POST STATE CONTROL Archives - Page 3 of 21 - SHIP IP LTD

The grant comes as part of the department’s NetZero: Cargo Mobility Optimization and Resiliency Project.

The NetZero Program is a plan to convert the entire cargo movement chain to a carbon neutral operation, from PortMiami’s channel to its final distribution site.

The RAISE grant, awarded earlier this month, will help fund PortMiami’s intermodal rail expansion by adding two rail tracks and three new electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

Grant funding also provides for the installation of LED lights and the reconstruction of the stormwater drainage system to address sea level rise.

The program will support cargo gate improvements, including roadway realignments, gate canopies, and technology upgrades. Improved access and staging for trucks and new gate technology upgrades will allow for faster movement of goods and reduced dwell time for trucks.

“We want to thank both our Congressional delegation, who worked diligently to secure this funding, as well as the Biden Administration and Secretary Buttigieg for supporting our seaport and helping to grow our green economy,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

“The RAISE grant will help us attract more business to PortMiami and fuel our NetZero program, which is pushing Miami-Dade towards a cleaner, greener future.”

Source: https://www.porttechnology.org/news/portmiami-receives-16-million-raise-programme-grant/

• July throughput reached 935,345 TEUs, up 2.5% from previous record in July 2019

• August imports forecast to begin easing from record highs with retailers cancelling orders as shoppers rein in pandemic spending

• China factory orders just reported are slowing and top US importer Walmart cutting billions of dollars in orders to align inventory levels with expected demand

Port of Los Angeles saw a record throughput in July, with an estimated 935,345 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, outpacing by 2.5% the previous record set in 2019 and setting the fifth monthly record in seven months in 2022.

The Western Hemisphere’s busiest port, however, expects August imports to begin easing as retailers cancel orders in the wake of shoppers’ pullback from freewheeling pandemic spending, its executive director Eugene Seroka said on August 17.

Los Angeles and its sister Port of Long Beach handle more imports from China than any other US ocean trade gateways, and their forecasts are considered an economic barometer.

“Remarkably, we continue to move record amounts of cargo while working down the backlog of ships almost 90%, a huge accomplishment by all of our partners,” Seroka said.

“Even with the current rail challenges, our marine terminals are more fluid than last year. That’s due in part to our Port Optimizer data portal that allows our stakeholders to see around corners and tackle problems before they arise,” he said in a news briefing.

Seroka noted that the Southern California supply chain landscape has improved, noting ships are now waiting for space at many other ports around the country.

“Our terminals have capacity,” Seroka added. “For cargo owners looking to re-chart their course, come to Los Angeles. We’re ready to help.”

Seroka was joined at the media briefing by Matt Schrap, chief executive of the Harbor Trucking Association. Schrap discussed the impact of AB5 on California truckers, how to attract and retain new drivers and the trucking industry’s transition to cleaner vehicles.

Transport workers went on strike in late July protesting against the Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) authored by former Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez in 2019. Provisions in the bill require workers to satisfy a three-part test to be considered independent contractors.

While official July cargo volume will be available soon on the Port’s website, Seroka offered estimates on Wednesday that are expected to change only slightly when final.

July 2022 loaded imports reached an estimated 485,472 TEUs, an increase of 3.4% from the previous year and 8% higher than the previous five-year June average.

Loaded exports reached an estimated 103,497 TEUs, up 13% from the same period last year. Empty containers were estimated at 346,376 TEUs, increasing 5% from last year.

Seven months into 2022, the port has moved an estimated 6,349,248 TEUs, on pace with the record 10.7 million TEUs set last year, the busiest calendar year in its 115-year history. However, times are changing and the global economy is slowing.

“Imports will begin to ease somewhat. I expect to see that reflected in our August cargo numbers,” Reuters quoted Seroka in a report.

“China factory orders just reported were slowing and some US retailers continue to say they have elevated inventories,” he said. Incoming shipments at Los Angeles and Long Beach have been running more than 25% higher than before the pandemic in 2019.

Walmart, the No.1 US importer of containerized goods, said on Tuesday it had “cancelled billions of dollars in orders to help align inventory levels with expected demand.”

Seroka expects the port to handle fewer appliances, sporting goods and fixtures for bathrooms and kitchen remodels – as some of those purchases are not likely to be repeated in the near term.

“The heady days of growth in imports are quickly receding,” Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett wrote in an August 2022 report prepared with the National Retail Federation (NRF), according to Reuters.

While Hackett and NRF expect second-half imports at major US container ports to decline versus 2021, they project that full-year 2022 imports will rise 2.1% to 29.7 million TEUs, which would be a record, Reuters said.

