Loews to buy Halla? A report in the Korea Economic Daily says Loews is seeking to take over Halla Heavy Industry's Shipbuilding Division.
Deepwater: Still an attractive market While cheap oil has made many companies rethink their plans in the shallow water energy sector, deepwater still remains a very attractive market. Case in point are two recent contracts placed with U.S. shipyards by Brazilian companies.
Big problems for not-so-fast B.C. ferry Heads are rolling at B.C. Ferries, which is owned by the Government of British Columbia. The new Pacificat ferry, just completed by B.C. Ferries' subsidiary Catamaran Ferries International yard in Vancouver is not living up to expectations.
Court forces Meyer Werft to rethink cruiseship exit plans A German court ruling has thrown the planned river Ems lock and dam system into doubt - a decision which threatens shipbuilder Meyer Werft's ability to bring giant cruiseship newbuildings safely to the sea.
Safe harbouf for Gryphon THE offshore support vessel Toisa Gryphon arrives at the A&P Falmouth shipyard aided by the harbour tugs St Mawes and St Gluvias, writes David Barnicoat. Helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RAF Chivenor evacuated 11 French personnel from the ship when her engine room caught fire 180 miles southwest of Land's End. The salvage tug Anglian Earl towed the 4,000 bhp anchor handling tug supply vessel to Falmouth where an MAIB inspector and company representatives from Sealion shipping boarded the vessel. The ship had been carrying out survey operations for a subsidiary of France Telecom when the fire started.
Aker Maritime wields axe Norwegian offshore services company Aker Maritime has announced a major crackdown on costs and investments in response to a market dominated by low oil prices. The company warned that unspecified redundancies could also be in the offing.
Storebrand maintains silence on merger talk NORWAY'S largest insurer Storebrand was yesterday at the centre of press speculation linking it in a merger deal with a foreign counterpart, writes Rajesh Joshi.
Brussels boost for Cargill in bid to buy Continental unit The European Commission's acceptance of Cargill's plan to buy the grain business of arch-rival Continental has improved the chances of approval from US antitrust regulators.
ModernisationBirka Princess Work is under way at Lloyd Werft on the rebuilding and modernisation of the Finnish-owned ferry Birka Princess, 21,484 gt. Part of the front bulkhead was removed to allow the fitting of a new two-deck high panoramic lounge. Other work involves fitting 75 new cabins and a new restaurant. The main and auxiliary engines will be fitted with catalysers and a new firefighting system is to be installed. When completed later this month the 1986-built ship, owned by Birka Line, will be able to carry about 1,100 passengers. The work is costing Dm40m ($23m).
Mediterranean Shipping Co and Evergreen in slot charter talks Evergreen and Mediterranean Shipping Co are in talks about linking for a joint service between the east coasts of North and South Americ,, writes Justin Stares Latin America Correspondent.
Kapelco bulkers are sold GREECE'S Kapelco Maritime Services has auctioned its three handysize bulkers after a legal wrangle with co-mortgagees Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Maryland.
AESA chief quits ANTONIO Mendoza, head of shipbuilder AESA, shocked Spain this morning by announcing his resignation.
Arrested pirate king has false name SINGAPORE police today issued a statement casting doubt on the identity of a man currently being held in Indonesia on suspicion of heading a piracy syndicate.
Holyman in merger talks STRUGGLING Australian-based transport group Holyman has announced it is involved in merger talks with another company.
Alpha escape route emerges A POSSIBLE escape route has emerged for troubled bond-issuer Alpha Shipping, following reports that six of its vessels are up for sale.
'Only one in ten piracy attacks reported' MARITIME officials fear that the number of piracy attacks worldwide could be up to ten times greater than reported.
P&O Ports eyes US opportunities P&O PORTS has revealed it is actively seeking to acquire an interest in US ports.
Los Angeles and Long Beach set records DESPITE a depressed year for exports, the southern California gateways of Long Beach and Los Angeles set container handling records in 1998.
Master to blame in ferry catastrophe BAD manoeuvring by the master of the Filipino ferry Princess of the Orient led to its sinking during a storm, the Board of Marine Inquiry has found.
MUA hits back on cabotage THE stranding of Burmese sailors in Australia should be a wake up call to the government to reconsider its plan to loosen cabotage laws, according to the MUA.
Court stops Ems river deepening A GERMAN court has again ordered a halt to construction of a Dm353m ($205m) tidal barrier on the river Ems planned to help Meyer Werft build larger passengerships.
Snowstorm prevents ferries from docking PASSENGERS on board several ferries bound for ports in southern Sweden had to spend last night on board ship as they were unable to dock because of a heavy snow storm.
Petron to slash Saudi Aramco contract THE semi-privatised Petron Corp of the Philippines is planning to slash oil supplies from Saudi Aramco to take advantage of lower spot market prices.
Majors line up for Indian terminal project TWENTY global majors are in the race for the Rs25bn ($588) marine chemical terminal project at Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai.
