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China steps up naval vigilance with more hires, ships
China is stepping up its maritime surveillance by hiring more staff and increasing the number of inspection ships, state media said yesterday, amid deep-sea territorial disputes with neighbouring nations.

Shipping Times

Largest drop in Japan's vehicle sales
Japan's domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses logged their biggest-ever drop in April, an industry group said yesterday as the March quake and tsunami hit production and supplies to dealers.
Car sales in France fall 11.2% in April
French car sales fell 11.2 per cent in April, showing the effects of the end of France's scrappage scheme, in a dip overshadowed by the 51 per cent plunge in Japan's auto sales after the March 11 earthquake there.
Asciano sees earnings below forecasts
Australian rail and ports operator Asciano Ltd expects full-year earnings to fall just short of analyst expectations after severe weather cut supplies of coal available for its customers.

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Shipping News

China steps up naval vigilance with more hires, ships
China is stepping up its maritime surveillance by hiring more staff and increasing the number of inspection ships, state media said yesterday, amid deep-sea territorial disputes with neighbouring nations.

Shipping Times

Largest drop in Japan's vehicle sales
Japan's domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses logged their biggest-ever drop in April, an industry group said yesterday as the March quake and tsunami hit production and supplies to dealers.
Car sales in France fall 11.2% in April
French car sales fell 11.2 per cent in April, showing the effects of the end of France's scrappage scheme, in a dip overshadowed by the 51 per cent plunge in Japan's auto sales after the March 11 earthquake there.
Asciano sees earnings below forecasts
Australian rail and ports operator Asciano Ltd expects full-year earnings to fall just short of analyst expectations after severe weather cut supplies of coal available for its customers.

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Horizon saved, Feds cut price-fixing fine from US$45 million to $15 million US demand for durables increases for third consecutive month Ningbo's first quarter container throughput increases 21.6pc Harbin to build a Sino-Russian trade street in May Maryland, CSX assess double-stacked intermodal sites near Baltimore Panalpina wins Envirotainer accreditation for cold-chain stations Hong Kong's Royale International Group opens two offices in Germany Defending Against Pirates book untangles maritime law Air China to fly from Beijing to Munich and Athens from May 11 Ningbo airport's international express package handling unit passes inspection Chongqing airport first quarter cargo value surges 236pc

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Bulk fleet grows rapidly in Q1 Consolidation among shipping lines may not bring about expected benefits Emirates Shipping Line enters intra Asia market with NIS service FinMin may reduce service tax for coastal, inland shipping Maiden Grand Alliance vessel calls at Vietnam, ships boxes directly to Hamburg NCC takes delivery of chemical tanker NYK in global ethical companies list for fourth consecutive year OOCL christens 8,888-TEU OOCL Beijing Piracy increasing costs for container vessels Pirates set free after countries refuse to prosecute! Govt to unveil strategy to double exports by 2014 Japan quake may boost demand for Indian seafood MoS peeved by states snub while allocating waterfronts for development RIL defers Rewas port, LNG terminal plans Ministry to make changes in Carriage by Road Rules CII proposes strategy to sustain 10 pc GDP growth Consortium to prepare blueprint for Willingdon Island renovation Honeycomb CFS wins inaugural Inter-CFS Cricket Tournament at Mundra

