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Intermodal News

17 Dec 2024

SC Ports Expands Inland Port to Meet Market Demand

SC Ports Inland Port Greer Terminal (c) Meade / SC Ports

SC Ports has expanded its container yard at Inland Port Greer to handle customers' growth.South Carolina Ports is enhancing its intermodal connections in South Carolina with the ongoing expansion of Inland Port Greer and construction of the Navy Base Intermodal Facility.SC Ports is investing to expand Inland Port Greer with more cargo and rail capabilities to support customers’ growth in the Upstate and beyond, giving shippers direct access to the Port of Charleston.“Having this rail connection to the No.

13 Dec 2024

Maersk says Global Trade could rise 7% in 2025

Maersk expects global trade growth rising as much as 7% next year, bolstered by strong demand from the United States where a potential port strike and tariffs on foreign-made goods loom, an executive at the global carrier said on Wednesday."We predict anywhere between 5 and 7% (growth) overall," Charles van der Steene, regional president for North America at Maersk, told Reuters. "And at this stage, there's nothing that would indicate that it could not be the case," he said on the sidelines of the Reuters NEXT conference.Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and "resilient" demand from U.S. companies will continue to spur consumption, he said. The United States is Maersk's largest market by sales.

10 Dec 2024

NRF: Imports to Soar on Tariff Threat, Potential Port Strike

With a strike possible again next month at East Coast and Gulf Coast container ports and President-elect Donald Trump planning to increase tariffs, the nation’s major container ports are expected to see a continued surge in imports through next spring, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“Either a strike or new tariffs would be a blow to the economy and retailers are doing what they can to avoid the impact of either for as long as they can,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “We hope that both can be avoided, but bringing in cargo early is a prudent step to mitigate the impact on our industry, consumers and the nation’s economy.

10 Dec 2024

JAXPORT Enhances Global Reach with New Partnerships

With the upcoming dissolution of the 2M Alliance in early 2025, JAXPORT is maintaining and growing its global container services through strategic partnerships with the world's top ocean carriers. New and modified service routes through JAXPORT will provide expanded global connectivity and access to new and emerging markets.Three primary changes are taking place beginning in February 2025.The Gemini Cooperation – an alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd – has added JAXPORT to a new, direct service calling Cartagena, Colombia, opening doors not only to South American markets but also to the global Gemini network, including ports in Asia…

19 Nov 2024

SC Ports: Box Volume Steady, Rail Expands

With highly productive port service and expanding rail capabilities, South Carolina Ports looks to speed goods to market and support growth in the Southeast.SC Ports has three big-ship capable terminals and a total of 10 million TEUs on the horizon; the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast at 52 feet; two rail-served inland ports; and a near-port rail yard under construction.Construction is progressing on the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, which will significantly expand rail capabilities and capacity at the Port of Charleston. Site grading and utilities are nearly complete, and concrete paving and track construction is well underway for the future intermodal yard that will be rail-served by both CSX and Norfolk Southern.An ongoing expansion of Inland Port Greer has yielded more than 9…

14 Oct 2024

Ports of Indiana Launches New Ohio River Terminal Operator

(Photo: Ports of Indiana)

Ports of Indiana has introduced a new venture called Indiana River & Rail Terminals, creating the largest general cargo operation along the Ohio River. This initiative will oversee all general cargo facilities at the Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon ports, encompassing six docks, six warehouses, and several rail transload facilities. It will also provide logistics services to over 40 clients across the extensive 2,200 acres of port land.Positioned within the greater Louisville and Evansville metropolitan areas…

14 Oct 2024

DP World Moving Forward with $1.3 Billion UK Port Investment

(Photo: DP World)

Port and logistics firm DP World is going ahead with a 1 billion pound ($1.3 billion) investment in its London Gateway port, Britain's government said on Sunday after reports last week that the company had paused the project in protest.In what had been an embarrassment for the government before a major investor conference, Sky News reported on Friday that DP World had put the planned investment on hold after two ministers criticized practices at its subsidiary P&O Ferries.DP World declined on Friday to comment on the reports.On Sunday…

