Fredriksen muscles in on suezmax tanker interest Global suezmax fleet expected to keep low and manageable unless latest orders spark mass rush to yards
London Gateway moves forward with logistics ambitions DP World confirms logistics firm Import Services as operator of its new common user facility
Denmark reiterates zero tolerance for SOx cheats With new sulphur-emission rules three months away, compliance and enforcement issues are unanswered
VLGC rates slide below $100 per tonne Faith still firmly in VLGC market, despite dip
Haifa and Ashdod privatisation set for next three years Mediterranean ports are included in government's privatisation programme
Tankers, get ready Fourth-quarter flashpoints reshape autumn-winter crude and product tanker markets
MOL Comfort more vulnerable to buckling collapse than other ships, says owner Mitsui OSK Lines says ClassNK's investigation proves its technical argument
Singapore owners planning insurance and finance push Exciting times ahead, argues Patrick Phoon
Hapag-Lloyd suspends Rotterdam surcharge German carrier joins Team Lines and Contargo in removing additional cost to customers as cargo flows return to normal
Ports are key to BHP Billiton cost push Mining giant launches productivity drive to become China's cheapest iron ore supplier
Greek ferries must clear out 'marginal players', says Grimaldi 'The time for sleeping and daydreaming is over' - Minoan boss urges owners to end 'a lose-lose situation'
Israel to sell off state-owned ports Israel's finance ministry has announced a three-year programme to sell off state assets including its two main ports as a means of strengthening its capital market and reducing the country's national debt. Israel's cabinet met on Sunday to approve the proposal and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Fos expands straddle carrier fleet The Eurofos terminal based at the French port of Fos is to receive 12 electric straddle carriers from Cargotec subsidiary Kalmar to expand its fleet and replace older equipment. Straddle carriers can cost around $1.25M each, but speaking to IHS Maritime a Kalmar spokeswoman declined to give the
Cadet programmes and young officers should not be rushed Shipping companies should not try to speed up cadet programmes nor too quickly promote young officers as those concerned need time to build up skills to meet challenges, a young merchant navy officer said. "You can read in a book how to repair an air conditioning plant, but you can only learn it by
ECA cheating uncovered A Maersk executive has claimed that lax enforcement has resulted in some ship owners devising methods to dodge fuel regulations in emission control areas and getting away with it. Speaking at the Cleaner and more Energy Efficient Shipping in Copenhagen on 6 October, A.P. Moller- Maersk (APMM)
Sungdong secures LR 2 tanker pair South Korean shipyard Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has secured an order for two long range 2 (LR2) tankers from Greek shipowner Thenamaris. Sources confirm the owner has ordered two 115,000dwt vessels at a cost of $56.25M each and although no delivery schedule has been disclosed it is
Green light for Sagar Mala First mooted by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, the Sagar Mala (Garland of the Seas) project to build regional port systems in every costal state has now been confirmed by the Shipping Ministry. The project was initially shelved by the United Progressive Alliance coalition that
West Africa security small steps New security guidelines for ships operating in West Africa still rely on seafarers to protect themselves, according to experts. The guidance must be used in conjunction with BMP4, which was created for Somali piracy in the High Risk Area (HRA), and issued last week by a group of international
Shipping confused about onboard livings conditions, says company exec The increasing complexity of shipowning makes it difficult to define who should be held responsible for conditions on board, according to Joseph Cox, president and CEO of Chamber of Shipping America. He told a conference examining the role of the seafarer as part of global quality shipping during
DFDS invested heavily to cut emissions Danish short-sea shipping specialist DFDS has spent DKK1Bn ($166.4M) installing scrubbers on its ships and using marine gas oil and LNG to power its ships. Its environment director Poul Woodall told delegates at the Cleaner and Energy Efficient Shipping seminar in Copenhagen that the company spent
New Sovcomflot litigation milestone A decade of lawsuits in UK courts relating to fraud allegations has reached another milestone with a judgement against state-owned Russian shipping major Sovcomflot in the High Court in London. Justice Andrew Smith has granted Yury Nikitin, a former Sovcomflot chartering partner, an inquiry into an
Shipowner, seafarer organisation should have role to enforce MLC compliance The organisations of shipowners and seafarers should be given joint responsibility to enforce legislations such as the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), said Joseph Cox, president and CEO of Chamber of Shipping America. "Governments are reluctant to criticise other governments. Therefore ship owner
