<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The system will help increase the number of New Panamax ships that can pass through the Panama Canal from an average of five a day at present.</div>

The system will help increase the number of New Panamax ships that can pass through the Panama Canal from an average of five a day at present.

<div>The Panama Canal is upgrading the software the underpins the operations of its Marine Traffic Control Center.The Panama Canal Authority is developing a computerized scheduling and resource management system that it said will help double the number of big ships that can travel through the canal each day, giving it a competitive edge against the Suez Canal.The first phase of the system, which was commissioned late last year, will be up and running by September, with two more phases that will be completed by the end of 2018.The “state-of-the-art” system will be located in the canal’s Marine Traffic Control Center...

The Panama Canal is upgrading the software the underpins the operations of its Marine Traffic Control Center. The Panama Canal Authority is developing a computerized scheduling and resource management system that it said will help double the number of big ships that can travel through the canal each day, giving it a competitive edge against the Suez Canal. The first phase of the system, which was commissioned late last year, will be up and running by September, with two more phases that will be completed by the end of 2018. The “state-of-the-art” system will be located in the canal’s Marine Traffic Control Center and is designed to automate, schedule, and plan all of the moving parts that help a ship move through the canal — including tugs, pilots, deck crew, and locks, said Arnoldo Cano, program manager for renewal processes and core systems at the authority. The system will help increase the number of New Panamax ships that can pass through the canal from an average of five a day at present to about 12, Cano said. “It will not single-handedly double the number of New Panamax ships,” he said. “Achieving this throughput will require the right mix of personnel and equipment, in the right place and the right time, and the new system will allow us to orchestrate and optimize the whole operation to achieve this.” The system also will help to “significantly lower” the time that ships arriving at the entrance to the canal without an advance reservation have to wait to get through, said Cano, adding that the authority does not yet know exactly how much the waiting time will be reduced. In February, the average waiting time for such a ship was about 40 hours. On average, between 28 and 41 ships of all sizes have passed through the canal since it opened in June, and passage from one end to the other has taken about 11 to 13 hours, excluding waiting time at the start. Any reduction in time, or increase in passage availability, could help the canal compete for business from Asia with the Suez Canal. For example, a Maersk Line service from Chiwan, China, to the Port of New York and New Jersey through the Panama Canal takes 32 days compared with 30 days by the same carrier through the Suez Canal. “More and more, as the world becomes ‘just-in-time,’ and more driven by tight schedules and routine routes and services from the shipping industry, the value proposition and the actual competitiveness of the canal is based on its ability to be reliable and minimize disruption to our transportation customers, and minimize things like waiting times and delays,” Cano said. “Anything that helps us maximize capacity, make the system more reliable, more predictable, have a higher confidence that when we make a schedule, we are going to be able to deliver on that schedule and actually transit the ships that we committed to transiting, is going to have a direct impact on the level of service that we provide our customers,” he said. The announcement comes nine months after the canal opened a new set of locks that cost $5.4 billion and took nine years to finish, tripling the size of ships the canal can accommodate to 14,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) compared with the 4,500 to 5,000 TEUs of a traditional Panamax vessel. Cano said that at 60 percent of its capacity, the canal is at a “much higher utilization level than we thought we would be less than two years after the inauguration of the new sets of locks.” More large ships are expected to come to the East Coast through the Panama Canal once the Bayonne Bridge is lifted at the Port of New York and New Jersey by the end of this year. At present, ships larger than 10,000 TEUs can only stop at one of the port’s four main terminals because to get to the other three terminals, ships must pass under the Bayonne Bridge. “That is a factor — you are constrained by the weakest link, so to speak,” he said. “Definitely we are counting on that to start gradually happening. But it requires all the components in the logistics plane to be at the same level.” In the past, the scheduling and management of ships through the Panama Canal has been carried out in a series of smaller systems that each focused on a particular part of the chain, but did not communicate with each other, he said. The new system will integrate them into a single, computerized process that will use “path-optimization algorithms and mathematical, constraint and graphical programming” to crunch the most efficient, speediest way to move the ship through the canal, and assign and schedule each logistical task needed to make it happen, said Cano. That will mean that the administration can input the size, cargo, and other specifics of a ship seeking to pass through the canal, and the management system will work out which of the locks it should go through, plan a schedule, and let all the players know when and where they need to be, he said. The factors studied by the system will include: how much draft the ship needs; whether it can safely pass a ship going in the other direction, and if so, plan to avoid it; which of the locks it should use; and whether it needs to transit in daylight or can go at night. The improved efficiency will help the authority make better use of the canal, increasing the number of ships that can go through and dependability for shippers and carriers, he said. The authority last year contracted Quintiq, a Dutch company owned by Dassault Systemes, that is a global supplier of supply chain planning and optimization software. Its website says its customers include DB Schenker, DHL Express, the Eurotunnel train link between England and France, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, and YRC Freight. Cano said the decision to invest in a centralized, computer-driven management system was driven by the growing complexity that comes with handling larger ships. He cited the example of scheduling tug boats. “Two years ago, a tugboat was a tugboat,” he said. “We could essentially treat them all the same. As far as scheduling went, any tugboat could do any job. Right now, that has changed. And we have three or four different categories, depending on their power and their configuration and certain equipment that they need to have on. “So we need to assign the right tugboat to the right type of ship and job,” he said. “That is just one example of how things have grown exponentially more complex. And that’s why we found it was the right time to renew all our technology.” Contact Hugh R. Morley at Hugh.Morley@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @HughRMorley_JOC .

