Latest News

Mammoet has entered into an agreement to become the exclusive contractor for the provision of heavy lift and transport services at Steel River Quay, which lies at the heart of the Teesworks industrial zone in Teesside.

Teesworks is a 2,600-acre site, located on the banks of the River Tees in the Northeast of England, and is central to the Teesside Freeport – the largest freeport in the UK.

Mark Sadler, Managing Director at Mammoet, said: “This is an exciting partnership developed with the aim of supporting growth in the Teesside area and is underpinned by a set of common goals: to drive investment, long-term job creation and delivering operational excellence. We look forward to achieving these joint goals together with Steel River Quay and their various clients for years to come.”
The contract covers the supply of specialist field personnel, mobile cranes, crawler cranes and SPMT trailers over a five-year period. It will also see Mammoet work closely with the Teesworks Skills Academy to train and upskill the local workforce through access to its in-house skills and training school, the Mammoet Academy.

Oliver Smith, Senior Commercial Manager at Mammoet, said: “We are delighted that Steel River Quay sees value in Mammoet’s experience, team, training and fleet, and has appointed us as its exclusive heavy-lift equipment contractor. We look forward to working with their team and supporting low-carbon and offshore clean energy projects.”
Mammoet ‘s heavy lifting and heavy transport equipment operator
Steel River Quay will help to serve the UK’s fast-growing offshore wind energy market. Mammoet’s considerable knowledge and global experience in this sector will allow the port to benefit from experiences that have successfully supported projects such as Hywind Tampen – the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm – and Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm’s 114 foundations.

Teesworks Chairman Chris Musgrave added: “Mammoet is the world leader in heavy lift and transport solutions. This agreement will grant us access to its global network, experience and equipment, and the support and involvement of its management and safety teams. It will bring many benefits to the businesses and future of Steel River Quay as it develops into a world-class offshore wind marshalling facility and we look forward to many years working together.”

Mammoet will provide early contractor engagement, advisory support and engineering guidance at the front end of each individual project to deliver its contracts to a safe and effective completion.

The Cathay Group today reached another major milestone on its rebuild journey as it fully repaid the Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR) Government’s HK$19.5 billion investment.

The Cathay Group has now bought back the remaining 50% – HK$9.75 billion – of the preference shares that were issued to the HKSAR Government as part of the Cathay Group’s 2020 recapitalisation. The Cathay Group previously bought back the initial 50% of the preference shares in December 2023.

In addition, the Cathay Group has paid the remaining preference share dividends up to 31 July 2024, bringing the total amount of preference share dividends paid to the HKSAR Government over its holding period to HK$2.44 billion.

Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “Today marks an important milestone for Cathay as we fully repay the invaluable support that the HKSAR Government provided to us during our recapitalisation. Our journey to rebuild Cathay for Hong Kong has been progressing well and this has enabled us to fully redeem the preference shares only 18 months after Hong Kong reopened. We are extremely grateful for the support and guidance that the HKSAR Government, its two observers to the Board, and all of our shareholders have shown Cathay, both during and since the pandemic.

“As we turn the page on this significant chapter in Cathay’s history, our focus now is firmly on the future. We continue to make substantial investments to grow Cathay for the long term, and deliver on our ongoing commitment to being a positive driving force supporting Hong Kong’s international aviation hub development.”

The Cathay Group’s overall HK$39 billion recapitalisation financing in 2020 comprised three tranches: The issuance of HK$19.5 billion preference shares with warrants to the HKSAR Government; An HK$11.7 billion rights issue of ordinary shares to existing shareholders; A HK$7.8 billion bridge loan facility provided by the HKSAR Government, which was not utilised and expired on 8 June 2023; In addition to buying back the preference shares and paying preference share dividends to the HKSAR Government, in May this year the Cathay Group made its first dividend payment to ordinary shareholders since 2019, totalling HK$2.8 billion.

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a design concept of the ammonia fuel bunkering boom*1, which is jointly developed by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) and TB Global Technologies Ltd.

This is the world’s first AiP certification for the design of a bunkering boom for ammonia fuel*2.

As ammonia fuel utilization is expected in shipping for decarbonization, bunkering vessels that supply fuel to ships and related equipment will play an essential role in the supply chain. On the other hand, due to the novelty, it can be difficult to confirm the safety of some equipment by applying existing rules.

