Infrastructure News

A Japanese consortium led by shipping giant NYK Line has developed a new port-based floating data center concept designed to accelerate the commercialization of offshore data centers while addressing growing constraints on land availability, electrical power and construction timelines.The consortium, comprising Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), NTT FACILITIES, Eurus Energy Holdings and MUFG Bank, envisions floating data centers moored alongside existing port quays, leveraging…

Norwegian construction company Veidekke has signed a contract worth approximately $10.7 million (NOK 103 million) with Vestland County Council to upgrade two ferry terminals in western Norway.The contract covers the Hatvik and Venjaneset terminals serving the Hatvik–Venjaneset ferry route on county road 552 in Bjørnafjorden Municipality.The project includes the construction of new ferry ramps, extensions to auxiliary quays, foundation works, land reclamation, new abutments and…

Anduril Industries plans to invest $3.7 billion in a new Maryland shipyard to manufacture Virginia-class submarine components and other subsea systems, alongside a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $2.9 billion tied to production targets.The Arsenal-2 facility will be built at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, Baltimore County, with permitting and site preparation beginning immediately and initial operations expected in 2030.The combined public and private investment totals $6.6 billion, with Anduril set to build and operate the site. The U.S.

Ports are looking for affordable, reliable ways to decarbonize while still getting the performance they need. Propane can be part of that entire energy mix — from moving freight to material handling to producing dependable power. Jim Bunsey of the Propane Education Research Council (PERC) visits with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, to share insights on how ports, terminals and even the workboat market [with a forthcoming conversion of the Erie class diesel tugboat Cheyenne to a hybrid propane vessel with electric drives] are increasing the uptake on this clean…

"Since the start of July, Panama Canal bulker transits have fallen 22% y/y. Bulkers have faced increased competition for transit slots from other sectors, especially tankers, as the US has boosted energy exports to Asia. El Niño is also expected to lead to lower water levels, which mean transit restrictions and thus heightened competition for available capacity,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.The canal is commonly used on trade routes between the east and west coasts of the Americas, as well as some routes between the Americas and East Asia or Europe.

Contecon Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (CMSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) Mexican unit, has paved the way for the Port of Manzanillo to accommodate ultra large container vessels after receiving the go-ahead to handle ships with drafts of up to 15.5 meters. CMSA is now the only terminal operator at the Port of Manzanillo with this capability and is now able to serve vessels up to 400 meters long, including ultra large container vessels capable of carrying up to 24…

The Iran war's redrawing of the global trade map is forcing Gulf nations to retool their investment play book, ploughing capital into infrastructure, from energy pipelines to ports, to weather the fallout from the conflict.The war has highlighted the Gulf's overreliance on the Strait of Hormuz, previously a chokepoint for 20% of global oil flows but also subject for decades to Iranian threats of disruption.With the strait virtually blocked for much of the past six months, a burst…

Venezuela's dilapidated oil port terminals are imposing a de facto export cap on the country's resurgent crude production, with tankers having to wait up to 30 days to load because of ageing infrastructure, power outages and quality issues, according to shipping data, sources and documents.The delays are putting roadblocks on a U.S. plan to quickly boost Venezuela's oil exports following a flagship pact with global trading houses. The fight for infrastructure looks likely to intensify…

Hapag-Lloyd reported a recovery in second-quarter 2026 earnings as stronger container volumes and spot rates helped counter roughly $600 million in additional costs stemming from the Middle East conflict.The German container shipping group posted Q2 EBITDA of $829 million, slightly above $820 million a year earlier, while EBIT slipped to $176 million from $189 million. Group profit fell sharply to $83 million from $306 million. Revenue increased to $5.84 billion from $5.27 billion.The improvement from a weak first quarter was driven by strong Asian exports and improved U.S. demand.

Danish shipping group Maersk on Thursday raised its full-year earnings guidance for a second time this year and smashed profit forecasts as global container demand proved resilient in the face of the Middle East conflict.Surging freight rates, fuelled by gridlocked ports and strong Chinese export growth, delivered a windfall that dwarfed the additional costs caused by Middle East disruption, defying fears that the conflict would tip the global economy into recession and dent container demand.Maersk's second-quarter profit before interest…

Ports engineer Bryan Jones has been named HDR’s marine terminals leader.Based in Savannah, Georgia, Jones guides the firm’s growing marine terminals practice worldwide, working with port authorities and terminal operators to address evolving operational demands, infrastructure needs and industry trends.He supports clients in planning and delivering investments that improve efficiency and long-term performance while developing strategies to address changing trade patterns, growing cargo volumes…

