New railway link in Cambodia The China Railway Group and the Cambodia Iron & Steel Mining Industry Group have signed a USD 11.2 billion agreement to build a new railwayline in Cambodia. The new 405 km long...
Port of Ilyichevsk increases cargo handling in 2012 The port of Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) handled 5.37 million t of general cargo, 1.66 million t of liquid bulk and 7.5 million t of dry bulk cargo in 2012, according to Alexander Grygoras...
Etihad Cargo opens new China route Abu Dhabi (UAE)-based Etihad Cargo is inaugurating a new direct weekly freighter operation from its hub to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou today (17 Janua...
First biogas recovery truck in Sweden Sweden's first recovery truck powered by biogas has now gone into service. Svempas, a recovery service business, will mainly use the truck for customers who want to be associated w...
Pioneer Railcorp purchases rail line from Maumee & Western Railroad USA-based Pioneer Railcorp's wholly owned subsidiary Michigan Southern Railroad Company has purchased the rail line formerly known as the Maumee & Western Railroad Corporation ...
Volvo Trucks' US dealer network strengthens support capacity in the Southeast Investments by Volvo Trucks dealers throughout the south-eastern USA have resulted in a nearly 21% increase in work capacity in that region since January 2010. During that time, th...
Cargolux Airlines International's new board of directors elected Cargolux Airlines International (CAI) has made several changes to its board of directors following the State of Luxembourg's acquisition of Qatar Airways' 35% stake in CAI on 31 De...
PAL shelves planned Toronto service increase Philippine Airlines (PAL) returned to North America's east coast at the end of last November, by starting flights to Toronto (Canada). The carrier, which had intended to boost the ...
Japanese carriers ground "Dreamliner" fleet after new incident Following the emergency landing of an All Nippon Airlines (ANA)'s domestic flight operated by a Boeing "Dreamliner" on 15 January, both Japanese Boeing clients - ANA and...
Grimaldi invests in port of Barcelona A ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the new 63,000 sqm Grimaldi Group terminal was held at the Muelle Costa in the port of Barcelona on 14 January. The Italian...
Spedition Kukla opens agency in Berlin Spedition Kukla, a Munich (Germany)-based forwarding company that specialises in multimodal traffic, opened a sales agency for sustainable transport solutions on Potsdam Square in ...
Rhenus Port Logistics now in Weil am Rhein Rhenus Port Logistics GmbH & Co. KG, a member of the German Rhenus Group, recently raised its flag in the inland port of Weil am Rhein (Germany), close to the Swiss border. The...
Airland Projects transports railcars from China to Sierra Leone Airland Projects A/S, the Danish member of the Worldwide Project Consortium WWPC network, was recently contracted to move 600 iron ore rail wagons from China to Sierra Leone. As th...
New manager for Ontime Logistics Ontime Logistics Speditions GmbH has selected Mario Geir to head its branch office in Innsbruck (Austria), with immediate effect. From that location, Geir and his team provide air ...
Second managing director of Fraport Cargo Services appointed Fraport Cargo Services (FCS) appointed Andreas Helfer as its managing director, together with Diana Schöneich, with effect from 1 January 2013. Helfer replaces Winfried Hartmann, w...
