Container Operator News

Shipping and logistics group A.P. Moller-Maersk has agreed to sell its two logistics sites in Russia to IG Finance Development Limited, it said on Monday, nearly marking the end of its business activities in the country.The group said the sale of its inland depot facility in Novorossiisk, with a capacity of 1,500 containers (TEU), and a chilled and frozen warehouse in St. Petersburg had obtained regulatory approvals in the European Union and Russia."We are pleased to have found…

French-based shipping group CMA CGM has completed its withdrawal from the Russian market by divesting stakes in terminals through an asset swap, the company said.“With this finalized transaction and the decision to suspend all new bookings to and from Russia since March 1st, 2022, the CMA CGM Group will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia,” it said in an emailed statement.The deal was concluded on Dec. 28, it said.CMA CGM inherited 25% stakes in four terminals in Russia and Finland through the acquisition of Finnish firm Containerships in 2018…

Shipping and commodities firms will commission more ships partly powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) next year while ramping up trials for biofuel bunkering as they seek to cut emissions from ship operations, senior executives said this week.The shipping industry is seeking to reduce its reliance on oil as it tries to meet carbon emission reduction targets set out by the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization.These include the shipping industry cutting carbon emissions by 40% from 2008 levels by 2030…

Germany would put its port of Hamburg at a competitive disadvantage if it quashed a bid from China's Cosco to buy a stake in a container operator, the port city's mayor said.A rejection would be "a one-sided, competition-distorting disadvantage for Hamburg compared to Rotterdam and Antwerp, where Cosco already owns terminal shares," Mayor Peter Tschentscher told Reuters."In order to keep up with international competition, it must also be possible for shipping companies to participate in terminals in Hamburg if this makes business sense," Tschentscher added.Economy Minister Robert Habeck said i

A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Monday it has agreed to sell its 30.75% stake in Russian port operator Global Ports Investments to Russia's largest container operator Delo Group, which also owns a 30.75% stake in the firm.After the divestment, which needs regulatory approval, Maersk's port unit APM Terminals would "no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia or own any assets in the country," Maersk said in a statement.Maersk put its stake in Global Ports up for sale in March as it decided to quit Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is bracing for a sharp decline in cargo flows and a deficit of containers after major international container shipping lines halted operations in the country due to Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, two Russian executives said.The world’s three largest container shipping lines, Denmark’s Maersk, France’s CMA CGM and Swiss-based MSC, have suspended their bookings to and from Russia after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking a flurry of Western sanctions.The…

Canadian Québec Port Authority (QPA) has signed a long-term commercial agreement with Hong Kong's Hutchison Ports and Canadian National Railway (CN) to build and operate a new container terminal, known as project Laurentia.The agreement increases Hutchison Ports' global network to 52 ports spanning 27 countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Argentina, Mexico and Panama, said a press release.Hutchison Ports plays a strong role in the maritime industry worldwide and handles close to 85 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) per year, representing…

Norway's largest container terminal Yilport Oslo handled a total of 238,000 containers (TEU) in 2018, an increase of 14% from the previous year.The Norwegian container port operator said that as the cargo from Europe are growing, Oslo has become the logistics hub in Norway."About 80% of the goods that come in containers, everything from bicycles, books to electronics, curbstones and foodstuffs is destined to Oslo and the neighboring areas. Norway's most modern container terminal is close to a large and growing market. Half of the Norwegian population is within a three hours drive from port of Oslo," it said."We want to commend the work that the container operator YILPort Oslo, together with the shipping companies, has closed over time. Good capacity and quality are crucial.

