Ports and Geopolitics Driving Container Fleet Renewal
This week, container ship ordering news was dominated by the order by Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) for eight 13,400 TEU container ships.In a newly released report, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) notes that the container fleet is aging. As of August 2025, the average fleet age of the top 10 shipping lines is relatively mature at around 13 years old, although there is variation amongst the different shipping companies. Evergreen and HMM currently operate the youngest fleet with an average age of nine years…
Panama Canal Begins Industry Engagement for the Development of Port Terminals
The Panama Canal launched a consultation process with representatives of the maritime industry to identify potential partners interested in developing port terminals on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the waterway.Following a process similar to that followed for the introduction of the gas pipeline project, the Panama Canal convened a group of representatives from companies with proven experience in container port operations and container shipping lines.According to institutional rules and regulations…
GCMD Demonstrates End-to-End Value Chain for Onboard CCS
The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation successfully completed the world’s first maritime pilot demonstrating the full value chain of onboard captured carbon dioxide (CO2) in China.The pilot encompassed two phases. In the first phase, Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology (SMDERI-QET) conducted a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of 25.44 metric tons (MT) of captured CO2 from the container vessel MV Ever Top to the receiving vessel Dejin 26. The CO2 was subsequently offloaded from Dejin 26 to a tank truck at a jetty in Zhoushan…
US House Aims to Slash Climate and Clean Energy Funds in Budget Proposal
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Container Shipping Companies Cut Asia-US Services
Major container shipping companies are suspending at least six scheduled weekly routes between China and the United States as President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on the world's top exporting country collapse trade, maritime consultants said.The ships on those routes have the combined capacity to deliver 25,682 40-foot containers stuffed with toys, tennis shoes, car parts and things U.S. manufacturers use to produce goods each week - or more than 1.3 million 40-foot containers a year…
South Korea's Orderbook Tops $138 billion
Veson Nautical has used VesselsValue data to confirm that South Korea’s orderbook has now topped $138 billion.The LNG sector is the most valuable, worth $71.3 billion and accounting for around 52% of the total South Korean orderbook value. This sector also has the highest volume of orders with 276 vessels on order.Container ships rank second with a market value of $35.6 billion, equating to a share of about 26% and 184 vessels on order. The LPG ranks third with a value of $14.9 billion and 129 vessels on order, closely followed by the tanker orderbook which is valued at $14.7 billion.
Blue or Red, Both Aisles of U.S. Politics Agree on Need to Bolster Shipbuilding
The United States is preparing to impose docking fees at its ports on any ship belonging to a fleet that includes Chinese-built or Chinese-flagged vessels, according to a draft executive order, a move aimed to both revitalize U.S. shipbuilding while countering China’s dominance in global shipping and shipbuilding.The draft order from President Donald Trump also urges allied nations to adopt similar policies or risk facing retaliatory measures from the U.S.China’s growing control over the maritime industry has become a rare bipartisan concern in the U.S.…
Evergreen Places $3.2B Order for 11 LNG Dual-Fuel Container Ships
Taiwanese container shipping firm Evergreen Marine Corporation has ordered 11 new LNG dual-fuel container ships from South Korean and Chinese shipyards, whose combined worth is up to $3.2 billion.On February 12, Evergreen disclosed two orders for 11 container ships, each with a 24,000 TEU capacity.The company placed an order to South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean for six vessels, and to CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China for the remaining five vessels.Evergreen will pay between $265 million and $295 million per unit…
A Deep Dive into Dredging with DCA’s Doyle
There’s more to domestic dredging than meets the eye. Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle is just the guy tell you why.William P. Doyle serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). DCA represents the dredging industry on key issues before Congress and is an active partner to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public port authorities, state and local governments, as well as allied construction and maritime organizations.Immediately prior to this appointment, Mr. Doyle served as the Port of Baltimore’s Chief Executive for three years.
Ecuador’s Main Port Strengthens Trade Connection to Asia
Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA), Ecuador’s main port and subsidiary of ICTSI, has signed a new commercial agreement for the Asia-South America (ASA) service, further strengthening Contecon Guayaquil’s connectivity with the Asian market.The agreement brings back five shipping lines and their shippers’ customer base to the terminal: Wan Hai, Pacific International Lines, Cosco, Evergreen and Yang Ming.The ASA service used to call at Contecon Guayaquil until 2015. Contecon Guayaquil’s inclusion in the service rotation reaffirms CGSA’s commitment to innovation…
PSA Singapore, Evergreen Marine ink Box Terminal Ops JV
PSA Singapore (PSA) and Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC) have established a joint venture in Singapore, aiming to enhance operational excellence and achieve greater synergies in container operations.The joint venture terminal is expected to commence operations by the end of 2024. This strategic partnership will offer long-term terminal capacity assurance to EMC’s fast expanding global vessel fleet in PSA Singapore.PSA and EMC will continue to deepen their collaboration to enhance operational efficiency, drive digital innovation, and advance sustainability efforts.