Maritime

Logistics Technology News

Container lines

International ports

Panama Canal aims to double big-ship transits with tech aid

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The wide-ranging plan includes proposals to tax foreign-built ships calling US ports, rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, and eliminate “burdensome regulations” through a series of deregulatory measures. </div>

The wide-ranging plan includes proposals to tax foreign-built ships calling US ports, rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, and eliminate “burdensome regulations” through a series of deregulatory measures.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">The Trump administration Friday unveiled a wide-ranging blueprint for revitalizing the US maritime sector, the financial cornerstone of which would be a Maritime Security Trust Fund (MSTF) that would be fed in large part by taxing foreign-owned vessels calling US ports. “America’s Maritime Action Plan” includes a “universal infrastructure or security fee” that would be imposed on all foreign-built commercial vessels. The fee would be assessed based on the weight of the imported tonnage carried on the vessel. The action plan also includes a separate fee on imports arriving via land. While no specific figures were proposed, the plan to tax foreign-built ships did offer two scenarios: A fee of 1 cent per kilogram would generate about $66 billion over 10 years, while a fee of 25 cents per kilogram would yield close to $1.5 trillion. “As foreign-built vessels benefit from US market access, this policy ensures they contribute to the long-term revitalization of America’s maritime capabilities,” the plan said. The proposal echoes the tit-for-tat tariffs the US and China intended to impose on each other’s tonnage <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/year-long-pause-on-us-port-fees-targeting-china-vessels-to-start-nov-10-6108431">until a one-year suspension was enacted last November</a> as part of a <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trade-deal-could-boost-short-term-china-imports-but-uncertainty-lingers-6106809">broader trade deal between Washington and Beijing</a>. The action plan also includes proposals to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, strengthen the maritime industrial base, increase the fleet of US-built and -flagged commercial vessels working international trades, and eliminate “burdensome regulations” through a series of deregulatory measures. “For decades, the nation’s strategic position and shipbuilding industrial capacity have weakened due to a lack of strategic focus, cumbersome government procurement processes and a lack of strategic support for construction of commercial vessels in domestic shipyards,” the plan’s introduction stated. The action plan is an extension of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last April calling for the restoration of American maritime dominance. The 40-page plan offers several concrete proposals, including the creation of the MSTF that would be fed by new revenue streams. “By securing stable, long-term funding, the MSTF would ensure consistent support for investments in shipbuilding, fleet expansion, industrial base resilience, and maritime workforce development,” the plan said. “Authorized expenditures would include programs identified as helpful for the promotion, growth and strengthening of the domestic maritime sector.” The MSTF would help fund the revitalization of US shipbuilding capacity, which is “the cornerstone of the administration’s strategy to restore America’s maritime strength and self-sufficiency,” according to the plan, which noted only eight shipyards exist in the country that can build vessels greater than 400 feet in length. The plan calls for investment that would fund upgrades to commercial shipyards in order to add and modernize drydocks, heavy-lift and gantry cranes, panel lines, and automated handling systems “to support higher‑rate production and large hull handling.” <h3>Land port tax </h3>A separate proposed funding mechanism, the Land Port Maintenance Tax, would be an equivalent to the existing Harbor Maintenance Tax for marine ports. The plan proposes a “modest tax” on merchandise entering the US via land of 0.125% of the value of the goods. “Funds collected under this tax will be deposited into the newly established Land Port Maintenance Trust Fund (LPMTF), which will support the planning, design, construction, maintenance and improvement of land port infrastructure,” according to the plan. The action plan also proposes the creation of a Strategic Commercial Fleet (SCF) that would consist of US-built vessels working international trades. The SCF would “provide the depth and redundancy required to sustain military logistics around the globe and ensure the continuous flow of goods to the US economy,” the plan said. “Vessels in the SCF would receive financial support for both construction and operation, leveling the playing field between the US and subsidized foreign competition.” Many of the proposals included in the maritime action plan require Congressional approval, so the Trump administration said it is compiling a legislative package that will be sent to Congress after the publication of Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. Presidents typically send annual budget requests to Congress in February, although the timeline can be delayed. “The Trump administration urges Congress to enact this package in tandem with existing legislative vehicles, ensuring the US maritime industry is equipped to meet