East Coast News

American Cruise Lines’ first new ship of 2018, American Constitution, passed Sea Trials last week in Chesapeake Bay.With the U.S. Coast Guard aboard, American Constitution underwent speed trials, an endurance run, and was thoroughly tested in all areas of safety and maneuverability.“The American Constitution passed with flying colors,” said Paul Taiclet, Vice President of Hotel Operations, who was aboard for the Sea Trials. “The ship performed exceptionally well and has a number…

BP and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) today announced the sanctioning of the ‘Satellite cluster’ project in Block KG D6. The companies are moving forward to develop the Block’s discovered deep-water gas fields in an integrated series of projects, bringing new gas production for India. The ‘Satellite cluster’ is the second of three projects in the Block KG D6 integrated development. The first of the projects, development of the ‘R-Series’ deep-water gas fields, was sanctioned in June 2017.

South Korea’s largest shipping line Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) announced it will order 20 new containerships, including eight 14,000 TEU vessels and 12 ships above 20,000 TEU. The announcement comes less than a week after the South Korean government unveiled its Five-year Plan for Rebuilding Korean Shipping. HMM said it has sent a request for proposal (RFP) to eligible shipbuilders. Once a builder is selected, HMM will decide between scrubbers or liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering in order to comply with the environmental regulations due to enter force in 2020.

Crowley Alaska Tankers, LLC, has completed its acquisition of three tankers from SeaRiver Maritime Inc. and is now chartering the vessels back to SeaRiver under varying multi-year terms.The tankers Liberty Bay and Eagle Bay, now under Crowley ownership and operation and renamed Washington and California respectively, each have a capacity of 760,000 barrels and transport crude from Alaska to West Coast refineries. The tanker SR American Progress, renamed Oregon, has a capacity of 342,000 barrels and transports refined petroleum between the U.S.

​ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (ZIM) has announcd an enhanced Asia to US East Coast and Gulf service offering, with seven different weekly services, extensive direct port-to-port coverage and best-in-market Transit time from key ports in Asia to US East Coast & Gulf. The full scale services offered by zim in this trade: ZIM Seven Star Express (Z7S), inaugurated in May 2015, a premium service from South China, Vietnam and India Sub continent to US East Coast, will be upgraded with a direct Port Kelang call, offering 24 days transit time to New York.

The Grand Alliance, comprised of OOCL, NYK Hapag-Lloyd, and the New World Alliance, comprised of APL, MOL and Hyundai Merchant Marine announced the addition of the Asia-East Coast service (also known as the EC3 service), a new express, all-water service between Asia and Savannah via the Panama Canal. The Asia-East Coast will be a weekly service and make its first call on Savannah in September. Port rotation is Shanghai, Chiwan, Shekou, Hong Kong, Manzanillo, Savannah, Norfolk and back to Shanghai. The Asia-East Coast is an express service from Asia to Savannah further reducing transit times in all-water services to the East Coast.

Phillips 66 has purchased a cargo of Algerian crude oil for its Bayway refinery in New Jersey for the first time since 2013, two sources said, the latest U.S. refiner on the East Coast to shun domestic crudes in favor of cheaper imports. The rare shipment suggests East Coast refiners are ramping up efforts that started in the past year to shift to a diet of foreign crudes as the era of cheaper domestic supplies continues to fade. A Panamax-sized vessel named Energy Century carrying about 433,000 barrels of Saharan Blend crude oil arrived in New York Harbor on Monday after leaving the Algerian port of Skikda on March 29, according to Reuters Eikon shipping data. BP was listed as the charterer, shipping records show. The oil, which is very similar to U.S.

Maersk Line will transform its TP12 service in to a standalone, around-the-world service that provides significantly faster transit times between Far East Asia and the US East Coast. From the Far East to the US East Coast the TP12 service will transit the new Panama Canal locks and call the ports of Newark, Norfolk and Baltimore on the US East Coast. On the return leg to Asia, the TP12 will go through the Suez Canal and call the ports of Salalah (Oman), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Singapore.

Refiners from the Midwest United States are fighting for access to a vital Pennsylvania pipeline – a move that could cripple their East Coast competitors and redraw the map for international flows of crude and fuel into coveted coastal markets. The regulatory dispute centers on a proposal by pipeline operator Buckeye Partners’ to that state's Public Utilities Commission. The plan would reverse the flow of fuels on a section of Buckeye’s 350-mile Laurel Pipeline, which currently flows from the East Coast to Pittsburgh.

CKYHE Alliance, COSCON, “K”Line, Yang Ming, Hanjin and Evergreen Line, is reorganizing their service network for Asia-US East Coast trade in 2016. CKYHE Alliance will provide five Asia-US East Coast services (AWE1/AWE3/AWE4/AWE8/NUE) from early June of 2016. The Alliance members have re-designed the services to provide optimum port coverage from Asia to US East Coast with AWE1/AWE3/NUE services upsized & AWE4/AWE8 services re-structured in order to enhance the competitiveness of the Alliance.

