Central Europe News

Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said on Thursday that it would not be in the container shipper's interest to make a counter offer for HHLA, the main operator of Hamburg port, and may instead cut its traffic through the hub.On Wednesday, Switzerland-based MSC, the world's biggest container shipping company, offered to buy almost half of the port operator in a deal that could be worth nearly 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).Speaking to Reuters in an interview, Habben Jansen said that as a result of MSC's bid…

Spanish oil company Cepsa signed on Wednesday two agreements aimed at shipping green hydrogen between Spain and the Netherlands, a day after renewable energy giant Iberdrola took a similar step.The two Spanish companies are vying to become green hydrogen leaders, with planned investments worth billions of euros. The recent agreements will help them sell part of their expected production of green hydrogen and derivatives to industrial customers eager to decarbonize in Europe's economic powerhouse…

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced Joerg Sonne will become Senior Managing Director Region North Europe, succeeding Martin Rolf, who will take over the position of Managing Director Human Resources.Sonne joined Hapag-Lloyd as a result of the merger with UASC and successfully led Area Arabian Gulf from 2017 to 2022. For the last eight months, he has served as Managing Director Area Germany & Central Europe. He will be based in Hapag-Lloyd’s headquarters in Hamburg.“In recent years…

The European Commission has announced restrictions on the imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria until June 5.The move led to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria lifting unilateral import bans they had imposed citing the need to protect their farmers. Romania had not banned imports.Here are some of the issues:WHY IS UKRAINE EXPORTING THROUGH EASTERN EUROPE?Ukraine mainly exported agricultural products…

Romania and Poland are in talks with the European Commission over export tracing mechanisms for Ukrainian grains to ensure local farmers are not hurt by a flood of cheap imports, the Polish and Romanian prime ministers said on Tuesday.Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, has seen its Black Sea ports blocked since Russia invaded more than a year ago and has been forced to find alternative shipping routes through European Union states Poland and Romania.But logistical bottlenecks mean that large quantities of Ukrainian grains…

The number of ships loading liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Spain and taking it across Europe doubled in 2022 compared with the previous year, helping ease the energy crisis driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas grid operator Enagas said on Thursday."Our plants are contributing very significantly to the energy security of other countries and from the Barcelona plant, especially for Italy," Enagas chief executive Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri told reporters, adding that a total of…

Offshore wind turbine maker Vestas and offshore vessel owner Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) have partnered up to deploy the world’s first methanol-powered offshore crew transfer vessel to drive down emissions from offshore wind service operations.Vestas has signed a five-year charter to explore how the world’s first methanol-powered crew transfer vessel (CTV) can help reduce carbon emissions from its offshore service operations. The CTV, provided and developed by N-O-S, will be powered by a dual-fuel solution…

Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy said Monday it had delivered an LNG cargo to Europe on board the Woodside Rees Withers LNG carrier from Australia’s North West Shelf. The cargo of approximately 75,000 tonnes of LNG (100 million cubic meters of natural gas) was delivered on November 27, 2022, to Uniper Global Commodities SE (Uniper) at the Gate Terminal located on Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, the Netherladns. Woodside said the cargo would contribute to natural gas supply in Northwest and Central Europe. Woodside Executive Vice President Marketing & Trading Mark Abbotsford said the company was "pleased to have concluded the trade…

Dozens of ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) are circling off the coasts of Spain and other European countries unable to secure slots to unload because plants that convert the seaborne fuel back to gas are full.Europe is facing an energy supply squeeze as Russia has progressively cut gas flows after the West imposed sanctions in response to the Ukraine war.The region has had to find alternative supplies, including LNG, but the arrival of multiple cargoes of the superchilled…

Greece received two binding bids for a majority stake in its northern port of Alexandroupolis, the country's privatizations agency HRADF said.The bidders for a 67% stake in the port were Quintana Infrastructure and Development through Liberty Port Holdings Single Member, and International Port Investments Alexandroupolis, a joint venture of Black Summit Financial Group, Euroports, EFA Group and GEK Terna, the agency said in a statement.The deadline for the bids expired earlier on Thursday.

At least two investors are expected to submit binding bids on Thursday for a majority stake in Greece's northern port of Alexandroupolis, sources close to the process told Reuters.Near the borders with Bulgaria and Turkey, and with rail links and a floating gas regasification unit in the pipeline, Alexandroupolis has potential as a transport and energy hub for central Europe.Four investors were shortlisted last year for a 67% stake in the port: Quintana Infrastructure and Development…

Finnish ship designer Deltamarin said it has signed a contract with Oy Fennorail Ltd for conceptual design of a train ferry capable of carrying both train and truck cargo.The so-called EUROCARRIER train ferry is being engineered to connect Finland to the European TEN-T railway networks and create a connection across Eastern Europe to Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Approximately 400,000 trucks per year, or almost 1,100 trucks per day travel on car ferries between Finland and Estonia.

