Evergreen to expand fleet by adding on twenty 11,000 TEU boxships

    Taiwan's biggest shipping line Evergreen Marine is to undergo a major fleet expansion plan in which the company will bring in a total of twenty 11,000 TEU containerships, made up of eight newbuildings and another 12 vessels on charter, according to Singapore's Splash 24/7.

    The containerised-freight shipping line's two subsidiaries, Greencompass Marine and Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong), will each order four 11,000 TEU newbuildings and charter six vessels of the same type.

    The total price of the newbuildings is estimated between US$744 million and $800 million.

    It's not known where or who will build the boxships. But, according to Evergreen the shipyards to construct the newbuildings will be chosen among compatriot shipyard CSBC, Japanese yards Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United, as well as South Korean yards Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to Evergreen.

    In October last year, Evergreen announced a new share issue plan to raise TWD7.65 billion ($258 million) to be used for fleet optimisation and debt repayment.

    Evergreen joined the Ocean Alliance in 2016 and the company currently operates a fleet of 105 boxships with another 22 newbuildings under construction.

Hutchison Ports begins building new container yard at UK port of Felixstowe

   Hutchison Ports has commenced construction of a new 13-hectare paved container yard as part of the latest expansion phase at the UK port of Felixstowe. The work will include the reclamation of 3.2 hectares of seabed.

    UK Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling officiated the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of work on the new yard that will be located behind berth nine and will add 18,000 TEU of container storage capacity. The new yard is expected to be completed in early 2019, reported Seatrade Maritime News of Colchester, UK.

    "This important expansion of Felixstowe continues the port's impressive record of investment to make sure it is well placed to make the most of trading opportunities both now and in the future," Mr Grayling was quoted as saying. "It is great to see our largest container port expanding its offering so it can grow and prosper."

    The new container yard will comprise ten container storage blocks and allow six-high stacking. It will add to the port's existing 130,000 TEU storage capacity.

    Port of Felixstowe CEO and Hutchison Ports executive director Clemence Cheng added: "Berths eight and nine were the first berths in the UK built to accommodate the latest class of ultra-large container vessels. The creation of additional container storage will allow us to optimise container handling operations between the berth and its supporting yard."

    The port was the first in the UK to handle containerships with a capacity of over 18,000 TEU. Last year it welcomed 166 calls by the largest class of mega-ships, more than any other port in the UK.

Port of LA 2017 container volume hits new record of 9.3m TEU

    The Port of Los Angeles has set an all-time annual record for container throughput in 2017, moving 9.3 million TEU, an increase of 5.5 -percent 2016's record-breaking year and the new high-water mark for the most cargo moved annually by a Western Hemisphere port.

    Supply chain efficiencies, new technology use, and terminal upgrades were the three reasons given for the milestone. The 110-year-old facility, which is the nation's busiest seaport, invested in a series of upgrades throughout 2017, DC Velocity reported.

    In one initiative, the port teamed with GE Transportation, a unit of General Electric Co, on a programme to digitise maritime data and make it accessible to beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and container line companies. This "Port Optimizer" digital information portal aggregates key cargo data online to facilitate better cargo tracking, projections, and productivity, according to the port.

    In addtion, the port completed infrastructure upgrades at its TraPac Container Terminal and Yusen Terminals Inc, allowing them to service increasingly larger ships and facilitate more efficient cargo movement.

    "2017 was a year beyond expectations, but it was not by chance," Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka said in a statement. "Our growth is a direct result of a concerted, multi-year effort by the Port and its many partners to maximise efficiency throughout the supply chain. All the collaborative work by a broad range of global maritime stakeholders has delivered these remarkable results."

    Port statistics also showed that loaded imports decreased 2.2 per cent year over year to 385,492 TEU in December while loaded exports decreased 7.3 per cent, to 152,865 TEU. In addition, total empty containers moved in December rose 1.45 percent year over year, to 240,853 TEU.