Texas City Channel draft restrictions revised

  • Spanish Market: Coal, Crude oil, Freight, Natural gas, Oil products, Petrochemicals, Petroleum coke
  • 20/03/19

The Galveston-Texas City Pilots has revised draft restrictions for vessels using the Texas City Channel in order to adjust to a month-long dredging along the Texas City Dike.

Beginning 3:30pm ET 19 March, the maximum allowable draft for vessels that are not Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) was returned to 45ft from 43ft. The VLCC maximum draft will remain at 41ft until the dredging is finished, when it will return to 43ft.

The dredging project, which will deepen the dike from 46ft to between 47ft and 48ft, is expected to be finished by mid-April, the US Army Corps of Engineers said. The deepening will provide safer passage for vessels.

The revised draft restrictions are not expected to have an impact on vessel traffic, according to the Galveston-Texas City Pilots, a private group that is authorized by the state to oversee the safety of the port.

The Seaway Terminal in Texas City is one of only two places VLCCs can partially load along the US Gulf Coast, the other being the Ingleside Terminal in Corpus Christi.


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24/04/24

EU plastics law clears parliament with mixed reaction

EU plastics law clears parliament with mixed reaction

Brussels, 24 April (Argus) — The European Parliament has adopted the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) that requires reductions in plastics and other packaging, ahead of formal approval by the bloc's ministers. The regulation had been provisionally agreed between EU diplomats in March. The regulation, adopted with 476 votes in favor and 129 opposed, obliges packaging reductions of 5pc by 2030, 10pc by 2035 and 15pc by 2040. EU countries must specifically cut plastic packaging waste. Starting on 1 January 2030, the regulation also bans single-use plastic packaging for unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables, and for foods and beverages filled and consumed in cafés and restaurants. Other bans from 2030 affect individual portions for condiments, sauces, creamers and sugar, as well as very lightweight plastic carrier bags. The rules require all packaging to be recyclable, with exemptions for lightweight wood, cork, textile, rubber, ceramic, porcelain and wax. Plastics Europe's managing director Virginia Janssens said the adopted text is "ambitious" and needs practical implementation. "We need a careful review of the impact of the reuse targets and affected formats, especially in transport packaging," Janssens said. The plastics manufacturers' association said a lack of material neutrality undermined the aims of the PPWR to reduce packaging waste. European paper industry association Cepi pointed to a phase out of "fossil-based materials" and called for timely compliance with the new regulation. Cepi urged EU member states to endorse the agreement when voting. European farmers association Copa-Cogeca noted "discriminatory" treatment for the fruit and vegetable sector, adding that the European Commission, EU member states and parliament have so far "ignored" arguments to amend the text to exempt single-use packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables. EU ministers also voted on an objection approved last week by the EU environment committee regarding mass balance accounting rules, which did not get the majority needed to be confirmed. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Barge delays at Algiers lock near New Orleans


24/04/24
24/04/24

Barge delays at Algiers lock near New Orleans

Houston, 24 April (Argus) — Barges are facing lengthy delays at the Algiers lock near New Orleans as vessels reroute around closures at the Port Allen lock and the Algiers Canal. Delays at the Algiers Lock —at the interconnection of the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway— have reached around 37 hours in the past day, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers' lock report. Around 50 vessels are waiting to cross the Algiers lock. Another 70 vessels were waiting at the nearby Harvey lock with a six-hour wait in the past day. The closure at Port Allen lock has spurred the delays, causing vessels to reroute through the Algiers lock. The Port Allen lock is expected to reopen on 28 April, which should relieve pressure on the Algiers lock. Some traffic has been rerouted through the nearby Harvey lock since the Algiers Canal was closed by a collapsed powerline, the US Coast Guard said. The powerline fell on two barges, but no injuries or damages were reported. The wire is being removed by energy company Entergy. The canal is anticipated to reopen at midnight on 25 April. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Baltimore to temporarily open 4th shipping channel


