Demopolis, Alabama lock to open 30 May: Corps
The failed Demopolis Lock near the junction of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers in Alabama is expected to reopen 30 May after repairs, the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) said today.
A clearer timeline for the repairs emerged after a more general May timeline finish date indicated in February.
Work on the lock has been ongoing since it collapsed in early January. Debris has been fully removed and the Corps is working on tests for the concrete mixture. Contractors are currently installing anchors and formwork.
The Corps expects concrete placement to start in mid-April and finish before the end of May.
The cost of the project to date surpassed $21mn, and could rise further the Corps said.
Related news posts
New US rule may let some shippers swap railroads
New US rule may let some shippers swap railroads
Washington, 30 April (Argus) — US rail regulators today issued a final rule designed to help customers switch railroads in cases of poor rail service, but it is already drawing mixed reviews. Reciprocal switching, which allows freight shippers or receivers captive to a single railroad to access to an alternate carrier, has been allowed under US Surface Transportation Board (STB) rules. But shippers had not used existing STB rules to petition for reciprocal switching in 35 years, prompting regulators to revise rules to encourage shippers to pursue switching while helping resolve service problems. "The rule adopted today has broken new ground in the effort to provide competitive options in an extraordinarily consolidated rail industry," said outgoing STB chairman Martin Oberman. The five-person board unanimously approved a rule that would allow the board to order a reciprocal switching agreement if a facility's rail service falls below specified levels. Orders would be for 3-5 years. "Given the repeated episodes of severe service deterioration in recent years, and the continuing impediments to robust and consistent rail service despite the recent improvements accomplished by Class I carriers, the board has chosen to focus on making reciprocal switching available to shippers who have suffered service problems over an extended period of time," Oberman said today. STB commissioner Robert Primus voted to approve the rule, but also said it did not go far enough. The rule adopted today is "unlikely to accomplish what the board set out to do" since it does not cover freight moving under contract, he said. "I am voting for the final rule because something is better than nothing," Primus said. But he said the rule also does nothing to address competition in the rail industry. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is reviewing the 154-page final rule, but carriers have been historically opposed to reciprocal switching proposals. "Railroads have been clear about the risks of expanded switching and the resulting slippery slope toward unjustified market intervention," AAR said. But the trade group was pleased that STB rejected "previous proposals that amounted to open access," which is a broad term for proposals that call for railroads to allow other carriers to operate over their tracks. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association declined to comment but has indicated it does not expect the rule to have an appreciable impact on shortline traffic, service or operations. Today's rule has drawn mixed reactions from some shipper groups. The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), which filed its own reciprocal switching proposal in 2011, said it was encouraged by the collection of service metrics required under the rule. But "it is disheartened by its narrow scope as it does not appear to apply to the vast majority of freight rail traffic that moves under contracts or is subject to commodity exemptions," said NITL executive director Nancy O'Liddy, noting it was a departure from the group's original petition which sought switching as a way to facilitate railroad economic competitiveness. The Chlorine Institute said, in its initial analysis, that it does not "see significant benefit for our shipper members since it excludes contract traffic which covers the vast majority of chlorine and other relevant chemical shipments." By Abby Caplan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
First TMX cargo booked on Aframax to China
First TMX cargo booked on Aframax to China
Houston, 30 April (Argus) — The first cargo shipped on the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) crude pipeline is scheduled to load on an Aframax in Vancouver, British Columbia, beginning 18 May for June delivery in China, according to sources with knowledge of the transaction. Suncor provisionally booked the Aframax Dubai Angel for a Vancouver-China voyage at $3.5mn lumpsum, equivalent to $6.39/bl for Access Western Blend, market participants said. In March, China's state-run Sinochem purchased the first TMX cargo — 550,000 bl of Canadian Access Western Blend — for June delivery. The shipping fixture would mark the first Vancouver-China crude delivery since May 2023, according to Vortexa, a possible indicator of steady Asia-Pacific demand to come with increased maritime access for Canadian oil producers. China already receives heavy sour Canadian crude re-exported from the US Gulf coast, with about 110,000 b/d arriving in 2023, Vortexa data show. The new 590,000 b/d pipeline begins commercial service on 1 May, with three Aframax-capable berths at Vancouver's Westridge Marine Terminal, up from one previously. An oversupply of Aframax crude tankers on the west coast of the Americas in anticipation of TMX-driven demand pressured Vancouver-loading rates to six-month lows on 19 April , according to Argus data, but market participants expect demand to increase beginning in the second half of May. Three regulatory approvals remained under assessment by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) on 30 April. The applications concern piping, valves and other components at two pipeline inspection device traps and the mainline pipe between the two traps. The traps were added for safety assurance when the operator was allowed by CER to use a smaller diameter pipe as part of the Mountain 3 deviation. By Tray Swanson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Oversupply and fragmentation challenge steel market
