Cargo Processing News

For more than two years, Isaac Larian has used every available tool to overcome global supply-chain bottlenecks and keep retailers stocked with enough Bratz and LOL Surprise! dolls to meet pandemic demand.Asked how he's preparing for this summer's West Coast port labor talks, the chief executive of Los Angeles-based MGA Entertainment deadpanned, "I'm praying two times a day."Larian and a half-dozen suppliers for major retailers like Walmart WMT.N, Amazon.com AMZN.O and Target…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose for a sixth straight session on Tuesday, scaling its highest in more than a decade on stronger demand across vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, rose 1.4%, or 51 points, to 3,657, the highest since June 2010.The capesize index jumped 98 points, or 2%, to 4,950, a peak since May 11.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, rose by

Several Chinese ports are facing congestion as vessels due to call at Ningbo are being diverted and cargo processing is slowed partly due to stricter disinfection measures under China's "zero-tolerance" coronavirus policy.On Tuesday, more than 50 container vessels were queuing at Ningbo port, China's second largest marine center, Refinitiv data showed, up from 28 on Aug. 10 when a COVID-19 case was reported at one of its terminals.Leading international shipping groups have warned their clients of delays and route adjustments.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) announced that its cargo processing at Busan Port for January to July 2018, has hit a new record.Processed cargo during the first seven months of this year reached 1,157,980 TEU, an increase of 14.3 percent year-over-year.For the volume of exports and imports has recorded 608,872 TEU, a soaring 14.1 percent year-over-year.Also, the transit cargo volume increased from 473,341 TEU to 541,926 TEU, up 14.5% year-over-year.HMM attributed the performance to its service & volume reliability, and the launch of Asia Europe Express (AEX) service last April.An HMM official said, “Since Hanjin shipping’s collapse, HMM cargo processing at Busan port has hit a new record…

Finnish dry bulk shipping company ESL Shipping has taken delivery of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled bulk carrier named Haaga.The next-generation 25,600 dwt bulk carrier is 160 meters long and was delivered Monday to Aspo Group's ESL Shipping from Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, China.LNG-fueled vessel generates less than 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions of the previous generation of vessels. The vessel can also be fueled by completely carbon-free biogas, once the availability of carbon-free biogas improves over time.The vessel incorporates several innovative solutions to reduce its environmental footprint by minimizing its energy consumption and emissions.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) announced that its cargo processing at Busan Port, the largest sea gateway in Korea, has hit a new record. HMM handled 167,018 TEUs of cargo through the port in July, increased by 93 percent year-over-year. HMM has previously set a record of handling over 150 thousand TEUs in Busan Port in April and successfully set a new record of handling over 160 thousand TEUs after just three months. Transit cargo, in particular, has recorded 85,717 TEUs - soaring 133 percent year-over-year. Its market share also set a new record of 10 percent, handling the second-largest volume after Maersk. Processed cargo during the first seven months of the year reached 1.01 million TEUs, which is HMM’s first million TEU record in Busan Port this year.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has announced that its Asia-US west coast (USWC) volume in June 2017 increased 77% year-on-year. According to PIERS Data, HMM’s Asia-USWC handling cargo rose year-on-year from 7,953 TEU/WK to 14,055 TEU/WK (up 77%) at the end of June 2017. Moreover, HMM ranked 4th in terms of market share, up from 12th the previous year. HMM’s Asia-all US route cargo handling also rose year-on-year from 11,626 TEU/WK to 17,291 TEU/WK (up 49%) in June 2017. Furthermore, HMM’s USWC market share has grown to 7.4%, up 3.4%p from the same month last year. While, HMM's cargo processing at Busan Port, the largest sea gateway in Korea, increased by 91 percent last month from a year ago.

Construction is complete on weighbridges at the port of Liverpool to help cargo owners comply with the new SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) international regulations on container weights. The multi-lane, in-process capability involved considerable work to install multiple dynamic axle weighbridges at the terminal AutoGates. It is linked with the terminal operating system and is able to automatically provide a verified gross mass (VGM) record for the container. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set the date of  July 1…

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said that the volume of container cargo handled the Port of Subic between January and August nearly doubled year on year. SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia said container volume at the Port of Subic has already reached 83,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, up 93 percent of 43,000 TEUs for the same period in 2014. Subic’s free port can help divert marine traffic from the congestion in Manila because it is set up as “one-stop shop”, he said. He said efforts by the agency and partner locators to ensure ease in cargo processing at the Port of Subic, as well as other marketing initiatives, contributed to the rise in container volume here.

