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When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Finnish technology company Wärtsilä suspended all deliveries, sales, orders, and bidding for Russian customers. It further downscaled its operations in the Russian Federation in April, taking a $200 million writedown on the value of its business and giving up about five percent of its annual net sales. According to Russian media, the decision may have spurred the creation of a new Russian company to serve Wärtsilä’s Russian customers in the electronic-navigation space.

Wärtsilä acquired the civilian division of electronics and software company Transas in 2018. Though Transas was a global company with a UK headquarters, it had been founded in St. Petersburg in 1990, and it had a substantial Russian workforce. At the time of the purchase, the high-profile acquisition looked very attractive: it handed Wärtsilä a portfolio of simulation, traffic control, fleet operations and ECDIS technology, along with related businesses like training and after-sales service.

But the market withdrawal from Russia has had an impact on the Transas business line (known as Wärtsilä Voyage after the merger). Wärtsilä took a $75 million writedown on goodwill and intangible assets related to its Voyage unit in April, the largest single component of the $200 million impairment.

Now, according to Russian outlet RBC, two ex-Transas, ex-Wärtsilä Voyage vice presidents are starting a new firm which reflects the division’s Russian roots. The newly-formed EMCT (Evolution of Marine Digital Technologies) will provide products for Russian customers left behind by Wärtsilä’s exit, and will also compete in “Russia-friendly” countries in the years ahead.

In an interview with RBC, development director Vladimir Ponomarev (formerly VP Solutions for Wärtsilä Voyage) noted that St. Petersburg had been the birthplace of many Voyage products. He predicted that with the founding of EMCT, there would be a “smooth replacement” with similar products for the sanctioned Russian shipping market.

“The departure of Wärtsilä from Russia in March 2022 effectively deprived [Russian] users of qualified expert support and the opportunity to develop software and hardware solutions to meet changing requirements and standards. In most cases, this situation can be critical, at least on the horizon of 6-12 months,” Ponomarev said. “[EMCT is] ready to take on the tasks of expert and technical support for current users of Wärtsilä, as well as to develop and bring to the market domestic hardware and software solutions that can replace Wartsila products in a short time.”

EMCT’s creation is part of a broad wave of import substitution across the Russian economy. As Western businesses have pulled out or sold off their Russian divisions, others have stepped in to fill the gap – most prominently, the fast-food chain “Vkusno i Tochka,” the inheritor of McDonald’s Russian chains.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ex-waertsilae-execs-plan-to-serve-russian-market-for-e-nav-products

HMM will expand its service network with an eco-friendly container fleet of 1.2 million TEU by 2026.

HMM also plans to secure logistics infrastructure such as terminals in key locations to reinforce its profit structure.

Moreover, the bulk fleet will be cemented with a fleet of 55 ships, substantially increased by 90 per cent from the current 29 ships.

HMM will plough its funding into a range of initiatives, including securing core assets such as ships, terminals, and logistics facilities throughout the upcoming five years from 2022 to 2026.

The firm will continue to enhance environmentally-friendly services for carbon neutrality in 2050 and explore the likelihood of ordering ships using alternative fuels in the future. HMM will also make enterprise-wide R&D efforts into the use of carbon-neutral fuels in cooperation with industrial players, the company said in its announcement.

On digitalisation, HMM recently launched ‘Hi Quote’, an online sales platform based on its own technological capabilities. HMM plans to integrate its inland logistics network into Hi Quote and apply freight rate solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence at a later date.

Kim Kyung Bae, HMM President & CEO, said: “Our strategy is to ensure perpetual growth of HMM under the new vision – a global leading company generating sustainable value for the world.

“We will continue to drive efforts for contribution to the global community.”

HMM recorded its best-ever quarterly profits in Q1 2022 owing to higher freight rates.

The company posted a growth in revenue by 103 per cent to KRW 4.9 trillion ($3.8 billion) in Q1 2022.

Source: https://www.porttechnology.org/news/hmm-rolls-out-cash-spending-vision-with-11-5-billion-investment-plan/

HMM has decided to proceed with massive investment in several initiatives aiming to diversify its business portfolio for future growth.

