Guarded optimism 
The ongoing pandemic has prompted no lockdown in Japan. The government has nevertheless passed many measures restricting social and business activities. It will be interesting to see what comes next. more
More units for AAL 
Singapore-based AAL Shipping (AAL) is expanding its fleet. It recently took delivery of two more refurbished ‘G-Class’ multipurpose heavy lift vessels. The ‘Pacific Action’ and ‘AAL Gladstone’ have both served in the AAL fleet in the past and re-join in the course of March.... more
Port of Tripoli CT acquired
The Marseilles-based CMA CGM Group has taken over the operation of the Port of Tripoli container terminal as part of a share deal with Gulftainer Lebanon. The French liner operates five lines per week from Tripoli, including one link to China. The group’s maritime lines Med... more
Titan containers' new pet
Titan Containers, a Danish rental business that also trades new and used containers for storage, has enhanced its fleet of container vehicles. With its recent investment in a new Hyster container handler, in cooperation with Pro Truck, Titan has opted for increased safety... more
Colombo Port grants concession
The Sri Lanka government has given the green light to build a new container terminal in the country’s main port, Colombo. The West Container Terminal (WCT) will be run by companies selected by the governments of India and Japan. A similar plan was abandoned after protests... more
Setback for inland shipping in 2020
France's inland navigation industry saw a decline last year after very strong growth in 2019 (+10% with 7.4 billion tkm). In 2020, river transport recorded a decrease of -10.5% in volumes (50.9 million t transported) and -11.5% in tkm (6.6 billion tkm). Thus, the level of... more
Smarter ports with 5G private networks
Ericsson has released its new Connected Ports report, describing smart use cases that aim to optimise port operations. According to the World Bank, trade represented more than 60% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019, with maritime transport playing by far the... more
A new connection to Libya
It was in April 1975 when the vessel "Vento di Ponente" started its first voyage to Tripoli and Bengasi carrying 175 containers. Since then, Tarros Group has ensured an ongoing service between both markets. Now the group is adding new bi-weekly service, Italy Libya... more
Jumbo and SAL bundling forces
Heavylift and project cargo companies Jumbo and SAL are forming a joint venture. SAL is headquartered in Germany and Jumbo in the Netherlands. They will be joining forces in combining a large part of their fleets, engineering and commercial activities. In a press release,... more
Russian Global Ports prevails
Russian terminal operator Global Ports has reported its results for 2020. Consolidated marine container throughput went up by 6.6% year-on-year to more than 1.5 million teu against a 0.8% year-on-year decline in the Russian container market over the same period. Marine Bulk... more