the demands of global competition, national defense and economic growth,” the plan said. Contact Kevin Saville at <a href="mailto:kevin.saville2@spglobal.com">kevin.saville2@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Trump administration Friday unveiled a wide-ranging blueprint for revitalizing the US maritime sector, the financial cornerstone of which would be a Maritime Security Trust Fund (MSTF) that would be fed in large part by taxing foreign-owned vessels calling US ports. “America’s Maritime Action Plan” includes a “universal infrastructure or security fee” that would be imposed on all foreign-built commercial vessels. The fee would be assessed based on the weight of the imported tonnage carried on the vessel. The action plan also includes a separate fee on imports arriving via land. While no specific figures were proposed, the plan to tax foreign-built ships did offer two scenarios: A fee of 1 cent per kilogram would generate about $66 billion over 10 years, while a fee of 25 cents per kilogram would yield close to $1.5 trillion. “As foreign-built vessels benefit from US market access, this policy ensures they contribute to the long-term revitalization of America’s maritime capabilities,” the plan said. The proposal echoes the tit-for-tat tariffs the US and China intended to impose on each other’s tonnage until a one-year suspension was enacted last November as part of a broader trade deal between Washington and Beijing . The action plan also includes proposals to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, strengthen the maritime industrial base, increase the fleet of US-built and -flagged commercial vessels working international trades, and eliminate “burdensome regulations” through a series of deregulatory measures. “For decades, the nation’s strategic position and shipbuilding industrial capacity have weakened due to a lack of strategic focus, cumbersome government procurement processes and a lack of strategic support for construction of commercial vessels in domestic shipyards,” the plan’s introduction stated. The action plan is an extension of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last April calling for the restoration of American maritime dominance. The 40-page plan offers several concrete proposals, including the creation of the MSTF that would be fed by new revenue streams. “By securing stable, long-term funding, the MSTF would ensure consistent support for investments in shipbuilding, fleet expansion, industrial base resilience, and maritime workforce development,” the plan said. “Authorized expenditures would include programs identified as helpful for the promotion, growth and strengthening of the domestic maritime sector.” The MSTF would help fund the revitalization of US shipbuilding capacity, which is “the cornerstone of the administration’s strategy to restore America’s maritime strength and self-sufficiency,” according to the plan, which noted only eight shipyards exist in the country that can build vessels greater than 400 feet in length. The plan calls for investment that would fund upgrades to commercial shipyards in order to add and modernize drydocks, heavy-lift and gantry cranes, panel lines, and automated handling systems “to support higher‑rate production and large hull handling.” Land port tax A separate proposed funding mechanism, the Land Port Maintenance Tax, would be an equivalent to the existing Harbor Maintenance Tax for marine ports. The plan proposes a “modest tax” on merchandise entering the US via land of 0.125% of the value of the goods. “Funds collected under this tax will be deposited into the newly established Land Port Maintenance Trust Fund (LPMTF), which will support the planning, design, construction, maintenance and improvement of land port infrastructure,” according to the plan. The action plan also proposes the creation of a Strategic Commercial Fleet (SCF) that would consist of US-built vessels working international trades. The SCF would “provide the depth and redundancy required to sustain military logistics around the globe and ensure the continuous flow of goods to the US economy,” the plan said. “Vessels in the SCF would receive financial support for both construction and operation, leveling the playing field between the US and subsidized foreign competition.” Many of the proposals included in the maritime action plan require Congressional approval, so the Trump administration said it is compiling a legislative package that will be sent to Congress after the publication of Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. Presidents typically send annual budget requests to Congress in February, although the timeline can be delayed. “The Trump administration urges Congress to enact this package in tandem with existing legislative vehicles, ensuring the US maritime industry is equipped to meet the demands of global competition, national defense and economic growth,” the plan said. Contact Kevin Saville at kevin.saville2@spglobal.com .

Port News

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Port infrastructure

North American ports

Container Shipping News

Trump administration unveils US maritime revitalization ‘action plan’

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">North and South Atlantic loops from Northern European to the US will consolidate to one East Coast-wide service, with a Baltimore call dropped and fewer overall vessels used.</div>

North and South Atlantic loops from Northern European to the US will consolidate to one East Coast-wide service, with a Baltimore call dropped and fewer overall vessels used.

