Containership fleet shrinks The world's fleet of cellular containerships decreased by four ships and 4,822 slots in January.
ABS fleet grows The fleet of ABS classed vessels has surpassed 100 million gross tons--the first time that the ABS fleet has exceeded this mark since the ship order boom of the mid-1970s.
Big waterjets Kamewa, now a subsidiary of the Marine Division of Vickers plc, has entered into an agreement with FastShip, Inc. to design and develop the world's largest ever waterjets.
Crescita record (+19%) dei viaggiatori che cercano itinerari e standard di alto livello su navi piccole Le crociere navigano nel lusso I cantieri italiani favoriti nella conquista di una decina di contratti per la costruzione di nuove unità
Civitavecchia, prima del Giubileo i lavori del porto saranno conclusi
AP Møller in $240m deal for Safmarine liner shipping arm DENMARK'S AP Møller is to buy Safmarine's liner shipping arm for $240m, signalling the break-up of the diversified South African shipping group.
Swan Reefer head calls for calm over Ugland SWAN Reefer's new managing director has called for a period of calm as the company pursues talks over its $240m debts.
Bergesen warns of storms ahead BERGESEN, Norway's largest shipping group, yesterday said a slow tanker market would contribute to weaker operating profits this year, after reporting a 10.4% decline on that figure for 1998.
Concordia expects SKr50m profit SWEDISH tanker specialist Concordia Maritime is forecasting a profit for the current year despite a widely-expected fall in freight rates.
Artha Rimba master violated law Indonesia's maritime authorities and shipping community yesterday expressed shock at the loss of more than 300 lives on board the wooden hulled Artha Rimba.
Germany strike threat as wage talks fail A major strike in the German engineering industry now seems a distinct possibility, following the breakdown of talks in all regions.
Shipowners new victims of Internet sting SHIPPING, one of the world's oldest businesses, has been stung by one of the newest, the Internet.
Tugs wars TUGS WARS: Ready for the fight ahead, newly-arrived Kotug vessels line up in Bremerhaven as the company attempts to break into the German market.
Maersk acquires SCL A P Moller/Maersk has acquired Safmarine Container Lines (SCL) for a total $240m.
AP Møller wins SCL for $240m THE sale by Safren (Safmarine and Rennies Holdings) of its liner business Safmarine Container Lines (SCL) to AP Møller for $240m will become effective retroactively from January 1 1999.
Passenger ships head detentions list THE Tokyo MOU campaign to inspect ships requiring ISM certification reveals passenger ships as the worst offenders.
Concordia hit by dip in vlcc earnings LOWER earnings of its vlccs and scheduled dry dockings of four ships have reduced the 1998 profit of Concordia Maritime.
Adsteam tight-lipped on Holyman merger AUSTRALIAN towage operator Adsteam Marine has declined to comment on reports that it may be negotiating a merger with the troubled Holyman transport group.
Estonia bodies not to be recovered THE Swedish government has decided that bodies in the sunken ferry Estonia will not be recovered after consulting the governments of Estonia and Finland.
Explosive solution fails on stranded vessel US Coast Guard officials yesterday failed in their attempt to burn off remaining fuel supplies by detonating explosives aboard the grounded woodchip carrier New Carissa.
Swan sells reefer stake SWAN Shipping, the Norwegian owner of roro and bulk vessels, has changed its name to Bulk & Roro Shipping following the sale of its stake in Swan Reefers.
Tankers collide in the Philippines A DOMESTIC oil carrier has been in collision with another inter-island tanker near the refinery of Petron Corp in the Philippines.
Better financials lift Bergesen A SHARP fall in financing expenses helped Bergesen, the Norwegian bulk shipping group, to increase its pre-tax profit by 46 per cent.
Indian LNG joint venture cleared INDIA'S Ministry of Surface Transport has cleared,with a few modifications, the lng joint venture involving Enron, Mitsui OSK Lines and the Shipping Corp of India..
Keppel FELS warns of bleak outlook CONTINUING low oil prices and reductions in exploration and production expenditure by most oil companies heralds a bleak year for offshore construction, says Keppel FELS.
Profits leap for Jurong Shipyard SINGAPORE'S Jurong Shipyard yesterday announced a 58 per cent growth in net profit in 1998 on the back of a healthy increase in repairs and conversion work.
US pressure mounts on steel imports PRESSURE is growing in the US Congress for legislative action to curb the surge in steel imports from Asia, Russia and Brazil.
Canal commission slated over liability denial A PROPOSAL put forward by the Panama Canal Commission to deny liability for damage to vessels transiting the canal has been slammed by the International Chamber of Shipping.
