New Sydney freight line opens The new 36 km long southern Sydney freight line has commenced operations. The AUD 1 billion (EUR 790 millios) track will speed up train movements through Sydney and improve the ove...
BNSF to invest USD 4.1 billion in 2013 BNSF Railway Company (BNSF), one of North America's leading freight transportation companies, plans to invest around USD 4.1 billion this year, some USD 450 million more than in 20...
North America's commercial vehicle market expanding The new state of the industry report compiled by ACT Research Co (ACT) reveals that orders for medium duty commercial vehicles in the USA in Q4/2012 was the best since Q1/2008. The...
CMA sells 49% of Terminal Link to China Merchants Holding The French shipping company CMA CGM and China Merchants Holdings (International) Company Ltd (CMHI) have signed a share purchase agreement on the sale of a 49% equity interest in ...
Würfel rejuvenates fleet The German forwarder Würfel, a specialist for transport on outsize trailers and whose holding is in Bremerhaven, acquired 52 new Mercedes and MAN trucks over the past 18 months, th...
AirAsia X extends ULD contract with Chep Aerospace Solutions AirAsia X, the Malaysia-based long-haul low-cost airline affiliate of the AirAsia Group, and Chep Aerospace Solutions are extending their unit load device (ULD) outsourcing and man...
Gulftainer to invest in Ust-Luga Gulftainer, a privately owned port operator based in the United Arab Emirates, has signed an agreement to become a shareholder in the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which is located nea...
VBC changing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland Volvo Bus Corporation (VBC) is expanding Thomas Hartmann's area of responsibilities, with effect from 1 February. Hartmann, who already began to manage sales of Volvo buses in Germ...
Ram Menen's retirement now definite Ram Menen, one of the most distinguished personalities of the global air cargo business, is retiring from Emirates SkyCargo in June 2013. Menen took charge of the air cargo divisio...
KLM transports masterpieces for "Amsterdam 2013" KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and its cargo division have become the proud sponsor and official carrier of "Amsterdam 2013". 2013 is a very special year for...
ADB Airfield Solutions upgrades Basra international airport The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has selected Belgium-based ADB Airfield Solutions to modernize Basra international airport, the country's second busiest airport. The upgrade wil...
Agility receives ISO 9001:2008 certification in Europe and Central Asia Agility, a leading global logistics provider, recently acquired ISO 9001:2008 certification for its area east region, which includes Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. T...
Floods choke off Australia's coal shipments BROKERS told Fairplay today that coal movements from Australia are still almost zero because flooding still grips Queensland, even though storms have moved on
COSCO expects $1.68Bn in 2012 losses COSCO said it expects to lose RMB10.45Bn yuan ($1.68Bn) for full 2012
Scorpio lowers guidance NYSE-listed Scorpio Tankers has pared Wall Street expectations for 4Q12, but confirmed positive charter-rate momentum for 2013
Georgia LNG export plan gathers steam A SHELL-Kinder Morgan joint venture has energised LNG export plans for Elba Island, Georgia, one of the few remaining LNG import terminals in the US
Abbot Point control shifts IN A DEAL worth more than $2Bn, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone has sold its 100% control of Abbot Point Coal Terminal in Queensland, Australia, to APSEZ's own controlling stakeholder
Lauritzen lent $75M TWO EXPORT finance banks have issued a $75M term loan facility to J Lauritzen, the Copenhagen shipping group
Peril seen in export credit financing SHIPPING'S dependency on export credit finance is threatening the sector's recovery by fuelling excessive ordering, a shipping analyst warned today
Product tanker balance tightening SUPPLY and demand balance will tighten from this year to 2015 in the product tanker sector, an Oslo investment bank predicted today
Ningbo drops into red SHANGHAI-listed Ningbo Marine said today it expects net losses of 120M yuan ($19.3M) for full-year 2012, mainly because of depressed freight rates
Modern VLCCs drive scrapping of older tonnage BETTER fuel efficiency of modern VLCCs is likely to promote the scrapping of older ships, with the sector's tonnage balance and capacity utlisation challenges growing, shipping analysts predicted today
Baltic traffic disappoints CONTINUING economic problems in the eurozone keep dampening cross-Baltic Sea cargo flows, according to German port figures
Belize flag unfurls incentives THE BELIZE ship register has announced new incentives to build on gains achieved by the flag in 2012
Mechel buys out Vanino minority stakeholder MECHEL, the Russian speciality steel and coal-mining group, has agreed to buy out the remaining minority stakeholder in Vanino port
Neste could lose 130 jobs NESTE Shipping, the tanker arm in the Neste oil group in Finland, has started a programme to improve its efficiency that could lead up to 130 job losses, almost one-third of its workforce
Hess to exit downstream HESS HAS revealed plans to sell its refining, terminal and storage holdings and focus instead on exploration and production
East to West Intermodal Rates Up for Week East to west spot intermodal rates shot up last week, partly because of a shortage in the New York-New Jersey to Los Angeles lane, but overall spot rates remained relatively flat compared to last week, still hovering at levels roughly 25 percent lower than in early October. All-in, door-to-door -53-foot domestic...
