Worldwide Container Shipping news - Archive 2011, November

News was prepared under the information
support of Online Daily Newspaper
on Hellenic and international
Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

Canada's tiny Arctic port faces uncertain future

Every summer for three months, the Hudson Bay ice breaks up and ships load Canadian Prairie grain for export, putting more than 100 people to work in the tiny northern Manitoba town of Churchill.The town of just 900 - well known for the polar bears ... »

14 Nov 2011

Vopak enters fast growing Indian market through acquisition of bulk liquid storage terminal in the Port of Kandla

Vopak enters the fast growing Indian market through the acquisition of 100% of the shares in CRL Terminals Pvt. Ltd in the Port of Kandla from a domestic operator.The terminal is one of India’s largest independent storage facilities for chemicals and ... »

14 Nov 2011

“Safeguarding the planet” with a solar- and wind-powered oil tanker

Pay no attention to the 2 million barrels of fossilized dinosaurs inside this ship, en route to the cars that will incinerate them and spew them into the atmosphere.Instead, look at the supertanker’s sails! And its sol ... »

14 Nov 2011

EU nearly banned Filipino seamen due to substandard maritime courses

Filipino seamen were nearly banned earlier this year from manning ships registered with European Union (EU) member-countries as a result of substandard maritime coursesoffered by some Philippine maritime schools. This imminent ... »

14 Nov 2011

Private navy to protect convoys

A private navy equipped with a fleet of patrol boats is scheduled to begin escorting ships through the Gulf of Aden early next year as private security forces take a growing role in the fight against piracy.The venture has been organised by Convoy E ... »

14 Nov 2011

Pirates demand $8 mln for UAE vessel

Somali pirates have demanded a ransom payment of millions of dollars for the release of a UAE-owned vessel that they hijacked last year, Press TV reported.The pirates are said to be demanding $8 million in ransom to free MV Iceberg 1 cargo shi ... »

14 Nov 2011

Schat-Harding Develops IMO-Compliant Safety System

Leading lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding has completed all tests required by IMO to ensure that its SeaCure lifeboat release and retrieval systems(the new name for hooks) meet the new IMO guidelines for existing and new lifebo ... »

14 Nov 2011

Portugal: IMO Authorizes EMSA to Operate LRIT Data Exchange

Operation of the International Data Exchange (IDE) for the Long Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT) has been successfully transferred to the European MaritimeSafety Agency (EMSA) in Lisbon, Portugal.At the 10th session of the Ad Hoc LRI ... »

14 Nov 2011

CaytransBBC introduces regular service to Venezuela and Trinidad

CaytransBBC, a service managed by Dan-Gulf shipping, introduces regular sailings of its break bulk vessels from the US Gulf to Venezuela and Trinidad & Tobago twice a month.The service will load out of Care Terminals in Houston and Alabama State Dock ... »

14 Nov 2011

Box Ships Inc. Reports Third Quarter Ended September 30, 2011 Results

Box Ships Inc., or the Company, a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of containers, announced its results for the third quarter of 2011 and for the periodfrom its Initial Public Offering on April 14, 2011 ( ... »

14 Nov 2011

A snapshot on the economic and shipping environment

The eurozone faces historical times for its future with Greece and Italy shaking the restored confidence that the last summit of Brussels brought in euro. The last week passed with all eyes of the word being turned on Athens and rising fears on r ... »

14 Nov 2011

Falling tanker ship values adding pressure to ship owners

Despite the respite of tanker freight levels during the past week, things haven’t just turned beautiful for tanker owners, especially those with a high leverage. According to London-based shipbrokers Gibson, the pain and the doldrums are he ... »

14 Nov 2011

Privatization of loss making Goa port only a last resort - MP

The shipping ministry has assured that the privatization of the mechanical ore handling division of the Mormugao Port Trust in Goa would only be a last resort.Congress MP Mr Shantaram Naik in a statement issued quoted a written assurance f ... »

14 Nov 2011

Italy: Port of Livorno loses banana trade

The port of Livorno lost banana trade. The U.S. multinational Dole, historic customer of Livorno port wharfs, will use the ports of Civitavecchia and La Spezia in 2012, with a different transportsystem compared to the current one, ie sending bananas ... »

14 Nov 2011

The tracking technology that keeps world ports safe

As a Toyota sedan approaches a busy airport, an Israeli-developed vehicle identity recognition (VIR) system instantly gives security personnel a summary of the car's make and model,the country or state that issued the license plate and the holde ... »

14 Nov 2011

Mexico reopens one Gulf port after bad weather

Mexico reopened one of its three major oil-exporting ports in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday as bad weather eased.The port of Coatzacoalcos reopened but the other two majoroil-exporting ports, Cayo Arcas and Dos Bocas, remained closed, Mexico's go ... »

14 Nov 2011

Throughput of Russian seaports inches up 0.8 percent in Jan-October

Cargo traffic at Russian seaports in January-October this year rose 0.8% over the same period last year to 443.9 million tons, the Association of Sea Commercial Ports said.According to ASOP statistics dry bulk transshipments increased by 8.7 percent ... »

14 Nov 2011

“Environship” – from idea to reality

On the 18th of October, Norwegian ro-ro operator, Nor Lines, signed a contract ordering two liquefied natural gas-powered (LNG) vessels to be built by China’s Tsuji Heavy Industries.The building of the two new Nor Lines vessels signifies the realizat ... »

14 Nov 2011

Analyst Says Container Line Mergers Likely

Further consolidation of container shipping lines is likely as carriers seek to cut costs, expand market share and bolster balance sheets, said Peter Stokes, senior analystand head of shipping at investment bank Lazard.“I believe that we will final ... »

14 Nov 2011

Pakistan shipping corporation loses interest in $40m loan

Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) has seemingly lost its interest in getting the $40m loan from Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) that they had applied for,due to a recent dip ... »

