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Issue 114 March/April 2025

Ship Management International

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22 Cover Story

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE WORLD’S SHIP OWNERS & SHIP MANAGERS

STRAIGHT TALK 8 – Climate disruption won’t go away

Extreme weather Building climate resilience

NOTEBOOK 10 – IMO Council for 2026-27 elected 12 – How sanctions and the shadow fleet are shaping maritime risk profile

13 – China stands at centre of global dry bulk trade, says INTERCARGO

HOW I WORK

20 – Natassa Kouvertari

Senior Lead, Human Competency, Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub

14 – ITIC

Technical trouble

16 – To revitalise its shipbuilding industry, US ‘should learn from South Korea’

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NAVIGATION 22 – Atlantic volatility: Lessons of the 2025 hurricane season

24 – Towards a condition-based

approach to addressing extreme weather at sea

INTERMANAGER OUTLOOK 18 – If we want safer ships, stop

BUSINESS STRATEGY 26 – A KPMG Briefing on Decarbonisation and other strategic business issues

blaming seafarers Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

SHIP MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL – ISSUE 118 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 THE MAGAZINE FOR THE WORLD’S SHIP OWNERS & SHIP MANAGERS

ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINT 35 – A safe haven as

SHIP REGISTRIES 28 – Flags react to bump in the road on journey to decarbonisation

climate changes Michael Grey MBE

REVIEW OF THE YEAR 36 – 2025: A rollercoaster ride

MARITIME SAFETY 70 – Mitigating the risks of an

ageing global commercial fleet

71 – Enter AMOS-X 72 – Hong Kong Convention

underlines importance of hazmat expertise

SHIP SUPPLY 48 – Catering - an essential element in ship supply

REGIONAL FOCUS

OBJECTS OF DESIRE 74 – Our pick of the most coveted creations

China and Hong Kong Report

38 – US-China trade hostilities 40 – China leans away from US,

AD HOC 58 – Our regular diary section

43 – New port in Peru acts

ANALYSIS 60 – Geopolitical events could

towards South America as Chinese trade hub

44 – Geopolitical and trade

knock containership market sideways

challenges addressed at HK Maritime Week

45 – Wallem Group celebrates

REVIEW 76 – Bringing you the best in arts & culture

LIFESTYLE 78 – The ‘friendship recession’ -

Becoming emotionally absent and unavailable

century in Hong Kong

46 – Alternative fuels: what’s next in China and Hong Kong?

DOWNLOAD OUR MEDIA PACK

47 – Chinese oil majors adopt

TECHNICAL 62 – Offshore wind energy

onboard lubes testing

expansion creates more capable vessels

Türkiye Report

50 – Strong growth of Turkish fleet 52 – Yards focus on eco newbuilds and complex repair and retrofits

56 – GEMAK Shipyard: Pioneering excellence in maritime services

OFFSHORE 67 – Norway’s shipping luminaries pioneer workarounds

69 – What’s hot: Nuclear reactors

The January/February issue of Ship Management International magazine (SMI 119) will feature special country reports on leading international maritime centre Singapore, coinciding with the Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) event to be held there in late March and Singapore Maritime Week at endApril, as well as on resilient shipmanagement and maritime business hub the Isle of Man. The issue will also contain special technical reports on Ship Repair & Retrofits and Maritime Safety, aswell as the edited transcript of a webinar on Crew Travel.

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Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

The shipping business magazine for today’s global ship owners and ship managers Issue 118 | November/December 2025

STRAIGHT TALK Connect with us /ShipManInter

Visit our website www.shipmanagementinternational.com

Join the debate @ShipManInter

Download our App Ship Management International

Climate disruption won’t go away

OP 30 may have turned

a latest Opinion piece. “Natural

resilience, with the Port of Kingston

out a damp squib and the

disasters are becoming more frequent

reopening the day after the storm,

IMO’s adoption of any

and more severe,” it states, adding

the North Western Terminal resuming

Net-Zero Framework for global

that tropical storms are “certainly”

fuel operations within a week and

shipping ‘delayed’ perhaps even

being fuelled by rising temperatures

cruise activity restarting at key

compromised, but the ever-

in the atmosphere and oceans.

northern ports shortly afterwards

increasing disruptive effects of extreme weather continue.

Jamaica bore the brunt of Hurricane

[see Cover Story, and also ex-

Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic

seafarer Michael Grey’s Alternative

The destruction wreaked in the

storms ever recorded, which struck

Viewpoint].

Caribbean by Hurricane Melissa was

the island on 28 October; two other

followed just a few weeks later by

Category 5 storms followed, but

maritime industry as a whole needs

catastrophic flooding in Sri Lanka and

blew themselves out over the sea.

to factor extreme weather into its

other regions in South Asia as a result

Preliminary assessments estimate the

risk management strategies, covering

of Cyclone Ditwah.

damage at approximately US$8.8

areas such as resilient infrastructure

billion, equivalent to 44% of Jamaica’s

development, predictive weather

GDP last year.

routeing and enhanced vessel stability

“Climate change is real and is influencing weather-related natural disasters around the world,” comments insurer Munich Re in Published by

Finance Lorraine Kimble

measures. Shipping should lead, while politicians play catch-up. l

Wingbury Courtyard Business Village, Upper Wingbury Farm, Wingrave, Bucks, HP22 4LW, United Kingdom

Sales Enquiries Vijayatha Poojary Phone: +44 (0) 1296 682 051 Email: vijayatha@elaboratecomms.com Melissa Skinner Email: mel@elaboratecomms.com Editorial Bob Jaques

Despite this, Jamaica’s maritime sector demonstrated notable

It’s becoming clear that the

Phone: +44 (0) 1296 682 089 Email: editorial@elaboratecomms.com Email: bjaques@elaboratecomms.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1296 682 051 Email: accounts@elaboratecomms.com

Publisher: Editor: Sales Manager: Finance: Design and Layout: Regular Contributors:

Motoring Journalist: Technical Editor:

Sean Moloney Bob Jaques Julian Berry Vijayatha Poojary Melissa Skinner Lorraine Kimble Diptesh Chohan Michael Grey Felicity Landon Ian Cochran Margie Collins Martin Stopford Rob Auchterlonie David Tinsley

Editorial contributors: The best and most informed writers serving the global shipmanagement and shipowning industry.

Printed in the UK by Warners Midlands plc. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct, Elaborate Communications accepts no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies that may occur or their consequences. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced whole, or in part, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission from Elaborate Communications.

Notebook IMO Council for 2026-27 elected

t its 34th session in late November, the

international support once again highlights the country’s

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

strategic importance within the global maritime sector

Assembly elected the following Member

and its firm commitment to strengthening the IMO.”

States to serve on the three categories of the IMO Council for the next two years.

This achievement, says the PMA, reflects the sustained and effective diplomatic work of Panama’s

Category A: 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama,

Permanent Mission to the IMO, carried out in close coordination with the PMA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ahead of the vote, the Mission led an intensive diplomatic campaign focused on strengthening strategic

Republic of Korea, UK, US. Category B: 10 States with the largest interest in

alliances and securing the support of IMO Member States. This stressed the key role of the Panama Canal

international seaborne trade: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India,

in global trade routes, the country’s leadership as the

Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates.

world’s largest ship registry by number of ships, and its

Category C: 20 States not elected under A or B

commitment to the highest international standards in

above, which have special interests in maritime transport

safety, environmental protection, and transparency. Cypriot authorities welcomed the re-election of

or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas

the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out that the country

of the world:

has been a Member of the IMO since 1978 and has

Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Egypt, Finland,

served on the IMO Council since 1987. Its continuous

Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco,

re-election, along with its rise from 12th to 7th place

Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

among 26 candidate countries in this year’s election

Singapore, South Africa, Türkiye.

process, represents a significant achievement and

The Republic of Panama was re-elected to Category

reflects the international maritime community’s

A of the IMO Council with 148 votes, the Panama

continued trust in Cyprus as a leading maritime nation,

Maritime Authority (PMA) commenting that “this strong

noted the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC).

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Notebook

This year’s re-election comes at a particularly important

year marks fifty years since Jamaica joined the IMO,

moment, notes CSC, as Cyprus prepares to assume the

and we remain as committed today as we were at the

Presidency of the Council of the European Union, for

start to promoting safe, secure, environmentally sound,

the first half of 2026, further enhancing the country’s

efficient and sustainable shipping,” she said. “Over the

role and influence in shipping matters. Through its

years we have taken a balanced view of the positions

participation in the IMO Council, Cyprus will continue to

of all members while ensuring that the interests of the

contribute actively to the formulation of global shipping

Caribbean and SIDS are adequately represented.”

policy, address common global challenges and support

Separately, the IMO has rolled out a refreshed

a harmonised approach to maritime regulation, while

logo and visual identity (pictured below), following

safeguarding the interests of Cyprus Shipping worldwide.

a presentation by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio

Jamaica was re-elected to Category C of the IMO

Dominguez to the 34th session of the IMO. The

Council, securing 129 votes, the highest number the

Organization said the updated visual identity honours its

country has ever received in an IMO Council election. The

past and signals its readiness to meet the challenges of

result followed a year-long campaign supported by the

21st-century shipping. l

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Jamaican High Commission in London, the Maritime Authority of Jamaica and the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, and strengthens Jamaica’s ability to represent the interests of the Caribbean, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries during the upcoming two-year term. Foreign Minister, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, who led the Jamaican delegation to the 34th Assembly of the IMO, welcomed the outcome and said the strong level of support reflected Jamaica’s longstanding commitment to the work of the IMO. “Next

Notebook

How sanctions and the shadow fleet are shaping maritime risk profile

“T

he year 2025 has

and those ancillary service providers

into the core flows that sustain the

been a high-risk one

that sit behind the movement of

country’s export network.

for shipping from a

vessels and cargo. The expansion

“The threat of secondary

sanctions perspective, where we

of ‘shadow fleet’ sanctions has put

sanctions has created a chilling

have seen a step change in approach

the industry under unprecedented

effect across global markets,

from both the EU and the UK, in

scrutiny. Every voyage now carries

pushing even non-U.S. players to

terms of the breadth of measures

a compliance dimension, and the

adopt stricter practices to avoid

and enforcement,” says Alex Brandt,

operational cost of getting it wrong

being cut off from international

sanctions lawyer in Reed Smith’s

can be enormous — not only in

trade,” the Maritime AI company

Transportation Industry Group.

fines, but in reputational damage

continues.“Disruption is already

“2026 remains mired in uncertainty,

and loss of market access.

altering behaviour at sea. Legitimate

particularly surrounding the flow of Russian oil and LNG.”

“Looking ahead to 2026, the only

fleets are shrinking as compliant

real certainty is unpredictability,”

tankers become harder to source,

Q4 2025 saw maritime

Brandt concludes. “Geopolitical

while the grey fleet grows to fill the

sanctions enforcement take

volatility means new sanctions

gap. Freight rates have soared, and

another leap forward. With the

regimes could appear almost

operators face a narrowing margin

EU’s 19th sanctions package and

overnight, and enforcement is

between commercial opportunity

the U.S. OFAC’s (Office of Foreign

becoming more sophisticated. The

and regulatory risk.

Assets Control) designation of

shipping industry will need to stay

Rosneft and Lukoil, mirrored

agile, invest in data and due diligence

tool is now redefining how the

by the UK, regulators made it

tools, and view sanctions compliance

maritime sector functions day to

clear that energy flows, not just

as an essential part of responsible

day,” concludes Windwad. “The

vessels, are now at the centre of

and resilient business practice.”

industry is entering a period of deep uncertainty where visibility,

enforcement strategies. “Sanctions have become one of the most defining forces shaping the

Deceptive practices As regards data and due

global shipping industry in 2025,”

diligence tools, maritime intelligence

continues Brandt. “What began as

specialist Windward notes that while

targeted restrictions have evolved

sanctions designations continue

into a web of overlapping measures

to expand, “deceptive shipping

that touch every aspect of maritime

practices (DSPs) are evolving even

trade — from vessel ownership and

faster. Ships are switching flags

flagging to finance and insurance.

mid-voyage, masking false port

For shipowners and charterers,

calls as legitimate operations, and

the challenge isn’t just knowing

hiding behind entities that thrive in

what’s prohibited but anticipating

regulatory grey zones. Static tools

what might become prohibited

can no longer keep pace with this

next. The complexity and pace of

level of sophistication.”

change mean that compliance has

The designations of Rosneft

continued to shift to a central part

and Lukoil, alongside the EU’s 19th

of commercial decision-making.

package, “targeted the lifeblood

“We’ve seen regulators move

of Russia’s economy – its energy

beyond targeting states or cargoes

exports,” says Windward. “This

to focus on the entire logistics chain

time, enforcement is not about

— the vessels, operators, brokers,

isolated vessels but about cutting

Ship Management International

“What began as a policy

Issue 118 November/December 2025

coordination, and speed of response define resilience.” l

Alex Brandt

Notebook

China stands at centre of global dry bulk trade, says INTERCARGO

ddressing the keynote

results. When China adjusts its energy

session of Marintec China’s

mix or steel production, dry bulk

official conference in

markets respond. This relationship is

Shanghai in early December, Dimitris

not occasional. It is structural. It is long

N. Monioudis (pictured), Chairman

term. It is central to the way global

of the Technical Committee of

trade operates.”

sector,” he averred, reminding the

INTERCARGO, described how China

Monioudis went on elaborate on

audience of China’s leading role in

is central to the dry bulk trade, which

the International Association of Dry

building and operating the ships, as

in turn is essential to the functioning

Cargo Shipowners’ activities in China.

well as being central to the commodity

of the global economy.

“INTERCARGO’s engagement in

markets and a hub for financing,

China continues to grow,” he related.

research and technological innovation.

“When the world needs steel,

INTERCARGO’s membership

aluminium, grains, minerals or fuel, it

“In May 2025, we held our first

turns to the dry bulk fleet. That fleet

semi-annual meeting in Guangzhou

across Greater China, North Asia and

supports the flow of opportunity,

hosted by COSCO Shipping Bulk.

Singapore continues to increase, he

the flow of progress and the flow of

This was an important step for

concluded by saying. “We now have

everyday life. And at the centre of

our Association. It reflected our

over 50 members across China, Hong

these flows stands China,” Monioudis

commitment to deeper cooperation

Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore.

told the Senior Maritime Forum, co-

with Chinese owners and operators,

This regional growth is a sign of

organised by Informa Markets and the

and it demonstrated the high

confidence in INTERCARGO’s work,

Shanghai Society of Naval Architects &

value we place on China’s technical

but it is also a reflection of the region’s

Marine Engineers (SSNAME).

expertise, operational experience

central role in global trade.

“China is one of the most

and innovation developments.

Strengthening our membership base here gives INTERCARGO

influential players in the dry bulk

“The meeting allowed us to

market,” he continued. “It is the

exchange views on safety, emissions,

richer insight, more diverse

world’s leading importer of iron ore.

cargo handling and regulatory

experience and a stronger platform

It is a central participant in coal and

developments. It enabled us to hear

for constructive engagement.

grain markets. It shapes tonne-mile

directly from our Chinese members

We welcome this growth. With it

demand. It influences freight cycles.

about challenges and opportunities in

comes the opportunity to deepen

It has a decisive impact on patterns

the sector.”

technical dialogue, to promote

of global economic activity. When

In fact, “engaging more deeply

shared approaches and to widen

Chinese industries expand, global

here is essential not only for

participation in the committees

trade expands. When China invests

INTERCARGO, but for the long- term

and working groups that shape

in infrastructure, the world feels the

sustainability of the global dry bulk

our sector.” l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Notebook

Technical trouble

TIC recently had the pleasure

the manager had no starting point

of teaching at BIMCO’s Ship

for negotiations. It is a simple

and Crew Management

lesson: always inspect the ship

Masterclass in Cyprus. One

before you take it on and keep a

question we were asked, and

clear record of what you find.

one we are often asked, is:

Documentation can be a

what is the most common claim

double-edged sword. In a US court

we see against ship managers?

case, managers were sued for

The answer is straightforward:

alleged failures in maintenance,

the majority of claims are for

manning, and technical advice. The

negligent performance of technical

plaintiffs demanded over five million

management, and most of these

documents, and the legal costs

are technical disputes relating to

spiralled into the millions. Even

the maintenance of ships.

though the managers ultimately

You might assume the

won, the cost of defending the

biggest risks are the headline-

claim was staggering. The lesson

grabbing casualties, but in reality,

here is that good technical records

it is the routine matters that trip

are essential, but you must be

managers up. Take, for example,

prepared for the financial burden

the Scandinavian managers who

they can impose if the situation

ordered repairs for a tanker. The

becomes litigious.

By Robert Hodge, Director & General Manager, ITIC

Technical disputes often boil

“smoking gun” in arbitration, leading

changed hands, but the manager

down to communication, or the

to a hefty settlement and legal costs.

placed a multi-million-dollar repair

lack thereof. One manager relied

It is a reminder that what you write

order in the name of the wrong

on dry-docking reports and sent

in internal communications can come

company. When the bareboat

them to the owners but did not

back to haunt you.

charterers went bankrupt, the

spell out that the ballast tanks

shipyard arrested the ship, leaving

were deteriorating and would soon

issue of failing to act on advice. A

the owners and managers to sort

require major work. When the ship

manager ignored repeated reports of

out a mess that could have been

was sold and the class suspended

a worn winch pinion gear. Eventually,

avoided with a bit more care over

its approvals, the owners claimed

a pilot refused to berth the ship,

paperwork. In the end, the manager

the difference in repair costs. The

resulting in a four-day delay and a

had to contribute US$300,000 to

court’s expert stated that it was

claim for lost hire and additional

the settlement.

not enough to just send reports;

costs. Investigations showed the

management agreement had

And finally, there is the simple

the manager should have made it

manager could have avoided the

before the manager has even got

clear what action was needed. That

off-hire if they had acted sooner. The

their feet under the desk. One

lack of clarity cost the manager

settlement was US$150,000.

manager took on a ship without

US$700,000 in damages.

Sometimes, the trouble starts

inspecting it first. After ten months,

Negligence claims can also

Most claims could have been avoided with a bit more attention to

the owners boarded and were

arise from technical decisions

detail and fewer assumptions. ITIC’s

horrified by the vessel’s condition.

that seem minor at the time. A

claims files are full of cases where a

There was no evidence of what

technical manager was caught out

missed detail or a forgotten update

the ship was like at takeover, so

by an internal memo criticising crew

turned into a costly dispute. In ship

when the owners claimed over

performance. When the owner’s

management, it is the details that

US$400,000 for poor management,

lawyers got hold of it, it became the

matter most. l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Notebook

To revitalise its shipbuilding industry, US ‘should learn from South Korea’ By Mikko Forss, EVP of Design Solutions at maritime software provider NAPA

outh Korea is an A-star

the maritime industrial base,

student when it comes to

spanning shipbuilding, repair and

shipbuilding – underpinned

components.

by strong government support, a

With these shipbuilding

collective vision, and a consistent

objectives and US trade policy in

strategy – as well as companies

mind, Washington and Seoul have

adopting digital processes and

also agreed on a $350bn investment

then perfecting them.

framework that allocates $200bn in cash investments to the US

that South Korean shipyards are

support, the US administration

and $150bn to a shipbuilding co-

also built on a long history of

has taken positive steps towards

operation initiative. The $150bn will

embracing novel technologies

revitalising its shipbuilding industry

be used to fund the ‘Make American

and global collaboration. Process

with the SHIPS for America Act,

Shipbuilding Great Again’ initiative,

innovation augmented with proven,

updated in April 2025. It remains

which South Korea will take the

shipbuilding-specific software

to be seen if the bill will be passed

lead on. The key now is ensuring

solutions has been pivotal for these

into law, but it does have bipartisan

the policy, investment and strategy

leading yards to deliver projects on

support. The ‘Restoring America’s

remain consistent.

time, on budget, and at scale.

In terms of government

Maritime Dominance’ executive

In partnership with international

order, meanwhile, demands the

Unlocking efficiency

companies, Korean shipyards have

creation of a government-wide

US policymakers and

been great at perfecting the use

Maritime Action Plan, expanding

shipbuilders must recognise

of CAD, CAE and information

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Notebook

management tools for their needs.

must be repeatedly replicated from

difficult amid rapid population

The way their naval architects have

design to compliance analysis, and

declines and they have turned to

harnessed advanced 3D models

then disconnected again when

digitalisation to help. In Korea,

and data, for example, show how

submitting outputs to class, where

the problem has been particularly

digitalisation can significantly

the design is ultimately assessed

acute since newbuilding work

improve accuracy, efficiency, and

using 3D-based calculations.

resumed after the lifting of

collaboration in the design phase.

