Mercenary force to tackle piracy A TEAM of armed mercenaries led by former UK Special Forces and Ministry of Defence personnel is being offered for hire to shipowners who fall victim to pirate attacks.
Lloyd Werft wins deal to lengthen NCL's 'Majesty' GERMAN shipyard Lloyd Werft has won a $53.3m contract from Norwegian Cruise Lines to lengthen the Norwegian Majesty (ex Royal Majesty).
Container boost for Rosario ARGENTINA'S port of Rosario will be ready to handle containers by the beginning of next year, the port's new owners have promised, marking the first stage in rejuvenation of what was one of the world's greatest maritime landmarks.
Klang bunkers buoyant MALAYSIA'S first onshore supplier of bunker fuel at Port Klang, which secured a targeted sales volume of 240,000 tonnes in the first year of its operations, is hoping to raise handling to 500,000 tonnes by the third year of operation, writes G Durairaj, Malaysia Correspondent.
Trust blamed for cyclone fiasco GUJARAT chief minister Keshubbai Patel has placed the blame for the cyclone devastation caused earlier this month to the western Indian coastal town of Kandla squarely on the shoulders of the Kandla Port Trust for not taking proper precautionary measures.
Flags of convenience under spotlight FOR two days starting today Oslo will host a conference to commemorate a seminal event: the 50th anniversary of the International Transport Workers' Federation launch of the campaign against flags of convenience.
'Pacificat' delivered two years late THE first of three high-speed car-carrying catamarans built for British Columbia Ferry Corp has been delivered two years late and $16m over budget.
Austal Ships wins Norden-Frisia fast cat contract AUSTAL Ships has won a fast ferry newbuilding contract from German ferry operator Norden-Frisia, for a 450-passenger aluminium catamaran destined for operation on the North Sea next year.
Partek raises stake in Kalmar THE Finnish engineering industry group Partek has raised its stake in the cargo handling equipment manufacturer Kalmar Industries.
Trasmed takes delivery of newbuilding ferry SPANISH ferry company Trasmediterranea has taken delivery of the Ciudad de Malaga from shipbuilder Astilleros de Huelva.
Cosco, Alabama Shipyard resolve boxship dispute COSCO and Alabama Shipyard have resolved their dispute stemming from last year's termination by Cosco of a $157m order for four 1,432 teu containerships.
Japanese try to sell direct to Pertamina JAPANESE trading companies are trying to sell gas oil directly to Indonesian state oil company Pertamina after attempts to set up barter arrangements fell through.
US company plans bid for ACL NEW Jersey-based Holt Group has informed the board of Atlantic Container Line that it is considering bidding for all outstanding shares in the deep sea roro/containership owner.
Guayaquil to improve port security GUAYAQUIL has ordered two speedboats to patrol the channel to the port in an effort to combat pirates and smugglers.
Delayed Buquebus service is launched BUQUEBUS Espana's Catalonia began operating between Barcelona and Palma, Majorca on June 20 after the resolution of a bureaucratic glitch.
China raises tax rebates on building CHINA has raised export tax rebates for the shipbuilding, iron and steel, cement, and coal industries to counter the effects of the financial crisis.
Brazilian yard targets mega-yachts FRANK Wlasek, owner of Brazilian shipping company Metalnave and shipyard Itajai, is to target the mega-yacht market to keep the yard active.
BLG boosts traffic and profits TRAFFIC volume through the ports of Bremerhaven and Bremen rose to a new record last year, helping port operator BLG to boost profits
Kandla chief faces negligence charge THE Division Bench of India's Gujarat High Court has issued notices concerning action for negligence in respect of the large scale destruction at Kandla.
Intertanko welcomes US court decision INTERTANKO today welcomed the news that a US appeal court has overturned a recent decision regarding federal and international standards on vessel modification.
Kandla damage hits lng supplies EXTENSIVE damage to Kandla port's oil jetty, crucial to India's import of lng, will hamper supplies for two months, according to government sources.
Sri Lanka Ports acts to avoid strike chaos SRI Lanka Ports Authority is to maintain a list of potential candidates in case it has to sack crane operators at the Jaya Container Terminal, the port's main container facility.
Brazilian operators to bid for Sepetiba BRAZILIAN operators will compete strongly in the bidding for the container and car terminals at Sepetiba despite the lack of interest shown by international operators.
Batangas to receive Japanese funding PHASE two of the Batangas Port development project in the Philippines is to receive a total Pesos5.1bn ($127.5m) worth of funds this year in the form development assistance from Japan.
Lloyd Brasileiro left with six ships, all laid up AFTER the sale of three vessels at auction in New York, state-owned shipping company Lloyd Brasileiro has only six vessels left in its fleet, all of which are laid up.
HHLA restructuring decision expected this week A DECISION on a corporate restructuring plan for Hamburg port terminal company HHLA is expected at a meeting of the company's supervisory board on June 26.
Two container services close down TWO container services, operated by DAL and Breizh, are to be closed because a fall in business has rendered them unviable.
End of July changeover target An agreement between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia is likely to be signed as soon as today. The agreement, which goes before the first rank and file meeting in Melbourne today, will not be implemented until the end of next month. The Sydney rank and file will get a chance to voice its opinion on the document tomorrow, followed by Brisbane on Friday.
