Weekly Edition 26th November 2009

‘Big group’ of ship operators reject Navfor registration

MANY ships were still transiting waters near Somalia without registering with the European Union’s Maritime Security Centre, the operation Atalanta commander has revealed.

Pirates free vessel alleged to have been missile carrier

AL MIZAN, the vessel said to be laden with short and medium-range missiles that was captured by Somali pirates earlier this month, has now been freed, according to reports from the region.

Theresa VIII master dies of injuries

THE MASTER of chemtanker Theresa VIII, captured by Somali pirates on last week, has died as a result of gunshot wounds received during the hijack, according to reports quoting a pirate representative.

Erika appeal judgment in March

Break-up: the Erika disaster in 1999 caused extensive pollution, for which Total was fined €375,000.

Casualty Briefs - 26th November 2009

 

Toll jumps to defence

TOLL capped its restructure announcement this week with news of a Department of Defence relocation contract that could be worth as much as $2bn over nine years.

Sydney street left green, truck driver red-faced

 

WWL drops Patrick for Melbourne ro-ro

WALLENIUS Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) will use P&O Automotive and General Stevedoring (POAGS) instead of Patrick as its Melbourne stevedore, the vehicle carrier said on Monday.

Pilots await court ruling

THE NEWCASTLE Port Corporation and its marine pilots have applied for salary consent arbitration in a bid to settle a year-long pay dispute which has threatened to halt operations at the world’s largest coal port.

Airfreight takes off to satisfy hungry markets

THE AIRFREIGHT industry was poised to enjoy a rise in import volumes over October as Australian businesses ordered more goods in preparation for the festive season, Maritrade director David Bendall said.

Offshore combatants set to strike a deal

EMPLOYERS and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have settled down to negotiate a new offshore energy enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) after two days of industrial action affecting Farstad Shipping last week.

Premature ending for ‘unseaworthy’ Doulos

THE WORLD’S oldest ocean-going passenger ship, Doulos, has been declared unseaworthy and is to be decommissioned.

Patrick data shows lift at Port Botany

UNDER siege from criticism of its Port Botany performance, Patrick’s stevedoring operations at the port appear to be heading in the right direction, according to data supplied by parent-company Asciano.

Westgate Ports sees beyond paper progress

HAVING settled Australian Paper into its new Melbourne port warehouse, Westgate Ports has been looking for a customer to support a new, larger building at its Victoria Dock site.

BBI to maintain Dalrymple Bay link as deal gets done

BABCOCK & Brown Infrastructure (BBI) intends to retain part, or all, of its remaining ownership in Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) after it last week handed over a significant stake in the terminal to Brookfield Asset Management.

Paul Weedon is the new Tasports chief executive

SEASONED ports and logistics executive Paul Weedon will take up his new role as Tasmanian Ports Corporation (Tasports) chief executive early in the new year after leaving his post as chief operating officer of Sydney Ports Corporation, Tasports announced last week.

Forwarders told they may be bound by Rotterdam Rules in any case

AUSTRALIA may not be able to escape the Rotterdam Rules even if the Federal Government refuses to sign up, according to insurance and risk management services provider the TT Club.

Private concerns still to gauge value of QR assets

The long slow fuse is burning on the sale of Queensland Rail – a sale that will change the face of Australian rail. But precisely what will emerge when the vapour disperses and a plan finally sees the light of day? PAUL BUGLER* analyses the situation

Long-term planning the funding key – IA chief

AUSTRALIA’S transport industry has to abandon its obsession with seeking more funding and re-focus its thinking on better long-term planning, Infrastructure Australia chief executive Michael Deegan told Rail Express.

No word on pending Port Botany, Enfield decisions

SYDNEY Ports Corporation has given no clear timeframes on three overdue announcements relating to Port Botany and the long-delayed Enfield intermodal development.

Ports seek national approach

SOME of Australia’s most senior port executives will meet in Melbourne next week to develop a response to a push towards nationalised cargo data.

Yamba Shipping closes its port operations

STEVEDORE Yamba Shipping has closed its operations at the northern New South Wales port after its main customer, Lord Howe Island Seafreight, relocated its operations to Port Macquarie.

Government policy paves way for UK ports growth

Draft National Policy Statement says shipping is the only effective way to move freight in and out of the UK, reports ROGER HAILEY

Beijing urges its shipyards to march into LNG sector

Chinese yards are looking to follow Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in breaking into the high-end liquefied natural gas carrier and offshore building sectors, which have been dominated by neighbouring Japanese and South Korean yards, writes HUI CHING-HOO

Indian Ocean now ‘unfit for seafarers’

SHIPOWNERS should no longer be permitted to send vessels through pirate-infested waters, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

Investors start to count cost of US$36bn box terminals bet

A HUGE US$36bn of funds was poured into the ports sector between 2000 and 2007, almost half of it in 2007, an unprecedented year for investment in container terminals.