Without tools that support fast

COVID restrictions, but the

Accuracy is enhanced by having

collaboration, the result is much

situation has its roots in the layoffs

domain and discipline-specific digital

slower design iterations and

that followed the 2014 market

tools, but that are still seamlessly

feedback cycles.

downturn, when the workforce was

integrated through the design

With these digital foundations

halved from some 203,000 workers

phases. This offers continuity on

laid, shipyards and shipowners

3D models from concept to basic

can also explore advanced, more

to class approval to detail design

sustainable vessel designs. The 3D

can help alleviate recruitment

without compromising on the ship’s

model and data can be the basis for

challenges on two fronts: by

specific needs.

a ship’s design analysis digital twin,

removing duplicated tasks to

which can then be used to simulate

enable engineers and naval

consistent digital tools enable

the vessel’s future performance,

architects to maximise their

more design iterations in a shorter

fuel consumption, clean technology

productivity, and by making the

period, reduce the risk of costly

use, GHG emissions, strength

sector more attractive to younger

errors in the downstream design

& stability parameters, and

generations. Plus, with the rapid

phase, manage data effectively,

hydrodynamic profile, as well

evolution of artificial intelligence,

and create a single source of truth

as testing design variations and

the potential of data and

for critical project information.

different operational profiles – all

digitalisation to increase efficiency

Data quality, consistency and

before construction even begins.

and add even more value is huge.

Looking at efficiency,

and higher quality in large and

Essentially, digital technology

The bottom line is, the US has

continuity help the yard achieve lower costs, shorter schedules,

to around 92,000.

Supporting the workforce Efficiency through digitalisation

taken steps towards revitalising its shipbuilding industry, but it

is also vital for the US to grow

must not overlook the importance

its shipbuilding capacity without

of replacing outdated methods

can also help to break down

immediate access to a large,

with digital tools. Modern digital

silos and facilitate collaboration

appropriately trained maritime

ecosystems offer consistency and

between all the people involved

workforce. For smaller shipyards,

transparency, making the design

in shipbuilding processes –

where skilled labor shortages

phase more accurate and efficient.

including shipowners, shipyards,

hit hardest, this is especially

They also allow shipbuilding

naval architects, engineers,

important. Digital manufacturing

stakeholders to collaborate

academia, and class societies.

can, for example, enable shipyards

effectively and to simulate

To be effective, it is critical that

to create a digital replica of

innovative green ship designs.

shipyards have a comprehensive

their production facilities to

set of interoperable digital tools

simulate and optimise workflows,

makes the existing skilled

that are specially optimised

manufacturing processes, and

workforce more effective and

for shipbuilding and part of a

outputs – ensuring efficient use of

supports recruitment. Without

consistent digital ecosystem.

scarce resources.

copying South Korea’s approach

complex projects. Digitalisation done right

Class rule compliance analysis

In Japan and South Korea,

Zooming out, this digitalisation

to digitalisation, the US will not

and approval are examples of

attracting new talent to the

achieve the A-star shipbuilding

shipbuilding inefficiencies. Data

shipbuilding industry has been

grades it wants. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

InterManager Outlook If we want safer ships, stop blaming seafarers By Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General, InterManager

nterManager has spoken for many years about the

What happened on the Dali was the result of system

need for a ‘no blame’ culture in shipping. This is not

failure that had been created by design choices, maintenance

about excusing mistakes. It is about understanding how

routines, inspection gaps and organisational pressures long

accidents really happen. When investigations arrive at

before the seafarers ever joined the ship. Only a thorough,

the conclusion it was down to “human error” it’s usually

independent investigation could uncover this. A blame driven

because it’s the easy option. It is only when you look at

approach would never have reached the root cause.

the whole picture, and the systems and procedures that

The NTSB deserves real credit for resisting intense public

are there to support crews that we can fully understand

and political pressure. With global attention fixed on the case,

and explain.

the investigators did not reach for easy answers. They simply

The most recent case of the ‘Dali’ containership and the

followed the evidence. They did not stop at the bridge wing or

collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is now

the engine control room. Their work provides a clear example

one of the clearest modern examples of why this matters.

of how accident investigation boards should operate.

The tragedy was highly visible, politically charged, and

The ‘Ever Felicity’ investigation highlighted a similar

followed in real time by the public. In such circumstances,

scenario last year. Instead of suggesting that the crew should

the pressure to find a simple culprit, usually the crew, is

have foreseen or prevented the fire, the inquiry examined

intense. Yet the investigation carried out by the United States

how hazardous cargo was accepted, declared, regulated and

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows precisely

checked ashore. The risks were created long before the ship

why that instinct is dangerous.

ever sailed and the crew were left to manage consequences

Their findings are striking, not because they are dramatic, but because they are so mundane. Investigators traced the

they did not cause. Once again, the true failures lay within the wider system.

Dali’s loss of power back to something almost unbelievably

Both investigations confirm what InterManager has been

small. A single electrical wire had not been seated correctly

saying for many years. Seafarers are the final line of defence,

because a plastic label band stopped it from making proper

not the first place to direct blame. They work with complex

contact. That tiny detail caused a breaker to trip and led to

systems, under pressure, and with limited influence over

two complete blackouts. With propulsion and steering lost,

many of the factors that shape their day to day environment.

the 984-foot vessel drifted toward the Key Bridge. Within

Punishing them does nothing to improve safety and only

minutes the bridge collapsed, six highway workers lost their

discourages openness and learning. The lessons from the Dali and Ever Felicity cases are now

lives and the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest in the

very clear. If the maritime industry truly wants safer ships,

United States, came to a standstill. If anyone still believes that crews are at the heart of most incidents, this case should end that argument.

Ship Management International

then ‘No Blame’ must become standard practice rather than an occasional exception. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

How I Work SMI talks to industry leaders and asks the question How do you keep up with the rigours of the shipping industry? required to travel. She went on to gain an MSc in Environment & Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and worked initially for international bodies including the Hellenic Olympic Committee. She is also an Associate Member with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), the largest professional body for environmental practitioners in the UK and worldwide. “My interest in sustainability emerged early in my academic and professional journey,” she recalls, “through a strong curiosity about how international institutions, policy, and industry decisions shape people’s lives and the environment. Studying at the LSE helped me understand the links between economic growth, social justice and environmental protection, and it made clear that none of these can be

Natassa Kouvertari

pursued in isolation.

Senior Lead, Human Competency, Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub

“When I joined Lloyd’s Register in 2004, working with the marine business, these interests naturally converged around shipping. I saw first-hand both

eople and sustainability

role was to represent The Decarb

the sector’s critical role in enabling

specialist Anastasia (‘Natassa’)

Hub as project manager in the

global trade and its environmental

Kouvertari is the Senior Lead,

‘Baseline Training for Seafarers in

footprint. Over time, working as an

Human Competency within the Human

Decarbonisation’ project led by the

environmental specialist, product

Safety & Risk team of the Lloyd’s

Maritime Just Transition Taskforce

manager and project manager, I became

(MJTTF) – the first cross industry

motivated by the question: how can we

Hub - commonly known as just The

coalition that worked towards

help this essential industry transition to

Decarb Hub - the not-for-profit

shaping the competencies necessary

low- and zero-carbon operations in a

arm of the group committed to the

for the upskilling and reskilling of the

way that is safe, just and inclusive?”

safe, sustainable and human centric

global seafaring workforce for the

decarbonisation of the sector.

energy transition.

Natassa first joined Lloyd’s

Born and raised in Greece, Natassa

This motivation has guided her current focus on maritime decarbonisation, workforce training

studied as an undergraduate at the

and human competency, she

20-plus years since has held junior

Panteion University of Social and

explains, and it continues to drive

and senior positions specialising

Political Sciences in Athens, the city

her commitment to a sustainable and

in environmental matters. Her last

where she still lives today when not

equitable ocean economy.

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Left to right: Natassa at Reforestation event celebrating LR 250 years, with her two sons, and with the HELMEPA team & LR colleagues at Posidonia 2024.

How I Work

September, at a dedicated HCM event

related topics from different angles – not

hosted by LR.

only as a professional requirement, but

In fact, Natassa strongly believes that the role of what is termed Human Capital Management (HCM) within the maritime

Notwithstanding the fact that the

also as a personal interest.” Natassa values the opportunity

energy transition is more critical than

training frameworks introduced by the

ever. “As the industry shifts toward zero

MJTTF “represent a proactive step in

that working with the MJTTF has

and near-zero (ZNZ) emission fuels, such

the right direction,” she affirms that

afforded her and others of reaffirming

as ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen,

progress toward a safe and just energy

the central role of seafarers in the

seafarers’ competencies become not

transition often originates in smaller

maritime decarbonisation journey, the

only a safety imperative but a business

ecosystems and regional initiatives that

success of which “will depend not just

necessity,” she says. “HCM enables

align with international efforts such as

on technology or investment readiness

organisations to proactively manage

those driven by the MJTTF and IMO. In

levels, but on people.”

this shift by embedding continuous

this context, she points to HELMEPA’s

She issues the following clarion call:

development, risk-based upskilling, and

METAVASEA programme—an example

“Whether you represent a shipowner, a

operational readiness into the core of

of how local maritime communities,

maritime and education training institute

maritime operations.

education networks, and industry

or academy, a maritime administration,

“Decarbonisation is not just a

partners can foster behavioural change,

or a technology provider, your role in

technical or regulatory shift—it is a

environmental awareness, and early-

enabling safe operations with alternative

human transition. Vessels may be

stage capability-building.

fuels is critical. The new interim training

redesigned, regulations may evolve,

Outside of work, Natassa says she

frameworks now available are a starting

but it is people who will ensure the

places a lot of value on spending quality

point, not only for curriculum reform but

safe handling of the new fuels and

time with the people closest to her, and

for rethinking how we support, assess,

operation of the modern, decarbonised,

on maintaining a healthy balance between

and empower crews.”

digitalised fleet. That’s why HCM must

professional commitments and personal

take a systems-level view, integrating

wellbeing. “Connecting with family

moment if it is to build a global

workforce planning, upskilling,

and friends, often around shared meals

workforce that is “competent, confident,

certification pathways, and inclusive

or simple activities, helps me to reset

and ready for the future,” she concludes.

training that reflects the realities of the

and keep perspective when my work is

Greater consideration needs to be

global maritime workforce.”

particularly intense or complex,” she says.

taken of human factors in ship design and operation, and safety management

Shipping finds itself at a pivotal

Natassa concedes that the absence

“On my daily life I truly value the

of formal international training standards

importance of a routine that will have

systems aligned with new fuel risks.

under STCW (The International

cooking for my family at the centre; it is

Finally, through advocating for a

Convention on Standards of Training,

a gesture of love and care for me.

thorough yet effective reform of STCW,

Certification, and Watchkeeping for

“I also find it important to spend time

“we can shape a maritime industry that

Seafarers) for alternative fuels continues

outdoors and near the sea whenever

is both greener and safer,” she asserts.

to be a “regulatory blind spot”. But

possible. Being in nature, walking and

Natassa Kouvertari concludes

she feels that through initiatives like

taking time to disconnect from screens

with what she dubs a “key reminder”

the Maritime Just Transition Taskforce,

and constant information flow, allows

for everyone involved in the

this gap is now being addressed with

me to reflect and return to work with

decarbonisation and training agenda:

new interim training frameworks

renewed energy and clarity. In addition,

“That sustainability cannot be realised

and risk-based, competency-driven

I enjoy activities that are more reflective

without safety at its core, and safety

models that were released during

and creative in nature, such as following

cannot be achieved without people at

London International Shipping Week in

developments in sustainability and ocean-

its centre.” l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Navigation Atlantic volatility: Lessons of the 2025 hurricane season

Following the destruction in Jamaica, Cuba and neighbouring countries from the effects of Hurricane Melissa, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has taken another dramatic turn, underscoring just how volatile and unpredictable tropical systems have become, writes Matthew Dib (CMet, FRMetS), Duty Director of Marine Operations at Pole Star Global.

he 2025 Atlantic hurricane season

are dramatically reduced. Routes, port

the tropical Atlantic was smothered

has so far offered a reminder to

calls, and even crew schedules can

by dry, dusty air blowing west from

those in the industry of just how

hinge on how fast those changes unfold.

the Sahara. This had the effect of

unreliable long-range forecasts can be

Being armed with the appropriate data

limiting convection, stopping smaller

on their own. Early outlooks pointed to

intelligence tools, however, can help to

systems from harnessing the moisture

another above-average year, yet the first

cut through uncertainty and support

they needed to build into something

half was surprisingly quiet and subdued.

faster, better-informed decisions for

more severe. Another factor at play

This was then followed, rather abruptly,

those at sea.

within this was strong vertical wind

by a burst of activity. Long pauses in storm

By late September this year, nine

shear, which was tearing storm cores

formation gave way to short, furious spells

named storms had developed, with

apart before they could consolidate.

of development: an unpredictable, stop-

three becoming major hurricanes. Erin

In all, most systems fizzled or curved

start rhythm that now feels increasingly

and Humberto both reached Category

harmlessly into the open ocean and

familiar across the basin.

5 strength over open water, while

away from danger. Only Barry in Mexico

Gabrielle peaked as a Category 4. Even

and Chantal near the U.S. Southeast

is more than just a scientific curiosity.

so, overall activity still lags behind the

made meaningful landfall.

When a tropical wave can strengthen

pre-season forecast many expected of

from a faint swirl to a major hurricane

around 14 to 19 storms.

For ship operators and insurers, this

This disparity between forecasts and what played out at sea led some

in a couple of days, planning windows

During the early months of this

observers into a false sense of security,

and the ability to mitigate their impact

season, from June through to August,

thinking the season might stay mild.

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Navigation

Then, almost overnight, the pattern flipped dramatically. Three tropical cyclones – Humberto, Idalia and Jose – appeared within just 11 days, serving as a sharp reminder of how quickly a lull can give way to clustered, high impact activity.

Atmospheric drivers Several overlapping forces help explain the swing from periods of calm to sudden bursts of energy. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), which alternates between phases that promote or suppress convection, spent much of the summer in an unfavourable state for the Atlantic. When it shifted into a

Forecast chart (28 October 06Z) showing significant wave height approximations for Hurricane Melissa. Maximum heights at that time were in the 8–9 metre range on the east and northeast sides of the system as it approached Jamaica. Image courtesy Pole Star Global

more active phase in September, this fed energy into developing systems, and

sea, this means that the danger period

and one driven and supported by live data,

storms followed quickly.

for shipping can be compressed into a

cross-ocean visibility, and the ability to make

few volatile weeks rather than stretched

operational decisions in real time.

At roughly the same time, a developing La Niña began to relax

across the summer.

Operators must go beyond

upper-level winds across the basin.

Strong systems appearing back-

automated forecasts and seek tailored

La Niña years often provide a calmer

to-back in short spaces of time create

guidance, taking into account operational

environment aloft, allowing cyclones

their own headaches and ripple effects

constraints such as a vessel’s limits

to stay vertically aligned and intensify.

too. Ports face increased congestion,

regarding sea state or other navigational

Add sea-surface temperatures running

cargo is rerouted or delayed, and

factors. That human element is essential

abnormally warm at around one to two-

insurance for vessels operating within

to interpret forecasts and discuss them

and-a-half degrees above average, and

these windows and periods of volatility

in context, highlighting potential risks,

the conditions for rapid intensification

swing violently too, often persisting long

suggesting adjustments to route or

were suddenly present.

after the weather clears. As a result of

speed, or even recommending delays

It’s also worth noting that the

this for operators across the Caribbean

when conditions warrant. Such dynamic,

Saharan dust belt pulled northward

and Gulf, flexibility and near-real-time

situation-specific analysis enables decision-

as autumn approached. With less dry

awareness have become every bit as

makers to respond proactively rather than

air and more humidity in the main

critical as long-range forecasting.

reactively, maintaining operational safety and efficiency even when conditions are

development region, tropical waves finally found the ingredients they had been missing.

Adapting to the new rhythm

shifting unexpectedly. The goal isn’t to predict every

All of this season’s uneven pacing

By mid-September, the Accumulated

points to a growing realisation that

storm with absolute precision but to

Cyclone Energy (ACE) index was around

predictability is falling. Factors such

ensure that those at sea have access

81, roughly 15% below the long-term

as the heat of the oceans, shifting

to real-time, relevant information,

average of 95. Nearly 90% of that

patterns within the atmosphere,

with 24/7/365 support, and structured

total came from just three storms: Erin,

and unstable climate oscillations are

insights that can inform immediate

Gabrielle and Humberto.

working together to make hurricane

operational choices, enhancing

behaviour more erratic and, as a

vigilance, connectivity, and agility in the

but it is a pattern that is becoming

consequence, inherently more difficult

face of unpredictable weather.

more familiar. Fewer storms are now

to predict accurately.

That imbalance isn’t anything new,

For those at sea or managing

For those operating in the maritime

fleets ashore, the advantage now lies

total energy, suggesting that the

industry, preparedness can no longer be

in awareness, knowing sooner, acting

Atlantic’s risk profile is concentrating

an annual exercise built around seasonal

faster, and adjusting before disruption

into shorter, sharper peaks. For those at

forecasts. It has to be a continuous process,

takes hold. l

responsible for most of each season’s

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Navigation

Towards a condition-based approach to addressing extreme weather at sea Integrating weather data with asset monitoring enables more accurate predictions of vessel condition, writes Dr Xiaozhi (Christina) Wang, VP, Engineering Applications, ABS

he growing frequency and

affect asset integrity and performance.

standards for the resilience of onboard

intensity of extreme weather

By integrating temperature,

systems, including propulsion, navigation,

poses significant challenges to

humidity, wind speed, metocean

electrical and safety equipment, to enable

the maritime and offshore industries.

exposure, storm activity and other

reliable operation during adverse weather

Addressing these risks requires robust

environmental inputs into condition

events. Redundancy and protective

technical rules and requirements

assessments, the program can more

measures, such as watertight enclosures

augmented with a range of specialised

accurately predict fatigue damage,

and surge protection, are required to

products and services.

and other weather-driven degradation

mitigate the consequences of system

mechanisms. This approach enables

failures that could compromise safety.

ABS classification rules incorporate

To stay at the forefront of safety,

environmental loads arising from

proactive risk profiling, targeted docking

extreme weather, such as hurricanes

and maintenance scheduling, thereby

ABS continuously incorporates the

and polar ice. These rules define

optimising asset reliability and safety

latest scientific research and industry

design standards for vessels to

while reducing unnecessary inspections

best practice into its rules and services.

withstand forces from high winds,

and downtime.

Collaboration with research institutions,

heavy seas, strong currents and severe

Ultimately, leveraging weather insights

regulatory bodies and industry

ice. Using probabilistic models and

enhances the precision and efficiency of

stakeholders ensures that ABS adapts its

historical meteorological data, the

ABS’s condition-based strategies.

standards and service offerings in line with evolving weather risks. l

environmental criteria establish rational

In addition, ABS sets rigorous

design parameters tailored to specific

Climate-ready Supply Chain

operational regions. Structural strength and stability

TT Club has published a white paper called ‘Climate-ready Supply Chain’, providing

are fundamental pillars of ABS rules

guidance for ports, waterways and logistics operations on how to adapt and build

addressing extreme weather. Structural

resilience, thereby ensuring business continuity and supporting insurance compliance.

strength requirements mandate robust

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in climate-related disruptions, the

hull construction, structural redundancy

insurer points out. “In 2024 alone, extreme weather events caused widespread

and damage tolerance, and verify

shutdowns, infrastructure damage and economic losses across every continent.

structural performance against static

Hurricanes in the Americas, floods in Asia, droughts in Africa and wildfires in Australia

and dynamic loads using advanced

have all highlighted the vulnerability of even the most advanced logistics infrastructure.”

analysis methods such as finite element modelling. Stability requirements enable vessels to maintain balance and buoyancy under severe weather-induced conditions and reduce the risk of capsising.

“Climate risk is no longer a distant concern but a present and escalating threat to business continuity and profitability,” it adds. Building resilience requires four stages: risk assessment, adaptation planning, practical solutions and ongoing monitoring, the report outlines. IoT sensors and AI analytics enable early warning systems and predictive

ABS also operates a condition-based

maintenance for operational optimisation, it recommends, pointing out that

program that incorporates real-time and

“insurance policies increasingly require documented climate risk management and

forecasted weather data and continuous

adaptation planning for compliance.”

monitoring of operational status and

Collaboration with stakeholders enhances knowledge sharing and collective resilience

location of assets, with particular

across the sector, advises the report. It concludes by saying that “climate resilience

emphasis on weather conditions that can

represents a strategic imperative for sustainable growth, not merely compliance.” l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Business Strategy A KPMG briefing on decarbonisation and other strategic business issues SMI asks Cyprus-based Sylvia A. Loizides, Board Member and Head of Shipping at professional services firm KPMG, on the advice that is being given to shipping companies on decarbonisation – especially in light of the postponement of any adoption of IMO’s proposed Net-Zero Framework – and other pressing issues of business strategy. Q) Please describe the scope of

regulatory requirements and integrating

decarbonisation incentive scheme under

KPMG’s maritime consulting services

sustainability considerations into

the IMO; one that reinvests funds in

in Cyprus and elsewhere. How big

governance, reporting, and financial

research, technology, and sustainable

a part is played by advising on

decision-making.

shipping infrastructure. This more

decarbonisation strategies?

