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Car Makers News

14 Jan 2024

Tesla, Volvo Car Pause Output as Red Sea Shipping Crisis Deepens

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Automakers Tesla and Geely-owned Volvo Car said they were suspending some production in Europe due to a shortage of components, the first clear sign that attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are hitting manufacturers in the region.The United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Yemen on Thursday, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia whose attacks on international shipping have disrupted one of the world's most important shipping routes.Container shipping rates jumped…

05 Jul 2023

Volvo Cars Switches to Biofuels for Ocean Freight

Source: Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars has announced that it is switching delivery of its production material to container ships using renewable biofuel.The company will use renewable fuel for inbound ocean container transport of production material destined for manufacturing plants based in Europe and the Americas, as well as all spare parts distribution made globally by ocean container transport.Volvo Cars says that it is the first global car maker to announce such a switch which will achieve an immediate reduction in fossil CO2 emissions from intercontinental ocean freight by 55,000 tonnes a year.

18 Apr 2023

GSI Claims Lead in Orders for LNG Dual-Fuel PCTCs

Source: CSSC

Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), part of China State Shipbuilding Corp, has recently taken the lead in orders LNG dual-fuel pure car truck carriers (PCTCs), reports China Daily.The company now has contracts to build 25 PCTCs after a recent contract signing for three 8,600 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs for an unnamed Asian company. Other orders include three 7,000 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs with Guangzhou Yuanhai Automobile Shipping and three LNG dual-fuel 7,000 ceu newbuilds from COSCO.Of the yards 25 PCTC orders, 11 are being built for overseas companies, including South Korea's H-Line Shipping.

14 Sep 2022

German Coalition Divided Over Chinese Bid for Hamburg Port Terminal

© Wirestock / Adobe Stock

Germany's ruling coalition is divided over whether to let China's Cosco take a stake in a Hamburg port terminal, government sources say, even as Beijing urges Berlin not to politicize the bid and the port authority warns this could hurt the economy.Shipping giant Cosco last year made a bid to take a 35% stake in one of three terminals in Germany's largest port in the northern city of Hamburg.The German government's response is being seen as a gauge of how far it is willing to toughen its stance on China…

28 Dec 2021

Shipbuilding Drives Rise in Japanese Steel Output

Copyright Paul/AdobeStock

Japan's crude steel output is expected to rise 1.9% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, helped by a recovery in manufacturing including shipbuilding and machinery, its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said last week.This would mark the fourth straight quarterly increase and bring annual output for the financial year to March 31 to 97.07 million tonnes, up 17% from a year earlier when the COVID-19 pandemic pushed production to the lowest in about 50 years.METI estimated crude steel output at 24.15 million tonnes for the three-month period…

11 Jul 2019

Go-slow at Port Hits South African Car and Commodity Exports

A go-slow by workers at a major South African port is hitting exports of cars and other commodities, the country's Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday.State-owned rail operator Transnet said it had suspended a number of employees at its Ngqura Container Terminal for engaging in what it said was an illegal industrial action."We are getting reports of a go-slow at some of our ports which is beginning to (have an) impact on the export of vehicles from South Africa in particular but perhaps other commodities as well," Gordhan, whose portfolio includes Transnet, said.Carmakers including Ford, BMW and Nissan have invested billions of dollars to upgrade assembly plants and boost exports from Africa's top automotive hub.The action was also beginning to hit other sectors…

12 Mar 2018

Russia Ramps up Fuel Exports in Fight for European Market

© Mikhail Perfilov / Adobe Stock

Russia plans to sharply increase fuel exports and carve out a larger share of the European market following an extensive $55 billion modernisation of its refineries, companies' plans and analysts' reports show. Russia embarked on a modernisation of its biggest refineries in 2011 following a fuel shortage crisis. It also changed its tax system to favour production of cleaner and higher-quality fuel. The modernisation, which has not been completed yet, led to a surge in output of light products and exports, which has hurt European refineries' margins.