International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) Subic Bay Freeport unit, Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), in partnership with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), recently opened a one stop shop (OSS) to fast track documentary transactions in Subic Bay’s container terminals. Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras led the launching of the OSS together with SBMA chairman and administrator Roberto Garcia and SBITC general manager Roberto Locsin. Located inside the New Container Terminal 1, the OSS is next to the administration offices of SBITC and several satellite offices of shipping lines. With the OSS, port users can expect shorter document and cargo processing times as SBITC, BOC and SBMA are housed in one location.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) announced it has completed another complex heavy-lift project in Africa, this time at the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. ISS was appointed as port and discharging agents for the COSCO-owned MV DADE, which arrived at the port in September 2014 with seven RTG cranes on-board. The cranes which were commissioned by the Kenya Ports Authority represent the first stage of the upgrade and expansion plans which will enable the port to develop its cargo processing and logistics activities at the container terminal facilities in the Port of Mombasa.

The monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation & Hackett Associates, predicts a 2.7% April 2013 retail import rise. With US Customs officials saying they hope to minimize the impact of federal spending cuts on cargo processing, import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.7 percent in April over the same month last year. “The impact of sequestration isn’t yet fully known, but Customs officials are working hard to manage their resources and keep cargo moving,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Between their efforts to avoid delays and retailers’ adjustments to compensate, we’re not expecting consumers to see any difference on store shelves at this point. U.S.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3 percent in March over the same month last year despite federal spending cuts that could slow down cargo processing, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “Retailers are aware of the impact of the cuts on Customs operations at the ports and are working to plan accordingly so the impact on merchandise headed for the store shelves is minimized,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano…

The European Port Community Systems Association (EPCSA) is determined to keep its focus on the important issues and maintain close contact with officers and decision-makers in the European Commission, according to the association’s new chairman and vice-chairman. Alan Long, managing director of Felixstowe-based Maritime Cargo Processing (MCP), has been appointed chairman of EPCSA, and Piet Jan ten Thije, strategy and business director of Rotterdam-based Portbase, is the new vice chairman of the association.

Odyssey Marine Exploration, pioneers in the field of deep-ocean exploration, announce their contract with JBR Recovery Limited to support the logistics, refining and monetization of the anticipated silver cargoes from SS Gairsoppa and SS Mantola when recovered. Both the Gairsoppa and Mantola projects are being conducted under contract with the UK Department for Transport. Under these contracts, which follow standard commercial practices, Odyssey will retain 80% of the net salved value of the cargoes after recovery of expenses. Both merchant ships were torpedoed by German submarines, the Gairsoppa during WWII and the Mantola during WWI. During those wars, the UK government insured privately owned cargo under their War Risk Insurance program.

Greencarrier launches a new direct service between the UK and Finland for groupage, part loads and full loads. Together with its UK-based subsidiary Greencarrier PTS, Greencarrier is expanding the range of services it offers the Nordic market with a new direct service to Finland. The new link comes less than six months after Greencarrier acquired the Ipswich-based company PTS UK Ltd. PTS already maintained regular full and part-load services linking the UK with Sweden, Denmark and Norway prior to its acquisition by Greencarrier.

Congress has approved a homeland security bill with measures that increase port security and that emphasizes Wi-Fi wireless solutions, according to WiFi Wireless, Inc., a company which markets an end-to-end wireless tracking and monitoring system for shipping containers. The bill provides new steps to prevent terrorism at sea ports such as putting nuclear, chemical or biological devices into the 11 million shipping containers entering the country every year. Further measures are expected. The Senate passed the bill by a voice vote and President Bush has signed it into law. Senator Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the legislation would be a "major leap ahead" in strengthening national security.

Maritime innovations with environmental sensitivity will be showcased at a research conference November 9 and 10 aboard the Queen Mary. A Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) freight corridor to run from the Ports of LA/Long Beach to remote cargo processing sites inland, thus reducing traffic congestion by running on its own dedicated track. The Maglev system eliminates the pollution associated with typical internal combustion engines because it runs on electricity. CCDoTT’s freight corridor concept has already been hailed by California State Senator Alan Lowenthal whose 27th District encompasses the Port area. Short Sea Shipping along the West Coast, a system of cargo transit that would use the Pacific Ocean instead of local highways, also reducing congestion.