Trafigura Names Richard Holtum CEO
company. He joined Trafigura in 2014 on the firm's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) team, rising to global head of gas and power in 2022 and adding renewables to his portfolio in 2023.His rise at the company coincides with a booming gas market, with prices spiking on the back of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which helped to generate billions of dollars worth of profit for trading houses and helped gas and LNG desk profit rise to unprecedented levels.Prior to joining Trafigura, Holtum worked on rival trader Glencore's crude oil desk. He began his career in the British army.Outgoing CEO Jeremy Weir
Trauma from Red Sea Attacks Adds to Seafarer Shortage
sail through the Red Sea, according to interviews with more than 15 crew members and shipping industry officials.That's another staffing headache for an industry already facing a shortage of seafarers worldwide, with ranks having shrunk after COVID kept seafarers on board for months and the war in Ukraine posed dangers in the Black Sea."Seafarers are less and less keen to willingly sail through that region and it is becoming a bigger challenge now," an industry source with knowledge of the crisis said.Houthis first launched drone and missile strikes in the key waterway in November in what
Ukrainian Seafarers Experiencing Increased Levels of Depression and Anxiety
night and then have to work the next morning in an exhausting role.”Hogan further reports growing fears of conscription among the younger generation of seafarers.“We speak to many who feel they have no option but to keep working,” Hogan reveals. “They feel they cannot return to Ukraine for fear of being conscripted yet some still have relatives in Ukraine, who they dearly want to visit, but again there is that fear of conscription should they go back. They have no option but to work continually in a challenging, often lonely role.”Stuart, meanwhile, said that the need to
Port of Corpus Christi Promotes CFO Kent Britton to CEO
and approval process.Britton had served as interim CEO after Strawbridge resigned.The south Texas port of Corpus Christi has seen its export business boom after the United States lifted its oil embargo in 2015, allowing oil companies to sell and ship oil abroad.More recently, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China's reopening after COVID-19 and competitive prices for U.S. crude grades have buoyed oil export volumes to record highs.Britton will also oversee the ongoing dredging of the port's ship channel to bring in larger oil tankers to its docks.In July, the port completed Phase 2 of the four-phase
Seafarer Labor Market Tightest on Record -Drewry
wage rates is becoming stronger by the day, Drewry said. Things like good communication channels with families at home, comfortable facilities onboard and a supportive work environment are gaining importance.The most challenging period of the pandemic had hardly ended when the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine war created further challenges in seafarer supply, with many experienced crews returning home to join the military. With no end to the war in sight currently, Drewry said it expects numbers of new seafarers from Russia and Ukraine to be very limited for a while.While vessel manning will be challenging
Norway Oil Workers Agree Wage Deal, Avert Strike
union, Safe, will also be encompassed by the settlement, Offshore Norway said.Norway produces around 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, almost equally divided between oil and natural gas.The Nordic country became Europe's largest gas supplier after Russia cut its deliveries amid the war in Ukraine.The wage agreements cover in total about 7300 union members, employed by such companies as Equinor, ConocoPhillips and Aker BP.(Reuters - Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik
Shipping Industry Urges UN to Help Free Seafarers Trapped in Ukraine
, which was signed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and more than 30 other maritime groups.The organizations commended the UN- and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative reached in July, which has cleared safe passage for bulk carriers transporting grain and fertilizer shipments from Ukraine, but called for more action as other vessels and their crews remain stuck in the war-torn nation."We are committed to supporting the continued success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, however this cannot come at the expense of innocent seafarers’ lives. Action must be taken now,"
CEO in Focus: Allard Castelein, Port of Rotterdam
. Sitting at the helm to ensure a smooth flow of commerce is CEO Allard Castelein, who has held the top spot at Europe’s largest port since 2014. Today Castelein, who enters the final year of his tenure, and his team are facing down a number of unique challenges, including the Russian war in Ukraine and the resultant sanctions that have halted the flow of Russian commerce to the west, and plunged all of Europe into an era of uncertainty regarding energy and economic security.The Port of Rotterdam: By the Numbers“The Port of Rotterdam is by far the largest port in Europe, and one of the
Germany Aims to Train More Inland Waterways Boatmasters