27 Jul 2017

France Nationalizes Shipyard to Thwart Italian Majority

France will temporarily nationalise the STX France shipyard to prevent an Italian firm taking majority control, the economy minister said on Thursday, marking President Emmanuel Macron's first big industrial policy decision. As France's most avowedly pro-business leader in decades, few would have predicted the former investment banker's first big move in the corporate sector would be a nationalisation. However, his action fits with the interventionist style of other postwar French leaders. It also crosses into the defence sector, where many national governments prefer to wield influence over ownership. The Italian state-owned shipbuilder Fincantieri rejected a French offer this week of 50-50 ownership of the shipyard…

26 Jul 2017

France to Nationalize STX if Italy Deal Fails

French govt has made 50/50 ownership offer to Italy; Minister says offer on the table until Thursday. The French state said on Wednesday it would nationalise the STX France shipyard if Italy does not accept its offer to split STX's capital equally, putting down a marker on the limits of economic liberalism under new President Emmanuel Macron. The threat raises the stakes in a standoff with Rome over the shipyard's fate, the only one in France with facilities large enough to build aircraft carriers. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said nationalisation would give the state more time to find a better shareholder deal, but even if temporary, it would mark the first major state intervention in the corporate world by Macron's government which was elected on a pro-business platform.

12 May 2017

Arctic Council Meeting Stirs Hidden Tensions

Photo credit: Arctic Council Secretariat / Linnea Nordström

As foreign ministers from countries with territory in the far North celebrated an agreement on fighting climate change this week, one topic seethed below the surface: growing competition for Arctic resources and sea lanes as the ice melts. Russia, one of eight members of the Arctic Council which includes the United States, Canada and the Nordic countries, has been pouring money and missiles into the Arctic as well as reopening and building bases there. This is bringing its Arctic military presence to the highest level since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

06 Oct 2016

GPA adds 100 acres Auto Processing Space

At the annual State of the Port address hosted by the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch announced a 100-acre expansion of the Colonel's Island auto terminal, and welcomed Logistec's announcement of the completion of 221,000 square feet of wood pellet storage at GPA's East River Terminal. "The additional 100 acres will allow GPA to grow along with our existing customers, and to attract additional carmakers to the nation's second busiest auto port," Lynch said. Twenty of the 100 acres are paved and in use by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, while International Auto Processing has leased another 49 acres it will occupy by May 2017.

23 Apr 2016

Yen Drops on Rate Cut Talk; Oil Climbs

The U.S. dollar rose to a three week high against the yen on Friday, on a report of likely further monetary policy easing from the Bank of Japan, while a rise in crude oil prices was offset by poor technology sector earnings, leaving Wall Street stocks steady. The dollar rose more than 2.0 percent against the yen to 111.80 yen, its highest level since April 1 after a media report said the BOJ is considering expanding its negative rate policy to bank loans and could cut rates further. A rise in oil prices helped energy stocks, but disappointing earnings from top technology companies, including Google's parent, Alphabet, weighed on the tech sector on Wall Street, leaving the U.S.'s benchmark S&P 500 stock index little changed for the day.

19 Mar 2016

APM Terminals Readies Lázaro Cárdenas TEC2

APM Terminals (APMT) is continuing with its new deep-water semi-automated Lázaro Cárdenas Terminal 2 (TEC2) project, which represents an overall investment of US$900 million, despite the slow Latin American economic growth, and sluggish global container shipping growth rate. Once complete, TEC2 will have an annual throughput capacity of 1.2 million TEUs. Overall throughput at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas increased 6 percent in 2015 to 1.05 million TEUs, following Manzanillo on Mexico’s east coast with 2.4 million TEUs handled in 2015, according to APM Terminals. APM Terminals said the fully built TEC2 will double the quayside to 1,485 meters, increase the number of STS cranes from seven to 15, and more than double annual throughput capacity to 4.1 million TEUs.

29 Jan 2016

Siemens Acquires CD-adapco for $970m

Pictured is a detailed geometry for STAR-CCM+ simulation of ship self-propulsion, as featured in the December 2015 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. http://digitalmagazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MaritimeReporter/201512/

Siemens and CD-adapco have entered into a stock purchase agreement for the acquisition of CD-adapco by Siemens. The purchase price is $970 million. CD-adapco is a global engineering simulation company with software solutions covering a wide range of engineering disciplines including Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Solid Mechanics (CSM), heat transfer, particle dynamics, reactant flow, electrochemistry, acoustics and rheology. Last fiscal year, CD-adapco had over 900 employees and revenue of close to $200 million with software-typical double digit margins.

