2025 - Longtemps International

4 8 月, 2025 By user

US container ports warn against Trump budget cuts

Stripping hundreds of millions from harbor trust fund will harm critical projects, port chiefs tell lawmakers.

WASHINGTON — Executives from the largest US container and energy ports that had been set to receive close to $330 million this year for maintaining key infrastructure are warning Congress not to accept the Trump administration’s plan to cancel the money.

In a letter sent Thursday to lawmakers responsible for appropriating the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and 22 port directors asked that they restore requirements agreed to by Congress in 2020 – but which the administration has stripped from its FY25 and FY26 budgets – that allow “donor” ports, which typically include large container ports, along with ports that specialize in energy cargo, to receive a more equitable share of the trust fund as well as to be able to use it for projects other than harbor maintenance.

Donor and energy ports historically have contributed considerably more to the HMTF than they get back in project revenue.

In FY24, approximately $332 million was awarded to such ports to carry out “expanded use” projects across the country.

LOGISTICS

11 7 月, 2025 By user

Racks and Robots for the Future

Integrating racking systems, pick towers and other storage solutions with mobile robots will provide transformative automation, says Edward Hutchison, Managing Director of BITO Storage Systems.

Fast delivery times and flexibility are vital warehouse capabilities for meeting customer expectations, especially in the intensified environment of e-commerce fulfilment during seasonal peaks. The traditional solution of adding more staff is becoming increasingly difficult as it becomes harder to find and retain qualified labour. And if you can find more people, order picking operations that involve long walking distances will increase costs.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are fast becoming a familiar sight in warehouses. They offer a flexible automated solution that negates the need for extensive modifications to facilities. They can adapt easily to seasonal demands as extra robots can be added as required, providing an ideal solu¬tion for handling peaks. And when business circumstances change, operations can be further extended by simply adding robots to the fleet.

This versatility along with their performance possibilities is driving a 12.6% AMR market growth in the UK from 2024 to 2030. Many of the projects will be part of a broader storage installation and may well be working with racking and shelving.

In addition to e-commerce, mobile robots are also suited to sectors such as fashion, food and pharmaceuticals. They can be particularly useful for automating small item order picking, where collaborative robots under the direction of intelligent control software create more efficient, flexible and productive processes. Robots can double or even triple productivity levels by reducing travel times through intelligent routing, optimising processes through batch picking and increasing picking performance through zone picking. The number of order pickers can be reduced by up to 50% and processes can be optimised in the long term by allocating staff to other value-adding tasks.

When it comes to installations, integration can be performed while maintaining ongoing operations. Solutions can be adapted to a user’s existing storage installations such as pallet racking, shelving and multi-tier storage systems, with a flexible connection to existing WMS/ERP systems.

Compared with other forms of automation, investment in mobile robots is small as they do not require any supporting infrastructure and operations can start with a single unit then add others as required. This is helped by the flexible Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) licence model offering reasonable prices, which also enables simple fleet scalability, with the short term addition of units to handle seasonal peaks.

Transformative materials handling

Well planned racking layouts providing narrow aisles will give robots access while maintaining storage density and allow picking routes to be optimised. The structures will require labelling and clearances to allow a mobile robot’s sensors to navigate effectively.

Integrating BITO’s racking systems, pick towers and other storage solutions with mobile robots will provide transformative automation that is seamlessly integrated, error-free and deployed without operational disruptions to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving logistics landscape. When choosing a mobile robot, look at the min¬im¬um space re¬quire¬ment. An ability to work in aisles as narrow as 1.12 m will enable use in confined storage environments. Another key characteristic to consider is charge time, which is an important contributor to overall productivity. Short charging times of just 50-60 minutes will help towards uninterrupted operation.

One stop shop suppliers will make the most effective partners to provide complete robot and materials handling solutions that will be transformative for warehouse operations. In addition to providing its own LEO driverless transport system, BITO works with numerous suppliers of mobile robots to provide innovative storage and order picking solutions, which may also involve shelving and racking installations such as pick towers, as well as plastic totes and containers. This allows customers to design and implement future-proof, end-to-end warehouse solutions, integrating state-of-the-art storage systems with robotics-powered automation to create smarter, faster and more efficient supply chain operations.

