• S'pore bunker market may weaken: report
  Contributing factors include crackdown on OPL bunkering and S Korea's expanded refinery capacity
• Union cracks down on poor ship conditions
• Halla to axe 3,000 jobs by next month

• Asian, Pacific airlines face trying times in next few years
  Region's financial turmoil will hamper economic growth, carriers' earnings
• FAA orders wiring changes to B747's centre fuel tanks
• S'pore, NZ sign liberal open skies accord
• Mercedes plans to launch 3 new models in India next year
• VW may move production of Polo cars to Spain
• Russia to sign deal with Volvo next week

• Gibraltar aims for hub status
  In the first of two reports on Gibraltar, DAVID HUGHES looks at the tiny colony's aspirations to become a cruise hub

• Ship's arrest makes big difference to position of mortgagee

• NYK revises schedule
• Singapore back in at the IMO
• TMM boosts profits but suffers more rail losses
• Japan prepares for MCC services
• Cosco puts new ship on SEA express service
• Evergreen opens Panama port
• Euro forwarders lift revenue
• Singapore Air and Lufthansa form alliance
• Rolls-Royce clocks up another engine order
• New China boss for SAA

• Nedlloyd calls back ECT-share
• Stable result P&O Nedlloyd
• Nedlloyd disappoints in third quarter
• Hamburg and Bremen hold talks
• Fokker relaunch with Dasa as supplier

• Danyard axes 200 more jobs
  TROUBLED Danish shipbuilder Danyard yesterday disclosed that it had made more than 200 employees redundant.
• Foinavon oil field onstream at last
  THE beleaguered Foinaven oil field on the UK's Atlantic Margin has finally come onstream.
• Royal Bank of Scotland profit up 15%
  ROYAL Bank of Scotland, a leading UK player in shipping finance, yesterday announced pre-tax profits of '801m ($1.36bn) for the year to September 30, up 15% on the figure for 1995-96.
• City of London
  The Andrew Weir vessel City of London is in Bremerhaven where three container cranes are being fitted by Rickmers-Lloyd Dockbetrieb. The 2000 teu newbuilding sailed for Bremerhaven immediately after delivery by Gdynia Shipyard. She is also being fitted with the electrical equipment needed to carry reefer containersPicture: Ralf Witthohn.
• Yards caught in financial maelstrom
  SOUTH Korea is a country in deep distress. Some analysts believe it is heading for economic meltdown, and shipbuilding will not escape the heat.
• Master fined for overloading ship
  A FILIPINO master was fined '15,000 ($25,400) by Southampton Magistrates after pleading guilty to overloading his ship carrying timber from Estonia to Ireland.
• Newport News bid for shiprepair firm
  US-listed Newport News Shipbuilding has entered into a "definitive agreement" to acquire, for an undisclosed sum, the much-smaller shiprepair firm, Continental Maritime Industries of San Diego.
• Thames Fisher
  Thames Fisher made her London debut yesterday, representing the latest stage in the fleet replenishment programme of James Fisher and Sons, one of the UK's largest operators of coastal clean petroleum product tankers, writes Dale Wainwright.

• Date to be set for Sri Lankan privatisation
  AN official implementation date for Sri Lanka's substantially over hauled shipping policy is to be announced soon.
• Holyman confirms talks with Hoverspeed
  HOLYMAN, the Australian ferry operator, has confirmed that it is in talks with Sea Containers regarding a new structure for its fast ferry car/passenger service between the UK and Ostend.
• Cosco close to taking China port stakes
  THE Cosco (Hong Kong) Group is close to acquiring equity stakes in some of China's biggest ports.
• MTL takes minority stake in Beilun terminal
  MODERN Terminals Ltd of Hong Kong has signed a letter of intent with Ningbo port authorities to take a 49 per cent stake in Beilun Container Terminal.
• Canadian port police under investigation
  ALLEGATIONS of wrongdoing involving senior officers of the Canada Ports Police have emerged.
• Van Ommeren sells US terminals
  VAN Ommeren has sold two of its US terminal operations to Ottawa-based Logistec.
• Cruiseship operators fined for illegal dumping
  ULYSSES Cruises and Seaway Maritime have pleaded guilty to US federal charges of dumping illegal plastics and water polluted with oil into the sea off Florida.
• Fincantieri signs co-operation deal with CSSC
  FINCANTIERI, the Italian builder, has signed a co-operation agreement with Dalian New Shipyard.
• Hapag-Lloyd 'will remain independent of Preussag'
  HAPAG-Lloyd will remain an independent entity following its take-over by Preussag, chairman Bernd Wrede said this morning.
• Cargo growth soars at India's major ports
  SUBSTANTIAL cargo growth has been recorded at India's eleven major ports according to an Indian economic report.
• India to scrap SCI oil import reservation
  RESERVATION of crude oil cargo imports for the public sector Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) on cost-plus freight basis will shortly be scrapped.
• Adsteam in A$42m tugs expansion
  AUSTRALIA'S largest towage operator Adsteam Marine has unveiled the biggest tug investment in Australia in 30 years.
• N&T sells two ferries
  NORDSTROM & Thulin (N&T), the Swedish shipping group, has sold two ferries on behalf of the Swedish state.
• Kalmar shareholders approve Sisu merger
  AN extraordinary shareholders' meeting in Kalmar Industries has approved a merger with the Finnish container handling equipment manufacturer Sisu Terminal Systems (STS).
• Spanish yards up for sale
  THE Spanish government is negotiating with several groups regarding the sale of Astilleros Espanoles (AESA) affiliate Barreras of Vigo.
• FEFC to maintain rate restoration in 1998
  THE Far East Conference Lines (FEFC) have agreed to maintain their rate restoration programme announced for January 1, 1998.

