Maritime News Round up – Issue 09

Bunker Fuels

Two-thirds of buyers have little or no confidence in fuel quality

Six months after the introduction of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), questions remain over quality and stability. In our Fuel Additives & Fuel Blending webinar, ExxonMobil technical advisor John LaRese encouraged buyers to ask more questions while Aderco group technical director Olivier d’Olne argued that fuel treatment protocol is a worthwhile insurance.

Read more: RiveriaMM 

HSFO cracks at pre-IMO 2020 levels on sour crude shortage, US refiner demand  

Global high-sulfur fuel oil cracks have rebounded to 2019 levels in June despite demand destruction from the retail bunker fuel sector, as a decline in sour crude production has encouraged US refiners to buy HSFO as a refinery feedstock.

Read more: Hellenic Shipping News 

Climate Change/Future Fuels

Storage Space Concerns May Limit Hydrogen’s Use in Shipping 

The increased storage space needed for hydrogen verses conventional bunker fuels may limit its uses for some parts of the shipping industry, with some ship types needing to give up and much as 60% of their space to take it one, according to industry body Hydrogen Europe. 

Read more: Ship & Bunker 

Shipping Company Klaveness Combination Carriers Takes on Biofuel Bunkers 

Shipping firm Klaveness Combination Carriers is the latest company to try out biofuel- based bunker as a means of addressing its carbon footprint. 

Read more: Ship & Bunker  

Wärtsilä to Carry Out First Full-Scale Engine Test of Ammonia Bunkers 

Engineering company Wärtsilä is set to carry out the first long-term, full-scale test of a ship’s engine running ammonia as a bunker fuel, the company said Tuesday. The company will carry out the test in conjunction with Knutsen OAS Shipping, Repsol and the Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre in Stord, Norway in the first quarter of 2021, Wärtsilä said in an emailed statement. 

Read more: Ship & Bunker 

Yang Ming reaches emission reduction target 11 years ahead of schedule

Yang Ming has said its carbon emissions per TEU/kilometre have dropped by 51% since 2008 and that it has reached IMO sustainability targets 11 years ahead of schedule. 

Read more: Port Technology 

Marine Lubricants 

Marine Lubrication: improving procurement through to performance

The days of one contract manager in a corner office quietly handling a shipping company’s entire fuels and lubes requirements are numbered. Digitalisation means greater transparency and efficiency is available from procurement through to performance. 

Free Event, register now: Rivieramm  

Digitalization 

Do maritime authorities have a role in digitalisation of shipping? – the “Digital (port) Approach” in a sea transport context

The ports of the world have an important role in enabling sustainable transport through the combination of multiple transport means. In this regard, a port needs to be seen as a transhipment hub catering for the needs of multiple transport modes that engages many different actors; private and public. 

Read more: The Digital Ship 

Why now is the time to enhance and streamline digital communication

As the world prepares to reopen the global economy from the shackles of COVID-19, businesses are faced with the reality of how to stay competitive. They must also consider how to respond with new methods of transacting, in the wake of a renewed drive to enhance and streamline communication. 

The big question is how will the marine fuel and lubricants market, an industry already ripe for a digital transformation, respond?

Read more: Bulugo 

Singapore to invest $36m in maritime technology

Maritime technology startups are set to benefit from a SGD50m ($36m) fund via SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, and six co-investment partners. Supported by ESG and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), this latest initiative by SEEDS Capital aims to drive the growth of the maritime sector through technology and innovation.

Read more: Seatrade Maritime News  

Maritime Industry

Dry Bulk Shipping is Shrugging Off COVID-19. For Now 

The cost of moving commodities like coal and iron ore across the world’s oceans is surging as China lifts cargo purchases. Whether the rally will withstand the economic aftershocks of the coronavirus is a thornier question.

Read more: GCaptain  

Manila creates dedicated ‘green lane’ for seafarers

The government in the Philippines, the world’s top crewing hub, is creating a green lane for seafarers to finally speed up crew repatriation during the coronavirus pandemic. The joint circular for the Philippine Green Lane was signed by senior government officials in Manila today.  

Read more: Splash 247  

Why Oil Tanker Market May Take Trump’s Sanctions In Stride This Time 

The Trump administration’s plan to add as many as 50 oil tankers to an already long list of sanctioned vessels would be enough to send global shipping costs surging under normal circumstances.  

Read more: Bloomberg 

Oil barrels come off the water as storage boom at sea fades 

Tens of millions of barrels of crude and oil products stored on tankers at sea due to the coronavirus crisis are being sold, in a sign fuel demand is recovering as lockdowns ease, shipping sources say. Fuel demand tumbled as much 30% from March to May, with some surplus stored at sea as land storage filled up. 

Read more: ReutersUK  

ICS launches essential Guidance for Engine Room Safety 

The design, complexity and arrangement of engine rooms across the global shipping fleet vary far more widely than for bridges, and yet until today there has been no dedicated guidance for safe engine room operations. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has met this challenge and published the ICS Engine Room Procedures Guide. 

Read more: ICS 

Interested in last week’s News Roundup? Read all now – w/c 22nd June 2020

Be the first to see Bulugo’s Roundup: Register your email and receive it directly to your inbox