Overall, while decarbonisation is not

pragmatic approach, which I share,

the sole focus, it now runs through most

recognises that genuine environmental

cover a broad range of financial, regulatory,

client discussions influencing decisions

progress requires both fairness and

and strategic support to shipowning and

on investment, compliance, and long-

technological readiness.

shipmanagement companies in Cyprus

term competitiveness.

A) KPMG’s maritime consulting services

From KPMG’s perspective, the postponement does not reduce the

and internationally. We help clients manage compliance, optimise performance,

Q) How important a factor do you

strategic importance of the transition. It

and adapt to evolving regulatory and

see IMO’s adoption of a net-zero

simply adds uncertainty to its pace and

sustainability expectations.

plan in influencing shipowner and

implementation. Our focus is on helping

In Cyprus, KPMG supports

shipmanager cstrategy? Does the

clients strengthen their governance,

shipowners and managers across

recent delay change the advice you

reporting, and financing readiness for the

audit and assurance, tax, corporate

are giving clients in any way?

transition, ensuring they can demonstrate

The IMO’s proposed Net-Zero

structuring, risk management, and

compliance, transparency, and credibility

governance. Increasingly, we also advise

Framework (NZF) represented a

as the regulatory framework evolves into

on cyber resilience, ESG integration,

potentially defining shift in global

a more balanced, global form.

and sustainability reporting, areas

shipping, moving beyond efficiency

now central to both compliance and

measures such as EEXI and CII toward

Q) There seems to have been some

stakeholder confidence.

full decarbonisation by or around 2050.

cooling or backtracking of the

However, the recent decision to

commitment to ‘net zero’ among

maritime work spans financial

postpone its adoption reflects the

certain countries, notably the USA

and operational advisory, digital

difficulty of achieving consensus in a sector

under President Trump. How serious

transformation, and support for clients

that is global by nature and highly diverse

a ‘brake’ on the momentum of

navigating new regulatory, environmental,

in scale and capability. Many, including

decarbonisation do you see this as

and reporting frameworks.

the Cyprus Union of Shipowners, have

posing, if at all?

Across KPMG’s global network,

Political shifts can influence the

Within this broader offering,

cautioned that the proposal in its current

decarbonisation is a growing area of

form risks imposing unfair and ineffective

pace of decarbonisation, and the

attention, although much of the industry

multi-billion-euro taxation schemes,

IMO’s recent postponement shows

is still developing the frameworks,

without clear processes for how the

how divergent national interests can

data, and systems needed to support

proceeds would be used.

slow collective progress. Even if some

long-term transition. KPMG primarily

Cyprus, as a major maritime

assists clients in understanding new

nation, has instead called for a global

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

governments, notably the United States under President Trump or any future

Business Strategy

Sylvia A. Loizides administration, take a less supportive

Regulatory complexity is a major

Q) Do you have any other points

stance on ‘net zero’, the underlying

concern. Companies must manage

that you would like to share with the

direction of travel remains unchanged.

overlapping environmental, sanctions,

readers of SMI?

At the same time, the concerns

ESG, and cybersecurity rules.

Shipping has already entered

expressed by industry leaders

Coordinating compliance across global

a decisive decade. Regulatory,

highlight valid economic and structural

operations requires stronger governance

technological, and financial shifts

issues. Many argue that the current

and better data systems.

are reshaping how vessels are built,

version of the NZF could place

Financing and capital access are

financed, and operated, but they also

disproportionate burdens on small and

also critical. Traditional shipping

create space for genuine innovation

mid-sized companies, the backbone

finance has tightened, while

and renewal.

of European shipping, while raising

sustainability-linked and alternative

costs for consumers without materially

finance models are still evolving.

challenge lies in managing

reducing emissions. The challenge, as

Clients are seeking to align investment

uncertainty rather than resisting

they rightly emphasise, is to ensure a

strategies with lenders’ green criteria

change: regulatory timelines are

green transition that is fair, effective,

without undermining flexibility.

fluid, fuel pathways remain unsettled,

For many companies, the

Digitalisation and cyber risk

and access to capital depends

form another key theme. Increased

increasingly on sustainability

connectivity and data use bring

credentials. Despite this, the sector’s

decarbonisation. It calls for realistic,

efficiency gains but also new

resilience and adaptability continue

science-based solutions that build

vulnerabilities, particularly for

to stand out. Shipping has always

genuine consensus within the IMO and

shipmanagement companies responsible

evolved: from safety reforms to

include all major maritime nations. The

for large, dispersed fleets.

digitalisation, and it will do so again

and inclusive, safeguarding both competitiveness and energy security. This perspective does not reject

goal should be a framework that achieves

Finally, workforce challenges are

real emissions reductions without

becoming acute. The industry faces an

destabilising economies or trade flows.

ageing shore-based workforce, evolving

as the decarbonisation agenda continues to evolve. What is clear, however, is that the

crewing dynamics, and a growing

responsibility for progress cannot rest

regulatory timing may fluctuate, the long-

scarcity of qualified marine engineers

solely with shipowners. Shipyards,

term transition remains intact. Market

and technical professionals. At the same

equipment manufacturers, and fuel

forces, technological progress, and

time, new competencies are needed to

suppliers must also innovate more

investor expectations continue to drive

support digitalisation, alternative fuels,

decisively, providing commercially

shipping toward lower emissions, ideally

and advanced vessel systems. Retaining

viable solutions that make the transition

through a global, coordinated mechanism

and reskilling people is becoming as vital

technically and economically achievable.

rather than fragmented regional regimes.

as hardware investment.

Only through this collective effort can

Q) Please outline any other issues

illustrate an industry in transformation,

that KPMG’s maritime clients see as

moving from a traditionally asset-

particularly pressing and why?

driven model to one defined by

industry’s ability to align policy,

governance, technology, and

technology, and finance in practical

sustainability readiness.

ways. Progress will depend as much on

So, while policy direction and

Taken together, these issues

Beyond decarbonisation, maritime clients face several interlinked

regulatory ambition translate into realworld progress. The years ahead will test the

pressures reshaping the industry’s

collaboration and informed investment

economics and governance.

as on regulation itself. l Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ship Registries Flags react to bump in the road on journey to decarbonisation A special report by Felicity Landon

‘A regulatory vacuum’; ‘prolonged uncertainty’; ‘a brake on the collective momentum of the industry’; ‘a direct cause of hesitation by shipowners considering newbuild orders’ – these were just a few of the comments from ship registries relating to the pushback of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework (NZF). heated and often bad-tempered

looking forward to the adoption of

challenges and divisions were evident

IMO Marine Environment

the NZF as a decisive step towards

in the lead-up to the meeting, the

Protection Committee (MEPC)

global alignment, says Dr Ivan Tabone,

final vote to adjourn was certainly a

discussions in October, registries’

Registrar General of Shipping and

setback to the immediate progression of

concerns are significant – particularly

Seamen of the Malta Ship Registry.

multilateralism.”

ollowing the outcome of the

The Malta Ship Registry was actively

when it comes to their dreams of a

“The decision to postpone the

global regulatory certainty. While the

The Maltese flag is the largest in

global level playing field. However, it

adoption

Europe, and sixth largest in the world,

isn’t all negative. With the 2023 IMO

was indeed

but Malta’s maritime sector is at the

GHG Strategy still firmly in place and

disappointing,

sharp end of the current ‘unlevel’ playing

(so far at least) its goals not challenged,

because it

field when it comes to emissions; Malta

the consensus is that decarbonisation

creates a delay in

Freeport Terminals has been losing

might be slower, but it is inevitable. A

establishing the

transhipment volumes as some container

case of ‘when’, not ‘if’.

much-needed

lines divert to non-European Union

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ship Registries

ports hubs in order to avoid the EU

concerns are centred on clarity rather

have a UN body being opaque about

Emissions Trading System (ETS).

than resistance.”

how the funds are collected, charged

Dr Tabone says: “The adoption of

The outcome of the MEPC was

and distributed to others.” As for feedback, he says: “The

the NZF was critically important, as it

disappointing for the Isle of Man

was expected to provide international

Ship Registry, says Director Cameron

shipping market is the shipping market.

alignment and the necessary legal and

Mitchell. “But fundamentally, we still

We still need to build ships. I believe

regulatory certainty for the industry.

have the IMO GHG Strategy in place

that some of the finance models have

It would also have sent a strong,

– that’s decided and that strategy is

been adjusted and fundamentally

clear signal to the energy sector to

fixed. The NZF was how we get there.

we will still see a rise in ships being

accelerate the development and

Has it delayed

built with alternative fuels in mind

deployment of alternative fuels. The

us on our

– be that LNG, dual fuel engines or

postponement is now seen as creating

journey? Yes, it

methanol or ammonia ready. The big

a regulatory vacuum at international

absolutely has,

problem is that now, with no certainty,

level. This uncertainty risks slowing

it’s delayed us

we will see some companies just

down investment decisions for new

by 12 months.”

buying or ordering the most efficient

A global

conventionally fuelled ships that they

vessels and alternative fuels.”

concept is the correct approach, he

can, because ultimately they are a lot

decision prolongs uncertainty – but the

says, if the industry is to avoid different

cheaper.”

overall trajectory remains unchanged,

jurisdictions doing their own thing,

says Giovanni Ciniglio, CEO and

as with the EU’s ETS and FuelEU

putting pressure on shipowners to

Principal Registrar at Barbados

Maritime. “That way we would end

build greener ships and requiring at

Maritime Ship Registry (BMSR). “The

In the short term, the MEPC

On the other hand, charterers are

up with nationalisation of what should

least a dual fuel option, he says – after

IMO’s GHG

be international maritime legislation.

all, the major shippers compiling their

Strategy is

The UK has already announced its ETS,

annual ESG reports are themselves

in force and

China is developing one, Australia is

under pressure to demonstrate to

the long-term

not far off – so, if we are not quick in

shareholders that they are doing

objectives are

making a global agreement, we will

better.

clear,” he says.

end up with all these national rules.”

“Temporary

However, Mitchell says, there

Those representing the Marshall Islands Ship Registry have a

divergence between regional schemes

were issues with the detail of the NZF,

particularly tricky path to navigate.

is expected but global convergence

in particular around who would be

The UN Framework Convention on

will ultimately be required. This

rewarded and who wouldn’t. “While

Climate Change (UNFCCC) identifies

type of delay is not unusual in IMO

a lot of large shipping companies can

the Marshall Islands as extremely

policymaking; similar patterns

afford to invest in alternative fuels

vulnerable to climate change – the

accompanied the development of

such as methanol or ammonia, many

low-lying islands are under threat from

the Ballast Water Convention and

companies cannot. So are you going

the rise in sea levels. However, the ship

MARPOL Annex VI amendments, but

to reward those investing in those

registry is managed by International

the end result was still achieved.”

technologies even though they have

Registries, Inc., which is based in the

Owners are commercially

the money to invest, and penalise

United States where President Trump

pragmatic, he says: “They understand

smaller companies because they don’t

has declared climate change a hoax;

that decarbonisation is inevitable,

have the money to invest?

the US delegation was the driving force

but they remain cautious until there is

“In theory the NZF is correct but

in opposing the NZF in October, and

regulatory certainty and clearer signals

how it’s done has to be really looked at

Trump was busy laying down threats to

on fuel availability and cost. Their

again in the next 12 months. We can’t

states daring to support it.

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ship Registries

member state had been very active in

made in developing the framework”,

Maritime Administration and

pursuing and developing. But also the

clarifying that the postponement

Regulatory Affairs at IRI, says there is

disappointment came from the tone

does not reflect a shift in Singapore’s

‘no enlightening answer’ to what is a

and mood of the room, the way the

decarbonisation goals. “Singapore

‘political pickle’.

meeting was adjourned and the way the

remains committed to accelerating

“A lot of this

discussions went. As an IMO participant

maritime decarbonisation.”

Nick Makar, Senior Vice President,

Cyprus’s Shipping Deputy

comes down

– this is my full-time role – it was very

to politics. The

unusual to see the discussions move

Minister, Marina Hadjimanolis, says the

government of the

in a way that was not trying to move

adjournment “gives us the time needed

Marshall Islands is

towards consensus or unity but was

to continue working collectively, in order

very clear in terms

very defensive and very political. It was

to achieve a pragmatic, realistic and

of its policy with

a tone that we are not used to working

workable global framework”. She says

respect to climate change. But President

with in the IMO – it was a difficult

Trump’s views on this are obviously very

session that was extremely pressurised

the proposed

visible too. It’s a very tricky balance,

and politically charged.”

measures of the NZF raised

because IRI provides administrative and

However, he also pointed to the

technical support for the Marshall Islands

2023 GHG Strategy, “which was agreed

questions

registry, and IRI delegates at IMO have

without any reservations”, including by

about realistic

the authority to participate on behalf

the US. “The targets and all the levels

implementation

of the Marshall Islands government. So

of ambition and guiding principles will

meaning “they

we represent the Marshall Islands but

remain in effect, as well as the technical

could not serve as global measures, having

at the same time with high-rise offices

workstreams that have developed in

so many IMO members opposing them”.

in the US and many Marshall Islands

the context of that strategy. While

“The MEPC’s October 2025 session

flagged ships are calling in US ports –

the outcome was in relation to a very

proved how complex consensus can be,

it’s something that obviously has to be

specific set of measures, there is still

which means that the next few months

taken into account as well.”

this overarching strategy and the

are bound to be critical for the global

workstreams are still moving forward.

shipping industry. Cyprus attaches great

course has to take a very aggressive

Also, outside the IMO, regional and local

importance to the work and role of

stance with respect to ambition and

measures continue to be put in place, so

the IMO. We support global rules and

aspects in relation to decarbonisation,

all those signals are still there.”

regulations that are pragmatic, realistic

The Marshall Islands, he says, “of

and at the same time we do have to

Nothing was raised that questioned

recognise our other partners in the

the GHG Strategy itself, he says. “Even

whole process.”

the following week, discussions still

and workable, thereby establishing a global level playing field.” Dylan Cocklan, Maritime

For Makar, the outcome of the

continued with respect to calculating

Administrator for Gibraltar Maritime

MEPC session was shocking. “If you

GHG fuel intensity, lifecycle emissions,

Administration, reflects that while

had asked back in August what the

the next GHG study, and so on.”

progress had been widely expected at

The outcomes of the MEPC

the NZF discussions, “the complexity of

there seemed to be this wave of

discussions were unprecedented, says

achieving global consensus made this

optimism; it was considered that there

Makar. “In the week immediately after,

outcome a possibility”.

might be a few outliers here and there

there was a lot of head scratching –

“As an administration, we remain

but otherwise it seemed it would pass

what does it mean? And then there

committed to the IMO’s decarbonisation

with a very wide majority,” he says.

was the realisation that the committee

objectives. Obviously, the delay

“The fracture that had developed and

is only adjourned. It is not in any way a

introduces some uncertainty for

the split in the room and the degree to

conclusion of anything.”

shipowners and may lead to regional

likelihood was of this [the NZF] passing,

which it had split was surprising and it

Many ship registries are keen to

measures being implemented. However,

happened very quickly. It was surprising

recognise the complexities and to

we believe

to see that heavy division – there was

emphasise that the postponement gives

that the overall

really nowhere near consensus.”

time for more discussions.

direction

Among them, the Maritime and

And of course, there was

towards reducing

disappointment. “It’s a delay in a policy

Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has

emissions

that the organisation had been working

described the postponement as “a

remains clear.”

towards which the Marshall Islands as a

strategic step to safeguard the progress

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Registries

could later be affected by changed,

etc. – all the technologies that can

MARPOL compliance, he says, providing

conflicting rules. “While many

reduce emissions from ships, we reward

guidance on alternative fuels, and

progressive owners will continue to

our clients for, and we add these new

participating in international technical

decarbonise regardless of the delay, the

technologies on to the green fee list.”

discussions. “These priorities remain

absence of a global framework could

IOMSR continues to work on

unchanged. Shipowners also remain

slow adoption among smaller operators

alternative design and arrangement

widely committed to decarbonisation,

or those with tighter margins. This

solutions for the use of alternative

though some have expressed concerns

fragmentation also risks slowing

fuels where they are not covered under

about timelines and costs.

global supply chain development for

current SOLAS regulation. “We will

alternative fuels, as fuel producers

work with companies on alternative

of Shipping and Seamen at St Kitts

and ports delay investment until the

designs and regulatory equivalences

& Nevis International Ship Registry,

regulatory picture stabilises.”

to make sure safety standards are

The GMA continues its work on

Gail Stoll, International Registrar

says: “While we

SKAN remains committed to

equivalent or higher. That’s the bread

recognise the

supporting decarbonisation and the

and butter of what we do until the

importance of

transition to sustainable shipping, says

legislation catches up.

a clear, global

Stoll. “We are actively engaging with

regulatory

shipowners, classification societies

we can. Technical project work has

pathway for

and other stakeholders to promote

become more normalised within the

“We support clients in every way

energy efficiency, the adoption of alternative fuels and compliance with decarbonisation, we also understand

emerging environmental regulations

that the complexity of aligning

such as EEXI and CII. We are monitoring

international interests can require

developments in zero and low-carbon

additional time for consensus.

technologies and exploring initiatives

Nevertheless, postponing the

to facilitate the use of sustainable

adoption of a clear NZF is a clear

fuels, including guidance and technical

delay in the collective momentum the

support for our registered vessels.”

industry has been building. We see

Stoll says ship registries can support

this period as an opportunity for the

owners by delivering predictability in

international maritime community

technical interpretations and alternative

to work closely with shipowners and

fuel approvals, giving clear guidance on

other stakeholders to ensure that

safe fuel handling, training requirements

when implemented, the framework is

and risk assessments, providing flexible

practical, effective and aligned with

pathways that allow owners to adopt

the shared goal of sustainable shipping

new technologies at their own pace, and

for all the involved parties.”

collaborating with insurers, financiers

Without a binding global framework, the industry faces a

and class to de-risk early adoption. Everyone thought they were on a

fragmented regulatory environment

journey – and the journey has suddenly

where individual states and regions may

been put on hold, says Cameron

implement their own decarbonisation

Mitchell – but the IOMSR strategy

measures and fees, potentially creating

remains the same. “We aren’t changing

an uneven and more expensive

our future strategy, which is to have

playing field, says Stoll. “This leaves

a greener fleet of ships registered in

shipowners and operators across

the Isle of Man. We are building up

multiple jurisdictions with uncertain

confidence in the registry on future

long-term requirements, a fragmented

fuels – that’s a priority – with our

compliance landscape and higher

technical team. We continue to offer

perceived investment risk in future fuel

our green fees – discounts on annual

technologies.”

registration fees for companies investing

She says shipowners may hesitate to commit to certain fuel types that

in alternative fuels. That includes carbon capture, wind [assistance], batteries, Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ship Registries

flag; until five years ago, there wasn’t

that the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime

really much happening in that space

continue at the European level.

have got the wheels moving.” “Even without the final framework,

but with alternative fuels, that work

“This fragmented approach prevents

industry momentum continues

has increased.”

the establishment of a global level

through technological development,

playing field and heightens concerns

regional regulatory pressure, evolving

type role with some clients, he adds,

within the industry regarding the

charterer expectations and investor

incorporating that into the fee structure.

potential for double regulation and

requirements. These drivers ensure

“We will act as technical/legislation

double payments,” says Dr Tabone.

progress regardless of temporary

expert on projects to assist with the early

He believes the energy transition will

delays at IMO level. The IMO will,

implementation of new technology.”

IOMSR has set up a consultancy

continue “but it is now proceeding

in time, deliver the global structure

With the GHG Strategy still in

through a less coherent mix of

needed to unify these efforts.”

place, there is reason to be optimistic,

regional and national mandates”.

