Australian growers and exporters from northern Queensland travelled to Japan recently to celebrate, strengthen, and grow its long-standing trade and investment relationship. Japan is Queensland's third-largest agricultural export market, and the state government has identified growth potential for exporting fruit and vegetables.

The Dominican Ministry of Agriculture provided some 140 million pesos ($2.5 million) for its recovery. Hit by the heavy rains that fell over practically the entire national territory last November, the amount granted to the Association of Banana Producers will be used to revive this vital sector at the national level.

Chinese shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua has delivered 13,000 TEU LNG-powered containership CMA CGM Bahia to CMA CGM Group. As informed, the delivery ceremony took place on December 7. The ship has a total length of 336 meters, a width of 51 meters, a depth of 26.8 meters, a designed service speed of 21 knots, and a maximum load capacity of 13,200 TEUs.

The vice president of the Agricultural Chamber of Cochabamba, Rolando Morales, reported that several vehicles transporting bananas from the Tropics could not enter Argentina due to the elimination of the Import System of the Argentine Republic (SIRA). "(The new Argentine government) has decided to eliminate the SIRA and has opened the possibility that the negotiations will be between importers and exporters, of course, as long as they comply with the sanitary measures.

To combat the spread of fusarium wilt or TR4, the Philippines Department of Agriculture in the Davao Region (DA-11) has underscored the need to expand banana varieties for export through increased marketing efforts. DA-11 Director Abel James Monteagudo said that as part of the initiative, the DA-Research is currently conducting a value-adding study on caravan flour and banana fibre for paper and textiles for commercialisation.

The Hydrotug 1 is powered by two BeHydro V12 dual fuel medium speed engines that can burn hydrogen in combination with traditional fuel, resulting in an overall 65% reduction in fuel consumption and associated emissions. Each motor provides 2 megawatts of power and an impressive bollard pull of 65 tonnes. These engines also have the latest EU Stage V emissions after-treatment technology.

Maersk will pause all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice and send them on a detour around Africa, a spokesperson for the company told the press on December 15. "Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar on December 14 and yet another attack on a container vessel on December 15, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice," the company said in a statement.

Banana producers, traders and exporters have one month to register the export contracts for the fruit for 2024. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) reminded the reminder through a statement for the banana sector released by the Regional Corporation of Ecuadorian Banana Growers (Agroban). The Ministry of State highlights that all contracts and renewals must be submitted by December 31, 2023.

On December 6, Maersk Edmonton, operated by Maersk, was the Danish company's first vessel to berth at the DP World Posorja terminal. Maersk brought forward the start of its operations at that terminal after announcing the transfer of its operations from Contecon in the Guayaquil Puerto Maritimo to Posorja at the beginning of 2024.

The Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE), with the financial support of the German cooperation GIZ, has launched the Safe Banana: Prevention and Mitigation of Foc TR4 Risks project in Ecuador. "This is a crucial step in the fight against Fusarium TR4, one of the main threats facing banana production in the country since its detection in Colombia in 2019," said José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of AEBE, at a press conference.

According to a recent analysis by maritime research and consulting firm Drewry, the Global pool of shipping containers for the current and coming years will contract. The forecast is influenced by continually high inflation rates worldwide, which have suppressed demand, and growing geopolitical instability affecting investor confidence, collectively reducing the growth outlook for global trade.

They had already sounded the alarm with a press release at the beginning of November; this time, it is in an assembly that the "collective of agricultural workers poisoned by pesticides" reiterates its revelations. According to them, banana agricultural workers in Martinique are exposed to Chlordecone through the water used to wash the bananas. Farmers are ready, if necessary, to modify the treatment of this water.

The shipping industry is beginning to take alternative routes to avoid the ongoing restrictions at the Panama Canal as the region continues to suffer from its most significant drought in 70 years. Reports have emerged of numerous shipping companies choosing a different way of moving their ships after the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced further restrictions to movement through the central shipping lane, allowing just 25 booking slots per day and planning to reduce this further to 18 in February 2024.

Vietnam has become the second largest banana exporter to China, behind only the Philippines, accounting for 28.2% of the total amount of bananas imported by the market, the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced.

South Korea is eager to see increased trade and investment with the Philippines, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-hwa said on December 5 as he conveyed Seoul's intention to ratify its recently signed free trade agreement with Manila "soon". Lee said the Senate of the Philippines has also assured him that it would soon concur in the deal's ratification.