AS Aasen Bulk

France and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to a A$50 billion ($34 billion) submarine deal on Friday, seeking to defuse tensions after French shipbuilder Naval Group raised concerns over the capability of Australian contractors.Australia signed a production contract with Naval Group in February 2019 for a fleet of 12 attack-class submarines, ending a two-year wrangle over one of the world's most lucrative defense deals.Australia had selected the French firm as its preferred bidder in 2016 ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany. However, final contracts were delayed amid reports of cost blowouts and production delays.

Deficiencies in the cargo stowage arrangement ultimately caused the YM Efficiency to lose 81 containers while sailing in heavy seas off Australia in June 2018, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) investigation revealed.The Liberian-flagged vessel was en route from Taiwan to Sydney when it suddenly rolled heavily in strong gale force winds and rough seas, causing the ship to lose 81 containers overboard and another 62 containers to be damaged. The containership, operated by Taiwan shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, also sustained structural damage to its lashing bridges, superstructure and accommodation ladder

The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: avoid Asia.To that end, many cruises in the region are being cancelled while others currently sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd on Thursday canceled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia after calling off eight trips to China last week. It joined industry leader Carnival Corp in warning that full-year earnings would be hit by the epidemic.

Purpose-built for storage challenges brought on by climate change and geopolitical tensions, TeleSense has introduced its cellular SensorSpear Monitors to protect post-harvest grain.TeleSense, a post-harvest grain monitoring innovator, recently introduced a Cellular SensorSpear intended to give grain managers and barge operators an easy and reliable way to accurately monitor stored grain, ensuring grain quality while reducing spoilage and safety concerns.Inserted into piles of stored grain, the Cellular SensorSpear sends temperature and moisture data to the cloud where TeleSense machine learning algorithms analyze the data and alert users to any anomalies and issues that may arise.

Japanese health officials said there have been 44 new positive tests for the novel coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 218 aboard the cruise ship currently quarantined in Yokohama.Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp, has been placed on quarantine upon arriving at Yokohama on February 3 after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus now called COVID-19.This week, Japanese officials informed Princess Cruises that they are planning for guests to be able to voluntarily disembark to complete the quarantine process in shoreside facilities.