09

Maersk crew fights back: pirates overpowered

by Sam Collyer 12:46PM, 09 Apr 2009

Tottenham-Dynon rail upgrade opens

by Rob McKay 12:46PM, 09 Apr 2009

Push for Federal backing as freight action plan wins support

by Rob McKay 12:47PM, 09 Apr 2009

Bunker Convention comes into force in June

by Rob McKay 12:47PM, 09 Apr 2009

Dry bulk sentiment up as China iron ore imports peak

by Lloyd's List in London 12:47PM, 09 Apr 2009

QR price hike forcing freight to the roads: Opposition

by Sineva Toevai 12:48PM, 09 Apr 2009

Coal industry agrees on long-term Newcastle port plan

by Sam Collyer 12:48PM, 09 Apr 2009

Origin's $35bn deal music to Queensland's ears

by Sineva Toevai 12:48PM, 09 Apr 2009

Lloyd's List DCN Newswire back on Tuesday

by Lloyd's List in London 12:49PM, 09 Apr 2009

Hapag-Lloyd to restructure regional offices

by Lloyd's List in London 12:49PM, 09 Apr 2009

BHP on notice over deaths

The Western Australian Government has taken the “unprecedented step” of issuing stop work notices at BHP Billiton's Pilbara work sites for any future breach of workplace conditions.

Sinotrans may replace Heung-A in CKA group

Sinotrans Container Line was likely to fill the breach left by Heung-A's withdrawal from the CKA consortium, according to industry speculation from China.

An Australian airfreight first as exports move to outweigh imports

Australia exported more airfreight than it imported in January, according to statistics from freight consultants MariTrade.

Austal wins big vessel order

Australian vessel maker Austal has secured its second large vehicle ferry order in less than a week. Austal will build a 107-metre vehicle and passenger catamaran for Maltese operator Virtu Ferries.

Expanding rail fleet for AWB

AWB has taken a step towards modernising aging grain rolling stock, putting 84 new wagons on eastern Australian rails, the agribusiness said this week.

Fee-free penalties aim to highlight missed targets

Stevedores and road transporters will from next week begin to get a feel for a regime of penalties due to come into effect for Port Botany's landside operation.

GrainCorp solo on accumulation

GrainCorp will sell its half of the grain accumulation joint venture with trader Cargill Australia. Australian Grain Accumulation Services will be wholly owned by Cargill while retaining its name and GrainCorp will form a new grain accumulation team, GrainCorp said last week.

Hunter coal deal should close this week

A long-term action plan for future access to the Hunter coal chain was due to have been signed this week, with BHP Billiton still assessing its position at press time on Tuesday.

Northline buoyed by booming Broome

National freight company Northline has opened a 22,500 sq m depot in Broome after receiving twice the expected demand within 12 months of launching its Darwin express freight service, the company said last week.

Vehicle sales take a dip in March

The global economic downturn contributed to first quarter new vehicle sales falling 19.2% from the same period last year.

Jobs plan for island seafarers

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has backed the training and employment of seafarers from poorer neighbouring countries in Australian waters.

Confronting rail's inconvenient truth

More freight is moving by rail than in 1996 when plans first emerged to encourage four in every 10 containers onto the tracks. But despite a substantial increase in the use of rail, the mode's share of Port Botany's freight task appears to have temporarily stalled.

Master well-treated as oil spill matter goes to court

Despite the charge against him, Queensland authorities have treated Pacific Adventurer master Bernardino Santos in quite a civilised manner.

Australian ports riding out global box crisis

Perhaps “fallen off a cliff” might be a touch melodramatic but there seems little doubt that the economic downturn has given container throughput a beating recently.

Beaching all in a day's work for island trader

The grounding on a King Island beach last week of Southern Shipping's ro-ro ferry Matthew Flinders III with 283 head of cattle aboard must have tested director Geoff Gabriel's sunny disposition.

Forty years of container trade

A group gathered last week to celebrate the arrival 40 years ago of the first container ship in Sydney.

WA lifts freight policy

The nation's west appears to be reading from the same national transport plan page, given the topics discussed by the new Freight and Logistics Council of Western Australia

What you clicked on

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

A SHORE THING? Is now the right time to jump ship?

It is all very well drawing up a game plan for your inevitable and richly-deserved step-by-step ascent from first job ashore to the boardroom, but as you will undoubtedly have noticed, there is a major global economic downturn.

