Since 1 January 2020, ships are prohibited from using fuel containing more than 0.5% sulphur. The measure stems from new international regulations but will be much broader in Belgium. It is one of the action points in the Sustainable Shipping Plan that Minister De BackerRead More…

  Today, India became the 15th Party State to the HKC, fulfilling at once one of the three criteria for the Convention’s entry into force. It is another significant step towards achieving more safe and environmentally sound ship recycling globally, as India is a major ship-recycling centre that canRead More…

Last Thursday, the Maritime Industry Decarbonisation Council (MIDC) and CMB were invited to enter into discussion with members of the EU parliament during an ECSA event, hosted by the Danish MEP Ms P Weiss. The managing director of the Royal Belgian Shipowners Association (RBSA), MrRead More…

According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s 2018 Annual Report on Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships, the region evidenced continued levels of violence with 130 crew taken hostage and 78 kidnapped for ransom. Nigeria alone reported 41 crew kidnappings during the last three monthsRead More…

At the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations that took place on 23 September in New York, Belgian North Sea Minister Philippe De Backer (Open Vld) led a meeting on the importance of oceans and the maritime economy in the fight against climate change.Read More…

The annual turnover of the Belgian merchant navy, including dredging and towage, amounts to € 8,140, with an added value of € 2,488 million. In terms of employment, our industry generates                  16, 242 FTE.   However, contributing to overall economic performance is by no means theRead More…

CMB has won the Port of Antwerp Sustainability Award. With this award the organisers of the contest wish to highlight sustainable initiatives undertaken by port users and stimulate sustainable economic practices. CMB received the award for their hydrogen powered passenger vessel, Hydroville. The Hydroville isRead More…

RBSA welcomes the adoption of a General Approach on the proposal for a European Maritime Single Window environment by Transport Ministers yesterday. European co-legislators have been working intensively to reduce the administrative burden shipping faces. This burden stems from today’s unharmonised and inefficient reporting obligations andRead More…

“Attempts to mitigate the stricter sulfur limit and to postpone the deadline for implementation have failed. We are happy about that, “says Ludovic Laffineur, the sustainability specialist at the RBSA. This week, the Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) came upRead More…

Wilfried Lemmens, Managing Director of RBSA, had the chance to fly aboard an aircraft equipped with a sniffer sensor to detect emissions from ships. The sniffer sensor is capable of measuring sulphur (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the exhaust plumes from ships.The supply ofRead More…

The Maritime Industry Decarbonisation Council (MIDC) held a brainstorm session (engineers only :-)) hosted by the Belgian dreding company DEME. The main subjects of discussion were electrification, hybridization and alternative fuels for shippping. There was an intensive and fruitful debate on the pros and consRead More…

Just as in the latest inventories, Belgium scored the maximum points in the annual statement “Flag State Performance Table 2017/2018” by the International Shipping Federation International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) publishes. Only 10 flag States have achieved the best possible rating. Maritime safety, working conditions, environmentalRead More…

Every three years, the RBSA updates the initial study from 2001 monitoring the maritime cluster and focusing on three subsectors, i.e. the merchant navy, towing and hydraulic engineering. The present edition also delves into the economic impact of the renewable energy sector.

In response to the threats arising from the conflict in Yemen, BIMCO, ICS and INTERTANKO have published interim guidance on maritime security in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Shipowners and operators should be aware of new threat patterns in the area.

EXMAR has entered into an agreement with Statoil ASA from Norway on 2 environment-friendly Newbuilding 79,500 m³ gas carriers to transport LPG in a sustainable manner basis a long-term commitment. Both vessels are to be delivered within 2020 and will be compliant with the mostRead More…

Euronav  and Gener8 announced that they have reached an agreement on a stock-for-stock merger for the entire issued and outstanding share capital of Gener8, which would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Euronav. The combined company will have a fleet of 75 crude tankers, including 44 VLCCsRead More…

RBSA is very pleased that Belgium has been re-elected as a member of the IMO Council. Belgium is the world’s 17th largest register of shipping and has a tonnage controlled fleet of 23,5 billion TDW or 1.23% of the world total in 2017. Therefore itRead More…

There was enormous interest in the official presentation of the Hydroville on November 30, at a traditional christening ceremony conducted by Bishop Johan Bonny, with Deputy Prime Minister Kris Peeters, Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois and State Secretary Philippe De Backer in attendance. Somewhat less traditionalRead More…

VISION The MIDC bridges the gap between shipowners, charterers, shippers, equipment suppliers, ship builders, the research community, banks, classification societies and oil majors to ensure the development of an evidence-based policy on GHGs. The platform will enable the sector to reduce its CO2 emissions inRead More…