Russian Railways Logistics starts transporting Synthez-Kauchuk products Russian Railways Logistics (RRL) recently started to transport JSC Synthez-Kauchuk's finished goods for export. The first 30 containers have been shipped to India, Indonesia and So...
Port of Antwerp handles 183.8 million t of freight in 2012 The port of Antwerp (Belgium) handled an estimated 183.8 million t of freight in 2012. This is a decrease of 1.8% compared with 2011, when 187.2 million t were lifted. The port's c...
Lynden International expands network in Canada Lynden International, a full-service freight forwarding and logistics company in North America, opened a new service centre in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The new location adds a s...
Daimler Truck sales up significantly in 2012 Despite widely varying developments in its markets, Daimler Trucks was able to increase sales significantly last year. Unit sales through November 2012 for the division's six brand...
CN expected to generate operational efficiencies and improve service Canadian National Railway Company (CN) has completed the merger of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E) into its Wisconsin Central Ltd. subsidiary. The merger o...
Chemion Logistik pools management levels Chemion Logistik, a provider of logistics services for the chemical industry, implemented a new organisation structure that merged the second and third managerial levels, effective...
Kuehne + Nagel lands Agco contract The global service provider Kuehne + Nagel (K + N) has been awarded a contract by Agco to manage its aftermarket parts distribution centre (PDC) in Johannesburg (South Africa). Fro...
New head of corporate communications at Swisslog Reto Sidler will become head of Swisslog's corporate communications on 1 February. He is taking over from Christian Winiker, who is leaving the global provider of integrated solut...
Brussels Airlines to expand African flight offer Brussels Airlines, a Belgian member of the Lufthansa group, is to augment its African flight offer by boosting frequencies to several destinations this year. Dakar (Senegal) will b...
New aviation jet fuel in Doha Qatar Petroleum (QP), Qatar Airways and Shell celebrated the first commercial introduction of a new aviation jet fuel - the first to be approved globally in over two decades. The i...
Dreamliner fire hits Japanese battery maker's shares The news agency Reuters has reported that shares of Japan's GS Yuasa, which makes batteries for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, fell sharply for a second day on 9 January after a fire abo...
15 years of service for Hertzog & Partner Armin Haug, regional manager south in Stuttgart, is celebrating his fifteenth successful year at Elmar Hertzog und Partner Management Consultants GmbH this month (January). Hertzog...
Schenker Logistics building new logistics centre in Nuremberg's port The German service provider DB Schenker Logistics held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of construction work on a state-of-the-art logistics centre at the inlan...
GLS opens new branch office in Zaragoza The parcel service provider GLS has opened a new branch office in San Juan de Mozarrifar near Zaragoza (Spain). The centre includes a 2,000 sqm warehouse with 13 docking gates, amo...
Menlo Worldwide Logistics extends activities in Singapore Menlo Worldwide Logistics, the global logistics subsidiary of Con-way Inc, recently opened a new warehousing and retail distribution management centre on Sunview Way in Singapore. ...
