Weekly Edition 23rd of July 2009

Piracy taskforces must be given greater powers

SIR, Without repeating the comments that the effect piracy has had on world trade in respect of costs, increased freight rates, lost sales as well as the impact it has had on the lives of the poor seafarers who have had to endure this, it is high time that this is taken up at the highest level at the International Maritime Organization where an international resolution must be taken to allow the international taskforces far greater power than they currently have.

Puntland president vows to address its piracy problem

Northern Somali region asks for outside help to prevent more attacks

Fears grow for crew of Hansa Stavanger

Hostages held by pirates at inland stronghold are “rapidly losing the plot” Captors threaten to kill crew if ransom not paid

Pirates release German cargoship

GERMAN-owned general cargoship Victoria, captured by Somali pirates last May, was released on Saturday morning, according to a statement from the European Union’s Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa.

Delta’s Sydney air strike

DELTA Cargo, a division of the world’s largest carrier Delta Air Lines, has identified a number of business opportunities that it hopes will boost the volume of cargo handled on its Sydney-Los Angeles route.

SAL opposes Gillard coastal shipping work laws move

SHIPPING Australia (SAL) has rejected federal workplace relations minister Julia Gillard’s push to bring coastal permit ships under Australian industrial law.

Trouble brews as opponents of infrastructure sell-off mobilise

PORT charges would face upward pressure once ownership of the port of Brisbane changed to private hands, Australia’s peak shipping line representative has warned.

Delta threat to make its mark in air cargo

SYDNEY is a “strategic” market for Delta Cargo, vice president Neel Shah told Lloyd’s List DCN.

Crude oil predicted to ‘rebound for 2010’

THE International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global oil demand will rebound next year, recovering from the fastest drop since the early 1980s, as the world economy emerges from its slump.

Pacific Adventurer saga: taking it to the Swire

CONCERN in international shipping circles has begun turning to the regulatory outlook following yesterday’s expected meeting between Swire Shipping and Queensland premier Anna Bligh over Pacific Adventurer clean-up costs.

Townsville port likes new-look housing block

PORT of Townsville has welcomed plans to relocate a planned residential waterfront complex near the port to at least 1 km from its seaward mineral loading berths.

Importers face more rate rises

HOT on the heels of a rate recovery program on North and East Asia-Australia routes, carrier groups have announced imminent increases in two other inbound trades.

WWL Oceania celebrates first 10 years

WALLENIUS Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) celebrated its 10th anniversary this month, expressing confidence that it would ride out the current economic downturn.

Postponed truck fee will help NSW operators, says ATA

NEW South Wales roads minister Michael Daley’s decision to postpone an increase in truck registration fees until January 1, 2010, will go a long way to assist trucking operators, according to the Australian Trucking Association (ATA).

Break up of Allco fleet is underway

THE ICE started to break in Allco fleet sale saga last week, with Tufton Oceanic buying 50% of Allocean Charters (Singapore) from receiver Ferrier Hodgson.

TT-Line strategy gets thumbs up

National Sea Highway Group (NSHG). The lobby group was responding to Tasmanian media comments by TT-Line chief executive Charles Griplas that the ferry firm had chosen a more proactive approach in the face of the global financial crisis.

Marine forwarder’s sails trimmed for choppy seas

TOUGH times have seen forwarders with limited knowledge and experience trying to enter the marine logistics market, Peters & May Australia managing director Dean Sharples has warned.

Opposition blasts lack of progress on port of Melbourne land plot

THE PORT of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) has defended the remediation process on port land in Yarraville after an attack by Victorian opposition leader and ports spokesman Denis Napthine.

Rail firms in loco, parts deal

UNITED Group (UGL) and GE Transportation have signed a series of 10-year agreements for the sale and distribution of locomotives and associated technology and services in Australia, UGL said last Friday.

Shipping, logistics in green box seat

Innovation to the fore as industry seeks to improve its credentials in huge swathe of technical areas, writes Keith Wallis

How class societies are seeing the light

LEADING classification societies have been proactive in developing green innovations in a holistic drawing board-to-scrap-yard approach.

Agility will put down footprint

AGILITY Logistics has embraced green innovations throughout its operations worldwide in an effort to improve its environmental credentials and lower costs in the supply chain.

FedEx delivering hefty emissions cuts with hybrids

THERE has been growing interest among the public and logistics companies in the use of hybrid vehicles to reduce emissions and cut oil consumption.

K+N in gloomy outlook as rate rises predicted to fail

GLOBAL freight forwarder Kuehne+Nagel predicts that container lines on the Asia to Europe trade will achieve no more than 50% of their recently proposed box rate increase.

NOL reports further box rate declines

HOPES that freight rates for containerised cargo had stabilised appear to have been dashed after Neptune Orient Lines disclosed another considerable lurch downwards.

Fears growing for crew

FEARS are growing for the mental health of four seafarers from hijacked German boxship Hansa Stavanger, who have been detained by pirates deep within Somali territory for several weeks while being subjected to death threats and other ill treatment.

Lords slam government approach on ransom cash

ANYONE in the UK putting together a ransom payment to Somali pirates should obtain official permission before handing over the money, simply as an anti-terrorist precaution, writes David Osler.

