Port Network News

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) have signed a two-year partnership agreement aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the maritime sector.IAPH has a global port network comprising more than 200 port authorities and operators in over 85 countries. Together, GCMD and IAPH aim to strengthen the industry’s readiness for shipping’s fuel transition by tackling challenges and seizing opportunities in advancing alternative fuels bunkering…

NatPower Marine and Peel Ports Group are set to commence installation of shore power at Heysham in September 2025, with the first plug live in the initial phase and expansion to four across all berths, by 2026.This will enable all Heysham routes within the Irish sea to operate with zero emissions while at berth and at sea, supporting full electric propulsion of the ferry services, as the first part of the full electrification of the Irish sea.Once all four berths at Heysham are electrified…

Swedish shipping company WALLENIUS SOL has acquired British Mann Lines, expanding its customer base, service offerings and presence in key markets.WALLENIUS SOL, based in the Bay of Bothnia, has acquired Mann Lines, a provider of liner RoRo and container vessel services, logistics and forwarding.The acquisition reinforces WALLENIUS SOL’s platform for growth, supporting the development of a more sustainable and digitally driven shipping and logistics industry.“This acquisition strengthens WALLENIUS SOL's position as a reliable partner for customers in our key operating regions…

Singapore’s annual liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering capacity is expected to hit 1 million tonnes by 2021, as the world’s largest marine refueling hub transitions toward cleaner shipping fuels, a senior minister of state said on Tuesday.The push is part of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) aim to halve the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 2008 levels.“As the maritime community continues the search for low or zero carbon fuels to meet the IMO’s 2050 goal, LNG is a viable transitional fuel to mitigate CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from ships,” said Chee Hong Tat,

Canadian grain shipments through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway trade corridor are up 20% in response to continuing world demand for wheat and canola, the latest figures show.Year-to-date shipments of grain (from April 1 to August 31) totaled 5.2 million tonnes, as ships transported Prairie wheat and canola and Ontario wheat and soybeans for both domestic use and for export to markets around the world.The rush of grain, which is carry over from last year’s crops, has helped to offset continuing pandemic-related declines in other key cargoes such as iron ore (down 23%)…

German energy company E.ON, Rotterdam Port Authority and DeltaPort Niederrheinhäfen are partnering up to create conditions conducive to switching inland shipping in Germany and Europe from diesel to battery and/or hydrogen drives.The companies agreed in Essen to develop an infrastructure so that freight and passenger ships with climate-neutral propulsion can exchange battery containers or refuel hydrogen in the ports.The partners' goals include climate protection, improved air quality and the long-term optimization of logistics costs.The pilot concept will initially focus on the German inland DeltaPort location in Voerde and Wesel, which will be developed into a sustainable port network as part of the EcoPort813 project.

The sustainability of cruise activity in Europe is currently under pressure, says the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO). European ports take the concerns expressed very seriously, it said.The vicinity to Europe’s cultural heritage and main must-sees makes many European port cities attractive tourist destinations. Their ports are or have become much demanded cruise ports.European port managing bodies are happy to be an access gate to Europe’s cultural heritage, but understand that they must do whatever is possible within their remit to keep this activity sustainable and acceptable for the local population.Over the last months, ESPO’s Cruise and Ferry Port Network has been reflecting on the way forward.

UK port operator Peel Ports Group has been officially accredited with the internationally recognized quality mark of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) at all its principal ports by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customers, affirming the Port’s efficient and robust processes to customers worldwide.The Liverpool based port operator said that achieving AEO status from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs was a “significant milestone” especially on the path towards Brexit.Peel Ports Group has successfully achieved AEO status for the following ports: Clydeport Operations Limited, Port of Sheerness Limited, The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited…

Turkey's Yilport Holding signed a concession agreement with Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS), the managing institution of the Port of Taranto in Italy for the multipurpose terminal.The deal was signed on 30 July 2019, at Castello Aragonese in Taranto, Italy by Robert Yuksel Yildirim, Yilport Holding Chairman, and Sergio Prete, the President of Taranto Port Authority.The agreement appoints Yilport to undertake all operations at the multipurpose terminal of Taranto Port for 49 years.This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry…

