Road Infrastructure News

Greece has secured 24 million euros ($26 million) in European Union funding to upgrade its northern Aegean Sea port of Alexandroupolis, privatization agency HRADF said on Wednesday.Alexandroupolis, which is close to Bulgaria and Turkey, has been used by U.S.

Some equations just don’t add up. For example, storing 500 offshore wind turbine blades at a site with only space for 400 (and that’s only if you don’t store the other key elements required to build a full turbine). Elaine Maslin visited Siemens Gamesa’s blade manufacturing facility in Hull, UK, to find out more.Storage space is becoming a major challenge that’s looming for ports involved in the fast-evolving offshore wind industry. It’s already becoming a challenge for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at its blade manufacturing facility in Hull, on England’s east coast.

The global port management company, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said that its Honduran unit  Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC) is in talks with the government of Honduras to improve the facilities at Puerto Cortes, Central America 4’s (CA-4).Puerto Cortes, Central America 4’s (CA-4) largest port operated by OPC, can expect faster cargo movement in and around the terminal with OPC beefing up its partnership with Honduran authorities for improved and more efficient port services, said a statement."OPC is working with the Honduran government and Puerto Cortés authorities to enhance the port’s competitiveness and better serve its customers in the four-nation CA-4, comprising Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

The Batangas International Port or locally known as the Batangas Pier in Philippines said that  Batangas Container Terminal (BCT), managed by listed Asian Terminals Inc.(ATI), has continuously stepped up its role as international trade facilitator in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and has effectively helped decongest Metro Manila roads.Early in November, BCT achieved a new operations milestone as it broke through the 200,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) cargo volume mark for the first time in a single year since its start-up in 2010.With this achievement and still a month to go before 2018 ends, BCT already surpassed its full-year cargo throughput of over 197,000 teus in 2017.

European Union and Italian authorities are investigating suspected wide-scale tax fraud by Chinese criminal gangs importing goods via Greece’s largest port of Piraeus, a trade gateway between China and Europe, officials said.“The VAT is completely evaded, with enormous damage to the national tax authorities and to the community,” Fabio Botto, of the Italian Central Anti-fraud Office’s special investigative unit, said in an interview.He said the suspected scam at Piraeus, part of China’s vast Belt and Road infrastructure project…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority signed agreements with two contractors relating to what is known as the port’s dry infrastructure. One contract covers maintenance of the roads in the port and the other maintenance of the green spaces. Following a tendering procedure, Van Gelder emerged as the best choice for the road infrastructure. The green spaces will be maintained by BTL. Both contracts run for two years and an express wish has been made for them to be extended by eight years. The combined sum of the contracts comes to over 14 million euros for the first two years. The port of Rotterdam is managed by Port of Rotterdam Authority.

The UK Chamber of Shipping has welcomed proposals for customs arrangements that could be implemented after the UK’s departure from the European Union, which were published today in a new paper from the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU). The 'Future Customs Arrangements' report,  argues that the UK could either seek a “highly streamlined” customs arrangement with the EU or else strike a new, bespoke deal. It also suggests that a transitional period should follow Brexit, before a final deal is struck that would follow existing procedures as closely as possible. Both the UK and EU Member States would benefit from time to fully implement the new customs arrangements and would work in “close association”, the report states.

The Indian shipping industry is registering a positive growth amid a downward trend globally, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan said. “While the shipping sector is seeing a downward trend worldwide, India is registering a positive growth, and the credit for this should go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. The Sagarmala programme launched by the Prime minister last year aims to increase the capacity of Major and Non-Major Ports to 3000 MTPA from the present 1054 MTPA, he said. Major ports have been consistently increasing their capacity and making profits over the last few years. He was speaking at a function organised by V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has over the last couple of weeks acquired a number of medium sized and various smaller projects in the Netherlands with a combined contract value of more than EUR 200 million. Today, Boskalis was awarded the project for the expansion and doubling of the N62 road (Tractaatweg) in the province Zeeland. Preparations are due to start in spring 2017 and the project will be completed in the spring of 2019. The project carries a contract value of approximately EUR 30 million. Also today, the Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) announced that it intends to award the contract for the canal expansion Twentekanalen phase 2 to the combination Boskalis and Van den Herik.

The port of Antwerp is set to achieve a freight volume of more than 200 million tonnes for the first time ever in 2015. When it comes to containers Antwerp is performing extremely well this year: with expected growth of almost 8% it will easily pass the milestone of 9 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, i.e. standard containers) for the first time in its history. About half of the container volume is currently handled in the port area on the Right bank of the Scheldt, but once the Swiss shipping company MSC transfers its operations to the Deurganck dock then the Left bank will inevitably become the main focus of container handling in Antwerp.

