02

Australian first: airfreight exports outweigh imports

by Sam Collyer 11:05AM, 02 Apr 2009

Pacific Adventurer master to face Queensland spill charges

by Rob McKay 11:05AM, 02 Apr 2009

Sinotrans may replace Heung-A in CKA consortium

by Rob McKay 11:06AM, 02 Apr 2009

NCIG fails to meet deadline for Hunter coal agreement

by Sam Collyer 11:06AM, 02 Apr 2009

Shippers avoiding financially-susceptible lines

by Lloyd's List in London 11:06AM, 02 Apr 2009

NSW flooding closes rail line, disrupts coal shipments

by Sam Collyer 11:06AM, 02 Apr 2009

Record grain exports from Western Australia

by Sam Collyer 11:07AM, 02 Apr 2009

BHP on notice over Pilbara worker deaths

by Rob McKay 11:07AM, 02 Apr 2009

Kimberley LNG hub pivots on April 15 agreement

by Rob McKay 11:08AM, 02 Apr 2009

Matthew Flinders refloated at King Island

by Rob McKay 11:07AM, 02 Apr 2009

New deal gets expansion plans back on the tracks

The backing of Japan's international trading house, Marubeni, will allow rail leasing firm CFLC Australia (CFLCA) to look at enlarging and diversifying its business, managing director Ian Gibbs said this week.

New world order: lines bail out

The Australasia-Europe Trident service will be restructured by May instead of next year, container line Hamburg Süd said.

Efforts to squeeze more from Port Botany

Sydney Ports Corporation has moved to allay fears that the cost of moving containers through Port Botany will increase under changes being implemented this year.

What you clicked on

The most popular stories from www.lloydslistdcn.com.au last week

Funds for NSW and SA level crossing upgrades

The federal Government has pledged more than $56m towards level crossing upgrades in New South Wales and South Australia as part of its $42bn economic stimulus package.

Japan gas market leak will hurt shipping

Two of Australia's long-term liquefied natural gas customers have confirmed plans to reduce their import volumes, putting pressure on an already over-tonnaged sector of the shipping industry.

Lines push up trade rates

Mediterranean Shipping Co has become the latest carrier to announce rate rises in Australian trades, advising customers that exports from Australia and New Zealand to North and East Asia will increase by US$50/teu and US$100/feu on April 15.

CargoWise edi slams e-commerce go-slow

Freight software provider CargoWise edi took a swipe on Monday at countries and companies resisting what it describes as the “paradigm shift” to automation of the global shipment documentation process.

News in brief

Container trade woes catching up with Fremantle

Still some work to do in covering the paper trail

E-commerce providers are moving on swiftly with paperless trading initiatives even as transport and logistics players sound a note of caution on the ability of the industry to advance in this direction.

Third ship fails safe testing

Another ship carrying ammonium nitrate was detained in Newcastle after maritime authorities declared her unsafe.

Port Kembla courts Chinese investment

Reclamation work on Port Kembla's outer harbour expansion will begin early next year as part of a plan to fast-track the development.

Quarantine fees hike threatens exporters

The federal Government decision to scrap a subsidy on quarantine certifications has annoyed the horticultural export sector amid concern it could force some growers to close up shop.

Melbourne smiles on younger face of shipping

With the quest for youth in the freight industries ongoing and concerns about an ageing workforce high, signs of interest by younger participants are much sought after in the sector.

Neftegaz-67 legal dispute delays trial

The trial of four seafarers involved in Hong Kong's worst maritime disaster for nearly 40 years was adjourned last week after a legal dispute that could see criminal charges against the men substantially reduced.

Treatment of Chawla and Chetan was `regrettable'

Two seafarers stuck in South Korea over the Hebei Spirit tanker oil spill lied and manipulated voyage data recorder information, according to the head of the country's shipping register.

Deadline for grain slots

The deadline for Western Australian grain exporters to apply for the second round of shipping slots at the four CBH Group terminals passed last week.

Fifth of new panamaxes for chop

At least 19% of the total 511 panamax bulk carriers on order will be cancelled in the next four years.

Japan slips from oil lead

China was expected to take over from Japan as the largest Asian crude oil importer, as new refinery facilities open and to push refining capacity up to 1.2m barrels per day this year.

Mariners name 2008 outstanding achiever

The Company of Master Mariners of Australia has presented leading maritime identity David Sterrett with its 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award.

Pirates in two-day attack spree

Somali pirates last week added a second tanker to the vessel hijacked a previous night, bringing the number of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden since last Wednesday to at least four, the International Maritime Bureau has confirmed.

China copper deals bring dry bulk hope

Rising copper imports to China could be an indication that industrial production is on the increase and demand for commodities will rebound in the near future.

Cosco chief dates dry bulk recovery

The head of Chinese shipping giant Cosco Group says the dry bulk market will recover by the second half of 2009, but remains less confident about containership prospects, partly because of the US protectionist trade stance.

