• 2020 December 10 17:19

    British Ports Association: Q3 trade figures reflet unprecedented trade volatility

    The UK’s Q3 port freight statistics from the Department for Transport released today provide further evidence that 2020 continues to be an unpredictable year for global trade flows.
     
    When comparing throughput at major ports from July to September 2020 with July to September 2019:
    Total freight tonnage decreased by 10% to 102.4 million tonnes
    Total volume of unitised traffic decreased by 26% to 4.9 million units
    The Q3 figures released today cover a period in which the UK economy saw record growth of 15.5% as lockdown measures were eased - however, compared with the same quarter a year ago, the UK economy reduced in size by 9.6%, which bodes poorly for overall port tonnages.

    While these figures represent a significant drop in trade on this time last year, they indicate a better picture than numbers for the second quarter, where the total volume of freight tonnage decreased by 18% to 96.1 million tonnes and the total volume of unitised traffic decreased by 44% to 3.2 million units.

    The fall in overall freight tonnages this year can be partly be attributed to a drop in demand for bulks - including coal and crude oil - due to a vast decline in car journeys and aviation activity, as commuters were asked to stay at home and travellers were grounded.

    The fall in unitised freight (goods transported by containers, trucks and trailers) captured in Q3 numbers  indicates that UK ports were still experiencing the fall out from the sudden halting of production in China in early Spring.

    Figures released today provide evidence that between April and September, there was a vacuum of unitised movements, which paved the way for a sudden surge in containers in Q4, amplified by a shift in consumer behaviour to enhance demand for finished goods through an acceleration of internet shopping.

    Commenting, Phoebe Warneford-Thomson, Policy and Economic Analyst, at the British Ports Association said:

    "This year has spelt a tumultuous time for global trade flows - notably for unitised freight. Production of goods in China slowed dramatically in Spring when the virus caused many factories to close. In Q2 numbers, and to a slightly lesser extent, Q3 numbers, we can identify a vacuum of unitised movements - paving the way for a surge in Q4 that has caused ports around the world, including some in the UK, to experience congestion."

    "We will have to wait until March 2021 to access figures that will fill in the blanks regarding fluctuating demand in Q4 2020 - though industry experts attribute this period of congestion experienced by some container ports in the UK to have been driven by a rise in unitised freight in a 'post-peak of the pandemic boom'."

    "Dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour will have also added to the chaos. Grounded by the pandemic, household budgets have not been spent on travel, leisure or commuting; encouraging online shopping and a surge in spending on household goods - such as electronics, clothes and other finished goods – many of which are imported from Asia in containers."

    "However, with a tough winter stretching ahead before the widespread roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine and the looming prospect of a no-deal Brexit, unpredictability in trade patterns will no doubt remain the zeitgeist for Q1 2021."

    About BPA
    The British Ports Association represents the interests of over 100 port members, covering more than 400 ports, terminal operators and port facilities. The UK ports industry plays a key role in the country’s economy as 95% of the UK’s international trade – imports and exports – is carried through British ports.
    UK ports also handle more than 60 million international and domestic passenger journeys each year.
    The UK port industry is the second largest in Europe, handling around 500 million tonnes of freight each year. UK ports directly employ around 115,000 people.




2024 November 2

18:06 Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel wins Green Ship Award at SRS Forum
17:20 VTTI looks to buy into LNG terminals in Asia
16:48 Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding signs contracts for 12 large container ships in the past 10 days
16:32 CHIMBUSCO secures its first LNG refueling service in Europe
15:46 SLB OneSubsea awarded subsea boosting contract for bp’s Kaskida project in Gulf of Mexico
15:24 Wilson Sons to start construction of three new eco-friendly tugboats in 2025
14:57 Rem Offshore holds keel laying ceremony for REM Pioneer
12:30 World's first conversion of large container ship to run on methanol successfully completed
11:52 New offshore platform taps into potential of heavy-oil reserves in China
11:24 HRDD completes desulphurization tower system conversion for a PCTC
09:48 TOWT launches its first cargo sailing ship in Le Havre

