by Przemysław Myszka
Another issue - and another 'smelly' bundle of events hitting the fan, one could feel 'encouraged' to say. If it wasn't enough for all the calamities in the Red Sea, a container ship tore down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in a matter of seconds, thus once again splashing the transport sector across mainstream media for all the wrong reasons. Oh, and we cannot forget that regionally much of Finland has recently been blocked for weeks when the new government and organised labour decided to butt heads (and the dispute hasn't been settled yet). The curse "may you live in interesting times" just became outworn a wee bit more. That said, we have already seen such happenings (and many more) in the past. As Emanuele Grimaldi aptly put it when summarising Finnlines' performance in 2023, "Shipping is never 'business as usual.' The shipping sector encounters many challenges beyond operators' control. Conditions range from rough weather to strikes, political turmoil, congested fairways - the list is unending [...]." In all probability, this list is also 'timeless' as long as people will continue transporting goods and themselves.
Other nuggets of folk wisdom come to mind when asking oneself what to do: "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" and "a pessimist is never disappointed" (ironically, the latter is brought up when trying to decipher what makes the Finns the planet's happiest population). Whereas one could argue that 'knowing more' isn't necessarily the key to success, 'knowing better' might very well come in handy. As such, the spring edition hosts several splendid reads that will give you just that. In Legal, specialists from Gard scrutinise the rise in container losses at sea, an occurrence that can only increase in frequency when carriers decide to omit the Suez Canal and embark on lengthier voyages in less friendly conditions navigation-wise. Two articles from CJC highlight how wars, blockades, ship bombings, and sanctions are changing the insurance landscape, as well as whether the Carbon Intensity Indicator is fit for purpose in its current form. Maritime puts the spotlight on how the hydrogen economy will unlock ammonia and methanol trades. Sustainability has got for your two extensive analyses from the Boston Consulting Group: on biogas and the little things that can throw a spanner in the works of the wind energy industry (a sector increasingly whetting the appetite of the port business - read more about that in the BPO Newsletter section). There is also a text about the progress (noticeable but nothing that would blow your socks off) and challenges (many a) towards the 5% scalable zero-emission fuels goal, followed by Bureau Veritas advising on the practicalities of navigating decarbonisation trajectories. Technology features two articles from FERNRIDE and Fraunhofer CML on the promises (noticeable and, to a certain degree, sock-blowing) and challenges (many a) of incorporating autonomous operations. DNV shows how to facilitate innovation that goes beyond regulations. As a case in point, EcoMarine Innovations presents their hydrodynamic solution that measurably increases propeller efficiency. To top things off, Youredi explains what stands behind the growing demand for actual CO2 emission data in ocean freight shipping (and how to make sure you're getting it instead of [AI] estimations).
To top things off, I had the pleasure of visiting a museum on the full-rigged sailing ship Dar Pomorza in Gdynia to see why one shouldn't trust a vessel without animals on board. The longer-than-usual and rich-in-unique photos Heritage corner will hopefully give you the answer.
And with that, I wish you nothing but the best reads and a bright springtime!
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