Port Metro News

A state-of-the-art containership designed by the Schulte Group to meet the most stringent international environmental standards is already outperforming in terms of design and performance and attracting positive attention in the industry. The 5,400 TEU Carl Schulte, along with its two sister vessels, Christa Schulte and Clemens Schulte, has many environmental features as standard. Her owner Bernhard Schulte, together with her manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), succeeded…

Multipurpose heavy lift operator AAL has completed a series of shipments to Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) of a mobile grain shiploader to be installed at the Port’s Pacific Terminal run by grain handler Viterra. The largest component was over 66m long and weighed 250mt and, once assembled and operational, will increase the Terminal’s shipping capacity and allow for the loading of post-Panamax sized vessels. The shiploader was transported from China along AAL’s Pacific Service between Asia and North America and aboard its 31,000 dwt A-Class vessel, the AAL Singapore. Responsible for logistics and planning was Ontario-based Convoy Logistics Providers Ltd. (CLP), appointed by bulk material systems expert EMS-TECH who designed and commissioned the shiploader.

APL today announced that it has reduced its fleet carbon dioxide emissions by 45.5% in 2015, compared to its emissions level in 2009. This achievement marks APL’s highest carbon dioxide emissions reduction in the last six years. “APL has steadily reduced its year-on-year carbon emissions and this demonstrates the company’s unyielding focus on sustainable shipping,” said Kenneth Glenn, APL President. APL attributed its carbon emissions reduction to improvements in operational efficiency, fleet and voyage optimisation, technical improvements, as well as a more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly fleet of vessels. Complementing its vessel performance management, APL’s maintenance strategy has been pivotal in ensuring that its operations stay efficient and green.

Speaking at the Intermodal Association of North America on May 5 in Chicago, U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Doyle discussed several of the shipping industry’s hottest topics, including ocean carrier consolidations and alliances, container weight VGM under SOLAS, and chassis. “We’ve all heard the recent announcements related to consolidations, for instance, CGM CGM and NOL-APL; and COSCO and CSCL. “We’ve all heard the announcement that Hapag Lloyd and UASC are in discussions on a possible merger.

Port Metro Vancouver’s 2016 cruise season officially kicks off today with the arrival of the Star Princess at Canada Place. Vancouver expects to welcome approximately 830,000 passengers on 228 calls, reflecting a forecasted 3 percent increase in passenger volume over 2015. “2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Canada Place,” said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer at Port Metro Vancouver. The results of a joint passenger survey by Port Metro Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver…

Port Metro Vancouver today released its 2015 year-end statistics. Overall volume remained steady at 138 million tonnes of cargo as sectors experiencing declines were offset by others that hit new records. This is the port’s third consecutive year of strong cargo volumes, with new records set in the container, potash, and grain and agri-product sectors. Cargo shipped in containers continued to show substantial growth due to increased trade with Asia, with a five per cent jump in units (known as twenty-foot-equivalent units or TEUs) for a new record of 3.1 million TEUs. Grain and agri-product exports increased by eight per cent over 2014 to 25.1 million metric tonnes, and potash exports were 8.7 million metric tonnes, up 15.6 per cent from the prior year.

Complementing its GCT Deltaport Intermodal Yard Reconfiguration project in Port Metro Vancouver, GCT Canada has confirmed the order of twelve state-of-the-art rubber tyred gantry (“RTG”) cranes from leading clean energy equipment manufacturer, Konecranes of Finland. The new equipment will boost yard velocity at the country’s flagship container terminal, densifying container handling with the RTGs’ 1-over-5 high and 40 LT lifting capacity. The RTGs will join an advanced equipment fleet equipping GCT Deltaport to be big ship ready…

Following breaking ground on its CAD$280 million GCT Deltaport Intermodal Yard Reconfiguration project in Port Metro Vancouver, GCT Canada has confirmed the order of two high-efficiency “megamax” ship-to-shore (STS) cranes from crane manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC). Boasting a 23+ container wide outreach, the STS cranes will be capable of handling the largest vessels in service worldwide. Upon commissioning, the state-of-the-art cranes will be among the largest in the Americas, standing over 137 meters high, with a lift capacity of 65 metric tons.

