Carriers in for tough year despite high demand Rising fuel prices, tumbling freight rates, piracy and now radiation fears will make this year one of the most difficult in decades for the maritime industry, forcing some carriers out of business.
Japan ship allowed to enter HK A Japanese ship denied entry to a Chinese port over radiation concerns last month was allowed into a Hong Kong port yesterday, owner Mitsui OSK Lines said.
FPSO demand will double this decade Global demand for floating oil production and storage vessels is expected to more than double this decade as surging crude prices allow exploration to move deeper offshore, senior industry executives said yesterday.
Air Canada cuts six North American routes Starting today (11 April) with Calgary (Canada)-London (Ontario), Air Canada is cancelling a number of domestic and trans-border routes that are unprofitable. Another intra-Canadia...
Virgin Atlantic turns into twin jet operator with the Airbus A330 Virgin Atlantic Airways has, for the first time in its history, deployed a twin engine jet on its transatlantic routes. The aircraft in question is A330-300. The inaugural pas...
Man and Scania to collaborate in hybrid technology field The MAN group is considering setting up a collaboration with Scania in the field of hybrid technology. MAN's CEO Pachta-Reyhofen stated that "discussions on the matter...
Dachser takes delivery of 700th Pema trailer The German service provider Dachser recently took delivery of the 700th trailer from the fleet of the commercial vehicle rental company Pema. The vehicle is a dry freight...
Schenker Logistics: successful audit for overland transport products Schenker Logistics recently commissioned Bureau Veritas to audit its quality management system for European land transport. The system focuses on customer requirements and on the o...
Freight train travels 10,300 km from China to Duisburg A DB Schenker container train from Chongqing (China) recently arrived in Duisburg (Germany) after a 10,300 km trip that took less than 16 days. The train, which...
Air Cargo Systems introduces security solution to the air cargo community Air Cargo Systems, a software design and development company that focuses on developing solutions for the air cargo industry and that was founded in Dublin (Ireland) in...
Russia testing load-bearing ability of the BAM route Russian Railways' president Vladimir Yakunin has reported that a trial with freight train weighing about 6,000 t is taking place on the Baikal-Amur mainline rail route (BAM). The f...
Evergreen, Wan Hai, MOL and Seacon: new joint AEF service Evergreen Line, Wan Hai Lines (WHL), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Seacon are launching a weekly joint service between Singapore/Malaysia and East Africa (AEF) in late April T...
Deutsche Bahn takes whisper brake a stage further Deutsche Bahn is speeding up the pan-European introduction of whisper brakes. The "Europe train", which has been travelling throughout Europe since December 2010, recentl...
General Motors awards supplier prize to DSV The US car manufacturer General Motors (GM) has awarded its logistics service provider DSV a prize. GM praised the outstanding performance and exemplary cooperation with a 'Supplie...
Dachser Food Logistics collaborating with ET Logistik in Poland The food logistics division of the Germany-based international logistics provider Dachser recently began to collaborate with ET Logistics Sp z.o.o in Poland. ET, founded in 1995 an...
Kuehne + Nagel opens new logistics hub for Airbus in France Kuehne + Nagel recently celebrated the official opening of its new aviation logistics hub in Montoir-de-Bretagne in Western France. The facility has been designed to handle the ent...
First freighter from Japan about to call in Bremerhaven The first containership which left Japan (Yokohama) after the nuclear reactor disaster in Fukushima will probably arrive in Bremerhaven on 16 April. A Bremen port authority spokesm...
Fesco carries heavy crane from USA to China Russia's Fesco Transportation Group is transporting a 1,850 t Lampson Model LTL-2600B mobile crawler crane from Kennewick, WA (USA) to China. The equipment is scheduled to arrive i...
Falling rates prompt spot booking rush for VLGCs Eight ships fixed in a week as rate drops 4%
MOL sells 10-year-old VLCC for $51m Japanese line understood to have sold Yohteisan for about 25% less than similar secondhand ships
India and Pakistan buy up ships ahead of Bangladesh reopening Judicial and government officials in Bangladesh have signed the order that will enable Chittagong breakers to get back to business after an absence of nearly a year
First-quarter boxship sales hit a $1bn high The value of containerships sold in the first quarter of 2011 hit a three-year high of $1bn, as larger vessels with greater price tags attached changed ownership
Secondhand Japanese bulkers fetch premium over Chinese ships Japanese-built dry bulk carriers are still achieving premiums over Chinese constructed vessels despite a general trend of falling ship values
Beware false economies Shippers who enjoy paying next to nothing to have their containers moved should contemplate the consequences of a big name going bust
Singapore asked to withhold death penalty for pirates Somali pirates could be freed if Singapore does not remove threat of capital punishment
More ships fail to meet new low sulphur limits Non-compliance rate hits 46% at Dutch ports as new regulations come into force
Glencore gears up for London IPO Move will strengthen its financial base and drive consolidation in its main markets
Nordea Bank allowed to foreclose on arrested Korea Line tankers Court confirms US protection under Chapter 15 does not extend to Singaporean subsidiary
Lines return to Abidjan as European Union lifts ban Abidjan and San Pedro dropped from list of entities subject to the EU assets freeze
Noatum gains control of Bilbao terminal Buys 50% holding it did not own from Orey Group for $6.1m.
