Nuclear waste ship boarded GREENPEACE has raised serious questions over the security surrounding the shipment of nuclear waste through the Panama Canal after three of its members managed to board a British-flagged cargoship bound for Japan with a 24-ton cargo yesterday.
Vestey silent on talk of Blue Star sale RUMOURS that the Vestey Group is about to sell Blue Star Line swept through the shipping markets yesterday. But none of the parties involved would comment on what was described as speculation.
Tankers and gas carriers help lift Bergesen 23.5% A STRONG performance in tankers and gas ships has boosted annual results at Norway's largest shipping company, Bergesen.
Hamburg sets box and bulk records THE port of Hamburg has reported record results for 1997 in both container and bulk traffic.
Dry bulk freight market facing uncertain future PROSPECTS for the dry bulk freight market are pretty glum, according to a leading consultancy firm.
Rio state ferry company float attracts one bidder RIO de Janeiro's state ferry company has been floated on the stock exchange as part of an ongoing privatisation drive.
Preussag sees a 45% leap in profits GERMAN steel, energy and transport group Preussag lifted after-tax profits by 45% to Dm397m ($218m) in its 1996-97 year, chief executive officer Dr Michael Frenzel has announced.
HMM Japan/Med link SOUTH Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine has started a temporary container service between Japan and the Mediterranean which will last until March when the carrier joins the New World Alliance between the Far East/Europe.
Rival systems launched for tanker futures TWO totally independent organisations have been officially launched today to serve the tanker futures market.
BFI at eleven year low THE Baltic Freight Index, representing panamax and capesize drybulk freight markets, has fallen to its lowest level in almost 11 years.
200 bulkers looking for Piraeus lay-up OVER 200 bulkers are rumoured to have applied for berths at Piraeus to sit out the current market slump.
Oslo port move stalled THERE has been no progress in plans to relocate the Oslo container port further away from the city centre.
New name, new home for V Ships V SHIPS' south-east Asian office, formerly known as V Ships (Asia Pacific), is to relocate to new premises in Singapore and be renamed V Ships Singapore.
US accept seafarers are 'special' as regards visas THE US State Department has acknowledged that seafarers on ships calling at US ports are in a "special" position as regards obtaining US visas.
Danyard scotches sale rumours DANYARD has dismissed rumours that its parent company has been in talks with Aker Maritime and Kvaerner regarding the sale of its stake in the shipyard.
Owners paying too much to resolve disputes SHIPOWNERS and charterers are paying more than they should to resolve disputes, according to the Swedish Club.
Mitsui/Nissho take control of Burmah Gas MITSUI OSK and Nissho Iwai Corp have acquired the 50 per cent of Burmah Gas Transport (BGT) owned by UK-based Burmah Castol.
Bulk traffic lifts Duisburg throughput LARGE movements of bulk traffic and stronger growth in Germany's steel industry pushed Germany's inland waterways port of Duisburg to a ten per cent increase in traffic in 1997.
HR Services establishes new liner identity HR Services has set up a new identity for its liner service linking Europe with the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and Brazil.
Malacca Straits were safest waters in 1997 THE Straits of Malacca have become south-east Asia's safest waters, recording no piracy attacks last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Arbitrator fears for London's status MARITIME arbitrator Donald Davies fears London might lose its status as the world's leading centre for arbitration.
TT-Line uncertain on duty free loss THE loss of duty free sales from mid-1999 is creating great uncertainty at Hamburg's TT-Line, which operates Baltic Sea ferry services between Germany and Sweden.
Patrick diverts ships in MUA dispute PATRICK stevedores has been forced to divert seven ships to other Melbourne stevedoring facilities because of a work stoppage by 180 MUA members.
