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Monday, March 18, 2024
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The Containers News

18 Mar 2024

Port NOLA Bests Container-on-barge Record

(Photo: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) said 2023 was a record year for container-on-barge shipping.During the last calendar year, Port NOLA marked 20,500 container moves by barge, the highest since launching the container-on-barge networkā€”the nation's largestā€”in 2016 with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and Ingram Marine Group. Container-on-barge moves containers by water rather than by truck on roads to reduce air emissions; moving an average of 30,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) per year between New Orleans, the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Memphis and St. Louis.

17 Mar 2024

Mexico Could be Back Door for Chinese Imports into US

Ā© EvrenKalinbacak / Adobe Stock

Growth in demand for container shipping imports from China into Mexico in January 2024 increased by 60% compared to 12 months ago, further fuelling suspicions it has become a back door into the US.According to analysts at Xeneta, 117,000 TEU was shipped in January of this year compared to 73,000 TEU in January 2023 (source: Container Trades Statistics).Annual growth in container shipping between China and Mexico had already increased by 34.8% in 2023 compared to just 3.5% in 2022.Peter Sandā€¦

13 Mar 2024

Ships Above 12,000 TEU Drive 100% Increase in Average Ship Size

Source: BIMCO

Since 2006, the average container ship has doubled in size to 4,580 TEU and ships with a capacity of more than 12,000 TEU has accounted for 51% of the fleetā€™s capacity expansion. Today, just 626 ships provide 36% of the fleetā€™s capacity, and the trend is set to continue as the large ships dominate the order book, says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.When the Emma Maersk was delivered in August 2006, the ship was by far the largest container ship in the world. It is 400 metres long, 56 metres wide and has a capacity of about 17,800 (14,000 TEU when delivered).

10 Mar 2024

Sleepy Week for Ship Recyclers

Source: GMS

Even though the Indian sub-continent ship recycling markets have taken on a collection of smaller vessels of late, the week remains ā€œsleepyā€ says cash buyer GMS.Virtually no deals have been concluded, and this has put the squeeze on the global ship recycling sector.ā€œDry bulk charter rates have been pushing on by the week as ship owners monetize the most from this sector. Containers and tankers too remain oddly off the recycling buffet, and this in turn is driving the ongoing dearth of viable candidates into overdriveā€¦

04 Mar 2024

Victoria International Container Terminal Phase 3A Expansion Completed

Source: ICTSI

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), ICTSIā€™s operations at the Port of Melbourne in Australia, recently completed Phase 3A of its expansion project.VICT can now accommodate neo-Panamax container ships, the largest container vessels calling Australia. The ships can now sail directly into Port Phillip and dock at VICT ā€“ the only terminal in Melbourne capable of receiving them. It is also the only fully-automated container terminal in the southern hemisphere.The AUD235 million expansion project is being carried out in two phases.

01 Mar 2024

Rotterdam World Gateway to Provide Shore Power at All Berths

Left to right: Boudewijn Siemons, Port of Rotterdam Authority; Robert Simons, Municipality of Rotterdam; and Ronald Lugthart, RWG (Photo: Port of Rotterdam Authority)

Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) container terminal will equip its entire quayside with shore-based power for all vessels, slashing emissions of particulates, nitrogen and CO2 while at berth.RWG, which is already fully automated and CO2 neutral, is opting to design, finance and build the shore-based power systems itself.The first berths are expected to be equipped with shore-based power from 2026 onward, placing RWG ahead of European regulation stipulating that all container, passenger and cruise ships larger than 5ā€¦

26 Feb 2024

IMOā€™s PPR11 Agrees Guidance on Key Environmental Issues

Source: IMO

The IMOā€™s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):ā€¢ the safe transport of plastic pellets by seaā€¢ best practices for cutting black carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arcticā€¢ reducing risks of use and carriageā€¦

16 Feb 2024

Worldā€™s First Ammonia-powered Containership Ordered

(Image: CMB.TECH)

