Weekly Edition 25th March 2010

Far north storming ahead

PASSING cyclones are a fact of life for Queensland’s northern ports.

Blowing away the GFC

The regulated approach – Sydney Ports prepares to implement involuntary performance benchmarks as stevedores remain divided on the merits of landside.

Brogden now part of new-look Sydney Ports board

FORMER New South Wales Opposition leader John Brogden has been appointed to the board of Sydney Ports Corporation.

WA coaster sets sail with ambition to grow bigger

JEBSENS Coastal Shipping Services believes pent-up demand will give it an accelerated start to the Western Australian coastal service that kicked off last Friday as the Spirit of the Kimberley left Fremantle.

POTA ready to invest in more rolling stock

P&O TRANS Australia (POTA) expects to bolster its rail division by 40 locomotives and 180 wagons once its intended purchase of the former South Spur Rail Services is realised.

Swire to boost Pacific islands and PNG services from May

SWIRE Shipping is to combine its trans-Tasman and Australia-South Pacific Islands service in a substantial upgrade to the latter, effective from May.

Ports reopen as cyclone threat recedes

SEVERAL Queensland ports reopened this week after emerging relatively unscathed from Cyclone Ului. The category three cyclone swept through Airlie Beach, north of Mackay, on Sunday with winds of more than 200km/h.

Sturges loses seat in Tasmanian election

INFRASTRUCTURE minister Graeme Sturges was the highest profile casualty as the Tasmanian Labor government lost its majority in Saturday’s state election.

Measured welcome to LNG plant

THE AUSTRALIAN Trucking Association (ATA) said the plan to build a $100m liquefied natural gas plant in Queensland would provide truck drivers with an alternative fuel option.

Albanese adds cautionary voice to QR sell-off plans

FEDERAL transport minister Anthony Albanese has weighed into the Queensland Rail sell-off debate reinforcing federal concern over the Queensland Government’s proposed move.

Oakajee expands port capacity as demand surges

STRONG interest from iron ore miners in Western Australia’s Mid West region has prompted Oakajee Port and Rail (OPR) to increase its planned port capacity by almost 30%.

Responder immunity for bunker spills on the way

LEGAL protection for those responding to bunker spills in Australian waters will have to wait until amendments to the Protection of the Sea legislation passes federal parliament.

Methyl bromide banned for quarantine, pre-shipment

A EUROPEAN Union ban on the use of methyl bromide as a pre-shipment and quarantine fumigant has come into force.

Shippers warned on failure to ensure full declaration of dangerous cargoes

A recent court judgment has illustrated the importance for shippers in making a detailed statement of risks associated with assigned cargoes, writes Stuart Hetherington*

Mapping a safer precaution

A MAPPING error could see hydrographers ending up in court and handed a large bill, according to a leading mutual insurer of maritime services companies.

PierPass under scrutiny as revenue falls, costs increase

PIERPASS is struggling.

Testing times ahead for California’s top box ports

The impact of the widened Panama Canal and mandatory cold ironing is set to make life even more challenging for Long Beach and Los Angeles, reports Janet Porter

Newcastle’s newest terminal gets set for big boost in coal exports

THE SIGHT of a fully-laden train arriving at the port of Newcastle with several thousand tonnes of coal would barely rate a mention for 364 days of the year.

Dredging deal for Port Hedland

ONE OF world’s largest self-propelled cutter suction dredgers, the Leonardo da Vinci, owned by Belgian dredging contractor Jan de Nul, will arrive at Port Hedland next month.

Melbourne a blueprint for shared box parks dilemma

The changed trade environment of the past year has produced serious challenges to costs and efficiency in the container transport chain, reports NICOLE HOLYER

Difficult times for boxships

Owners of large panamax carriers face a changing future as the supply and demand outlook changes, reports Paul Gardiner

Asian owners’ concern over surge in piracy

PIRACY and the impending ballast water convention are among the top concerns of Asian shipowners.

China yards in huge boost

CHINA Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) said the volume of new orders China’s shipyards bagged in the first two months of this year soared 770% year on year to 5.7m dwt from 660,000 dwt in the same period last year.

Finnish import costs rise after dock strike

THE TWO-week stevedores’ strike in Finland, which ended last Friday, has led to a cargo backlog in northern European ports and had a crippling effect on Finland’s export industries, as the nation’s dockers return to work this week.

Trade growth to hinder CO2 cuts

AN OVERALL reduction in CO2 emissions from the shipping industry is unlikely except in the most optimistic scenarios, according to a new study conducted by class societies Lloyd’s Register and DNV.

Recovery in demand will be sluggish, warns OOIL

ORIENT Overseas (International) chairman Tung Chee-chen has played down hopes of a sustained recovery, warning that 2010 will be “another challenging year”.

Value of Hamburg formula

MOST accounting firms in Germany are using a controversial ship valuation formula to determine vessel prices for crisis-stricken KG funds and companies, as statutory deadlines to finalise 2009 financial statements loom.

Independent ship pool launched

A NORWEGIAN consortium has established an independent containership pool to trade vessels chartered for shorter periods of time.

Germany seeks private help for ship finance

A NUMBER of institutional investors are interested in providing fresh money for ailing German shipping companies, the government’s coordinator for the maritime industry Hans-Joachim Otto said.

Piracy is spreading says Shell

OIL company Shell says piracy is spreading in Africa, with the world’s largest tanker charterer warning of escalating threats in the Gulf of Guinea and possible infiltration of terrorists into criminal gangs.

Budget cuts could finish Italian flag

PAOLO d’Amico, the newly elected president of Italian shipowners’ association Confitarma, has challenged the Italian Government to live up to its commitment to the international ship register, warning that planned budget cuts could deal a killer blow to the Italian flag fleet.

European Liner Affairs body set to fold in July

THE EUROPEAN Liner Affairs Association (ELAA) is to be shut down and its responsibilities transferred to the World Shipping Council in July.

Asia-Europe rates slip after surge

FREIGHT rates on the key Asia-Europe container trade remained under pressure last week.

Boskalis warns of tough year ahead as profit falls

DUTCH dredger Royal Boskalis has warned shareholders to expect a difficult year after reporting declining profit levels for 2009.

LNG a sure fix to UK’s looming gas crunch

IN RECENT years, as the European Union was debating ways to decrease its dependence on Russian gas imports, the UK has had the enviable position of staying largely on the sidelines because of its own North Sea production.

Spot market crashes as iron ore giants take a step back

A LACK of fixing activity among the big iron ore producers killed whatever embers were still smouldering in the capesize market last week, causing a crash in rates.

Box freight rate surge temporary – Seaspan

CONTAINER freight rates that have recently spiked because of a surge in cargo demand are bound to fall later in the year as volumes “normalise”, Seaspan chief executive Gerry Wang cautioned last week.

Only a half of boxships arriving at port on time

SHIPPERS should add an extra day to container lines’ advertised sailing schedules as service punctuality deteriorates at a time when cargo volumes are increasing again.

Realising the benefits of a cross-modal approach to empties

A LIGHT-hearted approach to a serious topic was how this newspaper once chose to highlight the problem of empty containers at the port of Melbourne.

Training imperative

 

Navies go inshore in pursuit of pirates

AN INTERNATIONAL fleet of warships is attacking and destroying Somali pirate vessels closer to the shores of East Africa.

Asian piracy threat shifts towards South China Sea

ON PATROL: Armed Malaysian Marine Police check a trawler they have stopped and boarded at sea near Kuala Lumpur.

Casualty Reports - 25th March 2010