• Asian ports defied 1997's tide of economic slowdown
  Strong showing from PSA, Kelang and HK; but too soon to judge impact of turmoil
• Evergreen unit makes S'pore hub for India feeders
• Sri Lanka port lease to go to P&O joint venture
• Europe fears S Korea may use IMF aid to benefit yards

• Philippine Airlines cancels orders for 4 Boeing 747s
  PAL joins growing list of carriers to suffer credit crunch due to currencywoes
• Airbus shoots down Boeing's figures
• IBM warns of millennium bug in FAA computers
• Investigators having difficulties reading SilkAir flight recorder
• Renault expects profit for '97
• Cathay Pacific had 7.9% fewer customers
• Work on Guangzhou's new airport to begin by year end

• Maritime sector holds the key
  It has yet to capitalise on its good harbour on a busy waterway and shipyard experience servicing the Royal Navy

• Stringent checks needed when financing dubious owners

• Early increases give rise to FMC inquiry
• P&O Nedlloyd names first newbuilding of 1998
• Calls for UP and SP merger to be revisited
• CaroTrans forms alliances with Ziegler and Wilson
• Tanjung Priok port to install X-ray machine
• Singapore sees 14 million TEUs shifted in 1997
• Retired executive director of GPA dies
• Price war among carriers in China continues
• SAS cargo move to main US hub
• Big investments made in Chinese civil aviation
• Delta's co-operation with Sabena enters a new height
• Airlines advised to raise competitiveness

• New Amsterdam Airport plan
• Deutsche Paket Dienst raises prices
• State aid for French flag demanded
• Opposition to Polish toll and German plans
• Shipping agent 'Man of the Year' in port of Rotterdam

• NITL seeks information from members on TSA actions
• Ice storm affects Canada rail
• Tianjin achieves ISO 9002 certification
• Europe/Asia aircargo traffic still bullish

• J.Kirkaldy To Buy Floating Dock From Blohm & Voss
• Lauritzen’s Danyard Shuts Ship Steelworks
• Marine Drilling Names CFO

• Dumping fears as UK faces Korean cars flood
  THE UK car industry is bracing itself for a flood of South Korean imports in the wake of the Asian currency crisis, sparking fears that manufacturers have already begun to dump products on western markets.
• IMF chief praises Seoul for tough economic reforms
  MICHEL Camdessus, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, yesterday praised South Korea for implementing a tough economic reform programme, writes Tony Gray.
• California cities in Cosco project row
  A GROUP comprising the County of Los Angeles, the California State Association of Counties, and 117 California cities have jumped into the legal battle over development of the former Long Beach Naval Station property in the Port of Long Beach.
• Oil slick closes UAE desalination plants
  AN oil slick from a barge which sank off Dubai last week, has forced the closure of two desalination plants in the UAE in an effort to prevent oil entering the domestic water supply.
• Santos port shuttle in rapid growth
  FERROMAR Express, the railroad shuttle service to and from the port of Santos, has expanded dramatically in the last 12 months. The service is now daily on the back of a 140% freight handling increase.
• Master picked to spearhead ITF campaign
  A FORMER Greenpeace master has agreed to command a vessel to be bought by the International Transport Workers' Federation, writes Bruce McMichael.
• $51m Visakhapatnam plan
  IN an effort to improve its cargo handling and infrastructure, the eastern Indian port of Visakhapatnam is planning expenditure of more than Rs2bn ($51m) during the ninth five-year plan to 2002.
• Dubai busy in offshore and tanker sectors
  THE offshore and large tanker market is currently dominating Dubai Drydock's orderbook.

