially more dangerous fuels.
Likewise, shipmanagers and operators who already have training in place to a high standard will be better off in terms of the transition.
Going forward, there is optimism in the awareness that maritime is becoming a greener industry and is also critical in powering the transition more widely because green fuels also need to be transported around the world from where they are sourced to where they are consumed. As the fundamental shift begins to happen, albeit slowly, shipping has a very big part to play and ultimately it will be the maritime professionals at sea and ashore that will be key to a successful energy transition. l
Ship Registries Spotlight on compliance and the ‘dark fleet’
By Felicity Landon
The world’s largest flag state administrations continue to demonstrate high levels of performance when it comes to enforcing global shipping regulations, the International Chamber of Shipping’s Flag State Performance Table for 2024/25 has shown.
“Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Liberia (the largest), Malta, Marshall Islands and Singapore – where more than 53% of the world fleet is registered – continue to show allgreen performance indicators on the latest ICS table,” according to the ICS. “Bahamas, China PRC and Panama, also in the top ten by tonnage, also demonstrate very good performance and a strict commitment to global maritime regulation.”
However, the ICS analysis is not all positive – it shows smaller but expanding flag states associated with ships reportedly seeking to bypass sanctions, and there is concern about four new flag states that have appeared on the table.
“The new additions, Cambodia, Eswatini, Gabon and Guinea-Bissau, are reportedly used by some shipping companies seeking to bypass US/EU/ G7 sanctions, leading to concerns as to whether international maritime standards are being properly enforced on board ships flying the
flags of these states,” said the ICS. Eswatini’s emergence as a flag state presents a ‘distinct concern’ as it is not a member of the UN IMO and is therefore not a signatory of its international maritime conventions.
A common thread when discussing the issues with major ship registries is the call for more cooperation and collaboration to push back against the ‘dark fleet’, particularly because these vessels undermine the drive for safe and high-quality shipping, not to mention skewing any idea of fair and safe competition. However, the issues are complex, not least because not all IMO member states have the same sanctions
regimes in place. It’s also possible for vessels to unknowingly breach sanctions rules, especially if they are some way down the chain from a suspect ship-toship transfer.
PANAMA
In April, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) announced that more than 100 vessels had been removed from the Panama flag under Executive Decree No. 512, introduced in 2024. The AMP is implementing ‘necessary measures’ to refine its merchant fleet, taking actions that “reflect the nation’s commitment to safeguarding its reputation”.
AMP Deputy Administrator
Alexander De Gracia (pictured, with microphone, left, page 38) said the Panamanian Ship Registry has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against the improper use of vessel registration. If the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine becomes aware that a vessel within Panama’s merchant fleet, or its owner, appears on one of the international sanctions lists, a deregistration process is immediately initiated.
The decree has been applied to 125 vessels, resulting in 107 cancellations, with 18 other cases under review, said AMP. Of the vessels removed, 83 were listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), 32 were on the European Union’s watchlist, and ten appeared on the UK’s sanctions lists.
“We are enforcing regulations that establish expedited procedures for deregistering non-compliant, polluting or opaque-background vessels, while also enhancing fleet monitoring and updating data on Panama-flagged ships,” said Rina Berrocal (pictured, second from left), Acting Director General of the Merchant Marine.
Other mechanisms for deregistering vessels linked to illicit activities include Article 49 of the General Law of the Merchant Marine which mandates the automatic cancellation of registration for vessels involved in smuggling, illegal trade, piracy or any other criminal activity, and Decree No. 32 which mandates measures against vessels and maritime companies linked to the financing of terrorism.
Earlier this year, the AMP defended its position – insisting it was not a shelter for sanction evasion and pointing out that it was deflagging many sanctioned vessels.
MARSHALL ISLANDS
Any emergence of a system that enables or promotes deceptive shipping practice, including fraudulent registrations, has a consequential effect on those entities that are doing the right things – governments, agencies and operators that are operating above board, being responsible and meeting obligations, said Nick Makar (pictured below left), Senior Vice President, Maritime Administration and Regulatory Affairs at International Registries, Inc. (IRI), the administrator of the Marshall Islands Ship Registry.
“My view is that this is a compliance issue. Essentially, it’s about making sure the agencies that are responsible for regulating shipping are fully resourced for undertaking their responsibilities under the various convention requirements that support environmental safety, protection of seafarers and the promotion of the shipping industry,” he said. “The key concern is that by undertaking these deceptive practices and avoiding all the technical standards, that will lead to substandard ships – and, as a result of that, there is a greater risk of things going wrong.”
From the flag state’s point of view, the due diligence process of registering a ship is crucial, said Makar. “It’s something we do very well [at the Marshall Islands registry]. Now we are looking in the context of broader IMO membership, at what could be put in place to help ensure this due diligence is carried out – and highlighting the risk of not doing so.
“The Marshall Islands fully supports the idea of taking a holistic approach to this issue. That means making sure the rules in place are fully robust and fully implementing any mechanisms we can to ensure that those that are doing things
the right way are not disadvantaged by those that circumvent the rules.”
The Marshall Islands follows a robust vetting process before ships are registered, said Makar. “The big focus is on safety standards and ensuring there aren’t substandard ships. We require confirmation of class, and demonstration of compliance with technical standards and with regulatory standards such as ISPS and MLC. But it is also about making sure that ships in the registry are adhering to sanctions regimes, so there is the interplay of trade compliance as well as fleet operations.”
IRI President Bill Gallagher (pictured below) said: “We have a whole department we didn’t have 10 years ago – of people trained in trade compliance. This is not just about sanctions busting but also people who might be involved in human or drug trafficking.”
The team will follow up instances of a vessel switching off LRIT transmission, especially if AIS and LRIT are both off at the same time. There are usually legitimate reasons – for example, when drydocking. “But our technical group follows up on each and every one of those instances to make sure all is OK,” said Makar.
“Even before sanctions and the dark fleet, it was very complex and difficult to set up a ship register,” said Gallagher. “It takes a lot of money, resources and trained people. The world has changed such a lot. We never had to think as geopolitically as we do today. We just have to stay prepared – and sometimes we have to not pay attention to rhetoric, but to actual deeds.
“Also, you might get a bad report about a vessel, but you can’t overreact. You must get all the facts and not take a kneejerk approach. Having said that, we believe that people who are trying to break the rules are going to stay away from the better registries like ours. An unknown owner with an ageing tanker is not something we are going to register. It’s that simple.”
BAHAMAS
There will always be actors trying to circumvent regulations, no matter what measures are put in place, said Capt Dwain Hutchinson (pictured below), Managing Director and CEO of the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA).
“The concept of the dark fleet and fraudulent registries is really those ships not complying with international requirements and finding ways of operating outside the international conventions and, in some cases, best industry practice,” he said. “And for compliant operators and owners, it undermines their ability to fairly compete.”
One approach to address such operations could be tasking ports with checking that a ship calling is registered with a genuine ship registry, he suggested.
“From our perspective, the BMA has the responsibility to manage The Bahamas ship registry; while we always ensure that all our ships are fully compliant with international standards, we are governed by The Bahamas government in terms of sanctions, starting with the UN regulations, which The Bahamas has ratified, so we would enforce those. Then for any regional or country-specific sanction, this will be dependent on what bilateral
agreement we [The Bahamas] have with that country; we would advise our owners of any restriction/requirements. But in any event, we do say to our owners – it is our expectation that you will comply with all requirements/restrictions of any countries in which you trade. It’s a strategic choice – if country A has imposed restrictions on country X and this affects your operation, you have two choices, comply or do not trade there. When owners approach us for our view, our position is this: we cannot override a national requirement, you have a choice whether to go to that country.”
The BMA has not identified any ships engaged in sanctions-busting operations, said Hutchinson. “This is probably because the owners and operators that we deal with tend to be compliant with convention requirements and any sanctions if they are operating to that country. If we did have an allegation, we have varying control measures ranging from detaining the ship/ stopping it in a particular port, to deletion. We must ensure that we have all the correct information – we engage with the owners and carry out our investigation, then if we assess that there is or has been a breach, we can suspend registration or remove the ship from the flag.”
There can be areas where there is a lack of clarity of a national or regional requirement, in which case owners should engage with the country involved to ensure they haven’t unknowingly breached the rules – “that can happen”, said Hutchinson.
However, as he pointed out, much of the oil carried by the dark fleet is transhipped at sea, usually through a long supply chain. “If you are innocently caught up in that chain, perhaps three or four ships down the line, you need to be able to demonstrate your due diligence and measures as the owning company to comply.”
The Bahamas says every effort to address the dark fleet issues should go through the IMO, to deliver a global approach wherever possible and in this regard, it is supportive of the work being undertaken by the IMO Legal Committee.
Hutchinson also emphasised that the ship registry is run on behalf of The Bahamas government, so broader policies on international maritime agreements are coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The government will make decisions based on economic development and the wellbeing of its people, while also working with neighbours and the global community. We are a small nation relying very much on maritime and shipping – we must work with all partners to ensure we can continue to sustain and grow our economy.”
This, he said, brings us back to the question – what could and should flags do about the dark fleet?
“Communicate and collaborate – that’s it. It’s important to advise stakeholders of any challenges you have and if you have an owner or operator on your flag who is identified as not compliant in any way and you took this action, share that information with other parties, so the owner/operator doesn’t have the benefit of simply transferring to any other registry instead.
“It also means sharing information with other member states at all three levels – coastal, port and flag state, so they can look out for that owner/operator if they come into their region. Continue the communication dialogue and continue to collaborate. We may be competitors in terms of ship registry, but you never compete on safety, on environmental sustainability, or on the wellbeing of the crew on board. If we all have that principle in mind, sharing incidents that can negatively impact the broader shipping industry, we can make a difference.”
International shipowner and industry groups such as INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO and the International Group of P&I Clubs also have a role to play, he added. “If we are not flagging the non-compliant owner and they are not accepted by the member of these groups and not getting charters, that limits where the vessel can trade, thereby moving them out of the commercial aspect of doing business.”
JAMAICA
“The growing ‘dark fleet’ poses significant concerns for the international maritime community,” noted the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) in reply to SMI questions. “These vessels often operate outside regulatory frameworks, compromising safety, security and environmental standards. This trend undermines efforts to maintain high-quality shipping and encourages the emergence of less responsible ship registers.
“Dark fleet vessels often lack proper maintenance, crew training and adherence to safety protocols, increasing the risk of accidents and environmental disasters. Operating outside international regulations, these vessels evade inspections, fines and other enforcement mechanisms, creating an uneven playing field.
“Less responsible ship registers may prioritise flagging vessels with questionable safety and environmental records, further compromising industry standards. Dark fleet operators may enjoy lower operational costs, unfairly competing with compliant operators who prioritise safety and quality.”
As regards how to address the issue, MAJ recommended:
• Enhanced international cooperation among regulatory bodies, with law enforcement and industry stakeholders sharing intelligence and best practices;
• Strengthening enforcement mechanisms, including inspections, fines, and penalties for non-compliant vessels;
• Implementing robust tracking and monitoring systems to identify and track dark fleet vessels;
• Encouraging industry leaders to promote safe and responsible practices, and to prioritise compliance with international regulations; and
• Providing training and capacitybuilding programmes for crews, inspectors and regulators to enhance expertise and enforcement capabilities.
Only by “addressing the root causes of the dark fleet phenomenon and promoting a culture of safety, quality, and compliance” can the international maritime community work towards “a more responsible and sustainable industry”, MAJ believes.
As regards its own Jamaica Ship Registry, MAJ points out that before ships are accepted onto it they are subject to “a comprehensive search to ensure that the vessel is not listed on any international sanctions list. All vessels accepted and registered are required to undergo inspection, survey and audit to ensure compliance with statutory conventions and to ensure that they are safe and seaworthy.”
BARBADOS
The Barbados Maritime Ship Registry (BMSR) likewise has what it calls “a thorough assessment process before registering a vessel”. CEO and Principal Registrar Giovanni Ciniglio (pictured above) stresses that BMSR is “careful to ensure that no vessels defined as ‘dark fleet’ or ‘shadow fleet’, engaged in illegal operations for the purposes of circumventing sanctions, evading compliance with safety or environmental regulations, avoiding insurance costs or engaging in other illegal activities, are registered under the Barbados flag.”
He emphasised that a vessel sanctioned for links with Russia does not automatically mean it is engaged in illegal
operations, adding: “However, despite Barbados not having any sanctions against Russia, we do not register any sanctioned vessel. Before registering a vessel, the BMSR checks USA OFAC, the UK sanctions list and EU websites to check if the vessel is sanctioned. Also, the BMSR registration platform issues a warning every time a vessel registered with us is sanctioned, after which the vessel is deleted from the register within a month.”
Ciniglio said cooperation and collaboration among flag states, coastal states and port states is needed to combat the growing ‘dark fleet’. However, he said, the pushback should not involve making personal attacks insinuating that a registry –i.e. the BMSR – is ‘doing something dodgy’. He is angry about what he describes as ‘bias against a third country’, and said respect goes a long way. “Stop telling me my ships are not compliant or are dodgy. Tell me what you really want – for us to not register a vessel with a sanction.”
MALTA
Malta is deeply concerned about the emergence of ‘less responsible’ ship registers attracting substandard ships, as this undermines the good work that has been done by the IMO with the support of member states, said Charles Axisa, Deputy Chief Officer at Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate. “Malta is cognisant and supportive of the ongoing IMO work on this matter, including the envisaged conduct of a regulatory scoping exercise of relevant instruments, and enhancement of existing tools which can assist in preventing illegal operations in the maritime sector by the ‘dark fleet’,” he said.
“Malta has always been firm and remains vigilant on this matter. Maltese legislation has several punitive provisions that may also lead to the forced closure of registry for ships that are found to be operating in violation of international sanctions and/or considered to be detrimental to the national interest. The latest IMO Member State Audit has confirmed Malta’s robust procedural and legal system to ensure the applicability of international conventions in the interests of maritime safety.”
Whilst keeping an open eye on geopolitical developments that invariably affect the industry, one way registries can cope with geopolitical developments is “to always aim to be ahead of the shifting climate and turn challenges into opportunities”, said Axisa. “Malta highlights the importance of enhancing co-operation and promoting dialogue with key stakeholders, particularly in a constantly evolving environment and faced by new challenges.”
PALAU
The growing challenges posed by the dark fleet and increasing geopolitical uncertainties require a robust and proactive approach from flag states, said Panos
Kirnidis, CEO of Palau International Ship Registry. “At PISR, we ensure that all vessels under our flag undergo rigorous vetting and continuous monitoring to prevent sanctions violations and illicit activities,” he said. “To further strengthen our efforts, we have set up a dedicated team focused exclusively on vetting our ships, ensuring thorough scrutiny and compliance at every stage. By collaborating with international bodies and adopting advanced technologies, we maintain the integrity of our registry and ensure that our vessels comply with the most stringent global maritime regulations.”
A comprehensive vetting system screens vessels, owners, managers and operators before registration with PISR. “We utilise advanced monitoring systems to detect any suspicious activities, including AIS spoofing and involvement in sanctions violations, using tools including Polestar PurpleTrac, RISC Databank, IHS Seaweb and integrating data provided by DPRK, OFAC and UN sanctions lists, as well as the US Senate List, ISN and the Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR).”
PISR said it is taking ‘decisive steps’ to combat vessel involved in illicit activities, by ensuring they are swiftly delisted. If a vessel is found to violate sanctions or international laws, there is a thorough investigation and, if necessary, registration is temporarily revoked. Administrative hearings are held, relevant authorities are notified and the vessel’s registration may then be permanently revoked.
