New laws introduced to boost ship workers’ pay in bid to close P&O Ferries loophole Minimum wage In wake of the P&O Ferries scandal, new laws have been introduced to ensure seafarers with close links to Britain are paid the national minimum wage. The move has been taken in a bid to improve working conditions on ships after P&O Ferries decision to fire 800 of its staff last year. Shipowners will now [...]
UK losing out on £2bn a year by not taxing shipping pollution, green groups say Net Zero The UK government is missing out on £2bn a year by not taxing shipping pollution, environmentalists say, if plans to extend the Emissions Trading Scheme to the sector are applied more broadly. Introduced by the UK government after Brexit, the ETS caps the amount of greenhouse gas emissions energy-intensive sectors – such as aviation and [...]
Hapag-Lloyd forecasts small increase in shipping demand towards year’s end WEAKENING DEMAND Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has forecast a small and short-lived uptick in demand towards the year’s end. The world’s fifth-largest shipping company saw a decline in demand in September and October as the cost-of-living crisis weakened consumers’ appetite. “I don’t think the market is as weak as it was four or eight weeks ago,” chief executive [...]
Felixstowe: Workers reach deal and accept 8.5 per cent pay increase December 13, 2022 Workers at the port of Felixstowe have finally reached a deal and accepted an 8.5 per cent pay increase for 2023. The port said that over 90 per cent of workers agreed to the rise, which also includes an additional £1,000 lump sum. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement on the 2023 pay [...]
Maersk appoints logistics boss Vincent Clerc to top job December 12, 2022 Maersk has appointed shipping veteran Vincent Clerc to the top job as outgoing boss Soren Skou stepped down after over six years at the company’s helm. Chairman Robert M. Uggla said Clerc – who has led Maersk’s ocean and logistics branch since 2019 and will take over from Skou on 1 January – was the [...]
Shipping sector’s growth to slow down due to global economic woes November 29, 2022 The shipping sector’s growth is set to slow down next year as global economic and geopolitical woes impact trading. According to research published today by UN agency UNCTAD, the industry’s expected growth will slump to 1.4 per cent this year – 1.8 per cent down on 2021 levels. While for the wider 2023-2027 period, trade [...]
Global Ports expects 2023 passenger volumes above pre-pandemic levels October 17, 2022 Global Ports is expecting 11 million passengers to embark on its cruises next year, well above pre-pandemic levels. The cruise port operator announced today it was expecting 4,538 cruise call reservations from January to December 2023, 26 per cent up on pre-pandemic levels. The company – which has a presence in the Mediterranean as well [...]
Trevelyan commits to deliver reforms post P&O scandal October 13, 2022 Transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has committed to deliver reforms that will prevent scandals such as P&O from happening again. “I look forward to continuing to extend the work that my predecessor set running to build that relationship, to improve the workplace environment for our seafarers and to ensure that terrible decisions taken by P&O cannot [...]
Brittany Ferries calls on Govt to ‘refocus’ and improve seafarers’ conditions October 5, 2022 Brittany Ferries’ chief executive Christophe Mathieu has called on the UK Government to “refocus” its attention to improving conditions for those working in the Channel. “We welcomed former transport secretary Grant Shapps’ determination to drive up standards in the ferry sector and to set minimum wage requirements for ferry workers,” Mathieu said. “Now we urge [...]
Shipping titan CMA CGM creates £1.3bn fund to accelerate net-zero September 4, 2022 Shipping titan CMA CGM has created a $1.5bn (£1.3bn) energy fund to accelerate its transition to net-zero. “In the face of the climate emergency it is our duty to do more and accelerate our actions,” said chief executive Rodolphe Saade. The five-year fund will support the industrial production of renewable fuels as well as low-emission [...]