Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Welcome to portstrategy.com. This site uses cookies.Read our policy. 2026-06-23T12:16:00 Source: DaChan Bay Terminals DaChan Bay Container Terminals in Shenzhen in the southern part of Guangdong province in China, has completed full electrification of its in-yard tractor fleet, writes Ramadas Rao. With the conversion, port operator Modern Terminals estimates that direct carbon emissions will reduce by 5,000 tonnes annually. Want to read more before deciding on asubscription? It only takes a minute to sign up for a free account and you’ll get to enjoy: Get more free contentsign up today Ready to subscribe?Choose from one of oursubscription packagesfor unlimited access! Site powered byWebvision Cloud

A pair of US class-action lawsuits has pulled back the curtain on what could become one of the most consequential antitrust cases ever to hit the container equipment sector, alleging that the world’s biggest box manufacturers colluded to restrict output, inflate prices and police each other’s behaviour during the pandemic supply chain crisis. The complaints, filed in a California federal court – one on behalf of US shipper CA Spalding, and the other on bechalf of trucking firm Daybreak Express –follow a US Department of Justice criminal case against container manufacturing giants including CIMC, Dong Fang, CXIC and Singamas. At the centre of the allegations is the claim that the manufacturers, which together produce 95% of global dry containers, agreed to limit output just as demand for containers surged. According to the lawsuits, executives from CIMC, Dong Fang, CXIC and a co-conspirator met in Shenzhen in November 2019 and agreed to restrict production by limiting factory shifts and working hours, refusing to build new manufacturing capacity and introducing monitoring systems to ensure compliance. The most eye-catching detail is a written agreement allegedly known as the “Shenzhen Moon Gazing Equity Investment Fund”, or the “Moon Gazing Fund”. According to the Daybreak Express complaint, CIMC circulated a draft of the contract to other defendants in early 2020, before the companies held a ceremony around March 2020 to execute a final version. The fund allegedly included a mechanism to financially penalise any company that cheated on the output-restriction agreement. The complaint also claims the manufacturers installed about 87 surveillance cameras across 49 production lines to monitor whether competitors were sticking to agreed output restrictions. One filing includes a screenshot of surveillance footage allegedly used in a June 2021 audit of production lines. But it is the internal communications cited in the filings that provide the most revealing glimpse into the alleged cartel. After a December 2019 meeting attended by the manufacturers, a Singamas executive allegedly reported that participants had discussed limiting shifts and hours, building “no new production lines”, installing CCTV in all production lines and requiring each factory to submit a deposit that would be deducted “if any factory break [sic] the agreement”. The executive then allegedly warned colleagues: “I have reminded them not to be high profile since it might violate the Monopoly Law or being accused of price manipulation by our customers.” In another exchange, a Singamas board member allegedly reacted to the report by writing: “The discussion appeared to be anti-competition to me. I feel very uneasy reading your report. May be [sic] we should delete this string of emails after reading?” Singamas chief executive SS Teo, who was last monthindicted by the Department of Justiceover the claims and has had to step down from his roles, allegedly replied: “Yes I feel the same.” The lawsuits further allege executives sought to sanitise internal presentations to avoid attracting antitrust scrutiny. In one example, a draft presentation referred to a “Manufacturing sector official and unofficial association/alliance”, to which one participant reportedly responded: “Please delete ‘alliance’ as it is quite sensitive under anti-trust law.” Another executive allegedly advised against including references to “market discipline” in an investor presentation because of potential antitrust concerns. Mr Teo allegedly replied that he would amend the slide and “take out” words. The allegations suggest the arrangement became increasingly sophisticated over time. Initially focused on limiting factory operating hours, the alleged conspiracy later evolved into formal production quotas. One presentation cited in the complaint set out “total allowable capacity” and “allowable quota” for participating manufacturers, allocating production volumes among companies and factory lines. Executives are also alleged to have exchanged confidential information through emails, WeChat groups and regular in-person meetings. The complaint claims manufacturers used surveillance footage from rival factories to audit compliance. The alleged conduct did not stop at dry containers. According to the filings, CIMC vice-president Tianhua Huang emailed the chief executive of a competing reefer manufacturer in May 2020, stating that dry container manufacturers had “reached a consensus and established industry self-discipline actions” and suggesting reefer manufacturers should “follow the dry box practice”. That proposal included “No capacity increase” and a requirement that “all standard reefer manufacturers run one shift only”. The invitation was allegedly rejected, with the recipient responding that “any such coordination is strictly forbidden by the compliance policies” of his company. The alleged conspiracy unfolded during one of the most chaotic periods in container shipping history, when supply chains were stretched to breaking point and equipment shortages became a defining feature of global trade. It also followed one of the worst years for container manufacturers,who issued a slew of profit warnings to investors over 2019’s financial performance– CIMC’s profit for the year was over 50% down on 2018, while Singamas swung from a $72m profit to a $95m loss in the same period. However, according to the Daybreak complaint, the price of a standard 20ft dry container more than doubled as the pandemic unfolded, rising from roughly $1,600 in 2019 to more than $3,500 by 2021. Prices for a 40ft box are alleged to have climbed from around $2,800 to more than $5,900 over the same period. The lawsuits claim those overcharges were passed through the supply chain, affecting buyers of transport services whose costs incorporated inflated container prices. Manufacturers allegedly enjoyed a windfall. One filing claims CIMC’s container manufacturing profits rose from RMB137m in 2019 to RMB11.3bn in 2021, while Singamas recorded a $187m profit in 2021. The financial stakes are potentially enormous. The complaint does not put a dollar value on the claim, but seeks damages, restitution and disgorgement on behalf of a nationwide class. Under US antitrust law, any proven damages may be trebled, significantly increasing any eventual award.

