China Shipping bulletins on Apr 5,2019

1.American classification society ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to two new gas carrier designs from China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.

2.Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation has jointly launched a project with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) to develop the world’s first LNG dual-fuel VLCC.The VLCC, using LNG as main fuel, will be able to reduce carbon emissions by 20% and sulphur emissions by 95% comparing conventional fuel.

3.China's powerful Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has eliminated its "white list" of favored shipyards, effective immediately."In order to implement the spirit of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on transforming government functions and deepening reform . the Ministry decided not to directly manage the work related to the norms and conditions of the shipbuilding industry," said MIIT in a brief statement Tuesday.

4.Shipping’s poor cyber defences have been displayed once again with news two Hong Kong shipping lines had their passwords hacked easily.Shanghai-based consultant Captain Ozgur Dogan Gunes revealed to Splash it took just five minutes to access each company’s database while “casually” browsing online.

5.Wisdom Marine to raise $71m for retrofits and fleet expansion and will return to Japanese yards for a 38,000-dwt vessel and a 63,300-dwt ship.

6.Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), now a Cosco unit, has announced Asia-Europe sailing cancellations after the May Labour Day holiday.

7.Hong Kong's major port operator China Merchants Port Holdings Company handled a total of 109.6 million TEU in 2018, an increase of six per cent over 2017.The Hong Kong-listed port operator also said in its annual report that it had generated revenues of HKD10.16 billion (US$1.29 billion).

8.LNG's potential to become Asia's dominant fuel, as the region transitions away from coal to cleaner energy, will only be realised if the industry can work together to lower costs and overhaul trading conditions, senior Chinese energy officials said at the opening sessions of LNG 2019 in Shanghai.