Australia dockers claim victory AUSTRALIA'S four-and-a-half month waterfront dispute is nearing an end, with dockers expected to endorse a peace deal that will see 628 of them offered voluntary redundancy packages.
Aaserod lowers Igloo ships bid NEW York-based Norwegian businessman Bjorn Aaserod has renewed his bid for Bergesen's seven Igloo Pool ships, but at an unspecified lower price based on lower vessel valuations.
South Korea steel slump worsens EVIDENCE of further problems in South Korea's embattled steel industry spells more bad news for hard-pressed dry bulk shipowners.
Deutsche Bank shows caution on ship lending DEUTSCHE Bank is reacting to the "insecure economic environment" of shipping by continuing its careful lending policy, a senior company official has said.
Hamburger Hafen restructures HAMBURG'S major port operating company, Hamburger Hafen-und Lagerhaus is planning wide-ranging reorganisation within the next six months.
Bolt Canada may expand services to Montreal BOLT Canada Line is in preliminary talks with carriers about expanding its transatlantic service into Montreal.
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard enjoys booming business THE scale of work carried out by South Korea's Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) is reflected in recently announced figures which show that the yard repaired a total of 380 vessels and converted a further 10 ships during 1997.
Jiangnan seeks $130m loan JIANGNAN Shipbuilding Group of Shanghai is to apply for permission from the central government to borrow $130m from Japanese banks to complete construction of the country's biggest shipyard.
Bureaucracy delays Spanish fast ferry service DAYS after breaking the trans-Atlantic speed record, Buquebus Espa'a's fast ferry Catalonia proved no match against the torpidity of government bureaucrats.
Malaysia to harmonise shipping laws THE Malaysian government is expected to introduce a new Merchant Shipping Act in parliament shortly.
Indonesians seek better access to rice trade INDONESIA'S shipowners want the government to liberalise the way dry cargo vessels are chartered for the country's foodstuff import and export trade.
Normandy officials discuss shipbuilder's future A DELEGATION of officials from the Normandy regional government today visited Le Havre shipbuilder Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre to discuss the company's future.
Yang Ming is ready to order newbuildings YANG Ming Marine, the Taiwanese carrier, is expected to sign a letter of intent with South Korean builder Hyundai Heavy Industries for five 5,200-teu ships.
Salvors 'must help to prevent casualties as well' THE shipping industry views the salvage industry as "vultures trying to make a living out of the misfortune of others," said Arjan Herrebout of Wijsmuller,
Chinese shipyard project running out of cash WAIGAOQIAO Shipyard, under construction in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, is facing a shortfall of cash to finish the project.
Singapore boosts association membership PROPOSALS to boost Singapore's shipping industry into the new millennium appear to be working.
Crane operators disrupt container terminal OPERATIONS at Colombo Port's main container facility were disrupted on June 14 when gantry crane operators on the day shift did not turn up for work.
Sulphur Corp to build terminal at Prince Rupert SULPHUR Corp of Canada has announced it intends to build a sulphur exporting facility at the Port of Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia.
'Peace breaks out' at IRI "PEACE has broken out" at International Registries Inc, according to one observer close to the US corporation that administers the Liberian and Marshall Islands ship registers.
Drifting tanker towed to Chennai A TANKER from Singapore, Ganim Power, which was drifting in the Bay of Bengal after losing power, is being towed to Chennai port.
ICTSI goes for bulk INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc has started to cash in on bulk handling services at the Manila International Container Terminal.
Kobe exempts charges to boost ship calls KOBE port will exempt from port entry charges and wharfage dues ocean-going vessels entering the port for the first time in a bid to attract more vessels.
Non-union stevedore sacks workforce AUSTRALIA'S newest dockside operator, Producers & Consumers Stevedoring, has sacked its entire labour force less than six months after hiring them.
Anaconda nickel project on schedule ANACONDA Nickel is poised to start operations later this year at its Murrin Murrin nickel mine in Western Australia's eastern goldfield.
AP Moller in rift with government over tax A RIFT between the Danish government and the AP Moller group has led to a decision not to flag four containership newbuildings into Denmark.
Australian dollar hits 12-year low THE Australian dollar has hit a new 12 year low against the US dollar in the wake of the fall in the Japanese yen.
Transport de containers sans chauffeur dans le port de Rotterdam? Le transport de containers par la route et sans chauffeur dans le port de Rotterdam pourrait bientôt ne plus être une utopie, à condition que le ministère néerlandais du Transport et l'entreprise portuaire communale de Rotterdam jugent que le système multitrailer (Multitrailer System, MTS) est suffisamment sûr. L'Université Technique de Delft se prépare à en fournir la preuve à l'occasion d'une démonstation sur un nouveau tronçon d'autoroute de six kilomètres de long entre Alphen aan den Rijn et Leiden.
Le dossier de l'exploitation des services ro/ro n'est toujours pas clos Les ministres européens du Transport étudieront la proposition de la Commission européenne concernant les "conditions d'exploitation de services ro/ro-ferries et de navires à grande vitesse dans l'UE" jeudi prochain à Luxembourg. Le commissaire aux Transports Neil Kinnock applique de la sorte la résolution sur la sécurité des unités ro/ro adoptée il y a quatre ans par les ministres européens du Transport.
BP Chemicals vend ses divisions de distribution à Internatio-Müller BP Chemicals a annoncé son intention de vendre ses divisions de distribution chimique au Royaume-Uni, en Allemagne, en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande à Internatio-Müller. Le CA consolidé des quatre entreprises concernées s'élève à 150 mio. de USD. Cette transaction doit permettre à BP Chemicals de se concentrer davantage sur la production pétrochimique, tandis qu'Internatio renforce son réseau paneuropéen et occupe une position dominante en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande.
MUA has three weeks to sell deal The maritime union of Australia will have three weeks in which to convince its members that 51 per cent of Patrick's employees will lose their jobs. With 700 Patrick workers facing the axe several hundred others employed by P&O Ports are also unlikely to retain their jobs as that company comes under intense pressure to equal Patrick's "achievement."
Car carriers adopt wait-and-see approach Shipping lines are dipping their toes back into the water at Melbourne's Webb Dock vehicle-handling facilities, having shied away since the Patrick sub-lease of No 5 berth to the National Farmers Federation in late January. While most former Patrick clients have returned, lines are keeping their options open an a climate of a gradual restoration of confidence.
Back to the farm for P&CS workers The outcome of negotiations between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia has left the directors of Producers and Consumers Stevedoring with no choice but to terminate the majority of the company's workforces, its chairman Don McGauchie said yesterday. He said that at meetings around the country yesterday morning, P&CS employees had been informed by the company's future and their termination arrangements.
Department rejects MUA levy plan A suggestion by the Maritime Union of Australia that the suspended Stevedoring Industry Levy should be reinstated to provide for redundancy payouts for MUA workers deemed redundant in negotiations between the MUA and Patrick Stevedores was rejected yesterday by the Department of Workplace Relations. MUA national secretary John Coombs said the Stevedoring Industry Levy Bills should be scrapped because their wording provided for the collection of levies which could be used to pay for other aspects of the government's waterfront reform agenda, other than worker redundancies.
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