The International Standard Organisation (ISO) has updated its international standard for sustainability in the construction sector of the economies of the world. The sector has a huge role to play in making the world sustainable since it represents not just a large part of our physical environment, but because it is an industry that impacts all areas of society. ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 164 national standards bodies like the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide…
Author: Akanimo Sampson
A leading data and analytics company, GlobalData, says Asia and the Middle East are expected to collectively contribute about 30% of the global new-build crude oil trunk/transmission pipeline length additions by 2023 GlobalData has a proven track record in helping thousands of companies, government organizations, and industry professionals profit from faster, more informed decisions. Its report, Global Crude Oil Pipelines Industry Outlook to 2023 – Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook with Details of All Operating and Planned Crude Oil Pipelines, reveals that Asia and the Middle East are likely to have a new-build crude oil pipeline lengths of 4,398 km and…
More people are still migrating to other countries, especially those within their region, going by the World Migration Report 2020 of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an agency of the United Nations. Current estimates are that there are 272 million international migrants globally which represents 3.5% of the world’s population. This is in spite of the fact that the vast majority of people in the world have continued to live in the country in which they were born, Many others are migrating to high-income countries that are further afield. Work is the major reason that people migrate internationally, and…
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission in Turkey, Lado Gvilava, says the latest Mediterranean Sea tragedy involving Syrian migrants breaks his heart. Eight children were among those who lost their lives in a shipwreck. According to him, ‘’this latest tragedy breaks my heart, not only as we join the grief of the migrants and their families, but also as I hear, once again, that my staff have acted as heroes. Their hearts are forever marked with what they see every day, and I cannot praise them highly enough as they carry out their grim work with true…
The global commercial drone market is skyrocketing in recent years and is showing no signs of abating. Last November 28, the Financial Times estimated the market to grow from $4.00 billion to $40 billion in the next five years. But, international standards are essential to ensure a minimum level of safety and quality. To this end, a new International Standard Organisation (ISO) standard has been published to keep everyone in the industry on the same plane. ISO is however, an independent, non-governmental international organisation with a membership of 164 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and…
Drewry, a leading independent provider of research and consulting services to the maritime and shipping industry, employing over 100 professionals, has said that the container industry is now battle-hardened to cope with yet another challenging and unpredictable year ahead. According to it, much like last year, carriers should be able to return solid, if unspectacular results and continue to prepare the ground for a better future. Insisting, it said, this 2020 will be yet another challenging one for the container industry in terms of capacity management, but they will cope. The year raises the usual questions about how carriers will handle…
Gibson Shipbrokers, the first UK shipbroker to become a fully independent, employee owned company, run on behalf of, and for the benefit of all worldwide employees of the company says 2020 is already turning out to be a highly volatile year. According to its latest report, ‘’most tanker freight markets have remained extremely firm over the first two weeks of January whilst geopolitical risk has ratcheted up once again. The US killing of General Soleimani, followed by Iran’s retaliatory action could have had major repercussions for the oil and tanker markets. ‘’However, aside from price impacts, so far no physical…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in Nigeria under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, is currently shifting the country’s upstream operation towards NGLs and natural gas, in a bid to comply with its crude production quota under the OPEC+ agreement. Under the OPEC+ deal, the size of the group’s daily production cuts target will be increased from 1.2 million barrels to 1.7 million barrels, compared to a baseline of October 2018, according to ministers including Russia’s Alexander Novak and Iran’s Bijan Namdar Zanganeh. That does not require the group as a whole to pump less oil, since it was…
The low-sulphur regime of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which kicked in on January 1, is said to be just the first chapter of what is projected by analysts to be a decade-long saga over how best to limit the shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. The IMO 2020 commitment to a 0.5% sulfur limit for marine fuels is coming some 11 years after, and three years after it confirmed the 2020 start date. According to a Platts report, the majority of the shipping industry has plumped for taking whatever 0.5% sulfur fuel blends the world’s bunker producers and suppliers can…
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that Thailand’s new forced labour amendments driven by the country’s ratification of the ILO 2014 Protocol can go a long way to making it clear to employers, workers labour inspectors, prosecutors, and judges how urgent the problem is, how to identify it, and how to end it. ILO says since Thailand ratified its 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (P29), conditions for workers in the country’s seafood and fishing industry have improved. The ILO’s Ship to Shore Rights project has supported the Thai government in implementing the changes. However, challenges remain, especially…
