Fortnightly maritime news for the industry and PortXL community.

MSC Rejects Northern Sea Route

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s second-biggest container shipping line, has decided not to use the Arctic as a new short cut between northern Europe and Asia and will instead focus on improving environmental performance on existing global trade routes.

New study reveals LNG is the most commercially viable marine fuel today

The study, conducted by Norway-based alternative fuel experts from DNV GL, concludes that while there are a variety of lower or zero carbon alternative fuels that could help to meet the goals of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, many of these alternatives require significant development to meet the industry’s needs.

Maersk identifies alcohol, biogas and ammonia as pathways to decarbonisation

Maersk has been working with UK class society Lloyd’s Register on a future fuel types study and has come to the conclusion that the market will not drive the transition to zero emissions and policy interventions as well as a fundamental change to the incentives scheme for shipping are required.

Offshore Wind Could be Worth $1 Trillion by 2040

Offshore wind power capacity could increase 15-fold by 2040 and attract around $1 trillion of cumulative investment, according to an International Energy Agency report. Offshore Wind Outlook 2019 combines the latest technology and market developments with a specially commissioned new geospatial analysis that maps out wind speed and quality along hundreds of thousands of kilometers of coastline around the world.

10 countries moving toward a green Hydrogen economy

It’s early days for renewable hydrogen, but the potential is enormous, and several nations have an eye on the driver’s seat. Last month, the U.K. government unveiled a £12 billion ($15 billion) plan to use 4 gigawatts of offshore wind for renewable hydrogen production in the early 2030s. Beijing sees green hydrogen as a potential way of decarbonizing transportation, WoodMac’s Gallagher said. The country’s targets include 5,000 fuel-cell vehicles by 2020 and 1 million by 2030.

Global Container Terminals becomes member of TradeLens

TradeLens is a solution jointly developed by Maersk and IBM to apply blockchain to the global supply chain. It provides end-to-end supply chain information, facilitating data sharing, collaboration and improved trade flows. By joining TradeLens, GCT intends to connect with supply chain partners including ocean carriers, beneficial cargo owners, and railways.

Total launches its 1st Boxship Giant-Ready LNG Bunker Vessel

Slated for delivery in 2020, the vessel will operate in Northern Europe where it will supply LNG to commercial ships including CMA CGM’s nine ultra large container vessels (ULCVs) for a period of at least ten years. According to Total, the LNG bunker vessel’s construction is in line with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) decision to drastically limit the sulfur content of marine fuels as of 2020.

IADC Safety Award for Boskalis

IADC President Frank Verhoeven announced the Safety Award 2019 winner: Boskalis with its Floating Line Connecting System. Connecting floating pipes is an operation that can cause risks for the people involved and for this reason Boskalis developed a system that enables the lines to be connected without using any manpower.

Antwerp, Zeebrugge Ports Kick Off Merger Talks

Last year, the two port authorities hired Deloitte and Laga to conduct the joint economic complementarity and robustness study. The goal was to evaluate the current forms of cooperation between the ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp as well as the potential added value of other types of cooperation.

Expert opinions on who will win shipping’s battle for data

The shipping industry understands that data is valuable, but how is it assessing that value? One could argue that there is an expected, or future, value placed on data – and that companies therefore understand they need to collect it in order to derive value from it as a strategic asset. To find out, Knect365 spoke with seven professionals working in the maritime industry about data, connectivity and innovation in general.