Weekly throughput of the Suez Canal for container ships has registered a decrease from 54 vessels in late November to 38 and 37 over the past two weeks.

As is the trend in recent times, 73 per cent of the vessels crossing the canal in either direction during this period were sub-Panamax carriers of less than 4,000 TEU capacity, says Alphaliner, a research firm. 

Container ships between 4,000 and 7,500 TEU capacity accounted for 15 per cent of the overall traffic through the Suez, while the remaining 12 per cent were vessels between 7,500 and 18,000 TEU capacity.

Not a single ULCS megamax container ship of 18,000 or more TEU capacity has traversed the canal over the past 40 weeks, the report said.

New high in ship emissions

In the first 10 months of 2024, ships over 20,000 TEU capacity have emitted 37 per cent more carbon dioxide compared to the same period last year. Ships between 14,500 and 20,000 TEU are up 44 per cent. These high growth rates mean that in the first 10 months of 2024, emissions from these large ship types have surpassed total emissions in any previous calendar year.

Absolute emissions must be put in the context of the make-up of global fleet capacity. While ships over 20,000 TEU account for 8.1 per cent of total emissions, they make up 10.6 per cent of total capacity in the global fleet.

Ships smaller than 1,000 TEU are the only category with lower year-on-year emissions in the first 10 months of 2024. The 4.6 per cent drop is largely explained by a decrease in the number of these ships in the global fleet, says a report from Xeneta and Marine Benchmark, covering the record-high emissions from container shipping fleet in 2024.

New container terminal at Khalifa Port 

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated CMA Terminals Khalifa Port in the presence of Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group. CMA Terminals Khalifa Port is a $845 million container terminal located halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and managed by a joint venture between the CMA CGM Group’s subsidiary CMA Terminals (70 per cent) and Abu Dhabi Ports (30 per cent).

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Saadé and Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi for the development and enhancement of maritime training and education in the UAE and GCC region. The CMA CGM Group will also support the training of Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy students and contribute to the placement of cadets onboard its flagship vessels, says a release.

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Published on December 15, 2024