Yard price rises withstand weaker yen JAPAN'S quantitative easing has sent the yen below ¥100 to $1 for the first time in five years, but newbuilding prices continue to rise anyway, a Norwegian investment bank and shipbroker reported
Iran oil exports rise 66% IRAN exported 66% more crude in May than in April, the International Energy Agency said today
Schemes to make Lagos 'giant of Africa' LAGOS - Nigeria's most populous port region and the second-fastest-growing city in Africa - plans to build trans-state highways, along with its deepsea port scheme
Viking Supply returning with $13M in notes VIKING Supply Ships said today it will issue short maturity notes worth 100M kroner ($13M) on the Norwegian market
Hamburg Süd, NileDutch set up Africa loop GERMAN container line Hamburg Süd and Dutch carrier NileDutch have agreed to set up a joint Africa/East Coast South America loop
Excelerate picked for FSRU scheme in UAE EMIRATES LNG has picked Excelerate Energy of the US to build floating storage & regasification units as part of an LNG import terminal at Fujairah, IHS World Markets Energy reported today
Suspects charged in £5.2M drug seizure TWO MEN have been charged with trying to smuggle cocaine with street value of £5.2M ($8.1M) through Portsmouth's ferry port, according to the UK Border Force
Shortsea carriers face summer lull THE FREIGHT slump for European shortsea general cargo is expected to get worse, after a dismal first quarter and a brief spike in April, brokers warned today
Japan offers Iraq loan TOKYO has reportedly offered its biggest ever loan to Iraq, which would use the money to rebuild an oil port and construct a gas liquefaction refinery
Waratah hits 5-month high NEWCASTLE Port Corp said its weekly coal exports have reached a five-month high, even though workers staged two eight-hour strikes during the period
Arrested ship released BOX SHIP Vinalines Pioneer has been released since being arrested in Singapore by the local group Allen & Gledhill, Fairplay was told today
Ezion ups stake in JV SINGAPORE-listed Ezion Holdings has increased its shares in a joint venture with Germany's BBC Chartering & Logistic
Jaya sells second AHTS JAYA Holdings, Singapore's offshore vessel builder and owner, said today it is selling its second AHTS to Canada's Atlantic Towing
Senate Panel Approves Froman as US Trade Representative The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has approved Mike Froman, a senior Obama administration adviser, as U.S. trade representative. The committee considered Froman's nomination at a recent hearing, during which Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the U.S. needs a strong trade representative for ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and free trade agreement talks with...
NS Opens Greencastle, Pa., Intermodal Terminal Norfolk Southern has officially unveiled its Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility in Pennsylvania. Wick Moorman, NS's CEO, and Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., joined federal, state and local officials to dedicate the facility. The $97 million terminal, located on 200 acres south of Greencastle, Pa., near Interstate 81, connects Central Pennsylvania, western Maryland...
Panama Canal Container Ship Transits Down in May Container Ships Passing through the Panama Canal Full-size image The number of container ships passing through the Panama Canal continued to slide in May, down 9 percent year-over-year. The pace of the decline has accelerated over the past two months. The total number of all types of ships moving through the canal...
Applications for 2013 TIGER Grants Exceed $9 Billion "Strong demand" for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants continues as the number of applications has once again surpassed available funding, according to Ray LaHood, U.S. transportation secretary. Applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation for TIGER 2013 grants totaled more than $9 billion, exceeding the $474 million set aside for...
Pacific Northwest Ports Set Emissions-Reduction Goals The ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., along with British Columbia's Port Metro Vancouver, have set collective goals to reduce diesel emissions by 75 percent per ton of cargo by 2015 and by 80 percent by 2020. The goals are part of the draft 2013 Update on the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy....
Railway Association of Canada Backs Safety Initiative The Railway Association of Canada has applauded the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's request for installation of in-cab video cameras and voice recorders in all mainline controlling locomotives in the nation. "Our railway members are anxious to install these devices in locomotives. We have been on record for some time now...
Maher Continues to Work on Truck Processing Issues Maher Terminals has announced that it is continuing to work on the system-related issues that are affecting truck processing at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Over the last few days, the terminal has intermittently closed its gates after experiencing computer glitches during its changeover to a new operating...
Hamburg Süd Offers South Africa-South America Service Hamburg Süd will offer a new service from South Africa to Argentina and Brazil, in cooperation with Nile Dutch. The fixed-day fortnightly service will provide shippers with a westbound link from South Africa to South America with connections to Europe and North America. The rotation will be as follows: Durban and Port...
