Moffatt & Nichol is pleased to welcome Chief Software Architect Brian Yoder to its Long Beach, California office. Yoder will help manage the software product development of FlexTerm, a simulation and emulation tool developed by Moffatt & Nichol that is used mainly for the container terminal planning, the terminal operating system testing, the logistic system modeling and optimization in ports and terminals.

The Newport Docks is the Associated British Ports' (ABP) largest facility in South Wales and is a main hub for servicing the United Kingdom's industrial and commercial regions. Recently, port officials determined it was time to upgrade the facility's lighting system because maintenance of the outdated HPS (high-pressure sodium) lighting was costly and time-consuming.

Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME has secured several international dredging contracts with a total contract value of 150 million euros. It concerns projects that will strongly improve the accessibility of various world ports for international shipping.

Bechtel has won one of the top diversity awards in the UK. The company was presented with the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Employer Award by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal at a ceremony in London last week, beating off stiff competition.

Hutchison Ports Australia (HPA) has thanked its employees and the MUA for their support in voting for a revised EBA. The new EBA will assist HPA in its struggle to achieve market share against well-established competitors in a market plagued with overcapacity and slow growth.

The Georgia and South Carolina Ports Authorities have signed a new joint venture agreement that provides the necessary framework for the two states to work cooperatively toward the development of the Jasper Ocean Terminal (JOT), which will be jointly owned and operated by both port authorities.

The Port of Koper operator in Slovenia, Luka Koper d.d., has ordered seven electric RTG cranes, equipped with cable reels, and two RMG cranes from Konecranes.

Global engineering group Cavotec has won five separate orders with a combined value of more than EUR 9 million for some of its key innovative technologies, including the Group's MoorMasterTMautomated mooring system and the new Automatic Plug-in System (APS), highlighting the strength and diversity of Cavotec's portfolio.

London Thamesport's growing reputation as a short-sea container hub has been enhanced with regular calls by Helsinki-based Containerships Ltd Oy. Containerships chose the Kent port to re-establish a direct service from and to the southern part of the UK offering regular and fast connections with Germany, Finland, Russia and the Baltic States.

Hamburg, Germany's largest universal port clearly felt the effects of weakness in Chinese foreign trade plus the steep downturn in trade with Russia during the first nine months of the year.