Forest Products News

Swire Projects, the projects and heavy lift shipping arm of Swire Shipping, has officially launched a dedicated semi liner service connecting East Asia with the West Coast of North America.Previously offered on an ad hoc basis, the service will provide enhanced cargo connectivity and support the growing demand for reliable breakbulk and project cargo transportation into the West Coast and a gateway to the interior of the Continent avoiding the need to route cargo via the Panama Canal.Swire Projects' semi liner service connects the base ports of Qingdao and Taicang in China and ports en route…

For centuries, riverside communities, including the "quilombola" descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and ranches, have shared Xingu Island in Brazil's Amazon Basin.Its inhabitants live in brightly painted wooden houses overlooking rivers where small boats crisscross between islands and Abaetetuba city on the mainland to trade fish, seeds and fruits gathered from the Amazon forest in their backyard.In 2016, however, strangers docked on Xingu Island, in Para state…

U.S. marine terminal and logistics company Enstructure announced Monday that it has acquired Richardson Companies, a terminal and logistics company with primary operations in  Port Houston and the Port of Mobile.Richardson handles a diverse mix of breakbulk cargoes, including steel products, forest products, and project cargo. The company operates approximately one million square feet of industrial warehousing in Houston, Baytown, Freeport, and Mobile.Following the acquisition…

Indiana Cargo Crossroads is a working partnership of Ports of Indiana and Superior River Terminals Indiana (SRTI). The new general cargo operator began work in Jeffersonville Jan. 1 providing stevedoring and distribution services to customers. It will grow and diversify cargoes, make investments into facility expansions and drive projects that create significant economic benefits for the regional economy.The port’s general cargo terminal consists of a 10-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Ohio River…

A deal has been finalized that will soon see the largest vessel to ever call at New Zealand for the loading of logs.The deal between South Pacific Shipping (SPS) and Oldendorff Carriers was brokered by Braemar ACM’s Bruce McFarlane, a Mount Maunganui local. Braemar also negotiated the deal with ISO Stevedoring that delivered the mobile cranes from the manufacturer in Germany, to the port of Tauranga, New Zealand last year. Bruce McFarlane commented, “We saw an opportunity to bring…

Forward freight agreement (FFA) trades for a basket of 38,000-dwt handysize time charter rates will help operators take longer-term cover with less risk, says shipbroker Simpson Spence Young.Following an ever-strengthening charter market, SGX have confirmed a launch date for the new offering as April 19, 2021, with EEX aiming for early May pending regulatory approval. Both exchanges are keen to promote clearing of the new contract.The handysize futures market was previously based on the Baltic Exchange's old 28…

The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore reports it has again topped its record for most container moves from a single ship.The 6,000 container moves conducted by longshore workers from the Maersk Edinburgh at the Seagirt Marine Terminal this week are the most ever in the port's the 315-year history. Maersk Edinburgh arrived at the port on Monday, February 8, and left early Thursday, February 11. The final container move was completed at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.The new high mark—which counts the number of times an imported container is unloaded from a ship…

Swire Shipping deployed its first 2,750TEU newbuild, MV Lae Chief, on its upgraded North Asia Express (NAX) service. Launching the new fixed-day fortnightly service with her maiden voyage, the vessel made her first port call in Shanghai on November 5, 2020.The new 2,750-TEU vessel is fitted with three 45mt cranes capable of dual lifts enabling it to carry all cargo types, including breakbulk, out of gauge and reefers. With strengthened tank tops to 20 t/m², MV Lae Chief is capable of carrying breakbulk such as steel and forest products…

William P. Doyle is the incoming Executive Director of the Maryland Port Administration. A former U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner, Doyle currently serves as CEO & Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America – and the group's member companies have recently made a series of announcements to build new dredges of several types and sizes. We caught up with the incoming Port of Baltimore head to discuss his initial goals for the new role. How do you feel about being selected the head of MPA and Executive Director of the Port of Baltimore?I feel terrific.

Helsinki-headquartered UPM Logistics says that it has entered into a long-term charter agreement with the Finnish Bore Ltd and the Dutch Wijnne Barends, both affiliates of the Dutch Spliethoff Group.Together, the companies will design and build seven state-of-the-art vessels for sustainable sea transportation for UPM in Europe.“This arrangement is a consistent step in UPM’s logistics strategy. It will safeguard a sustainable, competitive and reliable shipping solution for our businesses and customers on long term,” said Lauri Rikala, Director, Global Break Bulk Shipping, UPM Logistics.Bore Ltd will build three (3) RoLo vessels for transporting…

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the largest port in Canada and the largest in the Pacific Northwest, has recorded new mid-year record for container volumes.Between January 1 and June 30, 2019, overall cargo through the port increased 0.5% to a record 72.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) over the same time last year, with new mid-year records in containers, potash, grain and cruise passengers.“This year’s record mid-year cargo volumes reflect what continues to be two of the Port of Vancouver’s greatest strengths—its broad global reach and ability to accommodate the most diversified range of cargo of any port in North America,” said Robin Silvester…

Samskip, a European multimodal service provider group, appointed Kari-Pekka Laaksonen as the Group Chief Executive.Laaksonen, who takes up his post at Samskip’s Rotterdam headquarters on August 1st, 2019, is the former CEO of Samskip competitor Containerships, where he led the Finnish group’s aggressive growth from 2012. He also brings significant experience from the shipper perspective, having occupied progressively senior logistics roles in the chemicals, forest products and automotive sectors.

