Port Cities News

Heavy fog has suspended the operation of ships travelling through the Qiongzhou Strait off the coast of China's Guangdong province and several cities, including Shanghai, have issued warning advisories, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.Several ports suspended the flow of traffic starting late Tuesday and the specific time of the resumption of navigation will be determined as sea visibility improves, state broadcaster CCTV news reported.Port cities in the southwestern region of Guangxi…

Japanese classification society ClassNK has opened a new exclusive survey office in Paranagua, Brazil with operations beginning September 1, 2023.The move comes amid increasing number of surveys and audits in the southern Brazil port and the neighboring region as the country continues recent expansion of its port facilities, ClassNK said.ClassNK said it aims to provide more streamlined service in Paranagua, one of Brazil's premier port cities.

NATO said on Wednesday it was stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia's exit from a deal assuring the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain.The announcement came after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body established earlier this month to coordinate cooperation between the Western military alliance and Kyiv."Allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine’s agricultural exports on which hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend…

The prosperity of port cities, throughout history, has been closely tied to the ports’ ability to adapt to economic and technological change. As ships got bigger, ports had to keep up. This has often seen the port proper grow apart from the city whose name it bears because the old harbor could no longer accommodate the needs of modernized shipping.In those European cities located by rivers, port activities have often migrated towards the estuary. The ships headed for the port of Liverpool now berth in docks stretching north of the original Royal Albert dock…

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, together with the state's Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced grants totaling $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development.“From the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin’s unique geography provides our state opportunities to grow our economy and help our businesses reach markets worldwide,” said Gov. Evers. “These grants will help maintain our harbors and ensure our ports are secure and reliable…

Authorities in China's eastern province of Zhejiang ordered ships to return to port, told schools to close and evacuated tourists from nearby islands, as one of this year's strongest typhoons is set to make landfall on Wednesday.Typhoon Muifa intensified on Tuesday as it barreled towards the twin port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan, which share the ranking of second-busiest port in China, in terms of cargo handled.State media said China's 12th cyclone of the year was expected to make landfall between the cities of Wenling and Zhoushan…

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it will “use the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life.” University of Massachusetts Boston public policy scholar David W. Cash, who worked at senior levels in state government for a decade…

French oil and gas major Total has struck a deal with cruise line MSC Cruises to supply around 45,000 tons per year of LNG to MSC Cruises’ upcoming LNG-powered cruise ships to make calls in the port of Marseille (France).According to the statement on Thursday, MSC Cruises’ LNG-powered vessels will be amongst the most technologically advanced cruise ships in the world, bringing a range of environmental innovations to the market, including a 50-kilowatt, LNG-powered solid oxide…

Sea Ranger Service, the Netherlands-based company that has been carrying out surveying and research tasks in the North Sea with emissions-free sailing offshore work vessels since 2018, has appointed Christel Pullens as its new managing director effective March 1, 2021.A WISTA board member with nearly 25 years of technical and commercial experience in shipbuilding and offshore, including as senior sales manager projects at Dockwise (now Boskalis), head of sales and marketing at Damen Shiprepair & Conversion and global sales and marketing director at Alewijnse…

Interlake Holding Company announced today the purchase of the assets of Pere Marquette Shipping Company and Lake Michigan Car Ferry Company in an acquisition that includes two working Great Lakes vessels, the articulated tug-barge Undaunted-Pere Marquette 41 and the historic passenger-and-car ferry S.S. Badger.The acquisition signals the creation of a new business entity, Interlake Maritime Services, which will manage the new businesses along with The Interlake Steamship Company…

ClassNK has opened new exclusive survey offices in Kandla (India) and Valencia (Spain) with operations beginning October 1, 2020.Both offices are located in one of the most well-known port cities in each country. In recent years, the number of surveys and audits required in the northwest part of India and southern part of Spain has been increasing. Through the opening of its newest offices, ClassNK will improve the efficiency of its ship surveys and audits in these areas.ClassNK will continue to improve its worldwide survey offices network in order to meet its clients’ requests and provide timely and high-quality services.

China's business and travel activities are steadily recovering after being disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, but rapidly rising infections globally will pose a challenge to the country's broader economic resumption.Nomura estimated in a research report on Monday about 61.6% of the firms hardest hit by the health crisis in China have resumed work as of March 8, and 74.1% in the broader economy.China reported on Monday no locally-transmitted cases of infection on the mainland outside of the central province of Hubei…

The sustainability of cruise activity in Europe is currently under pressure, says the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO). European ports take the concerns expressed very seriously, it said.The vicinity to Europe’s cultural heritage and main must-sees makes many European port cities attractive tourist destinations. Their ports are or have become much demanded cruise ports.European port managing bodies are happy to be an access gate to Europe’s cultural heritage, but understand that they must do whatever is possible within their remit to keep this activity sustainable and acceptable for the local population.Over the last months, ESPO’s Cruise and Ferry Port Network has been reflecting on the way forward.

Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy  Peter Altmaier and coastal states agree package of measures for shore-generated power.Instead of burning fossil fuels to generate shipboard electric power, in future vessels in port should be using renewable shore-based energy. The German government is now launching appropriate measures to promote shore-generated power.Along with the premiers of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg and representatives of the state governments of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Bremen, that was confirmed today by German economics minister Peter Altmaier.Meeting in Kiel, they signed…

China has built its first research and development test base for autonomous ships in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai next to Macao, state-owned newspaper Economic Daily reported.The test base named Xiangshan Marine Scientific & Technological Port is located in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It will create an innovation platform for the design, research and testing of unmanned marine systems and intelligent equipment.The base will help develop the industrial chain of unmanned ships and foster research on advanced equipment manufacturing as well as new generation of information technology.Backed by local unicorn Zhuhai Yun Zhou Intelligent Technology…

The first World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) congress will take place in Rotterdam next May. The starting signal for the WPCAP was given in September 2018 at the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s initiative.Eleven leading European and American ports have now become affiliated with WPCAP: Antwerp, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Le Havre, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Vancouver and New York & New Jersey. The ports are working on plans to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping and ports and improve air quality.In the coming spring they will take stock of what has been achieved and will share the results with interested ports, the shipping sector and authorities (port cities and national governments). Agreements will then also need to be made about the follow-up.

There was general consensus that cities are fast becoming the drivers of global development in a world that needs to find greener and more sustainable solutions, said SEA20, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at bringing together a selected group of representatives from the world’s most influential port cities to plan the future of urban living and the role of shipping within that.Pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and increasing congestion are contributing to social tension in cities. The maritime sector has a significant role to play in abating these issues if only the doors would be further opened to encourage a better relationship…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that reducing atmospheric pollution from ships and improving air quality is an integral part of its work. "This principle is clearly enshrined Under MARPOL Annex VI," the UN body said in a press release.IMO recently held a workshop on MARPOL Annex VI in Bangkok, Thailand (24-26 June).The workshop, aimed at shipping stakeholders, strongly encouraged ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI including regulations on ships' energy efficiency.Participants were reminded that proper implementation of the convention would have a significant beneficial impact on the atmospheric environment and on human health…

It has been ten years since the U.S. Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations were published: Is it time for a reassessment of the U.S. marine salvage posture?In 1982, the National Research Council’s Committee on the National Salvage Posture prepared a study entitled, “Marine Salvage in the United States.” The goal of the report was “to assess the present national posture for coping with ship rescue salvage and towing situations for time-critical offshore salvage in general.”…

A ‘work in progress,’ the North American brown water, shallow draft sectors have experienced a tumultuous year of evolution, changing market conditions, a rapidly shifting regulatory environment and new opportunities. Anything but boring; and within the pages of Maritime Reporter’ & Engineering News’ Annual Yearbook, Joseph Keefe, editor of sister-publication MarineNews, takes a deep dive into the issues driving the domestic waterfront.Workboat EmissionsMore than one year ago, Volkswagon learned the ultimate (and painful) meaning of the iconic U.S. adage of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time – or at least pay the staggering fine.” And pay it forward, Volkswagen did.

SW/TCH Maritime has announced its investment to construct and own the ‘Water Go Round’ e-ferry in collaboration with Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine (GGZEM).SW/TCH Maritime is a New York-based investment platform building the first fleet of zero-emissions maritime vessels in the US. GGZEM is a provider of turn-key hydrogen fuel cell power systems for ships.The 84-passenger e-ferry is currently under construction at the Bay Ship & Yacht shipyard in Alameda, CA using private funding from SW/TCH and a $3 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District), the administrator of the grant.The $3 million grant comes from California Climate Investments initiative…

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide (SOX) around European coasts than did all  260 million European cars in 2017,  said Transport & Environment.Royal Caribbean Cruises, the world’s second largest, is second, yet four times worse than the European car fleet, revealed a new analysis by sustainable transport group.SOX emissions form sulphate (SO4) aerosols that increase human health risks and contribute to acidification in terrestrial and aquatic environments.In absolute terms, Spain, Italy and Greece, closely followed by France and Norway, are the European countries most exposed to SOX air pollution from cruise vessels while Barcelona…

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec ), China's first large-scale production of greener low-sulfur marine fuel oil (LSFO), announced the production capability of 10 million and 15 million tons of low-sulfur marine fuel oil in 2020 and 2023.The Beijing-based Chinese oil and gas enterprise said in a press release that by January 1, 2020, Zhoushan and other China major ports will be fully covered with Sinopec product availability, and more than 50 key overseas ports, including Singapore, will be covered with Sinopec supply ability.The commitment will contribute 600,000 tons of sulfur oxide emissions reduction, equivalent to shutting…