<div class="phx-topic">The Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express (ONE) will remove some ships and consolidate US port calls in their jointly-operated trans-Atlantic network. The move follows an uneven year in the trade, with US exports to Europe up strongly but Europe’s exports to the US slowing.Ocean Alliance partner CMA CGM said Friday its trans-Atlantic network will change effective in April. The new network, CMA CGM said, will provide the US East Coast with “stronger coverage [and] reinforced frequency” and better leverage CMA CGM’s US and European terminals. The biggest change will be the end of the “Unity Bridge” service between major Northern European ports and the ports of Charleston and Savannah. Unity Bridge, which operates with four ONE ships and one Evergreen Marine vessel, will make its last westbound departure from Le Havre on March 16. The south Atlantic US ports will instead be included on the rotation for the higher-capacity Liberty Bridge service, which currently calls the ports of New York-New Jersey, Norfolk and Baltimore. The new Liberty Bridge service will drop Baltimore as of the first westbound sailing from Southampton on March 27. Charleston and Savannah will be added after the Norfolk call. The new trans-Atlantic network comes after the Ocean Alliance and ONE revised their one-year-old vessel sharing agreement filed with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Feb. 6 to consolidate their north and south Atlantic networks into a broader North American trans-Atlantic service. The new agreement will see seven ships deployed in the revised trans-Atlantic network, compared with the 11 ships the carriers deployed under the separate north and south Atlantic networks. ONE will go from providing four ships to the soon- expiring south Atlantic network to two ships under the revised trans-Atlantic network. Cosco and OOCL will also remove a ship, providing two to the new network. Evergreen will also remove a ship, providing one to the new network. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="ce24ca8a-5149-4e8e-a00a-5743e4d2abba"></dynamic-object></div><h3>Trade volatility behind capacity swings</h3>Peter Sand, chief analyst for rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce the consolidation of trans-Atlantic services and removal of ships represent a 37% drop in weekly nominal capacity for the carriers, going from 16,400 TEUs to 10,386 TEUs. The fourth quarter of 2025 saw overall vessel utilization on the trans-Atlantic slip to just over 80%, down from 87% in the third quarter, according to Xeneta. Sand said weekly vessel capacity in the trans-Atlantic had been volatile during 2025, swinging between 30,700 TEUs and 58,800 TEUs. The unbalanced trans-Atlantic volumes last year also came amid volatile US trade policy. According to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, westbound shipments from North Europe to the US East Coast grew just 2.1% in 2025 to 1.79 million TEUs, while eastbound shipments from the US rose almost 11% to 916,467 TEUs.“Shippers won’t be particularly pleased knowing that services will be cut, giving them arguably less options,” Sand said. “The move is set to tighten the market. But the market has mainly seen stronger growth on the backhaul.”Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto: michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express (ONE) will remove some ships and consolidate US port calls in their jointly-operated trans-Atlantic network. The move follows an uneven year in the trade, with US exports to Europe up strongly but Europe’s exports to the US slowing. Ocean Alliance partner CMA CGM said Friday its trans-Atlantic network will change effective in April. The new network, CMA CGM said, will provide the US East Coast with “stronger coverage [and] reinforced frequency” and better leverage CMA CGM’s US and European terminals. The biggest change will be the end of the “Unity Bridge” service between major Northern European ports and the ports of Charleston and Savannah. Unity Bridge, which operates with four ONE ships and one Evergreen Marine vessel, will make its last westbound departure from Le Havre on March 16. The south Atlantic US ports will instead be included on the rotation for the higher-capacity Liberty Bridge service, which currently calls the ports of New York-New Jersey, Norfolk and Baltimore. The new Liberty Bridge service will drop Baltimore as of the first westbound sailing from Southampton on March 27. Charleston and Savannah will be added after the Norfolk call. The new trans-Atlantic network comes after the Ocean Alliance and ONE revised their one-year-old vessel sharing agreement filed with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Feb. 6 to consolidate their north and south Atlantic networks into a broader North American trans-Atlantic service. The new agreement will see seven ships deployed in the revised trans-Atlantic network, compared with the 11 ships the carriers deployed under the separate north and south Atlantic networks. ONE will go from providing four ships to the soon- expiring south Atlantic network to two ships under the revised trans-Atlantic network. Cosco and OOCL will also remove a ship, providing two to the new network. Evergreen will also remove a ship, providing one to the new network. Trade volatility behind capacity swings Peter Sand, chief analyst for rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce the consolidation of trans-Atlantic services and removal of ships represent a 37% drop in weekly nominal capacity for the carriers, going from 16,400 TEUs to 10,386 TEUs. The fourth quarter of 2025 saw overall vessel utilization on the trans-Atlantic slip to just over 80%, down from 87% in the third quarter, according to Xeneta. Sand said weekly vessel capacity in the trans-Atlantic had been volatile during 2025, swinging between 30,700 TEUs and 58,800 TEUs. The unbalanced trans-Atlantic volumes last year also came amid volatile US trade policy. According to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, westbound shipments from North Europe to the US East Coast grew just 2.1% in 2025 to 1.79 million TEUs, while eastbound shipments from the US rose almost 11% to 916,467 TEUs. “Shippers won’t be particularly pleased knowing that services will be cut, giving them arguably less options,” Sand said. “The move is set to tighten the market. But the market has mainly seen stronger growth on the backhaul.” Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Trans-Atlantic

