UK – At an event held at its Maritime 2050 Innovation Hub on Wednesday 6 April the Port of Tyne will unveil a new sustainable smart port platform that will provide a blueprint for its transition to net zero. As part of the Clean Tyne Project, the Port of Tyne and Siemens have worked with Connected Places Catapult, Newcastle University and the North East LEP to deploy a real-time digital platform for scenario planning and feasibility studies that will help determine the future power needs of the Port.
The Clean Tyne project was granted funding by the Department of Transport to create a blueprint for the decarbonisation of the UK’s ports. The project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which sees £30 million in total invested in a number of initiatives to reduce emissions from the maritime sector. To register for the April 6 event click HERE.
UK – The North of England’s political and business leaders will meet next week at 11am on Wednesday 30 March at the Leeds City Hilton to discuss how Transport for the North (TfN) will continue in a new structure following funding cuts and changes to the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme.
The TfN Board meeting will look at the prioritisation of its activities after the Department for Transport confirmed a £6.5 million core budget for FY 2022/23 against TfN’s funding ‘ask’ of £10 million. The meeting will also consider TfN’s role as co-sponsor on NPR, as first indicated in last November’s Integrated Rail Plan.
SWEDEN – The Port of Gävle, one of the country’s largest, is undergoing a feasibility study being undertaken by Semcon on behalf of port manager Yilport to how transport flows can be made more efficient. Because ports, like mines and production facilities, are enclosed areas, they are ideal environments for automated solutions and autonomous vehicles can reduce costs while also improving safety.
The logistics process that will initially be investigated is the transport of containers by truck from container warehouses to the docks, where they are then lifted by crane onto ships. In the project, Semcon will map all parts of the process, costs, needs and challenges in order to understand the process in depth, then report back to Yilport.
US – XPO Logistics is divesting its North American intermodal business to STG Logistics Inc. for cash proceeds of approximately $710 million, subject to a customary post-closing purchase price adjustment. The intermodal unit, which XPO has reported as part of its Brokerage and Other Services segment, generated $1.2 billion of revenue in 2021. The divested operations provide rail brokerage and drayage services. 48 locations and approximately 700 employees have transferred to the buyer in the transaction.
US – The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is purchasing two vessels from the American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC). The vessels will be part of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) fleet. More vessel purchases are expected to follow as the fleet is in need of rejuvenation.
Stena RoRo is part of the project team that Crowley created for the MARAD contract. Stena RoRo assists in the process of finding and selecting new vessels, serves as a broker and supports the parties in drawing up contracts in connection with the purchase of vessels.
US – Maersk will add 300 electric road haulage trucks to its North America network, making it the largest heavy-duty electric truck deployment to date. The trucks will be delivered between 2023 - 2025 for use by Maersk’s North American warehousing, distribution and transportation business called Performance Team - A Maersk Company. The trucks will be operated using Einride’s digital road freight operating system and charging solutions.
Swedish group Einride’s e-trucks are assembled to set specifications throughout the US. The initial batch of trucks are Class 8 8TT Gen 3 manufactured by BYD. The partnership will initiate the first large-scale use of Einride’s digital road freight operating system. This technology centralises decision-making by providing data integration with full transparency across the electromobility spectrum.
WORLDWIDE – Japanese container alliance Ocean Network Express, ONE, says it will invest $20 billion in the next 8 years, more than 50% of which is to fund fleet additions and the balance for technology advances, new terminals and container purchases. The aim is to cut the chartering of vessels from stock holders from 75% to 20% by 2030 whilst the new building menu is to meet 2050 ecological targets.
Photo: Port of Tyne.
Claim your free directory listing and view our advertising rates >