Port News

The Baltic Sea port, Port of Riga is now offering regular port services for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered container vessels to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and boost its container throughput."By officially welcoming the new container ship Containerships Polar, the Port has started regular port services to LNG-powered container vessels," said a press note from the Latvia’s major port said.It is planned that the first two 100% LNG-powered vessels Containerships…

Iran's Amirabad port is attracting huge investments - 239 companies already committed investments, 13 of which are being under construction with 6700 billion Rials ($160mln ) worth of investment.“A new transit corridor will be formed on the axis of Amirabad - Dogharoon - Chabahar”, said Amirabad ports and maritime Manager Siavash Rezvani.He said that to increase the transit influence of Iran in the region, the new corridor will be formed with the transit axis of Amirabad-Dogharoon-Chabahar…

UK based contractor Tolent started work to construct a new multi-million offshore construction and operations base for Triton Knoll has officially started at Grimsby’s Royal Dock.Having been awarded the contract last month, Tolent has now begun work to construct control room, office and warehouse facilities that will become the new operations and maintenance base for the 857 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm.Triton Knoll is a offshore wind farm and the largest in the portfolio of majority project shareholder Innogy that is currently in construction.

The  technology driven maritime solutions provider Wallem Group is rolling out cloud-based software to reduce paperwork and streamline workflows across its ship agency business.Hong Kong-based ship manager said in a release that simplifying the management of documentation and actions required in port calls in a unified system will reduce administrative overheads and enable Wallem’s agents to enhance service quality and consistency to customers worldwide.Wallem has chosen to migrate to the a3 Agency System…

Ocean Network Express (ONE)  announced the launch of a new direct service, the Indian Ocean Service 3 (IO3), which covers South East India, Mediterranean, and North Europe.The new product will offer new port coverage and boost reliability to a wider range of direct port call options to ONE’s valued customers, the Japanese container shipping company said in a press release.It will also further expand ONE’s already comprehensive service offerings and allow its clients to enjoy greater choice while bringing efficiency and additional values to the supply chain…

Mohamed Samara, CEO of MPS Terminal 3 at Tema Port, Ghana, announced that shareholders had approved the immediate construction of Phase 2 with completion expected by end of 2020, two years earlier than initially planned.With a depth of 18 meters, the new entrance channel to the Port is one of the deepest in Africa, allowing the worlds’ biggest vessels to enter both today and in the coming years.The harbor basin provides the space to dredge deeper and build additional wharves if required.

Global certification body, DNV GL offers a free web-based application of the Ship Implementation Plan (SIP) to prepare for 2020 0.5% sulfur cap.The ship owners and managers can use the SIP to prepare vessel-specific SIPs and maintain an overview of their fleet, said a press release.While not mandatory, the SIP is an IMO guidance which all ships are encouraged to prepare and implement to be ready for 1 January 2020.“As we approach 2020, good preparation will be essential to ensure a smooth transition into using compliant low-sulfur fuels…

The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has condemned recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman.The Council  of the UN body expressed its concern over the grave danger to life and the serious risks to navigational safety and the environment to which such incidents may give rise.The Council also emphasized the need for flag States and shipowners and operators to review the maritime security plans for their ships and implement…

Two Iranian vessels have been stranded for weeks at Brazilian ports, unable to head back to Iran due to lack of fuel, which state-run oil firm Petrobras refuses to sell them due to sanctions imposed by the United States.The vessels Bavand and Termeh came to Brazil a couple months ago carrying urea, a petrochemical product used as fertilizer. They were expected to load corn and return to Iran, but lacked enough fuel for the trip, the port operator in Paranaguá told Reuters.Food is not covered by U.S. sanctions, and Iran is one of the largest buyers of Brazil's agricultural commodities, importing more than 2.5 million tonnes of Brazilian corn so far this year — more than any other country.However, that trade is not usually carried by ships flying the Iranian flag.

Two of the largest-capacity container ships to ever visit Australia are making calls to the Fremantle Inner Harbour this month.The first one, Maersk Skarstind, has already arrived in Fremantle. Maersk Skarstind berthed around 9.30pm on July 15th assisted by a pilot and three Svitzer tugs.Capable of carrying more than 9400 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) each—around double the number on most container ships visiting Australia—Maersk Skarstind and MSC Elma are about 300 meters long and 48 meters wide.While MSC Archimidis…

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) reported another successful year, handling record cargo volumes, rail moves and inland port activity in fiscal year 2019.SPCA, which owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, as well as Inland Ports in Greer, South Carolina and Dillon, South Carolina, handled nearly 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) from July 2018 through June 30, an 8.8% increase in annual TEU container volume.SCPA moved 200…

