NATIONAL NEWS

Hutchison to berth

HUTCHISON Port Holdings says there is more than enough room for a third major stevedore in Australia, with volumes expected to be “more than booming” by the time its Brisbane and Sydney operations come online.

New year resolution: rate rises all round

CARRIERS appear to be trying to maintain peak import season momentum with new year rate rises in a number of trades.

IMO still carrying the ball after Copenhagen

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) looks likely to control the shipping industry’s emissions reduction strategy for 12 months at least after climate-change negotiations ended at Copenhagen on Friday.

Santos hearing adjourned

THE FIVE-day committal hearing for Pacific Adventurer master Bernardino Gonzales Santos has been postponed by two months, a Swire spokeswoman has confirmed.

Protesters disrupt Newcastle coal exports

COAL exports from the port of Newcastle were disrupted for six hours on Sunday when protesters blocked access to the Kooragang Coal Terminal. Twenty-three people will appear in Newcastle Local Court next month after being arrested and charged with a range of offences. The group was protesting what it saw as a failure to reach a legally-binding agreement at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Australia and Denmark disagree on crew fatigue

THE DANISH Maritime Authority has rejected an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) assertion that a six-hours-on/six-hours-off crew roster could lead to dangerous seafarer fatigue, an ATSB fatality report released last week reveals.

Now coastal shipping hits industrial relations squall

JULIA Gillard’s push to have international ships engaged in coastal trade subject to Australian workplace conditions appears to have hit the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) speed bump.

Swire takes strategic control of Consort

THE SWIRE Group has taken majority control of Papua New Guinea’s Consort Express Line after buying half of Lutheran Shipping’s shares.

Jebsens wins WA coastal contract

NORWEGIAN shipping company Jebsens is looking for suitable tonnage to work the Western Australian coastal run after winning the tender vacated by Sea Corporation (Seacorp).

Coastal shipping moves subject to further delay: draws frustration

AUSTRALIAN shipowners have aired their concern at the pace of shipping policy reform, given that the Federal Government has further delayed its long-awaited response to a key report on coastal shipping in Australia.

More offshore strikes as politicians join the fray

THE MARITIME Union of Australia (MUA) national secretary, Paddy Crumlin, has defended the union’s industrial action in the oil and gas sector, as a four-day strike targeted Total Marine Services (TMS) over the weekend.

Asciano debt deal clears decks for new strategies

ASCIANO has paid off debt due in May and will have no further repayments for 30 months, the rail and ports firm said this week after a deal with its banks.

IATA sees positive signs after aviation horror decade ends

THE INTERNATIONAL aviation industry is expected to record a US$5.6bn net loss next year, but the news for the Asia-Pacific region is upbeat.

Newest Australian ro-ro operator locks in Chrysler

THE NORTH American Pacific Asia (NAPA) service, owned jointly by Melbourne firm Praxis Logistics and Norway’s Partner Shipping, has cemented its relationship with the Chrysler Group in a deal to carry vehicles to Pacific Rim destinations, Praxis said last week.

Brazil trades up to her potential

IS IT now officially the “age” of Brazil, with the charismatic and populous South American nation picking up the rights to host both the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and of course the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016?