The hows and whys of impairment Values on paper need to reflect real world, accountants stress
Setting the parameters Impairment test is slightly different under the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
The next generation Recruiting talent means promoting the industry to young people
Unanswered questions It is time we stopped looking to apportion blame and started making changes to ensure a similar passengership casualty never happens again
Ultrabulk orders kamsarmax bulk carrier in Japan Commercial operator builds up its own fleet
IMO makes safety its priority Sekimizu pledges to reduce maritime casualties by half by 2015
Passengerships hit by reinsurance rates hike Sector bears the brunt with 125% increase from IG excess of loss contract renewal
Regulatory sustainability tops the shipping agenda IMO plans industry-wide consultation as ICS calls for pragmatism
Tight-lipped Carnival waits for the inquiry results UK chief executive eyes market reaction to the casualty
Asia-Europe box trade bounces back Shanghai-Rotterdam surges nearly 14% as lines stall ships to squeeze out supply
Cancelled OSG contracts taken up by new charterers More deals will appear this year, say brokers
A paler shade of green A fuel-efficient newbuilding does not an eco-ship make
Contship expects another 'complex' year ahead Volumes recover at Gioia Tauro hub but uncertainty persists
Cruise lines put their house in order The cruiseship industry has moved quickly to review safety
OSG sets stage for purge of charter and pool agreements Owners of rejected bareboat quintet fight back in court
Costa Concordia's master to be indicted this month Prosecutors ended their investigation in December
Singapore posts 5.9% rise in box throughput Port volume is edging up on Shanghai
Capesize commentary: Stormy weather Brokers see a better week following in wake of the Australian cyclone
Frontline raises $310m for newbuildings Fredriksen's expansion drive gathers steam
IG overhauls general excess of loss contract Move mitigates significant rate increases sought by reinsurers
Newbuilding consultants cash in on craze for eco designs Denmark's Erria eyes opportunities to advise owners
Flag state's preliminary findings signal need for change Full report will establish how far responsibility extends beyond the master
Italy's Costa Concordia investigation report still not released Lessons cannot be learned until vital information is released
Cruise industry should look to aviation, says Skagerrak Foundation accident investigator outlines areas that need attention
Costa Concordia: a salvage like no other Fall-out from the Costa Concordia casualty will 'rage on for years'
STX Pan Ocean resells orders at STX OSV to Tidewater Acquisition rumours mount as shipbuilder resells its only offshore orders
Costa Concordia drives premium hikes for shipowners As vessels get larger, the exposure risk grows too
Emergency shot Debtor in possession financing could see Korea Line pull through
Teekay Offshore Partners raises $235m in Norwegian bond issue Cash earmarked to pay off revolving debt
China Shipping and MOL close to $1.5bn deal for eight LNG ships Six vessels to be built at Hudong Zhonghua, while two options may be bound for a second yard
ClassNK expands in US JAPANESE classification society ClassNK is expanding its services in the US to meet growing demand
Tripartite LNG deal struck JAPAN'S Chubu Electric Power said it has struck the first tripartite LNG sales purchase agreement in Asia, IHS World Markets Energy reported today
ABG plans another yard INDIA'S largest private builder, ABG Shipyard, said today it plans to build a new yard in the West Coast state of Gujarat
Malaysian oil terminal to be expanded MALAYSIA'S MISC and Vitol, the world's largest oil trader, plan nearly twice as much oil storage capacity at their terminal in Johor state, IHS World Markets Energy reported today
Unipec outstrips Shell as tanker charter leader UNIPEC has supplanted Shell as the world's top tanker charterer, according to Poten & Partners, the New York broker
COSCOL heavy-lift handling rises 106% COSCO Shipping's handling of heavy-lift cargo reached a record 146,200 tonnes in December, 106% more than in November
GAIL to need 6-7 gas carriers THE ENERGY group GAIL India will need at least half a dozen of gas carriers to serve a new LNG terminal, a shipping analyst predicted today
Boskalis raises €320M ROYAL Boskalis Westminster, the Dutch services group best known for dredging, said today it has raised €320M ($416M) in fresh equity
Rizhao terminal expansion OK'd CHINA'S Rizhao port has gained approval for its plan to expand its Lanshan oil terminal's capacity by 300,000 tonnes per year
Mariners missing in sinking TWO MARINERS are missing and nine more are awaiting rescue today off South Sulawesi, Indonesia, after their cement carrier Emeline sank in the Flores Sea during Cyclone Narelle
Nam Cheong targets $38M MALAYSIA'S largest OSV builder Nam Cheong said today it wants to raise about S$47M ($38M) in capital by selling up to 190M ordinary shares
Singapore fuel oil stocks near four-year low FUEL OIL and low-sulphur waxy residue stocks in Singapore have fallen nearly to a four-year low amid high demand for low-sulphur fuel oil in Japan
