On January 21st DEME’s new 30,000 m³ mega trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Congo River’ was launched at IHC Merwede shipyard in Krimpen aan den Ijssel, the Netherlands. This impressive new dredger is being built for DEME N.V. (Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering NV). The contract between DEME and IHC Dredgers for the design, construction, and delivery of the ship was signed in December 2008. The ‘Congo River’ will be commissioned as of mid-2011 and will be named during a formal ceremony in Zeebrugge on 8 July 2011.

The World Bank has proposed a project whose development objective is to increase capacity of the rail ferry terminal to handle non-oil products, and improve environmental and safety practices at the Port of Turkmenbashi. This will be achieved through an investment project that aims at enhancing the competitiveness of the port of Turkmenbashi to meet current and future demand, improving safety and security of port operations and initiating port reform.

The Government of Montenegro has issued a tender for transaction advisory services for the privatisation and restructuring of AD Kontejnerski Terminal i Generalni Tereti-Bar/Container and General Cargo Operator (CGCO). Interested firms are invited to submit expressions of interest.  A short list of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals following this invitation.

Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) in Poland recently handled its first heavy cargo using  its new Liebherr LHM-400 mobile harbor crane (MHC) from sister company Tartous International Container Terminal (TICT) in Tartous, Syria.  The MHC took only 30 minutes to haul the 97.5 tons transformer, from unloading to transferring the cargo to a dedicated storage area. 

Tenova has opened a new Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, one of the world’s most promising markets. The office’s target is to develop commercial and customer service operations and provide Tenova with support for local project management and procurement activities.

Services and shipping across Cambodia’s two major ports generated total revenues of US$35 million in 2010, according to official data released yesterday, a rise of around 31 percent. Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the biggest port in the Kingdom, generated about $28.42 million in revenues last year, according to pre-audit figures. This was up $3.27 million from $25.15 million in 2009, according to data.

The Port of Charleston closed 2010 with a nearly 17 percent increase in container volume, capping a year marked by new shipping services, statewide business initiatives and the arrival of the biggest ships on the East Coast. December marked the twelfth consecutive month of year-over-year growth for the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA), according to results released at today’s regular SCSPA Board meeting.

25.3 million tonnes of goods (gross) were handled via the various port facilities in Rostock in the year 2010; 2.3 million tonnes or 10 percent more than in 2009. 23.7 million tonnes of freight were loaded or unloaded at Rostock seaport. According to the port and shipping authority another 1.6 million tonnes were handled at the cargo and fishing port, the chemical port and other port facilities.