LOGISTICS

25 6 月, 2025 By user

Amazon to Invest £40 Billion in UK Logistics and Infrastructure

Amazon has announced a major investment of £40 billion (US$54 billion) in the United Kingdom over the next three years, marking one of its largest-ever financial commitments outside the United States. The move will significantly expand Amazon’s logistics, fulfilment, cloud computing, and content production capabilities across the UK, while creating thousands of new jobs and reinforcing its strategic position in the market.

As part of the investment, Amazon plans to open four new fulfilment centres in Hull, Northampton, the East Midlands, and one additional location yet to be confirmed. The Hull and Northampton sites alone are expected to generate around 2,000 permanent jobs each. In addition, more than 100 existing logistics sites — including delivery stations and operations buildings — will be upgraded, supporting faster and more efficient distribution nationwide. New delivery stations will also be developed to strengthen last-mile delivery performance and meet growing consumer demand.

Beyond logistics, the company is also committing significant resources to technology and infrastructure. This includes an £8 billion investment in Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres, announced last year and set to be rolled out through 2028. These facilities will support the growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and big data services across the UK economy. Additional spending will go toward two new corporate office buildings in London and the redevelopment of Bray Film Studios in Berkshire, supporting Amazon’s growing content production efforts.

Amazon currently employs around 75,000 people in the UK, making it one of the country’s top ten private employers. With this new investment, the company aims to create thousands of new full-time roles across logistics, tech, and cloud services. The expansion not only deepens Amazon’s operational footprint in Britain, but also supports the broader economic agenda set out by the newly elected UK government.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the announcement as a “massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business.” The investment aligns closely with the government’s newly launched Modern Industrial Strategy, which emphasises growth through private investment, innovation, green energy, and skills development.

From a logistics perspective, this development is transformative. The addition of new fulfilment centres and delivery stations will substantially enhance Amazon’s warehousing capacity, regional reach, and delivery speed. Locating facilities in areas such as Hull and Northampton enables more distributed operations and helps relieve pressure on London-based infrastructure. Meanwhile, investments in AWS and AI-driven data centres will further strengthen the integration of automation, predictive analytics, and smart logistics into Amazon’s supply chain — setting new benchmarks for operational efficiency and scalability.

While the long-term benefits to the UK economy are clear, Amazon still faces regulatory scrutiny. The company is currently under review by the UK’s grocery watchdog over concerns about delayed supplier payments, indicating that its growing influence will continue to be monitored by public authorities.

For the logistics industry, Amazon’s £40 billion commitment represents a decisive shift. The scale of investment will reshape the competitive landscape, fuel demand for third-party services, and open up new opportunities in warehousing, transport, and supply chain innovation. As Amazon doubles down on UK infrastructure, the entire sector may need to raise its game — or find smart ways to complement, not compete with, a rapidly evolving logistics giant.

LOGISTICS

27 3 月, 2025 By user

Trade groups, businesses speak to both sides of proposed US port fees

Comments regarding proposed punitive U.S. port fees on Chinese-operated and -manufactured cargo ships continue to roll into the Office of the United States Trade Representative, which is holding hearings on the matter this week in Washington.

The fees, which can run as high as $1.5 million per ship per call, are designed to help underwrite a revival of the U.S. shipbuilding industry and fight China’s unfair trade practices.

China in 2024 for the first time assumed the top position among shipbuilding nations, claiming more than a combined half of the global operating fleet and orderbook for new vessels.

While there is general agreement that the U.S. military and merchant fleets would benefit from revitalized domestic shipyards, businesses say the fees incurred by the preponderance of Chinese-built ships in the fleets of the largest container carriers, and proposed escalating requirements that American exports be hauled on U.S.-built and -flagged vessels, would mean serious financial and logistical hardships on U.S. industry and its customers.

In public comments, Atlantic Container Line said if the port fees were implemented, it “would be forced to terminate its U.S. service, close its American offices, lay off its American staff and redeploy its ships to non-U.S. trades, because the proposed action would render us totally uncompetitive versus the other carriers in the U.S. trades.”

