Weekly Edition 15th July

Work law in choppy waters

UNIONS have again slammed shipping lines for raising rates to cover the cost of Australian wages.

New Maersk head will target local growth

MAERSK Line Australia’s newly appointed chief, Nicolaj Noes, has the credentials to take operations to new heights, the chief executive of the shipping line’s Asia Pacific division said.

Port Botany confronts loss of face

PORT Botany faces the prospect its international reputation will be tarnished by systemic delays to container berth slots.

Pacific Adventurer spill: companies to stand trial

FOUR shipping companies and a Filipino master mariner were last week committed to stand trial in Brisbane over last year’s Pacific Adventurer oil spill off the coast of Queensland.

Inchcape sale may be back on track

PLANS to sell Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) appear to be advancing again after coming to a halt a few weeks ago.

Tripodi referred to NSW corruption body

FORMER New South Wales ports minister Joe Tripodi has been referred to the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over a senior appointment to NSW Maritime.

Toll spends up on double UK forwarding buy

TOLL Group has deepened its UK footprint with the $150m acquisition of two major freight forwarders.

ARTC fined for “serious breach” of rail safety

THE NEW South Wales Supreme Court has fined the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) $200,000 over a rail line incident in the Hunter Valley three years ago which resulted in the death of two maintenance workers.

South Korea, China spike volumes for Port Hedland

A STRONG appetite for raw materials in some parts of Asia kept Port Hedland busy in the month of June with iron ore shipments during the month climbing 17% from last year.

Burnie logs fumigation hits more problems

PLANS to fumigate a China-bound shipment of Tasmanian pine logs offshore the port of Burnie hit a hurdle when bad weather forced a delay until the end of this week.

QR undermines its privatisation

THE FLOAT of the freight side of Queensland Rail (QR National) is now opposed by its customers, its competitors and its workers. Now investment manager QIC has warned against the float.

Dalrymple Bay embraces bigger capacity

THE HEAD of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal has flagged the need for further infrastructure expansion to cope with rapid growth in demand.

Asciano eyes bigger coal market share

RAIL and ports operator Asciano Group is on course to increase its share of the rail freight market in Queensland, according to an analyst at investment advisor Evans & Partners.

Europe trade shows signs of recovery

CONTAINER imports from Europe into the Australia/Oceania region climbed 12% in May as the northbound volumes gave cause for optimism.

Ports struggle to keep pace with cruise industry

AUSTRALIA can expect growing pains as port facilities struggle to keep pace with the growth in the cruise ship sector, according to the past chairman of Cruise Down Under, Richard Doyle.

ITF queries pay and conditions on ship tied up at Newcastle

THE INTERNATIONAL Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is investigating claims that seafarers aboard a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier berthed at the port of Newcastle are being subjected to extreme working conditions.

Melbourne truck plan unveiled

NEW RAMPS between the West Gate Freeway and Hyde Street in Melbourne’s west are key components of the Victorian Government’s new Truck Action Plan (TAP) announced this week.

Five firms chasing port charge deal

A SHORTLIST of five companies is set to tender for the right to collect the Victorian Government’s Freight Infrastructure Charge at the port of Melbourne.

Strike delay fears at LA/ Long Beach

A STANDOFF between office clerical workers and employers has raised the spectre of major disruption at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the days leading up to the traditional peak season for containerised imports.

Capesize rates are ‘woeful’ on main ore lane to China

IN A slide called “woeful” by one broker and “gritty” by another, the capesize market plummeted last week on the main iron ore trading lane from Tubarao to Qingdao, which hit US$16.50 per tonne by Friday, down 24% in a week.

CMA CGM rejects Qatar loan

HEAVILY indebted CMA CGM has rejected a loan from Qatar and continues to look for capital from other sources, group chairman Jacques Saadé disclosed on Tuesday.