AFRICA DRC Matadi>> A road between Matadi and Kinshasa collapsed in December 2022. CMA CGM reported the road had been partially repaired and reopened. Matadi port remains severely congested, with equipment breakdowns causing further delays. Ghana Takoradi>> Yilport Holding will take over operations at Takoradi Port in western Ghana from April 2023. The operator will invest $700 million in three phases to boost existing container handling operations and develop new liquid bulk and general cargo berths. It hopes to provide a cost-effective route to and from Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Niger for international cargo. ASIA China Shanghai>> Shanghai has reported only a 0.6% year-on-year growth for 2022. This is the second-slowest throughput growth since 2010. The port moved 47.3m TEUs in 2022 and retained its position as the world’s busiest. India Container volumes at India’s 12 state-owned ports grew by 1.22% from April to December 2022. These ports handled a combined volume of 8.446 million TEUs. Jawaharlal Nehru’s throughput was 4.452 million TEUs, more than half of all 12 ports combined. As a result of slowing demand, shipping companies are exporting empty equipment out of India. This is unusual since empty containers are typically sent to India to meet the demand. In 2021 1.85 million TEUs were repositioned in the country. Mundra>> A feeder vessel listed and lost around 20 containers at Mundra International Container Terminal. The cause of the listing is most likely improper ballasting and the outboard orientation of the vessel's cranes, according to broker Prevailing Shipping & Logistics India. The vessel is on a service linking Port Sudan with the Middle East and India. Singapore Singapore>> The port surpassed 37 million TEUs in 2022. Although this is a decline of 0.7% compared to a record 2021, 2022 is the second busiest year for Singapore. According to the port, its position as a “trusted transhipment hub” was reinforced even during a challenging year. EUROPE Belgium Antwerp-Bruges>> The port recorded a drop of 5.2% in volumes in 2022, which it attributes to slowing demand, congestion and the war in Ukraine. Antwerp-Bruges is a merger of Antwerp and Zeebrugge ports and was opened in April 2022. The port handled 13.5 million TEUs in 2022. Calls by ships greater than 18,000 TEUs grew by 31.2% in January to November year-on-year. Antwerp-Bruges is working on increasing the capacity at the port with additional terminals, expansion of the new tidal dock and using land within the port to expand capacity by 7.2 million TEUs by 2030. France Dunkerque>> Volumes at the port grew by 14% year-on-year to 745,000 TEU in 2022. Dunkerque has enjoyed ten years of record growth and has achieved the largest growth (+62%) in Northern Europe over the last two years. Georgia Anaklia>> The government of Georgia has approved $300 million for the first phase of the deep water port. When built, the port will be the first deep-sea port on the Black Sea coast to accommodate large vessels. UK Southampton>> Southampton is the first port in the UK to stop using diesel for its operations. In April 2022, DP World switched to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). This has resulted in the port reducing its net carbon emissions by 55% from its fleet and installations. In 2023, the port forecasts a further 35% reduction in emissions when it records a full year operating on the new fuel, saving around 14,000 tons of CO2 emissions. MIDDLE EAST UAE Jebel Ali>> DP World and A.P. Moller-Maersk have entered into a long-term agreement to decarbonise logistics and improve service delivery at Jebel Ali. Maersk vessels will receive priority when calling at the port. Together with new processes to improve quayside productivity, the partnership hopes to offer faster turn-around times and lower bunker consumption. The Intra Terminal Vehicles (ITVs) used at the terminal, where Maersk vessels berth, will be swapped for electric ones leading to a reduction of around 80% carbon footprint from these vehicles alone. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian ports handled 10.36 million TEUs in 2022, compared to 10.04 million TEUs in 2021, a 3.2% increase. King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam ended 2022 with the highest container throughput of 2,038, 787 TEU, a 15% year-on-year increase. Dammam>> An investment of $1.86bn will be made to upgrade and expand terminals at the port. Mawani, the Saudi port operator, has entered a build-operate-transfer (BOT) deal with Saudi Global Ports (SGP). Berths and facilities are to be revamped at the first container terminal. Berth expansion and container yard renovation are planned for the second terminal. The upgrade will multiply the port’s overall capacity by 120% to 7.5 million TEUs. NORTH AMERICA USA According to a report, US container volumes for November are 1.78 million TEUs, an 11.3% drop compared to October. Projections for December also remain below the 2 million TEUs mark at 1.88 million TEUs. Analysts forecast volumes falling as low as 1.63m TEU in February and not reaching the 2m TEUs mark again until May at the earliest. Jacksonville>> The port will soon be able to accommodate larger post-Panamax ships. Jaxport has raised enough funds to lift the height of the power lines over its main shipping channel. The initiative will result in an air draft of 205 feet (62 meters) over the St. John’s River compared with the current 175-foot (53-meter) clearance. This will allow ships between 14,000 to 18,000 TEU to call Blount Island Marine Terminal. Oakland>> The Port of Oakland Utility serving customers at the seaport and airport has reported that 66.9% of its electricity was provided by carbon-free energy sources such as wind, solar, bio waste and hydroelectricity. This is almost double the state average. Canada Prince Rupert>> The port wants to ban open-loop scrubbers in its harbour to protect the Pacific coastline. These scrubbers reduce the sulphur content of exhaust gases to an equivalent of 0.1 per cent by using seawater sprayed through the exhaust. This acidic water is then dumped into the ocean affecting marine life. Prince Rupert will join the Ports of Vancouver and Seattle, who have also committed to limiting the use of these scrubbers. SOUTH AMERICA Brazil Santos>> The port handled a record 5 million TEUs in 2022, an increase of 21% in four years and a 3.2% increase compared to 2021. The port has a maximum handling capacity of 5.3 million TEUs per year. A new container terminal, STS 10, which will increase the capacity by 2.3 million TEUs per year, is planned for Santos. Privatisation of the port in has been put on hold by the new government. Chile San Antonio>> The port received two ship-to-shore (STS) super post-Panamax (SPP) and two electric rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, costing $23.5 million. The new equipment will enhance the terminal’s capabilities and increase its throughput capacity to 1.6 million TEUs. San Antonio is the only terminal in the country with the capability to handle two super post-Panamax vessels simultaneously. On 10 January, armed men stole 13 containers from the port. Twelve of the containers contained copper worth $4.4 million. The copper belonged to state-owned Codelco and was scheduled to be exported. Investigations are ongoing.