Ship operators seek share of productivity cake SHIP operators will be pressing hard for better stevedoring rates and services in Australia now that stevedores are boasting about improved productivity.
Ship-shore interface is millennium bug threat THE interface between ships and the shore is more likely to cause problems associated with the millennium bug than deficiencies with the ships themselves, according to the ICS chairman.
Intertanko opens Singapore office INDEPENDENT tanker association Intertanko has announced it will be inaugurating its new Asian representative office in Singapore on March 1.
SCL passe sous contrôle de AP Møller/Mærsk Line On s'y attendait un peu, aussi la nouvelle n'est guère surprenante: SCL (Safmarine Container Line) et ses activités affiliées ont été reprises par le groupe AP Møller pour la somme de 240 mio. de dollars (8,40 mia. de BEF - 208,23 mio. d'EUR). La transaction deviendra officielle dès l'approbation par les autorités officielles.
Flandre: le décret portuaire doit être mis en pratique dans les plus brefs délais Steve Stevaert, le ministre flamand des Travaux Publics, du Transport et de l'Aménagement du Territoire entend concrétiser les arrêtés d'exécution du décret portuaire, qui a été approuvé à l'unanimité, dans les délais les plus brefs. 12 à 14 arrêtés seraient nécessaires. Un certain nombre d'entre eux, comme la création d'une commission de concertation pour la promotion et les tarifs, la désignation d'un commissaire régional qui contrôlera les ports ou le transfert des actions de la MBZ de la région à la ville de Bruges, devraient être rapidement concrétisés. Les aspects concernant l'inventarisation des charges historiques qui ont pesé sur les ports flamands prendront par contre davantage de temps et nécessiteront l'intervention d'un bureau externe.
Une nouvelle année record pour le port de Liège L'année dernière, le port public et privé de Liège a traité quelque 24.533.870 t. Un nouveau record pour le port mosan. Par rapport à 1997, une croissance de 661.859 t, soit 2,77%, a été notée. Rappelons que dans le courant de la denrière décennie, le trafic dans les ports liégois a progressé d'environ 10 mio. de t, ce qui revient à un peu moins de 1 mio. de t par an.
L'entreprise portuaire prête pour le millénaire le 30 avril prochain Tous les systèmes informatiques de l'entreprise portuaire d'Anvers seront fin prêts pour le passage à l'an 2000 d'ici le 30 avril prochain. C'est ce qu'a communiqué le directeur-général Eddy Bruyninckx à l'Union Anversoise pour l'expédition et la logistique (UEA). Suite à une circulaire de la Confédération des Expéditeurs de Belgique (CEB), l'UEA avait adressé une lettre à huit instances afin de vérifier dans quelle mesure elles sont prêtes à affronter le bogue du millénaire.
Over-capacity both ways: O'Dea Most trades are over-tonnaged on either an inward or outward leg but the United States-Australasia trade is over-tonnaged on both legs, according to the general manager of the Australia-New Zealand Direct Line, Brian O'Dea. Mr O'Dea, speaking at the Ports, Shipping and Waterfront Reform conference in Sydney this week, said the growth in capacity in this tradelane had far outstripped the growth in trade. He said in order to gain an elusive competitive edge, the lines had hurdled each other to provide greater port ranges and fixed-day sailings.
'Slight headway' in P&OP talks This week's enterprise agreement talks between stevedore P&O Ports and the Maritime Union of Australia have made slight headway, but there is a still a long way to go. While the discussions for a new document to cover Container Terminals Australia Ltd in Sydney have made some progress, the gap between the parties remains substantial. So substantial, in fact, that a satisfactory conclusion is unlikely despite a next round of meetings scheduled for middle of next month.
Geraldton and MUA gear up for March court case The Geraldton Port Authority continues to run a skeleton stevedoring pool while it fulfills an undertaking to retain them until after its Federal Court battle with the Maritime Union of Australia next month. On 25 March, the GPA will go to court to fight a conspiracy case filed by the MUA which is also trying to prevent port management from privatising its workforce and dismantling an Integrated Port Labour Force (IPLF) agreement. The case was filed last year after the GPA launched a reform program and announced it wanted to stop providing stevedoring labor. The port granted licences for stevedoring services to Cooperative Bulk Handling, P&O Ports and WA Mercantile.
ASF is major step forward The formation of the Australian Shipping Federation is a major step in the development of a more sophisticated representative body for the shipping industry of Australia, according to the organisation's chief executive, Lachlan Payne.
