Original news was published on 10 March, 2017

Authorities at the port of Ghent in Belgium have announced the launch of a breakbulk service from the port to Guinea in West Africa.

The new service was driven by collaboration between Belgian transport firm and the French African Maritime Agencies Guinea. The semi-shipping service will operate a direct connection between the port of Ghent and Kamsar every four to five weeks.

The new service will carry general cargo, project cargo and containers via specialized multipurpose vessels. Vessels will be equipped with their own heavy-lift cranes with capacities of 60 to 160 tons.

“Ghent Port Co. is delighted with this new line for breakbulk. The loading dock of Stukwerkers in Ghent Grootdok will be the main loading point, but other ports can also be approached route on request,” a spokesperson for Ghent Port said.

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Please review the project pictures as below:

Original news was published on 28 February, 2017

Mexico’s largest semi-automated terminal Lazaro Cardenas, operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has officially started operations as it welcomed its first vessel, the 9,600 TEU Maersk Salalah.

With the first phase of the terminal complete, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas occupies an area of 49 hectares, with a quay of 750 meters in length for ships and a depth of 16.5 meters.

“Today is a milestone as we add an additional operational terminal to our portfolio,” Morten H. Engelstoft, CEO of APM Terminals, said.

“We have a significant portfolio across Latin America, and this will be our second terminal in Mexico after Yucatan. We are pleased to be a contributor in helping Mexico to reach its growth ambitions,” Engelstoft added.

By the final phase of the terminal buildout, which is scheduled to happen between 2027 and 2030, the terminal’s water depth will increase to 18 meters.

By then, the terminal will have a quay 1.5 km long in a total area of 102 hectares and a capacity of 4.1 million TEUs, operated by 15 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 10 rail tracks, providing intermodal access.

The total investment cost for the full project is expected to reach some USD 900 million, according to APM Terminals.

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Freight Management – Rig and Rig Accessories

Project Case Name – Rig and Rig Accessories
Load Port – Jebel Ali, UAE
Discharge Port – Duqm, Oman
Volume – 7700 CBM

Project Description: - Khimji Ramdas Shipping has once again been instrumental in providing its specialized Freight Management Solutions to its client in Oman. The job involved jacking the cargo on stools and Beams, loading the cargo on suitable Multi Axles, transporting the packages through the Jebel Ali Freezone, crossing over the Sheikh Zaid Road and safely brining the packages to the port at Jebel Ali, loading the cargo onto a barge, sea freighting the package to Duqm port, transporting all the packages Nimr and jacking down the cargo at Nimr site. Their scope also involved Custom Clearance at both the ports, coordination with a ballast engineer & marine warranty surveyor, lashing & securing of the cargo on the barge and obtaining all the necessary RTA and Police permissions in Dubai and Oman to safely transport the cargo to the final point of delivery.

Khimji Ramdas Shipping thanks all the Project stakeholders for providing this opportunity.

Khimji Ramdas Shipping, Oman… contributing to Oman and its economy in moving forward…

Please review the project pictures as below:

Original news was published on 23 February, 2017

The Ports of Indiana has handled nearly 3.9 million tons (3.5 million tonnes) of cargo during the fourth quarter of 2016, the highest quarterly shipment total in the organisation's 55-year history.

The total surpassed the ports' previous quarterly record, set in the second quarter of 2015, by 300,000 tons (272,155.4 tonnes).

The state's three ports' - Indiana-Burns, Indiana-Mount Vernon and Indiana-Jeffersonville - shipped nearly 11.3 million tons (11.25 million tonnes) in 2016, the second highest volume in its history and the third consecutive year the ports exceeded 10 million tons (9.07 million tonnes) annually.

Rich Cooper, ceo, Ports of Indiana, said: "With our total 2016 shipments more than 2 million tons (1.8 million tonnes) higher than the previous five-year average, a global steelmaker announcing plans to build a processing plant at our Jeffersonville port and several existing port companies making significant capital investments during the year, the prospect for continued growth at the ports is certainly encouraging."

