POST STATE CONTROL Archives - Page 9 of 21 - SHIP IP LTD

Container xChange’s new Demurrage & Detention Benchmark 2022 report, published today, compares Demurrage & Detention (D&D) rates* imposed on customers by the world’s ten largest shipping lines across 60 of the world’s biggest container ports.

The report notes that global average D&D charges levied by container lines on customers two weeks after cargo were discharged from the vessel increased by 38% for standard-sized containers from $586 in 2020 to $868 in 2021. So far in 2022, average D&D charges by major ports have declined to an average of $664 per container by 26%, although fees remain far higher than pre-pandemic at around 12%.

The U.S. came out worse regarding D&D costs in regional comparisons in Container xChange’s Demurrage & Detention Benchmark 2022 report. By region, D&D charges in May in the US were the highest at $2,692 per container. This compared to $549 in Europe, $482 in India, $453 in China and $366 in the ‘Rest of Asia’.

“Throughout this pandemic, as shipping costs have soared and inflation has become a threat to the global economy, it has become critical for shippers to develop visibility into container operations to manage costs like Demurrage and Detention. China leads the world in maritime exports and even though it has some of the busiest ports in the world, they’ve ensured they are the most efficient – even during lockdowns.” said Christian Roeloffs, co-founder of Container xChange.

Shanghai, Qingdao and Ningbo – which are 3 of only 8 ports that increased in Demurrage and detention (D&D) charges in 2022, still exhibit a much lower D&D charge in general, ranking #43, #52 and #42 on the global list respectively. On average, the D&D charges at these 8 Chinese ports rose from $390 in 2020 to $700 in 2021 – a staggering rise of 79.4%. The average D&D charges for these 8 ports in China fell to $614, declining by 12.2%.

For Hong Kong, where the container congestion was the worst, there was a 105% hike in its D&D charges from $813. Hong Kong recorded a fall of 8.9% in its D&D charges, coming down to $1515. The trend reversed slightly, with D&D charges falling in some of the major ports but continuing to increase in Dalian, Ningbo, Qingdao, and Shanghai.

Yichang, Rugao & Zhenjiang in China are amongst the ports with the lowest demurrage and detention charges after two weeks.

“The main reasons for lower congestion in ports like Busan, Qingdao, and Port Kelang are higher port productivity combined with less COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, fewer imports were received in these ports, which have also fewer direct calls from the major shipping lines. This helped achieve better productivity. Port Kelang and Qingdao had equipment shortages during the pandemic, therefore, you can see fewer D&D charge occurrences. In addition, Busan is also one of the largest transhipment ports in Northeast Asia. And although its container capacity is the largest, a considerable proportion of its traffic is not destined to South Korea.”, commented Drewry, a shipping maritime research company.
Source: Container xChange

Paul Matthews took over as the new executive director of the Port of South Louisiana this past January. Matthews replaces long-time Executive Director Paul Aucoin, who served the port for over eight years and led the organization through record growth. He is the first African American port director in the history of the state of Louisiana.

Matthews has several years of port experience in the Gulf region. Prior to joining the Port of South Louisiana, Matthews served as deputy port director at Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District. He joined Plaquemines Port in 2017 after serving as the community affairs manager at the Port of New Orleans.

As deputy director, he helped negotiate multi-million-dollar terminal leases and facilitated the development of a private-public partnership to expand rail service at the Plaquemines Port. He also assisted in securing millions of dollars of federal port security and dredging funds and was involved in attracting grants for critical port infrastructure projects among so many other things.

When he took over at the port, Matthews said that he looks forward to leading the Port of South Louisiana by maintaining so many of the port’s successes and growth through focus on infrastructure, agriculture and the energy transition. Here’s what else he had to say in a Marine Log exclusive:

Marine Log (ML): Prior to your designation as the Port of South Louisiana’s new executive director, you held roles at Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District and at the Port of New Orleans. Can you tell us a bit about those roles and what you learned that you plan to keep in mind as you lead the Port of South Louisiana?

