Weekly Edition 6th May 2010

Rig owners to pay the price for US Gulf blast

BURN OUT: The Deepwater Horizon on fire before she sank. Analysts and underwriters estimate that the incident will cost energy insurers up to US$1.3bn.

Hijackers attack two more Pan United ships

TWO more vessels owned by Singapore’s Pan-United have been hijacked off the coast of Malaysia just a week after one of its vessels was involved in a hold up in the same vicinity.

Unpaid crew backed by NZ union

AN INTERNATIONAL Transport Workers Federation (ITF) New Zealand inspector said the case of 10 Sri Lankan crew members on board general cargo Charelle (2,800 gt, built 1985), docked at Auckland, were an example of the hardships experienced by seafarers around the world.

Casualty Briefs - 6th May 2010

 

Tax moves relief

THE TRANSPORT, logistics and maritime sectors greeted the Federal Government’s response to the Henry tax review more with relief than joy this week.

Mixed start to year for Asciano

ASCIANO’S stevedoring operations had a flat March quarter while its coal haulage division performed relatively better with a 33% increase from a year earlier.

Stevedore concerns over port of Brisbane privatisation plan

RAIL and port operator Asciano claims that potential buyers of the Port of Brisbane Corporation (PBC) have scope to discriminate against existing stevedores under the current Queensland Government proposal.

Carpenters names MBf management team

WITH MBF Carpenters Shipping’s new multi-sectoral regional service due to make first Australian landfall next week, the company has made significant management appointments.

Healthy start for Macarthur Coal

THE VOLUME of coal sold and shipped by Macarthur Coal in the March quarter rose 50% from the previous corresponding period to 1.2m tonnes.

CAX ready to set sail

AS FURTHER details become known of the new TS Lines service between China and Australia a number of surprising twists have emerged.

Weather hampers Shen Neng 1 plans again

BAD weather and safety risks have forced salvors to abandon plans to move stricken bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 to the port of Gladstone.

Industry eager for clarity on Port Botany penalties

SOME might have suspected the New South Wales Government was bluffing in its threat of a regulatory stick. Others had wished such a weapon had been wielded years ago.

Melbourne returns to top 50

MELBOURNE has again slipped into the list of the world’s top 50 container ports by throughput, moving just over 2m teu in 2009.

Acquisition boosts FP Marine Risks cover

LLOYD’S broker FP Marine Risks has acquired Queensland’s EDI Cargo Cover, a specialist cargo insurance agency.

Trucks set for Port Botany load

THE NEW South Wales trucking industry is prepared to transport any additional container volumes to emerge in the wake of Patrick’s decision to cease all rail services to Port Botany next month.

Toll, Australia Post tipped to compete for parcel plums

A MACQUARIE Equities Research paper has raised the intriguing possibility of private enterprise firm Toll Holdings battling government-owned firm Australia Post for Australian air Express (AaE) and Startrack Express (STE).

Hancock and BHP nod for Abbot Point

The Queensland Government has named BHP Billiton and Hancock Coal as the preferred developers of the new coal terminals at Abbot Point.

Call for move to per km charge for transport

THE FEDERAL Government should consider replacing road taxes with a national pricing model that charges road users by the kilometre, according to a paper released by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia.

Truck operators facing steep rego costs

WHILE truck registration and fuel charges will rise by 4.2% from July 1 many operators are facing increases on a much larger scale.

DNV unveils Quantum ship design

Norwegian class society is targeting the boxship market with its versatile and environmentally friendly vessel concept, reports CRAIG EASON

Raising stakes in a public way

Shipping needs a more proactive approach if it hopes to attract public equity investment, reports STEVE MATTHEWS

Changed times bring new approach to shipping repossession advice

THERE has been a lot of talk about potential repossession of ships by lenders due to financial problems during the downturn.

Additional box cargo capacity on deck by aircraft carrier concept

ONE of the most notable features about the hull design for the Quantum concept vessel is the aircraft carrier overhang shape above the waterline.

