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Heung-A suspends Australian service: by Sineva Toevai 11:09AM, 26 Mar 2009
Swire expresses regret to government over spill: by Rob McKay 11:10AM, 26 Mar 2009
BBI taps Macquarie to advise on Dalrymple Bay sale: by Rob McKay 11:10AM, 26 Mar 2009
Mariana Express launches new agency: by Sineva Toevai 11:10AM, 26 Mar 2009
Port Phillip Sea Pilots in Queenscliff lease negotiations: by Rob McKay 11:11AM, 26 Mar 2009
Stark numbers highlight Asia-Europe trade weakness: by Lloyd's List in London 11:11AM, 26 Mar 2009
Container trade woes catching up with Fremantle Ports: by Sineva Toevai 11:11AM, 26 Mar 2009
US import recovery could take until 2011: by Lloyd's List in London 11:11AM, 26 Mar 2009
Rio/Chinalco deal gets regulator clearance: by Sineva Toevai 11:12AM, 26 Mar 2009
90 Qantas managers to go as downturn bites: by Rob McKay 11:12AM, 26 Mar 2009
Derailment caused by wheel bearing failure: by LLDCN 11:12AM, 26 Mar 2009
Rail worker killed by steel spill: by Sineva Toevai 11:12AM, 26 Mar 2009
Protest halts port work: Anti-coal industry protesters blocked ships from entering and departing the port of Newcastle on Saturday.
Shake-up for Qld freight groups: The Air Freight Council of Queensland (AFCQ) will fold next week with its members to be transferred to the new Queensland Multimodal Freight Council (QMFC).
What you clicked on: The most popular stories from www.lloydslistdcn.com.au last week
. . . but not so gloomy for road transporters: While the truck-driving workforce has also been hit by the global situation, the outlook does not appear to be quite as gloomy as for shipping according to industry representatives.
Clouds form over stevedore jobs . . .: The Maritime Union of Australia warned that many more stevedoring jobs in Australia could be on the chopping block this year if the global financial situation does not ease soon.
GrainCorp in changes: Australian grain handler GrainCorp has reshuffled its ports, storage and logistics management.
India will be big in bulk: The global financial crisis would not take the heat off Australia's bulk supply chains in the medium term with strong demand from China and India expected to return, McKinsey & Company associate principal Joseph Tesvic said last week.
Keeping shipping from a recessionary safety slide: Ship operators will likely cut back on non-essential work on ships in a bid to save costs over the next 12 months.
Toll defiant in search for takeover targets: Toll has spread the news in the northern hemisphere this month that it has a strong appetite for takeovers despite the global economic downturn.
Fine for pilot-free transit: A Queensland court has convicted and fined the master of a Hong Kong bulker for sailing through parts of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park without a pilot.
Getting a lift: raising the MSC Napoli: Subcontractors engaged by Global Response Maritime have positioned 12 lifting chains under the wreck of MSC Napoli , as part of efforts to removed the remains of the containership from the Devon beach on which she was deliberately grounded in 2007. The chains were put in place by a subsea drilling system in less than three weeks, in what the company believes marks the first successful use of such equipment in offshore wreck removal. The drilling and positioning was undertaken by a joint venture consisting of Belgian company DISA and Netherlands-based Gebr van Leeuwen Boringen. Another subcontractor, Hapo International Barges, has mobilised the crane barge Missing Link, now acting as the main surface platform for the project team. With all lifting chains in position, the main operational phase will commence in early May.
Gorgon is closer to go ahead: There has been a further sign that the giant Gorgon liquefied natural gas project off Western Australia is close to being given the go-ahead, reports Lloyds List .
Expanding PBS will not privatise: Pacific Basin Shipping is on course to take delivery of the first of six ro-ro vessels in August as the Hong Kong-listed bulker operator remains committed to its newbuilding program.
New name offends opposition: The federal opposition has lashed out at the Rudd government's move to change the name of the Australian Customs Service.
Oakajee port and rail project rolls forward: Much excitement was generated by Western Australia's signing a state development agreement with Mitsubishi and Murchison Metals-backed Oakajee Port and Rail (OPR) project last week.
Oil spill Adventurer near ready for repair: Rob McKay
Relinking the chain: The Victorian Freight and Logistics Council's (VFLC) Freight Intermodal Efficiency Group says the timing is favourable to proceed with its Truck Optimisation Plan (TOP) in the context of investment taking place in channel deepening and rail infrastructure and the emergence of a freight network strategy for public assets.
Rio Tinto appoints chair: Mining giant Rio Tinto has named British American Tobacco's Jan du Plessis its new chairman.
Sinotrans increases services: Sinotrans Container Line plans to increase its Asia services this year, despite the global economic downturn.
. . . as mill exports slump: China is likely to switch back to being a net importer of steel products in March after more than three years as a net exporter.
China has too much steel on its plate . . .: Supplies of Chinese steel plate continue to rise, with new facilities due to open just as demand from the country's shipbuilders goes into a tailspin.
Tanker sector hits new low: Medium range tanker rates crashed to below US$4,000 per day last week, forcing owners to contemplate removing their tonnage from the market to join idling bulk carriers and containerships.
More new ship gloom: Newbuilding delays and cancellations are set to significantly increase as owners come under further financial pressure and vessel demand falls, Lloyds List reports.
Striding ahead: Ship quality set to improve: Marine insurers see opportunities for a marked improvement in quality for shipping due to the current crisis.