Très forte croissance du trafic de Novatrans en 1997 "Pour ses 30 ans fetés en 1997, l'année aura été excellente pour Novatrans", annonce la société française de transport combiné. De fait, l'entreprise a dépassé pour la première fois la barre des 400.000 véhicules. Le trafic total a été de 407.096 véhicules (et caisses mobiles), soit une progression de 15,6 %. "La satisfaction est d'autant plus grande que la progression du trafic a été à deux chiffres, tant dans le domaine intérieur (+ 11,8 % en nombre de véhicules, + 14,75 % en tonnage), que dans celui de l'international (+ 18,6 % en nombre de véhicules, + 20,4 % en tonnage)", note la direction de Novatrans.
Atlantique: le marché va-t-il absorber les nouvelles capacités qui s'annoncent? Jusqu'à présent, le trafic entre l'Europe du Nord et l'Amérique du Nord semble avoir absorbé sans problème les nouveaux venus que sont Cosco, Yang Ming et K Line. De même, plus au Nord, pour ce qui est de la desserte de Montréal, le service hebdomadaire assuré par le trio Mærsk/Sea-Land et P&ONL, a été absorbé. Sur cette route, les volumes sont à la hausse tant EB que WB et l'on s'efforce de maintenir les taux à un niveau convenable. Les conférences "Continental Canadian Westbound Freight Conference et Canadian North Atlantic Westbound Freight Conference" ont d'ailleurs décidé d'introduire dès le 1er mars prochain une adaptation tarifaire de 25 dollars US pour un 20' et 45 dollars pour un 40', ce qui qui est assez modeste et témoigne d'une certaine prudence.
Hungarocamion a été vendu à HC Invest L'agence de privatisation hongroise APV a confirmé à l'agence Reuter qu'elle a vendu une participation de 81,5% du géant hongrois du transport routier Hungarocamion à une société d'investissement hongroise, HC Invest Rt. Pour l'heure, il n'est pas encore connu officiellement qui est derrière celle-ci, mais selon nos informations, c'est la société d'investissement hongroise Ventura.
Geraeds rejoint Ewals A la surprise générale, A.H.H. Geraeds, le président-directeur de Frans Maas Logistics, avait quitté en octobre dernier le groupe de transport néerlandais, pour lequel il travaillait depuis 37 ans. Le 16 février prochain, il entrera au service du groupe Ewals Cargo Care (ECC) à Tegelen, où il sera responsable de la stratégie, du marketing et des opérations. Le groupe a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires de 11 milliards de BEF l'année dernière, dont 1,5 mia. en Belgique (Genk). Ewals Cargo Care entend surtout se profiler en tant que prestataire de services dans le domaine de la logistique intégrale. Dans ce contexte, la venue de Geraeds constitue un atout non négligeable.
Americans in Hawaii, Guam battle over Jones Act: Is it friend or foe?
EU sees signs of peace with Atlantic lines
APL, Mitsui to charter container slots from Lykes in move into North Atlantic
Grain traffic more than doubled in '97, and the port agency chief says new container and bulk ships plying the facility will provide 'plenty more room in 1998.'
Bombardier closes German firm deal
Baltic Exchange launches tanker freight index today
Transport minister reconfirms need for Thai merchant fleet
STB's environmental unit hears complaints on split of Conrail
If the Jones Act is one year older, it must be time for another study
North Korean bulker breaks arrest A North Korean-owned bulk carrier arrested in Kakinada, India is on the run, with a USD 3m cargo of soya bean meal belonging to grain trader Andres on board.
New projects wait for Clarkson's real McCoy One of the world's most well-known shipbrokers is leaving the business. The retirement of Clarkson's Hugh McCoy marks the end of a 30-year career filled with fixing and some failing, but McCoy isn't exactly sailing off into the sunset. New shipping engagements are already in the works.
World-Wide loses on Panamaxes World-Wide Shipping has reportedly chartered one of its Panamax bulker newbuildings out at such a low rate that it appears the company will be hit with big losses on the vessel.
Papachristidis faces large damage claim A Papachristidis-controlled ULCC that had three pilots on board and was being assisted by four tugs, but still hit a refinery berth, has sparked a big damage claim.
