Opinions & Analysis

It’s been one of the most hotly debated questions of the last 18 – 24 months in shipping – whether or not to invest in scrubbers to comply with the IMO 2020 global low sulphur cap for marine fuel.

Let’s offer our support, loud and clear, to Captain Andrzej Lasota, late of the bulker UBC Savannah, currently incarcerated in a Mexican prison and a victim of the most disgraceful behaviour by the authorities of that country.

Any navigator with more than a few month’s experience knows that when the wind is forward of the beam, it affects the speed of the ship. So if you wish to maintain the speed in such conditions, you need to use a bit more fuel.

With the advent of IMO 2020, a set of new proposed regulations from the US Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) have the potential to sow seeds of confusion in the supply chains for fuel to be used on deepsea ships.

In good news for owners for smaller, geared dry bulk vessels, as Chinese iron ore imports reach peak levels it will be minor bulks demand that will drive dry cargo in the coming years, according Maritime Strategies International (MSI).

Trader Trafigura has sold its tanker newbuilds in major deals with Scorpio Tankers and Frontline taking stakes in both shipowners, Barry Parker examines its shift from steel to paper investments in shipping.

As the hype around blockchain in shipping dies down software provider SAP believes there are still exciting opportunities to digitise paper processes, but will take time as it requires a change in mindset across all parties in the supply chain.