Weekly Edition 10th June

AAUS group adds peak string

THE GLOVES are coming off in the North & East Asia-Australia trade, with the discipline of the last few months set to evaporate in a matter of weeks.

Airfreight continues ascent

THE AIRFREIGHT industry is expected to strengthen in coming months as an appetite for consumer goods boosts the volume of imports.

NSW freight body votes to wind up operations

THE FREIGHT and Logistics Council of New South Wales (FALCONSW) will cease operations following a decision by the state and federal governments to pull the plug on $400,000 of grants the organisation received each year.

High costs, time delays seen as key hurdles for public-private decisions

EXCESSIVE costs and the length of time it takes to award infrastructure contracts are significant barriers to competition and efficiency in the procurement of public private partnerships (PPP) in Australia.

Fast lane for Anketell Point

PLANS for a new iron ore port at Anketell Point in Western Australia’s Pilbara region have been boosted after the granting of major project facilitation status (MPF) to the proposal last week.

Kooragang coal capacity increase gets the nod

THE NEW South Wales planning department has approved Newcastle’s largest export facility, the Kooragang Coal Terminal, to operate at 120mtpa.

The cycle returns

EVERYONE was so good for so long – at least in shipping terms – and kept capacity tight so that rates might make a meaningful contribution to carrier well-being. But this is the container game, so it was never going to last for long.

Cazaly chooses PN to haul ore for project

ASCIANO has bolstered its presence in Western Australia’s rail haulage market with Cazaly Resources choosing Pacific National for bulk haulage from its Parker Range iron ore project.

Gateshead visit sunrise surprise

TECHNICIANS faced a solid week’s work after a major breakdown of the 4300 teu Maersk Gateshead last Thursday.

Gateshead visit sunrise surprise

TECHNICIANS faced a solid week’s work after a major breakdown of the 4300 teu Maersk Gateshead last Thursday.

Déjà vu as Sydney feels nostalgia in blue

FOR 365 days of the year, the sight of a 55,000 dwt ship berthed at any one of the world’s most iconic harbours would barely raise a tourist’s camera, let alone attract the attention of the locals.

Toll’s Asian footprint up with Qantas deal

A TOLL Holdings push to enlarge its presence in the express freight market has taken another step forward with the logistics group announcing plans to buy the Asian freight and courier business of Qantas Airways.

Ferry nice deals to Tasmania

Looking to chill out over the next few months? TT Line recently celebrated a notable anniversary, marking 25 years since the Tasmanian

Searoad Logistics acquires Chas Kelly truck business

SEAROAD Logistics has acquired the general cartage and freight forwarding business of Tasmanian trucking company Chas Kelly Transport.

Flinders ships return

THE SMALL ro-ro Matthew Flinders III has resumed mainland Tasmania-Flinders Island trade after builder and former owner Matthew Bayles bought the vessel and near-sister Southern Condor II from the receivers of Southern Shipping.

Stevedore unloads cargo onto rail

NEWCASTLE Stevedores unloaded more than 900 tonnes of China-manufactured grain wagons for AWB last week.

AWB adds new grain train to its network

AWB has increased its grain train fleet in Victoria to five with the recent arrival of more than 40 wagons from China.

Double-dip fear for Euro freight forwarders

EUROPEAN freight forwarder confidence has been shaken by fears that the euro debt crisis could prompt a double-dip recession.

Sea-air cargo flies back into mode

After surviving the erratic highs and lows in airfreight rates last year, sea-air carriers are predicting a return to pre-recession performance levels by the start of 2011, writes GAVIN VAN MARLE

Shipping is seeing the broader benefits of acting responsibly

Corporate ethics is not just about putting a positive spin on safety or the environment but increasingly about retaining customers and employees, writes STEVE MATTHEWS

China’s ports on expansion drive

As the financial clouds start to lift, China’s leading port operators are busy sizing up merger and acquisition deals and joint ventures, writes HUI CHING-HOO

OECD outlook raises cautious optimism for global recovery

RECENT strong increases in container volumes on the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe trades have prompted some optimistic speculation that the recovery is more than just a restoration of volumes lost during the downturn, but might represent a resumption of more sustained growth.

Asia-Europe container traffic still rebounding

CONTAINER traffic from Asia to Europe is continuing its speedy recovery from last year’s slump, with volumes growing by more than 25% in April.