• Crew saved as bulker turns over
  REPORTS are coming in of a collision earlier today between a 5,995 dwt bulker and a 14,829 dwt general cargoship in the Kattegat.
• Grimaldi to introduce Excellent
  The Grimaldi Group is to introduce its latest newbuilding, the Excellent, in the spring
• Barge grounding leads to heavy oil spill
  A HEAVY oil spill from a barge that ran aground off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last week has brought significant pollution to local beaches and fishing grounds.
• Storey appointed Maritime and Coastguard head
  MAURICE Storey, a director of Stena Line UK since 1990, has been appointed the new chief executive of the UK's combined Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
• Trieste simplifies tug charges
  SHIPOWNERS whose vessels call at Treiste can look forward to a simpler method of charging for tugs.
• Kvaerner Masa shuffles top jobs
  KVAERNER Masa-Yards has announced a management re-organisation following the appointment of Martin Saarikangas as president of Kvaerner's Shipbuilding group.
• AESA newbuilding crashes into bridge
  THE drillship Discovery Enterprise crashed against a bridge near Ferrol in Spain early this morning after being ripped from its moorings by gale force winds.
• Aker/RGI group wins MTW
  THE US/Norwegian owned Aker/RGI group has, subject to acceptance by the EU commission and the Mecklenberg-Vorpommern government, won the bid for the MTW yard .
• Australia needs port improvements to save cargo
  PORT improvements worth A$52m ($40.9m) have been proposed at Port Adelaide and Port Giles in South Australia (SA) to avoid losing future cargoes.
• Cosco expresses interest in Lloyd Triestino
  COSCO has expressed an interest in taking over Lloyd Triestino from the state owned Finmare group.
• Trasmed is sole bidder for Spanish ferry routes
  BIDDING for ten ferry routes linking the Spanish mainland with North Africa and the Canary and Balearic Islands has ended with only Trasmediterranea putting its name forward.
• Malta hopes for solution on workers debate
  MALTA'S prime minister, Alfred Sant, continues to hope that a solution to the issue of foreign workers at Malta Shipbuilding is close.
• Italian fast ferries to start
  Tirrenia di Navigazione will introduce its first pair of Fincantieri-built MDV 3000 monohull fast ferries in May.
• Fincantieri to invest heavily in fast ferry sector
  FINCANTIERI is to step up its investment in fast ferry production.

• Engineers try to block UTU's single-union plan
• NTSB: Cosco at fault for crash in New Orleans
• Town talk: allocation of ex-Navy site
• EU expected to open competitive gates at Frankfurt
• Shipping firms worry over Kenya port delays
• Farrell launches last of 3 boxships
• Alliance bolstering Europe-Asia services
• Hong Kong's new airport could get some competition
• Record fine slapped on Eklof over New England oil spill
• Chilean line to get feet wet in S. America's East Coast
• Army Corps asks more time on river environmental study
• How do you get there from here? Trip-routing software shows the way

• Bonus issues meeting delayed
  A meeting between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia to consider productivity bonus issues has been moved to today. The meeting which was to have taken place on Monday, was postponed in order to fit in with the schedules of all parties.
• Award proposes off-pay periods
  A stevedore will have the right to suspend an employee without pay for a period of up to two weeks under the proposed new stevedoring industry award lodged with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
  During this period, which will be used for the purpose of disciplining the employee or while investigating any allegations of misconduct against him or her, the stevedore will not be obliged to provide the employee with work.
• Townsville reopens but major links still awash
  Shipping movements have resumed at the flood-stricken northern Queensland port of Townsville, although authorities yesterday were concerned that the flooding could potentially force shipping activities through a lesser channel depth.
• Backman leaves Scott
  Scott Corporation Limited managing director Ivan Backman has severed ties with the mount Gambier-based trucking group less than 18 months after joining the company. The chairman of Scott Corporation Limited Allan Scott announced in a statement yesterday that Mr Backman had "resigned to pursue other interests".
• Cruising towards a record
  The Port of Melbourne is expecting a record year for cruise ship visits with 19 calls likely at Station pier in the 1997-98 season.
  Victorian Tourism Minister Louise Asher said that the arrival last week of the luxury cruise ship Seabourn Legend heralded the beginning of an exciting year for Victoria’s revitalised cruise ship tourism industry.