Container Shippers Mitigating Green Transition Risks with Dual-Fuel Vessel Orders
Container shipping companies like Maersk, CMA CGM and COSCO have ordered hundreds of new vessels in recent years meant to help their industry slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet rising demand from customers and regulators around the globe.Their order books, however, reflect uncertainty over which of a wide array of so-called green fuels will become the standard in the decades to come, and whether supplies will be cheap and abundant enough to keep their fleets in motion.Decarbonizing…
Amazon, IKEA Push for Green Fuels
Amazon.com and IKEA, in alliance with about three dozen other companies that depend on ocean freight, will invite shipping firms for the first time to bid on a contract in January to move their cargo on vessels powered by near-zero emissions e-fuels like e-methanol.The group known as the Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance wants to use the combined clout of its members, who have their own climate goals to meet, to create demand for e-fuels made with renewable electricity and carbon dioxide.
HHI-EMD to Deliver Methanol Engines for Evergreen Newbuilds
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery (HHI-EMD) has signed a contract with China Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company and Taiwan’s Evergreen Line to supply 18 methanol dual-fuel HiMSEN engines (7H22CDF-LM) for six 2,400 TEU container ships.HHI-EMD has successfully introduced the eco-friendly methanol HiMSEN engine H32DF-LM (3,000~4,500kW) for ultra-large container ships, with a total of 352 engines ordered and manufactured to date.Following this, the newly developed H22CDF-LM (1…
Shipping Stocks Battered After US Port Strike Ends
Shares in shipping companies fell heavily in Europe and Asia on Friday after workers and U.S. port operators agreed a deal to end a strike on the East and Gulf coast docks far sooner than expected.In early trading in Europe, shipping group A.P.
US Port Strike Leaves Huge Cargo Backlog In Its Wake
U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports began reopening late on Thursday after dockworkers and port operators reached a wage deal to settle the industry's biggest work stoppage in nearly half a century, but clearing the cargo backlog will take time.The strike ended sooner than investors had expected, weakening shipping stocks across Asia on Friday as freight rates were no longer expected to surge.At least 54 container ships queued outside the ports as the strike had prevented unloading and threatened shortages of anything from bananas to auto parts.
Washington State Ferries Cancels Sale of Retired Vessels
Washington State Ferries announced it has canceled the sale of two retired vessels after the buyer failed to meet its contractual obligations and left a tugboat crew abandoned in Puget Sound.Sold in August for $100,000 apiece, the decommissioned WSF ferries Elwha and Klahowya had been sold to Nelson Armas, who has gained approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) to transport the out-of-service vessels by tow for recycling at a steel mill facility in Ecuador.But when Armas attempted to move the ferries to Ecuador…
Azerbaijan-managed Vessel Is First to Head to China Via Northern Sea Route
An oil tanker managed by an Azerbaijan-based firm is travelling the Northern Sea Route to China for the first time, taking a route so far dominated by vessels managed by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, according to LSEG data and two traders.The vessel Prisma is managed by a private company Vista Vvave Shipmanagement based in Azerbaijan, one of the traders said, citing the vessel's documents.Moscow wants to increase traffic via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which runs from Murmansk near Russia's border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska…
USCG RDC: Vessels, Tech, Partnerships Help to Thwart Narcotics, Human Smugglers
In 2011 the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter VIGILANT was on patrol in the Caribbean when it came upon a suspected maritime narcotics smuggler. As the chase ensued, the suspected smuggler jettisoned bales of what turned out to be cocaine. The VIGILANT crew marked the position on their radar and gathered the latitude and longitude for the bales, then went in pursuit of the suspect vessel. After the suspect was apprehended, the VIGILANT returned to the original position in search of the bales…
Johns Hopkins APL, USCG Team to Address Defense, Maritime Security Challenges
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Connecticut, have signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) to team up on addressing critical technology challenges in national defense and maritime security.The MOU builds on a previous agreement signed in 2019, broadening and specifying more precisely the scope of collaboration between APL and RDC. It outlines plans for collaboration on initiatives in areas such as additive manufacturing…
Two Washington State Ferries Vessels Sold for Scrap
Washington State Ferries announced it has sold a pair of retired vessels for recycling in Ecuador.Sold for $100,000 apiece, the ferries Elwha and Klahowya have been acquired by Nelson Armas, who has gained approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) to transport the out-of-service vessels by tow for recycling at a steel mill facility in Ecuador.WSF described the facility as "clean" and "green" and noted that both retired ferries are certified to be free of hazardous materials.A Western Towboat Co.
Sudden Influx of Tonnage to Ship Recyclers
On the back of freight markets that are finally facing their first set of 2024 jitters, the industry is gradually witnessing an increasing number of units being proposed for a recycling sale, all of which are being confirmed via the sudden influx of tonnage at the Indian and Bangladeshi waterfronts this week, reports cash buyer GMS.This coms just as the Pakistani market (as expected) starts to fall behind on its domestic arrivals. At this rate, India looks set to sneak past the Pakistani market in the rankings…
China Harbors Ship Tied to North Korea-Russia Arms Transfers
China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the Russian vessel Angara, which since August 2023 has moved to Russian ports thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions, has been anchored at a Chinese…