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In a move to appease critics of the cabotage waiver applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis under the latest 90-day extension August 11, 2026 The highly controversial waiver of theJones Acthas been extended again byUSPresident Donald Trump this time for an additional 90 days - which would put the expiry of the waiver into mid-November, which would be after the all-important mid-term elections. A statement from the White House said: “Today, the Trump Administration issued a 90-day extension to the Jones Act waiver to ensure our military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources.” This action was not a complete surprise; last week saw information leakages in the news media hinting that the waiver would be extended. Importantly, movements under the waiver, which had covered petroleum related materials, along with liquid fertilizer, will be narrowed. According to information emerging the waiver would, the White House said that this time, it was taking an approach which would limit its application to certain commodities, including gasoline, diesel, crude oil, petrochemicals, natural gas and fertilizer. Related:Negative impact of EU ETS seen on port connectivity Also, mindful of criticism that previous movements under the waiver were driven by commercial concerns, such as supplying oil products to the US West Coast, notably refinery-starved California, the Administration says that this iteration of the waiver would require consultations between the US Department of War and the US Maritime Administration on a voyage-by-voyage basis. The White House, though sensitive to the loud voices of pro-Jones Act interests led by the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), which includes shipyards and numerous domestic maritime related groups, has also been listening to free market groups. The White House statement had continued: “Data shows the waiver has driven a significant increase in domestic deliveries of essential products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. President Trump continues to take bold, commonsense action that protects and strengthens America’s economic and national security”. The AMP’s President, Jennifer Carpenter, asserted its strong opposition to the news of the extension, posting on social media: "President Trump’s decision to require a case-by-case review before allowing foreign vessels to carry domestic maritime commerce is an improvement over the previous blanket Jones Act waiver, which took work from American mariners and shipbuilders and froze investment in the maritime industrial base.” The conciliatory tone did not continue, as the AMP post notes further: “However, we are disappointed that the waiver has been extended when the public record is clear: the waiver has not lowered fuel prices for American consumers and has been used to increase oil traders’ margins, not meet military needs. AMP urges the Trump Administration to conduct a rigorous review of the national defense justification for each and every waiver request and to carefully assess the availability of US vessels before allowing a foreign vessel to move cargo between US ports. AMP also underscores the importance of ensuring that any foreign vessel granted a waiver to meet a genuine national defense need for which a US vessel is not available complies fully with all other applicable US law, including tax, immigration, labor, etc. This is essential to putting American workers and taxpayers first.” Related:Trade wars: from opium to overcapacity Credit: Barry Parker There have been instances of Chinese vessels hauling cargoes that would previously have been moved on Jones Act qualified vessels - US built, crewed, and owned. Very likely, the new scrutiny of vessels moving cargo under the waiver extension will look closely at nationalities of ownership, and crewing. On the other side of the channel, encompassing those supporting the waiver, the American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents more than 600 entities, including the large oil majors, but also many intermediaries and service providers, posted on social media: “API applauds the administration’s leadership in extending the Jones Act waivers, a critical action that will strengthen supply security and help protect consumers from unnecessary price volatility.” GasBuddy, a website tracking retail petrol prices, which came on the scene, with significant media attention, after the commencement of the Iran war, posted: “the Jones Act waiver has seen more domestic crude oil and refined products move between US ports and is helping to soften the blow of the Strait being disrupted.” Related:Global shipping unites against Hormuz tolls Listen to a podcast on the shipping market outlook Read more about: Barry Parker New York Correspondent Barry Parker is a New York-based maritime specialist and writer, associated with Seatrade since 1980. His early work was in drybulk chartering, and in the early 1990s he moved into shipping finance where he served as a deal-maker and analyst with a leading maritime merchant bank. Since the late 1990s he has worked for a group of select clients on various maritime projects, also remaining active as a writer. Barry Parker is the author of an Eco-tanker study for CLSA and a presentation to the Baltic Exchange Freight Market User Group on the arbitrage of tanker FFAs with listed tanker equities.