Time to turn off the bad news

We have all sorts of earnest injunctions, handed down from earlier generations, about “not shooting the messenger”, but I am beginning to get a sense of public impatience at the media's remorseless pursuit of the negative during these difficult economic times.

Trial by Media

The real facts surrounding the container loss from the Pacific Adventurer will not be known until detailed reports from the various government agency enquiries become public. That is very likely to take some time.

West Side Story A tale of boom and bust

Five years ago, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles were quite literally bursting at the seams.

Hold put on repairs pending inquiries

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) was still waiting on a revised plan from Swire to move the holed Pacific Adventurer , a Transport Queensland (TQ) spokesman said at deadline this week.

Reefers scrapped as boxships win favour

Reefer vessels will continue to lose market share to containerships during 2009 as more tonnage heads for demolition, a leading analyst has predicted.

US box trades recovery likely delayed to 2011

One of the key drivers of an eventual recovery of the container trades is unlikely to kick in before 2011.

Global shocks fail to ground air giant

Lufthansa Cargo, the world's number two airfreight carrier, was surprisingly upbeat at its annual results conference, given the circumstances.

Hapag-Lloyd to slash spending

Hapag-Lloyd, Germany's leading container carrier, is set for a massive cost-cutting program that will see it save some US$360m this year.

IMO emissions plan under fire

The International Maritime Organization's formula for determining the efficiency of a ship, and thus the carbon dioxide it emits, is in danger of becoming too complex, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

IMO review of piracy legislation

Arrest and prosecution of pirates remains extremely difficult and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is conducting a review of the legal situation, secretary- general Efthimios Mitropoulos said.

Lay-up lairs get scarcer

Finding space to lay up increasing numbers of containerships, bulkers, tankers and other vessels could become a big issue, with fewer benign locations than during the last major industry downturn in the 1980s.

London Gateway project at risk

DP World is “reviewing all the numbers” for the 3.5m teu capacity London Gateway project but still hopes to make it happen.

Maersk finds new scope with two-stroke fuel

AP Moller-Maersk said it has proved that two-stroke engines can operate at much lower loads than previously thought, opening the way for huge fuel and environmental savings.

. . . and further questions

An emissions trading system for the maritime industry will not work if it is not linked with other industries, the Greenship Technology conference heard.

Baltic Exchange chair

Mark Jackson of Athens-based AM Nomikos has been confirmed as the next chairman of the Baltic Exchange after serving as Michael Drayton's deputy for two years.

Big rise in Lloyd's marine premiums before credit crisis

Gross written premiums within the Lloyd's of London marine sector were up 9% to £1.3bn (US$1.9bn) last year, although the recent strong performance is under threat as economies contract, according to Lloyd's latest annual report.

Hutchison braced for tough year ahead

Falling trade volumes at Hong Kong and other Asian ports is set to make 2009 a “more challenging year” for Hutchison Port Holdings, according to parent company chairman Li Ka-shing.

Nigeria rivals Somalia for attacks on ships

Attacks on vessels off the Nigerian coast are going unreported and could exceed those occurring off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, International Maritime Bureau divisional director Michael Howlett has warned.

NYK in drastic profit revision

Nippon Yusen Kaisha has lowered its net profit forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31.

Offshore news in brief

BDI could fall 40%

OPINION: LNG fleet off the boil

AN AIR of quiet desperation appears to be creeping into the liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping industry.

Owners wait for Brussels move

European Commission competition regulators have shown a clear understanding of market realities during the economic downturn which, shipowners hope, will be extended to a new regulation covering consortia agreements between container lines.

Syndicated loans gone

Severe doubts have been raised about the global shipping industry's ability to raise large amounts of capital, as shipping banks and owners declared that the syndicated loan market, a major source of funding, had “disappeared”.

Tanker owners seeing sharp rise in main engine failure

Incidents involving main engine failures are on the increase and have more than doubled during the past five years, according to independent tanker owners' organisation Intertanko.

CSCL suffers 99% profits slump

A slump in freight rates on transpacific and Asia-Europe routes led China Shipping Container Lines to post a 98.7% fall in net profit to almost Yuan43m (US$6.3m) last year, down from Yuan3.2bn in 2007.

Port of London cargo hit 17%

The Port of London's volumes rose by 0.4% to 53m tonnes last year, putting it in a strong second place among UK ports by tonnage handled, but the first months of 2009 have seen volumes crash by 17%.

TT Club's premium in doubt

TT CLUB, the maritime and land transport mutual, does not expect insurance rates to harden until 2010 at the earliest, as this year's hoped for upturn failed to emerge.

Up for scrap: in the defence of beaching ships for recycling

The beaching method for ship recycling has been successfully practised for several years along the 10 km long beach at Alang, which has a very high tidal gradient, leaving vessels out of the water during low tide.

Certainly . . . . . . uncertain

This time last year carriers were celebrating a solid performance in the trade with southeast Asia. Imports were still booming, exports were recovering, rates rising slowly and the true pain of runaway bunker prices yet to be inflicted.