.png)
Hapag-Lloyd Makes First-Ever Call at Prince Rupert
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has made its first-ever call at Prince Rupert Port in Canada.
On April 21, the 6,500 TEU YM Masculinity called at the port’s Fairview Container Terminal as part of the PS8 trans-Pacific service.
Prince Rupert has been added as the first North American port of call on the PS8, which is operated by Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming and its partners in THE Alliance, Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express.
In 2017, expansion works were completed at the port’s Fairview Container Terminal, boosting the annual throughput capacity by 60% as the terminal moved 926,540 TEUs in 2017.
OOCL Resorts to Artificial Intelligence
Hong Kong-based container shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) is looking to boost its performance by applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to its operations.
The company said that it has teamed up with Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), Microsoft’s research arm, to explore the potential of AI research to improve network operations and achieve efficiencies within the shipping industry. The collaboration is expected to save OOCL USD 10 million in operation costs on an annual basis.
OOCL described AI as the key in its digital transformation vision. The company has already switched to a hybrid cloud infrastructure with auto-switching and auto-scaling throughout its businesses and machine learning for several years.
“OOCL processes and analyzes over 30 million vessel data every month. By leveraging AI technology and machine learning, the company develops predictive analytics on vessel schedules and berth activities,” the company said.
The company has a talent base of over 1,000 developers located in San Jose, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Shanghai and Manila.
Maersk to Test AI-Powered Situational Awareness Tools aboard Its Boxship
Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk has teamed up with Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics to trial the tech hub’s perception and situational awareness technology aboard one of its newbuild Winter Palace ice-class containerships.
The installation marks the first-time utilization of computer vision, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and perception software aboard a container vessel to augment and upgrade transit operations.
The solution chosen by Maersk uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve at-sea situational awareness, object identification and tracking capabilities, Sea Machines Robotics said.
As explained, the system uses advanced sensors to collect a continuous stream of information from a vessel’s environmental surroundings, identify and track potential conflicts, and displays the knowledge in the wheelhouse.
By turning to such a system Maersk wants to prove the technology can remove the line of sight restriction from the bridge, providing the infrastructure for a future autonomous collision avoidance system.
Sea Machines is also managing a pilot program with Tuco Marine, of Denmark, to test the autonomous technology aboard ProZero workboats. Its first industrial-grade control system, the SM300, serves operations looking for level 3 operator-in-the loop autonomy in survey, spill response, dredging and security/surveillance.
K Line Returns to Profit
Japanese shipping major K Line delivered a net profit of JPY 10.4 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, compared to a net loss of JPY 139.4 billion seen a year earlier.
The company’s operating revenues for the period were at JPY 1.16 trillion, up from JPY 1.03 trillion reported a year earlier.
In addition to the structural reforms carried out in the previous two fiscal years in order to enhance competitiveness, the group implemented measures to improve its profitability, including continued cost reduction and improvement of vessel allocation efficiency.
Despite negative effects of a rise in fuel oil prices, business performance improved, recording in the first annual profit in all stages of operating profit, ordinary profit and profit attributable to owners of the parent in two years.
The company’s containership sector delivered a profit of JPY 3.4 billion, compared to a loss of JPY 31.5 billion reported in the previous fiscal year, while the bulk shipping sector ended the year with a profit of JPY 3.2 billion, against a loss of JPY 9.5 billion seen a year earlier.
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019, the company is projecting operating revenues of JPY 754.5 billion and a profit of JPY 7 billion.
MOL Ends Year in the Red due to ONE-Related Costs
Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) has reported a full-year loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, of USD 446 million (JPY 47.3 billion).
The red ink is being attributed to the establishment of a joint venture container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) with compatriot lines NYK and K Line.
Out of Japan’s Big Three shipping firms, MOL was the only to end the previous fiscal year with a net income, despite a decrease in its revenues.
Namely, the shipping firm’s net income stood at JPY 5.2 billion, bouncing back from a net loss of JPY 170.4 billion seen in the previous year.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the company’s revenues were higher standing at JPY 1.65 trillion against last year’s JPY 1.5 trillion. MOL booked an operating profit of JPY 22.6 billion, also up from last year’s JPY 2.55 billion.
Nevertheless, MOL is optimistic about returning to the black, as it forecasts profit of USD 285 million for the FY ending March 31, 2019.
OOCL Posts Higher Volumes, Revenues in 1Q
Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) witnessed an increase in revenues, coupled with a surge in volumes, during the first quarter of 2018.
The company’s total revenues were up by 16.3 percent to USD 1.37 billion, compared to USD 1.18 billion reported in the first quarter a year earlier.
The Trans-Pacific and Asia / Europe trades saw the largest increase in revenues with 19.2 and 23.8 percent, respectively, while the Intra-Asia / Australasia trade witnessed a rise of 13 percent in revenues during the first quarter of 2018.
For the three-month period ended March 31, 2018, OOCL’s total volumes were 7.5 percent higher at 1.58 million TEU, compared to 1.47 million TEU handled a year earlier.
The rise was driven by the company’s Trans-Pacific, Asia / Europe and Trans-Atlantic trades, which handled 16.3, 20.5 and 2.2 percent more volumes in the first quarter, respectively. The Intra-Asia / Australasia volumes were slightly down during the period, dropping by 1.1 percent.
Source: World Maritime News
