Weekly Edition 30th September

Australia port and maritime security

THE RISK to Australia’s cruise ships and ports of being attacked by terrorists is relatively greater than for cargo vessels entering or leaving, it has been revealed.

Mexican drugs standoff - the real deal, or just fiction?

AUSTRALIAN maritime border security standards are also under scrutiny, following claims a Mexican drug cartel is smuggling cocaine into the country by hiding the illicit drug in ships’ cargos.

Top gun lays down the law on piracy protection

THE SAFETY of crew and cargo in a piracy attack will depend largely on the style of maritime security chosen in advance.

Understand carriage liability: local perspective on the new rules

Australia's carriers and freight forwarders face a change in liability in respect of the carriage of cargo. ANOUK SIREUDE* examines the much debated Rotterdam Rules, which are slowly gaining traction in their influence and applicability.

Letter to the Editor: New shipping policy must be all embracing

 

Letter to the Editor : UK Hydrographic Office does not withhold electronic charts

 

End to frozen chicken ban heats up reefer rates

THAWING TRADE CONDITIONS: The rebound in US frozen poultry exports to Russia has helped boost the reefer ship spotmarket in the past month.

The Market

SPOT rates for capesize bulk carriers are forecast to climb slightly this week, nudged higher by a return to business after the Asian holidays.

Politicians hold sway over US gulf projects

NEARLY five months after the Deepwater Horizon rig accident in the US gulf the worst seems to be firmly behind the offshore sector. The US Government has now moved into a report-releasing phase.

Rio Tinto to expand capacity

GLOBAL miner Rio Tinto will spend US$230m to raise the capacity of its iron ore operations in Australia’s Pilbara region by 5m tonnes to 230m tonnes a year by the first quarter of 2012.

Ukraine stops grain export curb

THE UKRAINIAN government has given assurances it will not restrict grain exports, an official of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said last Friday, reports Reuters.

Time to recognise welfare in the Year of the Seafarer

“GIVEN today is World Maritime Day it is incumbent upon the Australian community to reflect on the massive contribution that seafarers make to our economic welfare”, Shipping Australia chairman Michael Phillips said on September 23.

Sea Swift launches new vessels to serve resources projects

MARINE freight and logistics firm Sea Swift hosted the national launch of new vessels to service oil and gas, mining and infrastructure projects in the region on September 24.

Maritime's big day out at Fremantle

THE COMPANY of Master Mariners Australia (CMMA) and Fremantle Ports with the support of Western Australian Department of Transport Marine Safety, WA Dredging, AMS and Svitzer, hosted a day of free marine fun on Saturday 18 September as a prelude to World Maritime Day on 23 September.

Why green agenda should highlight blue shipping

Hasty decisions over long-reaching climate change actions should be avoided in favour of developing the business case further for each shipping segment, writes NIKO WIJNOLST*

IMO cautions on emissions framework

INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos has urged governments to agree a workable solution to reduce shipping’s output of greenhouse gas emissions, but cautioned against ineffective options that unfairly target the industry as an alternative source of funding.

Liverpool canal hubs in IT upgrade

PEEL Ports’ IT investment in its Mersey operations is being extended to its facilities on the Manchester Ship Canal.

Somali pirates abandon Greek cargoship after two days

SOMALI pirates have abandoned a Greek-operated general cargoship which they captured on Saturday, according to a EU Navfor statement. The 11Ukrainian seafarers on board are all unharmed and the vessel is now said to be underway to a place of safety.

Vinashin pays US$10m wage bill for August

VIETNAM Shipbuilding Industry has successfully made salary payments to its workers for the month of August, at a cost of Dong200bn (US$10.2m), according to state media.

