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Shipping News

Debris poses a bigger danger to ships than radiation
Houses, cars and tractor-trailers washed out to sea by a 28-foot tsunami are clogging shipping lanes off Japan, posing a bigger challenge to US Navy vessels and commercial lines than radiation from a leaking nuclear plant.
Clean tanker rates seen rising on naphtha demand
Rates for clean tankers on key Asian freight routes are expected to rise this week on strong naphtha demand for gasoline production ahead of the peak summer driving season.
BP Shipcare reincarnated as International Shipcare
BP Shipcare is back under the name of International Shipcare after former BP executives bought out the company from BP in December last year for an undisclosed sum.
Singapore set to be yachting's Monaco of Asia

Strait Talk

Lingering ghost at shipping's big feast in London
ON MONDAY, more than 350 people from the global shipping industry gathered at London's magnificent and historic Guildhall. The occasion was the 23rd Seatrade Awards Ceremony Dinner. Nowadays, there are many shipping-related awards but Seatrade, I am fairly sure, leads the way and can fairly claim to be the most prestigious.

web site

Shipping News

Debris poses a bigger danger to ships than radiation
Houses, cars and tractor-trailers washed out to sea by a 28-foot tsunami are clogging shipping lanes off Japan, posing a bigger challenge to US Navy vessels and commercial lines than radiation from a leaking nuclear plant.
Clean tanker rates seen rising on naphtha demand
Rates for clean tankers on key Asian freight routes are expected to rise this week on strong naphtha demand for gasoline production ahead of the peak summer driving season.
BP Shipcare reincarnated as International Shipcare
BP Shipcare is back under the name of International Shipcare after former BP executives bought out the company from BP in December last year for an undisclosed sum.
Singapore set to be yachting's Monaco of Asia

Strait Talk

Lingering ghost at shipping's big feast in London
ON MONDAY, more than 350 people from the global shipping industry gathered at London's magnificent and historic Guildhall. The occasion was the 23rd Seatrade Awards Ceremony Dinner. Nowadays, there are many shipping-related awards but Seatrade, I am fairly sure, leads the way and can fairly claim to be the most prestigious.

	web site

Iran announces last seized cargo ship has been released in Malta Shipping Corporation of Polynesia MD jailed five years for manslaughter Yamatai moves aid to survivors of Japanese quake and tsunami FPS opens Sri Lankan logistics, heavy lift, customs brokerage units Louisiana grain terminal paves way to further containerisation Hamburg Sud to stop providing chassis in Baltimore BAA ordered to sell Stansted by UK competition regulators Memphis, Amsterdam and Singapore rated tops as air cargo hubs UAE says high Iraqi air cargo charges limit inflow of goods

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...starts safety campaign Brazilian cargo dearth may cause Capesize rates to fall Chipolbrok vessel adroitly discharges two 501-tonne units at Kandla Port Cosco joins Hanjin, Wan Hai on Singapore-US SJX service Grand Alliance, Zim & HMM announce new SCE2 service for Transpacific All Water trade Hanjin Shipping, Yang Ming add new service to Pacific North West trade LUKA KOPER gets AEO certificate MOL merges two group companies to form MOL Ocean Expert Co. Ltd MOL's optimum trim system boosts fuel efficiency up to 4 pc PIL, Wan Hai Lines, Cosco, Hanjin commence CLX service Cooking oil imports decline likely Mundra Port handles all-time high over 50 million tonnes in 2010-11 Record keeldepth achieved at Antwerp port by MSC vessel Trivial drop in Paradip Port traffic in 2010-11 Emirates SkyCargo completes first 100 pc paperless freighter flight Apparel industry seeks continued interest subvention on pre-shipment export credit India's external liability jumps $ 22.7 bn in Dec. 2010 Bhavna Doshi is IMC's President-elect,Niranjan Hiranandani Vice-President-elect

