APL to quit Pacific conference APL is leaving the Transpacific Westbound Rate Agreement to prepare for a deregulated market.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary seafarers in strike vote Seafarers in the 22-ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary have voted more than six to one in favour of industrial action over pay. If the action goes ahead it would be the first time in the 90-year history of the UK's naval support service that its ships have been stopped.
South Korean shipbuilding bounces back A bullish view of South Korea's shipbuilding prospects has been delivered by Daewoo Securities.
NYK set for Showa Line operations NIPPON Yusen Kaisha has created a new department at its head office in Tokyo in order to take over the tramp and short-haul operations from Showa Line, with which it merged at the start of October, writes Kazuo Takita, Tokyo Correspondent.
Still no payout 11 years after Do'a Paz disaster Eleven years after about 4,000 passengers died in what has become known as the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster, not a single cent has been paid in damages to the heirs and survivors of the tragedy.
Chaplain calls for better crew welfare Conditions for Third World seafarers are not improving, Missions to Seamen Port Kembla chaplain Lance Puckeridge said at the launch of of the 'Ship Safe' report in Australia recently.
VLCC demolition boosts market A recent very large crude carrier scrap sale will act as a catalyst for the sale of three other large tankers drifting towards demolition, shipbrokers said yesterday The sale of the Bergesen's 1973-built VLCC Berge Duke was the "yardstick the market has been looking for", a source said.
Norasia to expand transatlantic service NORASIA is expanding its transatlantic service again with the introduction of a fourth ship from next month, and reconfiguring the service to include Mediterranean calls.
New seafarer survey planned A THIRD analysis of global seafarer supply and demand is to be carried out next year, to reflect a millennium head count.
APL resigns from TWRA APL has resigned its membership of the TWRA, citing deregulation and declining effectiveness as reasons.
Passenger volume drops at Stena Line STENA Line has suffered a four per cent drop in passenger volume in the first nine months of the year.
Sweden to link aid with productivity SWEDEN is to link aid to its shipping companies to the ability of owners and trade unions to agree cost effective working conditions.
Philippine Coast Guard to monitor safety THE Philippines government has assigned the country's Coast Guard to oversee maritime safety rules for Philippine-flag vessels on inter-island trade.
ILU underwriting hits negative cashflow CASHFLOW is negative in all three underwriting classes - hull, cargo and aviation - according to ILU chairman, Stephen Redmond.
ERS starts Rotterdam-Warsaw rail shuttle EUROPEAN Rail Shuttle, the Rotterdam-based rail operator, will start a joint rail shuttle on October 17 between Rotterdam and Warsaw.
Cable-layer deal to be signed next month A US internet cable company expects to sign a $700m deal for up to 23 cable laying vessels with one of three South Korean shipyards next month.
Auckland orders Finnish straddle carriers NINE new straddle carriers valued at more than NZ$9m ($4.76m) have been ordered for the Port of Auckland.
Poor seamanship blamed for ferry loss POOR seamanship and failure of the assigned government agency to enforce marine safety rules have been blamed on the sinking of the Philippine ferry Princess of the Orient.
NOL refuses to comment on rail sale NEPTUNE Orient Line has refused to comment on US reports that it is looking for a buyer for the North American rail network contained in its APL unit.
Silja Line assesses prospects for ferry route SILJA Line could spin off its ferry business between Vaasa in Finland and Ume' in Sweden into a separate company next year, when duty free sales end on the route.
Good work undermined, says ACOS The shipping industry is not in a position to bear the additional costs that the current situation on the Sydney waterfront is imposing on it, according to the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Shipping Ltd, John Jenkins. Mr Jenkins told DCN yesterday the situation had resulted in extensive waiting time for a berth and extremely low working rates when alongside. This, in turn, affected forward schedules and working arrangements in other ports, he said. "Notably it is Sydney and Sydney only, but the whole of Australia is affected," Mr Jenkins said.
Govt, Opposition positions still unclear With speculation mounting about whether Mark Vaile will retain his Transport and Regional Development Ministry, government sources close to the minister confirmed yesterday he was keen to retain his portfolio. Sources said, however, that on the eve of coalition meetings scheduled for today to decide the new ministry make-up, it was impossible to say with any certainty whether Mr Vaile would either be reappointed as Transport Minister or transferred to another portfolio. Regarding newspaper reports suggesting that Mr Vaile may swap portfolios with Primary Industries and Energy Minister John Anderson, one source said if that proved to be the case -- given that transport issues were central to much of the policy formulation task in PI&E -- the expertise both ministers had gained would dovetail neatly with their new areas of responsibility.
Farmers stiffen Westrail sale opposition One of Westrail's biggest freight customers this week stepped up efforts to derail the Western Australian government's proposed privatisation of Westrail's freight division, providing fresh evidence that the state's grain growers vehemently oppose the sell-off. The evidence came as new doubts were cast as to whether the sale, first announced by the government in July, would proceed past the investigation stage. The Western Australian Farmers Federation said a phone poll run over the weekend, in which more than 550 farmers responded, had found that WA farmers had overwhelmingly voted to oppose the sale.
Trawler awaits salvage decision Efforts to contain the effects of the oil spill from the sunken trawler Dong Won 529 off Stewart Island will focus on assessing the toll on wildlife, according to the New Zealand Maritime Safety Authority. Authority spokesperson Fiona Cassidy said while there had been no reports of wildlife directly affected by the spill, it could take a few days for them to turn up. Of particular concern to authorities is the rare Stewart Island dotterell of which only 100 birds remain. Bad weather has hampered the search for wildlife casualties, but aerial, boat and foot teams are hoping to scour the area when the weather improves.
Finland Rejects Proposed Merchant Fleet Subsidy The Finnish government reportedly rejected a communications ministry proposal to subsidize shipping companies by approximately $36.7 million a year, raising protests from the industry which believes it will be unable to compete.
Brazil Mulls Retaliation To U.S. Fines On Its Ships Brazil is reportedly considering retaliating against fines being imposed by the U.S. against Brazilian ships calling at U.S. ports but does not want to escalate the dispute yet.
Szczecin Shipyard Signs $120 Million Dutch Deal Stocznia Szczecinska and Dutch shipowner Spleithoff Bevrachtinskantoor have reportedly signed a contract worth more than $120 million for the construction of four ships.
Petromin Shipper To Sell Two Vessels Romania's Maritime and Commodities Exchange reportedly intends to hold a registered offer auction to sell a cargo vessel and a catamaran owned by shipping company Petromin.
CDI Wins U.S. Government Contract CDI Corp.'s CDI Marine Group division has been awarded a contract for phase II development, detail design, prototype fabrication and testing of a Joint Modular Lighter System (JMLS) for the U.S. government.
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