Malaysia palm inventory rises MALAYSIAN palm oil stocks rose 27.6% year on year in 2012, mainly because of higher production and lower shipments to China and Pakistan
Yangzijiang buys more Chongqing steel YANGZIJIANG Shipbuilding has signed a contract with Chongqing Iron & Steel to buy 400,000 tonnes of marine steel in 2013
STX OSV secures deal for three PSVs STX OSV said today it has landed a deal with a returning client for three PSVs being built at its Norway yard
A Cliffhanger for US Trade Get ready for another year of modest growth for U.S. containerized imports. Surprised? You shouldn't be. A year ago, I predicted overall imports would grow 2.8 percent in 2012; through September, imports were up 3.3 percent, and I'm forecasting full-year 2012 growth in the 3.0 to 3.5 percent range. As expected,...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: Association of Canadian Port Authorities Given the number of unknowns faced by the global economy, any predictions as to what lies ahead for 2013 are likely to be about as accurate as reading the entrails of crows. Uncertainty regarding the economic strength of the European Union, the depth of a Chinese slowdown and, as I...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: APM Terminals Americas 2013 will be a continued year of change. We will see even larger vessels call throughout North and Latin America as shipping lines cascade further tonnage into these markets. This will require some ports and terminals to invest further in infrastructure to be able to handle the bigger ships. This...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: AMA Capital Partners / New York Maritime The "game changer" we have been championing for the industry for the past two years has been capital constraints. The tightness of bank lending combined with the challenges of raising equity, either private or public. Nothing has changed; indeed, one might argue that the situation worsened in 2012. Bankruptcies abound, and...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: AlixPartners To use an oft-cited, but appropriate, metaphor, the global container shipping community continues to find itself in somewhat of a "perfect storm." Early 2012 optimism that rates had positive momentum has all but dissipated as the industry enters the crucial first quarter rate season for 2013. The macroeconomic outlook for...
Prospects for Growth Stronger Next Year The United States in 2013 may resume its role as the economic engine for the rest of the world, but to do so will require deep compromise from Republicans and Democrats to avoid the fiscal cliff that, left unchecked, could send the economy and trade over the edge. But with much...
For Ocean Shipping, It's a Tale of Two Europes When the annual round of contract negotiations between trans-Atlantic shippers and ocean carriers starts up later this winter, the tone may be more intense than in the past. Freight rates in the trade ended 2012 with a whimper, as carriers collected only a small portion of the series of general...
US-Latin Trade: En Fuego Latin America may have a long way to go if it's ever going to replace China as the largest exporter to the U.S., but the region is certainly making its presence felt in products as diverse as automobiles, electronics and apparel. Two-way trade between the U.S. and Latin America increased 82...
Asia's Growth Comes From Within That Wan Hai Lines attributed its third quarter profit turnaround to its decision to shift resources from the destitute Asia-Europe market to growing intra-Asia trades is testament to the strong fundamentals underpinning Asia's regional trade. Asia's regional container business, which includes more than 3,500 port pairs, has always been complex. For...
Carriers Keeping Eyes on Europe The Asia-Europe liner trades will dominate container shipping's strategic planning through 2013 as ocean carriers confront a nightmare mix of declining traffic, persistent overcapacity, high oil prices and the imminent arrival of the world's largest vessels. Many carriers returned to the black in 2012 from the bloodletting of 2011 largely because...
Slowing Economic Growth Clouds Breakbulk Outlook The global market for breakbulk and project cargo, long considered somewhat immune to the economic cycles, is facing some of the same headwinds affecting other cargo sectors in 2013. The transportation of project cargo to the sites of large mining, oil-exploration and industrial projects is usually contracted out years in advance,...
Three Common Global Trade Compliance Deficiencies that Affect Your Bottom Line Today, the benefits of sourcing from low cost countries and selling into new foreign markets are driving most companies to go global. However, many of these companies are still making do with sub-standard global processes and technologies borrowed from domestic organizations.Amber Road's latest eBook, Three Common Global Trade Compliance Deficiencies...
Lines' profits could reach USD5bn in 2013 Global container lines should end 2013 comfortably in profit after a collective return to the black last year, as long as they are able to keep ship supply under ...
GCS/Ruscon launches Russian block-train A new block-train service is being launched by GCS/Ruscon out of the new Ust-Luga Container Terminal (ULCT) over a distance of more than 1,100km to Nizhniy Novgorod, ...
