LIVORNO EXPRESS

The river Mosel in western Germany, an important route for grains and rapeseed shipments, has been closed to inland waterways shipping after an accident that damaged a lock, navigation authorities said.A lock at Mueden south of Koblenz has been damaged after a vessel collision and repairs are likely to last until spring 2025, possibly around late March, the WSA agency said. The river will be closed to cargo shipping during this period.Traders estimated that about 70 ships are blocked because of the damage, possibly causing delivery disruption.The Mosel is an important route for grain and rapeseed shipments including to and from the French port of Metz, they said.

With a strike possible again next month at East Coast and Gulf Coast container ports and President-elect Donald Trump planning to increase tariffs, the nation’s major container ports are expected to see a continued surge in imports through next spring, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“Either a strike or new tariffs would be a blow to the economy and retailers are doing what they can to avoid the impact of either for as long as they can,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

Taiwan raised its alert level on Monday saying China has set up seven zones of reserved airspace and deployed naval fleets and coast guard boats in what a security source described as the first military drills across a broad swathe of the region's waters.A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that China currently has nearly 90 navy and coast guard ships in waters near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, of which around two-thirds were navy vessels.Beijing's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Texas-based exploration and production company Beacon Offshore Energy has awarded a contract to Subsea7 for the work on Monument development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The project involves the installation of a high-pressure 27-kilometre subsea tieback to the Shenandoah Floating Production System (FPS), located in Walker Ridge Block 316 at water depths reaching up to 2,000 meters.Subsea7's scope of work includes the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of subsea equipment, including structures, umbilicals, production risers, and flowlines.The company said the contract value is substantial, meaning it’s between $150 million and $300 million.

Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn, has signed a vessel reservation agreement with Seaway7 to support the construction of the offshore wind farm being built in the North Sea, offshore U.K.The contract represents additional work for Seaway7 at the Dogger Bank offshore wind development, where it is currently installing monopile foundations and transition pieces.The value of the agreement is between $150 million and $300 million, according to Seaway7, part of Subsea7 Group.