1. Lloyd’s Register appoints new Strategic Business Partner and Senior Representative in Japan. This strategic move underscores LR’s commitment to strengthening its presence and expanding its influence within the Japanese maritime industry.
Lloyd’s Register has announced the appointment of Jim Smith as its new Strategic Business Partner and Senior Representative for LR in Japan.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/01/27/lloyds-register-appoints-new-strategic-business-partner-and-senior-representative-in-japan/
2. Houthis to halt attacks against most Red Sea shipping. Set to stop attacks on ships except for Israeli-owned or sailing under Israeli flag
Israeli ships remain banned from Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden
Normal traffic unlikely to resume in near term as ship operators stay cautious.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/01/27/houthis-to-halt-attacks-against-most-red-sea-shipping/
3. European Shipowners and the European Transport Workers Federation ETF launch European Maritime Skills Forum. This initiative aims to identify skills gap emerging from the digital and green transition and discuss the shortage of maritime professionals and limited mobility between land and on-board positions.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/01/27/european-shipowners-and-the-european-transport-workers-federation-etf-launch-european-maritime-skills-forum/
4. ICTSI Onne multipurpose terminal invests in new cranes, CFS. Onne Multipurpose Terminal , International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s operation in Nigeria, has purchased and put into operation two new mobile harbor cranes (MHC) and a container freight station . These investments underscore OMT’s commitment to improve terminal operations and at the same time support Nigeria’s trade and commerce.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/01/27/ictsi-onne-multipurpose-terminal-invests-in-new-cranes-cfs/
5. AD Ports Group signs MoU with the Egyptian Ministry of Industry & Transport to explore logistics infrastructure collaborations in Alexandria. AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics and industry, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Transport to explore joint development and operations an integrated logistics Park in Alexandria.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/01/27/ad-ports-group-signs-mou-with-the-egyptian-ministry-of-industry-transport-to-explore-logistics-infrastructure-collaborations-in-alexandria/
6. Lay-ups and scrapping mulled as LNG rates hit record lows. Spot rates for LNG carriers are now at all-time lows, although some analysts believe the shipping sector is close to bottoming out.
Citing an “overwhelming oversupply” of units competing for limited employment opportunities, Clarksons Research noted in its latest weekly report, published on Friday, that spot rates have fallen to new record lows.
https://splash247.com/lay-ups-and-scrapping-mulled-as-lng-rates-hit-record-lows/
7. China increasingly using dry bulk carriers to move project cargoes around the world. There has been a remarkable doubling of the amount of project cargoes leaving China on dry bulk carriers over the past year.Citing AIS satellite dry bulk carrier movement data from AXSMarine, Greece’s Ursa Shipbrokers has tallied that project cargo exports carried by dry bulk carriers from China to international destinations amounted to 3m tonnes in 2024, requiring the equivalent of 3.99m tonnes of vessel deadweight utilisation for transportation.
https://splash247.com/china-increasingly-using-dry-bulk-carriers-to-move-project-cargoes-around-the-world/
8. Sweden seizes ship suspected of being behind latest Baltic cable outage. The Swedish Prosecution Authority has seized a ship suspected of damaging un underwater fiber optic cable linking Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland yesterday, the latest in a series of undersea sabotage attacks plaguing the Baltic region.
The ship in question this time is the 32,200 dwt, Maltese-flagged bulker Vezhen, which was sailing from Russia. The vessel is owned by Navibulgar from Bulgaria.
https://splash247.com/sweden-seizes-tanker-suspected-of-being-behind-latest-baltic-cable-outage/
9. Indonesia, India Vow to Deepen And Increase Maritime Cooperation. Indonesia and India will step up their economic and defense cooperation as the South Asian nation seeks to position itself as a counterbalance to China in the region. The two nations decided to work jointly in the area of defense manufacturing and diversify their trade basket during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to New Delhi.
https://gcaptain.com/indonesia-india-vow-to-deepen-and-increase-maritime-cooperation/
10. North Korea Test-Fires Strategic Cruise Missiles, KCNA Says. North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles on Saturday the official Korean Central News Agency reported, marking a third launch this month as Donald Trump returned to power in the US. The sea-to-surface missiles hit targets after traveling 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) in just over 2 hours, KCNA says on Sunday, adding that the tests had no negative impact on the security of neighboring countries.
https://gcaptain.com/north-korea-test-fires-strategic-cruise-missiles-kcna-says/