Transportation Logistics News

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

At the time of publication, the first National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), the Empire State VII, is steadily advancing towards its final delivery to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and SUNY Maritime College. Let’s be clear—this is a huge win, not only for MARAD, its vessel construction manager TOTE Services, the shipbuilder Philly Shipyard, and SUNY Maritime, but for the future of government shipbuilding.To put this milestone in its appropriate context, it is worth reviewing how we got here.

French shipping group CMA CGM on Thursday announced it has appointed Peter Levesque to take over as president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines (APL) upon Ed Aldridge's retirement on December 6.Levesque is an international global supply chain executive with more than 30 years of industry leadership experience, who until 2021 was president of Ports America Group. Prior to Ports America, he spent 25 years based in Hong Kong and held leadership positions in international transportation…

Rhe Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on Thursday elected Jack C. Jensen, Jr. to serve as Board Chairman, succeeding Charles H. Ponstein, whose term as Chairman ended this month. Also elected were Joseph F. Toomy, who will serve as Vice Chairman, and Walter J. Leger, Jr., who will serve as Secretary-Treasurer for the nine-month term.“Jack Jensen has brought decades of transportation and logistics experience to this board, and we look forward to his…

Maritime battery supplier EST-Floattech appointed Mark Witjens as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Joep Gorgels as Chief Financial Officer/Chief Business Development Officer (CFO/CBDO). Since its foundation in 2009, EST-Floattech has a track record of more than 200 projects and a growing number of recurring customers. Recently, the first successes have also been achieved by its Hamburg office, which opened in August 2021. With the arrival of Witjens and Gorgels, who will be working from the headquarters in Badhoevedorp…

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, the 50-50 joint venture between EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US, has submitted its proposal to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to supply the state with up to 2,300 MW of renewable wind energy.New Jersey seeks to award between 1,200 MW and 2,400 MW of offshore wind energy projects as part of its second solicitation. Atlantic Shores estimates their first project would be completed as early as 2027 and if awarded, the…

Seabulk Towing Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc., announced it is participating in a U.S.-based carbon offset project to neutralize carbon emissions from the physical operation of its harbor tugs in 2020.Daniel Thorogood, chief executive officer of Seabulk, said the company’s investment in an accredited carbon offset program is an initial step toward longer-term solutions that improve or eliminate direct emissions from its equipment. Seabulk, through its affiliates…

The global ports operator Cosco Shipping Ports signed investment agreement of Cosco Shipping Ports Supply Chain Project with Guangzhou Nansha Economic and Technology Development Zone Commercial Bureau.The Cosco Group company said that it plans to develop phase I of terminal extended business in the land near Nansha Stevedoring Corporation Limited of Port of Guangzhou and Guangzhou South China Oceangate Container Terminal Company Limited, in order to develop port supply chain platform, develop high-end warehousing business and extend the upstream and downstream industries.Leveraging on Nansha Free Trade Zone’s policy and favourable geographical position…

The global quality assurance and risk management company DNV GL released an in-depth study, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which examines the challenges associated with manufacturing and deploying next-generation, increasingly larger land-based wind turbines.In the past decade, the U.S. wind energy industry has achieved significant improvements in energy production and cost efficiency, driven in part by increased turbine, blade, and tower size.However, the industry is quickly approaching a logistical cost and capability ceiling as turbine components become too large for existing infrastructure and transportation to accommodate.Currently the largest blades deployed in the U.S.

P&O Ferrymasters announced the launch of new intermodal services from the Turkish ports of Pendik, Ambarli and Mersin to the Free Port of Trieste in Italy, with onward connections to its European intermodal network.The European provider of tailor-made transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions said in a press release that the new services – with departures six times a week in both directions – will connect with rail links from the port of Trieste to P&O Ferries’ continental hubs at Rotterdam and Zeebrugge, giving highly competitive transit times of less than a week between Turkey and Europe’s principal logistics hubs.Wim Blomme…

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) named Mark K. Knoy as its president and chief executive officer in August 2011. Prior to joining ACBL, he was vice president of American Electric Power’s (AEP) Fuel, Emissions and Logistics Group and president of AEP River Operations, having joined AEP with its 2001 purchase of MEMCO Barge Line. From 1984 to 1994, he was owner/operator of The Mark Twain Towing Company and Delmar Marine, Inc., Pekin, Illinois. He began his career in 1973 working aboard towboats on the inland waterways as a deck hand and then as a captain.

On a trade mission to India, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has signed a Cooperative Agreement with Mundra Port, Gujarat State, north of Mumbai. This agreement aims to develop cooperation in marketing and business development while sharing information on marine operations and industry best practices. Mundra Port is India’s largest commercial port. A diversified port, it handles liquid and dry bulk and more than three million TEUs in annual container traffic. It is operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ). Vice-President, Growth and Development at the MPA Tony Boemi: “Asia, and especially India, is an emerging market with enormous potential. It and the Port of Montreal are already solidly connected thanks to container services.

