Weekly Edition 18th February 2010

Al Khaliq freed after US$3.1m ransom is paid

SOMALI pirates have released Indianowned bulk carrier Al Khaliq after receipt of a US$3.1m ransom earlier this week, according to a statement from the European Union naval taskforce in the Gulf of Aden.

Houston channel due to reopen

A BODY believed to be that of the missing crew member from the tugboat JR Nichols has been recovered, the US Coast Guard said.

On the job Soteria wins £5bn UK search and rescue deal

BRITAIN has announced the winner of a £5bn (US$7.9bn) private-finance contract to run the UK search and rescue service.

Crew joins list of Mariano Lauro claimants with wages lawsuit

SIX Croatian seafarers from the arrested bulker Mariano Lauro, who find themselves abandoned in Tampa, Florida, have intervened in legal proceedings involving the ship and are claiming US$31,500 in wages unpaid since December.

Three crew dead after 10-month piracy ordeal

THREE crew members were reported to have died in a piracy incident involving the Taiwanese tuna boat Win Far 161, according to statements from Ecoterra’s Kenyan arm.

Casualty Briefs - 18th February 2010

 

Grain pain revealed

WITH the Productivity Commission’s draft report on wheat exports due in a matter of weeks, submissions reveal rivalry and pointed criticism of the structure and administration of the grain supply chain since deregulation.

Floating dock to give WA service advantage

AN ADVANCED floating dock and transfer system was officially opened at the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) at Henderson in Western Australia last week.

Unions seek damages over QR sell-off deals

QUEENSLAND rail unions are taking legal action against the state government-owned QR for failing to consult workers over its privatisation plan.

QR names Spall to head CRT Group

QUEENSLAND Rail has appointed Richard Spall as the new general manager of its national transport and logistics subsidiary, CRT Group.

Business calls for transfer of stimulus into infrastructure

AUSTRALIA’S success in avoiding a recession has meant a recalibration of the government’s response was needed, according to the country’s peak business body.

Europe-Australia box trade December jump

CONTAINER volumes heading into Australia from Europe have rocketed 23.8% in the first positive sign for the troubled trade since 2007.

Logistics of property means tight market now in sight

AFTER more than 12 months deep in the doldrums, the logistics property market appears to be gearing up to take off again.

SCT, Heinz happy with rail trial

SCT LOGISTICS and Heinz are claiming early success on rail van trials between Melbourne and Brisbane.

Airfreight gets $54m for security

THE FEDERAL Government will commit more than a quarter of its $200m aviation security package to the aircargo supply chain.

Coal pushes Gladstone to record export tonnage

INCREASED coal exports have helped Gladstone port push to a record export mark in 2009.

Asia Pacific agrees to focus on truck safety

AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand will work to fast-track truck technology initiatives and surmount logistics difficulties in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum member states.

‘Congestion’ brings extra ship for US West Coast run

THE OCEANIA Vessel Sharing Agreement (OVSA) has cited worries about congestion in Australian ports as a reason for introducing an additional vessel to the Pacific South West string later this month.

Prime not buyer of extra DBCT stake

PRIME Infrastructure said it was not the new owner of the 2% stake in Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) which Brookfield Asset Management recently sold.

LAN ups the ante in Australian market

SOUTH American airfreight might currently hold a modest profile in the Australian market but that could be about to change, with LAN Airlines building up for a local push.

Galaxy secures Pacific Basin, Esperance deal

THE PORT of Esperance will see more Pacific Basin bulkers call following the signing of a long-term deal with miner Galaxy.

Boxship turned back after timber pest discovery

MAERSK-chartered containership Tatiana Schulte has been refused permission to enter Australia after the discovery onboard of an exotic timber pest from New Zealand.

Choking on after-burn of offshore campaign

WHEN I read a quote by Australian Minerals and Metals Association’s chief executive, Steve Knott, in last week’s Lloyd’s List DCN on the offshore negotiations I nearly choked.