Prosecutor says claims against Stolberg substantiated Confirms suspicion of fraud against Beluga founder and former owner
Yangzijiang's March orders hit $214m Wins contracts for four bulk carriers and two boxships
Probe launched into Novorossiysk bunker spat IPPC accused of using market power to boost its share of port's bunkering business
BIMCO urges Nato to clarify Libya embargo Charterers and shipowners at risk due to uncertainty over what type of cargoes can be carried
German group offers war risk cover Launch offers German shipowners insurance cover against war risks in their home market
US shippers fail to see benefits of slow steaming Lines reluctant to pass on savings while shippers have seen increased shipping costs
Samsung Heavy unveils LNG carrier orders worth $1bn Confirms order for four units from Golar and two units from undisclosed shipowner
Flex LNG and InterOil seal FLNG deal Floating natural gas production units to be constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries
Refinancing deal secures Isle of Man services New ownership structure in place after group of banks refinance ferry operator
TransContainer volumes soar 23% Intermodal operator's volumes up as Russian import boxes surge
Baltic NOx plan takes inspiration from Norway Swedish scholar says scheme for whole region is needed, along same lines as Norwegian shipping fund model, to prevent destruction of the ecosystem
PPRISM to shed new light on EU ports Port users urged to take part in research that will establish a clearer picture of EU ports system
European modal switch schemes attract 2010 Marco Polo funding Projects will get share of the '57m ($81m) funds earmarked under the 2010 Marco Polo allocation
Schenker upbeat on China rail freight link Aims to establish regular freight rail link between China and Germany later in 2011 year
CKYH lines beef up Asia-US capacity To upgrade its AWE-5 service, repalcing current vessels with larger ones
Who would be a mouse on the capital markets? Compared to tankers and dry bulk, containers are the flavour of the month from the investor's point-of-view
Training is cheaper than accidents We all need to get to grips with technology ' and if owners provided proper training and preparation we might even succeed
Swedish emission measures make little impact The Helsinki Commission estimates that there are over 2,000 vessels in the Baltic Sea at any one time
FPSO demand seen doubling WITH FPSOs the only valid option for the growing number of deepwater oil fields, Stig Hoffmeyer said today he sees growth ahead for the sector
Quake survivors can use MOL cruise ship MOL'S CRUISE ship Fuji Maru stopped today at Ofunato's Nonoda wharf, the first of three Japanese ports where survivors of last month's giant earthquake can use its facilities
Railcar company sold A RUSSIAN railcar transport company has been sold to Universal Cargo Logistics of Amsterdam
Russia raises its crude output in March RUSSIAN crude production reached 10.14M barrels in March, according to the latest official release
Ince forms a legal alliance in Singapore INCE & Co has become the first English maritime law firm to forge a formal law alliance with a Singapore law firm
Once-barred ship allowed to dock MOL PRESENCE, which was turned away from Xiamen because port officials feared it had high radiation levels, has been allowed to call at Hong Kong
Palm oil spike warned BROKERS expect better business for chemical tankers this month because Indonesia is about to cut taxes on palm oil exports
Breaker battle starts JUST AS its Bangladeshi rivals finally received legal endorsement to reopen for business, India's shipbreakers are snapping up tonnage before the South Asian monsoons
IPO aims to raise $150M PT BERLIAN Laju, Asia's biggest operator of chemical tankers, has launched an IPO for its subsidiary PT Buana Listya Tama
Biggest Trucking Companies Get Bigger The select group of trucking companies with more than a billion dollars in annual revenue expanded last year, as three...
Railcar Owners Draw 22,667 More From Idle Fleet Railcar owners across the U.S., Canada and Mexico took 22,667 cars of various types out of storage during March, shrinking...
DOT Stimulus Payouts Top $27 Billion The Department of Transportation is still sending checks to states under the 2009 stimulus package, with reimbursements for completed work...
CN Increases Container Fleet CN acquired more than 1,000 new containers, which the railroad expects to use to serve manufacturers and distributors of grocery...
Diesel Rockets Past $4 Mark Diesel prices soared 10.2 cents last week to a national average of $4.078 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy...
US Container Imports to Grow 9 Percent in April Containerized imports at U.S. ports in April are projected to increase 9 percent over April 2010, which would mark the...
