


Covid-19 drives up ship operating costs
Vessel operating costs have risen at their fastest pace in over a decade this year due to higher insurance cover premiums and Covid-19 related expenses. Yet, they are expected to moderate in subsequent years as...Read more
Roll Group enters Russian market
Roll Group has expanded its commercial network with the appointment of TMBC Logistics as the commercial agent for RollDock Shipping in Russia. With the corporation, the heavy transport shipping company wants to improve its position...Read more
‘Shortage of offshore installation vessels looms by 2025’
The global wind turbine installation fleet will be undersupplied to meet demand after 2025, reports Rystad Energy. This opens up room for more specialised vessel orders and conversions of oil and gas heavy-lift vessels, the...Read more
‘Maritime recovery plan is good, but it needs political support’
The Maritime Master Plan presented by the Dutch maritime sector is desperately needed, argues SWZ|Maritime’s Editor-in-Chief Antoon Oosting. Both sectors are currently under great pressure due to the corona crisis, competition from China in particular...Read more
Container liners turn to multipurpose vessels in search of capacity
Container liners are chartering multipurpose vessels to close supply gaps as demand peaks and rates soar. ‘The dearth of cellular container tonnage in the charter market is forcing some carriers to tap into the multipurpose...Read more
Quantum leap in shipping company CMA CGM’s third quarter result
The third quarter marked recovery in demand for transportation of goods and CMA CGM made good use of this. The company saw its net income increase almost thirteen-fold from USD 45 million in the third...Read more
European Commission wants 25 times more wind turbines at sea
The European Commission wants to increase offshore wind energy generation 25-fold over the next thirty years. In ten years’ time, offshore wind turbines will have to supply five times more energy. To meet these targets,...Read more
When will MSC pass Maersk?
The question no longer seems to be whether MSC will overtake Maersk as the largest container line, but when. Danish Sea-Intelligence believes that this moment is not far away.Read more
‘Volume of international maritime trade to fall by 4.1 per cent in 2020’
Due to the corona crisis, global maritime transport is expected to drop by 4.1 per cent. This was reported by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its “Review of Maritime Transport...Read more
‘Use of wind-assisted ship propulsion will double year-on-year’
Wind-assisted propulsion will not be the full answer to making ships emission free, but it could provide about 30 per cent of the propulsive power. This makes finding a zero-emission solution for the other 70...Read more
‘Producing enough green ammonia for shipping requires a USD 4.5 trillion investment’
Ammonia as a fuel could be a prime candidate to reduce shipping’s emissions by 2050. However, there are some challenges, not least the USD 4.5 trillion investment Hendrik Brinks, Principal Researcher DNV GL – Maritime,...Read more
‘Shipping is being dealt heavy blows while crews suffer’
EU politicians should pay more heed to what is actually happening in its shipping sector. The crew change crisis and the refugees picked up Maersk Etienne which no country would accept are examples of this,...Read more
‘Booming offshore wind drags contractors through corona crisis’
Branching out into offshore wind has been the right decision for Dutch companies like Van Oord and Boskalis. SWZ|Maritime’s Editor-in-Chief Antoon Oosting points out they can now benefit from the increase in offshore wind projects...Read more
2000 redundancies at Maersk, curtain falls on Safmarine and Damco
Maersk is laying off no fewer than 2000 employees as a result of the large-scale reorganisation that started at the beginning of September. The end of Damco had been in sight for some time, but...Read more
‘Hard brexit is the end of Dutch fishing industry’
Dutch fishermen will be dealt a deathblow by a hard brexit. A hard brexit irrevocably leads to the end of the European fisheries policy. And it is Dutch fishermen in particular, who benefit from this...Read more
Intermarine CEO: I am optimistic that we’ll see things improve next year
SAL Heavy Lift this week announced it has bought a majority stake in Intermarine. When asked by SAL CEO Martin Harren, Svend Andersen decided to return from his retirement to lead the company. ‘It will...Read more
Charter rates continue upward trend
The charter rates for multipurpose vessels continue to crawl back up from the low levels of June and July this year. Toepfer’s Multipurpose Shipping Index for October shows an increase of 70 dollars to an...Read more
Growing number of billionaires keeps Heesen Yachts optimistic
Despite the difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Heesen Yachts is still functioning reasonably well. And although last year was better, the management of the Dutch superyacht builder expects to be able to conclude 2020...Read more