Weekly Edition 17th December 2009

CROSSING OVER - Concerns as QR looks to privatised future

THE PROPOSED privatisation of QR could compound losses being made by Queensland’s grain industry, the state’s rural lobby, AgForce, said this week.

Receiver throws in towel after Mannway fight for survival

RECEIVER Ferrier Hodgson will spend the next few months selling the assets of ill-fated transport and logistics group Mannway, which will cease to exist tomorrow.

Customs clearing cargo quicker – report

THE CUSTOMS and Border Protection Service’s second Time Release Study (TRS) has revealed significant improvements in import handling times.

Newcomer planning to fill Bell Bay gap

JUST months after ANL and Toll consolidated their Bass Strait operations due to overcapacity a new Melbourne-Bell Bay service could be launched as soon as the end of January.

Smit pulls first Australian contract

INCUMBENT Svitzer and the aggressive PB Towage have been outmanoeuvred by Dutch giant Smit in winning a new five-year exclusive towage licence for the port of Gladstone.

Europe trade slides further down

 

Pay impasse threat to WA ports

 

Rail must engineer personnel revolution to cope with future

FUTURE upgrade and maintenance works on freight rail lines across Australia were at risk of major setbacks because of the alarmingly thin supply of rail engineers available to complete the various projects, industry experts say.

Modal shift also needs change of approach

LEADING logistics figures have called for an overhaul of what they see as outdated operational and pricing limitations which have contributed to congestion and added unnecessary costs to supply chains.

ARTC identifies shorter inland rail route

THE AUSTRALIAN Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will look to an alternative route for the proposed inland rail link between Victoria and Queensland, the below-rail governing body said last Friday.

Mariana links Cairns to Darwin-Asia loop

MARIANA Express Lines will link Cairns to its existing KSA Express service which calls at Townsville.

Sydney Ports profits down despite record export figure

DESPITE a pre-tax profit drop of almost 40%, Sydney Ports Corporation has bucked the global trend, setting a record for full-containerised exports.

Patrick’s empties removal record at Port Botany

PATRICK’S Port Botany container terminal moved a record 2180 empty containers for Maersk over a three-day period earlier this month.

Bulker detained, awaits report

THE BULKER Hai Xiang, which lost her port anchor on a bunker call at Gladstone last week, was detained.

Miners back take-or-pay plan for Wiggins Island

QUEENSLAND coal producers have given formal support to an operational plan for the new Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal.

NSW court finds shipowner is liable for injury to stevedore

Ruling comes despite stevedore having power to suspend operations on safety grounds, writes DAVID OSLER

Indian bulker awaits court direction

THE GEM of Safaga, an Indian bulk carrier arrested in Port Kembla last month, was to be the subject of a directions hearing in Sydney on Monday.

Fire aboard Maersk Duffield

THE 4,112 teu Maersk Duffield was involved in a second incident in a month when a fire broke out in her engine room last Thursday.

Albany’s oldest berth back in operation

RESTORATION work on the port of Albany’s oldest working berth has been completed.

SDV acquires Europacific

BRISBANE-based Europacific Forwarding has been sold to SDV Australia, owned by France’s largest transport and logistics company, Bollore Logistics.

Hubs the key to Melbourne transport plan in the works

 

Paper cuts to hurt Bass Strait trade

A DECISION by paper manufacturer PaperlinX to close its Wesley Vale mill near Devonport in Tasmania and part-close its Burnie mill will have a significant effect on the shipping and transport industry.

A new age approach to debt collection

Few banks have pulled the plug on struggling clients so far, although there are signs that this may change. But is the traditional ship arrest and auction the best solution? JULIAN MACQUEEN reports

London arbitrators see sharp rise in case levels

SEVERAL of London’s maritime arbitrators have closed their appointment books, as others conduct hearings at weekends to cope with what industry leaders said would be a “substantial increase” in business for 2009.

Dubai bailout boosts global markets

ABU DHABI’S US$10bn bailout to cover the immediate debts of state-owned Dubai World led to stock market rises in London, Berlin and Paris on Monday.

Seaspan decides to subsidise super-slow steaming program

SEASPAN chief executive Gerry Wang has announced a Christmas present for all his charterers: the company is ready to spend up to US$2m in 2010 to cover part of the costs incurred by super-slow steaming of its larger containerships.

Maersk throttles speed on more routes

MAERSK Line is reducing ship speeds on more trade lanes following ample evidence that shippers recognise the benefits of slow steaming and have suffered very little disruption to their supply chains.

Narayan remains at DP World

DP World, the Dubai-based global port terminal operator, has confirmed that its chief financial officer will not be switching to its debt-laden parent, Dubai World, as previously announced.

Evergreen cuts hit revenue

EVERGREEN Marine, Taiwan’s largest container shipping company, said capacity cutbacks introduced to mitigate the slump in freight rates were partly responsible for a 29.6% drop in revenue in November.

Oversupply fear for smaller capes

MASSIVE oversupply looms for the smaller capesize bulk carrier sector by 2011, with the global fleet facing a surplus of up to 241 vessels.

