Starting today, Splash will be bringing readers a weekly wrap to digest the important shipping news of the past few days. This complements Daily Splash, our free newsletter published Monday through Friday, as well as Splash Extra, our monthly digest.
Conflict with Iran dominated the headlines in the earlier part of the week, with extreme GPS spoofing reported in the Gulf, and rates for tankers and gas carriers soaring. The US managed to broker a peace between Israel and Iran, which has seen tanker fortunes subsequently plummet.
In terms of casualties, the week’s biggest news item was the sinking of the Morning Midas car carrier in international waters in the North Pacific, following a fire that broke out onboard three weeks prior.
My Harassment-Free Ship marked the campaigning theme of Wednesday’s United Nations-backed International Day of the Seafarer, with a call to eliminate bullying and harassment in the maritime industry. The International Maritime Organisation launched an interactive world map, which highlights reporting channels, national policies, and support systems by flag state.
Thursday saw something that happens rarely in world shipping – a global piece of legislation coming into force that will affect the whole industry. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships kicked off, with the majority of demo yards in Bangladesh and Pakistan – two vital recycling destinations – still not compliant with the international regulation. The Hong Kong Convention, first adopted back in May 2009, addresses key environmental, occupational health, and safety risks involved in the recycling of ships.
Also on Thursday, environment ministers from 15 European countries agreed to enforce a ban on discharges from open-loop scrubbers in internal waters and port areas throughout the northeast Atlantic by July 2027. A closed-loop discharge ban has been scheduled for no later than January 2029.
Finally, in a recurring trend seen in East Asia, Japan’s largest shipyard, Imabari, took over its nearest local rival, Japan Marine United, with Splash Extra’s lead this month focusing on Tokyo’s bid to resurrect its shipyard scene.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
