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Intermodal News

29 Feb 2024

CMA CGM Caps Logistics Push with $5 Billion Bollore Deal

© K I Photography / Adobe Stock

France's CMA CGM has completed a $5 billion takeover of Bollore Logistics, its biggest-ever acquisition, and said it had funds for more deals as it seeks to counter volatility in container shipping.The acquisition of the logistics division of French conglomerate Bollore, announced last year, closed on Thursday at a final price of 4.85 billion euros ($5.25 billion) after debt and cash adjustments.The deal will extend the reach of CMA CGM's CEVA Logistics unit into areas such as freight management for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and luxury firms.CMA CGM, based in Marseille and privately controlled

26 Feb 2024

Herculaneum Port Site Cleared for Redevelopment as Intermodal Hub

(Photo: St. Louis Regional Freightway)

A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County, under early French ownership the port was utilized to ship lead cannonballs and shot to Europe to support Napolean’s army.

13 Feb 2024

Port of Antwerp Disrupted by Belgian Farmers' Protests

© Alexandre / Adobe Stock

Operations at the port of Antwerp, one of Europe's biggest container ports, were seriously impacted on Tuesday as hundreds of farmers on tractors blocked the roads around the port to demand better pay and working conditions, officials said.The protest follows a large number of similar actions by angry farmers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and beyond, as farmers also demand looser environmental rules and better protection against cheap imports."Operations are heavily disrupted," Stephan Van Fraechem, the director of the association of port companies Alfaport VOKA, told Reuters.

02 Nov 2023

NYC Exploring Ways to Move More Freight Via Waterways

© batman6794 / Adobe Stock

New York City is looking at ways to help shift freight transportation off of its busy roads and onto the waterways.The city's Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on Wednesday jointly released a Request for Information and Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking private sector feedback to help it gauge industry challenges and opportunities, and explore ways to implement and support businesses to engage in waterfront freight operations.The initiative is part of NYC's "Blue Highways" program, launched under the city's previous mayor, Bill de Blasio.

16 May 2023

Coastal Shipping Can Help Cut NZ’s Freight Transport Emissions

© Emagnetic / Adobe Stock

A shift to coastal shipping and rail could cut NZ’s freight transport emissions – why aren’t we doing it?According to a recent study, coastal shipping produces a fifth of the carbon emissions (well-to-wheel) of road freight. Rail also performed well, with about a quarter of trucking emissions.Despite this, trucking accounts for nearly 80% of New Zealand’s heavy goods transport, and a 94.5% share of the total emissions from heavy freight transport.The dominance of trucking follows the expansion of the road network…

03 May 2023

Crowley Launches Multimodal Service Between Mexico, US and Canada

(Photo: Crowley)

Crowley announced it will launch an end-to-end, integrated ocean and rail service between Mexico and the U.S. Midwest region and into Canada. Featuring Crowley’s new Mexico-U.S. ocean route in the Gulf, the service will leverage the inland rail network of Canadian National Railway Company and its U.S. rail subsidiaries (CN). The companies’ combined network provides broad reach across the Midwest and into Canada to increase solutions for global customers in North American market…

18 Apr 2023

CMA CGM Offers $5.5 Billion for Bollore Logistics Unit

© dbvirago / Adobe Stock

French shipping group CMA CGM is offering 5 billion euros ($5.48 billion) for the logistics unit of Bollore, the family-run conglomerate said on Tuesday.For Bollore a deal would mean cutting ties with its biggest business while offering cash-rich CMA CGM a chance to bolster its bid to offer end-to-end transportation services and supply chain management.The business posted more than 7 billion euros in revenue last year and has 15,000 employees.News of the indicative offer, made on a cash free and debt-free basis, boosted Bollore's shares.Bollore disclosed it following a report in shipping publi

13 Mar 2023

London to Trial Shipping Light Freight on the River Thames

(Photo: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers)

A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Ireland…

25 Jan 2023

Nigeria Opens 'Game Changer' Billion-dollar Deep Seaport

The US$1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port is commissioned in Lagos, Nigeria. (Photo: Nigerian Ports Authority)

Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is expected to ease congestion at the country's ports and help it become an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations.President Muhammadu Buhari has made building infrastructure a key pillar of his government's economic policy, and hopes that this will help his ruling party win votes during next month's presidential election.The new Lekki Deep Sea Port is 75% owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram group…

24 Jan 2023

Jørgen Wisborg Named Blue Water Chairman

Kurt Skov and Jørgen Wisborg (Photo: Blue Water)

Jørgen Wisborg has been named chairman at Danish-headquartered transport and logistics group Blue Water, taking over from the company's founder and longtime head Kurt Skov.In September last year, Skov announced plans to find his successor, making it possible for him to slow down his work activities.Wisborg joins Blue Water after 17 years as managing director for the Danish energy company OK, where he stepped down last year to focus entirely on board positions. He holds several seats on boards in different companies…

21 Dec 2022

MSC Group Completes Purchase of Bolloré Africa Logistics

© STOCKSTUDIO / Adobe Stock

French conglomerate Bollore, run by the family of billionaire Vincent Bollore, said on Wednesday it had completed the sale of its Bolloré Africa Logistics arm to shipping company MSC Group.The Bolloré company added the transaction was on the basis of a 5.7 billion euro ($6.1 billion) enterprise value.“The Bolloré Group will remain strongly involved in Africa, notably through Canal+, and will also continue to develop on this continent its activities in many fields such as communications, entertainment, telecommunications and publishing,” added the company in a statement.The Bolloré company hold

26 Oct 2022

MRS 2022: Supply Chain Challenges to the Maritime Transportation System

Copyright G/AdobeStock

Inland maritime transportation systems (MTS) play major roles in domestic and international supply chains, with unique challenges related to upstream and downstream sources disruption, accessibility and shifts in commodities, as well as demand and supply imbalances. With a 20% on-time arrival statistic, the U.S. east coast serves as an example for the increasing appeal of inland waterways as a cost-effective, alternative, with Port of Cleveland traffic reportedly increasing 70% between 2020 and 2021.

19 Oct 2022

Transnet Agrees Wage Deal with Majority Labor Union

© petert2 / Adobe Stock

South African state-owned logistics firm Transnet said on Monday it had agreed a three-year wage deal with the union representing the majority of its workers, ending a two-week strike that had hit commodities exports and piled up millions in losses."Transnet and the company's majority union United Transport and Allied Trade Union (UNTU) reached a three-year wage agreement today," it said in a statement, adding the deal would bring most of its employees back to work.UNTU members…

31 Oct 2022

Hungary's New Container Terminal Aims to Boost Ukrainian Grains Shipments

© Pixel-Shot / Adobe Stock

Europe's largest land-based container terminal started operating near Hungary's border with Ukraine on Tuesday, aiming to increase shipments of Ukrainian grains via Hungary to Adriatic ports.The East-West Gate terminal, built at a cost of about 40 billion forints ($95.65 million), allows containers to be transferred between wide and standard gauge rail tracks as well as between trains and trucks.It "will have a huge role in shipping Ukrainian grains," Hungarian Foreign Minister…

13 Oct 2022

Transnet Strike Costing Miners $44 Million a Day

(Photo: Transnet)

South African miners are losing 815 million rand ($44 million) in export revenue per day due to an ongoing strike at state-owned logistics firm Transnet which has hit commodity exports, an industry body said on Thursday.Transnet's freight rail and port workers earlier said they had rejected a revised pay offer and vowed to continue the strike which started a week ago.The Minerals Council of South Africa said major mineral export harbors were currently operating at between 12% and 30% of their daily averages due to the strike.