Reefership sector hits back at claims it is a dying industry- Operators do not want to fight for market share with container lines
Bank finance shortfall restricts reefership fleet renewal- Specialists must convince lenders that the segment is less overbuilt than bulk
Fruit traders reap what they sow- Having grabbed box carriers' low prices firms struggle to find specialist-carrier capacity
Erria uses energy to carve out a new niche- Former chemical tanker owner moves into energy shipping consultancy
The future of energy shipping: the debate continues- ICAP responds to Lloyd's List
Carnival set for $1bn share buyback programme- Arison-led cruise major repurchases stocks listed in London and New York
Attack of the shipping zombies- Many companies meet their interest payments but cannot repay the principal
Plight of the living dead- Learning how to spot a 'zombie' company is no easy matter
BP to pull staff from Algeria after attack on Sahara plant- Move will affect energy giant's North African oil and gas exports
Snakes and ladders- Shipowners face uncertain times as energy importers rethink the commodity mix
Mozambique mining - can it deliver?- Rio Tinto is not the only mining giant to struggle with a promising emerging market
Privately contracted armed guards in west Africa would lead to 'bloodbath'- Corruption makes it hard to trust anyone, says Gulf of Aden Transit Group boss
NewLead inks US coal shipping deals- Company shifts from pure ownership into supply contracts and reserve acquisitions
Maersk Maya booked amid rise in diesel trade ex-US Gulf- Product tanker experts expect backhaul trade to strengthen
Chinese and Indian oil imports growth spurs tanker demand- New Asian refineries boost prospects for fixtures
Nordic American cuts dividend to fund expansion- Hansson-led suezmax firm eyes new or secondhand tonnage
G6 retains its capacity on the Asia-north Europe trades- Weak season sees alliance opt not to reinstate Loop 3
Stay vigilant- Although pirate attacks have fallen, piracy remains largely unchecked
S&P awards A- rating to UK P&I's Europe Club- Entity will become a main direct insurer next month
Fat-cat furore- Greek moves to tax brokers and average adjusters will be counterproductive
Hong Kong's annual box volumes fall for the first time since 2009- Third-busiest port hit by manufacturing dip and competition from south China rivals
New box services boost Long Beach throughput- Volumes revive in December but full-year figures fall short
China aircraft giant expands shiptrading foothold- AVIC sets up base in Xiamen
Brightoil Petroleum warns of loan covenant breach- Updated: Hong Kong-listed fuel supplier and owner flags six-month 'material loss'
Chemoil fires 9 workers SINGAPORE-listed Chemoil has fired nine people from its bunker trading team, a company official confirmed to Fairplay today
ICL agrees to China potash deal ISRAEL Chemicals said today it has agreed to transport 3.3M tonnes of potash by ship to China over the next three years
Essar Ports grow by 100% ESSAR Ports Ltd said today doubled its consolidated net profits year on year to 904M rupees ($16.4M) in the October-December quarter
Iranian ship 'flees arrest' AN IRANIAN cargo ship arrested in Sri Lanka was reported today to have skipped port and fled
EC to help finance LNG bunkering study THE EC has agreed to grant €1.1M ($1.46M) to co-finance a €2.3M study into a proposal to build an LNG bunkering station in Dunkirk, IHS World Markets Energy reported today
Pearl River ports log 17.8% cargo rise CHINA'S Pearl River navigation administration said its ports shipped 530Bn tonnes of cargo in 2012, up by 17.8% year on year
Ship arrested after two fishermen hurt AN INDIA Coast Guard official told Fairplay that a Japanese box ship was arrested today after a collision injured three fishermen
Chinese yards adding offshore abilities CHINESE yards eventually will pose serious competition to Singaporean and South Korean rig builders, Marine Money's Singapore Offshore Finance Forum heard today
China's grain surge neared 300% LARGER price gaps between international and domestic markets drove a surge of nearly 300% in China's grain imports during last year's first 11 months, Beijing said
Brightoil expects losses HONG KONG-listed Brightoil said it expects to post losses for the 2H12 because of depressed shipping markets and dropping bunker margins
Sembcorp lands new cruise refitting deals SEMBCORP Marine said today it has landed contracts to refit eight cruise ships for a total S$60M ($49M)
Seadrill wins extension worth up to $1.13Bn SEADRILL said today it has won a contract extension worth up to $1.13Bn
G6 stays course on capacity THE G6 Alliance said today it has no plans to reinstate the Asia/Europe service suspended in October 2012
Asia/USWC rates gain from cargo rush ASIA-US West Coast container rates rose 14% week on week to $2,524 per feu, as the January peak season surcharge took effect before the seasonal pre-Chinese New Year cargo rush
Chongqing wins deals CHINA'S Chongqing Iron & Steel won contracts to purchase 1.6M tonnes of ship steel from four Chinese builders
Hapag-Lloyd Postpones North America-Asia Rate Hike German carrier Hapag-Lloyd has postponed its general rate increase for dry shipments from Canada and the U.S. to East Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The rate hike, which was set to take effect on Jan. 15 and had already been postponed until Feb. 15, will now be postponed...
TransContainer's Traffic Rose 5.4 Percent in Fourth Quarter Russian intermodal company TransContainer reported its rail container volume in the fourth quarter of 2012 was about 381,400 20-foot-equivalent units, increasing 5.4 percent from about 362,000 TEUs in the same quarter of 2011. The year-over-year rise was mainly due to an increase in import and transit transportation, which jumped 14.0 percent...
Slot Shortages Seen Likely on Some Asia Loops Ocean shipping slot shortages are likely to develop on some high demand loops from Asia in the run-up to Chinese New Year, according to one leading forwarder executive. Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Damco North Asia, said overall cargo moves at the moment are "quite smooth." But she added: "With China's PMI...
