Norwegian owners in budget row Norway's shipowners have accused the government of treachery and warned of serious maritime job losses in the wake of yesterday's 1999 draft budget that could hit them with almost NKr500m ($66.7m) in new levies and lost benefits, including the proposed axing of the state refund they now receive on seafarer wages.
Pressure on Washington to pay bills owed to IMF PRESSURE was growing last night for Washington to pay its bills to the International Monetary Fund as world leaders continued to battle against the growing global financial crisis.
Orlando to build Tourship ferries Mediterranean ferry operator Tourship Group has sealed a deal to build two 1,700 passenger cruise ferry vessels with Italy's Cantiere Navale Fratelli Orlando.
Bourbon ship cash pledge Groupe Bourbon, parent of the Chambon shipping group, has reassured the market that postponement of its planned FFr350m ($61.8m) increase in capital will not prevent it from proceeding with its FFr5.44bn investment programme, two thirds of which is destined for its shipping activities.
Mediocre results hit Delmas French north-south liner specialist Delmas has admitted to "very mediocre results" from its core Europe-West Africa services during the first half of 1998, and has also suffered difficulties on its Africa-Asia and Europe-Indian Ocean services.
Aberdeen port investment reaps rewards ABERDEEN Harbour Board's continued investment in the port is paying dividends in attracting new shipping services - Nor-Cargo is introducing a roll-on roll-off service carrying containers, trailers and general cargo between Aberdeen and the continent and between Aberdeen and Scandinavia; Concorde Container Line has launched a container feeder shipping service between the port and the continent.
Nigerian lines win legal dispute over tariffs THE shipping industry in Nigeria has come out on top in a battle to stop the Nigeria Shippers' Council - and by implication the ministry of transport - from interfering in contracts of affreightment between shippers and the lines or their agents.
D'Amato concern ties up China deal A Naples-based shipping company controlled by part of the D'Amato family is reported to be in final negotiations with the Hudong shipyard in China for a pair of dry bulk panamax vessels.
Philippine lines boost market share WG&A and Negros Navigation Corp (Nenaco) are capturing a larger share of cargo and passenger movement in the Philippine domestic trade
Lineas Pinillos starts expansion drive SPANISH container operator Lineas Pinillos has begun an anti-cyclical expansion programme, which will soon add two more second hand vessels to the fleet.
Coast Guard threatens Sulpicio with lawsuit THE Philippine Coast Guard will file a lawsuit against Sulpicio Lines if the company refuses to fund the clean-up operations of the oil spill from a sunken vessel.
Third SuperSeaCat launched SEACONTAINERS has launched its third SuperSeaCat fast ferry at Fincantieri's Muggiano yard.
Navion develops radical new vessel NORWEGIAN company, Navion, in association with Finnish naval architects ILS, has developed a radical new vessel to recover oil from beneath the ice in shallow Arctic fields.
Liberia representative attacks 'old guard' LAWRENCE Barchue, a Liberian representative to the IMO, launched a blistering attack on attempts by traditional maritime nations to retain control of world maritime affairs.
Ailing French yard receives surprise offer AILING French shipyard, Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre, which is seeking a backer, has received unexpected interest from Cherbourg-based Construction Mecaniques de Normandie.
Tanker sale boosts Premuda ITALIAN shipowner Premuda has more than doubled its pre-tax profit in the first half of this year, thanks to the sale of a tanker..
Grimaldi assaults Med cruise market FERRY and ro-ro operator Grimaldi Group is tackling the out-of-season Mediterranean cruise market by deploying three cruise ships.
American Classic to order in US AMERICAN Classic Voyages will sign a letter of intent with an American shipyard for the construction of two new cruise liners within the next few days.
Mercur sells Jahre Viking to parent NORWEGIAN shipping group Mercur Tankers has entered in a heads of agreement with its parent company Loki to sell the world's largest ship.
LA awards pier 400 contract LOS Angeles has awarded a contract covering the design of the transportation corridor that will connect the port's new Pier 400 development with the Alameda Corridor.
SCI eyes Cochin for tanker orders STATE-OWNED Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is likely to place further orders for tankers with Cochin Shipyard.
South Korean shipbuilding orders slump THE pace of South Korean shipbuilding is slowing down, with orders for September 84 per cent lower than a year earlier.
US Ocean Reform Act passes Senate AFTER being cleared by the US Senate late last week, a long-awaited bill to deregulate US container shipping will become law on May 1.