Filipino LPG team rides out the storm The economic gloom in Asia is putting several projects on hold, but all has not come to a complete standstill. In the Philippines, a young, LPG-carrier owning company is quietly negotiating newbuilding contracts in Japan.
A "freak" dry year is causing shipping lines to look for alternatives to the Panama Canal. The drought caused by the El Niño pattern is forcing some ships to avoid the canal. Approximately 17 percent of Panama Canal ships are affected. The same thing happened three decades ago to the Suez Canal, and the eight-year closing of that route from 1967 through 1975 effected long-lasting and in some cases irrevocable changes in world oil transport patterns. Many lines searching for an alternative to the Panama Canal ironically are looking at the Suez Canal now.
The Department of Transportation will get its largest funding ever under President Clinton's proposed budget. DOT would get $43.4 billion for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Amtrak is a big winner under the president's plan, getting $621 million from the Highway Trust Fund. That thought sent highway interests to the medicine cabinet for aspirin, or something stronger, calling it "highway robbery." Maritime interests were concerned about the Coast Guard's proposal to charge commercial carriers up to $165 million annually to offset the cost of providing navigational assistance.
For the first time since 1993, all the major LTL carriers were profitable in the same year in 1997. A Traffic World analysis shows the strong economy, firm pricing environment and changes in operations have resulted in stunning improvement in the LTL business. How long can the LTL recovery continue? Analysts say it will last at least through the middle of this year, but wage pressure and other factors will make the second half more difficult.
Criticism of Union Pacific heated up as congestion problems in Texas continued to show little improvement. Kansas City Southern Railway President Michael Haverty promised a solution would be forged, preferably by the Surface Transportation Board, but legislatively or legally, if necessary. Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Charles Matthews planned to meet with STB Chairman Linda Morgan to present plans his agency has been discussing with railroads other than UP.
Crowley American Transport is close to finalizing an agreement with Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. that would give Lykes a charter for up to three Sea Wolf-class ships now in Crowley's east coast South American trade. The deal may be completed in two weeks. The deal will mean the end of U.S.-flag ships along the east coast of South America.
Crowley American Transport is close to finalizing an agreement with Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. that would give Lykes a charter for up to three Sea Wolf-class ships now in Crowley's east coast South American trade. The deal may be completed in two weeks. The deal will mean the end of U.S.-flag ships along the east coast of South America.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey kept good on her word to delay action on restricting payload or requiring massive changes to the fleet of converted Boeing 727 freighters. After more than a year of tug-of-war between the all-cargo industry and the federal agency, Garvey decided to reopen the comment period and hold at least two public meetings on the issue to allow 727 operators and FAA engineers to air their views on what needs to be done to make the aircraft better suited to carry heavy loads.
C.O.M. Transportation Services, Santa Rosa, Calif., is buying New Willig Freight Lines for an undisclosed amount. This is Willig's third incarnation after going bankrupt in 1995. Former employees started New Willig Freight Lines last spring. The similarities between C.O.M. and Willig are striking, as both companies hit hard times in the 1980s. C.O.M. survived by diversifying into more logistics services while Willig faced harder times as a traditional intrastate California carrier.
Two warehouse manufacturing software companies are growing by acquisition and investment. McHugh Software International agreed to buy Software Architects, a Brookfield, Wis.-based developer of midmarket warehouse management software for the UNIX and Windows NT platforms. Also, rival warehouse software provider Optum Software began an equity partnership with InSight Capital Partners, a New York investment firm specializing in supply-chain and enterprise resource planning software.
Canadian west coast ports handling forest products are the first to feel the pinch of the Asian financial crisis, but it hasn't been as big a hit as some feared. Vancouver, which was Canada's top port, has been able to offset the softening in lumber shipments to Asia through higher coal and grain movements. The next six months will be key in seeing how much the Asian economic slowdown hurts Canadian ports.
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