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MAY 2, 2011
Marathon project to reduce costs by maximising productivity of Europe's rail network The European Commission, together with the entire European rail sector, recognises the need for creating a cost-efficient and highly productive railfreight market as a central pill... Gürbulak Transport purchases 30 Renault trucks Gürbulak Nakliyat, a Turkish service provider that specialises in the transport of containers, has added 30 Renault Trucks Premium 430.19 T 4x2 Euro 5 Alliance tractors to its flee... China and India to modernize railway networks together The governments of China and India are focusing on the critical role railways play in promoting economic growth and want to expand and modernize their already vast networks. An Ind... Citizens' association wants to stop new Berlin airport project A year before the planned opening of the new airport Berlin-Brandenburg International (BBI), the Berlin-Brandenburg Citizens Association (BVBB) has requested that the EUR 2.5 billi... Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways to merge today Southwest Airlines Co and AirTran Holdings Inc, the parent company of AirTran Airways (AirTran), were recently notified by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of... Zeeland Seaports: throughput continues to show upward trend The Q1/2011 throughput in the Zeeland ports increased by over 7%, in comparison with the same period in 2010. Given this positive result, the growth in throughput, which picke... 24plus quality ranking goes to Heinrich Gustke GmbH The general cargo alliance 24plus has presented its 2010/11 quality ranking to Heinrich Gustke GmbH, based in Rostock (Germany). The company, which took second place last year, has... Swissport International Group reshuffles top management Swissport International, a world leading provider of ground services to the aviation sector, has announced three top-management changes with effect from today (2 May 2011). Philipp... Tiaca conference warns of 'significant disruption' if US enforces deadline for 100% cargo screening The air cargo industry, manufacturers, exporters, importers and consumers will face the prospect of a significant global supply chain disruption if the US Transportation Security A... Freightliner signs new multi-million pound contract with Maersk Line The British rail transport provider Freightliner has signed a new multi-million pound contract with Maersk Line. The multi-year agreement provides Maersk with committed space ... Containership with 15.25 m draught enters port of Antwerp The port of Antwerp (Belgium) has set yet another new record less than a month after the "MSC Emanuela" entered the history books as the containership with the deepest dr... Hapag-Lloyd's future will be decided at the end of May Potential investors from China and Oman that are interested in acquiring shares in the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, are to present their bids for a minority holding in... New UECC president Michael K'nig, president of the Union of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry for Transport (UECC), resigned from office at the association's general assembly, which was held... Marshall Aerospace signs new three-year contract with DB Schenker Logistics Marshall Aerospace, the United Kingdom's leading, independent aerospace company, has awarded a new three-year contract to DB Schenker to provide logistics services for the movement... Job market opening for Eastern Europeans only has slight effect on transport industry The full opening of the German, Austrian and Swiss labour market to citizens from Poland and other eastern EU countries, which took force on 1 May, should have little effect on the... DHL - new refrigerated warehouse in Vienna DHL Global Forwarding, the air and seafreight expert in the German postal company DHL, has opened a new competence centre at Vienna airport to enhance the range of services for the...

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MAY 2, 2011
Bin Laden buried at sea from USS Carl Vinson BOEMRE reduces offshore Massachussetts wind lease area STX France gets order for zero-emissions ferry Kleven to build LNG-fueled PSV for Rem Offshore Maritime industry set for second Washington Sail-In

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MAY 2, 2011
Port of Kalama celebrates KING FELIPE maiden voyage Tentative labor deal approved for United Transportation Union Federal numbers show more truck drivers buckling up Horizon Lines reworks charter rates with CSX Auctioneer moving to larger Washington location

