Tag: ports

Initiative for sustainability Port of San Diego tenant and partner Hornblower Cruises & Events has taken its environmentally friendly business tactics to the waters of San Diego Bay. With a fleet of seven vessels, Hornblower offers daily harbor tours as well as special event tours and charter events.The company is among 54 Port of San Diego waterfront businesses participating in the Green Business Challenge. The challenge - the first of its kind on the West Coast - promotes business practices that reduce energy consumption, water use and waste, as well as prevent pollution."Hornblower has always enjoyed the collaboration with the Port of San Diego and other tenants about environmental concerns," said Vice President of Hornblower Cruises & Events Jim Unger. "The Green Business Challenge is a great way to build a culture where we can share ideas and educate one another on projects that further the environmental efforts of the Port and the region."Hornblower also launched an eco-friendly boating experience with its daily "green harbor tour.""The tour aboard Adventure Hornblower is offered eight times a day and highlights environmental projects of Hornblower Cruises & Events, the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Port Tenants Association," Unger said.Hornblower is ...

Precautions in Gabon due to the preparations of the soon to be hosted Africa Cup of Nations A recent meeting of Port officials in Owendo, Gabon finalised details of precautions to be taken in an attempt to counter potential port congestion in Gabon resulting from the expected increase of maritime traffic due to the preparations of the soon to be hosted Africa Cup of Nations.Gabon has spent more than 500 million Dollars as it prepares for next year's Africa Cup of Nations which the it is co-hosting with its neighbour, Equatorial Guinea.Gabon is working around the clock to finish preparations before the kickoff on 21st January 2012. Although the main stadium has been completed Gabon remains hard at work preparing infrastructure to host the games.It is anticipated that the already congested port will see increased imports of cars, wheat, malt, bitumen, frozen chicken, fish etc during the games and has, with immediate effect, granted cargoes related to the games priority over all other traffic.More specifically, the ports' two main berths will give priority to Ro-Ro vessels carrying goods related to the tournament.Vessels carrying cargoes such as cement, iron, gypsum or other bulk cargoes will be obliged to discharge on the ...

For owners and operators of OSV vistiting California ports Amendments to California's Ocean Going Vessel (OGV) Clean Fuel Regulation have been adopted by the California Air Resources Board and enter into force by 1 December 2011. The Clean Fuel Regulation was implemented to reduce emissions of particulates, sulphur oxides and oxides of nitrogen by requiring a switch to cleaner fuels. It has been in force since 1 July 2009.The OGV Clean Fuel Regulation was already being challenged in court when it originally entered into force. The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) argued that it represented an illegal extension of the regulatory jurisdiction beyond California's territorial waters (usually three miles). In March 2011, the Ninth Circuit Federal Court upheld California's authority to implement the OGV Clean Fuel Regulation, concluding that such regulation is warranted for pollution that occurs beyond territorial boundaries but which has a substantial pollution impact on the state. The PMSA has now applied to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case on constitutional grounds. A decision has not yet been announced.An unintended consequence of the OGV Clean Fuel Regulation was that many ships switched from the traditional Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach routings through the ...

Cargo traffic at Chinese ports are up by 13.5 percent Cargo traffic at Chinese ports are up by 13.5 percent in January-September year-on-year to nearly 6.75 billion tonnes, according to Ministry of Transport of China. APM Terminals has been awarded a 25-year concession by Sweden's Port of Gothenburg to manage and operate the Skandia Container Terminal

Chinese oil companies have shown interest for new oil terminal in Rotterdam port The proposal is at an initial stage and has yet to receive government approval before it can proceed. If it comes to fruition, it will be the first time that a European port has invested in China, according to the Rotterdam team."China is a very important market for us, and we intend to expand investments step by step," said Smits in an exclusive interview.He said a new oil terminal in Rotterdam port, which is still under construction, has drawn interest from Chinese petrochemical and oil companies.The terminal will allow companies to get oil from Russia and distribute it to China and other countries with a high demand for the commodity, Smits said, declining to disclose the companies' names."We expect more Chinese investment in Rotterdam port in the next few years," he added.In 2009, the Dutch port surpassed Hamburg to become the European port handling the largest amount of container cargo transported between China and Europe.One-third of the container cargo that now goes through it is being transported to or from China, and that figure is expected to increase, according to the port.At a time when the developed ...

