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Valencia Containerised Freight Index starts the year with an increase of 4.9%

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Valencia Containerised Freight Index starts the year with an increase of 4.9%. Image: Port Authority of Valencia
Valencia Containerised Freight Index starts the year with an increase of 4.9%. Image: Port Authority of Valencia
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The Valencia Containerised Freight Index, the indicator that measures the trend and evolution of container transport costs by sea from the Port of València, begins the year 2022 with a value of 4,267.75 points, which represents an increase of 4.9% with respect to the month of December. Once again, the growth in demand for maritime transport, the price of fuel and congestion in ports in the United States and China are factors that influence the increase in the Index in January.

The cost of fuel, because of its influence on the operating prices of shipping lines, is a determining factor in the evolution of freight rates. The European Brent crude oil barrel has increased by 16.63% from 74.17$ in December to 86.51$ in January. Bunkering is moving along the same lines. According to data provided by Ship&Bunker, the price of IFO 380 has risen from $480.50 in December to $557.50 in January, which represents an increase of 16.02%. Likewise, VLSFO reached $706 in January compared to $633.50 in December, an increase of 11.44%.

On the demand side, the latest RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index report indicates a significant increase in port traffic, mainly explained by the stimulus packages fuelling US consumer demand. In contrast, container throughput at Chinese ports has fallen due to the Lunar New Year, which slows down activity in China. In addition, this year also sees the addition of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The capacity offered by shipping lines remains high for all vessel segments, with commercially idle fleet levels at minimum levels, according to Alphaliner. Specifically, 46 vessels were idle in mid-January, with a total of 117,178 TEUs (standard 20-foot container) representing 0.5% of the total active fleet, showing a slight decrease from the year-end 2021, when 48 containerships were idle, with a total of 149,386 TEUs.

Congestion problems continue

Another factor to note in the evolution of the VCFI in recent months is port congestion, which shows no sign of improvement in global terms. Thus, the Chinese ports of Ningbo, Zhuhai, Tianjin and more recently, Beijing and Shanghai, have been particularly affected by the “Zero COVID” policies imposed by the Chinese government following the appearance of the Omicron variant, which has led to closures. Similarly, and according to the terminal congestion index drawn up by SeaIntelligence, bottlenecks persist in the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach with high waiting times for ships.

As for the analysis of the different areas that make up the VCFI, the increase has been the general trend in all of them. Of note is the increase in the Baltic States (23.78%) and Atlantic Europe (15.91%), regions in which the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine are affecting all the surrounding countries. In the rest of the zones, the increases in Latin America Pacific (10.36%), Central America and the Caribbean (7.22%), Africa East Coast (4.46%), USA and Canada (2.94%) and the Far East (2.25%) should be highlighted.

VCFI Western Mediterranean

As for the Western Mediterranean sub-index, growth has moderated, registering a variation of only 0.49% with respect to the previous month, to reach 2,127.62 points. During 2021, the index has concentrated the largest increases since the beginning of the series, although the data of the last few months seem to point to a certain containment, which should be confirmed in the coming weeks. This trend in 2021 is part of a context of continued increase in traffic from Valenciaport to Morocco and Tunisia, surpassing the levels reached in 2019 and 2020.

VCFI Far East

In the Far East area, the Index stands at 3,827.12 points, 2.25% more than in December, and accumulating a growth of 282.71% since the beginning of the VCFI. In this line, an increase in Valenciaport’s export flows with China, its main trading partner, can be observed. Once again, it is necessary to consider the seasonality of the moment, marked by the proximity of the Chinese New Year, which could be increasing the global export chains to the Asian giant. This also translates into greater pressure on freight rates.

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Maritime

The Port of Valencia begins electrification of its docks

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The Port of Valencia begins electrification of its docks. Image: Port Authority of Valencia
The Port of Valencia begins electrification of its docks. Image: Port Authority of Valencia
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A new step in the decarbonisation of the Port of Valencia and its firm commitment to be an emission neutral site by 2030. The Port Authority of Valencia (APV) has put out to tender the drafting and execution of the works for the electrical connection to ships for the Transversal Costa-MSC quay. This is the first electrification or Onshore Power Supply (OPS) project to be carried out by Valenciaport in the Valencian precinct.

The APV is thus initiating the procedure for the award of the contract for the drafting and execution of the project for the installation of electrical connections for ships and the maintenance of the same at the Transversal de Costa quay. To this end, Valenciaport has jointly launched the drafting of the construction project, the execution of its works and the maintenance of the installations in the same procedure for an amount of 12,468,626.8 euros (VAT included).

Onshore Power Supply (OPS) electrification infrastructures have been consolidated as a very useful tool for the decarbonisation of ports, as this system avoids the use of auxiliary engines of ships when they are docked in the enclosures. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions – due to the use of electricity that eliminates the consumption of fossil fuels used in these auxiliary engines – and stops the emission of particles and polluting gases.

This OPS initiative in the Port of Valencia will be carried out in parallel with the works on the new electrical substation – a second substation is also planned – which was put out to tender last month with a base budget of around 11 million euros and a completion period of 24 months. This infrastructure will be responsible for supplying green energy to the first OPS electrification project of the Transversal de Costa-MSC quay.

In this regard, Joan Calabuig, president of Valenciaport, stressed that “these are just two examples of real projects in the execution phase that confirm the firm commitment that Valenciaport is making to achieve the goal of being a zero-emissions port by 2030, twenty years ahead of the European Green Pact. It is a commitment to sustainability and to the society of our environment that is supported by initiatives such as the electrification of the docks, the use of hydrogen in port operations, the installation of photovoltaic plants or the commitment to intermodality with the railway. We are committed to sustainable growth that reinforces our position as a port of reference in the Mediterranean”.

