Weekly edition 26 April

Melbourne: port upgrade to drive trucks off road, cars to Geelong?

COMPETITION will be a key factor in deciding who wins the tender for the right to operate the new Webb Dock container terminal, Victorian ports minister Denis Napthine says.

Sydney: Moorebank freight hub gets green light

AUSTRALIA’S Federal government will this year seek tenders from the private sector to design, build and operate the $2bn Moorebank freight terminal development in south-west Sydney.

Bumper grain crop leads positive signs for 2012 agriculture exports

AUSTRALIAN grain production is set for a “bumper crop” in 2012/12, according to agri-bank Rabobank in its monthly review.

Maldon-Dombarton line back on the map – Port Kembla would benefit

THE NEW South Wales government is keeping an open mind on the possibility of a rail line connecting Illawarra’s Maldon to Dombarton.

Rio Tinto’s iron ore port capacity badly stretched

THE GAP between Australian mining company Rio Tinto’s iron ore production and shipments has been widening due to bad weather, as its port capacity is strained to the maximum, meaning that capesize bulk carriers are not experiencing increased cargo availability.

Fortescue March quarter up 50% from 2011

WA-BASED iron ore exporter Fortescue Metals Group has announced a 50% increase in its exports so far this year, compared to figures from its March quarter in 2011.

Finance help should focus on small exporters – industry inquiry verdict

EXPORT finance assistance should no longer be provided by the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) to large resource projects, such as the Wiggins Island coal export terminal, the Productivity Commission has stated in a new report.

Longer distances boost LNG carriers’ earnings

DISTANCES sailed by liquefied natural gas carriers have risen 5% so far this year due to growth in longhaul shipments from the Atlantic to Asia, boosting the number of earning days for owners. Short-term market rates for vessels are topping a healthy US$100,000 per day.

Cosco’s next move

THERE is an element of Clintonian chutzpah – that Yiddish expression that suggests both audacity and gall – about China Ocean Shipping Group, or Cosco.

Shipping remembers Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller

MAERSK Mc-Kinney Moller, one of the most celebrated shipowners of the 20th century, died on April 16 after a brief illness.

Maersk keeps ship investment on hold

MAERSK Line would like to see more consolidation in the container shipping industry to improve profitability, AP Moller-Maersk board chairman Michael Pram Rasmussen has told shareholders.

Record first quarter for dry bulk scrapping

A RECORD 139 bulk carriers were sold for demolition in the first three months of this year, representing the largest quarterly number ever reported by Clarkson Research Services, as owners scrapped smaller ageing vessels in growing volumes.

Greek shipping tops record 264m dwt

CONTAINERSHIP acquisitions and gas carrier orders have helped to boost Greek-controlled shipping to a new record in year-on-year data commissioned by the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee in London.

Fighting still continuing in valemax publicity war as more ships launched

VALE Sohar, a 400,000 dwt valemax vessel owned by Oman Shipping and on long-term charter to the Brazilian mining giant Vale, is now being outfitted for delivery at China’s Rongsheng Heavy Industries.

Newbuilding contracts plummet in first quarter

NEWBUILD contracting activity in the first three months of the year fell to one of the lowest levels seen in recent history, reflecting weak sentiment across the shipping markets.

Australia booking its position at the high table of new fuel technologies

AUSTRALIA is “a sleeping tiger of the bio-fuels industry”, eminent economist and chemical engineer Dr Jim Rekoske says.

Chemical tanker owners eye biofuel opportunities

BIOFUELS, one of the few renewable energy options for the transport sector and shipped to market on chemical tankers, could see demand rise significantly if taken up as bunker fuel by the shipping sector, according to an expert at energy consultancy Ecofys, headquartered in the Netherlands.

Colour change puts US Navy firmly at the forefront of fuel revolution

MORE than a century ago, a large fleet of white, American warships sailed around the globe, stopping in at Sydney and Melbourne among many other cities.

