Ro/ro cargo

Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the world’s largest car carrier operator, said its vessels make between 300 and 350 voyages a year to the US, potentially generating annual voyage fees of about $300 million.

Automakers could be hit with compensation claims if they are unable to fulfill seaborne carrier contracts amid an expected downturn in US volumes.

Donald Trump’s latest tariffs targeting the auto sector have put key ro/ro ports on alert as they face a “chilling effect” on volumes.

A deal between the Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Native American Puyallup Tribe will result in a 22-acre, two-berth terminal completed by the end of the decade.

The arrival of the first vehicle imports in five years has sparked renewed interest in the country’s auto shipment potential.

Sustainable financing will help the Oslo-listed operator hit net-zero goals, but it brings risks with higher capex costs to cover operations of its ro/ro fleet.

Continued strong vehicle trade will more than offset a first-half dip in high and heavy equipment movements, while executives say the impact from possible US tariffs on vehicle imports from Mexico and Canada would be minimal.

The breakbulk sector can lean on the progress of key US ports in facilitating the safe bunkering of next generation alternative shipping fuels

International automakers are putting much-needed investment into Indian manufacturing facilities to increase export capacity.

Outside investment for project carriers is scarce, primarily because future project cargo flows are so difficult to predict.

Slow vehicle sales, easing charter rates and surplus fleet growth are set to ease the intensity of the ro/ro sector.

A decline in sales of high-and-heavy equipment for the bellwether roll-on/roll-off cargo providers will reduce demand for breakbulk carriers.

The Ships for America Act and national security spotlight seen as growth opportunities for US-flag commercial fleet.

Asian exports and growth in construction and mining demand are expected to prop up ro/ro volumes, two major vessel operators say.

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.

Major roll-on/roll-off carriers reported climbing net rates in the first half even as demand for machinery and rolling stock faltered and a congested shipping market tightened capacity.

Weaker demand, congestion and supply chain disruptions held back volumes at two of Europe’s largest breakbulk ports during the first six months of the year.

The deal marks MSC’s return to the booming car carrier market that it exited in March 2023 when it sold its two vehicle carriers to focus on transporting vehicles in containers.

Automobile shipments, especially electric vehicles from China, are strong, while high container rates and capacity shortages are pushing breakbulk, project cargo and equipment shippers toward the ro/ro sector.

Brunswick could overtake Baltimore as the busiest ro/ro port in the US, at least in the short term, partly because operations at the Maryland port were severely restricted following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.  

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 March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore piled on yet another layer of disruption, while the Sept. 30 expiration of the existing labor contract for longshore workers on the East and Gulf coasts will make shippers more nervous.

Deere and Caterpillar are facing a lackluster year as equipment sales soften amid lower commodity prices and market uncertainty.

Roll-on/roll-off carriers Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Höegh Autoliners anticipate high auto volumes and tight capacity ahead amid Red Sea-driven diversions.

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 deal was announced to coincide with the release of Gram's first-quarter results, which showed the car carrier market is continuing to boom with soaring charter rates, record vehicle exports from Asia and tight vessel capacity.

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.

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.

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.

The flow of roll-on/roll-off cargo shows little sign of slowing as carriers ink long-term deals with automotive and high and heavy manufacturers.

While container spot rates aren’t favorable for vehicle shipments now, Emanuele Grimaldi said the size of the container ship orderbook could easily pull rates down as networks adjust to Red Sea disruptions.

The new ships, scheduled for delivery in 2026, form a fleet renewal program to replace three existing ro/ro vessels operated by Louis Dreyfus under a long-term charter agreement with Airbus that has been in place for more than 20 years.

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

Hyundai Glovis has teamed up with HMM and Seaspan to spend almost $1.5 billion on new dual-fuel pure car and truck carriers as demand continues to surge in the ro/ro sector.

GPA's ability to handle growing volumes has attracted the likes of Rivian and Hyundai, both planting roots in Georgia to export vehicles from new facilities through Brunswick.

Commodity prices continue to rise, leading to further investments in mining, agriculture and oil and gas projects, all of which is good news for breakbulk and project shippers and their service providers.

Although there is little evidence that EVs are a greater fire hazard aboard ro/ro ships than traditional internal combustion vehicles, carriers are ramping up their safety measures.