Heilongjiang Lighthouse International Logistics Co., Ltd.

As of March 23, a total of more than 90,000 freight trains have passed through the Khorgos and Alashankou railway checkpoints in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region /Northwest China/ on China-Europe international rail freight routes since the opening of such services, according to data from the Urumqi branch of China Railways Corporation.

According to the data, on average, more than 20 freight trains on China-Europe routes cross these two border crossings, which are located on the border of China and Kazakhstan, every day. Transshipment work for return trains takes only about two hours.

Chinese fishermen in Zhejiang have paid for the construction of an oceangoing scientific research vessel capable of "global unlimited navigation," according to Chinese state media.

Fishermen at the port of Wenling, Zhejiang "spontaneously raised" $18 million to build the 270-foot vessel for deep-sea scientific research, according to state-owned China News Service. The vessel is primarily designed for activity unrelated to fishing, like geological and geophysical surveys, seabed mapping, ROV deployment and deep sea exploration. It has DP2 diesel-electric propulsion to maintain position to within one meter of accuracy.

The 3,500-tonne vessel will be built at Wenling's Tenglong Shipbuilding. With a speed of 14 knots, a range of 5,000 nm and endurance of up to 60 days at sea, the vessel has the capability to conduct long research voyages. It is also envisioned as a support vessel for wind farm maintenance, seabed engineering and offshore oil field operations.

"It has great potential in deep-sea scientific research and operations. The deep-water equipment, power system and DP system equipped on board are all at the international advanced level," said Wang Haozhao, chief ship designer of Fujian Fuchuan Marine Engineering Technology Research Institute, which provided the design.

Though fishermen-funded, it will be operated by Quanzhou-based Fujian Baozhou Shipping Co., Ltd. The vessel will be the first privately-run oceangoing research vessel in China. It will also be the first research vessel built at Tenglong Shipbuilding, better known for small specialty vessels like dredgers, distant-water fishing vessels and asphalt carriers.

Like Hainan's fishing community, Zhejiang and Fujian fishermen are known for involvement in maritime militia organizations, state-backed paramilitary groups that leverage private vessels for presence operations in foreign waters. China denies the militia's existence in foreign-facing statements, but celebrates its achievements in Chinese-language media.

South Korea’s SM Line issued a customer alter on March 5 reporting that one of its vessels has experienced damaged and lost containers in a Pacific storm. The SM Portland (51,314 dwt) has resumed its voyage bound for Vancouver where it will be inspected by Canadian authorities.

“Due to heavy rolling by the inclement weather, unfortunately, it caused cargo damage, including container loss, collapse, and damage of 115 containers,” SM advised. Customers are being instructed to check their documents to determine if they might have had boxes onboard the vessel which had called in China and South Korea before departing for Vancouver where it was due to arrive on March 10.

The ship, the SM Portland, has a capacity of 4,228 TEU and is 856 feet (261 meters) in length. It was built in 2009 and acquired by SM Line in 2021. The company reports it encountered severe winter weather with strong winds near the Bering Sea. AIS signals show the vessel changing course early on March 4 and resuming its crossing on March 5. SM Line reports the vessel had slowed and adjusted course for safety.

When the vessel arrives off Vancouver, the line reports there will be an investigation by Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard before it is permitted to berth. SM Line warns customers that it expects schedule delays.

SM Line was started in 2017 as a niche carrier and the following year, 2017, it launched service to North America. The company continues its Pacific routes in cooperation with the larger Korean carrier HMM.

This incident comes more than four years after one of the worst container loss events happened in the North Pacific in November 2020 on the ONE Apsus. The vessel also encountered heavy weather resulting in the loss of over 1,800 containers and damage to many more boxes that remained on deck. Maersk experienced a similar issue with its containerships Maersk Essen and Maersk Eindhoven, both of which also suffered container losses at sea on the Pacific that same winter season.

The heavy losses in 2020-2021 prompted new initiatives in the industry to address dangerous rolling. The shipping companies were advised to enhance training for their crews and new technologies were developed to help monitor and alert crew to potentially dangerous conditions.

