INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ports look to bar ships over swine flu concerns

SHIPS declaring they have respiratory disease onboard among crew or passengers face free pratique being inappropriately denied or delayed on arrival at some ports, according to a joint statement from a number of maritime organisations.

China boost for shipping shares

SHARES in Hong Kong-listed shipping companies surged on Monday amid renewed optimism over China’s continuing demand for bulk commodities, including iron ore, coal and grain and rising container volumes.

Top 20 lines braced for 35% fleet expansion

FLEET capacity of the world’s top 20 container lines is still on course to expand by more than a third over the next four years, clear evidence that shipyards have refused to accept order cancellations.

Open season begins on shipyard sweeteners

The multilateral fight against state aid for shipbuilders is intensifying with calls for greater transparency and new reporting rules. China and South Korea in particular face greater scrutiny over indirect subsidies, reports TOM LEANDER

FORGOTTEN SEAFARERS

Around the world hundreds of seafarers have been abandoned by employers and left on vessels to fend for themselves. Now, calls are growing for the authorities to act more decisively to alleviate this financial and human distress, writes BRIAN Reyes

UK masters safety plea

STRONGER action is needed to stem continuing serious accidents and fatalities occurring in enclosed spaces on board ships, according to a group of British shipmasters.

Inactive boxship fleet on the increase as slowdown bites

CONTAINER lines have withdrawn more ships from service over the past few weeks as trade conditions stay slack during the northern winter slowdown.

Shippers risk falling foul of US sanctions

FREIGHT forwarders and shippers are at risk of violating US sanctions by unwittingly moving cargo on a vessel that is cited as blocked.

Long Beach and LA figures hint at possible recovery

THE COLLAPSE in cargo volumes through Los Angeles and Long Beach is starting to slow, according to November traffic figures released by the two ports, which showed considerable year-on-year declines.

Chinese yards vie for PNG carrier deal

CHINESE yards will compete for just one new liquefied natural gas carrier order for a new Papua New Guinea LNG export facility despite the requirement for at least five ships for shipments.

Transpacific rates down 27% on January 2009

CONTAINER lines suffered a huge erosion in transpacific freight rates during 2009, with those for eastbound spot cargo falling by more than a quarter over the past 12 months.

MOL pursues nine-fold income rise to counteract recession

MITSUI OSK Lines aims to make a ninefold increase in operating income a “top priority” as it seeks to overcome possible turbulence in the global shipping markets, the head of the Japanese shipping giant said.

Wärtsilä to service Maersk engines

Maersk LNG director Claus Thomsen said: “The contract guarantees us stable maintenance costs for at least the next five years.” From the manufacturer’s point of view such contracts enable detailed monitoring of engines’ performance, allowing any preventative maintenance or repair to be carried out before there is a risk of failure.

Shippers risk lives by misdeclaring weight in containers

Failure to declare accurate box weight information remains widespread despite industry efforts to combat the worrying trend, reports JANET PORTER

Singapore clings to top box spot despite crisis

SINGAPORE is set to retain its title as the world’s busiest box port even though container volumes last year fell for the first time since the dotcom bubble burst in 2001.

Russian master found to be drunk in charge of grain ship

A RUSSIAN master was fined £2,000 (US$3,200) with £100 costs at Southampton magistrates’ court last Friday, within hours of being found drunk in charge of a ship that berthed erratically at the UK port the night before.

New body formed for maritime health

RISING concerns about health issues affecting seafarers and passengers onboard ships have prompted the creation of a new trade body to promote the medical interests in the maritime industry on a global basis.