Maersk Schedules Asia-Mediterranean Rate Hike Maersk Line will boost rates in its trade from the Far East, excluding Japan, to the Mediterranean, starting July 1: From the Far East to the Mediterranean, excluding Portugal and Syria, the increase will be $400 per 20-foot container and $800 per 40-foot and 45-foot high-cube container. From the Far East to...
Container Tonnage Soars at Port Saint John Port Saint John in New Brunswick reported its container tonnage in the first five months of 2013 totaled 220,198 tons, jumping 102 percent from 109,218 tons in the same period in 2012. Throughput in terms of 20-foot-equivalent units from January to May was 32,823 units, rising 71 percent year-over-year from 19,213...
DHL Global Forwarding Service Targets Pharmaceuticals DHL Global Forwarding has launched DHL Thermonet, a new air freight product tailored to the life sciences and health care sector. The global service is a new addition to DHL's network of life sciences and health care facilities, offering companies a platform to manage temperature-sensitive shipments of pharmaceutical products and medical...
US Turns to Shippers for Advice in Building National Freight Policy WASHINGTON - The federal government is turning to obvious but oft-neglected sources - shippers and transportation advisers - for advice on how to improve the national freight system and boost supply chain competitiveness. The recommendations from two groups - the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and the National Freight Advisory...
Hactl Air Cargo Volume Slips Hactl Air Cargo Volume Full-size image Air cargo handled by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. showed a slight year-over-year decrease in May 2013, resulting from a 1 percent drop in imports. Overall air cargo volume inched down 0.3 percent to 176.4 million kilograms from 176.9 million kilograms in May 2012. In May 2013,...
Americold Names Sheldon to Executive Post Todd Sheldon, Americold's new executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.Americold has appointed Todd Sheldon as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Sheldon will report to Jeffrey M. Gault, president and CEO of the temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company. Before joining Americold, Sheldon served as executive vice president, general...
Canada Safety Board Calls for Improved Rail Technology Train passengers and the family of one of the three engineers who died in last year's VIA Rail derailment in Burlington, Ontario, are joining the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's call for modernization of the nation's rail safety technology, Toronto Star reports. In addition to demands for voice and video recorders...
Drewry Trans-Pacific Rate Remains Below $2,000 Drewry Container Rate Benchmark, June 12, 2013 Full-size image Drewry's Hong Kong-Los Angeles Container Rate Benchmark remained unchanged in the week of June 12, following major losses in the previous week that dropped overall achievement of the May 21 GRI to 14 percent or $57. The current spot rate held at $1,957...
Con-way Freight to Raise LTL Rates 5.9 Percent Con-way Freight will raise its less-than-truckload base rates 5.9 percent on average June 24, along with minimum charges and accessorial fees. The second-largest LTL carrier followed ABF Freight System, UPS Freight and market leader FedEx Freight, all of which announced general rate increases in recent weeks. Like Con-way, ABF, the sixth-largest LTL...
Amber Road Opens Regional HQ Office in Munich Amber Road has opened an office in Munich to serve as headquarters for its Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The new office will support and complement the activities of the global trade management software company's existing sales offices in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Britain. "With the EMEA headquarters coordinating our regionwide...
US Threatens Nigeria Ban on Ship Safety Concerns The U.S. has threatened to ban ships from entering Nigeria unless the sub-Saharan African nation improves security in its ports and waterways, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. U.S. authorities gave Nigeria a 90-day ultimatum to improve safety, according to Leke Oyewole, special adviser on maritime affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, at a conference...
Poor Cargo Performance Continues for Asia's Airlines Asia's airlines recorded a combined net profit of $5.2 billion last year as strong passenger growth offset weak cargo markets and high fuel prices. Net profit and operating revenue for the region's carriers in 2012 grew 6.7 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively, compared to a year earlier, while passenger revenue rose...
US shipyard seeks suitors The market is rife with rumours that a shipbuilder headquartered in the US Gulf is shopping for buyers.
Baltex pain for Baltic The Baltic Exchange has seen its full-year profit drop by a quarter.
Credit Suisse cuts ORIG A leading equity analyst downgraded shares of Ocean Rig Wednesday based on a bet the drillship owner is unlikely to distribute cash to shareholders anytime soon.
Decoupling causes concern A disparity between climbing asset values and depressed fright rates is causing alarm in the sale and purchase market, a top Greek broker says.
Hold the applause Rates tied to capesize bulkers have reached a four-month high and market sentiment is on the up but many industry researchers believe it's too soon to pop the champagne.
Two die on ER boxship An investigation has begun into the deaths of two crewmen on an ER Schiffahrt boxship in Brazil.
