Weekly Edition 7th January 2010

OMC set for Torres Strait draught system win

OMC INTERNATIONAL has been chosen as the preferred supplier for a provisional under-keel clearance management (UKCM) system for the Torres Strait.

White Bay takes cruise terminal mantle from Darling Harbour

A PERMANENT cruise passenger terminal will be built at White Bay Wharf Five by 2012 after the New South Wales government last month signalled the end of visits into Darling Harbour.

Sorry end to Sydney cruise chapter

DON’T believe for a minute New South Wales Government spin about the inevitability of the closure of Darling Harbour’s cruise terminal.

Asciano blasts Fraser for revealing QR rail talks

ASCIANO launched a stinging riposte just before Christmas to Queensland treasurer Andrew Fraser, accusing him of revealing commercial-in-confidence talks between it and Queensland Rail (QR).

Truck slot seller blamed for Patrick Port Botany delays

THE SELLING by a corrupt employee of truck time slots that did not exist has been revealed as the cause of disruption at Patrick’s Port Botany terminal a year ago.

McLeay repeats Tripodi’s warning to stevedores

NEW SOUTH Wales ports minister Paul McLeay has urged Sydney’s Port Botany stevedores to agree on the new access regulations soon or face reform implementation by government regulation.

Ship fire chokes road access to DP World’s terminal

TERMINAL road operations at Port Botany ceased on Tuesday after a 2003-built ship berthed at the port caught fire at Friendship Road in the early hours of the morning, a spokesperson for Sydney Ports Corporation said.

Geelong boost from Viterra stock feed deal

THE PORT of Geelong’s bulk handing credentials have been further enhanced with a stockfeed deal sealed with agribusiness multinational Viterra, Asciano-owned operator GeelongPort said.

Barging into Brisbane bunkering

 

NYK inks 20-year Rio Tinto iron ore deal to start in 2013

JAPANESE shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Line has secured its first 20-year charter agreement with miner Rio Tinto to transport iron ore from Western Australia to China.

Fortescue settles SK charter dispute – just two to go now

Fortescue Metals Group has paid out US$20.3m to settle a dispute with SK Shipping Europe over two suspended ship charter contracts,.

Regime change set for PoMC shared channels

THE VICTORIAN Government has rejected a recommendation to retain a formal channel access regime for the port of Melbourne’s shared channels.

Pacific National secures $600m Whitehaven deal

WHITEHAVEN Coal has contracted Pacific National to handle a doubling of its coal haulage to the port of Newcastle over the next two years.

AMSA warns on lifebuoys

THE AUSTRALIAN Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has warned companies in the industry to take special care while inspecting and testing lifebuoys supplied by Veleria S. Giorgio of Italy as part of their lifesaving appliances testing.

Revisiting COOK’s rEEF scrap yard

Sailing by moonlight in 1770, James Cook’s Endeavour almost sank when she ran aground on a coral reef in the tropics. Centuries later, NIGEL ERSKINE* and a team of archaeologists explore what remains of one of the most significant sites in the nation’s

piracy plague demands new strategy

The situation is getting so bad that large areas of international waters are now deemed unfit for seafarers, writes RICHARD MEADE

Jargon busters

THE MARITIME industry is hardly averse to the occasional acronym, but throw in the military’s love of abbreviations and the United Nations’ penchant for sprawling office designations and identifying who is who in Somalia can become a little overwhelming.

France sets its course in bold move to integration

With its new national maritime strategy, France is aiming to integrate industrial, environmental and security policy for the entire sector. ANDREW SPURRIER asks whether this is an ambition too far

Albanese puts Pluto into fast lane

AUSTRALIA’S dash for gas took another step forward late in December when Woodside’s proposed Pluto LNG Expansion Project gained major project facilitation (MPF) status from the Federal Government.

Nigeria cocoa export surge

 

Pirates in festive spree

SOMALI pirates began 2010 with a flurry of attacks, hijacking a British-flagged car carrier and a Singaporean chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on New Year’s Day.

Dubai dusts itself down and gets set for business

As the risk of financial meltdown recedes, players with a regional presence could benefit, writes JULIAN MACQUEEN

Dubai dusts itself down and gets set for business

As the risk of financial meltdown recedes, players with a regional presence could benefit, writes JULIAN MACQUEEN

China now confident of world dominance in shipbuilding

WORLD dominance in shipbuilding will likely emerge in China and if its government has anything to say about it, that dominance will come soon.

Naval forces left baffled by recent hijackings

THE RECENT surge in Somali pirate hijackings has raised concerns among naval commanders that pirate gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and adept at targeting different ship types.

Niche box lines lesson for deepsea carriers

SHORTSEA and regional container lines have weathered the industry collapse far better than global carriers that suffered massive financial losses last year.

Search for Danny F.II survivors called off

AUTHORITIES have called off a search for survivors from livestock carrier Danny F.II, which sank off the coast of Lebanon on December 17. Twenty five people were still missing and 18 confirmed dead. Some 40 of the 83 people on board the 1976-built, 14,823 dwt converted car carrier were saved, thanks to a combined search and rescue operation in which warships detailed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon played a leading role. One crew member was discovered on board a lifeboat off the coast of Syria on December 20.

Lines run up US$12bn debt in nine months

THE WORLD’S top container lines ran up collective losses estimated at almost US$12bn in the first nine months last year, overturning healthy profits in the same period of 2008.

Loan squeeze set to slow Chinese imports

STRICTER lending by Chinese bankers this year could lead to a slowdown in imports of commodities, including iron ore used in steel production, and consequently a drop in seaborne trade.

CMA CGM still plans to cancel a third of orders

FRENCH box line CMA CGM has reconfirmed plans to seek cancellation of orders for 15 vessels out of the 45 it has on order.

Shipping at sea after Copenhagen

Lack of clarity from Copenhagen has left the industry in limbo with no clear targets and the possibility of regional action, writes Craig Eason

What were the talks really about?

WHAT is the bigger picture and why did Copenhagen prove to be too challenging?