Service Networks News

Supply chain issues tied to liner shipping have been front page news throughout 2021; just about everyone agrees that there’s a problem. The underlying cause is right out of Economics 101: a surge in demand for moving containerized cargo, in the face of “inelastic” throughput capacity (which includes vessels and their landside interfaces to surface transportation, trucks and rail) that could not handle the swell, attributable to re-stocking of containerized cargo as economic activity recovered from the pandemic induced jolts.

The Panama Canal is a strategic crossroads for maritime traffic, and is arguably one of the most important maritime developments in the past century. Here we take a deeper dive into the history behind that famous strip of waterway.The present canal, which saw its first vessel transits in 1914, along with possible alternatives through Nicaragua and Mexico, had actually been on the minds of merchants, explorers and military/political strategists since the Age of Exploration in early 1500’s.

SCHOTTEL has supplied propulsion systems for four Full Azimuthal Electrical (FAZEL) barges and two Floating Crane Transhipper Units (FCTU) dedicated to transhipment for Dubai’s Hassyan coal power plant. The FAZELs and FCTUs are built to European standards and operated in the UAE by Louis Dreyfus Ports & Logistics, a subsidiary of the French company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. The German propulsion expert SCHOTTEL equipped the vessels with a total of 20 rudderpropellers.FAZELs and…

South Asia's APM Terminals Inland Services, operator of port and integrated inland service networks, is helping set up solar power plants in deep pockets of India.The global terminal network company is providing tailor-made logistics solutions to help overcome transport, technical and procedural challenges.The company is now offering a new end-to-end solution for major solar projects, which includes receiving cargo at the sea-port, facilitating customs inspection and clearance, multi-modal transportation to reach these isolated areas and destuffing at the site.“Back in 2015, solar power was just beginning to catch everybody's attention and imports from China were picking up at a tremendous pace.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) Thailand achieved a remarkable milestone by attaining 1 million TEUs, merely 9 months into the business.From January to December in 2017, the export & import laden containers volume in Thailand was 8 Million TEUs, the global container shipping company headquartered in Singapore said. Kiyoshi Tokonami, Managing Director of ONE Thailand, said, “This realization is a testament of the strong collaboration and support between our esteemed customers, business partners and ONE Thailand.""In addition to the memorial milestone, with newly built container vessel “ONE Columba” whose loading capacity of 14000 TEUs being the largest ever to call Thailand in late 2018…

Yanmar Marine Internationalhas appointed Julio Arribas as its South West European Regional Manager, a position that encompasses the roles of General Manager of both Yanmar Equipment Iberica, S.L. and the newly-established Yanmar France SAS.Arribas will spearhead the launch of Yanmar’s strengthened distribution operation and selective dealer network in France after the leading engine and propulsion specialist opened a new sales and customer representative office in La Roche-sur-Yon in September to provide dedicated local support.Currently the General Manager of Yanmar Equipment Iberica with responsibility for Spain and Portugal, Arribas…

Eurotainer US, Inc. has selected APM Terminals Inland Services Argentina as the exclusive agent for the sales and marketing of its tank container leasing services in Argentina.APM Terminals serves the Argentinian market through five strategically located Inland Service Depots located in key markets along the full length of the country. The company offers equipment lifecycle management, transportation services and cargo support.The company's Puerto Deseaso Depot has an established container sales and leasing business and its depot in Ushuaia is one of the main container repair centers in South America. Continuous training ensures that its personnel are familiar with international repair criteria and the latest technologies.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation said that the consolidated revenues of Q1 totaled NTD 31.03 billion (USD 1.07 billion), up 2.58% compared with NTD 30.25 billion (USD 1.04 billion) in revenue from previous year. The company’s net loss, after tax, was NTD 1.95 billion (USD 67 million), EPS NTD-0.75. Volumes in 2018 Q1 also increased to 1.22 million TEUs, up 9% year over year. Under an improving container shipping market, Yang Ming has returned to profitability last year. In spite of the typical first quarter slack season, the financial report has shown continued year-on-year growth in volume and revenue which was better than expected, and also demonstrates the progress of Yang Ming’s strategy and global efficiency enhancement.

Wärtsilä has signed a manufacturing license agreement with Jiujiang Precision Measuring Technology Research Institute, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), based in Jiujiang, China. The two-way agreement provides CSSC with access to technology and the rights to manufacture the Wärtsilä Aquarius EC Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) under license for applications to CSSC customers. In return, Wärtsilä gains access to CSSC's new manufacturing facility, thereby further supporting supply and demand needs for the Wärtsilä BWMS direct to Wärtsilä customers. The agreement was signed in Jiujiang on 5th December 2016 and is implemented with immediate effect.

Founded in 1979, Reintjes GmbH is an independent propulsion technology company that manufactures thousands of gearboxes annually. More than 90,000 units have been supplied to customers worldwide. Over time, Reintjes has expanded its product portfolio of marine gearboxes for engine ratings from 250-30,000 kW. Its maritime applications include dredging gearboxes and step-up gearboxes as well as complex system solutions such as pod drives and hybrid drives. The company is positioned in all major markets globally through sales and service networks…

Wärtsilä has signed a manufacturing license agreement with COSCO (Weihai) Shipbuilding Marine Technology Company Limited (WECOSCO) based in Weihai, China. The two-way agreement provides COSCO with access to technology and the rights to manufacture the Wärtsilä Aquarius Electro Chlorination (EC) Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) under license for application in its global marine market. In return, Wärtsilä gains access to an additional manufacturing facility able to assist with supply and demand of the Wärtsilä BWMS direct to Wärtsilä customers.

