Maritime Safety News Archives - Page 20 of 259 - SHIP IP LTD

European supply chains are set for further disruption as transport unions step up industrial action in response to soaring inflation.

“Even minor interruptions to port operations can have a major impact on container line network efficiency and cause a domino effect up and down supply chains,” said Christian Roeloffs, CEO & Co-founder of Container xChange.

“Strikes at European ports this year have already been highly damaging to logistics operations, manufacturers, and industry at large. We expect further industrial action to be just as harmful.”

An eight-day strike over pay by over 1,900 workers commenced on 21 August at the port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container gateway which handles over four million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) each year.

Felixstowe supply chain ramifications

In response, container lines have omitted scheduled vessel calls at the port and re-routed containers via alternative ports in northern Europe and the UK.

The strike action is set to add to the logistics challenges both the port of Felixstowe and the UK economy already face.

Felixstowe has suffered from congestion and an excess of containers for the last two years. According to Container xChange’s Container Availability Index (CAx), Felixstowe’s average CAx reading for much of 2022 has hovered around 0.9, one of the highest readings in Europe. A CAx reading above 0.5 indicates a surplus of containers while below 0.5 indicates a shortage.

“Felixstowe’s Container Availability Index reading suggests that terminal operators and carriers will likely have had difficulties to clear storage areas of boxes, especially empties, even before the commencement of strike action,” said Roeloffs.

“This interruption of operations will add to operational inefficiencies at the terminal and in the hinterland. It will also have ramifications for carrier networks on intra-Europe and Asia-Europe services.”

Strike action threats loom over northern Europe

Dockworkers at the port of Liverpool have also voted to strike for better pay. Union representatives have not yet confirmed when the strikes will take place.

Europe’s logistics network could see added disorder if more industrial action follows in Germany. Earlier this summer German ports including Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven were rocked by strikes by thousands of dockworkers seeking higher pay.
Collective labor agreement negotiations between trade union ver.di and the Central Association of Germany Seaport Companies (ZDS) are ongoing. A court-imposed moratorium on industrial action expires on 26 August.
“Ports in northern Germany suffered strikes earlier this year as workers there sought higher wages as inflation causes difficulties across Europe,” added Roeloffs. “Our proprietary data shows this resulted in build-ups of containers at terminals and in storage yards. This added to the logistics problems we have seen across Europe this summer where lower water on the Rhine has forced many containers onto rail networks and trucks as barge shipping has become increasingly difficult.”

The port of Bremerhaven saw its CAx jump from below 0.6 in June to over 0.8 in the aftermath of strikes. It has remained above 0.7 since mid-July. The only time the port’s CAx had previously breached 0.7 since 2019 was briefly in early 2021.

The port of Hamburg has also seen consistent CAx readings of more than 0.8 since the summer strike action.

“Container lines have reported that in Germany, while the moratorium has been in place, stevedores have been less willing to perform extra shifts or work at weekends. This has made it difficult to clear backlogs after the earlier strikes,” said Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier, CEO & co-founder of Container xChange.

Levels of disruption vary by port

He added: “How a strike impacts port operations obviously depend on the nature of the port, what level of service is able to continue while the strike is ongoing, and how well-prepared operators and terminals were for disrupted operations.

“What we’ve seen since the start of the pandemic in ports across Europe including Liverpool, Felixstowe, and the major German hubs, is terminals struggling to cope with demand and the multiple disruptive events container shipping has faced. Shortages of trucking capacity and drivers have been added to logjams.

“I think it’s safe to say that strikes will make it more difficult to untangle these pre-existing strains on ocean container logistics and the hinterland barge, rail, and trucking networks on which they rely.”
Source: xChange Solutions GmbH

Viking® named its newest river ship, the Viking Osiris, with a celebration in Luxor, Egypt. As part of the intimate event, the company’s first ceremonial godfather, George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—an evolution of the naval tradition that dates back thousands of years. Designed specifically to navigate the Nile, the state-of-the-art ship was built at Massara shipyard in Cairo and will sail Viking’s bestselling Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

The naming of the Viking Osiris comes as Egypt marks several key events this year, including the highly anticipated opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum outside of Cairo on the Giza Plateau and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by the world’s most famous Egyptologist, Howard Carter, and his benefactor and co-explorer, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.