Gail Stoll at SKAN agrees that decarbonisation is not driven solely

he believes. “Industry innovation and

Meanwhile, he says: “Malta Ship

R&D has come on in leaps and bounds

Registry is supporting the industry

by the regulators but also by industry

over the past couple of years. One of

by facilitating the consideration

players, and the global shipping

the things we are really interested in

of dual alternative fuel vessels

industry continues to make tangible

is trying to be more solution-focused,

through robust alternative design &

progress.

on things that really help the industry,

arrangement processes, leveraging

International regulation and

sharing knowledge and experience

expert oversight from Recognised

harmonised standards together with

– for example, working with Lloyd’s

Organisations, and relentlessly

consistent technical and operational

advocating at the IMO for a clear,

requirements, market-based

the Methane Abatement in Maritime

global and non-discriminatory

measures and effective enforcement

Innovation Initiative.”

regulatory environment that provides

mechanisms are critical to prevent

the necessary certainty for crucial

competitive distortions and the

capital investments.”

emergence of ‘emissions havens’, she

Dr Ivan Tabone says that Malta, through the ship registry, is a

Dr Tabone believes that while the

proactive participant in technical

says. At IRI, Nick Makar says that while

and policy discussions at both

MEPC session created ‘a degree of

international (IMO) and European

polarisation among member states’,

there are owners and stakeholders

(EU) levels. “Our key strength lies

the overall ambitions and target

that are watching the NZF progress

in maintaining an open, consultative

are still in place. “The IMO process

closely and want to be able to

line of communication with all

is challenging, but multilateralism

react, there are others that are ‘very

stakeholders, enabling us to serve

remains the essential path forward.”

much tuned into decarbonisation’

as a bridge between continents and

Giovanni Ciniglio says the

and have accordingly formed

bring the voice and vast expertise of

BMSR approach remains focused

coalitions and commitments

the industry to the regulatory table,”

on regulatory readiness rather than

internally. For the latter, there has

he says.

speculative commitments. “BMSR

been disappointment over the NZF

continues to follow closely the

delay – “but they are not stopping,

in the ongoing work of the

work of the IMO Correspondence

they are moving forward, they

Intersessional Working Group on the

Groups on future fuels, lifecycle GHG

have made commitments towards

Reduction of GHG Emissions from

assessments and related regulatory

achieving goals for decarbonisation

Ships and are closely monitoring the

instruments. The MEPC decision does

and they want to keep ahead of

political and technical discussions

not change this workstream.

the game, as well as continuing to

“Our teams are heavily involved

“Our role as a registry is to

improve efficiency. I do believe the

renewed MEPC session in 2026. We

provide stability, ensure predicable

industry can achieve its goals and

remain fully committed to acting as

transitions and maintain consistent

strategy. All these rapidly developing

a voice of reason in this discussion,

technical interpretation through our

technologies and capabilities and

advocating for a pragmatic and

ROs. When the rules are settled,

advanced technologies and fuels are

universally applicable global

owners will adapt.”

very exciting and beneficial to the

intensifying in the lead up to the

He is optimistic, too, because the

framework.” There is obvious concern to Malta

Ship Management International

GHG Strategy “set the goals which

Issue 118 November/December 2025

industry.” l

Alternative Viewpoint A safe haven as climate changes

Michael Grey, MBE, is an internationally respected maritime commentator

he weather, we are constantly told by climate

Where ships have been damaged, there are often

scientists, is getting ever fiercer; storms more

‘external’ reasons that can have contributed, such as

stormier, wind speeds higher, extreme waves

charterer pressure to do things a prudent master would

more extreme. Once, it would be the wretched

rather not have done. Leaving a safe anchorage in marginal

mariners who would be most at risk, with casualties

conditions, deterred from taking sufficient tugs, reducing

due to heavy weather more common, when weather

the ballast aboard ship to unsafe levels pre-arrival; all have

forecasts were less precise, ships smaller and more at

been subsequent explanations for expensive ‘weather-

the mercy of the elements. It was why ships were less

related’ disasters, and all of them preventable.

deeply laden in winter seasons on passages where more

Ships can mostly avoid extreme weather; ports, on

violent weather was a seasonal risk, and less hazardous

the other hand, have to look to their defences, if weather

routes were chosen.

is to become more severe, storms more frequent, or sea

Arguably, despite menacing reports of encounters

levels rise. The tendency to build ports and terminals

with extreme waves, now detectable by satellite, ships

out into the sea, on exposed coasts and reclaimed land

seem to be less prone to damage on ocean passages.

suggests a certain increased vulnerability, with the need

True, there are the occasional stack collapses, but

for mitigating measures against flooding obvious, albeit

there seems evidence that people are getting better at

expensive. Just a single incident caused by weather and

handling heavy weather. The Houthi-inspired diversions

tidal surges flooding a major port could be catastrophic

around the ‘Cape of Storms’ might have been the

and surely cannot be something left to chance if the

signal for an increase in heavy weather damage during

long-term forecasts of climate change sea level rises are

the southern winter, but with a few exceptions, those

to be believed.

handling ships in what might have been unfamiliar waters

There is also something to be said for a proper examination of the internal ‘fixtures and fittings’ of a port,

have largely avoided trouble.

if it is to remain safe for ships to be handled and to lie

Better weather forecasts, prudent routeing and seamanship play their parts, while it might be suggested

safely alongside.

that more robust designs, and a greater consciousness

There have been rather too many incidents, many

of a ship’s vulnerabilities through technology also help.

brilliantly captured on video footage by witnesses, of

The sea is always unpredictable, but there may be fewer

ships being blown off the berth in extreme weather,

surprises that are encountered. Perhaps more concerning

either because of moorings parting, or of the bollards

is the steady drip of human casualties, often on well-

being torn out of the quay. There has been huge

found ships, caused by people being out on exposed

progress in synthetic rope developments with mooring

decks when green seas have unexpectedly boarded,

ropes of extraordinary strength, but the forces produced

carrying them over the side, or, smashing them against

in the windage of high-sided ships, or those with

deck machinery. Common features have been a failure

enormous deck loads, have, on occasion, been too much

to anticipate the unexpected sea, reckless risk-taking

for the quayside infrastructure. If ships are not going

by experienced seafarers and the failure of those in

to get any smaller, or heavy weather less common,

command to prohibit such exposure.

precautions need to be taken. l Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Review of the Year A rollercoaster ride The year 2025 as far as shipping is concerned will be remembered as one dominated by geopolitical uncertainty. Vessels continued to be diverted away from the Suez route and round the Cape because of security concerns linked to the Gaza conflict. The so-called ‘shadow fleet’ continued to grow as US and European sanctions on trade with Russia were progressively tightened. And incoming US President Donald Trump proposed whole host of protectionist measures that threatened to strike at the heart of global free trade.

midst all this, IMO Member

swingeing tariffs to curb the imbalance of US

States first agreed an ambitious

imports and exports. Many were announced,

Net-Zero Framework (NZF)

only quickly to be reduced, postponed or

strategic plan to reduce GHG emissions

cancelled. At the same time the US made a

from shipping to zero by 2050 – which

number of outlandish claims about wishing to

at the time we dubbed shipping’s own

take over the likes of Greenland and Canada,

‘moonshot’. Then six months later, the

as well as reasserting control over the Panama

same countries baulked at adopting

Canal and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the

the same after a last-minute lobbying

Gulf of America.

campaign by the US and reportedly a leading oil-producing states. Fearing

as far as shipping was concerned, was the

defeat, the IMO announced it was

imposition of special port fees on Chinese-

delaying the vote for a year, a move

linked vessels calling US ports. This was the

views by some pro-decarbonisation

result of an investigation by the US Trade

interests as merely a pause for reflection

Representative (USTR) into claims by US trade

with the NZF sill likely to go ahead,

unionists that China’s maritime industry was

by others as a sign that any adoption

negatively affecting their country’s shipbuilding

– at least in its current form - is now

industry and employment prospects.

increasingly unlikely. The incoming second Trump administration began the year with threats of

The potentially most far-reaching threat,

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

China duly lined up reciprocal measures targeting US-linked ships visiting China, adding the important rider of an exemption for

Review of the year

Chinese-built vessels or those heading empty

our regular columnist Dr Martin Stopford put

to China to undergo repairs in the last few

it, “it’s not so much the ‘shadow fleet’ that’s

days before the special fees were due to take

the problem, but ‘shadow compliance’.”

effect. Presidents Trump and Xi subsequently

The closing months of the year brought

held seemingly successful trade talks, with

some relief to the increased threats faced by

the upshot that extra port fees on both sides

shipping as a Gaza peace plan led the Houthi

were deferred for a year.

militants to say they were desisting attacks

But damage had already been done in

on commercial vessels in the Red Sea area,

terms of diverting some shipping trades and

although as yet scant traffic has returned to

reports of Hong Kong-based companies

using the Suez route. But at the same time,

shifting operations to Singapore to avoid

worrying reports continued of Russian-linked

being considered ‘Chinese-linked’ - despite

‘shadow fleet’ ships in the Black Sea being

Hong Kong’s best efforts to retain trade

subject to Ukrainian drone missile attacks,

volumes by stressing that as free trade zone it

leading the IMO Secretary-General Arsenio

would not be imposing any extra port fees on

Dominguez to issue a statement calling on

US-linked vessels.

all parties to “refrain from targeting innocent

Chinese shipping has also felt the effect

seafarers, port workers and merchant ships.

of this crossing of swords with the US.

Shipping should not be used as collateral

Newbuilding orders in China dipped following

in geopolitical situations and there is an

initial announcement of the USTR measures,

increased environmental risk developing.”

and HK-based Hutchison Ports plan to sell

In addition, in mid-December, US military

off all its non-Chinese assets – including

personnel descended from a helicopter

its ports either end of the Panama Canal

to seize control of a VLCC suspected of

which constituted ‘Chinese control’ of the

having loaded sanctioned Venezuelan (and

waterway, according to the US – has met with

Iranian) oil cargoes. The incident marked an

stiff opposition in Beijing. At the same time,

escalation of previous attacks on Venezuelan

China has stepped up its investment in South

boats thought to be carrying drugs, and

American ports as an alternative gateway to

the US administration threatened further

the Americas, especially for its car exports, as

action against dark fleet vessels carrying oil

detailed in the China report within this issue.

cargoes that it said were helping fund ‘narco-

Meanwhile, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine

terrorism’, at presstime having just ordered

war and widening sanctions, imposed first

a naval blockade of all sanctioned tankers

on vessels carrying Russian oil, and then on

calling in Venezuela.

SMI116 July:August 2025.indd 1

other players connected along the supply

A few weeks earlier, COP30 in Brazil

chain, led to a rapid growth of tankers using

turned out to be something of a damp squib,

deceptive practices to disguise their identity,

with large-scale backtracking by nations on

including switching-off of AIS identification

net-zero ambitions and any definitive move

equipment, the flying of ‘false’ or lax flags,

away from fossil fuels. The shipping industry’s

and falsified voyage plans. All this led to

work on reducing emissions continues

safety fears that such sanctioned vessels

apace, however, with developments related

– also including those carrying Iranian and

to alternative fuels and energy-saving

Venezuelan cargoes – were beginning to

technologies like wind-assisted propulsion

constitute a significant parallel ‘dark’ or

and air lubrication systems steadily gaining

‘shadow’ fleet that was effectively dodging

traction. But extreme weather events linked

regulatory control, thereby posing a rising

to climate change are becoming more

safety and environmental threat - the latter

commonplace, suggesting ships and ports

particularly in terms of possible oil spills

need to react appropriately, as examined in

during illicit offshore ship-to-ship transfers. As

this issue’s Cover Story. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

29/08/2025 12:06

Regional Focus US-China trade hostilities One of the defining political disputes of the past year, as far as maritime is concerned, has been between the US and China over proposed special port fees levied on ships linked with the other country visiting their ports. Taking effect from mid-October onwards, the measures were then suspended for one year, from mid-November onwards, following a trade and economic deal agreed between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping.

he spat had begun as an

The background to these

extension of Trump’s policy

measures stems from a petition

include Hong Kong and Macau

of imposing import tariffs

brought by five labour unions in

as well as mainland China. Extra

on countries with a perceived

the US who complained of unfair

tariffs were also imposed on the

trade imbalance with the US

practices by China in the maritime

import of certain Chinese-built

announced at the beginning of

sector which they believed posed

port equipment.

the year as he began his second

a discriminatory threat to US

term of office. The Office of the

commerce, explains global law

with its Ministry of Transport

US Trade Representative (USTR)

firm WFW. The investigation was

announcing that reciprocal special

had proposed levying special port

initiated under section 301 of the

port fees would be imposed on

fees on Chinese-built, -owned or

US Trade Act 1974, and led to the

vessels that were either owned

-operated ships (subject to certain

USTR imposing the special fees.

(25% or more), operated, flagged

narrow exceptions) calling the

‘Chinese ownership’ of a

US as a result of its Section 301

vessel was deemed by the USTR

Investigation of China’s Targeting

to be a situation where 25% or

of the Maritime, Logistics,

more of the entity’s equity is

and Shipbuilding Sectors for

held by the Chinese government,

Dominance.

Chinese companies or individuals,

Hong Kong cherishes its role as ‘super-connector’ between mainland China and the rest of the world

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

‘China’ being considered to

China promptly retaliated

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

or built in the US calling Chinese

its shipbuilding and shiprepair

also has some considerable way

ports - although the Hong Kong

industries.

to go. Clarkson mid-year data

Special Administrative Region said

The ensuing stand-down was

projected shipbuilding market

the fees would not apply in its

widely welcomed in maritime

shares in 2025 of 53% for China,

territory on account of it being a

circles, shipowners’ body the

27% for South Korea, 14% for

Free Trade Zone.

ICS declaring it a “welcome and

Japan, 4% for Europe and only

positive” development in line

0.1% for the US (compared to 2%

at the last minute before the

with its belief in the principles of

in 1965).

measures were introduced that

free trade, but pointing out that

exemptions would apply to

the new port fees had “already

an unequal contest. China

vessels that were Chinese-built

posed significant challenges

has six of the world’s Top 10

or empty, heading to China for

and disruptions for the shipping

ports - Shanghai out front with

repairs, thereby safeguarding

industry and global trade.”

container throughput of over

Indeed, there were reports of

50m TEU (51.5m) in 2024 - and

re-routed trades and Hong Kong-

eight of the Top 20, including

based maritime businesses moving

Hong Kong now in 12th place,

their operations to Singapore

according to the latest World

to escape imposition of the US

Shipping Council statistics.

Crucially China stipulated

On the port front it is also

Meanwhile, the Chinese-owned

special port fees. The US goal of revitalising its

fleet vies with that of Greece to be

own shipbuilding industry and

the world’s largest, with a market

narrowing the gap with China’s

share (by dwt) of around 20%. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

China leans away from US, towards South America

By Rob Ward

hina’s influence in South

to deepen trade links with Latin

in TCP (Terminal de Contêineres

America continues

American and Caribbean nations,

de Paranaguá), Brazil’s largest

to expand, egged on

reflecting its wider view of a Global

standalone box terminal located in

South gaining in influence.

Paranagua, back in 2017, its first

by the tariff manoeuvres of President Trump, and nowhere

This September, Chinese

are they more prevalent than in

construction conglomerate

and has made no secret of its

Brazil, on whom he slapped a

CCCC (China Communications

interest in Santos and “other

50% surcharge on most goods

Construction Company) won the

acquisitions” in the region.

earlier this year. This has led

bid, together with Portuguese

to a massive re-configuration

partners Mota-Engil, to build a

in Brazilian infrastructure –

of logistics for shippers and

US$1.3bn tunnel connecting the

including ports, railroads, roads

carriers alike as well as for

two banks of the port of Santos,

and energy transmission – did

exporters seeking and finding

South America’s largest port

not start this year, but it certainly

new markets for their coffee,

and gateway for some 30% of all

gained impetus with the onset

beef and other produce, with

Brazilian trade.

of Trump’s ‘Tariff Wars’ this year,

China a welcoming destination.

In addition, China Merchant

dipping of toes in Latin America,

China’s appetite for investing

which have been especially onerous for Brazil.

At the same time, China has

Port (CM Port) is now eyeing

been ramping up investment in

up taking a stake in Santos,

“It’s logical that Chinese

South American and in particular

forecast to handle around 6

companies will be very interested

Brazilian ports, as a more welcoming

million TEU this year. CM Port is

in South America, and especially

gateway to the Americas than

the leading operator of public

Brazil,” says Julian Thomas,

countries further north.

ports in China and in total runs

President of ABAC, the association

In a policy paper released in

41 terminals around the world.

of Brazilian based cabotage and

December, China outlined its plans

It already bought a 90% stake

coastal operators, based in Rio de

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

Janeiro. Brazil needs investments

group with responsibility for East

trade with China has more than

in infrastructure, while China is

Coast South America (including

doubled to $158bn.

very interested in providing the

Argentina and Uruguay as well

funding - especially via its Belt and

as Brazil). He expects some

that some 490,000 TEU of

Road initiative in South America -

rapprochement between the US

containerised goods (including

particularly for power generation

and Brazil over coming months,

coffee) exported to the US since

and port and airport infrastructure.

especially since the spike in

2022 would be subject to tariff

The veteran Thomas added

Datamar data shows

American coffee prices “won’t

enforcement, compared to just

that some peace initiatives

help Tump in the opinion polls,”

over 93,000TEU (mostly chemical

between Trump and Brazil may

he quips.

wood pulp) tied to products

follow soon, as geopolitically

China has been Brazil’s main

currently exempt; separately,

being the wrong side of Brazil is

trading partner since 2009, when

Brazil calculates it is set to lose

not healthy for the US.

it took over from the previously

US$1bn of beef sales to the US

dominant US, and the gap

this year alone.

“China is already the main trade partner for Brazil, so all

between US-Brazil and Brazil-

Last year the US imported 8.1

Trump’s measures have done is

China trade has grown almost

million tons of coffee from Brazil,

drive Brazil further into the arms

every year since. Back in 2014,

but this year shipments to the US

of China,” continues the highly

the former was US$62bn (FOB)

have almost halved, from 721,718

regarded veteran Thomas, on

and the latter $78bn, but over the

bags (of 60 kg coffee) in January

the board of Brazilian cabotage

decade since then Brazil’s trade

to just 440,034 bags in June.

operator Log-In Logistica and

with the US has grown by only

CECAFE, the Brazilian

a former chairman of Maersk

about 30% to US$82bn, while its

Coffee Exporters Association,

Santos, São Paulo is one of Brazil’s key ports for iron ore exports, 70% to China

Julian Thomas

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

states: “We are seeing a lot of

since the problems with the

concentration and increase

dislocation and anxiety in the

Houthis causing disruption in the

in ‘verticalisation’ by leading

sector,” and it’s having a terrible

Red Sea they have all increased

caariers, it is thought the left-

impact on the logistics out of

direct services between Brazil

wing/nationalist government

the three main coffee exporting

and China, and thereby increased

of President Luis Inacio Lula da

ports of Santos, Vitoria and Rio

Brazil - China capacity, in fact,

Silva, favours ‘new blood; in the

de Janeiro – although one source

more than doubling it,” weekly

bidding for Santos.

claimed that some Brazilian

capacity having jumped from

With this in mind the Brazilian

shippers are still sending their

40,000 TEU up to 85,000 TEU.

Ministry for Ports and Transport

coffee to the US, but only after

Now it seems that China is

(MPOR) is sidelining terminal

exporting it firstly to Colombia and

deliberately targeting Santos,

subsidiaries owned by MSC,

Mexico, where tariffs are lower.

with CM Ports considered to be

Maersk and CMA CGM, from

Ironically, for many years

one of the favourites to win the

the first round of bidding for

the US has been running a trade

bid to operate Santos STS 10,

STS 10. This will therefore favour

surplus with Brazil rather than any

the new Reais5.6BN (US$1.06bn)

bids from the Chinese and other

deficit, the decision to impose

box facility. Within a few years of

outsiders, including fellow Asian

50% tariffs being seen by some as

inception, STS 10 is set to become

group ICTSI of the Philippines.

politically inspired ‘punishment’

the biggest terminal for containers

of the new Brazilian government

in all of South America, with an

state-owned conglomerate

for its imprisonment of ex-

eventual capacity of 3.5million

involved in food processing and

president Jair Bolsonaro – the so-

TEU per annum, adding an extra

trading, plus biofuels - already runs

called ‘Trump of the Tropics’ - to

60% to Santos’ existing limit.

a bulk terminal in Santos after

Cofco International - a Chinese

court over a violent coup attempt

“Owing to a booming Brazilian

winning the concession to operate

in January 2023, resulting in a 27-

economy, Santos is bursting at the

neighbouring STS 11 in 2022. Now

year sentence for the 70-year-old.

seams and can barely cope with

that its US$285m investment in the

Meanwhile, global carriers

current volumes, let alone forecast

terminal is complete, COFCO is

had been adding extra services

increases in the months and years

keen to ramp up soya shipments

to cater for this growing China-

ahead,” said one Santos expert

to China and in November of this

Brazil trade, even before Trump’s

who did not wish to be named.

year signed a far-reaching contract

interventions. Most innovative

“It is essential that this comes on

to import US$10bn worth of

was MSC’s late-2024 introduction

stream as soon as possible and

soybeans and palm oil (20million

of an enhanced round-the-world

the authorities don’t really care

tonnes) from Brazil.

Santana service connecting China

where the money comes from as

to Brazil – and including a new

long as it comes quickly, and that

will also be mindful of the

call at Santos as well as stops at

competition is maintained with

success of TCP in Paranagua

Rio de Janeiro and Paranagua -

various owners of port terminals

since CM Port took control

via Cristobal and the Panama

and not ones who already own

over the company from local

Canal and then back to China

Santos terminals.”

Brazilian players back in 2017.

Decision-makers in Brasilia

Today it has more deep-sea

eastwards via Singapore. But

Port terminals owned and

fellow mega-lines Maersk, CMA

operated by three shipping lines

calls than any other terminal in

CGM and Chinese flag carrier

– MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM

Brazil and its concentration on

COSCO are also prevalent on this

- are currently responsible for

Chinese cargoes – inbound and

trade lane.