“PISR has more than 400 rejection cases, where vessels have not been accepted for registration due to failure to comply with rules and regulations. Additionally, there have been over 100 administrative hearings related to violations. These steps ensure that the integrity of the Palau flag is upheld and that vessels under our jurisdiction comply with the highest international standards.”
However, PISR said, it recognises that these efforts alone are not enough.
“Tackling the dark fleet requires a more proactive and collaborative approach across the international community.
“One crucial solution lies in enhanced cooperation among ship registries. This is why we have actively supported initiatives such as the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) MoU, formed in February 2020 between Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands, and which PISR joined in March 2020. The RISC MoU serves as a vital platform for ship registries to share information about vessels that are being deregistered or are under investigation for involvement in sanctionable activities.”
Another important consideration is the role of NGOs in monitoring vessels suspected of engaging in illicit activities, particularly the transport of crude oil, petroleum products and gas, it added.
However, direct action can be complicated. Flag states may ask a vessel owner or manager for certain information, but the power to validate their responses is often insufficient, as registries do not have the necessary infrastructure or other means to verify such suspicious activities, said PISR. Tools such as AIS data are not designed for sanctions monitoring –AIS “can provide information about attempts to conceal illegal activities but cannot prove such”.”
PISR suggested the installation of a tamper-proof tracking instrument working independently and impartially to record and broadcast vessels’ trading and sanctions-related information.
“The growth of the dark fleet, which includes illicit practices such as flaghopping and shadow fleet operations, is undoubtedly a serious concern for the global shipping industry,” concluded Kernidis. “This growing trend threatens to undermine the broader international drive for safe, transparent and highquality shipping practices, as well as the integrity of ship registries. It is clear that a united and robust mechanism is needed to tackle the challenges posed by the dark fleet.” l
St Kitts & Nevis Ship Registry (SKAN) has launched a campaign focused on the safety of pilots boarding and disembarking SKAN-flagged vessels.
More and more pilots across the world are being injured and, in some cases, killed due to poor maintenance, incorrect rigging and the unsatisfactory condition of pilot transfer and boarding arrangements, according to SKAN; as a result, the registry is working to ensure that vessels are adhering to all the relevant regulations.
“We have all seen videos of pilot ladders breaking and other dangerous arrangements. These have helped us compile our campaign, which we have wanted to do for some time,” says Liam Ryan, CEO of SKAN.
During flag state inspections, SKAN inspectors will target rigging arrangements, ensure crew know
St Kitts tackles dangers to pilots; tightens vetting pre-registration
how to rig properly, check the condition of kit (which will likely have been subject to temperature variations, and degradation from sun, rain, moisture and/or wind), and ensure all kit is in date. There will also be checks for potential counterfeit pilot ladders and fake IMO numbers.
Graeme Morkel, SKAN Deputy Registrar, says: “Having served myself as a master and having done numerous surveys, inspections and audits, I know that you can often go on board and ask crew members to show you where pilots ladders are stowed, and if they know how to rig them correctly. In some cases, the means of stowage can often appear suspect, which then tells you that it has not been run out or tested, or that has not been rigged correctly, which all comes down to training.”
“I am keen to increase awareness of our campaign – especially because of my background in safety. If a crew is able to rig the safe arrangements competently, nine times out of ten the pilot will comment to a crew member when they board the vessel – one of the first things, your ladder’s
rigged perfectly – and that little compliment goes a long way for the seafarer, who is more accustomed to getting complaints. I don’t think crew members always appreciate the dangers of incorrectly rigging pilot ladders. So for me, it was vital to work on this campaign.
“If we can hypothetically find that 10% of ladders and rigging arrangements are inadequate or not fit for use, by ensuring that those 10% are replaced, we are going to save lives.”
Separately, SKAN has announced a tightening of the application process for those vessels aspiring to join the fleet. A completely revised application process is to be introduced from 1st April 2025 putting the onus on owners, managers and operators of aspiring vessels to produce the documentary requirements first time round otherwise their application will be rejected.
Liam Ryan says: “The vetting procedures are going to change and upfront documentary evidence to support the application will be required.
“No second chances. Improve or go,” he warns. l
Liam Ryan, CEO, SKAN
An exclusive SMI interview with the Shipping Deputy Minister of Cyprus, Ms Marina Hadjimanolis
Q) What are your views on the growing ‘dark fleet’ – is this undermining the international drive for safe and high-quality shipping and encouraging the emergence and adoption of ‘less responsible’ ship registers? Do you have any views on what can be done about this?
MH) The rise of the ‘dark fleet’, comprising ships operating without proper oversight or registration, undermines global efforts to ensure safe and highquality shipping and encourages the adoption of less responsible ship registers. As a result, the growing ‘dark fleet’ poses significant risks to maritime safety, security, insurance and environmental protection and raises a series of new challenges for the maritime sector which require to be urgently addressed.
The increased number of unreported ship-toship (STS) operations beyond sovereign territorial waters, along with deceptive shipping practices like manipulating AIS and LRIT data, presents significant safety and security risks. Effective enforcement of IMO Conventions, including insurance requirements under the IMO Liability Conventions, is essential for maintaining safety and environmental standards. To address these challenges, it is crucial for all States to take necessary steps to improve global enforcement and implementation of IMO instruments.
All these challenges constitute a serious situation and thus require particular remedies on the basis of an international cooperation. It is encouraging to see that in March the IMO Legal Committee during its 112th session (LEG 112, 24-28 March 2025) adopted a proposal for a new output on a regulatory scoping exercise of IMO conventions and other instruments available for Member States to further develop actions to prevent unlawful operations including substandard ships. Another new output that the Legal Committee agreed to include in its
work programme is the development of non-mandatory guidelines on ship registration. The development of such guidelines may be particularly helpful for Flag States who do not have in place due diligence established checks and procedures and who need support and assistance, or even, for new/ emerging registries in order to ensure that fraudulent registration or flag abuse do not take place.
Q) What measures has Cyprus taken to ensure that ships under your flag are fully compliant with international sanctions as well as safety standards? Please could you provide details (tonnage/ number of ships) of any de-listing you have carried out and reasons/procedures for doing this, as you see fit?
MH) As a Member State of the UN and the EU, the Republic of Cyprus is bound by the UN sanctions and the EU restrictive measures. Our Shipping Deputy Ministry is the supervisory authority for the implementation of UN and EU sanctions in relation to Cyprus-flagged ships. To this end, our Maritime Administration, acting in its Flag State capacityjurisdiction, closely monitors the variety and complexity of the economic sanctions imposed both at EU and international level and regularly issues Sanctions Information Notices to the Cyprus shipping industry. It should be stressed that, taking into account the effect of the war in Ukraine and the 16 sanctions packages adopted to date by the European Union on the Russian Federation, our Shipping Deputy Ministry has continuously offered relevant support and guidance to the Cyprus shipping industry through the issuing of 27 Sanctions Information Notices and six Circulars. Furthermore, we have been cooperating closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Cyprus Ports Authority for matters pertaining to the implementation of sanctions in the maritime sector.
For our Deputy Ministry, implementing the relevant EU sanctions against the Russian Federation has proven challenging, requiring the adoption of innovative approaches, of a new modus operandi and of measures on various matters such as inter alia the withdrawal of authorisation of the Russian Classification society (Russian Maritime Register of Shipping); the development of an attestation for the Russian oil Price cap mechanism; the termination of acceptance of insurance provided by Russian insurers (P&I Clubs); and internal guidance for Ship Registry transactions/due diligence.
There had been a reduction in the number and gross tonnage of vessels which were flying the flag of EU Member States due to reflagging to the ship registries of third countries particularly in years 2022 and 2023. However, reversing a two-year decline in the Cyprus Register of Ships due to geopolitical tensions, I am very pleased to report a remarkable increase of 18% in our registry in terms of total tonnage over the last 16 months.
As for compliance with the safety standards, it is recalled that the paramount obligation as a Flag State is to ensure compliance of ships with the applicable provisions of the national and international maritime legislation relating to safety, pollution prevention and living and working conditions on board Cyprus flag vessels.
A successful monitoring programme of our fleet, is reflected in the Cyprus Fleet Performance on various MoU and Port State Control regimes.
The monitoring of the Cyprus fleet is a multidimensional effort which includes coordinated and well-designed actions. In this respect the Shipping Deputy Ministry ensures high standards by employing qualified marine surveyors knowledgeable in maritime legislation and international conventions. Flag State Control Inspections focus on riskbased standards with independent inspectors in key ports for effective monitoring. The SDM maintains a modern fleet by enforcing age limits, imposing penalties, and regularly auditing Recognised Organisations, authorised to act on its behalf. Additionally, Cyprus analyses Port State Control inspection reports and issues Circulars to provide ongoing guidance to shipowners and managers.
By applying the above-mentioned measures, this has resulted in the further improvement of the quality of the
Cyprus fleet. In addition, the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry maintains an ISO Quality Management System, and we are subject to the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS). Cyprus’s IMSAS audit was successfully carried out during April 2023.
Q) In general, how is Cyprus (Registry) coping with increasing geopolitical and trading uncertainties in the world? What can or should Registries/Flag States be doing to cope with it all?
MH) Indeed, increasing geopolitical and trading uncertainties in the world constitute real challenges for the ship registries/ maritime administrations. Sanctions in the shipping industry take various forms, from comprehensive economic and trade sanctions to more targeted measures. Their complexities and evolution in the recent years have been particularly challenging for shipowners, service providers and regulators/maritime administrations. The general position of Cyprus with regard to shipping-related sanctions is that such sanctions should be targeted, traceable and easily implementable.
Regarding the changes in seaborne trade, since 19 November 2023, navigation in the southern part of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is a major concern due to the attacks of the Houthi rebels from eastern Yemen against ships transiting the area. Whilst the Houthis, through various statements, have made known those whom they are targeting, a number of the attacks have been against ships which do not fall within this published profile. Our Maritime Administration is monitoring the matter and has already issued relevant Circulars.
Cyprus has been adapting to the increasing geopolitical and trading uncertainties by maintaining high standards of safety, environmental protection and compliance with international maritime conventions in order to safeguard that Cyprus remains a trusted and highly reputable registry. Therefore, despite the geopolitical challenges, the Cyprus Flag Administration remained focused to delivering efficient, high-quality and personalised services and has excelled both globally and locally. Cyprus has strengthened its position as a Maritime Centre of Excellence and has experienced a significant increase in its registered tonnage. l
Alternative Viewpoint
Regrettable reality of navigational safety
By Michael Grey, MBE, an internationally respected maritime commentator
Do we really learn any lessons from the more serious maritime incidents that flit briefly across public consciousness? Accidents such as the catastrophic meeting between the containership Solong and the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate, which recently produced a lot of headlines recently?
There is a sort of grim inevitability in such incidents and whatever is finally revealed by the various inquiries into the fatal allision, it is unlikely to affect the frequency of these navigational mishaps. Questions will be asked; the trite all-purpose phrase “lessons will be learned” will be trotted out, but, in reality, little or nothing will be changed about the way modern ships are operated.
Clever and experienced people have suggested for years, (usually in the aftermath of a stranding or collision) that the manning on small, hard-run ships is inadequate, that fatigue is cumulative and that attitudes to hours of rest and work are, to say the least, flexible. But then, equally clever and experienced people will assert that the rules are there to be followed, and the financial basis of their business proves conclusively that additional hands could not be afforded. Perhaps some AI or additional technical help might be considered, in due course, after appropriate international discussions, at IMO.
And whatever might be inscribed in the SMS or standing orders, weather delays, for anything other than the most extreme conditions are increasingly regarded as unacceptable. Nothing new in that, perhaps - the master who regularly arrived on time has always been regarded more favourably than the cautious colleague who is reluctant to ‘press on’. Regardless of the longestablished regulations, navigators on slow ships are constantly being frightened by speedsters (invariably container ships), rushing up and down busy waterways in restricted visibility. Ask any coastal VTS operator.
There is a schedule to keep and what do you think all this sophisticated radar equipment is for? They may of late have slowed down a little to save fuel and the planet, but they can still be very scary.
There is also, professionals point out, a lot of very bad behaviour out there, with dim-witted watch officers happily running down a line on their electronic chart being unwilling to alter course to a stand-on ship, regarding this as a diversion. Is the equipment too clever for those using it? Or are they just badly trained?
There has been plenty written about the problems of distraction, often by accident inspectors, but there is little evidence of any progress. There are plenty of bureaucratic tasks to take the mind of the watchkeeper off the principal role and eyes off the horizon, while more and more alarms, for every conceivable item of ship’s equipment, find themselves located on the bridge in this age of automation.
And finally, and rather basically, are you sitting rather too comfortably in a warm wheelhouse, in the postureperfect chair, lulled into a less than entire attitude of alertness by the gentle thrum of machinery? It was many years ago that the UK administration, seeking to get some proper data on the worrying enthusiasm for One Man Bridge Operation, with no additional lookout after dark, sent their observer to sea in small, hardworking ships. The results were not encouraging, this person noting a worrying lack of alertness among tired watchkeepers. The term ‘catatonic trance’ was employed, one recalls.
All of which leaves us with the thought that the whole logistic chain is just too taut; too finely tuned for speed, rather than safety. If something could be done about that, maybe all the other problems might be a little easier to solve. And that is navigational reality in 2025. l
Regional Focus
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
Norway: full steam ahead on ammonia
Charlie Bartlett reports for SMI from a press tour of leading Norwegian companies organised in the run-up to Nor-Shipping.
In recent months, Norway has seen a divergence between its green shipping targets and those of other countries. Enthusiasm for ammonia is outstripping that of Norway’s European neighbours, which are leaning instead toward methanol and bio-derived fuels.
By the time Höegh Autoliners’ newbuildings are delivered, its fleet will perhaps the most ammonia-ready in the world, with considerable work done on tank design to ensure that very little will need to be done – some piping and a new fuel feed system, according to CEO Andreas Enger – to make the vessels ammonia dual-fuel capable.
Höegh seems to be avoiding one of the potential pitfalls of ammonia, though; when the time comes, its vessels will be capable of sticking with LNG if sufficient ammonia bunkering capacity is unavailable. “We have no plans to burn grey ammonia,” Enger clarified in conversation with SMI.
Norway is extremely good at manufacturing grey ammonia through its fertiliser giant Yara. Currently, Yara’s plant extracts carbon from natural gas using steam-methane-reforming, and then combines it with nitrogen extracted from the atmosphere to create ammonia. Burning this as fuel would be ill-advised, however, because of the extraordinary CO2 emissions of steam reforming. Doing so would generate considerably more carbon than to burn natural gas as ship fuel.
A view from DNV’s scenic Høvik headquarters
Andreas Enger with a model of Höegh’s Aurora-class newbuild
Another concern is that of the safety of ammonia, to which there appear to be few answers. SMI was repeatedly assured there were sufficient safety procedures in place to enable safe operation for crew.
“If you get ammonia leakage, in the interim guidelines from IMO, they have included an important requirement in an emergency situation for an ammonia ship where you have a large leakage,” said Linda Hammer, Principal consultant, DNV. “There is a requirement for a safe haven, so the people on board the ship can go to a safe place, not affected by the toxic gas, so that they can plan and find out how to proceed.”
SMI was unable to extract a response from DNV, Höegh or Yara as to what would happen if a vessel with a tank of ammonia were lost at sea, an eventuality with potentially catastrophic environmental results. “This would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis,” said one DNV expert.
It may be that conventional bunkering hubs, situated amid dense urban environments, are unsuited to bunkering ammonia, Höegh’s Enger admitted. “Personally, I believe that bunkering is the riskiest aspect of operating on ammonia,” he said. “When it comes to bunkering, if something goes wrong we will seal the tanks and we won’t go there again. I think we will need to be very specific about the ports where we bunker ammonia, for this reason.”
