03

14-metre boxships here `in a decade'

A prominent ports industry consultant has warned that Australian ports may have to brace themselves for considerably larger containerships entering the trade much earlier than envisaged previously.

FreightLink and allies stand firm over Darwin rail line

FreightLink's Adelaide-Darwin rail service is still a “more cost-effective” option than road transport, FCL Interstate Transport Services said.

MSC and Safmarine switching to new South African relays

Some of the last elements of MSC's April service revamp in Australia and New Zealand are now being put in place.

`No need for costings frenzy'

Victorian transport minister Peter Batchelor says the shipping industry and exporters should not work themselves into a frenzy over the question of who pays what for Melbourne's channel-deepening project until a more refined final estimate of the costs of the project are known.

SAL slams critics

Shipping Australia has attacked critics of the port of Melbourne channel-deepening project, claiming that some of their arguments “just don't stack up”.

Shortage of logistics skills critical

The near crisis-level skills shortage in the logistics industry was raised at the Australian Logistics Council forum in Melbourne last week.

UK business bolsters Adsteam's first half

Adsteam Marine has reported a 13% increase in after-tax profits in the first half to December 31, 2004, from $12.8m over $11.4m.

Victoria commits to fund part of work on channel

Victorian premier Steve Bracks has committed the State Government to funding part of the channel deepening project if it gets the environmental go-ahead, but he said an exact breakdown of costing has not yet been made.

Victorian Reliance incident a tale of mixed fortunes

The timing of the grounding of Bass Strait vessel Victorian Reliance last November could not have been worse from a trading point of view, Toll managing director Paul Little has conceded.

Anderson slams EU's decision to resume subsidising wheat

Deputy prime minister John Anderson has strongly protested against the decision by the European Union to resume export subsidies for up to 2m tonnes of wheat.

Coal companies plan merger

Austral Coal and Centennial plan to merge in the near future.

Nippon strikes while iron is hot

MARKET leaders who dismissed Nippon Steel's agreed price rise for iron ore supplies from CRVD as a one-off may have to eat their words.

Sheepmeat Council pushes for live exports

The Sheepmeat Council of Australia is pushing for the re-export of live sheep from Tasmania over the next two days.

Trade deficit out to $2.72bn

Driven by a 2% rise in imports, Australia's trade deficit widened by $307m in January to $2.72bn. Trade minister Mark Vaile said that while Australia is reaping the benefits of one of the greatest resource booms of the past century, the volume of resource exports could be even higher.

Cargo charters to Taiwan the next step

China is pushing for direct air cargo charter flights to Taiwan, China Daily reported.

Kiwis take over the round-world service

Air New Zealand is starting up a dedicated round-the-world cargo service at the end of March.

Rise in Tasman capacity hurting

Air New Zealand's cargo division says the oversupply of airlines on trans-Tasman routes has forced yields down and caused significant losses.

Aircraft `unsafe for years'

A structural failure that China Airlines had not repaired properly was the most probable cause of the midair disingration and crash into the sea of a 21-year-old China Airlines 747-200 that killed all 225 people on board in 2002, Taiwan investigators said.

UPS poised to expand China flights

United Parcel Service, the US freight giant, has won the tentative green light to expand its air cargo operations in China with three additional frequencies that will boost the number of weekly flights to 21.

A ship for all seasons

In 1966, the design team at Austin & Pickersgill worked night and day to produce a design that would prove attractive to Basil Mavroleon, who had declared his willingness to buy a couple of “economy” ships “if the price was right”.

Regulators in a soaring market

No-one who has been near a wharf in the last three years will be surprised at this month's trade deficit figures, the second-worse ever as Australians dig into the credit cards and home equity for every thing that China can stuff into an ISO box.

The art of marine casualty

I have recently marvelled at the appliance of science upon viewing a television advertisement in the UK for a new glue which will enable a 20 stone (127 kg) man to sit on a chair curiously affixed halfway up a wall.

`Blame UK Plc' for box delays

SOUTHAMPTON Container Terminals business development manager Derek Smith has slammed “UK Plc”, laying port congestion in Britain firmly at its door.

Bremerhaven expects 12,000 teu boxships by next year

WITH the ink barely dry on supposedly the first 10,000 teu ship order, Bremen's regional government has suggested a 12,000 teu giant will be calling at Bremerhaven as early as next year.

Congestion `likely to give way to over-capacity'

Despite today's congestion problems, over-capacity may be the position in two years time, Andrew Penfold from Ocean Shipping Consultants warned at the Zelus Port Congestion Solutions conference in Amsterdam.

Port jams `raise costs for shippers'

The president of the maritime council of the European Shippers' Council, Filip Beckers, is adamant that terminal congestion is a structural problem – a view in contrast to that of many industry consultants and experts.

Rates force box service re-think

RECORD time charter rates are posing an increasing problem to liner operators, Hamburg Sd chief executive Klaus Meves said.

High-tech gear no help at all

The Mexican federal attorney general's office is investigating whether the captain of a US academic research vessel violated any Mexican laws when his vessel ran aground and damaged a coral reef off the Yucatan peninsula.

Maritime Casualties

BARGE BREAKAWAYS,

Prosecutor asks for big fine

A French prosecutor called for a fine of “at least” E300,000 (US$397,000) to be imposed on the master of the Mitsui OSK tanker Atlantic Hero, which was accused

Steel standards could have saved 23 bulkers

TWENTY-three bulk carrier losses in cold waters over the past 20 years may have been avoided if minimum standards had been set for the steel commonly used for the side shell of ships, the International Maritime Organisation has heard.

US bears brunt of spill bill

The US Federal Government has assumed responsibility for damage claims arising from last November's Athos I oil spill in the Delaware River, authorities handling the response effort have announced.

Whistleblowers head home

The US legal system has netted three guilty pleas from crewmembers and a criminal fine of US$1m from the Greek owner of a bulker accused of committing and concealing water pollution offences during a port call in California in September.