Brazilian deportation order overturned A DEPORTATION order imposed on seafarers by a court in the Brazilian city of Belem has been overturned by the Regional Federal Court of Appeals in Brasilia.
Chiquita receives Mitch pay-out US FRUIT company Chiquita Brands has received an initial insurance payment for damage to containers, chassis and landside generators arising from the impact of Hurricane Mitch.
Sembawang plans $19m writedown SEMBAWANG Marine & Logistics this week announced a planned S$32.6m ($19m) write-down of assets.
Piraeus part-privatisation to proceed THE Greek government yesterday authorised the corporatisation of the Piraeus Port Authority.
Hamburg box throughput rises CONTAINER traffic volume held up at the port of Hamburg last year, despite a drop in total cargo throughput caused by the impact of the Asian crisis.
There's a new ocean shipper cooperative. Worldwide Logistics Associates is made up of members of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association. It will be run by David Akers, who managers the Toy Shippers Association. Akers expects around 400 NCBFAA members will join. Several large trade lanes will be targeted with members expected to have freight moving in both directions. Akers expects more shipping associations to be formed as small and midsize shippers adjust to the new deregulated ocean shipping environment.
President Clinton's budget for fiscal 2000 includes higher transportation safety and environmental spending as well as more than $1 billion in new user charges. But with a Republican-controlled Congress and the president's political sway questionable over even Democratic lawmakers, something entirely different than his budget recommendations is expected to emerge from the 106th Congress. Truly there is something in the president's budget for everybody. Federal transport spending is intended to improve 4 million miles of roads, 580,000 highway bridges, 180,000 miles of railroad, 5,400 public-use airports, 6,000 mass transit systems, 350 ports and harbors and 25,000 miles of commercially navigable inland waterways.
The Arkansas Supreme Court rejected Cardinal Freight Carriers' appeal to overturn a ruling that it had violated that state's trade secrets act when former J.B. Hunt Transport Services employees used their knowledge to secure sales for Cardinal. The state Supreme Court Jan. 28 affirmed a lower court ruling that Cardinal was using trade secrets obtained illegally from Hunt. A second Hunt lawsuit against Cardinal seeking damages is still pending.
Ready for another truck vs. rail lobbying rumble? Could happen. Walter B. McCormick Jr., president of the American Trucking Associations, says he is open to start an "outreach" to railroads over the emotional issue of truck size and weight. McCormick says rails are in an "untenable" position of being unable to move freight efficiently themselves while at the same time preventing truckers from more productively moving their freight. The railroads won a freeze on the use of longer-combination vehicles in 1991, but their market share of the overall transportation pie has dropped some 2.6 percent since that time, McCormick said.
An expert panel set up by the European Commission is pointing the finger at contracting intermodal carriers as the source of cargo liability when freight is moved across the modes. The evergreen issue of international, intermodal cargo liability is complicated because of the patchwork of regulations designed to serve the needs of unimodal transportation. The EC panel wants a uniform, internationally acceptable code that eliminates the need for legal and evidential inquiries. One cargo expert says that large intermodal operators should not fear such a system because it would remove much of the uncertainty over intermodal damage claims.
Amtrak is bucking the railroads' trend of exiting the refrigerated car business. Since entering the temperature-sensitive market about a year ago when it bought eight Reefer-Railers from Wabash National Corp., Amtrak has won over reefer shippers. Now it is about to offer an express four-day cross-country service for perishables with the purchase of eight new 70-ton reefer cars designed to be used on Amtrak's high-speed passenger lanes. It's a direct challenge to long-haul truckers. Sunkist already is using two passenger trains to move citrus products to the East Coast. Sunkist estimates it moves 80 percent of its freight by truck. Amtrak's promise of four-day service is prompting Sunkist to test the new offering.
Talks have opened between this country and China to liberalize the 1980 U.S.-China Civil Air Transport Agreement last amended in 1995. It restricts to 27 the number of scheduled weekly flights permitted from each country. Only three U.S. carriers - Federal Express, Northwest and United - can serve the Chinese market right now. United Parcel Service has a big stake in these aviation talks as it hopes to join FedEx in the Chinese market. UPS already has a joint venture with Sinotrans in Beijing that allows it to serve 108 Chinese cities.
In a world of change, some people want constancy. Ryder System wants no change in its new diagnostic tool for truck maintenance. Eden Prairie, Minn.-based FieldWorks has loaded its 5000 Series II laptop with software from many equipment manufacturers, plus an interface program that allows Ryder mechanics to choose the right software for repairs. A universal adapter interfaces to all different types of onboard electronics systems, including controls for engines, brakes, transmissions and trailer refrigeration units. This allows Ryder to use the same tool to test its entire fleet.
Ottawa and Washington have ignored the St. Lawrence Seaway in favor of other modes to the disadvantage of shipowners on both sides of the border. The St. Lawrence must be restored to viability for economical and environmental reasons, according to Peter Cresswell, president and CEO of Algoma Central Corp.
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