HSH doubles shipping lending loss provisions

THE WORLD’S largest ship financing bank, HSH Nordbank, has nearly doubled loss provisions for its shipping business to €959m (US$1.43bn) during the third quarter, resulting in a major loss for the division.

Tanker sector ready for CO2 goal

THE TANKER industry will be able to reach a target of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 if the European Commission introduces this target, says Intertanko’s new chairman Graham Westgarth. Owners would have to adopt technical measures, and work with other parties if the target is to be met, Capt Westgarth said as he launched Intertanko’s policy on greenhouse emission reduction.

Local trades on starting block

A TIME is sure to come when Australia’s coastal shipping market is big and confident enough to run itself successfully without governments holding its hand.

In Tasmania, Spirits are high as crisis averted

IF THE pundits are correct, the Federal Government’s soon-to-be-announced changes to national maritime policy will ensure the debate about the role of Australia’s coastal shipping will intensify.

Day of reckoning looms for boxship owners

FIVE weeks from now, many containership owners could be staring at bankruptcy after year-end audits finally force the issue of asset values into the open, with probably far-reaching consequences.

Freight rates may return to growth, says Maersk

THE CONTAINER market will return to growth next year and freight rates may rise as carriers curb capacity increases, AP Moller-Maersk said last week.

Snow blocks ports in China

VESSELS were left queueing outside major coal and iron ore ports in Hebei province, northern China, due to heavy snowstorms.

Hamburg ship valuations a ‘fudge’, say critics

CONTAINERSHIP owners who are pinning their hopes on the ship valuation formula devised by Hamburg shipbrokers to see them through the crisis could be in for big shock at the end of the year, critics of the scheme have warned.

Poll finds ship finance is stabilising faster

A YEAR on from when western banks were set to fall like ninepins, some sort of security seems to have returned to the market. But any poll or survey – something with concrete evidence of what people are thinking – is likely to garner a lot of interest.

Refrigerated container volumes dropped 2.5%

REFRIGERATED cargo is weathering the container shipping slump far better than dry freight, with volumes only marginally down on the year in most major trade lanes, in contrast to the collapse in demand felt elsewhere in the market.

DHL enters eInvoice

DHL Global Forwarding has joined the Inttra eInvoice initiative.

DryShips buys query

DRYSHIPS said on Friday that an agreement unveiled a few days earlier to buy two modern bulk carriers remained unaffected, in spite of market rumours suggesting that the duo may not be heading to the cash-rich Athens-based dry bulk and offshore drilling company after all.

Investment funds eye CMA CGM

TWO investment funds are understood to be considering responding to the invitation, launched by CMA CGM chairman Jacques Saadé last week, to invest in the struggling container line operator.

Bulker confidence on the rise for 2010

LISTED Greek dry bulk owners last week forecast a healthy charter market in 2010 following a surge in freight rates over the last month.

Iron ore producers hold key to market’s direction

THE IMMEDIATE direction of the capesize market now rests in the hands of iron ore producers, after rates came down to earth with a thud, ending a short-lived spike in the Pacific trading region.

Capesize confidence collapses in derivatives dive

A COLLAPSE in capesize confidence saw near-term freight derivatives contract values fall as much as 30% during two of the busiest and most volatile trading days of the year.

New global database to weigh up box data

FORMER Nedlloyd executives are behind a new global database that will provide container lines with trade information on more than 2,000 commodities.

Boxship speeds of 14 knots to become norm

CASH-starved container lines are ignoring a chance to make huge cost savings by slowing down ships to about half their usual speeds.

Toxic vessels debate still rages

As the number of ships sent for breaking rises, many safety issues remain unresolved, reports Steve Matthews

Slow speeds prompt changes to contracts

CONTAINERSHIP charterparty contracts are starting to contain various new clauses as owners and operators adjust to changing market realities.

Road safety worries put the brakes on gigaliners

BRUSSELS transport commissioner Antonio Tajani is opposed to longer and heavier trucks – gigaliners – because of the increased risk of road traffic accidents, according to his chief of cabinet.

Activity across Asia spurs volume rise

VOLUMES are improving on the intra-Asia container trades, with growth being driven by China, India and Vietnam.

Vics stump NSW tilt for ASA cricket shield

AS THE temperature soared into the mid-30s, the Australian Shipowners Association held its annual cricket match earlier this month to play for the coveted Australasian Steamship Owners Chairman’s Shield.

Best job in the world? This man says he has it

Mark Rowden started a career at sea as a deckhand but rose to become the master of a cruiseship, reports JANET PORTER