Transport Infrastructure

Industry executives testified at the U.S. trade representative hearings that President Donald Trump's plans to revive the U.S. Shipbuilding Industry are likely to fail because they rely on proposed fees for China-linked ships, which will harm domestic ship operators, ports, exporters, and jobs. The proposed fees could reach $3 million for each port visit in the United States. The Trump administration claims that the fees will curb China's increasing commercial and military dominance in the high seas, and promote vessels built domestically. U.S. Steelworker Unions and U.S. Steel Producers support the effort. They say it will boost their industry. The...

Industry executives will tell U.S. trade representatives at hearings held this week that President Donald Trump's plans to revive the U.S. Shipbuilding Industry are likely to fail because they rely on proposed fees for China-linked vessels, which will harm domestic ship operators and port facilities. They will argue that the plan will hurt U.S. shipping operators because it would restrict the number of vessels they can use to avoid fees and would concentrate ship traffic in America's largest ports, while neglecting the smaller ones. Edward Gonzalez, CEO Seaboard Marine in Florida, wrote that any proposal to support U.S. Shipbuilding should...

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Headlines Heathrow Airport in London will be closed for the entire day due to a power outage GB Energy invests 110 million pounds in clean energy - European military power work on a 5-10 year plan for replacing US in Nato Accenture warns that Elon Musk’s Doge-led crackdown on spending is hitting revenue View the full article London Heathrow Airport has been forced to shut until midnight due to a "significant" power outage caused by a fire in...

The Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino, said that the reports that the U.S. Military is looking at options to ensure full U.S. Access to the Panama Canal are not credible because they came from anonymous sources. He said at a press briefing that if no one signed off on such a claim, he didn't give it any weight. Last week, two anonymous U.S. government officials said that the Pentagon was instructed to assess options in light of President Donald Trump's repeated claims he wanted to "take back", the important global shipping route through Panama. Trump claimed that the tolls on...

CK Hutchison (a Hong Kong-based conglomerate) agreed to sell a large part of its $22.8 billion global ports business, which includes assets located near the strategically significant Panama Canal, to a BlackRock-led group this month. Media reports said that Beijing was not happy with the deal, and was reviewing its security and antitrust aspects. CK Hutchison, owned by billionaire Li Kashing and founded in Hong Kong and listed there, has a global presence with businesses ranging from ports to telecommunication. Take a look at the company's origins and its current global standing: ORIGINS Li Ka-shing founded Cheung Kong Industries at...

The majority of jet fuel onboard Stena Immaculate's cargo, which is US-flagged, was intact and did not leak, Stena Bulk, the vessel owner, said on Wednesday. On Monday, the Portuguese flagged Solong container vessel crashed into a tanker transporting jet fuel to the U.S. Military. The British police arrested Solong’s captain a day later on suspicion of gross negligent manslaughter. Stena Bulk Chief Executive Erik Hanell said, "There is no fire on the Stena Immaculate any more." In the next 24 to 48 hours, we will have a clearer picture of the entire salvage operation. Hannell stated that two of...

Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants "to take back" the Panama Canal, but hasn't given specifics on how he will do it. This article explains the history of the canal and the laws that govern it. Why is the Panama Canal important? The Panama Canal is located in the narrowest part between North and South America. It is one of most important waterways around the globe. The canal recorded 11,240 crossings in 2014, totaling over 235.5 million tonnes of cargo. More than two thirds of the cargo that passes through the canal comes from the U.S. or is...

Federal Aviation Administration officials in the United States said that Friday, a SpaceX Starship explosion on Thursday disrupted 240 flights. Space debris concerns forced more than 20 of these planes to divert. This was the second explosion in a row of a SpaceX launch test. The FAA issued ground stops on Thursday that lasted just over an hour. They were for flights departing from four Florida airports - Miami, Fort Lauderdale Orlando and Palm Beach. The FAA reported that the incident caused 171 delays in departure, 28 flight diverts, and 40 airborne aircraft were held for an average of 22...

