Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Bertel O. Steen will work together on a new vehicle processing centre at the port of Drammen Drammen port in Norway is to benefit from a new vehicle processing centre which is being built and will be operated by a joint venture between Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Bertel O. Steen. Marcus Williams
VW Group moves more than 1.2m vehicles through German port of Emden in 2024; almost 5% down on previous year Volkswagen Group imported and exported 1.2m vehicles through Emden port in 2024, including 419,000 battery electric vehicles and hybrids, and is bringing in a new dock and yard management system. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Georgia Ports Authority officially open Brunswick vehicle and equipment processing complex Wallenius Wilhelmsen officially opened its South Atlantic Transportation and Logistics Mega Center with Georgia Ports Authority at the US port of Brunswick last week. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen to take over finished vehicle terminal operations at port of Gothenburg in 2026 Wallenius Wilhelmsen will take over the management of finished vehicle services at Sweden’s biggest vehicle port on a 12-year concession from next year. Marcus Williams
Hyundai-Kia expands contract with car carrier Eukor to five years and strengthens presence in Asia Eukor has succesfully extended the terms of its contract to ship Hyundai and Kia vehicles from Korea as well as adding extra trade from China. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Marine has been testing its sail-driven car carrier concept with Rise Maritime in Gothenburg Wallenius Marine has been conducting advanced wind tunnel tests for a car carrier vessel that will use Oceanbird wing sails Marcus Williams
GPA reports increased vehicle and equipment handling at Brunswick port in the fiscal year to October The port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island ro-ro terminal has increased finished vehicle and equipment volumes by 10.6% in the fiscal year to October. Marcus Williams
Strike by ILWU over manning and automation disrupts finished vehicle imports at Canadian port of Vancouver [Updated November 13] A lockout of workers by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) following threatened strike action by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which was affecting cargo throughput at the Canadian port of Vancouver, has ended following intervention by Canada’s labour minister. Steven MacKinnon has used federal powers to end work stoppages at the port, ordering binding and final arbitration between labour unions and ports ownership. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen increases car carrier capacity Wallenius Wilhelmsen has modified its order for four Shaper Class vessels from China’s Jinling Shipyard, increasing the capacity of each from 9,300 car equivalent units (CEU) to 11,700 CEU. It means the pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) will be the largest such vessels so far put into operation. Marcus Williams
Nissan among vehicle and equipment makers benefitting from massive expansion at Brunswick port Georgia Ports Authority has been investing big to expand services for vehicle and equipment makers at the port of Brunswick, in partnership with Wallenius Wilhelmsen and TransDevelopment Group, reports Marcus Williams
Hynekamp leads strategy and corporate development at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Wallenius Wilhelsen has appointed Mike Hynekamp to the newly established role of chief strategy and corporate development officer. He moves from his position as chief operating officer (COO) for logistics services at the ro-ro shipping and vehicle logistics provider. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contract with leading equipment maker Wallenius Wilhelmsen has announced the signing of a three-year contract worth $195m with a leading industrial equipment manufacturer. The ro-ro shipping and vehicle logistics provider has the option to extend the initial term of the contract by two years. Marcus Williams
Polestar adopts biofuels to cut emissions from ocean shipments Polestar is working to reduce supply chain emissions from its global finished vehicle and inbound logistics operations through the use B30 marine biofuel for ocean shipments, which can reduce emissions by approximately 20-25% compared with conventional sulphur fuel oils. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen sells Melbourne ro-ro terminal Wallenius Wilhelmsen (WW) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Melbourne International Roro & Auto Teminal (Mirrat) to a subsidy of Qube Holdings, Australia’s largest logistics provider. Megan Kelly
North American vehicle ports review: US and Canada ports adapt after Francis Scott Key bridge collapse [Updated June 17] Vehicle shipments to the US and Canada have been subject to disruption over the last year, culminating in March with the Baltimore bridge collapse. However, as our annual review of activity at the top-performing vehicle ports shows, that has only tested the mettle of agile cooperation between ports and inland logistics providers. Marcus Williams reports Marcus Williams
Baltimore port on the rebound after bridge collapse Trade at the US’ busiest vehicle handling port in Baltimore has been overshadowed since March 26 by the destruction of the Francis Scott Key bridge, which has disrupted the flow of vessel traffic in and out of the port. Marcus Williams
US Coast Guard opens alternate channel at Baltimore bridge site The US Coast Guard has opened an alternate channel for vessels at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore port. Megan Kelly
Wallenius Wilhelmsen secures sustainable capacity with PCTC orders Wallenius Wilhelmsen has ordered four additional next-generation Shaper Class pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessels from Jinling Shipyard in China, bringing its total order to eight. The first of the Shaper Class vessels already ordered are expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. The four additional vessels will be delivered between May and November 2027. Marcus Williams
Baltimore port likely to be closed until May after bridge collapse The Francis Scott Key Bridge at Baltimore port, Maryland, collapsed into the Patapsco River on 26 March after being struck by a cargo ship, setting off an emergency response and a search and rescue effort. Megan Kelly
Red Sea blog: Live updates Houthi attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea are increasing, causing container ship and ro-ro operators to reroute vessels to avoid danger. Follow Automotive Logistics’ live blog below for the latest updates. Megan Kelly
ECG publishes guidance on reporting ro-ro emissions The Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) and international non-profit Smart Freight Centre have published the first harmonised methodology to account for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ro-ro operations. Megan Kelly
Baltimore holds on to its position as top US vehicle-handling port The port of Baltimore retained its position as the busiest US vehicle-handling port in 2022, despite a slight drop in throughput resulting from production delays caused by the semiconductor shortage and restrictions on ocean ro-ro capacity. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen expands services with Syngin digital platform Wallenius Wilhelmsen has bought the outstanding 30% of Syngin Technology and will make the operations part of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s new digital supply chain services unit. Marcus Williams
Axel Bantel moves to BLG Automobile Logistics Axel Bantel has moved from his role as vice-president of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean and Solutions to a new role as managing director of sales in the Automobile division of German logistics provider BLG. Marcus Williams
Ro-ro capacity crunch means carmakers are looking for containers The decrease in ro-ro capacity for vehicle shipments since August 2022, which is pushing up unit rates for carmakers significantly, is prompting them to look for space in containers, an option that that simply was not there six months ago. Marcus Williams
Flavio Batista jumps from ship to shore with role at GPA Flavio Batista has moved from his role as senior vice-president of sales for the Americas at Wallenius Wilhelmsen to take up a new position as vice-president of sales and marketing at Georgia Ports Authority in the US. Marcus Williams
Keeping the flow in Mexico – ensuring supply chain continuity Ivan Davila, Director of Logistics at Nissan Mexicana discusses the carmaker’s ambitions in efficiency and systems, and is joined on a panel by American Axle Manufacturing, Ascent and Wallenius Wilhelmsen to discuss managing logistics bottlenecks and mitigating disruptions.
