Environmentalists found high concentrations of pollutants in air samples taken at the weekend at the Mediterranean port of Gibraltar. The samples, which were taken next to cruise vessels moored in Campo de Gibraltar [an area between the port proper and the mainland], showed "high concentrations of ultrafine particles", according to international environmentalist groups Ecologistas en Acción from Spain and Nature and Biodiversity Union (NABU) from Germany. "Air pollution levels [were] up to 140 times higher than in areas with clean air" from samples taken on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when different cruise ships visited the port, a statement from NABU said. NABU policy officer Malte Siegert called for the Mediterranean Sea region to be designated a emission control area (ECA) as is already the case in the North and Baltic Seas.

ATHENS, April 18 (Reuters) – Greek ferries remained docked at the country’s ports on Wednesday as seamen, marine engineers and ship cooks walked off the job to protest against planned government reforms which they say will further hurt their labor rights. The 24-hour strike was organized by Greece’s seamen federation (PNO), which said the leftist-led government was preparing a reform allowing non-European flagged transport ships to sail in Greece, leading to job losses for Greek crews. The reform is coming on top of pension cuts, rising unregistered labor and work without any insurance, PNO said. PNO said later on Wednesday that the strike would be extended until Friday morning. “No more blows against our sector,” it said in a statement. Passenger traffic was slow at Piraeus port on Wednesday morning. Traffic has been picking up as the summer, the top tourism season for the Mediterranean country, approaches. Marine unions have strongly resisted reforms liberalizing the shipping sector, which along with tourism is a pivotal industry for Greece, a country of proud seafarers and shipowners.

China’s massive new fully-automated port terminal in Shanghai has opened and will soon ship up to 136 million tonnes around the world every year. Stage four of the Yangshan Deep Water Port began trial operations on Sunday after years of construction and development, and £1.37 billion, aimed at increasing China’s trade dominance. Once fully operational the new terminal will be able to move 6.3 million standard 20-foot shipping containers a year, with the whole £8.5 billion port handling more than 40 million a year – most in the world. The giant new addition covers 2.23 million square metres and has a 2,350-metre shoreline south of Donghai Bridge, which was built to service the port. Automation of nearly all the terminal’s functions slashes labor cost by 70 percent and boosts handling efficiency by 50 percent.