The "Hong Kong Maritime Week 2018" (HKMW 2018), a major annual event of the maritime and port industries in Hong Kong, unveiled (November 18) with the "Hong Kong Maritime Week Orienteering Race 2018". 

International seafarer welfare charity, The Mission to Seafarers, today announced that the UK shipping minister Nusrat Ghani MP has been confirmed as a reader at this year’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, sponsored by Shell.

The Greek Shipping Hall of Fame is pleased to announce details of its seventh major event which will take place in Athens on the evening of Monday 8 April 2019 at Megaron – the Athens Concert Hall.

INTTRA, the largest neutral network, software and information provider at the center of the ocean shipping industry, hosted its annual Asia Technology Summit in Singapore this week focused on innovation to action.

Damen Shipyards Group has handed over four new Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2610 to Allianz Middle East Ship Management.

Speaking in Tokyo on behalf of the global trade association for shipowners, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), its Chairman, Esben Poulsson, highlighted serious concerns about the challenge presented by the United States ‘to the proven benefits of multilateralism and the existing global trading order underpinned by a system of international rules and norms which has brought peace and prosperity since World War Two’.
 
‘The view that international trade can be seen as some kind of zero sum game is demonstrably false’ said Mr Poulsson.
 
Mr Poulsson acknowledged that the U.S. has legitimate concerns about the policies of some of its trading partners, concerns which to some extent ICS also shares, particularly with regard to China and South Korea’s possible contribution towards overcapacity in shipping.
 
‘But ICS genuinely believes that these are issues which can best be resolved through continued co-operation and dialogue, working through those international institutions which the U.S and others have successfully helped to establish and of which governments such as China and South Korea are generally supportive, acknowledging the authority and jurisdiction of these global institutions.’ 
 
‘In particular’ he said ‘this includes the World Trade Organization. We note that of more than 100 trade complaints which the U.S. has so far brought to the WTO for adjudication – more cases than put forward by any other country – the United States has won over 90% of these.’
 
Mr Poulsson said it was easy to overlook that demand for maritime transport had actually increased by around 30% since 2008, with the annual volume of cargo carried by sea now exceeding 10 billion tonnes.
‘Sluggish growth in many OECD economies has largely been compensated by the impressive growth in demand for shipping from China and other emerging economies which now account for over 50% of global shipping demand.’
 
Mr Poulsson said ‘The influence of the shipping industry on the geopolitical and trade policies which governments might decide to pursue is in reality somewhat limited. But as the servant of world trade, I do think our great industry has a duty to explain the negative implications of policies that may seriously damage long term economic development.’