Slowing down for sustainability means sacrificing capacity Carmakers in the US are currently fighting for space to get their cars to the dealerships on time. There are a number of reasons for the lack of capacity affecting the different modes of delivery, including a shortage of haulaway drivers and rail operatives, volatile production schedules caused by ongoing parts shortage, which is affecting road and rail, and the fact that EVs are heavier vehicles to move so fewer can be shipped at the same time. Marcus Williams
Watch: How to drive away vehicle logistics emissions Executives from Nissan, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Accelerated reveal their progress and plans in lowering the carbon footprint of vehicle logistics.
Lasse Kristoffersen takes over as CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lasse Kristoffersen has taken over as president and CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen pledging to focus on the Norwegian ro-ro shipping provider’s digitalisation and decarbonisation priorities. Jason Dunn
Sustainable priorities at Europe’s vehicle ports Vehicle-handling ports on the European continent spent last year dealing with the fallout from the Covid pandemic and the impact of the semiconductor shortage, but that did not stop a number of them pursuing ambitious sustainability initiatives related to infrastructure. Marcus Williams reports Marcus Williams
Lasse Kristoffersen to take over as CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Norwegian ro-ro shipping provider Wallenius Wilhelmsen has named Lasse Kristoffersen as its new CEO. He will take up the role no later than June 2022, according to the company. Marcus Williams
DeGould secures funding for vehicle inspection future Automated vehicle inspection expert, DeGould, has secured $6m ($8.2m) in its third-round funding to move forward with the development and supply of its automated vehicle inspection systems. Marcus Williams
Craig Jasienski joins Neptune Lines as CEO Craig Jasienski will take on the role of CEO at European short-sea ro-ro operator Neptune Lines from October 1 this year. Melina Travlos, who had held the role, will remain president of the company. Marcus Williams
VW to deploy more LNG vessels for North Atlantic car shipments Volkswagen has ordered four car-carrying vessels with dual-fuel engines that can be run on liquified natural gas (LNG), the latest effort by the carmaker to make its shipment of finished vehicles between Germany and North America more sustainable. The LNG vessels will help cut carbon emissions on the route by 25%, it said. Marcus Williams
Logistics providers call for fairness in calculating shipping emissions Clarity is needed on measuring emissions in shipping but a poorly judged methodology could disadvantage finished vehicle logistics and disrupt the supply chain Illya Verpraet
AL FVL Spring 2021 Digital Edition – Coping strategies for a global crisis The spring digital edition of Automotive Logistics and Finished Vehicle Logistics is out now, featuring comprehensive overviews of the main vehicle ports in continental Europe and the UK, as well as the maritime transport sector. Plus, we look at the latest packaging initiative supporting VW’s lithium-ion battery deliveries to VW Zwickau, Vijay Ratnaparkhe’s IT revolution at Bosch and talk to carmakers about supply chain lessons ten years on from the Fukushima earthquake disaster Automotive Logistics
Craig Jasienski leaves Wallenius Wilhelmsen Craig Jasienski has stepped down as president and CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen. The Norwegian shipping and logistics provider said its board had agreed with Jasienski to end his employment on Monday (March 8) and extended its gratitude for his work in various positions at the company over more than 30 years. Marcus Williams
Wallenius Wilhelmsen reactivates nine car carriers from cold lay-up The ocean division of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s car carrying business (WW Ocean) is re-activating nine of the 16 car carrying vessels it has in cold lay-up. It will be reactivating them during the first quarter of 2021, to replace capacity currently sourced through short-term charters. Illya Verpraet
Gutierrez appointed co-CEO at RPM and plans further growth in Europe Sergio Gutierrez has been promoted to global co-CEO at freight and finished vehicle delivery company RPM Freight Systems. He also retains his position as president of RPM Europe, a role he has held since August 2019. Marcus Williams
Damage control: How technology can assist vehicle inspection The quality of finished vehicles has traditionally been checked by eye, but this convention is being challenged by automated image technology such as that developed by British start-up DeGould Victoria Johns
Hanging in the balance Lower production output, slower growth in export markets and several regulatory and operational issues are threatening to unbalance Poland’s finished vehicle market Vladislav Vorotnikov