Container Handling News

In the first quarter of 2026, Port of Antwerp‑Bruges handled 65.5 million tons of maritime cargo, a decrease of 3.2% compared to the same period last year.After a weak start in January and February, throughput recovered in March. General cargo (-4.4%) – in particular containers and conventional general cargo – was under pressure, while bulk cargo remained stable (-0.6%) and RoRo traffic increased.The port says the results reflect a complex combination of factors, including adverse weather conditions…

The CMA CGM Foundation has presented its PharmaBox at an industry trade show.The PharmaBox is a humanitarian innovation designed to store, secure, and preserve medicines in crisis zones.Global humanitarian needs have nearly tripled over the past 10 years, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in a context marked by increasingly frequent and complex crises. In response, logistics has become more critical than ever to humanitarian action, facing unprecedented challenges in accessing affected areas…

Brazil's Federal Audit Court (TCU) on Monday voted six to three to recommend that operators of existing container terminals at the Santos port be barred from participating in the first phase of bidding for a planned mega terminal, citing concerns over market concentration.The decision deals a blow to companies such as Danish shipping group Maersk, MSC and others already operating container terminals in Latin America's largest port, as these companies will only be able to enter a second phase of the auction if the first does not attract valid bids.The two-phase model, proposed by port regulator

AD Ports Group announced the signing of a major dredging agreement between its Karachi Gateway Terminal and Van Oord, a Netherlands-based leader in dredging and marine contracting, to expand the flow of trade through the Group’s port terminals in Pakistan.Led by the Group’s international ports operating arm, Noatum Ports, the project will deepen berths and navigational channels at Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL), a container terminal, enabling the accommodation of vessels from 305 meters to 350 meters in length and 13 meters to 15.5 meters in draft.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released its annual Containers Lost at Sea report, showing that 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024.While this represents an increase from the record-low 221 containers lost in 2023, it remains well below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers lost annually, underscoring continued industry progress on safety and prevention.Container losses in 2024 were influenced by ongoing disruption in the Red Sea region, which led to a significant shift in global trade routes. Vessel transits around the Cape of Good Hope increased by 191% compared to 2023.

ADNOC Logistics & Services Plc (ADNOC L&S) has signed a 15-year strategic partnership agreement with Borouge, worth $531 million, to manage shipping and port logistics for the company’s expanding petrochemical exports.The agreement positions ADNOC L&S as the primary logistics provider for up to 70% of Borouge’s annual production, covering container handling, port operations, and feeder shipping services from Al Ruwais Industrial City to the deepwater ports of Jebel Ali and Khalifa Port.As part of the deal…

Dubai-based ports and logistics firm DP World and shipping giant Maersk have signed a long-term agreement to boost container-handling capacity and increase weekly vessel calls to support Brazil’s growing trade demands.DP World operates one of the country’s largest private terminals at the Port of Santos. Under the terms of the eight-year agreement, Maersk will introduce additional long-term services and maintain a minimum service level at the port.In the first year, Maersk will launch six new services with eight weekly calls…

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has started working on the new deep-water port in Senegal, which will be able to accommodate two of the world's largest container ships simultaneously.Jan De Nul is responsible for dredging the five-kilometer access channel and will create an 89-hectare platform for maritime services and container storage.In total, the works are expected to take two and a half years to complete.The Port of Dakar is nearing its maximum capacity, and the surrounding area is fully saturated.

Terminales Marítimas de Vigo, S.L.U. (Termavi), a new Konecranes customer has ordered two hybrid Konecranes Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes equipped with the complete range of Konecranes Smart Features. The order was booked in Q4 2024, and delivery is scheduled for Q4 2025.Termavi operates the main container terminal at Spain’s Port of Vigo on the country’s Atlantic coast and has implemented a number of initiatives to increase energy efficiency, reduce its carbon footprint, and protect biodiversity.

DP World’s ports and terminals handled a record 88.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, up 8.3% year-on-year, despite macroeconomic headwinds and concerns over the outlook for global trade.The global logistics business, which now can handle over 100 million TEU across operations in 78 countries, benefitted from long-term infrastructure investment, contributing to strong growth and new services calling at its terminals.While the Red Sea crisis posed a significant challenge to global shipping in 2024…

Port and logistics firm DP World has surpassed 100 million TEUs of container handling capacity across its global portfolio since inception.The achievement has been made possible due to over $11 billion in strategic investments and infrastructure development over the last decade.Over the past 10 years, DP World’s capacity has grown 33%, driven primarily by expansions and new greenfield developments as well as acquisitions.Starting with 75.6 million TEUs in 2014, the company has…

