Mexico News

Höegh Trapper Back to Mackay

Roll-on/roll-off  (RO-RO) vessel Höegh Trapper recently returned to the Port of Mackay as part of its Europe US, Mexico and Oceania service.To commemorate the occasion representatives from North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, traditional owners and council members from Mackay as well as customers and service providers were invited to tour the vessel.Being the largest Pure Car and Truck Carrier in the world, the guests were welcomed to showcase the vessel’s flexibility and wide range of cargoes it can cater to.Captain Nicky Colaco…

Big Easy Braces for Barry Flooding; Emergency Declared

New Orleans braced for severe flooding with residents told to hunker down as a growing tropical storm in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico headed for landfall late on Friday or early on Saturday as the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019.U.S. President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the state of Louisiana late on Thursday, hours after the region's oil production was cut by half as energy companies evacuated offshore drilling facilities and a coastal refinery.Tropical Storm…

New Orleans Braces for TS Barry

Some residents and visitors prepared to flee New Orleans on Thursday as Tropical Storm Barry closed in and city officials warned of severe flooding if it makes landfall by early Saturday as the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2019 season.The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (64 kph) as of 10 a.m. CDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.Forecasters issued a storm-surge warning for a stretch of Louisiana coastline south of already-sodden New Orleans stretching from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach.

Special Weather Bulletin for Gulf Region

Invest 92-L, which may become Tropical Storm Barry by Thursday, is becoming better organized this morning as satellite imagery and surface weather observations indicate that a circulation seems to be developing over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.In addition, it appears that the deeper thunderstorm activity is occurring offshore and it appears that Invest 92-L is located further south than what many of the model guidance members have indicated in their forecasts.

Light Sweet Crude Exports Jump at LOOP

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) exported a record 283,333 barrels per day of light sweet crude last month, according to trade sources, as prices weakened against global Brent.LOOP, which exports mostly medium sour grades produced in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, last month exported more than twice the amount of light sweet from the prior month. Overall exports of U.S. crude hit a record 3.77 million barrels per day (bpd) one week in June, U.S. government data showed.A decline in oil imports at the facility, stemming from record U.S.

Resolve Receives USCG AMVER Award

Resolve Marine Group was awarded the prestigious AMVER (Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System) Award for work done by privately funded Emergency Response Salvage Tug the Resolve Pioneer.It was presented to Resolve by the United States Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Karl Schultz at the close of National Maritime Day and the NAMEPA Safety at Sea conference at the Press Club in Washington D.C. on May 26, and recognized the work done by the Resolve Pioneer under the AMVER system. The global AMVER network is more than 60 years old.

Port of Hamburg Moves More Cargo by Rail

In Germany’s largest universal Port of Hamburg more than 135 million tons of seaborne cargo traffic are cleared annually. A major share of this freight reaches or leaves the port by rail.today and terms of the various modes of transport on the overland seaport-hinterland routes, then rail is in pole position in Hamburg with 48.2 percent, ahead of trucking with 41.4 percent and inland waterway with 10.2 percent.In the first quarter of 2019, a total of 12.5 million tons of freight were transported by rail between the Port of Hamburg and destinations within Germany and Europe.

Hutchison Ports, CN Rail to Build Terminal in Canada

Canadian Québec Port Authority (QPA) has signed a long-term commercial agreement with Hong Kong's Hutchison Ports and Canadian National Railway (CN) to build and operate a new container terminal, known as project Laurentia.The agreement increases Hutchison Ports' global network to 52 ports spanning 27 countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Argentina, Mexico and Panama, said a press release.Hutchison…

Marlink Extends Network

Marlink will introduce a new hybrid communication service at Nor-Shipping 2019. Dubbed Sealink Global 4G, as a turnkey solution it is designed to provide everything needed to leverage fast, low-latency mobile services when in network range while complementing VSAT connectivity when in regulated regions.Devised as a single global capability with full predictability on performance and costs, Sealink Global 4G is a ready-to-go solution bringing a new dimension of low-latency and flexible connectivity to Marlink’s global multi-band maritime network.