Paul Matthews (PM): During my tenure at the Plaquemines Port, I helped negotiate multi-million-dollar terminal leases and facilitated a private-public partnership to expand rail service. I also assisted in securing millions of dollars of federal funds for port security and dredging, and was involved in attracting grants for critical port infrastructure projects. As I spent more time at Louisiana ports, I quickly realized that community outreach was lacking. The people knew there were ports but didn’t know exactly where they were or what they did. I spearheaded a community outreach plan to bring awareness to our maritime operations and have continued to advocate for the connection between residents, industry and the actual ports. I’m likely the only individual to have spent time working at three ports in the same region. I plan to use the perspective I gained from working at those ports with great leaders as I work with my team at the Port of South Louisiana. Regionalism is necessary for us to all achieve our full potential in the maritime industry.

ML: How did you get your start with ports? Is it a career path that you saw coming or did you happen into it like so many of us?

PM: I began my journey in the port industry in 2012, when I joined the Port of New Orleans to spearhead community affairs. My efforts led to engaging more than 6,000 civic, business, academic leaders, and local, state, and federal elected delegations with maritime-related issues, such as economic and workforce development and infrastructure improvement.

I think if it hadn’t been for the advice and mentorship of then-executive director, Gary LaGrange, a career in the maritime industry would not have been on my radar.

ML: As many of our readers know, Paul Aucoin is your predecessor. Have you had the chance to talk to him about your role and was there anything valuable he instilled in you in preparation for you taking over?

PM: I know I have big shoes to fill as executive director of the Port of South Louisiana. Paul Aucoin’s accomplishments and the impact of the port on the regional and national economy are inarguable. His advice was simple: acknowledge short-term and long-term challenges, establish goals, formulate a plan while leaving room for adjustment, rely on your staff, and understand the board. Paul helped to continue the Port of South Louisiana’s success. My approach will be different, but no les impactful, of course.

ML: The Port of South Louisiana is one of the country’s largest tonnage ports. What’s going on at the port that our readers might find of interest? Any new expansions or projects in the works?

PM: Transportation is our business. We are truly multimodal, with access to land, air, road and rail. We’ve been focused on upgrading the road aspect and taking advantage of some of the federal funding available.

Infrastructure improvements to our Globalplex Intermodal Terminal include:

• Installation of two Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 Portal Harbor Cranes that will expand our cargo capacity to help win back tonnage and help with mid-streaming frequency and speed;
• Reinforcement of the dock that will increase weight limit and improve truck capacity;
• Internal roadway improvements to help ease use of our facilities; and
• Second access bridge to improve ingress/egress to our dock.

Additionally, we are supporting the following regional infrastructure, transportation projects:

• I-310/U.S. 90 corridor and improvements, which will upgrade 160 miles of U.S. 90 to interstate standards;
• Widening of LA 3127 that will convert the roadway from a two- to a four-lane highway;
• Installation of I-10/Reserve interchange that would provide a direct access to I-10 from Reserve, alleviating traffic in LaPlace and Gramercy; and
• Extension of runway at PSL’s Executive Regional Airport from 5,100 to 6,500 feet to accommodate larger corporate and eventually cargo aircraft.

ML: A hot topic at the moment is sustainability and greening maritime operations. Is the port tackling some of these green hurdles to become a more sustainable operation? If so, can you tell us more about that?

PM: We are poised to assist existing industry in making attractive energy transitions, including the introduction of alternate fuel for modern vessels.

We also support the initiative of green fuels/carbon capture. Wind and solar also play a part in making renewable energy successful for all. Our existing industry has already begun to try new ideas to speak to the green movement and we are prepared to help in any way we can.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/inland/ceo-spotlight-matthews-take-the-helm-at-port-of-south-louisiana/

The Port of Gdansk, Poland is set to cement its position as a top maritime hub in the Baltic following the award of a contract to build a new $245 million container terminal.

Spanish multinational company Ferrovial has announced that its Polish subsidiary Budimex – in a consortium with Dredging International – has been awarded the contract to build the terminal in the deepwater port of Gdansk.

