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Shipping News

Number, violence of piracy attacks increase
THE ongoing global trend of rising maritime piracy continued last year with added concern around the alarming upswing in violence as well as a jump in attacks on oil and gas tankers.
Asian shipping lines lift US-Asia cargo forecast
NEPTUNE Orient Lines, Mitsui OSK Lines and other shipping companies said they will carry between 10 per cent and 12 per cent more cargo to the US from Asia this year, more than earlier forecast, bolstered by US economic growth.
Hanjin to switch HK business to Hutchison
BILLIONAIRE Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, the world's biggest port operator, snatched the cargo-handling business of Hanjin Shipping Co in Hong Kong from rival CSX World Terminals.
Hearing on Rocknes capsizing opens in Bergen
A maritime hearing on a freighter capsizing that killed 18 crew members opened on Monday with testimony from the ship's pilot who was on the bridge at the time of the accident.
Abu Dhabi firm wins navy orders
ABU Dhabi Ship Building has won two contracts to build 42 assault boats to help protect the coastlines of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the company announced.

Air and Land Transport

Airbus to pitch for China deals during Hu's visit
CHINESE President Hu Jintao will tomorrow visit the headquarters of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus in the southern French city of Toulouse, where company officials will bid for a larger share of the growing Chinese market.
Cathay's transatlantic bid faces uncertainty
Bangladesh ready to put air marshals on flights to US
Danish operator keen on Brussels airport stake
Hainan Airlines plans to consolidate into single unit
New name, new uniforms

Strait Talk

IMO builds a bridge too far with Europe
IT may seem churlish to criticise the International Maritime Organization just after its new general secretary Efthimios Mitropoulos made a very powerful speech to a committee of the European Parliament.

web site

Shipping News

Number, violence of piracy attacks increase
THE ongoing global trend of rising maritime piracy continued last year with added concern around the alarming upswing in violence as well as a jump in attacks on oil and gas tankers.
Asian shipping lines lift US-Asia cargo forecast
NEPTUNE Orient Lines, Mitsui OSK Lines and other shipping companies said they will carry between 10 per cent and 12 per cent more cargo to the US from Asia this year, more than earlier forecast, bolstered by US economic growth.
Hanjin to switch HK business to Hutchison
BILLIONAIRE Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, the world's biggest port operator, snatched the cargo-handling business of Hanjin Shipping Co in Hong Kong from rival CSX World Terminals.
Hearing on Rocknes capsizing opens in Bergen
A maritime hearing on a freighter capsizing that killed 18 crew members opened on Monday with testimony from the ship's pilot who was on the bridge at the time of the accident.
Abu Dhabi firm wins navy orders
ABU Dhabi Ship Building has won two contracts to build 42 assault boats to help protect the coastlines of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the company announced.

Air and Land Transport

Airbus to pitch for China deals during Hu's visit
CHINESE President Hu Jintao will tomorrow visit the headquarters of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus in the southern French city of Toulouse, where company officials will bid for a larger share of the growing Chinese market.
Cathay's transatlantic bid faces uncertainty
Bangladesh ready to put air marshals on flights to US
Danish operator keen on Brussels airport stake
Hainan Airlines plans to consolidate into single unit
New name, new uniforms

Strait Talk

IMO builds a bridge too far with Europe
IT may seem churlish to criticise the International Maritime Organization just after its new general secretary Efthimios Mitropoulos made a very powerful speech to a committee of the European Parliament.

web site

Shipping News

Number, violence of piracy attacks increase
THE ongoing global trend of rising maritime piracy continued last year with added concern around the alarming upswing in violence as well as a jump in attacks on oil and gas tankers.
Asian shipping lines lift US-Asia cargo forecast
NEPTUNE Orient Lines, Mitsui OSK Lines and other shipping companies said they will carry between 10 per cent and 12 per cent more cargo to the US from Asia this year, more than earlier forecast, bolstered by US economic growth.
Hanjin to switch HK business to Hutchison
BILLIONAIRE Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, the world's biggest port operator, snatched the cargo-handling business of Hanjin Shipping Co in Hong Kong from rival CSX World Terminals.
Hearing on Rocknes capsizing opens in Bergen
A maritime hearing on a freighter capsizing that killed 18 crew members opened on Monday with testimony from the ship's pilot who was on the bridge at the time of the accident.
Abu Dhabi firm wins navy orders
ABU Dhabi Ship Building has won two contracts to build 42 assault boats to help protect the coastlines of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the company announced.

Air and Land Transport

Airbus to pitch for China deals during Hu's visit
CHINESE President Hu Jintao will tomorrow visit the headquarters of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus in the southern French city of Toulouse, where company officials will bid for a larger share of the growing Chinese market.
Cathay's transatlantic bid faces uncertainty
Bangladesh ready to put air marshals on flights to US
Danish operator keen on Brussels airport stake
Hainan Airlines plans to consolidate into single unit
New name, new uniforms

Strait Talk

IMO builds a bridge too far with Europe
IT may seem churlish to criticise the International Maritime Organization just after its new general secretary Efthimios Mitropoulos made a very powerful speech to a committee of the European Parliament.

