Maersk Promises Not to Flood the Intermodal Network With New Super Ships

Maersk has recently released what are now the world’s largest container ships. These ships are 18,000TEU in capacity and are currently being put into use in the AE10 string between Asia and North Europe. The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller was the first of 20 Triple-E Class ships that was put into use in June of 2013. Currently, there are 5 of these Triple-E Class ships in service and all 20 of the ships are expected to be in service by 2015. The industry has been alarmed by the release of these ships because of the fact that there is already weak demand for east-west trades resulting from the recession that was experienced in Europe and North America. Maersk is watching the markets carefully to make sure that they do not roll out the remaining ships too quickly. The company expects demand to remain weak through 2016. Falling exports from China are also an issue that is affecting the trade and the trend is moving toward ordering smaller container shipments more frequently rather than large infrequent shipments. Rolling out the large capacity shipments could mean major damage to freight export raises and would flatten the demand.In the past year freight rates have… read more »

Greater Efficiency Is the Aim of Conditioning Hulls of Container Ships

A new program has been created in order to optimize performance and reduce fuel and emmissions for container ships. The program is the HPS ‘Newbuilding Solution’ which was created by Jotun Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) and announced back in 2013 at the Kormarine Exhibition in Busan, South Korea. The program is targeted at ship yards that want to increase the energy efficiencyof the vessels that they produce. The goal is also for the ship yards to produce eco-design ships. Cost effectiveness is one of the most important aspects to ship yards in this regard and therefore they demand that ship coatins include performance antifouling coatings that can keep barnacles and boring creatures off the bottom of the ship. The plan is focused around the product SeaQuantum X200, slated to be one of the best anti fouling coatings with low friction properties. The SeaQuantum X200guaranteeds a lifetime of performance and also has three different levels of upgrade options for ,ater adjustment. The first component of the program upgrade is the Smooth Application Package in which the company will measure the roughness of the water for the client and also include an anti-corrosive system that is optimized for the client’s needs. The… read more »

Intermodal Boom Offers US Primary Produces Easy Access to Foreign Markets

The boom in intermodal networks has resulted in new opportunities for farmers in the middle of the country to get access to foreign markets. As a demonstration of the growth trend, a new rail yard has been opened just in the last few months in Decatur, Illinois by the agriculture giant Archer Daniels Midland. The company plans to use the rail yard to help businesses in the region ship more products and is expected to increase its shipping capacity three-fold in the next few years. The rail yard is already equipped to handle 50,000 containers in a single year. Farmers are seeking to take advantage of the empty shipping containers that are ending up all over the United States as a result of international companies exporting goods to the United States. In addition, grain cooperatives and exporters are taking advantage of this modular transportationtrend to ship graininternationally. The modular transportationtrend is becoming an increasingly important part of the agriculture business and farmers are estimated to have shipped 140 billion dollars worth of products over the past year. The main products being sent are corn, soybeans and wheat. These products are mainly being shipped to Asiaand Europe. Previously these shipments were… read more »

Short Line Railroads Benefit From the Growth in Intermodal Networks

Short distance freight train companies have managed to carve out a niche market and these companies are currently benefiting financially for the overall growth of intermodal networks in the United States. This assessment was made when rail and business leaders met in Chicago inOctober 2013 to discuss the impact of short-line railroad companies on United States domestic business as well as global business. The impact of the short line railroads is that they help to create connections between regions and larger rail networks for businesses needing to transport goods from regional locations. The Staggers Railway Act of 1980 served to create this niche market because many of the larger rail networks gave up their influence over the short line networks due to the costs. The slack was then picked up by entrepreneurs who creates the systems that are in place today. Short line railways are also becoming more in demand because regulations are changingin the truckingindustry which is increasing the cost of moving freight via truck. Therefore the short line railways are increasingly appealing to businesses as a more cost effective way of moving freight. An example of the evolution is that of the short rail line company South Shore… read more »

Emirates Railway Will Expand the Intermodal Network Across Desert Regions

Emirates Railway is currently undergoing an expansion plan that will increase the scope of the company’s railways across the desert regions of the emirates. The companies Etihad Rail and JBC Express Freight LLC announced in October of 2013, a joint effort to create an intermodal network across the desert regions. Stage one of the plan is the completion of the Shah-Habshan-Ruwais Railway Project which is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. This rail line is 264km in length and will end all the way from the Shah gas fields to the port of Ruwais in the north. The second stage of the project will be to serve the ports at Jebel Ali and Khalifa from Mussafah and also to connect to the Saudi and Omani borders. The final stage of the project, stage three, will be to create connections up to the Northern Emirates. Upon completion, the entire network will be about 1,200 km in length and will span across the entire Emirates. The network is also being designed to serve passengers as well as freight. It has been designed with the purpose of hastening economic development in the region and to also bridge the gap between… read more »