APL to Implement Trans-Pacific Peak-Season Surcharge Singapore-based container carrier APL said it will implement a peak-season surcharge on trades from Asia and the Middle East to the U.S. and Canada, effective March 1. The planned surcharges on shipments bound for ports in the U.S. and the Virgin Islands will be $360 per 20-foot container, $450 per 40-foot...
Tulsa Port of Catoosa's 2012 Shipping Volume Set Record The Tulsa Port of Catoosa, Okla., reported shipping volume of 2.7 million tons for 2012, beating the previous record of 2.4 million tons set in 1998. The port's cargo reached an all-time high despite lower-than-average shipping totals in December caused by drought and low water conditions on inland river systems. The port's...
Cathay Pacific Airways' Cargo Traffic Rises 3.4 Percent Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways reported combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair cargo volume in December 2012 was 146,897 metric tons, rising 3.4 percent compared with December 2011. The cargo and mail load factor fell by 0.4 percentage points to 67.4 percent in December 2012. Capacity, measured in available cargo-mail metric ton...
Joint Inspection Scheme Proposed for Da Chan Bay Terminal One China's Shenzhen Customs and Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau met today at Da Chan Bay Terminal One to advance the pilot program for a new joint declaration, inspection and release clearance service. The program reduces the number of required inspections for importers and exporters using Da Chan Bay and thus...
Rederi AB TransAtlantic Appoints Hansen Interim CFO Swedish shipping company Rederi AB TransAtlantic has appointed Erik Hansen as interim CFO, effective immediately. The CFO position was held by Helene Mellquist since the beginning of 2012, until she was promoted in October 2012 to CEO of industrial shipping. A search for a permanent CFO has been initiated. Hansen has held various...
Port of Hueneme Appoints 2013 Commission Leaders For 2013, Port of Hueneme's board of commissioners elected commissioners Jason Hodge as president, Mary Anne Rooney as vice president and Jess Herrera as secretary. The board also welcomed Arlene Fraser, who is a first-time commissioner. Hodge succeeds Manuel Lopez, who served as board president in 2012. Hodge also mentioned during his...
Truckers Increasingly Gloomy Over Volumes, Rates Truckers who were "cautiously optimistic" in 2012 are tilting toward pessimism. For the first time since the first quarter of 2009, more motor carriers expect freight volumes to remain about the same - roughly 45 percent - than think they will increase over the next 12 months, according to Transport Capital Partners. Remember that...
Port Everglades Names Stribling Assistant Director of Business Development Fred Stribling, Port Everglades' new assistant director of business development. Port Everglades in Florida has hired Fred Stribling as assistant director of business development, according to Steven Cernak, the port's chief executive and director. Stribling will be responsible for the port's marketing efforts. He will report to Michael Vanderbeek, Port Everglades' business...
AASHTO's Retiring Horsley Calls for Finance Reforms John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, will retire on Feb. 1, after 14 years leading the organization. During his recent keynote address at the Transportation Research Board's annual chairman's luncheon, Horsley called on Congress to enact additional economic stimulus through transportation investment and...
Greece to Tax Tonnage of Foreign-Flag Ships Greece will tax merchant ships managed by companies based in the country and sailing under foreign flags to raise revenue to reverse the nation's debt crisis, according to Bloomberg. The government aims to raise 80 million euros (about US$107 million) in 2013 and about $80 million in 2014 by taxing vessels'...
Portland Sees Drop in Container Volume, Ship Calls Port of Portland, Ore., reported tonnage through the port in 2012 totaled 12.4 million tons, falling 7.7 percent from 13.4 million tons in 2011. The port's total container throughput in 2012 was 183,203 20-foot-equivalent units, down from last year's 198,179 TEUs. Containerized imports totaled 82,095 TEUs and export volume was 101,108 TEUs...
IAG Cargo Appointments to Expand Global Reach IAG Cargo, created from the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, has appointed Rodrigo Casal as vice president of Latin America and Tony Snell as regional commercial manager of the Middle East and Africa, in order to drive growth in those markets. Casal will be responsible for continuing...
Mediator Cites 'Progress' in ILA-USMX Talks A federal mediator said three days of bargaining on an East and Gulf Coast dockworker contract yielded progress and that the International Longshoremen's Association and employers have agreed to continue negotiations. The ILA and United States Maritime Alliance "made progress and have agreed that the negotiations will continue under our auspices,"...