Suez Convoys 'Continuing' Despite Unrest in Eqypt Civil unrest in Egypt is not impacting operations at the key Suez Canal ports of Ismailia and Suez and Port Said. A state of emergency has been declared in a number of Suez Canal cities, but Inchcape Shipping Services advised that terminals are operating normally and canal convoys are continuing. "The Egyptian...
Carriers Advise Shippers on ILA Strike Contingencies Container ship lines serving East and Gulf Coast ports are urging customers to pick up import containers and return empty boxes before the International Longshoremen's Association contract expires Feb. 6. Maersk Line issued an advisory encouraging customers with dry or refrigerated containers on terminals "to take every available opportunity to have...
Port Freeport Channel Deepening Project Moves to Congress Port Freeport in Texas received a positive report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' chief for its Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, which will deepen and widen the Freeport channel. The report will be transmitted to Congress. Port Freeport's next step will be to begin the estimated three-year preliminary engineering...
ATA Asks FMCSA to Delay New Driver Hours Rule The American Trucking Associations wants the starting date for new federal hours of service rule for truck drivers delayed to give trucking companies more time to train drivers and adjust operations. In a letter to Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro, ATA President and CEO Bill Graves asked for...
Ex-Im Bank Opens Detroit Office (L-R) Rep. John D. Dingell; Rep. Gary Peters; Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im Bank chairman, president; Senator Debbie Stabenow; Michigan Governor Rick Snyder; and Sandy Baruah, Detroit Regional Chamber president, CEO. The Export-Import Bank of the United States has opened its new regional export finance center at the U.S. Export Assistance Center...
DHL Express Renews Lease at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol DHL Express has renewed its lease agreement at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for another 10 years. Wouter van Benton, managing director of DHL Express, and Andre van den Berg, director of Schiphol Real Estate, signed the agreement on Jan. 28. DHL Express has been located at Anchoragelaan, at Schiphol Southeast, since 2006....
US Steel Imports Rose 16.9 Percent in 2012 U.S. steel imports in December 2012 totaled 2.3 million tons, a decline of 13.9 percent from 2.7 million tons in November, according to American Institute for International Steel. Imports plummeted month-to-month because many buyers minimized inventory and reacted cautiously as the "fiscal cliff" approached at the end of the year, said David...
LaHood to Step Down as US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation since 2009, today announced that he will not serve a second term for President Obama's Cabinet. He said in an e-mail to DOT employees that he plans to stay on until his successor is confirmed. LaHood was the only Republican in the president's...
Canadian Pacific's Profit Plummets 93 Percent Class I rail carrier Canadian Pacific Railway reported profit in the fourth quarter of 2012 was C$15 million (about US$14.9 million), plummeting 93 percent from $219.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Quarterly revenue was $1.5 billion, rising 6 percent from $1.4 billion in the same quarter in 2011. A $185...
ILA Negotiations: Not Over Yet What's remarkable about the latest twists in the longshore labor negotiations for East and Gulf Coast ports is the muted reaction from shippers. Maybe shippers are simply weary of being whipsawed by five months of contract expirations and strike deadlines since last September. Maybe they've decided they're ready with contingency plans...
