Original news was published 07 February, 2018

India’s port and terminal operator Essar Ports Limited (EPL) saw an 11% surge in overall cargo volumes in Q3 FY18.

EPL handled 9.16 million tons (MT) across its Hazira, Vishakapatnam, Salaya and Paradip port terminals for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, up from 8.26 MT recorded in the corresponding period a year ago.

As explained, higher iron ore and coal transportation was the main contributor to cargo growth.

For the nine months ended December 31, 2017, the company registered a 16% growth overall cargo at 26.5 MT versus the same period of FY2017.

“We expect to continually improve our operational performance with faster turnaround times at our terminals through our sustained investment in … technology,” Rajiv Agarwal, CEO of EPL, said.

The company recently commissioned a 20 MT bulk terminal in Salaya and will soon complete expansion of Vizag Terminal, taking its annual handling capacity to 24 MT.

The Salaya terminal has been designed to berth Capesize vessels with a vessel turnaround time of fewer than two days.

The Essar Vizag Terminal Limited (EVTL) recently commissioned an 8,000 tons per hour (TPH) ship loader, which has increased its cargo handling rate from 70,000 to 120,000 tons per day (TPD). Following the commissioning of the expansion project, the facility will also be able to berth vessels up to 200,000 dwt, with a depth of 18 meters, on the outer harbor of Vizag Port.

ESL said it is set to achieve the cumulative cargo handling capacity of 90 MT by the end of FY18.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published 01 February, 2018

Sohar Port & Free Zone (SPFZ), Oman, set new cargo-handling records in 2017 as dry bulk volumes rose by 25% to 29.3Mt and container traffic jumped 36% to more than 838,000 TEU.

Overall, the port’s tonnage increased by 26% to just over 58Mt. A strong rise (17%) was also registered in the number of vessels calling at the port, despite consolidation in the shipping industry and ocean carriers’ decisions to employ larger tonnage.

“We are pleased to report another year of solid growth,” said Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of SPFZ. “In 2017, we focused strongly on the food sector and were able to attract significant public and private sector investments to the cluster. Our focus in this field enabled us to capture a larger slice of the food products cargo trade in the region.”

The port continues to expand its foot print with the Sohar Port South expansion scheme set to add several new deep-water berths and 200ha (+10%) of land.

The CEO said that the free zone attracted more tenants in 2017 and made an important contribution to the port’s traffic. A number of initiatives are planned this year to improve operations and raise efficiency levels.

He elaborated: “We are promoting cargo consolidation for smaller players in the freezone, many of whom currently transport their cargo overland to other port destinations in the region. Providing more practical options for clients to consolidate their cargo reduces unnecessary handling and delays  and helps to increase cargo volumes.”

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published 29 January, 2018

South Korean ports handled 1.57 billion tons of cargo in 2017, marking a rise of 4.1 percent in total cargo volumes from the year before.

The country’s ports of Busan, Gwangyang and Incheon witnessed more volumes, reporting increases of 10.5 percent, 3.1 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

The improved numbers were mainly driven by more vehicle exports and coal imports, while a rise in machinery volumes also contributed to the overall volume, data from South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries shows.

While these segments were up by 14.4 percent, 11.6 percent and 8.3 percent from 2016, respectively, the ministry said that the cargo traffic of sand and steel dropped 35.9 percent and 12.8 percent.

Non-container cargo reached 1.09 billion tons, representing a rise of 1.7 percent over 2016, while the ports’ container volumes increased by 5.4 percent to 274.2 million TEUs.

The country’s port of Busan handled 400.5 million tons of cargo during 2017, followed by the port of Gwangyang with 291.8 million tons and Ulsan with 202.3 million tons.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published 27 January, 2018

Ports of Stockholm Ltd (SHAB) has reported record freight volumes in 2017.

The Stockholm region is growing, and increased freight volumes are passing through Ports of Stockholm, said the company. In summary, 2017 was a record year for both RoRo and container freight.

In total 9.6 Mt were handled by SHAB facilities last year, which a record high and a 7% increase compared to 2016. “The major freight segments of ro-ro and containers reached record levels in 2017, which tangibly demonstrates that the Stockholm region is red hot,” states Johan Castwall, SHAB's Managing Director.

The Finnish economy is also strong, which means that increasing amounts of cargo are being transported between Sweden and Finland. Freight transported to and from the Baltic States and Poland is also on the up. In total, a record amount of 6.85 Mt of ro-ro freight was handled by the ports during 2017.

The flow of containers between Sweden and different continents, primarily Asia, is also increasing. The number of containers handled increased by 11% y-on-y, reaching a record 60,000 TEU. “It is gratifying to see more cargo being transported in the most sustainable way, by sea, directly to and from the growing Stockholm region.

"It is particularly pleasing to see a continuous increase in freight volumes as we approach the inauguration of the new freight port, the Stockholm Norvik Port, in 2020,” said Stefan Hansson, Chair of the Board at SHAB.

SHAB has made major port investments in the Port of Kapellskär and the Värtahamnen port and is now building the Stockholm Norvik Port, which is anticipated to open in May 2020. The new major freight port will be able to accommodate large ro-ro and container vessels.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published 25 January, 2018

The new class of Post-Panamax (PPX) shipping vessels recently made its maiden visit to Port Canaveral.

The PPX Ro/Ro vessel MOL's Brooklands, is the first of its kind to visit Port Canaveral. With a 125-foot beam and capacity to transport over 7,400 vehicles, MOL's Brooklands is the largest Post-Panamax vessel. The ship arrived at the Port Canaveral, which is first US port of call, following transit through the expanded locks of the Panama Canal.