In the mid-to-long term strategy presentation held in the company’s headquarters in Seoul today (14 July), HMM announced it will expand its container ship fleet from 820,000 to 1.2 million TEU by 2026. Additionally, HMM is expected to enhance its bulk business increasing its fleet to 55 ships from the current 29 ships on the same timetable.

South Korea’s national flagship carrier is expected to invest more than US$11.4 billion in a range of projects, including securing core assets such as vessels, terminals, and logistics facilities throughout the upcoming five years.

HMM explained that “the future strategy has been established to respond to growing uncertainty arising from ever-changing business circumstances and lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth.”

Apart from the boost of its container and bulk sectors, HMM noted it will continue to enhance environmentally-friendly services for carbon neutrality in 2050 and explore the likelihood of ordering ships using alternative fuels in the future.

The South Korean shipping company added it will also make Research & Development (R&D) efforts into the use of carbon-neutral fuels in cooperation with industrial players.

“Our strategy is to ensure perpetual growth of HMM under the new vision – a global leading company generating sustainable value for the world,” commented Kim, Kyung Bae, HMM President & CEO.

Furthermore, the company plans to proceed with its digitalisation process by improving online-based ‘e-platform’ and accelerating Enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades. HMM recently launched ‘Hi Quote’, an online sales platform based on its own technological capabilities and aims to integrate its inland logistics network into Hi Quote and apply freight rate solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence.

Moreover, HMM wants to strengthen its business areas by developing a customer portfolio, enhancing sales power and expertise, and training employees. Especially, the company said it will organise teams to accomplish strategic projects and explore new business opportunities.

Source: https://container-news.com/hmm-unveils-upcoming-investments-over-us11-4-billion-aims-to-increase-teu-capacity-by-nearly-400000-teu/

Innovation is a buzzword in maritime, with ‘innovation hubs’ springing up around the world to encourage the acceleration of automation and greener maritime tech. But are the bold promises of technology being kept, and how does maritime innovation benefit seafarers? Sarah Robinson, Rob Coston and Deborah McPherson investigate

As a trade union, Nautilus supports maritime innovation. Innovation can give seafarers a safer and better working experience and can make our industry less harmful to the environment.

When a maritime innovation hub is set up, it can be an indication that government and businesses are ready to invest in shipping and seafarers – which is no bad thing for an industry that so often suffers from being out of sight, out of mind.

Innovation hubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but in general a hub involves schemes to improve collaboration between individual businesses, and between the public and private sectors. Sometimes there is a physical campus where participants in the hub can work side by side to learn from each other and spark new ideas. Funding is often made available to develop inventions into viable businesses, and support can also be offered in the form of mentoring and networking.

Empty rhetoric or valuable promises?

Innovation hubs can sound great without necessarily delivering on a government’s eager promises. With this in mind, Nautilus is holding the UK government to account on pledges made on innovation in its Maritime 2050 strategy document. The government wants to accelerate maritime innovation, particularly in developing cleaner fuels and other green maritime tech – as described below. But Nautilus is concerned that maritime professionals could be left behind in the rush to introduce new tech. So when the UK parliament’s Transport Select Committee called for feedback this year on how the Maritime 2050 plans are progressing, Nautilus had this to say about training:

‘As the maritime industry progresses towards decarbonisation as laid out in the [Maritime 2050] clean maritime plan, the need for continuous professional development, education and training will only increase. As technological advances are made and new fuels and engine types developed, it is imperative that our maritime professionals are given every opportunity to re-skill and up-skill so as not to be disadvantaged by these changes. Maritime professionals should not bear the costs of these re-training requirements; it should be funded by government and industry.’

There’s more about Nautilus’s participation in the Maritime 2050 review here, but we are going to look in more detail at how maritime innovation hubs are working in all three countries where the Union has national branches: the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Maritime innovation in the UK

The UK has made a start on hub-style collaborative initiatives to move the industry towards ‘net zero’ carbon emissions. Established as part of the Department of Transport (DfT), the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), was launched in March this year with the bold aim of cementing the UK’s role as a technological innovator and manufacturer in the transport sector, and (even more boldly) ‘[making] journeys by sea as green as they were hundreds of years ago’.