ATN's boost for Tasmania rail network The much anticipated re-opening of the Burnie to Wiltshire rail line in north west Tasmania looks almost certain, with Australian Transport Network chairman Ed Burkhardt revealing last week that the company was actively considering re-opening the line. The Us-based railway boss also announced that the first of ATN's multi-million dollar upgraded locomotives would arrive in Australia in August to boost Tasrail's stocks.
Farmers to keep watch New South Wales farmers are set to monitor container handling rates at the state's ports, according to the chief executive of the NSW Farmers' Association, Peter Comensoli, who at the same time delivered a blunt analysis of the value of the agreement between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia to genuine waterfront reform.
Bill gives WA port more flexibility West Australian ports are being promised greater commercial freedom under new legislation passed in the state parliament. Public service-type regulations will be relaxed and port authorities no longer be government by the Public Sector Management Act and the Financial Administration and Audit Act. Transport minister Eric Charlton said the port Authorities Bill would repeal seven separate acts to bring the state's ports under one unified Act.
East Arm: Not waving, drowning Darwin's $88 million East Arm port development could be officially opened in October or November this year once problems caused by subsidence of a 200 metre section of the new wharf are overcome by joint construction contractors, Barklay Mowlem and Thiess. A spokesman for Northern Territory Ports Minister Barry Coulter said the problem would be fixed at the contractors' expense.
Yellow Freight System is looking to shed its image as a traditional LTL carrier and it plans to do so by offering customers a new menu of time-definite services. The launch of Exact Express, slated for July 13, will give customers the opportunity to chose what day, morning or hour they would like their freight delivered. The trucking company has also added air freight to its service roster for the first time. Yellow has spent more than $100 million on upgrading its customer service center and the technology that feeds it to prepare for the new service.
Congress is debating whether to expand the authority of the Surface Transportation Board. But even before the heat of debate begins, shippers are scrambling to make clear their complaint that the board isn't doing a satisfactory job with the responsibilities it has now. One shipper termed the bill the "railroad anti-shipper bill." In its current form, it would allow the STB to double the amount of time it takes to issue emergency orders to 18 months, with the ability to request two six-month extensions. Sponsors of the bill admit it is only a starting point to frame the debate.
Yellow Freight System wants to fly. The venerable trucking company has formed a new air freight division. Yellow will be able to handle same-day and next-day shipments by air for shipments weighing more than 70 pounds. The new service is meant to compete with domestic freight forwarders and heavy weight air specialists like Emery Worldwide and BAX Global.
The big four, despite settling labor contracts in record time, still face leery shippers afraid of being burned by unionized carriers. Thanks to the 1994 LTL strike followed by last summer's strike against United Parcel Service, unionized carriers have had to work extra hard to convince shippers that labor peace is at hand. Despite the healthy economy, some carriers like Roadway are expecting earnings in the second quarter to be off by as much as 40 percent compared to last year. That said, Roadway and others are not going to drop prices in order to lure back shippers but find ways to add value instead.
Japan has failed to live up to its end of the bargain for port reform and the Federal Maritime Commission is weighing whether sanctions may be needed after all. The FMC agreed last year to postpone hefty fines against Japanese lines calling on U.S. ports after the Japanese government promised to open up its harbors more to U.S. carrier operations. The Japanese have yet to live up to those promises.
You can add Pacific Northwest lumber and forest products shippers to the list of those demanding details on Union Pacific Railroad's recovery efforts. Since late last year the Surface Transportation Board has been requiring UP to provide detailed carload and cycle time information, and UP voluntarily supplies information to representatives of National Industrial Transportation League, Chemical Manufacturers Association and Society of the Plastics Industry under confidentiality agreements. Now, after hearing complaints from a group of Pacific Northwest lumber shippers and a congressional delegation from Oregon and Washington, UP Chairman and CEO Dick Davidson has agreed to provide biweekly details on rail car orders and transit times to them as well.
Hallmark Cards lives for point-of-sale information. It uses the data to forecast future sales and is an indispensable part of the company's supply chain management. The $4 billion company isn't just in the greeting card business; the Kansas City-based giant has divisions devoted to television programs and craft supplies. Hallmark executive Marc Evans shared his company's experience with making the most of POS data at the Voluntary Inter-Industry Commerce Standards Association conference in New Orleans last week.
Con-Way Transportation Services is putting hand-held computers in the hands of all of its drivers as a part of a $7.2 million technology upgrade to improve communication between the driver and the dispatcher. Instead of paging drivers and waiting for them to call in from a pay phone during their shifts, Con-Way dispatchers and drivers send messages to each other electronically using the Norand Pen*Key 6100 computer. Communication that used to take minutes or even hours, depending on traffic conditions, now takes literally seconds.
Canada is looking for ways to improve grain transportation. The problems are great because railroads have been notorious at abandoning pieces of a line without consideration for how farms are reached. The bottomline is Canada is looking for ways to make its grain producers more competitive on the open market. Improving the transportation system is an obvious solution to making Canada a world player.
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