Rechargeable shipping – packing batteries an option

DEVELOPMENTS in electric battery technology have improved power densities, creating smaller units, longer life spans, the first electric cars and now the first maritime research project for a hybrid power system.

Japan slams EU push for regional CO2 reduction

THE JAPANESE government has told the European Commission to stop developing its own greenhouse gas reduction proposals for shipping and become more active in international discussions.

NYK goes online for fuel savings

JAPANESE shipowner NYK is to deploy satellite broadband across its fleet as part of a fuel-saving initiative.

Second ballast system is taken off the market

WILHELMSEN Technical Solutions (WTS) has withdrawn its ballast water treatment system from the market, becoming the second system pulled since manufacturers began to secure type approvals to put their systems on ships.

Shipping must accept high price of low-sulphur fuel

DNV head of maritime Tor Svensen has debunked the notion that there will be too little low-sulphur fuel available for shipping in emission control areas (ECAs) from 2015.

Fuel efficiency counts for charterers

CHARTERERS responsible for the fuel bills for ships they employ are taking a stronger interest in using fuel-efficient tonnage and want to find new partnerships with tonnage owners as issues of fuel management become ever-more critical due to rising prices.

Project assesses LNG bunkering

SINGAPORE’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and class society Det Norske Veritas have launched a joint project to investigate the operational feasibility of liquefied natural gas bunkering in Singapore.

Daily Maersk to extend after shippers respond positively

MAERSK Line plans to extend its Daily Maersk service to new trade lanes and has pledged to improve its delivery times dramatically by the end of the year, after admitting that shippers have been poorly treated in the past.

Evergreen confirms 13,800 teu ship order

EVERGREEN has placed an order for 13,800 teu containerships after months of negotiations with shipyards and potential tonnage providers.

Casualty briefs 26 April 2012

Maritime

Tighter maritime security prevents piracy in Asia

ASIA’s maritime security improved during the first quarter of this year compared to the year-ago period, with fewer reported armed robberies and thefts, but Indonesia is emerging as an incident hotspot, an inter-government study has found.

Pirates free vessel for US$250,000 after elders intervene

REPORTS from Somalia say that Panama-flagged cargo vessel Leila has been freed after a ransom payment of just US$250,000, among the lowest figures paid to date, in a deal that frees valuable cargo owned by Somali land merchants.

Brokers gloomy on boxship charter prospects

CONTAINERSHIP charter market activity remains flat, reflecting a combination of industry fundamentals and a slowdown in trading over the Easter period.

Jones Act targeted in fresh political attack from Guam

THE JONES Act is under attack in the US again, with a Guam politician sponsoring putative legislation that seeks to dilute the cabotage statute a week after Senator John McCain failed in a new bid to get the law abolished.

Moody’s rates DP World as Baa3

DP WORLD’s 2011 financial results are “consistent with the parameters” for Moody’s Investors Service’s baseline credit assessment and final rating of Baa3.

Panamax bulker rates ‘going up by the hour’

PANAMAX bulk carrier rates were “going up by the hour” last week, according to brokers, as increased volumes of cargo hit the spotmarket and owners’ confidence grew.

South Africa announces new 7-year port investment plan

SOUTH African container and bulk terminals will benefit from Rand33bn (US$4.3bn) of capital expenditure outlined by Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) for the next seven years.

India to send more ore to South Korea

INDIA has announced it has approved state-owned iron ore miner MMTC’s plans for exports to South Korean and Japanese steel mills.

Lloyd’s List view

Write on

Maintaining standards

With the market sinking and profits evaporating, it is tempting to put off maintenance. But today’s ships are supervised far more closely than any earlier generations, writes MICHAEL GREY

CBFCA NSW meet was a top 60s hit

ON SATURDAY March 24 the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia held its annual New South Wales convention at the Newcastle Crown Plaza.

This week in maritime history

Five years ago, Mermaid banks on the LNG boom

The Grill

This week’s subject of The Grill is Port of Darwin CEO Terry O’Connor. Mr O’Connor sat down with Lloyd’s List Australia’s Oliver Probert to answer a few pressing questions.