Todays problem with Maersk's 18,000-TEUers is that there are only two ports in the world - Shenzhen's Yantian terminal and Malaysia's Tanjung Pelepas - that can handle them fully loaded, but still not one port in Europe. "We can fill ships at Tanjung Pelepas but the problem is that we cannot take the goods off in Europe," said Maersk Asia-Pacific chief Thomas Riber Knudsen. That's why they can only load 15,00-16,000 TEU into an 18,270-TEU vessel, said Mr Knudsen, reported Lloyd's List. "Wherever we cannot operate cranes at the full height and full length, we cannot fill the ships," he said, adding that he hopes Algeciras, Shanghai and Rotterdam will be able by the end of the year. Maersk Line is due to take delivery of another seven 18,270 TEU vessels, bringing its megaship fleet to 14. Mr Knudsen said cascading would eliminate vessels smaller than 6,000 TEU. "Panamax ships are too small to operate in long-haul trades and many not small enough for feeder ports," he said. With current overcapacity, he expects rates to continue to be under pressure, though anticipates improvements in volumes this year.

RF President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Government determine the amount and the sources of the financing for the construction of a transport passage across the Kerch Strait having foreseen the completion of the project in 2018. According to the list of orders on transport development published at the website of Russian Government, the order is to be implemented by July 1, 2014. Besides, By June 1, 2014, RF Transport Ministry jointly with the interested federal executive authorities  are to submit proposals on the mechanisms to be applied for the long-term development of port facilities in the Crimean Federal District considering the existing plans on the development of port facilities in the Azov-Black Sea Basin.

Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania) plans dredging up to 17 m by 2018 and becoming a hub, IAA PortNews cites Arvidas Vaitkue, Director General of Klaipeda Seaport, as saying yesterday at the International Transport and Logistics Conference TransRussia 2014. According to him, the port plans becoming a container hub. In 2014 container terminal of MSC and Maersk is to start operation. It will handle container carriers with the capacity of up to 6,500 TEUs. Klaipeda State Seaport is the northernmost ice free port on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is the most important and biggest Lithuanian transport hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West. The port’s throughput (including Butinge terminal) made 33.42 mln t in 2013.