Port Industry News

The German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation said the government's decision to help fund the expansion of an offshore terminal is important to achieve expansion goals for wind energy at sea.In a statement late Friday, the foundation said it welcomed a government move to contribute to the costs of expanding the terminal at the port of Cuxhaven, on the North Sea coast.The government has agreed to finance the 30-hectare (74 acres) expansion of the offshore terminal, together with the state of Lower Saxony and the private port industry…

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has delivered the first-of-its-series Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) 600 to an Indonesian customer, PT. Dua Samudera Perkasa.The vessel was sold immediately after completion at the Damen Dredging Equipment yard. It form part of a complete dredging package, which includes ship transportation, training of the crew on location as well as dredge spares to facilitate maintenance duties.The CSD600, which is being shipped as deck cargo at present, is a brand-new type of dismountable dredger…

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

When compared to other major river navigation routes around the world, the St. Lawrence River is a favored waterway.It flows from the mouth of Lake Ontario, at an altitude of 250 meters. From its source to the Gulf, the river travels 1,197 kilometers, and is fed by several tributaries including the Ottawa, Richelieu, Saint-François and Saguenay rivers.But the effects of climate change are being felt. The marine industry is adapting. It is currently embarking on a shift towards…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it has set out to identify data constraints that impede the flow of ocean cargo and add to supply chain inefficiencies as severe bottlenecks continue to hamper global supply chains.Launched at the direction of FMC Chairman Daniel B. Maffei and spearheaded by Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel, the initiative seeks to to pinpoint how data can contribute to the long-term reliability of the domestic cargo delivery system. It will also aim to propose recommendations for common data standards used by the international shipping supply chain…

The Australian Maritime College (AMC), part of the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing to work together on professional development for the maritime and port industry. Under the MOU, AMC and the IAMPE will acknowledge and endorse each other’s programs related to port and terminal education and training. The IAMPE will look to provide a professional certification as Marine Terminal Operator (MTO) to AMC undergraduate students for successfully completing the maritime undergraduate program. In addition, AMC is reviewing IAMPE programs for the granting of academic credit to graduate students in their new Maritime Business Administration in Maritime Management program.

A coalition of nine Argentine port worker unions will go on a nationwide 24-hour strike starting at midnight to press for vaccinations against the coronavirus, the labor groups said in a statement on Thursday.Workers including tugboat captains and customs officers have held similar work stoppages recently, as the South American grains powerhouse gets hit by a second wave of COVID-19 cases."We have raised the issue and held meetings with different authorities with the purpose to obtaining concrete answers regarding the application of vaccines against COVID-19 to our workers…

Marine shipping drives 90% of global trade, moving over 11 billion tonnes of containers, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s seas annually. Almost all consumer products we buy — or the raw materials required to make them — arrive at Canadian ports via ship.Each year, Canadian port facilities handle about 340 million tonnes of goods, worth about $400 billion. Roughly 25% of Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping.Despite their economic importance…

Wilson Sons is the largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator in Brazil, operating more than 80 workboats. Marcio Castro, Executive Director Tugboat Division, discusses with Maritime Reporter the size, shape & technical direction of the fleet.Mr. Castro, to start, how did you come to a career in maritime?I graduated in System Engineering at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), I also have an MBA in Business Administration (Coppead/UFRJ). I joined Wilson Sons in 2003…

Ports are economic engines for the regions they serve, and the impact from business activities at the Port of New York/New Jersey runs as big as the area it serves: 46 million consumers in a four-hour radius. The port is an economic giant in and of itself, providing for nearly a half a million jobs, a cumulative $35 billion in personal income and a cumulative $98 billion in business income. Sam Ruda, Director, Port NY/NJ, discusses a record 2019, continued investment in infrastructure…

As the demand for goods continues to rise, the need to move a higher number of containers quicker and more efficiently is also increasing with this. As a result, port operators are proactively seeking new ways to boost productivity, all while reducing costs to meet this demand.The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a significant factor in convincing ports to adopt new technologies to help them overcome the day-to-day complexities they face and not miss a beat in a fast-paced industry.

What do successful, well-run ports and female empowerment have in common? Both can make a significant contribution to sustainable economic development.International Maritime Organization (IMO)  provided support to eight female officials from developing countries, with an emphasis on Pacific Small Island Developing States, attended a Port Senior Management Program held at the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Nahalal, Israel, (6-19 November).The two-week course provides participants with key information and updates on innovations in the port industry. The participants are from: Cabo Verde, Fiji, Kiribati, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea…

Philippines-based International Terminal Container Services Inc. (ICTSI) formally inaugurated two new berths in the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main dry cargo port.The inauguration marked both the opening for business of the two new berths 25 and 26 with a depth of 14 meters, and the completion of ICTSI’s overall $250m investment program at its Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT) making the port capable of receiving box ships of up 14,000 teu.Located in Umm Qasr’s North Port, BGT operates a high capacity container terminal together with specialized facilities for the handling of general cargo, ro-ro, dry bulk and project cargo for the oil and gas sector.Earlier development included the construction of Berth 27…