Targeting such new technologies, ClassNK has issued the ‘Guidelines for Technology Qualification’ that define a certification process to demonstrate that an acceptable level of safety, equivalent to that of technologies designed under existing rules and standards, has been verified. Through the guidelines, ClassNK is providing a risk-based approach to safety assessment for the implementation of new technology.

ClassNK carried out a drawing review of a basic design of the bunkering boom based on part N of its ‘Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships’ for ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk, and conducted a review of documents required by the ‘Guidelines for Technology Qualification’. Upon confirming they comply with the prescribed requirements, ClassNK issued the AiP.

ClassNK will continually strive to contribute to advanced decarbonization initiatives through safety assessments and more.

*1 Ship-to-Ship Fuel transfer equipment installed on bunkering ships
*2 The ‘world’s first’ claim is as of July 31, 2024, according to TB Global, the entity responsible for obtaining the AiP.

To ensure ongoing cable-laying operations for the Turkish Crossing Project, deugro Italy, in cooperation with deugro Chartering, timely delivered 54 kilometers of urgent HVAC cables to a cable-laying vessel in Turkey.

On behalf of deugro’s client Prysmian Powerlink, the 3,300 metric tons of cables had to be delivered from the client’s cable manufacturing facility in Pikkala, Finland, in time to meet the arrival of the cable-laying vessel Giulio Verne at the job site, located in Dardanelles Strait, Turkey. Therefore, deugro designed and delivered a complete turnkey, all-in-one service solution, including the provision of tank engineering and installation, spooling, relevant personnel and all related activities and equipment, in addition to the ocean transportation.
After conducting market research, deugro Chartering identified a suitable vessel for the safe transportation of the urgent and unique cargo, which was available at short notice and met all the technical and personnel requirements: the heavy lift vessel BBC Xingang.

However, before the BBC Xingang could be deployed in accordance with the cargo’s requirements, several technical modifications were necessary to ensure the safe ocean transportation and smooth spooling of the cables during collection at the Prysmian factory in Pikkala and after arrival from the transport vessel to the cable-laying vessel. These included the installation of static tanks on board the heavy lift vessel and a conversion of its bow section, which were arranged for at the Port of Bremerhaven, Germany. After seven days, the tanks and required equipment were successfully installed and the BBC Xingang arrived at the Pikkala Prysmian factory port in Finland to pick up the cables according to schedule.

In Pikkala, the loading operations were executed under the constant supervision of and testing by the client, deugro, dteq Transport Engineering Solutions and the vessel’s team.

“The project team encountered harsh weather conditions and surface ice, and had to deal with the fairly long distance from the ship’s anchor position to shore. This required a perfectly aligned mooring system and constant monitoring,” said Francesco Pignati, deugro Milan, Italy.

Within a week, the cables were successfully spooled into the custom-designed tanks and the BBC Xingang arrived at the Port of Hydarpaşa in Turkey according to plan, punctually meeting the installation vessel so that the unspooling operations could be carried out as planned. After delivery, the BBC Xingang sailed to the Port of Naples, Italy, for demobilization of the spooling equipment.

“Due to the critical urgency—the cable needed to be quickly delivered in order to commence installation and keep the overall cost of the project to a minimum—scheduling, precise preparation and smooth project execution were paramount. Thanks to the professional collaboration of all partners, the tight schedule and demanding project requirements were met, and the urgent cables were delivered on time—keeping the cable-laying operations of the Turkish Crossing Project on track. The smooth project execution once again demonstrates deugro’s flexibility and ability to design and orchestrate innovative solutions that go far beyond standardized cargo movement,” said Stefano Sortino, deugro Milan, Italy.

The ocean container shipping market reached a tipping point in July, with long term rates on major fronthaul trades showing signs of life just as spiraling short term rates begin to soften.

The Xeneta Global XSI®, which covers all valid long term contracts in the market, edged up 2.5% in July to stand at 151.5 points.

More notably, the underlying XSI® sub-index for Far East Exports – which includes the world’s biggest fronthaul trades to Europe and the US – increased 12.6% in July to 178.8 points.

This coincides with short term rates on major trades from the Far East to the US and Europe beginning to soften in July from the massive increases seen over recent months.

Emily Stausbøll, Xeneta Senior Shipping Analyst, said: “Long term ocean container shipping rates remained subdued despite massive increases on the short term market in May and June – but that is starting to change.

“For example, while short term rates on the Far East to US West Coast trade increased more than 140% between 30 April and 1 July, the long term market increased by 20%. However, short term rates to the US West Coast have fallen by 12% since 1 July, just as the long term market shows signs of life.”

