Former ECSA President Hans Jakob 'Jack' Kruse passed away

Hans Jakob Kruse, one of the icons of the container shipping industry, passed away earlier this week at the age of 84. Mr Kruse, popularly known in the sector as 'Jack', began his career with Hapag Lloyd in 1964. In 1973 he became Chairman of the Board of Germany's largest...

Arctic shipping: future prospects depend on regulation and economics

The ambition to develop an Arctic 'silk route' to connect European or North American ports with Asia is by no means a novelty. Changing climate conditions have reduced the number of months in a year during which the Arctic is covered by stable ice and have thus revived the centuries-old...

Shipowners look to IMO for next steps on CO2 file

Members of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee agreed yesterday on a compromise position on the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions from maritime transport, which lays the foundation for a global measure to reduce CO2 emissions from international shipping.

Shipping being a truly...

Increasing the attractiveness of maritime careers in Europe

In the last decade the shipping industry has on several occasions warned against an impending shortage of qualified labour on board EU-flagged ships. The relative attractiveness of the seafaring profession has steadily decreased over the years, partly due to the specificities of the profession itself (such as long periods of...

Bullying & harassment: the journey is not yet over

Far from being specific to the shipping sector, bullying and harassment are phenomena, the consequences of which can be exacerbated due to the very nature of the seafaring profession. Indeed, shipping is one of the very few sectors where the workplace coincides and overlaps with the private sphere.

To eradicate...

EU sanctions on Iran partially suspended

EU Member States have decided to suspend for at least six months a number of EU sanctions applicable to Iran following an international agreement with Tehran on its nuclear programme, reached on 10 January. In 2012 EU Member States had enforced an oil embargo and restrictive financial boycotts due to the country’s...

Major reshuffle in EU co-funding programmes

The EU until recently supported the integration of transport networks in what is called the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) through specialized TEN-T funding awarded for specific national or cross-border projects, including Motorways of the Sea projects. The Marco Polo programme was the second leg of the EU’s co-funding mechanism with...

EU to spearhead international efforts to fight Somali piracy

On the 1st of January the European Union assumed the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), as part of  a one-year rotation system. This chairmanship is a joint endeavour of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission and will continue...

Shipping mobilises to alleviate plight of Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in early November 2013, leaving behind it an unprecedented trail of destruction. The European shipping community mobilised immediately to provide Filippino seafarers and their families with much-needed assistance in the aftermath of this natural disaster.

European shipping companies and shipowners’ associations alike made sizeable financial...

Commission adopts clean air package

On 18 December, the European Commission has adopted a clean air package for Europe, aiming at reducing the emissions of air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), methane (CH4) and others.

The main components of the package are the following:

• A Clean Air Programme...