According to a draft executive orders dated February 27, seen on Thursday, the United States plans to charge docking fees to any ship in a fleet of vessels that include Chinese-built or Chinese flagged vessels. It will also push its allies to follow suit or face retaliation. The Trump administration is working on an executive order to revive domestic shipbuilding, and to weaken China's grip over the global shipping industry. The draft executive orders proposes that fees be charged to any vessel entering a U.S. Port, "regardless of its flag or where it was constructed," if the vessel is part...

According to a source in the navigation sector and a soybean analyst, a conveyor belt system has collapsed at a terminal for grain at Barcarena port in northern Brazil. Two sources naming ADM as the operator of the terminal and Viterra, as the responsible parties for grain shipments, said that the collapse had caused grain shipments be suspended. ADM referred questions to the local port authority. Viterra was not available for comment. The source from the navigation sector said: "The terminal is completely inaccessible." The source said that the terminal is not able to receive grain from barges, or load...

Some shipping companies move their operations discreetly out of Hong Kong, and remove vessels from its registry. Some shipping companies are making contingency planning to do this. Six shipping executives have said that these low-profile actions are motivated by a fear that their vessels could be seized by Chinese authorities, or face U.S. sanction in the event of a clash between Beijing and Washington. The people said that the growing U.S. scrutiny over the importance of China’s commercial fleet to a potential military conflict, such as one over Taiwan, and Beijing's emphasis of Hong Kong's role in serving Chinese interests...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. On Tuesday, over 45,000 dockworkers in the United States represented by the International Longshoremen's Association ratified a six-year contract. This formalized a deal that briefly halted work at ports from Maine to Texas last October. The U.S. and Ukraine have agreed on a deal for mineral rights that could be finalized by Friday during a meeting at the White House between U.S. president Donald Trump, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. BlackRock has removed all references to its...

The shares of CK Hutchison dropped on Friday, after the conglomerate that combines retail and telecoms reported a weaker earnings performance and lower dividends. It also warned about a volatile operating environment. Last year, the group's underlying profit, which has to deal with Beijing's displeasure over the sale its ports business, fell 11% from HK$20,8 billion ($2.7 billion), falling short of expectations. The final dividend for 2023 was reduced to HK$1.514 from HK$1.775 per share. Early Hong Kong trading saw shares of the company drop by 1.9%. The company agreed to sell assets in the vicinity of the strategically significant...

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will invest $1.4billion via a 30 year concession to upgrade Tanzania-Zambia Railway, said the line's operator on Thursday. The competition for Africa's vital minerals is heating up. TAZARA is the initials of the railway that is used to identify it as a major route for exporting copper from central Africa. It offers a way around South Africa's logistical bottlenecks which have caused a slowdown in copper and cobalt. In a press release, Bruno Ching'andu said that the decision to grant the concession was based on an evaluation of TAZARA’s challenges throughout the years. This required...

According to data provided by pipeline company KazTransOil, the number of metric tons exported in February, up from January, was 97,300 (roughly 28,000 barrels a day). Kazakhstan relies heavily on Caspian Pipeline Consortium, one of the largest pipelines in the world that crosses Russia and reaches the Black Sea port Novorossiisk. The BTC pipeline is the main alternative route for the CPC. It originates from Azerbaijan, on the other side of the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan. To get Kazakh oil into Baku, either tanker shipments must be made across the Caspian Sea or a transcaspian pipeline needs to be built....

Two U.S. officials said on Thursday that the U.S. Military must provide options in order to guarantee the United States full access to Panama Canal. Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants "to take back" Panama Canal He has not provided any details about the specifics of how he will do this, or whether military action may be necessary. Unnamed U.S. officials said that a document - described as a interim national security guide by the new administration - called for the military to consider military options in order to protect access to the Panama Canal. A second official...