DCT Gdansk, which is the largest container terminal operator in the Baltic Sea, selected the companies to build its third deep-water terminal, known as the T3 project. When T3 is completed, Gda?sk will be among the largest container terminal hubs in Europe, capable of handling the next generation of containerships in the Baltic Sea. This will reduce sailing distances for feeder vessels and provide Polish and regional shippers with more connections around the world.

“Once complete, the terminal will be the most advanced of its kind in the Baltic Sea and will reflect our commitment to sustainable investing and operating, with reduced CO2 emissions both from the construction and the equipment we will deploy for future operations,” said Charles Baker, DCT Gda?sk CEO.

The T3 project, which will begin in September, includes the building of a deepwater pier 717 meters long and 17.5 meters deep, drainage works and the construction of a berth measuring 700 meters long. It is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2025. The project will add another 1.7 million TEU to the port’s capacity, bringing the total to 4.5 million TEU. This will make Gdansk one of Europe’s largest container ports.

The investment will also involve the purchase of seven new STS cranes, capable of handling the world’s largest vessels, and 20 gantry cranes for the container yard.

Over the past three years, the port of Gdansk has been implementing a $3 billion expansion program aimed at not only securing its position as a top port in the Baltic but also transforming into one of the biggest port facilities in Europe.

Gdansk’s location positions it as a gateway port to Central Eastern Europe and as a transhipment hub for the Baltic, and it ranks among the fastest growing ports in Europe. Since the beginning of Russia’s war in February, Gdansk has positioned itself to help Ukraine rebuild its lost export and import channels, bringing a new source of cargo to the Baltic port.

In Q1, Gdansk surpassed two Russian ports to move up to the second spot in the ranking of Baltic Sea ports in terms of cargo throughput. It handled 14.8 million tonnes – an 11.3 percent increase – in the first quarter of the year. Gdansk maintained the first position in the Baltic in terms of container handling with 560,000 TEU, a nine percent increase during the quarter.

Source: https://maritime-executive.com/article/dct-gdansk-expansion-creates-one-of-eu-s-largest-container-terminals

MIS Marine, the maritime industry’s leading Marine Assurance technology company, has launched its new entry-level product, Mainstay Core. In addition to providing consolidated vetting data that enables faster and more efficient decision-making, Mainstay Core provides a comprehensive snapshot view of sanction data to support compliance for ship charterers, and minimise the risks for ports and terminals.

Previously only available as a premium subscription platform, MIS Marine has broadened accessibility to its Mainstay product suite with a comprehensive entry-level option at a time when the maritime industry is facing more than 2,000 sanctions due to the Ukraine crisis.

Through standardised but configurable risk policies, Mainstay Core provides full access to Marine Assurance data sources, enabling effective and simple screening processes and streamlined third party communication. With an intuitive Review screen, one-click decision making and colour coded document status indicators, vetting operations are streamlined and time efficient – helping charterers, ports and terminals to make the right decision, faster.

Providing a complete data view, responsive compliance tracking and ultimately streamlining vetting operations, Mainstay Core underpins vetting processes for tankers, barges and offshore vessels and their related companies, providing berth-to-berth assurance of an entire journey, contract, or project.

MIS Marine launches Mainstay Core to provide accessible support for ship charterers, ports and terminals facing new additional sanctions

Dominic McKnight Hardy, Managing Director at MIS Marine, said: “Today, Marine Assurance is more than vetting. It’s about understanding your complete risk profile. Those risks come in many forms, from compliance and regulatory failings to indirect business with a sanctioned entity. Through its sanctioned data tracking, Mainstay Core automatically alerts you to any sanctions and compliance threats, helping you stay informed of every detail that could affect a vessel’s suitability and jeopardise your reputation.”

Mainstay Core collects and presents multiple sources of up-to-date industry data – OCIMF (SIRE, BIRE and OVID), IHS, USCG, AIS Tracking and sanctions.

Since 2009, MIS Marine has developed advanced Marine Assurance solutions to support the drive for better standards and ensure compliance with regulatory targets is achieved across the maritime industry. The company also developed and delivers the cutting-edge solution Mainstay Pro – which formed the foundation for Mainstay Core – that includes more advanced features and in-depth capabilities to support Marine Assurance operations.
Source: MIS Marine

Takeover talks between Mediterranean Shipping Company and Global Ports Holding have been terminated. The operator primarily of cruise ports around the world as well as some container terminals announced today that it has been notified by MSC that the shipping company’s shipping services company does not intend to make an offer for GHP.

