Review of Maritime Transport 2011 - UNCTAD

Posted - November 22, 2012 - UNCTAD

Highlights

More than 80 per cent of international trade in goods is carried by sea, and an even higher percentage of developing-country trade is carried in ships.
The Review of Maritime Transport, an annual publication prepared by the Division on Technology and Logistics of the UNCTAD secretariat, is an important source of information on this vital sector. It closely monitors developments affecting world seaborne trade, freight rates, ports, surface transport and logistics services, as well as trends in ship ownership and control and fleet age, tonnage supply and productivity.
The Review contains a chapter on legal and regulatory developments and each year includes a special chapter analyzing a selected topic in depth. In 2011, the focus is on the participation of developing countries in different maritime businesses.
Key developments reported in this year´s Review include the following:

• After contracting in 2009, international shipping experienced an upswing in demand in 2010, and recorded a positive turnaround in volumes, especially in the dry bulk and container trade segments. Total seaborne trade reached an estimated 8.4 billion tons in 2010.
  
• The year 2010 saw record deliveries of new tonnage, 28 per cent higher than in 2009, resulting in an 8.6 per cent growth in the world merchant fleet. The fleet reached almost 1.4 billion deadweight tons (dwt) in January 2011, an increase of 120 million dwt over 2010. New deliveries stood at 150 million dwt, against demolitions and other withdrawals from the market of approximately 30 million dwt.
  
• The price of new-buildings was lower for all vessels types in 2010, reflecting market views that in the short term, the capacity of the world fleet is sufficient to meet world trade.
  
• World container port throughput increased by an estimated 13.2 per cent to 517 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in 2010, after stumbling briefly in 2009. The UNCTAD Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) reveals that China maintains its lead as the single most connected country. It is followed by Hong Kong (China), Singapore and Germany. In 2011, 91 countries increased their LSCI ranking over 2010, 6 saw no change, and 65 recorded a decrease.
  
• In 2010, the rail freight sector grew by 7.2 per cent to reach 9,843 billion freight ton kilometers (FTKs) The road freight sector grew by 7.8 per cent in 2010 over the previous year, with volumes reaching 9,721 billion FTKs.

Complete Post at:
http://unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=15876&intItemID=2068&lang=1

IMO piracy and emission focus - Maritime Journal

Posted November 22, 2011 - Maritime Journal

IMO secretary general, Efthimios E.Mitropoulos told delegates at the 27th IMO assembly this week that piracy and ships emissions have been central themes of the organisation’s work this year.

In his opening address to the assembly, Mr Mitropoulos, said that the escalation of piracy had prompted IMO to make combating it an important issue this year.
An action plan devised in collaboration with the shipping industry and seafarer organizations is being implemented. Although the number of successful pirate attacks has dropped to less than 20% this year, as of last week 15 ships were still being held in Somalia – an indication that the situation is still serious.
 
Complete Post at:
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/imo-piracy-and-emission-focus

Shipping prepares for climate change talks - Maritime Journal

 Posted - 17 Nov 2011 - Maritime Journal

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents all sectors and trades of the global shipping industry, has produced a briefing document for government climate change negotiators.

It appears in advance of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 17), which commences in Durban at the end of this month. The document entitled ‘Shipping, World Trade and the Reduction of CO2 Emissions’ is being distributed via ICS member national shipowners’ associations and can be downloaded at: www.icsshipping.org/CO2lowres.pdf
ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe said “The international shipping industry is firmly committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by twenty per cent by 2020, with significant further reductions thereafter. However, the Durban Climate Change Conference needs to give the International Maritime Organization a clear mandate to continue its vital work to help us deliver further emission reductions through the development of Market Based Measures.”
The shipping industry hopes that governments at COP 17 will respond positively to the significant IMO agreement, in July 2011, to adopt a package of technical measures to reduce shipping's CO2 emissions, which by 2030 should reduce ships’ emissions by 25 to 30% compared to ‘business as usual’. This is the first ever international agreement containing binding and mandatory measures to reduce CO2 emissions that has so far been agreed for an entire industrial sector.
Most importantly, and without prejudice to what governments might agree at UNFCCC, the shipping industry believes that IMO is now very well placed to continue the real progress it is making on Market Based Measures to help deliver further emissions reductions. This includes a possible shipping industry environmental compensation fund, with possible linkages to any ‘Green Fund’ agreed by UNFCCC. This could address the Kyoto Protocol principle of ‘Common But Differentiated Responsibility’ (CBDR) by directing the lion’s share of any funds raised from international shipping to environment related projects in developing countries, including climate change mitigation and adaptation.

 Posted at:
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/shipping-prepares-for-climate-change-talks

Marine CSR in focus - Cruse and Ferry (dot) net

 Posted - 17 November 2011 -Michele Witthaus - Cruse and Ferry (dot) net

 InterManager Secretary General, Captain Kuba Szymanski, has called for a new approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) with seafarers at its center.

