Container Terminals News

Bridge Collapse Freezes Ship Traffic in Port of Baltimore

Ships sailing to the U.S. port of Baltimore dropped anchor in waters nearby while vessels were stranded inside the port after traffic was halted following a bridge collapse, shipping data showed on Tuesday.A 948-foot container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the port in darkness early on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.Port traffic was suspended until further notice, Maryland transportation authorities said.At least 13 vessels that were expected to load coal were anchored near to Baltimore port…

Port Houston Promotes Mariacher, Soares

Earlier this year, 30-year Port Houston veteran Jeff Davis announced his retirement as Chief Port Operations Officer. The port's Executive Director Roger Guenther has subsequently announced the promotion of two long-term, well-regarded members of Port Houston’s executive leadership team to vital roles to ensure sustained operations and exceptional service.Ryan Mariacher, a 20-year employee and formerly Director of Container Terminal Operations, was promoted to Chief Port Operations Officer.

Indian Navy Rescues Crew from US-Owned Ship After Attack Off Yemen

The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement as tensions in the region's sea lanes disrupted global trade.Following the attack on the U.S. Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region".Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on…

DP World Australia Back Online After Cyber Incident

DP World Australia, one of the country's largest ports operators, said on Monday operations had resumed at all its facilities after a cyber security incident forced it to suspend operations for three days.The breach had crippled operations at the company, which manages about 40% of the goods that flow in and out of Australia, affecting its container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle."Operations resumed at the company's ports across Australia at 9 a.m. today (2200 GMT, Sunday) ...

The Real Cost of Net Zero Ports

Zero emission is a nice idea, but who’s going to pay for it? The U.S. EPA is readying big money for zero emission ports.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on two high-profile port initiatives that it hopes will move the needle in a big way towards U.S. ports’ zero emissions (ZE) operations and clean air goals.The first initiative started last May when EPA published a request for information and comments that would help the Agency develop Guidance it could use to evaluate funding requests for projects for zero-emission vehicles, port equipment and related infrastructure.

CMA CGM Completes New York Terminals Acquisition

CMA CGM announced it has finalized its acquisition of two container terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey as the France-based shipping and logistics group grows its supply chain presence in the United States.The company announced in December 2022 that it struck a deal to acquire the Bayonne and New York terminals from Canada's Global Container Terminals (GCT). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but media reports indicated the deal could be worth around $3 billion."Through this strategic investment…

Cargo Operations Halt at the Port of Seattle Amid Labor Dispute

PMA says US West Coast port workers shut down Port of Seattle; workers' union denies claimThe Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators, said in a tweet on Saturday that coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle."On the first shift today, the ILWU refused to dispatch any longshore workers to container terminals, the PMA said, resulting in the shutdown of the port.The ILWU…

HIMC23: Port Houston to Host Maritime Conference

Leveraging its position as a Top 5 Container Port in the U.S., Port Houston will host its 2nd annual Houston International Maritime Conference (HIMC23) on October 30 – November 1, 2023. The conference will tackle broad maritime industry challenges and opportunities that will shape the entire global supply chain, with specific focus on Port Houston’s commitment to investment, growth and readiness for the future.“HIMC23 is designed to not only illustrate how Port Houston is in growth mode…

Canadian Government Approves Vancouver Terminal Expansion

The Canadian government has approved a marine container terminal expansion project in Delta, B.C., following a environmental assessment process that started in 2013.The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project includes building new land and a new three-berth marine container terminal near existing port terminals at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C., about 35 kilometers south of Vancouver. The project will incrementally deliver an additional 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of capacity…

First Vessel Plugs In at Terminal 5 in Seattle

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s Terminal 5 has welcomed MSC Brunella as the first vessel to plug in to the terminal’s new shore power infrastructure.Terminal 5 is the first international container terminal in the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway with shore power capability, and the nearly 9,000 TEU vessel successfully used clean energy from the City of Seattle’s electrical grid while at berth on April 10.Shore power installation is a key part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy…

Terminal Expansion Boosts Port of Vancouver Container Capacity

A recently completed terminal expansion project at Canada's Port of Vancouver is set to boost capacity amid projected cargo volume growth at the Canadian West Coast seaport.The Construction on the Centerm Expansion Project—delivered by the the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in partnership with terminal operator DP World—allows Centerm to handle 60% more containers by increasing the terminal footprint by 15%. Work completed includes expanding the terminal footprint to the west and east…

Hapag-Lloyd Buys Stake in India's J M Baxi Ports & Logistics

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced it has signed a binding agreement today under which it will acquire 35% of J M Baxi Ports & Logistics Limited (JMBPL) from a Bain Capital Private Equity affiliate.Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd AG signed a binding agreement with JMBPL and its promoters, the Kotak family, to subscribe to a capital increase by the company and raise Hapag-Lloyd’s shareholding to 40%. The contracting parties agreed to not disclose any financial details of the deal.J M Baxi Ports & Logistics Limited is a private terminal and inland transport service provider in India.