Hamburg’s Traffic on the Rise in Q1

Germany’s largest universal port is again on a growth path, achieving a distinct advance in the first quarter of 2019 with seaborne cargo throughput ahead by 6.0 percent at 34.6 million tons.Both general cargo throughput at 23.9 million tons - up 5.4 percent- and bulk cargo throughput at 10.7 million tons - up 7.5 percent – rose substantially in the first three months.The gratifying 6.4 percent increase in container handling to 2.3 million TEU is primarily attributable to four liner services new to Hamburg and linking the Hanseatic City with ports in the USA…

Hamburg Süd Christens Polar Ecuador

Hamburg Süd christened the Polar Ecuador containership in Antwerp.The new vessel belongs to a group of four structurally identical vessels in the Polar class that have been built for Hamburg Süd by the Chinese shipyard Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding. With a total length of 230 meters and a width of 37.30 meters, the ship offers a container storage capacity of 3,800 TEU and is equipped with 1,000 reefer plugs.The Polar Ecuador is deployed in Hamburg Süd’s North Europe – Mexico/Caribbean service (EMCS)…

Houston Ship Channel Reopens to Two-Way Traffic

The Houston Ship Channel reopened on Wednesday to two-way traffic after salvage crews removed two gasoline barges damaged in a weekend collision with a deep-draft vessel, officials said.About 11,280 barrels of gasoline spilled into the channel near Bayport, Texas, after a 755-foot (230-metre) tanker collided over the weekend with a Kirby Inland Marine tugboat towing two barges containing the fuel.The removal of the Kirby Corp-operated barges was completed by midday on Wednesday and two-way traffic resumed…

Houston Ship Channel Bottleneck Finally Eases

A bottleneck of inbound traffic on the Houston Ship Channel eased on Tuesday though one-way travel restrictions remained following a weekend collision between a deep-draft ship and a barge, officials said on Tuesday.About 9,000 barrels of gasoline spilled into the channel near Bayport, Texas, when a 755-foot (230-meter) tanker collided over the weekend with a Kirby Inland Marine tugboat towing two barges containing the fuel.West Texas Intermediate crude at the Magellan East Houston (MEH) terminal on the ship channel traded at an $8.10 a barrel premium to U.S.

Houston Port Restrictions Could Last All Week

The Houston Ship Channel could remain under one-way travel restrictions all week following a collision between a deep-draft ship and a barge that spilled petrochemicals into the waterway, according to an official.About 9,000 barrels of gasoline spilled into the channel near Bayport, Texas, when a 755-foot (230-m) tanker collided with a Kirby Inland Marine tugboat towing two barges containing the fuel. One barge ruptured and the other capsized.The U.S. Coast Guard limited travel to one-way traffic because barges blocked part of the channel.

Compliant & Efficient Solutions for Telford Offshore

In July 2015, Worldwide Recruitment Solutions (WRS) was awarded the contract as a provider of managed services for Telford Offshore (previously Sea Trucks Group). As a rostered managed services provider tasked with providing all contract manpower requirements and associated mobilization and HR services, WRS undertook responsibility for two DP3 accommodation vessels and one DP2 multipurpose support vessels (MPSV), working in the offshore oil and gas industry in Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria.A combination of factors created challenges to the success of these projects…

Hamburg Süd Christens “Polar Mexico”

Hamburg Süd christened the “Polar Mexico” container ship in the Mexican port of Veracruz on the weekend.The sponsor of the “Polar Mexico” is Claudia Dávila, wife of Carlos Ayala, Logistics and Distribution Director of Alpek Polyester, which is a subsidiary of the Alfa Group, one of the largest corporate groups in Mexico.The Mexican economy is strong in the fruit sector as well as in other industries with high import and export volumes, such as automobile manufacturing, chemicals and brewing.

Latin American Ports Cargo Throughput Rose 7.7%

Container throughput in ports of Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 7.7% in 2018 in comparison with the previous year.According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), this analysis is based on the performance of a sampling of 31 countries and 118 ports and port areas in the region.According to the annual report unveiled by the United Nations organization – which was called  “port ranking” in prior years – the data largely maintained the heterogeneity seen in throughput behavior in previous periods, both in reference to ports and countries.