Another 'complex' year for Contship The Cecilia Eckelmann-Battistello-led Contship Italia, a major player in the Italian port market, experienced a 'complex' year at its terminals in 2012 and is expecting ...
14% spike in Asia north Europe spot rates Drewry's Shanghai to Rotterdam World Container Index jumped by 13.8% this week, to $2,727 per FEU after falling back by a similar number around the Christmas period. ...
Chinese exports smash forecasts Exports from China rocketed by 14.1% year-on-year in November beating analyst predications by a massive 10%. It added to the positive sentiment following the recent ...
Box traffic retreats at Dunkirk French North Sea port Dunkirk saw container traffic fall 5% last year to 260,000 teu although total volumes for all trades were near-static at 47.2m tonnes.France's ...
DFDS quells uncertainty Negotiations between DFDS of Denmark and insolvent German shipyard P+S Werften over a troubled newbuilding order haven't collapsed despite reports to the contrary.
Tsakos tied to raid The sale-and-purchase market is ripe with rumours that diversified Greek operator Tsakos Shipping & Trading has paid $90m to purchase a pair of panamax containerships.
Duo detained The US Coast Guard (USCG) has accused the crews of an Odfjell chemical carrier and bulker controlled by the Navios clan of discharging oily waste into the sea.
Principal behind buy? Principal Maritime of the US is rumoured to be the buyer of a suezmax resale from South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries.
Ultrabulk back in Japan Ultrabulk has returned to its favoured shipbuilding nation of Japan for a kamsarmax newbuilding.
Crew on strike Seafarers on a German cargoship have refused to work due to lack of pay.
Trafigura pulls the trigger Trafigura has acquired three medium-range (MR) products tankers from Overseas Maritime Carriers (OMC) of Switzerland.
Danske's double top Danske Bank has flagged AP Moller-Maersk and Hoegh LNG as its top picks for 2013.
Farstad racks them up Farstad has won charter contracts for six of its offshore support vessels with a variety of companies.
VL scrap trap VLCC scrapping could slow this year as owners look to catch the upturn with older vessels, ICAP says.
Indian bond boost Two Indian ports and a shipping company have won state approval to sell INR 35bn ($638.5m) of tax-free bonds.
GAIL still undecided India's state-run gas group may yet charter in the seven new LNG carriers it needs, rather than heading to shipyards for newbuildings.
Nigerian attacks retreat An escalation of pirate activity in the Niger Delta at the end of 2012 did not stop a reduction in incidents in Nigerian waters in the year as a whole.
TransLink angers yards Canadian shipbuilders have called for a domestic owner's ferry order in the Netherlands to be cancelled.
V.Ships to bang down door V.Ships is hoping its new deal with Costamare will finally open the door to the Greek market for the world's third largest third party shipmanager.
Nam Cheong in fundraiser Nam Cheong plans to carry out a new share offering to help fund its shipbuilding and vessel chartering businesses.
Waste boxes sent back A German containership must return two boxes allegedly containing toxic waste to the UK, Nigerian authorities said.
Premium deal for BW TradeWinds digests the digits making the headlines this week.
Iran, Iraq agree link Iran and Iraq will launch a new passenger shipping service between Abadan and Basra.
Frigstad orders at CIMC Raffles Cyprus-based Frigstad Deepwater has turned to CIMC Raffles two ultra deepwater semi-submersible drilling rigs with options for four four.
Karjalainen quits ESL ESL Shipping has drafted in a temporary boss after president Markus Karjalainen resigned.
Agnes goes aground A Vietnamese cargoship has been forced aground on an Indonesian beach in a storm.
Boskalis completes funding Royal Boskalis Westminster has successfully raised EUR 320m ($425m) from a share placement to help fund its takeover of heavylift outfit Dockwise.
Cape cash for Fredriksen John Fredriksen's Frontline 2012 has collected over $300m from investors to finance a slice of its ever-expending orderbook.
German duo buy TT-Line Two German investors have taken over Baltic ro-ro operator TT-Line.
Day of reckoning arrives Owners of bulk carriers are among those to be severely hit by huge increases in reinsurance costs to be passed on by the protection and indemnity clubs.