2024 November 1

18:00 Marlink to deploy Sealink NextGen hybrid solution on 26 tankers for Transpetro
17:38 Austal Australia delivers 8th Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to Royal Australian Navy
17:23 Acteon and Applied Fiber enter MoU to collaborate on mooring solutions
16:54 KOTUG International and Maritalia S.A. secure major marine services contract for bp’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas project
16:24 BW LPG takes delivery of vessel BW Chinook from Avance Gas
15:44 HD Hyundai may nearly double shipbuilding capacity in Vietnam
15:24 Samsung Heavy Industries secures $390 mln contract for four Suezmax tankers
14:36 EU imposes duties on unfairly subsidised electric vehicles from China
14:23 Port of Montreal workers at two terminals start new strike
13:41 Chinese ports container volume rises 7.7 % from January to September of 2024
13:22 MOL, COSCO Co-host 6th Shanghai International LNG Shipping Forum
12:43 Global schedule reliability drops to 51.4% in September 2024
12:22 GTT secures technical services contract with Maran Tankers for eight LNG Dual-Fuel Suezmax vessels
11:45 MSC inks up $2.1bn container ship at the reborn shipyard Rongsheng Heavy Industries
11:28 China's first 'smart factory' for offshore oil, gas equipment fully operational
10:43 Yanmar completes land-based demonstration testing of a hydrogen engine for power generation in coastal vessels
10:23 Samsung Heavy wins W358 bln LNG ship order in Asia
09:58 EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by over 8% in 2023

2024 October 31

18:00 MAN receives multiple orders for MAN B&W G95ME-LGIM Mk 10.5 methanol engines to power a series of VLCV
17:23 The Marechal Duque de Caxias platform ship starts producing in the pre-salt layer
17:06 IWS Seawalker CSOV makes it 1000 ship designs from Kongsberg Maritime
16:45 “K” Line Wind Service and Japan Marine United sign agreement for Phase 2 of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project
16:04 Wärtsilä introduces its innovative NextDF feature for the Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel engine
15:45 MOL plans to change charter contract for vessels related to Russia business
15:44 MABUX: Bunker price trends in the world's four largest hubs, Oct 8 - Nov 1, 2024
15:23 HHLA raises expectations for fiscal year 2024
14:59 Major fire extinguished at UK nuclear submarine yard
14:16 AD Ports Group and Somali Ministry of Fisheries & Blue Economy sign MoU for maritime sector development
13:44 Maersk reports Q3 results
12:43 UECC orders four advanced multi-fuel battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Nanjing
11:39 Japanese сonsortium produces design concept for eco-friendly VLCC
11:12 TMC Compressors bags contract to supply four LNG carriers
10:46 Panama Canal operating costs down 5% in FY2024
09:29 HIF Global and Antarctica21 promote sustainable tourism with e-Fuels

2024 October 30

18:00 East Java Multipurpose Terminal partners with Sinarmas LDA Usaha Pelabuhan
17:22 Container traffic at Iranian ports up 5% in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year
17:06 CIMC SOE delivers second 7,600 cbm LNG bunkering vessel to Seaspan Energy
16:42 Klaveness Combination Carriers makes first move into wind with bound4blue eSAIL system on CABU III newbuild
16:23 Transport workers' strike in Argentina to affect port operations
15:59 South Korea's seaport container cargo up 3.5 pct in Q3
15:46 Stena Line marks significant milestones in build of NewMax ships, Stena Futura and Stena Connecta
14:55 DNV and LR grant AiP to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for ammonia duel-fuel large container vessel
14:45 Jiaxing Port adds a new sea-river intermodal operation area
13:32 Maersk signs long-term methanol sourcing deal
13:08 MOL and Pyxis sign Collaboration Agreement for development and market expansion of electric vessels in Singapore and Japan
12:40 AD Ports Group and the General Department of Vietnam Customs sign MoU
12:21 TE H2, CIP, and A.P. Møller Capital Partner for a large-scale project in the Kingdom of Morocco
11:40 ClassNK issues AiP for Autonomous Navigation Assistance System developed by Samsung Heavy Industries
11:20 MacGregor launches Carbon Calculator
10:55 Russian seaports in Q3, 2024: Infographics and Analytics
10:30 World's first ammonia-fuel dual-fuel bulk carrier begins construction
10:09 Erik Thun launches the next-generation Lake Vanern Max vessel
09:03 SCHOTTEL receives an order to supply azimuth thrusters for four new escort tugs for Saltchuk Marine

2024 October 29

18:00 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces selections for nearly $3 bln of investments in Clean Ports
17:34 Asyaport becomes first Turkish port to provide shore power to container ships
17:00 Port of Los Angeles awarded $412 million grant from U.S. EPA for zero-emission transformation
16:42 Oil spill occurred during bunkering operations at the Port of Singapore
16:10 World’s first electric hydrofoil ferry line takes off in Stockholm
15:46 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs five-year, $766 million deal