Volkswagen Group News

Automakers Reroute Shipments After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford will reroute affected shipments after a bridge collapse in the U.S. shuttered the Port of Baltimore, but the companies said on Tuesday the impact will be minimal."We expect the situation to have minimal impact to our operations. We are working to re-route any vehicle shipments to other ports," GM said in a statement.The Port of Baltimore is the busiest U.S. port for car shipments, handling at least 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.

Cargo Ship Lost Power Before Slamming Bridge in Baltimore

A massive cargo ship smashed into a bridge while sailing out of Baltimore early on Tuesday, sending cars and people into the river below and closing one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom was hospitalized, and searched for more in the Patapsco River after huge metal spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the icy water around 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT).The ship reported a power issue before impact…

Baltimore Bridge Collision Sends Vehicles Tumbling Into Water

A container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the U.S. port of Baltimore in darkness on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in a "very serious condition," and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.The ship "lost propulsion" as it was leaving port, and crew on board notified Maryland officials they had lost control of the vessel, ABC News reported, citing an unclassified U.S.

MAN’s Most Powerful Medium-Speed Engine Chosen for TSHD

MAN Energy Solutions has won the contract from Royal Boskalis to supply 3 × MAN 49/60 engines for a 31,000 m³ Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD).Each engine will come accompanied by an exhaust-gas after-treatment system, namely an MAN Low-Pressure Selective Catalytic Reduction (LP-SCR) system, that ensures IMO Tier III compliance. The newbuilding will be built at Dutch shipbuilding company, Royal IHC, at its Krimpen aan den IJssel yard and is expected to enter service in mid-2026.The TSHD will be diesel-electric powered with two Azipods to allow vessel operation even at shallow draught.

Keel Laid for Wallenius Marine’s First 6,500 CEU PCTC

On November 1, the Longkou Shipyard in Shandong, China held a keel laying ceremony for the first of Wallenius Marine's new Sleipner car carrier vessels.In the summer of 2021, Wallenius Marine and Volkswagen signed a contract for two multi-fuel vessels with the ability to carry 6,500 cars each. After delivery, the vessels will be chartered out to Volkswagen Konzernlogistik GmbH & Co. OHG and transport new vehicles of the Volkswagen Group for at least 10 years, with ship management from Wallenius Marine.The Sleipner ship design was created by Knud E.

First Shore-to-ship LNG Bunkering for SIEM Car Carrier

Eagle LNG marked a series of firsts when it fueled the 7,500-car carrier SIEM Aristotle from its Talleyrand LNG Bunker Station at the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) in Jacksonville, Fla. It was the first time SIEM has refueled the vessel from a landside bunkering facility and the first ship that Eagle LNG refueled of that size from the bunkering facility.SIEM Aristotle is the first deep-sea pure car, truck carrier (PCTC) equipped with dual-fuel engines, designed to operate on LNG and marine gas oil (MGO).

SFL Orders Two Dual-Fuel Car Carriers. Long-term Charters Secured

SFL Corporation said Wednesday it had entered into long-term charters with "a leading Asia-based transportation company" for two ultra-modern dual-fuel car carriers, designed to use liquified natural gas (LNG).The vessels are sister vessels of the two 7,000 CEU Pure Car and Truck Carriers under construction, chartered to the Volkswagen Group, and scheduled delivery from the shipyard is in Q1-Q2 of 2024.The aggregate construction cost will be approximately $155 million, and the charter period will be ten years from the delivery of the vessels…

Siem Car Carriers Adds LNG-fueled RoRo

The newly commissioned Siem Aristotle joins sister ship Siem Confucius as the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) vessels.Operating exclusively for Volkswagen Group, the Siem Aristotle is the second in a series of two Super-Eco ships for the Siem Car Carriers fleet that run on cleaner burning LNG fuel to help reduce vessel emissions.The vessel's carbon dioxide emissions are slashed by up to 25%, nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 30%…

Marine News' Top Boats of 2020

This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.

New LNG ATB Bunker Vessel is a US First

Bunkering ports around the world have long used a variety of small tankers or tug and barge combinations to deliver fuel to visiting ships. Mostly this was heavy oil, but recently a new breed of bunkering vessels is emerging to deliver clean burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) to modern ships with dual-fuel capabilities.The fall of 2020 will see a new addition to this fleet servicing ships in Florida and the Caribbean. As an articulated tug barge (ATB) combination, the vessel will have a cargo capacity of 4,000 cubic meters of LNG.

