News Breakbulk & Project Cargo
Spliethoff ’ s order comes at a time when tight MPV capacity is keeping charter rates comfortably above pre-pandemic levels despite slower-than-expected cargo demand and uncertainties around the transition away from fossil fuels causing MPV fleet growth to stagnate .
Riding the ForestWave
Confirmation of the Wuhu ship orders followed Spliethoff ’ s acquisition of short-sea and Atlantic basin MPV shipping company ForestWave on Sept . 30 .
ForestWave operates a fleet of 30 MPVs with loading capacities between 5,000 metric tons and 12,500 metric tons that typically carry forest products , yachts , bulk and offshore-related cargoes .
The ForestWave ships will increase the Spliethoff fleet to 147 vessels while the order at Wuhu Shipyard will boost the fleet to close to 155 ships , taking into consideration
possible vessel disposals , a Spliethoff spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce .
The takeover formalized a longstanding partnership between ForestWave , Spliethoff and subsidiary company
“ The positives of the market far outweigh the negatives for noncontainer businesses .”
Sevenstar Yacht Transport . ForestWave becomes the seventh subsidiary within the Spliethoff group , which includes heavy lift operator BigLift Shipping and roll-on / roll-off shipping company Bore .
Banking on a bounceback
Ro / ro carriers expect ‘ high-and-heavy ’ recovery
Increased vehicle volumes , mainly from Asia , are offsetting languid high-andheavy shipments . Emagnetic / Shutterstock . com
By Keith Wallis
Roll-on / roll-off ( ro / ro ) vessel operators are expecting a rebound in “ high-and-heavy ” cargo volumes next year on stronger exports from China and rising global demand in the construction and mining industries , according to ro / ro shipping executives .
Moderating interest rates , a $ 1.6 trillion stimulus package in China and a new US administration will support growth in high-and-heavy volumes , ro / ro vessel operator Wallenius Wilhelmsen said in late October .
Speaking during a third-quarter results briefing , Wallenius CEO Lasse Kristoffersen said discussions with its high-and-heavy customers underscored confidence that volumes will grow in 2025 and 2026 .
Kristoffersen said Oslo , Norway-listed Wilhelmsen would release a separate statement about its 2025 ro / ro outlook in mid-December .
The carrier on Oct . 28 announced a $ 766 million fiveyear high-and-heavy shipping and logistics agreement with “ a leading agriculture , forestry and roadbuilding equipment manufacturer ” that will start on Dec . 1 . The carrier said the agreement was with an existing high-andheavy customer it did not identify who had agreed to pay for the phase-in of green and renewable fuels .
Höegh Autoliners echoed Wilhelmsen ’ s views predicting strong construction growth in 2025 in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific markets and a rebound in shipments of construction equipment from Asia , driven by Chinese manufacturers .
“ We believe we are back on a growth track … with stable volumes out of Japan and South Korea and strong growth out of China ,” Höegh Autoliners CEO Andreas Enger said during an Oct . 24 results briefing .
Höegh Autoliners said the US construction market had already seen robust growth under the Biden administration , mainly due to the inflow of funding toward manufacturing and mega projects under the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act . This
18 Journal of Commerce | November 2024 www . joc . com