Ocean Alliance, ONE rework trans-Atlantic services, remove ships

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Quebec-based investment manager La Caisse earlier this week said it would put its future investments with DP World on hold until the company addressed Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.</div>

Quebec-based investment manager La Caisse earlier this week said it would put its future investments with DP World on hold until the company addressed Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

<div class="phx-topic">The Canadian pension fund that partners with DP World on port projects around the globe said Friday it welcomed the company’s move to sever ties with Chairman and Chief Executive Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem following revelations about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Quebec-based investment manager La Caisse <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/dp-worlds-financial-partner-hits-pause-over-ceos-ties-to-epstein-6168005">earlier this week</a> announced it would put its future investments with DP World on hold until the company addressed Sulayem’s relationship with Epstein, which came to light when US Congressional representatives released millions of additional pages of the so-called Epstein files. La Caisse, which manages C$496 billion in assets, said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce it supported DP World’s action against Sulayem and hopes to finance other DP World projects. Although La Caisse has not made a firm commitment to it, DP World is slated to develop Quebec’s Contrecoeur terminal. “The company took the appropriate measures,” La Caisse said. “We will move quickly to work with DP World’s new leadership to continue our partnership on port projects around the world.” Dubai-based DP World said Friday that effective immediately, its CFO Yuvraj Narayan will also take over as CEO, while Essa Kazim, governor of the country’s International Financial Center and chairman of its stock exchange, will take over the chairman’s role. Officially, DP World said Sulayem “resigned” from the company. He had served as chairman and CEO since 2016. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Canadian pension fund that partners with DP World on port projects around the globe said Friday it welcomed the company’s move to sever ties with Chairman and Chief Executive Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem following revelations about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Quebec-based investment manager La Caisse earlier this week announced it would put its future investments with DP World on hold until the company addressed Sulayem’s relationship with Epstein, which came to light when US Congressional representatives released millions of additional pages of the so-called Epstein files. La Caisse, which manages C$496 billion in assets, said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce it supported DP World’s action against Sulayem and hopes to finance other DP World projects. Although La Caisse has not made a firm commitment to it, DP World is slated to develop Quebec’s Contrecoeur terminal. “The company took the appropriate measures,” La Caisse said. “We will move quickly to work with DP World’s new leadership to continue our partnership on port projects around the world.” Dubai-based DP World said Friday that effective immediately, its CFO Yuvraj Narayan will also take over as CEO, while Essa Kazim, governor of the country’s International Financial Center and chairman of its stock exchange, will take over the chairman’s role. Officially, DP World said Sulayem “resigned” from the company. He had served as chairman and CEO since 2016. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Marine terminals

Departure of DP World CEO welcomed by Canadian ports partner

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The investment will strengthen the Gemini hub’s position and increase capacity at the joint venture terminal by more than 30% to 4 million TEUs. </div>

The investment will strengthen the Gemini hub’s position and increase capacity at the joint venture terminal by more than 30% to 4 million TEUs.

<div class="phx-topic">APM Terminals and Eurogate said Friday they will invest €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the modernization of the jointly-controlled North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven in Germany, a strategic hub of partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in the Gemini Cooperation network. The investment will increase the capacity of the terminal, a 50/50 joint venture between APMT and Eurogate, from its current 3 million TEUs to 4 million TEUs. The upgrade will also transform Bremerhaven into an automated, zero-emission terminal, APMT owner Maersk said in a statement. “Bremerhaven has unique potential to grow as a strategic hub in the region and to support cargo flows into Germany as well as our ocean network,” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said. “Our investments are intended to realize the full potential of the terminal, making [North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven] one of the most competitive terminals in Europe’s North Range,” he added. “We aim to future-proof the terminal over the long term, while strengthening the reliability and resilience of supply chains for the German economy.” No timeline was given for the completion of the modernization project. With the electrification of equipment and use of renewable electricity, the terminal is intended to operate with zero greenhouse gas emissions, the first of its kind in Germany. The planned upgrades remain subject to approval from German regulators. <h3>Long-term strategic importance of Bremerhaven </h3>Michael Blach, chairman of the management board at Eurogate, said the huge investment illustrated the conviction of both partners that Bremerhaven would hold a long-term position in global maritime trade. “With Maersk’s announced investments in the port’s superstructure, and the state and federal government’s investments in the port infrastructure, Bremerhaven will be well-positioned for the future and its importance in the North Range will be strengthened,” Blach said in the statement. “Now it is up to the federal government to press ahead with the deepening of the Outer Weser and implement it quickly,” he added. The planning process for the deepening of the Outer Weser River is currently underway within the local government. The project is viewed as essential and will increase the depth of the Outer Weser to 13.5 meters, allowing larger and fully laden ships to reach Bremerhaven without tidal restrictions. Bremerhaven is one of the Northern Europe hubs in Gemini’s hub-and-spoke network that calls at ports where Maersk and partner Hapag-Lloyd have operational control of terminals. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