MSC Hikes Europe-Asia Rates Ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. has announced general rate increases from Europe to the Middle East and Asia for the first quarter of 2013. Effective immediately, the rate hike will be $1,500 per refrigerated container originating from Europe to any destination in the Middle East or Asia. Beginning March 10, the increase...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: U.S. Customs and Border Protection This coming year we will continue to see substantive new benefits for the trade community and our economy as a result of the ongoing transformation of U.S. trade facilitation. Government continues to partner with stakeholders to achieve joint solutions that reduce the length and cost of transactions, enhance coordination and...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America One initiative the NCBFAA has worked on for the last several years that will continue into 2013 is the ongoing co-development with Customs and Border Protection of the functionalities needed to make the Automated Commercial Environment a practical operating system. In 2013, we expect ACE to include border/cargo release and...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp What happens in the regulatory arena over the next year depends in great measure on how disciplined Congress becomes. For example, where will budget cuts hit the various regulatory agencies? Will new laws be enacted that require agencies to take on significant new responsibilities but provide no additional funding, staffing...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: Jacksonville Port Authority Among the many issues of critical importance to the nation's seaports in 2013 will be more vigorous coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Congress on prioritizing, funding and actually completing projects to maintain the nation's competitiveness on the international stage. This will require leadership and vision to...
Annual Review & Outlook 2013: International Projects Basel III, a global standard that significantly increases the amount of capital and liquidity that lending institutions must maintain to support their operations, is likely to make trade finance less available and more costly in the foreseeable future. The Third Basel Accord increases the capital ratio to 4.5 percent, plus an...
UK's Tyne Port to Invest in Wood Pellet Business The port of Tyne, Europe's biggest handler of wood pellets, announced plans to invest £180 million ($283 million) in additional facilities to handle, store and distribute imports for the UK's power plants. The port in northeast England, which has capacity for 1.4 million metric tons of wood pellets annually, said it...
High Level of Asia-Europe Cancellations Expected Ocean carriers have become adept at reducing capacity on an ad hoc basis when cargo volumes drop, and this operating strategy could reach a new level next month during the annual Chinese New Year celebration. With indications that factories in Asia will begin closing in early February and remain shut for...
Newbuild uncertainty reigns That is the view of Braemar Seascope's research director Mark Williams. The executive told delegates attending a recent Marine Money conference that there were ...
OOCL launches GRI in 'bastion of stability' tradelane Assuming that the current US east coast labour contract negotiations have been resolved by that date, OOCL is intending to apply a general rate increase effective ...
DP World posts 2.4% rise in volumes DP World handled 56.1m teu across its global terminal network in 2012 - a 2.4% increase over 2011 and up 3.7% when adjusted for the divestment of four ...
New Evergreen service banks on Turkey Taiwanese ocean carrier Evergreen Line is launching a new feeder service in the eastern Mediterranean at the end of January. Offering an improved 10-day service ...
Kranich predicts 2013 peak season for box trades as conditions stabilise Early indications suggest that 2013 could shape up into a considerably better year for container lines than 2012, which failed to match promises in the latter half.That ...
CMA CGM retains calls at terminals sold to China Merchants
Spill totals slide Accidental oil spills from tankers hit a record low in 2012, according to statistics released by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF).
Great Lakes gold mine? Calumet Specialty Products Partners of the US is exploring the feasibility of building and operating a crude oil loading dock on Lake Superior.
Trans Power targets IPO Indonesian tug and barge operator PT Trans Power Marine is planning to list on the Jakarta Stock Exchange next month.
Cash for Turkish ferries The EBRD prepares EUR 33m loan towards three new ships for city of Izmir.
Two vie for run Two US companies are bidding to operate a ferry service down the east coast of Canada to Maine.
Siem ices Garnet lay-up? There is confusion over whether Siem Offshore has shelved plans to put one of its high spec anchor handlers into warm lay-up.
Veteran ro-pax sold Danish ferry company Danske Faerger has offloaded a laid-up ro-pax to compatriot Petersen and Sorensen.
Hanjin Shipping Holdings slips Korean owner Hanjin Shipping Holdings has posted a 25% drop in earnings for 2012 despite revenue rising.
Seaspan to supersize Big spending Seaspan is ready to supersize its already formidable 2013 newbuilding tally, its CEO says.
KDM volumes shrink Ukrainian cargoship owner KDM Shipping has posted a slide in volumes in 2012.
New name on DSX roster Manning & Napier has taken a significant position in Diana Shipping in what is a rare move in the sector for the US investor.
Hanjin closes on orders Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction is closing in on orders for up to 20 ships.
Chios buys panamax Dino Caroussis has stepped into the sale and purchase market to pick up a panamax bulker, brokers say.
Scorpio warning 'minor' A profit warning from Scorpio Tankers has been brushed aside as a minor issue by analysts tracking the tonnage hungry owner.