VIDEO: Liebherr Debuts Lift Height Extension of STS in Australia

Liebherr Container Cranes completed its first ship to shore lift height increase with their new patented jacking system as part of Liebherr Transform. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Liebherr engineers at Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad.Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad located on the eastern coast of Australia is one of the world’s most advanced container terminals. Liebherr have two ship to shore container cranes at the terminal, a new STS currently being commissioned and an STS supplied in 2015.

ONE Acquires Stakes in Three California Box Terminals

Japanese container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced it has acquired controlling stakes in three California container terminals amid a push by many of the world's largest global shipping lines to expand their presence in the port infrastructure component of the logistics chain.ONE, which is jointly owned by the Japanese shipping lines Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYL), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and K Line, said it signed definitive agreements to acquire a 51% stake in each of TraPac and Yusen Terminals (YTI)…

Inside the Chinese Port Deal that Divided the German Government

The German government has become divided over a deal, agreed last month, which saw Chinese conglomerate Cosco invest in the Port of Hamburg. The deal had been in the works since September 2021 and was championed by the chancellor (and Hamburg’s former mayor), Olaf Scholz.Scholz’s coalition partners have been vocal in criticising the deal. Chief among them is Robert Habeck, Greens member and Scholz’s economics minister, who expressed his fear that Germany was becoming dependent on Chinese business.

CMA CGM to Buy New York, New Jersey Terminals from Canada's GCT

CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container shipping lines, said on Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire two container terminals at the port of New York and New Jersey from Global Container Terminals (GCT), which will extend its presence in a crucial hub for trade.The deal comes after French-based CMA CGM last month said it expects a pullback in shipping markets to accelerate in the fourth quarter due to high energy prices and flagging consumer spending, resulting a drop in its profitability following an earnings surge in the past year.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Charleston has Deepest Harbor on US East Coast

Charleston Harbor is now the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet.At 52 feet, the biggest ships calling the East Coast can access South Carolina Ports’ terminals any time, any tide. Ships filled with record imports and heavy exports can seamlessly sail through Charleston Harbor to SC Ports’ terminals.This depth makes SC Ports more competitive, helping to attract new ship services, first-in-calls and more cargo to South Carolina.Governor Henry McMaster and other state elected leaders…

Busan, Pacific Northwest Seaports Partner on Decarbonization

The Northwest Seaport Alliance announced its newest decarbonization effort as part of the Green Shipping Challenge at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh.The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), the marine cargo partnership between the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle, announced its partnership with the Republic of Korea, the Busan Port Authority, and the United…

South Africa's Busiest Port Durban Hobbled by Strike

Staff shortages caused by an ongoing strike over wages are impacting container and car terminals at South Africa's Durban port, one of the busiest on the continent, a unit of state-owned logistics company Transnet said on Tuesday.Transnet, which manages South Africa's freight rail network and ports, declared force majeure last week after its workers went on strike over a wage dispute.In an update on its website, Transnet Port Terminals said the strike had impacted waterside and landside operations at its Durban port…

US Works with Firms in Supply Chains to Ease Port Congestion

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday a supply chain pilot data-sharing project aimed at easing bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports has begun exchanging data and doubled in size.USDOT announced the planned project in March with truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and ports "to develop a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain."The effort known as the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program included 18 initial participants including FedEx…

Maersk Finds Potential Buyers for Its Stake in Russian Port Operator

Maersk has found possible buyers for its stake in Global Ports Investments, which operates ports in Russia as it withdraws from the country following a final cargo shipment this week, the Danish shipping group said on Wednesday.Maersk put its 30.75% share of Global Ports up for sale as it decided to quit Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.It said talks were taking place with several potential buyers without giving names and that it did not expect to have to give the stake…

Port Houston Reports 20% Cargo Increase

Container volume at Port Houston in March totaled 308,557 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). That brings the total for just the first three months of 2022 to 903,383 TEUs, an increase of 20% year-to-date over last year’s record year.“Port Houston is constantly evaluating growth within the industry and developing innovative solutions to accommodate that growth,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther said. “We know that velocity of goods is of the utmost importance to our customers and we continue to evaluate our procedures and infrastructure to improve efficiency.”In March…

Russia Faces Drop in Cargo Traffic, Container Deficit

Russia is bracing for a sharp decline in cargo flows and a deficit of containers after major international container shipping lines halted operations in the country due to Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, two Russian executives said.The world’s three largest container shipping lines, Denmark’s Maersk, France’s CMA CGM and Swiss-based MSC, have suspended their bookings to and from Russia after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking a flurry of Western sanctions.The…