The most important advisory body concerning the Nation’s inland waterways infrastructure is the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB), a Congressionally mandated, non-discretionary advisory committee established in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 and codified by 33 U.S.C. § 2251. Comprised of the users and payers of the inland waterways system, the IWUB does not appropriate funds , but its recommendations are critically important to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers…

"In the first half of 2026, Chinese iron ore mining fell by 7% y/y due to a 6% y/y increase in iron ore net imports and weaker steel production. The country is increasingly sourcing its iron ore from abroad because it is often of higher grade and competitively priced. Iron ore net imports now account for 57% of China’s iron ore supply compared to 50% in the first half of 2022,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.While China’s iron ore supply slightly increased in the first half of 2026, demand from steel mills weakened.

Ukraine and Russia accused each other of lethal attacks on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was targeting global food security by striking Odesa's seaport.Three people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where a multi-storey apartment block was hit, while authorities in Russia's Belgorod said five were killed and 25 wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack.Zelenskiy said Odesa's seaport had been damaged by a strike. Local authorities said dozens of drones and missiles hit the southern seaside city…

Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats, before the strategic waterway is reopened.A U.S. official told Reuters on Friday that Iran and Oman were close to a deal that could pave the way for restoring safe passage through the strait, a major conduit for oil and gas shipping before Iran blocked Hormuz in response to U.S.

France has selected five ports to receive nearly $300 million (€260 million) in funding under the France 2030 investment program to support infrastructure upgrades for the country's floating offshore wind industry.The projects, located at the ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos, were chosen under a 2024 call for projects aimed at adapting French port infrastructure for the manufacture, assembly and integration of floating offshore…

BigLift Shipping, a member of the Spliethoff Group, successfully completed 10 project voyages for the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF), AltaGas and Vopak’s joint venture project.Starting in June 2024, BigLift safely transported equipment and infrastructure using four BigLift vessels: m/v Happy Dragon, m/v Pottersgracht, m/v Happy Star and m/v Happy Sky.The project began with the transportation of steel structures, marine piles and specialized equipment using BigLift's Happy Dragon.

Saronic has selected Brownsville, Texas, as the site for Port Alpha, a next-generation shipyard the company plans to build to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity.The company said it plans to invest more than $3 billion in the facility, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and operations scheduled to start in 2028.Initially spanning 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville, the site could eventually expand to nearly 4,400 acres. The shipyard will be capable of building vessels up to 850 feet long…

Russia's second city of St Petersburg and the surrounding region came under a major Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Saturday, with a local port and oil infrastructure hit, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said, as Kyiv's drone strikes continue to deepen fuel shortages in Russia.St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of 6 million had been subjected to a "large-scale" drone attack, with the city's oil terminal struck. He said there were no casualties and that the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with.Alexander Drozdenko…

Nord Gas Solutions has secured a contract to supply an LNG regasification system for Belgium-based Exmar as part of the conversion of a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) that will support the expansion of the EemsEnergyTerminal in Eemshaven, the Netherlands.The order, booked in the second quarter of 2026, covers the delivery of a regasification system module that will be installed on the converted FSRU to boost LNG import capacity at the Dutch terminal.Exmar said the project forms part of efforts to strengthen Europe's energy security, with the new regasification system playing a key

AD Ports Group, a global enabler of integrated trade, industry and logistics solutions, and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest premium aluminium producer in the world, have signed an agreement to enhance EGA’s dedicated berth at Khalifa Port.As part of their longstanding strategic partnership, AD Ports Group and EGA will jointly invest USD$22.87 million (AED 84 million) in a multi-phase berth enhancement program to upgrade EGA’s dedicated port infrastructure and accommodate Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received an order from Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine Co., Ltd. (HZME) for its MAmmoSS ammonia fuel handling system.[The Mitsubishi Ammonia Supply and Safety System (MAmmoSS) consists of an Ammonia Fuel Supply System (AFSS) and an Ammonia Gas Abatement System (AGAS), along with control equipment to integrate and regulate these systems.]HZME is a dual licensee of Everllence SE and WinGD, major licensors of marine engines.

Cavotec signed an order worth approximately EUR 1.5 million for shore power equipment for the expansion of a cruise terminal in Southern California.The shore power systems will enable cruise vessels to connect to the local electrical grid while at berth, helping to significantly reduce emissions and noise compared with running onboard engines.The order includes Cavotec's PowerMove, PowerFeed and PowerCover shore power technologies. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.