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Updated 4 September 2020

Also available in Simplified Chinese , Traditional Chinese and Japanese 

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is described as the greatest global shock in decades. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and the world’s economy likely faces the worst recession since the 1930s. The international shipping industry, which is responsible for around 90% of world trade, is no exception and has also been severely affected.

While the IMO has given shipowners and operators until 2021 to incorporate cyber risk into ships’ safety management systems, cyber criminals are already at work. Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic often lead malicious cyber actors to take advantage through various malicious methods.

Piracy and armed robbery against vessels are some of the modern day challenges of the maritime and offshore industries. 

The Asian Gypsy Moth is a destructive forest pest known to spread via ocean-going vessels in international trade. Vessels calling at certain ports in Asia Pacific between May and September should therefore be inspected and “certified free of AGM” prior to departure. 

The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) entered into force on 20 August 2013 with additional amendments agreed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) entering into force on 18 January 2017.   

List of links to resources where the latest information on the current status of various sanction regimes can be found.    

The situation in Yemen is changeable and vessels should carry out an assessment of the risks involved prior to entering or transiting Yemeni waters, the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. 

Liquefaction of fine particle cargoes, resulting in cargo shift and loss of stability, has caused the loss of many lives in numerous marine casualties over the decades and continues to be a hot topic for P&I Clubs and their Members.