Searching questions over seafarers’ rights to privacy

Recent US court rulings seem to indicate that seafarers are not always guaranteed the same legal protection as other citizens writes STEVE MATTHEWS

Searching questions over seafarers’ rights to privacy

Recent US court rulings seem to indicate that seafarers are not always guaranteed the same legal protection as other citizens writes STEVE MATTHEWS

Using a crystal ball to find the next top model

It takes foresight to choose a business model with for long-term success, writes TOM LEANDER

Brussels conference ban may have helped container lines’ rebound

EUROPE’S controversial decision to abolish price-setting conferences probably helped to accelerate container shipping’s rebound from its worst-ever slump, some senior industry executives have concluded.

Oberstar Bill takes aim at US box trades

ANTI-TRUST immunity for ocean carrier agreements will be abolished in the US if a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives last week becomes law.

Thoresen Thai trades in handysizes for supramaxes

THORESEN Thai Agencies is cashing in older handysize dry bulk tonnage and using the proceeds to expand its fleet with modern supramax ships and setting a new benchmark price at the same time.

Paragon highlights ‘upside potential’ for containerships

THE CONTAINERSHIP sector is a better area of shipping in which to invest money than the dry bulk market at the moment, according to Greece’s Paragon Shipping chairman and chief executive Michael Bodouroglou.

Dockwise to launch US$100m rights issue

DOCKWISE is to launch a US$100m rights issue to help fund a new type of semi-submersible vessel to meet forecast demand for transporting extremely large and heavy production platforms.

Dockwise to launch US$100m rights issue

DOCKWISE is to launch a US$100m rights issue to help fund a new type of semi-submersible vessel to meet forecast demand for transporting extremely large and heavy production platforms.

Hanjin adds direct call to Vietnam

HANJIN Shipping is the latest line to add a direct call at Vietnam to one of its deepsea services, following Zim, which last week added Ho Chi Minh to its Asia-Med Express service.

Peak oil theorists point towards an upturn for tanker owners

LAST month, the oil world was stunned by the death of one-time Texas energy banker Matt Simmons, who transitioned out of the Houston-based company bearing his name before moving to the coast of Maine (an energy-starved region) to work full-time promoting energy generated from offshore wind.

Bounty-hunting quartet share US$500,000 cut from Irika fine

FOUR whistleblowing seafarers will be sharing a bounty-hunter cut of US$500,000 awarded to them under US law, after a Maryland federal judge confirmed a criminal fine of US$4m against Irika Shipping that was agreed in July.

China to boost anti-piracy role

THE Chinese Government may finally give the go-ahead to its People’s Liberation Army to take a leading role in the fight against piracy.

Crew stranded by Iran sanctions get lifeline

CREW stranded on board two IRISL-controlled ships in the port of Antwerp have been able to buy provisions.

Shanghai in the shop window for ship finance

I LAST went to Shanghai in 2004 for a maritime conference and hated every minute. The city was a giant, chaotic construction site. Cranes dotted the skyline as far as the eye could see – which was only about 100m because of the pollution.

New finance structure for Hapag-Lloyd 

HAPAG-Lloyd is to get a new financing structure, following approval of the planned measures by the company’s supervisory board.

Tanker owners warned of ‘blood on the streets

THERE will be “blood on the streets” in the tanker sector moving into the fourth quarter as daily earnings on the spot market barely cover operating costs, let alone finance repayments.

Anti-piracy petition to IMO nearly 1m-strong

SOME 920,000 people have signed an online petition against Somali piracy, which will be presented today to International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary general Efthimios Mitropoulos to mark World Maritime Day.

Asian owners call for stronger action against piracy

ASIAN shipowners have called for “stronger action” against piracy in the South China Sea.

Newhaven port and ferry firm are fined over death

AN ITALIAN ferry operator and a British port have been fined a total of ￡185,000 (US$290,100) over the death of a seafarer in Newhaven Docks five years ago, after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found numerous failings on the part of concerns.

Videotel exposes dangers of watertight doors

PREPARING its latest training material on the dangers of closing automatic, remote-controlled watertight doors highlighted the work involved in producing videos, DVDs and computer-based training.

Casualty Briefs - 30th September 2010