DP World Puts Cars in Containers
Thousands of cars are now entering Turkey after DP World Yarımca introduced a ‘cars in containers’ shipping solution that has helped solve an automotive supply chain crisis in the region.Congestion at Turkish ports has resulted in significant delays in delivering new vehicles against a backdrop of skyrocketing demand in the burgeoning automotive market. Turkey recently experienced an auto sales boom with a record 110,000 vehicles sold in June which is a 37.5% year-on-year increase…
Stena Line Acquires Ferry and RoRo Port Operations in Ventspils
Stena Line announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the operations of the ferry and RoRo terminals in the Port of Ventspils, Latvia, representing the latest in a range of investments in the Baltic region, including the addition of upgraded ferries and new ferry routes.The acquisition in Latvia is the latest among several moves to support Stena Line’s long-term expansion in the growing Baltic Sea region. Stena Line has operated the route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn, Sweden…
Driverless Trucks to Dominate UK Ferry Traffic
Driver-less heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be to ship freight between the UK and continental Europe in the future, according to a new white paper published by the British Ports Association (BPA) and the specialist freight transport consultancy MDS Transmodal.Commercial and environmental pressures will encourage freight operators to look at autonomous trucks and they would transform the way the ro-ro market works in Great Britain."Changes anticipated include significant growth in the market share of ‘driverless accompanied’ RORO traffic – particularly through North Sea and Western English Channel ports," it said.Technical developments…
Kalmar Signs Pact with Baja Ferries
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has signed an agreement with Mexican ferry operator Baja Ferries to supply 20 terminal tractors for use in RoRo port operations.The order, which was agreed through Kalmar’s Mexican distributor Tracsa/Sitsa, was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q3 order intake, with delivery scheduled to take place during Q1 2020.Baja Ferries is a leading provider of cargo and passenger ferry services in Mexico, offering integrated and multimodal logistics solutions. The company’s routes connect Baja California Sur with the rest of Mexico via two routes in the Sea of Cortez.Baja Ferries has been operating Kalmar terminal tractors for…
Port Dover Faces Brexit Heat
Britain's Port of Dover has the resilience to cope with moderate disruption arising from Brexit and there is latent short sea capacity to absorb significant overflow at the port in the event of capacity constraints, according to an independent study by global shipping consultancy Drewry.Among the political arguments about Brexit and its consequences, there has been a surprising lack of objective and quantitative analysis of the implications for the future of the vital short sea trade between the UK and the EU, particularly for the key port of Dover, and how traffic might be routed in future if Dover faced capacity constraints.Drewry sought to fill this information gap by carrying out an assessment of the capacity of the port…
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Doubles Footprint in Port of Zeebrugge
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has signed a concession agreement with the Port of Zeebrugge to develop 49 hectares of land known as the Bastenaken West property located in the inner port. With this concession, in place until 2043, the company will nearly double its terminal footprint. WWL will invest about USD 20 million during the next two to three years. “The agreement marks the next step in WWL’s long-term commitment to the Port of Zeebrugge, the largest RoRo port in the world, and positions the company for continued growth and expansion all across Northern Europe,” says Ray Fitzgerald,President & COO WWL Landbased. Since beginning its relationship with the Port of Zeebrugge in 1999…
Driver-less Ships: Autonomy in the Maritime Sector
In a show of prototypes, a pod of unmanned sailboats from around the world competes to cross “The Atlantic” test tank in Horten, Norway. Cross the real ocean, and the Sail Bots race similarly challenges scholarly robotic-vessel designers to North America for a bit of station-keeping, collision-avoidance and “cargo moves”. For all, the future seems bright — the first commercial runs of unmanned vessels are underway or scheduled worldwide. These earliest movers have the support of governments, Google and grateful clients.
WWL, Baltimore Port Ink 30-Year Deal
Administration to serve the Port of Baltimore for another 30 years to 2045. The contract is expected to generate 2,500 jobs over the next three decades. Baltimore is the leading auto and RoRo port in North America, and WWL ranks as its top RoRo customer, with more than 200 people employed at its terminal. The new contract, which replaced a 20-year deal set to expire in 2021, supports nearly 1,000 jobs at the port and another 1,500 jobs created by WWL’s business in the state. Governor Larry Hogan, who was among the 150 guests attending the event on December 3, spoke of the importance of WWL’s commitment to the port as well as the larger community.
Philippine Govt Seeks Expansion of RoRo Facility
The Philippine government seeks to boost the fleet of RoRo vessels to cover unserved routes throughout the country, according to the Maritime Industry Authority. Emerson Lorenzo, head of Marina’s Shipping Regulation Office,said that 30 RoRo ships are needed for unserviced routes nationwide. Each RoRo with a capacity of 500 gross tons costs $4 to $6m. Lorenzo said the additional RoRo vessels would improve the country’s cargo industry and strengthen the Central and Eastern Nautical Highways. Under the program, the government wants a RoRo port system to link the country’s islands. Another trigger for increased demand in new vessels is the April 2008 deadline for the phase-out of black cargo tankers plying Philippine waters.