Speaking at the 2011 InterManager Annual General Meeting in Manila, Philippines this week, Szymanski said that crew concerns should be embraced when implementing a CSR programme. “I am all in favor of protecting wildlife and the environment but I want to make sure that it is achievable and manageable,” he said. “I am a great believer in empowering ships’ crew and Masters to make sensible and correct operational decisions onboard without fear of unfair criminalization.”
Calling on industry bodies to “educate, not regulate”, Szymanski promised that InterManager members would work to self-regulate in order to minimize the need for mandatory regulation.
InterManager members already sign up to a Code of Conduct and participate in discussions about industry-wide initiatives such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and corporate social responsibility. Szymanski told the meeting: “In my opinion, CSR goes hand in hand with the KPI project.”

Post at:
http://www.cruiseandferry.net/article/News/0088/Marine%20CSR%20in%20focus

Norden calls for more realistic emissions regulations - IFW

Posted - Wed, 16 Nov 2011 - IFW

Norden president and CEO urges innovations to reduce emissions
Norden president and chief executive Carsten Mortensen has added to the argument for more realistic and practical emissions regulations, stating that as it becomes increasingly difficult for owners to juggle the challenges of meeting environmental expectations there are key issues that need to be addressed.

The major Danish shipowner, which operated an active fleet of 216 vessels during the third quarter and managed to post a $58m net profit for the first nine months of the year, will be directly affected by both CO2, SOx and NOx emissions regulations being implemented by the International Maritime Organization.
“I think one should continue to find innovations that can reduce emissions but one should be realistic,” Mortensen said.
This was particularly true of SOx and NOx particulate matter regulations, as it was “becoming more and more challenging to be a shipowner now that you have to have more and more grades of different fuels on board your ships”.
Like many others, he has major concerns over the implementation of sulphur emissions control areas, where ships can at present only burn fuel with 1% sulphur content, a level which is set to reduce to 0.1% in 2015.
Although his company conducted little business in the Baltic Sea — an example of one SECA — it would affect Norden’s operations in northern Europe. 
 
Complete Post at:
http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/norden-calls-for-more-realistic-emissions-regulations/20017918987.htm

Global shipping emissions falling 13% - MB.com.ph

Posted - November 16, 2011 -By MICHELLE WIESE BOCKMANN (Bloomberg) - MB.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The global shipping fleet will cut fuel use to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average 13 percent in 2020, saving around $50 billion in costs, according to an International Maritime Organization study.
New energy-efficiency rules for ships, to come into effect in January 2013, were passed by the United Nation’s shipping agency in July. They aim to lower emission by as much as 20 percent for new ships by 2020 and 30 percent five years later. Existing ships need to have plans showing how they will cut fuel use with no targets set.
The rules will lower carbon emissions from shipping by 152 million metric tons to 951 million tons by 2020, a study commissioned by the IMO to assess the impact of regulations found. Energy-efficient designs for new ships, as well as sailing at lower speeds or making technical upgrades to existing vessels would curb emissions, according to the study.
Shipping won’t be able to reduce emissions below levels measured in 2010 over time because growth in world trade outweighs the cuts expected to be achieved, the study found.
International shipping accounted for 870 million tons or 2.7 percent of global output in 2007 and is the most efficient form of mass transport, according to a 2009 IMO study.
Curbs will apply to bulk carriers that haul minerals and grains, crude and product tankers, container ships that transport manufactured goods in boxes, refrigerated and general cargo ships, gas carriers, and combination carriers.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/341503/global-shipping-emissions-falling-13

Study Shows Significant Reductions in CO2 Emissions from Ships from IMO Measures - Maritime Executive

Posted November 15, 2011 - Maritime Executive

An IMO-commissioned study into the impact of mandatory energy efficiency measures for international shipping shows that implementation of the measures will lead to significant reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, specifically reductions of carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting from enhanced fuel efficiency.
The study found that, by 2020, an average of 151.5 million tonnes of annual CO2 reductions are estimated from the introduction of the measures, a figure that by 2030, will increase to an average of 330 million tonnes annually. CO2 reduction measures will result in a significant reduction in fuel consumption, leading to a significant saving in fuel costs to the shipping industry
The study, Assessment of IMO mandated energy efficiency measures for international shipping*, was launched on Monday (14 November) ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December, 2011. 
IMO will report to that Conference on the breakthrough adoption, in July 2011 at IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), of mandatory technical and operational measures to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping. Amendments to the International Convention
on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Annex VI Regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships, add a new chapter on Regulations on energy efficiency for ships. The regulations will apply to all ships of 400 gross tonnage and above and are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2013.

 Complete Story at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/study-shows-significant-reductions-in-co2-emissions-from-ships-from-imo-measures