Original news was published on 19 January, 2017

Iranian national shipping company HDASCO Line plans to launch a new container shipping service between Haropa – Port of Le Havre and Iranian and Iraqi ports, starting from February 2017.

The new service will call at the following ports: Bandar Abbas, Asaluyeh, Bandar Iman, Khomeini, Busher, Khorramshahr (Iran) and the port of Um Qasr (Iraq).

The service will also call at ports including Malta (Malta), Khor Fakkam, Jebel Ali (UAE), Xingang (China), Busan (South Korea), Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian (China), Port Kelang (Malaysia).

“HDASCO Line is a well-known shipping line at the port of Le Havre. Before the embargo, the Iranian containerships called at Le Havre every week between 2006 and 2009, connecting the main Iranian ports,” Hervé Cornede, Haropa Commercial and Marketing Director, said.

Le Havre calls within the new service will be every Tuesday at the Terminal de France (TDF) and will be handled by the Générale de Manutention Portuaire (GMP), Haropa said.

HDASCO Line (Hafez Darya Arya Shipping Company), also known as HDS Lines, is a subsidiary of IRISL Group (Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines).

*NEWS SOURCE

This notification is for your kind attention from OPCA member Ex Trans Cargo Inc from Canada:

Quote
Dear OPCA Members & Friends,
 
Ex Trans Cargo is sending you details of an industrial Auction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to be held: 

Tuesday January 24, 2017 (11:00AM ET)
NOVA MACHINERY & ENG. INC.
Large Capacity Boring and Turning Facility
 
1863 Bonhill Road, Mississauga (Toronto), Ontario, Canada
Inspection: Monday January 23, 2017 9:00AM to 4:00PM
 
This auction will be held on the Web and on site.
You and your clients will find all the details on the following link: http://www.infinityassets.com/auctions/nova-machinery--eng.-inc
 
Ex Trans Cargo staff will be on site next week !
 
May we suggest you contact some of your clients and notify them of these very good quality products and equipment’s.
They could appreciate getting incredible deals at very interesting prices.
The goods are in the steel machinery industry.  
 
Feel free to contact us if more details needed.
 
We remain at your disposal for any transportation quotes.
 
Kind regards and good luck.

Mario Lefebvre / Vice president
Ex Trans Cargo Inc.
2105 Onesime Gagnon
Lachine, Montreal,Québec, Canada H8T 3M7
Tel.: 1.450.565.5644 / 1.800.340.5644
Fax: 1.450.553.3555 Cell.: 1.514.592.4237
mlefebvre@extranscargo.com / www.extranscargo.com
Unquote

For your kind information.

Original news was published on 17 January, 2017

From January 26, its weekly Miami - Eastern Caribbean Service which departs from Miami every Thursday, will include a call at Castries, St. Lucia.

Stephen Bell, vice president of Seaboard Marine's Caribbean Division, said: "This direct, weekly service upgrade improves transit times to all ports of call within the rotation."

Additionally, commencing January 27, 2017, Seaboard Marine will offer a second weekly sailing departing Fridays from Miami to Point Lisas, Trinidad.

Since January 15, the shipping line has offered a weekly northbound service from Callao, Peru to Miami, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and Newark, in the USA.

Seaboard Marine provides direct, regular services between the USA and the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America and operates a fleet of over 30 ships serving 35 ports.

It has a specialised equipment fleet that is able to handle oversize construction and agriculture machinery, power plants and heavy equipment.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published on 16 January, 2017

Finnish Port of Helsinki set a new annual record for a number of passengers, reaching 11.56 million in 2016, up 3.1 percent from the previous year.

A total of 8.74 million passengers passed between Tallinn and Helsinki, and 2.34 million between Stockholm and Helsinki.

The port saw a total of 408,900 cruise passengers throughout the cruise season, a decrease of 6.3 percent compared to 2015.

“Traffic to Tallinn is expected to continue to grow in the future, and the Port of Helsinki is preparing by opening a new West Terminal 2 during February 2017. The introduction of the new terminal and the related two new quays will increase the capacity for fast traffic to Tallinn significantly,” according to the port.

In December 2016, a total of 931,100 passengers, 4.3 percent more than in December 2015, passed through the Port of Helsinki.

Furthermore, the Port of Helsinki recorded an increase of 1.9 percent in its annual cargo throughput, having handled a total of 11.62 million tons in 2016.

Of this amount, 10.57 million tons was transported in large-sized unit loads, such as cargo transported in containers, trucks, and trailers.
“This was the third consecutive year of increase in total cargo traffic and unitised cargo,” Kimmo Mäki, Managing Director of Port Of Helsinki, said.

Imports stood at 5.02 million tons, an increase of 3.8 percent compared to the previous year. Exports amounted to 5.6 million tons, a decrease of 0.3 percent.

Exports are expected to increase during 2017, as the export operations from the new Metsä-Fibre bioproduct plant in Äänekoski are started through the Vuosaari cargo harbor, the port said. These transportations will increase exports by almost one million tons per year, according to the Port of Helsinki.

“The merger of the Port of Loviisa, which is specialised in forest industry and dry bulk, with the Port of Helsinki at the beginning of the year will create plenty of new possibilities for cargo traffic,” the port said.

The Port of Helsinki is the main port for foreign trade and passenger traffic services in Finland.

*NEWS SOURCE

Freight Connection Pakistan Pvt Ltd, a OPCA Projects member in Pakistan, having vast experience and expertise in handling projects has been awarded this project to provide logistics services to Re-export Crawler Crane of  total weight 750 tons from Jobsite Sahiwaal, Pakistan to Xingang, China which was imported by FCPPL under temporary Import.

