Brussels says Oui to Hapag-Lloyd merger with CSAV The two carriers become the world's fourth-largest container player
Egyptian tanker achieves one of the year's highest rates for naphtha voyage Vessel will haul 75,000 tonnes of Middle Eastern naphtha to Japan on September 15
Delhi demands lead to uncertainty as Indian LNG tender deadline looms Owners are 'reluctant' to build three of Gail's nine vessels in India
Empros orders two ultramaxes at Imabari Conventional liner operator adds to dry bulk wing
More land-based crude storage will free-up Iran's tankers But expanding Kharg Island may weaken the VLCC freight market
Low-sulphur regulations will push up bunker costs, warns Ulrichs Rickmers-Linie plans fuel surcharge to cover emission-control area ports
No deal - DSME and Excelerate Energy end $2bn FSRU talks South Korean shipbuilder takes yet another hit as it seeks to expand its offshore orders
Franbo Lines to launch $4m IPO in Taiwan Kaohsiung-based handysize specialist seeks to expand fleet
SMM 2014: performance retrofits cut ER Schiffahrt fuel bill by $400m A $30m investment in boxships creates a 15% fuel-saving and pay-back within eight months
Slovak diplomat Sefcovic named as transport commissioner Politician from a landlocked country replaces Kallas at revamped directorate
HHI picks up more LNG tanker orders Petronas exercises one option while Hyproc is finalising deal for up to three ships
Los Angeles and Long Beach trial a drive to speed up trucks Free-Flow tackles congestion, air quality and security as larger vessels loom
JT Cement books the world's first dual-fuel bulker North European joint venture builds a coastal carrier whose engine can use LNG
Commercial excellence seen as future battleground for box lines Lines need to develop a deeper understanding of customers' businesses, Asia conference told
Revenue management seen as key to improving liner profitability Shipping lines urged to better understand implications of every box move across the network
Bromma branches out to Singapore Swedish firm looking to Asian market for future growth
Firms that order counter-cyclically gain a competitive advantage Private and state-backed players can move more strategically than their listed rivals
Overcapacity makes banks cautious about box lines' earning prospects Recovery will begin in late 2016, when newbuilding deliveries slow, says DVB
Global politics likely to rule out single antitrust regulator for shipping Will 2M and P3 be considered to be "in the same boat" by the Chinese regulator?
Anek ferry sent to house Libyan legislators Elyros anchored in Tobruk on 40-day charter
Yard Talk | Korean majors seek to address offshore woes HHI and SHI make moves after recent lacklustre performances
Maersk hits the spot Pricing shift by Danish line hailed as 'brave and heroic' step
Car carriers increase calls at Hambantota Port Car carriers are increasingly using Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka for vehicle transshipment with the number of ship calls more than doubling to 161 in the nine months to September 2014 from last year. The number of vehicles handled, most from Indian, Japanese, and South Korean manufacturers,
Bids invited for €11.9Bn EU transport offering The European Commission has invited member states to present the port and other transport infrastructure projects they want to put into a competition for a first tranche of European Union transport funding totalling €11.9Bn ($15.4Bn). Member states have been given until 26 February 2015 to
Cuxport backs new wind farm technology Together with Dutch company Ballast Nedam Offshore, terminal operator Cuxport has developed an alternative technique to transport and install monopiles at the Amrumbank West wind farm. Based at Germany's North Sea port of Cuxhaven, Cuxport's multifunctional terminal handles the monopiles, which are
Nodosa wins Canlemar TSHD order Spanish shipbuilder Nodosa has won an order for a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) from returning compatriot shipowner Canlemar. The TSHD will have an overall length of 61.58m, beam of 12.5m, depth of 4.5m and is scheduled for delivery in September 2015. It will be Spanish flagged, classed by
Short-term outlook weak in VLCCs, brighter skies ahead A high number of VLCCs looking for a charter in the Gulf is depressing spot freight rates in the short term, but contango and seasonal demand increase paint a brighter picture a few months ahead, shipping analysts say. "Earnings for VLCCs trading in the AG/East trade took another hit yesterday.
