A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks in the maritime industry. In order to stay updated on industry relevant news, following are six shipping news topics which are currently trending in the Danish shipping industry.
19 sailors left on tanker for several weeks
A 19-man crew on the Turkish-Russian tanker, Natig Aliyev, has been anchored in Skagen, Denmark since February 7th. The ship was without food and supplies, and the crew had not been paid for about 4 months. The wages of the Russian and Romanian crew on board the vessel amounted to a quarter of a million US dollars. Danish authorities have recently been on board the tanker to make arrests due to unpaid bills. Luckily, the crew has now been provided with fresh supplies and their wages have been paid. However, the tanker is not yet allowed to sail.
Maersk-partner establishes a new container route between Asia and Europe
The South Korean shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has established a new container route from Asia to Europe. The new route is called Asia-North Europe Express (AEX) and the first departure will be April 8th 2018. The route will be used by 10 panamax 4600 teu ships and will be significantly faster compared to competing routes.
Ship building abroad benefits growth in Denmark
Many Danish ships are produced in Asia, and the production has a positive impact on the Danish export and suppliers even though it is happening far from Denmark. 73 out of 100 ships ordered from Denmark, are produced in China with quality materials and equipment from Danish subcontractors and suppliers. Good collaboration between Danish companies in the maritime industry boosts the Danish export not only to China but also to Korea and creates jobs in Denmark.
Trump’s trade tariffs threatens the Danish maritime industry
The American president Donald Trump, has presented a new plan to protect the USA’s steel and aluminum manufactures by imposing tariffs of 25% in imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum. The President’s announcement is especially bad news for the free world trade as well as Danish shipping companies since USA is Denmark’s second largest market and two third of Danish activities are outside the EU. The President claims that the tariffs are imposed due to imports from other countries posing a threat to national security.
Danish Shipping hires Innovation Manager from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Shipping companies face a profound digitalization in the coming decades. The changes have the potential to change world trade, open up new business models and at the same time increase cyber threats. In order for the shipping industry to be prepared, there must be an even greater focus on digitalization and innovation. Therefore, Danish Shipping hired a Head of Digitalization and Innovation to be a focal point for the more political aspects of the shipping industry’s digitalization.
Fire on Maersk Honam containership
On March 6th a Maersk containership caught fire. Four crew members were missing despite comprehensive search efforts. However, the remains of three out of the four missing crew members have been found. Given the time passed and the severe fire damages of the vessel, the conclusion is that all four crew members that were missing since the vessel caught fire, are dead. Additionally, another crew member passed away, while two others are undergoing medical treatment. This means that the fire claimed five lives of the 27 crew members that were on board the Maersk containership prior to the incident.
