Weekly Edition 24th of September 2009

Rebound caution

PORT and rail group Asciano plans to complete a restructure by the middle of next year having hailed the success of recent capital-raising efforts.

Rail is the sharp focus now for WA Government

THE WESTERN Australian Government is working on a number of initiatives to meet current and future freight demand.

Fremantle lead shipments to begin

MAGELLAN Metals is on schedule to start shipping lead carbonate concentrate through the port of Fremantle as early as this month.

It’s so far, so good on Montara leak drilling

MORE than a week into its drilling operation to plug the Montara oil leak in the Timor Sea, PTTEP Australasia says the project is proceeding smoothly.

Sydney Ports looks to UK for harbour direction

SOUTHAMPTON’S Captain Steven Young has been appointed as the new harbour master for Sydney.

Ship waste audits at major ports

 

The supply chain: weak link fears dominate conference

AUSTRALIA’S supply chain is not sustainable in its current form and runs the risk of failing to handle the projected surge in port trade volumes if it does not get its act together, port corporation bosses warn.

Infrastructure should be focus in downturn

THE GLOBAL financial crisis is an opportune time for Australia to improve its infrastructure for the imminent increase in resource sector activity, according to GHD group manager and transport economist Steve Meyrick.

Coastal trade must be much better than competitive

FUTURE growth in coastal shipping will come from expansion within its existing markets and any shift in cargo from land-based transport modes, Queensland Multimodal Freight Council secretary Chris Mangan said.

Time right for e-commerce revolution

IF AN internal audit found that the company you worked for was 90% inefficient – that much of what you did was replicated ten times for no productivity gain – a savvy leader would ensure something quickly changed, presuming the company was even still in business.

Swire settles Pacific Adventurer costs

SWIRE Shipping has settled with the Queensland Government over the Pacific Adventurer bunker spill, in a deal which will see the group hand over $17m to a court-administered compensation fund within the next two weeks.

Golar does deal to supply Gladstone LNG to Japan

NORWEGIAN shipowner Golar LNG Energy will ship Gladstone’s liquefied natural gas to Japan after signing a sales agreement with Japan’s Toyota Tsusho Corp.

Swire centralises to Singapore

SOME 80 people will be made redundant towards the end of this year when China Navigation Company and liner subsidiary Swire Shipping move their respective head offices in Hong Kong and Sydney to Singapore.

Partner looks to boost Asian calls

NEWBUILD vehicle carrier Silverstone Express made her second Melbourne call last week as part of Partner Shipping’s augmented NAPA (North America Pacific) service.

Federal Government acts to bring all maritime law under one roof

THE FEDERAL Government has moved to consolidate its maritime enforcement powers under a single act.

Innovative lifeboat set to make waves

A FORMER Danish seafarer says he has revolutionised the launch process of the modern enclosed lifeboat.

Shipping security under fire at union congress

THE PIRACY upsurge exposes the “appalling” state of shipping security, which would not be permitted in other transport sectors, an officers’ union leader told the British Trades Union Congress conference in Liverpool last week Mark Dickinson, general secretary of Nautilus International, said that seafarers remained “out of sight, out of mind” for most people and that their safety accordingly took a back seat.

Demand for iron ore ‘set to boom by 1bn tonnes a year’

ANNUAL global iron ore demand is set to grow by 1bn tonnes within the next 15 years as China and other steel producing countries import increasing volumes of the raw commodity.

BHP says no to buying its own fleet

BHP Billiton has no plans to invest in bulk carriers to transport its products and would rather invest capital in mining exploration than buying ships.

Poms teach us a lesson on shipping’s vital role

AUSTRALIANS make a national pastime of playing down British success stories – particularly on the cricket pitch – but as the scoreboard for British shipping shows outstanding results, some Australians are cheering from the dockside.

Korean lines rationalise value of links

SOUTH Korea’s Hanjin Shipping is to team up with New World Alliance member Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) in one of a number of rationalisation moves being organised across the industry.

Hanjin Shipping to split in half

HANJIN Shipping, South Korea’s largest shipping line, is planning to split into two separate organisations from December 1 and each will have a separate Seoul stock exchange listing from December 29.

DP World parent gives up idea of stake sale

DUBAI-based port operator DP World has reasserted that it is not involved in negotiations to sell a stake in the business and that talks between parent company Dubai World and a regional private equity player were “no longer ongoing”.

Maersk Alabama trial is lost in translation

THE TRIAL of a Somali teenager accused of leading the pirate attack on boxship Maersk Alabama last April has been delayed to allow time for the translation of more material into English.

Bargain hunt planned by offshore firm

MERMAID Maritime is seeking to raise US$110m from a rights issue as it eyes distressed assets and merger and acquisition possibilities.

US Customs backtracks on Jones Act change

US CUSTOMS and Border Protection (CBP) has withdrawn a proposed change in its interpretation of the Jones Act that would have barred foreign ships from transporting specialist equipment for construction or modification of offshore installations in the US Gulf of Mexico.

China’s airfreight hub banks on local takeoff

CHINA’S air cargo sector is still in its infancy compared with countries such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, and none of the big three airlines can match the air freight volumes carried by Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways.

Arctic ice shrinks but transit still unlikely

SHIPPING experts are dampening enthusiasm for sending vessels through the north-east passage after scientists report a third summer of reduced Arctic ice.

Fall in US box imports starts to level off

THE STEEP decline in US import container volumes destined for high street retailers is beginning to level off, according to the latest statistics.

Thriving on diversity

EVEN in the darkest economic times, the New South Wales Government can still count on the port of Newcastle to deliver a bright light in an otherwise dark tunnel.

