Japanese oil giants must restructure THE deterioration of the Japanese economy and financial weakness among Japanese oil majors has triggered calls for restructuring of the industry and warnings of a continuing decline in chartering demand for tankers.
Collision reduction hope A NEW cost benefit analysis shows that the installation of automatic identification systems, or 'transponders', on board vessels of 500 gross tonnage and upwards will reduce ship collisions outside ports and harbours and internal waters by some 45%.
Dollar blues hit Australian liner trade THE liner trade between Australia and the US seems to have trouble getting it right.
Singapore Insurance Group beats target THE Singapore Insurance Group, an alliance of 12 domestic general insurers, has already exceeded its premium income target for 1998.
Bulk claims hit $290m BULK carrier claims of more than $100,000 cost the UK P&I Club $290m in total in the 10 years to 1996. The club said there were some 779 claims topping $100,000 each from bulk carriers entered with the club during the period.
'Seaway Kingfisher' set to leave Poland THE largest offshore project undertaken by Gdansk Shiprepair Yard Remontowa, Seaway Kingfisher, is set to sail from Poland in the first week of August.
The casualty surveyors thrown in at the deep end
Malaysia set to raise levy on Causeway MALAYSIA is to slap an increase of between M$100 (US$24) and M$800 on the levy for trucks crossing the Causeway to Singapore in its campaign to stop exporters using the Lion Republic's port.
FANAL jumps to fixed-day weekly Vladivostok's Far Eastern Shipping Company will next month make its long-anticipated move to a weekly schedule for its FESCO Australia North America Line service -- and will do so comprehensively by adding a seventh and eighth ship simultaneously. FANAL will also add a northbound call at Long Beach -- claiming the fastest transit from Melbourne in the trade -- and will continue as the only Australia-New Zealand carrier offering direct call into the Pacific North-West.
Sydney holds figures down Overall national stevedoring productivity, as measured by the five-port average, did not change significantly in the March quarter of this year according to the latest Waterline report published by the Bureau of Transport Economics on Friday. The five-port average crane rate (productivity per crane while the ship is worked) was 18.8 containers an hour compared with 18.5 in the December quarter, according to the report. The five-port average net rate (productivity per ship while the ship is worked) was 23.7 containers an hour (provisional) compared with 24.3 containers per hour in the December quarter.
MUA-ACCC impasse heightens fears Patience was running low on the waterfront over the weekend with no sign of a breakthrough in the impasse between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Maritime Union of Australia. A senior industry source said no one in the industry would like to see the return of the chaos which reigned at the height of the dispute between Patrick and the MUA. However, it increasingly looked that no out of court solution was likely, with both the ACCC and the MUA sticking to their respective positions.
West Webb car terminal gets underway After five months of delay, Stage 1 of Strang Stevedoring Australia's new car terminal at West Webb Dock in the port of Melbourne is 'all systems go'. According to Strang's David Stephenson: "Earth-moving has commenced now that we have the 'green light' from all the official channels." The $12 million terminal will initially have two T-finger berths, to speed up the time taken for construction. In the longer term, SSA has the option to fill in the gaps and build a proper wharf face.
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