The tragic incidents in Tianjin and Beirut have marked a decade of increased concern over the safety of dangerous goods stored in ports, terminals and other warehousing facilities. Four industry groups have collaborated to address the issue and produce best practice guidelines in the form of a White Paper and Warehouse Checklist.

Shippers and carriers met yesterday to talk about the causes and effects of recent supply chain disruption coinciding with the COVID 19 pandemic. The meeting brought together a broad representation of members from the European Shippers Council (ECS) and the World Shipping Council (WSC) and the Secretariat of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA). This is the first of a planned series of meetings between shippers and carriers, in a joint effort to find solutions through dialogue and improve mutual understanding of the challenges each party faces. It is hoped these will also look beyond current supply chain disruptions to face a broader set of common future topics like decarbonisation and digitalisation.

“The House today passed HR 4996 without proper debate or committee process.  The bill is a political statement of frustration with supply chain challenges – frustrations that ocean carriers share.

The problem is that the bill is not designed to fix the end-to-end supply chain congestion that the world is experiencing, and it will not and cannot fix that congestion.

The World Shipping Council will continue to work with the Congress to seek real solutions that further strengthen the ocean transportation system that has supported the U.S. economy throughout the pandemic.”

“Our appeal to political leaders and regulators is to not get stuck in a cycle of ambition bidding, but to take action for inclusive change in the shipping industry. Whilst we are disappointed there was no decision, the MEPC 77 saw a notable increase in the number of nations supporting the establishment of an industry-financed research fund, pushing USD 5 billion into R&D towards zero-GHG technologies that will be available to all nations. The initiative is ready to launch, has support from the Green Climate Fund, and we will keep supporting member nations working for a positive resolution at MEPC 78,” says John Butler, WSC President & CEO.

Inclusion of shipping in the EU ETS will encourage shipping’s journey towards decarbonisation, but EU action threatens to undermine broader international progress if the ETS extends outside of the EU, says World Shipping Council (WSC).

“The EU can lead global climate action, but it can’t succeed alone. Advancing fuel-technology pathways in global shipping requires the shared commitment and cooperation of industry, governments and international regulators. Through the ETS, the EU has a unique opportunity to strengthen, motivate and complement global policy for reducing greenhouse gas emission in international shipping,” says John Butler, President & CEO.

As part of the EU Green Deal, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation intended to promote demand for lower greenhouse gas fuels can play an important role in shipping’s journey towards decarbonisation. In a position paper published today, the World Shipping Council (WSC), representing 90% of international liner shipping, welcomes the FuelEU proposal as an opportunity to drive progress towards EU targets and contribute to the decarbonisation of international shipping. However, the proposal’s actual impact will hinge on optimizing the geographical scope of FuelEU and making sure fuel availability keeps pace with fuel use requirements.

In striving for greater awareness and usage of the CTU Code in order to improve safety in the intermodal supply chain, the Cargo Integrity Group (CIG) has published its Quick Guide to the Code, and its accompanying Container Packing Checklist, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The Covid-19 cargo congestion brought on by extreme demand in combination with operational disruptions is very real and felt across supply chains globally. In the U.S. in particular, all parts of the supply chain are facing unprecedented pressures – there is a lack of rail and truck capacity, warehouses are full, and ports are bursting at the seams. It is in part in this context that the President is issuing an Executive Order that addresses shipping along with other industries.

The shipping industry has welcomed the growing momentum for a USD 5 billion R&D Fund for shipping, but is calling on governments to act in line with their climate commitments and not waste more time in moving forward with decisive action to support the decarbonisation of the industry.

We are committed to decarbonisation and ready to do our part. The international maritime transportation system drives the world economy. World trade and the world’s economies cannot afford a chaotic decarbonisation of shipping. Nor can time be lost in effectively tackling the challenge. We therefore invite all governments to show engagement and climate leadership on the international stage, through support for the IMRB at the UN IMO.

Ahead of President Biden’s climate summit, shipping industry bodies representing the majority of maritime trade have called on world leaders to quickly commence deliberations on how mandatory market-based measures (MBMs) could be implemented for international shipping.

The proposal to create a USD 5 billion USD International Maritime Research and Development Board (IMRB) was submitted to the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on the 10th of March 2021 by Georgia, Greece, Japan, Liberia, Malta, Nigeria, Palau, Singapore, and Switzerland. Denmark now joins as a co-sponsor, and we expect several other nations to voice their support for the proposal at the next meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in June.

Industry partners welcome “moon-shot” proposal from governments to set up a $5 billion USD fund to catalyze the vital research and development needed to help shipping meet UN decarbonisation goals.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) is excited to welcome to the team Mr John Bradshaw, in a global role as Technical Director for Environment and Safety, and Dr James Corbett as Environmental Director, Europe.

To support its growing scope of activities across the globe, the World Shipping Council (WSC) is as of March 1, 2021, adding two positions to its operations in Singapore, as well as welcoming a new colleague in the US.

Ocean carriers are taking all available measures to improve the speed and efficiency of cargo movement including employing all available vessel tonnage.