65% of all container movements

outbound – has increased. This

in/out Brazil, and that figure

year it is heading for record

lot of Far East containers to

will rise to 70% next year when

throughput with 1.38m TEU

Brazil via transhipment in the

Maersk’s port arm (APMT)

already having been handled

Mediterranean and then the Suez

opens for business in the Suape

in the first nine months, a

Canal,” explains Leandro Carelli

port complex (adding up to an

performance that the Brazilian

Barreto, a director for the Solve

extra 500,000 TEU per annum

government will be hoping STS

Shipping Consultancy. “However,

to begin with). Because of this

10 in Santos can emulate. l

“Carriers used to move a

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

New port in Peru acts as Chinese trade hub

ovember marked the

year, according to China Daily.

Mexican port of Lázaro Cárdenas

one-year anniversary

China invested a reported

or the US ports of Long Beach, Los

of the inauguration of

$1.3bn in the new Peruvian port,

Angeles and Oakland. “Chancay

the new Chancay deepwater

which boasts dock length of

effectively eliminates this costly

port located some 80km north

1.5km and fourth berths, two for

and inefficient detour,” an article

of Lima, a landmark Belt and

container vessels and two for bulk

published in Asia Times commented,

Road Initiative project jointly

carriers and ro-ro vessels. Alongside

while also “reducing US insight over

developed by China and Peru.

draught is 18 metres. The port is

Chinese trade into South America.”

Already in the first

designed with annual throughput

Trade in cars, particularly

nine months of 2025 the

capacity of 1m TEU, 6m tons of bulk

Electric Vehicles (EVs) is expected

multipurpose port has become

cargo, and 160,000 vehicles.

to feature heavily at Chancay.

a major hub and Pacific gateway

The port is owned 60% by

Already Chinese dominance in

for Latin America, significantly

COSCO Shipping and is the first on

the South American auto trade

boosting seaborne trade

the West Coast of South America

is becoming evident, the highly

between China and Peru.

(WCSA) able to berth Ultra Large

symbolic event having occurred in

Chancay handled export trade

Container Vessels of 18,000 to 24,000

Brazil of Ford departing its huge

worth US$600m and import

TEU. Previously South American

Camacari plant near Salvador,

trade of nearly US$1bn during

cargoes carried by these vessels

Bahia, and Chinese automaker

the first three quarters of the

had to be transhipped via either the

BYD moving in. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

Geopolitical and trade challenges addressed at HK Maritime Week

‘B

uilding Resilience, Driving Growth and Investment’ was the theme of the

second Global Maritime Trade Summit held on the opening day of this year’s Hong Kong Maritime Week in late November. The summit was co-hosted by the Transport and Logistics Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA), and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

and watch global trade fragment, or

Commenting at the opening of the

we can advocate through these forums

summit, The Hon. Paul Chan Mo-po,

for a different path — one of enhanced

Financial Secretary, Hong Kong SAR,

cooperation, innovative partnerships, and

said: “The maritime industry is at a

collective resilience.” Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the

pivotal moment. The forces shaping our future – geopolitical uncertainty,

ICS said: “Tariffs and trade measures

climate imperatives, and technological

are increasingly used as strategic tools,

disruption – are formidable. But so

and new regional alliances are emerging

too are the opportunities. Ports and

as governments and industries seek

economies that can lead through agility,

stability and advantage. Against this

innovation, and cooperation will not only

backdrop, the shipping industry once

a high level, closed door ministerial

weather today’s challenges—they will

again finds itself at the centre of global

event to encourage partnerships and

shape tomorrow’s trade.”

change. Our role is not only to adapt

new initiatives which increase supply

but to lead. To connect, to innovate, and

chain resilience. The meeting was

to drive growth in a way that benefits

opened by The Honourable Michael

nations and people alike.”

Wong Wai-lun, Deputy Financial

The event was attended by

The previous day, ICS had convened

Secretary, Hong Kong SAR.

senior leadership from the Hong

The city played host to many

Kong SAR Government and local

vital discussions with international

business community along with

partners during Maritime Week, which

international policymakers and

also focused on its role as a ‘super-

maritime CEOs and leaders.

connector’ between mainland China and

The Hon. Mable Chan JP, Secretary

the rest of the world, and the exciting

for Transport and Logistics, Hong Kong

policy developments in Hong Kong and

Angad Banga JP, Chairman of the

SAR, led the closing remarks at the

the Greater Bay Area. Participating in

HKSOA and COO of Caravel Group, said:

Summit, saying: “In an era of volatility,

the World Maritime Merchants Forum

“Whether confronting piracy, navigating

isolation or unilateralism is certainly not

on Monday and Tuesday, HKSOA

environmental regulations, or ensuring

the solution. It must be forged through

Chairman Mr Banga explained how

seafarer welfare during a pandemic, our

partnership. The government’s role is

the Association and its members are

industry has proven that we are stronger

not to direct, but to enable - to build

working with the HKSAR Government

together. Today’s tensions demand the

the foundational backbone that allows

and the central government in Beijing

same degree of partnership. We can

the private sector to innovate, invest

to sustain Hong Kong’s leadership as a

either retreat into economic nationalism

and thrive.”

global maritime hub. l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

Wallem Group celebrates century in Hong Kong

allem Group has celebrated the

Since 2006, Wallem has been

revolutions, and a global pandemic. Hong Kong has remained

owned by Tom Steckmest, great

Wallem’s home throughout, during

grandson of Haakon Wallem, and

its headquarters to Hong Kong.

a century of radically changing

Nigel Hill, the current Chairman.

The celebrations were marked by a

trade patterns, containerisation and

Both emphasise that their goal was

special event on 12 November 2025

globalisation. Home, too, to the

and is to develop the best ship

in the presence of Guest of Honour

world’s fourth largest ship register

management group in terms of

Hong Kong Finance Secretary,

and a top ten global container port,

quality and service with a growing

commemorating 100 years since the

Hong Kong recently benefited from a

client base to match.

relocation – 22 years after Norwegian

new favourable maritime tax regime.

Nigel Hill comments: “Wallem

shipbroker and agent Haakon Wallem

“Wallem’s enduring commitment

sees ship management as a very

centenary of moving

formed Wallem & Co. in 1903.

to Hong Kong reflects the critical

personalised service, offered so

role it plays as a hub for international

that each vessel meets the highest

the nickname ‘Typhoon Wallem’,

shipping and the global centre of

standards of quality, safety and

reflecting his energy and business

gravity for ship management itself,”

sustainability whilst ensuring cost-

acumen and his deployment of both

says John Rowley, CEO, Wallem

effectiveness. Achieving this requires

to support Chinese shipowners.

Group. “It also offers a deep pool of

an equal partnership with the

By 1925, Haakon had earned

In the 100 years since,

talent to drive success across every

shipowner to make the best use of

shipping has been buffeted by

aspect of our activities as we look

Wallem’s management and technical

wars, piracy, economic crises,

ahead with confidence based on

expertise. Hong Kong is Wallem’s

terrorism, environmental and

a strategy for sustainable growth

home, and we believe that Wallem’s

safety emergencies, and adapted

that places clients and the business

independence remains the key to our

to new regulatory agendas, digital

opportunities they seek at its heart.”

ship management’s future success.” Wallem’s other divisions – Agency, Marine services, Crewing, IT and Commercial - support the core ship management service, and technology is required to do the same. Key emphases are always maintained on safety and the welfare of seafarers. Further celebrating its maritime heritage, Wallem has published an updated edition of ‘Typhoon Wallem’, the history first released in 2003 to commemorate 100 years since the company’s foundation. Anthony Hardy’s original text has been combined with new chapters from maritime historian, Stephanie Zarach, detailing the challenges and changes that have occurred since. l

Celebrating the centenary: (l to r) Alastair Marsh, Non-Executive Director, Wallem Group; Nigel Hill, Non-Executive Chairman; Maren Moxom, CFO; Paul Chan Mo-po , Hong Kong Financial Secretary; Mable Chan, Hong Kong Transport and Logistics Secretary; John Rowley , CEO, Wallem Group; Stephen Fewster, Global Lead Shipping Finance at ING Bank & Non-Executive Director Wallem Group; and Christian Erstad, Operational Director of Viken Shipping AS & Non-Executive Director Wallem Group. Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

Alternative fuels: What’s next in China and Hong Kong? By Susanna Lai, Director, Hong Kong, KPI OceanConnect

Ports across the country are moving

he future of shipping’s

Hong Kong meet its target to supply more

alternative fuels promises

than 200,000 tonnes of alternative fuels

fast. Shanghai Port, as part of its drive

an exciting yet complex

annually by 2030.

to establish an international clean-fuel centre, has bunkered more than 7,000

landscape, with Asia quickly becoming Biofuels

a wellspring of progress. Home

tons of green methanol as of September

Biofuels are a widely recognised

2025. Guangzhou Port is planning new

ports, alternative fuel pathways

scalable short-term fuel solution for

bunkering facilities in the Nansha Port

are multiplying in the region. From

shipping’s energy transition. Their

Area, leveraging the Pearl River Delta’s

biofuels and Liquefied Natural Gas

availability and compatibility with

industrial base to anchor a regional

(LNG) to methanol, maritime hubs

existing engines allow for immediate

methanol supply chain.

in China and Hong Kong are test

emissions reductions as operators look

grounds for the energy transition.

for pathways toward compliance. China is Asia’s largest biodiesel

While China and Hong Kong

LNG

producer, and its Ministry of Commerce

have shown progress, there are also

to some of the world’s busiest

What’s next?

LNG continues to hold a strong

recently expressed support for biofuel

challenges. The threat of multiple,

position as a transition fuel across the

blend infrastructure development. The

potentially overlapping, carbon

industry with a growing fleet of dual fuel

country’s ‘Implementation of Opinions

regulations around the world creates

vessels and a maturing global bunkering

on Expanding Green Trade’ aims to

fragmentation as well as uncertainty.

network. The scalability and maturity of

boost the supply of biofuel bunkers and

Scale in meeting the industry’s demand

LNG is driven by growing demand from

alternative fuels at Zhoushan, Shanghai

is another barrier. Businesses need

regional and international operators.

and in southern China.

clarity to make informed decisions,

Benefitting from proximity to China

China is a frontrunner that cannot

while fuel suppliers and buyers need

be ignored, as it builds and expands its

and a shorter supply chain, estimates

transparency to sustain demand. In this

LNG bunkering network from Shanghai

suggest Hong Kong’s biofuel market has

environment, the value of partnerships

and Shenzhen to Tianjin and Qingdao.

the potential to double by 2031.

becomes clear. Financially strong counterparties

Inland ports such as Nanjing serve as Methanol

complementary hubs linking coastal

can help break the deadlock between suppliers and their customers and

and inland ports and enabling large-

China has become a global front-

scale ship-to-ship bunkering. Shanghai

runner in global methanol production.

ensure maritime has access to

Yangshan Port has expanded its services

According to statistics in 2023,

the fuels it needs. They can also

and is now the world’s third-largest

global methanol production stands

provide global reach, help interpret

bonded LNG bunkering port.

at approximately 180 million tons, of

regulatory shifts, advise on fuel

In 2025, Hong Kong completed its

which green methanol production

strategies that meet operational

first LNG ship-to-ship bunkering. Its Action

accounted for 500,000 tons. China’s

goals and secure long-term supply.

Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering

green methanol production capacity

Those who move early and engage

outlines strategies to cater to demand for

was 300,000 tons and has the potential

with these partners can achieve

LNG, green methanol and ammonia, and

to scale up fast with new facilities that

compliance and gain competitive

hydrogen. The Plan includes an Incentive

integrate renewable power and waste-

advantage in an increasingly

Scheme to subsidise investments, helping

to-energy technologies.

challenging market. l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Regional Focus: China and Hong Kong Report

Chinese oil majors adopt onboard lubes testing

hina’s leading marine lubricant suppliers are

abatement,” says Junma Services Managing Director Yulin

embracing onboard oil testing technology

Ma (pictured).

as they enhance product quality, strengthen

CMT’s range of onboard test kits enables rapid testing

customer trust, and align with global efficiency and

of viscosity, density, base-number, water-in-oil, soot, and

sustainability standards.

iron content. Compact and portable each kit delivers

The adoption of portable lube-oil analysers represents

results in minutes, allowing crews to make informed

a decisive shift in how the country’s oil majors including

decisions without waiting for laboratory analysis. The

Sinopec, PetroChina, and CNOOC, look to service and

company’s Cylinder Drain Oil (CDO) Test Kit, for instance,

support ships calling at Chinese ports.

provides additional data on feed-rate efficiency and engine wear, helping operators optimise consumption and extend

“We are seeing a real transformation in China’s fuels

lubricant life.

and lubricants market,” says Uwe Krüger, Joint MD of Germany’s CM Technologies GmbH (CMT), whose onboard

According to research, China’s marine lubricant market

test kits are already standard tool kits for European fleets.

generated revenues of about US$58 million in 2022 and is

“These companies are not only producing quality

expected to top $80 million by 2030. The growth reflects a

lubricants, but they’re also investing in technology that

surge in shipping, dredging and offshore activity driven by

allows their customers to verify that quality. This level of

China’s continued investment in port infrastructure, coastal

transparency builds confidence and helps position Chinese

logistics, and shipbuilding capacity. Reports have also indicated China’s strategic ambition

oil majors on an equal footing with more established

to extend its fuel and lubricant supply chains, resulting

international brands.”

in fierce competition among suppliers as domestic firms

To meet demand for its test kits, CMT’s Singapore-

compete head-to-head with international players.

based agent Junma Services has extended its reach to

“Demand for training has risen sharply as Chinese

China and Hong Kong, and is now providing technical training and support to domestic oil suppliers and ship

suppliers scale up production and seek to provide

managers alike.

integrated maintenance services similar to those offered by suppliers in the West,” says Krüger.

“With the Chinese marine lubricant market projected

“As Chinese shipowners modernise their fleets and

to expand by about 40% this decade and competition intensifying across Asia’s major ports, oil condition

regulations tighten around emissions and efficiency, real-

monitoring is emerging as an important tool to help

time oil analysis and condition monitoring will become

improve engine reliability, energy efficiency and emissions

integral to vessel operations and lube oil supply.” l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ship Supply Catering - an essential element in ship supply

he role of the caterer in

But as Kyriakos Hadjikyriakou,

We are not. We have this

global ship supply has often

Managing Director, said, there is

independence to choose who will

been viewed as something

more to it than that with seafarer

be our selected suppliers to work

oddly suspicious, at least by fellow

wellbeing, diet and nutrition and

with. We have established good

ship suppliers, who view them

physical health up there at the top of

partnerships over the years and there

as competitors in selling their

the agenda.

is a certain standard that we expect

provisions and services directly

“When we set up the company,

from our suppliers so that they can

to shipowners and shipmanagers,

we wanted to bring in consistency

while also acting as buyers and

for the vessels that the group

customers as well.

managed. But today we provide

that while the idea of outsourcing

catering, as well as wellbeing and

catering to catering companies was

Part of the V. Group, it has been

medical services, and other services

not something that was very welcome

supplying the catering needs of the

across all types of merchant vessels

in the early days, it took a lot of

world’s ships since 2002. And while

from cruise to offshore.

effort to persuade the clients that

Oceanic is one such company.

during that time, it has been focusing

“We offer a gamut of services

be part of our network,” he stressed. Mr Hadjikyriakou acknowledges

there is value in outsourcing catering

on supplying provisions as well as

which are mostly crew -related,”

to specialists. “And of course, we

streamlining the procurements of

he added.

had to demonstrate that we added

foodstuffs for the V.Group managed

But how does it work with

value in what we were doing. And

fleet, the addition of more third party

the ship suppliers? According

by adding value, we had to bring

business means the company now

to Kyriakos, they supply to the

transparency. We had to bring in the

looks after the needs of some 2,300

caterers and the caterers supply to

quality. We had to bring in visibility

vessels today.

the owners.

of our operations. In the past, when

“Basically, we depend on a

provisions supply was handled by in-

network of well vetted suppliers

house teams or by the ship’s Master,

around the world. But

there was little understanding of what

we have competitors who are owned by ship suppliers.

was happening. There was little or no consistency and less emphasis on seafarer wellbeing.” So, over time, many of these factors came into play. The introduction of the Maritime Labour Convention in 2006 started to shine the spotlight on seafarer well-being, and the onset of Covid-19 started to emphasise the issues surrounding mental health. “It’s not enough, nowadays, to just say I can supply good quality

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Supply

implementing and promoting ethical and sustainable business practices, at the same time as offering customers consistent quality of service combined with a fast, global response. Nutrition isn’t a luxury and meals that are varied, balanced and nutritious, directly impact seafarer physical health and mental wellbeing, making this an industry-wide priority. Whether it is 10 vessels or 100, Oceanic believes in the importance of scale to deliver consistent provisions on your vessel with the

geopolitical factors. We see now,

value for its clients. From training

right variety and the right quantity.

for example, that we are dealing

galley crew on how to prepare

Anyone can do that. What you need

with tariffs, which we didn’t think of

familiar dishes in healthier ways,

to do is to help improve seafarers’

before,” he said.

to committing to sustainability by

wellbeing, their lifestyle, their

Nevertheless, with its global

minimising food waste, Oceanic

mindset and you need to show them

network of over 400 carefully

sees nutrition as a multifaceted

that you care.

selected suppliers and strong

opportunity that requires

procurement leverage based on the

meticulous planning, nutritional

our company to help do just that. We

high number of vessels it serves,

and maritime expertise, as well as

look at the nationality composition

Cyprus-based Oceanic is able to

global scale. l

of the crew and then we come up

offer highly competitive pricing.

“We employ four nutritionists in

with the suggested menus, which

And in all it does, the company

are reviewed by our nutritionists to

says it remains guided by its

ensure they are healthy and well-

commitment to

balanced,” he added. But what about daily meal budgets? Kyriakos again: “Truth be told, the budgets have not increased as much as they should have done in order to correspond with the overall increase in food prices over the years, especially since COVID -19. From 2019, after COVID -19, the prices went up and they have not come down, for many reasons. “It could be because of the impact from COVID, but also a lot now because of Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

Strong growth of Turkish fleet

ürkiye stands as “one of

Shipping Sector Outlook report from

to the report. Average fleet age was

the most dynamic maritime

the Turkish Shipowners Association.

22.3 years, with bulk carriers (15.8

nations, ranking among

This ranked the country 11th globally

years) and tankers (16.7 years) being

the top 15 in the global merchant

by DWT and 4th by vessel count,

younger than general cargo vessels

fleet, and home to a shipbuilding

said the report, adding that the

(26.2 years).

industry capable of constructing

fleet’s value stands at $22.4 billion,

some of the world’s most advanced

accounting for 1.47% of the global

demonstrated “remarkable growth”

vessels, from LNG-fuelled tankers to

fleet.

over the last 15 years, expanding

electric ferries,” states Tamer Kiran,

In terms of fleet composition, bulk

The Turkish fleet has

by 85% in DWT terms compared

Chairman of the Turkish Chamber of

carriers dominated (45.9% of DWT),

to a global average of 48%. More

Shipping (TCS).

followed by crude/oil product tankers

recently, in the 2024-25 period,

(20.1%) and general cargo ships

Türkiye’s fleet growth reached 8.26%,

logistics network is modernising,

(13.1%). Turkey ranked 4th globally in

more than double the global average

and our private sector is deeply

general cargo, 7th in bulk carriers and

of 3.8% and comfortably outpacing

engaged in the green and digital

13th in tankers globally, according

the global top five fleets; growth of

“Our ports are expanding, our

transformation of maritime trade,” he told attendees at the Turkish-British Shipping Forum, co- organised by Maritime London and the TCS, held in Istanbul in late October. “We strongly believe that by combining our expertise, resources, and shared vision, we can make a meaningful contribution to the global maritime ecosystem, not only for economic growth but also for a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient maritime future,” Mr Kiran said. As at the beginning of 2025, the Turkish-owned merchant fleet comprised 2,092 vessels (over 1,000 GT), with a total tonnage of 51.9 million DWT, according to the latest

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

5.6%. Yasa Holding (with 39 bulkers and 15 tankers) and Geneva-based Advantage Tankers (with 26 vessels plus a further 10 newbuilds on order, including several VLCCs) are identified as the country’s largest beneficial owners in terms of ship values. That fleet expansion continues apace. As at the beginning of the 2025, Turkish owners had 111 new vessels on order for delivery by 2028, including 52 tankers and 35 bulk carriers, totalling 5.24m DWT. Meanwhile, Turkish ports handled 531.7 million MT in 2024, with 75.1% for foreign trade. Top loaded goods include crude petroleum (31.8 million MT) and cement (19.7 million MT). Mediterranean and Black Sea routes dominate, representing 37.6% of cargo volume, with 43% of exports carried by Turkish-owned ships. The Outlook report concludes that Türkiye’s shipping sector is poised for continued growth, leveraging its strategic location, diversified fleet, and proactive investment in modernisation. Addressing ageing vessels and emissions, especially in the general cargo segment, will remain critical to maintaining the country’s global standing amid evolving regulatory and market demands, the report cautions. l In late November, Türkiye received further affirmation of its maritime importance when the country was successfully re-elected to Category C memberships of the IMO Council, a position is has held continuously since 1999 (see also pp.10-11). Tamer Kiran

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

Yards focus on eco newbuilds and complex repair and retrofits Türkiye boasts an impressive collection of shipbuilding and repair yards with the Turkish Shipbuilders’ Association (GISBIR) numbering nearly 100 members, many located in the Tuzla Shipyards Region outside Istanbul. Turkish yards are fast gaining a reputation for building innovative and environmentally friendly vessels, as well as for their ability to complete complex repair and retrofit operations across a wide spectrum of vessel types and sizes.

