Container Shipping Consolidation Continues with $4.2B ZIM Acquisition
In a move that further reshapes the global liner landscape, Hapag-Lloyd has agreed to acquire ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4.2 billion, the companies announced today.Under the terms of the merger agreement, Hapag-Lloyd will acquire ZIM for $35.00 per share in cash, representing a 58% premium to ZIM’s prior-day closing stock price, a 90% premium to its 90-day VWAP, and a 126% premium to its unaffected share price of $15.50 in August 2025 prior to market speculation.The transaction…
Singapore Marine Fuel Sales Up 17%
Marine fuel sales at the world's largest bunker hub of Singapore posted a strong start to 2026, driven by healthy demand and higher price premiums, based on port data and trade sources.January 2026 volumes totalled 5.23 million metric tons, up 16.5% year-on-year (YoY), though easing from the record monthly highs of 5.51 million tons in December, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed.Container throughput at Singapore dipped 0.7% from the prior month to 3.89 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January, while vessel calls for bunkering held firm, climbing
Russian Wheat Prices Spike on Shipping Difficulties
Russian wheat export prices rose last week as weather conditions continued to seriously hamper shipments from the country's southern ports, analysts said.The price of Russian wheat with 12.5% protein content for free-on-board (FOB) delivery in the second half of March was $233.0 a metric ton at the end of last week, up $2 compared to the previous week, said Dmitry Rylko, head of the IKAR consultancy.Weather conditions significantly limited shipments from Russia's southern ports in January.
Singapore Bunker Sales Maintain Strong Start in 2026
Marine fuel sales at the world's largest bunker hub of Singapore posted a strong start to 2026, driven by healthy demand and higher price premiums, based on port data and trade sources.January 2026 volumes totalled 5.23 million metric tons, up 16.5% year-on-year, though easing from the record monthly highs of 5.51 million tons in December, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed.Container throughput at Singapore dipped 0.7% from the prior month to 3.89 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January…
Russia's Taman Port Damaged by Ukrainian Drones
Russia's Black Sea port of Taman, which handles oil products, grain, coal and commodities, has been damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region said on Sunday.Two people were injured as an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals took damage in Volna village, the site of Taman port, Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.Kondratyev said that more than 100 people were working to put out several fires at the port.Separate strikes on the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka…
India OKs Ag Exports to Placate Farmers
India's on Friday allowed the export of 2.5 million metric tons of wheat and an additional 500,000 tons each of wheat products and sugar, as the world's second-biggest producer of both commodities seeks to support local growers amid protests over a trade deal between New Delhi and Washington.On Thursday, thousands of farmers staged demonstrations, alleging the government had compromised their interests under the interim U.S.-India trade framework, though the trade minister said safeguards were in place.Announcing the decision in a statement, the federal government said the aim was to stabilise
Western Bulk Returns to Profit
Oslo-listed dry bulk operator Western Bulk reported a marked earnings recovery in the second half of 2025, capitalizing on a broad-based rebound in freight markets and tighter effective vessel supply.According to the company’s Second Half Year Report 2025, Western Bulk generated a net profit after tax of USD 7.4 million in 2H 2025, compared with a net loss of USD 5.2 million in the same period a year earlier. For the full year, the group posted a net profit of USD 5.4 million…
Valenciaport Sees Record Container Volumes in '25
Spain’s Valenciaport closed the 2025 financial year with higher revenues, sharply improved profitability, and a new record for container throughput, underscoring continued carrier commitment despite a volatile global trade backdrop.Provisional results reviewed by the board of directors show net turnover rising 9.02% year over year to €164.3 million, while pre-tax profit climbed 50.51% to €43.7 million. Container volumes reached 5.66 million TEU, up 3.41% from 2024 and the highest annual total in the port authority’s history.Presenting the figures at the board’s first meeting of 2026…
China's Appetite for Coal Wanes
Coal-fired power generation decreased 1.9% in 2025; non-fossil generation outpaces demand growthChina's coal-fired power generation decreased 1.9% in 2025, marking a historic shift driven by new non-fossil generation that has finally outpaced demand growth, according to a recent report from Wood Mackenzie.Power demand grew 5% in China in 2025, or 494 TWh, yet for the first time in a decade, coal-fired power generation did not increase to help meet this demand. Instead, the incremental demand was met by carbon-free generation…
EU Proposes Extending Sanctions on Russian Oil to Georgian, Indonesian Ports
The EU has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time it would target ports in third countries, a proposal document showed on Monday. The proposal, reviewed by Reuters, wouldadd Kulevi in Georgia and Karimun in Indonesia to the sanctions list, meaning European companies and individuals would be barred from carrying out transactions with the two ports.The sanctions package, which would be the 20th imposed by the EU over Russia's actions in Ukraine…
U.S. Military Boards Suezmax Tanker Aquila II
U.S. military forces boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuing it from the Caribbean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, accusing the vessel of breaching Washington's blockade on sanctioned vessels traveling to or from Venezuela."Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident " Hegseth wrote in a post on X. "It ran, and we followed."After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid last month in Caracas, the U.S.
