APL China cargo loss up to $100m Losses from damaged cargo onboard the APL China, one of the vessels caught up in a freak storm in the Pacific, have risen to at least $100m, according to Seattle-based Lloyd's agents.
Saddam offer halts US bombing of Iraq THE United States aborted plans to bomb Iraq after Saddam Hussein offered full co-operation on UN weapons inspections.News of Iraq's compliance reached UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, via a letter just 12 hours before the United States airforce was due to launch airstrikes against Baghdad on Saturday. However the offer appeared to list nine conditions included in an 'annex', which US officals said set unacceptable conditions for the return of UN weapons teams.White House security adviser Sandy Berger said: "The letter sent to secretary-general Annan is neither unequivocal nor conditional. It is unacceptable."
US owners chase funds in Ocean P&I wrangle Lawyers acting for US shipowners Einar and Douglas Pedersen are to attempt to collect $50,000 allegedly owed to them in the long-running legal wrangle with independent P&I club Ocean Marine Mutual.
Halim Mazim record profits HALIM Mazim Bhd, one of the few shipping companies in Malaysia able to weather the economic storm, is poised for record profits in its six-years of business.
Algeciras gets set for new box terminals THE Port of Algeciras is set to attract new container business with plans for two new box cargo terminals and major infrastructure work to improve road and rail links with the rest of the Iberian peninsula.
Japan order intake rises JAPAN'S shipbuilders have seen a substanbtial month-on-month increase in their orderbooks, securing new contracts for 18 vessels of 683,000 gt in October.
Learning to live with new ideas on safety Every day requires us to make decisions about how we live our lives. This is not to deny that there are many familiar routines which we can safely allow ourselves to fall back on For example, having lived in England for a long time it has become second nature to carry an umbrella around with me. Many other decisions are far more difficult to make, however, because their effect is not so immediately obvious.
Black Sea service to link Europe/Asia A BLACK Sea rail-ferry service is to be established between Georgia and the Ukraine.
Sea-Land, Hyundai set for Aust The last two pieces in Australia's jigsaw of global container shipping links are set to be put in place early next year when Sea-Land Service and Hyundai Merchant Marine make their respective entries to local trades. The US and Korean giants -- the only two of the world's top 20 carriers currently not trading to Australia -- will enter via slot charter arrangements on Asian services, though both are said to be targeting global rather than trade customers. While official confirmation could not be obtained on Friday, DCN understands Sea-Land will, from the end of January 1999, take over slots on Maersk's recently introduced five-ship, fixed-day weekly East Coast Australia-Far East service now being utilised by Blue Star Asia.
Newcastle agreement near An agreement to bring in an international partner for the proposed Newcastle Steelworks site container terminal and transport hub development could be signed later this week -- although the identity of the investor-operator is unlikely to be revealed before month's end.
MSC Asia goes fixed-day weekly The ever-expansive Mediterranean Shipping Company is again ramping up its Australia-Asia service, moving to named-day weekly departures at all ports later this month. With the introduction next week of a seventh vessel, the 2058 TEU MSC Indonesia, the line will also re-instate Hong Kong direct calls and add new, weekly calls at the northern Chinese port of Xingang. MSC recently announced Adelaide calls on the Asian service would be upgraded from weekly to fortnightly (DCN, 26 October) but at the time would not confirm either the fixed-day service or the permanent addition of the seventh vessel.
United Aust-NZ shipping voice closer The peak shipping bodies of Australia and New Zealand are closer to agreeing a model for joint representation of common interests following talks in Melbourne and Sydney last week, but the parties are remaining coy about the outcome. Australian Shipowners Association chief executive officer Lachlan Payne said it had been reported previously that the shipping organisations in the two countries had held discussions about closer formalised links. "It's no secret New Zealand Shipping Federation manager Paul Nicholas has been in the country this week, and attended the ASA AGM in Melbourne on Tuesday before flying to Sydney on Wednesday for talks with ACOS's John Jenkins.
ITF's FOC week under way The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has declared the next seven days a week of action against flag of convenience shipping in the Asia Pacific. ITF inspectors in Australia, Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific will be carrying out spot checks on all wage books and contracts on all FOC ships to ensure crew are being paid in accordance with their employment contracts. "We'll be looking for evidence of double book-keeping or falsified wage records," ITF Australian coordinator Trevor Charles said. "What's happening is ship owners are recruiting crew through manning agents from labor hire countries like Indonesia, the Philippines or Burma, paying them a pittance and using intimidation to have them sign falsified wage records. The crew are often threatened or bribed not to talk to the ITF.
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