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Liebherr, a provider of cargo handling solutions, has announced its delivery of two LHM 550 mobile harbour cranes to East African port operator Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC). The Port of Maputo, located in the capital city of Mozambique, is one of the most important transhipment hubs in the region, handling all types of goods passing through East Africa. In order to support the significant growth of the facility, central port operator MPDC has decided to invest further in Liebherr’s LHM 550 cranes, following an initial order for two units in 2015.

During 2018, Haifa Port welcomed around 120,000 passengers. In 2019, it is expecting double this figure. This dramatic growth is on par with the overall tourism boom in Israel due in large part to daily flights from many destinations in Europe, North America and Asia. That said, according to Zohar Rom, Haifa Port spokesman and cruise manager, the number of tourists arriving by sea is still falling far short of the port’s potential.

The first stage of the new semi-automated container terminal in Vado Ligure in Italy will launch on December 12 capable of handling the largest boxships afloat today. It is expected to increase competition among ports in northern Italy. The new infrastructure jointly owned by APM terminals (50.1%), 40% by Cosco Shipping Ports and 9.9% by Qingdao Port International Development will start operating in its first phase with a quay length of 450 m, 16 m draft and four ship-to-shore cranes handling ships of up to 23 rows across. The second phase will be completed in the third quarter of 2020 giving a quayside length of 700 m, five ship-to-shore cranes and an annual capacity of 860,000 teu.

MSC Cruises inaugurated a newly equipped, co-branded terminal and a dedicated berth at the Port of Kiel in Germany on 27 April. The cruise line, which is the most frequent visitor to the Ostuferhafen berth, has rebranded both the associated passenger terminal and luggage area. Soon, the line’s passengers will have access to a second dedicated gangway for transfers between ship and shore. The opening ceremony took place on the same day as MSC Cruises’ 5,714-passenger MSC Meraviglia made her maiden call to Kiel, kicking off the start of a season of bi-weekly turnaround cruises from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and St Petersburg, Russia.

Orient Overseas (International) Limited and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (“MIP”) announced that OOIL’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, OOCL LLC and Long Beach Container Terminal, Inc., have entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement to sell 100% of LBCT LLC to a consortium led by MIP, for US$1.78 billion. LBCT LLC operates the Long Beach Container Terminal (“LBCT”) in the Port of Long Beach, California, United States.

The Port of Oakland will add new direct service to Vietnam by late April. Pacific International Lines (PIL) will launch direct Vietnam links using vessels that can carry up to 11,900 twenty-foot containers. PIL’s new service is called AC5 and is in partnership with Cosco and Wan Hai. New Vietnam-US West Coast service: Haiphong, Vietnam loop – Haiphong, Nansha, Hong Kong, Yantian, Long Beach, Oakland, Yantian, Haiphong (AC5) “PIL’s new direct service from the Port of Oakland is a good sign of increasing demand on Vietnam routes,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “Vietnam is showing strong growth in its import and export markets.”

Less than one month after Carnival Cruise Line announced it was pulling its ships out of Antigua’s cruise port, officials have reached an agreement that will bring Carnival ships back to the island on new terms. "The Government of Antigua and Barbuda representatives, having had further dialogue with executives from Carnival Corporation, fully understand and acknowledge the misunderstandings of the past," reads a statement issued by the Consulate General of Antigua and Barbuda on Monday. "Both parties expressed their desire to maintain the relationship that has been in place for the last 30 years." Under the agreement with Global Ports Holding, a ports development company, the cruise facilities at St. John’s, Antigua, would be updated and expanded in coming years to accommodate four mega cruise vessels, homeporting operations and improved shopping experiences within the terminal.

Transocean Cruises’ Astor arrived at Columbus Cruise Center Wismar, Germany on 5 May, marking the city’s first-ever turnaround call. The 578-passenger ship, which sails as part of the Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ fleet, arrived after a voyage through the Baltic Sea, allowing 334 passengers to disembark and 396 new passengers to embark before setting off on her next trip. The Columbus Cruise Center Wismar was well-prepared for its first turnaround call, handling all passengers according to International Ship and Port Facility Security standards.

Singapore’s PSA International, one of the world’s largest terminal operators, has won its first concessions on the eastern seaboard of North America. The company has finalised an agreement to acquire Halterm Container Terminal in the Port of Halifax, Canada, and Penn Terminals in Pennsylvania, US from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. The transaction is in the process of securing regulatory approvals from the respective USA and Canadian authorities. PSA beat out stiff competition from Canadian National Railway and CMA CGM for the Halifax terminal.

India has suspended operations at a major port on its east coast until an impending cyclone makes landfall on Friday, a port official in the mineral rich eastern state of Odisha said. India has started evacuating hundreds of thousands of villagers living along its northeastern coastline and also cancelled trains ahead of the severe storm. “Paradip port operations will be suspended from tonight, all vessels have been told to leave the port,” S.K Mishra, traffic manager at the port told Reuters on Wednesday. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Jatindra Dash; Editing by Sudarshan Varadhan and Kirsten Donovan)

Finland’s Port of Helsinki opened its new cruise berth with the help of MSC Cruises on 30 April. Located at the Hernesaari Dock, the new berth can accommodate vessels of up to 360 metres in length, which means it will be used by more than 90% of all cruise ships visiting Helsinki. MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia was the first ship to call at the new berth. MSC Cruises’ senior vice president Michele Francioni joined port CEO Ville Haapasaari and Helsinki’s deputy mayor Pia Pakarinen to cut the ribbon during the inauguration ceremony, “Port of Helsinki is very proud to receive MSC Meraviglia as the first vessel to call our newest berth,” said Haapasaari. “