A month ago, GHP announced that its majority shareholder, Global Yat?r?m Holding, had been approached by SAS Shipping Agencies Services Sarl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Holdings about making a potential cash offer to acquire GHP. At the time, the company said discussions were ongoing between the companies. Under rules governing the process, MSC had till July 13 to “either announce a firm intention to make an offer,” or to announce that they did not intend to make an offer for GPH. The deadline, however, could have been extended with the consent of the takeover panel.

Commenting on their plans for GHP now that the talks have been concluded, Mehmet Kutman, Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman of GPH said, “The board is wholly committed to the successful execution of our long-term strategy to grow the business and create value for all shareholders while providing industry-leading investment and service levels at our cruise ports for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

GPH intends to continue its strategic direction as an independent port operator with open access cruise port concessions and arm’s length treatment of berthing rights for all its customers. The GPH board said it is focused on the delivery of its strategic goals and long-term value creation, which reflects the strength of GPH and its growing network of cruise ports.

Similar to other cruise-related businesses, Global Ports reported that it was greatly impacted by the nearly two-year suspension of many cruise operations during the pandemic and due to the ongoing impact on the industry. Only recently have most of the cruise lines been able to restart nearly all of their ships, but even still passenger counts remain down compared to before the pandemic. The company used the time during the suspension in the global cruise industry to continue to enhance its portfolio but also reported that it was in refinancing discussions with its bondholders.

The company reported yesterday that it has grown the total number of cruise ports it operates to 22 across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, South Atlantic, Asia, and Northern European cruise regions. Their latest agreement forms a joint venture with the company’s local partner Sepcan S.L. and has agreed to the terms of a 40-year concession agreement to operate Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Cruise Port, Canary Islands, Spain. GHP will hold 80 percent of the JV company and has agreed to invest approximately €40 million into constructing a new cruise terminal in Las Palmas and modular terminal facilities in Arrecife and Fuerteventura.

Management continues to believe that strong opportunities exist as an independent port operator. The company looks to use its portfolio enhancements along with its strong position with key ports to benefit as the cruise industry continues its recovery and resumes its long-term growth.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/msc-ends-takeover-talks-for-cruise-port-operator-global-ports-holdings

The first modern Russian cruise ship operation is scheduled to start service on July 16 cruising from the Black Sea port of Sochi.  The Astoria Grande is scheduled to operate a total of 16 weekly cruises in cooperation with a Turkish company as they seek to build the Russian tourism industry.

Launched in 1996 as the first AIDA cruise ship, the 38,500 gross ton ship was acquired by Russian investors in 2021 from Carnival Corporation. She had been idle since 2020 due to the pandemic when Carnival decided to sell the ship as part of its accelerated efforts at fleet modernization. The unique cruise ship had sailed for the German AIDA cruise brand helping to establish one of the fastest-growing brands in the corporation.

The cruise ship was built by what is today Meyer Turku in Finland for a former East German tour company as a new concept in cruising based on the popular German holiday camp clubs. Aboard the cruise ship has a very relaxed atmosphere and playful décor along with a focus on fitness and entertainment. Foodservice is mostly at two casual buffet restaurants with large communal tables. Keeping with German-style there were beer taps in each restaurant with the beer and soft drinks included in the price of the cruise. Marketing was limited to German-speaking travelers.

AIDA, later AIDAcara, sailed with AIDA for 25 years before being sold (AIDA)

At 634 feet in length, the ship also became distinctive for its unusual hull art at a time when few cruise ships featured any illustrations on their hulls. Rostock-based graphic designer Feliks Büttner created the design for the distinctive lips, eyes, and waves on the hull inspired by the classic opera AIDA, for which the ship and brand were named. Know as the “kiss” the art remains a central feature on the hull of all of AIDA’s cruise ships.

