International ports

China’s ports were the star performers in the 2018 Top 50 Global Container Port rankings, with seven ports among the Top 10, in terms of total TEU handled in 2017.

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals, which has handled about 150,000 TEU as of August 2018, this month added nine, new rubber-tire gantry cranes, bringing the total cranes to 27, PSA India officials said.

Officials say alliance volume shifting from Bremerhaven could go a long way toward replacing losses in two areas — one business model-related, the other physical.

The two sides have different interpretations regarding how the direct port delivery system is faring and its cargo flow process.

Perhaps nowhere in the world, save India, is a critical mass of demand and resources coming together to produce a more-promising trade future than in Mexico. But to maintain that take-off status, Mexico will have to solve major infrastructure shortcomings, as well as address longstanding trade security issues.

Asia-to-Southern Europe shippers now have quicker cargo transport options than the traditional Shanghai-to-St. Petersburg route, in Russia’s Novorossiysk port and Ukraine’s Chornomorsk and Odessa ports. In addition, as the latter ports expand and deploy economies of scale, their rates may drop below the traditional route as well.

The latest tech upgrade at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust represents more good news for truck drivers.

Terminal de Conteineres de Paranaguá (TCP), also known as Paranaguá, is in an annual race with another port for the title of “global chicken export port king,” and its officials are not subtle regarding where they want to finish each year.

The Container Freight Station Association of India, which represents 27 container freight station operators, has urged authorities to deal with terminals’ disinclination toward the wider direct port delivery logistics operation at an upcoming stakeholder review meeting.

The Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center, which coordinates vessel traffic visiting terminals at the port of Hamburg, is launching collaborative projects to help determine if it is meaningful to continue bilateral information exchanges or to replace it with a central data hub to support improved terminal asset utilization and liner route and network planning.

Officials concluded that instead of a sudden, sweeping policy change, the port will work toward reducing free times for all "export containers" handled via inland container depots (ICDs) to six days from seven days and, depending on the progress, a further reduction will be considered.

Stakeholder APM Terminals Mumbai informed parties of likely delays. “This stoppage of traffic will have an adverse impact on terminal gate movement and traffic around [the] port area,” APM Terminals stated in a trade advisory.

Transshipment traffic is the cargo that is transported between an Indian port and an international “hub” port, when direct mainline connections are not available.

Direct port delivery — in which importers can clear their cargo direct from the wharf within 48 hours of landing at the port — is an integral part of the Indian government’s efforts to decrease cargo dwell times and increase productivity.

To date, five feeder vessels have left the port, failing to receive 1,168 TEU of export containers, as those containers did not reach the port yard in time.

After cabotage relaxation was implemented May 21, foreign-flag carriers became free to transport laden export-import containers for transshipment and empty containers for re-positioning between Indian ports.

The water level of the Upper Rhine is getting close to a critical point and barge operators are being forced to suspend their operations or only use one-third of their capacity, according to Hapag-Lloyd.

Businesses applauded the decision, terming it a “superb step” that will help the port achieve its goal of maximum use, around the clock.

The port of Halifax has three objectives in mind with its tech upgrades, and if the port is successful shippers and other trade stakeholders will benefit from all three.

An invaded ship is the latest job action by dockworkers at the port of Santos. They say they extend their existing three-day job action that ends Saturday if Brazil’s government does not agree to their pay/pension demands.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust handles the majority of India’s container freight and, as such, the government is extremely keen on reducing cargo dwell times there.

APM Terminals is in the midst of a whirlwind trade outreach program, with the goal of attracting more customers to its recent ease-of-doing-business measures.

The leading container ports still call the shots — thanks to the schedules of the three powerful alliances — but rival smaller ports are adding business and in the process are giving shippers options to northern and southern Europe.

Just when conditions started to return to normal for shippers who use Santos, stevedores Wednesday will implement a three-day strike aimed at securing an agreed-to pay increase.

It is another bad news, good news statistic for Antwerp and Rotterdam. The bad: an intermodal operator has warned that barge congestion is already causing delays of up to 36 hours at Antwerp and 72 hours at Rotterdam. The good: container volume growth continues to shine.

Protesters — seeking a special, community-based reservation program for jobs and education — blockaded all main highways and port connecting arteries.

Local trade sources said that labor groups are pressing for a reversal of an action by APM Terminals.

Shippers should be pleased by an increase in competition in several Baltic region trade lanes.

Shippers express concern about a recent spike in container dwell times in Vancouver, but Global Container Terminals Canada and Canadian National Railway say the fluctuations do not mean things will get worse during peak season.

A rule requiring electronic locking of containers and re-imposition of weight limits for trucks is riling Chittagong shippers.

Authorities at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust believe less free time for rail shipments would improve port operations, but shipping agents are dubious.

In a trade advisory, the port trust announced substantial tariff reductions for domestic and foreign ocean carriers handling export-import containers for transshipment.

Krishnapatnam Port officials have a specific objective in mind as they deploy the expansion and productivity improvement plan.

Port statistics show Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals processed 17 ship calls in June, compared with 10 calls a month since March, after the new terminal settled into a steady/seamless operation.

The suspension decision was implemented after delegates from the National Sindifisco and a politician close to Brazilian President Michel Temer reached an agreement.

Shippers that had cargo delayed at Canada’s west coast ports last winter will monitor that region's ports and railroads to gauge whether service and infrastructure changes have resolved all issues.

The government of India is pushing major, public ports on the east coast to take advantage of expected demand growth in a more favorable market environment.

Canada has an opportunity to create a national cargo gateway on its east coast, if it chooses the right project(s) and it correctly identifies where the shipping industry is headed.

Every year, during the April to October period, Chittagong Port experiences severe congestion, which causes a vessel backup at the outer anchorage lasting from several days to more than a week.

Despite a container consolidation partnership among marine terminals, inland shipping companies, and inland centers, barge operators say there's been little improvement in reducing barge delays during peak times — something one intermodal services provider argued was due to not having enough handling capacity during peak times.