The surprising surge in cargo volumes from Asia to the East Coast of North America since July remained strong in September, and even appears to have continued in October says a Drewry Maritime Research analysis. Shipments from Asia to the East Coast of North America (ECNA) continued to grow impressively in September, reaching 382,000 teu. It brought the total for the peak season quarter up to 1.14 million teu, a startling 18% increase over the same period last year. In turn, this took the year-to-date increase up to 10%, which was significantly better than the West Coast’s 3%.

MOL (America) Inc. announced the expansion of its Americas service profile. In May 2004, MOL will be adding a new service, the Americas Container Express (ACE), which will call the U.S. East Coast, Northern Caribbean, and the East Coast of South America. MOL has operated an extensive, South America service network for nearly 90 years. However, this is the first time the company has offered a direct service link between the East Coasts of North and South America.

A very rapidly developing storm is expected off the East Coast of U.S. and Canada as air pressure is forecast to drop abt 30 hPa in 12 hrs; from abt 998 hPa 26/00UTC to abt 968 hPa at 26/12UTC, after that the low deepens further on NE-ly track.   Widespread Storm and high sea (9-14 max 20m) in connection with the low 26-27 as it moves NE-wards along U.S./Canada East Coast.   Also vessels moving short coastal distances along U.S. and Canada East Coast should keep themselves updated on the development.  

CMA CGM has introduced its new Bengal Bay Express service, operated with 11 vessels of 6,500 TEU on a weekly basis, in a continuous effort to provide its customers with the best quality service.

Traders prep rare East Coast gasoline exports; cargoes already sailing with exported distillates. Traders are preparing to export cargoes of coveted gasoline from the U.S. East Coast after months of heavy importing and local production swamped the region. At least two cargoes of gasoline are lined up to sail to West Africa, according to three market sources, with others eyeing their own shipments. The United States consumed more than 9 million barrels per day of gasoline in 2016, accounting for nearly 10 percent of global oil demand.

requirements even more effectively. The East Coast South (ECS) and East Coast North(ECN) will be reconfigured to offer more diverse loading options and optimal transit time from South, North and Central China. The South China East Coast Express (SCE) will serve Taiwan and South China by calling at Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, New York, Norfolk and Savannah. Savannah. Each service loop will deploy 8 ships with capacities of between 3,500 and 4,400 TEU. Both services will start from the middle of June. by offering competitive products from major Asian ports. Transit time from Hong Kong to New York and Shanghai to New York will be 23days and 21days respectively.

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), along with Partner ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (ZIM) are pleased to jointly announce the new co-operation with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) within the Trans-Pacific All Water sector. The South China East Coast Express 2 (SCE2) will be launched on 12th May 2011, in conjunction with the enhancement of the established South China East Coast Express (SCE), offering a comprehensive service network for Lines’ respective customers’ requirements.

U.S. East Coast refiners are looking to buy increasing volumes of domestic crude oil from the Gulf Coast, two sources said, the latest twist in a trade flow upheaval in the wake of the opening of the Dakota Access pipeline. Major U.S. East Coast refiners profited from railing hundreds of thousands of barrels of discounted Bakken crude to their plants daily from 2013 until 2015. But as more and more pipelines were built in North Dakota, the discount began to disappear, and so did the rail cars.

The Georgia Ports Authority and the Virginia Port Authority filed on Friday, Feb. The agreement encourages voluntary cooperation in the areas of operational and supply chain efficiencies, safety, communications and customer service. “The U.S. East Coast continues to see larger vessels and cargo exchanges since the opening of the expanded Panama Canal last year,” VPA CEO and Executive Director John Reinhart and GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said in a joint statement. “Increasingly, our customers are seeking gateway ports on the East Coast that can leverage sufficient landside infrastructure to ensure the free flow of cargo. The states of Georgia and Virginia have made the necessary investments to prepare for this new era in global trade.

Following the Panama Canal expansion in 2016, up to 10 percent of container traffic to the U.S. from East Asia could shift from West Coast ports to East Coast ports by 2020, according to new research conducted by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and C.H. Robinson. Rerouting that volume is equivalent to building a port roughly double the size of the ports in Savannah and Charleston. The research -- which involved extensive scenario analyses based on differing levels of demand…

Ports on the U.S.’ eastern coast had a very busy 2015 in terms of container traffic, with 7.9 million TEU of loaded containers entering the U.S. East Coast in 2015, a 12.6 percent increase compared to 7 million in 2014, BIMCO reports. While the U.S. East Coast ports experienced a surge in incoming traffic, labor issues and port congestion gloomed over the U.S. West Coast. The start of 2015 was dominated by the ongoing contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

Mediterranean Shipping Company announced a General Rate Increase that will affect westbound freight moving from the USA to Asia effective January 1, 2010.

CMA CGM announces the reshuffling of its services on the Asia – US East Coast trade. A service operated by CMA CGM with 11 vessels of 5 500 teus. A service operated by China Shipping, Evergreen and UASC with 9 vessels of 4 000 teus. The Columbus Suez service operated by CMA CGM and Maersk Line with 16 vessels of 8 100 teus remains unchanged. “The strengthening of our Asia / USEC loops means 3 departures a week and a wider geographical coverage.