Freight Connection scope was not only limited to Ocean Freight but conducting Cargo survey, Arranging and loading of Crane parts on trailers, Transporting from job site to Karachi warehouse, they have completed the loading at site in 2 days and brought the cargo to Karachi in 3 days which is about 800 km towards Karachi. All roads permits were obtained during transit for the heavy package. 

FCPPL operation team was there at port 24/7 to supervise the loading and ensure no damage was reported during loading.

Project Details:

Origin: Sahiwal 02x660 Coal Fired Power Project
POL: KPT(Karachi Port Trust)
POD: Xingang, China
Total Cbm: 1935
Total weight: 750 tons
Number of Packages: 85 Units
Heaviest Package: 60 MT

 Please visit Freight Connection Website and OPCA Profile

Freight Connection Pakistan has become a part of the first pilot trade cargo commercial activity from Gawadar port under (CPEC) China Pakistan Economic Corridor “One Belt One Road” 

On 29th October 2016 the trade convoy of 95 containers departed from Kashgar (Western China) and entered on 30th Oct into Pakistan at Kunjerb pass. The convoy arrived at Gawadar port on 12th November via Western route. Another convoy of 66 containers from Lahore (Pakistan) arrived at Gawadar port via eastern route. The Chinese origin containers were loaded on Chinese vessel name Cosco Wellington and Pakistan origin containers were loaded on Pakistani vessel name Al Hussein. The containers were loaded on the ships destine for Middle East and Africa from Gawadar port.

Vessel Al Hussein was chartered by Freight Connection Pakistan (Private) Limited to load the containers at Gawadar port. The containers were transported from Lahore via Eastern CPEC route.

CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) is a revival of ancient silk route connecting East and West with the shortest land and sea route to the Middle East, Africa, Central Islamic States and Europe; the trade starts from the cold mountainous regions of Himalaya to the warmer Arabian Sea at Gawadar. The overall cost of CPEC project worth 46 billion US dollars will benefit Pakistan, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Middle East, Africa & Central Asian States.

Freight Connection Pakistan was selected as the company to arrange the ship, containers and transport them for the commencement of trade activity at Gawadar Port. It is a milestone for FCPPL being a part of Gawadar first mega trade convoy.

The ceremony was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif along with the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. The ceremony was attended by prestigious delegates from China and many other foreign country ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, cabinet ministers and senior Pakistan army officials.

  Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif Inaugurating the Gawadar Port commercial Operation.

Please visit Freight Connection Website and OPCA Profile  

Original news was published on 13 January, 2017

French Port of Dunkirk posted a new record in annual container volumes, handling 341,041 TEU in 2016, an increase of 7 percent compared to the previous year.

The rise is primarily attributed to “the support of leading regional shippers and the shipping company CMA CGM.”

Full containers alone rose by 7 percent to 221,196 TEU, according to the port.
Annual traffic for 2016 was over 46.7 million tons, an increase of 0.3 percent compared with 2015.

However, the port of Dunkirk said it did not escape the effects of the economic climate in 2016, which included the technical shutdowns, for maintenance, of the ArcelorMittal steel works blast furnace and the Versalis petrochemicals plant, the permanent closure of Société de la Raffinerie de Dunkerque (SRD) and the delayed opening of the LNG terminal.

The port further said it general cargoes continued well, with only a slight drop of 1 percent to 20.3 million tons.

Cross-Channel traffic increased by 17% to 16.25 million tons in 2016, while the traffic figures reached 16 million tons, falling by 2 percent.

Additionally, bulk solids went up by 1 percent to 22.1 million tons and bulk liquids rose by 2 percent to 4.3 million tons due to the arrival of the first tons of LNG.

Located on the North Sea, the Port of Dunkirk extends along a frontage of 17 kilometers and has two entries for shipping – Eastern Port and Western Port.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published on 10 January, 2017

THE Port of Montreal has continued its upward cargo momentum coming within one per cent of matching its container record of nearly 1.5 million TEU in 2015, the American Journal of Transportation reported.

"According to preliminary statistics, the Port of Montreal handled 35.2 million tonnes of freight in 2016," said Sylvie Vachon, president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority. "This corresponds to an increase of more than 10 per cent."

Large increases in liquid bulk and grain shipments also boosted total throughput.

The 2016 performance was outlined at the traditional annual ceremony marking the arrival of the first ocean-going vessel to enter the port in the new year. The vessel was the 19,986- dwt Chem Sirius, a chemical tanker operated by Ace Tankers and flying the Liberian flag which had left Antwerp on December 19. The vessel's captain was awarded Montreal's 178th Gold-Headed Cane.

*NEWS SOURCE

Original news was published on 08 January, 2017

Highway freight and vehicle traffic is expected to be rolling across the first bridge ever built between northeast China and Russia in less than three years.

Construction began Dec. 24 for the nearly 20-kilometer-long structure linking the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk and the Chinese city of Heihe, according to a report posted on the Chinese Ministry of Transport website. The bridge will span the waterway known as the Amur River in Russia and the Heilongjiang River in China.

The two-lane, cable-stayed bridge, which the two countries have been discussing since 1988, is expected to cost about 2.5 billion yuan and open in October 2019.

The bridge project is designed to support China’s Belt and Road international commercial initiative. Once open, the report said, the bridge is expected to play a role in a major expansion of highway passenger and freight traffic between Russia and China.

The bridge and other cross-border road links, such as an existing floating bridge across the river, are expected to increase current traffic levels by 10 times to 1.48 million people and 3.09 million tons of cargo by 2020, the report said.

*NEWS SOURCE