Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced the launch of Gemini Cooperation feeder services as part of their collaboration on routes within the Far East region. The main hubs for the new routes will be the ports of Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia) and Singapore. Destinations include China, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines, including routes such as CPF, JKF, SS1 and TWX.
Estonian company Operail is the first company in the country to test single-driver freight transport. The C30-M series locomotive, developed and built by the company itself, has entered service. This locomotive has successfully passed the test and received approval for single-driver operation.
The maiden voyage of the new sea freight route “China-Europe Express” has successfully started. The vessel Kawa Ningbo departed from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port (China) to Wilhelmshaven (Germany), carrying lithium batteries and other goods for cross-border e-commerce.
According to the results of 2024, the seaports of Ukraine handled almost 97 million tons of cargo, which is a record for wartime, the State Enterprise “Administration of Sea Ports of Ukraine” (USPU) reports. Despite constant shelling and destruction of infrastructure, this figure significantly exceeds last year’s result of 62 million tons.
From September to December 25, 2024, Kazakhstan exported 3.7 million tons of new crop grain, which is 54% more than in the same period of 2023 (2.4 million tons). The main growth came from Uzbekistan (+44%), Tajikistan (+53%), Afghanistan (+52%) and Kyrgyzstan (+22%). Exports to Iran via the port of Aktau increased more than 30 times, reaching 435 thousand tons against 14 thousand tons a year earlier.
The year 2024 has become a time of changes and ambitious projects for the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście. Despite the decrease in cargo turnover by 8.5% (32,305.8 million tons), the results of the year are assessed positively due to the stabilization of indicators in the second half of the year.
The new CR450 electric train was unveiled in Beijing, having successfully passed tests at a speed of 450 km/h. The tests confirmed key parameters: reduced energy consumption, improved braking performance, and reduced noise levels in the cabin. The CR450 is designed to operate at a maximum speed of 400 km/h, and its design is 10% lighter and 22% more aerodynamically efficient than its predecessor, the CR400 Fuxing. Passenger comfort has also been improved, including a 4% increase in space and a 2 decibel reduction in noise.
PSA Singapore announced that it has achieved a record throughput of over 40 million TEUs in 2024, significantly exceeding the company’s previous record of 38.8 million TEUs set for 2023. To celebrate the achievement, PSA held a celebration event bringing together employees, union representatives and management.
In February 2025, SJSC “Latvijas dzelzceļš” (LDz) will announce a tender for the Riga-Liepaja passenger rail infrastructure modernization project. The project includes design and construction. In order for interested suppliers to be able to familiarize themselves with the procurement conditions and offer their recommendations, LDz organized an online consultation on 7 January 2025.
The German Seaport Association (ZDS) has called on the German government to adopt a more ambitious port policy and increase funding. At the annual press conference in Hamburg at the end of November, ZDS President Angela Titzrath said that the economic and geopolitical challenges of recent years were putting the industry under severe pressure. In the first half of 2024, German ports handled 136.29 million tonnes of cargo, only slightly more than in the same period last year. Container throughput increased by 3.3%, but Titzrath noted that these figures should be seen in the context of the disastrous 2023, the worst in two decades.
