30

Infrastructure investment still the best value, says ports chief: by Sam Collyer 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
ACCC to scrutinise wheat port terminal access: by Rob McKay 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
CMA CGM, Danaos sound note of confidence over boxship crisis: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Maersk says no to arming crews: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Seafarers get pay increase to sail in piracy zone: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Fortescue dips as production targets not achieved: by Sam Collyer 01:36PM, 30 Apr 2009
BBI soars after overseas ports sale move: by Rob McKay 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
BW Maritime cautiously optimistic on tanker recovery: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Plunging Chinese exports push CSCL into the red: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Shippers threaten OOCL boycott over container seal fee: by Lloyd's List in London 01:07PM, 30 Apr 2009
Brighton hub project under way Rob McKay: TASMANIA'S largest ever transport infrastructure project is on its way to becoming a reality with the first sod turned last week on the $243m Brighton Bypass and the Brighton Transport Hub.
Call for urgent upgrade of rail to move future grain Sineva Toevai: AUSTRALIA'S governments and the grain industry must join forces immediately to ensure the sustainability of the country's rail network, according to CBH Group.
Darwin ready to show off latest port plan Sineva Toevai: DETAILS of the Darwin Port Corporation's (DPC) infrastructure plans for its East Arm Wharf Facilities are likely to be released to the public in the next few weeks.
Gladstone coal delays after two trains crash Sineva Toevai: THE DELIVERY of coal to Queensland's port of Gladstone was brought to a standstill following the temporary closure of the Blackwater train system last week.
March jump in machinery, transport goods Sineva Toevai: THE IMPORTANCE of the transport sector to an Australian economy that the Reserve Bank has said was likely to be in recession has been underlined by new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures.
NSW claims bulk of $31bn cash splash Rob McKay: <p>AS AUSTRALIA waited on the Federal Government to officially release the Infrastructure Australia (IA) shortlist, infrastructure and transport minister Anthony Albanese said that $31.7bn in federal and state funding had been agreed.</p>
Old hands build new ro-ro service: IT IS PROBABLY not surprising that people behind the Australian and Norwegian companies set to launch a new Pacific triangle ro-ro service in early June (Lloyd's List DCN Newswire April 23) have connections to industry giant Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL).
Cruise Aussies safe after pirate attack Sam Collyer: THE CREW of an MSC cruise ship used guns and a fire hose to thwart a hijack attempt about 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast last Saturday.
Baltic Exchange suspends FortescueDale Crisp: FORTESCUE Metals Group has been suspended as a member of the Baltic Exchange in the first disciplinary action of its type in four years.
Box fee storm brewing Sam Collyer: THE COST of a seafreight import declaration appears likely to rise by more than 40% from July despite a considerable downturn in cargo volumes in what the import industry describes as the by-product of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service's (AQIS) inefficiency.
Three points for the great green triangle of the south Rob Mckay: THE GREEN Triangle Freight Action Plan will be a litmus test of Australia's ability to rationalise competing bulk export transport modes in the face of a growth in export demand.
Truck regos to rise 3.2%: AS AUSTRALIA waited on the Federal Government to officially release the Infrastructure Australia (AI) shortlist, infrastructure and transport minister Anthony Albanese said that $31.7bn in federal and state funding had been agreed.
Unions say crew underpaid: THE MARITIME Union of Australia (MUA) has claimed that a Greek ship held in Adelaide for repairs has underpaid its Filipino crew by about US$150,000.
Global steel production drops by 24 per cent: WORLD steel production fell by 24% in March, according to figures from the World Steel Association.
Papua New Guinea makes an LNG first: THE ExxonMobil-led Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas export project has received a major boost by reaching its first sales agreement.
Australian harvest to lose weight in 2010 Sineva Toevai: THE PRODUCTION of wheat is tipped to be slightly lower next financial year amid expectations rainfall levels will be poor in some parts of Australia, according to the National Australia Bank.
BHP move in spot market ore sale: AUSTRALIAN iron ore miner BHP Billiton is selling 28% of its ore output on the spot market after customers refused to pay contractual prices agreed last year.
BHP, Rio, Vale inject life into capsizes Keith Wallis, Singapore: THE CAPESIZE sector roared back to life last week, buoyed by the “Big Three” iron ore producers and smaller charterers.
Can politics give cars a jump-start? Craig Eason: CAR carrier operators are desperately waiting to see if government stimulus packages will kick start the car market again, or if they will have to continue releasing older vessels.
Echoes from history as piracy rears its head Richard Woodman, London: I CANNOT imagine the ordeal experienced by the Maersk Alabama master Richard Phillips.
Rigged:market has core choices Martyn Wingrove, London: THE RIG market is preparing for a deluge of new deliveries this year with US$22bn of offshore units due to leave yards by the end of December.
WIDDOWS' PIQUE Janet Porter: RON Widdows is spearheading efforts to avert a looming catastrophe in the transpacific container trades that would almost certainly sound the death knell for some owners and operators.
