Ports News

International Car Operators (ICO), a member of Japan’s NYK Group, has started commercial operations at Belgium’s first shore power facility for roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels at the port of Zeebrugge.The facility entered service after a testing phase earlier this month, during which technical specifications were validated. The first vessel connected to the system was an NYK-operated pure car and truck carrier (PCTC).The project marks the first commercial use of shore power for…

A new engineering design and commercial advisory company focused on offshore wind, subsea transmission and marine infrastructure projects has launched in Ireland under the name of Insight Marine, targeting growing demand for specialist support across the global maritime sector.Headquartered in County Wicklow, Insight Marine has been established to provide engineering design, technical advisory and commercial services to offshore wind developers, transmission system operators, port owners…

A group of US regional partners have come together to form the Northern Grain Belt Ports Initiative.The Initiative, several years in the making, is an offshoot of the regional Corn Belt Ports Initiative, which works primarily with rural, regional inland ports to promote competitiveness, sustainability, resiliency, and integrity of inland regional port systems.The group consists of the Joint Board of Harbor Commissioners (Port of La Crosse), the City of Prairie du Chien, the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRRPC)…

Imports to the busiest U.S. container port in Los Angeles hit the second-highest level in history during May, as retailers rushed in products like plastic school supplies before cargo ship owners start recouping higher fuel costs from the Iran war on July 1.The Iran war has snarled shipping in the Middle East and reduced the availability of crude oil and its derivatives used to make plastic and other goods. Marine fuel costs have soared and some retailers and manufacturers are…

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved a $3.4 billion annual budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 for the Port of Los Angeles. The financial blueprint calls for increased investments in Port operational and community public-access infrastructure, as well as support for a range of sustainability and technology programs.The Port’s FY 2026/27 adopted budget is based on predictions of steady, yet slightly lower cargo demand of 9.3 million container units, 7% less than the current forecast for FY 2025/26.

A new joint study using the Port of Rotterdam as a case study “Enabling Nuclear-Powered Feeder Ships: A Joint Development Project on Port Call Feasibility and Regulatory Pathways” has found that existing port safety and risk-management frameworks could provide a credible starting point for assessing nuclear-powered commercial ship calls within a major European port environment.The desktop study, carried out through a joint development project involving Lloyd’s Register, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, CORE POWER and A.P.

ANTWERPEN was delivered to EXMAR, the Belgian gas shipowner and infrastructure developer, a ship powered by WinGD’s X52DF-A ammonia-fueled engine, reported to be the world’s first ocean-going ship designed to operate on ammonia fuel.The achievement is the result of a collaboration between WinGD, EXMAR, engine builder HD Hyundai Engine Machinery Division (HHI EMD) and shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. This is the first in a series of four newbuild ammonia dual-fuel midsize gas carriers, for EXMAR, each to be named after a Belgian city.ANTWERPEN is a 46,000m³ LPG/ammonia carrier.

China's trade in major commodities in May underscored that price moves are the primary driver of changes in flows in the world's biggest buyer of natural resources.The headline-grabbing number from customs data was the collapse in crude oil imports to an eight-year low of just 7.79 million barrels per day (bpd). The fallout from the war in Iran was blamed for the 29% slump in crude imports. In the months prior to the start of the conflict on February 28, levels of around 11 million bpd were common.The war resulted in the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz…

Escalating geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts are having a profound impact on international trade, subjecting supply chains to intense operational volatility, rigid compliance demands, and significant financial pressures. Out of necessity, logistics providers are taking a more selective, risk-averse approach when preparing and executing their business plans.For The Heavy Lift Group (THLG), a global alliance of specialized heavy transport companies, caution and pragmatism…

The Australian Trasport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has published an interim report from its ongoing investigation into the breakaway of four ships during a storm at the Port of Brisbane last year.Three large container ships broke their moorings, and one subsequently grounded, when Brisbane was hit by a fast‑moving, severe thunderstorm on the afternoon of November 24, 2025.A car carrier, which was in the process of mooring as the storm approached, was also pushed off the berth, but kept…

A maritime drone self-detonated on Friday in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta near an oil terminal, without causing casualties, as Ukraine accused Russia of jamming one of its vessels before it drifted into Romanian waters.The explosion was the second major incident in a populated area in Romania on NATO's eastern flank in just a week as the spillover threat increases from the war in Ukraine, which has been fighting against a full-scale Russian invasion since 2022.Ukraine's navy said one of its naval drones lost control while on a mission in the Black Sea…

Oil prices edged down after Oman said operations at Mina al Fahal port were proceeding normally, following a Reuters report that oil loadings had been suspended after an explosion.Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 24 cents, or 0.25%, to $94.79 a barrel by 0704 GMT after settling down 2.84% in the previous session.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was at $92.48 a barrel, down 56 cents, or 0.6%, following a 3.1% loss on Thursday.Both contracts are set to post their first weekly gain in three weeks…

A new hybrid, 350-passenger vessel is now in operation at the Port of Los Angeles, the result of a Port-led partnership with Harbor Breeze Cruises, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the Port of Long Beach.The Harbor Breeze Cruises’ El Escudo harbor craft features some of the newest emission-reduction technologies on the market. The El Escudo will be berthed at the Port of Los Angeles and serve the San Pedro Bay ports.The vessel features a parallel hybrid propulsion system, enabling operation in fully electric (zero-emission), diesel, or hybrid modes. It exceeds U.S.

