Over the past three years BeHydro has developed, produced and extensively tested a dual-fuel (diesel-hydrogen) engine with a capacity of 1 MW. Based on this technology, larger engines of up to 10 MW can also be produced. Therefore, BeHydro can provide solutions for a wideEn savoir plus…
20 May 2020 – Belgium is in the vanguard of wind energy development, having created much offshore wind turbine capacity in recent years. These high-tech, fast-evolving activities are a spin-off of our dredging industry. The Belgian hydraulic engineering industry also invests in another energy ofEn savoir plus…
May 2020 – During the Board meeting last week, the Belgian shipowners welcomed the EU Commission’s determination to proceed with the European Green Deal as planned. However, as these times are unprecedented, the Belgian Shipowners’ Association assumes that there might be some delay, because ofEn savoir plus…
RBSA joins the International Chamber of Shipping in calling all member companies, shipowners, managers, port operators and any relevant national stakeholder to encourage ships captains to sound their horns when in port at 12h00 local time on 1 May 2020. The move is to celebrateEn savoir plus…
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 a pandemic and governments worldwide have taken wide-ranging measures to contain the spread of the virus. The transport sector has a crucial role to play in the supply of goods, in particular medicines,En savoir plus…
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 BackerEn savoir plus…
On 29 November, Belgium was successfully re-elected in Category C of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during the 31st session of the IMO General Assembly held in London. Singapore placed first in Category C with 153 voices, Belgium is ranked 10th withEn savoir plus…
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 canEn savoir plus…
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), MrEn savoir plus…
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 monthsEn savoir plus…
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.En savoir plus…
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 theEn savoir plus…
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 isEn savoir plus…
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 andEn savoir plus…
“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 upEn savoir plus…
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 ofEn savoir plus…
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 consEn savoir plus…
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, environmentalEn savoir plus…
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 mostEn savoir plus…
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 VLCCsEn savoir plus…
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 itEn savoir plus…
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 traditionalEn savoir plus…
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 inEn savoir plus…
The Secretary of State for the North Sea Philippe De Backer (Open Vld), together with the Marshall and Solomon Islands and the International Maritime Organization, fights against the global greenhouse gas emissions in navigation. “Everybody has to contribute to this fight against climate change. IEn savoir plus…
Mohamed Abdi Hassan, dubbed the Somali pirate king, has been sentenced to twenty years in prison in his absence. Mohamed Abdi Hassan has been convicted for his role in connection with the piracy on board of the Belgian ship Pompeï in 2009. Fellow Somalian MohamedEn savoir plus…
In the European Shipowners’ seminar on CO2 reductions in the shipping industry one message was clear: in order to achieve CO2 reductions across the world merchant fleet, a combination of different measures is needed. “In the seminar this week, they discussed with stakeholders and EuropeanEn savoir plus…
From the 13th until the 15th of July the Antwerp Maritime Academy will be participating in the prestigious Monaco Solar Boat Challenge. Since 2008 students and teachers from the Marine Engineering department of the Antwerp Maritime Academy (HZS) are working on the development of aEn savoir plus…
The second edition of The Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard Ships has been released. The latest practical advice has been compiled by the joint industry group, which is led by BIMCO and now includes new members OCIMF and IUMI, as well as the original contributorsEn savoir plus…
2016 proved to be another challenging year for Belgian shipowners, faced with the sluggish growth of world trade, as well as a continuing unbalance between supply and demand in most shipping industry segments. Entrepreneurship and creativity are still very much required to ride out theseEn savoir plus…
On July 14th, the Royal Belgian Shipowners’Association hosted in accordance with traditional practice, a reception followed by a lunch on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting taking place in the Royal Belgian Yacht Club. This year, we had the honour to welcome Belgian MinisterEn savoir plus…
On Sunday, the 18th of June, the Belgian frigate Louise-Marie has joined EUNAVFOR MED and she will continue to support the operations until the 22nd of July. This deployment is the third time the Belgian Navy provides an asset to support Operation Sophia. The commanding officerEn savoir plus…
Decarbonisation is an issue that calls for urgent action: increased efficiency, technological innovation, access to finance, clear regulations are topics that should be tackled through a dedicated platform. In 2016 the RBSA took the initiative to set up a platform where all stakeholders involved can orient around steps in the decarbonisation pathway.