LNG exporters approved in US Cameron LNG and Carib Energy received final approval to export US-sourced LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries. The US Department of Energy's (DoE) 10 September authorisation allows Cameron to export up to 1.7Bn cubic feet of LNG per day for 20 years (roughly 12M tonnes/year) to non-FTA
CKYHE alliance to have almost 90 big box ships The CKYHE alliance comprising COSCO, 'K' Line, Yang Ming, Hanjin Shipping, and Evergreen Marine Corp could have 89 very large container ships after 'K' Line placed orders for another five 14,000teu ships on Tuesday. IHS Maritime's Sea-web data shows COSCO now controls 24 VLCS while 'K' Line has 10
St Peter Line foresees life after sanctions Sergei Kotenev, chief executive officer of Russian ferry company St Peter Line (SPL), admits that passenger numbers are down by 10% this year. He cites economic reasons and the Sochi Olympics for the reduction, when for two months both SPL ships were chartered as floatels. "The company is doing well
IMB PRC concern over pirate hijackings Anti-piracy watchdog, International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) has expressed concern over a new rising trend of pirate attacks in Southeast Asia with cases of hijackings of small coastal tankers carrying oil and diesel. "The recent increase in the number of successful
Ezion still best choice for offshore marine Singapore-listed offshore services providers, Ezion Holdings, remain the top pick in the offshore and marine market, according to Lee Yue Jer, offshore and marine analyst from DMG & Partners. He sets a target price of SGD2.50 ($1.97) per share, while the company's stocks currently traded around
Daishin recommends Korean shipbuilding stocks Investors should consider buying Korean shipbuilder stocks only after confirming stronger recovery signals in late October, said Daishin Securities in a research note. Daishin Securities commented that the recovery in orders remains weak and that only after the shipbuilders release 3Q14 results
HHI develops automatic painting spray head Hyundai HI (HHI) has unveiled the world's first automatic spray head for painting the bottom parts of ships. The automatic painting spray enables the paint to spread evenly across the surface, saving 20% of the paint used compared with the manual method where painters have to bend their necks
CMES inks deal with Jotun China Merchant Energy Shipping (CMES) announced yesterday the inking of new contracts with Jotun Hull Performance Solution (HPS) to upgrade the antifouling solution on its VLCC newbuildings on order with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC). "We actively respond to the call of energy saving and
Bulker deliveries hit eight-month low Just 27 bulkers were delivered in August, marking an eight-month low. Deliveries have not been so low since December 2013, when 33 bulkers were delivered, according to IHS Maritime's Sea-web data. The data shows that in August, three Capesizes, 10 Panamaxes, four Supramaxes, one Handymax and nine
DSME loses contract for eight FSRUs South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering confirmed to IHS Maritime today that a contract to build up to eight floating storage and regasification units (FSRU) for US-based LNG transporter Excelerate Energy has fallen through. DSME, South Korea's third biggest shipbuilder,
Sembcorp Marine invests in steel fabrication Singapore-listed offshore services provider, Sembcorp Marine, will invest SGD222M ($175.6M) in a multi-functional steel fabrication facility. Sembcorp Marine says this will enhance automation and productivity at its offshore rig building, conversion and production and shiprepair businesses. The new
Nicaragua Canal construction to begin in December Construction on the controversial Nicaragua Canal will begin in December, a member of the Nicaragua Grand Canal Commission has confirmed. The Hong-Kong-based HKND Group will start construction on two ports associated with the canal as early as December, commission member Telemaco Talavera said. The confirmation affirms speculation that the massive project...
Carriers that stuck with the Panama Canal to receive toll discounts Shipping lines that have maintained their all-water Panama Canal services rather than diverting their business to the Suez Canal can look forward to receiving discounts when the third set of locks opens in Panama in early 2016. Jorge Quijano, administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, told the South Carolina International Trade...
Labor uncertainty cuts into West Coast volumes Ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and in British Columbia continue to benefit from unsettled longshore labor negotiations on the U.S. West Coast. Logistics managers have been whipsawed by this year's protracted contract bargaining between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, and by congestion...
The new supply chain paradigm Omnichannel, driven by e-commerce, is the dynamic new business model to sell across channels for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets. Even more, it has created a new supply chain paradigm. It is strategic, competitive and a disrupter to traditional selling. Omnicommerce has redefined and expanded markets and customers. Its value applies...