Top Trucking Companies Expand 9.4 Percent in 2010 Top Trucking Companies Expand 9.4 Percent in 2010 Study shows 50 largest U.S. for-hire carriers increased revenue to $85.4 billion William B....
Ship Finance International Orders Four Ships Ship Finance International placed a $230 million order for four vessels with a capacity of 4,800 20-foot equivalent units each,...
DOT Obligates $300 Million in State Rail Grants The Department of Transportation got a flurry of rail grants locked in just under the wire last week, obligating over...
FMCSA Releases Mexican Trucking Plan The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released plans Friday for a new pilot trucking project with Mexico "to test and...
Washington State Locks in $145 Million Rail Grant Washington state and federal officials reached agreement to formally obligate another $145 million to that state's passenger rail program. The...
Qatar Airways Orders Three Freighters Qatar Airways will add three 777 freighters to its fleet, the carrier announced Monday, speeding up the expansion of all-cargo...
Moody's Upgrades DP World Moody's upgraded the credit rating of DP World a notch to investment grade. The ratings agency April 11...
CKYH to Enhance All-water Loop, Add Ports The CKYH alliance among Cosco, "K" Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping is restructuring and upgrading its all-water services from...
BA, Iberia Cargo Units to Run as One International Airlines Group, formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia, announced it will run the carriers' cargo operations...
Waiting at the Gate Two years after container ship lines began moving away from their 55-year-old practice of supplying U.S. customers with intermodal chassis,...
France Launches Tender for Seine Nord Canal France launched the final tender for a company to build and operate a canal that will link Paris to Europe's...
Japan to Conduct Radiation Checks on Ships Japan is set to start radiation checks on ships and containers leaving three main international ports in and near Tokyo...
Toyota Slows North American Production Toyota said its North American vehicle plants will operate on a reduced schedule during the next several weeks to conserve...
Claim Denial: A Case of Bad Timing Q: Would you be kind enough to give me your thoughts on the following issue? 1. Shipper files a...
Diversionary Tactics Is Canada using unfair advantage to lure U.S.-bound containers through its ports? The issue soon may be getting new attention...
Trucking's Capacity Squeeze From the manufacturing floor, the trucking business has rarely looked better. Orders for new Class 8 trucks are streaming into...
Hub Group Buys Capacity Intermodal marketing giant Hub Group demonstrated its faith in the economic recovery last week with the $83 million acquisition of...
Yusen Logistics Comes to America On the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of two parts, NYK Group is creating a global...
Southern Draw Virginia is dangling its 50-foot-deep harbor as a fisherman dangles a lure. While Georgia and South Carolina squabble over...
Pressure Points for the Peak After three volatile years, operators serving the transportation supply chain in the trans-Pacific are gearing up for a solid, though...
Economic Baby Steps The global economy is still on a growth trajectory despite a pair of surprise blows that could nick trade volumes...
Making Market Adjustments In the world of container shipping contracts, 18 months can seem like an eternity. But Michelin has started signing such...
Trans-Pacific Turmoil Because I write only once a month, I have the benefit of time to prepare and review my writing, and...
LaHood's 'Roadmap to the Future' Using inland and coastal waterways to haul more cargo-laden containers and trailers would add "abundant and cost-effective new freight capacity,"...
Bidders Line Up for DOT Grants Department of Transportation officials will quickly sort through a pile of applications as they prepare to redistribute $2.43 billion in...
Letters - April 11th 2011 Edition Extinguishing Mexican Cargo Crime It's true that cargo security is a concern in Mexico, but Kansas City Southern believes...
Boom, bust; boom, bust: there must be a better way! A week is a long time in politics and shipping: but a year is an eternity; just ask the newly-troubled liner companies who are struggling to come to terms with another big dip in their fortunes as 2011 gallops away through an open stable door into financially pot-holed future pastures.
Fuel costs also blamed for TCC's demise
Mombasa in staffing crisis
DB Schenker also boosts Southampton's rail services
NewLead sinks to loss Greek bulker and tanker owner falls short in the fourth as fleet expansion fuels a surge in expenses.
Bogazzi tipped as buyer Brokers unmask Italian owner as mystery buyer backing $32m assault on Atlantska Plovidba handymaxes.
AMSC CEO steps down Greg Matecki abandons top post after holding dual roles at Oslo-listed product tanker owner for little more than a year.
Greeks chop trio in India Bangladeshi scrap ban has ended but brokers and buyers are still waiting for the big boom as owners cut ships in Alang.
Stolt continues buy-back SNL looks to splash out $47m repurchasing common stock.
Hugo: let's boss pirates Norden chairman says stronger naval mandate needed to prevent "simple criminals" from threatening ships.