The maritime industry faces as skills shortage but is it ignoring a large pool of experienced professionals? August 11, 2026 By Irene Rosberg, Blue MBA Programme Director, Copenhagen Business School Shipping talks constantly about its shortage of skilled people. Employers say they cannot find candidates with the right technical knowledge, commercial understanding or professional judgement, yet many continue to overlook one of the most experienced groups available to them: professionals aged 50 and over. The scale of the challenge is clear. The latestBIMCOandInternational Chamber of ShippingSeafarer Workforce Report estimates that shipping faces a shortage of 39,100 STCW-certified officers in 2026 and will require an additional 113,735 officers by 2030. Attracting younger people into maritime careers is essential, but the industry cannot address a shortage of this size by focusing only on those entering the workforce. OfficialUKfigures show that the employment rate among people aged 50 to 64 was 71.6% in 2025, compared with 85.7% among those aged 35 to 49. Around 876,000 people aged 50 to 64 were either actively seeking work or economically inactive but willing or wanting to work. These figures relate to the wider economy, but they raise an important question for maritime employers. Are experienced candidates being assessed fairly, or are assumptions about age narrowing the talent pool before their skills and potential contribution are properly considered? Related:Efficiency first - ABS on Greek Shipping Age-related bias is not always obvious. It often appears through assumptions that an older applicant will be less adaptable, less comfortable with technology, more expensive to employ or unlikely to remain with the company for long. Adaptability, however, is not determined by age. Many experienced maritime professionals have already worked through major changes in regulation, vessel technology, markets, safety expectations and global trade. They have repeatedly adjusted throughout their careers, and that experience is highly relevant to the uncertainty shipping now faces. The industry increasingly needs people who can assess incomplete information, recognise risk early and understand the consequences of difficult decisions. Artificial intelligence may process data quickly, but people must still interpret its output. Alternative fuels require new technical knowledge, but they also demand mature judgement around safety and operations. Geopolitical disruption similarly requires professionals who can balance commercial realities with the welfare of crews and the security of vessels. Not every experienced candidate will arrive with every skill required for a modern maritime role, but the same is true of candidates at any age. A gap in digital knowledge or familiarity with a new regulation should not automatically outweigh decades of relevant operational, technical or commercial experience. Related:El Niño to impact shipping on a global scale Targeted training may be a better investment than waiting indefinitely for someone who meets every requirement from the outset. Employers should also question whether demanding job specifications are contributing to the shortage they describe. Shipping cannot complain about a lack of talent while insisting on candidates who require no training and conform to a narrow idea of future potential. The loss of experienced professionals creates a wider risk because maritime knowledge is not transferred through manuals alone. It is shared through mentoring, discussion and working alongside people who understand why previous decisions succeeded or failed. Multigenerational teams should therefore be regarded as a commercial and operational advantage. Younger professionals may bring recent technical knowledge and confidence with emerging tools, while experienced colleagues contribute context, established networks and judgement developed through years of practical decision-making. Employers may also need to reconsider how roles are structured. Some professionals in their 50s or 60s may prefer advisory, project-based, training, mentoring or part-time positions. Experienced seafarers could move into shore-based roles in operations, safety, compliance, training or fleet support, helping companies retain valuable expertise while developing the next generation. Related:Navigating geo-political conflicts, tariffs, and regulations: Challenges and opportunities for US shipping As an educator, I strongly believe that lifelong learning applies throughout a career. Experienced professionals must remain willing to update their skills and embrace new technology, while employers must give them the opportunity to do so. Shipping’s workforce challenge will not be solved by choosing between younger and older talent. The industry needs stronger recruitment, better retention and continued investment in people at every stage of their working lives. The person capable of filling a critical skills gap may be a former seafarer seeking a shore-based role, a senior professional returning after time away or someone in their 60s who still has considerable knowledge and judgement to offer. The talent is available; the industry needs to become better at recognising it. Read more about:

