Kofod-Olsen was appointed V.Group chief executive at the end of 2020, replacing Graham Westgarth, who moved up to chairman. Earlier this month Wallem chief Frank Coles resigned to focus on crew welfare issues

The DryBMS document was jointly launched by vetting agency RightShip and shipowners association Intercargo and will be governed by a new non-governmental organisation to be set up later in the year

The International Chamber of Shipping is pushing for governments to give seafarers and frontline shore workers priority access to vaccines, while warning against the repetition of previous mistakes that fuelled the crewing crisis

Shipping should anticipate significant risks in its recovery from the pandemic, including the challenges of digitalisation and uneven technological competence of the workforce. Successful companies will invest in digital skills

The port, which is also the world’s top bunkering centre, suffered an outbreak of coronavirus on one of its bunker tankers earlier in January. MPA said harbourcraft and ocean-going crew who are Singaporeans and long-term residents will be given priority for vaccinations

Incident was caused by ‘a leakage of hydrocarbons into the tank where the work was being performed’, says BW Offshore

By reducing manual data recording and the analysis of data from sources on the vessel and external to the ship, a significant stride will be made towards greener and safer shipping

David Hammond, the founder and chief executive of Human Rights at Sea, explains why the crewing crisis has helped highlight wider abuses in the maritime sector and why we can’t let that attention fade along with coronavirus once the vaccination programme kicks in

Industry anger grows as reports of charterers’ unwillingness to share responsibility in crew change crisis are raised within cross-agency briefings. Charterers deny blocking fixtures, saying they support seafarer wellbeing programmes and are collaborating with the industry

As some regions tackle a new strain of coronavirus, major investors have raised concerns that the crewing issue caused as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns is ‘no longer solely a shipping industry problem nor a crisis that the shipping industry can resolve on their own’

In response to the crewing crisis, BIMCO has produced a short two-minute film showcasing the vital role shipping plays globally in a bid to increase both public and governmental awareness

Most mainline carriers have said they will stop accepting transhipment cargo into south China until after Chinese New Year as pandemic policies impact on feeder barge crews and cause an earlier than normal suspension of services