Freight Logistics News

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…

Stolt-Nielsen said that, after 23 years as Chief Executive Officer, Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen will step down from his role as CEO on September 1, 2023, and will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Stolt-Nielsen Limited. He will be succeeded as CEO by Udo Lange.Lange, who will join Stolt-Nielsen as Chief Executive Officer on September 1, 2023, has more than 20 years of experience in the international trade industry, with expertise in freight forwarding, express and parcel logistics and airline catering.

Romania's Constanta port, Ukraine's main alternative route for grain since Russia's withdrawal led to the collapse of the Black Sea shipment deal, has capacity to handle extra cargoes until mid-August, the head of the port's business association said.He added operators were also seeking to increase capacity.Even before Russia on Monday quit a safe passage grain corridor through Ukraine's own ports, Constanta had emerged as the biggest alternative shipping route. It has handled roughly a third of Ukraine's grain exports since the start of the war.Transit pressure will mount on Constanta…

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday a supply chain pilot data-sharing project aimed at easing bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports has begun exchanging data and doubled in size.USDOT announced the planned project in March with truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and ports "to develop a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain."The effort known as the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program included 18 initial participants including FedEx…

A newly constructed barge has entered service for American Sugar Refining, Inc., a member of West Palm Beach-based ASR Group, and its parent companies – Florida Crystals Corporation and Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. The 450-foot-long Knot Refined departed from the Port of Palm Beach on Friday to deliver Palm Beach County-grown and -milled raw sugar to ASR Group’s Domino Sugar Refinery in New York.Built by North Kingstown, R.I. shipyard Senesco Marine, the 450-foot-long Knot Refined took more than two years to construct and is the first oceangoing…

The White House on Tuesday unveiled a new pilot effort to help clear supply chain bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports by getting truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses to share information.U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese launched the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), an information sharing initiative "to pilot key freight information exchange between parts of the goods movement…

South Africa's state-owned firm Transnet said on Friday it had identified and isolated the source of disruption to its IT systems that impacted its container terminals.The freight logistics firm was hit by a suspected cyber attack, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.Transnet, which operates major ports and a huge railway network, said it was prioritising the export of reefer containers, used mainly to transport perishable cargo at a controlled temperature, primarily through the port of Durban as this was the peak of the citrus season.Miner Barrick Gold s

South Africa's National Ports Authority (NPA) will operate as a stand alone business under the aegis of state-owned freight logistics group Transnet, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, as the country tries to overhaul some of the world's worst-performing ports.A report last month ranking container ports by the World Bank and IHS Markit saw South Africa's major ports at the bottom of the list, with Durban faring the worst among local peers by coming in at 349 out of a total of 351 ports assessed globally.The Container Port Performance Index considered the total port hours per ship call,

Egyptian startup Trella, a digital platform connecting truckers with freight loads, has raised $42 million in equity and debt, including from the venture capital arm of shipping giant Maersk, its chief executive said.Founded three years ago in Cairo, Trella operates in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It is one of several technology firms around the world seeking to upend traditional truck brokerages.Through Trella's online platform, shippers and truckers can directly book freight loads for transport.

At the end of 2019 – December 27, to be exact – the US Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary – filed a request for information regarding the development of a National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), required by the multi-year federal transportation bill, passed in 2015, called the FAST Act – “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation.”By the close of the public comment period (Feb. 10) DOT had received 82 comments. Importantly, for the maritime industry, maritime businesses and trade groups…

Freight carriers are struggling to deliver goods by land, sea or air as the coronavirus pandemic forces Western governments to impose lockdowns, threatening supplies of vital products including medicines into the most affected areas, such as Italy.While China's draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus are now allowing its economy slowly to come back online, supply chains are backing up in other parts of the world.Problems ranging from finding enough truck drivers to restrictions on seafarers and a lack of air freight are hitting the smooth flow of goods…

With greenfield investments in Nigeria, Egypt, Mozambique and elsewhere reaching nearly $103 billion this year, it is clear that liquefaction is viewed as the most profitable strategy for realizing Africa’s gas potential, said Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).Africa is an exciting frontier in the global natural gas sector. The continent holds 7.1 percent of proven global gas reserves and is expected to contribute nearly 10 percent of global production growth through to 2024.Nigeria accounts for over 50 percent of current LNG production capacity on the continent. With October 2019 seeing a final investment decision on the $12 billion…

Caroline Yang, chief executive of bunker tanker company Hong Lam Marine, has been appointed as the first-ever female president of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) since its founding in 1985.The industry voice of Singapore’s maritime community elected Ms. Caroline Yang, Chief Executive of Hong Lam Marine, as the association’s President at SSA’s 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 26 June 2019.Ms. Yang started her career with Hong Lam Marine as their in-house counsel in 1991, and has more than 25 years’ experience in the shipping industry.As President of SSA, Ms. Yang will be supported by two Vice Presidents and the SSA Secretariat headed by Mr. Michael Phoon. The two Vice Presidents nominated by the 2019/2021 Council are Ms.

