• 2017 March 20 17:43

    WMU partners with Swedish Government on Save Our Ocean seminar

    On 15 March, in collaboration with the Swedish Government, WMU hosted a seminar entitled Save Our Ocean: The Ocean Conference and Sustainable Development Goal 14 - Linking Policy, Industry and Education for Sustainable Partnerships. The invitation only event brought together nearly 200 participants to focus on the mobilization of countries and all other actors to achieve the targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and seas. The seminar also highlighted the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference that will be held 5-9 June in New York.

    Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, delivered welcoming remarks and highlighted the oceans’ key role as climate regulators, as support for food security and human health and as engines for economic growth. “Oceans are under severe pressure due to overexploitation, pollution, increasing human activities and climate change. This undermines the vital role of oceans in the world’s economies and societies and risks destroying life-sustaining ecosystems. As the oceans are interconnected, it is important to work on their good governance, nationally, regionally and globally in order to deliver on the commitments made in Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 14 on the sustainable use of the oceans...The oceans are the common heritage of mankind - it is time for action,” she stated.

    The keynote speaker was Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Isabella Lövin, who serves as the co-President of the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference. The Governments of Fiji and Sweden have taken the initiative to hold the Oceans Conference to focus on the implementation of Goal 14.

    Deputy Prime Minister Lövin described the climate change threats to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the warming in the Arctic as alarms that we must heed to take action now because tomorrow it will be too late. She emphasized that the Oceans Conference is not about negotiating new commitments, but about implementing what has already been agreed upon to end overfishing, eliminate illegal fishing, protect marine and coastal areas, reduce plastic litter and other sources of marine pollution, increase ocean resilience to acidification and give SIDS and least developed countries the opportunity to thrive and benefit from a sustainable blue economy. She stated, “We need more international cooperation if we are going to address the cross-boundary international problems that we have with our oceans. Not one country can do the trick by itself. We need to cooperate more, not less. The Ocean conference will be the possibility to mobilize that political will, that energy and new partnerships we need to save our oceans and it’s urgent. We cannot afford to wait another 10 or 15 years.”

    Successive speakers from industry, academia, government, international organizations and civil society addressed the degradation of the ocean environment and highlighted efforts being made, and those that must still be implemented, in order to secure the future of the planet. Key themes included the need for education, collaboration, legislation, commitment and action. An overarching thread was that all of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected and dependent on each other in order to be achievable.

    In 2015, the UN adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda identifying 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 14 targeting the oceans. Healthy and well-functioning oceans are essential for the elimination of poverty and for securing sustainable food supplies, as well as economic development for billions of people.




2024 March 28

18:05 Jan De Nul, ENGIE and Equans launch a pilot project centred around the use of Vanadium Redox Flow batteries
17:35 Latvian port equipment manufacturer Bleste introduces new bulk handling ‘bucket’
17:05 Investors upgrade Navios Maritime Partners
16:25 DEME reports 22% increase in the orderbook and a record-high turnover of 3.3 billion euros in 2023
16:14 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 13, 2024
15:41 AD Ports Group announced the opening of Saadiyat Marina & Ferry Terminal and Rabdan Marina
15:11 Sydney invests $11.5 million in two new operational vessels designed by Incat Crowther
14:55 China’s Jinzhao wins Peru $405m port construction contract
14:13 APM Terminals Moín handled six million TEU
13:48 ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to two innovative initiatives by MOL
13:37 Konecranes launches its flagship Konecranes X-series industrial crane
12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
12:26 Ocean Network Express announces Transpacific service
11:48 Yang Ming announces 2025 Trans-Pacific service network
11:24 Fincantieri signs contract for the supply of two PPAs to Indonesia
10:42 Maersk transported more than 660,000 TEU using clean fuel in 2023
10:23 Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
09:48 PONANT and FARWIND Energy partner to develop green hydrogen refueling solutions

2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
17:58 The recently converted Allseas's shallow water pipelay barge starts preparations for its first commercial project
17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
15:23 SEFE to become sole shareholder of WIGA
14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
14:23 Cadeler signs offshore wind turbine installation contract for the vessel Wind Scylla
13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
17:30 Davie awarded first contract for design of icebreaker fleet under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy
17:04 Sanctions complicate Arctic LNG ship sales, Hanwha Ocean says - Bloomberg
16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
11:41 Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane granted safety permit to build world's first low emission ammonia bunkering terminal
11:16 Wartsila and Royal Caribbean Group celebrate 15 years of collaboration on digital transformation
10:46 A global carbon tax on shipping is coming, says ABS Chairman and CEO
10:21 Eni, Fincantieri and RINA establish partnership for maritime transport decarbonization

2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
17:07 Greek merchant fleet recorded slight decline in January 2024
16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels
15:34 Svitzer targets methanol-fuelled MAN 175DF-M engine for tug application
15:04 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contracts for four 9,300 CEU vessels with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
14:40 Taiwan International Port to upgrade terminal facility at Kaohsiung
13:59 Сruise ship Carnival Freedom catches fire near Bahamas
12:59 Hanwha Ocean wins 2.4 tln-won order for 8 LNG ships
11:16 Inland Ports meet in Paris to talk about the innovation potential of inland ports
10:50 IMO agrees possible outline for maritime “net-zero framework”
10:24 Hapag-Lloyd to continue to avoid the Red Sea route
09:58 QatarEnergy enters time charter agreements with Nakilat for the operation of 25 LNG vessels

2024 March 24

16:18 Inchgreen Marine Park upgraded as part of £11m investment
15:14 A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solent Rail Terminal Rail was held at the Port of Southampton
14:08 ESNA and Strategic Marine join forces to offer Surface Effect Ship (“SES”) Crew Transfer Vessels (“CTV”) to the market
13:07 First LNG powered vessel calls at HIP
12:49 Inter-array cable installation completed at Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm
11:32 Equinor ASA posts net income at USD 11.9 billion in 2023
09:25 Edda Wind announces the sale of Edda Passat