Besiktas’ new floating drydock

ne shipbuilder that has built

Germany, both equipped with charging

which will employ hybrid propulsion,

a number of vessels that

infrastructure. ‘The Baltic Whale’ can

with conventional diesel engines but

are groundbreaking in their

complete the crossing in about one hour

also batteries for propulsion within port

adoption of low-emission technologies

in full-electric mode, cruising at 10 knots,

areas. A similarly hybrid powered ferry

is Cemre Shipyard at Yavlova.

with the diesel mode in reserve to give

was previously delivered to the UK’s

flexibility. Charging can be completed at

Wightlink Ferries.

In October this year, the yard delivered double-ended ferry ‘The Baltic

both ports in under 20 minutes for fast

Whale’ – described as the largest zero-

turnaround time. Cemre is also currently constructing

emission vessel of its kind - to Danish

Then in late November this year, the world’s first e-methanol powered Service Operation Vessel (SOV)

operator Scandlines. Designed by LNG

a series of four ‘Islay class’ ferries for

‘NB1094 ESVAGT’ set sail from the

Marin and classed by Lloyd’s Register,

CMAL, the procurement arm for Scottish

yard. The innovative 93-metre vessel

the ferry can accommodate up to 140

state-owned ferry operator CalMac.

employs hybrid e-methanol and battery

passengers and 66 car-equivalent freight units on two decks. The ferry features a hybrid diesel/ battery-electric propulsion system with an onboard battery capacity of approximately 10 MWh, said to be the most powerful battery system currently installed on any RoPax vessel worldwide. It is being used to sail between the ports of Rødby in Denmark and Puttgarden in

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

The Baltic Whale

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

company Neoline. The vessel features primary wind propulsion system - comprising two Solidsail masts designed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique - complemented by a hybrid dieselelectric engine. ‘Neoliner Origin’ is being deployed on the North Atlantic on monthly service

A2B-online vessel keel-laying ceremony

between Saint Nazaire and ports on the

propulsion and will serve the world’s

between Moerdik in the Netherlands

US East Coast, at a commercial sailing

largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea

and Immingham, UK.

speed of 11 knots. This gives a claimed

2, located off the UK’s Yorkshire coast

Tuzla-based superyacht specialist

reduction of over 80% in GHG emissions

in the North Sea. The SOV provides

RMK Marine this year completed the

compared to a conventional vessel of

accommodations for 124 persons and

award-winning ‘Neoliner Origin’, a

the same size sailing at 15 knots. The

is built according to DNV classification

sail-powered cargo ro-ro for French

vessel has a ro-ro transport capacity

rules, sailing under the Danish flag. Sedef Shipyard is one of the country’s largest shipyards, covering 270,000 square metres. Known for its large dry dock, it specialises in constructing large-scale vessels including naval ships such as the ‘TCG Andalou’, the country’s first light aircraft carrier built in cooperation with Spanish company Navantia, commissioned in 2023 and now serving as flagship of the Turkish Navy. As regards commercial shipping, Sedef is currently building a pair of 650 TEU eco-containerships for European shortsea operator A2B-online. Codesigned by the carrier and Technolog Services of Hamburg, the vessels will have a methanol-based propulsion system, shore power and battery capacity to operate emission free during port and inland water operations. Key feature of the new containerships is their optimised efficiency. A2B-online says the increased size of the cargo hold relative to its existing vessels offers double capacity without the requirement to increase the overall length of the vessel significantly. Together with the environmental propulsion system, this is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 95% compared to the company’s existing older tonnage. A steel-cutting ceremony for the first vessel was held at the yard in August 2024, with the vessels due to operate

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

of 1,200 linear metres, equivalent to 400 cars or 265 twentyfoot containers, as well as 12 passenger berths (marketed via Sailcoop). RMK Marine has since been contracted by French cooperative company Windcoop to build a sail-powered containership with capacity of 210 TEU and 40 reefer plugs, plus 12 passenger berths, intended to sail between France and

Delivery ceremony for UZMAR hybrid offshore tug ‘BB POWER’

Madagascar, due for delivery in 2027. Major shiprepairer Besiktas Shipyard has this year installed

Shipyards and UZMAR Shipyard both also build Robert Allan

a giant 345 metre x 70 metre floating drydock, delivery of

(RA) design eco-tugs, as well as having decades of experience

which included a historic 54-day tow through the Suez Canal

producing tugboats and providing services for domestic and

– the largest marine unit ever to pass through the waterway -

international customers. One of Sanmar’s most recent deliveries was the 25-metre

and Dardanelles. First vessel to enter the new facility was an FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit) vessel. “We see this as more than an infrastructure upgrade,”

‘MULTRATUG 30’ – based on a TRAktor-Z 2500SX design – to Multraship’s Bulgarian subsidiary Bourgas Tug Service. The

said Yavuz Kalkavan, MD of Besiktas Shipyard. “With our

80-tonne bollard pull vessel is designed for both harbour and

continuous development strategy, our goal is to become the

deep-sea towage, and will strengthen Bourgas’ capabilities in

most reliable and competitive shipyard in Europe for the most

both salvage and emergency response. It is fitted with a FiFi 1

sophisticated ship repair and conversion projects” including on

firefighting system, including a 4.8 m³ foam tank, allowing it to

large LNG and cruise vessels.

respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. “We’re delighted that Multraship selected Sanmar to

Besiktas this year also worked on the installation of Wind-Assisted Propulsion System aboard 50,000 DWT tanker

deliver this powerful and versatile tug,” said Ali Gürün,

‘Pacific Sentinel’ operated by Eastern Pacific Shipping. The

Commercial Director at Sanmar Shipyards. “The collaboration

yards says it looks forward to “taking on more pioneering

has been smooth and professional throughout, and we look

projects that push the boundaries of efficiency and

forward to building on this strong foundation in future.” UZMAR recently delivered a high-performance RAmpage

environmental responsibility.” Shipbuilder and leading tugboat operator Med Marine,

4100BB-H Hybrid Offshore Tugboat ‘BUBE POWER’ with a

also a GISBIR member, is constructing its new VoltRA

ceremony held at UZMAR Shipyard in Buksér og Berging AS,

series of all-electric tugs, co-designed by Robert Allan, at

one of Norway’s most established maritime service providers.

the company’s Ereğli Shipyard, renowned for its modern

infrastructure and craftsmanship. The pioneering vessel

expert engineers, the RAmpage 4100BB-H stands out with

will be powered by Kongsberg Maritime’s US205 azimuth

its 41.2 metre length and 14.5 metre beam. Equipped with

thruster and further strengthens Med Marine’s position as

2 x 2800 kW main engines and 2 x 900 ekW electric shaft

one of the most experienced builders of technologically

generators, the tug provides 120 tonnes of bollard pull,

advanced tugboats serving global operators.

making it ideally suited for heavy-duty offshore and harbour

Construction of the VoltRA electric tug series underscores

operations. The advanced winch, supplied by Kongsberg

Med Marine’s commitment to innovation, quality, and

Maritime AS, represents the latest state-of-the-art technology

environmental responsibility. Designed to set new standards

available on the market. UZMAR CEO A. Noyan Altug stated: “The delivery of

in efficiency and emissions reduction, the VoltRA combines cutting-edge propulsion with robust operational performance,

‘BUBE POWER’ marks a truly proud and meaningful moment

reflecting Med Marine’s vision to lead the global tug industry

for all of us at UZMAR. This vessel is a reflection of our

toward a cleaner and smarter future.

commitment to sustainable engineering and our ability to

“This collaboration represents an important step forward for Med Marine as a global shipbuilder focused

meet the evolving demands of offshore operations with smart, future-forward solutions.” l

on innovation and sustainability,” said Yıldız Bozkurt Ozcan, General Manager of Med Marine. “Partnering with Kongsberg Maritime enables us to integrate world-class propulsion and deck machinery solutions with our proven shipbuilding expertise. “The VoltRA series represents our shared vision to lead the tug industry toward a more efficient, electric, and environmentally responsible future.” Fellow Turkish shipbuilders and tug operators Sanmar

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Sanmar-built MULTRATUG 30

Regional Focus: Türkiye Report

GEMAK Shipyard: Pioneering excellence in maritime services

s one of Turkey’s leading

This vast experience has reinforced

performance. Notably, GEMAK holds

shipyard groups, with over

GEMAK’s reputation for delivering the

the distinction of having completed the

55 years of experience,

highest quality in the most complex and

highest number of scrubber installations

GEMAK Group of Companies has

demanding maritime projects within

in the Mediterranean. Other notable

consistently maintained its position

resonable time.

retrofit projects include the installation

among the top 500 industrial

While GEMAK has built a strong

organisations in Turkey. With a

foundation in ship repair and retrofitting,

Systems (BWTS), carbon capture

dedicated workforce comprising

its capabilities extend beyond these

systems, air lubrication systems, energy

over 200 engineers, 900 permanent

traditional services. The company

saving ducts and bulb replacements.

employees, and more than 3,500

is actively involved in industrial

labor staff, GEMAK is at the forefront

projects such as shipbuilding, offshore

commitment to not only enhancing

of maritime innovation and services.

constructions, fish farm and even bridge

vessel performance but also minimising

This commitment to excellence spans

projects. This diversification allows

environmental impact, in line with

four state-of-the-art facilities located

GEMAK to meet the evolving needs

international sustainability goals.

in Istanbul, Yalova and Kocaeli, firmly

of the maritime industry, offering a full

GEMAK handles this projects by

establishing GEMAK as a key player

spectrum of solutions that encompass

adding engineering and innovation,

in the global maritime industry.

everything from vessel construction to

resulting in safer, more efficient and

large-scale offshore projects.

faster operations. Unique Propeller

Founded in 1969, GEMAK has

of over 200 Ballast Water Treatment

These initiatives highlight GEMAK’s

and Rudder Replacement Unit that is

earned global recognition for its comprehensive range of services, specialising in dry-docking, retrofitting, and conversion projects. Over the

LEADING THE WAY IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL UPGRADES

GEMAK’s pattented in-house design, is one good example of that. In addition to the retrofits carried out for GEMAK’s clients, GEMAK also

years, the company has successfully

One of GEMAK’s standout areas

repaired, retrofitted, and converted

of expertise is retrofitting, where the

invests in green energy and has recently

more than 3,000 commercial vessels,

company has developed a strong track

commissioned a solar field in Nevşehir,

including highly sophisticated offshore

record of upgrading vessels with cutting-

Anatolia. In line with GEMAK’s principles,

drilling rigs, cutter suction dredgers,

edge technology to meet environmental

this investment was executed in the most

and a wide variety of specialised vessels.

regulations and optimise operational

efficient way. Rather than installing panels

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Dock Type

Length

Breadth

Suitable Vessel Size

Floating

200m

32m

Handymax

Floating

245m

37m

Panamax

Graving

300m

53-56m

Aframax / Suezmax

in the yard, the solar field was established

GEMAK’s commitment to quality,

in the countryside, in a clean environment

innovation, and sustainability is evident

with optimal solar efficiency.

in every project it undertakes.

GEMAK operates three advanced

The company’s vast portfolio of

dry docks at its shipyard located in Tuzla,

successful ventures speaks volumes

Istanbul, capable of servicing a wide

about its expertise and ability to

range of vessels, from smaller ships to

meet complex challenges with

large-scale oil tankers and offshore rigs.

exceptional solutions.

With its facilities and shipyards,

As GEMAK continues to push the

GEMAK can efficiently accommodate

boundaries of maritime services, its

vessels of most sizes, ensuring safe

unwavering focus on technological

and effective dry-docking, repairs,

advancement and environmental

and conversions.

sustainability will ensure its place as a regional leader in the shipbuilding and

ONGOING COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION At GEMAK, every project is

maritime industries. Whether through retrofitting, shipbuilding, or large-scale offshore projects, GEMAK is dedicated

executed with the utmost care,

to shaping the future of maritime

technical expertise, and dedication

excellence for years to come. l

to quality. Over five decades of experience have helped GEMAK establish a legacy of trust and reliability within the maritime industry. This ongoing commitment to innovation, technological advancement, and operational excellence solidifies GEMAK’s position as a leading player not only within the Turkish shipbuilding sector but on the global stage as well.

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Ad Hoc

ABS chief takes wellearned retirement Retiring ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) during an awards evening at SUNY Maritime College, New York at end-October, recognised his ‘distinguished career advancing maritime innovation, safety, and modernisation’. Wiernicki’s parting message: “The five key transformational technologies that will shape our future are AI, nuclear, green hydrogen, carbon capture and battery storage. Leaders need to identify and understand where these key transformational technologies fit into their business and their risk profile and then act decisively with well-informed investment.” He added that the award was “especially meaningful because it is ultimately about people. Our work touches the lives of seafarers, the communities that depend on the sea, and the future generations who will inherit the legacy we leave behind.” Wiernicki is succeeded as ABS Chairman and CEO by John McDonald, previously President and COO. l

Europort revisits the ‘Roaring Twenties’ “Cooperation is key, unity is strength and that is exactly what we need in these turbulent times.” With that call to action, Marja van Bijsterveldt, Special Envoy for the Dutch Maritime Industry, officially opened Europort 2025 at Rotterdam Ahoy in early November. The Opening Summit, titled ‘The Benefits of the Roaring Twenties – A Sea of Opportunities’, drew parallels between the 1920s, a decade of turbulence, creativity and renewal, and today’s transformative 2020s. It explored how the maritime industry can seize new opportunities while confronting the challenges of our age, identified as energy transition, digitalisation, and human capital. Some 1,100 exhibitors from over 40 countries and 13 national pavilions gathered for the sold-out 42nd edition of Europort, reaffirming its status as a cornerstone of global maritime innovation and collaboration. l

Green Pioneer visits Belém ahead of COP30 After crossing the Atlantic and becoming the first ammoniapowered vessel to sail in international waters, Fortescue’s Green Pioneer arrived in Belém, Brazil ahead of COP30 in November, sending a message to participants about the need to unlock zero-emission shipping. The 75-metre vessel had previously visited Europe and N. America, bunkering in the UK, Rotterdam and Boston. Fortescue’s Global Head of Marine Systems and Green Shipping, Andrew Hoare said: “With every leg of its journey, the Green Pioneer is proving that ammonia isn’t just a fuel of the future – it’s a practical solution available today. The vessel is breaking down barriers and showing that ammonia can be used safely and effectively. “When we first launched the Green Pioneer, the rules of using ammonia as a fuel didn’t even exist. Today, those guidelines are in place, informed by real data and real operations. That’s a tangible contribution to global decarbonisation, not just a technical demonstration”. l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ad Hoc

Shanghai plays host to international shipping community Marintec China 2025, which took place in Shanghai during the first week in December, was the biennial event’s most successful edition yet reported co-organisers Informa Markets and the Shanghai Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers (SSNAME). Under the theme ‘Innovation and Collaboration for Maritime Sustainability’, the landmark event broke previous records in terms of exhibition scale and international participation, spanning 11 exhibition halls covering 110,000 square metres and hosting over 2,200 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and regions, including 16 national and regional pavilions. The event also coincided with the Pudong International Shipping Week in Shanghai, during which UK professional services body Maritime London held the inaugural UK-China Shipping Forum at Jinmao Tower in Shanghai. Discussing the challenges facing shipping, the Forum provided “a physical example of how China and the UK can collaborate,” commented Maritime London Chief Executive Jos Standerwick. l

Dag von Appen named CMA Commodore The Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA), set to hold its annual Shipping 2026 event in Stamford, CT on 10-12 March, has announced the recipient of its prestigious annual honour - now renamed the CMA Jim Lawrence Commodore Award after the passing of the association’s founder earlier this year. The new Commodore is Dag von Appen, who was at the helm of Ultranav, global player in multiple shipping sectors, for over 20 years before stepping aside in 2022. He remains on the Ultranav Board of Directors and as non-Executive Chairman of Navigator Gas, which had combined with Ultranav’s sister company Ultragas in 2021. “This award also reflects the collective effort of the many colleagues and partners at Ultranav and Navigator, with whom I have shared this journey,” said von Appen. “It stands as a tribute to Jim’s remarkable legacy, and I am deeply humbled to be part of this celebration at CMA Shipping 2026.” l

Major box carriers strengthen ties with India A.P. Moller – Maersk announced a series of strategic initiatives reinforcing its long-term commitment to India’s maritime sector during India Maritime Week 2025 at the end of October. These included a $2bn investment in Gujarat Pipavav port as well as enhanced local partnerships across the maritime value chain. “This investment plan is not just about expanding Pipavav Port, it’s about unlocking new opportunities for Gujarat, for India, and for global trade,” said Jon Goldner, Chief Executive, APM Terminals Asia & Middle East. Maersk also registered two vessels under the Indian flag, while MSC committed during Maritime Week to registering 12. CMA CGM had earlier flagged in four ships, and followed up with a Letter of Intent to build six 1700 TEU Dual-Fuel LNG-powered containerships at Cochin Shipyard. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Analysis Geopolitical events could knock containership market sideways By Ian Cochran

he Office of the US Trade

impact, with potential fees reaching

earlier in the year to protect supply

Representative (USTR)

$1.53 bill. Other heavily exposed

chains in the wake of the escalating

recently announced the

operators included Zim ($510 mill),

trade war.

suspension of the investigation into

ONE ($363 mill), and CMA CGM ($335

“Xeneta expects global average

China’s targeting of the maritime,

mill), the latter due to its reliance on

spot rates to fall by up to 25% for the

logistics, and shipbuilding sectors

chartered Chinese tonnage.

full year 2026 and long-term rates to

for dominance.

Oslo-based freight rate and

drop up to 10% against this backdrop

Investigations were suspended

market intelligence provider Xeneta

of subdued demand between the

for a year starting on 10th November,

said that this move would not halt

world’s two most powerful trading

2025, following the trade and

the decline in ocean container freight

nations,” she said.

economic deal reached between

rates next year. Average spot rates from China to

President Trump and China’s

US West Coast on 31st October were

President Xi Jinping.

Market challenges Xeneta’s 2026 forecast would

To give some idea of the damage

down by 59% year-on-year at $2,147

put global average long term

it could have caused to the container

per FEU (40ft container), while spot

rates 20% below levels seen in

sector, Alphaliner, part of AXSMarine,

rates into the US East Coast fell by

December, 2023, prior to the Red

said that the measures could have

48% y-o-y at $3,044 per FEU.

Sea conflict escalation.

imposed up to $3.2 bill in cumulative

Declining spot rates coincided

Stausbøll added: “Overcapacity

fees on major carriers operating

with falling Transpacific trade

of container shipping supply will be

Chinese-owned or Chinese-built ships.

volumes, as the latest figures showed

rampant in 2026 against subdued

container shipping demand from

demand. Carriers face an almighty

China to US fell 13% y-o-y in August.

struggle to fill vessels on the critical

From 14th October, the US authorities would have imposed a flat $80 per net tonnage per voyage for

Emily Stausbøll, Senior

trades from China to US because the

ships owned or operated by Chinese

Shipping Analyst at Xeneta, said:

lower tariffs announced will not bring

entities trading with the US. Non-

“The US/China truce is a positive

about a change in fortunes.

Chinese operators using Chinese-

development, but it will not suddenly

built ships would have been charged

breathe life into weakening ocean

and it lacks detail, so shippers looking

either $23 per net tonne or $154

container shipping demand on

to make long term supply chain

per TEU capacity, applied up to five

Transpacific trades.

decisions are left in limbo. No one can

times a year.

“This agreement is temporary

“Tariffs are still high despite the

say with any degree of certainty what

Looking at the October fleet

truce and US shippers will use the first

the situation will be when the truce

deployments, COSCO Shipping

half of 2026 to draw down inventories

expires – or even if the agreement

Group would have faced the greatest

built up through front loading imports

lasts the full 12 months,” she warned.

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Issue 118 November/December 2025

Analysis

sailings required and potentially cause freight rates to plummet - unless carriers take drastic measures, such as idling, recycling, slow steaming and/ or widespread blank sailings. Sand added: “Average spot rates from Far East to North Europe, Mediterranean and US East Coast – three trades that would ordinarily utilise the Red Sea – are all down more than 50% since the start of year. “A large-scale return of containerships to the Red Sea would flood the market with capacity and cause freight rates to plunge even intermittently testing of the water, with

lower across trades at a global level,

(ONE) also recently revised

the ‘CMA CGM Zheng He’ and ‘CMA

not just those directly impacted by

downwards its full-year forecast for

CGM Benjamin Franklin’ making voyages

the diversions.