“The takeaway is that harder times are ahead, at least until mid-2023,” said Hackett, whose outlook calls for the import decline to deepen in 2023.

Source: https://www.portcalls.com/la-port-sees-record-july-as-imports-ease/

RGST, which operates the largest terminal facility in Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Islamic Port, was selected by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Transport.

The Port of Chittagong, recently renamed as Chattogram, handled a record 3.2m teu in 2021, and is the busiest port in the Bay of Bengal, serving as gateway for 90% of Bangladesh’s import and export ocean cargo. The majority of import shipments are destined for the capital, Dhaka, 265 km (165 miles) away.

“The port also serves as the main gateway for Bangladesh’s fast-growing exports including its garments trade, one of the largest globally. The new facility, being built by the Bangladeshi government, will feature a 600 metre quay and will be able to handle three vessels simultaneously, augmenting the ship handling capacity at Chattogram port,” an RSGT statement said.

In 2017, the Government of Bangladesh adopted a “Policy for Implementing Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) Projects through Government-to-Government Partnerships (G2G)”, RSGT said. In February, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Shipping proposed a plan for the development of PCT based on the PPP model to the Saudi government which in turn nominated RSGT as the Saudi investor.

“We are extremely pleased to have been selected for this opportunity. The rapid growth of hittagong Port’s cargo volumes necessitates further investment in modern equipment, advanced technology and building new human capacity,” said RSGT’s director of global investments, Gagan Seksaria.

“This project fits well with Red Sea Gateway Terminal’s competencies and its expansion strategy for emerging markets. We are very confident that, through this investment, we will be able to contribute significantly to Bangladesh’s fast-growing trade and economy.”

A 2019 study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) into loan assistance it had provided to Chittagong Port Authority’s development plans found that the port’s strategic location made it an appropriate alternative to other ports in the region.

“Much work still needs to be done before the full potential of Chittagong Port’s gateway function for third-country trade… can materialise. The project’s envisaged outcome of increased container capacity was achieved,” it said.

“However, the project’s enhanced facilities were not able to accommodate the boom in international trade. Chittagong Port is still beset with lingering congestion problems and the new facilities have not been able to keep abreast with the growing demand for port services.”

In 2021, RSGT announced the sale of a 40% equity stake worth $280m to China’s Cosco Shipping Ports Limited (CSPL) and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). “Working closely with PIF and CSPL, we will accelerate our shared vision, further strengthen our customer offering, and elevate our mandate to meet the increasing demand for terminal and logistics services,” Jens O. Floe, CEO of RSGT, said.

Source: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/ports/red-sea-gateway-wins-port-terminal-expansion-project-bangladesh

Jurong Port, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific (MHI-AP), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and JERA Asia, a subsidiary of JERA, August 19 concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore establishing a 100% ammonia direct combustion power plant on Jurong Island, Singapore, which houses the country’s chemical and energy industries.

Under the MoU, a joint study will be conducted, where a 60MW class gas turbine combined cycle plant fueled by 100% ammonia is planned to be set up to produce carbon-neutral electricity, as well as stimulate ammonia demand to be ready for ammonia bunkering in future.

This MoU builds upon an initial agreement between Jurong Port and MHI-AP signed in August 2021 for a pre-feasibility study on ammonia direct combustion technology for green power generation, which was concluded successfully in March 2022.

In February this year, the Singapore government raised its climate ambition to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by or around 2050. This project is in alignment with the overall national decarbonization goals, as it aims to utilize ammonia – which can efficiently transport and store hydrogen in a liquid state at low cost – as a fuel to generate carbon-free electricity, and as the main bunkering fuel in future to decarbonize the maritime sector. The MoU will hence explore the viability and commercialization of ammonia for these purposes.

Ooi Boon Hoe, Chief Executive Officer, Jurong Port, said: “We feel this MoU could help pave the way for encouraging the adoption of hydrogen in Singapore through aggregation of demand across multiple sectors, mainly the power sector and the maritime sector, thereby addressing the chicken-and-egg conundrum of infrastructure versus demand needs for maritime and domestic power generation.

“This collaboration is certainly consistent with the spirit of reinforcing Singapore’s premier bunkering hub status – for current, transition and future fuels.”

Osamu Ono, Managing Director, MHI-AP, said: “Ammonia, which consists of hydrogen and nitrogen, is a highly efficient hydrogen carrier and can be directly combusted as a carbon neutral fuel, thereby contributing to the establishment of a robust hydrogen value chain.

