APM Terminals Algeciras has increased the voltage of its power supply from 20kv to 66KV this week. This 3.2-million-euro investment will improve the stability of the electrical supply and enhance safety and productivity by reducing the risk of outages. The project was designed and managed in full by APM Terminals Algeciras, with support from The Port Authority and Algeciras Polytechnic School (University of Cadiz). Safety Improvements The terminal will now be able to take advantage of 100% of the energy regenerated by the cranes, in addition to monitoring the quality ...

The Suez Canal has been hit by a double blow. After absorbing the shock of stagnating global trade due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hit by the steepest drop in oil prices in 18 years. Consequently, the canal is no longer as competitive as a corridor for global trade. Three global shipping lines have already announced plans to reduce their operating costs by rerouting some of their cargo ships to take the route around the Cape of Good Hope. The concerned ships belong to the 2M alliance, which includes ...

China’s extension of port construction levy relief for all import and export goods, including thermal coal, till end of 2020 could stimulate coal trading activities and reduce costs for end-users, sources said last week. State Council premier Li Keqiang announced the moves May 22 while chairing the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress. The policy could reduce cost of production faced by utilities in electricity generation so as to safeguard livelihoods, he said. “Economic stimulus as such is beneficial for end-users as coal and electricity became more affordable,” ...

Jet fuel stocks held in independent storage in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub have risen nearly 10% in the past week to their highest in more than three years, data from Dutch consultancy Insights Global showed on Friday. Jet stocks, which stood at 845,000 tonnes, rose on persistently weak demand and rising imports from the Mideast Gulf, Insights Global’s Lars van Wageningen said. Gasoil stocks rose by 5.5% to 2.57 million tonnes, a 4-month peak, despite higher demand from inland locations as imports to the hub increased, he ...

The British Ports Association is concerned that the new quarantine measures announced this afternoon by the Home Secretary will stifle the recovery of international maritime passenger travel. There needs to be a risk-based approach to ‘transit corridors’ and recognition that ferry travel to neighbouring countries could be much safer than other transport options. Commenting on today’s developments, Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association said: Quarantine rules could slow recovery and kill off any opportunity of a summer recovery for passenger travel and tourism. We are pleased that ...

In its seventh weekly edition before switching to a new bi-weekly format, the IAPH-WPSP Barometer report confirms that regional differences are becoming increasingly pronounced in terms of the global impact of the COVID19 crisis on ports. IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented : “Our WPSP COVID19 Task Force members have been giving us a unique insight into the shifting impact of the contagion on ports in different regions of the world. We now see Asian ports fully operational and with promising signs in terms of a recovery. European ports are ...

North American ports generally have numerous safeguards and strong financial cushion on their side in being able to weather the sizable ripple effect of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Fitch Ratings in a new report. However, ports that primarily handle cargo are expected to fare better than those with substantial cruise operations, which are expected to have sizable downside risk. Global markets face growing recessionary economic pressures and North American ports are expected to face substantial volume stress for the balance of 2020. Seeing their exposure to demand risk and ...

In a first step of its kind and in partnership with the relevant government sectors, the Saudi Ports Authority announced the introduction of commercial routes linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ports and airports to transport and re-export goods internationally to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a global logistics center and a link hub between the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. Through this effective linking, the Jeddah Islamic Port’s deposit and re-export zone of the strategic partner and operator of the zone, LogiPoint Company, which is the ...

Nassau’s main commercial shipping port yesterday predicted it will suffer a “flat” 2020 full year after container import volumes for May to-date dropped by around 40 percent compared to the prior year. Dion Bethell, Arawak Port Development Company’s (APD) president and chief financial officer, told Tribune Business it was impossible to predict when the “the downward trend” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would bottom out and reverse. Although major construction projects, a key driver of throughput volumes at APD’s Nassau Container Port (NCP) facility, have resumed, Mr Bethell said subsequent ...

Ports throughout Europe have been hit hard by the current Covid-19 pandemic. This can be seen clearly in the recently published volume statistics from Europe’s largest ports. They are also feeling the knock-on effect of cancelled calls – in many cases up to 30 per cent. In contrast, the Port of Gothenburg has increased its container volume, there have been no cancelled direct calls, and none are planned. Figures published by the port authorities reveal that container volumes at the 10 largest ports in Europe fell by an average of ...

To meet growing demand for reliable, stable cold-chain handling of goods, APM Terminals Buenos Aires has commissioned a new cold-store chamber. The chamber can maintain constant temperatures as low as -35°C, making suitable to handle a variety of cargos including fruit, frozen produce and meat which require strict temperature control throughout the supply chain. “With the current COVID-19 pandemic, our cooling chamber may have arrived at a vital moment, given that cargo often have to be stored at specific temperatures to maintain their quality,” said Marcelo Siminet, Head of Operations ...

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) says no positive case of COVID-19 has been imported into Ghana through any of her sea ports. Dr Vitus Victor Anaab-Bisi, General Manager of Health Services Department, GPHA, revealing this, attributed the feat to the rigorous measures put in place at sea ports by the Port Authority in collaboration with other partner stakeholders including the Port Health Unit of the Ghana Health Service. Dr Anaab-Bisi indicated that GPHA did not wait for the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare COVID-19 a pandemic before ...

The Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company’s Board of Directors is implementing a new package of decisions to counter the negative repercussions of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an official source has said. The amendments will include changes to some line tariffs, attracting new shipping lines, and the replacement and renewal of cranes and company assets to raise trading rates. The company is also looking to obtain external yards, in addition to completing work on deepening berth 96 at the Dekheila Container Terminal, which will lead to improved performance rates and ...

Impacted by COVID-19, major ports in India witnessed a steep 21 per cent volume contraction in April and bulk cargo throughput may shrink up to 8 per cent in the current fiscal, ratings agency Icra said. It said the container segment may witness a decline of 12-15 per cent during the current financial year. “The Indian port sector has been adversely impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown introduced by India and other major economies. “Although, the sector has been classified under essential services and has remained ...

Twice as many reefer ships with conventional cargo are currently arriving at the Rotterdam Fruit Wharf in the Merwehaven. The measures taken in response to COVID-19 mean shipping companies have been unable to put enough reefer containers in the loading ports of South Africa. Consequently, these conventional reefer ships – with containers on deck and pallets in the hold – have become considerably more popular. 36 refrigerated containers – also called reefers – and 2,482 pallets full of South African fruit (including grapefruit, oranges, pears and lemons) were transshipped from ...