DNV launches smart centre in Qingdao

PostTime:2021-07-12 08:31:56 View:807

DNV debuted its new smart centre for Greater China region at north Chinese port city of Qingdao to support digitalisation and decarbonisation of maritime. Katherine Si | Jul 08, 2021 At the smart centre opening ceremony, DNV and Shandong Shipping signed cooperation agreement for jointly develop digitalization and decarbonization transformation. “The world’s developing centre is moving to east, Asia, especially China, is playing a more crucial role in global shipping and trading market. China is one of the most important strategic development regions of DNV, and we believe the newly established smart centre could further support China maritime industry to achieve digitalization and decarbonization transformation,” said Geir Dugstad, director of ship classification & technical director at DNV. Related: DSIC, DNV GL to jointly develop intelligent vessel Liu Xiaofeng, director of smart centre said, establishing a smart centre in China could attract and train more talents locally, and better meet the demands of Chinese clients.

Asian ports dominate new container terminal efficiency index Photo: Qingdao Port

PostTime:2021-05-11 08:15:57 View:577

The new global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), launched by the World Bank and IHS Markit, ranks Yokohama, as the world’s most efficient port ahead of King Abdullah Port, Saudi Arabia and Qingdao, China. Michele Labrut | May 10, 2021 The index finds that Asian container ports are the most efficient in the world, dominating the Top 50 spots. Despite being the highest ranked European port Algeciras in Spain is at position 10 in the index. Colombo in Sri Lanka is the top-ranked port in South Asia at 17th place and Mexico’s Lazaro Cardenas leads the Americas at 25th. Related: US West Coast port congestion – a storm abating? Canada’s Halifax is the only other North American port in the Top 50. Djibouti, in 61st place, is the top-ranked African port. “The development of high-quality and efficient container port infrastructure is a key contributor to successful, export-led growth strategies both in developing and developed countries,” said Martin Humphreys, World Bank Lead Transport Economist. Related: World largest containership makes maiden voyage from Qingdao port He added that efficient ports also ensure business continuity and improve the resilience of the maritime gateways as crucial nodes in the global logistical system. The index, the first of its kind, is a comparison of global container port performance that is intended to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in container port operations. The index scored ports against different metrics, making the efficiency ranking comparable around the globe by assessing and standardising for different ship sizes and container moves per call. It is based on total port hours per ship call, defined as the elapsed time between when a ship reaches a port to its departure from the berth having completed its cargo exchange. The index indicates that key port performance metrics such as minutes per container move show large discrepancies in global port efficiency. While top performers such as Yokohama take just 1.1 minutes on average to load or unload a container in a standard port call, the average for equivalent workloads in African ports is more than three times that at 3.6 minutes.

Alfa Laval targets Asian yards with Qingdao production

PostTime:2021-05-06 08:38:34 View:512

 Alfa Laval has plans for a new production line in Qingdao for its PureBallast 3 system in a bid to strengthen ties with shipyards in Asia. Gary Howard | May 04, 2021 Implementation of the new production line for its ballast water treatment (BWT) technology will begin in spring 2021 and Alfa Laval hopes to produce its entire full flow range there by the end of 2022. Alfa Laval said most of its installations of PureBallast 3 systems take place at shipyards in Asia and when the initial wave of retrofits tapers off in 2024, Asia’s shipyards will be even more prominent as the market share of newbuild installations rises. Related: Sembcorp Marine hit by labour shortage due to Covid border controls “Qingdao is located in one of China’s Development Zones and is well situated geographically, which will mean simpler logistics with sustainability advantages for shipyards in Asia,” said Peter Sahlén, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast. “Our service capabilities for PureBallast 3 are well established in Asia, just as they are in the rest of the world. Customers experience Alfa Laval as a local presence wherever they sail, yet they can count on our global knowledge and quality. While the start-up of production in Qingdao adds strength at the beginning of the system life cycle, our commitment to customers and their compliance is constant throughout," said Sahlén. Related: Singapore crew change ban extended to more sub-continent nations Alfa Laval has been in China for more than 30 years with a centre for customer support, project management and technical support in Shanghai and a factory in Qingdao.

Qingdao Shipyard signs contract for four 5,900 TEU box ships

PostTime:2021-04-07 08:19:06 View:529

QINGDAO Shipyard announced it had entered into a shipbuilding contract with an undisclosed Belgian shipowner for the construction of four 5,900 TEU containerships, reports Seatrade Maritime News, Colchester, UK. The four box ships are scheduled for delivery before 2025 to the owner. The shipyard said the container shipping market started to improve from the second half of 2020, and the market will maintain positive outlook in 2021. The shipyard is adjusting industrial structure and strengthening the competitiveness in containership market, it added. Currently, Qingdao Shipyard has six 5,900 TEU box ship order on hand.