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APRIL 5, 2011
USD 1 million grant for West Virginia to develop state rail plan US transportation secretary Ray LaHood has announced that West Virginia will be granted USD 1 million to develop a state rail plan that will serve as a blueprint for guiding the st... Finnair to participate in new cargo airline venture Due to increased demand for freight services, Finnair Cargo has decided to participate, as a minority shareholder, in Nordic Global Airlines Ltd (NGA), a new all-cargo airline base... GE Capital Aviation Services finalizes order 10 B777-300ERs Boeing and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) have finalized an order for ten B777-300ER (extended range) airplanes. The order is worth approximately USD 2.8 billion at list pric... Frank Naeve ' new CEO of Jade Cargo Frank Naeve became the new CEO of Jade Cargo International on 1 April, succeeding Captain Kay Kratky. Jade Cargo's statement announcing the appointment did not give a reason for th... Icao releases current radiation levels in Japan Radioactive material from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant is gradually spreading outside Japan into the global atmosphere, but at extremely low concentrations that do not prese... Opel and Renault announce production location for next-generation light trucks Opel/Vauxhall and Renault have announced the production locations for the next generation of their light trucks models. Production is scheduled to start in 2013. Opel/Vauxhall have... CargoLine: more turnover and consignments CargoLine grew strongly in 2010. The general cargo alliance transported 11.1 million shipments last year, 13.3% more goods than in 2009. Revenues in 2010 increased b... DHL introduces all green fleet in Manhattan DHL is rolling out an all "green" fleet of commercial delivery vehicles in Manhattan (New York) to help reduce its impact on the US city's environment. Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche... New high speed rail systems in numerous countries The worldwide network for high-speed traffic is set to grow from just under 18,000 km to 40,000 km by 2015. According to a study by SCI Verkehr, the number of high-speed train... Deutsche Bahn leaves crisis behind and emerges stronger in 2010 Deutsche Bahn AG recorded a strong recovery from the financial and economic crisis and was back on track for growth in 2010. DB Group's revenues in 2010 rose by EUR 5.1 billion (+1... Grand Alliance, ZIM & HMM: new SCE2 service for transpacific all water trade Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), along with partner ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (... Liberia issues first Maritime Labour Convention Certificate The Liberian Registry has carried out the first ship inspection for compliance with the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC). The inspection was performed on board the 7,000 t... Mex service to be operated solely by Grimaldi As from 10 April, the Mediterranean Express (Mex) service, which was inaugurated last October by the Naples (Italy)-based Grimaldi Group to link the Mediterranean to West Africa, w... New LNBB board of trustees strengthens logistics lobby A new advisory board of trustees of the lobby group Berlin-Brandenburg (LNBB) logistics network was established on 31 March. The top-class panel unites the competence of experience... Zufall Logistics Group reports substantial increase in turnover The freight forwarder and logistics service provider Zufall Logistics Group, based in Goettingen (Germany), had a successful year in 2010. The medium-sized group posted sales ... Famous Pacific Shipping launched heavylift and project cargo arm in Sri Lanka The ending of Sri Lanka's 30-year ethnic war in May 2009 has created an atmosphere so welcoming to infrastructure investments that Famous Pacific Shipping Lanka (Pvt) Ltd , a membe... Rhenus Alpina scoops up B'hler Concept Rhenus Alpina AG, the Swiss subsidiary of the German Rhenus Group, took over the firm B'hler Concept AG with retrospective effect on 1 January 2011. The purchase includes...

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APRIL 5, 2011
BAE Systems to complete Jones Act tanker for Mid Ocean Tanker Pasha Hawaii second ship to be RO/RO container combi MOL trim optimization system yields 4% fuel savings Otto Marine sells newbuild PSV to Mermaid Maritime Australia

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APRIL 5, 2011
Crowley expanding service covering Port-au-Prince, Haiti Tests on Mitsui car carrier show new trim system saves fuel Port of Tacoma offering free Earth Week bus tour Diana Shipping sets charter for Panamax dry bulk carrier APL joining Sri Lanka center to train 20 seafarers annually

