Road Transport News

Over the past year, H2 Energy and DFDS have worked together on a project to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting large ferries with a hydrogen propulsion system.The project, supported by the Danish Maritime Fund, has led to the publication of a hydrogen propulsion feasibility study.With support from the Danish Maritime Fund, DFDS, H2 Energy and Lloyds set out to uncover the technical and operational feasibility of hydrogen propulsion systems by analyzing the main aspects of…

Danish shipping and logistics firm DFDS said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy the international transport network of Turkey's Ekol Logistics for 1.9 billion crowns ($277 million) and lifted its sales growth forecast for the year.The network connects Turkey and Europe and the acquisition will add road transport to its Mediterranean ferry network, DFDS said in a statement, adding that it was in line with its strategy to move goods in trailers by ferry, road and rail."Turkey's role…

French container shipping group CMA CGM has taken delivery of the CMA CGM Mermaid, the first ship in a series of 10 new 2,000 TEU containerships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which will be progressively deployed in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.CMA CGM Mermaid containership is the result of collaboration between CMA CGM, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and Hyundai Heavy Industries.The delivery is part of CMA CGM's fleet renewal program, in which the group invested more than $15 billion…

A new study from consultancy Arup demonstrates the benefits that Canada could obtain from investing in infrastructure that would enable the uptake of low and zero emissions shipping fuels.The Canadian Green Shipping Corridor Assessment was commissioned by Oceans North, a charity that supports marine conservation and climate action in partnership with Indigenous and coastal communities, and the Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate. Using case studies, it shows how investing in…

A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Ireland…

Three companies from very different sectors have joined forces to achieve a decentralized production of bio-LNG designated for use as a clean marine fuel. The partners Attero, Nordsol and Titan met at the site for the plant – located at the facility of waste processor Attero in Wilp, the Netherlands – where the final investment decision was made and where building can now begin.The FirstBio2Shipping project is set to deliver the first bio-LNG in early 2024. The plant will produce around 2,400 tons/year of bio-LNG (or liquefied biomethane).

More than 560 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool, one of Britain's largest container ports, will go on strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3 over pay, the Unite union said on Friday, adding to a summer of industrial unrest caused by soaring inflation."Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement."MDHC needs to think again, table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises…

Hundreds of dockworkers at one of Britain's largest container ports will be balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions, a union representing them said on Tuesday, threatening disruption to supply chains.Staff from a range of sectors, including rail and aviation, have resorted to strikes as pay hikes fail to keep up with British inflation, which reached a 40-year peak of 9.1% in May.The Unite union said more than 500 dockworkers at MDHC Container Services, part of Peel Ports…

Somerset, Mass. shipbuilder Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, said it has delivered by road transport a new pilot boat to the Lake Pilots in Port Huron, Mich. The Resilient Class high-speed launch Huron Pride is the pilots’ third boat built by the Somerset-Mass. shipyard since 1979.Designed by Ray Hunt Design, the jet-driven, all-aluminum launch measures 42.5 feet overall. It has a 14-foot beam and a shoal 2.5-foot draft. The deep-V hull features a steep 24-degree dead-rise at the transom that increases to a very fine entry forward.

Shell has made the final investment decision for Holland Hydrogen I, which, when completed in 2025, will be Europe's largest renewable hydrogen plant. The plant will be powered by electricity produced from an offshore wind farm in the Dutch section of the North Sea.Shell said Wednesday that the200MW electrolyser would be built on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day.The renewable  power for the electrolyser will come from the offshore wind farm  Hollandse Kust (noord)…

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas and shipping giant Maersk have formed a long-term strategic partnership for all containerized transport, including door-to-door transport from the company's suppliers to their factories and service warehouses as well as containerized site parts and transport equipment.The partnership, which becomes effective January 1, 2022, also includes all airfreight shipments, but not non-containerized road transport and outbound transport, which will continue to be managed by DSV and other partners.By partnering with Maersk…

A study commissioned by trade association Interferry has revealed startling statistics on the far-reaching extent of the global ferry industry’s value to the world economy.Research into the latest pre-Covid full-year figures found that, in 2019, ferries carried 4.27 billion passengers – on a par with aviation – and 373 million vehicles across a worldwide fleet of 15,400 vessels. Among other findings, the industry provided 1.1 million jobs, contributed $60 billion to the world…

Shipping will be included in Europe’s emissions trading system (ETS) and costs for polluters are set to rise under Brussels’ plans to meet the European Union’s climate targets, the European Commission said on Wednesday.The EU ETS, which forces emitters to pay for each tonne of carbon dioxide they generate, is the keystone of an EU drive to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.Manufacturers, power firms and airlines operating flights inside Europe are already covered by the scheme but…

KOTUG International B.V. (KOTUG) established an inland shipping division to provide electric powered pusher tugs and smart AI-driven dispatch and route planning applications for the inland water transportation industry, aiming to support the worldwide energy transition and the modal shift from road transport to waterways while meeting the growing demand for electric-powered vessels. "The inland shipping market offers a great opportunity for sustainable logistical solutions," says Ard-Jan Kooren, CEO of KOTUG International B.V.