According to a review of an arbitration file, a unit of China’s state-owned Power Construction Corp of China has sued Laos Utility Electricite du Laos in Singapore for $555 million of unpaid dues relating to. The claim is based on the electricity generated by PowerChina's Nam Ou Power unit, which operates the $2.73 billion Nam Ou River Cascade hydropower project. It has a capacity to generate 1.27 gigawatts of power from seven cascades that are located along 350 km of river in Southeast Asia. The Nam Ou Project is one of Laos’ largest projects, representing 7% of its 18 GW...

Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings announced on Tuesday that a consortium, including BlackRock Inc., would purchase an 80% share in a unit which controls ports in Panama at a value of equity equal to $14.21 billion. The sale of 90% of the shares in Panama Ports Company (which owns and operates Balboa Port and Cristobal Port) comes at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump is putting pressure on China to stop its influence and control of the Panama Canal. CK Hutchison operates the ports of Balboa & Cristobal, at the Canal's Pacific & Atlantic entrances, for over two decades....

Javier Milei, the libertarian president of Aragón in 2023, branded China a "communist assassin", and threatened to weaken relations with Asia. Exports of soy, lithium and other commodities to China grew 15% during his first year in office. The U-turn of a U.S. natural ally highlights a challenge to President Donald Trump, especially in South America's resource-rich region where China has gained influence in recent years due to booming trade. Trump wants to disrupt global trade by using trade tariffs and threats to get partners to promote U.S. interest. He has already made concessions to Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. Meanwhile,...

Chimbusco Pan Nation, a marine fuel supplier, announced on Friday it had delivered the largest amount of marine biofuel in Hong Kong. This is also the largest volume ever recorded for a single delivery in Chinese ports. According to sources in the bunker industry, recent marine biofuel stem sizes can range from 300 to 3,050 metric tons. However, stems can be bigger depending on specific needs. Chimbusco delivered 5,500 tons B24 marine biofuel in a single shipment to the vessel Xin Los Angeles this week, according to a statement posted online. The company said that it supplied more than 44,400...

Anglo American South Africa's iron ore business is looking for private investors to operate a rail route that is vital to shipments of steelmaking ingredient to international markets. Transnet, the struggling state-owned company, owns and operates a 861 km (535 miles) rail line that runs from Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen Mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province to Saldanha Port. Mpumi Zikalala, CEO of Kumba, stated that the line is plagued by derailments, and Transnet’s "constraints" on its balance sheet mean it cannot run the line effectively. Kumba, Africa’s largest iron ore producer, has reduced production after stocks rose to...

Iron ore futures prices fell on Monday as fears over supply disruptions due to cyclones in Australia, a major supplier, eased following the reopening local iron ore port. As of 0143 GMT, the most traded May iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was trading 2.27% lower. It was 795.5 Yuan ($109.78), per metric ton. Earlier in the session, the contract reached its lowest level since 16 January at 790 Yuan per ton. The benchmark March ore price on the Singapore Exchange fell 1.46%, to $104.6 per ton. This is the lowest since the 6th of February. Port Hedland...

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary for State, welcomed the decision of Panama to allow its participation in China’s global infrastructure plan to expire on Monday. He called the move a "great step forward" for the United States-Panama relationship. Washington has argued Beijing uses this scheme as "debt-trap diplomacy" in order to consolidate its global influence. Rubio made his first trip abroad as the top U.S. diplomacy under President Donald Trump. He visited Panama, an important U.S. ally in Latin America. Rubio also pressed the country to change its relationship with China. Jose Raul Mulino, the Panamanian president, said that after meeting...

Lots of Western business have actually sold their Russian assets or handed them over to local supervisors to adhere to sanctions over the war in Ukraine and respond to threats from the Kremlin that it may seize foreignowned possessions. Below are some business that have offered their organizations in Russia, divided by sector: AUTOS Continental sold its Russian tyre plant to holding company S8 Capital in May 2023. Renault offered its bulk stake in Avtovaz to the Russian state in 2022, reportedly for just one rouble however with a six-year choice to buy it back. Volkswagen finished the sale of...