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Charter rates plunge as Baltic ice shrinks
Oil tankers may plough through the smallest amount of Baltic Sea ice in almost three centuries this year, speeding up deliveries and driving charter rates to their lowest since at least 1997.
Dutch crews prepare to pump fuel out of wreck
A Dutch company was set to begin pumping 2,380 tonnes of fuel out of an Italian cruise shipwreck yesterday as rescue workers kept up the search for 17 people still missing after the crash.
Magellan tests waters to expand Houston pipeline
Magellan Midstream Partners LP is testing the waters to see if there is enough shipping interest to expand the scope of a previously announced project to carry crude from West Texas oil fields to the refineries along the Gulf Coast's refinery row.

Strait Talk

A 'Deepwater Horizon moment'
THE capsize of the Costa Concordia - with the loss of 15 lives and 17 people still missing - has continued to dominate the news over the past week.

Shipping Times

Canadian rail company takes ex-CEO to court
In another twist to a battle brewing in Canada's usually staid rail sector, Canadian National Railway said on Monday it has halted pension and other payments worth nearly US$40 million to its former CEO Hunter Harrison.

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Shipping News

Charter rates plunge as Baltic ice shrinks
Oil tankers may plough through the smallest amount of Baltic Sea ice in almost three centuries this year, speeding up deliveries and driving charter rates to their lowest since at least 1997.
Dutch crews prepare to pump fuel out of wreck
A Dutch company was set to begin pumping 2,380 tonnes of fuel out of an Italian cruise shipwreck yesterday as rescue workers kept up the search for 17 people still missing after the crash.
Magellan tests waters to expand Houston pipeline
Magellan Midstream Partners LP is testing the waters to see if there is enough shipping interest to expand the scope of a previously announced project to carry crude from West Texas oil fields to the refineries along the Gulf Coast's refinery row.

Strait Talk

A 'Deepwater Horizon moment'
THE capsize of the Costa Concordia - with the loss of 15 lives and 17 people still missing - has continued to dominate the news over the past week.

Shipping Times

Canadian rail company takes ex-CEO to court
In another twist to a battle brewing in Canada's usually staid rail sector, Canadian National Railway said on Monday it has halted pension and other payments worth nearly US$40 million to its former CEO Hunter Harrison.

web site

Shipping News

Charter rates plunge as Baltic ice shrinks
Oil tankers may plough through the smallest amount of Baltic Sea ice in almost three centuries this year, speeding up deliveries and driving charter rates to their lowest since at least 1997.
Dutch crews prepare to pump fuel out of wreck
A Dutch company was set to begin pumping 2,380 tonnes of fuel out of an Italian cruise shipwreck yesterday as rescue workers kept up the search for 17 people still missing after the crash.
Magellan tests waters to expand Houston pipeline
Magellan Midstream Partners LP is testing the waters to see if there is enough shipping interest to expand the scope of a previously announced project to carry crude from West Texas oil fields to the refineries along the Gulf Coast's refinery row.

Strait Talk

A 'Deepwater Horizon moment'
THE capsize of the Costa Concordia - with the loss of 15 lives and 17 people still missing - has continued to dominate the news over the past week.

Shipping Times

Canadian rail company takes ex-CEO to court
In another twist to a battle brewing in Canada's usually staid rail sector, Canadian National Railway said on Monday it has halted pension and other payments worth nearly US$40 million to its former CEO Hunter Harrison.

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MOL drops OOCL Philippine feeder from Hong Kong to Shenzhen-Shekou Fujian to invest US$12.6 billion in transport infrastructure Maersk, Rickmers bring first of two heavy lift ships under US flag US pharmaceutical regulator calls for supply chain standards for drugs INTTRA joins up with Nadaq-listed Cognizant to broaden services Maersk chooses Ericsson to upgrade communication for its 500 plus ships America's World Airways signs again with Nigerian flower flier Allied Cargo Estonian Air works with truckers for integrated road feeder service ECS group appointed global GSA for Senegal Airlines in Africa

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Clipper Projects India opens in Mumbai Damco strengthens North Asia leadership with key appointments Piracy attacks in East & West Africa dominate IMB report Seminar on shipping & insurance today Vasan reviews connectivity projects at Chennai Port 'soars to 10-wk high, closes at 50.09/10 Govt likely to withdraw some sops in upcoming Budget RBI lowers CRR, keeps repo unchanged EU approves ban on Iran oil imports from July 1 EU nod for Iran embargo pushes Brent oil above $ 110/b