WISTA UK, the Women in Shipping and Trade Association, isn't shy in hosting events that challenge its members to address the major issues affecting the shipping industry, and this was very much the case during the its most recent Forum. With the Paris hosting this week, The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 21 meeting, the Forum looked at the part the maritime sector plays in the climate change agenda. The subject of Thursday’s debate (26 November) was the divisive emissions problem, with the panel exploring potential solutions to curtail shipping’s emissions. Three different, highly informative speakers set the scene and challenged the audience to look at the issues from a number of perspectives.

Underwater noise has been identified as a key threat to at-risk whales. In order to better understand and manage the impact of shipping activities on whales throughout the southern coast of British Columbia, a hydrophone listening station has been deployed by the Port Metro Vancouver, with support from the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada and JASCO Applied Sciences, to monitor underwater vessel noise in the Strait of Georgia. The hydrophone listening station deployment and monitoring activities are part of the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program…

The port commissions of Seattle and Tacoma voted unanimously to form the Northwest Seaport Alliance, unifying the longtime rivals’ marine cargo divisions. The alliance aimed at helping the former rivals stave off growing competition, and regain market share. "The Seaport Alliance is an effort for the ports to keep their operations competitive," say local media. Facing increased competition from Port Metro Vancouver and Prince Rupert, the Northwest Seaport Alliance will allow Seattle and Tacoma to work together as the third-largest U.S. container gateway. While the ports remain separate organizations and retain ownership of their respective assets, they formed a port development authority to manage the container, breakbulk, auto and some bulk terminals in Seattle and Tacoma.

Funding for the installation of shore power facilities for container vessels at two Port Metro Vancouver container terminals has been announced by Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Canada’s Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East, on behalf of Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, and Port Metro Vancouver President and Chief Executive Officer Robin Silvester. Also present for the announcement were partners BC Hydro, Global Container Terminals – operators of Deltaport terminals – and DP World Vancouver, operators of Vancouver’s Centerm.

G3 Global Holdings said on Tuesday that it would study the feasibility of building a grain terminal at Port Metro Vancouver. Winnipeg-based G3, which agreed in April to buy a controlling stake in grain handler CWB, said it would consider building the terminal at Lynnterm West Gate, on the North Shore of Canada's busiest port. Western Stevedoring, which holds the lease for the site, is a partner in the study. G3 is a limited partnership between U.S.-based oilseed processor Bunge Ltd and Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co (SALIC). "The planned combination of CWB and Bunge's Canadian grain assets will provide a highly competitive eastern footprint," said G3 Chief Executive Karl Gerrand in a statement. It would be the first new grain terminal at the port since 1968.

Richmond, British Columbia, 11 May 2015 — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to Port Metro Vancouver, in British Columbia, where the container vessel MOL Precision struck the berth. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence. The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

Hapag-Lloyd and the Shenzhen Port Green Convention have entered into an agreement to cut back on sulphur oxide while the company's vessels are docked at port. "By joining the Shenzhen Port Green Convention, Hapag-Lloyd has demonstrated its commitment to environment," says Hapag-Lloyd’s Chief Operating Officer Anthony J. Firmin. Under the agreement, Hapag-Lloyd has voluntarily undertaken only to use fuel with a sulphur content of less than 0.5% while its ships are docked at the terminal. In doing so, Hapag-Lloyd is increasing its existing efforts to improve air quality in port cities. Hapag-Lloyd has taken part in various voluntary environmental programs that promote the use of low-emission fuels during idle periods.