From 1 January 2012, it is imposing an entry age limit of less than ten years The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a circular advising that, from 1 January 2012, it is imposing an entry age limit of less than ten years on licensing of port limit bunker tankers of 600 DWT and above.In addition, with effect from 1 January 2014, port limit bunker tankers of 30 years old and above will not be allowed to operate in the Port of Singapore. Click here to view the Port Marine Circular 7-2011Source: Singapore MPA

Enhancing night navigation capability at Port Qasim Global marine terminal operator DP World announced that its facility at Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT), Pakistan's gateway to the world, has expanded its capability to allow it to handle today's modern, large vessels around the clock.New buoys, beacons and lights in the approach channels and turning basins to DP World Karachi's twin terminals at QICT enhances night navigation capability for vessels of up to 295 metres overall length (LOA), 33-metre beam and a draft of 12 metres, providing container vessels calling at QICT with safe and reliable navigation 24 hours a day.Anil Singh, SVP & MD, DP World, Subcontinent said:"Enhancing night navigation capability at Port Qasim is a welcome development for DP World's customers at our QICT gateway facility. Port Qasim plays an important role in connecting Pakistan's vast hinterland to its international sea routes. Making it accessible 24 hours a day contributes directly to the local community and Pakistan's economy in general. We congratulate the management of DP World Karachi for successfully working together on this achievement."Changez Niazi, Chief Executive Officer DP World Karachi, said: "We thank the Port Qasim Authority for its support for facilitating night navigation for 295m vessels ...

US Coast Guard admits it has no plans yet for dealing with containers At least ten more potentially explosive containers have been found at the Port of Seattle with a question mark still hanging over the fate of the growing collection of containers.Earlier this year maritime authorities reported that three reefer containersexploded or caused a fire, resulting in two fatalities in Vietnam and one in Brazil.The explosions were believed to be the result of contaminated gas added to the boxes' refrigeration units during servicing in Vietnam.According to local reports, a growing stack of 80 refrigerated containers at the Port of Seattle have been sitting by itself, isolated from the rest of the port for safety reasons.The US Coast Guard said it is working with the terminal operators to keep the 80 containers away from everyone, but admits there is no specific plan yet for dealing with them.Rudy Finne of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said: "I personally think it's ludicrous to have possible bombs at every corner here and have everybody seem not that concerned about it."The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the various terminal operators, said it is looking for a solution to checking each container to see ...

The Australian consumer watchdog warns The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC's) annual report on stevedoring operations comes as new terminals are well underway in Sydney and Brisbane.A new entrant, Hutchison Port Holdings, is expected to commence operations at those ports in 2013.The ACCC says the developments will be an important and positive step for Sydney and Brisbane's ports as well as the economies that rely on them.For many years the watchdog had expressed concerns that persistently high profitability and a lack of rivalry on prices meant stevedoring companies Patrick and DP World faced only limited competition.If container numbers continued to increase at current rates the Port of Melbourne could face capacity problems, similar to those observed at Port Botany, by as early as 2015, the report said.The Victorian Government is currently debating how it will provide for future container capacity and increased competition at Melbourne."Opportunities for new entry into Australian stevedoring are rare. This makes them all the more important when they do arise," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said."We would welcome the Victorian government taking advantage of the need for new investment by introducing a third competitor into the port of Melbourne," Sims said.The ACCC Chairman further called for ...

Improving transport logistics is one of the main challenges facing Chile Latin American countries need to look beyond increasingly large ports and consider logistics, Ricardo Sánchez, chief of the infrastructure services unit at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, said at a recent conference in Santiago.Mr Sanchez's warning was the second in as many days.Transport undersecretary Gloria Hutt told the 2011 conference of International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) improving transport logistics is one of the main challenges facing Chile."We have a very efficient internal industry and we have reasonably competitive and efficient ports. But we are missing the link that will help us make our logistics chains more efficient," she said. Source: Port Strategy