Government Update News


U.S. & China: U.S. Must Invest in Maritime to Avoid “Sea Strangulation”

Nov 19, 2015

A new study examines the steady decline of the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet, which today numbers less than 100 vessels in international trade, and warns that U.S. global competitiveness and maritime security -- particularly in light of a fast…

Cosco, China Shipping Mega Merger Deal May Get Green Signal Soon

Nov 18, 2015

The merger deal of China’s two shipping gianst China Ocean Shipping Co., or Cosco, and China Shipping Group that could create the world’s fourth largest container operator is expected to get approval by Chinese government by January, reports WSJ…

India to Do Away with Obsolete Shipping Rules

Nov 18, 2015

India's Ministry of Shipping has decided to rescind thirteen rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (as amended), having found them to be obsolete and unnecessary. This in turn will declutter the legislative framework governing merchant…

Celata Heads BOEM's Gulf of Mexico Office

Nov 18, 2015

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper today announced Mike Celata as the Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region. Celata, who starts his position immediately, has been with BOEM and its predecessors since 1988…

Draft Law on Arctic Development

Nov 17, 2015

The draft law on the development of the Arctic region will be discussed at a joint meeting of the Presidium of the Advisory Council on the Arctic and Antarctic in the Federation Council and the State Commission on the Development of the Arctic November 20…

Two Product Tankers Collide in the Arctic

Nov 15, 2015

Two Product tankers, Svyatoy Petr and Svyatoy Pavel collided during a passage of Northern Sea Route in convoy with nuclear icebreaker Vaygach.  The collision happened on 70 nautical miles SouthWest off New Siberian islands in Laptev sea…

India, Bangladesh Pact for Coastal Shipping

Nov 15, 2015

India and Bangladesh have signed the standard operating procedure (SOP) to launch the ‘Agreement on Coastal Shipping’, which is expected bring down the logistic costs of export-import cargo between the two countries. The two sides have…

Jamaican Elected to WMU Board

Nov 13, 2015

Maritime Authority of Jamaica’s (MAJ) Director General Rear Admiral Peter Brady has been elected as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden.  The appointment has been welcomed by…

Information on USCG BWM Regulation

Nov 12, 2015

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has issued the rule with regard to obligation of installation of ballast water management system for the vessels engaged in U.S. waters. The rule is entitled as 'Standards for Living Organisms in Ship's Ballast Water Discharged in U…

Another Hurdle for Iran Oil Tankers Comeback

Nov 12, 2015

Iran's oil tanker fleet is expected to face more hurdles before many of the vessels can start trading again due to insurance hiccups and tougher requirements over sea worthiness by potential foreign clients, despite easing of sanctions, reports Reuters…

Iran Belgium Hold Talks to Build FLNG Unit

Nov 12, 2015

Minister of Petroleum, Bijan Zangeneh said that Iran and Belgium are in talks for possible floating production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) FLNG Unit off the Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.  The issue was brought up during Zangeneh’s talks with Belgian Secretary of State for Foreign Trade…

Seamen’s Unity Day Celebrated

Nov 10, 2015

The Indian seafarers celebrate 6th November as the Seamen’s Unity Day.  The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) commemorated the occasion as is done annually on the 6th of November, which is also a paid holiday for seafarers working on Indian and foreign flag ships…

Hanjin-Hyundai: No Merger or Only Restructuring?

Nov 10, 2015

South Korea’s government is discussing whether to merge or sell  Hanjin Shipping and Hyundai Merchant Marine in an attempt at state-led industrial restructuring.  But the two lines in question belong to different container alliances, are…

Shippers call for EU to Stop Over Regulation

Nov 10, 2015

The UK’s £10bn shipping industry has called the push toward closer union in Europe “distracting” and told the European Commission (EC) to stop interfering with the sector’s globally produced regulations. This is the gist of study on the…

Next Steps for IMO/Norad Project

Nov 09, 2015

Senior officials from the six southeast Asia countries benefiting from an IMO-Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency (Norad) marine environment project are meeting for a second meeting in Bangkok, November 9-10, to review progress and discuss the next steps…

Current News

Contship Introduces First Electric Port Tractor into Operations

ABS, HD KSOE Collaborate for Digital Shipbuilding, Vessel Intelligence

UTC Overseas, Transoceanic Launch US Gulf Coast Logistics Joint Venture

US Container Imports Fall 3.2% in April, Descartes Reports

Subscribe for Maritime Logistics Professional E‑News