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JANUARY 24, 2012
South Africa's Transnet orders 43 diesel-electric freight locomotives from GE Transportation GE Transportation has signed a contract with South Africa's Transnet SOC Limited for 43 GE Model C30ACi locomotives bringing the total number of GE locomotives ordered to 143 ... JAL network flights recognized as most punctual worldwide Conducive Technology Corporation - a data provider of reliable flight information to the transportation industry - recently announced that out of 39 global airlines Japan Airline... Canadian Pacific to expand and enhance its rail network Canadian Pacific Railway Limited will invest between USD 1.1 billion and USD 1.2 billion for infrastructure renewal, network enhancements and expansion projects in 2012, as part of... India widening highway in Andhra Pradesh The Indian Cabinet committee on Infrastructure has approved a project to widen the Vijaywada-Gundugolanu section of the NH 5 highway to six lanes. The section of the road is locate... ANA to further strengthen its Okinawa night hub Following on from FY 2011, the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) will continue to maintain stable operation of its night-time cargo hub in Okinawa, which is served by ded... Naming of Rickmers "Tianjin" in Mumbai As part of its upgrading programme for its Europe India service, the German shipping company, Rickmers-Linie, has added the 17,000 dwt newbuilding "Rickmers Tianjin" to i... Brussels Airport ends 2011 with growing cargo volumes Cargo traffic at Brussels Airport did well in 2011. Many European airports reported that cargo volumes had declined strongly since last summer, but the volume at Brussels Airport ... Swiss Federal Court rules in favour of Astag Switzerland's Federal Court has endorsed an appeal against the hidden increase in the performance-related heavy vehicle fee (HVF) in 2009. The objection was lodged by Astag, the c... Loxxess augments management Loxxess, a specialist company for complex outsourcing projects for industry and trade, augmented its management by the addition of Florian Schwarz-Gewallig at the beginning of the ... Milk processor Emmi working with Dachser Switzerland's largest dairy food processor Emmi and Dachser Food Logistics, one of the leading service providers of temperature controlled foodstuffs logistics in Germany, have sig... UK freight association's Bifa service awards recognise the best The British International Freight Association's (Bifa) Annual Lunch and Awards Ceremony was held in London on 19 January and was attended by more than 400 guests, including final... Panalpina: global contract with BP BP and Panalpina will join hands to design a best-in-class oil and gas freight forwarding supply chain. The two companies have signed a strategic services master agreement that wil... Containers break the record in Luka Koper The Slovenian port of Koper announced that its container terminal handled and stored record amounts of container freight in 2011. The throughput amounted to nearly 590,000 teu at y...

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JANUARY 24, 2012
First wind farm service vessels built to new DNV class Harris CapRock to provide VSAT services to Siem Offshore Antipiracy campaign looks to CEO's for support FERC licenses NYC tidal power plant

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Portland Airport posts gains in passenger/cargo numbers ATA Truck Tonnage Index up during month of December CSX Corporation changing makeup of executive team Sea-Tac earns recognition as top on-time airport for 2011 Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics opening new office in Moscow

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Box lines paying charter bills despite squeeze on finances Market slump has not led to renegotiation requests, say Greek shipowners Petroplus insolvency to hit product tanker market TC2 rates threatened as Europe's largest independent refiner goes under A year of uncertainty? China's government wants to continue easing but is hindered by capital outflow Balancing size and safety It is not just a question of whether there are enough lifeboats or rafts on cruiseships, but whether passengers will have time to gain access to them Do not blame Jones Act for blocking US shortsea initiatives It is market uncertainty and landside costs that are blocking the America's Marine Highways coastwise shipping initiatives UK Club takes the 'bow tie' approach to reduce risk UK Club scheme measures risk to reduce members' premiums UK Law Commission reform needed despite misgivings Changes would mean brokers are not responsible for insurance premiums, and insurers would face damages for late payment Deiulemar puts a dozen owners on charter alert Italian operator said to be offering 'peanuts' in bid to renegotiate hire North European aframax rates spike melts away Doubling of owners' earnings is short-lived as Baltic Sea ports remain ice free Q&A: Jonathan Macey, marine director at Tysers Dutch Court ruling confirms arrest-friendly jurisdiction Decision could open doors for more ship seizures in the Netherlands Tramp owners face ship arrests in third party payment disputes Owners left out of pocket as charterers renege on bunker and operating costs China LNG imports highlight ties with Australia Chinese moves towards cleaner-burning fuel boosted gas demand last year S&P turns negative on Sovcomflot outlook But Russian tanker king hangs on to investment grade BBB- rating Brittany Ferries to break even in 2012 ending three years in the red But chairman Jean-Marc Roué admits performance still unsatisfactory US bullish on LNG export future New figures give robust forecast for future exports Drewry rules out big-ticket box line mergers Carriers put off by past integration struggles Three Comanav-Comarit vessels arrested over unpaid bills Morocco's chief ferry operator reduced to a single ship Important lessons The UK government is to preserve the budget for training merchant navy officers - a welcome sign that the maritime community is getting its message across Anti-piracy campaigners target business stars SOS SaveOurSeafarers seeks celebrities despite 26,000 letters of public support West of England hits back at S&P downgrade S&P would not consider the club's up to date records without interactive rating TBS International lands second delisting notice Dry bulk company has until July to raise its share values Atkin takes the helm at LMA New chairman spearheaded insurers' anti-piracy strategy in Malacca Strait Investigate then regulate, says EU transport commissioner Limiting passengership sizes may not be the answer to Costa Concordia loss, says Kallas Costa Concordia criminal probe may widen, master's lawyer claims New questions amid claims that cruiseship carried unregistered passengers Tone it down The recent sanctions by the European Union and the US are the most powerful challenge to Iran yet, but they need time to work Chateauvieux takes Bourbon stake above 25% But Jaccar holding insists it is not looking for takeover Spice Islander I master and crew charged with murder and negligence 240 died after overloaded vessel sank off Zanzibar last autumn Lisin sells Nevsky shipyard Buyer is little-known Cypriot company DHT crippled by debt repayments Fleet disposal likely as US-listed tanker owner struggles to shore up finances