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority celebrated the completion of the deepening of the Nieuwe Waterweg and Botlek on Thursday (October 03).One of the busiest waterways in the Netherlands has been deepened by a metre and a half across a distance of 25 kilometres, said a press note from the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands.The ceremonial opening of the deepened Nieuwe Waterweg and Botlek was performed by Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure & Water Management) and Ronald Paul, the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Chief Operating Officer.The opening included a spectacular nautical salute together with vessels from contractors Van der Kamp and Boskalis…

Maritime industry professionals remain confident about the year ahead despite wider uncertainty, according to new data published by the British Ports Association. Ports themselves are more likely to be worried about the economy over the next 12 months, however.Less than a third (29%) of ports feel confident about the economy in the next year, but 51% of the wider maritime industry feels confident. 83% of ports were planning investments into new business services, property or infrastructure in the next three months.Brexit: The survey reveals that half of ports do not feel that Brexit will affect them (either negatively or positively) in the next year, whilst a third feel it will impact them negatively. This can be attributed to the structure of the industry (i.e.

The Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) has been welcomed into the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) following the signing of the WPSP declaration by Bogdan Ołdakowski, BPO Secretary General.Guided by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Program aims to enhance and coordinate future sustainability efforts of ports worldwide, fostering international cooperation with partners in the supply chain.BPO was established on October 10, 1991, in Copenhagen, with an aim to facilitate cooperation among the ports and to monitor and improve the possibilities for shipping in the Baltic Sea region.Comprised of 47 members as well as friendship members…

The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) announced that maritime executive Richard T. Clark will be its new deputy director.James K. Lyons, director and chief executive officer of the ASPA said that the appointment is effective July 16, 2019.“We conducted a nationwide search with one of the country’s premier maritime and port industry recruiting firms and the Port Authority received resumes from quite a few qualified candidates,” said Lyons. “Clark stood out amongst all the applicants and was selected for this position. We look forward to Rick joining the Port Authority team.”Clark, with over 30 years of maritime industry experience, began his career at Cooper T. Smith in New Orleans before joining Puerto Rico Marine Management, Inc.

Former ocean carrier executive is association’s unanimous choice.The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas, announced today that it has unanimously chosen Christopher J. Connor as the association’s next president and chief executive officer.Mr. Connor, the former Global CEO of Wallenius Wilhemsen Logistics (WWL) will begin transitioning into his new role on September 23, eventually succeeding Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO since 1995.Mr.

British multinational oil and gas company BP, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), and the Port of Rotterdam have joined forces to explore the opportunity of making “green hydrogen” via water electrolysis for BP’s refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which has the potential for significant reductions in CO2 emissions.The refinery currently uses hydrogen made from hydrocarbons, to desulphurize products. Replacing this entirely with green hydrogen produced from water using renewable energy could potentially result in a reduction of 350,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year based on current circumstances.The parties have signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of a 250-megawatt water electrolysis facility to produce up to 45…

Mr. Cernak was AAPA’s immediate past Chairman and its 2019 Cruise Award recipient.Port Everglades Chief Executive and Director Steven M. Cernak passed away over the weekend, following a long, valiant battle with cancer. He was the immediate past Chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and immediate past Chairman of the Florida Ports Council.Upon learning of Mr. Cernak’s passing, AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle said: “Today we mourn the loss of one of the greatest champions of the port industry…

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) said that it has been monitoring the gender balance through the effective attendance of port professionals to the different meetings of the organisation over the past year."The outcome of this monitoring reveals that, all technical committees together, overall 31,76% of port professionals attending the meetings were women, 68,24% men," announced the industry body.Looking in more detail into the different committees, the results of this monitoring reveals that the Port Governance committee, the Trade Facilitation, Customs and Security committee, the Sustainable Development committee and the Cruise…

HudsonTrident, which offers security services for the maritime sector, and Fundación Tito Mella have received the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) technical assistance grant to develop a national port cyber security assessment platform in the Dominican Republic.HudsonTrident’s HACyberLogix-informed assessment approach will enable four Dominican ports to cost-effectively assess their entire organizational cybersecurity capabilities and identify cybersecurity capability vulnerabilities.The assessments will support HudsonTrident, the Fundación Tito Mella, and the Dominican port industry in implementing a nationwide cybersecurity…

Notwithstanding the tragic incidents of the Morandi Bridge collapse and October’s violent sea storm, cargo throughput remains stable at the Ports of Genoa, Italy.Now a key priority is the implementation of the emergency measures mobilised by Parliament to return to growth, said the busiest port of Italy by cargo tonnage.The collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018 and the damage wreaked by the violent sea storm on 29 October in the Port of Savona have had severe repercussions on the entire port cluster and are set to continue to have an impact  in the medium term.Within this framework, after a long period of growth, the Port of Genoa has suffered a slowdown in certain commodity sectors.