Weekly Edition 7th of May 2009

A bump in the day

THE COST of repairs to the Klein Point pier at Flinders Ports could run into six figures after being hit by a ship on Monday, chief executive Vincent Tremaine said.

Asciano signs big coal deal

ASCIANO has produced a strong card in the midst of its sale negotiations, revealing that it had secured a nine-year haulage deal with Macarthur Coal.

Green fingers: another day at the office for Fox and friends

IT WAS indicative of the clout, as well as the respect that Lindsay Fox enjoys that prime minister Kevin Rudd would agree to open Linfox’s new headquarters at Essendon Airport in Melbourne on last Friday.

When big trucks meet small government

COUNCIL vetoes on local road access for high-productivity vehicles (HPVs) are holding up the introduction of Performance Based Standards vehicles and higher mass limits for trucks.

Shipping in safe hands

THE AUSTRALIAN Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was gearing up for one of the most challenging periods ever, both for itself and the industry, chief executive Graham Peachey told Lloyd’s List DCN.

Quarantine unchanged

THE AUSTRALIAN Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) said its procedures for vessels and people arriving in Australia would not change, despite the continued threat of swine flu.

DP World ISO first

DP WORLD has claimed an Australian first with the terminal operator announcing last week that it had gained the international standard ISO 28000:2007 certification in supply chain security management at all of its Australian container terminals.

Gindalbie wins green light

THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Authority (EPA) has given conditional clearance for a $1.8bn iron ore project in Western Australia’s mid-west region.

Talk is up for regional ports

AUSTRALIA’S regional ports play a unique and crucial role in ensuring both the survival of the local communities that they occupy and the maintenance of the nation’s economic strength.

Key deal boosts Port Bonython proposal

PROSPECTS for a new Spencer Gulf port have been boosted with terms agreed between the South Australian Government and developer Port Bonython Fuels (PBF) for a fuel hub land purchase.

Airfreight volumes stabilise but remain ‘shockingly low’

GLOBAL freight demand steadied in March thanks to the stabilisation of inventory to ratio sales, the International Air Transport Association has said.

Fortescue shortfalls cause dip

SHARES in Pilbara iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group have dipped in the wake of news the group would not meet its production targets in the first three months of 2009.

Toll establishes Indian foothold with BIC stake

THE TOLL Group’s Asian expansion finally has runs on the board in India, with the start of a purchase process for BIC Logistics announced last Friday.

Deregulate smaller ports – report

A DRAFT report into Victorian port regulation released last Friday has recommended the lifting of regulatory pricing regimes on the state’s commercial ports.

ACCC to scrutinise wheat terminals

THE AUSTRALIAN Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced an inquiry into how port grain terminal operators deal with their wheat customers.

Freight forward index shows positive signs

DANSKE Bank’s latest freight forwarder index suggests that a gradual recovery is in sight, at least in Europe.

Panama Canal offers small concessions to pacify lines

THE Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has resisted pressure to postpone a 14% toll increase for the container industry, but has offered timid concessions to its biggest users to demonstrate its “sensitivity to customer needs”.

Hapag-Lloyd cuts working hours

GERMAN container line Hapag-Lloyd will introduce reduced working hours for part of its German staff in May to trim its wage bill.

China ore and coal demand drives rates

CAPESIZE and Pacific panamax rates are set to climb further in the next few weeks as China’s infrastructure engine continues to speed up.

Panama takes swine flu precautions

THE Panama Canal Authority has implemented new measures to help restrict the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Hong Kong hot on disputes

New laws have come into force that are part of a drive to make Hong Kong a pioneer in efficient dispute resolution. Iain Goldrein QC considers the changes

Why the time has come to arm crews

FIREARMS on ships are likely to become more common as the problem of piracy gets worse before improving.

Only the law of the jungle can work for shipbuilding

THE law of the jungle is the only viable way to restore equilibrium to the world shipbuilding industry, which is likely to result in significantly more cancellations and the elimination of several weaker or newer shipyards.