Norwegian container operator Yilport Oslo set an all time high record in a single month with 21 363 TEUS in October 2018, registering an increase of 28 % compared to October last year.Maiken Solemdal, Commercial Manager at Yilport Oslo explained the growth as a result of the terminal's Short Sea focus:“In the first 10 months we have a growth of 10,4 % compared to 2017. Increased volume is mainly Intra European cargo that previous was transported from Europe to Norway by trucks."By changing the dynamics in the supply chain with flexible solutions, such as extended opening hours both at vessel operation and in the gate that can compete with trucks we are not only growing as a terminal…

Chinese investment by the Shanghai Lingang Overseas Development  in the port of Zeebrugge was officially signed in Brussels by Liu Jiaping, Chairman of Lingang, and Coens Joachim, CEO of Port of Zeebrugge.The agreement was signed in the presence of the prime minister of the People’s Republic of China, Ki Keqiang, and the prime minister of Belgium, Charles Michel.Port of Zeebrugge already announced the investment by the Chinese group Lingang in the Maritime Logistic Zone to establish a service and distribution park. Under the name ‘One park, two centers China/Europe’ Lingang signed an agreement of 85.3 million euros to establish a 30 ha logistic park.The objective is to settle down Chinese…

European Commission’s competition regulators has approved CMA CGM acquisition of Container Finance, the holding company that controls regional container operator Containerships.CMA CGM, the world’s fourth largest carrier by capacity, agreed in June to acquire Finland-based Containerships and its logistics operations."A combination agreement between Container Finance Ltd Oy and CMA CGM, signed on 20th June 2018, has been accepted unconditionally by all relevant competition authorities meaning CMA CGM is free to take over short sea carrier Containerships," said a statement from Containerships.Upon closing the agreement, Container Finance’s entire container logistics operations including Containerships plc…

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) began the main phase of the construction of a new terminal basin in Sokhna Port south of the Suez Canal northeast of Egypt, said he state media Xinhua.According to the report, the project was assigned to CHEC by the Sokhna branch of the Emirati corporation DP World, the main investor and container operator in the port located at the Gulf of Suez.CHEC sources said it will deliver the "Basin 2" project in fewer than 12 months ahead of the deadline.The report quoted Chen Shuang, deputy director of CHEC marketing department as saying that the launching ceremony event held on Tuesday (August 29) wass to show their determination to finish the project quickly and with high quality.Sokhna Port is located within the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone)…

Russian aluminum giant Rusal has stopped placing orders with two logistics firms that ship its exports, executives with the firms said on Tuesday, in a sign of deepening problems for the company after it was hit by U.S. sanctions.Rusal and its major shareholder Oleg Deripaska were included on a U.S. sanctions blacklist this month, leading to anxiety among many of its customers, suppliers and creditors who fear they too could be hit by sanctions through association with the company.A number of traders and customers of Rusal's aluminum have stopped buying the firm's products…

Russia's largest freight container operator, TransContainer said on Tuesday Russian aluminium giant Rusal had suspended exports through TransContainer's system after Rusal was hit by U.S. sanctions "They (Rusal) do not know what to do yet, what is going on with them; that is why all transportation operations are suspended," TransContainer's chief executive Petr Baskakov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.According to his estimate, Rusal had been shipping 25-30 percent of its exports via TransContainer.

Abu Dhabi Ports inked a new agreement with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade to explore new commercial opportunities between Chinese companies interested in investing in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) and Khalifa Port Free Trade Zone (KPFTZ), which is considered the largest free trade zone in the region. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Abdulla Al Hameli, Executive Vice President - Corporate Support at Abu Dhabi Ports and Zhou Guangyao, Representative of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade for the GCC region. The agreement was signed on the side-lines of the ‘KIZAD Business Week’…

A new short-sea container service between Amsterdam and Hull has been formally inaugurated with the first call of the 340-TEU vessel THEA II at Amsterdam Container Terminal (ACT). The new service, operated by leading short sea container operator Samskip, offers three sailings a week on this new route with vessels departing from Amsterdam on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Commenting on the new service, Clemence Cheng, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe, said: “Amsterdam Container Terminal offers shipping lines the opportunity to serve their customers in a fast, efficient, reliable and sustainable manner. ACT is operated by TMA Logistics in which Hutchison Ports is a 50% shareholder.