ITF tackles Tonga ship over pay

THE INTERNATIONAL Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has branded Tonga-flagged general cargoship Hakula as “little more than a flag-of-convenience vessel” over the pay rates for the Tongan component of her crew.

Securing supply chain is key to coal’s missing link

THE IMMINENT implementation of a new rail access system for the New South Wales Hunter Valley coal chain is a vital step forward to aligning the commercial arrangements with the growing demand for coal haulage capacity.

Why an MBA has become a Ship master’s degree

The global recession has boosted the number of seagoing professionals bolstering their career prospects with a distance learning course, reports ROGER HAILEY

Inventory uncertainty keeps experts guessing

SUPPLY chain experts are keeping a close eye on inventory levels to make sure that the push last year to cut stock does not lead to over-ordering in the coming months.

Hapag-Lloyd faces year of challenges

GERMAN container line Hapag-Lloyd is facing another year in the red despite benefiting from much stronger freight rates in recent weeks.

Singapore sees box pick up

SINGAPORE registered a resurgence in box volumes in January compared with a year earlier, but throughput was still down 14.5% compared with the peak month of July 2008, before the global financial crisis hit international trade.

K Line turns to market for newbuilding funds

JAPANESE shipping line Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) saw its share price climb 2.3% to close at ¥305 on Monday after it announced plans to raise nearly ¥34.6bn (US$384.5m) in a new share offer mainly to finance its newbuilding program.

Sector looks to gas for lift

BREAKBULK proved to be tough for Skelton Sherborne last year with the specialist freight forwarder experiencing a considerable decline in heavy machinery.

Heavy machinery weighs down outlook

NUMBERS of heavy machinery imported in December slumped for a second consecutive month, the Skelton Sherborne Shipping Index showed.

Cargo upturn gives hope for Wilh. Wilhelmsen

AN INCREASE in cargo volumes in the last quarter of 2009 failed to offset poor market conditions during the rest of the year for Oslo-listed Wilh. Wilhelmsen Group.

Iran set for maritime leadership

Former minor league player is now dedicated to 10-year growth plan, reports RICHARD MEADE

VLGC fleet is forecast to see 2011 recovery

A MID-2011 recovery is forecast for the global fleet of very large gas carriers, after a catastrophic 15 months saw vessels idled and earnings well below operating costs over protracted periods.

Floating storage hits new low as profits fall

DWINDLING profitability has seen oil traders use fewer tankers for floating storage of crude and diesel with 119 deployed in January, down from November’s record of 149.

Agency targets grain, dry cargo

A NEW ship agency firm dedicated to the grain and dry cargo sector has been formed by US agricultural processor giant Archer Daniels Midland and Norton Lilly International.

Brussels rewrites rules to boost Marco Polo take-up

BRUSSELS has redefined modal shift so as to make its Marco Polo subsidy program more attractive to industry.

Cancellations put brakes on containership growth

CONTAINERSHIP delivery delays and cancellations, plus demolition, are having a huge impact on fleet projections, with annual capacity growth of little more than 5% now forecast for this year and next.

Call for tougher stance on box misdeclarations

CONTAINER lines and terminal operators should make an example of shippers who provide incorrect information about the weight of a container.

Tankers facing heavy losses

TANKER owners face annual losses of up to US$2m per vessel over the next five years as an oversupply of tonnage and low rates produce poorer cash flows.

Hong Kong shippers warn lines over cost of soaring rates

SHIPPERS in the Asia scrambling for outbound container space on boxships will “regain the upper hand” and remember the actions of “unscrupulous shipping lines” when the capacity shortage is over.

EU takes next steps in logistics probe

EUROPEAN logistics operators Panalpina, Kuehne+Nagel and a French subsidiary of DSV have received statements of objections from the European Commission over allegations of uncompetitive behaviour in the freight forwarding industry stretching back two years.

Smooth Sailing

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Security debate is on two fronts

THE FEDERAL Government copped a lot of heat in 2009 for slowness to act on concerns about maritime security.