G6 Alliance to Maintain Five Asia-Europe Loops The G6 Alliance today announced that it will maintain the current five-loop product structure for its Asia-North Europe service in 2013. "We anticipate the current supply and demand balance will continue and we will not be reinstating the Loop 3 Asia-Europe service," said members of the alliance in a joint statement....
FMC'S Lidinsky to Push Export Rate Index in Spring Federal Maritime Commissioner Richard Lidinsky spoke with The Journal of Commerce this week on the issues facing the agency in 2013, including a renewed push for an agriculture export index. The following is an edited transcript of the interview. JOC: Following the release of the divided FMC report on Canadian cargo...
Developing Countries: Trans-Atlantic's New Blood When does a market go from mature to emerging? In the case of the trans-Atlantic ocean trade, it happens when shippers and manufacturers recognize the benefits of sourcing and selling their wares in developing countries such as Russia, Turkey and West Africa. For an ocean trade lane long dependent on two...
Kuester is Schenker's new CFO DB Schenker has announced the appointment of Petra Kuester as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Schenker in the UK, replacing Per Holst-Nielsen who has moved ...
G6 conservative view leaves Asia - Europe loop mothballed In contrast to liner rival Maersk Line - which has reactivated its Asia - Europe AE-9 loop on the back of a bullish cargo prediction - the members of the G6 Alliance ...
Mixed fortunes for San Pedro Bay ports The neighbouring San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw the former's throughput suffer a year-on-year 9.44% decline in December to 588,154 teu, while ...
Transpac spot rates climb 14% Drewry's Hong Kong - Los Angeles container rate benchmark jumped by 14% in week 3 to $2,524 per FEU - the result of a partially successful January peak season surcharge ...
MSC boosts Le Havre feeder links
Yang Ming lands record low charter rate for ultra-large newbuildings Taiwan's Yang Ming has clinched record low charter rates on a series of 14,000 teu ships to be delivered in 2015, but the market could have even further to fall.South ...
Investors rack up rewards While some shipowners have been forced to slash dividends and abandon share buybacks in a bid to free up cash others are doing just the opposite.
Mind the gap A dividend reduction will help Nordic American Tankers (NAT) free up funds for fleet expansion but it will need to raise a lot more cash to consummate a meaningful coup, according to an analyst at Evercore Partners.
Earnings season opens Belgian bulker operator Bocimar has been forced to overhaul its chartering strategy in response to a downturn that has pushed some of its peers to the brink of insolvency.
Amina flies the coop Iranian bulker reported to have escaped arrest in Sri Lanka.
Coal coup cometh NewLead Holdings of Greece has struck $66m worth of deals to acquire coal reserves in a bid to expand its fledgling commodities business.
Mellquist gets help Rederi AB TransAtlantic has named a new interim chief financial officer while it continues the search for a permanent executive.
"Get back to work!" The owner of a bug-infested tug detained in Canada has told his unpaid crew to fix the problem so that the vessel can sail.
NAT cuts divi to buy Nordic American Tankers has sliced its quarterly dividend in half as it mulls an order for new suezmax tankers, it tells investors today.
Seadrill extends West Leo John Fredriksen's Seadrill has won a lucrative contract extension for one of its semi-submersible drilling rigs.
Polarcus seals charter Oslo-listed Polarcus has secured a six-month charter for a seismic survey ship off Liberia.
Deutsche's order doubt Deutsche Bank has questioned the chances of South Korea's shipbuilding titans hitting their ambitious order targets give the difficult market.
Sembawang nets eight Sembcorp Marine's Sembawang Shipyard has kicked off 2013 with a fresh batch of cruiseship repair contracts.
Ceyhan exports cut Azerbaijan's oil exports from the key Turkish terminal of Ceyhan fell 8.7% in 2012, limiting recovery opportunities for tankers.
Demo spins new record Ship scrapping shot up by one third last year with an increase in all of the major markets, Clarksons says.
Ships probed after smash Two cargo vessels are being investigated after an Indian fishing boat was sunk by a collision.
QE2 to Asia The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), one of the most famous cruiseships afloat, is heading to Asia to take up a new role as a floating hotel.
Rio Tinto boss toppled Tom Albanese has departed as CEO of the world's second largest bulker charterer Rio Tinto by "mutual consent".