In March 2015, Konecranes received an order for four Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes from GCT Canada Limited Partnership for its GCT Deltaport facility located in Port Metro Vancouver, Canada. Destined for the country’s flagship container terminal, this will be Konecranes’ first RTG delivery to the West Coast of Canada. The cranes will be delivered fully-erect in the spring of 2016. The CSA-approved, hydraulics-free Konecranes RTGs on order are 16-wheel machines with a lifting capacity of 40 LT, lifting 1-over-5 high and 7-plus-truck lane wide. They will be equipped with a Tier 4f diesel genset and Konecranes’ Diesel Fuel Saver technology. The RTGs will also be equipped with Konecranes’ Active Load Control system, which eliminates container sway to increase container handling performance.

DP World Limited today announces its agreement to acquire Maher Terminal’s Fairview Container Terminal (Fairview) in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada from Deutsche Bank. Fairview presents growth opportunity in a market with attractive and growing demand. Fairview is a purpose built terminal with an efficient sea-rail link and has a current capacity of 850,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units), with a just-announced Phase 2 expansion that will take capacity to 1.35 million TEU. The concession period runs to 2034 with an extension to 2056 after the completion of Phase 2. consideration payable is C$580 million (US$457 million*) for the total outstanding stock of Fairview on a cash-free, debt-free basis (subject to customary adjustments).

The first cruise ship of the 2015 season will depart Port Metro Vancouver this weekend. An exciting and increasingly popular cruise itinerary will run back-to-back trips between Vancouver and Hawaii for the first time, bringing an earlier-than-usual start to the 2015 Canada Place cruise season. Princess Cruise’s Grand Princess arrives in Vancouver this Sunday, March 22, for a round-trip sailing to the Hawaiian Islands. The ship will repeat the itinerary again on April 6. “We are very pleased to welcome the Grand Princess to Canada Place, commencing the 2015 cruise season and expanding on our already well-known Vancouver-Alaska cruise business,” said Robin Silvester, President and CEO, Port Metro Vancouver.

Port Metro Vancouver said on Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of Canada's biggest port, continued to smolder at the container yard just east of downtown Vancouver. "Fire officials have isolated the fire and continue to monitor the container," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement, adding that there is an 100 meter (330 feet) exclusion zone in place around the burning container. He added that operations had resumed at all other port facilities on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

A large portion of Canada's biggest port was shut down on Wednesday after a chemical fire broke out amid numerous shipping containers piled up in a yard east of Vancouver's downtown core. The toxic smoke forced local residents to take shelter inside, while workers at Port Metro Vancouver and in the surrounding area covered their faces with scarves as they streamed out of their offices. By early evening, firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control and residents were allowed to leave their homes, though people were warned to stay away from the port. "Smoke is lessening, but people are encouraged to stay away from the fire area," the City of Vancouver said on its official Twitter account.

A chemical fire at a Vancouver container terminal led to a partial evacuation of Canada’s largest port for several hours Wednesday afternoon, as a cloud of white smoke drifting over the city prompted health warnings and road closures, says Canadian Press. "All south shore of the Burrard inlet port operations have been shut down, including rail and truck access," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement. The burning container contains trichloroisocyanuric acid, a hazardous organic compound commonly used as an industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent, he added. The Port evacuated its Centerm terminal, which is operated by DP World Vancouver, and nearby port properties.

Port Metro Vancouver has released its 2014 year-end statistics, showing its second consecutive year of record-breaking cargo volumes. According to the port, the year was marked by best-ever volumes in the bulk and container sectors, resulting in a record overall year in tonnage. The port's terminals handled 140 million metric tons of cargo in 2014, up three percent from 2013. Import cargo rose 4.1 percent to 27 million metric tons, and exports rose 3.3 percent to 108 million metric tons.

Port Metro Vancouver official John Parker-Jervis informed that the program is already launched. The monitoring stations will provide information on noise for a five-year period, from 2015 to 2020. The port want to identify the problem areas and use the information to find what can be done in terms of mitigation. He said the system will be able to determine how much noise in an area could be attributed to port operations compared to other community noise sources. Noise complaints have shown a steady increase since 2009.