18 Sep 2024

Baltic Sea’s First Green Freight Corridor Opens

(Photo: Viking Line)

The Baltic Sea's irst green freight corridor has been launched, allowing for the transportation of Felix ketchup to Finland with a 90% reduction in emissions. This initiative, a collaboration between Orkla Suomi, Scandic Trans, and Viking Line, features a scheduled freight service powered by biofuel.Since July, Felix ketchup, produced by the Orkla Group in Fågelmara, has been shipped to Finland using biofuels. The process begins at the largest ketchup factory in the Nordic region, where Scandic Trans trucks transport the product to Viking Line’s terminal in Stadsgården, Stockholm.

24 Jul 2024

PMSA’s Michele Grubbs Joins CII Board of Directors

Michele Grubbs, vice president at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII), a not-for-profit organization committed to supporting and promoting the business of international trade and the intermodal transportation community.Grubbs has been with PMSA since 2004, overseeing its Long Beach office. PMSA, an independent nonprofit association, represents ocean carriers, marine terminal operators, and the maritime industry on the U.S. West Coast.

18 Apr 2024

Ships Docked as Striking Greek Workers Protest Over Rising Costs

© Rex Wholster / Adobe Stock

Thousands of Greek striking workers, students and pensioners marched through central Athens on Wednesday to protest over wages which they are not enough to cope with rising living costs.Ships remained docked at Greek ports and train services were halted as transport workers joined the nationwide strike by private sector union GSEE, Greece's largest.City transport was also disrupted as bus and taxi drivers halted operations for a few hours.Protesters marched to parliament around noon.

29 Feb 2024

CMA CGM Caps Logistics Push with $5 Billion Bollore Deal

© K I Photography / Adobe Stock

France's CMA CGM has completed a $5 billion takeover of Bollore Logistics, its biggest-ever acquisition, and said it had funds for more deals as it seeks to counter volatility in container shipping.The acquisition of the logistics division of French conglomerate Bollore, announced last year, closed on Thursday at a final price of 4.85 billion euros ($5.25 billion) after debt and cash adjustments.The deal will extend the reach of CMA CGM's CEVA Logistics unit into areas such as freight management for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and luxury firms.CMA CGM, based in Marseille and privately controlled

26 Feb 2024

Herculaneum Port Site Cleared for Redevelopment as Intermodal Hub

(Photo: St. Louis Regional Freightway)

A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County, under early French ownership the port was utilized to ship lead cannonballs and shot to Europe to support Napolean’s army.

13 Feb 2024

Port of Antwerp Disrupted by Belgian Farmers' Protests

© Alexandre / Adobe Stock

Operations at the port of Antwerp, one of Europe's biggest container ports, were seriously impacted on Tuesday as hundreds of farmers on tractors blocked the roads around the port to demand better pay and working conditions, officials said.The protest follows a large number of similar actions by angry farmers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and beyond, as farmers also demand looser environmental rules and better protection against cheap imports."Operations are heavily disrupted," Stephan Van Fraechem, the director of the association of port companies Alfaport VOKA, told Reuters.

02 Nov 2023

NYC Exploring Ways to Move More Freight Via Waterways

© batman6794 / Adobe Stock

New York City is looking at ways to help shift freight transportation off of its busy roads and onto the waterways.The city's Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on Wednesday jointly released a Request for Information and Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking private sector feedback to help it gauge industry challenges and opportunities, and explore ways to implement and support businesses to engage in waterfront freight operations.The initiative is part of NYC's "Blue Highways" program, launched under the city's previous mayor, Bill de Blasio.

