Port positions

M&A radar: Port mergers whet the appetite for further deals

China’s bubbling M&A activity in the port market took another step recently when Cosco Shipping Ports bought a 34.99% equity stake in Tianjin Container Terminal (TCT) – this is simply the latest move in the ongoing merger of terminal capacity in the north-east Chinese port.
It is the latest result in a plan that was hatched around a year ago in which the three owners – Cosco, Tianjin Port Holdings and China …

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https://theloadstar.com/ma-radar-port-mergers-whet-the-appetite-for-further-deals/

Independent Container Line moves UK call from Liverpool to Southampton

Niche transatlantic carrier Independent Container Line (ICL) is to move its UK call from Liverpool to Southampton to improve schedule reliability.
The US-headquartered, privately-owned shipping line has been serving Liverpool for the past 20 years, calling at the Mersey port along with Antwerp in a two-port North European hub strategy.
However, ICL claims deteriorating weather conditions in the North Atlantic have delayed its fleet of 2,500-3,000 teu ships and compelled the carrier …

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https://theloadstar.com/independent-container-line-moves-uk-call-from-liverpool-to-southampton/

Big ambitions at Gdansk, but infrastructure could be a snag

A strong 2018 means Poland’s Gdansk has the potential to compete with the largest container ports in northern Europe.
Last year, the port handled some 2m teu, capping off a decade in which volumes surged 500% amidst global financial and Eurozone crisis.
Solid Logistics’ Boleslaw Chelkowski told The Loadstar that, in recent years, the port had finally been able to offer genuine competition to the likes of Antwerp, Hamburg and Rotterdam.
“Last year …

The post Big ambitions at Gdansk, but...

https://theloadstar.com/big-ambitions-at-gdansk-but-infrastructure-could-be-a-snag/

Shanghai still world’s busiest container port, but Singapore is climbing back

The port of Shanghai has maintained its position as the world largest container port.
However, new data from Alphaliner today shows its lead over second-placed Singapore narrowed last year.
Shanghai posted 2018 throughput of 42.01m teu, 4.4% growth on 2017, while Singapore handled 36.6m teu, representing growth of 8.7%.
And the 5.41m teu differential between them was narrower than the 6.56m teu difference this time last year.
The 2.93m teu Singapore gained made it …

The post Shanghai still...

https://theloadstar.com/shanghai-still-worlds-busiest-container-port-but-singapore-is-climbing-back/

Elbe deepening now crucial as throughput at port of Hamburg is still falling

Container throughput at the port of Hamburg declined for the second consecutive year in 2018.
The port’s throughput was down to 8.73m teu, adding urgency to the completion of the long-awaited deepening and widening programme in the river Elbe.
Although this represents a marginal 1% year-on-year fall in containers handled at Hamburg’s box terminals, it has to be read in context with the strong growth achieved at rival North European hubs Rotterdam …

The post Elbe deepening now crucial as...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/elbe-deepening-now-crucial-as-throughput-at-port-of-hamburg-is-still-falling/

Hamburg sees market share drift to rivals as draught restrictions begin to bite

The arrival of more 20,000 teu-plus megaships has resulted in “a steady shift of market share” from Germany’s hub gateway container port of Hamburg to western neighbours Rotterdam and Antwerp, and, to a limited extent, Wilhelmshaven.
The latest Global Port Tracker for North Europe is projecting a 5.1% decline in container imports for Hamburg in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period of 2018.
Hamburg is yet to …

The post Hamburg sees market share drift to rivals as draught...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/hamburg-sees-market-share-drift-to-rivals-as-draught-restrictions-begin-to-bite/