The new office will draw on the experience gained in recent years through negotiations leading to the Clydebank Declaration at COP 26, and from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).

CMDC bearing fruit

The first CMDC was launched in 2021, and resulted in government funding being awarded to 55 UK projects, including a net-positive submarine fleet (i.e. one that removes more greenhouse gases than it emits) for collecting microplastics, software now being used to measure greenhouse gas emissions in ports, clean energy refuelling infrastructure in Grimsby, and ‘the world’s first commercially viable 100% electric, high-speed foiling workboat range’, which was recently launched by Artemis Technologies.

A bid by MJR Power and Automation has created an all-electric charge point connected to an offshore wind turbine to power boats using 100% renewable energy. Billed as the ‘world’s first fully automated offshore wind vessel charging system’, this is contributing towards ‘Operation Zero’, a coalition across the North Sea offshore wind sector, which intends to deploy zero-emissions workboats operating commercially on wind farms by 2025. Eight months after winning the funding, MJR has created the charging ports, and installation is now set to go ahead in late summer 2022 at the Lynn and Inner Dowsing offshore wind farms.

Ten times the funding

Whereas the 2021 CMDC offered £23 million in funding, UK SHORE now has £206 million in new funding for research and development to assign. This represents the largest investment by the DfT in maritime decarbonisation to date.

At the recent 2050 Maritime Innovation Week hosted in June by the Port of Tyne – which is aiming to be net zero itself by 2030 – Eamonn Beirne of the DfT revealed some of the ways this new UK SHORE funding will be used to boost innovation and help the country meet its climate ambitions.

This includes a second round of the CMDC to last over multiple years, which will also comprise feasibility studies for UK green shipping corridors. Some £12 million has already been assigned for the first year – with entries closing on 13 July 2022 – and substantially more funding is planned for years two and three.

UK SHORE’s plans also include a new Skills Taskforce for net zero shipping; a Zero Emission Ferries programme for ‘greening intra-UK ferry routes’; grant schemes for early research projects at UK universities; and a Centre for Smart Shipping to support existing innovation hubs for automation – which is seen as a key way to cut emissions.

Spreading the wealth

As might be expected at an event hosted in the Port of Tyne rather than in the capital, there was also discussion about how investment in decarbonisation has helped to rebuild communities in previously declining areas of the UK – such as the offshore wind industry’s investment in Grimsby – and how this trend can be continued.

In Liverpool, a £23 million Maritime Knowledge Hub is being developed as part of the redevelopment of Wirral Waters. The planning application has now been submitted for this centre – with proposed tenants including Peel L&P, Mersey Maritime and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority – which will focus on the opportunities offered by decarbonisation via innovation, engineering, R&D, entrepreneurship and training. It will seek to provide the skilled professionals who will be needed to drive forward the maritime innovation projects of the future.

Innovation elsewhere: Singapore’s maritime hub

In the 2022 edition of the Leading Maritime Cities report by DNV and Menon Economics, Singapore held onto its spot as one of the world’s best maritime cities, not least because it scooped the Maritime Technology title due to the city-state’s focus on digital transformation.

Such attention to maritime digital enhancements is no surprise, considering the maritime industry contributes about 7% of Singapore’s GDP.

This drive to digitalisation includes everything from the ship supplies delivery process to port operations such as:

• ‘internet of things’ tracking technology which allows workers and assets to be tracked at any time
• web-based bunker supply improvements for bunker operators
• sustainability technology for addressing climate change, improving health and the environment, including a focus on ways to reduce human-impacting nitrogen and sulphur as well as C02 emissions.
• new ways to enhance digitalisation for maritime security and improve safety at sea through the development of high-tech early warning systems for collisions

Many of these developments can be traced to the MPA Maritime Innovation Lab, a partnership platform for technology and capability development expected to shape future port operations. Current projects focus on collision technology, ship-to-shore communications and the automatic generation of reports for safe and efficient vessel approaches to Singapore.

