Terminal Management News

Dutch marine services and towage firm KOTUG has closed the acquisition of Seaways, first announced in April. The fee was not disclosed."The acquisition of Seaways brings together the assets, expertise and people of two leading companies that support the worldwide floating facility business such as FSO, FPSO, FLNG, FSRU and SPM Terminals. With all customary, governmental, and other required approvals, KOTUG will now focus on the integration of Seaways and strengthening its leading presence in the floating offshore market…

Marine terminals at California's Port of Oakland reopened for regular weekday hours on Monday after independent truckers formally ended a week-long protest of the state's new "gig worker" law that stranded cargo on ships, docks and warehouses, worsening U.S. supply chain snarls."All of our marine terminals are open this morning and operations are normal," a port spokesman said.The law, formally known as AB5, would make it harder for businesses that rely on freelance workers, also known as gig workers…

Dutch marine services and towage company KOTUG has agreed to buy offshore support vessel firm Seaways International, in what is the largest acquisition in KOTUG's history.KOTUG said the move, of an undisclosed value, was part of its strategy to expand its business in assisting worldwide floating facilities such as FSO, FPSO, FLNG, FSRU, and SPM Terminals. "In addition, it will further consolidate the position of KOTUG in this niche market that is expected to grow as new offshore floating projects emerge in response to rising energy demand…

There’s often an upside to being among first-movers in an emerging industry, but many are often stifled by the risk inherent to new ventures. For Crowley, which today is leading the charge on a number of maritime fronts such as sustainability and decarbonization, the jump into U.S. offshore wind is being made with diligent planning, a team of experts, solid partners and 130 years of maritime and supply chain logistics experience in hand, each of which will help to mitigate the risk that comes with growing a new industry.Also key…

Two U.S.-based maritime & offshore services and logistics companies Crowley and Watco, are teaming up in the space of the emerging offshore wind industry in the country.In a statement on Tuesday, the two firms said they'd create a single-source terminal and supply chain management solution to support the emerging offshore wind industry."With the growing number of wind projects planned for U.S. waters, the partnership brings together industry-leading project management and logistics experts who can provide a “one-stop-shop” for owners…

The British Columbia’s Port of Prince Rupert and DP World have marked a historic milestone as Fairview Container Terminal handled its millionth container (TEU) for the first time in a calendar year.The 40-foot TEU was loaded with dimensional lumber in Prince George before being shipped to Prince Rupert by train and loaded onto the COSCO Africa container ship to be sent to market.“DP World is proud to have achieved the million TEU milestone,” said Maksim Mihic, General Manager DP World (Canada) Inc. “We congratulate and thank the men and women whose hard work and dedication made this achievement possible. This accomplishment is also a testament to the strong collaboration and support amongst the supply chain and community partners.

The following information was released by the Port of Los Angeles:Because our facilitation of a safe and secure supply chain is top priority at the Port of Los Angeles, the incident involving an export-bound shipping container that exploded inside a marine terminal storage area here on October 30 is of paramount concern to the Los Angeles Harbor Department and Los Angeles Port Police. Preliminary analysis by the Los Angeles Port Police Hazardous Materials Unit, Los Angeles Police…

Turkey’s Oyak Group - owner of the country’s biggest steel producer, Erdemir Group - is to invest in a car logistics terminal in Yarimca port near Istanbul  in partnership with Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line). According to a Reuters report, the investment will be $110 million. According to NYK press release, Süleyman Savaş Erdem, general manager of OYAK, and Koichi Chikaraishi, NYK representative director and senior managing corporate officer, were on hand for the signing ceremony held in Istanbul on April 5. NYK will participate in the port's construction, and the new terminal will be the first large terminal that is located in the suburbs of Istanbul and dedicated to finished cars.

