Since last month, there has been more discussion on the impact shipping fuel oil has on the environment and the necessary regulations that need to be implemented for the maritime industry to do its bit. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) met for the 72nd session two weeks ago to discuss the climate change strategy for shipping. Read More...

With the sulphur cap date fast approaching, and amid the on-going debate on suitable technology and appropriate system, it appears that less than 1% of the global merchant fleet is currently equipped to handle the upcoming emission regulation.​ During the recent Asia Pacific Maritime event in Singapore, Read More...

The biofuels debate continues to be a hot issue and the movement of it has, and always will be driven by politics. Last month saw the European Parliament announced its decision to phase-out the use of palm oil in biofuel by 2021 dropping the permitted level of crop-based biofuels that can be used to the member states’ 2017 consumption levels, Read More...

2017 was the year that saw Traders, Shipowners, Charterers and Shipbrokers in an increasingly competitive market, where supply outweighed demand and geo-political uncertainty, coupled with other uncertainties left the market feeling less than optimistic at the turn of the year.​ Read More...

These are interesting times for the recycling industry as we turn the final corner towards the end of the year. Market sentiment in the ships demolition segment remains a big unknown, as the lack of tonnage is coupled with a general apathy from cash buyers. But while uncertainty remains, rising freight rates reveal interesting insights. Read More...

The market was left very quiet in Europe at the beginning of October as almost 3,000 chemical market players attended the 51st EPCA in Berlin. Current tepid market conditions did not dampen the mood at the conference, which was remarkably upbeat considering. Read More...

Next month, chemical activity in and out of China is going to take a hit. The first week the country will be celebrating Golden Week, then from 11 – 28 October, amid the 19th National Party Congress, the government has imposed a short-term restriction on the loading, discharging or transiting hazardous cargoes in the Yangtze River ports. Read More...

The USA and UN has added N. Korea to its list of countries it has sanctions imposed against as tensions over N. Korea’s nuclear program rise. China is supporting the global pressure on N. Korea and has also implemented the UN’s new package of sanctions against the country, but pressure is rising from the Trump administration for China to do more, Read More...

Here in the UK, Brexit has become a daily diet, preoccupying the headlines, public opinion and business decisions, as everyone tries to understand the implications, both personally and economically. Read More...

Global petrochemical volume movements have been increasing but if you speak to many in the industry they’d describe the market as “quiet” and feel that the market has softened over the last couple of years. Read More...