Investments In Infrastructure News

Damen Naval and project partner NVL Group held a steel cutting ceremony at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany for the first new multipurpose frigates for the German Navy.“We are proud to be able to start cutting steel entirely on schedule on December 5. We were able to complete the development phase in record time, something that is partly due to the excellent cooperation with BAAINBW, the Navy and the other German authorities,” said Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is encouraging states and port authorities to apply for $230 million in discretionary grant funding for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).“Our nation’s ports are a key part of our critical infrastructure. They create jobs and make our economy more resilient and sustainable,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “This funding…

On September 26, the State University of New York Maritime College hosted a conference on the emerging east coast offshore wind industry. “Offshore Wind Power, Planning for America’s Ocean Energy” focused on four fundamental topics:• East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of the Industry.• Jobs and Supply Chain Technical Working Group.• Wind Farm Port Development.• Offshore Wind Maritime Operations.In some ways, actually clocking in for a day’s work on an offshore wind turbine is tantalizingly close. Ditto for power flowing from an offshore substation to a mainland interconnection.

The Panama Canal has closed the 2019 fiscal year (FY19) with a record tonnage of 469 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), a 6.2 percent increase compared to FY2018.With this figure, the waterway exceeds the 450.7 million PC/UMS tons projection for FY2019, as well as the record tonnage of 442 million PC/UMS tons registered in the previous fiscal year. These record-setting results reflect the Canal workforce's commitment to efficiency and ongoing investments in infrastructure, which will allow the waterway to meet the growing demand and offer a reliable and safe service to customers.

The international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague, APM Terminals said that it is working closely with the government of Egypt on the final pieces of the jigsaw that will ensure the success of Egypt Vision 2030 for Port Said East Port and the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT).Once in place, it is set to regain its position as one of the most competitive ports in the South and East Mediterranean region, APM said in a press release.As part of Egypt Vision 2030, the Egyptian Government has made massive investments in infrastructure. On May 5, 2019, Egypt’s President, Mr. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated the Ismailia tunnel…

In the last business year, the high quality services provided by the Port of Hamburg’s operators has lead to a stable handling result comparable with the previous year. With the impending adjustment to the Elbe fairway, potential for growth will be enhanced. Through investments in infrastructure the Port of Hamburg counts among the cutting edge hubs on the international sea trades. At the same time, companies are driving change in the port with the development of digital business models. At 136.5 million tons, in 2017 seaborne cargo throughput in Hamburg, comprising general and bulk cargoes, was stable at a high level. A slight downturn occurred in handling of containerized general cargo at 8.8 million TEU (20-ft standard containers), being one percent lower.

On February 12, President Trump released his highly anticipated infrastructure proposal, a “Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America.” Unlike prior federal infrastructure development strategies, which rarely discussed the need for maritime infrastructure investment, the proposal places maritime infrastructure on equal footing with other surface transportation modes in terms of potential funding opportunities. The outline contains proposals that would create three new major programs…

Europe's third-largest container port, Port of Hamburg, is preparing for the future with improved infrastructure and digitalization. Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator for Economics, Transport and Innovation, said: "The Port of Hamburg must become a Port 4.0 , with digitalization and how this will change supply chains. We will improve the infrastructure, implement the fairway adjustments and secure good general conditions. When extending the port it will be important to identify how Hamburg as a broad based universal port can be economically sustainable, strong and generate new impulses," he added. An example is the new mobile standard 5G, which is being tested in the Port of Hamburg. “5G offers a level of security, reliability and speed that current mobile networks are unable to match.

Over the past year, 29,646 seagoing vessels entered the port of Rotterdam, up more than 600 from 2016's 29,022. The number of incidents in the port fell from 159 to 129, and included one ‘serious accident’ involving an inland vessel that went adrift after hitting a groyne with its rudder. According to National Harbour Master René de Vries, the decrease in the number of minor incidents can be explained by the Port Authority’s investments in infrastructure in recent years: “Thanks to the new buoy configurations and dolphins, there were considerably fewer minor bollard-ship collisions and fewer barges went adrift due to bad weather,” he said. Efficiency in inspections continued to increase further in 2017, according to the port.

Gulftainer, the largest privately owned independent port operator, has marked the maiden call of the CMA CGM Virginia vessel with a capacity of 5,095 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) at its flagship Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT). The vessel call was completed in a record 5.6 hours, approximately 8.4 hours ahead of schedule. CMA CGM, a leading worldwide shipping group, currently operates a diversified fleet of 445 vessels with a combined capacity of over two million TEU. The company has deployed the 294-metre-long vessel on its newly launched INDIAMED service that links the strategic zones of the East Mediterranean with Djibouti, Arabian Gulf, Pakistan and India.

The European Commission released its report on the viability of a financial incentive for sustainable ship recycling under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation this week. Whilst it acknowledges the benefits for clean and safe ship recycling such an incentive would bring, the European Commission has decided to wait with its introduction. NGOs urge the EU to take action now as it is well documented that ship owners will with ease be able to circumvent the EU Ship Recycling Regulation by simply swapping the flag of their vessel to that of a non-EU State. The report of the European Commission is based on the study which was conducted by Ecorys, DNV-GL and the University of Rotterdam/Erasmus, and published at the end of 2016.