24/04/24
24/04/24

Baltimore to temporarily open 4th shipping channel

Cheyenne, 24 April (Argus) — The Port of Baltimore is preparing to open another, deeper temporary shipping channel this week so at least some of the vessels that have been stranded at the port can depart. The new 35-ft deep Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel is scheduled to be open to commercially essential vessels from 25 April until 6am ET on 29 April or 30 April "if weather adversely impacts vessel transits," according to a US Coast Guard Marine Safety Information Bulletin. The channel will then be closed again until 10 May. The channel also will have a 300-ft horizontal clearance and 214-ft vertical clearance. This will be the fourth and largest channel opened since the 26 March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Unified Command has said that the new limited access channel should allow passage of about 75pc of the types of vessels that typically move through the waterway. Vessels that have greater than 60,000 long tons (60,963 metric tonnes) of displacement will likely not be able to move through the channel and those between 50,000-60,000 long tons of displacement "will be closely evaluated" for transit. There were seven vessels blocked from exiting the port as of 27 March, including three dry bulk carriers, one vehicle carrier and one tanker, according to the US Department of Transportation. Two of the bulk carriers at berth in Baltimore are Kamsarmax-sized coal vessels, data from analytics firm Kpler show. The US Army Corps of Engineers still expects to reopen the Port of Baltimore's permanent 700-foot wide, 50-foot deep channel by the end of May. The Key Bridge collapsed into the water late last month when the 116,851dwt container ship Dali lost power and crashed into a bridge support column. Salvage teams have been working to remove debris from the water and containers from the ship in order to clear the main channel. By Courtney Schlisserman Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brightmark to build Georgia pyrolysis plant


24/04/24
24/04/24

Brightmark to build Georgia pyrolysis plant

Houston, 24 April (Argus) — Chemical recycler Brightmark plans to build a 400,00t/yr pyrolysis plant in Thomaston, Georgia, two years after the company terminated its plan to build a similar plant in a nearby Georgia community. Pyrolysis is a form of chemical recycling that breaks down used plastic into pyrolysis oil, which can then be reprocessed into new plastics at virgin polymers facilities. The 2.5mn ft² plant will cost $950mn, including infrastructure such as roads and rail access, Brightmark said. A previous plan to build a chemical recycling facility in Macon, Georgia, ended in 2022 after Mayor Lester Miller withdrew his support, citing "long-term safety concerns" from Brightmark's "unproven process". The company finished construction of its first chemical recycling plant in Ashley, Indiana, in 2022. Brightmark said it has recycled 2,000t of plastic waste so far at its Indiana plant, well behind its anticipated volume of 100,000 t/yr. By Zach Kluver Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cepsa supplies HVO bunker fuel in Algeciras


24/04/24
24/04/24

Cepsa supplies HVO bunker fuel in Algeciras

London, 24 April (Argus) — Spanish refiner and bunker fuel supplier Cepsa has recently delivered 150t of 100pc hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) by truck to the Ramform Hyperion at the port of Algeciras. The supply follows market participants reporting firmer buying interest for HVO as a marine fuel from ferry lines in the Mediterranean in recent sessions. The supplied HVO is said to be of class II, with used cooking oil (UCO) as the feedstock. Cepsa added that the supply was completed in cooperation with Bunker Holding subsidiary Glander International Bunkering, and could bring about a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction of up to 90pc compared with conventional fuel oil. Cepsa will also look to obtain capability to supply marine biodiesel blends exceeding 25pc biodiesel content by the end of the year, delegates heard at the International Bunker Conference (IBC) 2024 in Norway. This also follows plans by Cepsa to build a 500,000 t/yr HVO plant in Huelva , set to start production in the first half of 2026. Argus assessed the price of class II HVO on a fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) basis at an average of $1,765.54/t in April so far, a premium of $906.41/t to marine gasoil (MGO) dob Algeciras prices in the same month. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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