Stephen Wang is counting the costs of President Donald Trump's trade war. He had to put down 12 times more cash as a guarantee to U.S. customs that he would pay the bill for tariffs on the Chinese-made pumps, valves and motors he imports.The cost of the guarantee - a U.S. customs bond - has shot up, an additional hit to importers already facing steep customs bills adding up to tens of billions of dollars for tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on incoming Chinese goods…

Uber has announced that its lesser-known service, Uber Freight, will be arriving in Europe helping independent trucking companies with logistics.Next month, Uber Freight will start operations in the Netherlands, marking the unit’s first international expansion, the company said.The newly spun out Uber business unit that helps truck drivers connect with shipping companies sad that Holland was selected as the launch country due to its “dense logistics hub connecting Europe.”"The inroads we have made in the U.S. are exciting, and we recognized from the start that freight logistics is a global industry and an integral part of the world economy.

IMO’s 2050 deadline to reduce GHG emissions 50% from 2008 levels has set off a gold rush to develop Zero Emissions SolutionsClimate change is the biggest issue facing [all aspects of] the maritime industry, said Kitak Lim, IMO secretary general, in an interview earlier this year with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. He predicted that shipping could experience as much change in the next 10 to 20 years as it has in the last 100 years, as the industry races to meet a number of challenges…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has won an order to provide Kalmar Fleet Solution of mobile equipment to Australian Container Freight Services (ACFS) operations in Adelaide, Fremantle and Melbourne.This order, comprising a total of three units of DCG100 Empty Container Handlers and two units of DRG450- Reachstackers, has been booked into Cargotec 2018 Q2 order intake.ACFS is the largest privately owned Container Logistics operator in Australia. With extensive knowledge and experience across the warehousing, transport and freight logistic sectors. ACFS facilities are strategically located close to port locations nationally, as they are fully…

Grindrod, the South Africa-listed freight logistics and shipping services firm, said on Friday it will list its shipping business offshore, with a secondary listing on the Johannesburg bourse. Grindrod, which also has a financial services business, said the transaction which will list the shipping business on the NASDAQ is estimated to be implemented by June, 18. Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg

GLOG, NM, NAP down early Fri by ~5 pct, ~8 pct and ~3 pct, respectively. Lead analyst Noah Parquette sees most shipping sectors recovering, notes that dry bulk and LNG shipping have progressed furthest but crude tankers' risk trough could be extended to early 2019 on high scrapping activity and low orders. Meanwhile, the Baltic Exchange Dry Index has dropped by ~18 pct since the beginning of the year.

A consortium comprising AB InBev, Accenture, APL, Kuehne + Nagel and a European customs organization has successfully tested a blockchain solution that can eliminate the need for printed shipping documents and save the freight and logistics industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The consortium tested a solution where documents are no longer exchanged physically or digitally but instead, the relevant data is shared and distributed using blockchain technology under single ownership principles determined by the type of information. Through a detailed review of the current documentation processes, the group examined a re-allocation of information ownership, accountability and risk enabled by the trust and security blockchain technology offers.

Grindrod, the South Africa-listed freight logistics and shipping services firm, is planning to separate and list its shipping business in order to unlock its value, the company said on Wednesday. Grindrod, which also has a financial services business, has held the view for many years that the value of its shipping services was not fairly reflected in its share price. Executive Chairman Mike Hankinson said the board has resolved to investigate a separate listing of the business offshore.

Marine insurance provider Skuld announces the appointment of Paul Knighton as global head of marine cargo and marine property. He will join Skuld Syndicate 1897 in the summer. Knighton will enhance Skuld’s well-established marine cargo and marine property portfolio by building its offering to clients. He will focus predominantly on developing a total solution product for ports, terminals and freight logistics operators. Knighton will join Skuld from the TT Club where he has been a senior underwriter since 2012. Prior to working at the TT Club, Knighton has held roles at Craven and Partners, Aon and Lockton. Ståle Hansen, Skuld president and CEO, said: ‘I am delighted to have attracted an underwriter of Paul’s calibre.

Port operator PSA International was named the best global container terminal operating firm for the second year running, in the 2016 Asian Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain Awards held in Shanghai. PSA also received the “Best Container Terminal – Asia (Over 4 million TEUs)" award. “The Port of Singapore clinched the award for its leading performance on a range of criteria including cost competitiveness, container shipping-friendly fee regime, provision of suitable containing shipping-related infrastructure, timely and adequate investment in new infrastructure to meet future demand and the facilitation of ancillary services,” the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a press release.