The carbon question clouds shipping’s crystal ball
TW+ editor Paul Berrill explains how running like a thread through all the sectoral themes in this edition is decarbonisation, which is the biggest issue faced by the industry, wherever you look.
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How close is the end of the road for tankers?
Global car markets are driving change for crude and product carriers, but it is still hard to predict when oil demand will peak.
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Will the IMO make history by electing its first woman secretary general?
Three of the leading candidates to be IMO secretary-general talk to TW+ about their values and vision for the UN’s specialised shipping agency.
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LNG: The cargo that launched a thousand ships
The large LNG carrier fleet is on target to outnumber VLCCs. But for how long will gas be part of the world energy mix?
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Why two liner giants are going their own ways
Not only have alliance partners MSC and Maersk split, they are taking radically different strategic paths.
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Is Wall Street ready for another look at shipping?
The majority view is that the future will see fewer, bigger public shipowners that are more attractive investment options. But we’ve heard that prediction before.
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This is Robert Bugbee, speaking to you from the future
The Scorpio president addresses the world on shipping’s long-term financial future from his bunker deep beneath the Swiss Alps.
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Improving life in the sea-suite
Efforts are underway to reskill seafarers for the technological changes of tomorrow, while also making it a safer, less lonely career.
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Is China set for the great container ship reset over the next decade?
Manufacturers and carriers are reassessing their strategy of the past quarter-century, reducing their reliance on Chinese supply chains. This diversification could be about to shake up the liner trades.
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‘Unprecedented challenge’: Shipping braces for an ESG disclosure tsunami
Regulations requiring sustainability disclosures are piling up, and a sweeping mandate from the EU looming large ‘just changes the whole game’.
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Shipyards build up to the challenge of launching a zero-emission fleet
Shipping aims to decarbonise by 2050, but are shipbuilders technically up to the task of replacing the world fleet?
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Shipyards dust off facilities to meet huge fleet renewal demand
Mothballed capacity is being brought back to life as contracting is forecast to rise.
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The TW+ Quiz
Anyone can forecast the future — just write ‘carbon’ in every second sentence. It takes a real quiz to prognosticate on the past. Gary Dixon’s Quiz is that quiz.
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Big house, little house: the future of shipbroking
As shipbroking gets more complicated, it will become increasingly concentrated into bigger firms. However, there is also a growing demand for niche outfits.
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Fasten your seatbelts: dry bulk is in for a bumpy ride
The volatility and complexity of the past few years will be good training as the sector grapples with new risks and trading patterns.
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Cruise bounces back but it is floating in a sea of debt
Cruise lines are focused on health and safety, although they also need to reduce astronomical debt accumulated during lockdown.
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Whatever happened to all the offshore newbuildings?
Ageing offshore ships will work for longer as fleet renewal remains expensive pipe dream. Owners and analysts say orders are highly unlikely in the current climate.