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APRIL 5, 2011
Peter Georgiopoulos ploughs $1.8m into Genmar Chairman stumps up cash for 5% of follow-on share issue V.Ships owner seeks new partner Strategic review concludes with shipmanagement group lining up bidders to invest $550m in new growth strategy Aframax rates east of Suez up for fourth week running Earnings up from $4,000 to $11,700 per day but brokers predict that acceleration will slow Panamax period charters take cargo from spot market Notable drop in available work for prompt vessels Tanker FFAs quarterly volume shows 1.8% slide Tanker freight derivatives volumes traded in the first quarter of 2011 were down 1.8% on the same period last year Dry paper volumes rise 9% in first quarter 2011 Dry freight derivatives volumes traded in the first quarter of 2011 rose by 9% on the previous quarter's levels, but showed a 17.5% drop on volumes traded over the first quarter of 2010 Bunker adjustment rates soar on Asia-Europe routes Shippers and forwarders on the Asia-Europe trade are preparing for a relentless upward climb of bunker adjustment factors Lifting the veil on box boom and bust Following the launch of a derivatives market in container freight rates, traders are now on the lookout for all the box data they can get ' but the prognosis is mixed Vitol identified as charterer of Libya- bound suezmax Dynacom tanker scheduled to arrive at rebel-held terminal of Marsa el-Hariga on Wednesday Nordea Bank seeks permission to sell arrested Korea Line tankers Chapter 15 protection does not extend to subsidiary Korea Line Singapore, claims mortgagee Shipping catches on to scrap steel swaps Freight Investor Services' scrap steel swap tool allows shipowners to hedge against rising or falling prices Middle East unrest and Japan crisis put Strike Club on alert 2011 could see more heavy claims, warns insurer Beluga to make fresh start Business at heavylift operator begins to return to normal after agreement reached Louis Dreyfus Armateurs claims victory in spat with Fairstar Tribunal rejects Fairstar's demand for $75.2m compensation in dispute over conversion of two barges Trust is key to box index Co-operation on development of price indices or some other formula that provided universally trusted benchmarks would represent real progress in box shipping Fuel to the flames The prospect of further rises in bunker costs is hitting ship operators at the worst possible time Asia-Europe box volumes weaken Year-on-year February traffic drops but sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America trades see double digit rises Oman silent on Hapag-Lloyd stake buy Tui spokesman confirms no sale to an investor had been fixed Denmark pushes for closer collaboration with Asian shipyards Danish Maritime Authority report finds green technology can be a conduit to improving ship designs Newbuilding speed trials need to reflect innovations in designs The implementation of innovative designs and equipment into newbuild orders could need a rethink on how speed trials are conducte Reefer operators look to capitalise on Japan trade Some operators are set to increase capacity in a bid to take full advantage of what they believe will be a boom in reefer demand in the medium term Mounting repositioning costs set to pile pressure on rates Imbalance situation set to worsen Learning lessons for safer cruiseships Sweden's government supported research into cruiseship safety in the aftermath of the Estonia casualty. Now it is time to translate these insights into new ship concepts Can Lidinsky really rule on the supply of containers? It is difficult to foresee how the FMC would be able to bring the container leasing industry under its remit and regulatory authority Boskalis unveils $1bn fleet growth plan Three-year strategy comes as dredging specialist upbeat over market outlook Otto Marine sells vessel to Mermaid for $31m PSV deal comes within a week AHTS sale FTA launches box shipping contract Move will help develop watertight and fair agreements Low dry bulk freight rates to push up idle fleet Singapore-based lay-up specialist expects two years of strong demand Michelin voices fears over box freight derivatives Shipper concerned derivatives may lead to commoditisation of container shipping trades Pacific Basin sells off remaining stake in Green Dragon Gas Net gain of $55.8m as company takes advantage of 'prudent opportunity'

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APRIL 5, 2011
CMA CGM reports 11 pirate attacks in 2011 CMA CGM has revealed that there have been 11 pirate attacks on its ships in the Indian Ocean since the beginning of the year Quake could shut more auto plants TOYOTA has warned it will probably suspend production at some North American assembly plants because of supply chain disruptions that began with Japan's 11 March quake disaster Teekay LNG prices follow-on NYSE-LISTED Teekay LNG today priced a follow-on offering to fund its acquisition of Teekay Corp's stake in the Angola LNG project Tanker arrives at Libyan rebel-held port MOVES by Libyan rebels to start exporting oil look to be under way, with an Aframax tanker arriving at Marsa el Hariga today, according to AISLive Vale picks Agnelli replacement MURILO Ferreira will replace Vale's outgoing CEO Roger Agnelli, marking a new era for the iron ore exporting giant Fake stamps found in UK A MAN is expected to face a UK court on forgery charges this week after more than 10,000 fake stamps were reportedly found by customs at the port of Dover MSC boss honoured GIANLUIGI Aponte, MSC's president, has been selected as Seatrade Personality for 2011 Crowley agrees scan deal PUERTO Rico port officials have addressed concerns by Crowley that it would be unfairly burdened by a new box security scheme at San Juan, the US liner has announced Oman reportedly takes Hapag stake AN OMANI investment fund has reportedly taken a 15% stake in German box liner Hapag-Lloyd Box sector pain predicted DEUTSCHE Bank analyst Joe Liew said in a research report today that box carriers could be left bleeding from the continued fall in rate on Asia/Europe routes 90% cost cut tempting tanker owners THE TANKER glut might encourage more owners to idle VLCCs and Capesizes, which would cut their operating costs by up to 90%, Fairplay was told today Hyundai forms resource unit HYUNDAI HI, Hyundai Corp, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Oil Bank of South Korea have formed Hyundai Energy & Resources MISC sells four tankers MALAYSIAN carrier MISC has sold and leased back four tankers Pacific Basin gains from GDG deal HONG KONG drybulk carrier Pacific Basin said last night it realised a net gain of $55.8M from selling its 4.83% stake in Green Dragon Gas.

