Port Of Hamilton News

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has taken the decision to introduce a helicopter service at its Port of Cape Town to transfer marine pilots onto and off visiting vessels. This would make the port one of three within the South African port landlord’s complementary port system that offer the service, the others being Durban and Richards Bay.TNPA expects to commission the helicopter in Cape Town in 2021, according to GM: Infrastructure and Port Planning, Hamilton Nxumalo.In…

Construction of Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) new bed leveler (plough tug) is underway and was marked by an official keel laying ceremony in Port Elizabeth on January 19. The new vessel is being designed, manufactured, assembled, commissioned and delivered to TNPA’s Dredging Services division by shipbuilder FTC Engineering (Pty) Ltd, trading as Tide Marine Shipyard. The Black-, woman-owned family company has a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBBEE) Level…

As marine shipping continues to support the growth of the Canadian and U.S. economies, St. Lawrence Seaway cargo shipments to-date for 2917 are 14 percent ahead of 2016 volumes. Total cargo tonnage from March 20 to September 30 reached 24.3 million metric tons – 3 million metric tons more compared to the same period in 2016, according to The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “Our results point to the strength of the Canadian and U.S. economies. Export shipments of mined products such as iron ore and dry bulk via the Seaway have grown dramatically this year…

Grain shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway are up 7 per cent this season, continuing the pace set last year when ships carried the largest volume of grain through the navigation system in 14 years. According to The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, grain shipments (including Canadian and U.S. grain) totaled 1.9 million metric tons from April 2 to May 31. The Port of Thunder Bay, the largest grain port on the Great Lakes, reported that its grain shipments were off to the strongest start this season since 1997, as the major handlers continue to export the harvest from 2014. So far this season, Algoma Central Corporation’s ships have carried 50 per cent more grain, mainly from Thunder Bay to Quebec for transshipment overseas.

Total cargo volumes were 10,526,732 metric tonnes (MT) in 2014, representing a 5% increase over 2013. The port welcomed 157 ships from overseas in 2014, with the balance (462) operating within the Canada/US Great Lakes. Overseas tonnage was 2 million tonnes, a gain of 39 percent year-over-year and the highest volume of overseas cargo in a decade. The Port of Hamilton is the largest port in Ontario. A multimodal hub with full Seaway-depth marine capacity, goods can be imported from, and exported to, anywhere in the world. Direct rail and truck service puts some of North America’s largest consumer markets within a day’s reach. “Efficient transportation can offer a critical advantage in global markets where margins are tight,” said Hamilton Port Authority President & CEO Bruce Wood.

The St. Lawrence Seaway concluded its 50th anniversary season on December 28 with the passage of the JW Shelley. The vessel transited the Iroquois Lock at 7:37 p.m. on route to Lake Ontario. The Seaway navigation season for 2009 spanned 274 days. The Welland Canal, which has been in operation since 1932, remained open to navigation until December 30, as the CSL Tadoussac transited Lock 1 at 3:04 p.m. and cleared Port Weller entering Lake Ontario at 3:22 p.m. Total Seaway cargo volume for 2009 is estimated to amount to 30.5 million tonnes, the lowest volume witnessed since the early 1960's. The 25% decrease in cargo volume compared to 2008 can be attributed to the depth of the recession, which sharply curtailed movements of iron ore and steel on the waterway.

New Zealand ports operator Ports of Auckland said on Monday that it is looking at up to eight options to encourage shippers to send more export containers through its facilities, but had made no decision on whether to build an inland port in Hamilton. The company reportedly is considering building an inland container port beside the main trunk railway line in Hamilton. Ports of Auckland announced last month that it would operate its own rail network service between Palmerston North and Auckland, in conjunction with national rail operator Tranz Rail, from the second quarter of this year. A Ports of Auckland spokeswoman said that the company was examining opportunities that would see export containers gathered and sent to Auckland via domestic transport.