Major Port News

Shipping industry majors Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk have signed an agreement for a new long-term operational collaboration called ‘Gemini Cooperation’, which will start in February 2025.The ambition is to deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading reliability.The new cooperation between the companies will comprise a fleet pool of around 290 vessels with a combined capacity of 3.4 million containers (TEU). Maersk will deploy 60% and Hapag-Lloyd 40%, the shipping giants said.As a part of the agreement…

A feasibility study has highlighted the potential for using clean ammonia to refuel ships, particularly iron ore carriers, visiting the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The study, commissioned by Yara Clean Ammonia (Yara) and Pilbara Ports, was undertaken by Lloyd's Register, and looked at key areas including the estimated demand and likely availability of ammonia as a replacement shipping fuel. The potential risks and regulatory requirements for ammonia bunkering at the ports…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has completed a major A$15.5 million two-year project to repair and rejuvenate essential aids to navigation (AtoNs) off the coast of Port Hedland, Western Australia.AMSA commissioned the works following Severe Tropical Cyclone Veronica in 2019, which caused significant damage to electrical equipment, access ladders, platforms, day markers and fenders.AMSA has replaced the top of 13 AtoNs, installed new platforms and above water pile sections…

China’s COSCO Shipping Holdings suspended construction on a tunnel for a major port project in northern Peru after a partial landslide struck, a company official said on Tuesday.The company is working to understand what caused the landslide, said Romulo Zarauz, a manager with the Chinese company’s local unit.The incident took place Tuesday morning in the coastal province of Huaral, about 56 miles (90 km) north of the capital Lima, damaging at least four houses near the tunnel…

The oceans are inextricably connected to the health of the planet, and of humans: they absorb up to 30% of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 90% of excess heat, and over 3 billion people — almost half the global population — depend directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.Healthy coastal ecosystems are also critical to the world’s ability to withstand the impact of climate change. Not only do mangrove forests, for example, hold four times the amount of carbon per hectare as tropical forests…

A new report from the Global Maritime Forum, prepared on behalf of the Getting to Zero Coalition, assesses progress toward the development of Green Shipping Corridors - maritime routes between major port hubs where zero-emission solutions are supported and demonstrated – and finds that activity during 2022 exceeded expectations. However as maritime Green Shipping Corridors progress toward implementation, some key industry stakeholders, especially cargo owners and fuel producers, will need to be engaged as soon as possible.

Long queues of holidaymakers and lorries built up on Saturday outside the Port of Dover, Britain's main gateway to Europe, and officials said the disruption could be worse than the logjam seen on Friday.Travelers setting out at the start of the British school summer holidays, as well as the usual flow of goods lorries, have faced long delays because of slow border checks.The Kent Resilience Forum, which brings together local councils and emergency services, declared a "major incident"…

Abu Dhabi's AD Ports Group and the Red Sea Ports Authority have signed a Term Sheet and a Head of Terms agreement for what they say are major port projects along Egypt’s coastline, including multi-purpose terminals, and cruise ship berths.The first agreement will see AD Ports Group develop, operate, and manage a multi-purpose terminal in Safaga Port in a consortium with the Red Sea Ports Authority and the Egyptian Group for Multipurpose Terminals Company, the commercial arm of…

OceanGate Expeditions has announced Inmarsat as the satellite service provider for the 2022 Titanic Survey Expedition. Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress high-speed satellite service will enable OceanGate Expeditions’ at-sea crew to instantly connect with scientific and operational resources anywhere in the world and to share important findings immediately while enhancing safety for the entire operation. Following the tragic loss of life in the sinking of Titanic, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was adopted.

South Africa's major port of Durban, where operations were disrupted by severe flooding last week, is now functional and a backlog of thousands of containers will be cleared within five to six days, the public enterprises minister said on Tuesday.The floods caused extensive damage to roads leading to Durban port, one of the busiest shipping terminals in Africa and a key hub for exports like metals and agricultural commodities and imports like fuel.Scientists believe the southeastern…

Will Roberts joined Seattle-based Foss Maritime in 2017 as chief commercial officer, and in 2018 he was named chief operating officer. Prior to joining Foss, Roberts held a number of leadership roles for marine systems and services provider Rolls-Royce, rising to senior vice president, customer and services–Americas. A U.S. Navy veteran, Roberts served as a qualified deck and engineering officer aboard the fast attack submarine USS Honolulu. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in ocean engineering and holds a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.

