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Lawsuits over shipping contracts pile up for Fortescue

by Daniel O'Leary 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

Greek group sues Fortescue for US129m over charter

by Daniel O'Leary 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

Centrex says Wisco deal to see capesize bulk port built

by Rob McKay 11:04AM, 18 Dec 2008

ACCC gives Newcastle coal export lifeline

by Sam Collyer 11:04AM, 18 Dec 2008

Tendering to decide hit list of NSW grain rail lines

by Daniel O'Leary 12:04PM, 18 Dec 2008

NZ bans Australian tomatoes

by Daniel O'Leary 12:01PM, 18 Dec 2008

ATA urges owners and operators to vote in its elections

by Daniel O'Leary 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

Start soon on new Bunbury port link

by Daniel O'Leary 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

Capesize rates up as Chinas appetite for ore returns

by Daniel O'Leary 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

BBI gains rail debt payment extension

by Rob McKay 10:27AM, 18 Dec 2008

Supertanker ransom struck as pirates make a killing

by Lloyd's List Correspondent 11:02AM, 18 Dec 2008

Ombudsman finds road transport slow on payments

Queensland's road transport industry has been found to be one of the worst performers in terms of meeting basic workplace laws.

Small firms protected in Newcastle deal

Smaller coal producers will be protected from any capacity squeeze at the port of Newcastle by new conditions introduced as part of the industry proposal approved last week.

Tripodi oks new coal terminal for Hunter

After 12 months of indecision and years of stalling, it seems all the Hunter coal industry's wishes have come at once.

Up, up and away with e-freight air

Logistics heavyweight DHL estimated last week that e-freight air shipments had grown to about 1% of all airfreight movements just a month after the International Air Transport Association (IATA) went live with the system in Australia.

Users slugged for access

Despite broadly welcoming the Victorian Government's Freight Futures and Victorian Transport Plan documents, the road haulage industry was always wary of the devil in the detail – and with reason.

ACCC rejects DBCT queue management plan extension

Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal will go into 2009 without its successful queue management system in place after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission rejected a proposal to extend its use.

An opportune time to reject heavy boxes

Calls for every container to be weighed at the dock gate before being allowed onto the quayside would have been dismissed as ridiculous and unworkable 12 months ago.

Aussie beef fends off US challenge in South Korea

Australian beef in South Korea had remained strong, despite the re-entry of US beef into the market, Meat & Livestock Australia said this week.

Aussie chief brands ruling cruel, unjust

The Australian Shipowners Association has joined the international industry outcry.

Containership drags anchor in Melbourne, damages pipe

ExxonMobil Australia was working through pipeline-repair options on Monday after stormy weather on Saturday caused the 3,534 teu APL Sydney to drag anchor in Melbourne.

Continued Port Kembla expansion, investment urged

Port Kembla Port Corporation chairman Nick Whitlam has urged investment and expansion projects to continue, despite the global economic downturn and China's revised growth rate.

Hebei Two impact feared

Shipowners have warned that the jailing of a captain and his chief officer in South Korea last week will deal a serious blow to efforts by the global shipping industry to attract young people to the industry.

Industry welcomes $1.2bn rail boost

Unlike the emissions White Paper, there were very few brickbats in response to prime minister Kevin Rudd's $1.2bn pledge last week for the upgrade of rail infrastructure in NSW and Victoria and roads in all six states.

Iron ore cheers

Renewed chartering activity to China from Australia's iron ore producers last week was driving up capesize rates from record lows.

Maunsell gets Enfield project

Sydney Ports Corporation said this week that it had selected leading design consulting firm Maunsell for the $150m intermodal logistics centre at Enfield.

Officers `held in filthy cells'

Families who visited the two jailed Hebei Spirit officers last week found the two men held in allegedly “filthy” isolation cells, without basic amenities.

Rio Tinto axes 14,000 amid crisis

Rio Tinto shares surged on news last week it would axe 14,000 jobs and was reportedly looking to shed itself of its majority-owned uranium and coal operations.

BHP Pilbara exports continue to slip

BHP Billiton exported its lowest amount of iron ore in nine months during November, according to figures on the Port Hedland Port Authority website.

Cashing in on remnants of mining boom

Australia made an extra $7bn from its mineral resources in the September quarter, but the record result is expected to be the last for some time.

Kogas bid for stake in LNG fields

Korea Gas Corp (Kogas), the world's single largest buyer of liquefied natural gas, is seeking stakes in gas fields in Australia and other countries to ensure a flow of stable supplies.

Banks come to canal party

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has signed terms with five banks for a US$2.3bn debt package for the expansion of the waterway in spite of the sharpest contraction in credit for more than 70 years.

Challenge to end the shambles of port planning

National port planning in Australia is a shambles. It was left out of any consideration through the AusLink process, a bit like planning a wedding without the bride.

Expanding trade while saving emissions

Bankers praised the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) for its expansion project, saying it combined what would seem contradictory objectives.

Limbering up for tough year

For the first time in many years, Australia's mining companies have to stretch a bit.

Pod design gives a push in the right direction

Podded propulsion is commonly recognised as a breakthrough in ship propulsion.

QM2 pod woes join lawsuit

A protracted legal battle has been kick-started in the US over the quality of the Mermaid pod propulsion system, after Carnival joined Royal Caribbean in suing Rolls-Royce and its partners over alleged defects that caused it to suffer material losses on the Queen Mary 2 .

Royal Caribbean says it will continue with transits

Royal Caribbean Cruises is set to continue sailing through the Gulf of Aden despite the recent surge in pirate attacks in the region.

Passengers taken off Gulf cruise

German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten will no longer operate vessels carrying passengers through the Gulf of Aden.

Germany refuses to pay for pirate rescues

The German government has warned cruise operators not to sail near the Somali coast any more, arguing that the risk of pirate attacks and kidnappings is too high.

HK, Singapore feel the pinch

The global financial tsunami and the resulting slump in world trade have taken their toll on Hong Kong and Singapore after both ports reported a drop in container volumes last month.

Liability warning for EU military

Putting European Union military guards on vulnerable vessels in the piracy-prone Gulf of Aden may raise liability problems from an insurance viewpoint, a shipping source warned.

Maersk sticking to cash for new projects

Danish shipping and energy giant AP Moller-Maersk is cutting or postponing all non-committed investment proposals as bank lending dries up and the group relies on its own cash flow to fund future projects.

Michelin calls for hearing on EU consortia

French tyre manufacturer Michelin has backed calls for a public hearing on liner shipping regulatory changes after voicing concerns over certain revisions to proposed European Union consortia rules.

What to do with 23 Gulf pirates?

The Indian Navy was all at sea about what to do with the 23 pirates and the large cache of arms captured by missile destroyer INS Mysore during anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, the Times of India reported.

3 died on hijacked tanker

Somali pirates had released the Greek chemical tanker Action more than two months after she was captured, Bloomberg reported.

Customs ignores court

More than two weeks after a court ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to release immediately product tanker Morlap Trader (2,907 gt, built 1972) to her owner, after undue detention for 10 months in Port Harcourt, the service has refused to obey the order.

No food for eight days

The Aruba Red Cross, together with the voluntary rescue organisation SARFA, has in the past week provided food and water to general cargo Reina (9,641 gt, built 1981), which has been anchored seven miles off Oranjestad, in the Netherlands Antilles, since November 27.

Hair we go again as men of Maersk mask upper lips

This select group of brave Maersk Australia staff members abandoned their razors for a month to help change the face of men's health and grew moustaches for the men's charity event Movember.

Here comes the bride

She was simply looking her best.