Will safety be upheld?: Will the global economic downturn mean a global shipping safety downturn as well? That fear is certainly shared by many in the industry.
Time for a clear focus: When the economy was good, the industry was too busy to look at implementing many innovative solutions, but now that the economy has nose-dived, tighter purse strings threaten to have the same effect.
Environment needs its own recovery: It could be seen either as a potential, or a further expense that shipowners could do without, but the raft of environmental rules being developed will need to be applied, and they need technological change.
Global bunkering: Replacing sulphur is high on the agenda: Shipping companies might well have taken umbrage at the size of their recent fuel bills, but not bunker companies.
2008: a black year: The financial crash dominated headlines in late 2008, but the year has also emerged as one of the worst in recent history for catastrophe losses.
Arctic `facing threat on scale of Exxon Valdez': An environmental catastrophe on the scale of the Exxon Valdez remains a threat to the Arctic region two decades after the tanker spilled 42m litres of crude oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned.
Boskalis says that after `best year' comes fall: Royal Boskalis Westminster achieved the “best year” in its history with a near €45m (US$59m) rise in net profit to €249.1m in 2008.
California containers slump in February: Container traffic handled by the southern Californian ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach collapsed last month as the Chinese New Year slowdown coincided with rapidly eroding consumer demand.
China looking to buy cancellations: Chinese bulk operators such as China Shipping Development and Sinotrans Shipping could be encouraged by Beijing to take on some of the vessels cancelled by foreign owners to support Chinese shipyards.
Chinese port queues ease after ore record: Congestion at China's iron ore ports has risen in the last three months, with 75 capesize and panamax vessels reportedly waiting to unload cargoes.
Cosco helmsman navigates troubled waters: ONE great helmsman greets another every time China Ocean Shipping (Group) president and chief executive Captain Wei Jiafu enters his office on the 11th floor of Cosco's headquarters in Beijing's Ocean Centre.
Maersk orders US$1bn cuts: AP MOLLER-Maersk is aiming to cut costs by a further US$1bn this year as the Danish shipping and energy group strives to secure its future.
French revolution in oil recovery: French container line operator CMA CGM says that its 11,400 teu newbuilding, CMA CGM Andromeda , will be the first containership in the world to be equipped with the fast oil recovery system from France's JMLD Ecologic Group, writes Andrew Spurrier in Paris.
Fresh wave of strikes stop ports: Cargo handling was brought to a standstill at leading French ports last week, as thousands of workers responded to union calls for a national day of action to protest at the government's handling of the economic crisis.
Global crash forces OOCL cull: Orient Overseas Container Line is set to reduce capacity by 20% by the end of this year as it redelivers chartered-in tonnage and suspends services in the face of a global crash in the container trades.
Cruising optimism: European Cruise Council chairman David Dingle remains optimistic about growth in the European cruise sector after latest projections showed an expected 10% increase in the number of cruise passengers in 2008.
Newbuild glut hits gas rates: Charter rates for liquefied natural gas carriers in the short-term market are coming under further pressure after falling sharply last year as a record number of newbuildings flooded the market, according to Poten & Partners, the leading New York-based shipbroker.
Sign of life in bulk shipping: The number of bulk carriers in lay-up at ports around the world has dropped slightly from a month ago, from 484 to 446, with 15 panamax and nine handymax or supramax-sized vessels resuming trading reports Lloyds List.
Russians guilty of oil spill: A French court has imposed a €350,000 (US$472,300) fine on the owner and master of a Russian general cargo carrier accused of deliberately causing pollution off the French Normandy coast, reports Lloyds List .
Staying below: The owners of crane barge Shovelmaster have presented the Canadian Coast Guard with another report recommending that the barge be left on the ocean floor off Nova Scotia.
Asia call for action on pirate attacks: Asian shipowners are worried that piracy could surge around the world as the economic downturn deepens.
Inquiry sinks: A union warned that “interdepartmental ping-pong” was preventing a public inquiry into the sinking of fire fighting tug Flying Phantom on the Clyde in Scotland in December 2007.
Four on trial in HK collision case: Four people will go on trial this week in connection with Hong Kong's worst maritime accident for nearly 40 years.
PDL vessel laid up by crankshaft: Pacific Direct Line has reported further engine problems to the 6,030dwt multi-purpose carrier Southern Pasifika after January's crank shaft breakdown interrupted schedules.
Predictions vs reality - only sure road to future: Predicted growth in truck numbers has been revised significantly downwards due to improved truck productivity.
Suez Canal revenues' new plunge: Suez Canal revenue and traffic levels last month both fell by around a quarter in comparison with February 2008, according to figures released by the canal authority.
Big scrap breaks out in Bangladesh ruling: The bombshell flung by the Bangladesh High Court last week, that all shipbreaking yards in the country without environmental clearance would have to close down within a fortnight, has caused chaos in the ship demolition sector.
Livestock carriers give fatigue ruling thumbs up: The Livestock and Bulk Carriers Association (LBCA) said an amendment to the New South Wales livestock carriers law was a step in the right direction.
No sharp turns for Mainfreight: New Zealand logistics and transport provider Mainfreight isn't looking to acquire any companies in the foreseeable future, according to managing director Don Braid.
Search for Centaur: Deep-sea specialist Blue Water Recoveries is to lead the search for the World War 2 hospital ship, Centaur.
Shipping golf challenge raises $300,000 for children's hospital: The outstanding support of the Sydney maritime community for the annual Shipping Industry Golf Challenge was officially recognised at a ceremony at Government House in Sydney last week.

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