Increasing long term rates and decreasing short term rates means the spread is narrowing between the markets, which presents a delicate balance ahead of long term contract negotiations between shippers and carriers later this year.

Stausbøll said: “This is a pivotal time for the market. The big question is, how high will long term rates climb before growth is stunted by the falling spot market?

“Shippers will be hoping the spot market crashes back down hard and fast, while carriers will be doing everything possible to keep short term rates elevated for as long as possible.

“Where the long and short term markets land at the point new contract negotiations begin will be crucial in determining whether shippers or carriers have the strongest hand.

“A few weeks ago, when spot rates were still spiraling, carriers would have been feeling confident about long term contract negotiations – but market sentiment can change very quickly.

“Shippers won’t want to see the long term market starting to increase because it has already been a bruising 2024 in the spot market. But they should have cautious optimism because, at the moment, it feels like there is more room for spot rates to fall than there is for long term rates to rise.”

Stausbøll reiterated that ocean supply chains remain under pressure and there are potential disruptions on the horizon.

She said: “Diversions are still in place in the Red Sea, meaning the majority of container ships are continuing to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.

“There is the threat of union action at ports on the US East and Gulf Coasts, while a Trump presidency could see businesses rush to ship goods ahead of new tariffs on Chinese imports.

“There is also the risk of new geopolitical incidents, as we are seeing in Bangladesh where civil unrest is impacting port operations.

“It will not take much to push ocean supply chains back into the red and send spot rates heading upward once again, which would also have consequences for the long term market.”

Cargotec Corporation will publish its half-year financial report January–June 2024 on Thursday, 8 August 2024 at approximately 9:00 a.m. EEST.

A live international teleconference for analysts, investors and media will be arranged on the publishing day at 9:30 a.m. EEST. The event will be held in English. The report will be presented by President and CEO of Cargotec Casimir Lindholm, CFO Mikko Puolakka and President of Hiab Scott Phillips.

The conference call will be recorded and an on-demand version of the conference will be published at Cargotec’s website later during the day.

Please note that by dialling to the conference call, the participant agrees that personal information such as name and company name will be collected.

The post Cargotec to publish half-year financial report first appeared on Project Cargo.

Vestas has received a firm wind turbine order for the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, formerly known as Hollandse Kust West VII, in the Netherlands.

Vestas will be supplying 53 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines and is responsible for the supply, delivery, and commissioning of the turbines. Upon completion, Vestas will service the assets under a comprehensive 5-year service agreement followed by a long-term operational support agreement.

Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern and Central Europe, says “OranjeWind sets a high bar for technological innovations and sustainability, and we are delighted to deliver our solutions, including our offshore flagship wind turbine, for this project in the Netherlands. Our entire team is looking forward to working together with the OranjeWind project team on this exciting and ambitious wind farm in the North Sea.”

RWE and TotalEnergies announced last week that they are entering a 50/50 partnership to deliver the OranjeWind offshore wind project. The project has an installed capacity of 795 MW; a grid connection capacity of 760 MW and an excess capacity of 35 MW to use the connection capacity as efficiently as possible, even when production is lower.

The project site is located around 53 km off the Dutch coast in the North Sea. Wind turbine installation is expected to start in 2027.

The post Vestas secures OranjeWind order first appeared on Project Cargo.

In the face of the enormous challenges posed by Super Typhoon Gaemi, SEKO BANSARD has always been committed to ensuring the safety of its employees and the efficiency of its logistics operations.

With our deep understanding of climate change and our emergency response capabilities, we are firmly committed to providing continuous and reliable services to our customers.

As Super Typhoon Gaemi, named “ant” in Korean, approaches with winds reaching 209 km/h, SEKO BANSARD is proactively managing operations to ensure safety and minimize disruptions across Taiwan and East China. This powerful typhoon has prompted significant weather alerts and operational adjustments.

On early Wednesday, Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in northeastern Taiwan, resulting in the suspension of work and schools across the island. Most SEKO BANSARD staff in Taipei are working remotely. The typhoon has led to the cancellation of nearly all domestic flights and 74 international flights. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) remains operational, and our team is closely monitoring cargo movements to mitigate delays and re-book impacted shipments on the next available flights.

Ocean freight operations at the ports of Taipei and Keelung are suspended, while ports in Taichung and Kaohsiung remain unaffected for now. Warehousing and road transportation operations are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure safety and continuity.