MLC compliance reports should be public The compliance reports filed by countries that have ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) should be made public to allow proper scrutiny, according to Bill Rogers from Seafarers' Rights International. In 2014, the responsibility to file these reports falls to 32 countries, of which only 20
Seven candidates for KOGAS LNG carrier tender Seven candidates will compete for a Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) tender to timecharter six LNG carriers for 20 years. KOGAS, world's biggest LNG importer opened the tender only to South Korean companies. The ships must be South Korean-flagged and built domestically as well. The seven carriers
Cleaner fuels 'need not be expensive' Switching to cleaner fuels is not as expensive as some ship owners think, especially when viewed in the context of health issues. Speaking at the Cleaner and More Energy-Efficient Shipping seminar in Copenhagen today, Danish Ecological Council senior advisor Kaare Press Kristensen said that if
Ebola threatens shipping, executive warns A shipping executive has spoken out about the growing threat posed by the Ebola virus to the industry. Ian Claxton, Managing Director of dry bulk operator Thoresen told IHS Maritime that the deadly virus not only threatens crews, but also risks disrupting the supply chain as increasing numbers of
Cargo 'still reaching occupied Mosul' Cargo movements in southern Iraq have so far been unaffected by the civil war raging in the north of the country, and some services are even reaching the occupied Mosul area, IHS Maritime has been told. "In southern Iraq, we are not presently seeing any disruption to cargo leaving the ports bound
Thailand hikes port fuel surcharge The Port Authority of Thailand has begun collecting an extra fuel surcharge for tug boat and container services at Bangkok and Laem Chabang ports. The rates of the extra fuel surcharge for tug boat service (excluding VAT) in Bangkok Port are for a tug boat of less than 2,000 HP baht 719 / hour
Poor US rail service limiting potential intermodal volume growth A new survey of U.S. shippers suggests poor U.S. intermodal rail service is costing the railroads loads that normally would be shifted from the road to the tracks. Still, surveyed shippers expect to ramp-up their intermodal conversion over the next six to 12 months - even though network fluidity isn't...
Congestion worsens at LA-LB port complex with no relief in sight Congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach grew worse over the weekend, with no relief in sight as late peak-season container volumes descend on the largest U.S. port complex. "The vessels keep arriving and the trucks keep arriving," said John Cushing, president of PierPass Inc., which manages the...
FedEx Ground faces renewed battle over contractor status The long-running battle over FedEx Ground's independent contractor business model now turns to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, which must decide when and how to proceed with 20 class-action lawsuits challenging the classification of FedEx Ground drivers as contractors, not employees. Action in the dispute...
Latvia warns Russian sanctions could hurt ports, railways, economy Potential Russian transit blocks and additional European Union sanctions could hurt both port and railways in Latvia, and cripple the country's economy, Latvia's economy minister said. Minister Vjaceslavs Dombrovskis told RIA Novosti that the talk of Russia blocking transit from European Union countries is beginning to heat up. That, in addition,...
CFO Gattoni to lead Landstar System as CEO Gerkens retires Landstar System is preparing for a change in command next year, when James B. Gattoni, CFO since 2007 and president of Landstar since early this year, will succeed Henry H. Gerkens, CEO of the truckload operator since 2004 and for many years CFO as well. Landstar announced last week that Gattoni...
US Customs' pilot to tackle cross-border cargo processing The director of operations at the largest port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border hopes a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program will bring in more specialized Customs agents and equipment to help prevent truck slowdowns during a current period of exploding cross-border cargo growth. Fred Brouwen, who oversees...
Port performance: Money talks Marine terminal operator John Atkins hit a nerve among cargo interests when he linked port congestion to stagnant rates and their impact on supply chains. "The service level you are getting is what you're paying for," said Atkins, chief executive of GCT USA. "With expenses outpacing the depressed rates, the margins...
Drivers, regulations top list of critical trucking issues Truck drivers - the lack of them and the number of hours they can work - remain the top concern of trucking executives, the American Transportation Research Institute said today. For the second straight year, ATRI put truck driver hours of service rules at the top of its list of the 10...
