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North European Feeder Operators and Short Sea Carriers Continue To Lose Market Shares According to the newest reports, the common feeder operators and the short sea carriers of Northern Europe are facing a rather unpredictable future due to the unfortunate fact that the mainline operators are dominating the sector and as a consequence, the small companies are gradually getting marginalised. Currently, the mainline operators hold a share of 56% (earlier it was 34%) of the total short sea and feeder capacity of Northern Europe. The sector is wholly under the reign of the four largest and well-established European liners, namely the Maersk, Hapag-Llyod, MSC and CMA CGM. We can also add Cosco to this list as it has been steadily growing and gaining popularity, of recent. Therefore, it is quite understandable as to why the independent short sea carriers and the common feeder operators are constantly losing the market shares to the giant, mainline carriers. This is also the reason behind their share dropping down to 44% from 66%. Interestingly, the total capacity regarding operations has decreased from 164,000 teu (back in 2009) to only 117,000 teu in the present scenario. This unfortunate reduction can also be explained by taking the shrinking of the operations (undertaken by the existing carriers) into account. Plus, many well-established companies have stopped their operations or perhaps, allowed themselves to be absorbed by larger organizations. Hamburg’s Team Lines is the latest one to join the bandwagon, while some of the older companies that have faded into oblivion in the past ten years are the Tschudi Lines, Baltic Container Lines, Fedeerlink , MacAndrews, Intermarine (IMCL) and United Feeder Services. US Savannah Port Plans To Expand Its Boxship Handling Capacity The US Savannah Port has arrived at a decision to extend its capacity by 2024 in order to simultaneously handle around six container vessels that are each of 14,000 teu. Presently, the Garden City Terminal is well-equipped to handle only two of the large-sized containerships. This has been planned by the Big Berth/Big Ship program under the supervision of the Georgia Port Authority (GPA). The Garden City Terminal owned by the US Savannah Port is supposed to include 37 cranes and the ability to take care of six boxships at the same time. The Executive Director of GPA, Mr Griff Lynch, has highlighted the fact that no other single container terminal in Northern American region has the power to expand its berth capacity at such a rapid rate. The Port has also recorded the January of 2019 as the busiest month in its operational history by handling a total capacity of 433, 975 teu. The Board Chairman of GPA, Mr Jimmy Allgood, has commented that a strong global economy has triggered a rapid growth of their deepwater container terminal, along with the Savannah’s commendable position in logistics. The GPA has also commissioned the purchase of a dozen rubber-tyred gantry cranes that will improve the container handling operations, as well. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is all set to be completed by the end of 2021 and it will enable better services for an accommodation of the large-sized containers in the future. The India-Norway Ocean Dialogue Will Promote The Development Of Blue Economy The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the India-Norway Ocean Dialogue between the two countries. The MoU is targeted to boost the cooperation between India and Norway in the areas of mutual interest, which will have a special focus on the development of blue economy. As we are aware of, Norway is skilled at utilizing innovative technologies and is enriched with good resources in the fields of renewable energy, fisheries, hydrocarbons, maritime transport and harnessing the ocean resources. The India-Norway Ocean Dialogue will promote many collaborative opportunities for making good use of marine resources (and also hydrocarbons) and also, the proper management of ports. The further implementation of modern technologies in aquaculture and fisheries will ensure food security without any hassles. JNPT Quoted An Upfront Amount Of 600 Crores For The Dighi Port The country’s biggest container gateway, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust or the JNPT, has recently quoted an upfront amount of more than 600 crores (apart from the capital infusion) in order to enable the continuous running of the Dighi Port. The Committee of Creditors (CoC) has approved JNPT’s initiative to acquire the debt-laden Dighi Port. Navis And ICTSI Entered Into An Agreement Of Global Partnership A renowned provider of operational technologies, the Navis company has signed an agreement with a popular terminal operator, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI). This joint cooperation will concentrate on accentuating the global volume view aimed for container trade. This will also help in sharing the growth strategies put forward by ICTSI, across the globe. This collaboration will also facilitate the better adaptation of the ICTSI’s global footprint for the N4 terminal operating system (TOS) as owned by Navis. Sources: https://splash247.com/north-european-feeder-operators-face-uncertain-future/ http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/americas/us-savannah-looks-to-expand-big-boxship-handling-capacity.html http://www.eximin.net/NewsDetails.aspx?name=40444 http://www.maritimegateway.com/jnpts-bid-buy-dighi-port-approved/ https://www.porttechnology.org/news/ictsi_and_navis_agree_global_terminal_partnership#Navis