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Dalian Port container handling rises UPS chairman Eskew to head China-US trade council Union Pacific employees transferred to new HQ EGL presented UK logistics award SIA to add Nanjing, New York flights to summer schedule China Southern takes delivery of first Boeing 737-700 UAL Cargo to fly to Osaka KLM Cargo wins industry award for electronic messaging

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Chinese ports handle largest box volumes in the world Good times return for Asian cargo lines Port of Le Havre records good growth of overall traffic & new record for containers Rickmers Holding appoints Godric Baron as new Director & Advisor Adolf Adrion to succeed Casjens on Hapag-Lloyd's Executive Board Bonanza for Lebanese ports in post-war era NYK rebrands logistics subsidiaries Bimco launches online ship repair contract WTSA set to hike rates in February Maersk Sealand, the champ in fleet capacity growth SCI gets govt nod for fleet expansion Anti-dumping duty slapped on potassium carbonate imports from EU, China Exim Bank extends $ 10 million credit to Polish bank Auto component expo corners orders worth Rs 23.4 crore TAMP turns down CoPT's tariff hike proposal Customs duty on 32 raw materials lowered by 3-10 pc 29 sectors showed over 20 pc export growth in April-Dec. 2003: Ascon Tap huge EU market, officials tell exporters Govt okays 19 clusters for infrastructure development scheme Ambitious maritime education plan drawn up Panel promises to solve problems faced by exporters Fieo, Azerbaijan Chamber sign cooperation pact Exporters demand air cargo hub near Delhi

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Houston & New Orleans prices converge in tight market Panama continues bearish tack Oil price volatility as market awaits US inventory data While US crude stocks are near a 28-year low, distillate stock have been in good shape before the latest deep-freeze descended on the US Northeast. CGES: Shortage, not speculators, causing high oil prices "The oil market is signaling in no uncertain terms that the world is short of oil," the Centre for Global Energy Studies says. Heavy demand takes its toll in Fujairah Bad weather continues to affect bunkering in Egypt Adverse weather conditions in Egypt continue to cause problems for bunkering today. Bad weather has been hampering supply in the country for around a week now, causing congestion to build (in Suez especially) as many vessels wait for favourable conditions to lift their bunkers. Good demand as Hong Kong and Taiwan begin year of the monkey O.W. Bunker cements its ARA position with terminal capacity The global bunker supplier and trader O.W. Bunker is making further advances into the ARA market, cementing its position there as a significant player in it for the long term. Its latest move is to secure its own exclusive fuel oil storage capacity at a new bunkering terminal in Rotterdam. Oman: Port Sultan Qaboos expansion completed Labco, a UK-based sales agents for Oman bunker supplier Oasis Trading & Marketing, has informed Bunkerworld that the expansion of bunkering facilities at Port Sultan Qaboos has been completed.

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Precision Software releases TRA/X Version 6 IRU's second "sustainability report" D.Logistics foresees marked improvements in 2004 results BNSF Logistics and Autolog Corp launch Car-Rail service Handling record at Hamburg CTA Container Terminal Lyon Airport: airfreight volumes soar Jürgen Kennemann: new Chairman of the SMM Advisory Board

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Tough day for the pilot at "Rocknes" inquiry Traders see window for fuel oil arbitrage

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Hillary Clinton opposes St Lawrence expansion P&O Nedlloyd refinances 14 ships in Germany Panama charges go up Wijsmuller refloats capesize bulker

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Frontline in mass reflagging to Marshall Islands FRONTLINE, the Norwegian tanker and combination carrier operator, is reflagging up to about 30 ships in the Marshall Islands in a move that will boost the registry by about 2m gross tonnes, or 10% of its current total. Refinancing package may be behind flag shift FRONTLINE'S decision to re-flag almost half of its fleet comes at a momentous time in the company's history, writes Tony Gray . Appledore staff to be saved by DML takeover APPLEDORE Shipbuilders could be out of receivership within four weeks, following confirmation from Devonport Royal Dockyard that it is almost ready with a takeover package for the North Devon yard. We're with you all the way, Darling THE UK is committed to encouraging further growth of the shipping industry, building on the tripling in size of the UK register over the past three years, a senior government minister has said, writes Julian Bray .

