Wagenborg Orders Fourth EasyMax Vessel From Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard

Jan. 2, 2023 - Wagenborg Shipping and Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard have come to an agreement to start the construction of another 14,000 dwt EasyMax vessel. This fourth vessel in the EasyMax series is expected to be delivered in autumn 2024.

According to Wagenborg, the repeat order fits perfectly into the production process at the yard, as the construction of the third Easymax is currently in full swing. This sister ship of the MV ‘Egbert Wagenborg’ and MV ‘Máxima’ is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023.

EasyMax Concept

The EasyMax concept is a multi-purpose vessel with a cargo capacity of 14,000 tons and was jointly developed by Wagenborg and Niestern Sander. Wagenborg was awarded the KVNR Maritime Shipping Award in 2017 for this ship design, partly due to its superior fuel efficiency.

The Egbert Wagenborg and Máxima have more than proven themselves as sustainable and successful ship types and, together with her future sisters, will continue to contribute to Wagenborg Shipping's position as a leading multipurpose shipping company.

SOURCE: Wagenborg

Hapag-Lloyd Offers New Rail Link from Port of Virginia to US West Coast

April 29, 2022 - The Port of Virginia is the only US East Coast stop for ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd’s reworked Mediterranean Gulf Coast Express (MGX) that will move cargo overland by rail to California via Virginia.

“This is an innovative decision by one of our long-time customers to take advantage of our efficiency and our rail reach into the Midwest,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “It’s a unique service, but it is indicative of a very challenging trade environment. We welcomed the opportunity to be part of the solution for cargo owners on the West Coast.”

The service began operating in mid-April with arrival of the Synergy Antwerp at Norfolk International Terminals. Nearly 1,000 of the vessel’s containers were moved via Norfolk Southern to Chicago where they were switched to another rail carrier that moved them to the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.

The weekly service employs eight Panamax vessels. The port call rotation is:

Livorno – Genoa – Barcelona – Valencia – Veracruz – Altamira – Houston – The Port of Virginia – Livorno.

Edwards said this is an important opportunity to introduce West Coast-based cargo owners and logistics companies to The Port of Virginia.

“Hapag-Lloyd is taking advantage of the present-day efficiencies here that are driven by a diverse, ultra-modern port complex that has an expansive rail reach,” Edwards said. “But what many companies on the West Coast may not realize is that we are investing $1.3 billion between now and 2025 to create more rail capacity, modernize and renovate two of our berths and convert them to an RMG operation (rail-mounted gantry), dredge our channels to 55 feet deep and widen them for two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels. The Port of Virginia is building capacity for decades to come.”

In 2021, the Port of Virginia processed nearly 2 million containers and moved more than 640,000 of those units by rail.

SOURCE: Port of Viginia

New MSC ScanBaltic Service Makes First Call to The Port of Philadelphia

April 19, 2022 - On Thursday, April 14, PhilaPort welcomed the maiden call of a new ocean liner service to The Port of Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The container ship M/V Cornelia is part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) brand new ScanBaltic service.

MSC first announced the launch of the new weekly service connecting the ScanBaltic with the US East Coast in mid-March. MSC noted that it is the only carrier to provide a direct connection between the two regions, reducing transshipment for customers and providing expedited transit times.

The service offers Klaipeda to New York in 15 days; Gdynia in 13 days; and Goteborg to New York in 11 days, with no transshipment required between load and discharge ports, MSC said.

The new service gives U.S. shippers direct connections to Bremerhaven, Germany; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Klaipeda, Lithuania.

“A weekly Baltic call fits perfectly into our portfolio of services,” said Jeff Theobald, Executive Director & CEO of PhilaPort. “MSC is the largest container shipping company in the world. It is also the #1 carrier in The Port of Philadelphia. Cargoes to and from Germany are important. However, we are also excited that Scan Baltic gives us access to all the other Baltic countries for cargoes such as forest products and seafood.”

Philadelphia continues to play a major role in assisting international supply chains with alternate strategies to overcome worldwide logistics challenges.

“We are very thankful that we have additional capacity,” said Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort’s Director of Marketing. “Fortunately for us, we are adding space and equipment, which will allow many more services to call at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

SOURCE: The Port of Philadelphia and MSC

Maersk, Proman Announce Agreement on Green Methanol Supply

March 10, 2022 (Press Release) - Proman and A.P. Moller -Maersk (Maersk) have entered into a new cooperation agreement to identify and develop green methanol supply solutions for Maersk's new methanol-fuelled container vessels.

As part of today's agreement, Proman will aim to supply Maersk with 100,000 – 150,000 tonnes per year of green methanol from its new 200,000 tonnes per year methanol facility in development in North America. The project will be built by Proman with target start of operations in 2025, producing bio-methanol from non-recyclable forestry residues and municipal solid waste.

Proman and Maersk will further collaborate on developing global projects with the aim of producing and delivering green methanol for Maersk's vessels. Proman will leverage its expertise across the methanol value chain to optimise global supply at Maersk's key bunkering ports, alongside wider collaboration and sharing of operational and technological best practices to drive forward shipping sustainability.

Proman is evaluating multiple bio-methanol and e-methanol projects in South America, Europe and the United Kingdom, which Maersk and Proman will explore as part of a longer-term green methanol supply strategy for Maersk and for the shipping industry.

Proman continues to develop worldwide investments in new ultra-low emission natural gas to methanol plants, in which plants are designed to maximise efficiency and minimise emissions, to help serve the broader marine fuel demand.

Proman Chief Executive, David Cassidy, said of the agreement: "Maersk's industry-leading commitment to green methanol is fully aligned with Proman's belief that methanol should be a key part of the energy transition. Methanol-powered vessels are already in use today, with a proven track record of reducing and even eliminating major emissions like particulate matter and sulphur oxides. We are excited to bring our deep industry experience to help deliver on Maersk's bold ambitions, working together to deliver green methanol and clean shipping at a global scale."

"To transition towards decarbonisation, we need a significant and timely acceleration in the production of green fuels. Green methanol is the only market-ready and scalable available solution today for shipping. Production must be increase through collaboration across the ecosystem and around the world. That is why these partnerships mark an important milestone to get the transition to green energy underway," says Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Key challenges remain in securing competitively priced green methanol globally. In order to help decarbonise the global shipping industry, further legislative action is required to help level the playing field and incentivise the adoption of lower-emission fuels. Consistent and transparent emissions calculation and accounting standards will be critical to allowing like-for-like comparisons between future fuels.

Proman and Maersk's agreement to produce green methanol emphasises the belief that methanol is one of the most viable fuels to meet the urgent challenge of maritime decarbonisation. With increasing investment in low-carbon methanol production and the potential net zero benefits of green methanol, today's announcement will enable the methanol industry as a whole to pave the way to a cleaner shipping future.

About Proman

Proman is an integrated energy company and the world's second largest methanol producer. Headquartered in Switzerland, with assets in the United States, Trinidad and Oman, and ongoing expansion into Mexico and Canada, Proman is a global leader in methanol, fertilizer and other products such as melamine. It has extensive experience in petrochemical plant operations, petrochemical and power plant construction, marketing and logistics, and project management.

SOURCE: Proman AG; Maersk