Port Authority News

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority has decided to accelerate widening of the Houston Ship Channel, the nation’s busiest waterway.The Port Authority is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and other representatives of the federal government, as well as Port of Houston and Houston Ship Channel stakeholders, to obtain authorization and accelerated funding and completion, of a deepened and widened ship channel.“The Houston Ship Channel is open for business for all and will continue to be…

South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has decided to allow the use of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) in its territorial waters and ports ahead of the IMO 2020 regulation.The Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 (CSA 2020) has welcomed the decision by SAMSA to accept all types of approved exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) for use in its territorial waters.In an IMO 2020 advisory notice issued in March to shipowners, operators, master mariners and bunker suppliers, SAMSA says the use of open-loop…

Singapore's maritime sector is preparing to ride the wave of digitalisation as a means to chart next phase of growth. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will focus on digitalisation to help companies innovate and improve productivity over the next three years, said Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Health.The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) will also present the Singapore Maritime R&D Roadmap 2030 to optimise R&D efforts and resources for greater value co-creation within the maritime industry.Ms Quah Ley Hoon…

Singapore yard Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) said that its wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Singmarine will develop an autonomous tug that will be operated by Keppel Smit Towage.The tug is expected to be one of Singapore’s first autonomous vessels when the project is completed in 4Q 2020.To develop the autonomous tug, Keppel O&M has secured a grant of up to S$2 million from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT FUND).This follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Keppel O&M…

The World Maritime University (WMU) signed an enhanced Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), to cooperate on global maritime leadership training and capacity building for the international maritime community. The enhanced MoU was signed by Ms. Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive, MPA, and Dr. Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU.The agreement provides for cooperation between the two partners on the education of maritime leaders, leadership development programmes…

The classification society DNV GL has been selected to head up a Singapore-based research programme that will study the applications of additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing,  for the maritime sector.In a joint industry program (JIP) initiated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), DNV GL will team up with ten member companies of the Singapore Ship Association (SSA) to examine how spare parts produced by 3D printers can help the capital-intensive industry…

The Gothenburg Port Authority launched a digital solution designed to make bunkering at the Energy Port easier and more efficient.The new ‘Bunkering App’ is one of the first in the world to offer this range of functionality, said a press release from the  largest port in the Nordic countries.The Port of Gothenburg Energy Port is the largest open access energy port in the Nordic region, handling over 2,500 calls and more than 23 million tonnes of energy products each year. The Energy Port is also one of the world's larger bunkering hubs.

The global container shipping company CMA CGM Group and maritime lawyer Gina Lee-Wan, Partner and Co-Head of Maritime and Aviation Practice at Allen & Gledhill, recognised at Singapore International Maritime Awards 2019."CMA CGM and Mrs Gina have received the International Maritime Centre (Corporate) Award and the International Maritime Centre (Individual) Award respectively," said a press release from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).A world leader in maritime transportation, CMA CGM has been steadily expanding its presence in Singapore.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is co-organizing a workshop with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) to support the operationalization of e-navigation solutions, the first since Singapore’s election to the IALA Council in 2018.E-navigation, a concept driven by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and like-minded nations including Singapore, aims to make marine navigation safer and marine communications more reliable, as well as to reduce accidents and damage to the environment.Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “As one the world’s busiest hub ports with some 1…

The Aframax tanker ProStar recently made its first North American delivery to discharge 442,131 barrels of jet fuel at Seaport Canaveral."820-foot-long ProStar – first of its kind vessel to berth at Port – makes its inaugural North American delivery of transportation fuels to Seaport Canaveral," the Canaveral Port Authority announced in a statement.Built in 2018, the 144-foot-wide ProStar has a crew of 23 and a summer dead weight tonnage of 115,000 tons.Port Canaveral cargo operations…

Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company Fujitsu Ltd and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) are testing technology that could give ship captains earlier warnings about potential collisions with other vessels.A two-year field trial of the system has concluded, and further tests will be conducted before authorities decide whether to deploy the system, said a press release.Fujitsu has demonstrated the usefulness of a novel ship collision…

A report issued by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) found that a February 9, 2019 collision between a Greece-registered bulk carrier and a Malaysian Government vessel within Singapore Port Limits off Tuas was caused by a turning error.As the collision took place in Singapore Territorial Waters, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) launched an investigation into the facts surrounding the collision.The MPA investigation showed that an error in the turning maneuver carried out by PIREAS caused it to collide with POLARIS, which was anchored at the time in a non-designated anchorage within Singapore Port Limits.  MPA has issued a stern written warning to the master of PIREAS for the collision.

