Weekly Edition 17th June

New group for South-East Asia trade includes UASC

THE LONG-STANDING equilibrium in the Australia-South East Asia trades is set to be comprehensively disturbed when a new consortium launches a weekly service in September.

Tale of two box trades for Australia-Europe volumes

EUROPEAN container exports into Australia/Oceania have experienced their fourth consecutive month-on-month growth as the trade begins regaining ground lost during the global economic slump.

Technology key to road efficiency

INVESTING in technology will improve road safety, reduce transport costs and cut emissions for the road freight industry, according to a strategy report released by the National Transport Commission (NTC) last week.

Freightlink buyer confident of top end rail’s profit potential

GENESEE & Wyoming Inc (GWI) believes the operational overlap with the newly-acquired Freightlink will generate cost and capital efficiencies for the US rail company.

Maersk Australia chief returning to Copenhagen

MAERSK Australia managing director Soren Houman will vacate his position after a seven year stint to return to the company’s head office in Copenhagen.

Coal moving again after derailment

COAL services along the Blackwater coal system in central Queensland resumed two days after a derailed train stopped deliveries to the port of Gladstone.

POAGS expands with Melbourne buy

POAGS (formerly P&O Automotive & General Stevedoring) has purchased Melbourne’s Continental Freight Services (CFS) and will look to expand the business to other ports.

Coal front a wintry comfort

Super taxes or not, Australia’s mining companies have plenty of good news to dig up, writes SAM COLLYER.

Taste of new Indian flavour

China’s demand for raw commodities did not emerge overnight, but few saw coming the degree to which it would become the biggest buyer of Australia’s minerals. Many are eager that the same mistakes are not made in relation to India.

Cue bad news for coal

AUSTRALIA’S congested bulk supply chains could threaten the country’s position as the world’s dominant coking coal supplier within five years.

Final hurrah for a Sydney cruise terminal

SYDNEY Ports Corporation will have been pleased that there were no further delays to the engine-troubled Maersk Gateshead.

Gateshead is back in service

THE BELEAGUERED Maersk Gateshead was heading towards Melbourne on Tuesday following the completion of engine repairs in Sydney.

Exporters look to Latin links

LATIN America is among a string of emerging economies that Australian exporters have identified as key markets to sell their products to in the year ahead, according to a survey by DHL.

China on expansion drive for imports

RECENT business history has been littered with those who underestimate China’s energy hunger and that nation’s capacity to learn the technical skills of production quickly.

US logistics costs hit low point

US LOGISTICS costs have fallen by US$300bn since the start of the recession in late December 2007 and last year hit an historic low at 7.7% of gross domestic product.

Impact study of Panama Canal extension on US ports

THE US is planning a study into the long-term impact of the Panama Canal extension on trade through its ports.

Rotterdam barges gain ground

ROTTERDAM, Europe’s number one container port, saw barges win market share from rail and road for hinterland transport of maritime boxes in a recessionary 2009.

University gets short-term bailout from IMO

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization Council has agreed to use £500,000 (US$740,000) from its Technical Co-operation Fund reserves to bail out the financially-troubled World Maritime University.

Box lines crawl back to black

After suffering the heavy losses of 2009, container lines have had to undergo some major financial restructuring, reports

Turning an accident into a ‘catastrophe’

The Deepwater Horizon accident, disaster, catastrophe – whatever you call it – must be put in perspective and be the subject of serious inquiry

Kamsarmaxes see surge in popularity as Greek owners place US$1bn of orders

THE RUSH from Greek shipowners to order kamsarmax bulk carriers has caught many analysts by surprise and divided opinion on why this particular ship type has suddenly become so popular.

Profile of an obscure ship type

THE kamsarmax was relatively unheard of as a ship type until recently, but a combination of judicious marketing on the part of some shipyards touting their designs and a willingness among brokers to adopt the new name has seen its profile rise rapidly.

QR trains sights on sale

Premier Anna Bligh’s privatisation agenda for Queensland’s state-owned assets has drawn near hysterical criticism. But many in business are impatient for the fun to start, writes NICOLE HOLYER

Private port – business as usual

Ninety-nine years isn’t forever, but it might as well be for the port of Brisbane, writes Nicole Holyer

Infrastructure the central issue

If you believe the Infrastructure Association of Queensland (IAQ), there’s a black hole on George Street where state tax revenue regularly disappears, writes NICOLE HOLYER

Switching to LNG power may shave 45% off shipping operating costs

A SWITCH to liquefied natural gas power could potentially save 45% on total vessel operational costs over a 20-year period compared with standard heavy fuel oil, according to a new study by classification society DNV.

UK port traffic shows signs of recovery move

THE SLOWDOWN in UK port throughputs appears to be levelling off, although industry analysts have warned it is too early to speak of a sustained recovery.

Fears for capesize rates as China ore imports slip

CONCERNS have emerged that Chinese iron ore consumption is slowing and imports may even fall below 2009 levels, which would significantly hit spot rates for the fleet of over 1000 capesize vessels.

Japan’s Tepco to buy new LNG carrier for PNG

TOKYO Electric Power is in the market for a liquefied natural gas carrier for use in transporting LNG from Papua New Guinea.

Forwarders ready to fight box surcharge

MAERSK Line is set to break another record this year when it introduces what is possibly the highest ever series of peak season surcharges.

Shipowner caution on indexed time charters

DRY BULK shipowners have expressed caution over the growing practice of using Baltic Exchange index-related time charter agreements, saying they can make more money trading vessels on the spot market.

Pirates turn to Red Sea as monsoon restricts Indian Ocean hijackings

VESSEL operators and international naval patrols are likely to be challenged by increased pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea over the next four weeks, but fewer attacks are expected in the Indian Ocean as the monsoon season progresses.

Warning after piracy attacks off Indonesia

REGIONAL anti-piracy officials have warned ships’ crews near Subi Besar in Indonesia to be vigilant and take necessary precautionary measures after two attacks within two hours of each other last week.

Doubts over slow steaming

SLOW steaming is not a panacea to address the economics of increasing fuel costs or shipping emissions, despite an industry-wide shift to slower steaming speeds and confident predictions that the shift is set to become a permanent feature of the industry.

Chinese banks to take greater slice of ship finance

CHINESE banks will “inevitably” branch into international ship finance after a short period educating themselves in the industry.