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WTO foresees sharp fall in global trade
Geneva, Switzerland – Global trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts normal economic activity and

Steel cutting for the world’s largest LNG RoRo ship
Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard located in Shandong Province in eastern China, has cut the first steel for a new LNG-powered roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel ordered by

Canadian container ports facing worst Covid-19 impact in May
By Leo Ryan, Editor While arguably fully operational amid the Covid-19 health crisis, Canada’s leading container ports are gearing up for big cargo declines in

Québec government takes over four former Transport Canada ports
Within the context of the federal government’s 2015 Ports Asset Transfer Program (PATP), the St. Lawrence River ports of Matane, Gros-Cacouna, Rimouski and Gaspé, formerly

EU shipping industry needs more EU support says ECSA Board
In their meeting on 2 April, ECSA’s Board of Directors thanked all maritime professionals across the whole shipping industry for their dedication and sacrifices made

NovaAlgoma Short Sea Carriers takes delivery of mini-bulker from Chinese shipyard
Lugano, Switzerland – NovaAlgoma Short Sea Carriers (NASC), a joint venture of Algoma Central Corporation and Nova Marine Holdings SA, today announced they have taken delivery of

BC marine industry salutes health care workers
Vancouver, BC – Ships all along the coast of British Columbia will sound their horns at 7 pm today in solidarity with the movement to

IMO urges keyworker exemptions for crew changes and repatriations
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has asked the United Nations system agencies to support IMO in its request to governments to declare seafarers, port personnel and

Federal Review Panel underlines environmental risks of Roberts Bank container terminal project
By Leo Ryan, Editor A federal Review Panel report assessing whether to allow the construction of a planned new container terminal at the Port of

MSC unveils new flexible cargo service to meet demand from Asia
Mediterranean Shipping Company’s new “Suspension of Transit” (SOT) programme is a flexible cargo service that will help to fulfil the imminent resumption of demand from
Our Forum

On our Forum: Don’t try to fix mechanical failures yourself…
When things break on board ships, the natural inclination of seafarers is to “work around” the problem, seek alternatives and use their training and initiative

On our Forum: Uncomfortable lessons from Hantavirus aboard the Hondius cruise ship
By Michael Grey* As this is being written, and if nothing more untoward occurs, the little expedition ship Hondius is due to arrive at Rotterdam

On our Forum: A fascinating human history of the boundless seas
By Michael Grey* “Hormuz commanded the traffic along the shores of the Indian Ocean, linking what are now Oman and Pakistan, as well as the

On our Forum: Seafarers not immune from the problems of ultra connectivity via social media
By Michael Grey* It was in the 1950s, during an earlier Middle East crisis, that the wife of a British Prime Minister complained that the

On our Forum: The strategic value of a good threat
By Michael Grey* You would like to hope that all sorts of useful lessons are being learned from the current conflict in the Middle East,

On our Forum: Assessing the risks of today’s “normal” productivity demands on ship captains…
By Michael Grey* There can be few who were even remotely surprised at the guilty verdict and six-year jail sentence for the master of the

On our Forum: Questions aplenty on a nuclear propulsion option for merchant shipping…
By Michael Grey* A nuclear reactor, I can recall my father, who was a naval engineer, explaining, was just “an advanced form of kettle” and

On our Forum: When the rules on ship seizures become redundant…
By Michael Grey* “Is it legal?” This was a question asked by a friend when we learned of the news that President Trump’s agile forces

On our Forum: Growing lawlessness at sea and tariff war darken new year outlook
By Michael Grey* There is not a great deal to cheer about as we stumble, haltingly, into the uncertainty of 2026. True, the major carriers

On our Forum: Reminiscing on past naval lives and a training ship
By Michael Grey* At a certain time in one’s life, you begin to appreciate a good obituary. Not necessarily of a life well lived, as

On our Forum: Candid thoughts on the COP30 climate change conference…
By Michael Grey* As tens of thousands of weary delegates stagger off their righteously offset intercontinental flights, leaving the inhabitants of Belem to clear up

On our Forum: Canada must control its destiny at sea as part of trade diversification
By John Gruetzner* Canada needs to act quickly to protect the viability of its commodity export industries. For the cost of one submarine, the Carney

On our Forum-Sounding the alarm: The critical risk of vessel fires
By Yoan Marier* A threat without clear answers The numbers speak for themselves. In the past decade, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)

On our Forum: The art of devolving responsibility
By Michael Grey* When something goes badly wrong, it is human nature to attempt to deflect the blame and to cite extenuating circumstances to explain

On our Forum: Thoughts on wartime wrecks, salvors and a cruise ship lasting nearly eight decades
By Michael Grey* It must be summer, when there is the annual alarm in the UK about the potential catastrophe from the detonation of 1400

On our forum: The real dangers of dozing in a ship wheelhouse
By Michael Grey* As a story in May in the general press, it all seemed a bit of a laugh. The deep-sleeping Norwegian in his

On our forum: The indispensable role of watchkeeping
By Michael Grey* “She’s not answering the helm!” It was a call to chill the heart of any watchkeeping officer, at least in the days

On our forum: Trump port fees even more detrimental than tariffs…
By Louis Martel* The United States has a long history of implementing protectionist trade policies, often realizing in hindsight that such measures ultimately hurt Americans.

On our forum: Regrettable inhospitable havens for seafarers
By Michael Grey* “Unfriendly natives” – it said, recalling a previous visit, but the Old Man, worrying about the reaction of the pilot, demanded that

On our forum: Human rights of seafarers need to be reinforced
By Michael Grey* Do seafarers have any human rights, in an era where worthy folk are always shouting about this supposed entitlement for those who

On our forum: The dangers for seafarers of unlashing containers
By Michael Grey* With everyone slowing down to save both the planet and fuel we should not be surprised that the expeditors among us are