Kalmar  has supplied Shantou China Merchants Port Group Co., Ltd. with eight Essential Range Empty Container Handlers.According to a press note from the Cargotec group unit, the handlers have been delivered respectively to Huagang Container Branch and Container Service Branch under Shantou China Merchants Port Group Co., Ltd.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q1 order intake, it said.China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd., a world-leading port developer, investor and operator, has established comprehensive port network covering the main hub ports along the coastal area of China, including the container hub ports distributed in Hong Kong…

Engineered Marine Fuels formulated to not only comply, but also perform, ahead of 2020 sulphur cap.EMF.5 fuels range ensures compliance without compromising on quality and performanceThe fuels have passed stringent fit-for-use assessmentsCombined fuels and lubricants offer can help customers reduce operating costsExxonMobil has introduced EMF.5, its range of Engineered Marine Fuels developed ahead of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) global 0.50 percent sulphur cap.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) said that it has been monitoring the gender balance through the effective attendance of port professionals to the different meetings of the organisation over the past year."The outcome of this monitoring reveals that, all technical committees together, overall 31,76% of port professionals attending the meetings were women, 68,24% men," announced the industry body.Looking in more detail into the different committees, the results of this monitoring reveals that the Port Governance committee, the Trade Facilitation, Customs and Security committee, the Sustainable Development committee and the Cruise…

Eamonn O’Reilly was unanimously re-elected as Chairman following a vote of European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)'s General Assembly in Brussels. E. O’Reilly has been chairing the organisation during the last two years.The General Assembly also re-elected Annaleena Mäkilä and elected Zeno d’Agostino as Vice-Chairs. Ms Mäkilä is currently Managing Director of the Finnish ports Association and has been Vice Chair since 2014.d’Agostino is President of Assoporti, the Italian Association of Ports and President of the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea. Z. d’Agostino replaces Bernard Mazuel (UPF-France) who has been Vice Chair for the last four years.Upon his election…

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation will establish a subsidiary in Thailand - Yang Ming Line (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The new company will provide all services starting 1st January 2018. Mr. Derek Chen is officially appointed as its President. Thailand is located in a strategical position in the middle of Southeast Asia with strong links to neighboring countries, whose economy has been growing steadily over the years. It is expected to see more rapid expansion of the market in the near future. Yang Ming has upgraded vessel size for Southeast Asia services in order to optimize its service network. The inauguration of Yang Ming Line (Thailand) Co., Ltd. may serve Yang Ming’s worldwide clients with a more comprehensive and intensive logistics network by integrating regional business.

Starting in 2018, all ships that use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their primary fuel can apply for a discount of four percent on tonnage fees when calling at harbours of the Port of Tallinn. The goal of the discount is to contribute to the adoption of environmentally friendlier technologies in the Baltic Sea shipping sector. “Similarly to other ports in the European Union and Norway, the Port of Tallinn has set a course toward environmentally differentiated port fees, with the aim of reducing the amount of air pollution and marine pollution from ships’ waste handling and gaseous emissions,” said the head of quality and environmental management department at the Port of Tallinn, Ellen Kaasik.

With the aim to dominate maritime industry China has been acquiring overseas ports with huge investments which crossed USD 20 bln last year, Financial Times reported. Beijing has spent billions expanding its ports network to secure sea lanes and establish itself as a maritime power, says the report. China is aggressively pushing its  “One Belt One Road”, a grand scheme to win diplomatic allies and open markets in around 65 countries between Asia and Europe. It is pushing ahead with plans to open new shipping routes through the Arctic circle, the report said. The report quoted a study by Grisons Peak, a London-based investment bank, found that Chinese companies have announced plans to buy or invest in nine overseas ports in the year to June in projects valued at a total of $20.1bn.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) announced that it has entered into a contract with Hanjin Shipping and Marine Terminals Investment Limited (MTIL) to acquire Hanjin Pacific Corporation’s 100% stake in terminals in Tokyo and Kaohsiung. Hanjin Pacific Corporation (HPC) which is owned by Hanjin Shipping (60%) and Marine Terminals Investment Limited (40%) operates terminals at ports in Japan (Tokyo) and Taiwan (Kaohsiung). Total acquisition price is about KRW 15 billion ($13.15 million) including a purchase and security deposit on the lease of the Tokyo port. With this acquisition, HMM will secure four Hanjin’s terminals: TTI Long Beach (20%), Algeciras (100%), Tokyo (100%) and Kaohsiung (100%).

