APM Terminals keen on expanding its South Asian footprint : Danish shipping conglomerate AP Moller Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals is looking to expand its presence in Bangladesh by investing some USD 450 mn into a new 46 acre container terminal at Chattogram port’s Laldia, Chittagong Port Authority(CPA) Chairman Mohammad Sohail told The Daily Star.

This comes following a meeting between Maersk CEO Robert Maersk Ugglas and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who said the project should get underway soon, Splash reports. The port is expected to reel in some USD 7 bn in foreign investments over the next three years, Sohail is quoted as saying by the outlet.

UK flights resume after air traffic control glitch caused delays: The UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) announced that it had “identified and remedied” a technical fault which had caused widespread disruption to flights across the country on Monday, according to an updated statement. “We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible,” NATS said. Although the national air traffic controller did not disclose too many details on the nature of the technical fault, it did mention that automatic flight planning was interrupted and had to be done manually, causing delays.

What’s the damage? A total of 790 departure and 785 arrival flights were canceled due to the technical glitch, accounting for 27% of flights to and from the UK, CNBC reported separately. London’s Heathrow airport took the brunt of delays, with Gatwick and Manchester also being heavily affected.

And what caused the glitch? UK authorities are still looking into what’s behind the failure, but have so far ruled out cyberattacks as a potential cause, the BBC reported.

The disruption took place during the UK’s busy bank holiday period, as many travelers were making their way back home from summer holidays abroad, CNBC wrote. Despite rumors on X (formerly known as Twitter), NATS stressed that UK airspace had remained open throughout the incident. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted a snapshot of the skies above the UK at noon, Monday. In an accompanying statement, the flight tracker mentioned that UK airports, including London Heathrow, were “significantly limiting departures” but allowing arrivals to continue.

How long will it take for things to go back to normal? Despite NATS’ fixing the technical glitch in a few hours, the backlogs created by the disruptions will take several days to work out, UK transport secretary Mark Harper told the BBC.

Maersk lay off 130 employees in restructuring: Maersk Supply Service (MSS) is set to lay off about 130 employees over two years as part of a restructuring that will involve concentrating on offshore wind and offshore support vessels (OSVs), Seatrade Maritime News. The company will focus its fleet in the Atlantic Basin and the North Sea, moving two vessels from Australia there once their contracts expire. The company will not take on any new turn-key projects due to unfavorable risk-reward balance, but it will honor existing commitments.

Management restructuring: Senior executives COO Mark Handin (LinkedIn) and head of Integrated Solutions Olivier Trouvé (LinkedIn) will leave the company by the end of next month. The company’s current CCO, Jonas Munch Agerskov (LinkedIn), will transition to the newly created role of Executive Vice President for Offshore Wind, and Michael Mortensen (LinkedIn) will join Maersk Supply Service as new Chief Commercial Officer responsible for the commercial side of the OSV business.

ICYMI: Following the acquisition of MSS by AP Moller Holding from AP Moller-Maersk in May, Christian Ingerslev, former head of Maersk Tankers, has become MSS's CEO, leading a restructuring that aims to concentrate on the growing OSV market and offshore wind sector, driven by the advancing energy transition.

Shipping firms promoting shore power: Cosco Shipping Lines, Cosco Shipping Ports, and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) are partnering to promote the use of shore powers to contribute the development of a greener shipping industry, Seatrade Maritime News reports. The three companies are calling on port operators to encourage the construction of shore power supply facilities, ensure their smooth operation, and improve berth planning to help provide shore power services to vessels at berth. The companies are also calling on shipping liners to install offshore power reception facilities on board.

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