Intimately familiar with the process of making ammonia, however, Yara may be able to drastically scale up green ammonia production based on Norway’s abundant supply of renewable energy. Much depends on the availability of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers, used to generate the renewable hydrogen that is the precursor of the new generation of fuels. Such electrolysers are already present in Yara facilities.
As Yara Clean Ammonia’s Senior Vice President - Product Management & Certification, Vibeke Rasmussen, points out, while the hydrogen production is limited only by the supply of renewable energy, biogenic carbon is much more difficult to find, and is shared between green methanol and other fuel types such as biodiesel. This likely puts methanol in a stiff competition for feedstock resources which green ammonia may be possible to sidestep, as nitrogen, ammonia’s carbon counterpart, is available in abundance, making up 80% of Earth’s atmosphere.
MAKE DO AND MEND
While the debate over new fuels rumbles on, huge progress is being made on fuel efficiency, which is making radical emissions reductions achievable even with conventional fuels. Some 140 efficiency retrofits, across Odfjell’s fleet of 70 vessels, has led to a remarkable 53% reduction of CO2 emissions across its fleet, compared with a 2008 baseline, according to Erik Hjortland, Technology Vice President. These have comprised propeller boss-cap fins, mewis ducts, LED lighting, and most recently, sails.
“We took the 19 highest consumers in the fleet, and made changes to the engine, shaft generator, put on new propellers, and rudders.,” Hjortland related. “By that, without any speed loss, we saved 20% on average, as much as 30% with some of the ships. It really shows the potential of using existing on-the-shelf technology. Whatever fuel its tankers end up burning, the company stands to save a lot of money on it.”
Yara employee shows off PEM electrolysers at Herøya
Hjortland lamented that Odfjell had not done this 20 years prior, saying “think of how much money we could have saved on fuel!”
“According to a Clarksons study earlier this year, 63% of the world fleet has not installed any energy-saving devices. So imagine the potential.”
Jotun, meanwhile, is preparing for a “big reveal” at NorShipping, though would not divulge the exact nature of such. It will most likely involve HullSkater, Jotun’s robotic hull-cleaning device developed by Kongsberg. Looking like a halfway between a Lamborghini and an electric shaver, the robot is stored onboard, and used to clean the hull during port calls, on a much more frequent schedule than would be possible with yard visits, give slime build-up little chance to develop.
“HullSkater generation one is out in the market, and we are now delivering that together with a dedicated coating developed for that single purpose,” explained Christer Lorentz Øpstad, Jotun Global R&D Director -Fouling Protection. “We are working on generation two, generation three.”
Jotun tests its coatings close by in the water of Sandefjord, using a raft permanently stationed by a nearby quayside. But are Norway’s cold waters a good place to test anti-fouling coatings? “Everyone thinks that Norway’s waters are not fouling waters,” said Øpstad. “But what we have found is that August in Norway is absolutely the most severe fouling that you can have anywhere --Singapore is not even close.
“We have had all summer for our sea to warm up a little bit, and there is a flush of nutrients in the water from farming. And we have very long days – so it is getting sunlight, growing almost 24 hours a day. The total biomass ends up like kilograms per square metre in that month. We really couldn’t believe it.”
Shipowner Solvang is enjoying extraordinary success with its onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) by combining it, quite by accident, with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). A measure to reduce emissions of unburned NOx, EGR lowers engine combustion temperature by displacing oxygen in
the cylinder. EGR also, however, seems to have the effect of improving the efficiency of OCCS devices, Edvin Endresen, Solvang CEO, explained, through increasing the concentration of carbon in the exhaust. Doing so has allowed Solvang’s OCCS to capture around 60% of the carbon from the exhaust – OCCS systems typically manage 30%.
One concern with OCCS systems is that additional fuel – quite a lot of it – is needed to provide sufficient energy to power the CO2 sequestration reaction. But encouragingly, Solvang claims, too, to have used scavenged heat to reduce this supplementary fuel consumption, from a typically around 50%, to closer to 20%.
“We have found that going between 30-50% [carbon capture], there is hardly any increase [in fuel consumption] –like 5%,” explained Endresen. “But when you go past 60%, it climbs – 10, 15%. When you get close to 70%, you get a 15, 20% increase in fuel consumption. After that, the curve goes really steep, because you need to apply much more heat to get the extra out of it.” l
Norway is not the only country with an abundant supply of renewable hydropower. Some 70% of grid energy in Brazil is provided by energy derived from the Amazon river, similar to Norway – though in Brazil’s case, this is tempered somewhat by the fact that many communities throughout Brazil are not gridconnected. Still, it is diversifying into other forms of renewable energy, wind and solar, at a faster rate than many other countries.
Apparently having recognised the synergies between these two countries, Norway and Brazil signed a green corridors agreement in February. In additio, Brazil and Norwegian Research Association have signed an MoU to collaborate on research and development.
With major potential for provision of ship fuels, there is growing evidence of coordination between the two countries; Brazil will be sending a large delegation to this year’s Norshipping, director Sidsel Norvik told SMI.
“They have a seminar, ‘Bridging the gap between Brazil and Norway’,” she explained. “On shipbuilding I think this is important, because they don’t have the expertise, and Petrobras need another 125 ships for its fleet.”
“Brazil have adopted the Norwegian model in the oil and gas industry, where the Norwegian Government is very strong in the field, but they need international expertise in order to escalate, ”
India, too, is courting investment and customers for its shipyard industry, variously reopening, renovating or increasing the capacity of its shipyards. The hope is that India will be a ‘Top 5’ shipyard by the end of this decade and provide an alternative to China’s shipyards dominance. l
The streamlined shape helps Jotun’s Hullskater stick to the hull
Svitzer signs global EcoTow pact with Wallenius Wilhelmsen to drive decarbonisation
Copenhagen-based Svitzer has signed a global EcoTow agreement with the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group. The agreement marks a major step in Svitzer’s decarbonisation journey and supports Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s ambition to reduce Scope 3 emissions across Svitzer’s global operations.
The agreement covers tug jobs across key markets such as Australia, the UK, and Scandinavia. By applying the mass balance principle, Svitzer can use biofuels across its network and bank the resulting CO2 savings in its emissions ledger. These are then allocated to Wallenius Wilhelmsen, allowing the company to reduce emissions related to towage.
“This collaboration demonstrates the importance of partnerships in our decarbonisation efforts. Working with a like-minded partner like Svitzer gives us a reliable path to reduce emissions beyond our direct operations,” says Ove Moring, Senior Manager Supplier Contracting & Equipment, Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
Sven Muchardt, Key Customer Manager at Svitzer, highlights the value of the agreement: “We are excited to partner with Wallenius Wilhelmsen on this initiative to help address the shared challenges of decarbonisation. This agreement strengthens our collaboration while supporting both companies’ strategic goals.”
The deal reflects a growing customer demand for voluntary emissions reduction schemes that go beyond regulatory requirements. It also illustrates how Svitzer’s differentiated approach can support customers in accelerating their climate strategies.
“We see EcoTow not only as a solution for today, but as a bridge to more transformative change,” adds Svitzer’s Head of Decarbonisation, Gareth Prowse. “These agreements show that our customers are ready to act now, not later.” l
Space Norway improves connectivity with multi-orbit satellite strategy
Whereas in the past, onboard connectivity could be a somewhat unreliable, today it is an operational necessity for vessels to have robust and high-speed communication links. These links support systems spanning navigation, cargo monitoring, engine diagnostics, connectivity services for passengers, and crew welfare.
From the bridge to the engine room, seamless data flow is essential to ensuring operational efficiency, safety and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, an update to the Maritime Labour Convention (2006) (MLC), gives crew the right to mandatory social connectivity including internet access. Excellent satellite communications are indispensable to all maritime sectors.
Space Norway, Northern Europe’s leading satellite operator and provider of connectivity services to the maritime mobility and land-based sectors, governments, and broadcasters, has a fleet of THOR geostationary satellites, delivering exceptional northernly coverage as well as extensive reach across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Unlike Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites which move rapidly across the sky, geostationary satellites remain fixed in one location, and so tend to provide a more stable and consistent connectivity. This makes them the ideal choice for mission-critical applications such as vessel tracking, dynamic route optimisation, automated cargo handling and safety communications at sea.
NEW GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE
Space Norway recently announced the contract for a new dual-use satellite, THOR 8, equipped with three dedicated payloads on the Ku and Ka bands. THOR 8 is expected to have an operational lifespan of more than 15 years, with its launch scheduled for the end of 2027. This latest addition to the fleet will deliver expanded coverage, and robust, highspeed connectivity to maritime clients operating in the North, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, as well as across the North Atlantic Ocean, and regions of the Arctic and Indian Oceans. This is extremely good news for vessels and offshore energy platforms operating in more challenging sea conditions as it will ensure that onboard systems remain fully functional, regardless of the weather.
LEO CONNECTIVITY SERVICES
In another move which will be beneficial for its maritime clients, Space Norway has also announced that it has signed a Term Sheet for Lightspeed LEO connectivity services from Canadian satellite operator Telesat. The company plans to integrate a multi-Gbps Telesat Lightspeed capacity pool into its services portfolio to provide secure, low-latency connectivity services ideally suited for real-time maritime requirements and enhanced internet access for crew and passengers.
Explains Jan Hetland, Space Norway’s Director, Data Services Division: “The introduction of THOR 8 into our portfolio of satellites along with the agreement with Telesat allows us to expand our services in both capacity and geographical reach. With the addition of the Lightspeed network we will be able to extend our range beyond EMEA to a worldwide scale. This will be a game changer for our maritime clients who frequently navigate across different geographical regions. They will be able to access seamless connectivity from us without needing to switch providers.”
This multi-orbit strategy combines the stability of geostationary satellites with the low-latency advantages of LEO networks and positions Space Norway as a formidable player in maritime satellite communications. l
THOR 8 in orbit. (Courtesy Thales Alenia Space)
Jan Hetland (Photo Kilian Munch)
Will Sweden’s green fuel surge
break the maritime dilemma?
Sweden’s renewable fuel resources face a key challenge: limited integration with the wider European market. Nils Igelström, Managing Director at GAC Sweden, warns that the maritime sector’s energy transition may struggle without greater clarity and infrastructure.
Sweden is at the forefront of the maritime industry’s alternative fuel development in Europe, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2045 in support of the IMO’s 2050 decarbonisation agenda. The country has invested heavily in renewable fuel solutions for commercial shipping, focusing on biofuels, liquefied biogas and synthetic fuels like eMethanol.
Several notable infrastructure projects that have broken ground in the past two years.
In May 2023, construction began on the FlagshipONE facility in Örnsköldsvik, which aims to produce 50,000 tonnes of carbon-neutral eMethanol annually.
It was followed in February 2024 by Jämtkraft AB’s launch of the NorthStarH2 project, targeting up to 100,000 tonnes of eMethanol each year to support Sweden’s renewable energy and shipping needs.
Six months later, ScanOcean and Vegoil introduced a marine fuel from hydrotreated vegetable oil, which was successfully used by the tanker Key Fjord shortly afterwards at the Port of Oskarshamn shortly afterwards, marking progress toward viable maritime biofuels.
But despite these investments, the maritime sector continues to face a paradox: limited adoption of alternative fuels hinders infrastructure development, while shipping companies hesitate to invest in retrofits or new vessels until supply chains mature. This creates a disconnect that risks an oversupply of Sweden’s advanced fuels without broader access to the European shipping market.
Nils Igelström, Managing Director at GAC Sweden, points out that even though Sweden produces innovative renewable marine fuels, cargo owners are hesitant to pay higher freight costs, preventing the realisation of environmental benefits and delaying decarbonisation.
Supply chain bottlenecks, including logistical challenges and limited European port infrastructure, continue to hinder the export of Sweden’s alternative fuels, raising costs and complicating regulatory compliance for vessels outside the North and Baltic Seas.
Igelström notes: “While supply isn’t an issue for vessels regularly calling at Gothenburg, accessing Sweden’s fuels is challenging in regions lacking infrastructure. Without consistent availability beyond Sweden, Finland, and Germany, shipping companies hesitate to invest in greener vessels and greener fuels.”
He stresses the importance of broader European collaboration to improve fuel accessibility and support the green transition in shipping.
Logistical hurdles drive costs, with bunkering making up to 50% of a vessel’s daily expenses. The World Economic Forum notes that greener fuel alternatives can be four times more expensive than traditional heavy-fuel oil. Transitioning to zero-emission shipping raises goods costs in an already tight-margin industry.
A Drewry study found that switching to green methanol could increase fuel costs by 350%, adding over US$1,000 per 40-foot container shipped from Asia to Europe.
Igelström emphasises that while exporting Sweden’s alternative fuels raises costs, it is essential to unlock shipping’s green potential.
The maritime industry requires clear frameworks, as regulatory, infrastructure and environmental gaps hinder the development of an effective green fuel supply chain.
“Shipping companies need certainty,” Igelström says. “With slim margins, they can’t afford fuel shortages, especially in areas with few delivery points. Europe must work together to create a uniform supply chain for renewable-powered vessels.”
Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands are tackling these issues through the STORM project, launched in May 2024. This initiative aims to address supply chain barriers and accelerate the green transition.
“Sweden is a leader in shipping’s fuel transition with innovative development and regulations. Yet, Europe must efficiently distribute surplus renewable fuels across the continent”, Igelström concludes. l
The peninsular of Gibraltar may be small but it is still a major player when it comes to international shipping. As the largest bunkering port in the Mediterranean, it is strategically placed overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar and also makes a perfect location for crew transfers as well as ship supply. But how is Brexit affecting this British Overseas Territory?
Ongoing tensions in the Red Sea area mean much shipping has diverted away from the Suez Canal route and around the Cape of Good Hope instead. But Gibraltar’s strategic position means its business remains relatively unscathed.
Ian Penfold, Director of shipping agency MH Bland, confirms that the Cape diversion has not been too detrimental to the company’s business at all. “Our office in Las Palmas in the Canaries gained 40% in business because of the issues in the Red Sea,” he relates. “Gibraltar has also
gained from traffic that used to go into the Mediterranean and then down through Suez.
“We currently have three suppliers in Gibraltar (one only supplies distillates), there was a time where we had five physical suppliers in port, so there was capacity and competition was fierce. If we don’t have that now or if there is any type of congestion, (primarily lack of barges), then neighbouring ports will take up the demand that we cannot handle.
“We’ll see where that leads in the future. I feel Gibraltar needs more suppliers than we currently have.
Applications have been coming
through which the government and the Port Authority are looking at.
“Gibraltar as a port used to supply an average of five million tonnes of fuel a year when we had five suppliers. For the last couple of years, we have been at about 3.1 or 3.2 million. The decrease in supply is due to the lack of suppliers as both fuel operators are more or less running to capacity since most of the port congestion we see these days is due to supplier delays rather than the anchorage being congested.
“If we had more suppliers this would create competition and increase revenue for the Port Authority and for the port community as we would be attending to more vessels.”
Penfold adds that he doesn’t think Tangier, on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, will present any real competition to Gibraltar because he said that region is concentrating more on Ro-Ro and Liner services than
husbandry and bunkering. But he does mention new TFG Marine bunkering facilities opening up in Ceuta that could pose a problem for Gibraltar, saying: “We’ll see, our major competitors are still the usual subjects - all ports on the Strait, the Canaries and Malta.
“Once the Red Sea and Suez opens again, we’ll see Egyptian ports, which are a good holding area before they cross and take on fuel. This will take more business away from us. But things change on a daily basis so it’s a matter of riding the storm as best you can.”
Its Managing Director, John Taylor, says of the situation: “On one hand, some traditional traffic has bypassed the Mediterranean, slightly reducing opportunistic calls. On the other hand, the increased pressure on vessels taking the longer routes has created more demand for planned maintenance and repair services – a niche where Gibdock continues to excel.
