WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. Navy warships sailed through international waters in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first such operation since a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China which regards the island as its territory.

The U.S. Navy, confirming a Reuters report, said cruisers Chancellorsville and Antietam were carrying out the ongoing operation. Such operations usually take eight to 12 hours to complete and are closely monitored by China’s military.

In recent years U.S. warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have routinely sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of China which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government.

Pelosi’s Taiwan trip in early August infuriated China which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. China subsequently launched military drills near the island which have since continued.

“These (U.S.) ships transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the U.S. Navy said.

The operation demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows, the navy said.

The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command said it was following the ships and warning them.

“Troops in the theater remain on high alert and are ready to thwart any provocation at any time,” it added in a statement.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said the ships were sailing in a southerly direction and that its forces were observing but that “the situation was as normal.”

The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People’s Republic of China.

Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was followed around a week later by a group of five other U.S. lawmakers, with China’s military responding by carrying out more exercises near the island.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, a U.S. lawmaker on the Senate Commerce and Armed Services committees, arrived in Taiwan on Thursday on the third visit by a U.S. dignitary this month, defying pressure from China to halt the trips.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has sought to keep tension between Washington and Beijing from boiling over into conflict, reiterating that congressional trips are routine.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Taiwan says the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island and so has no claim to it, and that only Taiwan’s 23 million people can decide their future.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Kevin Yao in Beijing; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Source:https://gcaptain.com/u-s-warships-transit-taiwan-strait-first-since-pelosi-visit/

As reported by Alphaliner, the court of Ipojuca (eastern Brazil) granted APM Terminals (APMT) the purchase of a plot of land in the port of Suape, a satellite gateway for the Greater Recife metropolitan area in the state of Pernambuco , in northeastern Brazil.

In June, APMT bid at least BRL 895 million (USD 171 million) to acquire parts of the former Estaleiro Atlantico Sul (EAS) shipyard site, with the aim of converting the land into a multipurpose cargo and container terminal.

Maersk’s sister company plans to invest up to BRL 2.6 BN (USD 503M) in a new terminal with an expected initial capacity of 0.4 Mteu per year. Provided all regulatory approvals have been obtained, after a 24-month construction time, APMT expects the terminal to be fully operational by the end of 2025.

Suape already has a container terminal, the ‘Tecon 1’ operated by ICTSI with a quay length of 930 m and a design capacity of around 0.75 Mteu per year. Tecon’s main users are Maersk’s Brazilian subsidiary Alianca and CMA CGM’s Brazilian national airline Mercosul Line.

“Suape has great growth potential and our vision is to invest in a terminal that will add additional growth opportunities for the northeast region of Brazil. We believe that increased competition in the region will generate value for exporters/importers and attract new cargo flows, which will help the Port of Suape grow at a faster rate,” said Leo Huisman, APM Terminals General Director for the Americas region.

“We expect the market to benefit from the additional capacity, which could make Suape a “hub” for the Northeast, simultaneously generating up to 338 direct and 1,300 indirect jobs, increasing competitiveness and potentially attracting new direct services to the Far East. East and Europe”, said Leonardo Levy, Growth Manager for the Americas Region.

“APM Terminals is committed to Suape, the growth of the region and the Brazilian market. We appreciate the strong support for our project from the Pernambuco government, the local community, investors, and customers, and would like to reaffirm our commitment to investing in technology, new businesses, and further growth in the region.” Santi Casciano, Head of Growth for the Americas Region.

Source: Alphaliner

According to Alphaliner, Dubai-based port group P World reported 60% growth in revenue during the first half of 2022, largely thanks to container ancillary services and its feeder & logistics business.

Despite a modest 2.3% increase in container throughput in the period, group revenue reached $7.9 billion in January-June, up from $4.9 billion in 2021, while net revenue they were 884 M USD compared to 585 M USD.

DP attributed the increase to acquisitions, strong food operations and higher margin charges.
All three of the group’s main regions posted revenue growth, but it was highest in Asia Pacific and India at +66.8%, where ancillary container revenue was up 24% and Feedertech and Unico made strong contributions from their food and logistics business.

In the Middle East, Europe and Africa (+64.5% in revenue), auxiliary container revenue was also up over 20%, while acquisitions of Imperial Logistics and syncreon boosted gains. Australia and the Americas saw a smaller increase of +42.5%. The group expects growth to moderate in the second half of the year.

Overall, container revenue per teu was up 9.2%, driven by higher storage revenue.
The company previously reported a throughput of 39.5 Mteu for the first half of 2022, up from 38.6 Mteu a year earlier.

DP will increase its consolidated capacity (where it has a majority stake) by 1 Mteu during 2022 and gross capacity (including capital investments) by 2.8 Mteu; see the table above.

Source: Alphaliner