Preussag denies Hapag sale talks PREUSSAG has refuted German media reports that P&O Nedlloyd is in talks over purchasing Hapag-Lloyd's container shipping activities.
SCL réorganise ses dessertes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Ainsi qu'évoqué précédemment, la coopération qui s'était établie entre l'armement Delmas et SCL pour la desserte de la COA au départ d'Europe du Nord, allait faire l'objet d'une refonte afin de mieux tenir compte des intérêts propres à chacun des partenaires. C'est maintenant chose faite. Delmas et SCL vont continuer à coopérer, mais d'une manière plus rationnelle, c'est-à-dire que chacun opérera désormais en fonction de ses véritables pôles d'action, de ses propres aspirations, sans plus gêner l'autre dans le cadre de combinaisons opérationnelles. On sait que Delmas n'est guère intéressé par le hub de Las Palmas. Chaque armement opérera donc ses propres services, la coopération s'exprimant par des échanges de slots, d'éventuels échanges d'équipements, alors que l'exploitation des parcs à containers et de la logistique restera séparée.
Intégration des divisions terrestres de Schenker et BTL Un an après la fusion entre le groupe suisse BTL (Bilspedition Transport & Logistics) et le groupe allemand Schenker-Rhenus, ces deux derniers ont réussi à intégrer leurs divisions de transport terrestre d'une telle manière que les services européens sont désormais offerts sous le même nom de Schenker-BTL AG. Les noms Bilspedition, Scansped et Schenker Eurocargo disparaissent donc du marché. De cette fusion est née la plus grande entreprise de transport terrestre en Europe.
URS: une restructuration qui doit aller de pair avec les conditions du plan de la marine L'entreprise Union de Remorquage et de Sauvetage mène actuellement d'importantes discussions avec les syndicats dans le contexte d'une nouvelle restructuration rendue à la fois nécessaire et urgente. D'après les informations dont nous disposons, les discussions, bien que délicates, prennent une allure constructive, les parties concernées réalisant pleinement qu'il s'agit de la survie de l'entreprise. A l'issue du pemier semestre le CA était de 881 mio. de BEF (contre 1,05 mia. en 97), le cash flow était de 13 mio (174 mio.). Quant au résultat net, il était négatif de 66 mio., contre -32 mio. en 97. La perte sera probablement doublée à la fin de l'exercice. Il est donc urgent de redresser la barre, les précédentes restructurations de 96 et 98 ayant été largement insuffisantes.
After a long gestation … Melbourne gives berth to Grainco Nine months after the planning approval process began the Victorian government has given approval to Grainco's $40 million high-tech bulk commodity import-export facility to be built at F Appleton Dock in the port of Melbourne. DCN understands that the long, drawn-out planning process has added 2.5 per cent to the total project development cost. Planning and Local Government Minister Robert Maclellan said that the permit had been issued subject to several conditions. One of these was that the products accepted at the facility were restricted to grains, pulses and oilseeds.
Reform to continue, regardless of govt The Australian waterfront will continue with the process of reform irrespective of the political complexion of the federal government, according to the chairman of P&O Australia Ltd, Richard Hein. Mr Hein said he believed that both major political parties were in favor of further reform and were committed to it. Speaking ahead of Saturday's federal election, Mr Hein said he did not believe that a change or weakening of the coalition government would have any effect on P&O's attempts to press ahead with major reform, including a reduction of its workforce.
Asian crisis? What crisis? Despite widespread claims that over-tonnaging in the North and East Asian trades is becoming as endemic as that in the South-East Asian market, lines are pushing ahead with improved services employing larger, faster or more ships. With Maersk's recent decision to set up its own five-ship Australia-Japan/Korea/Taiwan operation, with former partners Cho Yang and Blue Star Asia slot chartering (the latter on an interim basis), COSCO's Sino-service fleet upgrade announced last week (DCN, 30 September), several lines announcing additional China direct calls and persistent rumors Taiwanese giant Evergreen is evaluating a new five-ship service, it's not surprising freight rates have continued spiralling downward even in the face of declining volumes.
GNR opens Dynon terminal Locomotive hire company Great Northern Rail Services turned a new page in its five-year history on 1 October when it officially took over the lease, formerly held by Toll Holdings, on a multimodal terminal at Dynon Road, West Melbourne. GNR managing director Paul Moore said it was expected Victoria's gas crisis would result in the company's new facilities being heavily utilised.