In Fujian, China, SEKO BANSARD staff in Xiamen are working as normal today, with preparations in place for remote work as the typhoon progresses. Xiamen Airport (XMN) and the port of Xiamen are currently operating normally, but rail operations are suspended until Friday. Trucking and warehousing operations continue today, though disruptions are expected as the typhoon moves through the region.

In Zhejiang, SEKO BANSARD staff in Ningbo are working from the office as usual. Ports and airports remain operational, but we anticipate impacts as Typhoon Gaemi approaches.

SEKO BANSARD offices across Greater China are ready to implement work-from-home policies in accordance with typhoon warnings. We encourage our staff and clients to stay informed and take necessary precautions. For any issues or further assistance, please reach out to our local teams.

Fujian has heightened its emergency response to Level I, with ongoing efforts to strengthen early warnings and control measures.
Various scenic spots in Fujian, including 10 in Fuzhou, are closed.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau has issued land warnings and continues to monitor the situation closely, predicting more typhoons this summer due to the El Niño effect (The El Niño effect, is a climate phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. This warming can have significant impacts on global weather patterns, including increased rainfall in some regions and droughts in others.)

Stay tuned for further updates as SEKO BANSARD continues to navigate the impacts of Typhoon Gaemi, ensuring the safety of our staff and the efficiency of our logistics operations.

The post SEKO manages operations to minimize disruptions across Taiwan first appeared on Project Cargo.

Central Oceans’ teams are working hard to complete a project for the expansion of a canola processing plant in Canada.

Central Oceans loaded their second vessel in China, while they transloaded the first vessel in New Orleans into barges, both destined for the new site.

Construction of the additional canola crushing line for a leading global merchant and processor of agricultural goods is expected to begin later this year. The facility will more than double their facility’s annual crush capacity to over two million metric tons upon completion.

The post Central Oceans works hard to complete expansion project in Canada first appeared on Project Cargo.

InterMax Logistics Solution, member to the Worldwide Project Consortium (WWPC) for Taiwan, completed the successful delivery of a massive reactor from a vessel in Shanghai to Zhangjiagang.

The 17.35 x 6.8 x 7.1 m, 153-ton piece of equipment was carefully transported and delivered to the client’s site.

A company spokesperson explained: “Our team leveraged specialized logistics expertise and heavy-lift equipment to carefully manage every step of this complex operation. From coordinating the river transport to the port offloading, we ensured the safe and timely arrival of this critical component.”

“We also completed the safe delivery of 7 massive TP cover stacks from Europe all the way to Kaohsiung, Taiwan – even in the face of a torrential rainstorm!

Each stack measured an impressive 7.974 x 7.050 x 2.879 m and weighed a hefty load. But our expert logistics crew rose to the challenge, meticulously planning and executing every step of this complex international transport.

When the cargo were offloading at Kaohsiung port, the skies opened up with a powerful downpour. Undeterred, our seasoned operators maneuvered the oversized components to their designated spots, ensuring a flawless delivery despite the inclement weather.”

The post InterMax completes delivery from Shanghai first appeared on Project Cargo.

The CBS Arena in Coventry has taken delivery of a new MasterMover AT300 electric tow machine.

The innovative solution will help the stadium team transport heavy loads with improved safety and greater efficiency on Coventry City FC matchdays.

The AT300 TOW is simple and easy to use product that possesses impressive towing capabilities of up to 3,000 kg. A single operator can safely manoeuvre and connect securely to any load in seconds, which will help deliver improved productivity in a busy environment.

Before the introduction of the TOW300 bin tug, the arena’s staff faced significant challenges in moving waste bins. Moving bins manually was not only labour-intensive but also posed a considerable risk of injury for staff.

The arena can hold over 32,000 spectators, which, when considering the volume of food and drink consumed at events, generates a significant amount of rubbish that needs to be moved across the facility for collection.

Previously, staff could only move one bin at a time, resulting in inefficient workflows and increased physical strain. This method not only slowed down operations but also heightened the potential for workplace accidents, leading to concerns about employee safety and overall productivity.

Manually moving heavy bins within the arena and across the expansive facility involved navigating tight turns and inclines. Relying solely on the brute strength of staff to control bins on slopes introduced the risk of runaway bins and collisions with pedestrians and parked vehicles.

The product uses its own weight to deliver consistent traction, enabling the effortless movement of loads both inside, outside and on slopes. There are also a range of intuitive operator controls, which helps to deliver complete control when moving heavy loads.