US shippers temper volume growth but see higher rates U.S. shippers expect volume growth through their supply chains over the coming year to be less than previously forecast, but they are ready to fork over far more money to ship freight as rates for nearly all modes rise. Shippers surveyed by Wolfe Research in August and September said they expect...
Chiquita-Fyffes merger gets EU approval Chiquita Brands International of the U.S. and Dublin-based Fyffes have received the green light from the European Union for their proposed merger, creating the world's biggest banana group after the Irish company released Maersk Line from an exclusivity shipping clause. The two companies also must refrain from drawing up similar exclusivity...
Overcapacity sparks Asia-to-Australia cancellations Carriers are canceling sailings from Asia to Australia to deal with overcapacity and low vessel utilization rates, Drewry Maritime Research says. Loops between Northeast Asia and Australia are showing weak growth compared to other lanes, Drewry said, with a 12-month rolling average of 3 percent volume growth as of the end...
Klaus-Michael Kuehne to give keynote address at TPM 2015 Klaus-Michael KuehneKlaus-Michael Kuehne, honorary chairman and majority shareholder of Kuehne + Nagel, will deliver the keynote address at JOC Group Inc.'s TPM 2015 Conference next March. The three-day event, put on by JOC Group Inc., again will be held in Long Beach, Calif. The annual conference, which is in its 15th...
Kuehne + Nagel Majority Shareholder to Address JOC Group Inc.'s TPM 2015 Conference NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 6, 2014 - Klaus-Michael Kuehne, honorary chairman and majority shareholder of Kuehne + Nagel, the world's largest ocean freight forwarder, will deliver the keynote address at the 15th Annual TPM Conference to be held on Mar. 1-4, 2015, in Long Beach, California, JOC Group Inc. announced today. Kuehne...
Evergreen expands intra-Asia service through slot-charter Evergreen Line is offering a new container service in the intra-Asia trade through a slot-charter arrangement on the recently launched India-Far East Express (IFX) service jointly operated by Hanjin Shipping, Simatech Shipping and T.S. Lines. The weekly IFX will call at Kwangyang and Pusan, South Korea; Shanghai, Ningbo and Shekou, China;...
What goes around comes around In my early shipping days, an industry veteran told me something as appropriate today as it was then: Over time, nothing is really new. The same patterns and issues return. Decades later, that lesson comes to mind as I read about carrier profitability, and the apparent rationale that the wide variance...
Hapag-Lloyd drops Rotterdam surcharge as congestion eases LONDON - Hapag-Lloyd has suspended its Rotterdam congestion surcharge in the latest sign that traffic is flowing more freely at Europe's largest container hub following a summer marred by lengthening delays in cargo handling. The German ocean carrier imposed a 75 euro (U$$95) per-container surcharge on third-party feeder and barge cargoes...
SBLK sells claim Star Bulk Carriers has sold a claim against Pan Ocean of South Korea to an unrelated third party.
NMM targets boxships Diversified Greek operator Navios Maritime Partners is keen on acquiring more tonnage in the months ahead, a leading analyst told clients Monday.
WesPac joins CME's triad Clean Marine Energy (CME) has struck a partnership deal with WesPac Midstream to ensure infrastructure for LNG fuelling projects financed by its Oaktree Capital Management-backed fund.
Bulker blues A Chinese holiday may be to blame for the lacklustre freight rates and limited activity the bulker market has seen over the past seven days, a leading equity analyst told clients Monday.
NNA sees bright horizon A leading tanker owner has emerged as the latest addition to the growing list of owners and industry forecasters who believe freight rates will rally in the months ahead.
OBO hits auction block Embattled Ukrainian operator Vista Shipping is preparing to part ways with a combination carrier (OBO) that landed at the centre of a legal battle in the US.
Tanker scrape probed Singapore manager Eastern Pacific Shipping is investigating how one of its tankers touched bottom off Durban, South Africa, last week.
Rieber extends deal Norway's GC Rieber Shipping is keeping its research ship Ernest Shackleton in the Antarctic for another year.
Mind the $1.4 trillion gap Funding questions are back with a vengeance as shipping looks to find an estimated $1.4 trillion over the next decade, according to a report from Clarksons.