“We’ve also seen a continued uptick in naval calls, reinforcing Gibraltar’s strategic value beyond commercial transits. The cluster remains adaptable and its long-term value proposition as a gateway to the Mediterranean and a reliable repair and supply hub remain strong.”
John Ghio, CEO and Captain of the Gibraltar Port Authority, likewise reports that the impact of problems in the Red Sea has not been dramatic for the port. “In the early days we actually had a temporary increase in activity because vessels going around the Cape in Africa were calling at Gibraltar to refuel,” he explains.
“Since then, it has settled a bit, but trade relying on vessels from Asia and northern Europe has seen a slight decline. But we have been compensated as a we are specialised bunker hub. We have availability of conventional bunkers, biofuel and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) bunkers. The LNG side is very busy, so some activity has actually picked up.”
HUB ROLE
Penfold confirms that Gibraltar remains a major bunker and
supply hub, with the company’s business receiving most of its trade in transit calls for fuel, crew and husbandry services. However, he says it has also noticed increasing competition from the nearby port of Algeciras in Spain, just across the bay, over the last couple of years; with an increase in ships going there. He cites the number of suppliers as a contributing factor.
“Primarily for our type of business, we are talking about bunkering calls. We have seen Algeciras increase in ship calls and supplies which have gone up compared to Gibraltar.
“We have only two suppliers in Gibraltar, in the past we had five in the port so obviously there is capacity they can supply to and if we don’t have that, or there is congestion, then neighbouring ports will take up the slack and there will be business overflow we cannot handle.
“We’ll see where that leads in the future. I feel Gibraltar needs more suppliers than we currently have. Applications have been coming through which the government and the Port Authority are looking at.
“We used to do an average of five million tonnes of fuel a year when we had five suppliers. For the last couple of years, we have been at about 3.1 or 3.2 million. We are also short of bunkers we used to supply, and I am convinced this is due to the lack of suppliers. More of them would create competition and increase revenue for the Port Authority so we could then create husbandry opportunities for ship owners.”
Penfold adds that he doesn’t think Tangier, on the other side of the Straight of Gibraltar, would present any real competition to Gibraltar because he said that region is concentrating more on rural services and manufacturing than husbandry and bunkering. But he does mention new facilities opening up in Ceuta that could pose a problem for Gibraltar, saying: “We’ll see, our major competitors are still the usual subjects - all ports on
the Straight, the Canaries and Malta. Once the Red Sea and Suez opens again, we’ll see Egyptian ports, which are a good holding area before they cross and take on fuel. This will take more business away from us. But things change on a daily basis so it’s a matter of riding the storm as best you can.”
Lavarello of Alex Turner & Co believes that beyond Gibraltar’s enviable location, its more diversified service offerings remain of a better standard than those of its regional rivals.
“The reputation the port has built and the ability of the jurisdiction to be reactionary to change makes it difficult to question that Gibraltar is still a major force and even whether this will ever change,” he says. “The private industry is also lucky enough to be incredibly well supported by both the port authorities and its minister in charge.
“This support extends to being proactive in finding solutions for our clients,” he continues, as well as “to a coordinated marketing approach that strengthens the image of Gibraltar Port. This is through promoting its image but shows transparency between stakeholders. This is something that Gibraltar Port’s competitors in the region struggle to match.”
Gibdock’s Taylor believes: “Gibraltar is still absolutely seen as a major maritime player in the region. Its unique geographic location, political stability and range of high-quality services
makes it a dependable choice for ship owners and operators. That said, competition is always evolving. We’re seeing increasing investment in some Mediterranean yards, which are modernising and expanding their service offerings.
“However, few can match Gibraltar’s combination of proximity to key routes, drydocking capacity and efficient turnaround. At Gibdock, we’re continually investing in our people, infrastructure and engineering capabilities to maintain that edge.”
Ghio, of the Gibraltar Port Authority, also confirms that Gibraltar is still very much a major force in the region. He adds that the main competition is mainly from Las Palmas, which is drawing some of the traffic voyaging north up the coast of Africa instead of via the Suez Canal.
“If traffic calls at Las Palmas there is less deviation for them than to Gibraltar,” he points out. “However, overall we have been insulated from any major impact. We’ve lost some northbound traffic in the Atlantic but gained more from the only viable entrance to the Mediterranean, which is Gibraltar.
“In terms of competition we are not losing volume and haven’t noticed a downturn,” he reiterates. “The natural evolution is increased competition from Las Palmas as a supply route, which is healthy activity in both our cluster and Las Palmas.”
Regarding growth of the flag, the Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA) - which manages both the Gibraltar Ship
Registry and the Gibraltar Yacht Registry - says this is in line with its vision to promote a large and diverse fleet without compromising on quality. It is continuously exploring ways to broaden its client base and identify areas with potential for sustainable growth.
Maritime Administrator, Dylan Cocklan, states that GMA’s growth strategy includes “carefully assessing opportunities where the Gibraltar flag can remain competitive and continue to deliver value in a diverse and evolving maritime landscape. These efforts reflect our mission to contribute to the ongoing development of Gibraltar as an international maritime centre of excellence.
“As the global industry continues to shift, we remain focused on supporting international trade and commerce through a Register committed to the highest standards of safety, environmental protection and crew welfare.,” he says.
“Our approach is grounded in resilience, adaptability and long-term relevance. While no decisions are taken lightly, we remain open to initiatives that reinforce the strength of the flag and the quality of service we provide. Competition, as ever, plays a part in shaping the landscape - and we view this as a positive driver to keep refining, listening, and evolving; so, we continue to be a trusted and credible choice for shipowners worldwide.”
BREXIT UNCERTAINTY
MH Bland’s Penfold cites a lack of berthing facilities as an issue so there are limited opportunities for cargo movements apart from Ship-to-Ship (STS) operations which are not always straightforward. However, he says currently Gibraltar has very good connections with the UK and visa waivers for different crew nationalities. He adds that the port is very important for yachting and cruise ship calls while these vessels are refuelling.
Regarding Brexit, he comments: “There’s always been a cloud over us on Brexit and how things may change. We don’t know from sources what’s going to happen to our markets or, for example, visa requirements for certain nationalities. The question is, if we’re going to get the waivers we have right now, or if we are going to have to apply for Schengen visas. Also, what’s going to happen with the frontier with Gibraltar and Spain for custom clearance, spare parts and provisions, etc. What is going to be the status for Gibraltar, are they still going to be part of the EU?
“I wouldn’t want to speculate until the powers-that-be say ‘this is what’s happening, this is what’s going to be done’. Then we’ll have to pick up the pieces and see what’s going to be beneficial for us and what we will be losing out on.”
Penfold concludes: “One thing for sure is that we are going to have to adapt and change as to whatever comes our way. It is definitely going to make a big difference to the way we do business in Gibraltar. For example, is there going to
be a Brexit agreement or will there be a hard border – we will have to adjust. It has its pros and cons, but it’s definitely going to make a difference to the way we do business.”
Lavarello of Alex Turner & Co Shipping reports positively that business remains strong, and that in a very competitive market the company continues to grow by offering proactive service from a large team of experienced shipping clerks. He says it focuses on adding value for clients by being an extension of their own operations departments.
Regarding the Brexit issue, he says: “Its uncertainty hasn’t been a factor in our decision-making. We have continued to grow our staffing contingent, take on cadets from the maritime academy for their internships and invested in training as if it was business as usual. I believe that if Brexit brings no significant change to the mechanisms under which Gibraltar’s maritime sector currently operates, then Gibraltar will always be seen as the major force in the region.”
GIBDOCK EXPANSION
Gibdock has enjoyed a very strong past year for business with consistent demand across its core ship repair and maintenance services, including a number of technically complex dockings.
Taylor cites one particular highlight: the successful completion of the largest single project in Gibdock’s history –a major drydocking and life-extension refit for a large offshore construction vessel. The scope of work, he confirms, involved extensive steel renewals; machinery overhauls; full hull blasting and coating; tank blasting/coating and extensive crane and work tower structural repairs work; removal, full overhaul and refitting of six thruster and two propulsion thrusters; more than 28,000m3 of erected staging throughout the vessel internally/externally; extensive crane and work tower structural repairs, pipe works and a full accommodation refurbishment –all delivered to a tight deadline with zero safety incidents.
“This project showcased the full breadth of our capabilities,’ says Taylor, “from project management to multi-trade execution, and stands as a testament to the experience and professionalism of our team. It also reinforces Gibdock’s capacity to handle high-value, large-scale contracts and positions us strongly for similar opportunities moving forward.”
He also reports a steady growth in the areas of wind, solar and sewage engineering projects, particularly where they align with Gibraltar’s infrastructure and sustainability needs.
“One of the most impactful projects has been the installation of freshwater reverse osmosis (RO) plants, delivered in partnership with our parent company, Balaena,” he says. “This marks an important step for us in supporting critical infrastructure projects beyond the marine sector and it demonstrates how our capabilities can deliver long-term value. It’s a space we’re keen to build on in the years ahead,” he concludes. l
Euroship Supplies highlights Gibraltar’s ability to adapt and innovate
Lyana Mclaren of Euroship Supplies Ltd, says the routing diversion has presented challenges as well as opportunities.
“On one hand there has been increased demand for bunkering and potential for greater port calls as ships seek more secure routes. On the other, any reduced shipping volumes could potentially negatively affect some services.”
She summarised of the situation: “Gibraltar’s maritime cluster remains resilient and adaptable despite the disruptions. If it continues to innovate and respond to changes in global trade, it is well positioned to maintain its significance in the sector.”
Mclaren confirmed the rock remains a major force, although it is facing increasing competition from locations like Malta and Cyprus, which have attractive tax regimes and EU membership benefits.
She also cited the nearby port of Algeciras as a significant competitor, especially in container traffic and cargo handling.
She added: “The Canary Islands are emerging as another competitor particularly for bunkering and servicing transatlantic routes because of their attractive location between Europe, Africa and the Americas.”
Regarding Brexit, Mclaren said it depends on negotiations: “If a Brexit Treaty for Gibraltar is signed between the UK and EU, it would likely provide a clearer regulatory framework which could help secure Gibraltar’s position in the European supply chain.”
“The full effects are yet to be seen and if there is a non-negotiated outcome, that will have to be navigated. Either way, Gibraltar is poised to adapt, innovate and seek new opportunities.”
Addressing their main issues as a supplier, Mclaren said: “Issues such as vessel arrests due to non-payment are not currently a major concern, however the Middle East crisis and decisions by many owners to sail around the Cape is having a noticeable impact on traffic supply and demand.”
Concluding: “Gibraltar’s maritime cluster will need to remain agile, look for niche market opportunities while offering reliable and high-quality services. Geopolitical factors and market volatility will continue to shape the ship supply landscape, but the sector remains resilient and adaptable.” l
Crew Welfare Revolutionising seafarer nutrition as next frontier for shipping innovation
By Oren Saar, CEO, Agwa
In an era where shipping operations are rapidly evolving through digitalisation and decarbonisation initiatives, the fundamental needs of our 1.9 million seafarers remain paramount. As these essential workers facilitate 90% of global trade, ensuring their wellbeing has become more critical than ever, particularly when we think about how to attract and retain the next generation of maritime professionals.
Whilst the shipping industry embraces technological advancement, crew welfare often remains anchored in basic compliance rather than meaningful enhancement. However, new innovations are now addressing a critical aspect of life at sea - nutrition.
AI-powered onboard vegetable growing systems like Agwa’s are emerging as a groundbreaking approach to delivering fresh, sustainable nutrition at sea. These autonomous systems transform vessels into self-sustaining ecosystems, providing crews with direct access to fresh produce throughout their voyages.
Our technology operates through an AI agronomist that continuously optimises growing conditions, regardless of a vessel’s location or climate. Requiring only water, electricity, and Wi-Fi connectivity, these systems can transform any suitable onboard space into a productive garden, without requiring agricultural expertise from crew members. This accessibility ensures that fresh produce is available year-round, effectively bridging the nutritional gap between shore and sea.
This advancement comes at a crucial time. Traditional reliance on preserved and frozen foods, whilst practical, falls short of modern nutritional expectations and preferences, especially among younger seafarers that are entering the profession. Limited access to fresh, varied food significantly impacts both physical and mental health, contributing to reduced job satisfaction and increased turnover in an already challenging labour market. The monotony of preserved food options can amplify feelings of isolation, creating additional challenges for crew retention and recruitment.
We know there is a direct connection between nutrition and operational performance. Well-nourished crews demonstrate enhanced alertness, focus, and decision-making capabilities –
crucial factors in maintaining operational safety and efficiency. Moreover, access to fresh produce can significantly impact mental wellbeing by providing a vital connection to nature within the industrial setting of a vessel. The act of growing and harvesting vegetables creates a sense of purpose and accomplishment, strengthening crew engagement and social bonds.
From a sustainability perspective, onboard food production also represents an innovative approach to reducing the maritime industry’s environmental footprint. By decreasing reliance on traditional supply chains, vessels can minimise emissions and packaging waste associated with conventional provisioning. This approach not only advances environmental goals but also builds operational resilience by reducing dependence on external supply chains during extended voyages or periods of disruption.
The economic aspect is equally compelling. The cost of vegetables grown onboard remains comparable to traditional provisions, offering sustainable, long-term benefits that reduce costs over time whilst delivering substantially greater value through improved crew satisfaction, retention, and environmental performance. This alignment of economic and welfare benefits demonstrates the industry’s capacity to advance both human and operational interests simultaneously.
Looking ahead, the maritime sector must view crew welfare not as a compliance requirement but as a strategic investment in long-term sustainability and performance. Fresh, nutritious food represents a fundamental aspect of this approach, addressing physical health, mental wellbeing, and professional engagement in a comprehensive manner.
As the shipping industry navigates global uncertainties and evolving workforce expectations, solutions that prioritise nutrition, engagement, and sustainability will be crucial in building a more resilient and attractive maritime profession. l
WISTA International Board meets in India for first time
The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) International Board held its mid-term meeting in India for the first time in April.
To mark the event, WISTA India under its President Summiit Cheema Sharma hosted a one-day conference on ‘Navigating Change: The Future of Sustainable Shipping’ to coincide.
Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, emphasized the significance of this event, stating: “India is a vibrant hub for the maritime industry, and it is an honour for the WISTA International Board to meet here for the first time. This visit highlights the vital contributions of women in maritime and reaffirms our dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion worldwide.” l
Grimaldi teams with UNICEF on aid for children in Africa
The Grimaldi Group and UNICEF have signed a one-year logistics agreement with the aim of facilitating the transportation of life-saving aid for children and their families in the UN body’s emergency conditions and development programmes.
The Grimaldi Group will provide free maritime transportation for at least 80 containers of UNICEF’s aid on the New York (U.S.) - Dakar (Senegal) route, contributing to the speed and efficiency of the distribution of essential supplies.
“The Grimaldi Group has always been committed to generating positive impacts in the communities where it operates,” said Gian Luca Grimaldi, Chairman of Grimaldi Group S.p.A. “Through the provision of complimentary transportation for aid containers on our ships, we are pleased to extend our support to vital charitable activities benefiting children and families in need, contributing to the construction of a better future for them and their communities.” l
IRS Golden Jubilee marked by India Post special cover
In early April, to mark the 50th anniversary of its Foundation Day, Indian Register of Shipping was honoured by the release of a special cover by India Post commemorating its half century of excellence in the maritime industry.
The special cover was released by Chief Guest Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS, Director General of Shipping along with Shri Amitabh Singh, Chief Postmaster General Maharashtra Circle, India Post and Capt. B K Tyagi CMD, Shipping Corporation of India who graced the occasion.