Port Manatee Shatters H1 Cargo Records

Port Manatee has enjoyed the busiest first fiscal half in its nearly 50-year history, shattering several key cargo records for the six-month period ended March 31.The Central-Southwest Florida Gulf Coast port has achieved new first-half highs for total tonnage throughput and containerized and bulk cargo activity, according to figures released on Thursday, April 18, at the regular monthly meeting of the Manatee County Port Authority.Record accomplishments of Port Manatee in its first fiscal half…

CLIA: 28.5 Million Cruised in 2018

The global cruise passenger continues at a paced growth around the world with an almost seven percent increase from 2017 to 2018, totaling 28.5 million passengers.According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)'s latest global cruise passenger statistics, the average age for a cruise passenger is 47 years.Research also shows North American travelers continue to embrace cruising with an annual passenger increase of nine percent (14.2 million passengers) in 2018.While the cruise sector represents two percent of the overall global travel industry…

Dachser Reports Year of Growth

German-headquartered logistics provider Dachser posted 5.5 percent growth in 2018 on record shipment and tonnage figures, driven primarily by its European export business.The company reported increased consolidated net revenue of EUR 5.57 billion (USD 6.58 bn), with shipment numbers lifted 2.5 percent to 83.7 million and tonnage up 3 percent to 41.3 million metric tons.While the global logistics provider’s growth was boosted by economic conditions, it said certain challenges became increasingly apparent: the shortage of professional drivers and logistics operatives…

Kalmar to Help Bimbo's Ops at Mexico

Kalmar has concluded a deal to supply a total of three Kalmar Ottawa Electric Terminal Tractors T2E to the Mexican bakery product manufacturer Bimbo.Kalmar, part of Cargotec, said in a press release that the order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q1 order intake, with delivery of the machines scheduled to take place during Q3 of 2019.Bimbo is the largest baking company in the world, with 199 plants and more than 1,800 sales centres across 32 countries throughout the Americas, Europe…

Tanker Bottleneck Eases for Port of Houston

Four tankers on Thursday were preparing to offload or pick up cargoes in the busiest U.S. oil port, the first signs of an easing of the bottleneck that cut 1 million barrels per day of shipments, according to vessel tracking data.The Houston Ship Channel reopened this week with operating restrictions following a fire at Mitsui & Co Inc's Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) in Deer Park, Texas. That blaze sent fuel and chemicals into the waterway, which connects Houston to the…

Trafigura Sends More Asian Gasoline to Americas

Commodity trader Trafigura is shipping this month a second newly built crude tanker with Asian gasoline onboard to South America amid strong demand in the West, four industry sources who closely monitor petrol trade flows said on Thursday.Although it is not uncommon for traders to use a brand new crude tanker of 150,000 deadweight tonnage (dwt) to ship clean fuels such as diesel, it is rare to use them for gasoline because of the sheer size."South America likely needs gasoline more than gasoil now.

One-on-One with Martin McDonald, SVP, ROV Division, Oceaneering

Martin McDonald, an industry veteran with more than 35 years under his belt, is responsible for Oceaneering’s global ROV business. With a broad based of ROV experience – from operation to repair to maintenance to management – McDonald shares with MTR his insights on the historical development and future prospects of this high-profile subsea sector.How and when did you know that your career would be in the maritime/subsea industry?I grew up in Fraserburgh, Scotland, a small town 40 miles north of the oilfield city of Aberdeen. Fraserburgh is best known for commercial fishing.

TX Refineries Cut Output as Spill Curbs Shipping

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and LyondellBasell Industries cut production on Monday at their Houston-area oil refineries because of shipping disruptions along a waterway affected by a petrochemical fire and spill, according to people familiar with the matter.A fire and fuel leak at Mitsui & Co Inc's Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) storage facility in Deer Park, Texas, last week sent gasoline, water and fire suppressant foam into the Houston Ship Channel, which connects Houston to the Gulf of Mexico, and is home to nine oil refineries.The U.S.

Houston Ship Channel Reopened

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday reopened portions of the Houston Ship Channel with restrictions on waterways affected by the petrochemical leak outside Houston that has disrupted ship traffic.The busiest U.S. oil port, shut last Friday after a chemical leak into the water, led Royal Dutch Shell Plc and LyondellBasell Industries to cut production on Monday, according to people familiar with their operations.In a midday announcement, the Coast Guard said it is allowing daytime transits only through the ship channel…