For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor welcomed general cargo vessel HC Melina carrying a unique shipment of two, large rubber-tire gantry (RTG) cranes destined for the CSX Intermodal Terminals’ facility in Chicago.Once the 68-piece shipment is fully assembled, the RTG cranes will have a span of eight containers wide and with a hoisting height of one over four containers high. The high-performance equipment will replace two older units at the CSX Intermodal Terminals’ Bedford Park facility…

Peel Ports, Britain's second largest group of ports, has expanded its proposition at London Medway with a GBP5.5million investment to replace the Royal Bridge Pontoon.The upgrade work includes a new 12m wide, 45m across ramp, which will allow larger stern ramp RoRo vessels to berth at the port and increase the overall capacity for throughput.It comes as new opportunities in the unaccompanied freight and automotive sectors brings new customers to the port, with the facilities able to support a higher volume of larger vessels.The forestry industry, which along with automotive, forms the core business of London Medway, has also brought opportunities for growth…

Longshore workers at Canada's biggest port, the Port of Vancouver, were locked out on Thursday in a labor dispute over technology changes, temporarily grinding most shipping there to a halt. The lockout ended in a deal on Thursday with their employer after a few hours, the workers' union said.A tentative agreement on a new contract was reached with the BC Maritime Employers Association, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada said in a statement. Jim Thompson, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada…

Uncertainty mounts in dry bulk shipping  against a backdrop of weaker growth in Chinese imports, said BIMCO."The extent of the freight rate recovery in 2018 was limited – when compared with initial expectations – by a faster-growing fleet. Q4-2018 wasn’t as strong as it often is either, but we now know that was merely the beginning of a sharp downturn. On top of that, in the first month of 2019, leading the way even further down was a massive lack of cargoes. By early February, the industry appeared to be paddling in quicksand," the report said.The November dip in Capesize freight rates was just an ill omen of what was to come. For the whole of January…

The Port of Indiana Burns-Harbor has extended its partnership with its longtime stevedore and marine terminal operating company, Federal Marine Terminals.A press note from the Ports of Indiana, a statewide port authority operating three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan, said that the deal will run through at least 2023."FMT has been a vital collaborator with the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor since 1999," said Port Director Ian Hirt, "and this consolidated operating agreement underscores FMT's commitment to the greater northwest Indiana and Chicago markets."FMT has been handling cargoes in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and along the East and Gulf coasts since 1960.

Ro/Ro traffic between Sweden and the continent are increasing, as volumes between Gothenburg and Belgium have risen for the ninth consecutive year. During this period volumes between Belgium during have doubled, and the number of departures has risen from 12 to 16.Shipping companies are also in the process of expanding their networks from Gothenburg across large parts of Europe – often via the Belgian ports in Ghent and Zeebrugge, which act as hubs for intra-European ro-ro traffic.During 2017, 254,000 ro-ro units were shipped between Gothenburg and Belgium, and the forecast for 2018 reveals a 10 per cent increase to almost 280,000 units.

Hapag-Lloyd, the market leader in Canada, is expanding its local network. On April 21, the “YM Masculinity” called at a new destination, the Port of Prince Rupert, for the first time. The ship, which operates on the ‘PS8’ service of THE Alliance, was sailing from Asia to North America offering leading transit times and new options for customers. “With the decision to incorporate Prince Rupert into our network, we strengthen and further expand our position in Canada,” explained Uffe Ostergaard, President of Hapag-Lloyd America. “Prince Rupert is the closest major North American port to Asia with direct access to CN’s Class 1 continental rail network. In this way, we can offer our customers additional options for their transports.

During the first six months of this year, container volumes at the Port of Gothenburg rose by 19 per cent, from 318,000 to 378,000 TEUs.The number of cars and intra-European ro-ro units shipped increased by ten and four per cent respectively, whilst the energy segment fell by three per cent. The figures are taken from the Port of Gothenburg’s recently published mid-year volume report.The vast majority of Swedish foreign trade takes place by sea. In the case of trade with countries outside Europe, it is most common for freight to be transported by container ship.During the first six months of the year, 378,000 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) were shipped, up 19 per cent on the corresponding period in 2017.

International cargo vessels are expected to arrive at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal on a regular basis as the result of a new service contract between the Port of Bellingham and Ports America.Ports America entered negotiations with the port after several of its shipping customers requested use of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. Ports America is the largest terminal operator and stevedore in the United States.“This is a major turning point for the Bellingham Shipping Terminal,” said Port Commission President Ken Bell. “As the last Pacific Northwest seaport between the United States and Canada, it was only a matter of time before cargo operators recognized the Bellingham Shipping Terminal as a congestion-free alternative to the docks and terminals serving Vancouver and Seattle.

Chinese seaborne dry bulk import totaled 124Mt in February, up a massive 20% compared to the same month last year when adjusted for the extra day in February last year, says Klaveness  dry bulk research report. YTD import is up 17% compared to the same period last year. The import of the top 4 commodities (Iron Ore, Thermal & Coking coal and Soybeans) increased  with 19% YoY (+13.3Mt). YTD imports are up 19% compared to the same period last year. Excluding those 4 commodities from the figures, imports in February were up 27% YoY (+5.1Mt). YTD imports of these commodities are up 13% from the same period last year. Klaveness Research said that in nominal terms the largest growth YTD is in iron ore (+18Mt), followed by Thermal coal (+9.5Mt), soybeans (+2.9Mt) and Coking coal (+1.9Mt).

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers. For the fiscal year to date (July-March), TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah. "Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part…