GD bid for NNS hits political problems In today's Washington Post,Tim Smart reports industry and government officials as saying that General Dynamics Corp.'s unsolicited $2 billion bid for Newport News Shipbuilding has run into significant political opposition that could doom the deal.
Hong Kong plans to slash fees and grow its ship registry The tonnage of Hong Kong registered ships is expected to increase from the current 6.2 million tons to 10 million in the next three years
Noble Affiliates to develop gas field offshore Ecuador A wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Noble Affiliates, Inc. Ardmore, Okla., intends to commence the development of the Amistad gas field offshore Ecuador.
Costa shopping for possible huge conversions Costa Crociere is considering increasing the 55,000 gt sisterships Costa Classica and Costa Romantica to some 75,000 gt.
Three-way settlement over Haven THE UK Club has paid an ex gratia "sweetener" to clinch a deal with the Italian government that draws a line under the long-running pollution dispute over the Haven tanker disaster.
WTO to meet on banana dispute A SPECIAL meeting of the World Trade Organisation's general council will meet on Monday to discuss the escalating row between the US and Europe over banana imports.
Japan shipyards downgrade their financial expectations SHIPYARD and heavy machinery makers Hitachi Zosen and Kawasaki Heavy have disclosed that they expect to report net losses in the current year to March 31.
Changes benefit DFDS A STRONG improvement in operating profit on DFDS's passenger shipping activities in 1998 contributed to what the company termed a "very satisfactory" ordinary net profit of DKr291m ($43.4m), up from DKr239m in 1997.
State aid row hits Brittany Ferries result FERRY operator Brittany Ferries saw net profits slump from FFr84m ($14.2m) to FFr10.2m in the financial year ended September 30 after deciding to provide against aid of FFr150m received from the French state which the European Commission is disputing.
Windjammer occupancy at 100% despite Fantome hurricane loss Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has rebounded from the tragic loss of sailing ship Fantome last year.
Philippines in new pledge on white list Philippine president Joseph Estrada has assured the country's manning industry that the government will comply with the Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping 1995 convention.
Kuwait Oil Tanker Following almost a year of offshore modification and conversion market work at Verolme Botlek's 405 m by 90 m graving dock, the facility has once again turned to general shiprepair work. One of the first contracts was Kuwait Oil Tanker Co's 284,890 dwt Al Samidoon, the first VLCC drydocked in Rotterdam for a number of years.
Anvers veut s'attacher deux grands clients par des terminaux dédiés "Nous avons voulu créer un contrepoids au caractère extrêmement volatile des armements, qui les fait régulièrement changer de port. De plus, les méga-armements déterminent de plus en plus les flux de trafic", a déclaré l'échevin du port Leo Delwaide. Afin de s'attacher ces armements, l'Entreprise portuaire a décidé d'opter pour des terminaux dédiés, option encore rejetée il y a quelques années à peine. Cela s'est à présent traduit dans les faits pour l'armement MSC, le plus grand client du port puisqu'il génère 25% du trafic containérisé global à Anvers, et ce sera bientôt le cas pour CP Ships, le deuxième client du port.
Johnson Controls maintient son alliance avec Ewals pour de nouveaux projets logistiques Le constructeur de composants automobiles Johnson Controls a quasiment achevé la construction d'une nouvelle usine en Slovaquie, dans la ville de Martin. Cette usine produira les housses des sièges de plusieurs modèles de Renault. Ewals Cargo Care se chargera du volet logistique. En été, Johnson entamera la construction des sièges automobiles pour la VW Polo, qui sera assemblée à partir de cette date à Bratislava au lieu de Pampelone. Ewals assurera là aussi le volet logistique de l'opération.
EWS/Amtrak: comment redynamiser le transport ferroviaire de marchandises... En 1993, le transport ferroviaire de marchandises était, du point de vue du tonnage, quasi moribond en Grande-Bretagne (en fait, le secteur était éminemment profitable et remplissait les caisses de l'Etat...), ou du moins limité aux secteurs traditionnels comme le charbon, les minerais et les produits métalliques. En quelques années, le nouvel opérateur EWS est parvenu à renverser la vapeur, avec une croissance de 60% en trois ans (dont seulement 10% proviennent d'acquisitions). EWS aen effet trouvé de nouvelles niches: produits de consommation et manufacturés et toute la gamme des produits intermodaux, non seulement dans le shortsea mais bientôt aussi dans le deepsea.
La Poste pourrait racheter Extand à Géodis La Poste française a entamé des négociations avec le groupe Géodis en vue de racheter Extand, sa division de distribution de colis express, indique la presse française. C'est une nouvelle péripétie dans la lutte acharnée que se livrent plusieurs postes européennes pour se renforcer dans le transport express et la logistique et faire ainsi face à la libéralisation annoncée de la distribution de courrier.
