Land Transportation News

Roll Group has cut steel for its latest addition, Roll Barge One, in Batam, Indonesia. Scheduled for delivery by ASL Yards in the third quarter of 2024, this marks Roll Group's entry into the barge market with its own assets."This is a new milestone in the history of our company," said Peter Rondhuis, CEO of Roll Group. "By entering the barge market with our own assets, where we have been servicing our clients so far with rented barges, we're aligning with our strategic vision. Roll Barge One represents the first of many we plan to build.

Gasum and the Cruise Division of MSC Group have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of LNG to the new flagship MSC Cruises vessel MSC Euribia.The companies have also signed a Letter of Intent with the goal of cooperating on the supply of synthetic e-LNG made with renewable energy as part of MSC Cruise Division’s strategy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its marine operations by 2050.MSC Euribia recently sailed the cruise industry’s first net zero greenhouse gas emissions voyage.

Oman's state-owned transport group Asyad plans to restructure its operations in order to focus on logistics, port services, free zones, shipping, drydocks and e-commerce, the state-run Oman News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing a management decision.The transport ministry will take over supervision of the company's land transportation activity, it said.(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Danish shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy U.S. warehousing and distribution firm Performance Team as part of plans to deliver more customized logistics solutions.Maersk said the the value of the deal is $545 million, including lease liabilities of around $225 million.The world's largest container shipping firm aims to boost its earnings from its inland logistics operations, or non-ocean business. In 2018, the ocean transport business accounted for almost 80% of core earnings."This will strengthen our ability to deliver products and solutions that meet our customers' end-to-end supply chain needs…

CMA CGM's Containerships has announced delivery of its fourth container ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the 1,380-TEU Containerships Arctic.After the introduction of its three sister ships, the CMA CGM Group took delivery of the Containerships Arctic, on December 10th, 2019. Once it will have made its way from Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard to Europe, the vessel’s first LNG bunkering will be carried out in Rotterdam. There, it will fuel an approximate of 200 metric tons…

GAC Forwarding & Shipping (Shanghai) has changed its name to GAC (Shanghai) after more than a decade since its establishment, said a press release.Managing Director Simon Xu says the renaming comes after the company has established a firm foothold in the country’s competitive shipping and logistics sectors. The name change is timely, riding the wave of a rising demand for ship agency and logistics services.“Over the years, our range of services has evolved to meet the changing needs of our customers,” he adds. “Our new name better reflects the extensive scope of services we offer today, which extends beyond shipping and forwarding.“The restructuring of the Chinese economy and the rebalancing of its foreign trade in the coming years…

Multimodal transporter Containerships Plc announced the delivery of its first LNG-powered container vessel, M/S Containerships Nord. She was delivered to Containerships at Wenchong Shipyard, China, on 12.12.2018.A press release from the Finland-headquartered shortsea specialist said that its LNG-story started in 2013, when the decision to build the new environmentally-friendly LNG-powered vessels was taken.LNG is a relatively new fuel source, and these vessels would be the first newbuilds based on this technology to serve regularly European ports and trade, Containerships said.“By taking this decision, we accepted the challenge of building with a new technology.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) celebrated the 50th anniversary for the establishment of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (Thailand).On November 13, it held a party in Bangkok for customers, business partners, and others, marking the event and the centennial anniversary for the opening of liner service to and from Thailand by its predecessor, Osaka Shosen.Around 500 guests attended the event including Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Transport, and Shiro Sadoshima, Japanese Ambassador to Thailand. MOL President & CEO Ikeda noted that Thailand is the historical center of MOL's extensive overseas network, and Thailand has built a solid position as an ASEAN leader.

Shanghai NYK-ANJI Logistics - a joint venture operated by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Yusen Logistics and ANJI Automotive Logistics (ANJI) - has begun service under a new name.NYK and Yusen Logistics will use this collaboration to begin efforts to expand their supply chain logistics, particularly in the areas of auto parts logistics and finished car logistics.Until recently, the company had been known as NYKANJI Car Transportation Co. Ltd., a joint venture founded in 2004 by ANJI (51%) and NYK (49%).Over the past decade, NYKANJI Car Transportation Co. Ltd. had offered land transportation for finished cars in China, especially for the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group)…

As Volvo Penta continues its strategic penetration of the commercial maritime sector, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News checks in with Ron Huibers, President, Volvo Penta of the Americas. When we first met with you a few years ago, Volvo Penta was in the early stages of a strategic move into the commercial maritime sector in North America. Please update your progress. Historically, we have been strong in the marine commercial markets outside of North America. Five years ago…

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed by DP World, Egypt’s Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport and the Suez Canal Authority is aiming to develop a new Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Egypt’s 6th of October City, a satellite town in the Giza Governorate and part of the urban area of Cairo. The three partners will bid for the government contract for the project later this year. The proposed ICD will increase the flow of cargo between ships and major land transportation networks in the country, creating a central distribution point. Under the MoU, DP World will lead and represent the alliance in the bidding process and become the ICD operator if the tender is won.

Demand for electric mobility is sweeping across the globe, and it’s rapidly gaining traction in the marine industry. The electric mobility revolution is largely being driven by the land transportation sector. Industry statistics predict that electric vehicle sales will surpass combustion engine vehicles within the next 20 years. Many countries in Europe and Asia have already adopted aggressive deadlines to phase out sales of combustion-powered vehicles, and some cities such as London are planning to banish them from their roads entirely.

APL announced today that its West Coast 5 (WC5) service will be serving the additional ports of Corinto, Acajutla and Puerto Quetzal in Central America, enhancing direct connectivity between the Port of Los Angeles and the Latin American markets. APL said that the WC5 service has been refined to better support trade activities between Central America and the United States (U.S). As the industries of Central America continue to be key exporters of agricultural produce and commodities; as well as manufactured products such as clothes and textiles to the U.S., APL’s enhanced WC5 service will enable a more direct access between the two regions. Meanwhile, shippers can expect to benefit from shorter transit times, compared to trans-shipment options that involve land transportation via Mexico.

