Single hull plan runs into flak EU member state experts have opposed a possible European Commission proposal for an early phasing out of single hull oil tankers at consultations on the measures.
Operator denies P&O bid to join the Festival EUROPEAN operator Festival Cruises has denied it has received a £500m-plus ($800m) approach from P&O after suggestions were made to this effect yesterday by a popular British newspaper.
Majors face 'inconsistency' rap OIL companies have been accused of inconsistency in their attitude towards elderly tankers, according to a leading Norwegian shipbroker.
Mitsubishi losses to be twice original forecast MITSUBISHI Heavy Industries, the parent of Japan's biggest shipbuilder, announced that net losses in the current year through March will be twice as bad as originally expected with a net loss of Y136bn ($1.3bn).
Brussels officials swoop on carriers A LETTER written by Cho Yang Shipping to other transatlantic carriers last year is thought to have triggered a Brussels inquiry that led to a series of raids on shipping line offices last week.
Det Norske Veritas loses three Red Funnel catamarans ISLE of Wight fast ferry operator Red Funnel has withdrawn all three Red Jet catamarans from Det Norske Veritas class and will in future leave statutory surveys to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, writes David Osler.
Visiting an epitaph on a way of life TRAVEL, they say, broadens the mind, though one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise if you do much of it within the compass of these islands.
It's time to weigh up the anchor worries very carefully ANYONE would expect that if any piece of ship's equipment should be of cast-iron reliability, it would be the anchor.
Belgique: une taxe sur les transports exceptionnels n'est pas à l'ordre du jour Une taxe pourrait-elle être perçue en Belgique sur les transports exceptionnels afin de couvrir les frais d'escorte par la gendarmerie? La chose est envisagée par certains responsables politiques, mais loin d'être acquise. C'est ce qui ressort d'une discussion jeudi dernier au Sénat entre les sénateurs Nathalie T'Serclaes (PRL-FDF-MCC) et Ludwig Caluwé (CVP) et la ministre des Transports Isabelle Durant. La réponse, toutefois, réside essentiellement auprès du ministre de l'Intérieur, Antoine Duquesne. Et celui-ci estime que les escortes sont une mission de service public, et qu'elles doivent donc être gratuites.
La reprise est manifeste sur la route Europe/Far East Lors de sa dernière réunion à Hambourg, la Far Eastern Freight Conference a annoncé la couleur: la restauration des taux eastbound se poursuit et se manifestera par une augmentation de 200 USD par container, qui sera suivie en octobre prochain d'une autre adaptation tarifaire encore à préciser. Westbound, la hausse sera de 150 USD par TEU en avril; elle sera suivie d'une autre augmentation de 250 dollars en date du 1er août. Les membres de ladite conférence font preuve d'une satisfaction croissante, qui s'explique par plusieurs évolutions.
Bruxelles refuserait la fusion Volvo-Scania La Commission européenne a fait savoir qu'elle se prononcera sur la fusion Volvo-Scania le mardi 14 mars, une semaine avant la date prévue, qui avait été fixée au 23 mars suite à la décision - inhabituelle - de la Commission de prolonger d'un mois l'enquête approfondie sur cette transaction. La plupart des observateurs s'accordent pour dire que Bruxelles refusera de donner son feu vert. Ce serait alors la douzième fois seulement depuis 1990 qu'une fusion est interdite.
Zeeland Container Terminal sera opérationnel au printemps Selon les prévisions, le Zeeland Container Terminal, qui est en cours de construction au Braakmanhaven à Terneuzen, devrait être opérationnel d'ici la mi-mai ou le début du mois de juin.
Trucking companies are rethinking the way they conduct business with their customers. Buoyed by the firmest pricing environment in trucking in more than a decade, carriers are exploiting shippers' fears of lack of capacity later in the year to win rate increases now. The carriers also are making a strong case for the higher rates through their pledges of top-notch service. Carriers are hoping to transfer some of this higher-yielding freight to their bottom lines but higher costs associated with fuel and drivers is frustrating that goal at present.
Former maritime industry executive Jack Abrams will tell the Surface Transportation Board that it needs to delay the pending merger of the Canadian National and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads until Congress studies the national security implications of Canadian control of the BNSF. Is this merely xenophobia or are there really national security fears of the Canadians? Abrams fears that what has happened to the U.S.-flag maritime fleet could happen to American-controlled rails if the CN-BNSF merger is allowed.
Boo.com, the international e-tailer of sportswear, will add 13 South American and Asian countries to its current 18-nation lineup by the end of the first quarter. Along with that expansion, Boo.com is rethinking and continually retooling its logistics strategies. When it launches South America, Boo.com will utilize UPS Worldwide Logistics as its 3PL but acknowledges it will be examining its longer-term supply-chain management strategy in the future.
Toronto-based Vitran Corp., a North American group of transportation companies, is putting off expansion of its LTL regional network for a while after reporting so-so fourth-quarter earnings. Vitran officials said systems integration problems associated with merging its Quast and Overland units into its Vitran Express LTL network caused higher-than-expected costs. Vitran said the worst problems are over, its year-over-year February traffic is up double-digits and that service never suffered.
With the recent passing of a resolution that would allow the Texas Department of Transportation to acquire it, the fate of the South Orient Railroad is again at a crossroads. Plans for the railroad, which originally ran 350 miles between Presidio and Fort Worth, Texas, were to have it become, along with El Paso, Laredo and Brownsville, an important gateway to Mexico. But a lack of overhead traffic has reduced the South Orient to a 70-mile shortline shuttle for local business. And although he's not optimistic of its future, Chief Operating Officer Roy Williams says that things can't get any worse.
Congressional hearings this month will assess whether the Ocean Shipping Reform Act is a work in progress in need of change or a skillfully crafted compromise that should be given time to work as planned. The Coalition for Fair Play in Ocean Shipping is asking for modifications because these shipping interests will not benefit from the pro-competitive aspects of OSRA. How to handle antitrust immunity is sure to be a hot topic at the hearings.
Route authority designations are always competitive but two of the four airlines vying for a single spot to serve the world's largest market have taken the competition to new heights. American Airlines and United Parcel Service are going toe-to-toe to try and convince the Department of Transportation that their application would best serve the United States. Polar Air Cargo and Delta Air Lines also want the right but neither is putting up the fight of American or UPS. With dueling websites, supporter lists and a lot of political arm-twisting, UPS and American are gearing up for a long fight. The decision likely won't come until this summer and service can't start until April 2001.
Descartes Systems Group recently acquired business-to-business logistics exchange company E-Transport. It now claims to be "the largest Internet logistics network in the world." Descartes bought E-Transport for approximately $80 million worth of stock, said Art Mesher, chief e-business officer at Descartes. In a similar move, Celarix, a transportation and logistics marketplace, acquired Management Dynamics, a tariff and contract management software developer for ocean carriers.
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