Freight traffic starts on the Koralmbahn
Austrian railway group ÖBB has launched freight services on the new Koralm line, connecting Graz and Klagenfurt along the Baltic-Adriatic corridor. The 130-kilometre route, 50 of which runs through tunnels, enters service ahead of the start of passenger operations scheduled for 14 December. Subsidiary Rail Cargo Group will immediately use the line to strengthen connections between Carinthia and Styria. Thanks to the new flat alignment, freight trains can avoid detours via Knittelfeld, Leoben and Frohnleiten, cutting journey times. The infrastructure also allows an increase in transportable weight to between 250 and 280 tonnes per train.
New container port in Poland
Poland has revived plans for a new container port in Świnoujście as part of the 186-hectare Cape Pomerania development. It will be the country’s second deepwater port after Gdańsk, with an annual capacity of two million TEU. The Deepwater Container Terminal Świnoujście will feature a 17-metre draft, 2,900 metres of quays and a 70-kilometre access channel, suitable for vessels up to 400 metres long. The €2.2 billion investment also includes rail and road links, a 47-hectare logistics area, ten 800-metre tracks and a new two-kilometre access road. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and finish in 2029. The Szczecin–Świnoujście Seaports Authority will build both the maritime and land infrastructure and will select the terminal operator through a public tender. A previous lease agreement with a Belgian-Qatari consortium was cancelled due to financing issues.
Yang Ming orders six containerships
Taiwanese carrier Yang Ming has signed contracts to build six new 8,000 TEU containerships. Three will be constructed by Japanese shipyards Nihon Shipyard and Imabari Shipbuilding, while the remaining three will be acquired from Shoei Kisen Kaisha. The new vessels will feature dual-fuel propulsion systems and will also be methanol-ready, aligning with the maritime sector’s decarbonisation goals. Deliveries will begin in 2028 and will enable the company to renew part of its fleet, gradually replacing 5,500 TEU vessels that have been in service for over twenty years.
Dhl expands in New York
Dhl Express will invest USD 90 million (around EUR 83.5 million) to expand operational capacity in the New York metropolitan area. The plan includes new sites, technology upgrades and modern handling systems. By November 2025, the Manhattan service centre will relocate to a new 8,590-square-metre facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, five miles from Lower Manhattan. The site will offer better vehicle access, safer working spaces and on-site charging infrastructure. New sorting technology will double capacity from 3,000 to 6,000 parcels per hour, improving delivery times. The Brooklyn centre has also been upgraded with a move to a 6,520-square-metre facility, nearly three times larger than the previous one, where automation has doubled capacity to 3,000 parcels per hour. The investment strengthens the regional network that includes Long Island City, Hauppauge, the Bronx and Queens, improving volume distribution among sites. A direct connection between the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky hub and Newark airport will further reduce transit times, while other centres will continue to operate via JFK airport.
Sal and Tam sign air cargo deal in China
Sal Logistics Services has signed a partnership with Hong Kong-based Tam Group to boost air freight operations between Saudi Arabia and China. The agreement, signed on 30 October 2025 during the Transport Logistic Southeast Asia fair in Singapore, marks Sal’s first international expansion. The goal is to enhance trade connections between the two countries by developing air cargo networks and meeting the growing demand for logistics services, particularly in e-commerce. The partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Vision 2030, which aim to position the Kingdom as a global logistics hub. According to Sal CEO Omar Hariri, the collaboration will give Chinese businesses access to the Saudi market and leverage the Kingdom’s geographical position as an international distribution platform.
First LNG bunkering in Trieste
The Port of Trieste has carried out Italy’s first liquefied natural gas refuelling operation for a containership. The LNG carrier Ravenna Knutsen from the Edison group bunkered the CMA CGM Salamanque, operating in the Mediterranean. The operation, conducted at Molo VII and managed by Trieste Marine Terminal, was made possible by the new “Regulation for ship-to-ship bunkering of LNG and bio-LNG”, approved by the Trieste Harbour Master’s Office on 23 October 2025. The regulation now permits operations at any time, including night hours, expanding the port’s operational capacity and competitiveness in the alternative fuels sector. The Harbour Master’s Office noted that the refuelling was carried out under maximum safety and environmental protection conditions, strengthening its role in managing port energy technologies.
First caisson of Genoa’s new breakwater sets sail
The first large reinforced concrete caisson for the new outer breakwater of the Port of Genoa has departed by sea from Vado Ligure. The block, named C54, measures 66.82 metres long, 33 metres wide and 33.7 metres high, with a base area of over 2,200 square metres—the equivalent of an eleven-storey building. It will be installed in the port’s waters, where it will form one of the main elements of the new protective barrier. The arrival of C54 marks a key milestone in the project schedule, which foresees the installation of over forty similar structures to complete the breakwater.
