INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Green game for gains

THE development of technical solutions to the shipping industry’s environmental challenges has been gathering pace as a number of important regulatory deadlines loom.

Wave of interest in blue sky thinking

ALTHOUGH no one expects the diesel engine to be replaced just yet, there are some useful proposals that have gone beyond the design stage, with experiments having proved that shipping can reduce its dependence on oil.

MISC to quit Asia-Europe trade route

MALAYSIAN line MISC caught its partners by surprise on Friday with a decision to quit the Asia-Europe trades and resign from the Grand Alliance.

Still box gloom for HK

BOX volumes through Hong Kong showed a slight month-on-month recovery in April, but throughput was still down more than 20% compared with a year earlier, according to latest official figures.

Volume down at Los Angeles, Long Beach

LOS Angeles and Long Beach continue to demonstrate that the recovery in world trade is still to begin, with both ports posting steep declines in containerised imports for April.

Brokers face litigation over falling ship prices

SHIPBROKERS have been warned of increased litigation over how they value ships in a falling market.

Australia urges caution as IMO approves new recycling rules

THE International Maritime Organization’s ship recycling convention was adopted by 63 member delegates to the IMO’s diplomatic conference in Hong Kong on Friday, despite last-minute concerns over the entry-into-force criteria.

Convention slammed for legitimising beaching of ships

HUMAN rights, labour and environmental organisations strongly criticised the Hong Kong ship recycling convention immediately after it was approved on Friday.

Last stage of MSC Napoli clean-up gets under way

AN OPERATION to finally rid the UK coastline in Lyme Bay of the remaining stern section of the container ship MSC Napoli has begun.

Hebei Spirit pollution claims to top 100,000

THE number of claims resulting from the Hebei Spirit oil spill in December 2007 is expected to top 100,000, the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund has estimated.

Box lines wear big rate cuts

US IMPORTERS squeezed double-digit rate cuts out of container lines during this year’s round of transpacific negotiations, a top industry executive confirmed last week.

Hapag-Lloyd’s UK staff pay out on redundancy

HAPAG-Lloyd landside staff in the UK are accusing the company of reneging on a generous redundancy clause in their employment contracts, as bosses seek to push through an unspecified number of job losses in Britain.

Tui spill play fails

OHN Fredriksen’s attempt to increase his influence in Europe’s largest tourism company, Tui, has failed.

Where next for breakers?

Ship scrapping may be big business now, but with a newer fleet and stricter controls on the cards, where will the recyclers’ market lie?

IMO rejects campaigners’ call for ban on beaching

GREENPEACE, Friends of the Earth, human rights and labour groups have failed in their attempt to get the beaching of ships outlawed in the International Maritime Organization’s ship recycling convention.

Owners urged on Malacca funds

SHIPOWNERS need to contribute more to the voluntary fund for navigational safety in the Malacca Strait, Nippon Foundation chairman Yohei Sasakawa, who has hinted at a mandatory system in future, said.

US ships required to have guards

OPERATORS of US-flag ships sailing off the Horn of Africa will be required to post security guards on board under a beefed up maritime security regime introduced by the US Coast Guard (USCG).

Motherships ‘behind attacks’

PIRATE motherships have begun coordinating their attacks on merchant shipping off Somalia, according to the European Union’s naval force.

Maersk, NOL profits gone

HUGE losses were reported by two of the world’s top container lines last week following the catastrophic collapse of freight rates in the early weeks of the year.

K Line delays 10% of newbuildings

K LINE has delayed the delivery of about 10% of its 155 newbuilding orders as it seeks to reduce supply in the container and car carrier businesses.

Andersen warns of box line failures

CONTAINER shipping faces a long recession that will force some lines out of business, AP Moller-Maersk chief executive Nils Andersen has predicted.

Braemar brokers beat heat with top results

BRAEMAR Shipping Services has reported record annual results, with pre-tax profit increasing 10% to £16.2m (US$24.7m).

Kidnap and ransom insures 51% boost

AN UPSURGE in demand for kidnap and ransom (K&R) cover has helped global insurer Hiscox notch a first quarter 51% increase in sterling-measured gross written business.

Levene calls for business solution to Somali piracy

LLOYD’S chairman Lord Levene has urged global business to lend its clout to a pan-East African response to quell piracy off Somalia.