East and west coast expansions to bring full range of ship agency services at new strategic co-ordination hub offices. August 10, 2026 The logistics arm of Saudi Arabia’sBahriannounced an expansion of its ship agency operations with new offices at Yanbu Commercial and Industrial Ports and Ras Tanura Industrial Port. The company said the move will expand its presence at some ofSaudi Arabia’smost strategically important ports for the energy sector, with the new offices acting as strategic co-ordination hubs within Bahri’s nationwide network. Export volumes at Yanbu have risen sharply in recent months as oil flows were redirected from Saudi Arabia’s eastern gulf coast to its western Red Sea coast to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. Bahri said the expansion will bring a comprehensive range of ship agency solutions, including coordination of vessel port calls, crew-related requirements, handling of vessel operational and cargo documentation, and specialised logistics support for various types of vessels calling at Saudi ports. The new Bahri Logistics offices add to operations at Jubail Commercial and Industrial Ports, Ras Al-Khair Port, Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdullah Port, and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam. Related:Greater Bay Area beefs up auto logistics Mohammed Alsinan, vice president of Bahri Logistics, said: “The opening of our new offices at Yanbu and Ras Tanura ports is a strategic step that brings us closer to our customers and partners at two of the Kingdom’s most important ports supporting the energy and industrial sectors. “Through this expansion, we aim to respond more quickly to operational requirements, enhance coordination with relevant stakeholders, and provide integrated and reliable ship agency services that meet our customers’ needs and help improve the efficiency of their operations across the supply chain.” Read more about: Gary Howard Middle East correspondent Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events. Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Ports of Refuge: Strengthening Maritime Resilience, at Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025 Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry, December 2022 (watch on-demand recording) Making Data Work for Shipping at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is the Zero-Carbon Future a Slow Shipping Future?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is Ship Finance Transforming Faster than Shipping?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021

A Cornaredo una nuova infrastruttura Sempre in Lombardia, questa volta nel milanese, progredisce anche un altro progetto. A Cornaredo, Ets ha ottenuto da Equans Italia una commessa da 895mila euro per il data center DC12. La società di ingegneria di Villa d’Almè, in provincia di Bergamo, dovrà occuparsi della progettazione esecutiva dell’edificio, delle strutture, degli impianti elettrici e degli impianti speciali. Il contratto è stato acquisito il 7 agosto. Equans Italia fa parte del gruppo francese Bouygues. Cornaredo è anche uno dei comuni coinvolti in un grande investimento di Vantage Data Centers. Il gruppo americano ha ottenuto dal governo il riconoscimento di interesse strategico nazionale per un programma da circa otto miliardi che comprende progetti a Melegnano, Settimo Milanese, Cornaredo e Tavazzano. Programmi strategici per oltre 25 miliardi Il 4 agosto il Consiglio dei ministri ha aggiunto altri due programmi alla lista degli investimenti nei data center considerati di preminente interesse strategico nazionale. Il valore complessivo è di circa 6,8 miliardi e il riconoscimento permette di nominare un commissario straordinario per ogni programma, con il compito di coordinare le amministrazioni e accelerare le autorizzazioni. Il progetto più grande è quello di K2 Strategic Infrastructure Italy: circa 5,3 miliardi per un campus hyperscale fino a 400 megawatt tra Zibido San Giacomo e Lacchiarella, nell’area metropolitana di Milano. Lo sviluppo e la costruzione sono previsti nell’arco di quattro anni. Il ministero stima in media circa duemila lavoratori all’anno durante questa fase e, a regime, 200 occupati diretti più circa 1.300 nell’indotto. L’altro investimento riguarda la Sardegna. Energy Vault Sulcis prevede circa 1,49 miliardi per il progetto Digital Vault Sulcis nell’ex miniera di carbone di Monte Sinni, a Nuraxi Figus, nel comune di Gonnesa. Il piano comprende un data center da massimo 30 megawatt insieme a infrastrutture per produrre e accumulare energia rinnovabile.