International ports

Yisrael Katz, Israel’s transportation minister, has announced that tenders for the construction and operation of two new ports will be issued by July 1, Haaretz reports.

Like a gardener pruning a rosebush, Sears Holdings continuously prunes and reshapes its supply chain to reduce the cost of sourcing and cut the time it takes to get products into its stores. It’s all part of the $42 billion retailer’s move toward a just-in-time supply chain.

The drop in Hong Kong’s container throughput last month indicates a structural problem exacerbated by a strike at one of the terminals last month, according to one port operator, South China Morning Post reports.

The Port of Rotterdam said the European Union’s proposal to appoint a supervisor for ports in every member state will increase bureaucracy on the waterfront.

The European Union is sending a strong signal that it intends to improve service standards and efficiency at ports to spread traffic more evenly across the European waterfront and ease congestion.

Rotterdam today officially opened the first phase of Maasvlakte 2, Europe’s largest container terminal hub, which is expected to unleash a fierce battle for cargo across the Le Havre-Hamburg port range at a time of sluggish traffic growth.

Rebecca Blank, U.S. acting commerce secretary, has wrapped up her week-long Latin America trade mission in Panama, which highlighted the importance of the U.S.-Panama bilateral trade relationship.

SFK Group will expand its existing operations in Charleston County, S.C., representing an investment of $3 million.

The North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group, a collaboration of five U.S. and Canadian apparel and retail associations, has outlined a set of proposals to further its commitment to improving worker safety in Bangladesh...

LONG BEACH, Calif. — As North American container ports compete fiercely for market share, it’s becoming clear that the winners will be those that reliably and efficiently handle mega-ships on the water and land side of the berths.

Meridian Port Services container terminal in Tema, Ghana, is currently erecting five Konecranes rubber-tire gantry cranes.

The Port of Hamburg handled 32.8 million tons of seaborne cargo in the first three months of 2013, putting the German port “back on a growth course,” fueled in particular by a 6.3 percent year-over-year increase in bulk cargo.

The Port of Montreal has applauded a Canadian Coast Guard decision authorizing the passage of vessels up to 44 meters (about 144 feet) wide in the Quebec-Montreal section of the St. Lawrence navigation channel.

The Busan Port Authority recently completed a review of productivity at 10 container terminals as part of a plan to increase the port’s competitiveness.

India’s Chennai Port Authority plans to seek fresh proposals from all seven pre-qualified bidders for the construction of its long-planned third container terminal, currently estimated to cost Rs. 3,686 crore (approximately $682 million).

Bob Goldfield, CEO of the Port of Dover’s harbor board, will step down on May 31, 2013, after 11 years in the post.

The Montreal Port Authority has applauded the dual announcement made by Sylvain Gaudreault, Quebec minister of transport and minister of municipal affairs for regions and land occupancy...

India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Shipping for setting up a new deep-draft port at Sagar Island in West Bengal through a public-private partnership.

The Indian Ports Association reported container throughput at major ports fell about 4 percent year-over-year in April, the first month of fiscal year 2013-14.

JadeWeserport in Germany has handled 33,000 containers since it opened in September 2012...

NUTEP, a container terminal operator in the Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk, has completed the latest phase of its development program with the upgrade of its railway facilities.

The number of foreign trade containers handled by the Port of Kobe in western Japan fell 1.3 percent in 2012 from a year earlier to about 2.071 million 20-foot equivalent unit, according to preliminary figures released by the Kobe municipal government.

Cargo throughput at India’s Port of Mumbai plunged about 30 percent year-over-year in April, the first month of fiscal year 2013-14, according to the latest provisional figures released by the port authority.

Hong Kong’s Hutchison Port Holdings and French shipping group CMA CGM are among the four bidders shortlisted for the contract to build and operate a third container terminal at the Port of Melbourne, Australia.

Abu Dhabi’s new Khalifa super port could eventually rival DP World’s neighboring Jebel Ali for Middle East container shipping hub status.

Rotterdam handled 4 percent more ocean containers in the first quarter than a year ago, but an increasing number were empty because of the continuing economic downturn across Europe.

Antwerp’s container traffic declined 2.8 percent in the first quarter from a year ago even as total throughput was up 1.4 percent on sharply higher liquid bulk shipments.

Ka-shing Li, a Chinese billionaire with investments in container port facilities around the world, including in Hong Kong, has moved to end a four-week strike at his docks in Hong Kong by hiring new workers...

India’s Cochin Port Authority has completed a dredging project to allow the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal to handle deep-draft ships.

Spurred by new, heightened concern about extreme weather events, discussion groups such as the World Economic Forum and the Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals have intensified their efforts to create comprehensive frameworks and common standards for evaluating and enacting risk-mitigation initiatives that are proactive and strategic, rather than reactive or tactical.

Trinity Industries has acquired the assets of Forjas Metálicas for about $23 million, plus assumption of certain specific liabilities.

The Port of Koper, Slovenia, reported container throughput in the first three months of 2013 totaling 146,903 20-foot-equivalent units, down 3.4 percent compared with 152,072 TEUs in the same period in 2012.

As customer expectations for improved service and rapid fulfillment of orders in the e-commerce space increase, retailers of all sizes must achieve excellence in their supply chains, according to a logistics expert.

The Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia reported container traffic in the first quarter of 2013 was 112,670 20-foot-equivalent units, jumping 26.3 percent from 89,214 TEUs in the first quarter of 2012.

India’s Tuticorin Port Authority on Thursday awarded a contract to Hyderabad-based Transstroy-OJSC Consortium for the construction of two new general cargo berths at the southeastern port.

The Port of Brisbane, Australia, will increase trade charges, on average, by 2.5 percent, starting July 1.

EuroFruitPorts, the refrigerated fruit terminal that recently opened in Belgium’s Port of Antwerp, has opened its cold storage facilities.

Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors have completed the first stage of the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Maasvlakte 2 expansion in the Netherlands.

Ongoing congestion at India’s gateway Port of Chennai is continuing to drive demand for alternative port options on India’s east coast.