An algorithm has been developed to schedule transit vessel traffic in two-way waterways where safe distances between transiting vessels must be maintained and passage restrictions may hold. It limits the negative effects of the safety constrains on cargo volume throughput by finding schedules which increase the utilization of these waterways. The potential of this algorithm has been demonstrated on a plausible model of the Strait of Istanbul, and also the Suez Canal has been identified as a waterway where the algorithm could increase the volume of goods transported.

Three new ship-to-shore cranes that were constructed in Ireland were delivered to Crowley Puerto Rico Services’ Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan on Wednesday. The cranes are a key element of the $130 million Crowley is investing in infrastructure improvements to its Isla Grande Terminal, and their arrival marks the first time new, specialized gantry cranes have been received for operation in the San Juan Harbor in five decades. “With the delivery of these state-of-the-art cranes…

The Port of Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest container facility has enjoyed one of its busiest seasons, with over 50,000 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) being handled at the port in the last two months. This four-year high is the result of a buoyant fresh food export season utilising the port’s refrigerated container handling capability which has set Grangemouth on track for record breaking volumes this quarter. In October and November, the port recorded a 30% increase on refrigerated container volumes (known as ‘reefers’ *) year on year and during November alone, the port handled a record 1400 reefers. The bulk of these reefers are being used for the export of Scottish potato seed from farms across Scotland to far flung places around the world including Egypt…

As Cruiseport Boston closes out its successful 2016 season, 2017 is already shaping up to be a record year with 151 calls scheduled for next cruise season. The 2016 season saw 115 calls by a record 32 unique ships with ten maiden calls to the port, including Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to ever call the Port of Boston. Cruiseport Boston has seen years of steady growth which has contributed to the booming cruise business in Boston.

Together with Macquarie Infrastructure Partners III (MIP III),* NYK Ports, NYK’s subsidiary company, has made the decision to invest in Maher Terminals (Maher), which operates a terminal in the U.S. port of New York and New Jersey. On November 16, 2016, NYK Ports acquired a 20 percent share of Maher. The port of New York and New Jersey, centered amidst major consuming areas, handles the most containers of any port on the East Coast of North America. Maher is the largest terminal in the port with a handling capacity of 3.0 million TEUs annually. After construction to raise the Bayonne Bridge’s clearance is completed in late 2017, the terminal will be able to accommodate containerships carrying up to 14,000 TEUs.

In line with the growing interest in green recycling, RINA Services recently awarded its first ISO 30000:2009 certificate and HKC Statement of Compliance (SoC) in Alang, India to Shubh Arya Steel, on 28th April 2016. Shubh Arya Steel, a ship recycling yard in Alang, made substantial investments in infrastructure in order to meet the requirements of IMO’s Hong Kong Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. The company implemented a management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001: 2004, OHSAS 18001: 2007 and ISO 30000:2009 standards and HKC SoC. There has been a recent spike in shipyard owners making substantial investments to upgrade their yard’s infrastructure to meet the requirements of this Convention…

Terminals in the Port of Ventspils handled a total of 9 million tons of cargo in January-May 2016 or by 23.98% less than in the same period in 2015. The transit of oil products and coal had declined steeply year-on-year, affecting the total cargo turnover at Ventspils. The cargo turnover of Ventspils Nafta Terminals contracted by 1.5 million tons or 27% to less than half of the terminal's capacity, and the cargo turnover of Baltic Coal Terminal was down 609,000 tons or 45% compared to January-May 2015, also to less than half of the terminal's capacity. Although the Ventspils port has to reckon with a significant reduction of its income due to performance of certain terminals…

Recent changes to Canada’s Federal government’s New Building Canada Fund, announced by Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, will enable significant investments in infrastructure systems, including ferry replacement and refits. Ferry operators across Canada will have access to the Fund that may inject billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure projects, providing the proposed projects be completed within a three year timeframe. Under the program the federal government also plans on funding projects delivered as “Public-Private Partnership” (P3).

American Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry Urged Support for American Jobs, Vessel Discharge Reform, and Waterways Infrastructure. Members of the American Waterways Operators, the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, called on Congress on Wednesday during AWO's annual Barge-In event, where more than 160 vessel owners and operators held 220 meetings with lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives. "AWO members play a vital role in ensuring the safe, secure and efficient movement of the nation's critical cargo," said Tom Allegretti, AWO President & CEO. "The tugboat, towboat and barge…

With the release of today’s federal budget, Canada’s ferry sector is praising the actions taken by the government to improve fleet renewal across Canada. This includes waiving the tariff on the importation of vessels of all sizes and making strategic investments in locations throughout the country. “Today’s budget will have a real impact on passengers throughout the country,” said Serge Buy, CEO of the Canadian Ferry Operators Association (CFOA). The tariff, initially created…

DP World Group Chairman and CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem has met the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Somkid Jatusripitak, who is responsible for seven ministries including Finance and Investments. During the meeting, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, discussions revolved around the future prospects of cooperation between Thailand and DP World, exploring the potential for DP World to contribute in the country’s economic growth, especially in areas of ports, trade, shipping, and logistics industries. Also part of the discussion were the global port operator’s existing investments in Thailand and how they can be given further impetus.

Since 1985, the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville has played an important role in handling millions of tons of steel, grain, fertilizer, salt and other bulk cargoes for both inbound and outbound markets – domestic and abroad. Located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky., the port's central location connects the Midwest to the world with the Inland Waterways System, providing year-round access to the Great Lakes as well as ocean vessels in the Gulf of Mexico that can be transloaded with barges coming from or going to Jeffersonville.