Jim Wilson

A rising tide of global protectionism is creating more complexity for shipping, and bigger costs for its customers, it is damaging national imports and export market competitiveness, the international shipping industry has warned. The International Chamber of Shipping and the Chamber of Marine Commerce of Canada, met in Montreal, Canada, earlier this month to discuss...

A dry bulker has been sunk by the Houthis in the Red Sea after they attacked it first with a bomb in a remotely operated small vessel and later by some kind of airborne projectile. A mariner is missing, and is now presumed dead. Vessel abandoned, then sinks Following the attack, the master of the...

Leaders of the shipping industry have condemned the attacks on innocent seafarers and ships transiting the Red Sea in the wake of the attacks on the Tutor (IMO 9942627) and the Verbena (IMO 9522075), Spare no effort  IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said: “Once again, I am appalled at the fact that seafarers going about their...

Next Tuesday, 25 June, is the international Day of the Seafarer as designated by the United Nations in a resolution at the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila to adopt the revised International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. According to the International Maritime Organization, “Its stated purpose is to recognize the...

New international rules to boost safety for maritime pilots have been agreed in draft at the International Maritime Organization. These include detailed requirements for the design, manufacture, construction, rigging, installation of pilot ladder winch reels, operational readiness, onboard inspection and maintenance, familiarization and approval in relation to pilot transfer arrangements required under the Safety of...

Corruption affecting the maritime industry can add up to 15% of total transport and logistics costs and cost hundreds of millions of USD$ from gross domestic product, a case study / investigation has shown. And that’s an underestimate as the maritime researchers have only so far mostly focused on the direct cost of corruption rather...

Shipping Australia is pleased to announce that we have joined the Women’s International Trading & Shipping Association (WISTA) Australia! Formed in 1974, the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) is a global organisation connecting female executives and decision-makers around the world. WISTA International serves as a connector for its network of more than...

A legal decision by the High Court has dealt a blow – albeit only temporarily – to a restrictive ship flagging rule in Bangladesh. The High Court of Bangladesh has, according to media reports, suspended rules that require foreign ships to get a waiver from the Bangladesh shipping regulator before loading cargo for, or leaving...

Attacks by the Houthis on seafarers and commercial ships transiting the Red Sea was condemned by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization, which met at the IMO HQ recently. “IMO Member States are unequivocal in their condemnation of these reckless attacks. The maritime industry sustains the supply chains that are the lifeline...

Delegates to the 108th Maritime Security Committee meeting at the International Maritime Organization in London tackled the topics of autonomous ships and also maritime cyber risk management. Robot ships on the agenda The Committee advanced work on the development of the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) code to ensure that robot ships will operate “safely...