Breakbulk News

As funding opportunities expand, energy security concerns force investors to reevaluate their priorities, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk and Project Cargo Conference were told.

Breakbulk and project cargo carriers are likely to take their cue from container carriers before committing to building alternative fuel ships to meet aggressive carbon reduction mandates, experts say.

BIMCO’s head of Americas called for changes to the Carbon Intensity Indicator that would make the new regulation from the International Maritime Organization “fit for purpose.”

An advanced sense of “pragmatism” is needed for shippers and nations to cope with changes wrought by war and climate change, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk & Project Cargo Conference were told.

Multipurpose carrier analysts report short-term rate softening and a looser spot market, but there is confidence in longer-term energy and renewables demand.

Breakbulk volumes are normalizing at Houston after the market surge of 2022, while “spillover” containers have disappeared.

Vehicle demand is expected to offset declining high-and-heavy volumes in 2023, according to car carriers.

Dutch conglomerate SHV’s planned divestment of Mammoet, the world’s largest heavy-lift and engineered transport company, could have a “very important impact” on the sector, according to one consultant.

New operator Swire is growing its fleet and gearing up to move cargo for the busy Australian minerals and energy markets.

MPV and heavy-lift vessel owners need clarity on emissions, alternative fuels, and regulations before committing to new vessel schemes.

Breakbulk shippers and logistics providers have several proposals for changes to ISPM 15 mitigation and enforcement measures pending approval from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Despite a temporary lull, heavy-deck carriers and industry analysts see a “mind-boggling” outlook for global offshore wind demand.

Breakbulk industry executives warn new rules aimed at reducing vessel emissions could incentivize vessel operators to implement measures that increase emissions in other areas of the supply chain.

The MPV sector’s market correction appears to have bottomed at rates still healthy for owners and carriers, even as the sector feels pressure from minor bulk carriers hunting for cargo.

While market indicators such as relatively high charter rates and a strong demand outlook are promising, the Netherlands-based maritime consultancy says the stability of the breakbulk market is by no means guaranteed.

EPC projects drive much of the global demand for project and breakbulk logistics services from carriers, forwarders, and other suppliers.

Demand for flatbed tractor-trailers is rising along the Gulf Coast and Southeast, buoyed by project cargo, shifting freight patterns, and a warmer-than-normal winter, DAT Freight & Analytics says.

Short-term uncertainty and longer-term confidence are the multipurpose sector’s new normal, analysts say, after the extreme volatility of the COVID-driven market.

A long-time ro/ro executive with Wallenius Wilhelmsen will shift his focus to container BCOs in a new position with the Georgia Ports Authority.

Even as breakbulk volumes ebb from their pandemic highs, several mega-projects planned for South Louisiana are expected to keep project cargo moving at the Port of New Orleans.

The acquisition of Avondale by the port comes just as the state of Louisiana readies to auction its first round of offshore wind leases.

Zeebrugge’s ro/ro traffic rose 6.5 percent in 2022, even as congestion and tight capacity constrained potential growth.

Despite a decline in daily charter rates, the longer-term MPV outlook remains strong due to increased investments in oil and gas and renewables projects.

Project and breakbulk carriers and logistics service providers have a healthy to-do list of energy-related cargo projects ahead of them; now the question is whether rates and availability will return to pre-pandemic levels.

Danish power company Ørsted says policymakers must provide a regulatory environment that allows companies to commit to the huge investment required in developing shipping’s fuel of the future.

Longer voyages, high demand, and tight capacity are boosting earnings and charter rates in the global car carrier segment.

Ambitious plans to build offshore wind off the coast of the United States has run up against permitting bottlenecks and a lack of investment.

Peak supply chain congestion prompted major US retailers to charter their own ships, but Costco is now unwinding that bet.

The multipurpose/heavy-lift vessel sector is proving to be less volatile than the container and bulk sectors as the pandemic market normalizes, analysts say.

The Ocean Terminal project is part of a larger strategy by the GPA to expand the footprint in Savannah to handle bigger vessels and more containers.

Moving a significant share of Europe’s inland cargo from road to rail will be costly and challenging, but it is achievable through better utilization of door-to-door combined transport, a new report has found.

US-based MPV operator Intermarine is expanding into Asia and Europe via a partnership with Thailand’s WeShip.

Drought is keeping the Mississippi River at historically low water levels, tying up barge capacity and extending the southbound grain season.

As evidenced over the past chaotic 24 months, dry cargo demand and the supply of reefer equipment are more intimately linked than it might first appear.

Engineered transport providers are gearing up for heavy demand as an energy buildout in both renewable and oil and gas sectors gains strength.

Two years of pandemic-related oil and gas project delays and cutbacks in global supply due to the Russia-Ukraine war are driving demand for project logistics services in the short and long term.

Bottlenecks and a lack of needed infrastructure may put the “aspirational” global offshore wind installation schedule out of reach, an analyst says.

Confident of project demand ahead, the multipurpose vessel sector sees November’s softening rates as a move toward stability, analysts say.

Sanctions against Russia have sharply reduced available heavy-lift air tonnage even as energy sector demand escalates.

The new ships ordered by the Grimaldi Group, designed for carrying electric vehicles, will burn 50 percent less fuel than earlier car carriers.