International Report – Pacific Maritime Magazine

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,”…

Billion-Dollar Chinese-Owned Seaport Opens in Lagos

In late January, Nigeria opened the new Lekki Deep Sea Port, a billion-dollar Chinese-built port in Lagos, which is expected to ease container traffic congestion and become an African hub for handling cargoes in transit to destinations around the world. The port is 75% owned by the China Harbour Engineering Co. and consumer goods company Tolaram Group. The remaining 25% is shared between the Lagos state government and the Nigerian Ports Authority. While addressing the media during the official commissioning of Lekki Port by Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari on Jan. 23, Du Ruogang, the managing director of port promoter Lekki…

Global Piracy Hits Lowest Level in Decades: IMB

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in mid-January called for efforts to be sustained worldwide as maritime piracy and armed robbery attacks reached their lowest recorded level in almost three decades. The ICC IMB’s annual report recorded 115 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2022—compared to 132 in 2021—with half of them occurring in Southeast Asian waters, particularly in the Singapore Straits, where incidents continue to rise. Perpetrators were successful in gaining access to vessels in 95% of the reported incidents broken down as 107 vessels boarded, two vessels hijacked, five attempted attacks and one vessel fired…

Container Vessel Catches Fire While Transiting Panama Canal

A containership transiting the Panama Canal in late January caught on fire, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed Jan. 30. The container vessel Cape Kortia, while moving toward the PSA port in the Pacific, reported a fire outbreak in the engine room, the Authority reported. “Due to this incident another vessel was affected,” the Authority said in a statement. “The Cape Kortia remained briefly on its way to the Pacific Access Channel until it (was) removed by the Panama Canal staff.” “These maneuvers occurred during its regular transit window and did not cause delays to vessels transiting the Panama Canal,” the…