• Hongkong port operators in price-cutting war
  MTL, HIT, Sea-Land fighting to keep customers and gain new business
• No more new shipping rules, Intertanko urges
• M'sian shipowners concerned about ISM certification
• Texas shipping firm fined for pumping oily waste into sea

• Rolls-Royce boosts China presence with Tianjin centre
  Joint project by British engine maker and China's Civil Aviation Authority
• Boeing refocusing on cost in building long-range 777
• Aussie watchdog sues Nissan over misleading commercials
• Renault warns against excessive subsidies for Toyota
• France proposes new head for Airbus
• Daimler to double China investment to US$1b

• Mega investment in the works
  Despite the economic turmoil, Malaysia's expenditure on transport infrastructure and equipment is set to get higher

• China yards a force to be reckoned with

• Alitalia joins in with KLM
• New air freight company in the Netherlands
• Big merger in German inland shipping
• French shippers want government aid
• European-Asian shipping treaties in the offing

• Corps looks for past shipyard employees
• Bechtel floats plan for PDX light rail
• Major parts of PDX light rail project
• Euro patent office upholds Coflexip’s patent over Stolt
• S&P flys warning flags over Hvide acquisitions
• Federal Express launches overnight Sunday service

• SCI plans to enter LNG market
  GOVERNMENT-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is to enter the country's recently opened liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector in what is described as a cautious and phased manner.
• 'Island Princess' explosion kills technician
  AN explosion on board the Island Princess cruiseship (pictured) has killed a British technician and seriously injured three others during sea trials off the coast of southern Italy in the Gulf of Naples.
• Shipping critics urged to halt 'destructive' attacks
  A SENIOR liner shipping executive is urging both regulators and shippers to stop attacking the industry and instead explain how they think the business should be run.
• Royal Nedlloyd buys back ECT shareholding
  A SHAREHOLDING interest of 30.56% in Rotterdam container stevedore Europe Combined Terminals, which was transferred to P&O Nedlloyd at the time of the merger that created the Anglo-Dutch container carrier, has been bought back by Dutch shipping and transport group, Royal Nedlloyd, for $100m.
• Korea's old guard catches a cold
  A MEETING with Halla boss In-Yung Chung is always an enlightening experience. The doughty octogenarian quickly leaves one in no doubt about who is in charge of the sprawling Halla business empire.
• Ali Shipping launches world hunt for Jugobanka assets
  LAWYERS acting for Liberian shipping firm Ali Shipping are to scour the world seeking assets connected to Serbian bank Jugobanka in the latest twist in the bitter dispute over an unfinished hull under construction in Croatia.
• EU agreement on ship arrest move 'unlikely'
  THERE is little chance of prior agreement between European Union member states on how they will enact the proposed new international convention on ship arrest, a London conference was told yesterday.
• Box firms 'better off with parcels tie-ups'
  WHILE container shipping lines are busily forging alliances, a global parcels carrier may be a better choice of partner, according to an industry expert, Janet Porter writes.

• NZ meeting too late, say operators
  NEW Zealand government plans for a shipping conference in May have been criticised for coming too late for the country's desperate carriers.
• Seafarers, drivers rescued in the Med
  FOURTEEN seafarers and nine truck drivers were rescued at the weekend after a containership listed and lost power in the Mediterranean.
• Evergreen to invest $300m in Panama hub
  EVERGREEN Marine Corp is planning to spend up to $300m to turn its container terminal in Panama into a hub for transhipments to Latin America.
• Anangel-American posts significant fall
  ANANGEL-American Shipholdings has posted net profit for the nine months to September 30 of $3.45m, a 72 per cent fall compared with a year ago.
• Agreement reached on seafarer medical checks
  AGREEMENT has been reached between the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization that will lead to improved health for seafarers and lower P&I claims.
• Mega Tankers to raise $52m for expansion
  MEGA Tankers, controlled by the Mosvold-Farsund group, plans to raise at least Nkr 375m ($52m) through a share issue.
• Containership sinks in the Mediterranean
  THE Bahamas registered containership Celtic Warrior sank yesterday morning off the Greek coast following a collision with a general cargo ship.
• Halla is declared bankrupt
  HALLA Group, South Korea's 12th largest conglomerate best known for its shipbuilding division, was declared bankrupt on December 5.
• Gore announces federal funding for Kvaerner
  US vice president Al Gore has announced federal funding for Kvaerner's Philadelphia Shipyard project.
• Portland negotiates sale of shipyard to Cascade
  THE largest shiprepair facility on North America's west coast may come under private control early next year.
• Port meets London pilots as changes postponed
  PILOTS from London and the Medway are meeting representatives from the UK's transport department this afternoon to discuss their concerns over changes to pilotage.
• Emergency order on Union Pacific is extended
  THE US government's Surface Transportation Board is to extend an emergency order requiring Union Pacific to co-operate with its competitors.
• Foreign equity for Pipavav port
  PSA CORP and Mærsk Line are jointly to pick up a 26 per cent equity stake in the Gujarat Pipavav Port.
• Petro-chemical plant planned for India
  AN Abu Dhabi -based company involved in energy projects is planning to set up a Rs 170bn ($4.4bn) integrated petro-chemical complex in India.