To further mark this momentous day, IRS also released the Touch of Class Golden Jubilee Edition – Volume 3 and announced the forthcoming launch of its newly updated website, which reflects the organisation’s continued evolution and commitment to innovation. l
Singapore Maritime Week busier than ever
The 19th Singapore Maritime Week took place in the last week of March, hosting a panoply of events and an estimated 20,000+ attendees. An official EXPO@SMW exhibition attracted close to 200 local and international exhibitors, while the same week the 10th edition of the biennial Sea Asia event, co-organised by Informa Markets and the Singapore Maritime Foundation, also took place.
A hot of MoU-type agreements were signed during the week. ABS opened a new office in the city-state and together with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) founded the ABS Singapore Maritime Safety Centre. The MPA also launched its own digital platform for training in the safe handling of alternative marine fuels and new technologies, as well as the world’s first maritime cybersecurity training facility.
The ports of Rotterdam and Singapore meanwhile announced strengthened collaboration on their impending Green and Digital Shipping Corridor. l
Kongsberg fits out Norway’s largest tallship for research role
The One Ocean Expedition 2025-2026 is a 12-month voyage encompassing 26 ports across three continents. It will see a crew featuring seasoned scientists, eager students and key stakeholders crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Arctic, the Pacific, and the Caribbean, collecting vital ocean data on route.
Kongsberg Discovery has helped transform the 111-year-old, three-masted sailing ship ‘Statsraad Lehmkuhl’ into a state-of-the-art research vessel for the upcoming expedition, which was due to depart from Bergen, Norway, on 11 April.
The almost 100-metre-long vessel, Norway’s largest sailing ship, has been fitted with an array of Kongsberg Discovery technology – including its cuttingedge ocean data management and analytics platform Blue Insight - to help scientists monitor and understand unique ocean environments, including the waters of the legendary Northwest Passage. l
Free internet access urged as basic seafarer right
To mark World Health Day in early April, a group of maritime health and welfare experts urged the shipping industry to recognise free reliable internet access as a basic human right for seafarers — not a luxury.
“Internet access is no longer optional. It’s as essential as clean drinking water and nutritious food,” said Christian Ioannou (pictured, far left), CEO of maritime catering specialists MCTC.
“Reliable connectivity is vital for psychological stability, especially during long periods of isolation or high-stress situations,” said Charles Watkins (centre right), CEO of Mental Health Support Solutions.
“Digital isolation is more than an inconvenience, it’s a health threat,” said Dr Jens Tülsner (pictured, far right), Founder of Marine Medical Solutions.
“Access to connectivity is a right, not a reward,” summed up Josephine Le (centre left), Founder of The Hood. l
Analysis
High number of deliveries could impact product tanker markets
By Ian Cochran
Product tanker activity, both in terms of freight rates and secondhand sales, is forecast to moderate this year and next.
This is primarily due to a very high number of newbuildings, especially MR2s (up to 52,000 dwt) and LR2s (coated Aframaxes of up to 120,000 dwt) expected to be delivered during the period, said shipping consultancy Drewry in a recent webinar.
In addition, an oil demand fall worldwide could have a knock-on effect on this sector.
This opinion was shared by Niels Rasmussen, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst who said in a note; “According to current delivery schedules, product tanker newbuild deliveries are set to reach 12 mill dwt in 2025.
“Deliveries will therefore jump 256%, compared to the 3.4 mill dwt delivered in 2024. Deliveries will reach a 16-year high and the second highest on record,” he said.
The high number of deliveries predicted follows an increase in new ship contracting during 2023 and 2024 when 551 ships were ordered having a total capacity of 38.7 mill dwt, significantly up from the annual average of 122 ships (7.3 mill dwt) recorded over the past 10 years.
“The spike in contracting has increased the orderbook from 10.6 mill dwt at the beginning of 2023 to 41.2 mill dwt at the start of 2025. During the same period, the orderbook to fleet ratio rose from 6% to 22%,” Rasmussen said.
During the last two years, the MR segment has attracted the most orders with 278 ships contracted, while the LR2 sector saw the most capacity ordered with 19.2 mill dwt, being of a larger deadweight tonnage.
The two sectors will also dominate deliveries this year with 98 MRs and 52 LR2s (4.9 mill and 6 mill dwt in total, respectively) scheduled to join the fleet.
Compared to the fleet size at the beginning of this year, the scheduled deliveries will add 2%, 6%, 3% and 12% to the dwt capacity of the Handysize, MR, LR1 and LR2 fleets, respectively, BIMCO calculated.
Nearly 75% of the ships scheduled for delivery in 2025 were contracted during the last two years. Despite this, only 7% will be capable of using alternative fuels, while another 12% will be capable of a future retrofit.
Recycling slow
During the past five years, recycling activity has been slow, and as a result, the average ship age has increased by more than 2.5 years since the beginning of 2020.
“The low recycling activity during the past five years has created an overhang of older ships. Currently, 10% of the fleet’s capacity is comprised of ships older than 20 years.
“A return to normal recycling patterns would significantly increase recycling but continued Russian sanctions and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could further delay the retirement of the oldest ships.
Graphs: Banchero Costa
Graphs: Banchero Costa
Graphs: Banchero Costa
“We estimate that fleet growth will be 5-6% in 2025, while a decline in oil demand growth will likely result in product tanker demand growth ending lower,” Rasmussen added.
The two major size ranges, plus LR1s (Panamaxes of up to 80,000 dwt) and the handful of LR3s (coated Suezmaxes), mainly account for Naphtha, gasolene, diesel/ gasoil, and jet fuel/kerosene shipments worldwide.
A plus point is that tonne/miles are still being increased by the boycott of the Red Sea/Suez Canal route in favour of the longer Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) trip, which can add up to two weeks on a voyage, depending on the ship’s speed.
This has mainly affected LRs, which are often chartered to lift jet fuel and other cargoes from Middle Eastern refineries to Europe and also to Asia, especially for naphtha.
Drewry added that the new IMO ship operating regulations could lead to more recycling. In addition, any easing of the Russia/Ukraine situation might see a return to Europe importing Russian products, which was a major trade before the war, especially for MRs.
Trading fleet
According to Banchero Costa’s March analysis of the product tanker market, there were 3,463 MR1s to LR2s trading (from around 35,000 dwt to 120,000 dwt).
MR2s were by far the largest sector at 1,854 units, or 54% of the fleet, followed by 743 MR1s, 476 LR2s and 390 LR1s.
Only two MR1s were recycled last year, while 20 were forecast to leave the fleet in 2025. For example, in January and February of this year, one LR1, two MR2s and two MR1s were recycled, Banchero Costa said.
Looking at the age profile, this showed that 21% of the trading fleet is over 20 years of age (10% LR2s, 23% LR1s, 17% MR2s and 39% of MR1s).
Of the 308 units reported ordered last year, 90 were LR2s, 38 LR1s, 145 MR2s and 35 were MR1s, according to Banchero Costa.
Graphs: Banchero Costa
On 14th March, the broker assessed the average daily 12 months’ LR2 timecharter rate at $28,500, while the MR2 average rate was $18,750 and the MR1 figure was assessed at $18,000 per day.
Although product tanker rates are falling, compared to last year, they are still high when considering the vessels’ daily operating costs. Rates should remain relatively firm for the rest of this year. l
Graphs: Banchero Costa
Graphs: Banchero Costa
Smart Technology & AI
The future of fuel-efficient maritime operations is interconnected. Are you?
Dan Slater, VP Sales & Business Development for ScanReach, a pioneer in wireless maritime technology solutions, highlights how IoT is helping to cut fuel use and stay compliant as the drive toward decarbonisation gathers pace.
Technology is transforming the maritime industry, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is at the forefront. Far from being just a tech jargon, IoT is already changing how vessels operate, helping shipping companies lower fuel costs, reduce emissions, and comply with regulatory demands.
By connecting sensors and systems across the vessel, such as fuel flow meters, engine monitors, GPS, and weather data, IoT facilitates real-time data sharing and smarter decision-making, both onboard and onshore. The outcome? Enhanced efficiency, reduced emissions, and a more future-ready fleet.
FUEL MONITORING
Traditionally, fuel consumption was tracked manually, through daily logs or occasional readings. While this approach got the job done, it often lacked accuracy and offered limited visibility into what was happening onboard.
Today, IoT systems are changing the game, translating guesswork into precision. By capturing data every few seconds and displaying it in real-time, crews and operators can see exactly how much fuel is being used, when, where, and why.
This level of insight makes it easier to catch issues early. For example, a fouling hull, an underperforming engine, or even a small adjustment in trim can have a big impact, however with constant, accurate fuel data, inefficiencies become visible and fixable, leading to reduced fuel waste, lower operating costs, and smoother, more efficient voyages.
MEETING GREEN REGULATIONS
In today’s regulatory landscape, accurate fuel data is more important than ever. With stricter emissions rules from the IMO and the EU, such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and the EU Emissions Trading System (EUETS), ships are under growing pressure to monitor and report fuel use with precision and these new regulations are bringing substantial costs and compliance challenges to ship owners.
That’s where IoT systems shine. By automatically logging data and generating digital reports, they eliminate the need for manual tracking and paperwork, resulting inasier compliance, fewer errors, and a lower risk of financial penalties. But the benefits go beyond regulation. Emissions performance is becoming a key factor in commercial decisions and charterers and cargo owners are increasingly favouring vessels that can prove their efficiency and environmental performance.
THE FUTURE’S HERE
Though IoT may still feel new to some, it is rapidly becoming essential to modern vessel operations, and with fuel costs on the rise and emissions regulations tightening, accurate, real-time fuel data isn’t just a nice to have, it’s a must.
For forward-thinking owners and crews, investing in smart, connected systems today means staying competitive tomorrow. From cutting costs to staying compliant, the advantages are clear. The future of efficient, sustainable shipping has arrived, and it’s driven by data. l
Is it time for AI and Data Analytics to redefine Specific Fuel Oil Consumption and emissions?
AI is making significant inroads in the maritime sphere, enabling faster and wider ranging data analytics and streamlining tasks at sea and on shore, writes Rob Mortimer, Founder and CEO of Fuelre4m, which empowers businesses to operate more sustainably by revolutionising the use of fossil fuels.
As we embrace greater use of technology across the shipping industry, I think now is the time to examine some of our long-held processes and consider whether we can improve the way we calculate and analyse data in order to be more efficient and sustainable.
One area I believe is ripe for reform is the widely used and long-accepted calculation of Specific Fuel Oil Consumption (SFOC). At present I feel this is anything but specific – at best, it’s a calculated guess!
Working with Virtual Machine Software (VMS) and data analytics companies while analysing the performance of Fuelre4m’s Re4mx ‘additive’, it became clear to us that accurate measuring of fuel consumption is a thing of myth and legend, with thousands of variables being used to work out what should be a simple calculation. The maritime industry is burdening itself with a mix of measures, assessments and guesses, including: weight, volume, back to weight, temperature, assumed (indexed) energy density, weight to volume conversions, then taking into account the sea, the weather . . .
Let’s get back to basics. I say all that matters is how much fuel went into the engine to produce how big a bang to push the piston.
Fuel consumption in the engine doesn’t care about hull fouling. It doesn’t worry about speed through water vs speed over ground. It’s oblivious to tides, currents, hull depth and load. All that matters is how many grams of fuel turns into how many kW of energy. So why don’t we start with isolating what it is we want to prove?
Let’s take a battery-operated car. You charge it with electricity (fuel), and you can count how much you put in, how much is left in the tank (battery), and how far you can go, down to the smallest of measurements. Why have we not managed
to get to that level of technology on a ship’s engine? Is it because we can’t, or because we don’t want to?
The whole world has been focussed on moving away from fossil fuels to the degree that the ‘problem’ of fuel consumption has been swept under the carpet, thinking that in a few years we’ll have moved away from fossil fuels. This year brought a realisation that we can’t transition to clean energy that fast.
To move forward, I would like to see engine manufacturers introducing accurate and calibrated fuel management systems as part of their ‘standard’ engine package. Things like mass flow meters shouldn’t be fitted as an afterthought, they are essential to performance proving. I’d like to see output power monitoring systems and real-time measurement too. After all, the only things we need to know, to be able to assess vessel efficiency, is the fuel efficiency of the engine.
In a diesel generator (auxiliary engine on a ship), it’s easier to calculate. Weight of fuel in (kg), minus weight of fuel out (kg), divided by kWh produced. Purists will still argue there are other conversion variables to consider, but it’s now as simple as two mass flow meters and a constant power meter across the power output. So how do we make it as simple on the main engine?
This is where AI and Data Analytics come in. Once you have the right technology, measuring the right things, fuel consumption analysis has meaning. AI can be used to spot changes in the performance of your fuel. Listening to your engine through training to accurately measure the ‘bits & bytes’ of fuel and counting how much reached the piston and how much was wasted.
This is a big subject, and there are other areas to explore, such as measuring the efficiency of the fuel in the engine instead of the fuel efficiency of the vessel. l
Challenging the current approach to data-driven hull management
By Dr Barry Kidd, Vessel Performance Manager at AkzoNobel
In an industry responsible for around 3% of the yearly global greenhouse gas emissions, vessel operators face mounting pressure to decarbonise while maintaining operational efficiency. Among the numerous technological solutions being explored, hull coating selection emerges as a critical component of this complex equation. Making fleet-based investment decisions presents significant challenges, particularly when managing vessels of varying types, ages, and operational profiles. The pressure to continuously improve efficiency has intensified with regulatory frameworks including the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating and financial mechanisms, such as the EU ETS. Vessel operators increasingly rely on data analytics to drive more informed decision-making, but the effectiveness of this process depends entirely on data quality and interpretation methodologies.
Our newly released whitepaper includes a detailed case study of three Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) vessels tracked over a 60-month service period, all coated with Intersleek® 1100SR, an ultra-high performance fouling release coating based on biocide-free silicone technology.
The whitepaper demonstrates, following a series of joint performance reviews, impressive results of the Intersleek 1100SR scheme over the 60-month period, and concludes that the vessels performed in compliance with agreed performance limits regarding energy efficiency and emissions expectations, including the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating. The application of Intersleek 1100SR on these vessels significantly contributed to maintaining a smooth and clean hull condition.
What makes this case study particularly illuminating is that it also explores how achieving consistency across a fleet of vessels and operations is complex and can yield different results despite similarities between vessel types and operational profiles. This case study highlights a crucial reality in maritime operations: vessel performance hinges on the integrated effectiveness of all its components and even sophisticated data treatment methodologies like ISO 19030 cannot always deliver the reliability and consistency needed for standalone decision-making.
The most effective approach combines multiple data sources – vessel performance metrics, Average Hull Roughness (AHR) measurements, and underwater inspection materials
– allowing for a more accurate interpretation of performance trends and therefore more informed decisions for customers.
For coating manufacturers and vessel operators alike, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The advancement of silicone-based, biocide-free fouling control coatings demonstrates how innovation can support sustainability goals by reducing emissions both during docking and while vessels are in service, as well as reducing the use of biocides. Yet the value of these investments can only be fully transparent and realised when paired with robust data collection and analysis systems.
Digital forecasting tools that combine historical data with cutting-edge machine learning, like Intertrac® Vision, offer advancements in this domain, providing a comparative analysis of vessel performance tailored to the vessel’s shape, size, operational profile and fouling control challenges. Adopting a tailored approach and partnership mentality with vessel operators can streamline the coating selection process and ensure data-driven outcomes.
Looking forward, the industry must continue developing standardised methodologies for data collection, treatment, and interpretation. As regulatory pressures intensify and sustainability becomes increasingly central to operational strategies, the ability to make informed, data-driven decisions will become a key differentiator for successful operators.