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Concordia: VDR fault was due to be fixed A fAULT in Costa Concordia's VDR was due to be repaired on 14 January, the day after it capsized, the company has confirmed Petroplus goes under PETROPLUS, Europe's largest independent refiner, declared insolvency today - yet another blow to the Atlantic Basin's dwindling products-supply sector DHT mulls selling two aging Aframaxes NYSE-listed tanker owner DHT Holdings has posted better quarterly results than expected and announced potential vessel sales ahead US energy import thirst seen waning THE EIA'S new long-term outlook offers a highly negative view for tanker owners, predicting an accelerating decline in US crude imports Cruise watchdog group blasts 'cosy relationship' A CRUISE watchdog group has linked the Costa Concordia disaster with a "cosy relationship between regulators and the industry" CP, Canpotex sign potash deal CANPOTEX and Canadian Pacific Railway have signed a 10-year accord under which CP would retain its role as Canada's leading shipper of potash to world markets SINOPEC raises Oz LNG stake SINOPEC of China has signed up to Australia's largest LNG supply agreement after increasing the amount it will buy from the Australia Pacific LNG project

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Harley-Davidson Shipments Up Nearly 11 Percent Global economic headwinds aren't slowing Harley-Davidson. The iconic motorcycle maker bolstered its profits as it increased sales and shipments in... Truck Tonnage Soars at Strongest Rate Since 1998 For-hire truck tonnage rose 5.9 percent in 2011, the biggest year-over-year freight gain for trucking since 1998, the American Trucking... IMF Lowers Global Growth Forecast The International Monetary Fund reduced global economic growth forecasts for the year to 3.25 percent from its 4 percent last... Emirates SkyCargo Expands Dubai-Africa Service Emirates SkyCargo will further boost cargo capacity to Africa in early February by adding five weekly flights from Dubai to... KCS Boosts Profit 85 Percent on Record Hauls Kansas City Southern Railway saw fourth-quarter profit skyrocketed 84.6 percent year-over-year to $95.6 million, as the railroad's 11 percent jump... Far East Land Bridge Begins Europe-China Rail Service Far East Land Bridge will launch a new rail service in March linking Europe to the thriving manufacturing center of... Pantos Logistics Adds Facility at Seoul's Incheon Airport Pantos Logistics recently opened a second logistics center at South Korea's Incheon airport, the world's fourth largest cargo airport by... Amazon to Open Second Distribution Center in S.C. Amazon plans to open a 1 million-square foot fulfillment center in Spartanburg, S.C., its second new fulfillment center in the... Panalpina Opens Logistics Center in Moscow Panalpina said its new logistics center in Moscow will target shippers of high tech, automotive, high-end fashion and telecoms cargoes... Japan-Peru Free Trade Pact Takes Effect in March A free trade agreement between Japan and Peru will take effect March 1, eliminating import tariffs on almost all products... Compromise Clears Path for FAA Authorization Congress is closer to finally completing a long-term measure authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration after reaching a compromise on labor... Sri Lankan Group Sells Colombo Port Stake Sri Lankan conglomerate Aitken Spence agreed to sell its 30 percent stake in the Colombo International Container Terminals to China... Spanish Government Scraps Airport Privatization Spain's new centre right government scrapped a plan to privatize Madrid and Barcelona airports, the country's two largest cargo hubs,...