Djibouti has ended a contract with Dubai's DP World, one of the world's biggest port operators, to run its Doraleh Container Terminal, the president's office said on Thursday. "The Republic of Djibouti has decided to proceed with the unilateral termination with immediate effect of the concession contract awarded to DP World," the office of President Ismail Omar Guelleh said in a statement. Last February, the London Court of International Arbitration cleared DP World of all charges of misconduct over a concession to operate the terminal, Dubai's government said at the time.

Trade unions in Jakarta International Container Terminal (SPJICT) will be striking from 3 until 10 August over what they claim as "ruthless attacks to workers’ rights". According to local media, the Federation of Indonesia Ports Union (FPPI) and Jakarta International Container Terminal Union (SP JICT) jointly participate in the strike. The unions say that the focus is on to pension rights and performance bonuses. The unions are protesting for their unpaid 2016 yearly bonus and blaming the corporate allocation for the rental fee has forced the management to delay such bonus disbursement. The terminal management has been pursuing in the course of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.

Tideworks Technology Inc., a full-service provider of terminal management and planning software solutions, announced that Thomas J. “T.J.” Rucker will assume the role of president effective September 1, 2017, succeeding retiring president Michael Schwank, who led the company for 19 years. Rucker will relocate to Seattle in August to ensure a smooth transition into the role. Rucker is currently vice president of operations at Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT), one of the largest container terminals in Latin America, where he is responsible for managing liner customer relationships, strategic planning and ensuring terminal productivity and KPI performance.

Evergreen Line’s Ever Sigma container ship discharged the 9 millionth TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) to pass through the Port of Los Angeles in the span of 12 months, setting a new annual record for the most container throughput of any port in the western hemisphere. "Nine million TEUs is a major milestone for Los Angeles, and it’s only fitting that Evergreen Line, a longstanding customer, discharged the box that set this new Western Hemisphere record," said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. "Their operation in Los Angeles is an example of how our customers and supply chain partners are continually adapting to the changing dynamics in the marketplace," Gene added.

Tideworks Technology Inc., a full-service provider of comprehensive terminal management and planning software solutions, today announced that Crowley Maritime has gone live with Tideworks’ terminal operating system (TOS) under CitadelMC, the newly branded SaaS model by Tideworks, at its Port Everglades Terminal in Florida. This marks the first Crowley terminal to go live with Tideworks’ TOS in a series of scheduled deployments. Crowley’s terminals in Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico are expected to go live in the first half of 2017. “As the largest marine terminal operator at Port Everglades, it’s important that we operate as efficiently as possible so we can effectively handle the growing volumes of container traffic…

The chief executive officers of Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) and Kazakhstan’s KTZ Express – a subsidiary of the country’s national railways company- signed an agreement for establishing a joint company. The deal could lead to the creation of a new transport corridor connecting Iran’s southern ports to the upper parts of Central Asia - and even possibly Russia and China. On the sideline of Iran's president visit to Kazakhstan, an agreement for establishing a joint company between Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) and Kazakhstan’s KTZ Express – a subsidiary of the country’s national railways company- was signed by Dr. Mohammad Saeedi, the director and head of the board at IRISL and Dias Iskakov, MANA correspondent reported.

Leading Mexican maritime operator, Grupo TMM, has signed a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance with Damen Shipyards Group for a 70 tonne bollard pull ASD Tug 3212 named TMM COLIMA. The tug will operate in the Mexican port of Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast. Ongoing port modifications and changes in port authority requirements were the driving force behind the deal. Founded in 1958, Grupo TMM has become one of the largest integrated logistics and transportation companies in Mexico. The group provides a dynamic combination of specialized maritime services, port and terminal management and integrated logistics services to an extensive Mexican and international client base.

Henrique Machado Rabelo, who has for some time already been responsible for commercial and institutional contacts and will now be focusing on the latter, was recently joined by Ricardo Sproesser, who will manage and develop the commercial contacts. Sproesser has over 20 years’ experience in the maritime and logistics sector, and is without any doubt an asset to the Brazilian team. “Brazil is a key trading partner of our port community. In terms of share in the annual maritime traffic destined for Antwerp, Brazil ranks sixth,” says Luc Arnouts, commercial director of the Antwerp Port Authority. “In such strategic regions we work with local representatives to develop a network and generate traffic for Antwerp,” he adds.