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APRIL 5, 2011
LaHood Touts Inland Waterways for Container Moves Using barges to carry loaded trailers or containers between markets in the U.S. "can be the most fuel-efficient, cost-effective way... Steinke to Retire as Long Beach Port Chief Richard D. Steinke, the long-time executive director of the Port of Long Beach, announced his retirement as of Sept. 30,... Radiation Heads Japan-EU Maritime Talks Japan will hold its sixth round of policy dialogue on maritime affairs with the European Union in Tokyo on Thursday... Clarksons Projects 7 Percent Liner Capacity Growth Shipping research group Clarksons is forecasting worldwide container ship capacity will grow only 7 percent this year and 9 percent... MOL Merges Bulk, Tanker, LPG Operations MOL merged subsidiaries International Marine Transport and MOL Tankship Management, effective April 1. The two firms will continue and... Spain, Iberia, Airbus Launch Bio-Fuel Initiative The government of Spain signed an agreement with aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Iberia Airline to develop aviation bio-fuel and the... New Crude Oil Unit Train Terminal Planned for Port Arthur Savage Companies and Kansas City Southern have entered into a joint development agreement as the companies look to take advantage... TUI Confirms Hapag-Lloyd Stake Sale Talks TUI confirmed it is talking with potential investors about the sale of its stake in German ocean container carrier Hapag-Lloyd... Israel Starts Sale of Eilat Port Israel kicked off the long awaited privatization of the nation's state-owned sea ports by seeking bids to operate the Red... Port Nehru Container Traffic Breaks Records Container traffic through India's Port of Jawaharlal Nehru reached an all-time high in fiscal 2010-11 ending March 31, buoyed by... Crowley Restarts Second Service to Haiti Crowley Maritime is restarting the second weekly service to Haiti from the Dominican Republic and South Florida. Crowley suspended the... Global Container Traffic Hits All Time High Global ocean container traffic reached an all-time high of 560 million 20-foot equivalent units in 2010, driven by surging volume... CMA CGM, Michelin Reject Rate Derivatives A senior official at CMA CGM says the world's third-largest container line will not participate in a freight rate derivative... Customs Seeks Unified Portal for Trade The Commissioner of Customs feels the partnership between his agency and the private sector has done a good job in...

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APRIL 5, 2011
Pleas to end rate volatility APM T secures Callao concession APL offers 'peace of mind' as it scans Japanese exports Oil breaches 'danger' USD120 mark Niche carriers' roles to grow, says Global Liner Conference

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APRIL 5, 2011
Owner predicts 2010 loss Dallas-based shipowner with ties to Hartmann Offshore tosses SEC report on ice in anticipation of $56m loss. PBC raises rates Beijing-based banking behemoth's monetary policy could weigh on dry-bulk sentiment, analyst warns. V.Ships sale moves closer World's largest ship manager says in talks with potential partners as private equity owner completes strategic review. Beluga revives charter arm Affiliate of bankrupt German operator dips back into the heavy-lift game with a fleet of 15 vessels. Rina holds steady Ugo Salerno-headed class society posts small rise in profit during 2010. Single-skin finale pinned Last single-hulled VLCC will bow out of the spot market by the close of 2011, says Charles Weber. TGP prices offering New York-listed tanker and gas-carrier owner looks to collect $165m through raid on the public markets. Transpetro's crewing crisis Brazilian tanker owner fights to find officer candidates as fears of a crewing crisis gain momentum. Azeri yard bill mounts Caspian Shipping's new shipyard will cost $450m, as state oil company says it needs 100 ships. Euronav duo on the block Paddy Rodgers-led owner tipped to be selling spot trading VLCC brace in $120m deal. APM in Peru deal Maersk's ports arm lands $750m South American contract. MISC confirms tanker sale Malaysian owner makes a profit of $33m through selling and leasing back two aframaxes and two VLCCs. Tanker hits dock Listing Ukrainian vessel deliberately grounded after collision at Bremen on Tuesday. Garware offloads vessel Mumbai-based company boosts balance sheet after selling PSV. Queen captain fails Master Colin Henthorne will not be reinstated following fatal BC Ferries crash off Canada in 2006. China not lost its appetite Slowdown in Chinese demand is not terminal and will spring back this summer, Lazard Capital says. Two workers poisoned Dockers killed by carbon monoxide as capesize bulker Pacific Resource was unloading coal at Apenraa. Oman takes Hapag stake State investment fund claims to have snapped up 15% of German container line ahead of IPO, with Chinese deal also possible.