APM Terminals and Eurogate said Friday they will invest €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the modernization of the jointly-controlled North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven in Germany, a strategic hub of partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in the Gemini Cooperation network. The investment will increase the capacity of the terminal, a 50/50 joint venture between APMT and Eurogate, from its current 3 million TEUs to 4 million TEUs. The upgrade will also transform Bremerhaven into an automated, zero-emission terminal, APMT owner Maersk said in a statement. “Bremerhaven has unique potential to grow as a strategic hub in the region and to support cargo flows into Germany as well as our ocean network,” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said. “Our investments are intended to realize the full potential of the terminal, making [North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven] one of the most competitive terminals in Europe’s North Range,” he added. “We aim to future-proof the terminal over the long term, while strengthening the reliability and resilience of supply chains for the German economy.” No timeline was given for the completion of the modernization project. With the electrification of equipment and use of renewable electricity, the terminal is intended to operate with zero greenhouse gas emissions, the first of its kind in Germany. The planned upgrades remain subject to approval from German regulators. Long-term strategic importance of Bremerhaven Michael Blach, chairman of the management board at Eurogate, said the huge investment illustrated the conviction of both partners that Bremerhaven would hold a long-term position in global maritime trade. “With Maersk’s announced investments in the port’s superstructure, and the state and federal government’s investments in the port infrastructure, Bremerhaven will be well-positioned for the future and its importance in the North Range will be strengthened,” Blach said in the statement. “Now it is up to the federal government to press ahead with the deepening of the Outer Weser and implement it quickly,” he added. The planning process for the deepening of the Outer Weser River is currently underway within the local government. The project is viewed as essential and will increase the depth of the Outer Weser to 13.5 meters, allowing larger and fully laden ships to reach Bremerhaven without tidal restrictions. Bremerhaven is one of the Northern Europe hubs in Gemini’s hub-and-spoke network that calls at ports where Maersk and partner Hapag-Lloyd have operational control of terminals. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Maersk, Eurogate plan $1.2 billion terminal upgrade at Bremerhaven

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Canceled renewable energy projects in the US totaled $35 billion in 2025 as more project funds left the country than came in amid the federal government’s shifting policies to prioritize fossil fuels. </div>

Canceled renewable energy projects in the US totaled $35 billion in 2025 as more project funds left the country than came in amid the federal government’s shifting policies to prioritize fossil fuels.

<div class="phx-topic">Demand for renewable energy project cargo in the US — including components linked to electric vehicle (EV), battery/storage, hydrogen and wind developments — could be setting up for a fall as project losses have begun to far outpace gains. Companies canceled nearly $35 billion in US renewable energy projects in 2025, and for the first time in three years, there were more project investments leaving the US than coming in, according to a report published earlier this month by Washington, DC-based environmental policy research group E2. That comes as the Trump administration has initiated sweeping changes to the US energy landscape, shifting policies and funding to prioritize fossil fuels while downgrading support and resources for renewable energy projects. “Companies abandoned, closed or downsized nearly three dollars in clean energy investment for every one dollar announced, reversing the net flow of capital that had defined the post-2022 clean energy expansion,” the E2 report read, referencing $12.3 billion in new project announcements in 2025. Manufacturing facilities accounted for nearly all of the year’s losses, with $30.2 billion in abandoned projects. The bulk of the year’s cancellations came from EV and battery/storage projects, with over $21 billion lost in each segment. Figures in the analysis do not match the overall totals, as some projects are categorized into multiple sectors. Felix Schoeller, chief commercial officer for multipurpose vessel (MPV) operator AAL Shipping, told the Journal of Commerce that there’s been a noticeable shift in renewable energy project cargo activity for the US. AAL is a global transporter of components for wind energy projects, which have experienced widespread downsizing across offshore and onshore developments in the US and accounted for $1.3 billion in project losses in 2025, according to the E2 analysis. “The US government is placing greater emphasis on carbon-based power generation investments and broader oil and gas project developments rather than wind energy,” Scholler said, citing the delay and cancellation of a number of offshore wind projects, including some that were previously approved. “As a result, AAL has observed a significant reduction in wind cargo volumes in North America and an elevated demand for components for large-scale infrastructure and oil and gas projects.” Scholler cited AAL’s recent transport of over 2,500 battery energy storage system (BESS) units to the US from China in response to a surge in demand for high-capacity BESS components. BESS configurations are widely used as onsite power sources for oil and gas facilities. The Trump administration last year cut nearly $8 billion in funding for clean energy projects, issued directives aimed at deregulation and expanded leasing access for fossil fuels, and permanently reinstated a 100% tax write-off for qualifying oil and gas assets. <h3>Projects could shift overseas </h3>Some of the US renewable energy sector’s most consequential cancellations — and one of the largest withdrawal periods on record — came in December, when eight projects totaling $5.1 billion were put on the chopping block, according to the E2 analysis. South Korean manufacturer SK On scrapped a $2.8 billion EV/battery storage project in Tennessee, while Ford called off a $1.5 billion EV manufacturing plant in Ohio as the automaker continues to scale back and restructure its EV facilities. December’s project losses were over 20 times as much as the month’s gains, which totaled $238 million for six new manufacturing projects. Announcements included a $170 million battery project for Desert Mountain Energy in New Mexico, a $26.7 million Toyo Solar facility in Texas and a Ford/Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) battery project for an unspecified dollar amount in Kentucky. US project reversals could usher in an eventual reallocation of clean energy projects and their subsequent cargo demands to other parts of the world. “Investment that does not move forward in the United States does not disappear — it is increasingly redirected to foreign markets and US competitors offering more predictable environments, clearer incentives and greater long-term certainty,” the E2 report stated. Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at <a href="mailto:autumn@autumngiusti.com">autumn@autumngiusti.com</a>. </div>