The crippling ransomware attack against the Colonial oil pipeline in the U.S. in May 2021 should be a wake up call for the maritime industry. As a critical part of the global supply chain, the shipping industry could become an attractive target for cyber criminals and politically motivated attacks. Marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty explores these challenges in its latest Safety & Shipping Review 2021.The 9,000km long Colonial Pipeline, which connects some 30 oil refineries and nearly 300 fuel distribution terminals…

Four investment groups are looking to acquire the Israeli port of Haifa estimated to be valued as high as $600 million with formal bids expected towards October, sources with knowledge of the matter said.Israel is selling its state-owned ports and building new private docks in an effort to encourage competition and bring down costs. At the same time, warming ties with neighboring Arab countries are creating new trade opportunities and Haifa is well placed to become a regional…

Iron ore prices have suffered their worst week for nearly 18 months amid signs that the two factors needed for a sustained correction may be coming into play - Chinese steel producer discipline and a recovery in supply of ore.The main Chinese domestic iron ore benchmark, the Dalian Commodity Exchange contract, dropped around 10% in the week to July 23, the worst weekly performance since February last year.The contract ended the week at 1,126 yuan ($173.77) a tonne, and has now slid about 17% from its record high in May.Benchmark spot 62% iron ore for delivery to north China , as assessed by co

On March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a petrochemical transport and storage company, was seeking approval to modify terminal operations in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If approved, MMP would expand its liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene.Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year.

The technology group Wärtsilä will upgrade its Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) installed in the Indian port of Cochin, bringing additional benefits such as improved traffic monitoring and control.The system was originally delivered in 2008, and the order with Wärtsilä to upgrade the system was placed in February 2020 by the Cochin Port Trust (CoPT). The upgrading project is scheduled for completion by the end of July 2020.According to Wärtsilä, the upgraded VTMS will enable…

The government of India will put in place a comprehensive plan to develop 204 minor ports in the country in the next six months to boost coastal shipping and inland waterways, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. These minor ports will be developed so that it can support 12 major ports in India. Small cargo will reach to major port from minor ports and boost EXIM cargo, the minister said.All these ports have been centers of maritime activity in the past, and if revived, they can once again become important centers of sea trade. Mandaviya said that the Government is looking at developing synergy between the Major and Minor ports so…

British-American cruise operator Carnival Corporation and two of its cruise line brands have signed an agreement with the government of The Bahamas to build two major port developments.The world's largest travel leisure company, with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands, said that it will develop a new cruise port destination primarily for Carnival Cruise Line on Grand Bahama, and construction of a new addition, including a pier, on the Bahamian island of Little San Salvador, home to Holland America Line's Half Moon Cay port.The Grand Bahama project will represent an investment of over $100 million, and the development on Little San Salvador will be an estimated $80 million investment over time…

In August 2019 Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with SAAM Towage for the delivery of an ASD Tug 2813 to SAAM Mexico for operations in the port of Veracruz. This order is the latest milestone in a business relationship spanning several decades and involving numerous vessels.Due to an existing relationship built on previous shared success, SAAM Towage approached Damen sales manager Ezequiel Najmias with a possible order. Ezequiel used the opportunity to invite SAAM Towage representatives to visit the Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.

A number of seamen have been kidnapped after an attack on their vessel off the coast of Cameroon in West Africa's piracy-plagued Gulf of Guinea, a source in the Cameroonian army and a source at the major port of Douala said on Friday.In July, the International Maritime Bureau described the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy with 73% of all sea kidnappings and 92% of hostage-takings taking place there.The army source declined to give details on the number and nationality of the hostages or the name of their ship."I'm waiting until I know for sure," he said.

Georgia has ended an investment agreement with an international consortium for one of the biggest projects in the former Soviet country, the construction of a major deep sea port on the Black Sea coast, its infrastructure minister said on Thursday.The nine-phase project to improve access to Central Asia and the Middle East had received support from Georgia's strategic partner, the United States, as well as the European Union, which had labelled the planned port at Anaklia a priority project."The government discussed this issue and decided that further postponement does not make sense…

This week, U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioners Daniel B. Maffei and Carl W. Bentzel sent letters to the Governors of major port states urging them to prioritize the vaccination of the maritime workforce to protect the nation’s supply chain.Letters were sent to the Governors of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Washington following an earlier letter to the Biden administration encouraging the prioritization of maritime workers for access to vaccinations…

The global port operator DP World has been awarded a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), for the management and development of the Jeddah South Container Terminal at the multi-purpose Jeddah Islamic Port.According to a press release from the UAE-based world leader in global supply chain solutions, under the agreement, DP World will invest up to $500 million to improve and modernize the Jeddah Islamic Port, including major infrastructure development to enable the Port to serve the ultra-large container carriers (ULCC’s), which are considered the world’s largest mega containerships.Established in 1976, the Jeddah Islamic Port is on the red sea and the largest port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with annual volumes of over 6 million TEU’s.