APM Terminals Pecém reported a 19% annual increase in container handling volumes as the gateway port to northeast Brazil. APM Terminals Pecém, which is the container operator at the Port of Pecém which is managed by the state-owned company CIPP (former Cearaportos), handled 130,008 moves (213,951 TEUs – twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2017 a new volume record. Daniel Rose, Managing Director of APM Terminals Pecém said “We have been working closely with our shipping line customers and our landside customers to ensure they had the port service levels needed to grow their business. Pecém has the best port and hinterland infrastructure connectivity in the region.

US creditors of Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. objected to the Korean courier’s efforts to secure a New Jersey bankruptcy court approval of an asset sale to Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), reports WSJ. Geneva-based MSC, the world’s second largest container operator by capacity, has offered $78 million for container terminal in  Long Beach, Calif. A group of container companies and other creditors concerned that Chapter 15 debtor Hanjin rushed through a sale of equity interest in Total Terminals International LLC and Hanjin Shipping TEC Inc. earlier warned that Hanjin may not have fetched the best offers and may sidestep outstanding debts without closer scrutiny. According to the report, in court papers filed Friday with the U.S.

South Korean ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping Co. signed a deal to sell its stake in the U.S. port operator that runs Long Beach, Calif.’s, biggest container terminal to Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), reports WSJ. Hanjin, which for bankruptcy protection in August, had signed a contract to sell its 54% stake in Total Terminals International LLC to Geneva-based MSC, the world’s second largest container operator by capacity. The exact value of the deal wasn’t known. The Seoul Central District Court handling Hanjin’s insolvency proceedings approved the deal on the condition it also is endorsed by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the U.S. port authority. Hanjin owned a 54% stake in Total Terminals International, while MSC had controlled the remaining 46%.

Dr. August Oetker KG announces that, after more than 80 years, it is divesting its shipping business and will be selling Hamburg Süd with all activities, subsidiaries and principal assets. The world's seventh-biggest container operator, Hamburg Süd, has been sold to Danish conglomerate AP Moeller-Maersk. Maersk Line didn't disclose the purchase price of Hamburg Süd when it announced the takeover on Thursday, saying it hoped to complete the deal by the end of 2017. According to WSJ, Maersk Line agreed to pay roughly $4 billion, according to people familiar with the discussions, making it one of the biggest deals for a container operator. The acquisition will boost Maersk's presence on North-South shipping routes.

The bankrupting container operator Hanjin Shipping Co. is shedding half of its ground workforce and may ax equally that many of the crew on deck as the bankruptcy court is out to sell most of ground and sea assets, according to the Pulse. Hanjin Shipping under court-led reorganization cuts 350 land-based employees in South Korea, aiming to restructure the business and improve survive. The shipper, which applied for court receivership in late August after creditor banks withdrew their support, has about 650 land-based employees in South Korea, which will be reduced by more than 50%. It may not issue redundancy notice to remaining 300 workers who are involved in the Far East-North American route which the court hopes to sell.

China’s two biggest state-owned shipping companies plan to merge 11 shipbuilding yards into a single entity in one of the industry’s biggest consolidation moves yet, reports Wall Street Journal. China’s two biggest state-owned shipping companies plan to merge 11 shipbuilding yards into a single entity in one of the industry’s biggest consolidation moves yet, the Wall Street Journal reports. The two companies had already combined their fleets and port operations last year to create China COSCO Holdings, the world’s fourth biggest container operator in terms of capacity. The combination of their shipbuilding arms will create China’s third biggest shipbuilding group. Cosco owns six yards and China Shipping Group owns five.

There has been reports that Danish conglomerate A.P. Møller-Mærsk A/S , the world’s No. 1 shipping company, could seek to take over Hanjin Shipping Co. and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. However, WSJ, quoting sources says that Maersk Line isn’t likely to move to buy either Hyundai or Hanjin contrary to industry speculation that it would take over either one or both of the troubled Korean cargo ship operators. Instead, the company is likely to wait for other distressed operators to seek buyout deals as they try to avoid bankruptcy, the people said. The speculation of Maersk takeover activity has intensified since Maersk announced late last month that it plans to break up the group into transportation and energy units, according to WSJ.