Tanks, but no tanks The absence of unloading facilities in Victoria has prevented one of Australia's leading LPG gas suppliers, Boral Energy, from taking advantage of a federal government offer of a 75 per cent cut in rail charges on gas or gas substitute shipments into the state to help ameliorate the gas supply crisis. Announcing the decision on Friday, Federal Transport Minister Mark Vaile said the cut in charges would provide rail operators such as NR, Toll, FCL, SCT and Patrick with a "great incentive" to substantially increase supplies of LPG in bulk or cylinders, or substitutes such as LNG or diesel fuel, to Victoria.
Four European carriers have formed a joint logistics venture to market services on the continent. Netherlands-based Royal Nedlloyd Group, Dubois Group of France, Saima Avandero of Italy and DanTransport Holding, a unit of the Danish engineering firm FLS Industries A/S, will market services under the name E1, and the partnership will be based in Rotterdam. The move is based on the assumption that more firms will make the move to pan-European distribution.
Alfred E. Kahn, the father of deregulation, is having some second thoughts on rail deregulation. The railroad industry seems to be operating with impunity, according to Kahn. As the number of competing railroads has been reduced from dozens to four today, Kahn notes that it's not uncommon for shippers to have access to just one railroad at either origin or destination. He strongly criticized the Surface Transportation Board for failing in its mission to provide a remedy for railroad market abuse. Kahn compares the railroads' bottleneck ratemaking with airline predatory pricing. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will decide a case brought by captive shippers concerning bottleneck rates; the STB refused shippers a change to those rates or to require competitive access.
The list of 132 Teamsters union officials earning at least $100,000 a year is top heavy with supporters of James P. Hoffa. At least 98 Hoffa supporters are in the "$100,000 Club," according to the list compiled by Teamsters for a Democratic Union. TDU is supporting Tom Leedham in the upcoming Teamsters union election against heavily favored Hoffa. Neither Leedham nor Hoffa are in the $100,000 Club, which takes on more significance this year as the Teamsters' net worth has plummeted to under $4 million from $151 million in 1992.
Despite meager gains in intermodal business over the last three years, Burlington Northern Santa Fe chief Rob Krebs says he has no plans of letting intermodal take a back seat to traffic that can bring in larger margins. Krebs believes large capital investments and an increased focus on customer service will bring about a turnaround. Speaking at the Intermodal Association of North America's annual conference, Krebs acknowledged that rail mergers have bred lousy customer service. To help address the problem, he has instilled two shared values on his railroad: listening to customers and empowering employees.
China may prove to be a tougher target for Federal Maritime Commission sanctions over port reform than Japan was. Those who deal with the Chinese shipping fraternity say the world's biggest nation may retaliate with sanctions of its own against American ships. Already talks between the two powers over fair maritime shipping policies have hit rough seas. New Marad Administrator Clyde Hart is just back from a mission to China and one official familiar with the talks said, "China has decided to dig in its heels."
Southern Air Transport is calling it quits after 51 years. The airline, which had a colorful past as a formerly owned entity of the CIA, shut down all operations, leaving its customers scrambling to find alternative lift. The airline, plagued by financial problems for the past several years, tried desperately to get another airline to buy it. When two potential mergers left SAT standing at the alter alone, the company decided bankruptcy looked like its only option. Papers to that effect were expected to be filed.
Starbucks brand of high-test caffeine is coming to a grocery story near you. That's because of a new alliance with the Seattle-based coffee pusher and Kraft Foods. Such "co-branding" is the rage for companies to exploit and expand consumer loyalties. Starbucks is at the leading edge of this trend - it has seen its retail channel grow from its 3,500 retail shops to more than 25,000 outlets. There's so many places serving their Joe nowadays that the joke is, "They just opened another Starbucks in my neighborhood - in a Starbucks."
Optum is showcasing a new product, The Configurator. The Configurator, a warehouse management design tool, allows users to easily and graphically design their warehouse or distribution centers and cut and paste definitions from one warehouse to another. The company anticipates that new application will dramatically speed up warehouse design times. The company also spoke about enhancements it will be adding to three other applications, as well as release dates for the new versions.
Is your shipment of Canadian livestock and grain delayed? You're not alone. Harassment of shipments by officials in five Western states - North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Utah - has caused Canadian officials to call "foul" against Washington in formal consultations on the issue. Canadians claim U.S. harassment violates the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization rules. But the head of the Manitoba Trucking Association says all the fuss is no big deal - Canadian truckers are just detouring around South Dakota. Considering total bilateral trade approaches $500 billion between the two North American giants, the livestock and grain dispute is not viewed as a major stumbling block.
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