INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Judgment a liability precedent?

ARTICLE IV rule 2(a) of the Hague-Visby Rules protects a carrier in respect of loss or damage arising or resulting from “act, neglect or default of the master, mariner, pilot, or the servants of the carrier in the navigation or in the management of the ship”.

Insurers weigh risk of bigger ships

BIGGER ships and larger cargoes have ensured that shipping and its customers in recent decades have enjoyed ever-larger economies of scale – but for marine insurers this growth in size has brought increased risks and exposures.

Private equity eyes shipping

Shipping has become an attractive sector as firms prepare to swoop to acquire undervalued assets, reports TONY GRAY

Globalisation stumbles

The forces of globalisation have been pulled up short by the economic crisis. The western dominance of shipping will be the biggest casualty in the long term, writes Mike Grinter

Asia seizes the moment

IN THE face of a global economic meltdown Asian governments acted quicker and with more monetary largesse than counterparts in the US and Europe.

Learning the ropes – lines boost safety

A TUG, her crew, and her towlines, are a working relationship that is constantly put to the test. The nature of their business and the working environment is hard on towlines and in return, handling the ropes can be hard on the crew.

Sector salvages hope despite downturn

Tug orderbooks remain buoyant until 2010, writes Jack Gaston

Engine makers cutting staff and focusing on after-sales

MAN Diesel and Wärtsilä are both looking to strengthen their after-sales service activities as the ship engine manufacturers struggle to make efficiencies in a “substantially weakened” global maritime market.

Rotor tugs use radical design for strength, flexibility

WHEN the new rotor tug, RT-Rob, left the yard of Niigata Shipbuilding and Repair in Japan after extensive trials, it marked another advance for the ‘rotor tug’ brand incorporating the unique triple Z-drive propulsion system. RT Rob is the first of a series of vessels to be built to a new innovative RT80-32 blueprint resulting from close collaboration between designers KST in Rotterdam and operator Kotug International.

Rotterdam signals cargo recovery

ROTTERDAM, Europe’s largest port by volume, believes cargo volumes will recover during the fourth quarter of 2009 and strengthen in 2010.

Downturn takes big toll on Hong Kong throughput

HONG Kong recorded double-digit falls in container and cargo throughput in the first three months of this year as the global slump took its toll on China’s export led economy.

China stimulus boosts ports

CHINESE ports have seen a significant rebound in cargo volumes for three consecutive months since March as a result of the country’s stimulus package.

Nine-tenths of trade by sea’ is just myth

NEW research from Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit (LMIU) shows that the widely used statistic that 90% of global trade is carried by sea is inaccurate and that the real figure is about 75%.

Ransom demands soar to astronomical levels

SOMALI pirates are squeezing bigger ransoms out of shipowners as they become savvier negotiators and some victim companies remain in the dark about the going rate, experts say.

Maersk backs US$12bn worldwide bunker levy

AP MOLLER-Maersk and the Danish shipping industry, which transports a 10th of all international trade, have lent their backing to a global bunker fuel levy that could raise up to US$12bn a year.

Developing nations key to recovery

DVB Bank head of shipping Dagfinn Lunde has issued a bullish forecast of increasing demand for shipping, but warned that protectionism, a potential banking collapse and massive oversupply all still threaten recovery.

Hong Kong green light

TRANSPORT officials in Hong Kong are pressing ahead with plans to build a tenth container terminal costing US$1bn, despite the slump in container volumes.

Scheme repeats errors

THE DANISH levy scheme is “very similar” to a previous initiative that left out items critical to its success, according to an expert on sustainable shipping.

Box lines face unthinkable as rates head back towards zero

CONTAINER lines have just a few weeks to reverse the slide in Asia-Europe freight rates or risk going out of business.

Brussels lays out plan of action on emissions

THE EUROPEAN Commission has draft plans in development to reduce shipping carbon dioxide emissions unilaterally if the International Maritime Organization (IMO) fails to agree an acceptable international strategy next month.