06 Oct 2022

Container Shipping Market: Plunging Rates and Blank Sailings

Copyright tonyv3112/AdobeStock

Peter Sand, the chief analyst of Xeneta discuss recent trends in the container shipping market, from plunging spot rates to blank sailings.The container shipping market has enjoyed a prolonged historic, and somewhat unexpected bull run, as COVID-induced consumer spending broadly switched from travel and entertainment to manufac-tured goods. But as COVID restrictions fade and inflation rages, the tides are changing, resulting in turmoil across many container shipping sectors.“Let’s focus on the Transpacific because that's where things are most crazy right now…

03 Oct 2022

Lithium-ion Batteries: Fire Risks and Loss Prevention Measures in Shipping

Copyright JustSuper/AdobeStock

About the Author: Captain Rahul Khanna is Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. A marine professional with 26 years of experience within the Shipping and Maritime industry, Captain Khanna served more than 14 years on board merchant ships in all ranks, including Master of large oil tankers trading worldwide. Although shipping losses have more than halved over the past decade fires on board vessels remain among the biggest safety issues for the maritime industry.

28 Sep 2022

New Loading Equipment Delivered to Port Milwaukee

(Photo: Port Milwaukee)

New loading equipment was recently delivered to Port Milwaukee for The DeLong Co., Inc. agricultural maritime export facility.The Made in America ship loader traveled more than 1,500 miles by barge from New Orleans, up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Jones Island. This equipment is capable of loading 40,000 bushel/1100 ton per hour onto both vessels and barges.The ship loader, which is currently being installed on Jones Island, will serve as the heart of DeLong’s loading…

22 Sep 2022

Collapsing Spot Rates, Falling Capacity define Far East to U.S. Container Trade

Capacity And Blank Sailing: Far East to the US West Coast. Chart courtesy Xeneta

In its latest Container Freight Rate Update note, Xeneta covers the average capacity and blank sailings on the Far East to the US West Coast while we head into the not-so-traditional peak season.The average capacity offered from the Far East to the US West Coast has fallen to its lowest since February in the past four weeks. Over this period, an average of 275,000 TEU has left the Far East heading for the US West Coast, about 50,000 TEU less than the peak in early August.Compared to the same four weeks in 2021…

20 Sep 2022

Liverpool Dockworkers Launch Two-week Strike Over Pay Dispute

© Alan / Adobe Stock

Over 500 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool, one of Britain's largest container ports, have launched a two-week strike over pay, the Unite trade union said on Tuesday, adding to a wave of industrial unrest caused by soaring inflation.The Liverpool strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3, which was announced earlier this month, will overlap a second walkout by workers at Felixstowe, Britain's top container port, which starts on Sept. 27.More than 560 port operatives and maintenance engineers…

19 Sep 2022

Bookshelf: Port Newark and the Origins of Container Shipping

“An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn’t take his education too seriously.” –Charles KetteringJust for fun, try asking a friend a few questions. Who developed the telephone? Chances are that your friend will reply, Alexander Graham Bell. Who developed the lightbulb? That would be Thomas Edison. Who developed the telegraph? That would be Samuel F.B. Morse. Now ask, who developed containerization? Unless your friend has a background in maritime history, he is likely to draw a complete blank. The answer is a man named Malcom McLean. But who exactly was he? Was he a shipping executive?

15 Sep 2022

NTSB Reports on Collision Between Mississippi River Barge and Train

Aerial photo of the derailment of the two locomotives and eight hopper cars. Two additional hopper cars are submerged in the river. (Source: BNSF)​

The National Transportation Board said Thursday that a Mississippi River towing vessel’s pilot and its captain pushed its tow up against a riverbank too close to a railroad track, leading to a collision and train derailment near Galland, Iowa.Marine Investigation Report 22/22 details the NTSB’s investigation into the Nov. 13, 2021, collision between the towing vessel Baxter Southern and a BNSF coal train transiting the track along the shoreline of the Upper Mississippi River. The train struck a barge that was overhanging the railroad track.

13 Sep 2022

NVOCCs Caught in the Middle of Ocean Shipping Reform Act

NVOCCs are caught in the middle of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 requirements for reporting demurrage and detention; FMC needs to pump the brakes and allow the industry to catch upThe Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, passed by Congress without industry input and signed into law on June 16, has left the industry in a difficult position regarding how to comply with the new requirements for invoicing demurrage and detention (D&D) charges.At issue is the Container Availability Date…

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