Breakbulk carriers

Healthy demand for “sophisticated” multipurpose vessels is being undercut by a sluggish market for standard MPVs.

A 10-ship order and the acquisition of MPV carrier ForestWave will increase Spliethoff’s fleet to 155 ships by 2029.

The record order book for car carriers comes amid forecasts of falling global production of light vehicles, a key driver of roll-on/roll-off vessel demand.

Should a strike occur — and if it continues for an extended period — one possible outcome is the spillover of container cargo into breakbulk vessels, similar to the scenario that played out in response to supply chain bottlenecks during the pandemic.

The MPV sector is seeing a period of stability in charter rates and cargo demand after a period of intense routing disruptions linked to the militant attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Multipurpose carriers are reluctant to invest in newbuildings for several reasons, including uncertainty around the availability of carbon-neutral fuels for tramp shipping.

A Journal of Commerce analysis reveals that the average age of MPVs now trading globally is rapidly approaching 20 years, with almost 12% of vessels 25 years or older.

Most of the recent interest from shippers is for mode-malleable cargo — freight that can be easily switched between breakbulk and container modes.

An “unbroken faith” in the underlying strength of the breakbulk market is pushing up indices and bolstering the optimism of multipurpose carriers, analysts say.

The latest iteration of the multipurpose sentiment index reveals short-term optimism and little relief in sight for longer-term capacity pressures.

A 458-ton cold box, one of 24 heavy-haul transports bound for Intel’s newest chip plant, is inching its way across Ohio after a year-plus of planning.

Multipurpose vessel (MPV) charter rates are rising as tight capacity due to diversions away from the Red Sea, port congestion and higher spot rates prompt shippers to shift containerized cargo to MPVs.

After navigating the 2019 implosion of Zeamarine and the tumultuous pandemic spillover market with MPV carrier UHL, Stehle will rejoin the project forwarding side of the breakbulk shipping segment as chief commercial officer of the Swiss forwarder deugro.

Trade disruption and related congestion, high container rates and tight capacity are pushing shippers to rethink transport modes and make early moves toward revisiting the spillover market seen during the pandemic.

Security forces preoccupied with Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and an increase in Indian Ocean shipping, thanks to ongoing route diversions, have created an opening for Somali pirates.

Often oddly shaped or very heavy, project cargo does not necessarily consume all the deadweight space on a given vessel.

Managing federal funding requires transparency, early coordination between logistics and finance, and early planning with MARAD in mind.

The US DOT’s latest iteration of a national multimodal freight network map presents an opportunity to pinpoint vital routes and address concerns specific to out-of-gauge and heavy-haul road transport.

Time charter equivalents and forward bookings are increasing as project-related demand strengthens and carriers continue to reroute voyages away from the Red Sea.

The Houston-based company expands to 30 vessels as it takes on management of six Harren Group bulkers and adds two more MPV ships to its fleet.

Approximately one-third of the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet is in position to be scrapped, while the industry demands that larger vessels and carriers weigh which type of fuel will rule the day.

The shipping industry is facing a prolonged period of geopolitical instability, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk & Project Cargo Conference were told Thursday.

The global energy buildout in renewables and oil and gas has spurred the heavy-transport partners to order two new carriers.

Toepfer Transport says improving demand and the ongoing threat to shipping caused by the Houthi militant attacks in the Red Sea region have boosted fleet utilization.

With the busiest roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) port in the US closed to ship traffic, automobile manufacturers and ro/ro carriers are shifting to alternative ports.

The cost of moving flatbed loads from Baltimore to warehouses in western Maryland jumped more than $100 per load compared with February’s average cost, according to data from DAT Freight & Analytics.

Oil and gas supply chains are in jeopardy as the government of Equatorial Guinea announces that it plans to nationalize a major port asset owned by Netherlands-based UAL Group.

Tougher environmental rules are expected to drive more MPV scrapping even as the order book expands thanks to new MPV and open-hatch ship orders.

New orders for open-hatch multi-purpose ships, some of them heavy-lift capable, have increased the MPV fleet growth forecast by 3.5% through 2028.

Billions of dollars in federal funds are available to scale up innovative green energy projects, once would-be developers make it through the DOE’s loan qualification process.

Mode-malleable breakbulk cargo is shifting back to containers even as disruptions threaten to squeeze capacity and drive container rates higher.

The multipurpose sector is managing security risk, dodging pricey transit fees at the Panama Canal and finding new cargo sources as route diversions globally become routine.

Vessel diversions and potential tariffs complicate the outlook, but strong forward contracting fueled by booming demand is bolstering the ro/ro sector after a strong 2023.

Multipurpose/heavy-lift carriers share concerns over the uncertainty caused by geopolitical events but see longer-term promise thanks to the slow-moving green energy boom.

The MPV spot market is increasingly busy even as high interest rates and supply chain bottlenecks hold back capitol project execution, analysts and industry executives say.

Heavy-lift and semi-submersible owner/operator Harren Group is expanding its fleet with a mix of long-term charters and up to six newbuildings.

With capacity restricted, global MPV/HL rates are expected to rise again starting in the second quarter of 2024.

Existing wind-related manufacturing capacity in the US struggles to meet the local content requirements of the measure, frustrating would-be developers and pushing away some early investors.

Multipurpose and heavy-lift and ro/ro carriers are weighing whether to pass on the costs of EU emissions allowances by using surcharges or all-in freight rates.

Voyage diversions needed to avoid Panama Canal drought restrictions and the increasingly risky Red Sea route will remove multipurpose and heavy-lift capacity from the global fleet, which in turn is likely to slow the rate slide seen during 2023, analysts say.