As the only representative from the European Commission at the recent Breaking Waves 2018 think tank in Helsinki, Magda Kopczynska asked European maritime cluster leaders what she should do to help them solve the industry’s future concerns.

Multimodal transporter Containerships Plc announced the delivery of its first LNG-powered container vessel, M/S Containerships Nord. She was delivered to Containerships at Wenchong Shipyard, China, on 12.12.2018.

VG-Shipping Ltd. (part of Meriaura Group) is growing its fleet by acquiring two 4100 DWT dry cargo vessels. The 1997 and 1998 built vessels are sisters of M/S Martta VG, a vessel that already belongs to the VG-Shipping fleet. The ships are 89.8 meters long, 13.6 meters wide, low-consumption, 1A ice classed ships, suitable for shipments in the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Both vessels fly their existing flag, Cyprus.

Today, September 4, 2018, Viikki, the world’s most eco-friendly bulk carrier, has been delivered to Aspo Group’s ESL Shipping from the Jinling shipyard in Nanjing, China. Viikki’s sister ship Haaga was delivered on August 20. The 160-meter, LNG-fueled vessel of 25,600 dwt emits over 50 percent less carbon dioxide than the previous generation of vessels.

In a follow up to their January announcement, A.P. Moller – Maersk and IBM  announced the creation of TradeLens, jointly developed by the two companies to apply blockchain to the world’s global supply chain. TradeLens is the result of a collaboration agreement between Maersk and IBM, a blockchain-enabled shipping solution designed to promote more efficient and secure global trade, bringing together various parties to support information sharing and transparency, and spur industry-wide innovation.