Logistical Chain News

There is  increasing pressure for shipowners to sharpen their environmental performance, driven by an IMO target to halve greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050, regional regulations and market pull from charterers, banks and investors.“This represents a whole new ball game for the industry. Optimization of ship operations has traditionally been dictated by the efficiency of delivery around the globe that has typically meant being able to sail at full speed, thereby burning more fuel, to minimize costs for the charterer.

The  container logistics company A.P. Moller - Maersk has embarked on a journey that covers the end-to-end logistics of first-ever Sri Lankan made electric supercar Vega EVX that will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2020 later this year in March.The car built in Colombo, started its journey from the Vega Innovations workshop in the heart of the city and is currently en route Port Rotterdam in the Netherlands from where it will continue all the way to Geneva, Switzerland.Maersk, with a legacy as a conglomerate within transport and energy, is transforming to become an integrated container logistics company.From operating eight different divisions with a big corporate layer on top…

The world Suezmax fleet (excl. shuttle, product & Jones Act tankers) counts 517 vessels at the end of 2Q2019, said Nordic American Tankers (NAT).During 2018, 28 suezmax vessels were delivered from the shipyards and 21 vessels were scrapped, the international tanker company said in an announcement."For 2019 we expect a similar number of new deliveries as in 2018. In 2020 we currently see 22 vessels scheduled for delivery," it said.The supply of tanker tonnage is inelastic in the short-term. When there are too many ships in an area, rates tend to go down. When there is scarcity of ships, rates tend to go up. Short-term spot tanker rates may be expected to be volatile.NAT pointed out that in light of trade war headlines currently…

Russian natural gas producer Novatek announced that Yamal LNG shipped the first LNG cargo to Japan in accordance with the long-term off-take agreement with TOTAL.It was unloaded at the Tobata LNG Terminal in accordance with the delivery schedule, said a release from Russia's largest private gas producer.“Commencing LNG shipments to the Japanese market represents an important milestone for the Company as Japan is an important LNG market and one of the priority destinations in our LNG marketing strategy,” said Leonid Mikhelson, Novatek’s Chairman of the Management Board.“Further development of our logistical chain using the Northern Sea…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is calling on the European Parliament to put pressure on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to produce an ambitious worldwide CO2 reduction plan for sea shipping. Given the recent plans, measures could only be expected by 2023 at the earliest. “Far too late. The plans are not challenging enough,” believes Allard Castelein. The CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority issued his call on the eve of the vote on revising the EU ETS directive, in the European Parliament’s Environmental Commission. This directive, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by pricing them and enabling the number of permits to reduce each year, embraces many European sectors, but not shipping.

To calculate the operability of the whole logistics chain, rather than only individual operations, MARIN has developed the hydrodynamic scenario analysis program ScenSim. The uptime, or operability, of a specific operation can be calculated with existing methods and tools in different ways. However, each specific operation is often just a small stage in a long chain. When planning an operation a key parameter is to know the efficiency and duration of the operation. When the operation is a continuous process…

Nordic American Offshore Ltd., which is sponsored by Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT) and is managed by a subsidiary of NAT, currently has six platform supply vessels operating in the demanding North Sea market. PSVs are highly sophisticated vessels, representing the latest in design and technology, and they play an integral role in the logistical chain in offshore exploration and production of oil and gas. The two newbuildings will be delivered in January 2015 and cost about $44 million each. Nordic American Tankers owns 26% of the share capital in NAO at a cost of $65 million. NAO will be operated essentially along the same strategic lines as NAT. This includes an active dividend policy and the prudent use of its resources to ensure a top-quality fleet at all times.

The Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), has chosen Kongsberg Norcontrol IT to deliver a state-of-the-art RADAR surveillance system for the Volkeraksluizen, Europe's largest and busiest inland lock complex. Volkeraksluizen serves as an essential junction in the waterway connection between the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. It is not only Europe's largest and busiest inland locks but also the world's largest inland locks, with over 240 million tons passing through each year. "Volkeraksluizen is a vital link in the Netherlands waterways," said Wiebe Schmitz, KNC Sales Manager, Netherlands. The system will use Kongsberg's next generation C-Scope System to monitor vessel traffic in and around the Volkeraksluizen and to pilot ships into the locks.

United Bulk Terminals USA Inc. and Oldendorff Carriers GmbH & Co. KG announced a cooperative agreement to market combined loading and shipping of coal and petroleum coke in capesize vessels from the U.S. Gulf Coast to India and East Asia. The new service includes United Bulk Terminals export terminal in Davant, Louisiana and Oldendorff’s top-off installation in Trinidad. For the first time customers are able to book fully loaded capesize vessels from the U.S. Gulf Coast at a very competitive fixed rate, face no demurrage risk and receive high quality professional service from two market leaders. Customers will be quoted one competitive and all-inclusive freight rate for loading of a capesize vessel up to maximum available draft (approximately 47ft / 120…

Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru & Uruguay are now included in the expanding ocean transport portfolio of ABF. "With an established presence in Europe, China, India and Southeast Asia countries, South America is a natural extension of our global coverage," said Carlos Martinez-Tomatis , ABF GSCS division vice president. "ABF Global now covers nearly 90 percent of the total ocean international market to and from the United States. ABF Global is now providing a single contact for full-container-load (FCL) and expedited less-than-container-load (LCL) supply chain solutions. Ocean transport for these South American countries is in addition to ABF Global's previously announced coverage in Europe and Asia.

Maher Terminals Logistic Systems (MTLS) announces the implementation of its e-Container Terminal Management System SMART SERIES (e-CMTS) at Rio Cubatao Logistica Portuaria Ltda., (RCLP) in Sao Paulo Brazil. The MTLS e-CTMS is one of the world’s first completely web-enabled, e-commerce business solutions for the management of container terminals. MTLS’ e-CTMS further extends the patented MTLS “Community-Based System” approach to the Web, further simplifying the exchange of critical data between container terminal operators and their customers. The MTLS e-CTMS provides terminal managers with the flexibility to locally or remotely review and control terminal activities…

Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) transport company, Golar LNG, said it plans to expand beyond the shipping niche to handle the whole LNG logistics chain. "In order to optimize the value of its fleet, Golar will have to extend its presence in the LNG logistical chain," Golar's Tor Olav Troim reportedly said. A company spokesman said on Monday that this meant more than just buying into receiving terminals. "It's not something we can do by Christmas, but we've been looking at both the supply end and the receiving end, and we can do a lot in the way of supply chain management," he said. Tanker analysts said that LNG shipping requirements had traditionally been handled through long-term charters and Golar's approach was currently unheard of.