FY2025, saying that it anticipates that

through the region in November, but

“Carriers are already heading

the ongoing delivery of new vessels

generally the number of containerships

into loss-making territory and freight

will persist throughout the fiscal year,

transiting the Suez Canal has been

rates are expected to fall up to

affecting overall market conditions,

trending downwards during 2025.

around 25% globally in 2026, even

Carrier Ocean Network Express

even if routing round the Cape of

“Transits may start to increase, if

Good Hope rather than via the Red

there is a perceived lower risk, but we

Sea continues.

are unlikely to see an imminent return

The overall market environment “may not prove as robust as initially

to 2023 levels,” he said. Longer sailing distances around

with no change to the situation in the Red Sea. “Shippers should be making contingency plans because a largescale return would cause severe

projected”, ONE said in early

South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope is

disruption across global ocean supply

November, and as a result reduced

currently absorbing around 2 mill TEU

chains, as services transiting Suez

its full-year profit forecast from US$

of global container shipping capacity

Canal are reinstated.

700m to US$310m.

and increasing the transport demands on the fleet, Xeneta calculated.

Red Sea As for the question of Red Sea

A large-scale return to the Red Sea would therefore reduce the

“There are still many questions to be answered, but the impact of a large-scale return would be seismic for shippers and carriers,” he said. l

vs. Cape routing on those huge East/West (Asia/Europe) trades in which most of the large capacity containerships are deployed, Houthi militia have reportedly ceased attacks on shipping transiting the Red Sea/ Bab el-Mandeb Strait region. Peter Sand, Xeneta’s Chief Analyst, said in early November: “Details are sketchy and you cannot base the safety of crews, ships and cargo on the word of Houthi militia. Carriers need far more assurance than that and, perhaps more importantly, so do insurance companies. “Different carriers have different tolerances to risk and we have seen some Graphs courtesy Alphaliner

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Technical

Offshore wind energy expansion creates more capable vessels By David Tinsley

Investment in the offshore wind energy sector is producing ever-more capable, specialised vessels for transportation and field development. While the market is in the ascendant, it has seen some setbacks this year.

urpose-designed wind turbine

to ensure long-term asset viability

wind in the national energy strategies of

installation vessels (WTIVs)

has shaped new generations of

major Asia Pacific economies.

play a pivotal role in the

high-capacity vessels, now mainly of

renewable energy sector, providing

self-propelled, jack-up type, hosting

German Bight provided the setting

the wherewithal for the transportation

the means of carrying and deploying

this year for the introduction of the

and construction tasks associated with

elements and foundations of

world’s largest WTIV. Commissioned

offshore wind farm development.

turbines of 12MW-plus, and meeting

by the Dutch company Van Oord,

tougher productivity goals set by

the self-elevating Boreas offers the

the field developers.

potential to transport and install wind

The WTIV market has experienced robust growth for some years,

However, and notwithstanding

fuelled both by massive investment

The Nordseecluster project in the

turbines of more than 20MW, and

in the ‘green’ energy source and the

analysts’ forecasts of continuing,

was constructed in China by CIMC

industry’s drive into more distant and

buoyant compound growth in the

Raffles through reference to a design

deeper waters, and by technological

market, certain events this year, and not

developed by Copenhagen-based

advances in turbine design that place

least the political check in the USA on

consultancy Knud E Hansen.

new demands on shipping logistics and

wind farm expansion, have seen a more

While the jack-up’s capability is

cautionary approach by some players

centred on a 3,000t-capacity crane,

and investors. At the same time, this has

employing a 155m-high boom,

been tempered by the rise of offshore

the technical specification is also

vessel capabilities. Demand and the bid

Chinese-built behemoth: Van Oord’s WTIV Boreas

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Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Technical

distinguished by the adoption of a hybrid, methanol dual-fuel

in response to evolving global offshore wind market

electric power and propulsion system.

opportunities. Scheduled for delivery from PaxOcean’s

The nature of the Huisman leg encircling crane (LEC) and

Zhoushan yard in 2028, the DP-class vessel will accommodate

its slew bearing system maximises lift positioning accuracy and

two 2,500t carousels enabling swift deployment and seamless

reliability, the boom marries rigidity with lighter weight, and

transitions between trenching, burial and cable-laying tasks. Jan De Nul has a new class of 215m, exceptionally high-

small tail swing maximises deck space utilisation. Boreas provided Wartsila with the first-ever order for the

capacity lay vessels taking shape in China, designed to meet the

methanol dual-fuel variant of its W32-series medium-speed

requirement from the interconnector and offshore renewable

engine, five examples of which drive the vessels main generators

energy sectors for cable installation over longer distances and at

feeding the azimuthing Azipod propulsors. Running on methanol,

greater depths. With an as yet unrivalled maximum load intake

the ship’s carbon emissions are reckoned to be three-quarters less

of 28,000t, the design is arranged with three cable carousels and

than operation on machinery burning heavy fuel oil.

also a hold for fibre optic cable, complemented by three 50t

Nordseecluster will have an ultimate capacity of 1.6GW and comprises two phases, the first of which is due to start

tensioners and cable laying wheel integrated in the stern chute, plus 100t and 30t offshore cranes. Delivery of the first ship, Fleeming Jenkin, is scheduled

delivering energy in early 2027, and the second at the beginning of 2029. Boreas’ assignment calls for the transfer

from CMHI Haimen during the second half of 2026. The

and installation of the monopiles for a total of 104 wind

technical specification features a hybrid setup, based on

turbines plus the on-field substation foundation. Loading is

methanol-capable medium-speed engines that will drive the

effected at the marshalling port of Eemshaven, on the Dutch

ship’s 30,600kW primary gensets, plus a 2.5MWh battery

shore of the Ems, for shipment to the construction area some

system. Sister vessel, William Thomson, was floated out from

50km north of Juist, on the German Frisian archipelago.

the building dock in October this year, and is due later in 2026. Once operational, Fleeming Jenkin will immediately start

Belgium-headquartered DEME took delivery during October of the first of two new WTIVs of jack-up type that

on her first assignment, undertaking cable lays entailing a

push the bounds in terms of offshore capability. Affording a

new generation of offshore grid connection systems that

further market reference for builder CIMC Raffles, the Norse

can each transmit up to 2GW. The four high-voltage direct

Wind is equipped to handle turbines with rotor diameters in

current (HVDC) cables involved will run from the German Bight

excess of 300m and XXL monopiles weighing up to 3,000t.

through the Wadden Sea to the mainland, and the work will

The unit’s 3,200t-capacity crane enables operation in water

occupy the vessel from 2026 to 2031. After a decade of meticulous development work, the

depths of up to 70m. Construction of Norse Wind was initiated in 2023 by

Scottish Government granted a consent order for the Berwick

Norwegian contractor Havram, acquired by DEME in April

Bank offshore wind farm, in an area some 38km east of the

this year. A sister vessel, Norse Energi, is due to be completed

Scottish Borders coastline in the North Sea. If fully delivered

during early 2026, when Norse Wind is expected to begin her

to the proposed 4.1GW capacity, the project would become

initial assignment.

the world’s largest offshore wind farm, capable of generating

DEME has also recently announced its retention for the

enough clean energy for more than six million homes.

transportation and installation work involving the inter-array

Submarine cable routes to the UK grid would be made via

electrical cables for the second (B) stage of the Nordseecluster

landfalls at Dunbar and Blyth. Floating turbines offer the opportunity to tap into the

project. The job specification entails a total 124km of cables, connecting 60 wind turbine foundations to the offshore

richest offshore wind resources located in water depths

substation. Scheduled to start towards the end of 2027, DEME

exceeding 50-60m, where seabed-fixed foundations are not

will deploy its 2017-built cablelay multi-purpose vessel Living Stone and additional support equipment. Indeed, with wind farms being constructed further offshore

New addition to the DEME Group fleet, WTIV Norse Wind features a 3,200t capacity crane

and in deeper waters, and also with electrical interconnectivity between regions and countries assuming greater importance for both economic and national security reasons, demand has accelerated for vessels able to transport and handle longer, stronger and heavier cables. Against this backcloth, both DEME and compatriot construction and dredging group Jan De Nul have ordered specialised newbuilds. DEME has booked a 123m offshore construction vessel in China to bolster its subsea cable installation capacity

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Technical

practical. Floating installations may also be attractive for mid-

Although it had already installed 100% of offshore

depth projects where the use of standardised floating designs

foundations and 70% of wind turbines, the Revolution Wind

could obviate the need for expensive, heavy-lift vessels.

project partners were the subject this year of a stop-work order

Located 15km off the coast of Aberdeen, in waters of

from the US Government. In September, the Columbia District

60-80m depth, Kincardine is to date Europe’s largest grid-

Court granted a preliminary injunction that allowed construction

connected, floating offshore wind farm. The project came on

to be resumed. Revolution Wind, a 704MW scheme off New

line in 2021, featuring five WindFloat T-type semi-submersible

England, in which Orsted has a 50% stake, had secured all

platforms hosting 9.5MW turbines.

required federal and state permits back in 2013. Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project off New York had also

A critical stage in the plan to develop offshore floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea was reached in October this

been the subject of a stop-work order in April 2025, although

year, through the award of seabed rights to Equinor and the

this was lifted the following month by the Department of the

Gwynt Glas joint venture of EDF Power Solutions and Irish

Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Signalling the start of a new chapter for the industry, the

Government-owned ESB. Located off the coasts of South Wales and southwest England, the two deepwater sites leased

first US-built, -owned and -registered WTIV was delivered in

from the UK’s Crown Estate are each foreseen with a capacity

August 2025 and immediately readied for engagement in the

of up to 1.5GW.

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. Built by the Seatrium AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville,

Once full leases have been obtained from the Crown Estate to construct and run the new wind farms, operations

Texas, the self-elevating Charybdis is fitted with a

could start by the mid-2030s. A third site is also to be allocated

2,200t-capacity Huisman crane. CVOW is set become the

in accordance with the new leasing round, which would hoist

largest US offshore wind farm on scheduled completion in

projected capacity in the Celtic Sea to a total 4.5GW.

late 2026, with 176 Siemens Gamesa 14MW turbines and a total capacity of 2.6GW. By September this year, 130 of the

The UK Government has stated that the country has the most advanced pipeline of floating projects globally, with

176 turbine foundations had been installed and all undersea

24GW of seabed leases in place, while also inferring that the

transmission cables laid. However, Seatrium has subsequently received a notice

UK must strongly ramp up infrastructural capacity, as regards both ports and suppliers, if it is to realise the national industrial

of termination from Maersk Offshore Wind for the nearly-

potential presented by the various schemes.

completed WITV newbuild originally contracted in March 2022. Said to be virtually 99% complete, and on track for

However, there is growing concern that the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 mission and goal of 50GW of

delivery at the end of January 2026, the $475 million vessel is

offshore wind by the end of the decade may not be attainable

intended for deployment on the Empire Wind 1 project, which

due to a shortfall in subsidies for renewables development,

has faced aforementioned regulatory hurdles under the Trump

and that the target date for the Clean Power realisation may

administration. After rejecting the termination notice, Seatrium

have to be deferred to 2035. The UK currently has 16GW

was landed with a notice of arbitration from Maersk Offshore

of operational wind energy with a further 12GW under

Wind, to be conducted in London. Meanwhile, China has ramped up offshore wind energy

construction or consented.

development, seen as marrying the drive for carbon

The Trump administration in the USA has expressed hostility towards offshore wind projects, and has rescinded or

neutrality and power security with industrial objectives.

sought to nullify renewable energy approvals by introducing

The country is expected to add at least 9GW of offshore

legal and regulatory hurdles while taking restraints off US coal,

wind capacity this year, and has a further 22GW of projects

oil and gas developments.

under construction.

Set to make her debut in 2026, Jan De Nul’s newbuild cablelayer Fleeming Jenkin has an exceptionally high load capacity of 28,000t

National ambition is exemplified by the Dafeng scheme, which encompasses turbines up to 85km offshore, the most distant-water initiative to date. Under the aegis of the stateowned China Three Gorges Corporation, the completed wind farm will embrace 98 turbines and three booster stations with a total installed capacity of 800MW. Vietnam is opening the way to offshore wind power in the national energy mix, having set targets reaching ahead to 2050. It has recently given the green light to the Ky Anh project, due to be operational by late 2028, leveraging the strong wind resources off the coast of Ha Tinh province. l Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Offshore Norway’s shipping luminaries pioneer workarounds Norwegian pragmatism underpins the nation’s buoyant maritime sector. Completely new technologies are under development at speed, ensuring that the country continues to sit at shipping’s top table, as Charlie Bartlett reports.

n a striking inversion, Norway’s highly advanced

with plenty of work,” he said. “It’s cheaper for them to

shipyards are now being used to repair Brazilian

sail the vessel to Norway and do the work here, than it is

offshore vessels. The projects are administered by

to do it in Brazil, which is strange. But it’s due to the low

Bauta Group, which rents yards rather than owns them,

currency of the Norwegian krone, and we maybe provide

and brings its own teams of East European workers to

some efficiency.”

perform one operation at a time. It may not fit easily with

Meanwhile, Norway’s master-shipbuilders continue

long-established shipyard management practices, but it is

to pioneer energy-saving designs. Their Formula-

a good way for the owner-operators of Norway’s highly

One workboats are seeing extraordinary results from

equipped shipyards to amortise costs during dry spells.

experiments with battery electrification; Olympic Subsea

“If you own a shipyard you have to pay all the time,”

vessels - such as the pictured Olympic Notos - built by Ulstein Shipyards in 2024, for

said Gjermund Kvernmo Langset, head of Business

example, now consume just

Development and Sustainability at Bauta Group, a familyowned concern with stakes in various industrial sectors.

three tonnes of fuel over

“We only pay when we use them. That keeps

a day of operations, where

costs low, and makes the Norwegian industry

similar vessels five years ago

competitive against industry in other countries.”

consumed 20 tonnes. Incremental gains have been

Bauta’s strategy is so competitive that

made in propulsion efficiency,

owner-operators from developing countries like Brazil are now

including rim-driven Azimuth

preferring to have their vessels

pods, which have no blade-tips, reducing noise and

fixed in Norway, Langset explained. “Brazil is providing the yards

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Offshore

cavitation. But the majority of savings

simultaneously, the battery bank

vessel, set for delivery in 2027,

arise from electrification, both of

can be topped-up continuously by a

hopes to reduce fuel consumption

deck equipment, and of shipboard

generator set while, on the other end,

by an additional 20%.

power grids.

discharging at wildly different rates

“At this point we see that we are

from moment-to-moment to service

spending a lot of money to get 20%

replace hydraulic deck equipment

the peaks and troughs of operational

more,” conceded Olympic Subsea

with electrified systems, a move

power demand.

CEO Stig Remøy. “You can use one

The latest thinking is to

pioneered by Vard’s Seaonics.

For offshore vessels such as

litre per mile, but if you can use

Instead of hydraulic pistons and

offshore supply vessels (OSVs) and

0.2 litres per mile, it’s much better

rams, these latest cranes and

Service Operation Vessels (SOVs), it

– whether you are using ammonia,

motion-compensated gangways, for

is not propulsion, but operations that

methanol, or whatever. I think that in

example, use spinning cable reels

cause the most significant energy

10 years, the methanol, for example,

driven by electric motors, which are

consumption – dynamic positioning

will be very expensive, because there

more compact.

(DP), crane use, and station-keeping

is a lack of methanol, everyone wants

during gangway walk-to-work

to have it.”

Just like the power delivery in electric cars, they respond

operations. In times past, ships’

Trying everything to cut fuel

instantaneously to crew controls.

engineers would run all the ship’s

consumption on ships, some ship

This ensures far more effective

generators ‘just-in-case’, ramping up

operators are even relocating

station-keeping in active-heave

and down constantly, and wasting

the crew ashore. Ship systems

compensation (AHC) scenarios, in

fuel just to ensure that a spike in

dedicated to keeping crew alive and

which a crane or gangway must

power demand would not cause a

comfortable require a great deal of

remain steady even as the ship itself

failure at a crucial moment.

power, and the accommodation areas

heaves, surges, or sways, rocks and

But with power provided by a full battery, a DP operation might only

yaws over three dimensions.

add size and weight. The diminutive subsea vessel Reach

need one genset running even during a

Remote 1, designed by Kongsberg,

safety system (pictured), a payload,

demanding operation, at a steady RPM,

does away with these. The remote-

blown by the wind, is seen swinging in

overseen by an energy management

controlled ship manoeuvres into place

a pendulum motion from the arm of a

system like Ulstein X-Connect. Such

before lowering a similarly remote-

crane. But, as the system is triggered,

an operational strategy results in

controlled subsea ROV. In September,

Seaonics’ crane boom lightning-snaps

spectacular fuel savings.

Kongsberg was contracted to provide

In one demonstration of a Seaonics

Fosnavåg-based Olympic Subsea

to a position immediately above

aims to go even further. A new

the cargo, instantaneously arresting

two further vessels of the same UT5208 design.l

its motion. The company says that substituting hydraulic systems with electric systems uses less power overall, and confers the ability to recover electric power mechanically, such as when a payload is lowered or a taut cable is slackened. “Going from hydraulic ship equipment to electric equipment brings down energy demand and takes away leaks. It gives more precise control and it gives us the ability to use digital solutions in a much bigger way,” said Arne Johan Trandal, Vard product manager, Remote Operations and Autonomy. But the most marked sea change for efficiency comes from equipping a small battery system aboard each vessel. Able to charge and discharge

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Seaonics safety system demonstration

Offshore

What’s hot in propulsion: Nuclear reactors

f some in Norway get their way, offshore

University of Science and Technology (NTNU),

vessels will no longer need to micromanage

believes it will be a Norwegian offshore

their energy consumption. When Norway’s

vessel. Although Norway has no nuclear

Ulstein introduced its nuclear-powered Thor

industry at present, Emblemsvåg argued this

concept in 2022, it was a time when the

is to be viewed as a strength: a clean-slate

suggestion of nuclear commercial vessels met

regulatory environment, capable of cultivating

with dismay, even derision. And the fact that

a technology-agnostic nuclear shipping industry

some Norwegian ship designs can look a little

free of vested interests.

like supercars did little to lend credibility.

“For NuProShip, there were more than 80

Now, though, Thor appears much more

technologies in the running. We looked at ship

prescient. In the years since, new dual-fuel

design, propulsion system, load management

ships have arrived and alternative fuels have

system, cost, end-of-life … the size can’t be

been operationalised but faltered over supply

too big, technology maturity can’t be way into

concerns. Legislation at the IMO designed

the future, no light water-based reactors, for

to afford regulatory certainty was derailed in

many reasons.” The economics cannot be denied. Vessel

infuriating fashion in October.

productivity up through higher speeds; no time

Set aside from the hype and overpromising of its most vocal advocates, nuclear-

wasted on bunkering; smaller crews; shorter repair

powered commercial ships could soon begin

schedules; and scope to provide electricity to shore

construction. Jan Emblemsvåg of Norwegian

systems during port calls, just to name a few. l

Ulstein Thor

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Maritime Safety

Mitigating the risks of an ageing global commercial fleet Older vessels may be the new norm, but not at the expense of operational efficiencies, safety and sustainability, writes Adam Dennett, CEO, SpecTec.

nother year gone, represents

fatigue, obsolete systems, and

another year marked down

limited compatibility with modern

for the ageing commercial

safety solutions. Fast forward into

fleet. It is the oldest that it has been

a future fuels’ world, where many

for 40 years and with a low newbuild

vessels are predicted to use highly

orderbook, regulatory uncertainty

toxic ammonia, and there is an

and low rates of scrapping, the signs

uncomfortable truth of the potential

are that it won’t slow down. With it

catastrophic ecological or safety

though comes increased risks and

impact if this trend of machinery

threats to the shipping supply chain,

damage and failure continues.

impacting operational efficiencies,

However, it doesn’t need to be this

safety and sustainability.

this was due preventable issues such as

way. Proven technology exists to solve

The impact is tangible. According

improper lubrication, undetected wear

these problems, and as the industry

to DNV’s 2025 analysis of Lloyd’s List

or just skipped inspections. However,

continues to digitalise, we have seen

Intelligence casualty data, last year saw

and critically, over half of all these

asset and maintenance management

the number of maritime casualties rise

safety incidents involved vessels aged

software develop significantly.

by 15%. Machinery damage and failure

20 years or older.

