Transport Infrastructure News

KNUD E. HANSEN, a naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy, has announced a milestone in its ongoing collaboration with Ferry Holdings Limited. Following the successful signing of the shipbuilding contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), two new RoPAX vessels will be built.These vessels are destined for service linking the North and South islands across New Zealand’s challenging Cook Strait and through the environmentally sensitive environs of the Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound.

Montenegro has secured 350 million euros from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union to enhance transport connectivity within the Balkan country and with the wider region, the EBRD said in a statement on Thursday.The EBRD will provide a loan of up to 200 million euros to finance the construction of the Matesevo–Andrijevica section of the highway connecting the Adriatic port of Bar with the Serbian border, while the EU will contribute two investment grants totalling 150 million euros.Johann Sattler…

Excitement continues to build for Smart Rivers 2025, an international event focused on innovation, infrastructure, and sustainability in inland waterway transport. Taking place in Memphis, Tennessee September 8-12, 2025, the conference will unite experts from around the world to address the most pressing challenges and forward-looking strategies in river navigation and management.Hosted by the United States section of the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC USA)…

Russia signed an investment agreement with Myanmar on Friday that it said could open up new opportunities for Russian energy companies in the south Asian country."We especially note the readiness of the Myanmar side to attract Russian companies to the development of offshore oil and gas fields," Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said after signing the agreement in St Petersburg with Kan Zaw, Myanmar's minister of investment and foreign economic relations.Russia said the deal would help accelerate projects including in Myanmar's Dawei special economic zone…

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) has chosen Aker Arctic to design a Baltic Sea assistance icebreaker as part of the Winter Navigation Motorways of the Sea III (WINMOS III) project co-financed by the European Union.The initial design phase will include the evaluation of different fuel alternatives and machinery configurations suitable for icebreakers. In addition, the use of different electric energy storage systems to balance out the load fluctuation will be…

The EU has just adopted its 16th sanctions package against Russia. The package targets systemically important sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, trade, transport, infrastructure and financial services.To curb the risk of our sanctions being bypassed, certain provisions of the 16th package are now also mirrored in the Belarus sanctions regime. The EU has in addition updated and strengthened its sanctions regimes concerning Crimea and Sevastopol, and the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk…

Russia has ordered divers to inspect ships in its ports, a government letter seen by Reuters shows, after suspected attacks on four oil tankers that visited in recent weeks.At the same time the Russian navy will help protect from the threat of drones and unmanned vessels, it said.Three oil tankers around the Mediterranean, and another in the Russian Baltic, have been damaged by blasts in the last month.All four had recently called at Russian ports, according to shipping sources…

The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) has released a new report offering industry guidance on the adoption of onboard carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.It states: “A secured downstream value chain is the most important pre-requisite for onboard CCS implementation. Societal acceptance for onboard CCS is only expected when captured CO2 can be securely transferred into long-term permanent storage, assured by a trusted MRV system.”Onboard CCS system cost-effectiveness is also essential…

The Nordic Roadmap project has unveiled the Fuel Transition Roadmap for Nordic Shipping, a comprehensive document outlining a decarbonization strategy for the region, which urges the Nordic ministers to close the cost gap associated with the fuel transition.The roadmap has been developed by the project team led by DNV with members from MAN Energy Solutions, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Chalmers University of Technology, Menon Economics, and Litehauz, and in collaboration with more than 60 industry partners.To decarbonize…

Ammonia-to-power solutions company Amogy announced it is teaming up with a group of industry partners to explore the technological feasibility of an innovative offshore ammonia cracking solution aimed at delivering low-cost, accessible clean hydrogen fuel.The consortium will focus on developing an Offshore Ammonia Cracking Solution technology. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) will design the ammonia supply system and integrate it into the overall system, Amogy will provide its ammonia-cracking technology…

ABB has secured a contract with Auckland Transport (AT) to deliver the maritime world’s first megawatt charging system (MCS) to recharge electric ferries using the same interface as trucks and airplanes. Lowering the barrier to entry, the standardized and highly adaptable system is expected to improve electric vessel competitiveness against fossil-fueled counterparts.As part of its Mission Electric initiative, AT has ordered two 200-seat all-electric ferries and two 300-passenger…

Gabon's transport minister stepped down on Thursday, the presidency said, one week after more than 20 people were killed in a ferry accident that sparked outrage across the West African nation.The presidency's statement did not say why Brice Paillat handed in his notice.But it followed widespread calls for his resignation over the sinking of the Esther Miracle ferry close to the coastal village of Nyonie on March 9.The boat was carrying 161 passengers from Libreville to Port-Gentil…

