1. UN reviews regulation as seafarers revealed to work 74% above global average. Following exhaustive research showing how jobs onboard are still too 24/7, the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) will look to tighten up the language surrounding work/rest regulations at sea at a Special Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), scheduled to be held in Geneva in April.
https://splash247.com/un-reviews-regulation-as-seafarers-revealed-to-work-74-above-global-average/
2. Trump administration ups sanctions against Iranian shipping. Donald Trump has wasted little time in carrying out his vow to up pressure against Iran with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday slapping sanctions on more than a dozen people and firms that are accused of facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China.
https://splash247.com/trump-administration-ups-sanctions-against-iranian-shipping/
3. Federal Maritime Commission okays Premier Alliance agreement. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the US has given its blessing to the formation of the Asian liner grouping, the Premier Alliance.
Alliance partners HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming were left stunned when in early November the FMC demanded more information about the new alliance, hobbling its February 1 official launch.
https://splash247.com/federal-maritime-commission-okays-premier-alliance-agreement/
4. CMA CGM and AD Ports establish Congo terminal venture. French liner giant CMA CGM has reached an agreement with AD Ports Group to jointly develop, manage and operate the new multipurpose terminal at the Port of Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo.
https://splash247.com/cma-cgm-and-ad-ports-establish-congo-terminal-venture/
5. Chevron Says Fading US Crude Growth Casts Pall On Port Projects. Slowing US oil-production growth is casting a pall over projects intended to expand crude shipments to overseas markets, according to Chevron Corp. New terminal construction, a sure bet in the pre-Covid 19 era, is now plagued with uncertainty after exports of US crude in 2024 expanded at the slowest outside the pandemic years.
https://gcaptain.com/chevron-says-fading-us-crude-growth-casts-pall-on-port-projects/
6. Russia’s Rostelecom Says Baltic Sea Cable Damaged. Russian underwater cable in the Baltic Sea has been damaged by an unspecified external impact, Tass reported on Saturday, citing the telecommunications provider PJSC Rostelecom.
https://gcaptain.com/russias-rostelecom-says-baltic-sea-cable-damaged/
7. First LNG Carrier in Five Months Passes through Bab-el-Mandeb Strait as Houthi Threat Eases. Liquid natural gas producers have been avoiding the Red Sea for much of 2024 amid continuous attacks by Houthi militants. This may now be changing as the first LNG carrier in five months has passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb chokepoint at the southern terminus of the Red Sea.
https://gcaptain.com/first-lng-carrier-in-five-months-passes-through-bab-el-mandeb-strait-as-houthi-threat-eases/
8. Dozens Fall Sick Aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship. About 90 passengers and crew on a Royal Caribbean RCL.N cruise in the Gulf of Mexico have fallen sick with a gastrointestinal illness causing diarrhea and vomiting, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://gcaptain.com/dozens-fall-sick-aboard-royal-caribbean-cruise-ship/
9. Shipping organisations increasingly concerned about seafarer safety. The chairpersons of the world’s biggest shipping industry organisations gathered yesterday in Athens to discuss topics including greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and the impact of geopolitics on shipping. By far the most important topic on the agenda was how the industry, and the international community, can help limit and put an end to a rise in unjust treatment and criminalisation of its seafarers.
https://shipmanagementinternational.com/shipping-organisations-increasingly-concerned-about-seafarer-safety/
10. Inmarsat Maritime signs expanded agreement With Maersk to enhance global fleet connectivity. A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) and Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, have signed an agreement to upgrade Inmarsat satellite communications services across Maersk’s global fleet of approximately 340 container ships. The agreement will see bandwidth enhancements rolled out across Maersk’s entire fleet of owned container ships between 2025 and 2026.
https://shipmanagementinternational.com/inmarsat-maritime-signs-expanded-agreement-with-maersk-to-enhance-global-fleet-connectivity/