Maritime community calls for a more judicious approach on the circulation of 45-foot containers

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) and the Federation of Private Port Operators (FEPORT) have issued today a joint letter urging the Council of the EU to adopt a sensible approach regarding the circulation of 45-foot containers in the EU.

In April last year...

EU Ports policy: time-out not an excuse to wind down efforts

MEP Knut Fleckenstein, the rapporteur on the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on Market access to port services and financial transparency of ports announced today that the legislative procedure for this particular file will be suspended.

Mr Fleckenstein stated three reasons for his decision, namely time constraints, a lack...

CO2 emissions from ships: a call to reason

The European Commission issued a proposal last June for a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Regulation of CO2 emissions from ships calling at EU ports, which lays the foundation for a global measure to reduce CO2 emissions from international shipping.

It required ships above 5000 gross tons (GT) to monitor and...

Shipowners’ hopes dashed over LNG infrastructures

“Shipowners’ hopes for decisive action with regard to LNG refueling points have been shattered” said Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General.

“While the 2015 deadline for the compliance with the requirements of the EU Sulphur Directive is fast approaching and with time running out, it was our hope that the EU...

Low sulphur norms: action needed at the eleventh hour

Priorities must be set to smoothen the introduction of low sulphur norms in Northern Europe: establishing a fair level playing field is one of them. With the 1 January 2015 deadline elapsing in Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) in less than ten months from now, there is no time to lose...

EU Maritime security: a coming-of-age story

In the recent years, the EU has incrementally increased its efforts to stem piracy, a phenomenon that has plagued the shipping industry for the better part of the last decade. The wide array of tools at the EU’s disposal (military deployment, development and humanitarian aid, trade agreements, capacity building assistance...

West African piracy should be nipped in the bud

“Ideally, events such as this one should not be necessary” said MEP Anna Rosbach, host  of a maritime piracy photography exhibition organized in the European Parliament by ECSA and the Danish Shipowners’ Association. The exhibition will be on display this whole week in the European Parliament, where the ECSA Piracy...

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...