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MAY 2, 2011
Overordering hangover reduces appetite for new vessels Shipowners suffering from an over-ordering "hangover" contracted just 227 ships to be built at shipyards during the first three months of the year, the lowest volume since the third quarter of 2009 K-Sea loss halves as Kirby takeover nears New York-listed coastal barge operator reported revenues of $63.2m on the quarter John T Essberger to acquire UCT German chemical tanker owner says deal is private The bin Laden sideshow The Arab search for freedom will be the prime political source of pressure on oil prices in the near future, not the decade-long search for vengeance which has pulled the US into two wars Revamp pays off for Deutsche Schiffsbank Restructuring sees German ship lender break even in 2010 TCC pursues shippers for breach of annual service contracts No-frills operator confirms to Lloyd's List it is asking 83 shippers for at least $23m in compensation after they failed to ship as much cargo with TCC as agreed CSX comes to Horizon's aid with $12m charterhire discount Former parent accepts $3m a year less in annual charterhire for three ships on charter to struggling Jones Act container line Eagle Bulk in talks with lenders over covenant breach disagreement Lenders claim supramax owner was in breach of covenants for the first quarter of 2011 Evergreen books $45m net income in first quarter Taiwan boxship owner's return to black largely due to a gain in the company's investment portfolio STX mulls Dalian listing Korean shipowning, shipbuilding and offshore conglomerate eyes Hong Kong and Singapore for busy shipyard Wake-up call Transpacific container lines could be able to claim up to $4bn in damages if every carrier pursued their customers for breach of contract Star Reefers reactivates laid-up vessels Scottish Star and Canterbury Star back into service rates improve China manufacturing growth slows Economic tightening measures to continue as China allows yuan to continue a gradual appreciation against international currencies Doha Round ends in deadlock Members of the World Trade Organisation agreed to continue talking rather than declare the protracted Doha Round a failure Concordia braced for weak 2011 Tanker owner says product tanker markets gradually strengthening from a very low level Dockwise secures six contracts worth $34m Deals follow quiet first quarter for Dutch heavy lift specialist Eidesvik Offshore and CGGVeritas in shipmanagement joint venture CGGVeritas Eidesvik Ship Management to manage a combined fleet of ten 3D seismic research vessels Jan Arve Haugen to head up Kvaerner De-merger of Aker Solutions sees re-emergence of engineering name Horizon Lines books first quarter loss US ocean carrier reveals it risks breaching senior secured credit covenants after June 30 Pirates release Indonesian multi-purpose vessel Samudera ship freed a day after Singapore chem/product tanker hijacked

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MAY 2, 2011
Pirates hijack product tanker The Singapore-flagged product tanker Gemini has been taken by pirates and the general cargo ship Sinar Kudus has been released, according to EU NAVFOR CSX grants reprieve CSX has agreed to lower its rates for three containerships chartered by Horizon Lines to ease the carrier's liquidity squeeze.

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MAY 2, 2011
Begeman Sworn In as Third STB Member Ann D. Begeman took her post as a member of the Surface Transportation Board, in time to be ready for... OCEMA Tries to Answer Chassis Questions The Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association is launching a Chassis Provisioning Information section on the OCEMA Web site to help... Diesel Rises 2.6 Cents to $4.124 per Gallon Retail diesel prices resumed their long upward trend after a one-week lull as the average price at the pump rose... EZE Trucking Acquires Patterson Motor Freight Transportation acquisition activity reached the heavy haul trucking industry with EZE Trucking's purchase of Bakersfield, Calif.-based Patterson Motor Freight. ... Steel Imports Rose in March U.S. steel imports totaled 2.445 million tons in March, up 32.5 percent from February's weak levels and up 19.1 percent... ISM Index Shows Manufacturing Growth in April U.S. manufacturing expanded for the fourth consecutive month in April, according to a widely watched index that showed robust exports... Japan Enacts $49 Billion Reconstruction Budget The Japanese Diet enacted a supplementary budget of $48.8 billion for fiscal 2011, which started April 1, after only five... US Offices Worldwide on Terror Alert U.S. embassies and other government sites around the world were on alert Monday and the State Department issued... Carriers, Ports Heighten Security Carriers and ports notched up their security programs Monday morning following the announcement that U.S. special forces killed Osama bin... Hanjin Receives 10,000-TEU Vessel Hanjin Shipping took delivery of the fourth in a series of five container ships with capacities of 10,000 20-foot equivalent... CSX Reduces Horizon Charter Rates Horizon Lines said its onetime parent, CSX, agreed to a $3 million annual reduction in charter rates on three ships... Domestic Shipping Faces Choppy Waters The maritime shipping world as many in the United States see it can be divided into two parts, one under... Denmark's DSV Boosts Revenue To Over $2 Billion DSV reported higher first quarter revenue and earnings driven by increased volume at its air, sea and trucking units. ... Qatar Airways to Buy Cargolux Stake Qatar Airways said it expects to reach agreement in the coming weeks to acquire a 33 percent stake in the... Yusen Logistics Profit More Than Doubles Yusen Logistics said its net profit surged 134.4 percent in fiscal 2010, which ended on March 31, from the previous... Maersk Hikes Asia-Europe Rates Maersk Line announced a general rate increase on Asia-Europe trade lanes as part of what it calls a new "rate... Merging Roads for Modes? For shippers and trucking companies, the road doesn't have to end at the water's edge. As truck capacity tightens, marine... Rails on a Roll Railcar leasing giant GATX sees it. So does intermodal service provider Hub Group, and equipment builder American Railcar Industries. ... Time to Pay the Driver Truck drivers may soon see solid evidence of economic recovery in their paychecks. Truck driver pay climbed 2.2 percent... Wonderful World In his 1958 song "Wonderful World," Sam Cooke cataloged his ignorance. ("Don't know much about history ... biology ... geography... The Rising Costs of Piracy U.S. and European shippers beware: It's going to cost a lot more to import goods from Southeast Asia and the... Fixing Blame at the Gates Attendees at the March 31 Pulse of the Ports meeting in Long Beach saw a stark demonstration of what terminal... NOL's New Chain of Command When Ng Yat Chung takes over as group president and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines in January, the former head... Ports of the Future The April 18 National Port Summit in Chicago brought together leaders from the nation's seaports to discuss the future of... A Multipurpose Ship for Short-Sea? The U.S. Navy and the Maritime Administration's marine highway program are sailing on intersecting courses, and the result could bring... No Chemistry for Railroads, Shippers When a federal regulator throws up its hands and admits defeat in trying to pull railroads and key shippers together... Crisis? What Crisis? The April 4 Editor's Letter, "Crisis Point," about federal financing of port projects ends with the line, "That may mark... Osama bin Laden Confirmed Dead UPDATE 11:45 p.m. EST President Obama announced Sunday night that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terror September...

