Ro/ro cargo

Breakbulk-carrying ship capacity is being artificially skewed by global disruptions, leaving stowage space in high demand, attendees at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges Breakbulk Summit heard this week.

The growing strength of the Asia-Pacific car export market justifies the billion-dollar spend on newbuilds, according to the major car carrier operators.

The initial phase of the port’s strategy focuses on limiting storm damage at the Dundalk Marine Terminal, Baltimore’s primary ro/ro facility, attendees at the American Association of Port Authorities conference were told.

European and Chinese roll-on/roll-off cargo carriers have placed orders for new ships in a bid to relieve tight capacity in the market.

With Chinese manufacturers shifting production closer to consumers, particularly in Europe, car carrier operators are expecting vehicle volumes to continue to grow, but on shorter routes.

Caterpillar and Deere are key global manufacturers of high-and-heavy cargo and considered bellwether companies for the ro/ro breakbulk shipping segment.

SC Ports’ board of directors voted Friday to approve a design project to determine how to convert part of a 210-acre parcel next to the North Charleston Terminal into a car carrier operation.

Strong demand for roll-on/roll-off cargoes is expected to continue through 2026 as China enjoys “exceptional” export growth.

Hapag could leverage Zim-owned Gold Star Line’s ready-made ro/ro fleet to expand its offering in the breakbulk market, but overcapacity provides potential headwinds.

China export forecasts could top 8 million vehicles this year, providing a steady flow of cargo for the expected 8% increase in the global ro/ro fleet.

The two markets hold high stakes, pegged at $2 billion in combined export value for both homegrown and global auto brands in India. 

Norden, Stena RoRo and Meriaura commit to up to 15 new ships as the resilience of the MPV market is reflected in the most recent quarterly sentiment index published by One World Shipbrokers.

Power generation cargoes gave the heavy-lift sector a welcome boost in 2025, and it’s a cargo stream that will not dry up anytime soon.

The two Japanese vehicle carriers are the last to agree to a settlement figure in a long-running price-fixing case.

As key global manufacturers of high and heavy cargo, Caterpillar and Deere are considered performance indicators for the roll-on/roll-off breakbulk shipping segment.

Car carriers and ro/ro operators had been left in limbo since the deal to postpone reciprocal US and Chinese port fees was announced during the meeting of presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea on Oct. 30.

Ports that previously had been able to count on more predictable planning and certain cargo types, such as wind project equipment, are finding themselves having to take stock of their capabilities and recalibrate accordingly.

The New Jersey-based carrier believes its vessels should be treated as container ships given that 80% of their cargo is containerized, but a USTR designation that would classify the ships as vehicle carriers means the company faces hefty US port fees.

The move would substantially increase costs and reduce capacity for vehicle and equipment makers such as Ford and Caterpillar who rely on vehicle carriers and ro/ro vessels to export their products, stakeholders say.  

Automobile carriers have benefited from falling charter rates to meet growing outbound vehicle moves from Asia.

Double counting for US port calls on the same voyage would lead to an “unsustainable” cost impact on the company, the CEO of its US affiliate tells the Journal of Commerce.

The European automotive industry has been hammered by Washington’s import tariffs that are imposing a significant financial burden on the continent’s carmakers.

A plan to tax vehicle carriers $14 per net ton for each US port call will raise consumer costs and reduce the number of ports served, shipping executives warned Monday.

Global vehicle carriers are set to feel the sting of a growing Chinese-operated ro/ro fleet amid a fight for international car cargoes.

Rising Asian vehicle exports have surpassed falling volumes from the west, forcing trade reshuffling and a rise in ballast trips.

In a 10-page notice published Friday, the USTR said it was now proposing a fee of $14 per net ton on foreign-built vehicle carriers, including roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) vessels, arriving in US waters.

Caterpillar and Deere are counting the sizable costs of tariff-related expenses, even with the announced 90-day tariff pause between the US and China.

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.