"The visit of MOL's Brooklands marks a new chapter for our cargo operations. Large capacity vessels selecting Port Canaveral highlights the role this Port plays in driving economic opportunities for the Central Florida region," said, Captain John Murray, Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners and Port Director and CEO of Port Canaveral."

MOL's Brooklands was built in 2017, which is 199.96 meters (656 feet) in length with a beam of 38 meters (125 feet) in width. The massive car carrier, with a 72,700 GWT, discharged 315 new vehicles from Mexico at the AutoPort Canaveral LLC facility at the Port Canaveral before departing to Jacksonville, Florida.

The recently completed six-month deepening project of Port Canaveral's West Turning Basin supports deeper draft vessel access equal to the authorized Port channel depth of -44 feet.

Led by five elected members, Port Canaveral is one of the world's most dynamic and exciting ports. A world-class gateway for cruises, cargo, recreation, logistics, and gateway to new frontiers, including space, Port Canaveral hosts over four million revenue cruise passengers through its state-of-the-art terminals and 5.5 million of tonnes of cargo annually, including bulk, break-bulk, project, and containerised.

The port is strategically located which serves various markets in Florida, as well as the Southeastern United States. In addition to world class cruise facilities and diverse cargo operations, Port Canaveral offers more recreational opportunities than all other Florida deep-water seaports combined, including public parks, free public boat ramps, marinas, an entertainment district, and the seven-storied interactive exhibit and event venue exploration tower.

*NEWS SOURCE

Good News...

Proud to share with you the professional performance of OPCA member Freight Connection Pakistan Pvt Ltd.

About Project:

Freight Connection Pakistan Pvt Ltd has awarded heavy canopies handling project to provide total logistics services from point of origin Jebel Ali - U.A.E. to point of destination Karachi, Pakistan.

The scope of work involved picking up this cargo from shipper warehouse, loading on low bed trucks and taking into the port with the help of all regulatory bodies to move this cargo on road & safely loaded on to the Break Bulk vessel. Total 5 units handled, the weight of each unit 13000 KG and dimensions of each unit were L=12197 mm x W=2800 mm x H=3075 mm.


FCPPL has made special arrangements for the handling of this cargo at port of discharge, which was allowed from customs to take direct delivery on low bed trailer from vessel, customs clearance & transportation from QICT to destination.

Their experts have focused on day to day movement at all places and made aggressive reporting and continuous coordination to keep customer up to date and transparent to cover all facts and figures for accomplishing project successfully.


Pictorial status report has been created and shared on daily basis by operational team with the help of professional photographers and IT.


Congratulations to Freight Connection Pakistan Pvt Ltd for their excellent job.

VISIT WEBSITE (CLICK HERE!) | VISIT OPCA PROFILE (CLICK HERE!)

Original news was published 23 January, 2018

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) expanded its fleet as it took delivery of a new very large crude carrier (VLCC) on January 22.

The 300,000 dwt tanker, which was named Kassab, was built by South Korea’s Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.

Bahri said it expects the ship to start its commercial operation in March 2018, adding that the financial impact of the new VLCC is set to be in the first quarter of 2018.

The 330-meter-long and 60-meter-wide vessel is one of five VLCCs that were ordered from the shipbuilder in 2016. In November the same year, Bahri reached a financing agreement with Standard Chartered Bank, Arab National Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Bank Albilad, which partially funded the construction of the ships.

According to the company’s stock exchange release in November 2016, the financing agreement amounted to USD 350 million for a period of ten years, plus a grace period of 22 months for guarantees.

The remaining ships under the deal are expected to be handed over to Bahri by mid-2018, data provided by VesselsValue shows.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published 19 January, 2018

THE Black Sea gateway port, APM Terminals Poti has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Poti New Terminals Consortium to build a new US$100 million dry bulk cargo terminal with an annual handling capacity of 1.5 million tonnes in Georgia.

The new breakwater, dry bulk cargo terminal and related infrastructure will be constructed on land owned by APM Terminals Poti and is expected to create new trade opportunities for customers within the Georgian transit corridor, reported London's Ship Technology.

Poti New Terminals, which primarily serves the logistics industry in the Caucasus and Central Asia markets, will be responsible for the design, development and management of the dry bulk cargo terminal.

Head of the Poti New Terminals Consortium Tamaz Chkhikvishvili noted in his speech prior to signing the MoU, 'the time has come for Georgia to make use of the historic corridor, transporting shipments from China to the Middle East and other countries. Building a new, bulk cargo deep-sea terminal in Poti will give us such an opportunity,' he said.

'Building a new bulk cargo terminal in Poti will not only create new employment opportunities, but will also attract new railway shipments and will open new investment possibilities,' Mr Chkhikvishvili added.

The new Bulk Cargo Terminal is to be 300 metres long and 135 metres deep, spread over a 10-12 hectare area.

In a separate development, the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) in the US and APM Terminals last month approved the $49.5 million expansion of the container facility at the port of Mobile in Alabama.

The phase three expansion will be carried out in collaboration with ASPA. The work will involve the lengthening of a dock and the addition of 20 acres of yard space.

Upon completion, the expansion will enable APM Terminals to accommodate an annual throughput capacity of 650,000 TEU at the port.

*NEWS SOURCE

This notification is for your kind attention from OPCA member AFL NV (Allround Forwarding & Logistics), Belgium.

Please be informed that AFL NV (Allround Forwarding & Logistics) has recently moved to a new office.

Details of their new office are as below:

AFL NV (Allround Forwarding & Logistics)
London Tower, Noorderplaats 9, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium

For your kind information.

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