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MAY 2, 2011
Distractions from the bottom line Easter holidays, a Royal Wedding and May Day celebrations...there have been many distractions in recent weeks to divert attention away from the primary objective of business: to produce a return for shareholders Hanjin takes control of latest 10,000TEU ship TUSDEER to invest in more logistics space DP World to introduce new management system at Jebel Ali SITC sees softer margins

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MAY 2, 2011
CECO seals dry exit Oslo-listed owner cuts ties with ailing segment as affiliate of founder Axel Eitzen coughs up cash to grab newbuilding contract. Greek bulker busted in US Crew of Ilios Shipping vessel interrogated in New Orleans during two-week detention sparked by 'magic pipe' collar. Help for Horizon New York-listed owner strikes deal with its former parent to slice $12m from charter bill. Rem back at Kleven Norwegian owner adds third newbuilding at domestic shipyard, an LNG-powered offshore ship. Platou in PSV play Norwegian finance house teams with Eivind Astrup in $84m PSV newbuilding project. Ulstein Group goes Dutch Norwegian shipbuilder ties up second marine equipment deal in Netherlands, teaming with IDEA. Eagle Bulk in breach Sophocles Zoullas-led owner locked in talks with RBS and other lenders amid claims it crossed loan covenants. Russian cargoship under tow Crew safe after Sasco's Mikhail Lukonin lost power in bad weather in Sea of Japan. Shih Wei on way up Taiwanese bulker owner has increased first quarter earnings after falling back in 2010. NOCC notes tsunami cost Lars Solbakken-led car carrier owner says Japanese disaster will put pressure on rates this year. Koreans buy into Noble Korea Investment Corp spends around $108m on small stake in Hong Kong shipping and commodities giant. Kang admits Dalian plans STX supremo Kang Duk Soo confirms group's Chinese yard is being primed for a Hong Kong IPO. Socar targets Turkey Azerbaijan oil company investing $17bn in port and refinery projects. Berg to head Trans Viking Christian Berg quits Siem Offshore to head up IPO hopeful controlled by Christen Sveaas. Taiwanese bulker grounds Probe begins as Dumun moved to anchorage after getting stuck off Gladstone with cargo of coal. Eagle loses Heron US-listed owner reportedly sells 2001-built ex-Norden supramax for $23m. Pirate attack foiled Iranian navy fires on two ships trying to hijack IRISL bulker Zarsan off Pakistan.

