Over Seven Tons of Pangolin Scales Seized in Hong Kong

By MarEx 2018-07-21 19:45:44

Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department has seized over seven tons of pangolin scales in a shipping container that arrived from Africa bound for mainland China. The 7.1 ton haul is the second biggest of its kind for Hong Kong in a decade. The container was inspected at the Tsing Yi customs cargo examination compound. It was claimed to contain plastic raw materials, but inspectors instead found 284 bags of pangolin scales. In March this year, Hong Kong Customs seized...

Government Concedes Live Export Legal Error

By MarEx 2018-07-21 23:19:45

In the course of preparing for the Federal Court trial brought on by Animals Australia, Australia's Department of Agriculture has conceded that the export permit it granted to Emanuel Exports to export 58,000 sheep to the Middle East in June was invalid due to the official granting the permit not having the delegated authority to do so. Animals Australia was to argue that the required animal welfare standards cannot be met during live sheep voyages to the Middle East in...

Container Ship's Evasive Action Increased Collision Risk

By MarEx 2018-07-21 21:40:08

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released the final investigation report into the collision between the container ship Beijing Bridge and fishing vessel Saxon Onward noting that the container ship's evasive action actually increased the risk of collision. The incident occurred in the Tasman Sea, about three nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island, Victoria, on January 23, 2018. The collision occurred at about 0015 when Beijing Bridge was en route to Melbourne. There were no injuries or pollution reported by...

Slavery: The Confronting Reality of the Top Ten

By MarEx 2018-07-21 20:56:55

The 2018 Global Slavery Index has been released confirming that modern slavery is a crime that affects all countries globally, including, perhaps surprisingly, highly developed countries. The Index, produced by the Walk Free Foundation and the International Labour Organization (ILO), together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), starts by saying: “It is a confronting reality that even in the present day, men, women and children all over the world remain victims of modern slavery. They are...

Lindblad Ready for Another Polar Expedition Ship

By MarEx 2018-07-21 20:09:20

Lindblad Expeditions has announced its intention to build another new polar expedition ship. The vessel, which is anticipated to be delivered in 2021, will be the next phase of Lindblad's fleet expansion following the launch of the National Geographic Quest in July 2017, the addition of the National Geographic Venture in December 2018 and the delivery of the National Geographic Endurance in the first quarter of 2020. The new vessels join National Geographic Explorer and National Geographic Orion. Lindblad...

Virgin Names Scarlet Lady

By MarEx 2018-07-21 18:45:01

Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson has announced that Virgin Voyages' first vessel will be named Scarlet Lady. Virgin Voyages also plans to launch the “Scarlet Squad” program aimed at recruiting, supporting and mentoring female shipboard talent and growing opportunities to access leadership roles in onboard areas such as marine, technical and hotel management, which statistically show low numbers of female leadership. The company will release more details on the program in the company’s sustainability and social impact report later this...

Nigeria Halts Cargo Arrivals for Cosco and Maersk

By MarEx 2018-07-20 17:40:29

Operations at Nigeria's main container terminals and their environs have experienced significant disruption over the past week, with regulators denying access to two major ocean carriers and truckers blocking port access freeways. On July 14, the Nigerian Port Authority suspended the local operations of Maersk Line, Cosco Shipping, Africa Port Services and Lagos & Niger Shipping Agencies for ten days over an alleged failure to provide holding space for empties. The NPA asserted that a shortage of storage bays was to blame...

Korean Firm "Finds" Wrecked Warship and Trove of Gold

By MarEx 2018-07-20 16:25:05

Another firm has laid claim to the discovery of the Dmitrii Donskoi, a Russian warship from the Age of Sail that was scuttled in the Sea of Japan in 1905. The new claimant, a South Korean company called Shinil Group, says that the wreck contains 200 tons of gold in bars and coins - an amount that would offer a commodity value of $8 billion at today's spot prices. However, Shinil put the valuation much higher, at $130 billion, and it asserted...

China's "Belt and Road Initiative" Arrives in West Africa

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-07-20 15:00:33

[By Dr. Cornelia Tremann] Xi Jinping’s choice of Senegal for a state visit on July 20-21 his first visit to West Africa, suggests that China seeks to deepen cooperation in a region that has seen less Chinese engagements than elsewhere in Africa. In using Senegal as a springboard, China seeks to advance strategic goals: bringing West Africa into the “Belt and Road” orbit and consolidating influence in a historically French-dominated region. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been targeted at rail, road,...