South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) announced a record container volume of nearly two million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled in 2016. SCPA handled 1.996 million TEUs in 2016, surpassing the previous record of 1.985 million TEUs handled in 2005. Container volume in TEU was up 1.2 percent compared to last year. Loaded TEU volume was up 4 percent year-over-year while empty container volume was down 10 percent. “This is a significant accomplishment for the SCPA of which we are very proud,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “We are cautiously optimistic about the future given the significant automotive projects that exist in the Southeast along with the seeming recovery of emerging market economies, which drives U.S. exports.

Marine-based commissioning work is now underway at Liverpool2, with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) committing vessel support to Peel Ports to help make the trial a success. Berthing and marine trials began last week with MV MSC Nederland and will be followed by a variety of cargo handling tests throughout July and August. As well as 3,007 TEU MV MSC Nederland, four other MSC vessels will be used during the trials – 2,668 TEU MV MSC Santhya, 2,768 TEU MV MSC Koroni, 4,340 TEU MV MSC Sandra and 4,355 TEU MV MSC Alyssa. The five vessels operate on the two MSC services currently calling at Liverpool – the North West Continent feeder service…

GAC is showcasing its full range of ship agency and related services for gas carriers at the Gastech, where GAC’s groundbreaking ‘HullWiper’ ROV system will also be on display. Launched in late 2013, the HullWiper Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system offers an eco-friendly, diver-free and highly efficient hull cleaning solution that helps LNG carriers to save time and money on their hull cleaning requirements in port. GAC Group has highlighted the growing importance for LNG ship owners and operators of working with ship agents with specialist expertise and capabilities to meet the requirements of gas carriers and companies shipping and trading LNG cargoes.

Port security has too often lagged behind the demands of ever more vulnerable facilities with new technology often being deployed as an after-market add-on, rather than a homogenous part of the port’s day to day working. With new ports being developed on green or brown-field sites across the globe, it is now possible to design-in security from the planning stage. Dr. Mark Yong, Business Development Director for BMT, outlines the scale of the challenge and explains how port planners can help operational security. With the threat of international terrorism looming, port security remains of paramount importance, not only due to the direct threats to life and property, but for the potential economic damage that can arise from effects on supply chains.

As the shipping operator BG Freight Line is set for a new freight service connecting the links, Scotland’s food and drink, chemical and manufacturing industries are looking for a boost. BG Freight Line, wholly-owned by Clydeport owner Peel Ports, has extended its Irish Sea network with a new service connecting Rotterdam, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and Greenock. The route, which will also take in Belfast, is expected to prove a boon to businesses in the west of Scotland, by cutting the cost of exports to the rest of the UK, Europe and North America. It follows investment by Peel Ports which in December will launch Liverpool2, the UK’s most centrally-located deep water container terminal…

China’s total international shipping volume will reach 6.2bn tons, which will account for 17% of the world’s shipping volume, says 2030 China Shipping Development Outlook report published by the Shanghai International Shipping Institute. Container throughput in China will reach 505 million 20-foot-equivalent units by 2030, three super container hub ports will be formed in Shanghai, Qingdao and Hong Kong, and Chinese firms will become global container terminal operators. In 2030, China’s coastal shipping volume is projected to reach well over 3.3 billion tonnes, and its coastal container shipping volume around 116 million TEU, taking up nearly half of China’s total coastal transportation. China’s ship financing will also account for 30 percent of the world’s volume.