Oversupply and fragmentation challenge steel market
London, 30 April (Argus) — Participants in the Turkish and European long steel markets at a major industry event this week anticipated a difficult remainder of 2024, expecting demand to be generally supplied by local capacities. With the Chinese Metallurgical Industry Institute forecasting a 1.7pc drop in Chinese steel demand in 2024 and the country's steel output expected to remain stable, Chinese exports are likely to continue putting pressure on global rebar prices. China's overall steel exports this year so far are on course to exceed the 91.2mn t shipped in 2023. Traders were concerned over the Chinese real estate sector, which, along with infrastructure construction, drives the bulk of Chinese steel demand but has been plagued by a mismatch between housing demand and supply in recent years. Markets outside of China are also likely to be well-supplied for the rest of the year or longer, with a weak construction outlook in Europe and with steel capacity on an upward trend in India and southeast Asia. Government investment in construction projects is likely to drive Indian steel demand to at least 190mn t by 2030, said Somanath Tripathy of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). But in the near term Indian demand growth has been sluggish while output has increased, with steelmakers Tata and JSW both reaching record steel output in the financial year of 2023-2024. Meanwhile, participants had weak expectations for the European and Turkish rebar markets for the rest of the year. Expectations of a recovery in the European steel sector have largely been pinned on the likelihood the European Central Bank will reduce interest rates at some point in the second half of the year. But a German trader noted while this move would lend some support, high interest rates are far from being the only challenge for the sector. The EU construction sector faces increasingly high costs, partly caused by sustainability requirements, participants noted, slowing investment and weighing on property demand by pushing up prices. The combination of high interest rates and inflation in Turkey, as well as dwindling export options, means several Turkish steel mills are currently running at near 50pc of capacity. Turkish rebar exporters face stiff competition in most export markets from Chinese suppliers, whose fob prices are currently around $70/t lower than Turkey, as well as from north African producers. The challenge for Turkish exporters is structural, with the business model of importing scrap and exporting steel no longer as viable due to higher scrap demand from other regions as well as the significantly lower energy costs of north African and Middle Eastern producers. Some market participants noted in this context, the introduction of the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could favour Turkish EAF mills in the long run, who are no longer competitive in terms of price in most markets, but whose use of scrap versus direct reduced iron (DRI) makes their production less carbon-intensive than other EAF-based producers in the region. Turkish producers are working to make sure they will be compatible with EU environmental requirements, a Turkish mill source said. But government support for these efforts has been lacking, he added. Overall, protectionist measures have significantly harmed Turkey's export options, as has the outbreak of conflicts and tensions in the region over the past two years. Some Turkish mills have lost up to half of their regular export sales as a result of the halt of exports to Israel and a slowdown in sales to Yemen as a result of the conflict in Gaza and Houthi vessel attacks. Until European prices pick up significantly and north Africa is selling at capacity, Turkish long steel exports will not be competitive in the near future, a trader noted. By Brendan Kjellberg-Motton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
HSFO demand supports Rotterdam 1Q bunker sales
HSFO demand supports Rotterdam 1Q bunker sales
London, 30 April (Argus) — Total sales of fossil bunker fuels and marine biodiesel blends at the port of Rotterdam were 2.45mn t in the first quarter this year, up by 13pc compared with the final three months of 2023 but 9pc lower year on year, according to official port data. Sales firmed across the board quarter on quarter, even though market participants had described spot bunker fuel demand in the region as "mostly limited" and shipping demand as lacklustre. High-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) sales rose the most. Disruption in the Red Sea resulted in many vessels re-routing around the southern tip of Africa, increasing the incentive of bunkering with HSFO as opposed to very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and marine gasoil (MGO), according to market participants. The longer journeys meant that vessels on the route increased their fuel consumption to reduce delivery delays, supporting conventional bunker fuel sales at Rotterdam. Higher prices for HSFO in Singapore also helped support HSFO demand in Rotterdam. Marine biodiesel sales at Rotterdam increased by 13pc on the quarter and by 76pc on the year in January-March, despite the Dutch government's decision to half the Dutch renewable tickets (HBE-G) multiplier for shipping at the turn of the year. The move has led to a substantial increase in prices for advanced fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) 0 blends in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub. The inclusion of shipping in the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) from January may have lent support to demand for biofuel blends. Marine biodiesel made up 11pc of total bunker fuel sales at Rotterdam in the first quarter, the same share as the previous quarter, which was a record high. LNG bunker sales at Rotterdam in January-March soared by 45pc on the quarter and by 150pc on the year. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Rotterdam bunker sales t Fuel 1Q24 4Q23 1Q23 q-o-q% y-o-y% VLSFO & ULSFO 857,579 847,862 1,205,288 1 -29 HSFO 818,028 643,218 809,871 27 1 MGO/MDO 383,409 361,585 468,373 6 -18 Biofuel blends 262,634 233,108 149,206 13 76 Total 2,453,610 2,177,078 2,685,515 13 -9 LNG (m³) 131,960 91,305 52,777 45 150 Port of Rotterdam Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more