Australia's Pilbara Ports Authority has delivered a total annual throughput of 697.2 million tonnes (Mt) for the 2018/19 financial year. This result is a less than 1% change (decrease of 2.06 million tonnes) from last year’s record annual throughput.In June 2019, Pilbara Ports Authority achieved a total monthly throughput of 64Mt, a 1% increase on the same month in 2018. Iron ore throughput for June 2019 increased 2% from June 2018, to 60.2Mt. Total iron ore throughput for 2018/19 was 647.8Mt…

The Estonian terminal operator HHLA TK Estonia is strengthening its position as a RoRo hub in the Baltic region.The wholly owned subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) said in a press release that the Finnish ferry company Eckerö Line recently began connecting the port of Muuga, where HHLA TK Estonia operates a multi-function terminal, with Vuosaari in Finland. Twice daily, the RoPax ferry Finbo Cargo enters the port of Muuga, which is about 20 kilometres east of the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

As privately owned, luxury yachts near the size of the average cruise ship, behold a new option, which is anything but commonplace: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. At 624 feet and 11 decks, her exterior profile resembles a sleek superyacht design, not a cruise ship on the horizon. Launched in October 2018 at Hijos de J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the flagship of the new brand is now in outfitting and interior finishing. The project was co-managed by The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Marriott and Tillberg Design of Sweden.

APM Terminals has become the first Peruvian port to introduce a customer platform that logs, streamlines and coordinate General Cargo operations in the port of Callao.During the pilot phase, the platform, which was developed together with maritime and customs agents, enabled users to complete transactions 67% faster and operations were completed 12% faster.APM Terminals Callao invested nearly USD 1 million in the implementation of MOST, a new state-of-the-art platform that can be used by maritime agents…

Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) said that its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier 'Energy Advance' rescued a castaway in the Pacific Ocean about 970km off Luzon Island in the Philippines.The vessel was underway from the port of Ogishima, Japan to Dampier, Australia on July 1 when it received a rescue request.The rescue assistance request was issued by the Guam Rescue Coordination Centre, it said.The LNG carrier rushed to the scene and at around 11:10 the same day…

Lock Closures Starting on the Illinois Waterway This Summer May Result in  More Freight Flowing Through St. Louis Region.Businesses that move or handle commodities on the Illinois Waterway system are being encouraged to start making alternative plans due the scheduled closure of locks on that inland waterway system. With a two-week closure planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning as early as August 2019 and closures of 90 to 120 days expected in the summers of 2020 and 2023…

The fumigation of grain cargoes using certain pesticides, namely plant protection products, may not be effective in controlling insect larvae, resulting in cargo damage or loss.Javier Quintero Saavedra, head of HSE at Terminales Marítimos de Galicia (TMGA), an operator of bulk terminals in Galicia, Spain, and Chairman, Dry Bulk Cargoes Working Group, ICHCA,  said: “We are finding that the pupae and larvae inside maize kernels in various consignments, and which were subjected to in-transit fumigation…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose on Wednesday, driven by demand for capesize and panamax vessels.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 2.6%, or 53 points, to 2,064, its highest since January 2014. The index has surged about 60% this year. The index extended gains for a seventh straight session, mainly driven by strong demand for vessels that ship iron ore from Brazil.A restart of Vale SA's Brucutu mine in Brazil that was shut in early February after a tailings dam burst…

AIDA Cruises, the German brand of Carnival Corporation & plc, informed that it is planning to commission two more LNG-powered ships with low-emission propulsion by 2023.AIDA has already been engaging in research into and development of the use of LNG in the cruise industry for over 10 years.With AIDAnova's launch at the end of 2018, the company commissioned the world's first cruise ship that can be operated entirely with low-emission LNG both at sea and in port.Two more of these innovative AIDA ships will be commissioned in 2021 and 2023 respectively."Thanks to the use of LNG…

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor will host Indiana’s first U.S. Navy vessel commissioning ceremony when it commissions the USS Indianapolis littoral combat ship on Saturday, Oct. 26 at its facility on Lake Michigan.The commissioning of USS Indianapolis will mark the fourth time a U.S. Navy vessel will bear the name of Indiana’s capital city. The name has a rich heritage, dating back to World War I. The most notable vessel, USS Indianapolis (CA 35), was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. Only 317 of the 1,196 men on board survived.

Ten Turkish sailors were taken hostage by armed pirates who attacked a Turkish-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, the vessel's owner said on Tuesday, adding that another eight sailors were left safely aboard.Turkey's foreign ministry said the sailors were seized on Saturday evening. After the pirates left the ship it was taken to Ghana's Tema port, and Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities are working on returning the captured sailors, the ministry said.Shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik said its ship…

Roll-on/roll-off  (RO-RO) vessel Höegh Trapper recently returned to the Port of Mackay as part of its Europe US, Mexico and Oceania service.To commemorate the occasion representatives from North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, traditional owners and council members from Mackay as well as customers and service providers were invited to tour the vessel.Being the largest Pure Car and Truck Carrier in the world, the guests were welcomed to showcase the vessel’s flexibility and wide range of cargoes it can cater to.Captain Nicky Colaco…