Zodiac bins boxship Zodiac Maritime has continued its demolition activity with the disposal of a laid-up container vessel.
Seanergy swings to black Restis group bulker owner Seanergy Maritime has made it back into profit for the first time since 2011.
Rand falls to a loss Great Lakes bulker owner Rand Logistics has posted a loss for the year to 31 March as costs increased.
Loading sank Swanland UK accident investigators have repeated a call for urgent action on general cargoship safety after a report revealed a loading error caused the sinking of the Swanland with the loss of six crew.
Viking's bond bid Oslo's bond market is being tapped yet again, with Viking Supply Ships aiming to raise NOK 100m ($17.31m).
Four years for Everest India's Global Offshore Services (GOS) has fixed an anchor-handler on a long-term deal worth INR 284.5m ($4.9m) per year.
Floatel booked Floatel International (FI) has clinched a deal from Norway's Statoil to provide an accommodation and construction support vessel.
Tanker duo badly burned The Australian navy has evacuated two Filipino crew who were badly burned on a tanker in the Somali Basin.
Frangou stacks shelf Navios Maritime Holdings has laid the groundwork for further expansion with a $500m shelf registration.
Vinalines ship arrested A Vinalines containership has been arrested by authorities in Singapore for the second time in less than twelve months.
Cochin eyes dredgers Cochin Shipyard is likely to win orders to build dredgers for Dredging Corporation of India (DCI).
10 more for Sinokor? The Korean government has set up two new ship finance funds to order MR tankers for charter to Sinokor and Shell.
STX stretches debt Korea's restructuring STX Offshore & Shipbuilding is extending a loan awarded to its Norwegian yard unit.
Nakilat refinances Qatari LNG-shipowning giant Nakilat has arranged refinancing amounting to $917m with Qatar National Bank SAQ (QNB).
Jaya sells anchor handler Jaya Holdings has agreed a deal to sell a anchor handler to Canadian shipowner Atlantic Towing.
FAA searching for unleaded jet fuel The administration is seeking a way to replace the current 100 octane low-lead fuel for most of the general aviation fleet by 2018. Parties have until July 1, 2014, to submit proposals. By September 2014, the FAA will choose 10 participants.
Delaware River deepening about 60% complete "After years of discussions and hurdles, it's wonderful to finally see steady progress on this critical project," said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp. "A deeper shipping channel will allow us to welcome a wider variety of cargo vessels."
Long Beach names interim port director The SoCal port's Board of Harbor Commissioners last week appointed Al Moro, currently the chief harbor engineer, to replace Christopher Lytle, who recently was hired away to lead the Port of Oakland.
U.S. imports drop 2% in May
Management, ILA meet in Virginia The meeting was described as a "state of the port" briefing for longshoremen, who rejected a local contract seven weeks ago, but continue to work while negotiations continue. The Virginia Pilot reported the port will reopen at noon.
TIGER requests exceed available funding
Corpus Christi port moves ahead on rail yard
EU paves way to Single European Sky
Oakland adds visibility sensor at Seaside terminal
Oil rises despite Middle Eastern tension Brent for July settlement rose by 0.8% per barrel. Volume was 0.8% below the 100-day average for the time of day.
Prices in Fujairah market firm Durban refinery back in market soon, say sources.
Bunker prices mixed in Rotterdam But stay soft in the Med and Hamburg.
Price proves major driver in bunkering port choices Maersk sending newbuild triple-E to Russia for lower-priced fuel and Oldendorff avoids bunkering in some ports due to high prices.
Ports put lower emissions in their sights Further reduction of diesel emissions based on success to date.
OW Bunker could be stock market listed It could be 'an attractive alternative', says equity fund managing director.
New storage terminal to be operational within two years Facility will provide an 'alternative to tightening storage in Singapore.'
Asian bunker prices trading in narrow range Hong Kong offices were closed for a public holiday.
Vinalines ship arrested Struggling shipping company has ship held in Singapore.
O.W. Bunker seeking MPA approval for use of flow meters Completed its second physical delivery of bunkers using flow meters on June 9.
Arrests in Italian black market bunker investigation Targets accused of selling fuel stolen from ENI's Taranto refinery.
Ships 'will not run out of fuel' because of sulphur regulations But only if owners adopt scrubbers and LNG, says Draffin.
LNG Central to set up LNG bunkering firm Firm seeks to promote domestic use of LNG as a 'clean and economical alternative fuel choice'.
Singapore bunkering firm expands Hong Kong operations Sea Hub Energy sending Sea Tanker to support barging operations at Hong Kong.
Canadian bunker spill clean up completed Investigations underway to determine cause of spill.
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