Two Europe-based shipping lines reportedly have stopped booking containerized scrap shipments to China.
Container shipping firms Hapag-Lloyd and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) reportedly have indicated they will no longer accept scrap metal or paper as cargo to ports in the People’s Republic of China.
A report on the New York-based Maritime Logistics Professional website indicates Switzerland-based MSC announced in early June that it would stop accepting such shipments, while Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd has set a Sept. 1 deadline for accepting scrap cargo to China.
The online report indicates a mid-June Hapag-Lloyd notice makes references to a law passed in April in China that will take effect in September. That law, according to this notice, “holds carriers and importers responsible for the return and disposal of ‘solid waste’ that fails to meet import requirements.”
The same notice uses language that puts secondary commodities into the “waste” category, including “cargo such as waste paper, waste plastics, waste metals, waste chemicals, etc.”
The shipping line announcements add one more layer of confusion to a scrap import landscape in China that has been opaque and confusing for buyers, shippers and traders alike throughout the first half of 2020.
Agencies of China’s central government have indicated at various times that they will ban all scrap imports at the end of 2020, but they also lowered the tariff on nonferrous scrap shipped from the United States in April. China’s government may reclassify some types of nonferrous scrap as resources rather than “waste,” and that they are considering doing the same for some types of ferrous scrap.
But in mid-June, Chinese government agencies raided several recycling facilities and issued statements again indicating hostility to imported secondary commodities, referring to them as “illegal trash imports.”
Recyclers are increasingly reluctant to ship even high-grade copper and aluminum scrap to China until its government puts the new “resource” designation in place, and shipping lines are now showing the same disinclination.
“The lack of transparency and definitive lines of regulator responsibility are very difficult to discern, which only adds to the opaque nature of the present situation,” Michael Lion tells Recycling Today. Lion is a trader with Hong Kong-based Everwell Resources Ltd. and is chair of the International Trade Committee of the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR).
Says Lion of the potential new resource categorization for high-grade nonferrous scrap, “As of this moment [there] appears to be no definitive timeline for the new regime to commence; this may have abundant reasons, not least the [lack of] implementation procedures and necessary training to undertake them.”
Another Hong Kong trader said his contacts have told him the nonferrous scrap as a resource specification has been published, but customs agency personnel are not fully briefed on it. Scrap buyers in China “are nervous to commit” as of late June, he adds, but they still think high-grade copper and aluminum scrap will eventually be upgraded to a resource category from a “waste,” possibly as soon as early July.
Some China-based metals producers have invested to melt scrap in Southeast Asia so they can instead ship ingots to China, and two recent investments announced in the United States—one in North Carolina and the other in Ohio—would increase its ability to melt more of its own copper scrap domestically.
In the paper sector, Hong Kong-based Nine Dragons Paper Ltd. is among the companies with operations in China that have invested to convert scrap paper sourced in North America into a pulp product it can ship into China.
Six governors joined other state officials and private-sector stakeholders for a virtual summit to explore partnerships to finance and maintain vital infrastructure in the midst of COVID-19.
The National Governors Association (NGA) held a virtual summit this week to discuss ways to finance the nation’s infrastructure projects. Six governors joined other state officials and private-sector stakeholders to explore partnerships to finance and maintain vital infrastructure in the midst of COVID-19.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam joined Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan during the virtual meeting that served as the fourth regional stakeholder summit for Hogan’s NGA Chair’s Initiative, Infrastructure: Foundation for Success.
“Governors of both parties are calling for large-scale federal investments in our nation’s traditional infrastructure systems, including not only roads, bridges, transit, and aviation systems, but also substantial investment in our energy, water, broadband, and cybersecurity infrastructure,” Hogan said in a release.
He added, “This investment will put people back to work immediately and improve our long-term economic recovery by ensuring that America has the best infrastructure in the world to support businesses and economic growth.”
During the stakeholder summit, governors led a pair of panel discussions on leveraging private sector investments and how governors can help ensure that their states have access to the full range of infrastructure financing options.
As reported by Transportation Today, much of the focus was on public-private partnerships (P3s) and the possibility of expanding their role in the sector. In particular, Ducey led a panel that focused on maximizing returns, citing examples of successful P3s in his own state, including the largest highway project in Arizona’s history: the South Mountain Freeway project.
Completed last year, that project finished three years ahead of schedule and saved Arizona $100 million.
P3s were found to have a similar positive effect in Virginia, aiding projects on I-66, I-95 and I-395, as well as rail projects like the American Legion Bridge over the Potomac River. Northam was reported saying the state has relied heavily on its relationship with the private sector to move forward. To continue that momentum, he noted that states need to think outside the box, take advantage of federal aid and innovate in transportation investment.
On a second panel Bullock, Gordon; IFM Investors Executive Director Tom Osborne, and Macquarie Managing Director David Agnew discussed tailoring projects to states’ specific needs.
Bullock noted that sustained investments are needed in infrastructure, coupled with cooperation between the government and private interests. That said, projects like a toll road across I-90 in rural Montana might be significantly less effective than in other, more populous states.