A fire that engulfed hundreds of shipping containers at Turkey's Iskenderun Port after massive earthquakes in the region has been extinguished, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, but it was not clear when operations would resume at the port.Turkey's maritime authority said on Monday that the port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and neighboring Syria.Drone footage showed fierce flames blackening hundreds of containers on the dock…

Hundreds of shipping containers were ablaze at Turkey's Iskenderun Port on Tuesday, shutting down operations and forcing freight liners to divert vessels to other ports.Turkey's maritime authority said on Monday that the port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria.Drone footage showed fierce flames blackening hundreds of containers on the dock, with water jets from a fire truck dwarfed by the scale of the blaze that broke out on Monday.

Engineering firm TECO 2030 unveiled a new product concept for its containerized fuel cells, the TECO 2030 Power Barge, designed to serve as a scalable multimegawatt solution for electricity production for shore power from hydrogen.The solution comprises TECO 2030 fuel cell modules, batteries, power electronics, safety- and automation systems, hydrogen storage, and a refueling solution.“The floating and mobile solution for shore power in locations with insufficient electrical grid…

The technology group Wärtsilä said it has been contracted by Remontowa shipyard in Poland to supply engines, fuel storage and supply systems for three new RoPax vessels, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled RoPax vessels to be built for the Polish maritime sector. The ships will be operated by ferry companies Unity Line and Polferries. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in January 2022.The vessels will each operate with four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines. The LNG-fueled engines can use bio-LNG…

The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalize their long-standing working relationship.Francisco Esteban Lefler, PIANC President and Karen Davis, OCIMF Managing Director, signed the memorandum of understanding in January 2022. Its key aim is to enhance the impact of both organizations in the area of waterborne transport infrastructure, to cooperate, communicate and collaborate in the area of the ship-shore interface while recognizing and respecting their individual identities, membership expectations and traditions.

Icebreaking operations have commenced in Finland, with two icebreakers presently deployed in the Bay of Bothnia, where ice has begun to form at the head end and along shipping lanes.On December 25, by decision of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the icebreaker Kontio was deployed, followed by icebreaker Otso on January 8. First assistance restrictions for sea areas entered into force on December 27.“Based on long-term forecasts, we would seem to have a mild winter ahead of us…

The Port of Gdynia Authority (PGA) in Poland has recently launched a formal procedure to select a private partner for the construction of the outer port in the Port of Gdynia.The project is a strategic investment of the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A., and is enlisted in the Polish government’s Seaports Development Program. The outer port development project, which is being prepared as a public-private partnership, consists of the construction of a new deep-water container terminal with an annual transshipment capacity of 2.5 million TEU.

Aker Arctic Technology Inc announced Tuesday it has signed a contract with the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) to develop new icebreakers to meet new challenges in Baltic Sea escort operations.The “next generation” icebreaker design will be capable of assisting the larger merchant ships entering Finnish and Swedish ports, incorporate latest environmental technologies and be ready for future fossil-free fuels, the Finnish engineering firm said. “Our foreign trade and competitiveness are based on year-round security of supply.

Dutch marine services and dredging contractor Boskalis has secured 32 million euros ($35 million) worth of dredging works in Finland's Port of Helsinki.Under the contracts awarded by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Port of Helsinki, and the City of Helsinki, Boskalis will deepen de Vuosaari fairway and harbor basin from eleven to thirteen meters in the Port of Helsinki.The Dutch company will then use and utilize a part of the dredged material for the development of Helsinki’s Hernesaari area, which is close to the center of the city.

P&O FERRIES has signed a contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International Ltd worth $285 million for two new 230-meter super-ferries – the largest ever to sail between Dover and Calais – that will be operational by 2023. The contract includes options to build two further vessels by 2024. P&O Ferries said the investment would secure the company’s position as a leading provider of transportation for people and goods between Britain and the Continent:“These will be the most sustainable ships ever to sail on the English Channel…

The World Ocean Council (WOC) and the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) have signed an MOU on long-term cooperation.The partnership agreement provides a commitment and framework for the two bodies to collaborate on ocean sustainable economic development through information exchange, communications, events, joint working groups, etc. on topics of shared interest.More specifically, PIANC and WOC will begin by working together to develop tools and methods for port and coastal infrastructure adaptation that can be scaled up to address port resiliency needs, especially regarding extreme weather events affecting…