16 May 2023

Coastal Shipping Can Help Cut NZ’s Freight Transport Emissions

© Emagnetic / Adobe Stock

A shift to coastal shipping and rail could cut NZ’s freight transport emissions – why aren’t we doing it?According to a recent study, coastal shipping produces a fifth of the carbon emissions (well-to-wheel) of road freight. Rail also performed well, with about a quarter of trucking emissions.Despite this, trucking accounts for nearly 80% of New Zealand’s heavy goods transport, and a 94.5% share of the total emissions from heavy freight transport.The dominance of trucking follows the expansion of the road network…

03 May 2023

Crowley Launches Multimodal Service Between Mexico, US and Canada

(Photo: Crowley)

Crowley announced it will launch an end-to-end, integrated ocean and rail service between Mexico and the U.S. Midwest region and into Canada. Featuring Crowley’s new Mexico-U.S. ocean route in the Gulf, the service will leverage the inland rail network of Canadian National Railway Company and its U.S. rail subsidiaries (CN). The companies’ combined network provides broad reach across the Midwest and into Canada to increase solutions for global customers in North American market…

18 Apr 2023

CMA CGM Offers $5.5 Billion for Bollore Logistics Unit

© dbvirago / Adobe Stock

French shipping group CMA CGM is offering 5 billion euros ($5.48 billion) for the logistics unit of Bollore, the family-run conglomerate said on Tuesday.For Bollore a deal would mean cutting ties with its biggest business while offering cash-rich CMA CGM a chance to bolster its bid to offer end-to-end transportation services and supply chain management.The business posted more than 7 billion euros in revenue last year and has 15,000 employees.News of the indicative offer, made on a cash free and debt-free basis, boosted Bollore's shares.Bollore disclosed it following a report in shipping publi

13 Mar 2023

London to Trial Shipping Light Freight on the River Thames

(Photo: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers)

A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Ireland…

25 Jan 2023

Nigeria Opens 'Game Changer' Billion-dollar Deep Seaport

The US$1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port is commissioned in Lagos, Nigeria. (Photo: Nigerian Ports Authority)

Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is expected to ease congestion at the country's ports and help it become an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations.President Muhammadu Buhari has made building infrastructure a key pillar of his government's economic policy, and hopes that this will help his ruling party win votes during next month's presidential election.The new Lekki Deep Sea Port is 75% owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram group…

24 Jan 2023

Jørgen Wisborg Named Blue Water Chairman

Kurt Skov and Jørgen Wisborg (Photo: Blue Water)

Jørgen Wisborg has been named chairman at Danish-headquartered transport and logistics group Blue Water, taking over from the company's founder and longtime head Kurt Skov.In September last year, Skov announced plans to find his successor, making it possible for him to slow down his work activities.Wisborg joins Blue Water after 17 years as managing director for the Danish energy company OK, where he stepped down last year to focus entirely on board positions. He holds several seats on boards in different companies…

19 Oct 2022

Transnet Agrees Wage Deal with Majority Labor Union

© petert2 / Adobe Stock

South African state-owned logistics firm Transnet said on Monday it had agreed a three-year wage deal with the union representing the majority of its workers, ending a two-week strike that had hit commodities exports and piled up millions in losses."Transnet and the company's majority union United Transport and Allied Trade Union (UNTU) reached a three-year wage agreement today," it said in a statement, adding the deal would bring most of its employees back to work.UNTU members…

21 Dec 2022

MSC Group Completes Purchase of Bolloré Africa Logistics

© STOCKSTUDIO / Adobe Stock

French conglomerate Bollore, run by the family of billionaire Vincent Bollore, said on Wednesday it had completed the sale of its Bolloré Africa Logistics arm to shipping company MSC Group.The Bolloré company added the transaction was on the basis of a 5.7 billion euro ($6.1 billion) enterprise value.“The Bolloré Group will remain strongly involved in Africa, notably through Canal+, and will also continue to develop on this continent its activities in many fields such as communications, entertainment, telecommunications and publishing,” added the company in a statement.The Bolloré company hold

26 Oct 2022

MRS 2022: Supply Chain Challenges to the Maritime Transportation System

Copyright G/AdobeStock

Inland maritime transportation systems (MTS) play major roles in domestic and international supply chains, with unique challenges related to upstream and downstream sources disruption, accessibility and shifts in commodities, as well as demand and supply imbalances. With a 20% on-time arrival statistic, the U.S. east coast serves as an example for the increasing appeal of inland waterways as a cost-effective, alternative, with Port of Cleveland traffic reportedly increasing 70% between 2020 and 2021.

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