• Stinnes ambitionne la première place en logistique et distribution européennes
  Le groupe allemand Veba, l'entreprise-mère de Stinnes, réorganise ses filiales. Les divisions Raab Karcher et Veba Immobiliën se concentreront sur des services dans le secteur immobilier, tandis que Stinnes se spécialisera dans la distribution et la logistique. Une partie des activités de Raab Karcher seront confiées à une nouvelle division commerciale électronique qui opérera à partir des Etats-Unis. L'objectif de la réorganisation est d'augmenter la compétitivité de l'entreprise et de se concentrer sur les activités de base.
• Le Havre passe à la contre-offensive avec une navette ferroviaire sur Liège
  Dans le courant du mois de janvier 1998, un service de navette ferroviaire doit être lancé sur l'axe Le Havre/Liège. Il s'agit d'un montage auquel participent la toute nouvelle entité Le Havre Shuttles ainsi que deux sociétés bien connues sur le marché du combiné rail/route: Novatrans côté français et TRW en Belgique. L'objectif des Havrais est d'améliorer leur score notamment sur le marché belgo-néerlandais des containers.
• Ostende ne s'attend pas à une interdiction d'escale des Antonov 124
  La catastrophe de l'Antonov 124 à Irkoutsk ne devrait en principe pas avoir d'influences sur le trafic de l'aéroport d'Ostende. En effet, l'interdiction de vol lancée par les autorités russes ne concernerait, semble-t-il, que les vols militaires.

• LA intermodal industry gears up for 1998 peak
• Barge construction funds set
• Truckers optimistic for early labor pact
• Marad honors two roll-on, roll-off cargo vessels and their crewmembers, saying they have proved the value of the U.S. military's Ready Reserve Force
• French pledge funds for port terminal in FastShip cargo plan
• JofC transport index advances for week
• Star Alliance bears cargo fruit
• Who owns shipwrecks? High court to decide

• Make or break for Patrick
  Reeling under the pressure of financial losses, which since April have reached nearly $3.5 million, Patrick is moving to save its business by unilaterally imposing work changes on its facilities in Melbourne from next Monday. The national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, John Coombs, said yesterday the union was not going to accept unilateral changes and it appeared that the company and the union were now firmly on a collision course.
• Dubai inquiries continue
  THE Maritime Union of Australia is continuing to track down those believed to be behind sending "mercenaries" to Dubai for waterfront training. National secretary John Coombs, said yesterday he feels there are several possibilities with the states of Victoria and Western Australian being the most likely to lend their ports to any such exercise.
• Good year for TT-Line
  1996/97 was a good year for TT-Line according to a review of the year by the chairman and chief executive officer of the company, Nick Evers and Peter Simmons, respectively. Writing in TT-Line’s 1997 annual report Messrs. Evers and Simmons said the after tax profit of $2.566 million represented a positive turn around of $7.710 million on the previous year’s result.
• Rail spur for Kembla berth
  A rail spur connecting the existing south coast rail line to the multi-purpose berth at Port Kembla will be constructed early next year. A contract was signed last week between Port Kembla Port Corporation and the Rail Services Authority for the 1.5 kilometre line which is scheduled to be operational by mid-1998.