Weekly Edition 11th February 2010

Fatal fire ship AegeanWind was in top condition

THE ILL-FATED bulker Aegean Wind was by all reports in top condition when fire broke out on board on Christmas Day.

Somali Basin protection not a priority for Atalanta

PROTECTING shipping from pirate attacks in the Somali Basin is not a top priority for the European Union’s anti-piracy effort, Operation Atalanta, according to the force commander.

Cosco Busan owner to pay pilot’s legal costs

THE OWNER of the Cosco Busan has been made to reimburse US$315,000 in legal costs incurred by Continental Insurance Co to defend John Cota, the pilot on board when the ship collided into the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge in November 2007.

Nato marines storm hijacked ship and safely recapture vessel

ARIELLA: Nato commanders praised the crew for their swift response to the piracy attack.

Casualty Briefs - 11th February 2010

 

Coastal test case

NEW QUEENSLAND coastal operator Q-Coast Shipping has started its Townsville-Brisbane service.

Port of Brisbane getting glimpse of real recovery

TOTAL trade at the port of Brisbane will probably be “marginally” higher than 2008/09, according to Port of Brisbane Corporation chief executive Jeff Coleman. While the first quarter of 2009/10 was relatively flat, volumes did pick up in the second quarter, Mr Coleman said.

Progress now seen on safety platform

INITIAL attempts by the National Marine Safety Committee to create a single national jurisdiction for maritime safety has made progress despite having to deal with a maze of different regulations between states and territories. This follows the publication by the NMSC of the National Standard for Administration of Marine Safety (NSAMS) for commercial vessel surveys, with a view to its introduction in 2013.

DBCT, WestNet Rail profit gains

THE PRE-TAX earnings of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) and WestNet Rail rose 59% and 23% respectively in the first half of the financial year.

Famous Pacific link with Royale

FAMOUS Pacific Shipping has formed a New Zealand-focused joint venture with Royale International Couriers.

Truck technology on show for APEC

ASIA Pacific Economic Cooperation forum representatives were given an overview of cutting edge Australian road haulage developments at an event hosted by Linfox founder Lindsay Fox in Melbourne this week.

Smooth takeoff for Delta’s Australian aircargo service

Delta Cargo’s move into the Australian market last year is beginning to generate dividends for the freight division of the world’s largest airline.

Toll takes major step into US logistics market

TOLL Group’s plan to boost its global forwarding effort with an entry into the US market has taken a significant step forward with the $80m acquisition of US firm Summit Logistics International.

Newcastle Stevedores takes tilt for Mayfield

NEWCASTLE Stevedores plans to lodge an expression of interest this week to operate the Mayfield No.4 berth.

Bimco backs shipbroker, agent standards

SHIPPING Australia has welcomed a major shipowner body’s endorsement of quality standards for ship agents and brokers.

Offshore support dispute leaves bitter aftertaste with adversary

TWO MAJOR maritime unions took up cudgels last week. Just as the heat started to go out of the Maritime Union of Australia’s (MUA) offshore support industrial action after an understanding was reached with Total Marine Services, the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) took it to task over maritime militancy.

Rail, weather force coal delay at Gladstone and Hay Point

AN increasing number of ships were forced to wait at the port of Gladstone last week after a derailed train shutdown part of the 994-kilometre Blackwater rail system in Queensland.

International union joins chorus of protest on security card policy

THE FEDERAL Government has refused to debate the direction of port security policy with maritime unions.

Enfield car plan appears stalled

PATRICK Autocare says it is unable to proceed with plans to build a car receival facility at Enfield until it gets a clearer indication from Sydney Ports Corporation about development of the intermodal hub.

Private-equity float to tilt at freight forwarding, customs broking sector

THE ADVENT of Forward Capital Partners (FCP), the private-equity startup aimed at the lower tiers of the freight forwarding and customs broking sectors, is a world first, according to chief executive James Sparke.

Newcastle sets scene for new coal-fired export explosion

Confidence in coal contracts is fuelling a wave of investment to boost infrastructure capacity, reports Sam Collyer

Asciano secures Queensland coal haulage deal

ASCIANO has won a deal to haul 7m tonnes of coal each year for two of Macarthur Coal’s mines in Queensland and is looking for additional market share.

Phosphate ore ships to last hurdle

MINEMAKERS has now shipped containerised bulk samples of phosphate ore through Darwin.

Imports boost to Port Botany

IMPORTS helped lift the overall volume of containers handled at Port Botany by 11% in December.

Clear water ahead for Fremantle dredging

RESULTS from a water-quality monitoring exercise show that the $250m Inner Harbour deepening project at the port of Fremantle will not pose a risk to surrounding aquatic environments.

ATA sees value in the new emissions plan

THE FEDERAL opposition’s proposed Emissions Reduction Fund could help truck operators add more new fuel-efficient vehicles to their fleets, according to the Australian Trucking Association.