(Reuters) – Congo Republic shipped its first iron ore exports on Friday from a rehabilitated deep-water port that will be used by Congolese billionaire Paul Obambi’s Sapro SA and Swiss commodities giant Glencore. Sapro mined the oil-dependent Central African country’s first iron ore in 2017 from its Mayoko project in the southwest and plans to reach output of 12 million tonnes per year by 2022. Glencore’s joint venture with British Virgin Islands-incorporated Zanaga Iron Ore Co plans to ship 2 million tonnes of iron ore per year through Sapro’s port and rail link over the next two years, and 30 million tonnes by 2024. Sapro, the Congolese government and British shipping company Ashley Global are spending a combined $550 million on rehabilitation to Pointe Noire’s deep-water port, the Mayoko mine and an old railway track connecting the two. At a ceremony on Friday in Pointe Noire attended by the mines minister, a ship loaded with 23,000 tonnes of ore set sail for China, where it will be processed for a European buyer.

The Arkona offshore wind farm has been officially opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘Arkona is an iconic project for future generations - built today!’ The opening ceremony was held in Sassnitz, Germany, on board one of Van Oord’s installation vessels, the company said in its release. E.ON awarded Van Oord the contract for the transport and installation of the 60 monopiles and transition pieces in 2016. Heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen completed these works safely, on time and to the full satisfaction of the client in 2018. The 385 megawatts wind farm is located in the Baltic Sea, about 35 kilometres north of Rügen Island, Germany. The offshore wind farm provides 400,000 homes with sustainable energy and displace approximately 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. This reduction fits to the goals set by the German government to reduce CO2 emissions in 2020 with 40% compared to 1990.

Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. said it added four reach stackers to ensure efficient port operations and optimize container yard space of the Subic port terminal. The installation of reach stackers is part of the terminal operator’s initiative to further enhance its capacity in handling unladen containers from the surge of imports, after being assigned as an empty evacuation center last year. “Our investments in global standard port equipment and systems help in maintaining robust operations in NCT 1 & 2 to meet the needs and demands of our partners,” SBITC.

The German port of Kiel has installed an emission-free onshore energy supply at its Norwegenkai pier. The new facility will provide Color Line’s cruise ferries with electric power on their daily trips between the German city and Oslo, Norway. “Together we are making an important contribution to keeping the air clean,” said Daniel Günther, Minister-President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. “By using onshore power, we are reducing the emission of harmful substances and greenhouse gases while ships are berthed in the port to zero. The state of Schleswig-Holstein supports this trend-setting project and will encourage further facilities of this type.” The Norwegenkai facility, built by Siemens, cost around US$1.4 million, of which around US$450,000 was funded by Schleswig-Holstein. “In future we want to be in a position to use shore-based electricity to cover 60% of the power requirements of ships calling at Kiel,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of the Port of Kiel.

Indian conglomerate Adani Group has won a 50-year concession to develop an 800,000 teu a year box terminal in the southwest of Yangon. Ahlone International Port Terminal (2) (AIPT) will be situated 50 km up the Yangon river from the Andaman Sea where the depths are 9 m quayside allowing ships of up to 1,500 teu to call. The $290m facility will be spread across 50 ha. Its first phase, due for completion late next year, will have an initial 150,000 teu annual capacity. Phase two, which will take an additional six months to construct, is expected to take the port’s total capacity to a maximum of 800,000 teu.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Government of Tianjin and the General Authority of the Economic Zone of the Suez Canal to develop the second phase of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) industrial zone, Mohab Mamish, head of Suez Canal Authority and the Suez Canal Economic Zone stated during a press statement on the sidelines of the forum. According to the memorandum, an area of six square kilometers will be developed to establish advanced industrial sectors within the geographical scope of the canal’s economic zone. In his statement, Mamish said that the Belt and Road Forum would serve as an example for those who wish to participate in the economic renaissance that has been achieved over the past years. He pointed out that this deal is expected to provide at least 25,000 jobs through the launch of nine industrial sectors in the TEDA zone. The company will immediately start to attract the target companies in the fields of textile, petrochemicals and plastic industries, with a total of US$5 billion, which will contribute to the providing jobs and increase investment, Mamish concluded. Source: Egypt Independent

The ceremonial keel laying for M/V George III and the cutting of the first steel plates for M/V Janet Marie - two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueled containerships was held t at Brownsville, TX-based Keppel AmFELS.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) has ordered a fifth Edge Class cruise vessel for its Celebrity Cruises brand from Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, with delivery in the fall of 2024.

Matson, Inc. , a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, has received three new 65 long-ton capacity gantry cranes at its Honolulu hub terminal at Sand Island. The biggest ship-to-shore container cranes to be deployed at any commercial harbor in Hawaii, the cranes arrived aboard a special heavy-lift vessel on Saturday and were positioned for discharge starting this morning. Matson's acquisition of the new cranes, along with the upgrading of three existing cranes and other improvements, is part of a multi-year $60 million terminal expansion and modernization project at its hub that is tied to the deployment of four new ships between 2018 and 2020. Built for Matson by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, the new cranes weigh approximately 1,290 tons each and will have greater lifting capacity, height and reach than existing cranes, which will enable full service of Matson's new, larger ships.