After briefly being owned by Norwegian Cruise Line, AIDA was acquired by Britain’s P&O in 2001 and later became part of Carnival Corporation through the merger with P&O. The original ship, which sailed as AIDA till 2001, served as the model for newer cruise ships that began the expansion of the brand. From 2001 to 2020 the first ship operated as AIDAcara and was later used to develop new itineraries that focused on exploration and longer lengths.

After being acquired in July 2021 by Russian investors, the cruise ship was refitted and recently arrived in Sochi to prepare for its introduction as Astoria Grande. “Now all the port services of the city of Sochi and the liner’s personnel are undergoing final training before leaving for the first cruise,” explained Orkan Kayarkh, general manager of Astoria Grande.

The Russian company is partnering with Miray Cruises of Turkey to launch the new cruise program. Miray also operates a cruise ship based in Turkey for the domestic market. Cruises aboard the Astoria Grande will depart through the end of October 2022.

Astoria Grande will be sailing from Sochi to ports in Turkey (Astoria Grande)

The Russian cruise ship will operate week-long cruises and because of safety concerns, they are emphasizing that the ship will only be sailing in the southern and eastern parts of the Black Sea. They point out that more than 100 ships a day are passing through the areas where they will be sailing. All the ports will be in Turkey, with the itineraries including calls in Istanbul, Sinop, Cesme, and Trabzon as well as the resort island of Bocaada. Passengers can choose between two similar itineraries or combine them into a two-week cruise.

In the Soviet era, there were many cruise ships built in the east and used to provide vacations or transportation. The operations, however, did not survive the end of the Soviet Union with most of the ships sold and only a few attempts to establish a Russian cruise operation. Currently, there are no plans to market the Astoria Grande outside of Russia.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/russia-s-first-modern-cruises-launch-sailing-on-black-sea

This year, Taiwan’s Maritime Port Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) cooperated to invite professional design teams, UPGA WA-Archi., Bohan Design, and Benzhi Design Consultant, to jointly carry out a makeover for Penghu South Sea Transportation & Tourism Waiting Room.

One of the bright spots in the entire space are Taiwanese brand NakNak’s ocean waste seats. The seats are made from over 70,000 PET bottles collected from Taiwan’s surrounding seas, which are mixed with materials like oyster shell powder and Styrofoam to make the circular material, showing that ocean sustainability has always been an issue of concern of Taiwanese design.

The Magong Ferry Terminal, Public Transportation Office at Magong Third Fishing Harbor (South Sea Transportation & Tourism Waiting Room) is an important transportation hub of Taiwan’s outlying islands, as well as the transfer station for natives and tourists visiting Qimei and Wangan.

Built in 2009, Penghu South Sea Transportation & Tourism Waiting Room had never gone through any renovations in the past 13 years. However, problems like unclear signage system, scattered ticket information, and conflicting queues, had made this outdated waiting room incapable of handling the increasing number of passengers.

The design teams targeted ticketing service procedures, architectural space, and onboard experience for survey and research, identifying 11 pain points.

Moreover, through analyzing user behaviors and combing through information of ships, ticketing, and public announcements, the design teams proposed several key makeover plans: for ticketing service, enhanced electronic displays and bulletin boards are used to bring together randomly posted information that resembled patches; color blocks on the floor will offer queuing citizens directions, enabling them to intuitively find their way when purchasing tickets, and minimizing conflicting traffics.

For the exterior of the building, design by subtraction is adopted. The old detention pond is removed to make way for a new recreational platform, and the color tone of the façade has been changed to white, making the building more eye-catching and the entrance much brighter.

For the interior, original features of elevated ceiling and central axis are preserved, and the new design also features the white color tone of the exterior, removing the gloomy colors of the old waiting room and making the entire space brighter and warmer.

The ticketing service counter is inspired by Penghu’s local material, basalt, and are painted grey, so the ticket counter stands out in the white space. Also, in terms of universal design, in addition to adjusting the height of service buzzer and adding Braille labels, luggage locks have also been added in washrooms for the convenience of passengers with large pieces of luggage.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/taiwan-uses-70000-pet-bottles-salvaged-from-ocean-to-make-seats/