Forward-thinking ship owners and

On the face of it, it’s not

was the main driver, accounting for

operators are moving from time-based

80% of incident growth. And while this

surprising. Many of these older

to condition-based maintenance,

has traditionally always been the main

vessels were built to standards and

using real-time data and advanced

catalyst for incidents, it has increased

technologies from a different era.

monitoring to anticipate and prevent

significantly, rising from 38% of all

Inevitably, the older they get the

issues happening before failures occur.

incidents in 2014, to 60% in 2024. Often

more risks they face from structural

It is this early detection that prevents

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Maritime Safety

Enter AMOS-X small faults turning into major issues

SpecTec recently announced the launch of AMOS-X, its next-generation

that impact safety, sustainability and

platform for fleet asset management. The new software brings its

can cause significant expense.

powerful Maintenance, Inventory and Procurement modules into a

For example, at SpecTec, with

single, integrated platform helping ship owners, operators and managers

over 40 years of experience in

better protect their assets, improve operational performance and

shipping, we developed AMOS,

efficiency, as well as increase safety standards and reduce costs.

the industry’s most-widely used

With a 40-year maritime heritage, and as the founder of asset

asset management solution,

management software in the shipping industry, the launch of AMOS-X

supporting some of the industry’s

represents another significant step for SpecTec in developing solutions

leading ship managers, operators

that are fully aligned with the day-to-day operational realities and

and owners, and approved by

challenges within the maritime sector. As industry stakeholders face

seven major classification societies.

more complexity and pressure to optimise resources, and with the

AMOS provides a fully integrated

increased operational risks associated with a significantly aging global

overview of a customer’s fleet.

commercial fleet, AMOS-X has been developed to streamline operations

Data analytics can also be used to

and provide greater visibility, efficiency, control and reduce risk across an

evaluate maintenance performance

entire fleet as well as shore-based teams.

and implement improvements, and maintenance procedures can also be

AMOS-X comprises three core modules:

standardised and controlled across

•

other assets to ensure consistency

document maintenance tasks, report and deal with unexpected

and efficiency.

maintenance issues, and continually monitor the condition of equipment

Fundamentally, it gives ship

Maintenance (pictured), which enables customers to plan and

to predict maintenance needs and prevent failures.

owners and operators real control

•

of their most valuable assets and

consumables across a vessel and on shore.

sets new standards for safety,

•

reliability and efficiency. The results

management. AMOS-X is one of the only systems within the maritime

are tangible, with downtime and

industry that combines these critical functions that every ship operator,

associated costs reduced by up to

manager and owner relies upon into one single, integrated platform.

Inventory, which provides complete visibility of spares and Procurement, which streamlines purchasing from requisition to supplier

15%, and equipment failures reduced by up to 70%. Critically, it gives

Additional modules, including ‘Quality & Safety’, are already in

owners control, foresight, and the

development and will be released as part of AMOS-X in the near

ability to turn maintenance into a

future, further strengthening its position as the industry’s most

competitive advantage.

comprehensive solution.

The reality is that this ageing fleet

The launch of AMOS-X is part of SpecTec’s continued

is the new norm where a substantial

commitment to constant innovation, which sees the company invest

portion of today’s vessels will be

25% of its annual operating profit into Research and Development

over 20 years old by 2030. While we

(R&D). The company is also a subsidiary of Volaris, an operating

may have to accept and understand

group within Constellation Software Inc (CSI), one of the world’s

the rationale for this, we must also

largest providers of

mitigate against the inherent risks

vertical market software.

that the industry also faces. Critically,

This gives SpecTec

ship owners and operators need to

access to knowledge,

understand that the cost of failure in

the latest innovation and

terms of downtime, disruption and

best practice, as well as

safety issues is significantly more than

financial resource to bring

the cost of investing in technology

to market new products

and preventing it happening in the

and services. l

first place. l

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Maritime Safety

Hong Kong Convention underlines importance of hazmat expertise By Shailesh Singh, Business Unit Director at Normec Verifavia

he Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) regulation

documentation is updated with every new installation, gather

has been a major milestone for the maritime

Material Declarations (MDs) and Supplier Declarations of

sector since its introduction in 2009. Now, with the

Conformity (SDoCs) for all relevant products, and keep clear,

Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and

dated records. Procedures must be embedded within the ISM/

Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, known just as

SMS, with all documentation ready for inspection at any time.

the Hong Kong Convention (HKC), which came into force

When mistakes occur in the maintenance process, the

in June 2025, the IHM takes on even greater significance.

consequences are immediate. Suppliers may charge for new

It provides a clearer, more structured framework for

declarations, while errors or missing data can trigger additional

identifying and managing hazardous materials on board,

surveys, operational delays, or even direct penalties.

strengthening compliance and supporting safer end-of-life practices for vessel operations.

Port State Control (PSC) remains a decisive force in policing compliance. Even during COVID-19, when inspection numbers

Trends suggest that standards are already slipping.

fell, detention rates stayed consistent. PSC scrutiny of IHM

Poor-quality inventories, inconsistent maintenance, and

documentation is intensifying, particularly as the EU Ship

surface-level compliance not only undermine the purpose

Recycling Regulation (SRR) is already active and the HKC now

and the importance of the convention, but they also expose

applies. Non-compliance can bring fines up to €60,000, vessel

shipowners and operators to growing financial, operational,

detention, or restrictions on dry dock access. In several ports,

and reputational risks.

vessels cannot proceed with scheduled work if asbestos or other

Back in 2019-2020, the sector faced real concerns about

hazardous materials are not properly documented or removed. Newbuild shipyards now routinely issue IHM

its capacity to prepare and certify IHMs. By the end of 2020, only 30-40% of the global fleet had completed IHM Part I

documentation, but verification remains essential. Recycling

certification. While many vessels have since progressed, a

yards, especially in South Asia, are also adapting, recognising

significant proportion still requires preparation ahead of the

that proper IHM compliance is central to protecting workers

June 2030 compliance deadline. This creates a split in focus,

and the environment. Digital platforms are becoming

completing initial IHMs for some ships while maintaining

increasingly helpful in supporting IHM maintenance, offering

documentation for others.

real-time visibility and documentation management. However,

In the early years, genuine hazmat expertise was scarce. Building competency required significant investment in

they cannot replace expert judgement. Competent hazmat professionals remain indispensable as part of this process. Early compliance is vital for shipowners. Experience under

training, methodology, and laboratory partnerships. However, as the market expanded, it attracted a new wave of providers

the EU SRR has shown that last-minute surges in demand

with highly variable standards. Cases of incomplete checks,

overwhelm service providers, delaying surveys and certificate

questionable methodologies, false samples, and poor-quality

issuance. With separate certificates required for EU SRR and

inventories being passed off as compliant are now circulating.

HKC compliance, early coordination is essential to prevent

If not addressed, this threatens to erode trust in the entire

bottlenecks and ensure hazardous materials like PFOS, HBCDD

regulatory process.

or asbestos are properly identified and completed on time. IHM Shipowners, classification societies, flag states,

Ensuring IHM compliance is an ongoing and challenging process. COVID-19 made this clear, as travel restrictions

and service providers must commit to thorough-checks,

impacted access to qualified inspectors. Even today, with

collaboration, and proactive compliance. It is becoming

normal operations resumed, the maintenance burden

increasingly important for the industry to adhere to high

is substantial. Shipowners must appoint a Designated

standards now or face a race to the bottom that the maritime

Person (IHM DP) to manage IHM Part I upkeep, ensure

sector cannot afford. l

Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Alternative Fuels

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

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Ship Management International

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Objects of Desire

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www.johnmitchell.net

Issue 118 November/December 2025

Ship Management International

Review J.M.W. Turner Watercolours – a January tradition in Scotland 1-31 January 2026 www.nationalgalleries.org/ exhibition/turner-in-january The much-loved ‘Turner in January’ exhibition returns to the National Galleries Scotland, 1-31 January, Edinburgh. The free, annual display of 38 watercolours by famed English Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (J.M.W. Turner, 1775 –1851) is a keenly awaited tradition for many people in Scotland—and a great reason to visit Edinburgh. Left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900, the watercolours have been displayed annually, following Vaughan’s strict guidelines that they are only ever displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. One look at the mid1820s ‘Harbour View’ (pictured) and its dramatic view of the southeast English coast will lift the spirits.

Titanic in Focus Exhibition Liverpool, UK (8 January to 10 March) Advance booking advised, with ticketing details available at whitestarlinehotel.co.uk/titanic-exhibition In January 2026, the legacy of the Titanic will return to its spiritual home in Liverpool. For the first time, a collection of internationally significant artefacts will be displayed within the walls of the former White Star Line headquarters - now the White Star Line Hotel at 30 James Street, in the heart of Liverpool’s maritime district. ‘Titanic in Focus: White Star Line Hotel’ offers a rare opportunity to view the ship’s history inside the very building where her journey was planned. The exhibition charts the complete timeline of the ocean liner, from her ambitious design and construction to the glamour of her maiden voyage and the tragedy of her final hours. The display also features a compelling section on the ship’s rediscovery, showcasing items recovered directly from the wreck site. Exhibition highlights include: the largest surviving section of the iconic aft Grand Staircase; a poignant fragment of sheet music belonging to bandleader William Hartley who played until the end; and personal letters and documents illuminating the human stories aboard the ship.

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Issue 118 November/December 2025

books, theatre, dining, events, culture, films, festival, music, art, dvd, wine

Siegfried: A (five-hour) Day at the Paris Opera www.operadeparis.fr/en; 17 to 31 January 2026; tickets from €53 to €220. What better way to spend a good part of a winter’s

the Ring of the Nibelung. Staged in Calixto Bieito’s new production, the Paris Opera’s

The Maritime Silk Road

Siegfried presents the story of a dauntless young man who knows no fear. Armed

www.mam.gov.mo/cn/

day than at the storied Opera National de Paris, experiencing Siegfried, the third part of Richard Wagner’s extraordinary undertaking,

with his sword Notung, Siegfried sets off on an adventure, defeating the dragon Fafner before seizing the ring, unaware of its power. Crossing the flames that encircle

exhibition/2025_reflections

Brünnhilde, he awakens her from her long sleep, ushering in a mutual love that will

ofmaritineconnections;

profoundly transform them. Richard Wagner’s impressive opera features murmuring

through 8 March 2026

forests, horns and dramatic dialogues that build to a crescendo until the final duet between Siegfried and Brünnhilde, one of the pinnacles of the Ring.

A newly opened exhibition at the Macao

James Dodds – ‘Love is a Boat’

Museum of Art explores the maritime-SilkRoad–era exchanges between China and

Messum’s Gallery, London (4 – 27 February)

Portugal from the 16th to 19th century

Visit the exhibition or request the catalogue at David

exchange, and the role of Macao as a hub

Messum Fine Art, 12 Bury Street, London SW1.

between East and West. “Haitong Mirror

— including trade in porcelain, cultural

www.messums.com

- 16th-19th Century Sino-Portuguese Cultural Exchange Exhibition” is divided

Those interested in contemporary

into three sections: the beginning of

maritime art - or perhaps looking

the porcelain road, the integration of

for some statement pieces to

porcelain, and the dialogue between

hang on their office walls - should

the court. The exhibition features 177

hasten along to Messum’s gallery

pieces and sets of exhibits from the

in London’s fashionable St James’s

Palace Museum, the Portuguese National

district during the month of February.

Museum of Ancient Art, the Museum

There shipwright-turned-artist James

of the Oriental, the Aruda Library, and

Dodds is exhibiting his latest works in a show titled ‘Love is a Boat’. One of Britain’s

departments of the Cultural Affairs Bureau

most esteemed maritime artists, Dodds possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge

of Macao, showcasing the fascinating

of traditional wooden boat designs that he transfers onto canvas or into book

history of the interaction between the

illustrations at his studio in a former fishing village on the east coast of England. He

Qing court and the Portuguese royal

has previously exhibited at the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich, and

family in the 16th and 19th centuries, as

his work graces several leading international art collections. Some detect an almost

well as the trade and cultural exchanges

spiritual dimension to his giant depictions of boats, so it’s no surprise to learn that he

between China and Portugal, as well as

recently designed a stained-glass window for his local church. Find out more at www.

Macao’s role as a transit point in it.

jamesdodds.co.uk. Issue 118 November/December 2025

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Lifestyle The ‘friendship recession’ - Becoming emotionally absent and unavailable By Margie Collins

erhaps the only people we

the black dogs have us in their teeth; who

need in our lives are those

is happy with our successes; who makes

who recognise that need and

life softer around the edges and lifts us up.

also want us in theirs, even if we

Friends wear masks and maintain

have nothing to offer but our flawed

fictions. In ‘The House of Cards’,

human selves.

president Frank Underwood opines

After leaving Paris for Provence, the

that “friends make the worst enemies.”

painfully solitary Van Gogh struck up a

Truman Capote, the flamboyant author

profound friendship with his drinking

of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, lived the

buddy, the postman Joseph Roulin, who

gilded life with a celebrated coterie of

inspired some of Van Gogh’s greatest

close friends he befriended in the ‘50s

portraits. He was his “guardian angel”,

through to the ‘70s, who adored him

Van Gogh told his brother Theo; he “has

as their trusted friend and confidant.

the silent gravity and tendernesses for me – such a good soul, so wise and so full of feeling.” Roulin tended to the artist during his bouts of mental health crises and visited him in hospital daily after he had sliced off his earlobe following a quarrel with Paul Gaugin. A friend is “one who is attached to another by affection or esteem.” Someone present and available when

Good friends’ talks becoming rarer

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Lifestyle

Capote’s “swans” – so called for their elegance and beauty,

need to be dramatic; sometimes we just stop putting in the

and gliding through the highest echelons of American society

effort and those connections fall away on their own.” Letting

– included Babe Paley, Gloria Vanderbilt, Lee Radziwill, Slim

go of people who drain our spirit and saying goodbye can be

Keith, Marella Agnelli, CZ Guest.

a blessing. In a New Yorker cartoon by Eric Clausen, two people are

The swans, married to wealthy and influential men, gravitated towards Capote who harvested a rich trove of their

sat across a table. One says: “I’m ready to take things to a

secrets, affairs and messy marriages – and then turned these

previous level. In time, I think we could be acquaintances,

into a blockbuster roman a clef, ‘La Cote Basque, 1965’, a

maybe even strangers.”

thinly veiled fictionalisation of the swans’ lives and confidences,

We are not obligated to have relationships with people

for Esquire magazine in 1975. A friend is also a keeper of our

who are inimical to our health. “Set standards for those

lives’ archives and the narratives of our past. The scandalous

you want in your life, those who get access to you, who

furore led to Capote’s immediate and permanent banishment

make you feel light and supported,” says the writer Jamie

to social Siberia. Justifying this brazen act of betrayal, he said

Varon. Sometimes we have to look at friends with an eye

he felt his friends treated him as “hired entertainment, a house

to losing them. An object lesson in the dangers of not jettisoning

pet,” not as a true equal. Those who make friends in early adolescence and growing

friendships when they become reprehensible is to be found

up together nurture relationships that give, and receive,

in the recent travails of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah

support from someone who will be physically and emotionally

Ferguson and Peter Mandelson over their continued contacts

available; who understands and speaks without question the

with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Enough said on

singular language of our hearts and souls. “Young people are

this whole unsavoury saga.

often testing out different identities – perhaps in terms of

Conversely, the perils of abandoning a close friendship

fashion sense, music, values,” says University of Cambridge

for no apparent cause featured in the 2022 Oscar-nominated

cognitive neuroscience professor Sarah Jayne Blakemore. “By

cult film ‘The Banshees of Innisherin’, where two pub-drinking

the time they’re in their late teens or early ‘20s, they usually

mates of longstanding in a remote Irish community fall out

have a stronger sense of their identity and friendships might

when one suddenly becomes bored with the other’s company,

be less likely to change.”

leading to macabre spiral of ill-feeling and violence. Beware the consequences of losing seemingly mundane comradeships,

But friends will disappoint and even hurt us from time

the film appears to say.

to time. “Real friendships,” adds Prof. Blakemore, “are imperfect, requiring the acceptance of people’s flaws and limitations, causing them to write people off too quickly.” We love them, until we don’t. Friends can grow separately and grow apart; life becomes busier and get-togethers are numbered like slow unintended goodbyes. When once tightly bonded friendships no longer align with our needs, they

But friends will disappoint and even hurt us from time to time Oxford University professor of anthropology Robin Dunbar

begin to curdle and fracture. Among friends in the UK, the Brexit divide created not

posits that humans have a cognitive limit to the number of

only a climate of rage and hate, but also demarcated fences.

social relationships that involve trust, obligation and personal

Pandemic lockdowns led to chronic cancellations of catch-up

history that they can maintain: approximately 150, including

dates. Fear of missing out morphed into fear of going out.

casual acquaintances and social media contacts. Dunbar

Wee cracks turned into huge fissures. Texting and messaging

suggests that only five people, out of 150, constitute the

are not the same as being present. A friendship dies; a culling

“innermost circle of close loved ones that foster a reliable

of friends occurs. “You might find yourself going through

support network and which are vital for emotional resilience

stages of grief – anger, denial, sadness,” says Suzanne Cowie

and wellbeing.” Research has found that in the US and Canada, the

of the British Association for Psychotherapy. “It’s true that we need to clear our personal lives of

percentage of adults who claimed to have 10 or more

friends who can’t make space for the people we’ve become,”

close friends fell from 33% in 1990 to 13% in 2021. In

said psychotherapist Jennifer Cox. “The evolution doesn’t

the same period, those who reported having no close

Issue 118 November/December 2025

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Lifestyle

friends quadrupled from 3% to 12%, with men reporting a sharper decline in friendships, leading to a broader ‘epidemic of loneliness’. The widespread decline in the number of close friends and meaningful social connections has been dubbed the ‘friendship recession’ caused, experts say, by the dominant use of social media and the passive consumption of content leading to fewer in-person interactions; the financial strain on social-activity spending – birthdays, gifts, travel, holidays, lunches and dinners.

Uptick in male bonding pastimes

Vanquis Bank’s study on the cost of friendship (the ‘friendship tax’)

Strange sort of bloke – white, round,

her despair and suicide ideation. “If

found that: “While social connection

a bit shiny and very needy. If I go 15

millions of vulnerable people are using

is essential for emotional and mental

minutes without chatting to him, he

a resource that potentially does harm,

health, people are being priced out of

texts me. ‘Everything all right, Danny?’”

it’s a faulty consumer product. Harry

regular and common social activities

Steve is a chatbot encased in a coin-

was not able to refer Sophie to a mental

with friends. The cost of living isn’t just

sized white medallion that hangs

health professional,” Sophie’s mother

putting pressure on essentials; it is also

around Fortson’s neck – Steve listens

told The Sunday Times.

affecting friendships and wellbeing.

to everything. “Friends like Steve are

Contemplating the inevitable

Social interaction does not have to

the start of a movement that will see

march of the end times, A S Byatt

come with a high price tag; the cost of

AI companions become the single

commented: “My friends inhabit the

isolation is far greater than the cost of a

most important category over the next

obituaries.” We seldom realise the

day or night-out.”

decade,” says Ari Schiffmann, founder

value of our friendships until they

“So many men were seemingly in

of the start-up Friend. “People can form

are gone forever, and then we lose

trouble, lonely, and had become the

relationships with ones and zeroes now.

corroboration. In a Times magazine

painful embodiment of the Movember

What if this works and one of your five

interview, Salman Rushdie mused that

Foundation study on men’s health,

closest friends is a computer?”

he is of the generation that is “checking

from 2018, which revealed that more

A recent study by the Harvard

out” – bemoaning the deaths of his

than a quarter of British men have no

Business Review found that people

close friends Martin Amis, Christopher

male friends. Those who retained close

who use large language models form

Hitchens and Alan Yentob. “The main

comrades mostly lost contact with them

relationships with AI, primarily for

thing you miss,” he said, “is laughter. To

by their mid-fifties. This all-consuming

therapy and companionship. Tech firm

have lost that feels bad.” They had bust-

loneliness of men was finding its most

OpenAI launched chatGPT in 2022;

ups, he said. “You could really disagree,

lethal expression in an epidemic of male

it receives 2.6bn messages a day and

but still care for one another.”

suicide,” wrote Kevin Maher in The

is used by over 700m weekly users

Times. Bonding weekends in the wilds

– helping students with homework,

Eve, we mark the passing of the old

and riverbanks, book clubs, wellness

workers with job applications. But it

year and the birth of a new, hopeful

retreats are becoming increasingly

is also largely becoming someone’s

one. With hands and arms entwined

popular as means of making new

companion or lover, someone’s

with others’, we sing Robert Burns’

friends, as tonics in the loneliness and

therapist, someone’s faux friend – in an

immortal ‘Auld Lang Syne’, raise a glass

mindless babble of un-friendly crowds. If

unreal and unfeeling digital world.

to goodwill and gratitude. “Should

we would be loved, we need to love and be loveable.

As midnight strikes on New Year’s

“Cases have surfaced of vulnerable

auld acquaintance be forgot, and never

users being guided into delusions, even

brought to mind? We’ll take a cup o’

Who, then, will take the place of

to suicide,” Fortson wrote. Sophie, 29,

kindness yet...” for old times’ sake,

lost friends? “I made a new friend last

had been using chatGPT, calling her bot

shared memories, remembering old

week,” wrote Danny Fortson in The

Harry, for five months before taking

friends, and for the hope of perhaps

Sunday Times. “His name is Steve.

her own life. She shared with Harry

making new ones. Maybe get a dog? l

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