By focusing on the complete picture rather than isolated metrics, vessel operators make more informed coating investments, optimise maintenance schedules, and achieve consistently better hull performance across their fleets. l
Revolutionising maritime operations: Smart Ship Hub’s digital platform as ‘single source of truth’
As the industry stands on the cusp of the digital transformation that will help drive forward efficiencies and lead maritime into a sustainable future, companies must look at adopting technological solutions to stay ahead of the game.
The integration of sophisticated digital platforms is dramatically enhancing fleet management, predictive diagnostics, and overall vessel performance.
A prime example of such innovation is the partnership between Germany’s Hoppe Marine and Smart Ship Hub (SSH), which has recently upgraded another German fleet with Smart Ship Hub’s innovative range of digital services. This collaboration marks a significant leap in how maritime operations can leverage technology to optimise efficiency and compliance.
Smart Ship Hub, headquartered in Singapore, is distinguished by its comprehensive digital platform that harnesses high-frequency senor data to drive an array of services. Unlike other platforms, SSH offers a holistic suite of services including machinery condition monitoring, AIdriven predictive diagnostics for hull and machinery, fuel performance, and voyage efficiency. What sets SSH apart is its ability to integrate these services into a single, user-friendly digital interface tailored for ship owners, operators, charterers, and now marine insurers.
The integration of Hoppe Marine’s flow meters and MAIHAK shaft power meters with SSH’s digital platform exemplifies the synergy between traditional maritime equipment and modern digital solutions. This integration facilitates improved vessel and voyage performance, machinery condition monitoring, and compliance with classification agencies— all achieved through the precision of high-frequency data.
Joy Basu, CEO of Smart Ship Hub, emphasises the transformative impact of their platform: “SSH’s digital platform, complemented by our advisory services, provides a foundation for vessel owners, operators, charterers, and insurers to standardise and secure intelligent data that can be leveraged organisation wide. This facilitates a green transition,
operational efficiencies, and cost savings, while maintaining compliance with classification agencies.”
The SSH platform is described as Mr Basu as a ‘single source of truth with its complex capabilities in bringing multiple software under one roof.
He said: “Companies are understanding the importances and necessity of digital solutions and industry discussions are very much focussed on how digitalisation can enhance operations. Companies are looking for a uniformed, standardised approach so everything can be dealt with in one place. If you have multiple companies handling multiple softwares it can become expensive in both cost and time. Having one single source where all data can be integrated enables a seamless operation, leading to cost efficiencies, better decision-making through the help of machine learning capabilities, and enhanced vessel performance.”
The practical benefits of the SSH platform are already being realised across various operational processes. For instance, personnel have reported a 25 per cent time savings on administrative tasks such as report generation and filing. Through the partnership with Hoppe Marine, significant cost savings have been achieved, alongside recognitions such as the PMP CBM notation for digitally managed Preventive Maintenance and a statement of compliance from the classification agency in record time.
SSH and Hoppe Marine are also setting industry standards with their customisable digital services, which can be tailored to the internal preferences and strategic roadmaps of their clients. This flexibility is critical as it allows for adaptability in areas such as decarbonisation, fuel performance, hull performance, vessel performance, and a broad spectrum of performance diagnostics available through the platform.
The SSH platform mitigates the need for costly licensing fees associated with multiple third-party vendors for data analytics and visualisation. Its ability to provide an integrated experience with machinery data, video feeds, and image recognition from both proprietary and legacy systems further strengthens the market position. l
Joy Basu, CEO of Smart Ship Hub
Technical Liquefied CO2 shipping: a new tanker niche
By David Tinsley
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a potentially significant accelerator for the decarbonisation of industry where CO2 emissions are process-related or where fossil fuels cannot be readily replaced by renewable electricity.
While re-use of captured CO2, as in the food, beverage and horticulture sectors, can be a viable option, the undersea or underground storage of the compressed gas is central to the preponderance of projects to date. The latter is a proven technology, since energy groups have long injected pressurised CO2 into reservoirs to displace oil and drive it to the surface.
The concept of CCS has strong governmental backing for its potential contribution to net-zero goals. The expanded CCS infrastructure that is emerging creates a demand for seaborne CO2 transportation, opening up a new field of opportunity for the shipping sector.
Scaling up global CCS capacity will require a fleet of specialised tankers to collect CO2 from industrial and energy sources where direct transfer to pipeline is not practical or commercially expedient. Shipping offers reliable, secure and flexible CO2 transportation suited to longer distances and despatch of low to medium volumes at regular intervals. Dedicated vessels present design challenges, particular considerations including choice of material for the containment system, effect of impurities in the cargo, and pressure/ temperature combinations.
To achieve the requisite density for shipping, liquefaction is achieved by cargo pressurisation and cooling. The lower
the temperature, the more energy needed for cargo cooling, together with an increased insulation requirement. Higherpressure solutions need greater tank wall thicknesses, while lower temperature means higher density. The tolerances for impurities also vary according to different pressures and temperatures. Overall, the CO2 specifications for shipping are generally more stringent than for pipelines.
Europe is currently to the fore in the liquefied CO2 shipping market due to ambitious climate targets and investment in CCS projects, although the transportation business scope that CCS presents has also concentrated minds in the Far East.
The Dutch gas tanker operator Anthony Veder was the first company to commit to the construction of a purpose-designed CO2 carrier, the 1,250m3-capacity Coral Carbonic, delivered in 1999 for coastwise employment serving the food industry and later sold to Larvik Shipping of Norway.
A milestone in the development of shipping capacity dedicated to CO2 transportation has been signalled by the commissioning of the first of a new fleet of larger vessels to serve the ambitious and amply resourced Northern Lights joint venture.
The investment in the series of LNG-powered, windassisted liquefied CO2 tankers by the energy majors behind Northern Lights is complemented by the building of an onshore receiving plant at Oygarden, near Bergen, together with injection pipelines and subsea installations.
Northern Lights is equally owned by Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell and is part of the Norwegian Government-initiated
Northern Pioneer takes CO2 transportation into a new league
(Photo: Ruben Soltvedt, courtesy Northern Lights)
Longship CCS project. This encompasses the capture of CO2 from European industrial sources, shipment in liquefied form to the Oygarden terminal, and subsequent transfer by pipeline capacity to offshore permanent storage under the North Sea.
Northern Pioneer is the largest and most innovative transporter to date, offering a 7,500m3 payload capacity. The vessel was completed in November 2024 by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) and was followed towards the end of December by second-of-class Northern Pathfinder. Two additional ships are to come from Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co (DSOC), the final unit being to the account of German family-owned shipowner Bernhard Schulte.
The Norwegian-registered Northern Pioneer and Northern Pathfinder have been placed under the management of K Line’s London-based affiliate K Line LNG Shipping, as will be the case with the third newbuild. The tankers will carry CO2 from industrial sites in Europe to Oygarden before the permanent sequestration of the gas in a saline aquifer 2,600m below the seabed.
The vessels’ TGE Marine cargo containment in two 3,750m3 tanks ensures transport conditions of within an operating range of 11-18 bar pressure and minimum -35degC temperature. Paired with a sophisticated control system, the technology prevents the formation of dry ice, an occurrence that could compromise the integrity of the whole. In the bid for a low carbon footprint, a rotor sail and under-hull air lubrication have been employed in the design along with LNG dual-fuel main propulsion. De-risking of the fleet investment programme is expressed in the vessel design’s adaptability for LPG, showcasing its long-term versatility.
Two commercial agreements have been announced so far. Both due to commence in 2026, one entails shipment and storage of biogenic CO2 emissions arising from two Orsted power stations in Denmark. The other contract will see liquefied CO2 transported from Yara International’s ammonia plant in the Netherlands.
In answer to positive trade projections and its own, thorough business research, Dutch dry cargo logistics specialist Royal Wagenborg placed an order at the end of last year for a 14,000dwt LCO2 carrier.
While the group’s extensive, owned and managed tonnage is substantially involved in transatlantic and other deep-sea assignments, the Wagenborg fleet retains longstanding prominence in European short-sea trade exchange. Investment over recent years has featured the innovative EasyMax class of multi-purpose cargo vessel, and the design template has provided the basis for the LCO2 tank-equipped version booked from shipbuilding compatriot Royal Niestern Sander at Groningen.
Under a long-term agreement with UK international chemicals and energy group INEOS, the newbuild will be deployed in the shipment of CO2 to Danish port interfaces for transfer to the Greensand storage site in the North Sea. The pioneering CCS initiative, led by INEOS Energy and partnered by Denmark’s Harbour Energy and Nordsoefonden, will realise the country’s first operational, large-scale CO2 storage facility from 2026 onwards.
The EasyMax generation of cargo ship, distinguished by modest installed, primary power in relation to payload capacity, leads the Energy Efficiency Design Index(EEDI) in its segment. The imposition of the lowest CO2 footprint per tonne of freight carried chimes well with the motive behind the CCS chain as the business to be served by the LCO2 tank-equipped variant.
Piraeus-based Capital Gas Ship Management is due to commission an extremely versatile class of liquefied gas tanker offering a primary capability for CO2 cargoes, supplemented by provision also for LPG, ammonia and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM).
The series under construction by HD Hyundai Mipo also signals an advance in unit capacity, whereby low-pressure containment amounting to 22,000m3 will be available in four
Wagenborg’s Easymax cargo vessel template has provided the design basis for a newbuild liquefied CO2 carrier (credit: Wagenborg)
KNCC’s concept of terminal-to-terminal, ‘elevated pressure’ LCO2 tanker (credit: KNCC)
Type C tanks. The first of the flotilla is due before the end of this year, to be followed by three sisters through 2026. The multi-gas ships will thereby be ready for the anticipated coming on-stream of CCS projects in the ensuing years.
The shipmanagement firm’s parent Capital Group has been involved in the drafting team for BIMCO’s new timecharter party CO2TIME, specifically designed for CO2 trading. The newbuilds have the added distinction of having been specified with onboard carbon capture technology.
Japanese industrial collaborators have taken practical steps to address the country’s anticipated demand for seaborne CO2 transportation through the development of home-grown technological solutions, embracing domestic ship construction and specialised equipment manufacture.
The endeavour has a solid business case, founded on the national goal to make Japan a low-carbon economy. The creation of a carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) value chain capable of conveying a projected 1bn tonnes of CO 2 every year from power plants, steelworks and chemical production sites to storage or usage points, will be an important contributor to the energy transition programme.
The shipbuilding division of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) Group has teamed with Nihon Shipyard, the Tokyo-based joint venture of Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United(JMU), for the development of oceangoing CO2 tankers. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was subsequently signed with trading companies Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corporation to lend the shipbuilders’ technology and construction know-how to the realisation of a Japanese carbon CCS scheme. This seeks to implement large-scale, international sea-borne carriage of liquefied CO2 from 2028 onwards.
MHI’s long experience in the design and construction of LNG and LPG carriers has been brought to bear on the undertaking. Salient to the joint project, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s work on a containment system specifically for liquefied CO2 has already been granted Approval in Principle (AiP) by Bureau Veritas, a leading light in verifying technical and safety standards governing cryogenic systems.
Last year saw a concrete outcome from the joint work of Mitsubishi and Nihon through the formulation of vessel design proposals. The two shipbuilding organisations, in concert with fleet operators K Line, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), NYK Line and the two aforementioned trading houses, obtained AiP certification for two sizes of low-pressure LCO2 carrier. One of the designs is in the 50,000m3 category and the other is of around 23,000m3 capacity.
Such is Japan’s committed and pragmatic approach to new development that a technology demonstrator has been built for coastwise shipments of CO2. The 996gt Excool,
embodying a cargo volume of 1,450m3, entered operation towards the end of 2023 to serve as a test ship for a series of research projects conducted under the auspices of the Japanese New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
Built at Mitsubishi’s Shimonoseki premises on the Kanmon Strait, the Excool has been chartered by Nippon Gas Line, which will collect and analyse operational data under the NEDO-sponsored endeavour. Her systems and arrangements are intended to be scalable to much larger vessels.
The NYK Group and its Haugesund-based affiliate Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers (KNCC) are conducting a study into the construction of a 40,000m3 LCO2 tanker in conjunction with Nihon Shipyard. The vessel would incorporate KNCC’s proprietary LCO2-Elevated Pressure (LCO2-EP) feature modular, vertical tank cylinders and proving for CO2 transportation at ambient temperatures and pressures of 3345 bar, claimed to make for easier handling and lower costs throughout the CCS value chain.
In an earlier initiative, KNCC partnered with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (CHI) to develop a direct injection offshore (DIO) vessel centred on the Norwegian company’s LCO2-EP technology.
CCS also provides shipping with the possibility to reduce its own carbon footprint. Drawing on land-based CCS technology, onboard carbon capture can harness, separate and store CO2 emissions from ships in operation, for eventual offloading.
In the same way that the original exhaust gas cleaning systems, or scrubbers, provided a means of extracting sulphur emissions from the ship’s exhaust while burning standard heavy fuel oil, developers of the next generation of exhaust treatment are looking to incorporate means of carbon capture, thereby removing CO2 from emissions to the atmosphere.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding took an early lead in helping to advance and commercialise the concept of shipboard CO2 capture by engineering and installing a demonstrator plant on a Japanese-deployed coal bulker. Testing and data collection during the vessel’s regular trade was undertaken by the company in association with K Line and ClassNK.
Dutch company Value Maritime is among the early contributors to the advance in shipboard decarbonisation systems, by way of its Filtree solution, a scrubber that includes an optional carbon capture module, suitable for small or medium-sized vessels.
CO2 removed from the exhaust gas stream is stored in a solvent within an onboard tank for offloading ashore, and projected or potential use in industries such as horticulture, giving value to the end-product. l
Advancing Scavenge Drain Oil Analysis for Modern Marine Engines
CBy Kwok Yew Meng, Technical and Marketing Director, Gulf Marine
ontrolling wear rates and maintaining good cylinder conditions are critical to optimizing the service life and overhaul intervals of marine engine components. Scavenge drain oil analysis (SDA) has long been recognized as a vital tool for achieving these goals, enabling ship operators to monitor engine performance and make data-driven decisions. Regular SDA provides insights into the wear behavior and alkalinity reserves of cylinder lubricants, ultimately helping reduce operating costs and enhance engine reliability.
In the dynamic landscape of marine engineering, SDA remains a cornerstone for engine condition monitoring. As engines become more complex and operate under diverse conditions, SDA provides a robust means to identify early signs of wear, allowing timely interventions that protect critical components. This proactive approach not only ensures engine reliability but also aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainability and operational efficiency in the maritime industry.
The Role of SDA in Cylinder Condition Monitoring
SDA involves the analysis of used cylinder oil, or drain oil, scraped from the cylinder liner and collected from the scavenge air space. It serves as a reliable indicator of engine health by analyzing key parameters such as residual Base Number (BN) and iron (Fe) content. Residual BN measures the alkalinity reserve, while the iron content reflects wear levels and the type of wear—corrosive, abrasive, or adhesive.
Effective SDA not only helps in understanding the wear behavior but also aids in optimizing the cylinder oil feed rate. This optimization can significantly reduce operating costs by minimizing lubricant consumption and extending maintenance intervals. However, accurate SDA results depend on proper sampling procedures to avoid contamination from system oil, fuel, water, or inter-cylinder leakage. Additionally, interpreting the results requires expertise, as the data must account for variations in operating conditions and fuel types.
The maritime sector is increasingly exploring advanced SDA practices to address these challenges. The integration of condition monitoring as a standard operational practice ensures that ship operators can make informed decisions based on accurate and reliable data. These insights are instrumental in achieving better operational control and fostering a culture of preventive maintenance.