Jack Miles, Sales Executive at Briggs Equipment, commented: “We are delighted to have supplied this new MasterMover machine to the CBS Arena in Coventry. Last season there were an average of 25,000 spectators on a single matchday, which means any equipment solution must be capable of operating in a busy and intensive application.”

“Specifically, the customer wanted a safer & more efficient way of moving the bins around the stadium bowl during matchdays. The MasterMover will enable them to complete more journeys on a steep incline hill, all in a safe and compliant manner.

“This project has been a collaborative one, and I’d like to thank the team at the CBS Arena and Andy Price at MasterMover for their ongoing support.”

MasterMover’s Area Sales Manager, Andy Price explained: “The movement of waste bins is often an area of operations that is overlooked. For staff, it can be a laborious and risky task that often involves pushing or pulling waste bins up slopes and through tight spaces or doorways.“We work with customers across the facilities management sector to provide safer bin towing solutions that make work easier for staff but also drive productivity improvements. By using the TOW300, the CBS Arena has doubled its productivity in waste handling and taken the strain out of the operation for staff.”

The post CBS Arena chooses safety with new MasterMover first appeared on Project Cargo.

Zenith, the UK’s leading independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business, has announced a partnership with Briggs Equipment, to offer vehicle leasing and fleet management provisions to the engineering services and asset management specialist.

The five-year contract will see Zenith provide a full vehicle leasing solution for Briggs Equipment’s 1,050-strong fleet, which comprises of light commercial vehicles (LCV) and passenger vehicles through a refreshed company car scheme following a full policy review.

The incumbent Company Car scheme was heavily driven by ICE vehicles, and following a full policy review at the start of implementation, Zenith identified an opportunity to utilise electric vehicles, which were overall more cost effective using Whole Life Cost methodology for both Briggs Equipment and its drivers.

The new scheme, which only includes EVs or vehicles under 50 g/km, substantially reduces Briggs Equipment’s Co2e output, while giving employees access to new technology and higher specification vehicles, which is a proven retention tool. In addition, Zenith’s flexible daily rental product was able to provide a large number of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles at short notice to bridge the gap between the return of ICE vehicles and the supply of new EV vehicles. The supply of PHEV allowed users time to prepare for home EV charging, while ensuring low Benefit-in-Kind liability.

Zenith was also awarded the five-year contract due to its enhanced LCV operating model, which is expected to deliver superior control over all vehicle-off-road events through a downtime management solution. The bespoke model, designed around Briggs Equipment’s requirements, will see a number of the current LCVs replaced to ensure the fleet is efficient as possible.

Gil Kelly, Group Head of Operations, at Briggs Equipment, commented: “We are delighted to begin this partnership with Zenith. Their sustainability focused solution further demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental impact, whilst ensuring our company car drivers have access to a modern, safe and compliant fleet of vehicles.
It’s crucial that we partner with suppliers who can meet the ever evolving requirements of our business, and we are confident that Zenith will deliver a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership.”

Andy Wolff, commercial director for the Corporate division at Zenith, added: “With more than 30 years’ experience in fleet management and having operations which span corporate, commercial and consumer divisions, we set out to understand the complete needs of Briggs, in order to find the best solutions for their operations.

Our tailored approach means we can support all aspects of the Briggs Equipment UK fleet, from its company cars, LCVs and a salary sacrifice scheme to the wider employee population, as well as a short-term hire rental solution. The partnership we’ve built means we can offer a proposal which reflects their business needs while providing a high level of service at a competitive price.”

The post Briggs partners with Zenith first appeared on Project Cargo.

Vestas has received a 136 MW order to repower an undisclosed wind project in the USA.

The order consists of 62 V120-2.2 MW wind turbines.

The order includes supply, delivery, and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a multi-year Operational Support Agreement, designed to ensure optimised performance of the asset.

Turbine delivery begins in the third quarter of 2025 with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025.

The post Vestas secures 136 MW repowering order first appeared on Project Cargo.

Following recent announcements, CEVA Logistics continues strategic transformation, grows core products by integrating Bolloré Logistics.

As such, Bollore inform you that they will no longer publish any content on its website and its various social media pages.

Bollore now invite you to follow all the news from CEVA Logistics on its various channels: FACEBOOK; X; LINKEDIN; YOUTUBE; TIKTOK.

The post CEVA integrates Bollore Logistics first appeared on Project Cargo.