Bimco and ICC promoting e-BL 
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco) has partnered with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other stakeholders to develop a global electronic bill of lading model for vessels operating in tramp traffics. Bimco says that this initiative will be... plus
Measures against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
The Deep Blue project in Nigeria is shaping up well. On 10 June, the authorities announced a significant investment in its military and law enforcement infrastructure to protect its maritime dominance in the Gulf of Guinea. Managed by the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency... plus
Two reasons for capacity crunch
Copenhagen-based maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence has analysed the capacity shortages in maritime transport that are leading to record margins. As there is no global container shipping boom, the company attributes the current shortage of vessel capacity (and of empty... plus
Solidarity across the Indian Ocean
A week ago today, on 2 June 2021, Air Austral operated a special cargo flight from its hub on the French island of Reunion to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. On board its B777-300ER were 45 t of medical supplies, mainly 2,000 emergency shelter kits and 4,000 tarpaulins for the... plus
For "green terminals" on three continents
Bolloré Ports, a major operator of port terminals in Africa, Asia and the Americas, has introduced the "green terminal" certification process in order to reduce the company's carbon footprint by using a methodology that covers all environmental issues. A first in... plus
ICS welcomes zero-emissions project
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has welcomed the new 'zero-emissions shipping' project. Its objective is to ensure that at least 5% of the global merchant fleet operating in transoceanic traffic is propelled by fuels with zero emissions by 2030. This project is... plus
Rising global fleet faces staff shortfall
London-based maritime consultancy Drewry draws attention to a growing concern of the high sea shipping industry, according to the latest Manning Annual Review and Forecast report. Due to the diminishing attractiveness of a career at sea, coupled with rising man-berth ratios... plus
Nairobi number 1 of African cargo airports
In its "Air Transport Report 2020", the African Airlines Association (Afraa) also highlighted the evolution of the cargo business. The lockdowns and travel bans affected belly cargo volumes, which also declined because of disruptions in manufacturing and trade... plus
A silver lining for reliability at sea?
According to Sea-Intelligence, a maritime intelligence provider from Copenhagen (Denmark), the increase in global schedule reliability in March 2021 didn’t last. Reliability levelled out, with carriers recording a 1 percentage point decrease month-on-month in April, coming to... plus
Five UAL calls in Nigeria
Five vessels operated by Universal Africa Lines (UAL) will call at the Nigerian port of Onne this month. Three vessels will sail to Nigeria from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, and two from the Gulf of Mexico. UAL, an independent breakbulk niche carrier, says that it is... plus