Qingdao Shipyard inks contract for 5,900 teu boxship quartet

PostTime:2021-04-01 08:21:08 View:532

Qingdao Shipyard announced it had entered into the shipbuilding contract with a Belgian shipowner for the construction of four 5,900teu containerships. Katherine Si | Mar 31, 2021 The four containerships are scheduled for delivery before 2025, to the undisclosed Belgian owner. Container shipping market started to improve from the second half of 2020, and the market will maintain positive outlook in 2021. The shipyard is adjusting industrial structure and strengthening the competitiveness in containership market, said the shipyard. Related: Dajin Heavy Industry bags six newbuilding contracts Currently, Qingdao Shipyard has six 5,900 teu boxship order on hand.

Cosco Shipping Maritime University debuts in Qingdao

PostTime:2020-07-07 08:44:58 View:614

China’s largest shipping group Cosco Shipping has inaugurated its corporate university in Qingdao, Shandong province to promote shipping talents development. Xue Qingguo, Deputy Mayor of Qingdao, said that Cosco Shipping has cooperated with Qingdao for a long time, and the two aim to cultivate more shipping talents and bring new energy to shipping industry. Fu Gangfeng, general manager of Cosco Shipping said, corporate university is a key platform for the group which will integrate resources from 11 internal training organisations under the group, aiming to develop more talents for world-class shipping companies.  Related: Cosco Shipping books three LNG carriers at Hudong-Zhonghua Cosco Shipping Maritime University will have a 125,000 sq m education and training centre for talents and another 36,000 sq m for leadership training. The group plans to complete the first phase construction of the new campus by September 2021.

Queue of 20 VLCCs at China’s Qingdao wait to offload crude as ullage runs dry

PostTime:2020-06-04 15:41:43 View:608

 The lack of ullage at the tank farms of China’s key Qingdao port has forced VLCCs arriving at the port to wait for up to three weeks before being able to discharge their cargoes, freight market sources said. There are currently 20 VLCCs queueing to offload the crude oil on board as the port battles the buildup of inventories, with another 19 ships scheduled to arrive in the coming week. “If not for the ullage issue, the vessels can berth once they arrive, but now they have to wait [for a] long [period],” a shipping agency source said. Many VLCCs that arrived in mid-May are still waiting for berth allocations to discharge the oil, according to a shipping agency vessel line-up document seen by S&P Global Platts. “For the first five months of this year China had an implied stock build of up to 195 million barrels for crude oil, the bulk of which occurred in February and March,” Wu Kang, head of Asia analytics at S&P Global Platts Analytics said. Several VLCCs have had to wait for a week to be allotted a berth and the waiting time depends on whether the receiver of the crude has enough ullage or space at the shore tanks to store the oil, a shipping agency source said. “If a receiver has tanks to receive, a berth can be allocated in one to two days,” the agency source added. The VLCCs chartered by state owned companies, including Unipec, have a quicker turnaround with some of these ships being allocated a berth upon arrival at the port, while the tonnage chartered by the independent, privately-owned “teapot” refineries have experienced longer waiting times. The 2011-built Sandra, which arrived in Qingdao on May 13, is one of the VLCCs in the queue at Dongjiakou, one of four port areas at Qingdao. The ship is still waiting for a berth to offload its crude oil cargo and the receiver of the cargo is one of China’s teapot refineries, Shandong Luqing Petrochemical, which is located at Shandong province. The congestion is expected to worsen with an additional 19 VLCCs — 13 in Qingdao and six at Rizhao — scheduled to arrive from June 3 until June 10. The four port areas at Qingdao are Dagang, Qianwan, Huangdong and Dongjiakou. OPEC+ cuts offset by tighter tonnage supply The frenzied pace at which Chinese oil companies were picking up crude oil tankers when international crude markers plunged to historic lows in April has resulted in a large number of ships arriving at Chinese ports in May and June. “Even with deep OPEC+ cuts, the [freight] rates are still holding and not that many VLCCs are available. Compared with other crude tanker sizes, the VLCCs are doing very well,” a shipbroker said. According to a chartering source, the position list has remained reasonably short, which is causing certain loading windows to firm on the freight levels. The daily earnings of a VLCC on the Middle East Gulf to China is around mid-$50,000 per day, according to a shipbroker’s estimates. As congestion at the Chinese ports build up, an armada of VLCCs carrying Saudi Arabian crude is expected to arrive at the US Gulf Coast over end-May to early-June, which will most likely result in ships being held up, putting a cap on the tonnage supply side. This could be the silver lining for the VLCC market, especially when crude oil inventories are high and refinery utilization levels are low globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qingdao Sunrui secures ballast water management system contract for 19 vessels

PostTime:2020-05-13 08:39:03 View:650

SunRui Marine Environment Engineering has inked a strategic cooperation agreement with a Japanese shipping company to provide its BalClor ballast water management system. The two parties signed the contract online under which Qingdao Sunrui will provide the ballast water management system supply and retrofit services to nineteen large size bulk carriers operated by the undisclosed Japanese shipowner. The two will also seek for further cooperation opportunities on dual-fuel gas supply system and other ship equipment sectors. Related: Qingdao SunRui and Optimarin in BWTS cooperation Qingdao Sunrui is engaged in research, design, manufacture, engineering, test and project contracting of marine environment corrosion control and water treatment. Its BalClor ballast water management system ranks the top three in global market.

