Ports News

Höegh Evi and Petroleum Sarawak (PETROS) have agreed to jointly develop, own and operate a proposed LNG import terminal in Kuching, Malaysia, targeting first gas by the end of 2029.The Kuching LNG Terminal will comprise a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), mooring infrastructure, subsea and onshore pipelines and onshore receiving facilities.The project will form part of the Kuching Low-Carbon development in Sarawak and supply natural gas for power generation in Kuching.

Port of Albany-Rensselaer, NY CEO Richard J. Hendrick was unanimously elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) at its Annual Convention in New Orleans. AAPA represents more than 130 public port authorities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.This is the first time in more than 40 years that the AAPA Chairman has been elected from the North Atlantic Region. Hendrick will serve a two-year term in this role. Previously, he served the AAPA Board as Vice Chairman and as the representative of the North Atlantic Region.

Marsa Maroc has selected a Liebherr LPS 550 portal slewing crane for bulk cargo operations at the Port of Casablanca, marking the first deployment of Liebherr's LPS crane series in Africa.The rail-mounted crane, which is set to enter service at the Moroccan port, features an electric drive and a 48-metre boom. Its portal design allows cargo operations while preserving space along the quay.The order expands Marsa Maroc's fleet of Liebherr equipment following the delivery of three…

Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) celebrated the naming of the latest LPG/Ammonia carrier to join its fleet during a special ceremony held at the HD Hyundai Samho shipyard in Yeongam, South Korea.Energy North is set to enter service on the second of October 2026, is the first under Nakilat's program to build six new vessels at the HD Hyundai Samho shipyard, comprising two LNG carriers and four LPG/ammonia carriers.Mr. Abdullah Al Sulaiti, the Chief Executive Officer of Nakilat…

PortXL, a maritime startup accelerator, presented the 11 startups and scale-ups selected for its 2026 acceleration program. The cohort was chosen after vetting a global pool of applicants of more than 250 startups. It spans three focus areas relevant for the future of port and maritime: Maritime & Offshore, Energy & Infrastructure, and Dual Use.Since its founding in 2015, PortXL has connected startups and scale-ups with corporate partners, investors and mentors across the maritime, energy, logistics and chemical industries.

"During the first three quarters of 2026, US dry bulk shipments to China have grown 104% y/y, driven by a 176% y/y increase in the shipment of grains. Volumes between the two countries weakened in 2025 amid rising trade tensions and higher tariffs. However, an agreement reached in November 2025 lowered tariffs on US grains and set import targets for US soya beans, allowing shipments to partly recover in 2026,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.US coal and petcoke shipments to China have also strengthened so far this year, with coal up 44% y/y and petcoke up 33% y/y.

SSE has selected Montrose Port as the preferred operations and maintenance base for its planned 1.4 GW Berwick Bank B offshore wind farm off Scotland, a move expected to create 100 full-time jobs.The new operational hub will be located at Montrose Port's South Harbour, with technicians and engineers responsible for the day-to-day operation of the wind farm over its expected life of more than 35 years.Around 30 additional jobs will be supported during construction of the base, which will involve redeveloping Montrose Port Authority's existing offices.Berwick Bank B…

Ports are looking for affordable, reliable ways to decarbonize while still getting the performance they need. Propane can be part of that entire energy mix — from moving freight to material handling to producing dependable power. Jim Bunsey of the Propane Education Research Council (PERC) visits with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, to share insights on how ports, terminals and even the workboat market [with a forthcoming conversion of the Erie class diesel tugboat Cheyenne to a hybrid propane vessel with electric drives] are increasing the uptake on this clean…

"Disruptions and strong growth in head-haul trades continue to support the container shipping market in 2026, but accelerating fleet growth could weaken the supply/demand balance in 2027,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.BIMCO continues to forecast two scenarios. The “SoH Closed” scenario assumes that the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed throughout 2026 and 2027, while the “SoH Open” scenario assumes normal transit conditions throughout 2027. In both scenarios…

"Caribbean Basin have year-to-date increased by 234 million barrels year-on-year according to data from Signal Ocean. This is equal to an additional 880k barrels per day, and a 45% jump compared to 2025,“ says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Adjusting for an increase in barrels transhipped via the Bahamas, we estimate that exports from the Caribbean Basin so far have added 210 million new crude oil and heavy product barrels. The increase equals 790k barrels per day.

