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Cargo Transportation News

15 Feb 2024

Let’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 horse’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 consumers’ 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.

27 Nov 2023

Swire Projects Launches Transpacific Semi Liner Service

Source: Swire Projects

Swire Projects, the projects and heavy lift shipping arm of Swire Shipping, has officially launched a dedicated semi liner service connecting East Asia with the West Coast of North America.Previously offered on an ad hoc basis, the service will provide enhanced cargo connectivity and support the growing demand for reliable breakbulk and project cargo transportation into the West Coast and a gateway to the interior of the Continent avoiding the need to route cargo via the Panama Canal.Swire Projects' semi liner service connects the base ports of Qingdao and Taicang in China and ports en route…

13 Nov 2023

Seacontractors Acquires Anchor Handler Pair from Boskalis

(Photo: Seacontractors)

Dutch marine services provider Seacontractors announced it has acquired two secondhand anchor handling tugs from Boskalis.Classed by Bureau Veritas with an unrestricted sailing area, the 2013-built Seraya and Sentosa each offer 120 tons bollard pull capability. They are able to carry 860m3 of fuel and provide a generous deck space of 200m2. Both 51.8-meter-long vessels have accommodation on board for 24 persons. Moreover, their fully integrated fire fighting systems enhance their…

11 Oct 2023

DNV: “The Pace of the Transition is Far from Fast Enough”

Source: DNV

DNV has released the 7th edition of its Energy Transition Outlook highlighting that global energy-related emissions are still climbing and are only likely to peak in 2024. “The pace of the transition is far from fast enough for a net-zero energy system by 2050,” states the report.Over the last five years (2017–2022) renewables met 51% of new energy demand and fossil sources 49%. In absolute terms, fossil-fuel use is still growing.“Our prediction is that emissions from oil use will peak in 2025 and those from natural gas in 2027,” says Remi Eriksen, Group president and CEO.

06 Oct 2023

SAL Heavy Lift Charters Chinese Semi-sub Duo

Credit: SAL Heavy Lift

SAL Heavy Lift said Friday it had chartered two modern semi-submersible deck carriers, the “Zhong Ren 121” and “Zhong Ren 122” on a long-term basis together with its partner Shanghai Salvage (China). "Both ships will be delivered in Shanghai between December 2023 and February 2024 and marketed through the Jumbo-SAL Alliance," Sal Heavy Lift said.“We don’t use the term ‘milestone’ lightly – but, in this case, it’s more than appropriate. This project is extremely important to us as a group, both commercially and strategically,” says Dr Martin Harren, CEO of SAL Heavy Lift and the Harren Group.

30 Jun 2023

Crowley Acquires Tamarind Consolidated

(Photo: Crowley)

U.S. based shipping and logistics company Crowley announced it has acquired Tamarind Consolidated, a logistics services company serving the U.S. to the British Virgin Islands.The acquisition will transition Tamarind’s operations and services, including warehousing and non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) services, to Crowley. According to Crowley, the expansion complements its existing maritime and logistics solutions and will expand solutions for customers in Virgin Gorda and surrounding BVI locations.

30 Mar 2023

Florida Marine Transporters Refinances with TCW

File photo: Metal Shark)

Florida Marine Transporters LLC Holdings has completed a refinancing with  a unit of TCW Asset Management Company LLC.Investment bank Carl Marks Advisors announced it facilitated the transaction.FMT, headquartered in Mandeville, La., is one of America’s largest independent, family-owned, Jones-Act-compliant marine transportation companies, providing liquid petrochemical, chemical cargo, and dry cargo transportation services in the inland waterways of the United States, primarily the Gulf intercoastal Waterway and Mississippi River System.

