The fatal explosion that ripped through the tanker Pablo offshore Malaysia has focused attention on the dangers the “dark fleet” raises for shipping safety.

Perhaps, among all the rhetoric about “net zero” and carbon neutral industry, the magnitude of the task and the timescales have started to sink in.

How far is this supposed trend for “onshoring” going to cement itself into our industrial landscape? It’s a valid question, especially when it is asked against some of the other major changes that are looming on the...

Might the tide be turning for the lives lived by that essential but invisible workforce which crews the world shipping fleet?

You can learn useful ideas from a study of the past, but first, some views from the present.

Columnist Michael Grey explores the impact the sanction-busting dark tanker fleet could have on the sector’s safety reputation.

Should we be surprised at the enthusiasm in South Africa for a national flag carrier, a government fleet that will provide employment and affordable carriage for the nation’s goods?

Should shipping have access to some sort of agency that can forecast something more than the economic drivers to freight rates – the political, strategic or human interventions that expose the industry to major risks?

It is, some have suggested, just a symptom of the way society has changed. If you make a mistake, or take the wrong decision, which leads to what we used to term an “accident” it is likely to become the subject of...

Smaller crews and growing regulatory burden mean more work for those onboard, but in an industry worried about mental health Michael Grey asks where is the priority for seafarer rest?