The queue of vessels waiting to enter the Danube en route to Ukraine's river ports has grown to about 80 over the past five days, although the number of ships being allowed through the route is also gradually increasing, a shipper said on Monday.Russian attacks have effectively blocked Ukraine's main Black Sea ports, which once handled 90% of the country's grain exports, forcing Kyiv to divert cargo through Danube river ports with far lower capacity.Shipping agencies last week reported a growing backlog at the entrance to the Sulina Canal…

Contecon Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (CMSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) Mexican unit, has paved the way for the Port of Manzanillo to accommodate ultra large container vessels after receiving the go-ahead to handle ships with drafts of up to 15.5 meters. CMSA is now the only terminal operator at the Port of Manzanillo with this capability and is now able to serve vessels up to 400 meters long, including ultra large container vessels capable of carrying up to 24…

The American Great Lakes Ports Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards to advance shared priorities in domestic shipbuilding and commerce.The MoU marks the first formal partnership between the U.S. Great Lakes port and shipyard communities. By connecting public port authorities with leading American shipyards, the organizations will work more closely to expand the region’s industrial capacity, pursue new cargo and export opportunities…

The Iran war's redrawing of the global trade map is forcing Gulf nations to retool their investment play book, ploughing capital into infrastructure, from energy pipelines to ports, to weather the fallout from the conflict.The war has highlighted the Gulf's overreliance on the Strait of Hormuz, previously a chokepoint for 20% of global oil flows but also subject for decades to Iranian threats of disruption.With the strait virtually blocked for much of the past six months, a burst…

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had struck three cargo vessels carrying supplies for the Ukrainian military and a tanker at the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi.The ministry also said it had hit another cargo vessel in the nearby port of Odesa, as well as port infrastructure in Pivdennyi and Odesa and fuel storage facilities at the port of Chornomorsk.Reuters could not independently verify the ministry's claims.(Reporting by Reuters)

Marine fuel buyers entered 2026 facing a perfect storm, suffering some of the highest bunker prices ever experienced, paired with a sharp and concerning decline in fuel quality. Across the traditional marine fossil fuel supply chain, VPS has seen a marked rise in fuel quality issues, with the Middle East conflict playing a major role in driving both price volatility and quality deterioration. For ship owners/operators, the message is clear, today’s fuel market is not only more expensive, it is also becoming more complex and unpredictable, with a higher degree of operational risk.

Venezuela's dilapidated oil port terminals are imposing a de facto export cap on the country's resurgent crude production, with tankers having to wait up to 30 days to load because of ageing infrastructure, power outages and quality issues, according to shipping data, sources and documents.The delays are putting roadblocks on a U.S. plan to quickly boost Venezuela's oil exports following a flagship pact with global trading houses. The fight for infrastructure looks likely to intensify…

Insufficient planning and preparation and inadequate risk controls contributed to the grounding of a tug in Port Adelaide, an ATSB investigation has identified.On June 10, 2025, the tug Sea Pelican was in combination with the barge Rocksea, to maneuver out of the North Arm waterway and into the Port Adelaide River, in South Australia.During the turn, the tug was maneuvered wide and contacted a sandbar.The tug’s shell plating was holed, and water began to enter the engine room. Bilge pumping commenced, and the tug was slipped the following day for repairs.

Port terminal lobby groups in Brazil are urging government officials to allow dredging on the Tapajos River, a major waterway for grain exports that cuts through the Amazon rainforest, fearing a severe El Niño could leave one of the country's main export routes too shallow for barges.Global trading firms, such as Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus, move roughly 15 million metric tons of grains annually along the Tapajos, industry data shows. Brazil is the world's largest soybean…

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy was joined by Maritime Administrator (MARAD) Stephen M. Carmel, U.S. Representative Michael Cloud (TX-27) and leaders from Texas’ Port of Corpus Christi to kick off a new partnership focused on small modular reactor (SMR) technology for maritime applications. By testing the latest innovations in SMRs, the Department can help revitalize U.S. shipbuilding, cut fuel costs, and restore America’s maritime dominance.This is the second agreement the Department has signed since Secretary Duffy launched the SMR initiative in May.

Crowley, a provider of logistics, marine and energy solutions, announced a new weekly container service connecting Port Houston to Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala, and Puerto Cortés, Honduras, two of Central America’s largest and fastest-growing trade gateways.The Gulf-Central America Express Service makes its first Houston call on Sept. 10 with Thursday departures. Crowley’s vessels will carry dry and refrigerated containers that safely transport a range of fresh produce, apparel, industrial products and consumer goods from sea to land.

The Global Ro-Ro Community (GRC)*1, whose participants include Ro-Ro carriers and other stakeholders, and which covers approximately 80% of the transport capacity of the global car carrier fleet*2, has established the GRC Council (GRCC), a body responsible for the operation of the GRC. Since the establishment of the GRC, ClassNK has participated as an independent verifier. In connection with the establishment of the GRCC, ClassNK has also contributed to the development of its…

SOHAR Port and Freezone in Oman reported a sharp increase in cargo activity during the first half of 2026, handling 52 million metric tons, up 52% compared with the same period last year.Container throughput increased 40% to 545,000 TEUs, primarily on higher transshipment volumes, while breakbulk cargo nearly doubled to 1.24 million metric tons. Ship-to-ship cargo handling reached 24.38 million metric tons.Despite a moderation in dry bulk volumes, SOHAR recorded 1,555 vessel calls…