One in six newbuildings delayed, says BIMCO

DELIVERY of one in six newbuildings has been delayed during the last three months, research by BIMCO found. An analysis of the 5,705 ships on order that could be identified by hull number showed that out of around 800 containerships, delivery of 20% had been deferred.

Seeking solutions for the beleaguered box sector

As owners struggle to solve overcapacity issues, 2010 looks like another hard year, reports STEVE MATTHEWS

No status quo as capesize market heads ‘deeper and down’

CHARTERERS have emerged victorious in the run-up to the approaching holidays as capesize rates on all major trades slumped last week.

Box carriers go online to raise public profile

GLOBAL containership operators have revamped their public awareness campaign launched two years ago with a new website that will be managed by the Washington-based World Shipping Council (WSC).

DP World denies Sokhna sale

DUBAI Ports World has refuted suggestions that its controlling interest in the Egyptian port of Sokhna is up for sale and that its planned US$1.3bn expansion of the port has been frozen.

Chinese shipyards’ output predicted to soar in 2010

JIANGSU Rongsheng Heavy Industries, China’s largest privately-owned shipbuilder, said the number of vessels it will deliver will increase from 16 this year to 30 ships in 2010.

Boskalis raises funds for Smit merger

ROYAL Boskalis Westminster has raised €230m (US$339.2m) through a €25.50 per share placing to help finance its €1.4bn merger with Smit Internationale, the fellow Dutch maritime services provider.The payment for and issue and delivery of the shares was set to take place on December 15, Boskalis said.

China urged to expand shipyards

CHINA is well positioned to step up production and overtake South Korea as the world’s largest shipbuilding nation at a time when its closest competitor is struggling to fend off demands for order cancellations.

France goes green with new maritime policy

THE FRENCH Government has initiated a research and development program entitled Ship of the Future as part of a series of measures to mark its adoption of an integrated maritime policy covering all maritime and marine activities for the first time.

Indonesian firm in new bid for Norway target

INDONESIAN shipowner Berlian Laju Tankers will launch a revised takeover offer for Norwegian shipping group Camillo Eitzen early next year, after failing to secure approval from Indonesian market regulators for its initial plan.

All-time high of 2008 gives way to uncertain times for ocean trade

SEABORNE trade reached an all-time high last year as activity in the sector seemingly shrugged off the credit crunch and the banking crisis, according to an annual survey from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Number of idled boxships hits new high in low season

A RECORD was reached last week when the size of the idle containership fleet reached 11.7% as lines continued to withdraw services in anticipation of lower demand over the course of the northern winter.

Suez Canal revenue continues to fall

SUEZ Canal revenue last month fell 13% to US$365.5m, down from US$419.8m in the same month of 2008, an Egyptian state website has reported.

MOL brings ro-ro trio back into service

JAPANESE line MOL is reactivating three car carriers that had been laid up, in response to improved market conditions, but other operators said the move is premature.

Höegh encouraged to scrap eight of its ships as steel prices rise

HIGHER secondhand steel prices are encouraging car carrier owners to consider scrapping older tonnage in China.

Larger ships in line for long-term recovery

THE RESURGENCE in the shipping markets is set to continue into the first half of next year with a stronger, longer-term recovery in larger ship types, a number of top Asian shipping executives said last week.

South China thermal coal demand prods Pacific rates

RISING demand from south China for imported thermal coal boosted the Pacific supramax market last week, with rates set to rise further as the winter season continues.

ExxonMobil awards PNG marine contracts

Partners in the Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas project have started handing out contracts for the marine work on the new LNG export terminal, just a day after making the decision to invest US$15bn in the development.

Hunter coal plan cleared

THE AUSTRALIAN Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week formalised its support for a capacity system being introduced in the Hunter coal chain from January.

DI could jump 15% in 2010

THE BALTIC Dry Index, the main measure of commodity shipping costs, may jump 15% next year, aided by a recovering global economy, according to STX Pan Ocean.

IMO fight for control of Copenhagen CO2 cuts

Mitropoulos tells Copenhagen climate conference that the IMO has already initiated a series of measures designed to reduce emissions from shipping, reports Craig Eason

Pressure grows on shipping to improve its carbon wake

Commercial interests from outside the maritime industry are looking to see tighter environmental regulations applied across the sector, writes CRAIG EASON

Sponsor’s charity hole was favoured port of call at CBFCA Golf Day

LAST month’s CBFCA New South Wales Golf Day was a great success with another capacity field of 144 participating in spectacular conditions at The Coast, Little Bay on November 25.

Throwing the book at abandoned cargoes

BETWEEN September and late October 2008, a total of five 40ft containers over three bills of lading and different vessels originating from India were discharged for delivery in Melbourne.

Master admits blame for Tongan sinking

THE MASTER of ferry Princess Ashika, Viliami Tuputupu, has admitted he was negligent in allowing the vessel to sail, knowing it was not seaworthy.

Union asks UK to alter non-payment ransom stance

BRITISH Government insistence that ship operators should never cave in to Somali pirate ransom demands has restarted a long-running row, with leading shipping industry interests insisting that it is the only practical way of securing the release of captured seafarers.

EU Navfor to extend piracy patrol area towards India

WIDER RANGE: EU Navfor vessels SPS Numancia and HLNMS Evertsen.

Casualty Briefs - 17th December 2009