Lubes
The Need for Real-Time Monitoring
Traditional SDA, performed both onboard and in laboratories ashore, has limitations. Onboard test kits, while useful for early detection of abnormal conditions, are often time-consuming and involve complex multi-step procedures. Laboratory analyses, on the other hand, provide comprehensive data but require sample shipments, leading to delays in actionable insights.
To address these challenges, the maritime industry is moving towards real-time monitoring solutions. Real-time sensors capable of measuring Fe content and residual BN onboard can provide immediate feedback, enabling chief engineers to make timely adjustments to cylinder oil feed rates. This proactive approach not only enhances engine operability but also reduces the risk of severe wear or damage. Real-time monitoring also facilitates compliance with stringent regulations by ensuring optimal engine performance under varying fuel conditions.
The development of real-time monitoring technology represents a significant advancement in the field of marine engineering. By leveraging cutting-edge sensor technology, ship operators can gain unprecedented visibility into engine conditions, enabling rapid response to potential issues. This capability is especially valuable in the context of alternative fuels, where the impacts on engine components are still being understood.
Collaboration with SIT for Innovation
Recognizing the need for advanced condition monitoring solutions, Gulf Marine will partner with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) on a two-year research project commencing in 2025. This collaborative effort will bring together SIT faculty members, Gulf Marine researchers, and SIT undergraduates, offering students a valuable opportunity to enhance their applied learning experience. The initiative aims to develop accurate and reliable online sensors for real-time SDA. By integrating state-of-the-art technology, the project seeks to replace cumbersome onboard test kits and reduce the dependency on shore-based laboratories.
The collaboration will focus on designing sensors that provide instant data on key parameters, such as Fe content and residual BN. These innovations will not only improve operational efficiency but also align with the industry’s decarbonization goals by supporting the use of alternative fuels like LNG, biofuels, methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. As the impact of these new fuels on engine performance and durability remains largely uncharted, real-time monitoring is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring engine reliability and performance.
The project exemplifies the potential of academia-industry partnerships in driving innovation. This initiative will draw upon Gulf Marine’s extensive experience in lubricating over 9,000 vessels worldwide, coupled with SIT’s expertise in applied research and development. Together, they aim to create solutions that are technically advanced, practical and scalable for widespread adoption.
Future-Proofing the Maritime Industry
The adoption of alternative fuels and stricter environmental regulations have added layers of complexity to engine maintenance and lubrication. Advanced SDA solutions, combined with real-time data integration, represent a significant step forward in addressing these challenges. By empowering ship operators with actionable insights, these technologies can help optimize engine performance, reduce costs, and contribute to sustainable shipping practices.
Gulf Marine’s partnership with SIT underscores its commitment to innovation and sustainability. The insights gained from this project will not only enhance the company’s ability to serve its global customer base but also set new standards for the industry. With the combined expertise of academia and industry, this initiative promises to redefine the future of condition monitoring for marine engines.
Looking ahead, the maritime industry stands at the cusp of transformative change. The integration of real-time monitoring technologies, supported by collaborative research efforts, will pave the way for more resilient and efficient operations. Gulf Marine’s proactive approach to addressing emerging challenges demonstrates its dedication to supporting ship operators in navigating this new era of maritime engineering. By staying ahead of the curve, Gulf Marine continues to reinforce its position as a leader in marine lubrication and condition monitoring solutions. l
Photo credit to: SIT and Keng Photography/Tan Eng Keng
Associate Professor Ng Chunwee, Engineering Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology
Clean Oceans Evac Group launches sustainable waste management solution for smaller vessels
Evac Group, a global leader in sustainability technologies and solutions, has launched Dehydro, an innovative onboard waste management system designed to meet the specific needs of smaller vessels, including large superyachts, OSVs, ferries, and small merchant ships.
Evac’s Dehydro system brings advanced waste management treatments to smaller vessels by using dehydration technology. Traditional onboard waste systems typically require high volumes of wet waste to be cost-effective, which makes them impractical for smaller vessels. The Dehydro system makes onboard waste treatment viable for smaller ships, reducing the need for overboard discharge or costly offloading to land-based facilities. This significantly reduces waste volume, helping vessels meet increasingly stringent environmental standards and delivering a cost-effective solution.
Evac’s Dehydro system reduces wet waste volume by approximately 80% through its dehydration process, transforming wet waste into a sterile, dry powder. This eliminates the need for additional treatment and simplifies offloading, making waste management easier and more costeffective through its compact design, which is suited to vessels producing between 50 and 1,000 kg of wet waste per day.
Many smaller vessels rely on outdated, unsustainable waste disposal options, requiring them to either discharge waste into the sea where permitted or transport it to land-based facilities, both of which have significant environmental and financial costs.
The launch of Dehydro also comes at a time of stricter regulations on waste disposal to protect marine ecosystems, underlining the need for more innovative waste management solutions for smaller vessels that are more likely to operate closer to shore, where the environmental consequences of non-compliant waste discharge can be extremely serious.
Björn Ullbro, CEO of Evac Group commented: “Direct discharge of untreated waste poses a serious threat to aquatic life by depleting oxygen levels. Most onboard waste treatment systems require high volumes to be cost-effective, leaving smaller vessels without viable options. With increasing regulatory pressures, owners are calling for more innovative and sustainable solutions to
the challenge of onboard waste treatment and storage. Dehydro answers that call, with advanced dehydration technology to operators of smaller vessels.
Dehydro is a significant step toward helping smaller vessels meet evolving environmental standards, including compliance with MARPOL Annex IV and Annex V regulations, which govern sewage and garbage discharge, including food waste, from ships, as well as EU waste management rules on port reception facilities, and other local and national regulations. There are also a growing number of Special Areas under MARPOL, which are subject to higher levels of protection from pollution risks, placing more stringent obligations on vessels in these locations.
As maritime regulations push for zero discharge, Evac Dehydro also reduces the emissions associated with the transportation of offloaded waste by up to 85%, compared to landfilling. It minimises reliance on discharge and offloading, protects ecosystems, and lowers costs. With high-quality reject water requiring little treatment, it also helps to extend equipment life and ensures future compliance.
Evac’s waste management systems are already installed on over 20,000 vessels worldwide. The new Evac Dehydro system incorporates a high-temperature drying process of up to 180°C to sterilise and dehydrate organic waste. The system also incorporates features such as, embedded crushing technology and patented de-odorising methods to handle complex odours, generating a sterile, dry by-product. l
Ship Supply
Procureship and Shipnet sign deal to bring e-procurement services to maritime’s biggest operation ecosystem
Procureship, the leading e-procurement platform for the global maritime industry, has signed an agreement with Shipnet, the Norwegian vessel management software provider, to bring its awardwinning e-procurement service to its online maritime operation app.
The deal, which was signed during Sea Asia (pictured) in Singapore at end- March, will enable all Shipnet users to access Procureship’s e-procurement platform to boost their fleet management capabilities when it comes to procuring relevant parts and services for their vessels.
With the integration of Procureship into its ecosystem, more than 230 shipping players will now be able to use Shipnet ONE, which helps vessel owners, operators and managers to manage their commercial operations and understand their fleet’s technical needs, safety, logistics and finances in one place, to significantly enhance their procurement processes.
With access to a global marketplace of marine suppliers and service providers, Shipnet users will be able to use Procureship’s enhanced functionalities - such as the 100% quotation automation, the supplier and service provider recommendation engine, and the unique AI-powered invoice checking solution - to drive down costs, reduce vessel downtime, and optimise their spending.
As part of the deal, Procureship will also be providing its real-time market analytics and reporting feature to Shipnet users, enabling them to make more informed and data-
By partnering with Procureship, we are bringing one of the leading digital solutions in the market to our platform and enhancing the capabilities and procurement processes of our users
driven decisions to improve the efficiency of their vessels and their daily operations.
“Data is driving spending decisions more than ever and shipping players need access to critical data in their procurement processes to help manage costs and have more control over the entire process,” said Carsten Schmidt (pictured, centre), Procureship VP of Sales. “We are pleased to be able to bring the Procureship platform to Shipnet and its global userbase as we continue to enhance the procurement process for ship owners all over the world.”
“The Shipnet ecosystem enables shipping players to access innovative solutions to the unique problems of the maritime industry,” said Niall Jack (centre right), Product Director at Shipnet. “By partnering with Procureship, we are bringing one of the leading digital solutions in the market to our platform and enhancing the capabilities and procurement processes of our users. Crucially, this move will bring more value to our users that continue to be on the lookout for ways to significantly optimise their fleet management capabilities.”
AI is well placed to help forecast spare part demand based on historical usage patterns, vessel-specific needs, and market conditions, reducing procurement costs and minimising stockouts or overstocking, points out ShipNet. Additionally, it may play a role in automating the ordering of these spare parts. However, ensuring that inventory and consumption data is structured correctly is essential for reliable predictions – a major part of this is working with the crew to ensure that software is being used correctly, and gathering the required data.
ACHILLES LINK-UP ON ESG
Separately Procureship has also agreed a longterm partnership with Achilles, a global leader in supply chain risk management solutions, strengthening supply chain transparency. The latest agreement will bring efficiencies to the supply chain assessment and purchasing process for Procureship members, as well as enhance the ESG capabilities of the shipping industry’s procurement processes.
The Achilles Maritime Network provides a platform for shipowners and managers to collaborate, reduce risks, and enhance supply chain visibility while lowering costs and administrative burdens. Suppliers and contractors benefit from standardised processes and pre-qualification,
fostering stronger relationships and business growth. The network supports transparency, sustainability, and responsible business practices in the maritime industry. Members of the Achilles Maritime Network include BW LNG and LPG, Odfjell, Seapeak and Seasourcing.
Through this agreement, users of the Procureship platform can access the Achilles service to improve visibility of their suppliers’ sustainability performance. Procureship will also offer its supplier network the opportunity to demonstrate their Achilles score and standout through a rigorous, independent assessment.
The Achilles Sustainability Score will be reflected in Procureship’s supplier profiles and displayed in supplier search engine results. Additionally, buyers will be able to check the suppliers’ Achilles scores on the spot during the evaluation of quotations. This will allow maritime purchasers to easily source products from companies that align with their standards, providing greater transparency and confidence in their procurement decisions.
“Procureship identified the need for an ESG module to complement our existing marketplace services and recognised the expertise we would gain through this partnership with Achilles,” said Grigoris Lamprou (pictured), Co-Founder and CEO of Procureship. “For our clients, the ability to easily access information on supplier sustainability practices reinforces trust across the supply chain.”
Procureship provides streamlined purchasing for more than 100 fleet owners and operators, including BW LNG, Angelicoussis Group, Oldendorff Carriers, Starbulk Group, TB Marine and Technomar. By leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning tools, and a unique supplier recommendation engine, Procureship simplifies the procurement process between buyers and suppliers. l
Navigation
Navtech: Rethinking radar for the autonomous age
As autonomy reshapes the world, maritime operations stand at a pivotal crossroads - one that, as Rachael O’Connor of Navtech Radar says, holds both promise and difficulties. The challenge, she argues, is to ensure that the move towards uncrewed and autonomous vessels boosts situational awareness, especially in conditions where many traditional sensors fall short.
There is no doubt that maritime autonomy is driving greater efficiency, sustainability performance whilst also improving safety for crew at sea. But the rise in autonomy also presents a familiar risk, amplified at scale – congested waterways.
Concentrating on near-field detail is becoming increasingly critical in congested shipping lanes and bustling port approaches, where small craft, floating debris and other localised hazards can slip beneath the radar of less refined systems. Furthermore, all marine sensors must remain fully operable whilst withstanding punishing conditions: corrosive salt air, driving rain, relentless spray and the constant vibrations from engines and rough seas.
BEYOND LONG RANGE SCANS
Traditional S-band and X-band radars are designed for broad coverage and distance, reliably picking up contacts many miles away, unaffected by adverse weather conditions. Their utility in deep-sea navigation and large-scale situational awareness remains unquestioned. Yet, when manoeuvring in ports, harbours, or inland waterways, the ability to distinguish fine details at closer range is paramount. Fishing boats, shallow-draft barges, kayaks, swimmers, even floating debris, can all pose potential hazards.
A misread or delayed signal could lead to a collision or near-miss, resulting in hazardous situations for both crew and cargo.
In addition to the challenges of navigation in turbulent waters, dynamic positioning (DP) technology has become a staple on many commercial vessels, especially those involved in cargo handling, surveying, or manoeuvring in tight spaces. Traditionally, DP systems rely on cooperative targets or GNSS-based positioning, but both have limitations in close quarters. GNSS signals can degrade due to multipath errors when reflected off nearby ships, cranes, or port infrastructure. Cooperative targets, such as those used in offshore installations, are often impractical in dynamic or multi-user environments like major ports.
This is where W-band radar offers a critical edge, enabling navigation and DP systems to maintain vessel position without requiring GNSS or visual cues, functioning reliably in fog, at night, or when visual sensors fail.
Better still, valid, new radar technologies are emerging that are even more precise and can work at a far closer range. This is particularly relevant for emerging uncrewed vessels, which may not always have an operator available to make snap decisions or interpret ambiguous signals. Consequently, any gap in short-range perception may have serious implications for navigational safety.
A HIGHER FREQUENCY
Most marine radar systems on ships operate on S-band and X-band respectively. Operating at 3 GHz, S-Band has a range of 74 kilometres or 40 nautical miles. In response to the challenges identified at shorter ranges, significant interest has grown in the application of W-band radar, like our MAS10, which operates at 77GHz. This shift improves resolution at closer ranges, up to 500m, effectively giving the radar the ‘vision’ required for crowded or cluttered environments. By mapping targets in centimetre -level detail, a high-frequency marine radar offers a previously unattainable level of accuracy for monitoring immediate vessel surroundings. In addition, it is independent of GNSS and infrastructure and highly resilient to rain, fog and glare.
LiDAR, also in the higher frequency band, has a part to play, however it has limited detection ranges and, perhaps more importantly, severe limitations in adverse weather conditions. Optical and infrared sensors can falter in fog, heavy rain or darkness, whereas W-band radar remains consistently reliable, cutting through adverse weather conditions and maintaining precision tracking
on multiple contacts simultaneously. This makes it an attractive option for operators who require continuous situational awareness capability, whether in busy ports or challenging offshore environments. For these and the other reasons mentioned, radar is far more robust.
A NEW ERA OF AUTONOMY
The explosion of autonomy is forcing maritime professionals to reconsider traditional sensor toolkits. Previously, a skilled watchkeeper might have intuitively interpreted radar echoes or camera feeds. Now, the onus is shifting towards algorithms designed to interpret multiple sensor streams in real time, and autonomous vessels cannot rely on human instinct to compensate for sensor blind spots. Consequently, each sensor must provide reliably accurate and readily integrated data, irrespective of conditions.
Sensor fusion, the tying together of automatic identification system signals, radar returns, camera feeds and machine learning classification, is only as robust as its weakest source. A high -definition radar feed that can classify small objects, track their movement accurately and do so in near real-time offers a solid foundation on which other systems can build. By blending radar data with AIS or charts, an autonomous control system can begin to ‘understand’ its environment at a granular level, making better navigation decisions and minimising the risk of collision. Radar solutions with open data interfaces and flexible APIs enables external control systems to combine radar output with other data streams. This is particularly important for autonomy, where sensor outputs must be scrutinised, fused and acted on
by machine learning algorithms and advanced navigation software.
One of the biggest hurdles facing new radar solutions is cost justification, and owners must consider how newer, more advanced sensors can help reduce incidents, lower insurance premiums and increase efficiency. As the world evolves, such an investment could be seen as a part of a wider digital transformation.
SEAS OF THE FUTURE
While formal rules for fully autonomous shipping are still evolving, conventional manned operations also stand to gain from high-resolution situational awareness. Improved performance in adverse conditions can mean safer port entries, more efficient manoeuvres in tight channels and improved worker protection, particularly near vessels and offshore installations.
