International Report – Pacific Maritime Magazine

5 Detained by U.S. Navy After Failed Attempt to Capture Merchant Ship in Persian Gulf

Five people accused of attempting to hijack a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden were taken in U.S. Navy custody following the failed attempt, according to U.S. Central Command, which covers the area of the globe between the European, Africa and Indo-Pacific commands. On Nov. 26, the USS Mason, with allied ships from a U.S. coalition counter-piracy task force and associated aircraft responded to a distress call from the m/v Central Park, a commercial vessel, stating that it was under attack by an unknown entity, according to CENTCOM. “Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five…

U.S., Pacific Islands Look to Enhance Maritime Partnerships

At a U.S.-Pacific Islands forum summit meeting at the White House on Sept. 25, President Biden renewed America’s commitment to enhancing the nation’s partnership with the Pacific Islands and their respective governments. President Biden announced a new slate of activities in conjunction with the event. Among those tied to the maritime industry are: Expanding the United States Coast Guard Presence in the Pacific: The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane is scheduled to arrive in region in late 2023 as the first ever USCG Indo-Pacific support vessel dedicated to collaborating with Indo-Pacific partners. By the end of 2023, USCG assets…

Panama Canal Adjusts Transit Numbers, Surcharge Amid Drought Conditions

The Panama Canal recently made a handful of changes to its operations, all of which were spurred by an ongoing drought that has hampered the flow of vessel traffic through the waterway. As of Nov. 1, the average number of transits through the Panama Canal is 31 transits per day: nine through the Neopanamax locks and 22 through the Panamax locks. The number is a slight decrease from the 32 daily transits previously allowed. The change was announced by the Panama Canal Authority in late September. Additionally, as of Oct. 1, modifications to the Canal’s Fresh Water Surcharge (FWS) took…

IMB Raises Concern About Resurgent Maritime Piracy in Gulf of Guinea

The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in July raised concerns about the resurgence of reported piracy incidents in Gulf of Guinea waters and an increase in incidents in the Singapore Straits. In its mid-year report for 2023, the IMB said that 65 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded in the first half of 2023, an increase from 58 incidents during the same period in 2022. Of the 65 reported incidents, 57 vessels were boarded, four had attempted attacks, two were hijacked and two were fired upon. Perpetrators successfully boarded 90% of targeted vessels.…

Conglomerate Hanwha Completes Purchase of Daewoo Shipbuilding

South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group in late May announced the launch of its latest affiliate, Hanwha Ocean, as it looks to expand its footprint in global marine energy solutions and shipbuilding. The announcement followed Hanwha’s acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to strengthen its position as an energy solutions provider. At a May 23 meeting, shareholders approved relaunching the shipbuilder under the new name Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. The company also appointed Hyek Woong Kwon as CEO alongside nine new board members. Five affiliates of Hanwha Group— Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Impact Partners, and two subsidiaries of Hanwha…

International Day for Women in Maritime Focuses on Mobilizing for Gender Equality

The second International Day for Women in Maritime, which took place May 18, highlighted the importance of collaboration and networking in achieving gender equality in the maritime sector. The International Maritime Organization marked this year’s occasion with a two-day conference at IMO Headquarters in London, as well as a social media campaign. “Women are working in all facets of the maritime sector across the globe, on shore and at sea to support the transition to a decarbonized, digitalized and more sustainable future for the industry,” IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said in a statement. “There is still a significant gender imbalance…

IMB Records Lowest Level of Q1 Piracy Since 1993

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has recorded the lowest level of reported global piracy and armed robbery incidents since 1993, but has called for continued vigilance and naval response in its first quarter piracy and armed robbery report for 2023. The report, which was released in April, revealed 27 incidents were reported in the first quarter of the year, representing a marked decline from 37 incidents for the same period in 2022. Of the 27 incidents, perpetrators boarded the victims’ vessels in 24 cases, two vessels reported attempted incidents and one vessel was hijacked. Despite the drop in numbers,…

TT Club Appoints Two to Senior Positions

In mid-March, London-based International freight and logistics insurer TT Club announced two new appointments to senior positions within the company. Kevin King has been promoted to deputy chief executive officer and Mark Argentieri to chief operating officer (COO) in place of King. The company said that King and Argentieri have both been working closely with TT’s CEO, Charles Fenton, in recent years in order to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities, as Fenton plans to step down from the CEO role at the end of 2023. Beyond then however, Fenton is expected to remain close to the business, after having…

MSC Teams with GCMD to Accelerate Decarbonize Efforts

In mid-March, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) and the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) announced the signing of a five-year partnership agreement under which the two parties are combining forces on decarbonization efforts. The non-profit GCMD, which is among the world’s largest bunkering hubs and the second largest container port, aims to help the industry eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by shaping standards for future fuels, financing first-of-a-kind projects, and piloting low-carbon solutions in an end-to-end manner under real-world operations conditions. Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC has 730 vessels and one of the maritime industry’s largest newbuilding orderbook of energy-efficient container ships.…

Maersk, Shanghai International Port Group Sign ‘Green’ Fuel Partnership

A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) announced in late March that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) on strategic cooperation for a Shanghai port methanol marine fuel project. The two parties said they’re joining together to explore green methanol fuel vessel-to-vessel bunkering operation after delivery of over a dozen Maersk green methanol container vessels in 2024. “Maersk has set a net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business, and the delivery and operation of its 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol will accelerate the evolution of climate neutral shipping,”…