Hutchison buys Harwich THE rapidly-expanding conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa yesterday announced the acquisition of Harwich International Port for an undisclosed price, establishing the group as the dominant force on the UK east coast.
'Neptune Jade' lawsuit protest HUNDREDS of union members, labour leaders, and US supporters of Liverpool dockers have gathered in Oakland to protest a lawsuit against those who picketed the Neptune Jade last September, writes Jim Lamb, San Francisco.
Manila facility operator suffers drop in earnings LISTED International Container Terminal Services Inc has reported an unaudited recurring consolidated net income of Peso463m ($11.4m) for 1997, 2% less than in the previous year.
Keppel Holdings reports net income fall KEPPEL Philippines Holdings, parent company for three of the Philippines' largest shipyards, reported a net income of Peso96.064m ($2.4m) for 1997, down by 14% from the previous year, Alec Almazan reports from Manila.
Ailsa-Perth repair yard folds AILSA-Perth Marine's Chatham shiprepair yard has ceased trading and is to close. Receivers are understood to have been called in at the yard, where employees, are thought to number between 30 and 40.
Second Angola oil refinery interests China THE People's Republic of China has expressed keen interest in becoming involved in establishing a second oil refinery in Angola.
Millennium risk for cargo sector MILLENNIUM-linked losses could be an important issue for the marine cargo insurance sector this year, according to a review of the prospects for risk management in 1998 published by J&H Marsh & McLennan.
Shanghai shipping summit SHANGHAI Shipping Exchange is hosting an international conference to present information on the Chinese maritime sector from May 6-12.
Transamerica sets up marine container division TRANSAMERICA Leasing, the San Francisco-based lessor, has set up a maritime container division as part of a company restructuring programme.
Changes ahead for British Columbia's owners BRITISH Columbia's Chamber of Shipping has elected a new chairman, and is preparing for a merger with the International Maritime Centre.
Berlian Laju Tanker bullish for 1998 INDONESIA'S Berlian Laju Tanker expects 1997 gross profit to rise 40 per cent, and this year's net result to more than double.
P&O Stena gets UK approval P&O STENA Line, the ferry operation to be formed by merging the two line's English Channel routes, has at last been given approval by the UK government.
Companies line up for Calcutta lpg facility THREE private companies have expressed interest in setting up lpg handling facilities at Calcutta Port.
Auckland box terminal hit by power cuts PORT of Auckland's main container terminal at Fergusson Wharf is running at about 20 per cent capacity as the city's power problems start to bite.
Cebu Shipyard profits fall 22 per cent DEREGULATION of the domestic shipping industry and a sharp depreciation in the peso were given as the cause of a drop in 1997 revenue and profits at Cebu Shipyard.
USDA forecasts exports will fall further AFTER reassessing the Asian crisis and mounting competition from South America, the US Department of Agriculture has forecast a $2.5bn fall in exports this year to $56bn.
Brazil's ports face strike threat BRAZILIAN Federation of Port Workers has announced a national strike for the second half of March, as a protest against job reductions in several ports.
Former Seaway head urges action FORMER St Lawrence Seaway president Glen Stewart says government and industry in Canada and the US have to take decisive action on the long-term future of the waterway.
P&I club forecasts fewer Asian claims P&I CLUBS can expect to see a reduction in claims from Asian owners due to the economic slowdown, according to Nicolas Sansom, head of Thomas Miller (South East Asia).
Singapore issues towage licenses SINGAPORE'S Maritime and Port Authority today issued public licences to local companies Sembawang Maine and Logistics and Keppel Smit Towage to provide towage services.
Germany rejects EU's port proposals GERMAN ports have rejected the EU's plans to create a unified system to regulate finance of ports and calculation of port fees.
British officers' pool is shrinking THE pool of British officers is set to shrink to below 10,000 by 2012, according to a survey carried out by the Centre for International Transport Management.
Mosvold loses $2m on bulker MOSVOLD has sold the handymax bulker Mosdeep for $5.6m, a $2m loss.
A government watchdog group wants the Senate Commerce Commission to investigate Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman Gus Owen for possible violations of federal ethics laws. The Congressional Accountability Project is accusing Owen of failing to fully disclose the extent and nature of his business activities during his three and a half years as a regulator. The committee also was asked to probe whether Owen's involvement in real estate management ventures in Southern California allowed him sufficient time to handle his STB work. Owen called the charges unfounded.
A proposal to begin deregulating the ocean shipping trades got a jump start in the Senate as several key groups signed off on a compromise proposal that would allow the filing of nearly confidential contracts with the Federal Maritime Commission. The proposal, backed by the National Industrial Transportation League, labor unions, U.S. and foreign carriers and ports was under review by the Senate Commerce Committee.
USF Red Star, the financially struggling East Coast unit of USFreightways, is planning to seek concessions from the Teamsters when it negotiates separately on a new freight contract. USF Red Star can make a strong case as it is barely profitable after a few years of operating in the red. Also, Preston Trucking Co., the Yellow Corp. unit that is a major competitor in the Northeast, is operating with an 8.9 percent wage break from the Teamsters.
LEP Profit has been searching for a new identity and hopes it can be found in its new name, GeoLogistics. The new moniker was announced by its parent company, International Logistics Ltd., which also has made the switch to GeoLogistics. Along with the new brand, which will incorporate GeoLogistics' other businesses, The Bekins Co. and Matrix International, the 150-year-old air freight forwarder is changing the way it does business. Rather than focus on transactions, the new emphasis is on supply-chain management. Not a new concept, but GeoLogistics thinks it can take it to a new level.
Union Pacific service problems are costing shippers as much as $50 million a month in higher freight costs and lost sales, according to a survey of 65 companies done for the National Industrial Transportation League and trade associations covering the chemical and plastics industry. The UP's response? Give us more time. The railroad asked the Surface Transportation Board to extend the railroad's emergency service order, and the board said yes. UP insists its problems in the Houston and Gulf Coast regions will be solved by its new directional running service and its new agreement with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe to begin neutral switching in the Houston area.
Overcapacity is looming in several shipping lanes. But in addition to lower rates in some lanes, some carriers have succumbed to offering what one ocean transport business manager called plain vanilla services. Instead of tailoring solutions to offer all kinds of logistical services to shippers, some carriers are offering boilerplate solutions with little room for flexibility.
California produces 80 percent of the world's supply of almonds, but it won't be producing anything close to last year's record crop of 744 million pounds of almonds. Rain, nearly 39 inches so far in San Francisco, is the culprit. That has prevented bees from pollinating the almond trees. All this eventually will trickle down to hurt carriers involved in the almond export trade - almonds are California's fourth-largest export, generating export revenue of $488 million. Approximately $100 million annually is spent on almond transport in a typical year.
Pilot Air Freight will use an Internet-based shipment management system to help customers book and track freight door to door. The company is the first freight forwarder to sign a national contract with ITM Corp., Seattle, which offers the ITM Ship service via the World Wide Web. "We're positioning ourselves to be able to respond to shippers who want to use this technology," said Eugene Malcolm III, the Lima, Pa.-based forwarder's senior vice president of administration and information systems.
Unite! That's the message that John Graykowski, acting administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration, is giving to the maritime industry. Graykowski sees an industry under siege from several fronts - stronger railroads and attempts to undo the Jones Act, chief among them.
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