Swedish shipping company Stena Line released its yearly overview for 2017, revealing a 15% decrease in its sulphur emissions, reduced plastic onboard and a decreased number of accidents among the seagoing staff, in line with its sustainability strategy initiated in 2016.
In an innovative study, scientists have combined a number of NASA satellite observations of Earth with data on human activities to map locations where freshwater is changing around the globe and to determine why. The study, published in the journal Nature, finds that Earth’s wet land areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier.
Increasing volumes and a growing population in the US compound the necessity for efficient port connections, the most efficient and speedy of which is rail. However, rail access projects continue to face barriers to completion, according to AAPA, which identifies more than $20 billion in rail access needs in the next decade.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued a report analyzing the market impacts from increased LNG trade and exports. The report says that LNG’s trade growth will continue, however this growth may put upward pressure on US natural gas prices. US LNG export plants in operation and under construction have a capacity of 10 Bcf/day.
IMO released a circular called: “Guidance on best practice for fuel oil purchasers/users for assuring the quality of fuel oil used on board ships.” This notice aims to help fuel oil purchasers/users ensure the quality of fuel oil delivered to, and used on board ships, with respect to the MARPOL requirements and the efficient operation of the ship.
The strong rate of trade expansion is likely to continue, while slowing slightly in the second quarter of 2018, according to the WTO’s latest World Trade Outlook Indicator released on 17 May. The latest results are in line with the WTO’s most recent trade forecast, which predicted a moderation of merchandise trade volume growth from 4.7% in 2017 to 4.4% in 2018.
According to a report by Coherent Market Insights, called: “Port Infrastructure Market – Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2016-2024”, port infrastructure market is projected to witness a major growth through the period 2017-2025. This growth will be caused by increasing sea trade.
The Sustainable Shipping Initiative released a report addressing possible affordable zero-emission fuels. The report examines electric power and hydrogen fuel cells, and takes note of the upstream CO2 emissions which need to be addressed as these fuels will have to be judged on an environmental performance from “well to wake.”
In its MarTID survey initiative, the World Maritime University deals with maritime training, and especially training simulators. According to the report, the majority uses e-learning as a training method, such as videos and simulators. Traditional classroom teaching, and simulation training are the most popular training tools for operators.
