World Maritime News
WMFN 14/05/2025
Container trade braced for negative growth if US-China trade war persists
Container trade growth for 2025 could fall into negative territory if the Sino-U.S. trade war drags on for more than a quarter, as Beijing signals a willingness to talk. In its latest market report, Clarksons pointed out that if the current high tariffs continue for around three more months before the two countries reach some kind of easing agreement, then the main flows of this vital transpacific trade will slide 10% over the whole year. The ensuing ripple effect, including a slowdown in global economic activity, “would see effectively zero growth in container trade this year,” the brokerage contended. “A more protracted trade war with escalation and retaliation could easily see a material contraction in full-year container trade,” Clarksons said.
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Cosco-controlled Piraeus Container Terminal to launch biofuel bunkering service
Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Ports, will provide biofuel bunkering services to meet customers’ increasing decarbonization requirements, the company said in a statement. The move aims to satisfy rising demand for greener needs from its customers, said PCT. The move comes as the FuelEU Maritime regulations came into force this year. At the same time, a new carbon price agreement was reached at the International Maritime Organization to facilitate the industry’s transition. Biofuels are considered one of the most readily available drop-in alternatives to traditional bunker fuel, although broad adoption still faces cost and supply hurdles.
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Enquiries for new boxships surge at HD KSOE as US port fees shift orders from China
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) said it received six times more enquiries for containerships in the first quarter than in the corresponding period last year, supported by the US Trade Representative’s plan to impose port fees on China-built vessels. “The ship type most affected by the USTR sanctions against Chinese shipbuilding dominance is boxships,” an HD KSOE official said. “As shipping companies have no choice but to avoid China-built ships, the regulations will positively affect South Korean shipyards. According to Clarksons’ data, South Korean yards won 36% of new containership orders by capacity for the first three months of 2025, up from 12% in the first quarter of 2024. China’s share dropped to 53% from 87%. The company pointed to increased labor efficiency among foreign workers regarding productivity growth. To further improve production efficiency, HD Hyundai is investing in shipyard automation. The initiative integrates digital technologies such as data analytics, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, automation and AI. The project aims to increase productivity by 30% and reduce shipbuilding time by 30% by 2030. Recently, HD KSOE and HD Hyundai Robotics signed an MOU to develop a humanoid robot capable of precision welding. HD Hyundai said: “The humanoid welding robots are expected to increase productivity and reduce the burden on workers and significantly improve safety at the shipyard.”
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Onboard carbon capture can enable long-term GHG intensity compliance, study shows
A new study has found that shipowners can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30% using onboard carbon capture and storage technology, potentially enabling compliance with the latest global fuel intensity regulation through 2040. The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation lifecycle assessment reveals that conventional monoethanolamine (MEA)-based OCCS systems can achieve a 29% reduction in well-to-wake emissions for vessels running on heavy fuel oil. When paired with biofuels, the emissions savings rise sharply, reaching 69% with bio-LNG and up to 121% with biodiesel from used cooking oil. The results show that OCCS could help shipowners slash their GHG Fuel Intensity — a key compliance metric under the new carbon price agreement reached at the International Maritime Organization last month.
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