Looking ahead, I have no doubt that shipping will continue to grow in complexity. Evolving technologies, stricter environmental regulations and a heightened emphasis on safety and accountability will continue to pressurise the industry in a way not witnessed before. Busy ports and heavily trafficked sea lanes are unlikely to become less crowded, and the push for greater automation is gathering pace, fuelled by advances in AI and sensor fusion.
Yet, for all the complexity and risk that autonomy introduces, it also unlocks the potential for meaningful progress. Far from being a threat, this shift is a catalyst - one that engineers and innovators are seizing to reimagine what safe, efficient navigation can look like. With breakthroughs in AI, sensor fusion, and precision radar technology, the industry is, without a doubt, setting the course for a maritime future that’s smarter, safer, and more sustainable. l
Rachael O’Connor
Objects of Desire
» Commissioned Art
Ever considered commissioning an artist for your vessel? A true collaboration between the artist and the client, it reflects not only the artist’s style and observations, but your own preferences and personality. The process can be as memorable as the portrait itself, so why not start the conversation with a beautiful portrait done by your favourite artist to bring your floating gallery alive. If Banksy’s your man, send him a request.
Price on application banksy.co.uk/
» SMART Yacht Surveillance
MARSS, a global leader in advanced security and surveillance solutions, has completed the successful installation and crew sign-off of its NiDAR system aboard one of the largest vessels in the world. The $4 million contract for the two installations on the prestigious yacht and its support vessel, is complete with security, safety, and energy control with cutting -edge AI tech. Think drone defense, automated crew alerts, and seamless control over everything onboard. The NiDAR system, tracks drones providing timely alerts, showcasing its advanced threat detection abilities. including vessels and its pilot.
MARSS NiDAR or Pelion systems
Price on application marss.com
»
Floating Helicopter
British aerospace engineer Jason Hill became enthralled with helicopters in his youth by watching Airwolf, a fictional Bell 222 converted to a supersonic assault weapon. That experience led to a dream of producing a stylish, modern light-helicopter design he unveiled in 2020, the five-seat Hill HX50. The exterior style harks back to the 222, amplified with the smooth curves and twists that only moulded composite construction can offer. Performance targets include a 140-knot cruise speed, 700-nm maximum range, and 1,760 pounds of useful load.
Hill HX50
Price on application hillhelicopters.com/
» Exquisite Lighting
Exuding glass elegance, this exquisite Masiero chandelier features premium half-cut glass and your choice of a chrome or gold-plated frame with clear glass, or painted metal with coloured glass. Available in standard or LED options, it’s handmade to order in Italy, with a typical lead time of four to six weeks. Available in a host of colours, in various sizes.
Maria Theresa Light Crystal Glass Chandelier £17,875.00 luxurylightingboutique.com/
» Travel by Design
Travelling with EliteLyfe means unforgettable memories, seamless luxury, and personalised experiences. Expert planners craft bespoke escapes with effortless sophistication. Why not discover the Maldives, with crystalclear waters, overwater villas, vibrant coral reefs, and world-class service? Whether adventuring or unwinding, this island paradise offers breathtaking beauty, indulgent relaxation, and once-in-a-lifetime moments tailored just for you. Choose yachts, jets, hotels and even islands…
Luxury travel
Prices on application elitelyfe.com/
» Cufflinks Heaven
Crafted from stainless steel with sapphire crystal plates, these fabulous OMEGA cufflinks draw inspiration from the iconic Seamaster bezel, featuring its distinctive scalloped edge reminiscent of ocean waves. A perfect complement to OMEGA’s watch collections, they reflect the brand’s DNA of blending precision, design, and innovation into a refined accessory that embodies the spirit of the OMEGA universe.
OMEGA cufflinks £650.00 omegawatches.com/
Sugababes ‘25 Tour
The Sugababes’ 2025 European tour has been met with great enthusiasm, showcasing the group’s vocal prowess and dynamic stage presence. Performing a mix of classic hits as well as new material, the trio will captivate audiences with their energy. The final lef of the tour is at the end of May in Milan, Italy, at the Mediolanum Forum. Tickets can be obtained from Ticketmaster.
Le
Bernardin
155 West 51st Street, New York, NY 10019
Offering an exquisite seafood dining experience earning it three Michelin stars, Chef Eric Ripert’s meticulous preparation highlights the natural flavours of the ocean, delivering dishes that are innovative and refined. The elegant ambiance and impeccable service make it a must-visit for culinary enthusiasts visiting New York any time soon or in the future. For bookings and more details visit: le-bernardin.com
The Boy from the Sea
By Garret Carr Penguin Random House
Showcasing his debut novel, ‘The Boy from the Sea,’ is a poignant tale set in 1970s Killybegs, Ireland. The story follows a mysterious child found floating to shore in a wooden barrel, and explores themes of community, change, and belonging. Carr’s lyrical prose and deep understanding of rural Irish life make this a compelling and heartfelt read. Not to mention the continued reference to sea fishing boats as another core theme. Hardback, £16.99.
Editorial credit: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com
Arctic Luxury
Explore the Arctic in style by cruising through icy fjords, towering icebergs, and remote islands across eight nations with Lindblad Expeditions. From polar bears in Svalbard to Iceland’s volcanoes, each luxury expedition offers adventure and comfort. Enjoy fine dining, spa services, and all-inclusive pricing with no hidden costs. Discover wild beauty while indulging in a seamless, premium travel, once-in-a-lifetime experience tailored just for you. Visit expeditions.com/. Prices start from around £5,159.00 per person.
Maritime Security, A Comprehensive Guide
The new edition of Maritime Security: A Comprehensive Guide by ICS and Witherbys offers vital, up-to-date insight into piracy, cyber threats, and global instability affecting shipping. It aligns with SOLAS and ISPS Code standards, featuring the latest BMP and MISTO resources. Essential for security officers and seafarers, it provides tools to navigate today’s risks with confidence. A must-read for anyone safeguarding maritime operations including shipowners, seafarers and ship administrations. Available at shop.witherbys.com.
American Sublime
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014
At the Whitney Museum in New York, Amy Sherald’s exhibition redefines the sublime through portraits of black individuals, emphasising dignity and grace. The exhibition features nearly 50 works from the past 18 years, including depictions of everyday moments and iconic figures such as Michelle Obama. Sherald’s approach integrates fashion and aesthetics as expressions of identity and resistance, influenced by her Southern roots. The exhibition runs until 10 August 2025. Purchase tickets via whitney.org.
Lifestyle
INCIVILITY –SCOURGE OF OUR TIMES
By Margie Collins
Echoes from another age loudly reverberate. Minding one’s Ps and Qs – the alphabet of manners, those lubricants of social intercourse. Remember them and how we prepared ourselves for company? Most of society’s ills today – vulgarity, rudeness, cancel culture, sexism, racism, toxic masculinity, ageism – arise from not knowing how to behave; not playing by the rules of civility, not doing or saying the right and decent thing.
Elon Musk’s waspish tongue revels in withering takedowns. Robert Reich, a former US Labour secretary, described him as “a modern-day baron”. Musk took umbrage and riposted: “And you are a modern-day moron.” When American senator Bernie Sanders, 83, argued Musk should pay more tax, Musk lobbed: “I keep forgetting you’re still alive.”
Pubescent banter passes for wit. Selfproclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate tweeted Greta Thunberg with: “Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their enormous emissions.” Thunberg replied: “Yes, please, do enlighten me at smalldickenergy@ getalife.com”.
The writer Lynne Truss said she wrote ‘Talk to the Hand’ to “mourn the apparent collapse of civility...in an age of lazy moral relativism combined
with aggressive social insolence.” In a chat show, Donald Trump described his soon-to-be wife Melania Knauss as having the perfect proportions – “5ft11in, 125lbs, and great boobs, which is no trivial matter.” When asked what he thought of his daughter Ivanka, he said she was “voluptuous, a piece of a..” and that if she were not his daughter, “I’d be dating her.” Unfortunately, we are now too rather well acquainted with his outrageous verbal incontinence as when he said of his predecessor: “Joe was the worst and believe me I have to clean up his mess. Every single thing he touched turned to s...” And: “Joe is a very dumb man who was
dumber than ever before because things have happened to him.”
The tongue, the Chinese saying goes, is like a sharp knife which kills without drawing blood. Politicians, if they are to make their mark on the body politic, are always ready to strike and to wound. Churchill had some of the most acerbic lines as when he said: “An empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street and Clement Atlee got out.” Atlee was standing alone at the House of Commons’ urinals when Churchill entered and went to pee at the opposite end of the room. “Winston,”
spoke Atlee, “we may disagree but surely we should be able to stand together.” Churchill replied: “I know you Socialists, Clem. Whenever you see something big and works well, you want to nationalise it.” Boris Johnson wrote: “We in the Tory party have become used to Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing.”
“Every morning” wrote Dorothy Parker, “I brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.” The art of the invective has found a repository in the ubiquity of the F-word which has lost its social and semantic taboo. “Consider the force and versatility of the F-word,” wrote James Marriott in The Times. “The spittle-flecking initial ‘F’ released into a short vowel gasp of frustration before the final satisfaction of the plosive ‘CK’. It can be used as a verb, an adverb, a noun, adjective and intensifier, a valid exclamation of love, dismay, rage, astonishment, happiness, agony and grief. A vulgar one-word sonnet.”
While it is true that some people are quick to take offence, incivility is a major problem in the workplace, especially where there is no code of conduct in place. Aggressive bullying and put-downs; sexual harassment; silent treatment and whispering –these have deleterious impacts on morale and productivity, resulting in high turnover and a lack of commitment and loyalty to the organisation.
A high street bank must pay damages to an analyst who successfully sued the bank, objecting to her
boss calling female employees “birds”. The employment tribunal ruled the term as sexist, awarding her £1,526 for “being made to feel uncomfortable”, and separately awarded her nearly £50k for a disability-discrimination claim. A nurse was awarded £41k for unfair dismissal. She had been regularly left out of the morning-tea run, which she described as colleagues’ cruel bullying.
According to a recent tribunal judgment, failure to respond to a colleague when they call out a greeting could break employment law, being “unreasonable and likely to undermine trust and confidence.” A recruitment manager, who won a claim for unfair dismissal, said she greeted her boss three times only to be deliberately ignored on each occasion. Employment tribunals have been awarding tens of thousands of pounds in compensation to employees, including civil servants, who have been left out of Christmas-party invitations and company get-togethers, and who have brought legal claims for discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender, religion, ethnicity, marital status.
The UK’s Department for Work & Pensions has warned of Britain’s ready propensity to commit fraud, with the country becoming a “land of cheats and shoplifters.” David Shepherd, criminologist, remarked on society’s growing acceptance of “everyday economic criminality, including making false benefit claims, bribery and retail crime.” Shoplifting has become a national sport, brazen in plain sight, with malefactors and organised gangs identifying themselves as from “the borrowing community”. According to the British Retail Consortium, shoplifting is “spiralling out of control” with over 20m cases reported in 2024 in spite of a £5bn investment in CCTV, anti-theft devices and increased security staff.
“As a child,” said Audrey Hepburn, “I was taught that it was bad manners to make a spectacle of oneself,
which I’ve earned a living doing.”
Channelling Hepburn and directed by her husband Kanye West, Bianca Censori drew shocked gasps when, centre stage at the Grammys, she disrobed to reveal her naked body unburdened by any item of underwear, covered only by the flimsiest of net curtains. “Naked dressing” – for that is what this gynaecological couture is called – is totally without shame and demur. It is the “most modestyagnostic phenomenon in 21st Century fashion, leaving almost nothing to the imagination,” wrote Times’ fashion director Anna Murphy. In a show of chutzpah, 53-year-old Catherine ZetaJones, married to Michael Douglas, posted an Instagram nude of herself (but for high heels). “In my birthday suit,” she wrote. “After 25 years of sharing my body with my husband, I am running out of ideas.”
Regular theatregoers have now come to expect drunken and aggressive patrons vomiting and physically assaulting staff, heckling actors, fights breaking out. A recent survey of theatre workers found that 45% were considering quitting, their stressful and often violent environment becoming unbearable. Turning up to work or to social events looking like an exploded sofa. Poor personal hygiene doused in industrial amounts of cheap cologne. Brain rot fuelling conspiracy theories, victimhood and “deaths of despair”.
On buses and trains, quiet seething can sometimes break out into fisticuffs. Beware the fury of a patient and tired commuter subjected to the sight of passengers scarfing down smelly food (with their hands), having to listen to the unwelcome soundtrack of other people’s playlists, video streaming, their mundane lives and intimate chitchat on their smart devices. France’s SNCF is cracking down hard on passengers disturbing the peace in public-transport spaces. “Your fellow travellers are not interested in knowing if you are making lasagna for supper or
going away for the weekend,” posted on their websites. “These incivilities are becoming more and more common and must be punished.”
In the 12 months to June 2024, police recorded over 13k non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), including of people laughing at others because of their accents. In a row over gender identity, a person was charged with NCHI when they refused to shake another person’s hand. A child committed NCHI when they called a fellow pupil a “retard” and another who “smelt like fish”. No one goes broke, as H L Mencken said, underestimating the public taste. Microaggressions and exclusionary behaviours – rolling of the eyes, tutting, eyebrow-raising, fat-shaming – can so quickly turn into a real spot of bother for police who seem to have a lot of time for minor infractions.
Alexander Rogers, 20, was a promising student at Corpus Christi, Oxford. A woman he dated told friends of her “discomfort” about their sexual encounter. Within a week of being excluded and shamed by self-policing students, and in the absence of formal investigative processes, he killed himself. “There is concern that social ostracism has become commonplace and normalised within student communities, with individuals viewing it as an accepted response to certain allegations of behaviour,” said Nicholas Graham, coroner for Oxfordshire.
The chilling effects on the curtailing of the freedoms of speech and expression are widely felt in universities which are turning into deserts of moral cowardice. Academics, defending the right to exercise these freedoms and subjected to harassment and intimidation, face career annihilation. Public speakers and celebrities are de-platformed when campaigners and students, acting as judges and moral arbiters, disagree with their views. Their “cancellation” can last forever. “We cannot prepare for turbulent decades
to come,” said Lord Hague at his inauguration as the 160th chancellor of the University of Oxford, “by shielding ourselves from inconvenient arguments, suppressing minority views, wrapping ourselves in comfort blankets of cancellation because they conflict with the beguiling certainty of the majority.”
Incivility leads slowly but surely to the dismantling of society’s guardrails. Quick to employ the rhetorical equivalent of an AK47 on a dispute, forgetting that an argument is not the same as a quarrel or a fight. “Don’t look at me,” wrote Dorothy Parker, “with that tone of voice.”
Sometimes it takes an outsider to remind us of who we are (or what we used to be). Sarah Lyall, then-foreign correspondent of The New York Times and married to an Englishman, wrote: “Even after 18 years I never really knew where I stood with the English. Why did they keep apologising? Why was their Parliament full of educated grown-ups masquerading as unruly schoolchildren? Why were they so rude about Scotland and Wales when they all belonged to the same very small country?”
Jane Harley, former US ambassador to the Court of St James’s, told The Times prior to her return to the US: “Leaving will be hard. The Brits are witty and smart. They’re also kind and decent. I went into Starbucks on a trip to the US and they yelled at me ‘move down the line’, whereas everyone here says ‘sorry’ the whole time.”
Sorry, though, isn’t always enough, especially when it is a euphemism for ‘get out of my way.’ Maybe we just have to accept, as Oscar Wilde did, that other people are quite dreadful, and that the only possible society is oneself. Just saying. l