Mobil Shipping Forms VLCC Joint Venture Mobil Shipping and Transportation Company (MOSAT) announced today that it had formed a joint shipping venture with two premier Greek shipping organizations, the Onassis Group and the Petros J. Goulandris Sons Group, to acquire two very large crude carriers (VLCCs). The vessels will be employed in Mobil's worldwide system under long-term charters with the Onassis Group and the Goulandris Group collaborating in the technical management of the vessels. Delivery is scheduled for the fall of 2000. The new joint venture company, MARCARE Shipping Co., in which all three partners hold an equal share, will be the owner of the two high quality, state-of-the-art, double-hull VLCCs to be built by Hyundai. Heavy Industries. MOSAT President Gerhard Kurz said the new company follows the pattern of other joint ventures MOSAT has formed over the last four years, benefiting from third party financing and combining the experience and capability of three leading companies in the shipping industry.
ABS Classed-Fleet Passes 100M GT Mark U.S. ship classification society ABS reported that the fleet of vessels it classed had passed 100 million gt for the first time since the ship order boom of the mid-1970s. ABS, which is the third largest classification society in terms of tonnage, reported the increase was partially a result of computer-based ship design technology it had introduced. The society had secured 22 percent of the current newbuilding orderbook.
Kamewa To Build World's Largest Waterjets Kamewa has entered an agreement with FastShip Inc. to design and develop the world's largest ever waterjets for the first of four 36-40 knot vessels which will provide seven day door-to-door North Atlantic transportation.
Oslo Bors rops The Oslo Stock Exchange reacted well to market influences in January, leading to a record advance in the first week of the year. These influences included signals from Norges Bank that activity levels in the economy, and merely the crown exchange rate alone, will influence interest rates. In addition, higher oil prices and stock exchange advances worldwide fueled the strong market surge in Oslo. In late January, oil prices dropped back and the stockmarket followed suit, before Norges Bank's interest rate cut at the month's end gave stocks a new boost. Maritime shares had risen by approximately 20 percent halfway through the second week of January, but a correction in the middle of the month halved the gain. The All Share Index rose a solid 9.5 percent in January and the Shipping Index advanced 10.6 percent.
Explosives Fail To Ignite Fuel, Save Environment Experts detonated explosive charges aboard a grounded 639-foot (195-m) cargo ship late last Wednesday in an effort to burn off its remaining fuel and limit environmental damage as a fierce storm threatened to break up the leaking freighter. But incendiary grenades that were set by a team of Navy specialists apparently failed to ignite the 400,000 gallons of fuel oil aboard the disabled vessel, authorities said. As thousands of gallons of gooey oil washed up along five miles of central Oregon's pristine sandy coast, state and federal authorities concluded that it was safer to try to burn the fuel aboard the New Carissa rather than risk a more serious spill.
Cruise Prospects Look Good For '99 And Beyond Cruise bookings in 1999 are off to a strong start, with Carnival and other lines showing solid sales growth as North America's cruise operators sail into an era of gigantic ships, including one featuring an ice rink and a rock-climbing wall. Carnival Cruise Lines, a leading cruise operator owned by Carnival Corp. of Miami, reported its single biggest bookings day on Monday, when 21,190 berths were ordered, or six percent more than the previous one-day high set Jan. 27, 1998. Carnival Cruise's 1999 year-to-date individual bookings were up 16 percent versus the same days in 1998, the line's best year ever, according to Carnival President Bob Dickinson.
EU to make play for SatCom market? The European Commission urged European Union governments to throw their backing behind the development of a new generation of satellite technology to tap into huge industrial applications and reduce dependence on the U.S. and Russia.
Kvaerner Nabs Fast Ferry Contracts Kvaerner ASA won deals to build three fast ferries worth a total of $35.9 million. It said it had signed one contract with Egyptian Amco worth $24 million and another one with Turkish Shipbuilding, of which it did not disclose a price. Kvaerner said it was to build a Jumbo Cat 60 for Amco, representing the yard's second contract with the Egyptian ship owner.
ZF Marine Takes Over Renk S.E.E. (Masson) The ZF Marine Group signed a contract with the Renk AG for the take-over of their subsidiary Renk Soci't' Europ'enne d'Engrenages (S.E.E.) S.A. Roland, an important addition to the group, adding the potential for expansion into workboat markets worldwide.
Gulf Island Fabrication Director Resigns Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. announced that Stephen G. Benton, Jr., a director of the Company since February 1998, has resigned.
Alafouzos set for fightback GREEK shipowner John Alafouzos (photo) has his back against the wall. A junk-bond issue launched last year has run into problems and now the ITF is pursuing ships in a joint-venture fleet he runs with Romanians over non-payment of crew wages. He is pledging to battle against an adverse market by ploughing more money into his private operation.
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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