• Noord Natie et Goes Transport s'associent dans la logistique des fruits
  International Distribution Partners (IDP) va mettre en service à Wommelgem, près d'Anvers, une plateforme pour la logistique des fruitière le 1er décembre prochain. IDP est une joint-venture 50/50 entre Noord Natie et la société néerlandaise de transport routier frigorifique Goes Transport (Vleuten). Le but de la joint-venture est de proposer un ensemble de services neutres et complets pour la logistique des fruits, de l'arrivée dans le port à la distribution chez le destinataire final. Comme c'est le cas au Royaume-Uni, on constate dans nos régions que les supermarchés ont de plus en plus tendance à dicter l'itinéraire des fruits et ne veulent plus avoir affaire à plusieurs intermédiaires.
• Hapag-Lloyd veut faire passer son CA de 5 à 13 mia. de DEM
  Une fois de plus, le groupe de transport allemand Hapag-Lloyd se distingue dans le monde du liner international en affichant de très bons résultats pour l'exercice 96-97. Le CA s'est inscrit en hausse de 4,4 mia. à 4,9 mia. de DEM, et le bénéfice net est passé de 80 mio. de DEM à 100 mio. Quant au cash-flow, il se situera à 450 millions de DEM contre 515 millions l'année précédente.
• Schenker et Bahntrans négocient une fusion de leurs réseaux en Allemagne
  Des négociations sont actuellement en cours entre Schenker-Rhenus, Thyssen Handelsunion et Deutsche Bahn, visant à coopérer dans le transport terrestre. L'objectif visé serait d'arriver à une coopération - dont la forme n'a pas encore été établie - entre Schenker-Eurocargo et Bahntrans, qui est une joint-venture entre Thyssen Haniel Logistic et la DB. Cette information survient quelques jours à peine après l'annonce d'une prise de contrôle probable du groupe Bilspedition (BTL) par Schenker-Rhenus.
• Le premier freightway européen belge sera opérationnel en janvier
  Le freightway (corridor de fret) Muizen-Bettembourg-Sibelin/ Vénissieux-Milan/Gênes/La Spezia/Gioia Tauro sera progressivement mis en oeuvre à partir de la mi-janvier 1998. Cette initiative commune des chemins de fer belges (SNCB), luxembourgeois (CFL), français (SNCF) et italiens (FS) se traduit notamment par une accélération du trafic et un accroissement de capacité d'environ 2 millions de tonnes par an sur cet axe porteur.

• Extra cranes to boost Adelaide
  Sea-Land (Australia) Terminals is to double the number of cranes at its Port Adelaide container terminal in a substantial upgrade coinciding with an extension of the terminal berths by the South Australian Ports Corporation. SLAT general manager Captain Andy Andrews said two well-performed cranes would be transferred to Port Adelaide from the company’s Hong Kong terminal, where they are being replaced with much larger post-Panamax units.
• Another Patrick rumour denied
  The chairman of Patrick, Chris Corrigan, told DCN yesterday he has stopped denying reports that the company’s Melbourne terminal has been sold. The latest speculation to hit the Melbourne waterfront is that Sea-Land, the operator of the Adelaide terminal, was the party involved in the acquisition. "I have stopped denying these reports," Mr Corrigan said.
• Melbourne air freight drive
  The launch of the Victorian Government’s ‘Airfreight Strategy’ at Melbourne Airport yesterday could lead to Melbourne becoming the "air freight hub of Australia" next century, according to Industry Minister, Mark Birrel. He said the Government aimed to turn Melbourne into a leading international air freight management and handling centre and was committed to ensuring Tullamarine and Avalon airports were both critically involved in that process.
• More problems for Fair Princess
  P&O Holidays’ trouble-plagued Fair Princess sailed out of Sydney on a nine night cruise to the South Pacific several hours late due to repairs being carried out on a manoeuvring valve in one of the ship’s engines. The ship was scheduled to depart from Sydney on Wednesday evening, but got away early this morning.
• Geelong win for ITF
  Indonesian crew members aboard a Singaporean flagged, Japanese owned chemical tanker, the Innayah, berthed in Geelong, will receive US$30,000 in backpay courtesy of the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s Australian inspectorate. This is one of the latest settlements reached during the ITF’s week long campaign against flag of convenience vessels in the Asia - Pacific rim.

• Koreans caught in deep kimchee
  Halla and Daedong face biggest headaches, while Cheung Ku and others insist they're okay.
• Georgian Shipping demands probe into missing millions
  A major investigation has been launched into tens of millions of dollars alleged to be missing from a pioneering joint venture set up to operate Georgian ships under the Maltese flag.
• Awani set for exit from cruise market
  Indonesian cruiseship owner Awani Cruise is trying to sell off the company's only two vessels in what some industry observers say is a move to dump its cruising interests completely.
• BLASCO lawyers press for debt relief
  A maritime law firm representing the beleaguered Black Sea Shipping Company (BLASCO) is pushing for a settlement to be reached with creditors around the world. It is estimated BLASCO owes at least USD 300m, including costs and interest payments.
• Newport News faces more delays
  The troubled tanker program at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia faces another blemish with the severe delay of a five-vessel order by Hvide Van Ommeren Tankers.