China marks this year's International Day of Clean Air for blue skies after recording its best annual air quality since national monitoring began. The gains reflect concerted efforts to curb pollution through cleaner energy, industrial upgrades and greener transport. Tighter national standards now set the benchmark for sustaining that progress. An ancient building inside the Forbidden City stands beneath clear blue skies and white clouds, a testament to country's clean-air policies, Beijing, China, August 30, 2026. /VCG Between 2021 and 2025, China's average PM2.5 concentration fell by 20% while its gross domestic product grew by about 30%. The contrast speaks to a question confronting industrial economies around the world: Can production and mobility continue to grow without worsening air pollution? China's latest figures suggest progress is possible. During the first half of 2026, the average PM2.5 concentration across 339 cities at or above prefecture level was 29.9 micrograms per cubic meter, down 6.6% from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The proportion of days with good or excellent air quality rose to 82.8%, from 78.3% a year earlier. In 2025, the full-year figure reached a record 89.3%, while average PM2.5 fell to 28 micrograms per cubic meter. Behind those numbers is a shift from treating pollution after it is produced to reducing emissions throughout the economy. Sunset over the Jinyinshan area in the Port of Rizhao's south operation area, where daily freight trains pass container stacks and cargo-handling equipment, Shandong Province, China, September 25, 2025. /VCG Heavy industry has been a main front. By the end of 2025, China had completed ultra-low-emission upgrades covering 940 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity and 170 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity. China also carried out extensive upgrades in the coking and cement industries. The retrofits are designed to cut pollutants including dust, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Combined with the retirement of outdated production capacity, they make air-quality improvement part of industrial modernization rather than a separate environmental measure. Transport represents another distinctly Chinese part of the transition. By the end of 2025, China had 43.97 million new energy vehicles, up 12.57 million in one year. The category includes battery-electric cars, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles. Electric cars, buses, and delivery vehicles can reduce exhaust pollution, particularly in large cities where traffic is a major source of local emissions. However, their broader environmental impact depends partly on how their electricity is produced. This makes transport electrification inseparable from changes in the power system. A view of new energy vehicles parked at Xiaomo International Logistics Port in the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, July 9, 2024. /VCG Solar power overtook coal in July to become China's largest source of installed generating capacity. But coal still produced 49.7% of the country's electricity in the first half of 2026. The gap between capacity and actual generation highlights the need for more energy storage, stronger transmission networks and a more flexible grid. Technology within individual cities is also not enough. Air pollution crosses administrative boundaries, making regional cooperation essential. From 2021 to 2025, PM2.5 concentrations fell by 27.7% in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas and by 32.1% in the Fenwei Plain, both faster than the national average. The regional response has included joint monitoring, forecasting and enforcement, treating pollution as a cross-border problem rather than a collection of isolated local ones. An aerial view of solar panels installed in a mining area in Huaibei, Anhui Province, China, July 30, 2026. /VCG Progress is nevertheless uneven. July data showed declines in both PM2.5 and ozone in the Yangtze River Delta, while ozone increased in the Fenwei Plain. This difference shows why further improvements will require more targeted controls and greater attention to pollutants beyond PM2.5. China has also raised the regulatory bar. New national standards introduced in March lowered the transitional annual PM2.5 limit from 35 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter through 2030. A tighter limit of 25 micrograms is set to follow. This broader approach echoes a new assessment released by the United Nations Environment Programme for the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. It argues that clean-air and climate policies deliver greater benefits when designed together because many of the same sectors, including industry, transport and energy, drive both problems. China provides a large-scale example of that approach, as well as an unfinished test. The first stage of its campaign made blue skies more common. The next stage will focus on keeping the air clean as energy demand, industrial production and urban mobility continue to grow. EXPLORE MORE CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE DOWNLOAD OUR APP 互联网新闻信息许可证10120180008 Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466

Il porto cinese rafforza la strategia di decarbonizzazione con Bureau Veritas per sviluppare corridoi marittimi green e consolidare il proprio ruolo nella logistica internazionale Shenzhen – Shenzhen Port Group ha siglato un accordo di cooperazione strategica con Bureau Veritas (Bv) Marine & Offshore nell’ambito della propria strategia per affermarsi come uno dei principali poli marittimi globali della transizione energetica. L’intesa punta ad accelerare lo sviluppo di corridoi marittimi a basse emissioni e a rafforzare la competitività del porto cinese in un settore sempre più orientato alla sostenibilità. La partnership consentirà di sviluppare progetti di navigazione ecocompatibile, combinando le infrastrutture e gli scenari operativi del porto di Shenzhen con le competenze tecniche e normative di Bureau Veritas, con l’obiettivo di creare modelli replicabili anche in altri scali internazionali. Bv supporterà il porto nell’adeguamento ai nuovi standard ambientali del trasporto marittimo, fornendo servizi di consulenza, certificazione e verifica lungo l’intera filiera dei combustibili alternativi, dalla produzione di energia rinnovabile fino alle infrastrutture per il bunkeraggio dei carburanti green. Secondo Alex Gregg-Smith, presidente di Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, la collaborazione rappresenta un’opportunità per favorire l’armonizzazione degli standard internazionali e accelerare la decarbonizzazione del trasporto marittimo attraverso progetti concreti. Per Hu Zhaoyang, presidente di Shenzhen Port Group, l’accordo rafforza il percorso intrapreso dal porto per diventare un punto di riferimento internazionale nella logistica sostenibile. Integrando innovazione, certificazione tecnica e sviluppo infrastrutturale, Shenzhen punta infatti a consolidare il proprio ruolo di hub marittimo globale capace di coniugare crescita dei traffici e riduzione delle emissioni, anticipando l’evoluzione del settore verso modelli di trasporto sempre più green.