French energy group Total said Monday it had realized the first ship-to-containership Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operation in France. The world’s largest LNG bunker vessel in operation, Total’s Gas Agility, completed on Friday evening, April 30th, at the Port of Dunkirk the refueling of the world’s largest containership powered by LNG, the CMA CGM Jacques Saade, with around 16,400m3 of LNG.This inaugural operation also marks Dunkerque LNG terminal’s first loading of…

Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly (a Kongsberg Wilhelmsen joint venture) have signed contracts with the Norwegian grocery distributor ASKO to equip two new all-electric vessels with autonomous technology, and to manage their operations at sea.ASKO, which currently transports its cargo by more than 800 trucks daily, is investing heavily in environmentally friendly technologies such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. At present, road transport is the single mode of transportation…

Six European shortsea and feeder ship operators have filed an official complaint to the European Commission, claiming International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) attempts to force ships to use dockers for container lashing violate EU competition law.In a letter to the Directorate-General for Competition dated May 19, 2020, the operators call for an official investigation into the ITF and affiliated Dutch union FNV Bondgnoten, and their campaign to compel operators to stand down seafarers from shipboard container lashing.

A group of Danish transportation and energy companies including shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk have teamed up to develop an industrial-scale production facility to produce sustainable fuels for road, maritime and air transport in the Copenhagen area.Maersk is joined in the project by DFDS, Ørsted, Copenhagen Airports, SAS and DSV Panalpina, who have brought together the demand and supply side of sustainable fuels to develop a new hydrogen and e-fuel production facility as soon as 2023.

UK-based HydroWing and Dutch tidal energy developer Tocardo are working on a solution that will convert tidal energy into hydrogen, store it and offload it - similar to an FPSO in the oil and gas industry - to overcome the intermittency as well as the transportation issues.The concept called the THyPSO (Tidal Hydrogen Production, Storage and Offloading) includes a floating platform housing 1 – 6 conventional bi-directional tidal turbines converting the tidal flows into electricity…

Golar Power, which offers integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) based downstream solutions, and Petrobras Distribuidora S.A. (BR Distribuidora) announce the formation of a Partnership for the development of an LNG distribution businesses in Brazil. According to a press release, the intention is to introduce LNG as an alternative to the fuels currently available to Brazil’s cargo and people transportation, industrial, thermoelectric generation, commercial and residential sectors.Both Golar Power and BR Distribuidora believe that LNG is an innovative and potentially disruptive solution for the transportation sector in Brazil that delivers environmental benefits as well as important economic gains for customers, society and for Brazil as a whole.

German logistics and transportation company Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) said that it has achieved targets for the year as the revenue and operating result (EBIT) increase with moderate increase in container throughput and significant rise in transport volume.The Group revenue increased by 6.8 percent to € 1.38 billion in the 2019 financial year (previous year: € 1.29 billion). The Group’s operating result (EBIT) of  € 222 million (previous year: € 204 million) grew by 8.8 percent.The listed Port Logistics subgroup said that In total, 7.6 million standard containers (TEU) were handled at HHLA’s container terminals in the 2019 financial year.

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Lithuanian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil terminal operator AB 'Klaipedos Nafta' (KN) have signed a EUR 134.1 million (USD 148 million) loan agreement to optimize costs of LNG terminal.The 25-year maturity loan will be directed to finance the rent payable for the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU).“Through this loan agreement we are continuing to support Lithuania´s security of energy supply, a strategically important objective for our member country”, said Henrik Normann, NIB President & CEO.Currently, the FSRU used for LNG import to Lithuania is leased from the Norwegian Höegh LNG on a ten-year arrangement that expires in 2024.

European short-sea and feeder lines challenge legality of Dockers' Clause extension.European short-sea and feeder ship operators are challenging efforts by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to redefine container lashing as a cargo handling activity in order to bring it under the control of unionized dockers. The redefinition, for which ITF is seeking acceptance at a growing number of European ports, will mean that shore-based workers undertake shipboard container lashing under the supervision of the ship master…