Rina report blames Erika master BLAME for the Erika oil spill has been laid firmly on the ship's master and management by a new report from the ill-fated vessel's Italian classification society Rina, Lloyd's List can reveal.
Countdown to disaster December 8, 1999 Erika leaves Dunkirk, France, loaded with about 31,000 tonnes of heavy oil cargo, bound for Livorno, Italy.
UK predicts Red Ensign growth A FIVE per cent increase in ships joining the UK register has been forecast for the current year by The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Pay-back costs Brittany Ferries Channel ferry operator Brittany Ferries had its 1998-99 net income heavily amputated by repayments of aid granted under its 1996-98 restructuring plan.
Master left alone as ship listed THE internal technical investigation by Rina into the Erika casualty indicates that while the actions of the master after cracking had been discovered and the vessel took a list were wrong and contributed to the loss, he appears to have had no assistance on the proper course of action to take that would minimise stress upon his damaged vessel.
Rina's view of the Erika accident and what action should be taken The tanker Erika broke up in the Bay of Biscay on December 12 ,1999 at 0820 hours (Centre European Time). The ship left the port of Dunkirk (France) on December 8 1999 loaded with about 31,000 t of heavy oil cargo, bound for Leghorn (Italy). The Erika was surveyed during the construction and classed by NKK (1975), then subsequently classed by ABS (1979), BV (1993) and, finally, by Rina (1998).
Maturing markets rise in former eastern bloc EUROPE's property markets are in good health. A year on from monetary union, cross-border investment continues to grow, France has established itself as a cornerstone in the market place and Germany's economic recovery is reflected in activity, notably in Munich.
Liverpool to Dublin route gets fourth ro-ro ferry P&O European Ferries has added a fourth ship to its service between Liverpool and Dublin in response to increased demand from ro-ro operators.
Americana Ships s'engage dans la réalisation d'un terminal à containers dans le golfe du Mexique La nouvelle n'a pas manqué de surprendre: Americana Ships (Lykes Lines-TMM), qui dépend du groupe CP Ships, s'engage avec deux autres partenaires, à savoir SSA (Stevedoring Services of America) et la ville de Texas City dans un projet qui consiste à réaliser un terminal à containers en eau profonde dans le golfe US, plus précisément à Shoal Point, à 40 miles de Houston.
BAWC pourrait prendre un troisième appareil fret d'Atlas Air en wet-lease L'année 1999 a été un grand cru pour British Airways World Cargo (BAWC), la division de fret aérien de British Airways. C'est ce qu'a déclaré à Reuters son directeur-général Kevin Hatton, qui quittera bientôt la compagnie. Il a ajouté que la compagnie envisage de prendre un troisième B747-400 d'Atlas Air en leasing. En ce qui concerne les tarifs, le patron de BAWC a déclaré qu'il préfère une hausse des tarifs à une taxe sur le carburant.
Asset play makes a comeback ASSET PLAY, the source of quick riches in shipping, is back. A number of owners with ships on order are being tempted to cash in on rising newbuilding prices. Norwegian owner Andreas Ove Ugland is said to be in the process of selling a Panamax newbuilding while Far Eastern owners are selling Capesize contracts.
Gone are the days of false promises and unrealistic rates, at least at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is among a small group of savvy shippers who are finding that the more information shippers and carriers share, the better the service. Wal-Mart, which moves 1.2 million truckload collect shipments annually, another million prepaid, plus 750,000 LTL shipments along with its own fleet of trucks, is the nation's largest retailer. It is also a very demanding customer. Wal-Mart's goal is to drive costs out of the supply chain and ensure adequate capacity while keeping drivers and suppliers happy.
National Private Truck Council President John McQuaid, who narrowly escaped spending 11 months in a North Korean prison and who instinctively swims toward roiling waters, cherishes the adrenaline rush of a transportation career defined by random events, choices and consequences. In trying to staunch a membership erosion, McQuaid is betting the future of his organization on lobbying, offering specialized education in fleet management and charging members a flat $650 annual dues regardless of the number of trucks operated. An organization name change also looms, with Business Trucking Association among the choices.
Rebound.com is a new e-commerce site intended to help find buyers for some $350 billion worth of excess inventory created annually through marketing errors. Rebound.com initially is concentrating on the Asia Pacific-U.S. market but also is looking to expand into South America and the Middle East. "You don't want to sell the goods to your existing clients because it's a cannibalization of your distribution channels," said Marybeth Dee, a Rebound.com co-founder.
Teenagers and ex-cons are what the trucking industry may resort to if the driver shortage continues on its current pace. Puerto Ricans looking for work already are arriving in the U.S. to hit the open road behind an 18-wheeler. Close to 900,000 drivers are needed to fill seats over the next 11 years, a daunting number for those in the industry. Driver pay, always a contentious issue, is key. One industry watcher claims drivers must make three times what a hamburger flipper at McDonald's earns. That would put truck drivers at about $45,000 a year. Many are already there, many more are not.
Shippers had a chance to offer railroads their "21st century vision" at the annual National Association of Rail Shippers conference in Washington, D.C. Improving customer service was the overriding theme from the shipper end, while railroads responded by acknowledging their shortcomings and promising to do a better job. CN President and CEO Paul Tellier led into the discussion with a vision of his own: allow his railroad to merge so it can be a railroad that "dares to be different."
A new e-commerce entrant called LevelSeas.com could simplify the complex process of chartering ships for international bulk transportation. Oil giants BP Amoco and Royal Dutch Shell, international conglomerate Cargill and ship broker Clarksons Group are among the stakeholders, but the dot-com will operate the exchange as a neutral. The stakeholders provide some 10 percent of bulk shipment volume and they are expected to broker a significant portion through LevelSeas.com.
Skyway Freight System, once a revered leader in logistics and supply-chain management, shut its doors March 31, leaving customers scrambling to find alternative transportation providers. Little information was available about why Skyway shut down just four months after naming a new president and management team. The company had been in disarray for much of the last few years following Union Pacific's decision to sell the company. Genstar Capital bought Skyway from UP just over a year ago, only to watch customers flee and debts rise. Skyway's exit leaves a number of high-profile customers, including Dell and Micron, looking for new vendors.
If you want your project to succeed you must be as careful in choosing and refining technology, processes and infrastructure as in choosing people, said speakers at Distribution/Computer Expo 2000. "Nine times out of 10, infrastructure - everything from the layout of the building to technology currently in place - is not considered when implementing new technology systems," said Richard Barnes, director of supply-chain e-vertical technology for CoopersHawke.
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