Ready . . . asset . . . go!

The face of Queensland infrastructure is in for big changes as the state prepares for privatisation on a grand scale.

Grand rail network back on track

From Melbourne to Mt Isa, Banana to Bowen and out to the wild, wild west, they are planning big things in Queensland.

Freight volume up, QR blows fuse

A RIFT between Queensland Rail (QR) and its regional customer base has emerged in recent months, sparked by a barrage of public criticism toward the state-owned rail company following lax service-levels, poor communication and fear over the government’s intended sale of rail assets.

Movements, mergers in bulk commodities

NORTH Queensland’s bulk commodity ports of Hay Point, Mackay, Abbot Point and Weipa have been joined together under a new single ownership structure, the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation.

State merges two departments to focus energy on transport

THE DEPARTMENT of Transport and Main Roads was committed to connecting Queensland under a new-look business structure, director-general David Stewart told a Shipping Australia Limited lunch in Brisbane this month.

Government commits to new marine simulator

THE QUEENSLAND Government was committed to investing in a new marine simulator training facility, guests at a recent Shipping Australia Limited lunch heard.

Sichem Peace crew freed

SIX seafarers abducted from an Eitzen chemtanker and held hostage for nearly three weeks by militants in the Niger Delta have been released, according to a statement from EMS Ship Management.

TT Club backing Rotterdam Rules

TRANSPORT insurer the TT Club has waded into the 11th-hour row over ratification of the Rotterdam Rules, lending its support to the global liability regime.

Earnings tumble in big suezmax slump

SUEZMAX owners have seen the price to ship West African crude to the US drop to a record low of W37.5, or around US$1,500 per day.

Tanker rates warning

TANKER rates will not improve until 2010, according to General Maritime chief financial officer Jeff Pribor.

MOL to slash costs

MITSUI OSK Lines announced last week that it would slash costs further than originally targeted.

Reduced China ore imports bring third-quarter rate fall

CHINA’S “shock and ore” fiscal stimulus package boosted freight rates in the first six months of 2009, but two new reports forecast average bulk carrier rates to fall in the third quarter.

Bluescope to ramp up steel production

BLUESCOPE Steel will restart its No.5 blast furnace at Port Kembla Steelworks next month after demand for steel improved and international prices for hot rolled coil increased.

Mineral sands output slumps

ILUKA Resources mineral sands production declined in the June quarter as the global economic downturn forced the company to restructure its production operations.

ABB ready for record Ardrossan shipments

AGRIBUSINESS ABB Grain’s non-grain specialist shipping terminal, Ardrossan, was preparing for its busiest period on record with 30 ships lined up in the next two months, the company said.

Rio Tinto denies agreement with China

RIO Tinto has rejected claims it agreed a 33% cut in prices with China’s steel mills.

Rival derivatives screen plan

THE LONDON Metal Exchange (LME) last week confirmed “exploratory discussions” were under way with major freight derivatives traders to establish a central screen for the US$155bn market.

Cosco cancels bulker orders to own yards

CHINA Ocean Shipping Group companies have axed close to US$300m worth of bulk carrier newbuildings ordered at their own shipyards in China.

Crew wage talks stalled but not ‘confrontational’

INTERNATIONAL Bargaining Forum (IBF) talks between shipowners and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) are at an impasse, with employers seeking a 10% cut in overall reward packages and unions pushing for an increase, key figures from the shipowner negotiating team said.

China ports assets swap on cards

GUANGDONG provincial government-owned port and shipping conglomerate Chu Kong Shipping Development is looking to purchase its parent group’s port assets in a bid to revive its business.

OECD defers shipbuilding competition discussions

SHIPBUILDING nations are not ready to restart negotiations on an anti-subsidy agreement despite Japanese and European concerns about the level of support being given by the Chinese and South Korean governments to their national shipbuilding sectors.

US ports see slight box rise

RETAIL import box volumes at the major US container ports climbed back above 1m teu in May for the first time in four months, but the sector continues to see double-digit declines compared with last year.

Negative view on NYK, MOL

A NEGATIVE view of prospects for Japan’s leading deepsea shipping companies has been issued by Moody’s Investors Service, a leading credit rating agency.

Ferry accident prompts bulkhead safety review

A REPORT by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) recommended revision of International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea regulations on watertight bulkheads, following an accident on the Transeuropa ferry Eurovoyager last year.

New concerns over Southampton crane collapse

The cab of DP World Southampton’s crane six, seen after its collapse on to the deck of NYK Themis last week.

Gem of Madras arbitration finds settlement

THE bulk carrier Gem of Madras, held since last month in the US, was set to be released last week after one of the underlying cases was settled via arbitration in London.

Help going out to the world in painted boxes

IS THERE any end to the uses of the humble shipping container?

Armed response Pirate attacks double

PIRACY attacks more than doubled in the first half of the year due almost entirely to attacks off Somalia according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), writes David Osler.

Rat’s tale: are rodents a dangerous cargo?

Damages claim for US$2m hinged on Hague Rules definition, writes Andrew Meads

Casualty Briefs - 23rd July 2009