The World Shipping Council in its 2024 annual report highlighted the industry’s success in reducing losses with its data showing just 221 containers were lost at sea in 2023 out of 250 million transported. The IMO also moved in 2024 to tighten the rules requiring reporting of container losses.

An NYK-owned containership operating for Ocean Network Express (ONE) stuck a Maersk ship as it was maneuvering into Hong Kong on Friday evening, February 28. The allision dislodged three containers from the docked Maersk vessel causing them to fall into Hong Kong harbor but the authorities report there were no injuries.

ONE Columba (138,611 dwt) was arriving at Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung Container Terminal from China’s Shenzhen port. In the video of the incident, the bow anchor is down with the chain visible and tugs assisting the Japan-registered vessel. Built in 2018, the ship is (364 meters) in length with a capacity of 14,000 TEU. The vessel appears to overshot and its bow hits amidship the Maersk containership which is docked at a 90-degree angle to the arriving ONE vessel.

As the ONE vessel reverses, container stacks on the deck of the Maersk vessel can be seen to teeter and three boxes fall from the deck into Hong Kong harbor. It is unclear if they were empties. The Hong Kong Marine Department reported on Saturday the boxes had been retrieved from the harbor.

Clifford Maersk (110,387 dwt) was on dock for container operations after having arrived from South America earlier in the week. Built in 1999, the vessel is registered in Denmark with a capacity of 9,640 TEU. It is 1,138 feet (347 meters) in length.

Officials from the Marine Department inspected both vessels and reported minor damage terming it a “minor collision.” There was no pollution and no injuries. One media report is saying the ONE vessel sustained a 2-meter by 2-meter (6.5-foot by 6.5-foot) gash above the waterline on its bow.

AIS data shows ONE Columba departed Hong Kong Saturday evening bound for Ningbo, China. The Maersk vessel departed on Sunday bound for Shanghai.

The planned investment by AD Ports Group in Turkey’s Alsancak Port in Izmir has fallen apart after failed negotiations. The Turkish government this week confirmed that it has ended talks with the UAE company over the operation of the port.

The negotiations have been ongoing for almost two years. AD Ports was expected to buy a stake in the port in the western province of Izmir. The port has been operational since 1959, and according to the Invest in Izmir initiative, the port is today the country’s seventh largest in terms of container volume and thirteenth in terms of cargo tonnage.

“We have pursued long negotiations with the investor from the Gulf, but no agreement has been achieved,” Turkish Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Bloomberg. “The aim was to get a partner to expand Alsancak port.” No further update was given on why the negotiations collapsed.

This becomes the second attempt to privatize Alsancak Port without success. In 2007, a group of investors including Hutchison Port Holdings submitted a $1.28 billion bid for the port. The deal was later blocked by a court leading the investors to withdraw.

Since 2017, Alsancak has been owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund TWF. It is currently operated by the national railway company TCDD.

Faced with capacity challenges, the port has recorded a drop in cargo traffic. In container handling, the drop has come from a high of 390,300 TEUs in 2022 to 261,900 last year.

The negotiations were part of a wider effort by the government to attract additional foreign investment. Turkey opened its market to UAE investments, looking to raise capital for its critical sectors. In 2023, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan inked deals worth $51 billion during a state visit to the UAE. The deals touched sectors such as energy, natural resources development, and defense. Trade relations between Turkey and UAE continue to develop, exceeding $50 billion in 2024, an increase of 11 percent year on year, according to data by the Turkish-Arab Economic Forum.

AD Ports' entry would have added to the massive investment by the DP World in the Turkish port sector. One of the largest container ports, Yarimca Terminal (Port of Izmit), on the Sea of Marmara east of Istanbul, is controlled by DP World. The terminal has an annual capacity of 1.15 million TEUs. Last year, the operator expanded into the neighboring Evyapport terminal in Izmit, through a merger with Evyap Group.

Alsancak offers a strategic advantage in its position. It does not require a transit of the Dardanelles. It is seen as a port with potential because of its location and easy access to the Mediterranean.