Manila port congestion could last into 2015, officials say Congestion at the Port of Manila could last well into the first quarter of 2015, Philippine officials say, despite measures made to help clear the cargo clogging the port. Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, during a budget hearing, said the public should expect more traffic and continued holdups at the Port of...
New LA-LB terminal gate program could reduce truck turn times PierPass Inc. is launching a program in Los Angeles-Long Beach that could lower truck turn times for large importers to as little as 11 minutes, compared to the 45 to 60 minutes it generally takes now when terminals are operating efficiently. The concept behind Free-Flow, as the program is called, is...
Shippers, carriers say challenges will be overcome Shippers and carriers are confident they will overcome the problems that plague their industry such as port congestion, equipment shortages and complexity in logistics caused by carrier alliances, but they are not there yet. "The industry is going through a lot of change," George Goldman, APL's head of commercial for the...
Fatal U.K. accident, long jail term spotlight truck driver fatigue A British truck driver who killed two cyclists in a fatigue-related accident last year and then crashed into another truck weeks later will spend more than eight years in prison. The case and the severity of the sentence underscores international concern about truck driver fatigue and the enforcement of daily work...
EU approves merger of Hapag-Lloyd, CSAV EU antitrust authorities on Thursday gave Hapag-Lloyd the approval it needed for a merger with Chilean carrier CSAV. The approval clears the way for Hapag-Lloyd to become a stronger presence in the north-south trade between Europe and North America in the north and Latin America in the south. "The north-south trades will...
BNSF to end Fresno-Chicago intermodal services BNSF Railway will end its weekly intermodal services between Fresno, California, and Chicago, in early December, citing a need to consolidate its services to "provide more consistent and frequent" service for California Central Valley shippers. The services - offered five days a week to Chicago and four days a week for trains...
Hub expects higher costs from switch to company drivers Hub Group said it expects its costs to rise at least temporarily with the company's conversion of its 350 California drayage drivers to company employees in order to settle litigation alleging they were misclassified as independent contractors. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Hub said it expects to pay up...
Kremlin OKs Russian Railways' Europe-Asia deal with Belarus, Kazakhstan The Kremlin has approved Russian Railways' financial contribution to an intermodal joint venture with the state railroads of neighboring Belarus and Kazakhstan that is targeting a major share of the growing overland container traffic between Europe and China. Russian Railways will transfer 50 percent, plus two shares in JSC Transcontainer, Russia's...
FMC chairman aims to ease port congestion The chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission is on a mission to help ports address their congestion problem, which seems to be getting worse. "Terminal efficiency and port productivity - this is the discussion of the day," Mario Cordero told the South Carolina International Trade Conference this week. The commission's game plan...
Fixing capacity through alliances? The future of the liner shipping industry took another step toward clarity with the Sept. 9 announcement of the formation of the Ocean Three, or O3, Alliance. The grouping will unite three carriers that until now had been unaffiliated with a major east-west alliance: CMA CGM, United Arab Shipping Co....
Retailers sign for DC space as China business grows China's logistics property investment is continuing at a rapid pace as retailers sign leases for specialized distribution centers to support their mainland expansion plans. Robust demand for retail and e-commerce logistics is providing warehouse property developers with a constant stream of business in both tier one cities along the coast and...
EU approves merger EU regulators have approved the deal to integrate the liner division of Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) into Germany's Hapag Lloyd.
V.Ships' Danish debut V.Ships has unveiled plans to open a new office in Copenhagen after hiring a Navig8 executive.
Navig8 links with ST Shipping Navig8 has entered into a commercial management joint venture with Glencore's ST Shipping in a bid to boost its presence in the aframax sector, market sources said this week.
Rem back to bonds Rem Offshore has raised NOK 500m ($78.7m) from its return to the bond market.
NewLead out of Nasdaq NewLead Holdings is finally set to exit the Nasdaq Stock Exchange after numerous efforts to retain its public status ultimately failed.
SALT's baby bond grows Scorpio Bulkers is set to pocket more money than it initially expected from its baby bond issue.
Solstad trio taken Solstad Offshore has secured employment for its three open platform supply vessels (PSVs).
Turkish bulker refloated A Turkish bulker that ran aground in the Aegean Sea last week has been successfully refloated, the Greek coastguard said on Thursday.