Small lines show resilience amid box trades downturn

Shortsea, feeder and niche container operators say their greater focus on customer care has helped them weather the slump better than the deepsea lines, writes JANET PORTER

Hot air a threat to green investment

AN OVERWHELMING lack of political clarity on international measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is threatening investment in green shipping technology and promises to create a confusing and costly patchwork of regional regulation for shipowners.

Asia-Europe freight rates head back up

FREIGHT rates on certain container routes ended last year at levels above the 2008 average after more than doubling in the latter stages of 2009.

Japan mulls steel contracts

THE WORLD’S largest coking coal producer, BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), has asked Japanese steel mills to accept quarterly contracts which could shift the pricing index from annual agreements.

Dry bulk hopes lift on China’s import expectations

INVESTMENT bank JPMorgan Chase has predicted an average 10% market-wide lift in dry bulk rates on the back of expectations that Chinese demand for iron ore and coal imports will rise further.

Emerging Asia primed to increase its dominance

Western nations are about to relinquish their historic grip on the maritime industry to emerging Asian countries, writes DAVID OSLER

European steel decline to bottom out in 2010

DECLINING European steel consumption is expected to bottom out during the first half of this year, which could be positive news for owners of dry bulk carriers that transport steel products and raw commodities used to produce the material.

Transnet tables investment plan

TRANSNET, South Africa’s state-owned transportation company, is finalising a five-year plan to invest around Rand93.4bn (US$12.5bn) in new pipelines, ports and railways to meet rising demand in Africa’s largest economy.

Charter refused over hijack danger fears

HEAVYLIFT shipping company Dockwise has refused a charter because of the threat to ships posed by piracy in the Gulf of Aden and nearby areas in the Indian Ocean.

ACL will install onboard cells for stowaways

 

Dipping into the red – Hanjin posts big loss

SOUTH Korean line Hanjin Shipping plunged into the red last year with a loss of US$1.1bn, down from a net profit of US$323m in 2008.

Obama under fire for cuts to ports

NORTH American ports have criticised a 10% cut in US dredging projects and an abandoning of federal funds for shortsea shipping contained within president Barack Obama’s 2011 US budget.

Finland fixes eyes on ailing yards

THE FINNISH Government has made a declaration to help its country’s beleaguered shipyards achieve orders of €500m (US$698m).

Forwarders rate logistics

GERMANY is the top performer among the 155 economies ranked in the World Bank’s index of logistics performance indicators. The study is based on a world survey of international freight forwarders and express carriers.

Brussels highlights growth potential of the LNG sector

A QUARTER of all natural gas imports to the European Union are now shipped by sea, according to the latest Brussels figures.

Boxship voyage times are increasing

THE AVERAGE container service voyage time from Asia to northern Europe has been stretched from eight to almost 10 weeks as super-slow steaming takes a firm hold.

Asia-US box rates jump on shortage of ships, hike hope

THE COST of shipping containerised cargo from Asia to the US soared last week as shippers fought for space and even resorted to airfreight for some high-value goods.

CMA CGM welcome to new funds

PAYMENT of a first US$80m instalment on the US$500m cash facility it was promised by its banks before Christmas has given French container shipping group CMA CGM the breathing space it needed to hold on for payment of the remainder.

Hamburg box terminals feel pinch as trade drops in eastern Europe

HAMBURG’s leading terminal operator HHLA suffered a severe decline in container handling of 33% to 4.9m teu last year.

Why ship storage may be the new weapon in the ore market

VOLATILE pricing is a feature of the current commodities market that is set to remain for some time to come.

Asian demand and congested ports set to lift coal prices

PHYSICAL coal prices will strengthen on strong Asian demand and supply bottlenecks and those could lead to a much steeper price rise.

Increased demand boosts north China ports

TWO MAJOR coal and ore ports in northern China, Qingdao and Rizhao, delivered a stellar performance in terms of total cargo throughput in January due to the increased coal demand in the country.

China to take lead role in driving global recovery

CHINA was leading the world economy out of recession, helped by a massive government stimulus package and is on course to overtake the United States as the world’s top manufactured goods producer within seven years, a new study said.

Precious posts profit fall

THAILAND’s Precious Shipping has reported a 38% decline in its full-year net profit for 2009, reflecting realities in its niche business of tramp dry bulk shipping.

SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE

AWARD-winning transport company Border Express, like many in the sector, has worked hard to break down those old stereotypes that road transport is all about tactless, overweight middle-aged men in singlets.

UNWELCOME FINDING

IT IS worrying to hear that on finding that one of its crew was lost overboard, the ro-ro Tor Anglia continued on her voyage without joining the search and rescue efforts.

Transport industry deserves payback for industrial pain

AS OSCAR Wilde, who knew a thing or two about notoriety and raising a public profile, said: “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” So, how refreshing, or alarming, depending on your viewpoint, to have the maritime industries feature not one but twice on the front page of the country’s national daily newspaper – even if it was for all the wrong reasons.