Mermaid boosts backlog Mermaid Maritime has added to its recent flurry of contracts wins with more work across Asia.
K Line selling again? Japanese owner K Line is reported to have offloaded more bulkers as it trims its fleet.
Schulte ship released A German boxship that grounded on a reef in the Maldives has been allowed to leave.
Provisions cap DSME Provisions which scarred another quarter of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's balance sheet will keep the shipbuilder's stock capped, a leading analyst says.
Tokelau gifts ferry The government of Tokelau in the Pacific has handed over a laid-up ferry to Samoa.
K Line's rating cut Standard & Poor's (S&P) has downgraded the debt rating of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) due to doubts over the speed of its recovery.
Clarksons charts China loss China's shipbuilding industry has seen its newbuilding orderbook cut in half in the past two years with a staggering 90 yards running out of work, Clarksons says.
Sembcorp settles Singapore's Sembcorp Marine has reached a deal to end a row over unauthorised foreign exchange transactions with its former auditor Ernst & Young.
Orlova tug recalled An attempt to re-fix a tow line to a cruiseship adrift off Canada has failed.
China Merchants bags $1bn China Merchants Holdings International (CMHI) has secured a $1bn loan from its parent company.
Polaris plotting IPO Polaris Shipping of South Korea is rumoured to be lining up an IPO just a few months after the biggest deal in its history.
Norway top spenders Norwegian shipowners spent the most money on newbuildings last year latest research from Clarkson shows.
DP World inches up DP World has reported modest growth in the numbers of containers handled worldwide, it emerged Tuesday.
Scorpio set to miss Scorpio Tankers is set to miss analyst's fourth quarter earnings estimates for 2012 it emerged Tuesday.
Biomass to boost bulk Wood pellet exports from the US to Europe have jumped 70% year-on-year, latest industry figures show.
ICTSI raises $100m International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) has tapped the bond market for the second time in a month raising $100m.
Shell eyes US exports Shell is teaming up with Kinder Morgan have joined the growing number of companies looking to export LNG from the US.
NS budgets $2 billion for asset improvements The largest expenditure, $831 million, will go to maintenance and replacement of tracks, crossties, ballast and bridges to ensure reliable and safe operations. Another $420 million will be used to buy new locomotives and other equipment.
Commentary: English football and liner shipping
LaHood confirms he'll step down from DOT The U.S. transportation secretary has been coy about his intentions in recent months, but department watchers expected him to leave after one term. A few months ago he said he hadn't decided on whether or not to stay.
VPA to hold hearing on terminal privatization Both APM Terminals and a group that includes Maher Terminals and JPMorgan IIF Acquisitions LLC have submitted bids to privatize the VPA terminals under the state's Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995.
Washington Notebook: Report provides update on U.S. export strategy
U.S. exporters praise Japan beef trade agreement Japan is currently the No. 2 market for U.S. beef exports in terms of value and No. 3 in volume (143,900 metric tons or 317.2 million pounds) valued at $969.8 million through the first 11 months of 2012.
Rotterdam needs LNG bunker tanker Port authority could help procure the investment.
IFO prices firm in Fujairah Markets generally stable.
Prices show mix movements across Europe Congestion eases in Rotterdam.
Seaspan: 'We don't have enough fuel efficient ships' 'As soon as fuel efficiency is taken care of, other things are taken care of accordingly,' says CEO.
Rotterdam annual bunker sales down by a tenth Only MGO sales show year-on-year growth in 2012 in Dutch bunkering hub.
Fuel oil 'supply glut' continues Overhang 'may continue until the start of regional refinery maintenance season.'
Refiner to start offering low sulphur product in March Hyundai hopes to be selling 5,000 mt of low sulphur material a month.
Asian bunker activities to pick up ahead of Chinese New Year Buyers face surcharges in Hong Kong.
Asian IFO prices lack direction Singapore benchmark 380 cSt bunker fuel lost $1.50 pmt.
Rewarding risk If bunker providers play the role of banks in the shipping casino, there has to be something in it for them.
Conference to discuss ways to build US LNG bunker market Forum will look at end-user challenges.
US-based firm to sell New Jersey refinery Hess Corporation will close the refinery by the end of February 2013 and exit the refining business.
The Suez Canal Authority has announced that it will introduce surcharges on transit tariffs through the Egyptian canal for most major cargo vessels, effective July 15.
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