From Congestion-as-Normal to Time-as-a-ServiceAt the Port of the Future Conference in Houston, Texas, I had the privilege of speaking on a subject that, at first hearing, may sound radical, perhaps even impractical: “Zero-Queue Ports – No Anchored Ships and No Truck Lines.” Yet the packed room, the close attention of the audience, and the thoughtful discussion that followed confirmed something important. The maritime world is ready to challenge its old assumptions. It is ready to ask whether congestion…

Cemex US and Port Tampa Bay, joined by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, have celebrated the opening of the newly expanded Cemex Aggregate Terminal at Port Tampa Bay.The expansion, supported by a $29 million Cemex investment and a $7 million Florida Department of Transportation grant, significantly increases the terminal's capacity to receive, store and distribute the aggregates used in concrete, asphalt and construction projects across the region.The expanded terminal moves aggregates from Newfoundland…

Inchcape Shipping Services has opened a new office in Brunei Darussalam, expanding its presence in Southeast Asia and targeting offshore, naval and logistics operations in the country.The company said the Brunei office will initially focus on offshore services, oil and gas tanker operations, navy-related activities and integrated logistics support services.Inchcape said it has also been appointed as the authorized ship-to-ship agency in Brunei by MPABD.The company said the office…

The Port of Albany-Rensselaer, NY hosted a half-day Maritime Summit that featured internationally renowned port, economics, infrastructure, and transportation leaders who addressed the issues, opportunities, and trends facing the transportation/maritime industry here in the Capital Region, across New York State, and around the United States.The Summit showcased the beneficial role that the Port of Albany-Rensselaer and other ports throughout the United States play in everyday life…

Several magnetic mines had been detected on a tanker in Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, Russia's Investigative Committee said on Monday.The committee said the mines, manufactured in a NATO country, were found by divers during an inspection of the hull of the tanker Arrhenius, which arrived from Belgium's port of Antwerp to load liquefied petroleum gas.Russia has beefed up safety measures in its ports following suspected acts of sabotage aimed at undermining its energy infrastructure.NATO has not mined any tanker…

CMA CGM delivered a resilient first quarter, but the numbers underscore the increasingly complex environment facing the global container shipping and logistics giant.The Marseille-based group reported first-quarter revenue of $13.23 billion, essentially flat year-over-year, while EBITDA fell 31.6% to $2.11 billion and net income dropped sharply to $250 million, down from $1.12 billion a year earlier.For the shipping division, the picture was mixed. Volumes rose 1.5% to 5.93 million TEU, but maritime revenue declined 8.5% to $8.02 billion as average revenue per container weakened nearly 10%.

"So far this year, ship transits via the Panama Canal have increased 8% y/y to a daily average of 38, driven by the tanker sector. Transits have been especially high during the past five weeks, rising 16% y/y, as US energy exports to the Pacific jumped,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.The Iran War and the subsequent reduction in Strait of Hormuz transits have disrupted exports from the Persian Gulf, tightening the global energy supply and boosting prices for energy commodities.

Diamond Gas Jade, a 174,000-cu.-m. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier invested by a joint venture under U-Ming Marine Transport Corp., held its grand naming ceremony on May 19 at the Samsung Heavy Industries Geoje Shipyard. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries, Diamond Gas Jade is equipped with the latest energy-saving environmental technologies and a dual-fuel propulsion engine. Upon delivery, it will commence long-term LNG transportation operations supporting global energy logistics.U-Ming Marine's Board of Directors recently approved the construction of four 210…

Aqua superPower and Tidal Transit have formed a strategic partnership to support the deployment of electric crew transfer vessels (E-CTVs) for ports and harbors serving offshore infrastructure, including offshore wind projects.Under the agreement, Tidal Transit will build and operate E-CTV vessels and manage offshore charging infrastructure installation, while Aqua superPower will design, build, operate and maintain shore-side charging systems at vessel origin ports.The collaboration aims to simplify deployment of electric vessel operations by combining vessel capability…

Drive into Corpus Christi and you can feel the paradox that defines many port cities: the waterfront is everywhere, yet the maritime business that powers the place is easy to miss — until you look past the horizon of tanks, docks, and ship traffic and realize you’re staring at one of the world’s most consequential energy gateways.By volume, the Port of Corpus Christi has become a central export valve for U.S. crude oil and a fast-rising platform for LNG — an industrial ecosystem that has grown at a pace few ports can match.