Nice work if you can get it . . . and you can

It sounds surprising, given the way announcements of widescale redundancies are coming in thick and fast in every major developed economy.

Canada, US lead on pollution plan

Rajesh Joshi

Singapore port chief steps down

Tay Lim Heng will step down as chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) next month after four years at the helm.

Asia-Europe container rates slip up

Container lines are managing to squeeze some small rate increases out of their customers in the Asia-Europe trades, the first positive news for the industry in months.

EU set for talks on consortia rules

Container lines pressing for changes to draft consortia rules may have one last chance to lobby Brussels after a surprise intervention by European Union member states.

Filipino crews face fight to stay in work

In contrast to the relatively rosy job situation for those with the right skills, Filipino seafarers could be facing an employment bloodbath.

Increased fears of more idle boxships

Unemployed containership tonnage is poised to soar in the coming months as lines return surplus chartered vessels to their owners.

Irish port traffic declines 20%

Ireland's faltering economy – once the Celtic Tiger of Europe – saw the volume of traffic handled at southern Irish ports fall by 20% in the second half of last year, returning to levels last seen in 2005.

New figures show Gulf increasing in danger

Pirate activity off the coast of Somalia surged in March with 15 reported incidents.

Seafarer unions have wage fears

Shipping employers have sent unions an unequivocal message that seafarer salary increases are off the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) mechanism agenda as far as they are concerned, and salary cuts may even be sought.

Trade credit `all but collapsed'

Trade credit has “all but collapsed” according to a survey by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Scrap moves to boxships

Bulk carrier operators are losing scrap metal cargoes to container lines, with shippers predicting that the shift will be permanent.

Landside pay and openings still buoyant

The shipping jobs market is proving resilient in the face of the global economic downturn, according to a new survey compiled by a leading maritime recruitment concern, which underlines that employers are still recruiting and high calibre candidates are still coming forward.

Lines promised canal toll cuts

Shipowners that have been boycotting the Suez Canal because of high transit fees expect to be offered some concessions before the end of the month.

Pirates step up spree

A bulk carrier owned by UK interests was seized by Somali pirates on Monday, according to the website of the European Union's Maritime Security Centre (MSCHOA), which did not identify the vessel.

Baltic to launch new index

The Baltic Exchange is poised to launch the Baltic Dry Tradeable, a new composite index of bulk carrier time charter rates, designed for freight derivatives trading.

French yacht captured

A French-flagged yacht with four crew members has been captured by pirates off the north-eastern coast of Somalia.

Shanghai's port issues dire warning

Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), which operates China's largest container port, has warned that 2009 will be “the toughest year in recent memory for the port and shipping industries”.

Shippers boycott container carriers

Global shippers are boycotting some container lines because of the risk of failure after a carrier-driven rates war that has pushed some to the brink of bankruptcy.

Singapore denies port blockages

The Singapore authorities have hit out at suggestions that its anchorages are congested with idle vessels, which could impact on navigational safety.

Crew face jail over new Baltic oil spill

The master and chief engineer of the ropax vessel Finneagle , which leaked fuel oil in the Baltic Sea, could face a six-year prison sentence.

Court to decide on QM2 disaster

A French appeal court prosecutor has called for suspended prison sentences against individual defendants accused of responsibility for the walkway collapse on the site of construction of the Queen Mary 2 in which 16 people died and 29 others were injured in November 2003.

Pirates to persist beyond 2011

Somali piracy could continue until 2011 or longer, and is likely to get worse before it gets better, a seminar was told last week.

Best ever exports from West Australia

Chronic delays to Western Australian grain export movements in recent months have been explained in part by news the state exported a record 1.54m tonnes in March.

Cereal supply chain dilemma

Getting the right mix of infrastructure is a “significant” challenge for the grain supply chain, according to ABB Grain logistics and supply chain manager Tim Krause.

Seeds of doubt as grain futures sown on barren global prospect

The grain industry is unlikely to see any significant improvement in the next 12 months as a weak global economy dampens demand for most commodities.

OCL to celebrate 40 years in May

A reunion will be held on May 2 to mark the 40th anniversary of Overseas Containers Limited's (OCL) first container vessel into Melbourne, the Encounter Bay , which arrived April 6 1969.

Rail waffle is not making progress

Dear Sir,

MSC marks 20th anniversary

Members of the shipping and maritime communities gathered at a function last week to celebrate the arrival 20 years ago of Mediterranean Shipping Company's first vessel in Australia.