Hapag-Lloyd in the mood 
The US rating agency Moody’s has upgraded Hapag-Lloyd’s corporate family rating (CFR) to B1 from B2 and its senior unsecured bond rating to B3 from Caa1. The outlook remains stable. The improved rating acknowledges Hapag-Lloyd’s progress in integrating UASC while reducing... more
Great Yarmouth upgrades port equipment
The port of Great Yarmouth has received a new crane with an 84 t lifting capacity for handling larger cargoes on England's east coast. The LHM280 crane – purchased from Liebherr by the port owner Peel Ports Group, – also shortens loading/unloading processes. For the offshore... more
APL unveils AAX2 service
The CMA CGM affiliate APL is set to launch a new weekly Asia Australia Express 2 (AAX2) service that will directly connect the Southeast Asian ports of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to the Australian cities of Brisbane and Sydney. The AAX2 service is poised to... more
Batumi container terminal overhauled and expanded
The Philippines-based terminal and port operator ICTSI has formally opened its enlarged Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT) in Georgia. The expansion to improve cargo flow processing and increase capacity involves both the waterside and the landside areas of the... more
Roll Group completes its Elba LNG project
After more than two years of work, Roll-Lift USA has completed the expansion of the LNG plant at the Elba Island Project located in Savannah GA (USA). The first challenge to overcome was the low-weight limit and deteriorating condition of the only access bridge to the... more
Schulte Group's acquisition in Singapore
The Hamburg-based Schulte Group has acquired a majority stake in Tec Hull Clean Limited (THC), a services provider in the maritime business. The Singapore-registered company specialises in underwater inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM). THC is headquartered in Singapore and... more
Port of Hamburg sets a steady course
In 2018, the port of Hamburg handled 135.1 million t of sea cargo, similar to the result of the previous year. One of the reasons for the slight decrease of 1% was a drop in bulk cargo volumes. Loaded container volumes remained stable.In hinterland traffic, the port moved a... more
Hydrogen fuel - on its way to Auckland
The New Zealand-based port operator, Ports of Auckland, is to receive some financial support for purchasing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from the government’s low emission vehicles contestable fund. Ports of Auckland, along with its project partners Auckland Transport,... more
Modest growth at Rotterdam
At 469 million t, the port of Rotterdam’s total throughput in 2018 was only slightly higher than in 2017 (467.4 million t). Container transhipment, with a 4.5% increase in tonnage, drove the growth. The surge, measured in teu was higher, at 5.7%, and the annual total amounted to... more
Eurogate Group on a stable path
The Eurogate Group registered a stable 2018 financial year. Some 14.1 million teu were lifted at the group’s twelve locations in and around Europe, and the intermodal container transport volume rose 2.8% to around 1.05 million teu. Eurogate’s five terminals in Germany... more