Cosco eyes second tie-up State-owned Cosco is teaming up with a second Chinese containership rival to weather the shipping downturn.
There once were four ugly ducklings... We take a look at what was said in the market over the past week.
Cement carrier sinks Two crew are missing and nine awaiting rescue on life rafts after a cargoship sank off Indonesia.
Singapore numbers up The Port of Singapore had a bumper year in 2012 despite it being a year that most shipowners will not look back upon with any degree of happiness.
NCL ups IPO ambitions Norwegian Cruise Line has set a new target of $400m its upcoming IPO.
Teekay Offshore gets cash Teekay Offshore Partners has successfully completed its Norwegian bond issue, raising NOK 1,300m ($235m) in total.
Tidewater takes STX trio US offshore giant Tidewater has taken over the contracts for three 87.9 metre platform supply vessels (PSV) that are under construction at STX OSV shipyards in Norway.
Reports: G6 carriers will cooperate on U.S. East Coast services Sources have confirmed to American Shipper reports that the so-called "G6 Alliance" of liner carriers will extend its cooperation beyond the Asia-to-Europe trades to the Asia-to-East Coast of the United States.
Analysis: Trucking continues to take freight from skies A number of factors ranging from the impending U.S. hours of service requirements to a lack of drivers on the road will lead to a tightening of trucking capacity this year, taking more market share from air freight carriers.
Port Logistics acquires Pacific Distribution
PSA throughput grows 5.2% in 2012
U.S. $2,500 limit for informal entries takes effect CBP last month published notice of its intent to increase by $500 the limit for which merchandise may qualify for an informal entry, thereby eliminating the need for a surety bond, expediting customs clearance and reducing the MPF amount.
Donahue outlines U.S. Chamber's legislative priorities
SAP to migrate ERP to new database technology The global enterprise resource planning (ERP) giant on Thursday unveiled a new database option for its system that allows for the capture and analysis of transactional data on a real-time basis.
New Orleans not hindered by low water
Organizations start young professionals program
U.S. challenges Indonesia's ag products restrictions
Weekly global market update A weekly price round up of bunkering hubs from around the world.
Bunker prices in the Americas end week on mixed note Demand and avails were good in Houston, according to a local supplier.
EU provides funding towards LNG bunkering research Project aimed at converting an existing vessel into a LNG bunkering ship so it may be used to refuel other ships.
North American ECA: Fuel availability and increasing costs main issues Immature technology not the primary concern, according to Sustainable Shipping poll.
LNG bunkering vessel design 'evolving' Vessel is designed for growing LNG bunkering market of the North European ECA with a special focus on the Baltic sea.
Prices close week soft in Fujairah Prices firm in Cape Town and Durban.
Bunker prices dip in northwest Europe Losses seen in Rotterdam and Hamburg.
High winds disrupt bunkering at Novorossiysk Impact likely to be felt until late Saturday.
OW Bunker buys two tankers Company already had ships on bareboat charter.
Arbitrage volumes could be weaker than predicted The volume of fuel oil arbitrage cargoes heading into Asia in February has been revised down.
Annual policy address could target ship-generated emissions Hong Kong could be about to announce mandatory restrictions on sulphur levels.
Bunker prices reverse upward trend at week's close In Singapore, benchmark 380 cSt bunker fuel dropped $3.50 to close at $636.00 pmt.
Frontline share placement to fund new buys $310 million raised from private placement of new shares.
New MD for Fratelli in Singapore Douglas Lee brings 'wealth of experience' to the role.
FAL Oil suspends debt restructuring talks with lenders Hoping its new business plan will allow it to secure a debt repayment agreement by the end of the month.
Bunker barge officially joins supplier's fleet MT Sahir will operate in the Mumbai port area.
Sentek displaces Brightoil as Singapore's second largest supplier Market share held by the top players may have declined.
Chimbusco builds new fuel oil facility in Tianjin Construction to be completed by April.
Goldman Sachs hires former Brightoil bunker CEO Quek Chin Thean will head its commodities trading team from Singapore.
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