Russia’s second-biggest gas producer Novatek is selling a 9.9 percent stake worth an estimated US$1.4 billion in its Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) project to a China’s Silk Road infrastructure fund, reports Reuters. The deal, first discussed in August, was inked as part of a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Beijing to mark 70 years since the end of World War Two in Asia. Following the completion of the deal, Novatek will own 50.1% stake in Yamal LNG, Total and CNPC will hold 20% each, while SRF will have a 9.9% stake in the Arctic LNG project. “We consider Yamal LNG to be one of the most prospective and competitive LNG projects in the world. Such observation supports our interest in becoming its shareholder.

Maersk Group is committed to support the expansion of the Port of Tema to the tune of US $1.5 billion, says Nils Smedegaard Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of Maersk Group. Maersk will also contribute its quota in the US$6 billion oil exploration work to be undertaken by Italian firm Eni Exploration in Ghana. Nils  called on the President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama to extend the group's support to expand the Port of Tema to nearly four times its existing capacity in addition to increasing current road infrastructure including the development of the motorway to a 6-lane. The CEO of Maersk Group said that the funding arrangements for…

The EU's TEN-T Program will co-finance with over $1.24 million preparatory studies for the construction of a rail and road bridge over the Port of Malmö in Sweden. The new bridge will help to improve the cargo transfer at the port and improve the national rail capacity. The studies will prepare the construction of the bridge and the adaptation of the rail and road infrastructure at the port area. They will clarify the overall layout of the new transport network and provide detailed plans for the bridge, including an environmental and public welfare study.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division is maintaining above normal releases at the four lower dams on the Missouri River. The excess water will allow the Corps to extend the navigation season and provide higher winter releases. Navigation service to the mouth of the Missouri River will now be extended until December 10. Conditions in the basin affected by tributary inflow could extend the season for days after that. Increases in shipping along the Missouri River are being seen north toward Sioux City for the first time in 11 years. The Siouxland Chamber of Commerce suggested that increased shipping on the Missouri River and all the way to the gulf, complements the air, rail and road infrastructure Sioux City prides itself on.

Plans by Aberdeen Harbor Board to create additional berthing facilities at Nigg Bay have received a double boost. An independent report has estimated the economic benefit of the development to the local and national economies to be nearly £1 billion per annum. This report has been published in the same month that the Scottish Government, in their National Planning Process, has named the Nigg Bay Development as one of only 14 projects that they consider to be of national importance to Scotland.

Transport infrastructure is a vital social and economic asset. Its construction and maintenance absorb significant resources while decisions on infrastructure have impacts that last for decades. The report Spending on Transport Infrastructure 1995-2011: Trends, Policies, Data and a related database have been released by the International Transport Forum at the OECD. The 2013 edition of the Forum’s annual statistics update presents aggregate trends in inland transport infrastructure investment and maintenance since 1995 and provides data on road, rail, inland waterway, sea port and airport spending for the International Transport Forum member countries for the period 1995-2011. Investment as a percentage of GDP has remained at around 1% since 1995 in the OECD.

Inchcape Shipping Services completes Northern Mediterranean expansion with opening in Algeciras. Inchcape Shipping Services, the world’s leading maritime services provider, has this week opened its doors in Algeciras – Spain’s busiest port. It is one of a number of new offices scheduled to be opened by ISS in 2012 and completes the company’s expansion in the Northern Mediterranean region. “The opening of the Algeciras office strengthens the company’s position in this important maritime region,” said Michael van Hemert, Senior Vice President for Europe and North Africa.

Logistics company SBS Worldwide worked tirelessly through the weekend to maintain its clients’ supply chains as the devastating hurricane Irene battered the US north east. Early on Monday morning, SBS Worldwide’s New Jersey office was “open for business as usual”, after airports and seaports were closed and road infrastructure was reduced to a honeycomb of flowing water, trees and mud as Irene hit the US east coast over the weekend. SBS Worldwide US MD Lars Kloch says preparation is key to ensuring that disruption to its clients’ supply chains is kept to a minimum at times like these.

On Wednesday, April 6, 2005, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) held the third in a series of briefings from representatives of the shipping industry and maritime community. The briefings are intended to foster a greater awareness and understanding of the current issues and concerns affecting the various interests involved with the United States waterborne foreign commerce. The April 6th briefing was presented by the following representatives from the American Association of Port Authorities (“AAPA”): Gary LaGrange, President, Port of New Orleans and Chairman of the AAPA Board, representing the AAPA Gulf Caucus region; Richard Larrabee…

The ports surrounding New York City, which handle most of the cargo arriving on the East Coast of the United States, must have deeper channels to stay viable and competitive, port commerce officials warn. The New York/New Jersey port complex, by far the biggest on the Atlantic seaboard, expects the amount of cargo it handles to double over the next 10 years, but only if shipping lanes can be made deep enough to handle the next generation of massive container vessels. That means digging up more of the seabed and finding a way to dispose of resulting muck, some of which is highly contaminated, in the face of tough environmental laws. "Looking at it conservatively, we will double our cargo within 10 years.