• Inland port to open in late 1998
• APL and Matson make alterations to Pacific service
• Fresh Del Monte to acquire all of Horn-Linie
• Japanese association to fold
• Feeder ships berth at Kobe foreign trade terminals
• Evergreen favourite to buy Italian state shipping line
• Angel Airlines sets takeoff date
• Airways suit against BA and AMR Corp dismissed
• Japanese domestic routes emploiy new Boeing
• Olympic Air orders B737-800s

• Ferry companies use Internet too little
• 1997 brought breakthrough in pan-European outsourcing
• Siemens invests in road pricing
• Construction of rail tunnels on Betuwe route

• Long Beach scheme faces new hearing
  ANOTHER public hearing on port plans to build a container terminal on the former Long Beach Naval Station and Long Beach Naval Shipyard properties has been scheduled by the US Navy and the Port of Long Beach.
• Greece denies challenging Turkish ships
  GREEK officials yesterday denied that the country's warships had challenged two Turkish cargo vessels in international waters in the Aegean Sea or that there had been an incident involving Turkish warships, Reuters reports.
• Van Ommeren on track for profit improvement
  DUTCH tank storage to shipping group Van Ommeren yesterday declared itself to be on track for a net profit of Fls140m($70m) for 1997 against the 1996 figure of Fls94.4m.
• Indian Railways eyes freight plan
  INDIAN Railways is considering franchising freight terminal operations to private companies, as part of a plan to privatise eight different operations.
• Peru gearing up to combat the 'mother of all El Ninos'
  PERU is investing $500m in elaborate harbour and river defences as well as other essential infrastructure development in preparation for "the mother of all El Ninos".
• Rostock investment paying off
  PORT of Rostock invested Dm34m ($19.2m) last year in improvements to the infrastructure with around 40% of this from internally generated funds, according to port operator Seehafen Rostock Verwaltungsgesellschaft.
• Star Cruises loses chief executive Lee
  EDDY Lee, the flamboyant and energetic president and chief executive of Malaysian owned Star Cruises has resigned. In a statement Star said it regretted that Mr Lee had left the fast growing Asian cruise operator "for personal reasons".
• Irish in pledge to boost navy
  DESPITE continuing uncertainty about the future strength of Irish Naval Services because of the delay by the government in publishing the result of a manpower study, the government has restated its commitment to increasing personnel numbers in the navy, writes Tom MacSweeney, Dublin.

• SCI's acquisition plans hit by Asian crisis
  FALLING global trade and the financial crisis in Asia have put back Shipping Corp of India's vessel acquisition plans.
• Adsteam buys Burns Philp Agencies
  AUSTRALIAN towage operator Adsteam Marine is increasing its presence in Asia with the buy-out of 114-year old Burns Philp Shipping Agency (BPSA).
• Finnish owners threaten to flag out
  TWO major Finnish owners are threatening to flag out their fleets because of domestic taxation and an income settlement that raised the cost of employing Finnish seafarers.
• Safety concern after fire on Turkish obo
  A FIRE that broke out yesterday on a Turkish flag obo has been extinguished, but concerns have been raised over the way distress signals were transmitted.
• Varun to train cruiseship crew members
  MUMBAI-based Varun Shipping Company is diversifying into cruiseship crew training.
• Tirrenia to sell five ferries
  ITALIAN ferry operator Tirrenia di Navigazione is to sell five vessels in a move to renew its fleet.
• Renaissance returns to French builder
  CHANTIERS de l'Atlantique has confirmed that it has won the contract to build a further two cruiseships for US-based Renaissance Cruises.
• Sydney Ports posts profits slump
  SYDNEY Ports Corp posted a profit slump at the end of 1997 despite a five per cent increase in ship arrivals and wage reductions.
• Bohai yard cuts staff by ten per cent
  BOHAI Shipyard laid off 500 workers last year in an attempt to boost its efficiency and claw its way back into profit.
• Saskpool reassesses Robert's Bank project
  SASKATCHEWAN Wheat Pool is rethinking its plan to construct a grain export terminal at Robert's Bank, and may even cancel the project.
• Sri Lanka evaluates foreign bids for new port
  SRI Lanka is evaluating bids from foreign investors regarding a new port in the south of the country, strategically located close to the main East-West shipping route.
• MarAd loan secured to reopen US yard
  SOTIRIOS Emmanouil has secured $53.5m in US MarAd loan guarantees to reopen the Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts.
• Madrid approves Barreras yard sale
  THE Spanish cabinet has approved the sale of Barreras, the Vigo-based member of the Astilleros Espanoles shipbuilding group.
• CSAV buys into Brazil
  CSAV, the Chile-based line, has acquired Brastrans, a small Brazilian operator, in order to secure the benefits of a company registered in Brazil.

• Customs' anti-smuggling border initiative is promoted as a benefit to truckers, importers, and the agency in . . .
• China's overenthusiasm to enter the marine container industry paid off in the beginning, but now business has turned downward and the country finds itself . . .
• House panel ready to review US' ship-scrapping policies
• Qantas to shelve four weekly flights to ailing S. Korea
• Owen Wu takes over at Evergreen
• Drug bust makes history in Canada
• Railroad inspection program extended
• Board axes effort to prevent UP-SP job consolidations
• Bayou channel project awarded
• Singapore line's move to diversify allows Iran firm to expand
• Norwegian Cruise, the line 'from hell,' won't leave Houston
• Big line getting bigger
• Pacific ports prepare for rough weather
• Once again, ship reform
• Conferences are still alive and well
• Ports exchange top talent
• South American slowdown
• Union Pacific battles to become normal again
• Wary FMC still watches Japan
• Cosco terminal plan in limbo
• Project cargo stays healthy
• Technology bolsters trains
• Truckers warily eye future
• No fond farewells for 1997
• Intermodalism lags in Europe
• Sea change at Hapag-Lloyd
• Executives deliver farewells
• A year of shipper frustration
• Air freight: global dogfight
• Expect demand to push up oil tanker rates
• Europe-Asia trade evolves
• The rise in ship capacity expected to taper off
• Container fleet expanding