Wavelength Plus: A podcast by TradeWinds

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investigators responding to the shipping accident that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore faced a needle-in-a-haystack search. An electrical failure had caused the 9,971-teu Dali (built 2015) to lose power just three ship lengths from the bridge.But the ship’s thousands of wires stretch for miles. Which one caused the problem? In the fourth episode of our Marine Investigation series about the deadly incident, Wavelenth Plus explores the hunt for this fault, which National Transportation Safety Board chair Jenifer Homendy compared to searching for a loose bolt on the Eiffel Tower. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Removing wrecks is an expensive business. And the bill continues to rise as governments and the public demand cleaner, clearer oceans. TradeWinds counts the costs of retrieving stricken ships.by Paul Peacheya TradeWinds/DN Media podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode TradeWinds's Asia correspondent Huaqing Ma talks to John Rowley, chief executive of Hong Kong-based Wallem.Wallem is one of the leading ship managers in the maritime sector. Huaqing and John talk about the challenges of being a modern ship manager in a competitive world and why the company is so closely bonded with Hong Kong.Read Huaqing's full articles here: From combat zones to ship decks: The making of Wallem’s CEO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Dali slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, its pilot had already dismissed the tugs that had been tethered to the ship when it left the docks. When he called for a tug’s help just minutes before the collision, the powerful vessel was too far away to help. In the third episode in our series on the accident, we explore why the container ship was going it alone without a “tiny but mighty” tug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode of our detailed look at the shipping accident that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, we look at why this structure was not able to withstand a strike by the container ship Dali. Engineering experts explain that recommendations to conduct risk assessments were not applied to many bridges built before those standards were created, and they describe the steps that US agencies will need to take to prevent another deadly casualty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 2024, the Dali slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six, injuring two and shutting down maritime traffic for weeks. In the first episode of an investigative series, TradeWinds looks at the events of that tragic day with the help of a naval architect and an experienced captain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Secretary general of the International Maritime Organization Arsenio Dominguez spoke to Holly Birkett on the sidelines of the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) conference, just days after IMO delegations delayed an all-important vote on emissions regulations. He was reflective on the way that the talks played out and said there are lessons to be learned, but emphasised that decarbonisation work will not stop at the IMO or within the industry.Seeing as it was the WISTA conference, the time was also right to ask Dominguez about what the IMO is doing to support women in maritime industry and create equitable workplaces for all. Host and producer: Holly Birkett, TradeWinds reporter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, TradeWinds US bureau chief Eric Priante Martin sits down with Ardmore Shipping chief executive Gernot Ruppelt and president Bart Kelleher in New York just over a year after they took the reins of the Irish product and chemical tanker company. On the sidelines of a Capital Link investor conference, they explain how they are looking at opportunity in what they describe as a non-binary way and leveraging a stronger balance sheet to harness opportunity presented by a volatile market.Read more here: https://www.tradewindsnews.com/interviews/ardmore-duo-work-to-harness-opportunity-amid-volatility-a-year-after-leadership-transition/2-1-1886714 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A decade after 33 crew members died when the US-flag conro El Faro sank in a storm, reporter Eric Priante Martin looked back to find out what changes have been made from the lessons learned from the casualty. And he finds that many changes have yet to be made. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Wavelength Plus, TradeWinds editor in chief Julian Bray talks to Mitsui OSK Line president and chief executive Takeshi Hashimoto about his work to turn MOL from a Japanese company to an international conglomerate, and the role diversity plays in that transition.Hashimoto also reveals his work to clear MOL's name when it found itself caught up in the sanctions regime against Russian oil and gas, and also the role LNG is going to play in decarbonising shippingRead more:MOL expects ‘huge demand’ for LNG transport from 2028, chief executive saysCash from chaos: Why it’s ‘an exciting’ time to be a shipowner in Japan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IN this deep dive interview TradeWinds editor in chief Julian Bray talks to Dr John Coustas, chairman, president and chief executive of Greece's Danaos Group a significant container vessel tonnage provider.In the conversation Coustas explains his rationale for fuel choices in Danaos current 25 vessel orderbook, including his issues with biofuels and LNG as marine fuels. He also talks markets, the recent surge in orders for smaller feeder vessels and why he did not join in, and also why he is not 'crying for them". Them being the liner companies.Recorderd at TradeWinds Shipowner Forum, Athens on September 23rd September 2025Production: Craig Eason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Wavelength plus from TradeWinds:Lars Barstad, chief executive at Oslo and New York-listed Frontline talks to Holly Birkett about tanker demand, both now and in a decarbonising and energy intensive world.Also, about decarbonisation trajectories, what makes Frontline tick and what it is like working for one of shipping's most well-known shipowners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing a broadened Green Seas podcast with a new name.Wavelength+ is your regular deep dive into the world of shipping.The Green Seas sustainability, ESG and technology will still be here, but in addition we will be adding deeper dives into what TradeWinds also focuses on - that’s the business of shipping -whether the bulk, tanker and container markets, or insurance risk, regulationOr it could be the one-on-one interviews with those big big names which we know many want to hear from. So each week or so we will give you a key discussion point, or interview, but in addition we will offer deeper dives int the shipping markets that TradeWinds is known and respected for.TradeWinds podcast portfolio now consist of a weekly news magazine, Wavelength, and the deep dive/interview show Wavelength + Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.