Weekly edition 22 September

Asbestos walk-out is out of order

AN UNPROTECTED industrial action in protest over the presence of asbestos on a tugboat was stopped by order of Fair Work Australia.

Darwin Port convicted over pollution incident

DARWIN Port has been convicted of causing an “environmental nuisance” and ordered to pay fines and costs of about $69,000.

Wrangle over IR’s role in stalled productivity at freight meeting

AUSTRALIA’S Fair Work regime had failed to yield productivity improvements.

Sydney White Bay cruise terminal getting the nod despite opposition

WORK ON Sydney’s new multi-million cruise terminal will probably begin in the next the few months despite opposition from the industry.

Government looks to oil the wheels of trade efficiency

TRADE efficiency reforms could be a useful temporary, yet politically acceptable, substitute for free trade reforms in the post-global financial climate, a joint government committee has said.

Safety shocks come after vessel checking program at Gladstone

MORE than a quarter of commercial vessels checked by Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) in Gladstone have not met safety standards.

China pecking away at Japan’s lead in woodchip demand from Australia

CHINA is consuming more woodchips, leading to speculation it may one day challenge Japan as the leading customer for this Australian export.

Hanjin signs 15-year coal haulage contract

SOUTH Korean group Hanjin Shipping has signed a 15-year contract worth US$325m to carry steam coal for Korea Southern Power using a pair of its capesize bulk carriers.

Rising China oil demand spurs hopes of for the VLCC market

A SURGE in the number of oil cargoes to be shipped on very large crude carriers from the Middle East Gulf to China in September and early October is providing a thin ray of optimism that the VLCC spotmarket could wrench itself out of the dire rates environment it has witnessed over the past six weeks.

Markets this week 22 September 2011

Markets this week 22 September 2011

Bulk Converters using boxes to move nickel concentrates

Bulk Converters Australia and its parent company Merchant Shipping offer supply chain logistics solutions for bulk exporters and have recently entered the container tippler market.

Covered containers are tops at Port Lincoln

Lincoln Minerals has several prospective projects across South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. It plans to use the latest in containerisation technology for its flagship Gum Flat project, which lies just 20kms from Port Lincoln.

Maersk unveils ‘conveyer belt’ service

Line backs promise to improve reliability with refund guarantee if cargoes arrive late, reports RICHARD MEADE

Is Kolding following in the footsteps of Marx?

Maersk’s manifesto proclaims it is trying to eliminate uncertainties, but instead container shipping should be trying to devise a commercial and operating structure that can handle uncertainty in a superior way, writes NIKO WIJNOLST*

Panoramic Resources keeps a lid on exports

Copper and nickel miner Panoramic Resources uses containers for bulk handling of concentrate from its Savannah mine, which lies 240kms south of Kununurra in the East Kimberley. It has developed a unique system at Wyndham port featuring a tippler designed for lidded containers.

POAGS’ box tippler

POAGS has been working with a number of its bulk export customers to develop a containerised bulk transport and handling solution. Over the last year it has developed a light weight container rotator, which is mounted on ship cranes.

Port Adelaide ore system proven

When iron ore junior IMX’s use of a container tippler system was first reported in February, heated debate followed on the pros and cons of this innovative infrastructure, reports MIKE FOLEY

Box lines join forces to cut cargo-related incidents

Information will be shared between carriers through new Cinsnet online database, writes Janet Porter

IronClad drops Port Adelaide, opts for container system at Lucky Bay

In a bid to kickstart operations at low cost, South Australian iron ore junior IronClad Mining will first use a box, tug and barge system and later a floating harbour based around a ferry terminal at Lucky Bay. Mike Foley spoke to IronClad executives.

Hanjin calls on box lines to ditch rivalry

KIM Young-min, the president of South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping and the chairman of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA), has called on his industry colleagues to act with the same unity they demonstrated in the 2009 shipping crisis, saying that rates competition – a direct outgrowth of the accelerated ordering of bigger boxships since 2010 – could harm the industry for competitors and customers alike.

Reefer fruit service cut short

AN EXTRA service loop introduced each year to handle fruit exports from South Africa to Europe during the peak season has been withdrawn early because of poor market conditions.

Revenue-based index shows global forwarders boosting market share

NEW RESEARCH suggests global freight forwarders are gaining market share over their smaller rivals, with IT and computer systems seen as one key enabler.

Rotterdam Rules mark significant milestone

THE UNRATIFIED Rotterdam Rules are a “significant achievement” on the road to harmonising the law relating to the carriage of goods, according to Helen Noble.

Worldscale flat rates feel heat of bunker prices

THE 30% increase in bunker prices over the past year indicates Worldscale flat rates could rise by as much as 21% on longhaul tanker routes in 2012, according to Gibson in its weekly report.

Casualty briefs 22 September 2011

Maritime

US bill calls for navy to charge flag states for piracy protection

A CONGRESSMAN has tabled a bill requiring the US Navy to demand full payment from the flag states of all non-US registered vessels it protects or defends from pirate attack, in a move that has been met with dismay by industry anti-piracy specialists.

Owners cold-shoulder hot lay-ups in 2011

IN SPITE of the desperately poor, often loss making and sometimes negative spot earnings levels in the tanker and dry bulk markets and depressed container freight rates, with limited prospects of sustained recovery, there have been hardly any moves to lay up tonnage.

The good oil on a pioneering product that still features in export listings

WHEN Newcastle Port Corporation (NPC) began clearing out items in preparation for the construction of its new port centre, it stumbled across tins of pale boiled linseed oil.

She’ll be apples as exports and brand protection blossom

IN SEPTEMBER 1996, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) made headlines by forecasting a 4.5% rise in commodity exports to nearly $60bn for 1996/97.

Passive piracy measures as effective as armed guards

A Dubai-based firm is offering to kit out a ship with other more subtle deterrents for less than US$35,000, reports CRAIG EASON

Owners cannot bank on third time lucky

A fresh recession in shipping cannot be cushioned in the same way as the global recession of 2008, writes NIKO WIJNOLST*

Small design changes make a big difference

While regulation has helped drive innovation in emissions management, market forces have also played a role, writes TROND HODNE*