TOO MANY SHIPS

As shipowners struggle with one of the worst downturns the industry has ever experienced and a huge amount of unwanted capacity, competition lawyer Niels Ersbøll (above) asks whether there are legal precedents that would permit co-ordinated action to remove structural surpluses

China key to dry bulk freight rates rebound

SHIPOWNERS and operators highlighted increased reliance on China for any sustained rebound in freight rates for the global fleet of bulk carriers, at first quarter earnings conference calls last week.

Cosco set for 50% plunge

SUBSTANTIAL full-year losses are forecast for China Cosco’s container shipping business after it issued warning that interim profits would dive more than 50%.

South Korea doubles aid package to yards

THE South Korean government is preparing to inject a total Won21trn (US$16.4bn) into the domestic and foreign shipping market this year in an attempt to shore up its ailing shipbuilding industry.

Denmark floats idea of global bunker fuel tax

DENMARK will propose what amounts to the world’s first universal tax at the next session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee.

Maersk warns of dire box outlook

SHIPPING and oil major AP Moller-Maersk told its shareholders last week that its outlook for the container shipping market this year was particularly dire.

Don’t stop the carnival

Australia’s main rival in iron ore exports sees the downturn as an opportunity. Not so long ago, ships were queuing to get into its ports. But the sharply reduced number of ship calls is seen as an ideal chance for port reform. Rainbow Nelson reports from Sao Paulo

US Shipping goes into bankruptcy

US SHIPPING Partners has applied to the US Bankruptcy Court for Chapter 11 protection, one year after first revealing its troubles with lenders.

Khan quits Emirates Shipping

TAIWAN’S TS Lines has teamed up with Emirates Shipping Line in a move that saw TS Lines founder TS Chen take over as chairman of Emirates from Vikas Khan, who resigned from the carrier last week.

Panama Canal maintains steady flow of box traffic

THE Panama Canal has kept up steady levels of containership traffic, with 2.97m teu transiting in the first quarter of 2009, down just 1% on the same period last year.

OOCL faces box fee boycott

SHIPPERS in southern China have threatened to boycott Orient Overseas Container Lines if it goes ahead with plans to introduce a container seal fee this month on shipments from Hong Kong and locations in southern and western China.

Global steel outlook said to turn corner

THE depressed global steel industry is “slowly beginning to turn the corner”, steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal said last week.

Environmental green light for Aurox project

PILBARA iron ore developer Aurox Resources has been granted environmental clearance to proceed with its Balla Balla project.

Green light for Gorgon

CHEVRON Australia has been granted conditional approval by Western Australia’s environmental regulator for its multi-billion dollar Gorgon liquefied natural gas export development on Barrow Island.

Leaving the parley to experts

In matters of life or death, it is no surprise that dealing with pirates is best left to the specialists

Overworked seafarers press for revised code

WHEN seafarers hear someone mention the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), a typical reaction is a resigned shrug of the shoulders.

Maersk says no to guns

DANISH shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk is opposed to weapons on its ships that could be used to fend off piracy attacks.

Freed to attack again?

THE question of what happens to the hundreds of pirates being disarmed and released by naval forces remains unclear.

Hong Kong considers probe of tanker role in wreck of junk

HONG Kong’s Marine Department is considering launching an investigation after a Hong Kong-registered sailing junk was wrecked off the coast of Taiwan following an alleged collision with the chemical tanker Champion Express.

Piracy strategies

GETTING governments to pay attention to the problem of piracy off Somalia is no longer the key problem.

US deadline on foreign crew ID

FOREIGN seafarers headed to a US port will be required to carry identification documents acceptable under specific categories determined by the US Coast Guard (USCG) with effect from May 28.

Now CSCL drops into the red

THE SHARP plunge in China’s export volumes caused China Shipping Container Line’s heavy first quarter losses, and analysts do not expect the company to rebound this year.