Growing safety concerns around the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur cap on marine fuels has led to talk of a period of “permitted noncompliance” following the 1 January implementation.
In addition, Indonesia has announced that, because of the threat of an increase in prices for consumer goods, it will continue to allow its flag-state vessels to burn 3.5% sulphur content fuel within its coastal waters after 1 January, and until the cost and availability of compliant fuel improves.
Source: The Loadstar
Customs and Border Protection will launch a new Section 321 Data Pilot on Aug. 22 aimed at increasing data collection on e-commerce shipments for security purposes. The pilot is voluntary for shippers and carriers shipping packages via air, rail or truck and allows CBP to collect additional origin, content, tracking and recipient information on cross-border shipments with import values less than $800. The pilot will not cover packages carried via the postal service or ocean freight, or that are destined for a foreign trade zone.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
Long Beach placed the blame for this import decline squarely on the shoulders of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China and the tariffs imposed as a result.
"The story we saw develop in 2018 was retailers forwarding goods to beat tariffs," Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said in a statement. "For 2019, it seems that the cargo is all here and warehouses are filled. That’s disrupting container movement and the growth we would normally see this time of year."
Source: Supply Chain Dive
While the Saint Lawrence Seaway between Montreal and the Great Lakes carries minimal container traffic, evolving developments in the world economy and in container transportation offers a possibility of increasing container traffic along the Seaway.
Source: The Maritime Executive
Are autonomous tugs feasible? A good question, but let us first make clear what autonomous vessels are, because the term autonomous is not always used in a correct way.
The following definition is being used: An autonomous ship is a marine vessel with sensors, automated navigation, propulsion and auxiliary systems, with the necessary decision logic to follow mission plans, sense the environment, adjust mission execution according to the environment and potentially operate without human intervention.
Source: The Maritime Executive
Maersk has responded to a call by forwarders to share efforts to standardise digitisation through its TradeLens platform, saying it is “cultivating diverse membership” and welcomes all-comers.
This month, former DSV executive Steve Walker warned that the forwarding industry was at risk of losing out as shipping lines look to take control of data.
Source: The Loadstar
Indonesia would not switch to low-sulphur fuel from January 1, 2020, due to abundant supplies of 3.5% sulphur content fuel, Reuters said citing the country’s transport ministry.
Namely, the authorities plan to allow Indonesia-flagged ships to continue burning marine fuels with a maximum 3.5% sulphur content in its territorial waters past 2020 without having to use scrubbers.
Source: World Maritime News
Singapore's Jurong Port has officially opened a new 252,000 cubic meter storage facility for clean petroleum products including low sulfur fuel.
The new $140 million liquid bulk terminal is located on 16 hectares of existing land in Jurong Port, with a total capacity of 480,000 cubic meters. It will be supported by four jetties with draft of up to 17.6 meters capable of handling vessels up to 180,000dwt.
Source: The Maritime Executive
