Why risk management matters
After the fun of CMA at the beginning of last week, it was back to New York and the Capital Link Partner finance conference on Thursday.
My speech was an elaboration of my favourite topic over the last twelve months- risk management.
When there is an oil spill, the industry has been caught on the back foot by the cost of government intervention.
Those who say that the Deepwater Horizon episode was irrelevant to the tanker industry are incorrect, in that the greatly increased costs to the principal defendants – BP, Halliburton and Transocean – serve as a cautionary tale for tanker vessel operators as well.
The potential commercial impact of regulatory pressure on the shipping industry has become much greater in the past year. Last April 20th’s Deepwater Horizon oil… Continue reading
Piracy panel update
It may look all smiles but this was actually a pretty serious piracy debate. Watch this space for an edited version in the next few days. Continue reading
Questions remain over piracy issue
One of my twitter followers, @zouthapper submitted a couple of questions for our piracy panel and I thought I would answer them with a blog post rather than try and condense it to a concise 140 characters. Continue reading
Live from CMA: Piracy – the scourge worsens
I will be taking to the stage today to take part in a panel discussion at CMA that looks at piracy and what can be done to stop it.
Readers around the world can view the webcast live at the following link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/piracy—the-scourge-worsens?lang=0
You can also see my interview with Tradewinds TV at yesterday’s conference here Continue reading
The cost of Catastrophic events
It seems sinful, in the face of the tragedy unfolding in Japan, to relate today’s news to commercial matters.
But as CMA Shipping 2011 kicks off in Stamford, there is, however, much to reflect on in the dramatic events of recent months. Continue reading
Engine design to play ‘fuel’ part
The oil price crunch that is now upon us, together with tougher emissions regulation, are a “double whammy” for operators, engineers and yards. Continue reading
Liability risk is major issue
Frank Dunne, Chairman of Watson, Farley & Williams, a major London maritime law firm, has warned that “a lot of owners pay lip service to environmental issues. The industry needs to change, or it will face serious consequences”. Continue reading
Fuel of the future
We are now, it seems, in the early stages of yet another oil price shock. But who ever heard of a gas shock? The answer is that gas shocks don’t happen. Continue reading
Shipping enters new risk era
You wouldn’t know it from reading our favorite trade journals, but the shipping industry is not immune to “country risk.” Continue reading
The next phase of piracy
At present, more than 50 vessels and 800 crew are believed to be held hostage by pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. International response has not been overwhelming, partly because the most promising remedies are complex and difficult. Continue reading