A primer for navigating the ‘ups and downs’ of marine money for domestic stakeholders. Vessel financiers are resourceful and adaptable to changing markets. On the domestic side, financiers of Jones Act and “brown water” assets have continued to serve their customers through shifting shoals in both broader capital markets and in the marine markets – both known for their ups and downs. Marine finance can take many forms. In the broadest sense, funding can be done through loans, where the vessel is owned by the borrower…

The Ernst Russ Group has successfully completed another transaction and acquired two container ships with capacities of 2,450 TEU and 2,785 TEU and an average age of just under 12 years. Global Transportation & Logistics provided financing to Ernst Russ. Purchase price for the two container ships is undisclosed. The transaction was structured and carried out by Ernst Russ Maritime Management GmbH & Co. KG as the maritime asset manager of the Ernst Russ Group. A company within the northern German maritime cluster has been given responsibility for the technical management of the ships. Another experienced partner will be in charge of chartering.

The auction for the rights to the wind farm off the coast of New York has encountered pushback from fishing groups concerned about the impact a large-scale wind project will have on the access to prime fishing areas. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was set to administer the lease sale on December 15, when a petition to delay the auction was presented to the federal court. The U.S Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) requires an extensive stakeholder marine spatial planning process that de-conflicts the wind energy area prior to the Point of Sale Notice (PSN).

A little-known investment company said it intends to order up to 20 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, probably from South Korean shipbuilders. The contracts would be worth as much as $3.8 billion, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. CBI Energy and Chemical, which is controlled by Australian and Canadian investors and has offices in Hong Kong, also said in a statement to Reuters that it would be seeking to buy floating LNG production and import facilities as part of an ambitious plan for Africa and Asia. The orders would be a major shot in the arm for South Korea's ailing shipbuilding industry, which has been hit by a collapse in new orders as global trade growth slows and after the slump in commodities prices in recent years.

Videotel, producer and distributor of training videos, 3D animation, and e-Learning courses to the maritime market and part of KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), has renewed its contract with Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) to supply the full Videotel On Demand (VOD) and software solutions service. VOD delivers high-quality, award-winning training materials, available as an onboard and online e-Learning library, with accompanying recording and reporting software, making it easy for crew members to select specific training courses to learn new skills and develop their careers. “We take the safety of our people very seriously indeed and with the VOD service each seafarer’s training programmes can be monitored to ensure we have competent crew onboard…

Florida-based transportation giant CSX Corp. is planning a $272 million intermodal rail terminal in North Carolina serving the Raleigh region that it envisions as a major transportation hub to make the state’s ports more competitive. The major freight rail infrastructure project in the Triangle project will spur economic development and help position the region as a major transportation logistics hub, says the company. Wilmington could reap significant benefits if the intermodal freight rail hub is built in Johnston County, state transportation officials said Thursday. The railroad operator is committed to spending $150 million for the project, which will be located in Johnston County and depends on receiving $100 million state transportation funds.

Dan-Bunkering (Middle East) DMCC is pleased to announce that Lamin Bara has joined the office in Dubai as Bunker Trader as per 1 November 2015. Lamin was born and raised in a multilingual family in Denmark and has been working in the transportation/logistics industry for the past many years.

Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line) and Sharaf Group have established a new firm, K Line Shipping & Logistics (KLSL). Based in Dubai, UAE, KLSL will carry out businesses in the fields of marine transportation, logistics, land transportation, air cargo transportation, warehousing and supply chain solutions. The company will aim to develop new businesses through a network actively, "K" Line and Sharaf Group. K Line Shipping & Logistics (KLSL) is said to be the first affiliate of a Japanese shipping line to operate in the Middle East. It acts in the marine and land transport and logistics spheres, and is aimed at leveraging new new business through the networks of K Line and Sharaf Group.

XPO Logistics has made a deal to acquire Bridge Terminal Transport (BTT) Services, one of the largest motor carriers serving ports and intermodal facilities in the United States, for $100 million. A few days ago, XPO spent $3.5 billion to purchase French third-party logistics provider Norbert Dentressangle. Based in Charlotte, N.C., BTT is a drayage provider, which transports goods over a short distance, offering international and domestic transportation services at major port locations and inland rail sites throughout the U.S. BTT has 28 terminals and some 1,300 independent owner-operators. BTT had revenue of $232 million for the 12 months ended March 31. The XPO statement said the acquisition price represents a multiple of 8.1 times BTT’s tax-free cash flow over the same time.

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the transportation and logistics industry remained steady during the fourth quarter of 2014 according to Intersections, a quarterly analysis of global deal activity in the transportation and logistics industry by PwC US. However activity for the whole year was relatively weak, finishing near 10-year lows. “M&A activity in the fourth quarter remained consistent with the subdued levels we witnessed throughout 2014, however, we are cautiously optimistic regarding 2015 as the recovery in many advanced economies continues,” said Jonathan Kletzel, U.S. transportation and logistics leader for PwC. “The U.S. economy remains strong and a strong U.S. dollar makes acquisitions by U.S. players cheaper for offshore targets.