IMO

224 days to go as of this post before #IMO2020 comes into effect.. I wrote recently about an open letter to IMO Member States by NGOs which states that the shipping industry must take appropriate measures to address climate change urgently..

As an initial step, these NGOs expressed their strong support for the IMO's proposal to regulate ship speeds across various ship type and size categories.. In the letter, the NGOs said their preference would be to set maximum annual average speeds for container ships, and maximum absolute speeds for the remaining ship types, which take account of minimum speed requirements..

Of course, this was not welcomed by all, least of all by container carriers as it would result in them having to increase their fleet size to meet the delivery schedules imposed on them by the trade.. As per the carriers, this would defeat the purpose of trying to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) emissions..

The letter said that this regulation should be implemented as soon as possible and the obligation for compliance should be placed both on shipowners and operators, including charterers and called on all parties at the forthcoming IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC74) to support this move..

Well, #MEPC74 has come and gone but there has been no agreement or deal on any of the proposals put forward to reduce GHG emissions..

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) maintains a “White List” which is a list of member states (countries) who have confirmed to the IMO's Maritime...

Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of approximately 2.6 million TEUs including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers operated on the back of 120 liner services worldwide connecting more than 600 ports on all the continents..

Hapag-Lloyd is also one of the leading operators in the Transatlantic, Middle East, Latin America and Intra-America trades..

As per Hapag-Lloyd, their container shipping makes a significant contribution to a well-functioning global trade and as such bears a special responsibility for the environment, its customers and shareholders, and its employees..

In line with this, they have released their current sustainability report, titled “Gathering Pace Together”, which gives an insight into the broad spectrum of Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainability-related activities, which deals with topics such as combating corruption, employee training and data protection..

In 2016, at the 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) took a landmark decision setting 1st January 2020 as the implementation date for a significant reduction in the sulphur content of the fuel oil used by ships..

As per this decision, MARPOL Annex VI has been revised, lowering the current global limit for sulphur content of marine fuels from 3.50% to 0.50% as from the 1st of January 2020..

IMO advised several methods through which ships can meet lower sulphur emission standards..

As part of the effective implementation of IMO2020 0.50% Sulphur Cap, South African Maritime and Safety Authority (SAMSA) announced that South Africa has approved the use of all types of approved scrubbers..

Limitation of liability is a concept that allows a carrier to limit their liability for maritime claims up to a limited sum regardless of the actual monetary value of the claim.. In short, there is a limit on the maximum amount of compensation that a carrier may need to pay..

Despite the varying forms, the main characteristic of the limitation of liability is that, while in principal the carrier may be liable for damages, the extent of their liability is reduced by this limitation..

Limitation of liability is governed by a number of Conventions adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is expressed in Special Drawing Rights (SDR)..

There are a few popularly used conventions and rules covering the Carriage of Goods by Sea and this article by Ali Shami compares the limitation of liability in the various contracts of carriage by sea..

Maritime transport (sea transport) accounts for around 90% of the global trade.. While the greenhouse gas emissions from shipping is much lower than other modes of transport at around 2.6% of total global emissions, this share could more than triple by 2050 if additional measures are not taken to reduce these emissions..

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been working to reduce the harmful impacts of shipping on the environment since the 1960's and in 2016 adopted a new regulation commonly termed IMO 2020..

In line with this requirement and in an effort to reach its net zero CO₂ target by 2050, Maersk Line will be teaming up with a group known as Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition (DSGC) consisting of Dutch multinationals – Friesland Campina, Heineken, Philips, DSM, Shell and Unilever (many of them Maersk Line’s customers) on a pilot project to test the use of second-generation biofuels.

If you are in the shipping and freight industry you may have heard several whisperings, notices, loose talk, official talk, speeches etc about IMO 2020..

But what is this IMO 2020, who will be impacted and how will it affect your life in the shipping and freight industry..??

This article examines the impact of IMO 2020 on shipping lines and cargo owners, the options available and how this lower sulphur emission standards can be achieved..

The regulations surrounding the IMO 2020 sulphur cap are here to stay..

Several shipping lines like Maersk, MSC, CMA-CGM, ONE, OOCL and APL had announced in late 2018 that these costs for compliance will have to be passed on to customers/trade through the implementation of new or adjustment to existing fuel surcharges, which may vary based on the trade lanes..

These new bunker surcharges are set to kick in as of this week..

In April 2018, more than 100 Member States met at the International Maritime Organisation in London and adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels..

The current global limit for sulphur content of ships’ fuel oil is 3.50% m/m (mass by mass)..

The regulations to reduce sulphur oxide emissions has introduced a new global limit for sulphur content of ships and as from 1st of January 2020 the new global limit on the sulphur content will be 0.50% m/m..

The LSS or Low Sulphur Surcharge is as a consequence of this meeting..

In one of our previous articles about IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap, we reported that many shipping lines will be adopting the regulations but also implementing a bunker surcharge to cover the same..

MSC is one of the lines that have announced the introduction of new bunker charges as of 1 January 2019 to achieve the common goal of improving environmental performance in the container shipping supply chain, as required by the IMO 2020 Sulphur cap..

MSC has revealed the mechanisms for the calculation of their 2020 sulphur cap bunker surcharge..

On the 6th of March 2018, Maersk Honam, one of Maersk's ultra-large containership caught fire while en-route from Singapore to Egypt, in the Arabian Sea..

Five crew members perished in this incident which was one of several containership disasters that have happened in recent history..

Learning from these lessons, Maersk Line announced that after a thorough review of current safety practices and policies in the stowage of dangerous cargo, they implemented a set of new guidelines called Risk Based Dangerous Goods Stowage to improve safety across its container vessel fleet..

Many of you may have heard about ship register, ship registration, ship registry, flag state, flags of convenience etc.. While a few are synonyms, the rest are not..

This article discusses the various aspects of ship registration, the types of ship registers, the conditions required to be part of a ship register, what is a flag of convenience and flag state..

As part of global trade, in 2016, approximately 130 million containers packed with cargo with an estimated value of more than $4 trillion were shipped around the world..

As per the University College London's Energy Institute and data visualisation firm Kiln more than 50,000 merchant ships travel high seas, moving goods and commodities all over the place..

With so many containers on the move in many different routes, there are bound to be some containers lost at sea..

We examine the causes, what may prevent it and what to do when your container actually is lost at sea..

In recognition of the seafarer's contribution to global trade, every year on the 25th of June the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) celebrates DAY OF THE SEAFARER to celebrate seafarers and let the world know how and why seafarers are indispensable to everyone.. Here's why #seafarersmatter and how you can assist in acknowledging their services to the industry..

As you may be aware, the IMO, has announced that the IMDG Code, 2016 Edition comes into force on 1 January 2018 for two years.. During 2017, shippers and carriers may opt to use the provisions of IMDG Code 38th amendment (38-16) or 37th Amendment (37-14).. Currently the IMDG Code 2014 Edition which came into force on 1st January 2016 is being used and the IMDG Code Supplement, 2014 Edition will remain valid until further notice.. So what is this IMDG Code 38th amendment (38-16) all about..??

Part 2 of the 2 part series discussing what is ISPS code and why ISPS is charged

Part 1 of the 2 part series discussing what is ISPS Code and how it fits into the maritime realm..