Y2K Takes Center Stage At IMO The United Nations is to be presented with a Year 2000 code of practice for the maritime industry aimed at minimizing the risk of ships colliding with each other or crashing into ports come January 1, 2000. "The code of practice could be presented to theUnited Nations as early as tomorrow," U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral George Naccara said last week. Naccara, the USCG's chief information officer, told the United Nations late last year of the need for the maritime industry to ready itself for possible Y2K disruptions. A consequence of the admiral's speech was a two day meeting this week of representatives from 16 international maritime associations aimed at hammering out a global consensus.
Drybulk Rates: Upward Momentum Maintained In Asia Asian grain cargo rates have maintained an upward momentum as demand increased on a seasonal swing after the Chinese lunar new year . Freight rates for Panamax-class grain vessels between the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Japan were quoted in Asia at $16.21 perton on Thursday, up from $15.89 a week ago.
High Speed Ferry Hits Quay Wall A high-speed ferry carrying almost 400 people crashed into a quay wall while docking in Dun Laoghaire harbor near Dublin. Emergency services, including a helicopter and a life boat, were called but all 396 passengers and crew were able to disembark from the Stena Line vessel Explorer safely without assistance. Damage included a hole on the starboard (right) side of the ship abovethe waterline and the possibility of another hole beneath the waterline.
Labor Harmony In Two Hours Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. reportedly reached contract agreements with supervisors and workers after less than two weeks of negotiations.
Ship Delays Outside Israel Dozens of ships were reported to be stranded outside of Israel's Ashdod and Haifa ports on Thursday as a dockworkers' slowdown caused a sharp increase in unloading times.
Vickers Looks Positive Having jettisoned the luxury car business, among others, last year, Vickers Plc has made marine business its focus and is optimistic about its future. In a statement Vickers Chief Executive Baron Buysse said last year had been a momentous one which saw Vickers exit from luxury cars, close a tank plant in Leeds, northern England and decide to make marine its key core business. He said 1998 is a landmarkyear in the development of Vickers. The marine business will be aided by the prospective Norwegian acquisition of Ulstein Holding ASA, which reportedly will be completed in months.
Simplified Certifications A harmonized system of surveys and certification covering international shipping regulations will enter force on February 3, 2000, the IMO. The system will -- in essence -- mean that ships should no longer have to go into a port or repair yard for a survey required by one convention shortly after doing so for other regulations, the United Nations organization for maritime affairssaid in a statement.
"Wrong Way" Ship Garners Fines For Captain A ship's captain was reportedly fined for taking his vessel the wrong way up a traffic lane in the Dover Straits. The Swedishcaptain of the 15,200 dwt Bahamian registered refrigerated fruit carrier Winter Star was fined $16,000 plus about $3,000 costs by Sittingbourne and Faversham magistrates in Kent.
Weinstein Takes The Helm In New York James Weinstein was sworn in as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on Wednesday.
ESCO Holdings Takes 100% of Estonian Shipping ESCO Holdings Ltd. has reportedly assumed full ownership of the Estonian Shipping Company with a 300 million kroon purchase of the Estonian state's remaining 30 percent holding.
Tanker Owners Voice Panama Flag Quality Concerns Intertanko has reportedly become the latest shipping organization to voice concerns about the Panamanian shipping register's quality standards.
Shell's Argentine Assets Frozen After Oil Spill A judge has reportedly frozen the Argentinian assets of Royal Dutch/Shell Group and Schiffahrts-Gessellschaft MS Primus mbH & Co. for a total $60 million after ships from the two companies collided last month causing an oil spill in the River Plate.
Brazil Trade Flow Reverse Affects Shipping Routes Transroll Navegacao SA is reportedly considering port call changes to take account of the reverse in trade flows caused by the country's devaluation.
Americana To Drop Ivaran Lines Name, Cut Costs In an operations overhaul, the Americana Ships cargo service put together last year will reportedly cut costs by up to $70 million in 1999 and in April will drop the established Ivaran Lines name,.
DFDS Transport Eyes Nordic Firms For Acquisition DFDS Transport has reportedly embarked on an expansion strategy to strengthen its position in the Nordic markets.
South Korean Shipbuilding Orders Up Sharply New orders for South Korean ships reportedly rose 53.4 percent to 698,634 GT for 13 vessels in the first two months of this year.
Nigeria Passes Deep Offshore Oil Decree Nigeria's military government reportedly passed a decree fixing terms for exploiting deep offshore oil concessions, which oil firms have been waiting for to develop oilfields in deep waters.
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