Demand for renewable energy project cargo in the US — including components linked to electric vehicle (EV), battery/storage, hydrogen and wind developments — could be setting up for a fall as project losses have begun to far outpace gains. Companies canceled nearly $35 billion in US renewable energy projects in 2025, and for the first time in three years, there were more project investments leaving the US than coming in, according to a report published earlier this month by Washington, DC-based environmental policy research group E2. That comes as the Trump administration has initiated sweeping changes to the US energy landscape, shifting policies and funding to prioritize fossil fuels while downgrading support and resources for renewable energy projects. “Companies abandoned, closed or downsized nearly three dollars in clean energy investment for every one dollar announced, reversing the net flow of capital that had defined the post-2022 clean energy expansion,” the E2 report read, referencing $12.3 billion in new project announcements in 2025. Manufacturing facilities accounted for nearly all of the year’s losses, with $30.2 billion in abandoned projects. The bulk of the year’s cancellations came from EV and battery/storage projects, with over $21 billion lost in each segment. Figures in the analysis do not match the overall totals, as some projects are categorized into multiple sectors. Felix Schoeller, chief commercial officer for multipurpose vessel (MPV) operator AAL Shipping, told the Journal of Commerce that there’s been a noticeable shift in renewable energy project cargo activity for the US. AAL is a global transporter of components for wind energy projects, which have experienced widespread downsizing across offshore and onshore developments in the US and accounted for $1.3 billion in project losses in 2025, according to the E2 analysis. “The US government is placing greater emphasis on carbon-based power generation investments and broader oil and gas project developments rather than wind energy,” Scholler said, citing the delay and cancellation of a number of offshore wind projects, including some that were previously approved. “As a result, AAL has observed a significant reduction in wind cargo volumes in North America and an elevated demand for components for large-scale infrastructure and oil and gas projects.” Scholler cited AAL’s recent transport of over 2,500 battery energy storage system (BESS) units to the US from China in response to a surge in demand for high-capacity BESS components. BESS configurations are widely used as onsite power sources for oil and gas facilities. The Trump administration last year cut nearly $8 billion in funding for clean energy projects, issued directives aimed at deregulation and expanded leasing access for fossil fuels, and permanently reinstated a 100% tax write-off for qualifying oil and gas assets. Projects could shift overseas Some of the US renewable energy sector’s most consequential cancellations — and one of the largest withdrawal periods on record — came in December, when eight projects totaling $5.1 billion were put on the chopping block, according to the E2 analysis. South Korean manufacturer SK On scrapped a $2.8 billion EV/battery storage project in Tennessee, while Ford called off a $1.5 billion EV manufacturing plant in Ohio as the automaker continues to scale back and restructure its EV facilities. December’s project losses were over 20 times as much as the month’s gains, which totaled $238 million for six new manufacturing projects. Announcements included a $170 million battery project for Desert Mountain Energy in New Mexico, a $26.7 million Toyo Solar facility in Texas and a Ford/Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) battery project for an unspecified dollar amount in Kentucky. US project reversals could usher in an eventual reallocation of clean energy projects and their subsequent cargo demands to other parts of the world. “Investment that does not move forward in the United States does not disappear — it is increasingly redirected to foreign markets and US competitors offering more predictable environments, clearer incentives and greater long-term certainty,” the E2 report stated. Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at autumn@autumngiusti.com .