Partners behind a project to develop the worldā€™s first ammonia-powered containership have placed an order to build the groundbreaking vessel at Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, in China.Expected to be delivered by mid-2026, the 1,400 TEU ice-class containership Yara Eyde will run on ammonia as fuel, serving routes between Norway and Germany.The vessel will be owned by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH, and operated by NCL Oslofjord AS, a joint venture between North Seaā€¦

15 Feb 2024

Letā€™s Set Some Standards for Micro Cargo

It almost boggles the mind that the success of the ISO container is effectively based on only one standard: 8 feet wide. The 8 foot standard (basically railroad car and truck widths, which are mythically reported to be related to the width of two horseā€™s asses)
Copyright Jim Mills/AdobeStock

As zero carbon cargo efforts are progressing, it is becoming more apparent that the lowest hanging fruit is in the last few miles. This is where a large amount of carbon is expended in delivering small parcels to stores and consumersā€™ doors.This is particularly apparent in dense pack cities like New York City, where delivery vans clog streets and water crossings. The NYC Economic Development Commission recently issued a Request For Expression of Interest in waterborne micro cargo delivery.

15 Feb 2024

CMA CGM Takes Delivery of LNG-Powered Mermaid Containership

CMA CGM Mermaid containership (Credit: CMA CGM)

French container shipping group CMA CGM has taken delivery of the CMA CGM Mermaid, the first ship in a series of 10 new 2,000 TEU containerships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which will be progressively deployed in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.CMA CGM Mermaid containership is the result of collaboration between CMA CGM, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and Hyundai Heavy Industries.The delivery is part of CMA CGM's fleet renewal program, in which the group invested more than $15 billionā€¦

11 Feb 2024

Subcontinent Ship Recycling Market Remarkably Quiet

Source: GMS

Despite the Pakistani & Bangladeshi markets stabilizing and displaying a far greater aggression at the bidding tables over the last five weeks, it has been a remarkably quieter start to 2024 for ship recycling than many had anticipated, says cash buyer GMS.With Houthi attacks, trading markets have remained unseasonably firmer, thereby delaying the historical ā€˜post-New Year aggressionā€™ from the sub-continent ship recycling markets that the industry has become accustomed to overā€¦

08 Feb 2024

Maersk Warns Oversupply to Hit Profits

Ā© Fotokon / Adobe Stock

Maersk warned on Thursday that container shipping overcapacity would hit profits more than expected this year and that it didn't see a major boost from the jump in freight rates due to Red Sea disruptions, hammering its shares.The warning, which also led the Danish shipping giant to suspend its share buyback programme, is in stark contrast with investors' recent optimism about the sector.Container shipping companies have been among the best-performing stocks in Europe this yearā€¦

06 Feb 2024

ClassNK Greenlights Ammonia Fuel Tank Design for GSCā€™s Containerships

R to L: Shinjiro Mishima, Representative Director, GSC and Hiroaki Sakashita, President & CEO, ClassNK (Credit: ClassNK)

ClassNK has awarded an approval in principle (AiP) for the design of a prismatic ammonia fuel tank (IMO Type B independent tank) for containerships developed by Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships (GSC).The Type B tank developed by GSC has been designed to ensure safe storage of ammonia and to minimize the reduction in the number of cargo containers due to the placement of fuel tanks in consideration of operational needs.Furthermore, the shape of the storage space for the tank has been simplified from the typical bench corners for container carriersā€¦

06 Feb 2024

Huisman Secures Port Order for Automated Stacking Cranes

(Credit: Huisman)

Dutch manufacturer Huisman has entered the port and logistics market with the order for series of automated stacking cranes (ACSs) from Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam (ECT).The ACSs will serve for the efficient handling and buffering of containers. The cranes feature a fully automated process for handling and buffering containers, providing a solution for enhanced operational efficiency, required for 24/7 operational time.The diversification in port automation underscores Huisman'sā€¦

01 Feb 2024

Evergreen & X-Press Feeders Ink MOA for Methanol-fueled Feedering

(Photo: X-Press Feeders)

Global container shipping line Evergreen Marine Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with X-Press Feeders, the worldā€™s largest independent common carrier, to place its containers on X-Press Feedersā€™ new dual fuel green methanol vessels. X-Press Feeders is planning to run these vessels on green methanol and operate them within Europe.The two companies moreover will work together to launch a feeder network, which will be the first in Europe to be powered by green methanol.Initiallyā€¦

