Port News

The U.S. could see its crude oil exports nearly double by 2022, according to energy research firm Rystad Energy. US crude exports could grow from current levels of 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) to nearly 6 million bpd by 2022.With US production expected to increase by 1.2 million bpd year-over-year (y/y) in 2020, and with domestic refineries already maxing out capacity to absorb shale growth, Rystad Energy expects exports to balloon and reach 4.7 million bpd by the end of…

Jan De Nul group of the beginning of work on dredging and expansion on an internal ship canal and a turning circle in port of Nouadhibou (Mauritania), one of the largest centers through which iron ore from the country is exported, is told in the group message.With the deepening and widening of the 25-km long entrance channel to the mineral terminal of Port of Nouadhibou, the National Industrial and Mineral Authority of Mauritania (Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière or SNIM) opens the port for vessels with a capacity of up to 250…

An intensive training on port management and operational efficiency was delivered to high-level officials and decision-makers from maritime and port authorities around the world.The annual five-week course, delivered by the Institut Portuaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche (IPER), concluded on 11 October in le Havre, France.The 33rd Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management welcomed 19 participants from 19 countries. Seven of these participants were women. The participating countries were Algeria…

The government of India will put in place a comprehensive plan to develop 204 minor ports in the country in the next six months to boost coastal shipping and inland waterways, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. These minor ports will be developed so that it can support 12 major ports in India. Small cargo will reach to major port from minor ports and boost EXIM cargo, the minister said.All these ports have been centers of maritime activity in the past, and if revived, they can once again become important centers of sea trade.

The Maritime And Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore has stripped marine fuel services provider Inter-Pacific Petroleum (IPP) of its bunker craft operator licence in the port of Singapore, effective immediately.Inter-Pacific will not be allowed to operate tankers used to load marine fuel, known as bunker fuel, onto ships in the Port of Singapore, MPA says in a statement.As part of MPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity of bunkering in Singapore, checks were conducted on Inter…

The Gulf of Guinea remains a high risk area  for piracy and armed robbery, according to the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) report for the third quarter of 2019. The region accounts for 86% of crew taken hostage and nearly 82% of crew kidnappings globally, it said.In July a general cargo vessel was hijacked approximately 120nm SW from Brass. Ten crew members were kidnapped from the vessel and released four weeks later. In August a bulk carrier and a general cargo vessel were boarded within hours of each other at Douala anchorage…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Tohoku Electric Power have announced that they intend to move ahead with a joint study to install the Wind Challenger telescopic hard sail system on a coal carrier.MOL said that the two companies have been studying the feasibility of using the Wind Challenger on ships carrying coal to Tohoku Electric’s thermal power plants and it was recently confirmed that a Wind Challenger-equipped vessel would be 'acceptable' in the port facilities serving the plants.Wind Challenger is a telescoping hard sail to convert wind energy to propulsive force…

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that it conducted a tabletop drill based on an incident simulation involving an MOL-owned containership.MOL holds these drills periodically to confirm its emergency response system in preparation for serious marine incidents, said a press release.The drill was held on Thursday, October 10, with the goal of raising company-wide safety awareness through the simulation of a serious marine incident. The drill was designed…

Ghanaian tugboat masters in Denmark to acquire new tools of the trade - A team of tugboat masters just finished a training program in Denmark as part of the strategic sector cooperation between Denmark and Ghana.The training has provided the tugboat masters with new tools on how to carry out tugboat missions in the Port of Tema – one of the biggest and busiest ports on the West African coastline.The tugboat masters have shared in kind their views and experiences from tug operations in their own territorial waters.Charlotte Ahrendt Steen…

The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-19 (USCG MSA 06-19) outlines a February 2019 incident aboard a deep draft commercial vessel that called on the Port of New York / New Jersey after experiencing a significant cyber incident that impacted their shipboard network. The Safety Alert stated in part:“An interagency team of cyber experts, led by the Coast Guard, responded and conducted an analysis of the vessel’s network and essential control systems. The team concluded that although the malware significantly degraded the functionality of the onboard computer system…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has announced that it has participated in ‘Noah’s Train’ as part of the Rail Freight Forward (RFF) initiative, a collaborative effort to cut freight transport emissions by 30% by 2030.The longest mobile work of art and ambassador of the RFF initiative, Noah’s Train, is an initiative launched by several European railway companies to promote freight transport by rail. Gathered in the Rail Freight Forward coalition, they defend a common goal: reducing…

Sea Machines Robotics CEO & President.Michael Gordon Johnson is a marine engineer, an accomplished entrepreneur and sector leader with a primary goal of building progressive and sustainable innovation for modern society. He is the founder of Sea Machines, a Boston-based tech company that is a leading provider of autonomous control and intelligent perception systems for marine vessels. Johnson earned a marine engineering degree from Texas A&M University before starting a career focused on complex projects in offshore oil and gas, marine transportation and salvage.

