Daily Briefing January 20 2020
Free to read: Don’t mess with Chinese inspectors on sulphur cap | Benefits to LNG from Sino-US trade pact remain unclear | The Lloyd’s List Podcast: The view from Gothenburg | Shipowners reject VLSFO blends ban
Good morning. Here’s our quick view of everything you need to know today.
The Lloyd’s List Daily Briefing is brought to you by the Lloyd’s List News Desk.
What to watch | Analysis | Opinion | Markets | In other news
What to watch
Three weeks since the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s sulphur cap, five violations have been reported in China.
A finer breakdown of China’s pledged energy imports from the US has yet to be released. Even with LNG’s share expected to be significant, Chinese buyers and sellers in the US have to find common ground and work around a 25% punitive tariff still hindering trade.
Analysis
The International Chamber of Shipping and BIMCO, two of the largest and most important industry associations, are disputing a call to ban VLSFO blends, arguing that it is not clear they lead to higher black carbon emissions. Other factors, such as the engine type, come into play.
Opinion
The Lloyd’s List Podcast: Featuring on this week’s edition with our markets editor Michelle Wiese Bockmann, we have LLI’s lead analyst Christopher Pålsson talking tanker numbers, ABB’s marine and ports head Jorgen Karlsson talking tech and Stena Bulk chief Erik Hanell talking security and Stena Impero.
Markets
Container port throughput is forecast to increase by 3.3% in 2020, down 0.7 percentage points from earlier estimates, but still ahead of the estimated growth of just 2.3% last year.
In other news
British International Freight Association president Sir Peter Bottomley has called for greater clarity over how the final agreement on the UK’s departure from the European Union will affect forwarders.
Safe Bulkers, the Greece and Cyprus-based bulk carrier owner, has entered into a sale and leaseback transaction for eight vessels to refinance $105.2m in loans coming due in 2023 and 2025.
China Merchant Port Holdings has sold a 22.55% stake in its TCP container terminal in Brazil to two Chinese state funds as the company seeks to optimise its business portfolio.
Samsung Heavy Industries could receive $318m in compensation from its drill ship construction dispute with Pacific Drilling, Yonhap reported, citing industry insiders.
US logistics operators and shippers have welcomed the Phase One trade agreement between the US and China signed yesterday but they have warned that further work needs to be done to ease trade tensions between the two nations.
Hapag-Lloyd has signed a space charter agreement with 2M, the Maersk and MSC alliance, on the Asia-North Europe trade, starting in March.