Seeking to grow its inland navigation workforce, Germany is offering new programs to train inland waterways boatman/boatwoman and boatmasters."In the light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the importance of inland navigation for the supply of goods to our society has become once again more than clear. Unfortunately, the sector has been suffering under an extreme lack of young professionals for years," said Oliver Luksic, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport. "To strengthen inland navigation, which also plays a key role in
Seafarer Happiness on the Rise
Loss Prevention, Standard Club, added, “The Seafarers Happiness Index Q2 2022 results reflect an overall increase in scores. This is encouraging taking into consideration a backdrop where the world reports varying stages of success in the fight against COVID-19, and subsequently dealing with the Ukraine/Russia crisis. This uptick in the scores is a reflection that the voices of seafarers worldwide are being heard and small steps are being taken to ensure their wellbeing at sea. However, there is still much to be done and the industry cannot rest on its laurels.&rdquo
Seafarer Shortage Stands in Way of Ukraine Grain Corridor
Finding enough seafarers willing to sail ships stuck inside Ukraine's ports is set to pose a major challenge to the proposed grains corridor designed to ease an international food crisis.Russia and Ukraine last week signed a deal to restart grain and fertilizer exports that have been blocked in the Black Sea and on Wednesday Turkey unveiled a center to coordinate the resumption of shipments.But some 80 ships remain blocked in Ukraine and the evacuation of most of their crew members means more mariners are needed in the region to get the cargoes moving.Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica
Contract Workers at Daewoo Shipyard Reach Deal to End Strike
biggest and the strike has led to delivery delays of eight vessels by as much as five weeks, just as the global shipbuilding industry is signaling a rebound.Orders have come in as European countries rush to ramp up liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to replace Russian gas supplies in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. read moreUnion officials accepted an offer of a 4.5% wage increase and a promise of job guarantees for workers at some subcontracting firms that may be closing, a union official told reporters.South Korea's labor minister Lee Jung-Sik told a briefing that the agreement sets an important
Support Groups Set Up for Seafarers Affected by the Ukraine Conflict
International maritime welfare charity Sailors' Society has created three bespoke peer-to-peer support groups for seafarers affected by the conflict in Ukraine.The unique WhatsApp groups build on the success of the Society’s existing peer-to-peer support groups, which have trained moderators and are run as part of its Wellness at Sea program.They will help seafarers to assist and support one another in this extraordinary time.Sara Baade, Sailors’ Society’s CEO, said, “Sailors’ Society chaplains are supporting seafarers from all sides deeply affected by the ongoing war
SAFE Boats to Reopen Tacoma Shipyard for Naval Build Program
U.S. shipbuilder SAFE Boats International will reopen its Tacoma, Wash. facility following the award of a $20 million lead contract for the U.S. Navy to start construction of the Mark VI patrol boats headed for the government of Ukraine.The U.S. Navy announced in January it had awarded SAFE Boats a portion of the contract to purchase long-lead material and associated pre-production and planning support with the remaining $80 million award anticipated in June.SAFE Boats’ Tacoma facility situated alongside the deep-water banks of Commencement Bay is an idea site to manufacture and launch the
Wärtsilä Delivers LNG Training Solutions for Anglo-Eastern
centers in Mumbai and Odessa have been running various Wärtsilä Voyage simulator solutions for a number of years. The Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) in Mumbai is already installed with Wärtsilä Voyage’s ECDIS, ship handling and bridge simulators, while AEMTC Ukraine is equipped with both the ship handling and engine simulators
Sovcomflot CEO to Switch to Chairman
in the Russian transportation ministry, which he headed from 1998-2004 before moving to Sovcomflot.The government has considered a listing of Sovcomflot for years as part of broader privatisation plans, but obstacles ranging from weak markets to international sanctions placed on Russia over its role in Ukraine's crisis have prevented an IPO.(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Katya Golubkova and Mark Potter
Croatian Shipbuilders Strike Again Over Late Salary
as inadequate. Management has yet to complete another restructuring plan.The chosen strategic partner reportedly aimed to convert part of the shipyard into a tourism business, drawing worker opposition. Economy Minister Darko Horvat said the government was also in contact with potential investors from Ukraine, Italy and the Netherlands.Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said last week the state might have to pay 4.2 billion kuna ($651 million) for the costs of state guarantees extended to Uljanik in the past.Workers control less than 50 percent of the company, with the state also being a minority shareholder
