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Why Seablindness, Not Putin, Could Be The Biggest Energy Threat​

John Konrad
January 20, 2023

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Vladimir Putin’s attempts to destroy Ukraine have been met with powerful resistance, and his energy war against the West has been met with a determined response. His failures in both are centered on Putin underestimating the will of Ukrainians and the ability of the west to quickly reroute LNG tankers, deploy grain ships ton the Black Sea, and send US Merchant Marine ships filled with military supplies to the Baltic and Mediterranean. He underestimated a seafaring nation and shipping itself.

Seablindness: “the inability to connect with maritime issues either at an individual or political level”
The results of Putin’s endeavors have been far from satisfactory for the Kremlin, leaving Putin with few options and a weakened position while showing the world the importance of maritime transportation. But, will either Russia or the west learn the right lessons from this conflict or will we continue down the path of chaos, war, and apathy toward the power of maritime transportation to solve big problems?

Full article:

 
Commodities:

 

Shippers & Carriers Fleeing From Port of Los Angeles? | Reported 9.9 Million Container Units in 2022​

What is Going on With S
January 20, 2023

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano [not Snake Plissken] - maritime historian at Campbell University and former merchant mariner - discusses the 2022 end of year numbers for the Port of Los Angeles and why shippers and carriers are fleeing the Port of L.A. 13:26
 
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Something a bit different.

Why Coal Companies Love Bankruptcy​

Dec 16, 2022

US coal companies are required by law to clean up their old mines, but a common practice of transferring those mines to smaller operators has left many polluted sites unreclaimed throughout coal country. 23:28
 

Inside Kodiak’s crab standoff​

BY: NATHANIEL HERZ - JANUARY 27, 2023 4:00 AM


After the heat wave-induced collapse of the Bering Sea snow crab fishery, some fishermen were looking, with hope, at the upcoming tanner crab harvest out of Kodiak.

The nearly 6-million-pound quota was the highest in decades. And some people spent more than $100,000 to buy a permit to fish this year, said Kevin Abena, one of the leaders of the Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative.

But fishermen’s hopes for a banner season are now in limbo, as the 130 boats in the Kodiak tanner crab fleet are on strike — holding out for higher prices from the seafood processors that typically buy, package and resell their catch.

Read the rest:

 

Maersk & MSC Split | New Alliances? | Russia Oil & New Diesel Sanctions | Freight Rates & Volumes​

What is Going on With Shipp
Jan 28, 2023

In this episode, Freightwaves Now Roundtable host, Bill Priestly, interviewed myself and Greg Miller of @FreightWavesto discuss the fall out from the announcement by @maersk and @MSCCargo on the 2025 split of the 2M alliance and what does that mean for ocean container shipping. We also discussed the latest on the Russian crude oil cap and the new Feb 5 Russian diesel cap going into affect. 12:12
 

Eggs are the New Toilet Paper —John Rubino 1-30-23​

Kerry Lutz's Financial Survi
Jan 30, 2023

38:32

- The Fed, ECB and BoE all meet this week. Lots of potential turmoil.
- The economy is still slowing. Intel's earnings disaster is the latest.
- The US is ramping up regulation of cryptos ahead of CBDC introduction.

Meanwhile, in the non-financial world:
- Russia and Ukraine are gearing up for a spring offensive.
- Who just bombed Iran?
- Who just burned down that big egg farm?
- Babylon Bee article: Djokovic wins Australian Open by default as all other players die of heart attacks
 
 
 

Iskenderun Port Fire Finally Extinguished | How Was It Fought | How Damaged is The Port?​

Feb 8, 2023

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - maritime historian at Campbell University and former merchant mariner - discusses the impact of the earthquake and extinguishment of the fire on Day 3 in the Turkish port of Iskenderun and what it means for region. 15:24

Turkey-Syria earthquake: Fire at Iskenderun port extinguished https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe...
 
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced the availability of more than $662 million in 2023 funding for MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

The DOT said the investment will help “modernize our nation’s ports and help strengthen our supply chains for generations to come, helping to reduce shipping time, costs, and ultimately the costs of goods for the American people.”

 
NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Dominion Energy Inc D.N executives said on Wednesday that the electric utility’s $9.8 billion offshore Virginia wind farm is on track and on budget, having recently entered a critical phase of the environmental review process.

 
 
LONDON (Reuters) -Inflation is in the driving seat for markets already taking a punt on when central banks will start to cut borrowing rates.

That puts Tuesday's U.S. inflation data on the must-watch list. Who replaces Haruhiko Kuroda as the next Bank of Japan (BOJ) chief is also in focus with government nominations likely soon, while a deluge of UK data is due.

Meanwhile, in earthquake-hit Turkey, as an enormous humanitarian crisis causes an outpouring of concern, there is also a sense that the disaster could dominate one of the key elections of 2023.

Here's a look at the week ahead in markets from Kevin Buckland in Tokyo, Amanda Cooper, Naomi Rovnick and Karin Strohecker in London and Ira Iosebashvili in New York.

 
If you like to read rather than watch, there are links to news articles below the vid on youtube.

What the Ship (Ep68) | Russian Diesel | LNG | Seafarer Abandoned | Container & Profits | Nuke Power​

Feb 12, 2023

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - discusses the Top 5 Maritime News Stories as of February 12, 2023. First, the implementation of the Russian diesel price cap has caused charter rates for tankers to spike and the growth of the shadow fleet. Second, the delay in getting the LNG facility at Freeport, Texas, and China LNG demand raise concerns about US's ability to export LNG from new facilities. Third, the abandonment of seafarers is increasing worldwide. Fourth, continued labor issues on the West Coast are contributing to the shift of containers to the East Coast while profits fall for container lines. Finally, Korea is examining the potential for nuclear power for shipping. 27:27

00:00 Introduction
00:41 1. Cost of Shipping Gasoline Jumps 405% After Russia Sanctions
06:09 2. U.S. Energy Regulators Questioned On Oversight Of Freeport LNG Plant
11:25 3. Alarm as Cases of Seafarers Abandonment Hit New Highs in 2022
18:25 4. Patience Wanes Over West Coast Port-Labor Talks As Cargo Drops
23:24 5. Top Korean shipping lines back nuclear power
 

The Aliens are Attacking, Interstellar War is Coming — John Rubino 2-13-23​

Feb 14, 2023

33:06

The alien invasion of course Is it true?

It turns out that not only did the C-I-A kill JFK but the US blew up the Nordstream 2 pipeline, which is a two-fer: an act of war against both Russia and Germany.

The Ohio train derailment (overshadowed by the alien invasion) https://www.zerohedge.com/political/b...

And what's with eggs?

Uranium stocks had a good week. Probably the first of many. Every country is developing nuclear power plants. The squeeze is in full force. Sprott uranium etf is taking uranium off the market, further fueling the squeeze. Be sure to invest in my new Toilet Paper and Paper Towel ETF ticker symbol POTTY. And my new Egg ETF ticker symbol SCRAMBLED.

Is Bill Gates buying up all the world’s toilet paper and eggs in an effort to drive up prices?

Housing is imploding: Miami Condo residents are going broke. Demand continues high while government requirement, escalating insurance and taxes go higher. Click here for the chart: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n7p40ibuxf0...
 
 
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