14 Jul 2015

Peugeot Plans Expanded Iran Venture After Nuclear Deal

PSA Peugeot Citroen is in advanced talks over an Iranian carmaking venture with historic partner Iran Khodro and expects rapid progress following the diplomatic breakthrough lifting sanctions against the country, the French company said. The deal struck between Iran and western powers "should clear the way for significant progress in our discussions", Peugeot Africa and Middle East chief Jean-Christophe Quemard told Reuters on Tuesday in an emailed response. Unlike their existing partnership, under which Iran Khodro re-assembles older Peugeot models made in European plants, the new venture would manufacture cars from scratch using the French group's latest vehicle architectures and engines, Quemard said. "This project will deliver a generational leap," he said.

16 Feb 2015

Logistics Suffer as U.S. Port Dispute Continues

Dozens of ships queuing to dock due to ports dispute; Honda slowing North American car production as parts held up. A labor dispute at ports on the U.S. West Coast is disrupting supply chains across the Pacific, forcing some Asian suppliers to resort to costly air freight and pushing up shipping rates as more freighters are caught up in long queues to dock. With ports near gridlock and cargo delays being felt throughout the U.S. economy, President Barack Obama on Saturday dispatched Labor Secretary Tom Perez to California to try to broker an agreement on a new contract between dockworkers and the group representing shippers and terminal operators. Ports along the coast, which between them handle nearly half of all U.S.

07 Feb 2015

International Auto Processing Handles 5 Millionth Vehicle

A silver Hyundai Genesis rolling down the ramp of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel Isolde became the 5 millionth vehicle handled by International Auto Processing at the Port of Brunswick. “On behalf of the GPA, I would like to congratulate IAP, a long-time partner at the Port of Brunswick,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. International Auto Processing began its Colonel’s Island operation in 1986, with its first shipment of 567 Yugos (all in red). “Over the years, more and more carmakers have seen the value in using Colonel’s Island as a gateway to the Southeastern U.S. market, helping IAP and the Port of Brunswick to achieve phenomenal growth over three decades as a ro/ro facility,” said Robert Miller, president and CEO of International Auto Processing.

17 Apr 2014

DHL Expects Immunity in Price Fixing Investigation

Deutsche Post expects its DHL forwarding business to be granted immunity from prosecution and fines by Singapore antitrust authorities, who are investigating 11 companies for alleged price fixing, the German logistics company said. The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) said this month it was investigating 11 freight forwarding companies, including Deutsche Post unit DHL Global Forwarding, for alleged price-fixing of air freight forwarding services. Deutsche Post told Reuters last week that the probe related to pricing and surcharges in the forwarding industry from 2002 to 2007. Forwarders buy cargo space from airlines, shippers and truckers and bundle shipments for customers, such as carmakers, high-tech firms and agriculture firms.

10 Apr 2014

GPA Reports Record Monthly Tonnage

Photo courtesy of Georgia Port

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved its highest month on record in March, moving 2.61 million tons of cargo – a 15.5 percent increase over the same month a year ago. The 349,682-ton increase was powered largely by double-digit container growth. The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal moved 260,539 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) during the month, up by 28,000 TEUs or 12 percent. Cargo moved by rail accounted for 254,263 containers, or about 19.8 percent of total container volume.

26 Feb 2013

Toyota Export Venza via Port of Brunswick

Photo: Toyota

The Toyota Venza, built in Georgetown, Ky., will be exported to Russia and Ukraine via the Port of Brunswick, Ga. The Georgia Ports Authority will move approximately 5,000 vehicles for Toyota per year. Toyota announced it will begin exporting U.S.-assembled Venza crossover vehicles to Russia and Ukraine via the Port of Brunswick, Ga. Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick handled a record 612,489 auto and machinery units in CY2012, up from 497,404 in the previous year. Toyota is a new client for the GPA. The Port of Brunswick handles approximately 10% of all U.S.

17 Sep 2007

RoRo Shortage Hits Car Trade

While the Chinese automotive sector is experiencing double-digit growth, Chinese finished vehicle exporters are facing stiff competition and ongoing logistics challenges in getting their products to foreign markets because of a lack of RoRo ships, according to a report on http://www.cargonewsasia.com. Zhang Xiaoyu, vice-chairman of the China Machinery Industry Federation said that while the number of China's vehicle exports has increased sharply, many of these cars lay in transit at ports because shipping companies simply do not have enough vessels to transport them. According to China Custom's figures, the mainland exported a total of 340,000 cars in 2006 - double that exported in 2005.