“It is a great honour to be asked to be godfather to the Viking Osiris, one of the most beautiful river vessels to have ever graced the Nile. This is especially the case in the centenary year of my great-grandfather’s discovery of the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and no doubt he and my great-grandmother, Lady Almina, would have been delighted to board the Viking Osiris had it been sailing in their day,” said Lord Carnarvon. “The 5th Earl of Carnarvon was one of the great explorers and excavators of his time, and today you may join in his love of the glories of ancient Egypt, all in the exceptional comfort and style of the Viking Osiris.”

The 8th Earl of Carnarvon, Godfather of the Viking Osiris

The 8th Earl of Carnarvon is the son of Henry Herbert, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, and Jeanie Margaret Wallop (1935–2019). His mother was born in Big Horn, Wyoming, to Oliver Wallop, who was the brother of the 8th Earl of Portsmouth. The 8th Earl of Carnarvon was educated at Eton College and St. John’s College, Oxford. He succeeded to the title of Earl of Carnarvon when his father passed away on September 11, 2001.

He lives at Highclere Castle with the 8th Countess of Carnarvon, and they run the estate and business together. He is a keen horseman and sits on the board of the Historic Houses Association (HHA). He also takes a considerable interest in conservation and farming and has been an investor in start-up technology businesses. Together, the Carnarvons are Viking’s first “godparents,” as Lady Carnarvon is the godmother of Viking’s newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars®, as well as the river ship, the Viking Skadi.

The 5th Earl of Carnarvon and the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb

Nearly 100 years ago, in November 1922, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter was considered the first global media event and has provided a legacy of understanding, knowledge and insight into a remarkable civilization. In her newest book, The Earl and the Pharaoh: From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun, the Countess of Carnarvon tells the behind-the-scenes story of this discovery and explores the unparalleled life of the 5th Earl.

Among many talents, he was an avid amateur photographer with an artistic eye for composition. His photographs are at Highclere Castle currently, stored in photo albums in the Library, and show the process of discovering and excavating the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as scenes of daily life in Egypt of the period. With kind permission, the Carnarvons have allowed Vikings to share this private collection with guests sailing on board the Viking Osiris.

Viking and Highclere Castle

For years Viking has offered a variety of ways for its guests to experience life at Highclere Castle, which is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the historic estate best known as the filming location of Downton Abbey. Viking became a household name during its sponsorship of the celebrated MASTERPIECE series through the years Downton Abbey aired on PBS. Karine Hagen, Viking Executive Vice President, worked closely with the Carnarvon family to develop the Privileged Access Pre/Post Extensions that feature the estate, including the highly-rated Oxford & Highclere Castle and Great Homes, Gardens & Gin extensions.

Both are available for guests on select river and ocean voyages. For guests sailing the Pharaohs & Pyramids Nile River itinerary, Viking offers a five-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt Pre Extension, which gives guests an introduction to Egyptian antiquities in preparation for their Nile experience, including retracing the steps of Howard Carter and the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.

Guests experience Privileged Access to archives and museum exhibits not normally accessible to the public, including a private, early morning tour of the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum, as well as visits to Sir John Soane’s Museum, the Petrie Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and Oxford University’s Griffith Institute, which houses Carter’s archives. At Highclere Castle, guests also have the opportunity to view the Earl’s magnificent private collection of Egyptian artefacts.

The Carnarvon family has also welcomed viewers to Highclere Castle on Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV (www.Viking.tv). In the ongoing series, At Home at Highclere, Lady Carnarvon offers virtual Privileged Access to the historic home and its grounds during which she is joined by Lord Carnarvon, who shares his memories and a look inside his ancestral home.

The Viking Osiris & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet

Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new, state-of-the-art Viking Osiris is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The vessel features several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.

The Viking Osiris joins the Viking Ra, which launched in 2018. Additionally, in response to strong demand, the Viking Aton, an identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, will join the fleet in 2023. During today’s naming event in Luxor, Hagen also announced that two more sister ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, are already under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Viking’s Pharaohs & Pyramids Itinerary

During the 12-day, Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo, where they can visit iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Beginning in late 2022, guests will also be able to visit the new Grand Egyptian Museum.

Guests then fly to Luxor, where they visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day, round-trip voyage on the Nile River, featuring Privileged Access to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, and excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan. Guests also visit a colourful Nubian village, where guests can experience a traditional elementary school. Finally, the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.

Reference: PR NewsWire