Picture: Getty Images

Find out more about the Maritime Innovation Lab

Maritime innovation in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is proud of its reputation as ‘the maritime centre of Europe’, and has numerous schemes to encourage innovation.

In a country with a strong culture of collaborative working, the concept of bringing together entrepreneurs, universities, government and investors is long established. The government has decided to focus its maritime innovation work on four main areas:

Clean Ships looks at fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and material efficiency. Various alternative fuel applications are being examined, as well as noise reduction both above water and underwater – which has obvious benefits for seafarers.

Smart Ships aims to see vessels ‘better equipped for their many tasks at sea’. This is a more contentious one for seafarers because it looks at how shipowners can save money through automation. ‘[Smart ships] lower the costs of construction and operation,’ notes a page on the government website www.government.nl. ‘This means that the size of crews and the costs of maintenance and operation are significantly reduced.’ Perhaps aware that this kind of language is a red flag to maritime trade unions, the website does concede that ‘special attention should be paid to ensuring safety’.

Smart Ports is about making ‘the entire process from calling at port to transhipment at the quay more efficient for ships’. This project also has a nod to worker wellbeing on the government website: ‘Research into the safety of operations is necessary to be able to guarantee the desired safety level when innovations are implemented.’

Winning at Sea seeks technological solutions for extracting energy from the sea and the offshore mining of raw materials. This seems unlikely to create many jobs for seafarers, given that it starts from a principle of technology and automation.

 

Private sector hub scheme

Meanwhile, in Europe’s busiest container port, a private-sector maritime hub scheme called the Rotterdam Port Fund (RPF) ‘eagerly contributes’ to companies that ‘focus on sustainability, durability and technology.’

The RPF supports management teams with capital, knowledge and networks to ‘realise further growth and long-term activity’. As well as helping entrepreneurs to develop innovations and turn a profit, the Fund encourages participants to ‘contribute to a positive, social and sustainable change to the port’ – which could be good news for maritime professionals.

Innovation elsewhere: Japan’s maritime innovation ecosystem

Cooperation is evolving rapidly between Japan and Singapore on the digital front.

In the Japan Times it was reported that the bond shared by Japan and Singapore was strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic through cooperation in science, innovation and green technologies. The prediction is the digital market is set to expand – with a particular focus on support for CO2 reduction initiatives in shipping.

An Inmarsat report from 2020 also highlighted Japan’s ongoing ‘connected maritime innovation ecosystem’ and its commitment to implementing the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) in its ship and crew management technology and the country’s emerging start-up culture.

The report noted that in merchant shipping, 34% of respondents see themselves as having ‘fully deployed’ IoT-based solutions, a proportion that puts maritime ahead of other industries such as agriculture, energy and mining. It also found that 100% of respondents will be adopting some form of electronic fuel monitoring system.

Picture: Mr. Cole/Getty Images

Maritime innovation in Switzerland

Turning to Switzerland, it is not surprising that the landlocked country has nothing explicitly called a ‘maritime innovation hub’. However, the country is generally keen to support innovation and has a substantial workforce on its rivers and lakes that could perhaps benefit from new tech.

Switzerland has six innovation parks that ‘facilitate collaborations for established companies, start-ups, and universities, to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.’ So maritime innovators could presumably find a home there – as well as an excellent maritime union, of course, to work with on matters of training, skills and safety.

Innovation elsewhere: Isle of Man welfare project

For seafarer digital welfare innovations, look no further than the Isle of Man Ship Registry, which has an app where seafarers can see exercise classes and go to religious services, among other offerings.

The Isle of Man’s Crew Matters app was the first designed by a flag state. It was developed in partnership with Liverpool-based training company Tapiit Live and is available to around 10,000 seafarers sailing on more than 400 vessels under the flag. It can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

Where next for maritime innovation?

Maritime innovation can be good for seafarers, as Nautilus member Jeroen van de Voort found when GPS was introduced on the inland waterways where he works.