24 Feb 2023

Malaysian FPSO Giant Yinson Invests in Norwegian Autonomous Vessel Start-up

©Yinson/Zeabuz (cropped)

Yinson GreenTech (YTG), a green tech investment branch of the Malaysian FPSO giant Yinson, has announced its strategic investment in a Norwegian startup specializing in autonomous solutions for the maritime industry called Zeabuz."The investment provides the foundation for YGT to work closely with Zeabuz in the development of autonomous solutions for YGT’s future fleet of electric vesselsm," Yinson said, without sharing info on the size of the investment.Eirik Barclay, Chief Executive Officer of YGT…

03 Nov 2022

Southern Devall to Trial Amogy’s Ammonia-to-power Technology

(Photo: Amogy)

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy announced it is partnering with Southern Devall to trial its ammonia-to-power technology for the first time in the maritime market as the industry strives to reduce its vessel emissions.Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system converts ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells or as a more energy dense method of long-distance hydrogen transportation. The system, already demonstrated in a farming tractor and aerial drone, is now being scaled for use in larger applications…

18 Oct 2023

Hydrogen One: Innovative Towboat Set to Shake Things Up in the US

(Image: EBDG)

Rarely does a vessel come along with the potential to radically change the way an industry operates, but one such vessel is set to hit the water in 2023.This new vessel, a towboat named Hydrogen One, is being developed by Louisiana-based Maritime Partners, the largest lessor of marine equipment in the U.S. It will be the first of its kind globally to run on emissions-reducing methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology—no diesel propulsion on board—as the maritime industry continues…

18 Oct 2023

ACBL to Operate Maritime Partners' Innovative Hydrogen One Towboat

(Image: Elliott Bay Design Group)

Jeffersonville, Ind.-headquartered marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) is expected to operate Hydrogen One, a first-of-its-kind towboat that will run on emissions-reducing methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology—without diesel propulsion.The groundbreaking vessel is being developed by Louisiana-based Maritime Partners, the U.S.' largest lessor of marine equipment, and will be built by Intracoastal Iron Works in Bourg, La. for launch in 2023 as…

21 Jul 2022

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha Revises Financial Outlook

Copyright Eightshot Studio/AdobeStock

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha has upgraded its financial outlook for the fiscal year ending March 2023, projecting higher revenue and operating profits across the board in light of changing market conditions across multiple sectors it serves, inculding containershipping and bulk carriers. In a statemetn the company said:"The forecast at the beginning of the current fiscal year assumed a decline in demand related to general consumer goods considering lockdowns in China, the turmoil of the situation in Russia and Ukraine, and the acceleration of global inflation.

25 Jun 2021

Pertamina Shipping Unit to Spend $4 Billion on Fleet Upgrades

Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina's new unit, Pertamina International Shipping (PIS), is looking to spend $4 billion in the next seven years to refurbish its fleet of vessels and upgrade terminals, a top official said on Friday.The new unit plans to replace 23 vessels and expand its fleet, to ensure compliance with the latest International Maritime Organization standards and eventually serve other regional companies, said its director of business planning, Wisnu Medan Santoso."There are many oil and gas players in ASEAN who do not have their own shipping arm, we see this as an opportunity," Wisnu told Reuters, referring to countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations."We have a large captive cargo, we have a large economy of scale.

27 May 2021

Wärtsilä Developing Autonomous Container Shuttle Service

(Photo: Wärtsilä)

Finnish marine equipment and technology company Wärtsilä said on Thursday it is working to develop an autonomous, emissions-free intra-port, inter-terminal container shuttle that would help address the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container transportation.The project is part of an international alliance headed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, which has this month been awarded nearly €25 million in EU funding to implement projects aimed at sustainable and smart port logistics.

07 May 2021

Stena Bulk CEO Erik Hånell Discusses Path, Cost Toward Decarbonization

The InfinityMAX concept is Stena Bulk’s take on zero emissions, self-sufficient and flexible seaborne transportation. It aims to have a ship with a similar design to the InfinityMAX concept operating on the water by 2035 at the latest. Image courtesy Stena Bulk

Stena Bulk invests in the future, a future defined by decarbonization in the shipping sector. Erik Hånell, President & CEO, Stena Bulk discusses the plan, the path and the costs.While the majority of shipowners still struggle to pick the technological path toward meeting emission reduction targets in the coming 30 years, one company, Stena Bulk which today has about 110 tankers (30% owned, 70% managed) generating about $1.4B in revenue annually, recently unveiled its roadmap toward decarbonization…