“We have to be thinking beyond the traditional,” Bullock said. “Far too often when we think of public-private partnerships, we just think in terms of roads.”
The program aims to maximize job site safety and productivity.
Brokk, Monroe, Washington, a leading manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition machines, offers on-demand, personalized training options for Brokk customers. The offerings allow contractors to provide crews with operational or mechanical training from an experienced Brokk technician on-site or through Brokk’s Demonstration and Service Center in St. Joseph, Missouri. According to Brokk, the flexible options—including curriculum, location and single- or multiday durations—offer customers continuing educational opportunities that fit their teams and unique applications to increase safety, productivity and machine utilization.
“To help our customers ensure they are using their Brokk machines in the safest, most efficient way possible, our technicians provide in-depth, hands-on training with on all new and used machine purchases as well as rental machine startups,” says Lars Lindgren, president of Brokk Inc. “And as we expand our presence in North America, we’ve been able to go a step further and offer continued training options. Maybe that means coming to the job site for an operational refresher course with new hires or a one-on-one mechanical course at our St. Joseph facility. The enhanced training options allow contractors to design a curriculum that maximizes their Brokk experience.”
According to Brokk, customers can tailor training to focus on either machine operation or mechanics, depending on their needs and applications. All curriculum includes a combination of hands-on and classroom training by one of six specialized Brokk technicians. These team members have years of experience using Brokk machines in a variety of applications and are assigned based on their specialties, including concrete cutting, process and foundry, demolition or service and repair. In addition to on-site training, the enhanced options can be designed to take advantage of the inventory and service facilities at Brokk’s Demonstration and Service Center in St. Joseph. The company adds that special arrangements also can be made through the Stanhope, New Jersey, distribution center and the company headquarters.
Th training curriculum will vary based on customer applications and crew requirements. A refresher course that covers key systems and components and touches on general job site procedures—such as daily inspections and control box protocols to maximize machine control and operator comfort—will be included in most customized courses. Additional training in areas such as key troubleshooting and error code analysis, as well as operation tips to increase production and reduce stress on the machine, also are incorporated to help operators integrate Brokk equipment into their applications and improve productivity, Brokk says. .
“Whether a contractor is new to Brokk or has been using a remote-controlled demolition machine for years, training is a continuous process,” Lindgren says. “Our machines have gone through numerous evolutions in more than 40 years. Training helps Brokk operators best use these cutting-edge innovations to improve their productivity and safety. Customers work one-on-one with our best technicians—some of them with more than 30 years of industry experience. For management, it provides an opportunity to better understand the equipment and recognize operator potential to maximize efficiency.”
For more information on Brokk training options, visit www.brokk.com. To schedule training, call 800-621-7856.
The new lease and rental division, Eco Rentals, will provide compaction solutions to businesses.
Epax Systems, Panorama City, California, has announced the formation of a new lease and rental division. Operating as Eco Rentals, the new division will focus on providing waste compaction solutions to businesses across North America. Leasing or renting equipment is an economical alternative that allows users to gain the benefits of compaction with no capital investment, Epax reports in a press release.
With a large inventory of new, demo and pre-owned equipment, Eco Rentals can supply a wide range of compaction equipment, including self-contained compactors, stationary compactors, vertical compactors, apartment compactors as well as horizontal and vertical balers.
In addition to conventional systems, the company also offers solutions for open-top containers and dumpsters with its line of Ropax Rolling Compactors. These unique compactors use a heavy rolling drum with large metal teeth attached to an articulating boom. As the drum rolls back and forth it crushes, rips, tears, macerates and compresses waste in the dumpster.
“Historically, interest in leasing and rentals surges in times of economic uncertainty,” says Stefan Nielsen, chief operating officer at Epax Systems. “We are happy to be able to accommodate the demand.”
According to Epax Systems, waste compactors can significantly increase the amount of trash that can fit in a container meaning fewer “hauls” by the waste disposal contractor and leading to significant cost savings.
Eco Rental systems can be installed anywhere in the continental United States. According to Epax Systems, shipping, installation, setup and routine maintenance are all covered in the monthly maintenance fee. Rental rates start at $235 per month.
IROCK Crusher dealer, IPE Aggregate, sells and rents the IROCK product line to Texas customers.
IROCK Crushers (IROCK), Valley View, Ohio, has recently expanded the territory of its dealer, IPE Aggregate, into Dallas and Houston. IPE Aggregate had most recently represented IROCK in parts of Texas and Mexico.
IPE Aggregate, McAllen, Texas, has been serving the aggregate, construction and mining industry for over 18 years. IPE and IROCK started their relationship in 2013 to sell and rent the IROCK line of mobile and portable crushing plants, screening plants and conveying equipment as well as provide parts and service to customers in the Southwest, IROCK reports in a news release.
“The team at IPE Aggregate has continued to provide exceptional service and parts to their customers, and we are excited about the prospects of an expanded territory,” says Nate Russell, director of sales and business development, IROCK.