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Occupying minds at Davos? The 2,600 rich and powerful people attending the annual World Economic Forum [WEF] at the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos this year could not fail to notice the igloo ... Manta plan needs private partners Autoridad Portuaria Manta (APM), which owns the port of Manta, is looking to the private sector to help with the development of the Ecuadorian port's new integrated ... Rena: salvors remove four DG boxes Four empty tank containers with residual amounts of hydrogen peroxide have been recovered from the bow section of the wreck of the boxship Rena by cargo salvage ... GPA pushes for Savannah port Harbour expansion following export boost Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is pushing extra hard for its Port of Savannah Harbour Expansion Project (SHEP) to be approved as volumes released for 2001 show that ... Railroad CSX saw volumes drop at 2011 year-end due to weak international demand Florida-headquartered CSX railroad saw its volumes trail off towards the end of the year due to both a weaker peak season and to a lessening in international demand.For ... Etihad Rail secures funds and another customer Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Rail, which is developing and will operate the UAE's first national rail network, has secured bank funding to the tune of AED4.7(USD1.28) ... Iran: oil sanctions 'doomed to fail' That was the reaction from Iran yesterday to the news that the 27 states of the European Union had agreed an embargo of oil products from the Islamic Republic to ... Italian truckers strike against 'Monti's medicine' Truck drivers in Italy are paralysing the country and stymieing the nation's ports in a week-long strike against the austerity measures of Prime Minister Mario ... TPT upgrades Maydon terminal for boxes Durban-based Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is to substantially raise container-handling capacity at Maydon Wharf Terminal, the port of Durban's main ro-ro and general ... SCI hikes India - Europe tradelane rates The state-owned Shipping Corporation of India [SCI] has announced a general rate increase [GRI] on all cargo shipped from the Indian subcontinent to north Europe, ...

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Heidmar loses top exec US tanker operator quiets speculation surrounding financial performance as CEO Tim Brennan heads for the exit. Newbuilding peak flow passed Rising risk of cancellations and diminishing orderbook suggest worst of the new tonnage rush is over, Clarksons says. Norden axes Danes Shipowner replacing 24 junior and senior Danish tanker officers with Indians and Filipinos to save money. Street-topping Q4 lifts DHT Stronger than forecast fourth quarter bottom line offers welcome relief for tanker owner's stock. Westwind II crew stuck Eleven seafarers stranded on German cargoship under arrest after October grounding in UK. Prosafe moves quickly Oslo-listed floatel owner completes NOK 500m debt sale hours after announcing intention to refinance. Mainport inks Shin Yang trio Irish offshore vessel owner orders three seismic support vessels from Malaysian shipyard. Aframaxes to slip on ice fall Earnings may melt back to 1997 levels as limited Baltic ice leaves owners feeling blue, report says. Dredger dragged back up China's Jin Hang Bo 53 raised from seabed at Ngqura, South Africa, after 1 January sinking. Cape influx shrouds rate rise Capesize newbuildings are spilling out at more than one per day and hurting earnings, BRS says. Brokers battle for Baltic gong Fight for the title of top BDI tipster is developing into a shoot-out between some of the best known broking houses.

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Ports debate Panama Canal widening COMMENTARY: Who says big ships are only for Asia-Europe? Descartes acquires GeoMicro CSX profit up 6% in 4Q WWL opens Moscow office Panalpina expands in Moscow Boston downsizes after CKYH suspension ILWU in grain terminal deal U.S. investigates washer dumping BIS criminal fines up in 2011 U.S., Canada extend lumber agreement FedEx expands SenseAware deployment

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JANUARY 24, 2012
South European prices lack direction Tight avails on LSFO in Hamburg. Small price movements in Fujairah Average demand amidst tight avails in Middle East hub. UK refinery halts sales Petroplus to file for insolvency. Canal upgrade will reduce shipping's carbon footprint Widening Panama Canal 'will make a significant difference to shipping's environmental credentials.' 'Solar sail' trial to go ahead on bulk carrier Energy saving technology could cut bunker consumption more than 40%. Earnings forecast lowered on high bunker costs Bunker prices 'higher than anticipated', says Finnish ship operator. Tokyo Bay sees rise in bunker prices Trading offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Busan closed on Tuesday due to public holiday. Fresh oil leaking from stricken Rena Dark oil within the metallic sheen spotted during an aerial observation flight on Tuesday morning. Bunker spill recovery ops underway in Brisbane Recovery 'making good progress' as of Tuesday, says Maritime Safety Queensland. Fuel pumping ops to begin on stricken cruise ship Oil spill response vessel the Salina Bay has been positioned on site. No 'major' tanker-related pollution incidents in 2011 'Encouraging' reduction in the number of tanker incidents, says INTERTANKO.