Heilongjiang Lighthouse International Logistics Co., Ltd.

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.

Multiple teams from Canada responded Saturday morning after an MSC containership issued a mayday call during a strong winter storm. A helicopter from the Canadian SAR team was able to rescue the 20 crewmembers despite the severe conditions.

The MSC Baltic III (33,767 dwt) reported that it lost power and was unable to anchor due to the strong storm. Winds were up to 75 mph and seas were running at up to 6 meters (20 feet) along the west coast of Newfoundland. The vessel was scheduled to be in Corner Brook, Newfoundland departing for Saint John and then Freeport in the Bahamas.

The containership was about 12 nautical miles outside the entrance to the Bay of Islands when the ship blacked out. It was driven ashore in Wild Cove west of Lark Harbor on the western coast of Newfoundland along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

"The vessel’s propulsion fuel is marine diesel, and the vessel is sitting on rocks on the shoreline. So we’re concerned that it may breach the hull, but at this point in time in time there’s no breach and no oil on the water,” Canadian Coast Guard response officer Bruce English told the Canadian Press on Sunday.

Built in 2003, the vessel is registered in Liberia and has a capacity of 2,478 TEU. It is owned by NordBaltic operating since 2021 for MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. The ship is 679 feet in length.

The Canadian Coast Guard vessel Henry Larsen was in the area supporting the SAR team and the Cormorant helicopter which was able to rescue the crew. Local emergency and fire teams also responded to the calls for assistance. The Coast Guard reports the Henry Larsen remains in the area. A mobilization of crews and equipment is also underway to reach the stranded vessel.

On Monday morning, a freight train departed from Tuanjiecun Station in Chongqing to Hairatan, Afghanistan, marking the launch of the first direct railway route connecting this southwestern Chinese metropolis with Afghanistan.

The train, carrying 55 containers of telecommunications equipment produced by Chinese telecom giant ZTE, will cross the national border at the Khorgos checkpoint in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwest China) and reach its final destination in Hairatan via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The entire journey is expected to take 12 to 15 days.

According to reports, the transported cargo will be used to support the construction of Afghanistan's local telecommunications networks, contributing to the country's social and economic development.

"With the use of the direct railway freight scheme, transportation time will be reduced by 3 to 5 days compared to road transport, while logistics costs are expected to decrease by 15 to 20 percent. This will enhance the security and efficiency of cargo transportation and delivery," said Liu Jianfeng, a representative of ZTE.

So far, over 18,000 freight trains have traveled between Chongqing and various destinations along the China-Europe and China-Central Asia international railway freight routes, according to local authorities.

The successful launch of this direct freight route will further strengthen trade and economic cooperation between Chongqing and Afghanistan, as well as with other Central Asian countries, noted an official from the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Supply Chain Management Company.