DESSC in Brazil push John Fredriksen's Deep Sea Supply (DESSC) is expanding its footprint in the burgeoning Brazilian offshore market with the creation of a new shipowning venture worth over $850m.
Chowgule falls to loss Indian bulker owner Chowgule Steamship has posted a loss in the first nine months as revenue dropped.
Cape pair fixed Chang Myung of South Korea has seen two of its capesize bulkers picked up on period contracts with major charterers.
Bahri falls in fourth Saudi tanker owner Bahri's fourth quarter profit has been slashed, but its 2012 result has improved.
PE rumour sparks Rongsheng Rumours of a pending private equity investment sent shares in China Rongsheng on a run today.
MHI turns to turbines Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has formed a Chinese joint venture to build marine turbines.
Hongguan bows out China's Baibuting Group has called time on shipbuilding at its Liaoning Hongguan yard.
Murmansk to order 10 Russia's Murmansk Shipping plans to order 10 new vessels through to 2015.
Nam Cheong profit boost Nam Cheong is expected to report a significant jump in fourth quarter profits, according to Singapore investment house OUB Kay Hian.
BP retains top spot BP Singapore has retained its number one ranking for the tenth in a row as Singapore's top bunker supplier by volume.
FAA grounds 787s Due to a safety risk involving lithium batteries installed in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the agency has grounded U.S.-registered planes. United is the only American carrier operating the plane.
Rail shipper groups call STB rate changes unfair
U.S. backs exports for Ghana hospital expansion
G6 Alliance to keep just 5 loops in Asia-North Europe "The current supply and demand balance will continue and we will not be reinstating the Loop 3 Asia-Europe service," the alliance carriers said. Loop 3 was suspended in October as part of the alliance's "winter program."
NEWSFLASH: Federal mediator reports progress in longshore talks U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen said in a statement today that the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen's Association "made progress" during the past three days of contract negotiations held in Galloway Township, N.J.
2012 container volumes at LA/Long Beach flat
Drewry reports spike in eastbound transpacific rates
Global piracy down
Mixed results for spot road freight volume
GT Nexus-TradeCard entity only missing compliance piece "First and foremost, they still lack a global trade compliance capability, the third major pillar of GTM. Integration of existing capabilities within the two platforms will be key to achieving an effective system," the Gartner analysts wrote.
Cathay volume rises for 4th straight month
CMA CGM to cut some sailings during Chinese New Year
Before RailAmerica, GWR sees big decreases
Modern Terminals signs deal with outsourcing firm WNS
Iron ore up, limestone down on Great Lakes
Sanchez says Obama administration committed to export goal Francisco Sanchez, undersecretary of international trade at the U.S. Commerce Department, said exports were up 34 percent from $1.5 trillion to $2.1 trillion in 2011.
Fujairah firm, South Africa soft But changes remain in single digits.
Bunker prices firming Outlook uncertain in Mediterranean.
LNG bunkering stop 'missing link' for North Sea ECA Dunkirk to be LNG station for ships heading into North European ECA.
Russia's largest refiner sees marine fuel output climb Increase comes despite attempts by the Russian government to limit fuel oil production.
Emulsion-based fuel 'on track' to be in commercial production Quadrise 'delighted' by latest test results.
Biggest scrubber installation to date Green Tech wins four scrubber order.
Fuel oil stocks climbing as Chinese demand slumps Exports to China plunged by almost 97%.
Bunker prices firm in Singapore, Hong Kong Bunker prices rose in Singapore and Hong Kong, but fell in Busan and Tokyo.
Bunker fuel demand up in Asia Higher demand attributed to a drop in bunker prices.
New bunker player becomes fully operational Endofa is a a physical supplier and bunker trader.
FIS aims its derivative trading at tanker owners Bunker derivatives trader believes tanker segment is suited to its hedging tool.
Reports: Singapore-based Trafigura oil traders resign Both traders were not available when contacted at the office.
Norwegian harbour to get LNG bunkering system Cryonorm Systems will engineer, produce, install and supervise the system's installation.
Fuel oil stocks in China up 3.8% Stocks' build may be linked to low demand during the Chinese new year period.
VLCC earnings increase for the first time this year Baltic Exchange Wednesday showed a 0.4% gain in returns for VLCCs, following a 32% plunge in returns during streak of declines.
Piracy in Gulf of Guinea still on the rise Total of 58 incidents were reported last year, according to IMB report.
Aegean scales back West African operations Las Palmas now base for West African business.
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