Share
Wavelength Plus: A podcast by TradeWinds
Deep dives into shipping. The markets, the risks, the rules, the people
Latest episode
How to scrap the shadow fleet and not get sanctioned
18:10|The dark fleet of sanctioned vessels which transport Russian, Venezuelan and Iranian crude above a given price cap are largely old and pooröy maintained.They are due for scrapping but no cash buyer operating in US dollars wants to touch these vessels, and the reputabe yards will not either.Many yards in India have spent a lot of money in recent years to be come compliant with the standards of the Hong Kong Ship Recycling Conventionwhich is now in place, but a good shipping market has meant very little tonnage has been scrapped (owners want to keep their vessels while the sun is shippingand they can make hay). So these shadow fleet tankers are a tempting option in lean times. In this deep-dive episode of Wavelength Plus,TradeWinds' Craig Eason talks to Anil Sharma, Founder and CEO at GMS, one of the shipping industry's cash buyers of old tonnage destined for recycling. For 30 years he has been buying old ships and selling them direct to the ship recycling facilities in Alang in India and other places.Dr Sharma talks to Craig about the need to make it possible to legally sell these vessels and scrap them before they become a disaster and to prevent the shadow recycling yards taking them without doing all the safety and environmental checks expected under the HKSRC.
More episodes
View all episodes
Guiding Stars finalist Scarlett Barnett-Smith on healthcare for women at sea
11:07|Each month until October, TradeWinds will publish a profile of a finalist in our Guiding Stars series, a project highlighting the people making change in shipping. Our second Guiding Stars finalist is Scarlett Barnett-Smith, working deck officer and founder of The Scarlett Box. Her company has developed boxes with emergency period products for women working onboard ships, but The Scarlett Box has a wider mission to make shipping more inclusive of women to help attract and retain female talent.TradeWinds' 10 Guiding Stars finalists have been nominated by our readers and editorial team. These are people who are innovating and creating real, tangible change in shipping and tackling some of its biggest issues.Later this year, we will ask you to vote on who will receive our TradeWinds Guiding Star award for 2026, which will be announced in November.
Going critical 1: the story of commercial maritime nuclear
19:46|Interest in using nuclear power in shipping has exploded.Whether it is on the argument that there is a need for energy security, clean power or potentially cheaper power, many countries are developing national nuclear programmes.In this first of two episodes, Craig Eason examines the latest developments by talking to start-ups developing new nuclear reactors and why they eye shipping as a market and how projects are identifying potential ship types and routes to create so-called pink corridors.The episode also begins examining how nuclear fuel be handled safely and securely.Read more about the regulatory drive: Rewriting the rules: Winning hearts and minds for a nuclear futureRead more about the project and technology developments: ‘Going critical’: Shipping takes a step closer to nuclear realityIn this episode:Emerald Nuclear chief executive, Wesley DeasonDeployable Energy Chief Executive, Bobby GallagherNorwegian professor Jan Emblemsvag (Head of SAINT nuclear centre)Greenpeace NL, Jan HaverkampRead more: ‘Going critical’: Shipping takes a step closer to nuclear realityRead more: Rewriting the rules: Winning hearts and minds for a nuclear futureHost and producer: Craig EasonA TradeWinds/DN Media podcast
Another side of the Odfjell family empire: making ‘beautiful wines’
09:41|Before he joined the shipping business his family is known for, Laurence Odfjell worked with his father to build a unique winery in the Maipo Valley winemaking region in Chile. Odfjell Vineyards has since forged new paths in producing highly-rated, organic wines using biodynamic agriculture in a competitive winemaking country. TradeWinds paid a visit.
Guiding Stars finalist Laurence Odfjell on the business case for sustainability
09:47|Each month, TradeWinds will publish a profile of a finalist in our Guiding Stars series, a project highlighting the people working to make shipping’s future brighter. This week, we focus on the first nominee: Odfjell SE chairman Laurence Odfjell. He explains why sustainability is rooted in the Odfjell family’s Norwegian identity and why fuel efficiency is just good business.
The demands of top tier ship management
27:18|V.Group is one of a handful of ship management firms that have been spearheading a significant revamp of the shipping industry.Ship managers are the companies hired by shipowners to operate and manage their vessels and fleets while they focus onother things - like making money.While it is an incredibly fragmented industry, the trend for shipowners to sell off or outsource their ship management divisions to third party managers is a growing trend.Meanwhile acquisitions, mergers, and an expansion of service offerings are common. Third party ship managers are also hugely in favour of digitalisation and the use of AI in operations.And this is why TradeWinds Craig Eason spoke to V.Group CEO Rene Kofod-Olsen.V.Group just bought a technology consultancy, Njord, off or Maersk Tankers that helps shipowners make decarbonisation investment decisions. V.Group has also built its own AI and digitalisation tools.Kofod-Olsen is also outspoken about modern ship management getting more value for its role, and the opportunity to enhance seafarers by empowering them with technology, not replacing them with it.It's a fascinating interview. A TradeWinds/DN Media Podcast.
Marine investigation 5: More safety issues on the Dali
19:38|While marine casualty investigations tend to narrow down their conclusions to a single probable cause, the depth of the probe into the shipping accident that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge also uncovered a variety of other safety issues that. And while many weren’t causal, some impacted the container ship Dali’s ability to prevent a catastrophe after its power outage just four minutes from the bridge, while others made investigators’ jobs harder. We explore three safety issues in the final episode of our series investigating the incident.