INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Entries still open for Shipping Industry Golf Challenge

ENTRIES are still being taken for the annual Shipping Industry Golf Challenge to be played next Tuesday, October 20 at Mona Vale Golf Club in Sydney.

Taking a shine to class

Classification societies will face some difficult decisions when, in three or four years’ time, the huge amount of ship construction work they supervise tails off. In his first interview since being appointed marine director of Lloyd’s Register, Tom Boardley tells JANET PORTER about the challenges ahead

Cargo underwriters bear brunt of trade depression

CARGO insurers have been hit hard by the world recession and expect 2009 data, when it makes the light of day, to show further profit deterioration.

Wages bill hikes raise vessel operating costs

SOARING wage costs were responsible for vessel-operating costs jumping by a record close to 16% in 2008, according to the latest OpCost 2009 report by shipping accountants Moore Stephens. The figures cover the 2008 calendar year.

Airfreight set to outpace container shipping growth

AIRfreight will outpace maritime containers in cargo volume growth as Asia leads the slow recovery out of recession.

Typhoon Parma leaves 11missing

ELEVEN seafarers were reported missing this week from a boxship off Taiwan after the vessel was hit by Typhoon Parma. The Panama-registered Silver Sea sailed from Kaohsiung Port in Taiwan to the Philippines on October 3. The vessel encountered Typhoon Parma around 80 miles south east of Taiwan. The ship issued a distress call to China and Taiwan maritime departments in the evening of October 4. A Burmese crew member was rescued by China’s maritime department and two further members were rescued by Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau. Penghu coast guard administration tried to send a rescue team for the crew but gave up their attempt because of the bad weather.

Tacoma terminal plan scrapped

THE RECESSION has claimed an important casualty in the ports infrastructure sector, with NYK and the Port of Tacoma cancelling plans for a new US$300m container terminal on the Blair Waterway that would have been leased to the Japanese firm from 2012. NYK said it would continue to honour its commitment to bring all independently-operated containerships bound for the US Pacific north west to Tacoma. However, its ships will now call at an existing APM Terminals site on the Sitcum Waterway.

Berlin agrees to bail-out Hapag-Lloyd

THE GERMAN Government has approved aid for struggling container line Hapag-Lloyd. The steering group in charge of distributing money from the national bail-out fund voted in favour of Hapag-Lloyd’s application for government guarantees last Friday.

South Africa bans Russian P&I pool

SOUTH AFRICA’s maritime authorities have warned that any vessel insured by the Russian P&I pool will effectively be barred from entering the country’s ports following a dispute that could see the government paying for a US$15m salvage operation.

Bulk carrier glut means gloom set to get worse

THE TRUE recession in dry bulk shipping was just beginning, London shipbroker Howe Robinson warned last week.

US bans Greek line in invasive species first

POLEMBROS Shipping’s fleet of 20 ships has been barred from trading in US waters for three years, after the Greek company pleaded guilty on an unusual charge related to invasive species and agreed a US$2.7m fine.

Reefers facing market share challenge from container owners

REEFER vessel operators face a “precarious” future as containers continue to eat into their market share, with unitised reefer traffic accounting for 56% of seaborne perishables last year and set to reach 71% within six years.

Seafarer wage freeze agreed

SEAFARER wages have been frozen until some time next year, following an agreement between representatives of many leading shipowners and the main maritime trade unions at a meeting of the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) in Manila last week.

Vietnam port plan partnership gets government approval

JAPAN’s Mitsui OSK Lines and three partners have cleared the final regulatory hurdle for the US$200m development of the Tan Cang Cai Mep international container terminal, 50 km south east of Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.

Demand for vessels to rise as crude export volumes go up

DEMAND for very large crude carriers and suezmax tankers will rise this quarter because Middle East and West African crude producers will increase export volumes.

Lack of bridge training jeopardising ship safety

ONLY 18 months ago, in the heady last days of the shipping boom, amid all the cash and confidence, concerns were still rife over navigational errors and the steady rise of accidents at sea.

Recovery for ships under 3,000 teu to start by 2012

MARKET conditions for boxships below 3,000 teu will improve faster than for larger vessels, a recent study by Bremen-based research institute ISL has found. Relatively few smaller ships have been ordered.

New group targets emissions

Entrepreneurs’ group, the Carbon War Room, takes its environmental message to the shipping industry, reports Craig Eason

Shipowners divided over cap-and-trade proposals

TALKS within the International Chamber of Shipping to find a consensus on the best option for the industry to deal with greenhouse gas emissions have been “polarised” by the launch of a discussion paper promoting cap-and-trade.

Industry poll shows slow return of confidence

SHIPPING industry confidence has continued to grow steadily over the past three months, according to the latest survey published by consultants Moore Stephens.