Acquisition will create offshore construction giant Global Industries, Ltd. (NASDAQ: GLBL) has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire ETPM, SA from Groupe GTM, the construction affiliate of French utility Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.
AHTS order for Bender Bender Shipbuilding & Repair, Mobile, Ala., has announced the most significant OSV order to be placed with a U.S.Gulf Coast Yard in quite some time.
Management contract for Navy oceanographic fleet Dyn Marine Services, Inc., has been awarded a contract to operate and maintain the U.S. Navy's oceanographic ship fleet.
Shell poised for FPSO expansion ANGLO-DUTCH oil major Shell is poised to embark on a major investment programme in new floating production, storage and offload tonnage for its West African oil exploration operations.
New ship Olympic Voyager Royal Olympic Cruises' first new ship, Olympic Voyager, will visit seven ports of call in four countries on her initial Mediterranean itinerary next year, writes David Mott.
Rotterdam cargo volumes slip by 3.7% as iron ore imports decline ROTTERDAM. Europe's biggest port saw cargo volumes fall in the first half and blamed the decline in a large decrease in import of iron ore.
Lyondell chemical plant boost A REVIVAL in the fortunes of the port of Rotterdam's chemical and petrochemical sectors may be on the cards, with the news that US giant Lyondell is to invest Fls500m ($232m) in a new Butanediol plant with a capacity of 125,000 tonnes per year, writes Alan Dickey.
Early alert to bondholders may thwart the vultures SHIPPING companies have been warned that it is crucial to keep bondholders informed when financial problems are developing if they are not to fall prey to vulture funds.
UK firms not ready for changeover THOUSANDS of UK firms, including road transport companies, have been severely criticised for failing to plan against the millennium computer bug.
Port bids rush shows faith in Chile stability MERSEY Docks & Harbour Co and Hutchison Whampoa are among the host of international developers which have presented bids in the current round of port sales in Chile, confirming the country's standing as one of the most stable locations for inward investment in South America.
List of bidding consortia Port of San Antonio (South Dock) 1. Agunsa (Chile); Sabco (Chile); Mersey Docks & Harbour Co (UK); Empresas Naviera (Chile) 2. Hutchison International Port Holdings (UK) 3. International Container Terminal Services (Philippines); Ian Taylor & Co (Chile) 4. Inversiones Cosmos-Ultramar (Chile); Hamburger Hafen und Lagerhaus Aktlengesclischaft (Germany) 5. Minera Valparaiso (Chile); P&O Ports (Australia) 6. Sudamericana Agencias Aereas y Maritimas (SAAM) (Chile); SSA Holdings (USA) 7. Urbaser (Spain) Port of San Antonio (North Terminal) 1. Agunsa (Chile); Empresas Naviera (Chile) 2. Minera Valparaiso (Chile) 3. Sociedad Punta de Lobos, Sociedad Productora y Distribuidora; Empresas Ariztia; Inversiones La Estampa; Inversiones las Malvas; Gonzalo Vial Concha (all Chile) 4. SAAM (Chile); SSA Holdings (USA) Port of San Vicente 1. Agunsa (Chile); Sabco (Chile); Mersey Docks & Harbour Co (UK) 2. Inversiones Cosmos-Ultramar (Chile); Inversiones dos Volcanes (Chile) 3. Minera Valparaiso (Chile); Wilport Operadores Portuarios (Brasil) 4. SAAM (Chile); SSA Holdings (USA) Port of Valparaiso 1. Agunsa (Chile); Sabco (Chile); The Mersey Docks & Harbour Company (UK); Empresas Navieras (Chile) 2. International Container Terminal Services (Philippines); Ian Taylor & Co (Chile) 3. Inversiones Cosmos-Ultramar (Chile); Hamburger Hafen und Lagerhaus Aktlengesellschaft (Germany) 4. Minera Valparaiso (Chile); P&O Ports (Australia) 5. Urbaser-Dragados (Spain) 6. SAAM (Chile); SSA Holdings (USA)
De Dijcker devient le transporteur attitré de BP Amoco Belgique Le groupe de transport De Dijcker assurera à partir du 1er septembre tous les trafics à partir des usines BP et Amoco, respectivement situées à Zwijndrecht et à Feluy. Le groupe mettra en oeuvre dans le même temps une solution à la croissance limitée de la filiale transport en France (Ets André). Il a été décidé de combiner les deux événements, à savoir le nouveau contrat et les résultats décevants de la filiale française, en transférant en Belgique l'ensemble du parc automobile et du personnel de l'implantation en France. "Malgré cette fermeture, la France reste notre principal marché international", souligne le manager financier Ivan Van Es.
