Weekly Edition 20th May 2010

Ban on ransoms could send premiums soaring

SAFETY FEARS: Filipino seafarers from Stolt Strength are reunited with their wives last year, after being held for five months by Somali pirates. A US$2.5m ransom was reportedly paid.

BP spending on Deepwater Horizon spill tops US$450m as oil slick spreads

BRITISH oil major BP has already spent more than US$450m on dealing with the huge oil spill that continues to spread from the wreck of the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible rig.

Bulk carriers’ safety in question as losses jump

BULK carrier losses more than doubled last year to nine, claiming the lives of 39 seafarers.

Somali pirates take Bulgarian chemtanker and Greek bulker

SOMALI pirates have captured a further two vessels, with the hijacks of Bulgarian chemtanker Panega and Greek-owned bulk carrier Eleni P.

Casualty Briefs - 20th May 2010

 

Hub won’t spoil haulage deal

A $1BN rail haulage deal between rail and ports operator Asciano and Toll Holdings will still go ahead even if an application to build a freight forwarding facility is declined by Australia’s competition watchdog.

Dalrymple Bay bulks up volumes further

THE VOLUME of coal shipped from Queensland’s Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) in April rose to the highest in nine months.

Coal unloading from Shen Neng 1 begins

CHINESE-flagged bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 is on track for her planned departure from Australian waters in the next few weeks with the coal unloading process now in its second phase.

Now Japan Airlines and Air NZ face price fixing claims

AUSTRALIA’S competition watchdog has begun Federal Court proceedings against Japan and New Zealand’s national carriers as the long-running international aircargo price fixing saga continues.

Ship departs Fremantle after 17 deficiencies discovered

LIBERIAN-flagged general cargoship Lisbon Trader was cleared to sail from the port of Fremantle on Sunday despite the discovery of 17 deficiencies on her arrival at the port on May 13.

CLARIFICATION

 

Welcome to infrastructure bias in new Federal Budget

WHILE viewed mostly as a holding Budget, the various industry bodies were as one in welcoming infrastructure making a more concrete appearance in federal spending intentions generally and, more specifically, spending on Sydney’s Moorebank intermodal hub.

Border security and transport safety are main thrust in spending details

THE HEAVIEST maritime spending initiative in this year’s budget was for the government rather than private industry. Included in $1.2bn to bolster Australia’s border security will be a range of measures including eight new patrol vessels for the Customs and Border Protection Service.

Clearing the bottlenecks or tossing the baby out with Botany bathwater

YOU HAVE to worry when a politician with Paul McLeay’s physical presence starts talking about smashing anything, let alone something fragile.

China trade is big boost for Port Hedland iron ore

THE ongoing Chinese boom helped boost the volume of iron ore shipped through Port Hedland by 29% in April.

Fletchers to close as rescue fails

TROUBLED transport and logistics firm Fletchers Freighters will reportedly be liquidated after restructuring and ownership options failed to materialise and its cash ran out.

Gladstone gets the green light for new gas project

LIQUEFIED Natural Gas (LNG) Ltd has received environmental approval for its 3m tonnes a year Fisherman’s Landing gas export project at Gladstone.

Capesizes up but queried

DRY BULK freight rates are on the move again despite an increase in China’s stockpiles of coal and iron ore.

Doubts over impact of the Newcastle arrival system

SHIPPING Australia has flagged the possibility of legal disputes arising between shipowners and coal exporters over the new vessel arrival system being phased in at the port of Newcastle.

Fur flies in wake of Tasmanian closure

AUSTAL’S foray into Tasmanian shipbuilding ended in failure last week at the cost of 121 skilled jobs.

Delays in ship deliveries are key to trade stability

CONTAINERSHIP delivery delays are playing a major role in helping to restore stability to the liner trades.

UN urged to get tough on piracy

THE UN General Assembly has called on the Security Council to take stronger measures to address the problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

EU to push Rotterdam Rules

BRUSSELS wants member states to move “speedily to sign, ratify and implement” the Rotterdam Rules maritime liability regime, which still needs ratification by 20 countries worldwide before it becomes law.

SA ports braced for further unrest as strike rumbles on

SUBSTANTIAL disruption to Africa’s largest economy is already evident in the wake of the dockworkers strike that began last week and some industry sources believe that it could take a long time to deal with the backlog that is rapidly building up.

All eyes are on the fallout from Deepwater Horizon

Ports, owners and charterers could yet be affected by the US Gulf rig oil spill, write Simon Tatham and Chris Grieveson*

Investors may need to act soon to win shipping’s glittering prize

Many in the industry believe that now is a good time for asset acquisition, reports JULIAN MACQUEEN

AAT ready for resurgence

IT MIGHT not be 2008 all over again but 2010 is definitely a rebound year for Australian Amalgamated Terminals (AAT).

IT systems face challenges as ports plot rapid growth

RAPID port expansion is setting increasingly complex tasks for information technology providers, according to IT services firm Objective Corporation.

SMOOTH OPERATORS

Shipmanagers are looking at new ways to sell their services as an alternative to what they say is a long-overdue rise in fees, reports Steve Matthews

ICS to launch attack on US ransoms order

THE INTERNATIONAL Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is to hit out publicly at president Barack Obama’s executive order on Somalia, arguing that it leaves the industry uncertain where it stands when paying ransoms for kidnapped vessels.

IMO makes fees plea to its late-paying members

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) is suffering continued delays in affiliation payments in the wake of this year’s 14.9% jump in fees, with less than half of 2010 dues submitted by the end of the first quarter, despite the official January 31 deadline.

Legal queries embolden Somali pirates

PIRATE activity may decline slightly this month as international naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden drive Somali pirates further out into the Indian Ocean while weather conditions deteriorate towards the end of May.

IMO makes fees plea to its late-paying members

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) is suffering continued delays in affiliation payments in the wake of this year’s 14.9% jump in fees, with less than half of 2010 dues submitted by the end of the first quarter, despite the official January 31 deadline.