Evergreen Group founder and Group Chairman Dr. Yung-Fa Chang passed away at the age of 88 in Taipei on January 20, 2016. Dr. Chang was born in 1927. He founded Evergreen Marine Corporation in 1968 with just one secondhand general cargo vessel, and by 1985, the company had become the world's largest container shipping line. In 1989 he established EVA Air, extending his global business empire from shipping to airline and land transportation. Dr. Chang devoted much of his efforts to charity and social welfare, primarily through the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation.

Florida-based transportation giant CSX Corp. is planning a $272 million intermodal rail terminal in North Carolina serving the Raleigh region that it envisions as a major transportation hub to make the state’s ports more competitive. The major freight rail infrastructure project in the Triangle project will spur economic development and help position the region as a major transportation logistics hub, says the company. Wilmington could reap significant benefits if the intermodal freight rail hub is built in Johnston County, state transportation officials said Thursday. The railroad operator is committed to spending $150 million for the project, which will be located in Johnston County and depends on receiving $100 million state transportation funds.

Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line) and Sharaf Group have established a new firm, K Line Shipping & Logistics (KLSL). Based in Dubai, UAE, KLSL will carry out businesses in the fields of marine transportation, logistics, land transportation, air cargo transportation, warehousing and supply chain solutions. The company will aim to develop new businesses through a network actively, "K" Line and Sharaf Group. K Line Shipping & Logistics (KLSL) is said to be the first affiliate of a Japanese shipping line to operate in the Middle East. It acts in the marine and land transport and logistics spheres, and is aimed at leveraging new new business through the networks of K Line and Sharaf Group.

Almost three-quarters of all cruise passengers in the future could be Chinese, according to research by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). The study reveals a potential 83 million cruise passengers in seven source markets within Greater China. This figure is four times the current number of cruise passengers world-wide. Hong Kong, with its connectivity to the Pearl River Delta, Central China and Taiwan by air, high speed rail and land transportation via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is looking at a cruise potential of 54 million passengers. The study also reveals that the make-up of these passengers is younger and more family-oriented than cruise passengers in traditional source markets such as North America and Europe, where they tend to be older, retired achievers.

French maritime transporter CMA CGM has opened a logistics complex, between the port and city of Douala, Cameroon, and set up a new firm to handle inland transportation in West African markets. Christened 3CTC (CMA CGM Cameroon Container Terminal), the terminal covers a surface area of 2 hectares. Douala port is Cameroon's largest port. Located between the ring road of Douala and the port area, this "dry port" will enable CMA CGM customers to store containers, empty or full, in a secure area of 1200 m2. The new logistics platform also serves as a transportation hub for goods by land, Cameroon and to Chad and the Central African Republic. 3CTC was given to CMA CGM as a part of a 25-year deal. "3CTC opening demonstrates our commitment to strengthen our presence in Africa.

The CMA CGM Group inaugurated its new logistics platform, the 3CTC Terminal (CMA CGM Cameroon Container Terminal), on February 19, 2015. The 3CTC platform has been operational since January 7, 2015, and its concession attributed for 25 years. It is located in an area between Douala and the port, where it occupies two hectares. With this new platform, the CMA CGM Group offers its clients a range of logistics solutions, including full and/or empty containers storage in a 1,200 square meters secured area and merchandises land transportation in Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.

Automotive shipping and logistics provider Giga Maritime Group (GMG) has announced plans to invest in new IT infrastructure, the expansion and replacement of fleets, assets and vehicles as well as developing new car terminals, in an effort to hone the group's competitive edge and meet the demands of Malaysia's growing automotive industry. Datuk Kumar Prabakaran, the managing director of GMG companies Giga Shipping Sdn Bhd and Nexus Mega Carriers Sdn Bhd, said these investments are vital in order for the group to meet growth demands following the National Automotive Policy (NAP) announcement earlier this year. Malaysia aims to increase its total production of 1.25 million vehicles and boost annual exports to 250,000 units by the year 2020.

A Middle Eastern-owned company landed its first North American port operations contract on Monday, a 35-year agreement with Port Canaveral on Florida's east coast. Under terms of the lease, Gulftainer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Arab Emirates-based Crescent Enterprises, will invest up to $100 million in equipment and employees to operate a container and cargo terminal under construction at Port Canaveral, just south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. "Our intent is to reach up into that southeast manufacturing belt and into the traditional heartland markets for distribution and logistics," Port Canaveral Chief Executive John Walsh said at a signing ceremony.

Indian company ONGC Videsh Ltd. is interested in exploring for hydrocarbon deposits in the Arctic in cooperation with leading Russian companies, reports 'Arctic info' (Russian). The announcement came in a joint statement adopted at the XIV Russian-Indian Summit, where talks were held by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The partner of the Indian company could be Rosneft, suggests Arctic info. During negotiations, the parties expressed…

With the Fernão de Magalhães, Aliança has christened the second of four identical new container ships for its cabotage fleet. The Naming Ceremony was held on September 26 at the container port of Porto Chibatão on the Rio Negro in Manaus. The Sponsor of the ship is Dionéia Thomas, the wife of Julian Thomas, who is General Manager Region South America East Coast of Hamburg Süd and Aliança. Dr. h.c. August Oetker, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Oetker Group and Partner of Dr. August Oetker KG, and Dr. Ottmar Gast, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hamburg Süd, also took part in the ceremony. With the container ship “Fernão de Magalhães” the Hamburg Süd subsidiary Aliança is continuing to modernize its cabotage service fleet.