Breakbulk carriers

Energy projects

Heavy-haul transport

Project cargo

Breakbulk News

Reversal in US clean energy investment signals shift in project cargo momentum

Use code GTW595 at checkout and save $900 on first year of an annual Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription - Gold Trials

Become a Gold Subscriber and Save!

Arm your team with the most trusted information portal for the international container shipping industry.

Group Subscriptions - Wide Box

Get into a group subscription today

Use code FTW25 at checkout to save 25% on a Silver or Silver Plus annual subscription! 

Subscribe Now - FT to S/SP - Wide Box

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 25%

Use code GW595 and upgrade to Gold for just $595! Valid for first year of subscription.

Upgrade Subscription - S/SP to Gold - Wide Box

SAVE $900 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION

Choose a subscription plan that works best for you!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to S/SP - Wide Box

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Access Journal of Commerce content for 30 days

Free Trial - Wide Box

START A FREE TRIAL TODAY

Use code GW995 at checkout to save $500 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - FT to Gold - Wide Box

SAVE $500 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to Gold - Wide Box

START A FREE TRIAL: Access Journal of Commerce content for 30 days

Free Trial - Offer Box

Free Trial

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 25%: Use code FTW25 to save 25% on first year of a Silver or Silver Plus annual subscription!


Subscribe Now - FT to S/SP - Offer Box

Subscribe and Save

GET INTO A GROUP SUBSCRIPTION: Arm your team with unlimited Journal of Commerce content

Group Subscriptions - Offer Box

Group Subscriptions

SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Choose a subscription plan that works best for you!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to S/SP - Offer Box

UPGRADE TO GOLD AND SAVE: Use code GTW595 at checkout and save $900 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to Gold - Offer Box

SAVE $900 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION: Use code GW595 and upgrade to Gold for just $595! Valid on first year of subscription.

Upgrade Subscription - S/SP to Gold - Offer Box

SAVE $500 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION: Use code GW995 and save $500 on the first year of a Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - FT to Gold - Offer Box

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Monthly publication providing an editorial deep dive into global supply chain news

Journal of Commerce Magazine - Rectangle Box

Journal of Commerce Magazine

A premium access index of savings using domestic intermodal vs. OTR 

ISI Report - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Savings Index

An in-depth analysis of transport trends in the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet segment

Breakbulk Report - Rectangle Box

Breakbulk Quarterly

An extensive dashboard of charts organized by trade lane, mode, and topic

Gateway - Rectangle Box

Gateway

Customers scoring their intermodal partners to identify the best service providers

Intermodal Service Scorecard - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Service Scorecard

A premium access outlook critical to shippers and transportation providers

QI Report - Rectangle Box

Quarterly Intelligence

The premier conference for the global container shipping and supply chain community

TPM Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend TPM26

The only editorially independent conference for the breakbulk & project cargo industry

Breakbulk Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend Breakbulk26

The latest port news from the Journal of Commerce spans the globe from North Carolina and Florida to Shanghai and Singapore. Port news includes port automation, terminal construction projects, the future of decarbonization and net-zero shipping, dredging, port hinterland connectivity, labor, disruption, port congestion and cargo flow.

Longshore labor

Drayage

Breakbulk ports

Stay informed on port news worldwide with Journal of Commerce. From decarbonization to labor updates, get insights on global developments.

Port News | Journal of Commerce

The Journal of Commerce is the industry’s source for maritime news and analysis about ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, global shipping ports, shipping technology solutions and end-to-end connectivity. Coverage tracks the movement of containerized cargo — from origin to destination — handled by marine terminals in the US and abroad, depots, container ports, container lines, drayage, consignees and shippers, forwarders, non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOs) and off-dock warehousing providers, as well as pricing, capacity, volume and reliability on the trans-Pacific, Asia–Europe, North America–Caribbean, Central and South American and intra-Asia trades.

Discover comprehensive trucking news and trends with Journal of Commerce - from trucking LTL to regulation and trucking supply and demand.

Breakbulk News shipping | Journal of Commerce

Container shipping news and analysis of ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, technology and end-to-end connectivity.

Container Shipping News | Journal of Commerce

News and analysis of ocean containerized cargo movement, logistics, supply chains, technology, and end-to-end connectivity. Maritime news and analysis of containerized ocean cargo movement, breakbulk and roll-on and roll-off shipping from origin to destination.

Latest News

More News & Analysis

Trump administration unveils US maritime revitalization ‘action plan’

Ocean Alliance, ONE rework trans-Atlantic services, remove ships

Departure of DP World CEO welcomed by Canadian ports partner