Maritime News - Page 6

The Mein Schiff 1 cruise ship has kicked off the cruise season at Ports of Stockholm. Despite the pandemic, Stockholm is still a top choice destination as cruise organisers slowly but surely start up voyages again, not least because the ships can call at quays located in the heart of the beautiful city of Stockholm.

China’s Marco Polo,  the largest container ship ever to arrive on the US East Coast, arrived on Thursday. At 16,022 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the Marco Polo is close to being the largest container ship in the world. The biggest is HMM Algeciras, with 24000 TEU capacity.

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 103) meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was held remotely from 5 to 14 May. One of the issues discussed at the meeting – among a very comprehensive list on the agenda, was new measures to mitigate for containers lost at sea.

Despite the financial difficulties cause by pandemic restrictions, Cyprus managed to maintain its position as the third largest shipping fleet in Europe, the 11th largest in the world, and the largest third-party ship-management centre in Europe President Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday.

Revenue of up to 70 million euros is expected from the launch of cruises by Jewel of the Seas of Royal Caribbean from Limassol port starting July 10.

Despite setbacks, Cyprus maritime authorities are determined to revive a passenger ferry link to Greece after a tender failed to attract any interest from shipping companies earlier this year.

Product tankers operating in Europe could receive a welcome increase in demand, as a result of the “Green” revolution underway in the continent. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “there is no doubt that the green revolution is underway and arguably Europe is its epicentre. 

The anticipated box crunch at European ports following the closure of the Suez Canal at the end of March has been less severe than expected, according to Container xChange.

More than 200,000 seafarers worldwide are either still stranded on ships or waiting to board them as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, said International Maritime Organisation (IMO) secretary-general Kitack Lim yesterday.

Authorities in South Africa have unveiled an ambitious $7 billion plan to modernize the Port of Durban, aiming to improve its efficiency and reclaim its status as the best-performing port in Africa.