Boxships entering scrap at fast pace Janet Porter, London: CONTAINERSHIP demolition activity is increasing sharply as owners take whatever action they can to eliminate unwanted tonnage as cargo demand remains slack and freight rates stay close to rock bottom.
China drives up bulk but box lines struggle Keith Wallis, Hong Kong: CONTAINER lines are unlikely to achieve a profitable supply and demand balance in the next 12-18 months, while a recovery in dry bulk will be heavily reliant on China, an investment house has forecast.
Copycat concern Marcus Hand, Singapore: THE taking of hostages from a tanker by Nigerian pirates has sparked concerns that Somali pirates' activities are being copied.
Cosco profits fall 40% Mike Grinter, Hong Kong: CHINA Cosco Holdings, the world's largest bulk operator and sixth largest liner business, saw net profit plunge 40% during 2008.
Countries come good on aid to Somalia Justin Stares, Brussels: THE international community has pledged increased financial support for Somalia in the hope that law and order onshore will help end the scourge of offshore piracy.
FPSO order backlog falls 30% Toby Anderson, London: THE market for new floating production systems (FPSO) has frozen as a result of the slide in the global economy, according to US consultants International Maritime Associates (IMA).
Fredriksen turns up the heat in second shot at Tui chief: JOHN Fredriksen is ramping up the psychological pressure on Tui's management as the adversaries approach a second bruising battle at the German travel and containership group's imminent annual meeting.
Japan lines' woes: JAPAN's three largest shipping operators unveiled sharp falls in 2008 earnings, and predict worse to come in 2009/10, as profits are forecast to fall by up to 80%.
Logistics `tailspin' seen near bottom Roger Hailey, London: DEUTSCHE Post DHL, in its 2009 first quarter trade review, has suggested that the “tailspin” in the global economy may be “bottoming out” although volumes are still heading south.
Long Beach tackles trade slump with discounts: LONG Beach has unveiled a package of discounts, incentives, and deferments of proposed fees as a means to combat the current slide in trade.
Pac Basin overbooks Liz McCarthy, London: HONG KONG-based dry bulk operator Pacific Basin Shipping has overbooked its handymax fleet by 65% in 2010, as it anticipates a difficult freight market.
PM slams ransoms: NAVAL deployment is doing little to deter Somali piracy and shipping companies are perpetuating the problem by paying ransoms, the Somali prime minister has claimed.
Scrapping of LNG and LPG ships to rise Tony Gray, London: FURTHER scrapping of both liquefied natural gas carriers and the largest liquefied petroleum gas vessels has been forecast by one of the leading operators in the sectors, as spot freight markets remain under pressure.
Shipowners looking to loan alternatives Keith Wallis, Singapore: ALTERNATIVE ship financing sources, including bond issues and private equity, have started to take over from traditional bank lending to finance the newbuilding orderbook since the beginning of this year, financiers said last week.
Shippers alert on bankruptcy Roger Hailey, London: POTENTIAL container line bankruptcies are now on the “radar screen” of major shippers that are seeking risk management advice to protect their supply chains.
Slow steaming beckons as freight rates stay low Liz McCarthy, London: TANKER owners could return to slow steaming to cut costs as bunker prices rise and rates remain near 11-year lows, amid poor crude demand.
Asia car sailings plunge Michelle Wiese Bockmann, London: MONTHLY car carrier sailings from Asian car manufacturers have fallen by as much as 44% in March, and dropped by nearly half in the US.
Tokyo Gas to build world's largest LNG tank: TOKYO Gas has unveiled plans to construct the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank at a cost of ¥20bn (US$207m).
Asia car sailings plunge: MONTHLY car carrier sailings from Asian car manufacturers have fallen by as much as 44% in March, and dropped by nearly half in the US.
Hebei Two in `ping-pong game': THE Hebei Two have become caught in a game of ping-pong between South Korean courts, an Indian seafarers group has said.
Bangladesh to test ferry warning: A PROTOTYPE weather warning system is set to be tested in the latest phase of the joint Interferry and International Maritime Organization (IMO) initiative to reduce ferry fatalities in developing nations by 90%.
Two masters go on trial: TWO masters went on trial in courts in Sheffield and Lerwick in the UK last week following fatal accidents which resulted in the deaths of four crew members.
Bunbury eyes trade openings Sineva Toevai: THE PORT of Bunbury is making progress with its efforts to diversify the portfolio of commodities that were shipped overseas through its port.
Port future rests with infrastructure Sineva Toevai: ONE OF the key challenges faced by our regional ports at present is ensuring sufficient infrastructure to promote growth and boost efficiency.
Portland reels in changes but is seeing good signs Rob McKay: VICTORIA'S port of Portland has taken a severe hit in the first three months of the calendar year but was looking to roll with the punches as business began to stabilise.
Smaller ports find it tough to attract essential pilots Sineva Toevai: SOME regional ports have difficulty attracting marine pilots due to both lack of social infrastructure in more remote areas, as well the preference of many pilots to work in capital city ports.
Townsville is weathering adversity with strength: While southern Australian ports have had to deal with recessionary throughput downgrades, those in the north have had the weather to contend with too.
Recycling: we need a logical approach: I HAVE to say that I only once came in close contact with a “ship recycling facility”.

Personal tools

Sections

30

Document Actions