Coronavirus Outbreak Cuts China's Container Volumes

Feb. 7, 2020 - According to ocean freight data firm Alphaliner, container traffic has fallen by more than a fifth at the major Chinese container ports since the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak began in mid-January.

“The full impact of the Chinese coronavirus outbreak on container volumes will not be fully measurable until ports announce their throughput numbers for the first quarter, but data collected on weekly container vessel calls at key Chinese ports already shows a reduction of over 20 percent since January 20," Alphaliner said in a statement.

Overall, the slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and port operations due to the outbreak could shave up to seven tenths of a percentage point off of global container volumes this year, Alphaliner warned.

The disruption on Chinese shores has ripple effects for the global container industry. With major ocean carriers blanking multiple sailings to Chinese ports in order to bring capacity in line with demand, the service frequency for shipments along the core Asia-Europe trade lane is reduced. In addition, Alphaliner warned that the blank sailings could make it harder to bring capacity back up again once the epidemic has passed.

"Since these extended void sailing programmes on long-haul services are slated to continue until mid-March, any cargo volume recovery could be negatively affected, even after the end of the [Lunar New Year] holidays," Alphaliner cautioned.

The congestion in China is having a knock-on effect in neighboring countries' ports, which are picking up some of the transshipment traffic that might otherwise occur in China. It is even a storage issue in some areas: in Busan, South Korea, international shippers are using container yards to store China-bound cargo for later delivery after the congestion in Chinese ports dies down, a Busan port official told Reuters.

SOURCE: The Maritime Executive

Euroports Receives New Konecranes Gottwald Model 7 Mobile Harbor Crane in Antwerp

Jan. 25, 2020 - On December 9, 2019, Euroports received a new Konecranes Gottwald Model 7 Mobile Harbor Crane and high volume grab for their dry bulk operations at the Euroports Terminal TA168 in Antwerp, Belgium.

The crane can operate at a reach of more than 50m with a lift capacity of more than 30T at a fast slewing, lifting and travelling time. This supports the increasing market expectations for loading, unloading and transshipment operations. 

“We are very excited about choosing the G HMK 7408B. The choice was made after a detailed analyses of the available crane competences on the market and possible fit with Euroports’ dry bulk needs,” said Karel Leysen, Terminal Manager TA168, Antwerp at Euroports.

“The GHMK 7408B showed the strongest value proposition in supplying safe, qualitative, reliable and cost-efficient operations.  It will be a key element in Euroports’ strong dry bulk offering at quay 168," Leysen added.

The acquisition of the crane is a logical step in the expansion of Euroports’ dry bulk location in Antwerp.

In 2020, a new 100T dry bulk warehouse and additional rolling equipment — including a new high speed Panamax ship loader — will also be introduced.

About Euroports

Euroports is one of the largest port-infrastructure companies in Europe, handling more than 60 million tons of liquid, bulk, breakbulk and containerised goods per year. Euroports developd, operated and managed global maritime supply-chain solutions for international customers in specific industry sectors.

Maritime and Port Authority Singapore Begins Coronavirus Fightback

Jan. 24, 2020 - The Maritime and Port Authority Singapore (MPA) has implemented temperature screening at all sea checkpoints for all inbound travelers following the coronavirus in China.

In a statement, MPA said the measures will affect all maritime traffic, including container, ferry and cruise vessels and will come into effect on 24 January 2020 at 1200 local time.

They will be implemented across all terminals, including those run by PSA and Jurong Port.

The measures will involve temperature screening by on-site healthcare assistants; suspect cases will be immediately referred to hospital for further assessment.

As 24 January 2020 there have 830 reported cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with 26 deaths.

There have been reports of suspect coronavirus cases as far away as the UK but none have yet been confirmed.