Canada's Port of Prince Rupert, and DP World Prince Rupert announced a new weekly marine carrier service at the Fairview Container Terminal.ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) partnered with the 2M Alliance and has added Prince Rupert as one of their port destinations.With a global reach to over 100 countries, the new ZIM service has made its inaugural call at the Port of Prince Rupert on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 with the arrival of ZIM containers on the Maersk Altair vessel.“The Prince Rupert Port Authority is proud to welcome ZIM.

As the St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened for business yesterday (March 26), U.S. Great Lakes ports are predicting the shipping season will mirror last year’s stellar performance.In 2018, many U.S. Great Lakes ports recorded their highest cargo totals in recent years, with strong volumes of iron ore, petroleum products, construction products and international grain exports. This coming season, road salt shipments should also be strong as cities replenish their reserves after a long, difficult winter.

Piraeus Port Authority SA (PPA) was honored with a Special Award in the "Environment" category for the "Environmental Quality Monitoring Programs in collaboration with Academic Institutions and Special Scientific Associates” during the 4th Annual Sustainability Summit 2019, organized by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) in cooperation with the MBA International of the Athens University of Economics and Business.Upon receipt of the award, Mr. Nektarios Demenopoulos…

The Port of Thessaloniki becomes the first port to join the Green Award certification program in 2019 to attract and reward green high quality ships.Thessaloniki Port Authority, the operating company that manages the port, said in a press note that it will provide an incentive to Green Award ships calling at the port.The Port of Thessaloniki is one of the most important ports in South Eastern Europe, serving an enlarged hinterland of countries. Due to its advantageous geographical location and its excellent road links and train connections…

Tonnage on river increases 60 percent from 2018Through the first two months of 2019, the Port of Little Rock and its stevedorer, LSI, have seen a year-to-year increase of 33 barges, a 62% increase in activity. Additionally, tonnage is up 49,000 tons year-to-year (60%) with a total of 130,400 tons. Commodities handled during the month included aluminum ingots and tee bars, bauxite, nepheline syenite, rock and sand, scrap, steel coils, wetcake and wire rod coils. LSI expects barge activity to continue to be very strong over the next several months.Activity on the docks remained strong for February with a total of 47 barges worked- 21 more than February 2018. The 72,000 tons of cargo loaded and unloaded from barges during the month surpassed February 2018 by 80 percent.

Connecticut Port Authority announced  that GZA GeoEnvironmental will provide design and engineering solutions for repairs and modifications of Pier 7 located at Fort Trumbull.Working closely with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) – the facility owner – the Connecticut Port Authority is investing  in the project and will oversee GZA GeoEnvironmental during the study.Pier 7 is an important piece of Connecticut’s maritime infrastructure, and…

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) and terminal operator SSA Atlantic on Monday afternoon welcomed the largest container ship to ever visit Jacksonville.JAXPORT set a new port record today with the arrival of the ZIM vessel Cape Sounio, the largest container ship to ever call Jacksonville, claimed a press release.The 11,000-TEU (container) vessel is operated by ZIM on a service offered by the 2M alliance. The 2M alliance is comprised of Maersk, MSC, Hamburg Süd and strategic partners HMM and ZIM.The vessel, which transited the Panama Canal from Asia before reaching the U.S.

The Massachusetts Port Authority announced that $35 million has been secured to help fund the ongoing Boston Harbor Dredging Project. The project is approximately 30 percent complete, and this funding will enable the project to continue on schedule.The project is a $350 million partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Massport. The maintenance dredging of the inner harbor was completed in December of 2017. The deepening of the main ship channels began in July 2018 to accommodate the large container vessels calling today and in the future.

Hybrid is not only here, it is growing, and with that growth it will soon reach far beyond coastal applications.For those who were around for the arrival of Y2K, you will remember the anticipation, preparation and perspiration as the maritime world waited for the failure of communications, navigation, security and machinery associated with the digital change of the clock. The forecasts, now historical urban legend, left the world without a digital catastrophe.We wait now for 2020 and the advent of the IMO maritime emissions regulations.

Launching this week in partnership with Airbus, Wilhelmsen’s shore-to-ship Singapore pilot project, marks the first deployment of drone technology in real-time port conditions, delivering a variety of small, time-critical items to working vessels at anchorage.Lifting off from Marina South Pier in Singapore with 3D printed consumables from Wilhelmsen’s onshore 3D printing micro-factory, the Airbus Skyways drone navigated autonomously along pre-determined ‘aerial-corridors’ in its 1.5km flight to Eastern Working Anchorage.

For Indiana’s state-established, but autonomous Ports of Indiana, 2018 was a record setting year, both for system-wide numbers and among the three individual Ports. These consist of Burns Harbor, on Lake Erie; Jeffersonville, on the Ohio, across from Louisville, KY; and Mount Vernon, also on the Ohio River, about 140 miles downriver from Jeffersonville.Not only were actual numbers robust, but Port officials reported “unprecedented tonnage increases” within the three-port system.