But sometimes innovation can lead to concerns over job losses or de-skilling; hence the European dock workers’ new rallying cry of ‘no automation without negotiation‘. In the dockers’ case, trade union support from across the European Transport Workers’ Federation is helping ensure that maritime innovation works to their benefit rather than their detriment, and this is a commitment that individual unions such as Nautilus must also make to members.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson is determined that the Union will continue to do its part. He says:

‘We are monitoring the delivery of the UK government on its pledges and pressing for increased funding of seafarer training in new technology in order to secure a just transition for our members and all maritime professionals.

’We will also hold the industry and government to account in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and will be keeping a close eye on the delivery of pledges made to deliver human-centred technology and decarbonisation.

‘As both a trade union and a professional association, Nautilus is a respected voice in the maritime industry that provides expertise to policy-makers to ensure the best outcome for our members. We will carry on using our influence to make sure innovation pledges aren’t just hot air, and to ensure that no maritime professional is left behind.’

Source: https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/telegraph/maritime-innovation–beyond-the-fine-words/

Singapore has held onto its status as the world’s top maritime hub for the ninth consecutive year, according to a recent index report.

The Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index Report, jointly published annually by Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, and global maritime data provider, the Baltic Exchange, has ranked Singapore as the global leading maritime center every year since the report’s inception.

The city state scored 94.88 out of a possible 100 points, while second on the list was maritime professional services stronghold, London, with 83.04 points. Meanwhile, Shanghai, home to the world’s largest port, takes third place with 82.79 points.

Singapore has earned its longstanding spot at the top of this index due to its wide and established ecosystem of professional global maritime services, good governance, ease of doing business and large and strategically situated port.

Further down the top 10, there was little movement as Hong Kong, Dubai, Rotterdam and Hamburg take fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place respectively.

This year, however, New York/New Jersey overtook Athens/Piraeus to take the eighth place on the list, due to its port’s exceptionally strong TEU uptick in 2021, as logistics companies moved goods through the U.S. east coast port to avoid congestion on the U.S. west coast.

Like last year, the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan comes in 10th. Its place in this list is almost entirely due to it being the third busiest port in the world in terms of cargo handling, following Singapore and Shanghai.

A total of 43 maritime locations were rated as part of this report, which considers port factors including cargo throughput, number of cranes, length of container berths and port draught; number of players in professional maritime support businesses such as shipbroking, ship management, ship financing, insurance and law as well as hull underwriting premiums; and general business environment factors such as customs tariffs, extent of electronic government services and logistics performance.

The average score amongst the top 10 ports is 76.98 out of 100, with the average across the entire 43 rankings standing at 58.70.

Baltic Exchange Chief Executive Mark Jackson said, “This report serves as a valuable reminder of how intrinsic shipping is to global trade and prosperity. It also illustrates that shipping does not exist in silos. The success of the maritime hubs included in the top 10 list has for the most part been borne out of collaboration and synergies across different sectors of the shipping industry. The Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index shows that a successful shipping center provides everything that the international shipowner might need, and a successful shipping center is ultimately also a successful global city.”

Xu Yuchang of China Economic Information Service, a subsidiary of Xinhua, said, “The China Economic Information Service is delighted to present the 2022 Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index Report. This is the ninth report that we have produced alongside the Baltic Exchange, which offers a window into the shipping industry, its drivers and its challenges and plans going forward. The 2022 report highlights that innovation and digitalization will be essential for maritime success over the next decade. It also shows how flexible and resilient global supply chains can be when confronted with challenges. Importantly, it underscores how central shipping is to the global economy.”

Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Ms Quah Ley Hoon, said, “We are very honored that Singapore is ranked top for the ninth consecutive year by the highly regarded Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index Report. It is a reflection of the strong tripartite partnership with our partners, industry players, and unions in Maritime Singapore.  During the pandemic, we are also reminded of the global nature of shipping and the need for close collaborations to address global challenges such as crew change. As the maritime sector continues to build up resilience and future-ready capability, we will continue to work with our maritime colleagues around the world to drive transformation, particularly in the areas of decarbonization, digitalization, and talent development.”

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/singapore-maintains-rank-worlds-top-497997