World largest containership makes maiden voyage from Qingdao port

PostTime:2020-04-29 08:51:01 View:612

The world’s largest containership, the 24,000 teu HMM Algeciras, has made its maiden voyage from the Chinese port of Qingdao. The boxship, 399.9 m length, 61.03 m beam and 33.2 m depth, has a deck area of over 24,000 sq m and has taken the crown of the world’s largest vessel of its kind. The ship is headed to Busan carrying chemical, mechanical and electrical and non-staple food products after departing from Qingdao. Its port rotation also includes Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Suez Canal, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp and London. Related: HMM names the world’s largest containership Qingdao, is one of the biggest ports in North China, posted 5.04m teu container volume and 131.7m tons cargo throughput in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 2.1% and 2.5% year-on-year respectively.

Qingdao opens smart and green fully automated container terminal

PostTime:2019-12-27 08:16:48 View:666

THE fully automated container terminal has opened at China's Qingdao port in Shandong province that utilises hydrogen energy and 5G technology to create one of the nation's most highly efficient and environmentally-friendly ports with an annual container handling capacity of 1.7 million TEU. "Along the 660-metre shoreline, the terminal owns two berths and has high-end automated facilities including nine ship-to-shore cranes, 38 automatic high-speed tract cranes and 45 automatic guided vehicles," said Qingdao Port Automated Container Terminal Co executive deputy general-manager Yang Jiemin, reported Hellenic Shipping News. It took just 18 months to build the terminal, five times faster than it usually takes, said Mr Yang. The rail-mounted gantry cranes at the terminal are driven by a hydrogen battery pack, which Qingdao port claimed was the first used in the port sector worldwide. The new energy replaces coal and oil and produces more electricity with zero carbon dioxide emissions, said engineer Lyu Xiangdong. "What's more, the new method reduced the weight of the facility by 10 tons and lowered its complexity as well as maintenance costs," said Mr Lyu. He added that the hydrogen is mainly leftover from chemical enterprises in Shandong province and it is a perfect way to turn waste into a resource. The port operators estimated that the hydrogen energy could reduce electricity consumption by 3.6 per cent for carrying every container and save 20 per cent of the cost of purchasing every unit of power equipment. If this terminal handles an annual throughput of three million TEU, it would reduce 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 697 tons of sulphur dioxide discharges. The automation at the terminal has been enlarged by application of 5G technology, "which has covered every corner of the terminal," said Qingdao Port Automated Container Terminal Co. deputy general manager Li Yongcui.

Qingdao Port Buys 33.3 Pct Stake in COSCO Shipping Ports (Abu Dhabi)

PostTime:2019-12-03 09:52:43 View:1064

Chinese container terminal operator COSCO Shipping Ports Limited has entered into a deal to sell 33.3 percent of equity in its subsidiary COSCO Shipping Ports (Abu Dhabi) Limited to Qingdao Port International Development (Hong Kong) for USD 59.2 million. Abu Dhabi Terminal in Khalifa Port was the first terminal in which COSCO Shipping Ports held a controlling stake in the Middle East. “Disposal is expected to further improve the operational efficiency of Abu Dhabi Terminal, increase the terminal’s competitiveness in the Middle East and provide highly-efficient and better ports services to shipping companies. Furthermore, the company believes that the disposal would be beneficial to the two parties in maximizing their respective advantages, expanding terminal-extended business and deepening strategic cooperation in terminal business in the long run,” COSCO said in a filing to Hong Kong exchange. Upon completion of the sale, Abu Dhabi Terminal will be indirectly held as to approximately 60% by COSCO Shipping Ports and 30% by QPI Development respectively through CSP (Abu Dhabi), with Abu Dhabi Ports holding the remaining 10 percent in the company. Abu Dhabi Ports and COSCO Shipping Ports Limited opened CSP Abu Dhabi Container Terminal on December 20,  2018. The terminal is the result of the 35-year concession agreement between Abu Dhabi Ports and CSP. The deepwater, semi-automated container terminal has a design capacity of 2.5 million TEU and began with a handling capacity of 1.5 million TEU. The water depth of the terminal is 16.5 metres, allowing it to accommodate mega-vessels typically carrying in excess of 20,000 TEU.

Belt and Road: Qingdao port buys 33pc of Cosco's Abu Dhabi CT

PostTime:2019-12-02 08:32:33 View:915

QINGDAO Port International Development has agreed to purchase a 33 per cent stake in COSCO Shipping Ports (Abu Dhabi), a deepwater terminal located in Khalifa Port, for US$59 million. The terminal is CSP's first international greenfield subsidiary and offers a design capacity of 2.5 million TEU with 1,200 metres of quay. The water depth of the terminal is 16.5 metres, allowing it to accommodate mega-vessels typically carrying in excess of 20,000 TEU. At the time of the announcement, 90 per cent of the equity is owned by COSCO and the remaining 10 per cent is owned by an independent third party, meaning that Qingdao's share will be around 30 per cent. Said Qingdao Port: "The acquisition of shares is an important step for the company to actively integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative development, further implement the internationalisation strategy and further deepen strategic cooperation with COSCO Shipping Ports."