Minoan to order two new vessels MINOAN Lines of Crete is poised to make what will be the largest investment to date in Greece's domestic ferry trades by ordering a pair of new vessels for its core Piraeus-Heraklion service.
Croatian yards face merger FIVE of Croatia's main shipbuilders may be merged and put under a new holding company after running up losses said to total $1bn.
Philippine rail link hit by cash crisis AN ambitious US$2.5bn railway project which would have linked Manila to the Clark International Airport in Central Luzon and Subic Bay in Zambales has been shelved due to lack of funds and delays in the construction of the Clark airport.
Metra feels impact of Wartsila slide A WEAK performance at diesel engine builder Wartsila NSD dragged down four month results at Finland's Metra.
Vadinar clash gathers pace A TWO decade long clash between the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and the Kandla Port Trust (KPT) over the use of Vadinar port is fast reaching flashpoint with the change in political equations at the centre, following the last general elections.
The Royal Viking Sun CUNARD Line's 37,845 gt Royal Viking Sun (pictured) has become the largest cruiseship to visit Associated British Ports' Millbay Docks in Plymouth. The 1988-built vessel, carrying around 600 passengers, called at the port's number two berth before sailing for Dublin as part of a round Britain cruise.
Norway's oil fields face growing chaos NORWEGIAN offshore op-erations in the North Sea stand to be severely hit if an aviation strike widens tomorrow.
PGS wins Kyle field contract PETROLEUM Geo-Services has won a production contract on the Kyle field in the UK sector of the North Sea from the Kyle group, comprising Premier Oil, Candecca Resources, Bow Valley Petroleum and Croft Oil & Gas, writes Rajesh Joshi, Oslo Correspondent.
Spain completes first yard privatisation SPAIN has formally agreed the sale of Barreras, the Vigo-based shipbuilder, marking the state's first privatisation of a publicly owned shipyard.
St Lawrence locks set to go private CANADIAN locks on the St Lawrence Seaway could come under private sector operation as early as July 1.
Belgian terminal links overseas interests WORLD Port Services, a joint venture between ABP-owned American Port Services, Cobelfret and Hessenatie has started construction of a $10m terminal at Zeebrugge.
Diesel spill leads to 14 km slick A BROKEN hose led to a spill of 7,000 barrels of diesel fuel on June 8 off the coast of eastern Venezuela causing a 14 km slick, according to authorities from Petroleos de Venezuela.
Hong Kong boosts port development efforts HONG Kong's government has extended the Port Development Board's role to include the promotion of Hong Kong as an international shipping centre.
Genoa sells majority stake in oil terminal GENOA Port Authority has sold 51 per cent of the shares in Multedo oil terminal Porto Petroli to private interests.
Magsaysay, Houlder form insurance venture MAGSAYSAY Maritime has formed a joint venture with Houlder Insurance Brokers to provide a wide range of insurance services specialising in shipping related industries.
Non-union ports operating soon, says P&CS AUSTRALIA'S newest stevedoring company says it believes a second tier of non-union operated ports will soon be competing with Maritime Union docks.
Australian dollar slumps again THE Australian dollar has nose-dived for the third consecutive day against the US dollar, as offshore investors factor Australia into the Asian crisis.
RCCL reveals Eagle's name ROYAL Caribbean Cruises, the US-Norwegian cruise company, has chosen the name Voyager of the Seas for the first of its three 136,000 gt Eagle class cruiseships.
Sea Containers launches crisis course A PROGRAMME of two day courses in crisis management for crews of Sea Containers ships operating on Irish sea routes is now in place.
Contship explains appeal against MITH CONTSHIP Europe has given the reasons for an appeal by its subsidiary Medcentre against the Cagliari concession to MITH.
Trans-Pacific carriers lift rates again TWELVE MAJOR shipping lines operating in the trade lane from Asia to Canada are to introduce a second rate hike this year.
Thai fleet privatisation hits snag IMMINENT privatisation of Thai Maritime Navigation (TMN) has been delayed following disagreement among participants.
Bug awareness low, says Thomas Miller INDUSTRY awareness of potential Year 2000 Millenium Bug complications is below average in the maritime industry, says Mark Holford, director of Thomas Miller Risk Management.
Jan Simons: "La route mosane est insérable dans le Rhin d'Acier" Jan Simons, professeur retraité de technologie du transport et membre du CDA est pessimiste: "Le dossier du Rhin d'Acier ne progresse ni du côté belge ni du côté néerlandais. Pourtant, la liaison entre Anvers et l'Allemagne est indispensable, tout comme des compromis tant des Pays-Bas que de la Belgique. Il y a en outre un trajet dont on ne parle plus jamais: la route mosane, qui est pourtant une bonne alternative.
Pas de fusion - pour l'instant? - entre ABX et Taxipost Etienne Schouppe, administrateur-délégué de la SNCB, et André Bastien, son homologue à La Poste, ne sont pas arrivés à un accord sur une éventuelle fusion d'ABX et de Taxipost. Ils se sont rencontrés lundi soir, mais il est ressorti des pourparlers que la SNCB veut geler le projet, de crainte qu'il ne provoque un conflit social à la SNCB, ce dont elle pourrait absolument se passer dans les circonstances actuelles. C'est ce qu'écrit notre confrère le Financieel Economische Tijd.
ACL étudie avec prudence d'autres trafics... mais attend des signes de stabilité "C'est vrai, les taux sur l'AN chutent, mais nous parvenons à tirer notre épingle du jeu car nous visons des cargaisons spéciales qui permettent de maintenir les prix à certains niveaux. Pour les cargaisons de haute valeur, les chutes sont importantes, mais ce n'est pas notre domaine", nous a dit A. Abott, vice-président d'ACL.
Settlement talk premature Reports suggesting that an agreement between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia is imminent are a long way off the mark, according to a party close to those discussions. The current gulf between the parties is said to be substantial raising the possibility of an intervention by banks.
Grain Corp backs branch lines NSW grain bulk handling company GrainCorp Ltd which had been critical of past state government strategies to cut rail costs through the closure of branch "feeder" lines in regional NSW has vowed to secure future branchline operations in the state. The promise came as GrainCorp commenced its first ever freight operation at Parkes last week.
Tokyo MOU agrees to tough ISM action Members of the Committee of the Memorandum of Understanding on Ports State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region agreed at a meeting in Seoul earlier this month to initiate tough action designed to ensure that ships visiting their ports comply with the International Safety Management Code from its enforcement on July 1. Under agreed guidelines for the ISM code, ships entering Asia-Pacific ports without ISM certification after that date would be subject to detention by Tokyo MOU member authorities.
UK blasts industry over sub-standard ships The UK government has called on all sectors of the shipping industry to build on the significant efforts some are already making to help the government break the vicious circle which allows sub-standard ships to operate. UK Shipping Minister Glenda Jackson said, "Sub standard ships operate because some in the shipping industry still help them to do so. In some sectors, there appears to be a vicious circle of avoiding commercial blames."
Japan-Aust rates to rise Freight rates from Japan to Australia will be going up from next month by $US100 per 20-foot container and US$200 per 40-foot container. A spokesman for Liner Shipping Services, which looks after the northbound trade confirmed the increase noting that it applied to southbound cargoes only.
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