Gas and sand are prospects for the future

THE NEWCASTLE Port Corporation still considers it early days, but there is no doubting the interest being shown in using Australia’s oldest commercial export harbour for one of the country’s fastest-growing energy trades.

New pilot vessel to cost $2.5m

NEWCASTLE Port Corporation will spend $2.5m replacing its 20-year-old pilot boat, E C Close, with a new aluminium cutter.

Local stevedore staves off gloom

GEOFF Beesley can be a hard man to pin down for a chat.

Success in tender would mean new berth for Newcastle Stevedores

NEWCASTLE Stevedores is positioning itself for a tilt at finally having its own berth at the port of Newcastle after 12 years operating in various locations around the harbour.

BHP slips last link into troubled coal chain

WITH one holstered pen, the world’s biggest mining company had held the world’s biggest coal export chain to ransom. Or so its rivals felt.

LIFE AFTER LEHMANS

In the 12 months since the demise of the Wall Street behemoth and after global economic action, trade finance remains scarce and expensive and dry bulk prospects are still uncertain. DAVID OSLER reports on a stormy year for the shipping sector

Asian shipbuilding’s offshore wake up call

ASIAN shipyards have woken up after “a deep slumber” but the recovery will be led by an “offshore bonanza” and not by merchant vessels said a new report from HSBC Global Research.

Now Brussels prods China, US to review liner conferences

CHINA, the US and other jurisdictions will be urged to study the benefits of ending price-fixing conferences during meetings with the European Commission.

CMA CGM throttles back to make 15% cut in C02

FRENCH container shipping group CMA CGM has set itself the target of achieving a 15% reduction in fleet carbon dioxide emissions by the end of 2011.

Hapag-Lloyd edges closer to government aid bailout

THE CITY state of Hamburg has cleared the way for government aid for Hapag-Lloyd. Its parliament, the Hamburger Bürgerschaft, decided unanimously in favour of loan guarantees last week.

Vale charter hiatus sends chill into capesize market

MAJOR capesize charterer Vale has confirmed it is exporting all iron ore to China and Europe on its own vessels and does not need to hire extra tonnage in the short term.

Record US grain crop lifts Atlantic rates

INCREASED US grain exports were propping up the panamax Atlantic market last week as charterers looked for bulk carriers available to load in the second half of October.

Growth in oil production to spark rates rebound

INCREASED oil production is expected to create a rebound in the tanker market within the next month that could push owners’ earnings into more profitable territory.

Port machinery maker looks offshore for profit

CHINA’S largest port machinery manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery (ZPMC) is planning to flex its muscles in the thriving offshore market to stave off increased competition in its traditional port equipment business.

Anti-piracy forces bracing for resurgence of attacks

COUNTER-piracy professionals are gearing up for the resumption of attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Aden as the monsoon season ends, even though the latest figures from the International Maritime Bureau indicate that the number of vessels held has fallen to a recent low of just five.

Cargo insurers urge P&I contribution to the costs of piracy

LONDON marine cargo and hull insurers used their Bruges conference platform last week to urge their P&I counterparts to contribute to increasingly frequent and costly general average bills after piracy hijacks.

Iran line hires ex-marines

EX-BRITISH Marines are being routinely deployed as guards onboard Iranian oil tankers which are under regular attack from heavily armed pirates off the Gulf of Aden.

nterpol wants pirate information sharing set up

INTERPOL has called for increased collaboration between national law enforcement agencies to tackle piracy.

Asian shippers change tack on Rotterdam Rules with review

ASIAN shippers have set up a regional task force to assess the impact of the Rotterdam Rules cargo liability scheme which undergoes a formal signing ceremony this week.

Hong Kong in box volume resurgence

BOX volumes through Hong Kong port have continued to stage a revival. Latest figures from the territory’s Port Development Board, released last week, show that Hong Kong handled almost 1.94m teu in August.

Dublin strikers face court- imposed picket line curbs

IRELAND’S High Court last week confirmed an interim injunction against supporters of the long-running strike at Marine Terminals.

Japan blasts EU subsidy plans

SUBSIDIES for struggling European yards would only distort the global market and sustain overcapacity, Japanese shipbuilding interests have warned.

No EU threat to Hapag-Lloyd deal

GERMAN government sources are confident that Hapag-Lloyd’s bid for government aid will not be derailed by the European Union, following preliminary talks with Brussels.

Shipping Australia have an annual ball, again

TWO hundred shipping industry people attended the SAL annual ball at Parliament House, Sydney on September 11. The event was hosted by leader of the Nationals Andrew Stoner and sponsors were Sydney Ports, Svitzer, Patrick, Newcastle Port Corporation, Newcastle Stevedores, Port Kembla Port Corporation, ACFS and Tiger Containers. A great time was had by all according to reports, helped by the fact that each and every attendee received a gift of some sort. Entertainment included a band and an exotic Latin dance company.

Wharfies don pink hats for cancer

MORE than 400 Sydney wharfies at the Patrick Terminal at Port Botany were last week kitted out in hot new pink hard hats bearing the McGrath Foundation logo, proving once and for all that real men do wear pink.

Interpol urges co-ordination in pirate information sharing

INTERPOL has called for increased collaboration between national law enforcement agencies to tackle piracy.

Tonga port chief raised fears over Princess Ashika

THE HEAD of Tonga’s port authority raised concerns about the safety of Princess Ashika – the Tongan ferry that sank last month with the loss of 74 lives – with the country’s prime minister prior to the casualty, according to a letter leaked to a pro-democracy newspaper.

Clean-up Seli I salvage proceeds but insurer stays silent

 

Casualty Briefs - 24th September 2009