Infrastructure News

President Donald Trump's plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding using massive fees on China-linked ship visits to American ports is causing U.S. coal inventories to swell and stoking uncertainty in the embattled agriculture market, as exporters struggle to find ships to send goods abroad.Trump is drafting an executive order that would rely on funding from a U.S. Trade Representative proposal to levy fines of up to $1.5 million on China-made ships or vessels from fleets that include ships made in China.Those potential port fees have limited the availability of ships needed to move agriculture…

Dubai-based ports and logistics firm DP World and shipping giant Maersk have signed a long-term agreement to boost container-handling capacity and increase weekly vessel calls to support Brazil’s growing trade demands.DP World operates one of the country’s largest private terminals at the Port of Santos. Under the terms of the eight-year agreement, Maersk will introduce additional long-term services and maintain a minimum service level at the port.In the first year, Maersk will launch six new services with eight weekly calls…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has acquired 100% of the membership rights of LBC Tank Terminals Group Holding Netherlands Coöperatief (LBC), one of the world’s largest independent tank terminal operators primarily handling and storing chemicals in Europe and the United States.With the acquisition, MOL aims to strengthen its chemical logistics business.The sale and purchase agreement was signed on March 7, 2025, with the acquisition price expected to be approximately $1.7 billion.The…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a permit for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, granting Maryland Transportation Authority permission to construct the bridge, following the collapse of the original structure that claimed the lives of six Baltimoreans. The Baltimore District Regulatory Branch previously issued two permit verifications in 2024 for preliminary construction activities, explosive demolition, and removal of the remaining bridge structures and continues to participate in weekly interagency meetings on the project.To remind…

CMA CGM Group has announced a $20 billion investment to contribute to U.S. maritime economy and support the transformation of America’s domestic supply chain over the next four years.The announcement builds on CMA CGM Group’s 35-year presence in the U.S. Today, the Group operates in 40 states and employs 15,000 Americans. As a leading partner in U.S. trade, CMA CGM transports over 5 million shipping containers to and from the country each year.Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group…

The members of Waterways Council, Inc., (WCI) the national organization that advocates for a modern, efficient, well-maintained system of ports and inland waterways, recently met in Washington, DC with Members of the 119th Congress to discuss WCI key and related priorities for 2025. An ancillary issue that WCI is looking to address is the removal or modification of an antiquated 1980s Executive Order (EO) 12322 that mandates any federal or federally assisted land or water resources…

“Year-to-date, Canadian crude tanker exports have reached 618 thousand barrels per day (kbpd) up from 388 kbpd during the same period last year, an increase of 59%,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.When the Trans Mountain Pipeline extension opened on 1 May 2024 its capacity grew from 300 kbpd to 890 kbpd. Consequently, exports from Vancouver increased significantly starting in June.So far this year, the Vancouver exports have reached 373 kbpd to contribute 60% of total Canadian crude tanker exports.

The global ocean shipping industry that handles 80% of world trade is navigating a sea of unknowns as U.S. President Donald Trump stokes trade and geopolitical tensions with historical foes as well as neighbors and allies.That is the backdrop for this week's S&P Global TPM container shipping and supply chain conference in Long Beach, California, an annual event that marks the start of container shipping contract negotiating season.Attendees this year include industry heavyweights like container carriers MSC…

The term gamechanger is often over used enough to be rendered meaningless, but the huge Simandou mine in the West African country of Guinea is going to be just that as its start up is set to rock the seaborne iron ore market.The first cargoes from the project may arrive by the end of this year and it's expected that it will ramp up to its full capacity of 120 million metric tons per annum fairly quickly.The four blocks of Simandou are impressive in their scale and infrastructure challenges…

Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has inaugurated a new, custom-bound inland dry port facility, enhancing the connectivity of Khalifa Port.Al Faya Dry Port, strategically located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will act as an Inland Container Depot (ICD) linked overland to Khalifa Port, offering a transit terminal for trucks and thus improving speed to market and more cost-efficient cargo handling operations for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.Al Faya Dry Port will serve CMA CGM as…

Manson Construction has long been a pillar of the U.S. maritime industry, rooted in a tradition of U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-operated vessels. The company was founded in 1905 by Peter Manson, when he dug up a jar of gold coins [because he didn’t trust the banks] and purchased a winch, a winch that was then put on a barge and that became Manson's first pile driver. With barge-mounted pile driver, Manson Construction  embarked on its journey into marine construction and eventually dredging, a journey which continues today as it has become a dominant player today in the U.S.

In remarks delivered to the National Space Club Florida Committee, Canaveral Port Authority CEO Capt. John Murray outlined the Port’s long-standing historical support of America’s space program in the Cape Canaveral area.“Port Canaveral has been part of space operations since 1956. But, since the end of the shuttle program, we now see a uniquely different space enterprise,” Murray said. “The industry has evolved to include maritime components – support vessels and landing platforms – in at sea recovery operations.

