Direct Shipping Services News

The Shanghai port has topped UNCTAD’s 2019 ranking of the world’s best-connected ports, released yesterday (7 August).The Chinese port garnered a connectivity score of 134 points, followed by the ports of Singapore (124.63 points), Pusan (114.45 points) in Korea and Ningbo (114.35 points), also in China. The index is set at 100 for the best-connected port in 2006, which was Hong Kong, China.Besides the Asian ports, the other ports on the top 10 list are those of Antwerp (94 points) in Belgium and Rotterdam (93 points) in the Netherlands. None of the ports in the top 20 list are from Africa, Latin America, North America or Australasia.“A container port’s performance is a critical factor that can determine transport costs and…

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is planning to expand operations and capabilities in Qatar and overseas as part of its long term plan to improve efficiency and profitability. During the General Assembly meeting, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of Milaha’s Board of Directors presented an overview of the company’s activities and financial results for 2017 along with highlights of business plans for the year 2018. "The Chairman underlined the impact of industry-wide and geopolitical challenges on the company’s financial performance, adding that “signs of recovery are visible, and we are hopeful this will continue in 2018,” Al Thani added.

The ports of Antwerp and Douala in Cameroon are to collaborate closely with each other over the next five years. The collaboration agreement was signed on Wednesday this week during an extensive visit by Antwerp port representatives to the port of Douala in Cameroon. Douala port authority  is counting on the Antwerp know-how in order to boost the efficiency of its port operations, among other things. For Antwerp the agreement represents a way to maintain and further strengthen its position as market leader in West and Central Africa. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Cyrus Ngo’o, CEO of the Port Autonome de Douala,and by Marc Van Peel and Kristof Waterschoot…

Two new ship-to-shore container cranes have been fully commissioned at Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, Outer Harbor. The new cranes, which cost $24 million, are essential for South Australia to secure the direct shipping services needed for the State's exports to remain competitive on the world stage. Weighing in at 950 tonnes each, the cranes stand 65 metres high and are capable of reaching heights of 105 metres with the boom raised. Their efficiency is expected to improve vessel turn-around times by up to 25%, and they have a number of innovative safety features. The cranes were assembled at a special site adjacent to the Terminal to avoid any disruption to terminal operations…

The CMA CGM Group announced that it has signed with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s largest port developer and part of Adani Group, an agreement for the development of a new common user Container Terminal at Mundra Port. This will be the fourth Container Terminal in Mundra and will be a 650 meters terminal along with 27 hectares of back area capable of handling 1.3 million TEUs annually. Following this announcement, the construction phase will be initiated immediately and completion will be in a record 24 months.

CMA CGM Group has announced that it has signed with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s largest port developer and part of Adani Group, an agreement for the development of a new common user Container Terminal at Mundra Port. This will be the 4th Container Terminal in Mundra and will be a 650 meters terminal along with 27 hectares of back area capable of handling 1.3 million TEUs annually. Following this announcement, the construction phase will be initiated immediately and completion will be in a record 24 months. The project comprises design and construction of 650 meters jetty with a water depth of 16.5 meters. This world class terminal will initially have four units of 65 tonne capacity of Rail Mounted Quay Cranes capable of handling 18…