28 Apr 2021

MSC Rolls Out Electronic Bill of Lading Globally

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is introducing the electronic bill of lading (eBL) for its customers globally following a successful pilot phase of the independent blockchain platform.The eBL enables shippers and other supply chain stakeholders to receive and transmit the bill of lading document electronically, without any change or disruption to day-to-day business operations, potentially saving the industry billions of dollars, the Swiss-headquartered container shipping giant…

08 Mar 2021

Stena Bulk Debuts InfinityMAX Electric Vessel Design Concept

© Stena Bulk

As shipping companies face mounting societal and regulatory pressure to decarbonize, innovative alternative designs are expected to become the norm rather than the exception. Stena Bulk unveiled the InfinityMAX hybrid bulk carrier concept, intended to push the boundaries for zero carbon, multi-modal vessel design. It is electric and modular, designed to enable sustainable, zero carbon, efficient and flexible seaborne transportation.The concept is designed to carry both dry and wet cargoes in modular compartments…

05 Jan 2021

There’s Room to Grow on Brazil’s Inland Waterways

(Photo: Hidrovias do Brasil)

Brazil’s waterways have enormous potential for commercial transport, but are still underused and inefficient in the country’s 12 river basins, according to Brazil’s National Transport Confederation (CNT). Of the 63,000 kilometers (km) that could potentially be used for inland navigation, only 19,500 km (30.9%) of the existing network is currently used commercially for cargo and passenger transport, leaving more than two-thirds unused.However, despite wasted opportunities, Brazilian rivers have registered an increase in transported volume in recent years…

11 Sep 2020

Tidewater Hires Sperling as COO

Johan Sperling (Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

Vancouver, Wash. based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals announced Friday it has hired Johan Sperling as its new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.Sperling will have direct oversight and responsibility for the maintenance and engineering department, vessel operations, dispatch and terminal operations. Additionally, he will work closely with Tidewater Environmental Services and Tidewater’s Canadian entity, Island Tug and Barge, to support their efforts for safe and reliable operations.

08 Sep 2020

Damen Delivers Fast Crew Supplier to Rederij Groen

(Photo: Damen)

Damen Shipyards Group delivered a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2710 to Rederij Groen, who has secured a contract to use the vessel to undertake crew transfers for the oil and gas industry in Germany and DenmarkThe first new FCS 2710 to be delivered in the Netherlands, Green Waves was handed over to its new owner in Scheveningen less than six months after the contract signing. The speed of delivery is due to Damen’s practice of building standardized vessels in series and for stock…

12 May 2020

Damen Unveils Fish-farming Workboat

(Image: Damen)

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled its new Utility Vessel 2613 workboat geared for the aquaculture industry.The Damen UV 2613 draws upon other vessels from the shipyard’s portfolio, such as the Multi Cat and Shoalbuster, to deliver versatility to the fish-farming sector, with a work scope that covers everything from harvesting to net cleaning and diving support to de-licing.Damen Sales Manager Mike Besijn said, “We are very confident in the relevance of the UV 2613 for the growing aquaculture industry.

10 Apr 2020

Coronavirus: Cargo Loss Prevention Measures

© Suriyapong / Adobe Stock

The pandemic has brought about sudden changes for cargo transportation, impacting shippers and transport companies around the world and potentially increasing the risk environment, particularly for high-value and temperature-sensitive goods. In a new risk bulletin AGCS highlights steps for cargo owners to consider when developing contingency plans.While in most cases initial government directives have established cargo transportation as an essential activity, permitted during any quarantine period…

16 Mar 2020

Winter Work on the Great Lakes

(Photo: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding)

Along the 1,600-mile, ice gray arch of the St Lawrence Seaway, the 2020 Great Lakes commercial shipping season will lurch back to life on March 25 when the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. reopen.The ceremonial opening signals a passage with passable ice and the 114th Great Lakes season for its fleet of 45 venerable lakers. Most of these huge self-loading freight haulers are at least 50 years old, rust free, and fit; American steel sailing on a freshwater sea.To handle Great Lakes cargo…