Carnival Corporation announced its Germany-based brand, AIDA Cruises, has partnered with leaders from the maritime and engineering sectors to pilot the world’s first fuel cell system designed to power large passenger vessels. As early as 2021, AIDA Cruises will trial this innovative fuel technology on AIDAnova, becoming the cruise industry’s first brand to trial fuel cells on a large cruise ship.The research project, named “Pa-X-ell2,” is designed to develop fuel cells that are powered by hydrogen derived from methanol…

Taiwan’s maritime industry leaders met to debate decarbonization, digital technologies and the future of safety at the annual ABS Taiwan National Committee meeting.“As the leading class organization in Taiwan, ABS is able to call on the expertise of leaders to inform our approach to meeting industry challenges such as meeting IMO 2030 and 2050 objectives while ensuring safety standards are not compromised and keep pace with technological challenges,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO, who actively participated in the Committee program.

C-Shipping & Logistics handles freight transport from origin to destination and is a strong new addition to the port of Rotterdam’s roster of players. The new company was founded by Rederij de Jong, after teaming up for the occasion with two other big names in shipping and transport: Wouter Kleiss and Mathijs van Schaik.As operational directors, Kleiss and Van Schaik bring along a large network in the shipping sector, and Rederij de Jong ranks as one of the largest shipping companies in the inland shipping and push towing segments.

Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy  Peter Altmaier and coastal states agree package of measures for shore-generated power.Instead of burning fossil fuels to generate shipboard electric power, in future vessels in port should be using renewable shore-based energy. The German government is now launching appropriate measures to promote shore-generated power.Along with the premiers of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg and representatives of the state governments of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania…

German cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, officially opened its headquarter for the new region.CEO Rolf Habben Jansen presented the keys of the office complex in Genoa (Italy) to the new Senior Managing Director Juan Pablo Richards.During the opening event, Habben Jansen explained the motivation to create a new region: “After our merger with UASC in 2017 the Mediterranean region has gained more importance for us. That's why we are eager to bolster our competitive position…

The visit of the cruise ship AIDAprima on Saturday, October 12, marked the end of the oceangoing cruise season in Kiel, and what a season it was with ship visits and passenger numbers up over 2018.In total the port was visited 174 times (2018: 169) by 32 different cruise ships with a total tonnage of 15 million GT (2018: 11.5). For the first time the port exceeded the 800,000 cruise passenger threshold (embarked or left a ship at the terminals) in Kiel (+ 33.6 %). The cruise and…

Marine Highways Gain Traction in the Intermodal Supply Chain.In the United States, landside infrastructure is at a crisis point. Congestion at the big hub ports, exacerbated by imperfect intermodal interfaces with surface transport serving cargo hinterlands is at the heart of the matter. As politicians bicker over a possible infrastructure package, the Highway Trust Fund, funded by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, has continued its downward journey towards further deficits (now $144 billion). And, where countless U.S.

Global Energy Group has reached an agreement with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK to take over the long-term operation of the Nigg Oil Terminal jetty under a new lease with Crown Estates Scotland.Since cessation of production from the Beatrice oil field, Repsol Sinopec has been exploring reuse options for the facilities at Nigg Oil Terminal, including the jetty.Under the agreed deal, the jetty will be operated as an extension to the Port of Nigg which has already established itself as a leading deep-water port servicing oil and gas…

Jan De Nul Group completed the capital dredging works for the Channel Risk and Optimization Project (CROP) in Port Hedland, Western Australia, and can look back on a successful three-year cooperation with the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA).Over the past three years a combination of Hopper Dredgers, a Cutter Suction Dredger and Split Hopper Barges were deployed to dredge sections of the 42-km long navigational channel and to further enhance the safe and sustainable access to the port of Port Hedland.

DP World, a Dubai-based global port operator, announced that it has expanded its business in Peru into a fully-integrated maritime and logistics operation.It has completed the development of the first phase of the deepwater port of Posorja in Ecuador for around $538 million. The whole project is estimated to cost around $1.2 billion.The development of the port by DP World will make Ecuador a trade and logistics hub for South America’s west coast. It will also see large container ships with capabilities exceeding 10…

Maritime autonomous surface ship (“MASS”) technology continues to advance at a rapid pace around the globe. Although it’s not being embraced as quickly in the United States commercial market as other parts of the world, U.S. industry professionals and regulators look forward to continued development and implementation as a means to improve efficiency and safety.OpportunitiesThe U.S. Maritime Administration (“MARAD”) hosted “Achieving Critical MASS: Spotlight on the U.S. Vessel Automation Industry” July 22 and 23, 2019, encouraging discussion between U.S.