INTERSCHALT maritime systems AG, the provider of maritime software, services and supplier of Voyage Data Recorders (VDR 4G[e] and s-VDR) has expanded its network of service partners in Africa and Asia with the addition of two new distributors in Nigeria and Korea. Multidigital Nigeria Limited, in Lagos, Nigeria, and Vega Communication Co. ltd, in Busan, Korea, take responsibility for the service for VDR G4, MER-(s)-VDR and the annual performance test (APT) in accordance with IMO regulations. “The agreed cooperation with Vega Communication and Multidigital represents an important step in our strategy to expand coverage and to provide with more efficient VDR support around the globe,” explained Robert Gärtner, CEO of INTERSCHALT.

President: Dr. Reintjes GmbH is an independent propulsion technology company that manufactures 1,300 gearboxes per year at its headquarters in Hamelin. More than 90,000 units have been supplied to customers worldwide. Over time, Reintjes has expanded its product portfolio of marine gearboxes for engine ratings from 250-30,000 kW. Its maritime applications include dredging gearboxes and step-up gearboxes as well as complex system solutions such as pod drives and hybrid drives.

Hapag-Lloyd AG and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) today signed a binding contract on merging CSAV’s entire container business with Hapag-Lloyd, subject to the necessary approvals. Following the integration, the new Hapag-Lloyd will rank among the four largest liner shipping companies in the world, with some 200 vessels with total transport capacity of around one million TEU, an annual transport volume of 7.5 million TEU and a combined turnover of 9 billion Euro. The company’s head office will remain in Hamburg.

Virtually all large Mediterranean transhipment hub ports recorded double digit growth in 2013, well above regional and global growth levels, notes the latest edition of Drewry's Container Insight Weekly. Once all full year data is collated, global container port traffic is likely to have grown by around 3.3% whilst that for the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea will probably have grown by between 3 and 6%. Transhipment volumes at key Mediterranean hubs surged by an average of over 8%…

NOL Group reported net profits of $20 million for the third quarter of 2013, and year-to-date net profits of $61 million. The Group posted year-to-date Core EBIT improvement of 33% or $42 million, from a $127 million deficit in the same period last year. Singapore-based NOL attributed the better showing so far this year to its continuing focus on operational efficiency and cost management. Its two operating companies – APL and APL Logistics – both delivered better 2013 year-to-date performances at the Core EBIT level compared to the same period in 2012.

ALATAS Americas is a global company with strong roots in maritime and fast growing branches in the offshore sector. MR visited Robin Thomas, VP, for his take on emerging trends in both sectors. ALATAS is a global company with roots in the maritime sector, but there has been a decided move toward offshore oil and gas business. Why? Historically, our business has been predominantly fueled by the maritime industry, over the last five years we have increased our customer base in the offshore market. Nowadays in the U.S.

Yanmar said VETUS has joined the Yanmar Group as of January 1, 2013.  VETUS is a well-known player in the international market for its in-house engineered boat equipment systems. By VETUS joining the group, Yanmar has acquired a serious partner to further increase its footprint in the marine industry. Coming from the same industry, both companies have developed sales and service networks over many years of operation, and both companies are present in many countries worldwide. While Yanmar celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012 and VETUS will have its 50th in 2014, they combine more than 150 years of engineering knowledge and experience.

London, UK, 9th May 2011 –Container service reliability declined for the second quarter in a row during the first quarter of 2011, according to Drewry Maritime Research’s latest Schedule Reliability Insight report. The proportion of the 2,972 vessel calls arriving on time at selected ports around the world during January-March fell back to 51%, down from 55% in the fourth quarter of 2010. The 1Q11 reliability performance was only a percentage point improvement on the on-time score recorded in the same period of 2010.

In April, Cargotec secured new contracts  to deliver MacGregor anchor-handling, mooring and towing solutions for 15 offshore support vessels (OSV) of various types being built in China for Asian customers. The ships are being built in several shipyards in China for delivery throughout 2013 and 2014 to Coastal Offshore, Nam Cheong, Ezion Holding and Middle East interests. Cargotec is supplying anchor-handling/towing solutions for two 59m anchor-handling tug/supply vessels, a 56.2m anchor-handling tug, and five 50m towing/utility vessels.

The ships are being built in several shipyards in China for delivery throughout 2013 and 2014 to Coastal Offshore, Nam Cheong, Ezion Holding and Middle East interests. Cargotec is supplying anchor-handling/towing solutions for two 59m anchor-handling tug/supply vessels, a 56.2m anchor-handling tug, and five 50m towing/utility vessels. Positioning mooring solutions are destined for two 100m/300-person accommodation/work barges, two 85m subsea maintenance/work support vessels, a 60m diving support vessel and two 105m subsea operation vessels. “Most of the system components are established designs, and we have combined them to meet the needs of a particular ship type,” said Francis Wong, Cargotec’s sales director for offshore winch solution.

The United Seamen’s Service (USS) 2009 40th Annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards (AOTOS) were presented to Donald Kurz, President and CEO of Keystone Shipping Co., headquartered in Philadelphia, and to Ronald Widdows, Group President and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) of Singapore, parent company of American President Lines (APL). A Special AOTOS Award was also presented to The United States Coast Guard. The maritime industry’s most prestigious honors were awarded at a gala industry dinner and dance held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York City, on November 13, 2009.

A series of new MacGregor offshore winch orders, secured in October, will serve the strong demand for maintenance, hook-up and commissioning services for existing oil platforms within the shallow water region of the Malay basin, says Francis Wong, Director, Segment Sales and Marketing, Offshore. "As oil prices remain high and oil majors continue to invest in exploration and production activities in the region, this has continued to boost the demand for new businesses relating to these services," explains Mr Wong. "Consequently, maintenance work boats and barges are in high demand to serve the needs of the area's oil platforms, many of which are operated by Petronas and Shell.