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Festival looks for a partner GEORGE Poulides, chairman and main shareholder of Festival Cruises, is negotiating a partnership with an undisclosed cruise line to help the ailing company avoid bankruptcy Appledore sale hangs on the board THE acquisition of Appledore Shipbuilders by DML is expected to be completed after the directors have given their approval Clinton urges end to Seaway study SENATOR Hillary Clinton has asked President Bush to end US funding for a bi-national study of the St Lawrence Seaway, citing environmental dangers Russia gives go-ahead to Sakhalin-2 RUSSIA has given its approval to the second phase of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, which has been facing opposition on environmental grounds Rocknes may have grounded twice THE rock carrier Rocknes appears to have run aground twice prior to capsizing on Monday last week it has emerged at the inquiry taking place in Bergen Chicken shipment goes walkabout FILIPINO customs has impounded 11 of 19 FEU refrigerated containers of chicken that were illegally released at the port of Batangas Savannah eyes top slot Pride salvage awaits Giant arrival Tasman S salvage may end in March Festival's Azur turns up in Venice Box tonnage in tight supply Busan paves way for Asian hub role China bans poultry shipments Able UK to submit new scrap plan UK government backs shipping

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JANUARY 27, 2004
EU 'zeros' in on U.S. in new trade tiff More sanctions possible as European Union challenges method of calculating anti-dumping duties. New box mark for Port of Montreal Container traffic hits record 1.1 million TEUs as all cargo surges 11 percent. TSA implements int'l. air-cargo security Trans-Atlantic ocean rate hike Snow won't postpone New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders dinner FedEx, UPS want review of Astar ruling South Korea upgrades Incheon free zone Teamsters praise DOT chassis plan Box record for Port of Houston Confusion over truckers hours Costa Rica rejoins CAFTA United Arab Shipping launches Asia-Mid-East service

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Incoherent corporate strategy led to Hapag-Lloyd executive's resignation A failure to commit to a coherent strategy by Hapag-Lloyd's parent company, the tourism conglomerate TUI, was the major reason for the departure of executive board member Guenther Casjens. ILO de-ratification move angers Dutch unions A dispute over giving hiring-preference to experienced former port-workers is brewing in the Netherlands, with the Labour Minister making preliminary moves toward de-ratifying the ILO Convention which guarantees this. Democrats push for increased port funding Operation of Busan transferred to Port Authority Rotterdam joins German barge Internet portal North Sea containers have leaked, but no danger to sea life determined Matson revenue exceeds US$1billion for first time

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JANUARY 27, 2004
Germans confirm P&O Nedlloyd KG talks Deal contemplates 12-year charterback to container line. Vroon buys three, sells two Dutch owner builds boxship and reefer fleet, while offloading multipurpose ships. Rocknes navigation mystery Pilot Vermund Halhjem refuses to identify exact course of tragic bulk carrier. Danish blitz on owners Crackdown on overseas detentions could see shipowners in court. New Zealand blames tanker pilot and seas Maritime Safety Authority reports on grounding of ChevronTexaco's Capella Voyager. Nordic American aims to keep sailing Shareholders could gain $40m benefit from continued trading of BP suezmaxes. Cruise double for MAN B&W NCL orders medium speed engines for Mayer Werft newbuildings. Finland and Russia check out icebreakers Two Baltic coastline neighbours to co-operate on vessel construction. Samsung linked to Sadra bid Iranian yard group now fully privatised, with Korean giant in frame as possible buyer of shares. Restructuring plans on the table at Viktor Lenac Bankrupt yard's creditors have three options in pursuit of their owed millions. Record year for Prisco Russian tanker owner says cargo volumes in 2003 were its highest ever. SCI forges ahead Indian owner's profits in first nine months much higher than previous year's. India's first LNG cargo sets sail LNG carrier Disha is due to arrive at Petronet's Dahej terminal Friday. Hanjin switches to Hutchison Whampoa Korean boxship owner ditches CSX to use Li Ka-shing's terminal in Hong Kong. Braemar Seascope flags up profit hike Could brokers fare better than some of their clients in the hot markets? QM2 makes it to Florida Arrival in the Sunshine State marks the end of maiden voyage for world's largest ocean liner. OSG offloads stock to Morgan Stanley New York tanker owner to book net proceeds of $115m on share sale to US financial institution. Daewoo confirms MISC boxship orders Malaysian owner orders two 7,900-teu boxships and is believed to have option on second pair. Tidewater tug left high and dry Fourteen people left stranded after anchor handler gets stuck on the mud off UK port of Immingham.

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JANUARY 27, 2004
P&O Nedlloyd CEO says IPO is "just one option" Transpacific shipping lines reaffirm rate increases OSG raises $115 million in new equity OOCL christens third 8,063-TEU ship Greek ship sinks as storms close Suez Canal CNF 2003 profits drop in despite operational gains RailAmerica finalizes deal for Michigan railroad Canadian National workers ratify new contract Sen. Clinton opposes Seaway expansion CNF elects new chairman Miami NVOCC sets up business in Panama Costa Rica joins CAFTA, regional free trade pact International trading companies see secondary benefits from C-TPAT Open Harbor partners with Oracle to offer compliance software CombineNet names Trist VP of business development Port of Houston rejects Bayport construction bids A.P. Moller-Maersk to run Iraqi port Georgia Ports Authority starts work on Savannah container berth