Yards seek EC action on Korea TWELVE of Europe's leading shipbuilders yesterday vowed to demand action from the European Commission against what they claim is unfair competition from their South Korean rivals in the face of the worst market conditions for a decade.
Spain faces subsidies probe The European Commission is expected to start formal proceedings against Spain tomorrow amid strong suspicions that Madrid has given its state-controlled shipyards more subsidies than allowed under a 1997 agreement, reports Reuters.
Asia Terminals ready for $26m rights issue Listed Asian Terminals Inc will shortly go ahead with its Peso1.0bn ($26.3m) rights offering following aproval for the plan by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission.
Kra Isthmus Canal plan 'not feasible' A special committee of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication has found evidence that the long dreamed-of Kra Isthmus Canal, a 102 km waterway cutting across Thailand from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, is not economically feasible.
Stevedores take Patrick to court AN unknown number of former non-union stevedoring workers involved in Patrick's effort to oust the Maritime Union of Australia from the company's terminals have filed a class action against Patrick, the federal government and labour companies Fynwest and P&C Stevedores, alleging breach of contract and breaches of the Trade Practices Act.
Survey shows need for better ship design A book aimed at promoting better operational design of ships and more communication between designers and "users" has been published by The Nautical Institute.
Ofer group seizes Zim foothold SAMMY and Yuli Ofer have gained a powerful foothold in one of the world's largest container shipping lines following its acquisition of a controlling interest in Israel Corp, the largest single shareholder in Zim Israel Navigation.
Rostock box co-operation call CO-OPERATION between the German ports of Rostock and Hamburg could prove to be the most successful way of increasing container volume in Rostock, according to rating agency Moody's Investors Service.
Kandla traders still waiting for payout INDIAN commodity traders are complaining that their insurance claims have yet to be settled seven months after a cyclonic storm devastated the port of Kandla.
Piracy fears over missing vessel A FILIPINO organisation believes that the missing Panama-registered general cargoship Pixy Marzo and its crew might have been victims of piracy.
Asian crisis knocks Evergreen profits EVERGREEN Marine Corp said it expected a slump in pre-tax profits for 1998 because of the global decline in container shipping and weaker freight rates.
Indian insurers face strike threat INSURANCE employees have threatened militant action in protest against the government's move to open the insurance business to foreign and private competition.
Hong Kong bids to cut port costs THE Hong Kong government is to arrange talks between shippers, shipping lines and terminal operators in a bid to resolve the dispute over the territory's high terminal handling charges.
Britannia sets up oil spill response scheme BRITANNIA P&I Club has established a clean-up response scheme for its dry cargo shipowner members for dealing with oil pollution in the US.
Hoverspeed to fill ferry void HOVERSPEED, the Sea Containers subsidiary, is to launch a fast ferry service between Newhaven, UK, and Dieppe, France on April 10 following Stena's withdrawal.
Shanghai set to join top ten SHANGHAI is expected to be ranked as tenth largest container port after handling an estimated 3.05m teu last year.
CESA plans South Korean offensive EUROPEAN shipbuilders' association CESA is planning a series of countermeasures to combat what it sees as unfair competition from South Korean yeards.
Brazilian devaluation hits import prospects BRAZIL'S eight per cent devaluation of the real last Wednesday has important implications for the country's import and export patterns, says the IGC
Sri Lanka considers boosting refinery capacity STATE-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corp is considering doubling the capacity of its 50,000 bpd oil refinery at Sapugaskanda.
Thailand ditches canal project A THAI government-appointed committee investigating a proposal to construct a canal across the Kra Isthmus has deemed it economically unviable.
AMSA warns on computer risk A SPATE of onboard fires has prompted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to warn about dangers posed by the growing use of personal computers.
BHP predicts seven lean years for coal WORLD coal prices will drop for at least the next seven years, according to BHP, one of the major coal producers.
Smit plans major expansion SMIT International, the Dutch towage and salvage company, is planning to add 15 harbour tugs to its fleet.
Asian markets 'set to bounce back' ASIAN maritime markets are set to bounce back in the not too distant future, according to a Norwegian shipbroker.
Durban pilotage takes to the air DURBAN'S helicopter pilot service finally became fully operational on January 15.
Timetable set for P&OP negotiations Discussions on the P&O Ports' enterprise agreement resumed in Melbourne in Sydney yesterday and will continue for most of this week. In Melbourne, this week's talks will concentrate on the bulk and general stevedoring side of the company's operations. In Sydney, they will deal with the container operation, the Container Terminals Australia Ltd facility. However, in Sydney there will be no direct discussions between the parties. Instead, it has been decided to allow the Container Terminals Australia's local committee to discuss the company's proposal and come up with a response which will be considered at a later date.
New maritime courses in Sydney Maritime industry employees working in Sydney are being offered the opportunity to acquire new skills this year at two new courses being offered by the Sydney Maritime College. There are two courses: the Foundation Certificate in Maritime Studies and the Advanced Certificate in Maritime Studies. The Foundation Certificate is a basic level course designed to appeal to anyone wanting to gain an understanding of how the maritime industry works in Australia and internationally, as well as how it relates to other industries in the transport chain. This course will commence next month subject to sufficient enrolments and will be of 18 weeks duration.
BA to increase one-stop Melbourne flights British Airways is scheduling more one-stop flights between London and Melbourne and improved connections between London and Durban, based on Oneworld alliance with Qantas and Southern Africa franchise partner, Comair. According to BA passenger business director Charles Gurassa, the changes could not have been contemplated were it not for the alliance.
P&O keeps faith in Australis Following the third aborted attempt by the Australian Antarctic Division to deploy, without incident, its expedition-supply vessel Aurora Australis to Australian bases in the Antarctic, the vessel's owner, P&O Australia, has defended the operational integrity of the icebreaker. P&O Australia's managing director Ross Brewer also confirmed yesterday that despite last week's engine room fire on the Aurora Australis - a day after she left Fremantle after being dry-docked there for two weeks for propulsion system repairs - that P&O would be re-offering the Aurora Australis to the division when the division's current charter expired next year.
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