Project included in the Next Generation Funds

The joint contracting of the preparation of the project and the execution of the corresponding works in the same procedure is carried out in response to the fact that there are no references in Europe compatible with the ISO/IEC/IEEE 80005 standard and in Spain there is currently no previous experience of OPS projects in operation with the characteristics of the pilot project defined by the Port Authority of Valencia. The combination of the individual components required for this type of installation (transformers, protection cells, disconnectors, frequency converters, etc.) with infrastructures for supplying electricity to ships requires specific projects, with technically complex solutions that have to be designed specifically for each location. In addition, and given that the execution of the construction project is subsidised by the European Union’s Next Generation funds and the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the joint tender is the only way to meet the established deadlines, since if two separate contracts were launched, the one for the execution of the construction project could not be launched until the one for the drafting of the construction project had been awarded, which would mean that the work would be completed beyond the deadline for the execution of the works to meet the target set by Europe.

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MOL joins GCMD as impact partner to accelerate decarbonisation

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MOL joins GCMD as impact partner to accelerate decarbonisation. Image: Pixabay
MOL joins GCMD as impact partner to accelerate decarbonisation. Image: Pixabay
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The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation GCMD and MOL announced the signing of a five-year Impact Partnership agreement. On the same day, both parties held a signing ceremony at the GCMD office in Singapore.

Decarbonisation in the maritime industry is a challenge that needs to be achieved through accelerating collaboration and increasing investment by shipping companies, their customers, ports, energy suppliers and public sector actors. As an Impact Partner of GCMD, MOL will utilise its expertise developed over their long history and make various contributions and collaborations through its participation in GCMD’s projects, including providing access to vessels, operating data and evaluation reports so that internal learnings can be shared publicly and used for future trials.

MOL is one of the world’s leaders in the maritime industry and has been leading worldwide discussions on achieving decarbonisation. The carbon budget concept imposes a ceiling to the cumulative amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that can be emitted globally in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius by 2050. Intermediate targets to reduce emissions, in addition to a net-zero target, are necessary. While plans are in place to adopt low or zero emissions vessels in the future, it is important to deploy measures to reduce emissions now. Such measures include the use of low-carbon and transition fuels that are available today, and deploying energy savings devices onboard vessels. MOL will bring its extensive capabilities and experience to bear as it joins GCMD and existing partners to accelerate international shipping’s decarbonisation.

Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, said: “We are proud to have MOL, one of the leading shipowners in Japan, come onboard as an Impact Partner. We are excited to tap on MOL’s track record in developing technical energy efficiency measures to broaden our perspective as we scope an initiative to help increase industry adoption of measures that can increase fuel efficiency of ships.”

Toshiaki Tanaka, Representative Director, Executive Vice President Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of MOL, said: “We are very pleased to be a partner of one of the most important global coalitions. We will make our biggest effort to contribute and accelerate progress towards the net zero future in maritime industry, together with GCMD and all its partners.”

About the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) was set up on 1 August 2021 as a non-profit organisation. Our strategic partners include the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), BHP, BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Foundation Det Norske Veritas, Ocean Network Express, Seatrium, bp, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK. Beyond the strategic partners, GCMD has brought on board 15 partners that engage at the centre level, in addition to more than 80 partners that engage at the project level.

Strategically located in Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub and second largest container port, GCMD aims to help the industry eliminate GHG emissions by shaping standards for future fuels, piloting low-carbon solutions in an end-to-end manner under real-world operations conditions, financing first-of-a-kind projects, and fostering collaboration across sectors.

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Container Shipping Lines

Wan Hai Lines establishes its new office in India

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Wan Hai Lines establishes its new office in India. Image: Unsplash
Wan Hai Lines establishes its new office in India. Image: Unsplash
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Aiming to further enhance service quality and gain a stronger foothold in the Indian sub-continent, Wan Hai Lines has established its India new office in Kolkata in July 2023. Contact details for the new office are as follows: WAN HAI LINES (INDIA) PVT. LTD 3rd Floor, Block C, Apeejay House, 15 Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700016 TEL: 91-33-4450 4500 According to the 2023 Foreign Trade Policy announced by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India’s export trade volume will reach 2 trillion US dollars in 2030.

Therefore, benefiting from government policy incentives and the shifting trend of the global supply chain, India’s status in global manufacturing and international trade is increasing, which is conducive to maintaining long-term high economic growth. And the proportion of global exports has increased significantly. In addition, the continuous economic stimulus policy will help revitalize the domestic economy, and domestic demand is expected to increase significantly. Therefore, Wan Hai is optimistic about India’s future import and export situation. And also through the establishment of a new office to improve the overall operating efficiency.

Wan Hai India Kolkata office held a grand opening reception in the evening of 27th July. During the banquet, there were many important customers & guests. The Kolkata Port Authority, Kolkata terminal operators, feeder operators and important local customers were invited to send representatives to attend the meeting to express their blessings to Wan Hai’s opening of the Kolkata market. At present, Wan Hai has six owned offices in India, namely Mumbai, Chennai, Mundra, and Vizag, Delhi and the sixth office Kolkata office. In addition to directly providing river port services, it will also simultaneously strengthen service links between India and neighboring countries, such as Nepal and Bhutan. It is expected to pursue customer first through continuous expansion in the future and sustainable business philosophy.

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