MoD throws out informal lifeline to UK shipyards BRITISH shipyards have been given an informal lifeline by the Ministry of Defence, which has asked the four shortlisted bidders for a contract to supply ro-ro ships to review their proposals.
The Olympic Voyager The Olympic Voyager is ready for delivery to Royal Olympic Cruises, as the first of two fast cruiseships, writes Birgit Strietzel, Cologne. The 24,500 gt vessel has been built by German shipbuilder Blohm+Voss and measures 180 m in length and has a beam of 26 m. The design is said to be based on a new hull concept, a fast monohull. She will be deployed on cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and and is said to be able to cover more countries in a seven-day cruise than a conventional cruiseship. The picture shows the Olympic Voyager (left) as she is being passed by her sister, the Olympic Explorer, which is due for delivery in 2001.
State to privatise Hellenic yard GREECE's government has taken the decision to unload the state's 51% stake in Hellenic Shipyards in a bid to cover the yard's mounting losses and ease the way for privatising its parent, the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank (ETVA).
Olsen swoops on Falcon stake in Navis FRED Olsen Energy of Norway has revealed that it has bought out Houston-based offshore driller R&B Falcon's 38.6% stake in Oslo-listed Navis ASA, which gave it effective control over Navis's operations.
MAN B&W buys out Alstom GERMANY'S MAN group has completed the purchase of Alstom Engines, bringing much of the UK's remaining diesel engineering industry under the control of propulsion engine market leader MAN B&W.
The latest containership to join the Maersk Sealand fleet The latest containership to join the Maersk Sealand fleet has been named A P Møller after the founder of the Danish shipping, shipbuilding and industrial conglomerate. The S-class, 6,600 teu vessel was named at the Odense Steel Shipyard by Jane Schaldemose, youngest daughter of Arnold Peter Møller and sister of Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller who now heads the business. The new ship will have her home port in Dragør, the town in which A P Møller and his mother were both born.
Cigarette shipper commissions study on cargo crime The investigation, underwritten by Brown and Williamson, will canvass the supply chain to collect data on worldwide cargo loss and contraband activity.
Borders are not the only problem The number of companies offering a variety of Internet services aimed at U.S. companies that want to trade abroad is getting bigger daily, it seems.
The nation's stunning business logistics efficiency is being threatened by the government's proposed changes to truck drivers' hours-of-service rules. Robert V. Delaney, senior vice president of Cass Information Systems and a consultant to ProLogis, estimates the HOS changes would cost the nation $175 billion in additional trucking costs, unneeded inventory investment and additional inventory carrying costs over three years. This warning comes at a time when overall business logistics costs dropped below 10 percent of gross domestic product for the first time since figures began being compiled in 1980. Details on Delaney's 11th Annual State of Logistics report are encouraging except for the cloud produced by the HOS proposal's effect.
The Department of Transportation's inspector general has been accused of unlawfully using heavy-handed criminal enforcement tools to uncover paperwork-related violations. Inspector General Ken Mead said obtaining search warrants to seize records, download information from computers and interrogate employees is essential to curbing willful and deliberate violations of federal safety regulations.
Car buyers are forcing change in the automobile industry at an unprecedented pace. Where automakers used to push products off the assembly line and wait for customers to buy, now customers want cars built to order. This means automakers and the thousands of suppliers that participate in manufacturing a car have to embrace Internet technology now or face the peril of delay, according to Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of Britain's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Logistics and supply-chain management play a more important role than ever, and those companies that can keep pace with the change will get the automakers' business.
The eight-month-old Teamsters union strike of Overnite Transportation could last into 2001, according to Teamsters union President James P. "Jimmy" Hoffa and Phil Young, the union's lead freight negotiator. Even though both sides have met for more than 160 negotiating sessions, little progress is being made. Hoffa says Overnite has an "anti-union animus," while Overnite officials claim the union's demands would make the company instantly uncompetitive in the LTL marketplace. The strike has cost Overnite upwards of $30 million since it began last October. But company officials and some labor experts say it's money necessarily spent to keep Overnite viable.
The CF AirFreight name is back after a more than 10-year hiatus. Consolidated Freightways has christened its newest subsidiary with the old, but recognizable, name. CF bought Flightmasters/Seamasters, a small Minnesota-based freight forwarder, with the hope of finding a new revenue stream with air freight. Flightmasters, a $20 million company, is expected to generate $50 million in sales in its first year as CF AirFreight. Richard McCrady Sr., Flightmasters' founder and CEO, is staying on as president of the new company.
The growth in traffic between the United States and Mexico becomes more evident by the day. A reception held in Monterrey, Mexico, by the National Association of Rail Shippers intended to drum up interest in Mexican freight was well attended. And several railroads have announced new intermodal marketing initiatives into Mexico in the past several months: Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Norfolk Southern both have partnered with Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana for new service. But sometimes - as BNSF is finding - even the best-laid plans can be difficult to carry out when dealing south of the border.
Expansion of the Panama Canal is part of a "fourth revolution" in containership transport envisioned by Dr. Asaf Ashar, group manager of an institute dedicated to maritime research and development, that will depend on an equatorial ring of ports that can move boxes between ships without ever putting the container on the ground. Ashar believes that would make the entire industry more efficient and eliminate the need for constant channel-deepening.
Several Internet exchanges and marketplaces for the aviation industry have popped up but which ultimately will be winners is unknown. In the meantime, those who are using these sites are hedging their bets by using several sites. Burbank, Calif.-based Barry Controls Aerospace, a manufacturer of anti-vibration devices for engines and auxiliary power units, is posting inventory on several different exchanges, said Fred Thomas, director of sales. Thomas hopes Internet exchanges will improve information flow for his customers and expand his company's reach into other markets.
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
phone: +39.010.2462122, fax: +39.010.2516768, e-mail
VAT number: 03532950106
Press Reg.: nr 33/96 Genoa Court
Editor in chief: Bruno Bellio No part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