Rongsheng firms oil deal Debt-ridden China Rongsheng Heavy Industries has continued its effort to diversifying away of shipbuilding by completing its entry into the energy sector.
Towage snag for Pac Basin Pacific Basin Shipping has seen a customer of its towage business enter administration owing close to $9m.
DHT to take flight DNB Markets has high hopes for DHT's share price and profitability after the owner completed the purchase of the Samco VLCC fleet.
Boa keeps Polar Queen Boa Marine Services has extended a charter agreement for one of GC Rieber's construction support vessels.
Wager on wind The future of offshore shipping is wind power, delegates at SMM in Hamburg were told on Thursday.
Mind the gap Big players and consolidation are now needed if the offshore wind sector is not to be saddled with "multi-useless" ships, according to one industry player.
See you in court Iraq and Marine Management Services (MMS) will go head-to-head in court in January in a $300m dispute over alleged Kurdistan crude exports, unless a settlement is achieved.
Duo in at Hoegh Partners Two major investors have emerged as backers of Wall Street newcomer Hoegh LNG Partners.
Barclays boosts OOIL bets Cost cuts and the arrival of large eco newbuildings have led Barclays Capital to lift earnings expectations for Hong Kong-listed boxship owner OOIL.
Winland bulker arrested Winland Shipping has seen one of its bulkers arrested by Singapore's admiralty sheriff, latest court documents show.
MSC's jumbo job Fincantieri has inserted a new mid-body section in the first of four MSC Cruises ships being 'jumboised' at the Italian shipbuilder.
NEWS FLASH: EU rules on merger of Hapag-Lloyd, CSAV container businesses The transaction will make Hapag-Lloyd the fourth largest container shipping company in the world, with some 200 vessels, an annual transport volume of 7.5 million TEUs, and a combined turnover of about 9 billion euros ($11.6 billion).
Ex-Im Bank to get 9-month extension The federal government's export credit agency appears to have gotten a lifeline with news out of Washington that House Speaker John Boehner has enough Republican support to pass a measure to temporarily extend its authority through June.
Executive moves
U.S.-flag shipping is a tale of two sectors Members of the House subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation heard two very different assessments from different segments of U.S.-flag shipping on Tuesday during a hearing to explore the status of the U.S. Merchant Marine.
L.A./Long Beach terminals seek to speed cargo
FMC announces another port congestion forum Agency will hold a third public meeting in New Orleans on Nov. 3 to gather information from Gulf region port operators and users about gate congestion that is harming the short-haul trucking sector and delaying delivery of goods to businesses.
TPP continues taking shape Members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership finished 10 days of meetings Wednesday in Hanoi, making what they claim to be "important progress across a range of issues" as they work toward concluding the comprehensive agreement.
ICS pleads with IMO member states to consider shipowners' concerns Wants MEPC 67 to 'address some very important issues' to avoid confusion and market distortion.
Fuel oil stocks up week-on-week 'Fuel oil arrivals into Asia to pick up next month.'
Bunker prices falling in European hubs MGO at Rotterdam was down by $13 per metric tonne.
Fujairah market turns soft Tight barge availability in Fujairah.
Sweden wants to punish sulphur cheats Aims to have financial penalty system in place by 2015.
Asian bunker market weakens Double-digit fall seen with Busan MGO prices.
ExxonMobil unveils marine lube for low sulphur bunkers The Mobilgard 525 has been developed in 'close collaboration' with engine manufacturers.
New propulsion concept set for market entry Design suited for LNG carriers.
LNG no longer a 'niche' fuel Wartsila says it is 'no surprise' that newbuild bulk carrier adopts dual-fuel technology.
Gazprom to supply lubes to icebreaker fleet Russian icebreaker fleet is 'world's largest'.
Sulphur reduction initiatives on the way in China Shenzhen to introduce similar fuel switching scheme to Hong Kong, and central government may support regional ECA.
Spanish shipbuilder ready for LNG bunker tanker orders Receives outfitter's approval from GTT.
Rolls-Royce introduces new line of marine engines Designs include versions fuelled by diesel and gas.
Brightoil expands drilling operations Starts new drill site at Tuzi gas field.
Volatile IFO prices on the Panama Canal Average demand reported at the Central American port.
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