Hosted Turnkey Solution to Provide Strategic Technology Enhancementsand Improved Efficiency. Tideworks Technology, Inc., a premier provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions, today announced it has been selected by Sea Star Line, LLC (Sea Star) to implement its suite of terminal operating system (TOS) solutions at its Jacksonville, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico terminals. Sea Star will leverage Tideworks’ complete turnkey solutions under a fully-hosted model.

Lingering congestion at West Coast seaports drove down container cargo by 18.8 percent in January at Long Beach compared to the same month last year, the port announced. Overall, 429,490 TEUs of containerized cargo moved through the Port of Long Beach in January. Imports numbered 213,667 TEUs, a 23.5 percent decline from January 2014. Exports slid 19.6 percent to 98,462 TEUs. Empty containers declined 7.6 percent to 117,361 TEUs. According to the port, the dramatic drop in cargo volume is due to congestion and contract issues plaguing the West Coast ports recently.

Port and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranathunga said he plans to bring the Colombo Port to be among the top 20 global container ports. He said every possible step has been taken to facilitate all employees and staff of the institution to perform their fullest duty towards Sri Lanka Ports Authority without disputes and as same as the previous year. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dammika Ranathunga said the institution is by now acquiring a rapid progress. He said compared to the decrease in TEU operations in 2015, marking Singapore at 8%, Salala 18%, Hamburg 11.7%, the growth of the Port of Colombo was marked at 5.9%. At the same time he said that the domestic operations have increased by 8.3% and transshipment TEU operations by 5.4%.

DP World London Gateway Port has appointed James Leeson to the role of Head of Port Commercial following the announcement that Tabare Dominguez is to become Commercial Director at DP World Vancouver. Leeson started in the role this month, bringing with him more than 20 years of international experience in the shipping and ports industry. He was most recently Head of Commercial for Associated British Ports (ABP) Humber region, covering the ports of Immingham, Hull, Grimsby and Goole.

State-owned shipping giants China Ocean Shipping Co. (Cosco Group) and China Shipping Group (CSG)  are in advanced negotations on combining their container shipping businesses, reports WSJ. Rumors of a merger deal between the two have been floating for half a year. Both companies suspended trading their shares at the start of August. Discussions are complex and would require government and regulatory approval that has proved difficult to predict. If successful, the deal would create the world’s fourth largest container operator by capacity. In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, China COSCO  said after market close on October 13 that its trading halt would not last more than another month and it will announce important strategic developments within five trading days.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has appointed Anders Dommestrup as Chief Executive Officer of its Australian subsidiary, Victoria International Container Terminal Ltd. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Mr. Dommestrup into the ICTSI Group. With his extensive and leading industry experience and expertise, we believe that he can provide exceptional leadership to our new project at Webb Dock East in the Port of Melbourne,” says Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Head of Asia-Pacific and the Subcontinent. Prior to ICTSI, Mr. Dommestrup was Chief Operating Officer of Modern Terminals Ltd. (MTL). Since 2005, he had been…

Container barge service is back on the upper Columbia and Snake rivers.The Up river Container Barge-Rail Shuttle will help importers and exporters in eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho move containerized agricultural products to markets in Asia. An informal partnership including Northwest Container Service, Tidewater Barge and the ports of Morrow, Lewiston and Portland helped facilitate the return of this service. The first barge is currently loading at the Port of Lewiston this week and expected to get underway Thursday. The new service would address key issues driving up the cost of transportation in the wake of losing direct carrier service at Terminal 6 in Portland earlier this year— loss of barge service, container availability and cost of trucking to Puget Sound ports.