A.P. Moller – Maersk announced on Friday, June 14, that it is under discussions with Russian icebreaker operator to transmit more goods through the Arctic shipping line, as the line becomes easier to access due to climate changes that result to reduction of sea ice, according to Reuters.
An explosion took place onboard a tanker’s engine room at the Port of Makhachkala, Russia, on June 11. The explosion occurred while oil products were being pumped at the port, while three people died, and three others were transferred to the hospital.
The Russian Ministry of Transport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with A.P. Moller – Maersk, launching TradeLens in Russia. The blockchain platform is expected to significantly facilitate international trade, not least by the inclusion of the Port of St. Petersburg, Russia’s main container gateway, as part of the pilot launch.
During the 2019 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Novatek, Sovcomflot, Cosco Shippinh Corporation Limited, and the Silk Road Fund Co., Ltd, signed a four-party agreement to establish a joint venture Maritime Arctic Transport LLC. The focus of the Maritime Arctic Transport joint venture is to manage an icebreaking tanker fleet of Arctic ice-class vessels.
The US Navy released two videos showing that while operating in the Philippine Sean a Russian destroyer (Udaloy I DD 572) made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), closing to ~50-100 feet. The incident took place at approximately 11:45 am on June 7, 2019.
Russia’s Novatek signed a series of partnership deals for the equipment supply and the development of Arctic projects. The company announced an agreement with Gazprom Neft to establish a joint venture, aiming to explore and develop Arctic hydrocarbon fields.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund, ROSATOM, Norilsk Nickel and DP World have agreed to jointly implement a project for the integrated development of the Northern Sea Route. The quadrilateral agreement of intent was signed on 6 June during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Maersk has announced the construction of its new cold store in St. Petersburg, highlighting Russia’s high demand. The facility will offer separate storage chambers for frozen produce (-25°C), chilled (+2/+8°C), as well as for bananas, which require a specific temperature of +13°C. The warehouse’s maximum storage capacity will be over 50 000 tons and the fully Maersk-operated warehouse will employ over 200 employees.
Global economic consultants of Centre for Economics and Business Research in the UK launched a study, according to which the global economic impact of the Belt and Road Initiative is most likely to boost world GDP by $7.1 trillion per annum by 2040.
ABB opened a Marine Service Center in Russia aiming to support the growing Arctic maritime industries. The newly inaugurated center aspires to support ABB’s ship power, propulsion and automation technologies and expand service capabilities for ice-going vessels. The new center occupies 2,000 m2 in a purpose-built facility with electrical and mechanical testing areas, and a workshop served by overhead gantry cranes.