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Haiti, its Goodwill Ambassador Phyllisia Ross and a group of Haitian women artists have released the song ‘Goudou Goudou’ on video to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Haiti earthquake and remember its victims. Named for the popular way Haitians describe the earthquake which devastated their country, the video will help raise funds for the many displaced Haitians still living in camps, and still need support. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, and IOM in coordination with the government of Haiti, United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, has resettled 98 per cent of 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)…
India is gradually becoming vital for the future of the global energy markets. In recent years, the government appears to be making impressive progress in increasing citizens’ access to electricity and clean cooking. The government, according to informed sources, has also successfully implemented a range of energy market reforms and carried out a huge amount of renewable electricity deployment, notably in solar energy. India has a population of 1.4 billion and is currently rated as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies. Apparently looking ahead, the government has laid out a seeming ambitious vision to bring secure, affordable and sustainable…
Hundreds of former bonded labourers in western Nepal are currently benefiting from vocational training under an innovative International Labour Organisation (ILO) scheme. Birendra Chaudhary, now a fully trained and well-paid plumber, is one of them. The 28 year-old Birendra Chaudhary from far-western Nepal was born into a community that has, for centuries, been trapped in bonded labour. Under the Kamaya and Haliya system of bonded labour, landlords gave families loans that would give them just enough to get by, forcing them to work to pay off the loan. Both systems were abolished in the 2000s, however many former bonded labourers…
There are a lot of unspeakable sad tales of African migrants. Their quest for the good life in Europe has not been as rosy as they often expected. For most of those who survived the hellish journey, they would not even wish the worst of their enemies the ordeals of the migrants. For instance, the case of the 24 year-old Joshua from Sierra Leone is quite touching to the kind-hearted. Like most young people in Africa in need of jobs, since Joshua could not find a stable job back home, he decided to drop out of his Sociology studies in…
The Managing Director of Hanseaticsoft, Alexander Buchmann, says technology will make more impact on the shipping industry this 2020, as companies are increasingly introducing cloud-based software and apps in their businesses. Hanseaticsoft is however, concerned with offering modern software solutions to optimise workflows in shipping companies. It also helps companies to gain new perspectives on processes and increase business performance. Many years of developing cross-departmental software for maximum benefit has made Hanseaticsoft an expert in this field – not only in Germany but globally. According to Buchmann, the increased availability, reliability and reduced cost of the internet at sea will…
Prospects for the low sulfur bunker fuel markets across Asia are getting brighter with analysts projecting that the current momentum would run through the first quarter of this 2020 after the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 0.5% sulfur mandate kicked in on January 1. Insiders say a rapid shift in demand towards cleaner fuels in the last quarter of 2019 boosted low sulfur bunker premiums significantly in December, flipping spot differentials from discount to premium at some major bunkering ports in Asia. Singapore’s spot delivered marine fuel 0.5% differential to Mean of Platts 10 ppm gasoil assessment averaged at a premium…
Wood Mackenzie has warned that climate change and new European Union (EU) legislation are some of the major hidden risks that could change the outlook for the energy world this 2020. Wood Mackenzie is, however, concerned with forward-looking quality research. It started life in 1923 as a small, relatively unknown, Edinburgh-based stockbroker. By the 1970s, it had become one of the top three stockbrokers in the United Kingdom (UK), renowned for the quality of its equity research. Its success has always been underpinned by the clear and simple principle of providing trusted research and advice that would make a difference…
A nonprofit research institute, RTI International, has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Federal Ministry of Health in using an innovative supply chain platform called TraceRx. The platform will improve the tracking and management of donated medicines used to treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Nigeria has one of the largest populations at risk for NTDs, spread across an expansive and at times difficult-to-reach landscape. RTI International is, however, an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Its vision is to address the world’s most critical problems with science-based solutions in pursuit of a…
Thousands of public-spirited campaigners are currently pressing Swiss authorities, pushing for urgent measures “to stop refugee deaths in the Mediterranean Sea”. Groups galvanizing the mass protest have already handed a petition to the authorities. The petition which was signed by 24,425 people, was handed over to the Swiss Federal Chancellery on Tuesday. It is backed by dozens of Swiss campaign groups such as Solidarité sans frontièresexternal link and the Migrationscharta.ch network external link. They are calling on the Federal Council (executive body) and parliament to adopt measures to ensure migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean by boat can be saved and properly looked…
The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 2020 regime for marine fuels is currently threatening Russia’s recent gains in Southeast Asia. Analysts say the marine fuel regime could be an obstacle to Russia as a net exporter of wheat. The IMO 2020 which became effective from January 1, is pushing up freight costs, just as other opportunities are said to be emerging in the Middle East and other regions closer to hand. Over the past two decades, Russia managed to move from a net importer of wheat to a net exporter, displacing the European Union (EU) to become the largest exporter in…
