‘Shipshape 10 List’, a list of news and articles published in the current week that a senior executive in shipping, shipping finance, commodities, energy, supply chain and infrastructure should had noticed; news and articles that are shaping the agenda and the course of the maritime industry.

Sometimes seemingly tangential, periodically humorous, occasionally sarcastic, sporadically artistic, inferentially erotic, but always insightful and topical.

And, this week’s ‘Shipshape 10’:

The biggest story in shipping in the past week, Rickmers Holding Group filing for bankruptcy. A bad market gets to everybody eventually, but again, Rickmers is not your typical shipping name. Effectively shipping royalty with 200+ years of history. Formally established in 1834, opening a rep office in China in 1899, more than a century before China became fashionable in shipping:

1a. Bank Rejects Rickmers Restructure (The Maritime Executive)

1b. German Shipping Firm Rickmers to File Bankruptcy (The Wall Street Journal)

The season’s greatest gathering happened in Oslo this week (Nor-shipping 2017); besides technology and disruption, the hot topic of the event was shipping magnate John Fredriksen:

2a. Shipping tycoon Fredriksen says has succession plan ready (Reuters)

2b. Succession Plan in Place: Fredriksen (Splash 24/7)

2c. Norway’s Frontline in Talks With Gener8 to Create World’s Biggest Tanker Fleet (The Wall Street Journal)

A bright spot in shipping, for now and the future, the LNG market:

3a. U.S. Approves First Offshore LNG Export Application (The Maritime Executive)

3b. U.S. Approves Exports from First Floating LNG Terminal in Gulf of Mexico (gCaptain)

Panama Canal likely one of the biggest beneficiaries of the LNG boom seems to be re-calibrating their pricing model, while Egypt is working on not staying behind and ‘One Belt, One Road’ getting more attraction:

4a. Panama Canal wants to modify tolls structure (Seatrade Maritime News)

4b. Egypt aims to profit from the Suez Canal (Financial Times)

4c. DP World hitches lift on the new Silk Road (Financial Times)

Regulations for shipping still have some time till driving home the message, but given the Trump’s action this week, shipping re-active approach to everything, for once seems appropriate:

5. New shipping fuel regulation set to hit commodities (Financial Times)

And, shipping about shipping and policy, the saga of Greek and German shipping, taxations and policy never seems to miss a chance for some arguing:

6a. Schaeuble ‘proves he does not desire to see Greece on a path to growth,’ says UGS chief Veniamis (Athens News)

6b. Head of Greek shipowners’ union: Schaeuble criticism unfair; Germany has favorable tax regime, too (Naftemporiki)

Shipping banks in the news once again, but again, what’s new?

7a. Worst Offshore Slump Holds Key Lessons for Top Norway Banker (Bloomberg)

7b. Commerzbank moves closer to shedding 4.5 bln euros in toxic ship loans (Reuters)

Seemingly no-news story from a major coal country, but reading through it, miners work on the lowering their stockpiles versus digging and investing; what do they say about their conviction for a brighter coal?

8. Coal India’s Output Declines Amid Focus on Clearing Stockpiles (Bloomberg)

U.S. and Germany have been solid trade partners for decades; recent developments start raising questions on the relationship and trade. What that could mean for shipping?

9a. Trump Paris rejection widens rift with Germany (Financial Times)

9b. Trump’s right about Germany (POLITICO)

9c. Trump Targets German Trade, and the South Grimaces (The New York Times)

9d. On The US-Germany Imbalance (The New York Times)

Shipping is also local:

10. Afloat on the Erie Canal: Sonar Gear, Ferris Wheel Parts and Beer Tanks (The New York Times)

First article is opinion piece in Greek about the death of shipowner Alexandros N Goulandris. Goulandris is a legendary name in the world of shipping, and one of the last few remaining ‘Golden Greeks’ of shipping. Besides his wealth and business success, his life has been characterized by his civic duty to donate generously to cultural and humanitarian causes, mostly in Greece. Something similar cannot be said about the modern way of things which may also explain Greece’s financial and cultural decadence:

11a. Η αφανής κηδεία ενός αφανούς ευεργέτη (Protagon)

11b. Shipowner Alexandros Goulandris Passes Away (Greek Reporter)

Summer sunset on the Port of Piraeus. Image credit: Karatzas Images

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