Call for mandatory polar code to strengthen existing guidelines

THE SHIPPING industry could have a mandatory polar code by 2012 that includes rules on ship design and operation in the Antarctic and Arctic regions.

Boxships to go nuclear powered – prediction

NUCLEAR-powered deepsea containerships that would only need re-fuelling every five years or so could eventually replace today’s conventional oil-dependent vessels.

Boxships to go nuclear powered – prediction

NUCLEAR-powered deepsea containerships that would only need re-fuelling every five years or so could eventually replace today’s conventional oil-dependent vessels.

IMO agrees protocol for HNS Convention

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed finally to bring the Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea 1996 into effect, some 14 years after the HNS Convention was originally adopted.

World’s top box hubs hit by declines

Ports from Asia to Europe record acute declines as global recession hits, writes JOHN FOSSEY

Brussels shipbreaking policy looks washed up

WHAT happened to European Union shipbreaking policy? Those with long memories will recall Stavros Dimas, the then Brussels environment commissioner, threatening industry with regional legislation back in 2006.

China shipbuilding chief predicts 100 cancellations

EUROPE’S continued economic woes could precipitate a new flood of cancelled orders at Chinese shipyards, a top shipbuilding official in Beijing has warned.

Drydocking rules change

GERMANISCHER Lloyd is to offer shipowners the opportunity to extend periods between drydockings under a new scheme that could cut operating costs significantly over the lifetime of a ship.

Strikes hit Greek ports in wake of bailout moves

Dockers at Greece’s largest ports stopped work last week to protest against moves exposing them to foreign competition, as EU and IMF officials discussed more such reforms with Athens as a condition for granting aid.

Dry bulk orderbook set for 15% cancellations

AROUND 15% of the dry bulk orderbook will be “completely cancelled” as Chinese greenfield yards face closure due to lack of financing, according to US investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald.

Uncertain future for panamaxes

CHARTER rates for panamax containerships are powering ahead as lines sweep up all available capacity. Fixtures are being concluded at headline rates more than double those that owners were obtaining earlier in the year.

Boxship ordering likely to restart in 2011

CONTAINERSHIP ordering activity could resume in 2011 after being at a virtual standstill for the past year as the collapse in trade brought the contracting bedlam of 2007 and early 2008 to an abrupt halt.

Cruiser in black after settlement

A LEGAL settlement with Rolls-Royce in January accounted for almost the entire first-quarter net profit of US$87.4m reported by cruise major Royal Caribbean. The figure compares with a net loss of US$36.2m for the first quarter of 2009.

Capesize rates leap in biggest gain in months

RATES for capesize bulk carriers shipping Brazilian iron ore to China recorded their largest gain in nine months with prices jumping US$11,000.

Mitsubishi, Samsung vie to land FPSO deal

JAPANESE shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will compete with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries in the market for building the world’s first ships that can produce liquefied natural gas after it gained approval from classification societies for its storage tank designs.

Eleven go on trial for attacks on US Navy

THE SECOND trial of pirates in recent US history is under way after federal grand juries in Virginia returned two separate indictments against 11 men from Somalia, charging them with piracy and related offences for attacking two US Navy ships.

Obama ransom order raises crew concerns

THE US is expected to come under pressure at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) maritime safety committee meeting this month to explain in detail moves by the Obama administration to crack down on ransom payments to pirates.

Japan’s big three carriers forecast big bounce back

JAPAN’S top three shipping companies are expecting a rapid rebound in their results after a dismal performance last year when the trio suffered steep falls in earnings.

US box trades pin upturn hopes on the job market

CONTAINER shipping is on track to stage a strong recovery in the US trades this year, but the state of the American jobs market will dictate the final outcome.

Bailed-out box lines jump up the global rankings

CONTAINER lines that were saved from almost certain collapse last year are among those that have increased their market shares the most over the last 12 months.

World congress finds safe harbour in Perth

THE WORLD’S most remote city proved the ideal place to hold an important gathering of global shipping experts during the Icelandic ash cloud crisis last month.