BRIEFS

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Penguin Boat set to seal deal with PT Cumawis It expects contracts for 3 aluminium vessels to be finalised by Q2: exec director HK port confident of meeting future challenges: chairman Workers in Webb Dock row ordered to return to work Airbus close to US$4b deal with Latin carriers Rival Boeing concedes defeat in single largest order from Latin America UPS eyes 20%-25% revenue growth Virgin fights to get anti-trust suit against BA before US jury Voice recorder of crashed Philippine plane found Continental seeks to expand Japan route Airline confounds its sceptics US airline has scored impressive gains in efficiency and made a Q3 profit but there is still turbulence ahead Sad story of lives lost at yards

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Hanjin boosts Japan-China direct service Yokohama accepts more faxes Halla sees set-back P&O Nedlloyd peps up Med-feeder service Philippines' port charges to escalate over five years Croatia Line launches new Med-ISC service Box-barge shuttle link launched in Manila Jet Air establishes freight forwarding network in PRC Moscow attracts more Chinese air cargo Safety threatened by EU directive, says Frankfurt

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Greenwich cruise terminal fears EFFORTS to market London as the world's premier cruise destination for millennium celebrations are being undermined by grow-ing concerns that the new terminal will not be completed in time. Bradley takes Salvage post THE UK Marine Safety Agency chief executive, Robin Bradley, is to become the next chief surveyor and deputy general manager of The Salvage Association, the world's largest marine casualty surveying organisation, writes Michael Grey. Time to prove the doubters wrong WITH all the world focus turned on east Asia and its economic woes right now, some may feel that the little mouse, Africa, should take advantage and play while the cat, or cats, are away and otherwise occupied. Shipbroker advises market caution BOTH owners and charterers should be cautious of the shipping market this year, a London-based shipbroker has advised, as problems in Asia and the high rate of newbuildings compared with the rate of demolition are creating cause for concern. Romline hits back over 'vendetta' CONSTANTZA-based Romline Shipping Co has denied allegations concerning two of its vessels which were under detention earlier this month, saying a "private vendetta" is being waged against the company. Salvage chief backs Open Form THE new Lloyd's Open Form 98 has received a significant endorsement from one of the world's largest marine salvors. Why spring cleaning your operation is urgently needed in a soft market GLOOM and despondency has descended on the dry cargo market these past weeks. All sectors are suffering poor freight rates, from the tramp trades of elderly, liberty-replacement 'tween deckers to the iron-ore diets of modern capesized bulkers. Arklow gives owners' fight for better deal a firm boost ARKLOW Shipping's decision to 'flag out' from Ireland to the Dutch Register marks a new phase in the campaign by Irish shipowners to get a better deal from the government.

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APSA in Tasman ‘please explain’ THE Australian Peak Shippers Association has asked for an explanation of new charges being imposed in the trans-Tasman trade by the Australia-New Zealand Direct Line/Union Direct Line (ANZDL/UDL). Shippers have been recently advised by the shipping lines concerned that as a result of rate deterioration in the Tasman trade, the lines will no longer be able to continue to absorb certain port authority and government charges. Twice the talking on waterfront Productivity on the Australian waterfront will be thoroughly debated in Sydney this week during two conferences running back to back. The first, organised by IBC Conferences, gets underway tomorrow at the Novatel, Darling Harbour under the title of Waterfront & Shipping Reform Congress. Dispute moves into new phase The next stage of the Webb Dock dispute is expected to unfold this week following Friday’s decision by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to order members of the Maritime Union of Australia to return to work. Commission vice president Iain Ross ordered the workers to cease industrial action from noon on Saturday and not recommence any further industrial action for a period of six months. AAL set to win Pasminco deal Schoeller Holdings’ Austral Asia Line is believed to have scooped a major contract with metals and minerals producer Pasminco that will result in the establishment of a new dedicated shipping service between Australia and Asia. The Melbourne-based lead and zinc giant is close to finalising a land-based distribution contract which is likely to see a single operator perform all the company’s logistics requirements for semi-finished product Australia wide. FPA silent on port fears FREMANTLE Port Authority officials are tight-lipped about their opposition to the proposed privately owned $60 million port development at Kwinana. FPA general manager Kerry Sanderson and chairman Ron Aitkenhead have declined to comment on reports referring to the port’s concerns on the how the proposed port could inhibit Fremantle’s future expansion. A spokesperson for the FPA said port authority officials believed it was premature to comment on the proposal until they knew the outcome of the expressions of interest in the new port.