With a career spanning continents and industries, Mr Bing Chen, Chairman, President & CEO, Seaspan Corporation brings a uniquely global perspective to shipping. Educated in the United States, he began his professional journey in investment banking in New York before moving to Europe, where he led restructuring initiatives across 12 countries. His career then expanded…
In a significant step underscoring India’s leadership in maritime welfare, professional training, and humanitarian outreach, the Sun International Institute for Tourism & Management (SIITM), in association with Osher Ship Management Pvt Ltd, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Seafarers Welfare Organisation (GSWO). The agreement extends SIITM’s charity arm to support seafarers…
CMA CGM, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, has marked a significant milestone with its new vessel call at Hazira Port, reinforcing the Group’s long-term commitment to India and its growing maritime trade ambitions. This landmark call marks a strategic expansion of CMA CGM’s Indian network reflecting the Group’s focus on…
I learnt in Shipping over several decades, the industry flourishes on Calamities like famine, floods, closure of Canal’s, Straits etc. For Historians – The Closure of Suez Canal was the biggest benefit to the Shipping industry in those days. On 6th June 1967, after the start of the Six-Day War, Egypt closed the Suez Canal,…
As 2025 drew to a close, a highlight was that the United States had undertaken its largest troop mobilisation in the Caribbean in decades. Its Navy has deployed its most advanced aircraft carrier, along with fighter jets, amphibious vessels, attack submarines and tens of thousands of troops, as it intensifies its pressure on Venezuela in…
Pratik Bijlani – Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL), India’s first maritime-focused non-banking financial company (NBFC), has formally commenced lending operations, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the country’s maritime finance ecosystem. At its 51st Board Meeting held on December 30, 2025, SMFCL approved loan sanctions amounting to approximately ₹4,300 crore, formally entering the maritime lending…
As 2025 draws to a close, it is worth pausing not merely to recount activity, but to reflect on intent, outcomes, and the deeper structural challenges shaping India’s maritime ecosystem. Over the past year, through policy dialogue, stakeholder engagement, and sustained advocacy, one principle has remained clear: India’s maritime growth must be anchored in the welfare, employability,…
Pratik Bijlani – INSV Kaundinya, the Indian Navy’s stitched sailing vessel built using traditional shipbuilding techniques, has begun its maiden overseas voyage from Porbandar, Gujarat, to Muscat, Oman, symbolically retracing ancient maritime routes that connected India to the wider Indian Ocean world. Constructed entirely from wooden planks stitched with coir rope and sealed with natural…
The delivery of ‘ANJADIP’, the third of the eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) project, to the Indian Navy on 22 December 2025, at INS Adyar, Chennai, marks a moment of pride for Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The warship has been indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE)…
China Barometer China’s economic deceleration intensified in November, with consumption, investment, and industrial output under-performing expectations amid ongoing efforts to rein in supply and stabilise the property sector. Policy makers have indicated further support for2026, including the issuance of ultra-long-term bonds to fund major projects and stimulate domestic consumption and investment. Energy China’s total electricity…