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MAY 2, 2011
Atlas Air to transport U.S. troops Atlas Air this month will begin operating passenger charter service for the U.S. Defense Department's Air Mobility Command using a leased Boeing 747-400, diversifying it's traditional business of providing air cargo capacity to airlines and the mil... CSAV-Libra delete South America calls on Marco Polo CSAV and Libra-Montemar have pared down a service that previously linked the Indian Subcontinent to South Africa and the East Coast of South America. The service, according to research from American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, now will be a pur... Horizon gets charter rate on three ships cut Horizon Lines said Monday that it has finalized an agreement with CSX Corp. to have charter payments on three ships reduced. Under the agreement, charter hire expense has been reduced by $3 million annually, retroactive to January, through the Janu... NWA omits sailings on transpacific loop A New World Alliance transpacific service appears to be temporarily shuttered, according to research from American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data. Three sailings of the PCE service, operated by NWA member APL, were omitted in April and all four sai... CMA CGM to raise Asia/Europe rates Liner carrier CMA CGM said Friday it will raise rates on trades from Asia to Europe "In response to the recent drastic deterioration of freight rates." The increase, $225 per TEU, applies to shipments from all parts of Asia to all destinations in ... Hanjin gets new 10,000-TEU vessel Hanjin Shipping said Monday that it has received the fourth of five 10,000-TEU vessels from Samsung Heavy Industries. The Hanjin Spain will be deployed later this week on the CKYH Alliance's NE6 service between Asia and Europe. It has a rotation o... OOCL receives largest-ever ship The liner carrier OOCL said Friday it received the first of eight 8,888-TEU containerships from Shanghai-based Hudong'Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. The ships will be the largest in OOCL's fleet. The new vessel,OOCL Beijing,will be deployed on the... U.S.-flag 'Sail-In' to D.C. this week U.S. maritime industry representatives will arrive in Washington for the second-annual "Sail-In" this Wednesday. The "grassroots education event" was developed to update Capitol Hill lawmakers and their staff about the benefits of maintaining a st... TNT: Mail, Express report revenue gains Express report revenue gainsTNT, whose shareholders will vote May 25 on a plan to divide the company into two companies -- express, and postal and parcels -- said both units had increased revenues in the first quarter. TNT NV, the mail business th... May 2011 Editorial

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MAY 2, 2011
New Report: A focus on US-Canada joint spill response 'No one agency or constituency should bear all the responsibility for improving oil spill response in transboundary areas.' Fuel oil prices fall in Fujairah South Africa on Holiday. Bunker market generally soft in Rotterdam LS products 'a little tight' in Hamburg. Sulphur limits 'incomprehensible' Ferry operator warns of switch to road transport. Moller-Maersk 'has faith in' mass flow meters Shipping group is 'evolving its policy' but long-term intention is to require suppliers to use MFM. Samho tanker 'runs out of bunkers' Crew struggle without electricity and with shortages of drinking water. Bunker prices firm as week starts Singapore and Hong Kong trading offices closed for public holiday. The Credit Insurance Paradox We will almost certainly see more collapses, as a result of the industry's Darwinistic tendency to self-regulate. Slight rise in Sinopec Zhoushan's bunker sales Company sold slightly more than 150,000 mt of bunkers in April, says source. South China month-on-month fuel oil imports fall April's volume estimated to hover around 230,000 to 250,000 mt. Arrival of 'mega-container vessels' seeks to address port critics Hambantota authorities hope to have disproved claims that the port cannot accommodate large vessels. Chemoil reveals new boardroom lineup Appoints Mark Catton as company chairman and Lim Ah Doo as independent director.