US-flagged LNG Bunker Barge Launched

America’s first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) barge has been launched for owner Q-LNG Transport, Mississippi shipbuilder VT Halter Marine announced on Wednesday.The Q-LNG 4000 barge, designed to carry 4,000 cubic meters of LNG, with dimensions of 324’ x 64’ x 32’.6”, will be operated as part of an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit designed to meet the requirements of American Bureau of Shipbuilding (ABS) and the International Gas Carrier code as an LNG bunkering barge.Its tug, the Q-Ocean Services, is scheduled to launch late October.

Kia Motors to Use Georgia Ports for SUV

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia has announced the Telluride, its new eight-passenger SUV, will be shipped to the Port of Brunswick for global markets this month.“The launch of the Kia Telluride, our largest and most refined SUV to date, will be a monumental achievement for KMMG,” said Countess. “From the support we receive from GPA with our inbound parts from our global supply chain to supporting our export of finished vehicles to current and future markets, GPA will play an important role.”Through vertical integration – parts in via Savannah, autos out via Brunswick – Kia takes advantage of Georgia’s extensive road and rail infrastructure…

Volkswagen Opts for LNG-powered Shipping

The Volkswagen Group said it will use two vessels powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) on routes between Europe and North America from 2019, in a move that aims to improve the environmental balance of its marine transport fleet. “The Volkswagen Group is shouldering its responsibility for the environment. “By commissioning the two LNG-powered freighters for the route between Europe and North America, Volkswagen Group Logistics is forging ahead with environmentally compatible, resource-efficient transport,” Thomas said.

MAN Diesel & Turbo Acquires Cryo’s Marine Fuel & Bunkering Business

MAN Diesel & Turbo Sverige AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE (part of MAN and Volkswagen Group), acquires the marine fuel gas supply system (FGSS) business from the Sweden based Cryo AB, part of the Linde Engineering Division and a manufacturer of cryogenic equipment for the storage, distribution and handling of liquefied gases. It will be integrated into the company’s four-stroke marine business. “Natural gas is rapidly gaining importance as a fuel for marine applications, which is why this acquisition is of major strategic relevance for us”, says Dr.

JaxPort Selected as VW's Southeastern US Port

The Volkswagen Group will begin importing Volkswagens, Audis and Bentleys through Jacksonville on May 5th, after selecting JaxPort as the company's Southeastern U.S. port, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced at a news conference Wednesday. 100,000 Volkswagen group vehicles will be imported from Mexico and Germany through JaxPort in the next year, with 550,000 expected over the next five years, the Florida Times-Union reports. The paper added that the $3.4 million investment in a new auto distribution center will create 100 jobs.

Volkswagen Chattanooga Selects Port of Savannah

Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations has selected the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal to handle auto parts in containers for its new plant in Tennessee. “We look forward to this new partnership with the Port of Savannah and appreciate the commitment the Georgia Ports Authority has made to work closely with our team,” said Laszlo Juhasz, General Manager Logistics of Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations LLC. Volkswagen Chattanooga rolled its first car, a Passat SEL, off the line last month.

Peel Ports Enters 10-year Deal with Volkswagen

Peel Ports Group said it sees the automotive sector as a major growth opportunity and is working continually to provide vehicle manufacturers, logistics companies and shipping lines with world-class facilities and systems. The latest example is Peel Ports Medway’s new partnership with the Volkswagen Group UK Ltd. to build and oversee a new eight-acre Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) Center at the Port of Sheerness. The investment will create 100 supply chain jobs and increase automobile imports into Sheerness by 50,000 vehicles annually.

Tognum Appoints New Executive Board Member

Jörg Schwitalla will be the new Executive Board member for Personnel and Integrity at Tognum AG as of 1 January 2013. Tognum has created the new position on the Executive Board on the one hand to meet future requirements – such as the planned integration of Bergen Engines AS and the group’s growth targets – and on the other hand to achieve the aim of bringing the Personnel, Legal Affairs and Compliance divisions closer together and to underline the growing importance of ethics in corporate management.