Panama President: Future Port Contracts Will Not Be Issued to a Single Operator
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday that the concession of contracts to operate two ports held and operated for nearly three decades by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings will "never again" be issued to a single company.Panama's Supreme Court last week nullified CK Hutchison's contract to operate two ports along its strategic canal through its Panama Ports Company subsidiary, ruling that the contracts violated the Central American nation's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions."I don't expect this situation to escalate…
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration over Panama Canal Ports Contract Ruling
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison said on Wednesday its Panama Ports Company unit has started international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country's top court annulled its licences to operate two Panama Canal ports, in a case that could take years to resolve.Panama's Supreme Court last week ruled the contracts violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions.It is unclear how long the arbitration proceedings could take, although given the political sensitivities involving the U.S.
Port of Virginia Advances Capacity with Addition of ULCV Berth
The Port of Virginia is continuing to modernize and expand its operations and recently debuted additional capacity to safely handle simultaneous calls of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).In late January, the port put four new, all-electric, Suez-class ship-to-shore container cranes into service at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). With the expanded crane fleet at NIT, the port now has the capacity to accommodate four ULCVs at once. Today, the port has 29 ship-to-shore…
US Approves License for Texas Deepwater Oil Export Port
The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday approved a license for oil transportation and storage company Sentinel Midstream's planned deepwater oil export project off the Texas coast.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement to Reuters the Texas GulfLink project is part of the Trump administration's effort to boost the U.S. oil industry and production and allow for the export of up to 1 million barrels of crude oil per day. The Texas GulfLink deepwater port will be located approximately 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County…
Dajin, Zima Plan Offshore Wind Foundations Plant at Spain's Gijon Port
China-based offshore wind foundations manufacturer Dajin Heavy Industry and Spanish industrial group Zima Equity Investments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop an offshore wind foundations manufacturing facility at the Port of Gijon in Asturias, northern Spain.Under the agreement, the partners plan to establish a manufacturing plant at the Port of Gijon capable of producing foundations for offshore wind projects serving the European market and other global regions.
Panama Court Quashes CK Hutchison Port Contracts
Panama's Supreme Court has annulled key port contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, leaving the future ownership of some Panama Canal operations unclear and possibly upsetting its plans to sell some terminals.Panama Ports Company (PPC), a CK Hutchison subsidiary, has held contracts since the 1990s to operate container terminals at the canal's Pacific and Atlantic entrances, separate from the waterway's operations.The decision could disrupt CK Hutchison's proposed $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide…
CMA CGM to Form Port JV with Stonepeak
French shipping group CMA CGM and U.S. investment firm Stonepeak have agreed to create a joint venture valued at nearly $10 billion to operate and invest in port terminals, including in the United States, the companies said on Wednesday.CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping group, last year announced plans to invest $20 billion in the United States, winning plaudits from President Donald Trump who has made reviving the U.S. shipping sector a policy priority.Under the terminal joint venture…
Tech Talk: Self-Propelled Mobile Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridge
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Transportation and Construction Engineering, Ltd. (MHI-TC), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has built and completed delivery to Yokohama City of the Mitsubishi Marine Bridge (MMB), a self-propelled mobile seaport passenger boarding bridge (SPBB). Manufactured at MHI's Mihara Machinery Works in Hiroshima Prefecture, the MMB was put into service at Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal on January 13. Capable of connecting to the large cruise ships that dock at Osanbashi…
Methanol-Fueled CMA CGM Monte Cristo Delivered
The CMA CGM Group recently received its 400th owned vessel, the CMA CGM Monte Cristo, the first in a series of six methanol container ships.This key milestone reflects the Group’s long-term investment strategy, built on asset ownership and the integration of advanced technologies to enhance the environmental and operational performance of its fleet.With the CMA CGM Monte Cristo, the Group reaches a milestone of 400 owned vessels, within a fleet of more than 650 vessels worldwide.
Associated Terminals takes a Pair of All-Electric Cranes
Associated Terminals and Liebherr Maritime Cranes celebrated the christening of two CBG 500 E cranes in New Orleans, introducing the first all-electric transshipment cranes of their kind on the Lower Mississippi River. Each crane is engineered for high-volume bulk handling, offering maximum grab capacities of 90 tonnes in sheltered waters and up to 65 tonnes inopen water, complemented by a lattice boom design with up to 50 metres outreach. Integrated LiCaTronic energy recovery systems improve efficiency by recovering energy generated when braking or lowering loads…
Watch: Los Angeles State of the Port Speech
A record crowd of more than 900 industry and community representatives gathered for the 11th annual State of the Port, where Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka outlined his vision for the future, highlighting “Build Bigger and Build Smarter” investment priorities.Hosted by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association since 2016, ticket proceeds from the event have now raised more than $350,000 for local non-profit organizations. This year’s recipients were EXP and the Toberman Neighborhood Center in San Pedro.Seroka announced the Port handled 10.2 million container units in 2025…
BIO-UV Group, Microwise to Tackle Port-Side Ballast Water Treatment
BIO-UV Group has announced a strategic partnership with water-monitoring specialist MicroWISE to develop new ballast-water treatment and verification solutions designed to address rising enforcement pressures and the anticipated growth of port-side reception facilities.The collaboration combines BIO-UV Group’s BIO-SEA ballast-water treatment technology with MicroWISE real-time organism analysis, creating an integrated approach to treatment and compliance validation.The partnership comes at a critical moment for the maritime industry.