Over the last two years a series of unexpected events has scrambled global supply chains. Coronavirus, war in Ukraine, Brexit and a container ship wedged in the Suez Canal have combined to delay deliveries of everything from bicycles to pet food.In response, a growing group of startups and established logistics firms has created a multi-billion dollar industry applying the latest technology to help businesses minimize the disruption.Interos Inc, Fero Labs, KlearNow Corp and others…

Despite transporting roughly 90% of the world’s cargo, the shipping industry has so far been underrepresented in the global decarbonization discussion. This rhetoric is however changing. For the first time in history, shipping was officially on the agenda at the UN climate change conference, COP26. Likewise, the recent United Nations General Assembly saw leaders from the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan place shipping at the top of a list of pledges, with plans to form a “Green…

Offshore wind developer Parkwind has selected the Port of Mukran as a service base that will serve its Arcadis Ost I wind farm, in the Baltic Sea, offshore Germany.Earlier this week, Parkwind, wind turbine maker Vestas, and construction firm Ems Maritime Offshore (EMO) signed the lease agreements for the O&M building in the Port of Mukran, the easternmost deep water port in Germany.The signing ceremony marked the start of the building development where up to 40 professionals will oversee and service the operations of the 257 MW wind farm Arcadis Ost 1.

Croatia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk began operations on Friday amid the first delivery of gas, said the company which runs the unit."LNG tanker Tristar Ruby anchored with 143,000 cubic meters of gas which signifies the beginning of the commercial use of the terminal," LNG Hrvatska director Hrvoje Krhen told the state news agency Hina.According to the company, the unloading of gas, delivered from the United States, will take place until Jan.

On 1 December 2020, Ingrid Uppelschoten Snelderwaard will take up the role as global COO of Svitzer A/S, reporting to CEO Kasper Friis Nilaus. She will be based in Copenhagen.Uppelschoten Snelderwaard joins Svitzer from her current position as Global Head of Equipment and VP at Maersk and takes over from Svitzer’s current COO, Leonardo Sonzio, who will be moving on to become Maersk's Head of Fleet Operations.Uppelschoten Snelderwaard holds a degree in Economics and Languages from Hogeschool Zeeland, and a degree in Business Management from Nyenrode University in the Netherlands.

The United States and Greece called on Monday for a peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the east Mediterranean as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a two-day trip to Greece amid increased regional tension over energy resources.NATO allies Greece and Turkey, at loggerheads on a range of issues, have agreed to resume exploratory talks over contested maritime claims following weeks of tensions that culminated in a collision between their warships."The United States and Greece ..

Bureau Veritas (BV) appointed Rolf Stiefel as its new Regional Chief Executive based in Hamburg, responsible for Central Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Russia. He will be based in the BV regional office in Hamburg and his appointment is effective May 1, 2020. He succeeds Dr. Hans Gaetjens who is retiring in July following a two month hand-over period.For the past 17 years Stiefel has been leading engine sales for WinGD’s slow speed diesel and gas engines including developing the market for WinGD’s X-DF gas fueled engine…

Torqeedo announced it has appointed Jochen Engelmann as vice-president sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective January 1.In this position, Engelmann will have responsibility for expanding sales and driving the company’s growth across the EMEA region for Torqeedo’s marine electromobility systems.Engelmann comes to Torqeedo from Volvo Penta, where he was head of sales, central Europe for the industrial engine division. Prior to joining Volvo Penta, he worked…

The sustainable energy solutions provider Vestas Wind Systems A/S has received a 34 MW order for the Haramsfjellet wind project on the island of Haramsøya in western Norway.The Danish manufacturer has developed a solution to fit the site’s wind conditions that includes eight V136-4.2 MW turbines and a long-term service contract to optimise energy production for the lifetime of the project in a high wind location."With a robust design for tough wind sites, the turbine is well-suited for the challenging climatic conditions that are commonly found on Norway’s western coastline," said a press release.The order is placed by Finnish-based Taaleri Energia investing via their SolarWind II fund in the project that will have an annual production of about 112 GWh…

Armed Polish border guards boarded a Greenpeace ship blocking a delivery of coal in the port of Gdansk late on Monday and detained two activists, officials said on Tuesday.The environmental group said it staged the protest to highlight Poland's continued dependence on air-polluting coal and to pressure it to phase out coal as a source of energy by 2030.Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior arrived in Gdansk at 1600 GMT on Monday and the ship anchored around midnight, trying to prevent a shipment of coal from Mozambique from being unloaded…

Cargo container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd has is to split its European operations into northern and southern regions. The company said the move was part of its strategy to remain closely connected with international clients. After the reorganization, Hapag-Lloyd will serve its customers from a total of six regions.The new Region South Europe will be headquartered in Genoa, Italy to reinforce the company’s activities in the Mediterranean region. Juan Pablo Richards, previously manager of the company’s operations in Area Brazil…