01 Feb 2024

Westwood Shipping Lines Rebrands as Swire Shipping

(Photo; Swire Shipping)

Swire Shipping announced that Westwood Shipping Lines, a niche vessel operator it acquired in June 2022, has changed its name to Swire Shipping.According to Sire, the rebrandā€”which took effect February 1ā€”will help Westwood to leverage synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network to better serve customers throughout North America, Japan, South Korea and China.ā€œThe integration of Westwood Shipping Lines reflects our continued investment and expansion in the North Pacific.

22 Jan 2024

Red Sea Shipping Disruptions Could be Avoided by Using the Arctic, But Challenges Exist

Ā© Andrei Stepanov / Adobe Stock

Attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea have hit world trade. Between November and December 2023, the number of containers travelling through the Red Sea each day fell by 60% as ships moving goods between Asia and Europe diverted their routes around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.This route results in at least ten days more sailing time, so has caused freight prices to surge and has triggered costly delays to production. The region has become a bottleneck for the global economy before.

19 Jan 2024

CMA CGM Reroutes More Ships to Avoid Red Sea Attacks

Ā© Bjƶrn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

One of the world's largest container shipping groups CMA CGM on Friday said it would reroute a weekly service between Europe and Australia to avoid attacks in the Red Sea, and that the company expected months of disruption.Attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia on commercial vessels, in response to Israel's war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza, have slowed trade between Asia and Europe, and U.S. strikes against the Houthis have not resolved the crisis.French-based CMA CGM said its weekly NEMO service connecting Europeā€¦

17 Jan 2024

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Set Up Operational Cooperation

Ā© STOCKSTUDIO / Adobe Stock
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Shipping industry majors Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk have signed an agreement for a new long-term operational collaboration called ā€˜Gemini Cooperationā€™, which will start in February 2025.The ambition is to deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading reliability.The new cooperation between the companies will comprise a fleet pool of around 290 vessels with a combined capacity of 3.4 million containers (TEU). Maersk will deploy 60% and Hapag-Lloyd 40%, the shipping giants said.As a part of the agreementā€¦

12 Jan 2024

Container Rates Soar on Concerns of Prolonged Red Sea Disruption

Ā© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week, with U.S. and UK air strikes on Yemen stirring concerns of a prolonged disruption to global trade in Red Sea, one of the world's busiest routes, industry officials said on Friday.U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of strikes across Yemen overnight in retaliation against Iran-backed Houthi forces for attacks on Red Sea shipping, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's warā€¦

08 Jan 2024

India Providing Escort for Ships Around the Red Sea

Ā© Alexeiy / Adobe Stock

India's defense ministry is providing protective escorts to Indian containerships in the high seas around the Red Sea as the security situation there continues to simmer, a government source said on Friday.Containers could face delays of 14 days in their turnaround time due to taking a longer sea route around Africa which is also causing higher transport and insurance costs, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added."The cost of freight & insurance has risen due to ships being compelled to avoid the region & take a longer route.

03 Jan 2024

Jonathan Daniels to Lead Port of Baltimore

Jonathan Daniels (Photo: Maryland Department of Transportation)

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld has announced Jonathan Daniels as the new executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportationā€™s Maryland Port Administration. Daniels comes to Maryland after serving as chief executive officer and director at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., and has more than 30 years of port and economic development experience.Daniels will begin in his new position February 5, taking over from Brian Miller, who has been servingā€¦

02 Jan 2024

Goldsworthy Takes Over as CEO at IMarEST

Chris Goldsworthy (Photo: IMarEST)

The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) announced it has appointed Chris Goldsworthy as its new chief executive. Goldsworthy replaces Gwynne Lewis who is retiring, having been in the position since 2020.Goldsworthy is a fellow of the IMarEST and former Cyprus branch chair. He embarked on his career as an engineer cadet with P&O Containers, where he spent 16 years at sea, achieving the rank of chief engineer officer. He transitioned to shore-based roles in 2005 as a technical superintendentā€¦

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