Beginning from this year, the next 10 years could be more volatile for the world’s most important fossil fuel. Despite the dramas of the last decade, prices in the last days of December were set to close out 2019 well below the 10-year average. Platts Dated Brent averaged $79/b over the last decade. The financial crisis, an unforeseen surge in US shale production and the combustible Middle East defined the period for oil markets. In 2010, the outlook for demand looked just as uncertain as it does today in the wake of what became known as the Great Recession when…
A multi-faceted information, networks, and communication technology company, Kadnetworks Limited has launched a Digital Economy Web (DEW) Project aimed at establishing an effective presence of Nigeria in the fast-growing world of e-commerce. With DEW Project, Kadnetworks will be empowering one million Nigerian businesses and corporate organizations with an online presence by developing a well-crafted, dynamic and professional website at a zero cost. This project will cover a wide range of products and services which include but not limited to: Web development, digital marketing, training, and consultancy services. The company said on its website that it is an economic activity that results…
Approximately 40,000 people have been displaced since last December 28, as a result of a series of incidents between Massalit and Arab tribesmen in Sudan. The incidents have also increased inter-communal tensions in and around El Geneina town, the state capital of West Darfur. According to reports received, at least 54 people have been killed and 60 others injured. Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and partners estimate that the 40,000 people displaced, include 32,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from three IDP camps (Krinding 1, 2, and Al-Sultan IDP camps), and the rest from Kreding, Bab Al Jenan, Dar AlSalam, and Dar Alnaiem. Already, 5,000…
US President Donald Trump appears to be alone on his administration’s plot to hit Iranian cultural sites. Persuaded by the international prohibitions on such attacks, The Pentagon on Monday distanced itself from the Trump assertions that he will bomb Iranian cultural sites. The Pentagon is, however, the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defence. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase The Pentagon is also often used as a metonym for the Department of Defence and its leadership. Located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the building, according to Wikipedia, was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. The ground was broken on September…
The leading independent provider of information, benchmark prices, and analytics for the energy and commodities markets, S&P Global Platts has reported that the low sulphur regime of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which is also known as IMO 2020 is disrupting multiple market segments. But, the pace of change, according to Platts, varies. That in itself appears to be causing more disruption. In the last quarter of 2019, the High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) price collapsed and is likely to stay weak. Already, 0.5% sulfur bunker fuel (VLSFO) prices have increased rapidly, and are now said to be steeply backwardated and trading at…
In the next 30 years, worldwide renewable energy consumption is projected by the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) to increase by 3.1% per year between 2018 and 2050, compared with 0.6% annual growth in petroleum and other liquids, 0.4% growth in coal, and 1.1% annual growth in natural gas consumption. EIA collects, analyses, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. In its newly released International Energy Outlook 2019 (IEO2019) Reference case, EIA projects that world energy consumption will grow by…
Electricity consumer groups in Nigeria are literally up in arms against the authorities over the disturbing tariff increase for end-user customers amid epileptic power supply. Consumers were jolted at the weekend with news reports that tariff was going up across the country. Reports said the 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) have the mandate of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to effect the tariff increase from April. These are Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution…
Drewry, an independent maritime research consultancy that offers market insights and advisory services to stakeholders across the global shipping industry has hinted that increased demand for a dry bulk vessel this 2020 will largely depend on soybean and grain trade re-bound. In 2019, the trade dispute dampened grain and soybean trade between the US and China. China’s total imports of grain and soybean from the US in the year were down 18.5 million tonnes over 2017. However, it appears that trade negotiations between the US and China are progressing well, and could spark soybean and grain trade re-bound this year,…
The Mediterranean Sea has so far claimed the lives of at least 19,164 migrants since 2014, according to a report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the migration agency of the United Nations. The sea is however, connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa and on the east by the Levant. Although the sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is usually referred to as a separate body of water. According to Wikipedia, geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean…
Dryad Global, a maritime security concern has warned that Iran is under ‘’immense pressure’’ to respond to the attack by the US. The warning is coming as the price of Brent Crude hit a day high of $69.50 in the wake of the attack on Iran, a rise of at least $2.50. Already, commodity markets are seeing a spike in safe haven assets, including gold. Dryad Global that works with its customers to define their acceptable risk in order to drive the information requirement and recommendations, said ‘’Iran will be under immense pressure to respond to such a blatant attack…