Delmas: "option zéro" pour l'horizon 2005 Liée au fait d'armer les navires sous des pavillons moins coûteux, la formule dite "option zéro" signifierait que l'armement du Groupe Bolloré n'emploierait plus de navigants français. Cette option était à l'origine des grèves qui viennent de prendre fin. Elle est partiellement repoussée pour l'immédiat, mais devrait être appliquée à partir de 2005. Ce conflit pose une nouvelle fois le problème de l'urgence d'une refonte du pavillon français.
WW Lines envisage de transférer d'Anvers à Zeebrugge ses trafics du Moyen-Orient et du Far East Ce mardi 3 août démarreront dans l'arrière-port de Zeebrugge les travaux d'aménagement du grand terminal pour véhicules de Wallenius-Wilhelmsen Lines. Une première phase concerne une superficie de 22 ha. Ce site devrait être prêt pour le 15 décembre prochain. Une seconde phase suivra. Dès qu'il aura la place nécessaire, l'armement pourra traiter d'autres trafics sur ce terminal. Il songe ainsi à transférer d'Anvers vers son terminal zeebrugeois ses trafics intéressant le Moyen-Orient et le Far East. Cette évolution se manifesterait dans le courant de l'année prochaine.
L'axe Matadi-Kinshasa est paralysé Le trafic maritime global import-export au port de Matadi, porte d'acces à la mer de la Republique democratique du Congo, enregistre en ce moment une forte baisse d'environ 60%. Pour ce port de transit de l'hinterland de la capitale congolaise, située à 400 km de Matadi, les chiffres sont inquiétants, tant du fait de l'emploi que ce port génère, que de ses rétombées économiques sur le secteur des transports congolais en général.
Another old-line LTL Teamsters union-covered trucking company has closed. Preston Trucking Co., nicknamed the "151 Line" in a holdover from its days when it had that number of trucks, ceased operations suddenly after 67 years. Preston had undergone three ownership changes and several sets of management as well as close to a 9 percent wage concession from the union. But it never found the right profitable mix of freight despite its status as the nation's 22nd-largest trucking company that was a favorite among shippers looking for low rates. Preston joins 40-year-old NationsWay which closed on May 20. The two put more than 8,000 Teamsters out of work.
Morgan the Mighty is on the spot. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Linda Morgan is twisting in the wind awaiting renomination to a second five-year term. But shippers and rail unions want her sacked because the five major rail mergers her agency approved created greater market power than ever was assembled by the fabled 19th-century robber barons. If Morgan is not renominated and confirmed by the Senate before Dec. 31, she must leave the agency.
Ocean Group plc has entered into an agreement to buy Memphis-based Mark VII Inc. and merge it into its MSAS Global Logistics subsidiary. The two parties say they expect the merger will strengthen MSAS's foothold in the U.S. market while nudging Mark VII into the first-level tier of global logistics providers. MSAS Acquisition Corp., another Ocean Group company, is making a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Mark VII at $23 per share cash. The stock includes those shares owned by Mark VII's board of directors, who collectively own 8.4 percent of the company's outstanding common stock.
Several Midwestern states are banding together to offer truckers a one-stop shop for obtaining regional trip and fuel permits online. Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Iowa will be offering these temporary permits on Iowa's website this week. The temporary permits will allow truckers to register their vehicles in that state or to enter the state for refueling, said Mark Portofe, a principal with American Management Systems, a technology and services company involved with the project. The fuel permit is used to pay fuel tax in that state. "Iowa has been doing web permitting since May of last year," said Portofe. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin may join the program soon, he said.
In a sure sign that the regional LTL freight market is booming, CNF Transportation, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based parent of Con-Way Transportation Services, and USFreightways, Rosemont, Ill., a group of five regional LTL carriers, both posted record earnings and revenue levels for the second quarter. That contrasted with a slight rise in Yellow Corp.'s earnings and a slight drop in Consolidated Freightways' earnings, while ABF Freight System lowered its operating ratio in the quarter significantly from year-ago results.
Following one of the biggest acquisitions in the maritime industry—A.P. Moller-Maersk Line's acquisition of Sea-Land's international liner business for $800 million—Maersk is trying to reassure shippers there will be no disruptions in service. There are no immediate rate hikes planned and all existing contracts with Sea-Land will be honored, a Maersk spokesman said. Although consolidations at terminals are possible, no formal action is planned yet.
Airborne Express, as expected, turned in a lackluster second-quarter performance. Net income was down 17 percent to $17.7 million, while revenue and shipment volumes remained flat and took a dip. Airborne lost some ground in almost all of its service categories and showed only a small improvement in international revenue despite competitors benefiting from an improving Asian economy. Airborne was also hit with new labor costs in the quarter following the ratification of the most lucrative Teamsters contract in Airborne history signed in Chicago at the end of June.
Although the possibility of another year of feedstocks piled on the ground is likely, depressed grain prices combined with improved rail service in general should mean the Western Class 1 carriers will be in a good position to handle the fall grain harvest. At some point in the short harvest period there may be spot shortages but both Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific say they have plenty of cars to handle the flow.
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