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APRIL 5, 2011
FedEx Trade Networks expands in Chicago FedEx Trade Networks, the ocean and air freight forwarder of FedEx Corp., has opened a 104,000-square-foot facility in Chicago. "Enhancing our North American infrastructure is also a key component of our global expansion," said Fred Schardt, presi... FMC orders probe of Chinese NVO The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission said it has ordered an investigation and hearing into possible violations of the Shipping Act of 1984 by Worldwide Logistics Co. Ltd., a Chinese non-vessel-operating common carrier. "It appears that Worldwide o... World operates 747 freighter for Emirates Menen World Airways, a subsidiary of Global Aviation Holdings, has reached an agreement with Emirates SkyCargo to operate a Boeing 747-400 freighter on a full-time basis, starting this month. Under the agreement, World will provide scheduled servic... APL to train Sri Lankan seafarers Meng APL has agreed with Sri Lanka Port Authority's Mahapola Training Institute to train 20 new seafarers annually onboard its ships. The initiative "enables us to tap into the country's pool of capable and well-qualified graduates from the institu... Signal wins contract to build ATB Mobile, Ala.-based Signal International said it has won a $47 million contract to build an articulated tug-barge unit for Kirby Ocean Transport Co. The deal includes an option for an additional unit. The ATB will transport dry-bulk commodities in U... Crowley enhances Haiti service Crowley Maritime Corp. this week renewed its second fixed-day sailing to Port-au-Prince from Rio Haina, Dominican Republic, and Florida's Port Everglades. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Crowley reduced its twice-weekly service to Haiti to a s... Pasha ship will carry containers Pasha Hawaii said its new ship for the U.S. West Coast/Hawaii trade will be capable of carrying containers, creating additional competition for Matson Navigation and Horizon Lines. When the new vessel order was announced in February, it was describ... APL: Rates dip, volumes up APL said its average revenue per 40-foot equivalent unit was $2,560 per FEU in the four weeks ending March 11, down 1 percent from the same 2010 period. But rates have fallen from their seasonal high last summer of $3,181 per FEU in July/August. A... Paragon spin-off targets containerships Athens-based dry bulk ship owner Paragon Shipping Inc. is spinning off its wholly owned subsidiary, Box Ships Inc., into a new public company. Box Shipsfiled a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Mondayfor an ini... Florida-Caribbean news Crowley enhances Haiti serviceCrowley Maritime Corp. this week renewed its second fixed-day sailing to Port-au-Prince from Rio Haina, Dominican Republic, and Florida's Port Everglades. Puerto Rico port, Crowley in container scan test The Puerto Ric...

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APRIL 5, 2011
Local authority steps in after bunker suppliers cease operations New marine fuel storage tank to be built in UK's Western Isles. Fujairah market stable Product avails reported to be limited in Suez. Rotterdam and Hamburg markets firm Gibraltar port closed. EU maritime agency calls for fresh study on biofuels ext generation of biofuels will be 'better priced' and more environmentally friendly. Fujairah to become 'grain storage hub' Bunker hub's role in regional infrastructure set to grow. Legal action launched against dominant player in Russian port Antimonopoly investigators press case of 'abuse of dominance' after an investigation into Novorossiysk bunker market. Bunker prices firming in Asia Key Asian bunkering hubs see generally 'weak' demand. Strike disrupts Greece's bunker supplies Local media says strike will last for ten days. Marine services provider offers bunkers in Tobago Store Bay Marine Services launches dedicated website on bunkering services for super and mega yachts. Marine diesel engines borrow technology from cars Reduces NOx emissions by 15-20% and fuel oil consumption by 2%. Joint venture to build new oil storage terminal in Tianjin 'First time in history that a Western company has a stake in a Chinese petrochemical port,' says joint venture partner.