TraPac Oakland, a container terminal operator in California, has selected Liebherr for the supply of two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, marking the company’s first shipment to United States’ West Coast.The cranes boast a 66-meter (216-foot) outreach, a 53-meter (173.83-foot) lift height, and a span of 30.48 meters (100 feet).With a lifting capacity of 66 long tonnes in twin-lift mode, they have been designed for high-capacity handling, making them suitable for servicing the world’s…

Chevron Marine Lubricants has extended its global supply capacity to include Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to serve vessels avoiding current conflict areas.Chevron’s current range of marine engine lubricants, including the Taro Ultra range, will be available to ships calling at the multi-cargo port which is located on the western perimeter of Algoa Bay.The port is operational 363 days a year. In addition to bulk and container handling, Port Elizabeth has a berth for liquid cargo operations.Prior to 2023, records indicate an average of 1,050 visiting vessels over a 36-month period.

The LGM 1130 introduced in 1974 was Liebherr’s first mobile harbour crane, and the LHM has evolved with innovative design features and technological advancements. This month, Liebherr celebrates over one half century of innovation.Over the decades, Liebherr has continuously adapted to market demands, introducing innovative models such as the LHM 250 in 1996 and the LHM 550 in 2010– The all-electric LPS 420 E from 2019 and the new LHM series introduced in 2022 reflect  Liebherr’s…

Early 2024 saw a group of financial deals that have implications, in a broad sense, for how offshore wind projects may be financed. While offshore wind projects might be thought of as being in the ‘utility finance’ basket, they are ultimately high-risk deals that might better suit the portfolios of ‘infrastructure investment’ which, in recent years, has taken a shift towards tolerating more uncertainty when it comes to cash flows.A 2022 article from consultants McKinsey, titled “Infrastructure investing will never be the same”…

The Military Sealift Command’s Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) and Auxiliary Crane Ships (ACS) were built 50 years ago to pre-position vehicles and supplies in forward locations and load or unload them in undeveloped or damaged port facilities. I serve with MSC’s Taluga Group, charged with finding innovative solutions to pressing problems. One of those challenges is meeting the MPS and ACS mission as the current ships continue to serve past their expected service lines.To…

Cosmos Van Oord, a joint venture (JV) of Cosmos Shipping and Van Oord, has been awarded a dredging project at Port of Burgas, the biggest port in Bulgaria.The project is part of the construction of a new deep-water berth at terminal Burgas-West in the Port of Burgas. This will establish a dedicated port zone for container handling and storage, and introduce eco-friendly methods for efficiently transferring cargo between ships and railways in both directions.Van Oord’s scope of work contains the dredging of the port area to the required depth of 15.5 meters.

DEME announced it has won several capital and maintenance dredging contracts in India, the Maldives and Malaysia, worth €150 million-300 million combined.At Kakinada port in India, where DEME has frequently been performing dredging works, the newly awarded scope includes deepening of the existing berths, turning circle and the inner- and access channel to a depth of 18 m at the deepest point. Works will kick off in Q1 2024 with hopper dredgers and run until the second half of 2024.On behalf of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai…

Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said on Thursday that it would not be in the container shipper's interest to make a counter offer for HHLA, the main operator of Hamburg port, and may instead cut its traffic through the hub.On Wednesday, Switzerland-based MSC, the world's biggest container shipping company, offered to buy almost half of the port operator in a deal that could be worth nearly 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).Speaking to Reuters in an interview, Habben Jansen said that as a result of MSC's bid…

Maersk's APM Terminals has pledged a €962 million (US$1 billion) investment in its Brazilian operations up to 2026.This figure includes a €296 million of a total €483 million investment exclusively for the Phase One development of a new terminal in Suape. The terminal, located in Estaleiro Atlântico Sul, is in the final stages of acquisition and will rejuvenate infrastructure and increase competition in the port.APM Terminals has committed an additional €666 million of investment to the company’s four other terminals and inland depots, by 2026.

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…

UAE-based logistics giant DP World announced its BOXBAY high-bay storage system will be installed to boost container handling efficiency at its terminal in Busan, South Korea.BOXBAY was developed by DP World in a joint venture with German plant technology supplier SMS group, who first created and proved the system for handling heavy metal coils. Refined for port logistics, the fully automated rack-like container storage system allows direct access to each container at any time…

Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) on Tuesday announced it signed a $500 million contract with the Suez Canal Container Company (SCCT) to establish a second container handling terminal in East Port Said.The project will expand the existing SCCT’s Container Terminal at Port Said East Port, with a length of 955m and a handling yard of 510,000 m2. The terminal is currently operating with a berth length of 2,400m and a handling yard of 1.2 million m2 as the main operator in Port Said East Port…