July 10, 2019 - Mediterranean Shipping Company informed that it is not the target of a U.S. investigation that was launched after customs authorities found almost 20 tons of cocaine of one of the MSC-operated containerships.
Source: World Maritime News
July 8, 2019 – Australian wharfies are striking for 48 hours at DP World’s Brisbane, Sydney and Fremantle container terminals, and for 96 hours in Melbourne. Groups say the strike is a fight against automation, outsourcing, cuts to income protection insurance and dishonest bargaining.
Source: The Maritime Executive
July 3, 2019 - Excluded from the Paris climate agreement, the shipping industry is taking concrete steps to clean up its act. Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, some 60,000 ships will be obliged to sharply reduce their sulfur emissions. Many are preparing to switch to new low-sulfur fuel mixes or blends the energy industry is still developing, a move that industry executives say will add some $50 billion in new fuel costs over the next three to four years.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
July 8, 2019 - Hapag-Lloyd will add 13,420 new refrigerated containers to its fleet this year. This will bring the carrier's total reefer count to over 100,000, with a capacity of 210,000 TEUs, according to a company press release. The carrier expects delivery of the reefers in November 2019, as countries in the southern hemisphere harvest agricultural products.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
July 9, 2019 – The U.S. government will purchase $78 million in meat from the U.S. arm of JBS Foods, to cushion the blow of retaliatory tariffs put in place by China in the spring of 2018. Many American producers will see no benefit from this government purchase since the farmers already have long-term contracts with JBS, so the price some producers receive will not change.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
July 7, 2019 – The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will develop Tuas Next-Generation Port in four phases, and all container operations in Singapore will be consolidated at Tuas by the 2040s. When fully completed, Tuas' 21 container terminals will be able to handle up to 65 million TEUs annually.
Source: The Maritime Executive
July 10, 2019 – The Port of New York & New Jersey has revealed a new development framework amid a record growth in cargo volume. The “Port Master Plan 2050” follows an extensive 2½ year review of more than 3,000 acres of port property.
Source: World Maritime News
July 9, 2019 – The California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will consider AB 1321, legislation which would give authority to the State Lands Commission to approve all port automation projects.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
July 9, 2019 - Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) has announced three additional expansion projects that will increase the partnership’s capacity to load liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), polymer grade propylene (PGP) and crude oil from its Enterprise Hydrocarbon Terminal (EHT) on the Houston Ship Channel.
Source: World Maritime News