Greek tied to MOL VLCC Japanese giant collects $52m from tanker sale as Altomare splashes cash to replace recently scrapped single-skinner, brokers claim.
MOL's mercy mission Japanese owner sending cruiseship to offer earthquake victims food, showers and rest.
Pirates net record haul NS Lemos paid a huge $13.5m to free the VLCC Irene SL from pirate hands, gang member boasts.
Coastal scoops tug deal Malaysian shipowner and shipyard group lands order for eleven vessels.
Srab losses grow Swedish tanker owner posts bigger annual loss as revenue drops and operating expenses soar.
Seadrill continues spree Oslo and US-listed driller takes Samsung option to push spending by John Fredriksen's listed companies past $1.6bn today.
Frontline in share bonanza Top executives at John Fredriksen's company rake in share options worth nearly $500,000.
Samudera crew's SOS Indonesia pledges to keep working to free Sinar Kudus from Somali pirates as master says some colleagues are increasingly weak.
Wan Hai back in black Taiwanese container line boosted by higher revenues last year after loss-making 2009.
Japanese automakers adjust to disruption Toyota said Friday it is scaling back production and suspending operations for five days in North America beginning this week due to shortages of parts from Japan, which is in the throes of recovering from last month's massive earthquake, tsunami a...
Bersin: Customs reforms to include brokers Discussions are underway within U.S. Customs and Border Protection about how to simplify the entry process for foreign-made goods, expedite release for trusted shippers and possibly allow quarterly payments of duties and fees, Commissioner Alan Ber...
RailAmerica to buy three Alabama short lines RailAmerica Inc. said Monday it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of three short line freight railroads in the state of Alabama for $12.7 million. The three railroads -- the Three Notch Railroad, Wiregrass Central Railroad, and the Cone...
Two new board members for NOL The NOL Group has appointed two new members to its board directors, the company said Monday. NOL is the Singapore-based parent company of liner carrier APL and APL Logistics. The new additions to the company's board are Low Check Kian, chairman, A...
BIMCO, Videotel Marine offer e-learning BIMCO and Videotel Marine International have joined forces to produce and launch a new BIMCO eLearning Diploma Program (BeDP). Videotel has developed a Learning Management System comprising of a highly focused, Web-based, e-learning package to del...
Maersk Line Ltd. operates prepositioning ships Maersk Line Ltd. has been awarded a contract for the operation and maintenance of two ships in the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command's Maritime Prepositioning Force. The U.S.-flag operation of A.P. Moller - Maersk will provide personnel and marine...
CYKH amends Asia/U.S. East Coast network CKYH Alliance carriers said Monday they are amending their service network between the Far East and U.S. East Coast at the end of April. Three of the alliance's five services in the trade are affected, most notably the AWE-5 service, which will sa...
Ship Finance to build 4 containerships Ship Finance International Ltd. said Monday it has agreed to build four 4,800-TEU new containerships at a state-owned shipyard in China with scheduled delivery in 2013. The aggregate construction cost will be about $230 million, with a majority of ...
Pirates release tanker, take cargo ship The European Union' Naval Force Somalia - Operation Atalanta (Eunavfor) said pirates released a very large crude carrier last week, but captured another cargo ship off the coast of Oman. The VLCCIrene SLwas released from pirate control on April 7...
Fujairah market firms In Cape Town deliveries available up to and including April 25.
IBC: Shipowners face 'major risk' in choosing solutions Fear of investing in the 'wrong solution' to meet upcoming emission regulations and responding to growing environmental demands.
Clean Shipping Index adopted by Swedish port "It is a great step forward,' says Index project leader.
Rotterdam and Hamburg fuel oil prices stable Product avails tight due to continuing strikes in Piraeus.
Order-books show owners want 'fuel efficient fleets' South Korean yards say orders are up 70% year-on-year.
Rotterdam's 'most advanced bunker tanker' undergoing sea-trials 13,500 mt capacity Vorstenbosch expected to come on station next month.
CYE Petrol launching bunkering service outside Turkey Ready to offer low sulphur MGO on the Danube river near the Black Sea.
Double-digit hikes in Asian MGO prices Mixed demand at key Asian bunker hubs on Monday, local traders say.
India's Mumbai bunker spill cost country $16 million Claiming $8 million from each side's P&I club, says chairman of India's National Shipping Board.
Bunker station starts ops at Australian port Port Jackson starts supply of MGO to commercial and recreational vessels.
Glencore to announce $10 billion dual IPO Set to announce the launch of the Hong Kong and London IPO on Thursday, reports say.
Chinese bunker supplier to expand in Qingdao Huifeng 'to buy more refuelling ships' to expand bunkering business in Qingdao, sources say.
Rotterdam energy firm establishes bio-LNG bunkering facility Ready to start first bio-LNG bunkering operation by September 2011.
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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