Adequate Infrastructure News

Brazil is still attracting cruise lines, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, which is bringing a ship to Brazil for the first time in the 2016/2017 season. However, hard numbers do not bode well for the industry as the number of cruises dropped by more than half in four years, with a staggering 54 percent decrease in the number of regular cruise ships on the Brazilian coast. In 2012, the season had 15 regular ships, while this year there will be only seven, and the number of passengers boarding at Santos port will be 42 percent lower. The 2010/2011 season of cruises hit the record for ships on the Brazilian coast: 20. Since then, this number has fallen year on year…

The rise of alliances among shipping carriers and industry moves toward post-Panamax and ultra large cargo ships are pressuring many U.S. ports to address access restrictions. The widening of the Panama Canal, slated to open in 2016, will further intensify the need to accommodate larger ships. Some regional ports that serve secondary markets and are unable to process larger vessels risk losing some services or being skipped completely, Fitch Ratings says. The combined impact of the shift to larger vessels and carrier alliances is giving shippers significant negotiating leverage over ports.

Liebherr Maritime Cranes celebrated the grand opening of the new sales and service center in Durban, South Africa. The new African maritime hub was opened by a number of guests from the local industry and Liebherr representatives. Mainly as a result of the close cooperation with Transnet over the past few years, Liebherr-Africa (LAF) has decided to extend its activities and to establish a specialized maritime hub in Durban. Transnet operates more than 60 Liebherr cranes, 13 mobile harbor cranes, 31 ship to shore container cranes and 18 rubber tyre gantry cranes.

U.S. coal-burning power utilities are being forced to turn to barges and more expensive trucks to move coal, desperate to shore up stockpiles left dangerously low by the widespread bottlenecks on rail networks. The shift in how coal is being delivered to some power plants from mining regions such as Illinois Basin and comes amid persistent railroad delays that began during last year's severe North American winter. The delays have been perpetuated also by a surge in rail deliveries of crude oil and grain…

At its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans last week, members of WISTA USA (Women’s International Shipping &Trading Association) were urged to support investment in infrastructure projects in order to maintain and grow the transportation of waterborne commerce in the United States. From U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) to Spencer Murphy of Canal Barge Company, Rick Calhoun of Cargill, Gary LaGrange of the Port of New Orleans, Joel Dupre of Southern Recycling and Colonel Richard Hansen of the U.S.

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) & nine key members of the Australian maritime, port and energy sectors have established the four-month study. The Joint Industry Project (JIP) is to facilitate the adoption of LNG fuelled vessels in Australian waters. The use of LNG as marine fuel eliminates SOx and particulate matter emissions, nets a 15% reduction in GHG emissions and diminishes that of NOx by 85-90%, which addresses both local and global pollution issues. The study aims to cover the infrastructure and regulatory requirements as well as the potential benefits and risks faced by energy majors, ports and ship-owners considering LNG fuelled vessels.

The Minister of Development Competitiveness and Shipping, heads of international cruise sector bodies, senior officials from Greece’s port authorities and representatives from a wide spectrum of the cruising industry agreed today that state protectionism is a stumbling block that discourages the potential growth of the country’s sea tourism. They were addressing an audience of 200 cruise industry professionals who attended the 2nd Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum held today, Wednesday 6th June, at the sidelines of Posidonia 2012, the world’s biggest shipping trade event. According to the Minister of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping, Mr Ioannis Stournaras, Greece attracts 4.3 million cruise line passengers every year who spend some Euro 430 million at greek destinations.

The 2nd Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum was opened by Theodoros Vokos on behalf of the organizers. He said: “In the year which elapsed between the inaugural event and this year’s forum, we have seen some progress in the form of  the partial lifting of cabotage and the good intentions of the government and the bodies and associations who are actively involved in the Greek cruise sector. The Minister of Development Competitiveness and Shipping, heads of international cruise sector bodies, senior officials from Greece’s port authorities and representatives from a wide spectrum of the cruising industry agreed that state protectionism is a stumbling block that discourages the potential growth of the country’s sea tourism.

Drydocks World, a leader in ship repair, conversion and new building, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Goltens. “We are delighted to have entered into this MoU with Goltens, which is a well-known global service provider for specialized mechanical works. We believe in working in partnership with like-minded individuals and organizations to broaden our reach and support the industry with our considerable combined expertise. The unified front of the two companies will be…