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Panama ports volume up 13.7% in H1 2020
Panama's ports cargo volume grew by 13.7% in the first half of this 2020 to 3.8m teu compared to the same period a year ago.
During the first half of 2019, growth in cargo volume was of 0.6%.
All container ports reported positive numbers with the exception of Colon Container Terminal (CCT) which saw a drop of 4.9%, according to the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) statistics department.
The terminal of Bocas Fruit Co., dedicated to banana exports, grew 60.7%; Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT-Panama), saw a 14.2% increase; Balboa, 6.9%; Cristobal, 16.5% and PSA Panama International Terminal, 34.2%.
According to the AMP report, the port system moved more than 600,000 teu per month, but in June saw a decrease of 572,444 teu between full and empty containers.
The Panamanian terminals moved 90% of cargo in transhipment and the remaining 10% in local cargo. Transhipment cargo reached 3.4m teu with 18.5% growth, while local cargo saw a 16% decrease.
Australia launching inspection campaign on securing of containers
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has launched an inspection campaign focused on the securing of containers on boxships following a number of incidents involving cargo lost overboard.
AMSA said the campaign was being launched in response to serious incidents including the loss of 50 containers off Wollongong by the APL England in May and three containers from the Navios Unite off Cape Leeuwin in June.
AMSA said improper stacking and securing of cargo and poor maintenance of securing equipment are likely to have been contributing factors to these incidents which caused “significant environmental damage”.
“We have seen the serious consequence of improper cargo securing arrangements in the form of tonnes plastics and other debris washing up on our beautiful beaches and floating in our oceans,” said AMSA acting general manager of operations Michael Drake.
“Rusted cargo securing points, improper lashings and exceeding stack weight limits have all contributed to these incidents and ship operators should be on notice that non-compliance will not be tolerated in Australia.”
The campaign will run from the beginning of August to end October and involved both PSC inspections, as well as standalone inspections.
Maersk, Microsoft, Starbucks, Nike and five others launch ‘net zero’ future initiative
AP Moller-Maersk and eight other companies including Microsoft and Starbucks have joined hands to set up a new initiative to accelerate the transition to a net zero emissions global economy.
The cross-sector initiative, named Transform to Net Zero, aims to develop and deliver research, guidance and implementable roadmaps to enable all business to achieve net zero emissions.
The nine founding members include Maersk, Microsoft, Starbucks, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Unilever, Danone, Natura & Co, and Wipro, as well as Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), with support from BSR serving as the secretariat for the initiative.
Soren Skou, ceo of Maersk, said: “To contribute to the Paris agreement’s goal, we announced our ambition of having net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 back in 2018. Since then we have taken several concrete actions to decarbonise the industry. The overall target of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees can only be reached through strong alliances across sectors and businesses.”
Transform to Net Zero will focus on enabling the business transformation needed to achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050, in addition to driving broader change with a focus on policy, innovation, and finance.
The outputs of the initiative will be widely available to all, though additional companies may join. The Initiative intends to complete the outputs of this work by 2025.
The work will be led by some key principles including focused on transformation, best practice data and methods, leveraging of existing efforts, strong governance and oversight, investment in innovation, policy engagement, transparency and accountability, and sustainable transition.
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, commented: “No one company can address the climate crisis alone. That’s why leading companies are developing and sharing best practices, research, and learnings to help everyone move forward. Whether a company is just getting started or is well on its path, Transform to Net Zero can help us all turn carbon commitments into real progress toward a net zero future.”
Container volume at major Chinese ports drops 5.8% in H1
In the first half of this year, container volume at eight major Chinese container ports declined 5.8% year-on-year.
With the resumption of work and production, the cargo throughput started to recover from February, and dropped 2.1% year-on-year in the first six months.
Crude oil imports in the first half were 270m tons, an increase of 9.9% year-on-year. Crude oil shipments at coastal ports maintained growth and posted an increase of 7.5%.
Iron ore import volume was 550m tons in H1, an increase of 5.5% comparing to the same period of last year. The ore throughput at major ports increased 8.9%.
Shipping business along Yangtze river suffered a bigger loss in H1 due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Cargo throughput at hub ports along Yangtze river declined 6.6% year-on-year while the container volume dropped 14.9%.
China Ports and Harbours Association forecasted a weak recovery of container business in the second half of this year. The annual container volume is expected to decline 5% for 2020.
OOCL to expand Latin America coverage with new service
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) is expanding its network coverage in Latin America with the introduction of a new Transpacific Latin Pacific 3 (TLP3) service.
The TLP3, scheduled to start from 2 August 2020, will be OOCL’s new service in its Asia-West Coast South America network.
“To cater to the demand for quality and customised reefer services from West Coast South America to Asia, the TLP3’s direct connection between Chile and South China offers a competitive transit time of just only 26 days (San Antonio to Hong Kong),” OOCL stated.
The port rotation for TLP3 will be Hong Kong, Yantian, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Ningbo, Manzanillo (Mexico), Balboa, Buenaventura, Callao, San Antonio, and back to Hong Kong.
The new service will start with the container vessel Ever Lissome in Hong Kong on 2 August.
(Source: The Maritime Executive, VNCustomsNews, Seatrade Maritime)