Belgian company DEME Group was the sole firm to bid in the Argentine government's tender for a major maintenance contract for the Parana waterway, a key route for grains transport, the government said on Wednesday.The bid could mark a major shakeup in dredging the river, part of a route from inland areas of Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil out to sea. Argentina ships out some 80% of its massive farm exports along the waterway.Belgian rival Jan de Nul currently holds the concession to maintain the river and has for decades…

AquaChemie Global Chemicals has inaugurated its state-of-the-art chemical manufacturing, storage, and blending facility in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), marking a significant step in enhancing local industrial capabilities and supporting the UAE’s "Make it in the Emirates" initiative.The $24.5m, 25,800 sqm facility in KEZAD Al Ma’mourah is designed to meet global safety and environmental standards, producing a wide range of liquid and solid industrial chemicals primarily for ADNOC and other key clients.

Cavotec signed a multi-million euro order for its MoorMaster NxG automated mooring system to be installed at the Port of Dublin in Ireland. The order, signed at the end of 2024, marks the first deployment of MoorMaster technology in Ireland. Deliveries will primarily take place in the third quarter of 2026.“The installation at this new berth will serve as a benchmark for sustainable port operations in the region while also contributing to the adoption of MoorMaster systems across Northern Europe”…

Terminales Marítimas de Vigo, S.L.U. (Termavi), a new Konecranes customer has ordered two hybrid Konecranes Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes equipped with the complete range of Konecranes Smart Features. The order was booked in Q4 2024, and delivery is scheduled for Q4 2025.Termavi operates the main container terminal at Spain’s Port of Vigo on the country’s Atlantic coast and has implemented a number of initiatives to increase energy efficiency, reduce its carbon footprint, and protect biodiversity.

The government of Canada has allocated $17.4 million to accelerate the development of the infrastructure at the Halifax Port Authority, most of which will go to the roll out of Halifax – Hamburg green shipping corridor.This investment is aimed at bolstering environmental sustainability and supply chain efficiency while actively supporting decarbonization efforts in the transportation sector and strengthening infrastructure resiliency.Up to $15.7 million will go for the development of the Halifax – Hamburg green shipping corridor, under the Green Shipping Corridor Program.

Klaipėda Port Authority in Lithuania has signed an agreement for the infrastructure buildout for the offshore wind energy projects, starting with the reconstruction of quays on Smeltė peninsula, which will ensure assembly, handling and transportation of offshore wind turbines.The successful tenderer UAB Tilsta has been tasked with reconstructing the quays at the former International Ferry Port under the $37.9 million contract.As the reconstructed quays will be used for assembly…

China's presence around the Panama Canal is a national security concern that Panama's government has to deal with, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, said on Friday, ahead of U.S. top diplomat Marco Rubio's visit to the country.Rubio will depart on Saturday on his first foreign trip, with a scheduled visit to the canal and a meeting with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, the first talks between the countries since President Donald Trump's threat to take control of the U.S.-built canal.Rubio will also visit El Salvador…

With winter in full swing, the U.S.-flagged fleet of Lakers have tied up in ports across the Great Lakes region to perform critical maintenance before the navigational locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan reopen on March 25th.Hundreds of skilled shipyard workers will flock to the area to support the nearly $150 million maintenance investment being made on these massive ships. The state receiving the largest amount of work is Ohio with $51.5 million, followed closely by Wisconsin at $51 million…

Some U.S. lawmakers and officials are touting a nearly half-century-old treaty between the United States and Panama to justify the Trump administration's threat to reclaim the Panama Canal - provided it can show the strategic waterway's operation is under threat.Others, however, say hurdles would loom for any bid to use the 1977 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty, which took effect in 1999 and guarantees that the canal would remain neutral and open to all ships from all countries, as a pretext for the U.S. to seize it.The 82-km (51-mile) waterway's construction was completed by the U.S.

On February 1, Maersk A/S (Maersk), an entity under A.P. Moller - Maersk, and Hapag-Lloyd AG (Hapag-Lloyd) launch their operational collaboration Gemini Cooperation. The ambition is to deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading schedule reliability above 90 percent once fully phased in.Around 340 vessels will be phased in and be a part of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd’s shared ocean network with the first sailings taking place on February 1, and more vessels will gradually sail on the new schedules.“We are now ready to commence the phase-in of the new network.

Norwegian shipping firm Hoegh Evi expects to take a final investment decision (FID) this year on an ammonia-derived hydrogen project to deliver clean fuel into dedicated German grids, chief executive Erik Nyheim said.The company operates three of its nine floating storage and regasification units (FSRU) for LNG along the German coast, diversifying the country's supply origins since the 2022 energy crisis.With an eye on Germany's long-term decarbonization goals, Hoegh and private firm Deutsche ReGas are jointly developing a floating hydrogen import terminal at Lubmin on the Baltic Sea with an a