World Maritime News
WMNF 2020/06/25
Maersk seeing better-than-expected Q2 volumes
Maersk expects container freight volumes to be down by 15%-18% during the second quarter after a 5% volume drop in the first quarter in 2020.That compares to an initial outlook of a 20%-25% declining the carrier gave on 13 May as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the global supply chain. CMA CGM also expected the volumes to be down around 15% in the second quarter early in this month. IHS Markit forecasted on 20 May a 10.1% year-over-year decline in the international trade volumes in 2020.
Read more: JOC | Lloyd’s List
Rising vessel call sizes put pressure on port productivity
The average capacity of container ships calling ports around the world, and the average amount of container exchanged per call continued to grow in almost all regions in 2019, are increasing pressure on global container terminal and port efficiency. The larger call sizes and resulting higher number of moves per crane per port call resulted in an overall negative trend of ships spending more time in port. Looking at trends in port hours within specified call size bands – i.e., for similar workloads – a slight negative trend of 0.3 hours increased in hours per port call was observed in 2019. The other, and probably more significant – negative impact of larger call sizes is felt in container terminal storage yards, as the larger batches of demand result in higher yard utilization levels that in extreme cases can also reduce operating efficiency.
Read more: JOC
Ports in Southeast Asia need U$ 13 billion to handle supply chain shift
Upgrading Southeast Asia’s container port capacity to a level able to support a much-mooted supply chain shift will require an estimated U$ 13 billion of investment. The impact of heath crisis has highlighted once more China’s integral and central role in the global supply chain, prompting companies across the world to seek alternative sourcing for manufacturing needs and reduce and reduce Chines dependency. Drewry said that even before the pandemic, China-centric procurement models were already out of favor due to both rising costs and the fallout of the US-China trade war.
Read more: JOC | Lloyd’s List
CEVA Logistics agrees deal to expand in Africa
CEVA Logistics is expanding its operations into Africa with the acquisition of a majority stake in AMI Worldwide, a third-party logistics provider. The deal, announced on 15 May and effective from 1 July, gives the Switzerland-based company a presence in 41 countries on the continent and 1.000 AMI employees. CEVA will also integrate three CMA CGM Inland Services facilities in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.
Read more: Ceba logistics | Lloyd’s List
DP World to introduce autonomous vehicles at Jebel Ali Port
DP World has teamed up with Dubai-based autonomous vehicle, robotics and AI specialist DGWorld to equip Jebel Ali Port with a fleet of autonomous internal terminal vehicles. DGWorld will deliver and integrate its autonomous technology for the existing internal terminal vehicle fleet in multiple phases, increasing overall efficiency of the terminal and reducing the size of the current fleet. DP World said it employs the latest frontline technologies such as robotics, automation, Internet of Things, Big Data, virtual reality and cybersecurity to build and sustain its efficiencies.
Read more: Lloyd’s List | DGWORLD
MOL and NYK to test autonomous vessels
Supported by The Nippon Foundation in line with the project “MEGURI 2040” which supports the development of autonomous vessels, MOL and NYK are to test unmanned ships. With subsidies Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding and Furuno Electric and MOL plans to conduct demonstration voyages of their autonomous sailing operation system, from unberthing to berthing. Tests will start in 2020. NYK, along with 21 other Japanese firms, has joined the “Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ship Project”. It expected 50% of the ships serving Japan’s coastal routes to be crewless and autonomous by 2040. In 2019, NYK successfully completed an autonomous voyage in Asian waters, sailing a car and truck carrier autonomously using navigation software between China and Japan.
Read more: The Nippon Foundation | MOL | Lloyd’s List1 | Lloyd’s List2 | Safety at Sea
Ransomware attacks on the rise
Ransomware attacks on shipping companies have risen in the past year, according to security sources who say the industry has struggled keep up with the threat. Vard, the Norwegian shipbuilder, was targeted this month during which servers inside the company were disabled. Fincantieri – Vard’s Italian parent company – has confirmed the incident but it has not disclosed the extent of the damage, what caused the attack nor what it cost. A maritime security adviser at Danish cybersecurity firm said that many companies failed to simple steps such as changing passwords and patching systems.
Read more: Lloyd’s List
BPA issued ‘Managing Ports’ Cyber Risks’
British Ports Association (BPA) teams up with ASTARA to highlight growing cyber risk management and recovery plans for ports. A white paper ‘Managing Ports’ Cyber Risks’ was launched on 19 June as part of The Port Futures thought leadership program. The paper looks at the ever more complicated business environment a of a port, with increasing regulation and risk.
Read more: BPA