Mercuria's $800m deal International trader Mercuria has bought JP Morgan's commodity unit for $800m.
Bananas gone The European Union (EU) has cleared the ChiquitaFyffes merger on the condition that Fyffes ends its exclusive shipping deal with Maersk.
A final farewell The Danish rail ferry Aerosund II has been consigned to the depths to enjoy an afterlife as a diving attraction.
Tanker disappears A Vietnamese products carrier has gone missing en route to central Vietnam from Singapore with 18 crew on board, officials said on Monday.
Frontline 2012 downgraded RS Platou Markets has removed Frontline 2012's buy rating as the focus of the company shifts from growth to spin-offs.
Troon adds cargoship Scotland's Troon Tugs has acquired a converted cargoship to service a new timber contract.
More vessels join search Two more vessels equipped with specialised technology will contribute to the ongoing search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in early March.
Platou lowers dry sights Concerns over China's reduced appetite for coal has led RS Platou Markets to slice its capesize rate expectations and shift its outlook for the entire dry sector.
More for Maersk Denmark's AP Moller-Maersk has snapped up another DKK 170m ($28.65m) of its own shares as part of a $1bn buyback programme.
Reach extends charter Oslo-listed Reach Subsea has extended a charter contract for one multipurpose vessel (MPSV).
SCI launches Yangon run State-run Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has launched a new boxship service to Myanmar.
BSC's order deadline The state shipowner agreed a deal with China National Machinery Import & Export Corp (CNMEC) to build three 30,000-dwt tankers and three 30,000-dwt bulkers for $171m in May.
Jacobs back in business Former NOL CEO Flemming Jacobs is returning to liner shipping in a directorial role at Israeli carrier Zim.
Gas giants to burn brighter Arctic Securities has elevated its VLGC rate expectations for both 2015 and 2016.
Stowaway dies A stowaway has died after jumping from a Briese cargoship in the North Sea.
Fuel freedom Bangladesh has opened up its bunker industry to private companies to boost supply to ships.
SCI eyes nine Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is close to sealing a deal to take a stake in nine new LNG carriers to be ordered by Gail (India).
Suezmax order surge Improved confidence in the suezmax tanker market has prompted a 'mini' surge in newbuilding orders in 2014.
MES makes multi-gas move Japan's Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding (MES) has developed a prototype medium size multi-gas carrier.
Hedland comes off high Australia's Port Hedland saw iron ore exports declined from record levels in September, latest figures show.
BHP eyes extra output BHP Billiton says it has the potential to further increase iron ore capacity, despite the recent 40% drop in prices.
LNG market's growth to boost demand for specialist crew on tankers Shipping industry one of the market drivers, says J.P.Morgan study.
ExxonMobil's range of hydraulic oils gains approval Line of EALs approved after extensive testing.
Israel's state-owned Haifa Port closes due to strike Length of closure is unknown.
Vietnamese tanker vanishes with crew onboard Officials say piracy has not been ruled out.
IBIA chairman calls on IMO to act on 'poor bunker quality' 'We need to introduce new rules that suppliers and buyers must comply with,' says chairman.
P&O sees $48-million boost in annual fuel bill post-January 1 Still mum on how much surcharge it will impose on customers to recover costs.
LNG players form partnership Two US partners are infrastructure provider and financier.
Ex-US Coast Guard officer joins LNG America To take up operations and safety role.
Ship detention is 'an effective sanction' Detaining a ship for violating sulphur regulations is likely to be an effective deterrent against non-compliance,
Conference to hear 'simple method' for ECA compliance Danish shipowners and Ecological Council to present idea.
OPEC discord driving crude lower Saudi Arabia 'unilaterally lowered' prices for November delivery.
LNG bunker barge contracts attract fierce competition Dearth of orders make 'niche' vessels attractive.
Typhoon forces Japanese port closure Bunker deliveries suspended on Sunday and Monday.
Regulations and fuel costs are shipping's biggest challenges Researchers outline priorities for the next 10 years.
Unmanned vessels to enter Navy's fleet within a year Vessel system adapted from space technology.
Japanese firm develops 'eco' multigas carrier Vessel design to be reviewed.
Indian port confirms commitment to bunkering facility Port in phase two of expansion project.
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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