The world’s second-largest petrochemical port in Houston may command 75% of all US polyethylene exports, but expected growth in international shipments as a slew of new ethane crackers and associated derivative units start coming online this year has US ports a thousand miles or more away gearing up to nab a piece of the action. Last month Georgia’s Port of Savannah increased its ship-to-shore crane total to 26 — one more than the 25 at the Port of Houston’s Bayport and Barbo

Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) have reached an agreement to enter into a new strategic cooperation. The cooperation is a combination of slot exchanges and slot purchases between the three parties, as well as Maersk Line and MSC taking over a number of charters and operations of vessels currently chartered to HMM. Although the cooperation is outside the scope of MSC and Maersk Line’s 2M vessel sharing agreement, it “will pro

The withdrawal of Hanjin Shipping’s tonnage has not been enough to rectify the Asia-Mediterranean trade’s supply-demand imbalance and the new alliance schedules for next year do nothing to address this issue, according to shipping consultancy Drewry. Westbound volumes rose by 1.8% in the third quarter and the growth rate for the year to date is now registering 2.9%. Asian exports shipped to the West Mediterranean, including North Africa, grew by 2.8% between July and Septembe

A total of USD 33 million in State grants have been allocated to US East Coast PortMiami over the next five years, according to Miami-Dade County. The grant allocations will help fund the expansion to Cruise Terminal F into a mega cruise facility able to process more than 5,000 cruise passengers at a time. Funds will also be utilized for the procurement of three additional Super-Post-Panamax cranes, as well as upgrades to cargo terminal yards in an effort “to create efficienc

Back in May, BIMCO disclosed a projected “road to recovery” for the dry bulk shipping industry. The main message back then on what the dry bulk sector must do to return to profitability was, and still is: “Scrapping ships and no new builds is the fastest road to recovery for the dry bulk market”. As promised, BIMCO will monitor and report back to the dry bulk shipping industry on the progress made towards a recovery. 2016 must be the turning point in addressing the fundamenta

As Maritime Holland readers undoubtedly know, the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement makes no reference to the shipping industry. However, this doesn’t mean that the sector is not making its own progressive steps on the matter. The recent contract between Switijnk Shipping, a family-owned Dutch shipping company, and C-Job Naval Architects for a Flettner Freighter is one example of how the shipping sector is independently and pro-actively looking for sustainable shipping solutions.

The number of piracy and armed robbery incidents in Asia from January to September 2016 decreased by 65%, compared to the same period in 2015, according to The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). A total of 59 incidents were reported during the period, including 3 piracy and 56 armed robbery incidents, ReCAAP said. The situation improved in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, contributing to the decrease in ov

Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, the largest stakeholder of the group’s cash-strapped Hanjin Shipping, said Tuesday the recent shipping fiasco sparked by court receivership of the shipping line was “unavoidable.” “It was an unavoidable situation derived from the aggressive supply of government-backed foreign shipping lines and their low price strategies,” Cho said in a parliamentary audit for the state-run Korea Development Bank. KDB is the main creditor of Hanjin Shipping.

Today, the shipping industry finds itself in a sea of change. New international standards require vessels to reduce air pollution, meaning fewer emissions. It’s a challenge for builders as altering a ship’s power can sacrifice safety. How can the industry ensure that marine vessels remain safe while cutting emissions? A shipyard in Croatia is helping scientists to improve maritime transport. Founded 160 years ago, Uljanik is one of the world’s oldest shipbuilding companies. C

Air pollution from ships is a serious problem that doesn’t get enough attention. Kelvin Boot explains how environmental science can help ensure industry plays by the rules. Europe has an estimated 80,000 ship-visits to ports each year, and many of those ships burn cheap, low-quality fuel that creates polluting exhaust emissions, containing sulphur, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. This thick, dirty, tar-like fuel oil is what’s left behind after the crude oil has been r