UK major ports’ data for 2018 shows stable port freight tonnages overall, with only a 0.1% difference on the previous year at 483.3 m tonnes. However, overall unit load traffic declined, partly due to a reduction of port traffic in passenger cars and new trade cars.
Essar Ports informed that higher capacity utilisation at its recently commissioned terminals at Salaya and Vizag, as well as an increase in third-party cargo will be the two key factors that will help the company achieve its target of handling 60 million tonnes of cargo by 31 March 2020.
Port of Hamburg remains on a growth course, achieving a 4.1% advance to 69.4 million tons in seaborne cargo handling in the first half of 2019. Especially good growth trend in the general cargo segment, up 6.1% at 48.4 million tons, was the main contributor to the excellent figures for total and container handling.
The maritime traffic in the Iranian ports is normal and according to schedule, said Mohammad Rastad, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban development and Managing Director of PMO, while cargo traffic in Iranian ports has been upward in the first four months of this year.
The outlook for global container port demand is modest growth and a number of uncertainties, but capacity expansion plans are also muted. This means that most world regions will face an increase in average terminal utilisation, according to the Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Review and Forecast 2019, by Drewry.
The Swedish Club in its August monthly safety scenario focuses on a large container vessel that was sailing on a SE course in the North Atlantic, bound for a European port. While sailing the weather got worse and the wind reached Beaufort scale 9, resulting to 7-metre waves. The vessel was hit on its starboard side, causing heavy rolling. The maximum rolling was 20o to starboard and 30o to port.
Chidambaranar Port, one of the 12 major ports in India, marked a new record by handling 1,80,597 Metric Tonnes of cargo in a single day on 27 July 2019, surpassing the previous single day record of 1,77,639 Metric Tonnes on 16 November 2017, the Indian Ministry of Shipping informed.
After remaining stable for two months in a row during March and April 2019, the global Drewry Container Port Throughput Index increased by three points (2.2%) in May 2019. However, on an annual basis the growth was lower at just 1.1% (1.5 points). A decrease in global growth and tariff war issues were the main factors that affected the index.
Manila-based terminal operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) equipped its Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) with another new quay crane (QC) and eight new hybrid rubber tired gantries (RTGs).
As Bloomberg reports, the US sanctions against Iran and Abu Dhabi’s competition are having a negative impact at DP World Plc’s ports in Dubai, who are seeing a less cargo volumes for a fifth year in a row. Drewry focuses on the fact that the Dubai’s container volumes have also been affected by the restrictions on cargo shipments to Qatar because of an embargo by the UAE and additional Arab nations.