As HLPFI reported earlier this month, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor saw a 25 percent increase in large over dimensional cargoes, and has handled significant project cargoes, including beer fermentation tanks and wind turbine components, throughout 2016.

Meanwhile, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled 2.5 million tons (2.3 million tonnes) of cargo during the fourth quarter, surpassing its previous quarterly record by 44 percent, and the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville handled the second highest steel shipments in the port's history.

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Original news was published on 22 February, 2017

Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone handled approximately 619,000 TEU and over 2.3Mt of breakbulk cargo in 2016, up 15% and 18% respectively.

The port’s strong trading performance was attributable to it attracting several new services while its existing customers generally handled more cargo than in the previous year.

Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of the port, is confident that 2017 will be another successful year for Sohar. In an address at the port’s annual business meeting recently held in Muscat, he outlined the port’s main plans for the year that will sustain the growth momentum.

In particular, he pointed to expansion of the port, including the start of the phase two development programme for the free zone. In addition, Geilenkirchen drew attention to further improvements in the food logistics zone and to better connectivity between the port’s maritime, logistics and warehousing activities.

He explained: “Sohar Port South is a significant land reclamation area and it will accommodate new industrial projects that will be announced soon. The project will also include new deep-water berths to the south of the existing port area and it will give a substantial boost to the Sultanate’s diversification efforts, which are aimed at increasing the contribution of the non-oil sectors to Oman’s GDP.”

At the meeting, the executive also stressed the importance technology, stressing that a new innovation zone would be created in conjunction with Rotterdam Port Authority, which is Sohar’s strategic partner.

“Together with private sector companies, international research institutes and some of the world’s leading universities, we are seeking innovative solutions across a broad range of issues that affect our shipping, logistics and industrial sectors,” said Geilenkirchen. “In Sohar we always say ‘it all starts here’ and that has never been truer than now. It means 2017 promises to be our most exciting year ever.”

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Original news was published on 17 February, 2017

Hong Kong's container volume increased 3.5 per cent to 1.73 million TEU in January compared to 1.67 million TEU in the same month last year, according to statistics from the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board.

Most of Hong Kong's volume is from the container terminals at Kwai Tsing that handled 1.33 million boxes in January, an increase of 3.6 per cent over the same month last year. Export containers totalled 662,000 TEU, a year-on-year increase of 5 per cent. Imports totalled 671,000 TEU, 2.3 per cent higher than in January 2016.

The port of Singapore handled 2.62 million in the first month of the year, while the world's busiest port, Shanghai, handled 3.3 million container units.

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Original news was published on 16 February, 2017

Spanish ferry operator Baleària has developed a plan to invest up to EUR 450 million (USD 478.4 million) into new vessels and smart terminals over the next five years.

In an effort to gain competitiveness, the company said that the investment would go into the construction three new liquefied natural gas-powered ships, one being built at compatriot LaNaval Shipyard and two ordered from Italian shipbuilder Cantiere Navale di Visentini, as well as the purchase of other units and the modernization of the existing ships.

The investment plan would also include the construction of new smart terminals for passengers in Barcelona, Valencia and Palma, as well as opening up to new traffic, according to Adolfo Utor, President of Baleària.

At the end of the fiscal year, Baleària’s turnover stood at EUR 329.5 million, representing an increase of 13% over the previous year, mainly due to the increase in offer with new ships and lines.

The company said that it transported 10% more passengers, vehicles and ro-ro cargo in 2016 than in the previous year, reaching 3.5 million passengers, 750,000 vehicles and more than 5 million linear meters of goods on all Spanish routes and international routes, including United States-Bahamas, Morocco and Algeria.

Earlier this year, Baleària entered into an agreement with Cantiere Navale di Visentini for the construction of two 186.5-meter-long ferries scheduled for delivery by the end of 2018.

The company said that the new ships, ordered under a EUR 200 million worth deal, will be capable of carrying up to 810 passengers, 2,180 linear meters of cargo and 150 cars.

The ferries will use LNG and other clean energies to reduce CO2 and NOx emissions by more than 40%, according to Baleària.

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