World Maritime University faces financial collapse, closure

THE WORLD Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden could be heading for financial collapse and could be forced to close by the end of 2011 if no new sources of funding are found.

Projecting optimism

Confident in the ongoing strength of the resources sector, the heavylift shipping sector prepares for a continuing boom, writes DALE CRISP

AAL’s new era just around the corner

BRAND new large multi-purpose vessels designed especially for the Australian trades are just months away – and tellingly, they are ideally equipped for the project cargo market.

SAL lifts presence and profile

THE ARRIVAL of the heavy-lift carrier Annegret in Newcastle late last month, complete with a conspicuous deck-load of Svitzer tugs, provided some high visibility for operator Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land GmbH, better known as SAL.

IEG finds ways to extend horizons

ONE OF the truisms of work for project sector freight forwarders is that one thing can lead to another – and that’s never been truer for Sydney-based International Export Group (IEG).

Rapid climb lifts Beluga to top of league

ACCORDING to the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics, Germany’s Beluga Group is already the world market leader in the project and heavylift shipping segment.

Newbuildings keep Kestrel busy

KESTREL Maritime’s Nick Doggett is finding 2010 a difficult year to gauge.

Gorgon is a win for ambitious Fairstar

ROTTERDAM-based Fairstar Heavy Transport will make what is thought to be its first foray into Australian waters after winning two transportation contracts from Chevron Australia and the Kellogg Joint Venture for the Gorgon LNG project.

Giant task for Woodside’s Pluto plan

THE SUCCESSFUL arrival and discharge of the 11,394 dwt Dongbang Giant 1 at the port of Dampier in April marked the end of a very giant task for Woodside indeed.

Heavy imports down in April

THE LATEST monthly index compiled by heavy equipment transport specialist Skelton Sherborne showed April 2010 imports slowed by some 27% over the previous month.

Brussels says no to English as lingua franca

A PROPOSAL to establish English as the sole working language within the European Union maritime industry has run into resistance from national governments and has in one case been branded simply “not acceptable”.

Owners protest Panama toll rises

USERS of the Panama Canal have voiced their concerns at plans to raise the cost of transiting the waterway by between 12% and 16% at the start of next year.

Maritime industry is testing the water for gas-powered shipping

The Baltic region could lead the way in the development of a supply chain for liquefied natural gas as a fuel within five years, reports Craig Eason

Class societies ready to roll with new fuel technology

EUROPE’s classification societies are getting behind the idea that liquid gas will become a marine fuel of the future.

Booming crude oil refineries head for 100m bpd

GLOBAL refinery capacity is set to reach 97.6m barrels per day by 2015, with the biggest gains coming from China in the short term and the Middle East from 2013.

STX eyes stake in Queensland coal venture

SOUTH Korea’s STX Group is considering joining a consortium to purchase a stake in an undisclosed coal mine in Queensland.

Colombia bids to cash in on Chinese coal demand

COLOMBIA, the fourth largest coal exporter in the world, has attracted much interest in the dry bulk market since it began shipping coal to China for the first time in January.

Transocean insurers seek clarity over spill liability

INSURERS have asked a federal court in Texas to determine whether they are liable for any of BP’s cost relating to the oil spill that has arisen following the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon.

Crew retake hostage ship – five dead

THE DEATH toll on board Rim, the general cargoship that reverted to the control of her crew after they revolted against the Somali pirates who had held them captive since February, may not be as high as originally estimated.

Massachusetts refuses to back down in oil spill wrangle

MASSACHUSETTS has refused to admit defeat in a five-year old legal battle with the shipping industry over a state-level oil spill law.

Revised IMO safety code guide adds green focus

THE INTERNATIONAL Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federation have published a new edition of their Guidelines on the Application of the International Maritime Organization International Safety Management Code.

Israeli aid ship attack not illegal, say experts

ISRAEL’S attack on humanitarian aid vessel Mavi Marmaris was probably legal under international law, although the Israeli Government seems confused about the basis on which it acted, shipping laws specialists told Lloyd’s List last week.

Distressed sales set to rise

GERMAN KG financier Hansa Treuhand says banks are likely to enforce more sales of distressed assets as ship prices begin to rise.