Moreover, the company said U.S. manufacturers would lose their only U.S.-headquartered North Atlantic carrier — and their primary North Atlantic carrier of oversized and project cargo to Europe.

“U.S. export container rates to Europe for a carrier with a Chinese-built fleet — now averaging $500 per 40-ft. container today — would climb to around $2,500 overnight – a 500% increase – simply to cover the new service fee. U.S. import rates from Europe — now averaging around $2,500/40 ft. container —would jump to around $4,500, an 80% increase – simply to cover the new service fee.”

The company said the increases “would be impossible to absorb. The smaller carriers, it noted, bear a greater cost per cargo unit than the mega-carriers with larger ships. American manufacturers would have less choice of carriers and face significantly higher transportation costs.

“Europe supplies more industrial products to the USA than consumer products. The significantly increased costs of delivering those components would push up the price of U.S. manufactured products domestically as well as internationally.”

The Caribbean Shipping Association in its comments urged grandfathering of vessels already operating in the Caribbean. It noted that vessels operating directly between Caribbean nations and the U.S. tend to be small, and the proposed million-dollar fees are the same regardless of vessel sizes.

The Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE), which operates 58 container loading facilities for export through nine U.S. ports and seven inland locations, commented that ocean carriers have already said they would make fewer port calls, resulting in congestion, fewer sailings, a reduction in available equipment at inland locations and increased transportation costs. It added the fees would effectively double the current prevailing per-container rate, making goods from U.S. farmers uncompetitive, and drive destination markets to find sources from other countries.

Alpha Metallurgical Resources (NYSE: AMR), the largest U.S. producer of coal for steel production, said exports to 26 countries accounted for 78% of its coal revenues in 2024. The company holds a majority ownership stake in Dominion Terminal Associates, a port in Newport News, Virginia.

AMR said the majority of the existing bulk fleet would be required to pay a fee of at least $500,000 upon entry into a U.S. port, with many qualifying for much larger levies under the proposed structure. It called the fees “prohibitive,” and said they would likely drive customers to purchase goods from non-American companies, significantly hurting AMR’s global competitiveness.

The National Association of Manufacturers in its comments supported both the proposed fees as well as the proposed restrictions related to export goods having to some degree use U.S.-flagged and -built vessels. But it also warned against port fees that would unduly burden U.S. manufacturers.

The fees “will reduce the availability of the necessary cargo capacity at U.S. ports, increase pressure on domestic infrastructure, and raise costs that may render American exports less competitive around the world,” the organization said.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Coast Longshore Division, which represents 22,000 dockworkers on the West Coast, said it supports the rebuilding of the domestic shipbuilding industry while addressing Chinese dominance over the maritime sector. It also urged USTR to ensure U.S.-bound cargo is not diverted as a result of these efforts. “It is imperative that any remedy includes a measure to address the diversion of cargo with a comparable fee on U.S.-bound cargo,” the union said.

LOGISTICS

10 1 月, 2025 By user

Cosco invests $110 mn to purchase terminals in Thailand

The two biggest terminal operators at Laem Chabang Port, southeast of Bangkok, which handles around 80% of Thailand’s total traffic, are TLT and HLT.

For $110 million, COSCO Shipping Ports has acquired shares in two container terminals at Thailand’s biggest port, Laem Chabang.

Through the agreement, Cosco Shipping Ports purchased 12.5% and 30% of the shares in the Hutchison Port Group-controlled Thai Laemchabang Terminal (TLT) and Hutchison Laemchabang Terminal (HLT), respectively.

It includes Berths A3, C1-C2, and D1-D3 in HLT (the latter is still being built) as well as Berth A2 in TLT. It is anticipated that the overall capacity will reach roughly 6.7 million twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) per year once it is fully operating.

The two biggest terminal operators at Laem Chabang Port, southeast of Bangkok, which handles around 80% of Thailand’s total traffic, are TLT and HLT.

With initiatives like the Thailand Eastern Economic Corridor, the Thai government actively supports the port’s growth and guarantees continuous infrastructural development.

Given that Laem Chabang Port serves as the main port of call for Cosco Shipping Ports’ two brands in Thailand, this acquisition is essential for the company.