“At MHI, we believe that ammonia and hydrogen are key fuels that can help countries meet their net zero goals, and this MoU is an exciting opportunity for us to contribute our technology and expertise to achieve sustainable development in Singapore and subsequently realize the global sustainability agenda.”

Toshiro Kudama, Chief Executive Officer, JERA Asia, said: “JERA is committed to providing cutting edge solutions to the world’s energy issues and is actively working to strengthen both the ammonia and hydrogen value chains. We believe this MoU offers a unique opportunity to support Singapore’s decarbonization efforts while advancing the ammonia technology development for carbon neutral power generation.

“Through initiatives like this, JERA will leverage its experience and capabilities to help countries to reach their net-zero CO2 emissions targets and to build a clean energy supply chain in the region.”

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/jurong-port-signs-mou-to-set-up-ammonia-direct-combustion-power-plant/

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) r on Thursday said that it has concluded plans with the terminal operators to begin the reconstruction of the collapsed berths at the Rivers Port in Port Harcourt with a view to enhancing productivity in the Eastern ports.

Disclosing during his maiden tour of the Rivers’ ports, NPA’s Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, said the NPA has given BUA Terminal; one of the terminal operators, the final approval for the submitted design, which means the NPA expects construction would commence soon.

According to him, the berths 5 to 8 of the BUA Terminal that were built in the 1920s, collapsed years back.

“They have really decayed which was why we decommissioned some of them, but the agreement is for BUA to reconstruct some of them,” he said.

Bello-Koko however said the NPA is dissatisfied with the speed at which BUA is carrying out the repair works as it expected that the reconstruction should have started a few months ago.

“We understand the need to plan properly but that plan is over and we expect that they should have resumed reconstruction on those berths,” he said.

For the Ports and Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited (PTOL), he said, the operator has a development plan that involves bringing down some of the sheds in the terminal to improve the stacking areas and increase the terminal’s ability to handle more cargoes.

The NPA boss also said that the PTOL terminal also has some collapsed berths, which the NPA is discussing with the terminal operator on how to rehabilitate, so that bigger vessels will be able to berth at Rivers Port.

“We are very serious about the need to increase traffic to the Eastern Ports, that way we can decongest Lagos Ports. Though, most of these ports have draft limitations and we are looking at dredging deeper so that bigger vessels can come and enable economy of scale. We are beginning to see increase activities in Onne Port, which we are happy about”, he said.

On the access road, Bello -Koko said there is need to rehabilitate the roads, which is outside the purview of the Nigerian Ports Authority, but that they are working with the relevant government agencies to see to that.

He said there is synergy between the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Federal Ministry of Works, adding that government is very serious about repairing all access roads to the port, which has happened in Lagos.

On using tariff rebate to attract patronage to the Eastern Ports, Bello-Koko said that years ago the NPA gave the terminal operators a tariff rebate that did not translate to traffic as relate to the port.

He said that his management is currently reviewing the request for 30 percent rebate put forward by terminal operators, but that rebate must come with conditions.

“We are discussing with the terminal operators and we may come up with a higher or lower rebate but we will put a timeline to see the impact of the rebate. Some of the terminals have started getting involved with processing export which is key to the NPA and the country at large. It is one of the things that would determine the amount of rebate to give to the terminal operators,” he added.

Source: https://shippingposition.com.ng/npa-plans-to-reconstruction-of-collapsed-berths-in-rivers-port/

The BunkerMetric acquisition will provide another key metric in StormGeo’s software-based voyage decision support services, based primarily on weather intelligence.

BunkerMetric’s procurement optimisation tool will now become a subscription service within StormGeo’s existing s-Suite, a service that includes voyage planning, route optimisation, and fleet performance management.

Software developed by BunkerMetric will enable fuel variables to be taken into account, including ports, prices, volumes, and fuel grades. Shipping companies will be able to minimise costs while considering other variables such as operational, commercial, and environmental factors, Alfa Laval said.

BunkerMetric CEO, Christian Plum, who set up the company five years ago, declared: “Combining BunkerMetric’s state-of-the-art optimisation algorithms and data platforms with StormGeo’s cutting-edge data science will mean valuable synergies for existing and future customers.”

Soeren Andersen, StormGeo CEO, commented: “BunkerMetric’s advanced procurement optimisation tool is a welcomed addition to our route advisory services, giving shipping customers timely data for choosing the best bunkering options. It will help optimise scheduling, fuel, and voyage performance.”

Source: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/bunkering/bunker-optimisation-specialist-be-merged-stormgeo