Blogs

The last week in the shipping industry was pretty eventful and a few significant happenings have featured the headlines. The trending news stories are collected from all over the world as the maritime industry is a vast arena and hundreds of events are being carried out every other day. Though it is possible to keep a track of all the happenings, only the major ones make it to the front page. So, let us browse through the latest ones that created a sensation in the week that passed by. CMA CGM Announces the Launch of REEFLEX The CMA CGM has introduced an evolved system for the effective transportation of liquids, with the aid of some groundbreaking technology. This huge information was revealed on the 2018 edition of the FRUIT LOGISTICA event held in Berlin. According to the company, the new REEFLEX system is the perfect technique to serve as a substitute for the usual break-bulk method, instead, it safely transports the particular liquid’s properties on reaching its destination. The REEFLEX technology has been developed by CMA CGM along with the partnership with Teconja (a German brand) and Liqua, an expert in juices and an expert in liquid packaging solutions respectively. REEFLEX implements a unique design that ensures a healthy transportation of the unharmed state of the liquids. The REEFLEX solution maintains the chemical and nutritional properties of the product in an artificially-constructed, sterile environment, and the ideal temperature is controlled and fixed at a range of -35 degrees Celsius to 20 degree Celsius, reportedly. Gold Star Lines Shows Interest in Sophisticated Vessels for Intra-Asia Trades The Gold Star Line is a famous Shipping Company that hails from Hong Kong and is turning 60 in 2018, which calls for some new plans for development and expansion. Danny Hoffman (newly appointed Managing Director) is of the opinion that the containerline is preoccupied with increasing its fleet and exploring new territories. Hoffman believes that the intra-Asia trades will steadily develop for both reefer and freight. He discusses with the ‘Maritime CEO’ as to how the company is aiming for an expansion in Africa and wishes to launch more feeder services in the Indian Sub-Continent. Hoffman describes how the company’s fleets on the intra-Asia routes are undergoing a positive change, which includes the addition of more refined vessels. The need for more sophisticated vessels has been triggered due to problematic issues like port congestion and shallow draft, hence the fleet will introduce a special wide-beam design to counter the obstacles. Cargow Liner Service Transformed by a Newbuild Program Cargow is a Dutch Shipping Company that provides a link of active transportation between the Continent, Norway, UK, Faroe Islands and Iceland. The Cargow is in charge of a liner service that is responsible for specially designed, multipurpose vessels and it punches industrial services into the system, as well. Cargow mainly operates four vessels where each one of them is involved in a 28-day round voyage from Mosjoen (Norway’s western coast) to Rotterdam, to Iceland’s eastern coast and again back by Rotterdam’s port. Cargow is a huge contender for the aluminum industry since the base cargo is made up using aluminum products, along with its contribution to different segments of the market – feeder service, short sea operator, industrial carrier, and specialized project carrier. The newbuilding program is being carried out in full swing, with the first vessel (Frigg W) already usable and the second vessel (Freyja W) will be launched this March. As for the remaining two vessels, the delivery will reach in the second quarter of 2018. According to Stefan H. Stefansson (CEO of Cargow ), the reason for introducing the newbuildings into the shipping market is to expand the cargo capacity. These vessels are well-built and economic, keeping in mind the value of energy efficiency. The Company is now targeting maximum growth with the increased capacity and also has the option for faster sailing. Hyundai Merchant Marine Collaborates with Austral Asia line for a Multi-Purpose Vessel Service The Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is Korea’s biggest operator of multi-purpose vessels (MPV), and it has recently decided to cooperate with Austral Asia Line (AAL), a Singapore-based carrier line. This joint cooperation will start off with 4 existing MPVs and two new A-class vessels. As per current reports, HMM will deploy four of its MPVs in the Asia-Middle East region, one in March and the other in the second half of the year. With the collaboration of two of the finest liner companies, thee customers will definitely enjoy the improved capacity, frequency, and coverage that comes from the pooling of resources. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Reduces Transit Times The Mediterranean Shipping Company has reduced the transit times for cargo shipping on the Europe-United States east coast trade routes. The new MedUSEC service is all set to start from March onwards, and it will aim to reduce four days from the usual time taken to reach the destination ports in the key US eastern coast, like Norfolk, Charleston, and Baltimore. --- Want to know more news Around the World ? Stay tuned every Monday to ODeX and get the latest in shipping.