14 Nov 2011

Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited : Q2 FY2012 Results

The net profit for the company was significantly affected by the Rupee depreciation during the quarter. The impact of the exchange difference for the quarter ended 30th Sep, 2011was a negative Rs. 35.88 cr. on a stand-alone basis, and Rs. 20 ... »

14 Nov 2011

Falling freight rates dragging down Zim

Israel Corporation will publish its financial report for the third quarter of 2011, which will include the results of its wholly-owned subsidiary Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd.All signs suggest that Zim will report losses even heavier than its ... »

14 Nov 2011

Kenya’s Somali incursion cuts piracy costs in Indian Ocean

Kenya’s operation against Al Shabaab in Somalia has helped reduce ransom demands on captured ships as pirates seek to close deals before a battle between the militants and Kenyan forces at Kismayo.Shipping experts said ... »

14 Nov 2011

U.S. Goes Public with Support for Hired Guns Against Piracy

Somalia Report leaked the internal memo from Hillary Clinton directing all regional embassies to pitch the use of armed contractors on board ships. This is in line with and expands uponthe UK’s approval of private security companies on just their shi ... »

14 Nov 2011

Oil for the Lamps of China a Quick Update

In the early days of oil transport kerosene, the revolutionary new form of lighting, found a rapidly expanding market for lamps in Asia. India and China were big importers and the kerosenewas shipped in five gallon cans, which were prized al ... »

14 Nov 2011

Dry bulk freight rates likely to remain weak: ICICIdirect

``In the near term, dry bulk freight rates are expected to remain weak owing to expected weakness in rates of capesize vessels owing to lower demand due to high levelof Chinese iron ore inventory. Over the longer term, excess supply of tonna ... »

14 Nov 2011

Shipping slump to deepen in 2012 –Citi

Prospects for dry shipping are set to remain poor for two to three years as the sector struggles with a glut of vessels, while crude tankers face more pain in 2012 as economicproblems add to supply pressures, Citigroup's shipping chief said.China's ... »

14 Nov 2011

Outsourcing ship supply for a happier, more productive crew

As fuel and raw material prices continue to rise and shipping prepares for another challenging year ahead, the need for shipowners to deliver optimum efficiency within their operations is greater than ever. Shipowners are increasingly ... »

13 Nov 2011

Nigerian Ports and the Effects of Repositioning

In recent times, Nigerian ports have started to show signs that the reforms initiated by the Federal Government over the years have started yielding fruits, writes John Iwori who has been following the developmentsThere have been many reforms initiat ... »

13 Nov 2011

Yangtze port container volume rises 22.8 percent in Jan-September

The Yangtze River Administration Authority expects container throughput of ports on the river is expected to top 10 million TEU by the end of this year while overall volume will hit 1.6 billion tonnes, Xinhua reports.From January to ... »

13 Nov 2011

China imported iron ore stocks up 1.5 pct in week ending Nov 11

Inventories of imported iron ore at major Chinese ports rose 1.5 percent this week to end at 96.3 million tonnes, up for the fourth consecutive week, data from industry consultancy Mysteel showed on Friday.Shipments from India, which has imposed a b ... »

13 Nov 2011

Sri Lanka's Hambantota port 'not deep enough'

The Sri Lankan government has continuously misled people over Hambantota Port, the main opposition United National Party (UNP) has said.Concern has been raised by the UNP overthe port's maximum depth of 17m, which it says is not deep enough for un ... »

13 Nov 2011

International Container Terminal Service 9 month income up 39% to $101.4 million

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has reported consolidated unaudited financial results for nine months ending 30 September 2011, posting revenue from portoperatio ... »

13 Nov 2011

GPCA seeks more measures to stem attacks of pirates

The Gulf Petro-Chemical & Chemical Association (GPCA) expressed alarm on the mounting maritime piracy.At its recent Supply Chain Conference in Abu Dhabi,a survey was conducted where over 83 percent of the participants consider piracy a real and tangi ... »

13 Nov 2011

Global Offshore to buy 3 more ships; to invest Rs 750 cr

The Mumbai-based Global Offshore Services plans to acquire three new vessels to take advantage of the expected buoyancy in demand for offshore oilfield services.Order for one of them, costing around $50 million, is expected t ... »

13 Nov 2011

Saga Tankers plunges to the depths

Soon to be wound up Saga Tankers reported a net loss for 3Q11 of $104.3 mill.However, the net loss adjusted for impairment charges, loss on sale of vessels and amortisedborrowing costs was $2.3 mill. These are non-cash items, the company said. Gross ... »

13 Nov 2011

Hainan Launches China-West Coast Service

Hainan P O Shipping in December will expand its trans-Pacific service by adding a North and Central China string to the West Coast, adding to Shanghai-based carrier’s weeklyservice between South China and Long Beach.The carrier is bucking the trend ... »

13 Nov 2011

Marines to Build Mock Container Ship for Counter-Piracy Training

The Marine Corps is planning to build a three-story mock container ship on a plot of land at Camp Lejeune, N.C., so special operators can practice clearing out pirates from hijacked vessels.The 12,000-square-foot land-locked ship will have a wheelho ... »

13 Nov 2011

First quarter improvement for ASL Marine

ASL Marine booked a healthier set of results for its first-quarter ended 30 September 2011 on higher contributions from its shiprepair and chartering businesses.The Singapore-listed company posted net profit of S$8.5m ($6.6m) d ... »

13 Nov 2011

Armed guards on ships could be an offence, says minister

Shipping firms which place private armed security guards on ships passing areas where pirates operate risk criminal prosecution, justice minister Ivo Opstelten said.Jumbo Shipping from Rotterdam and Vroon Shipping based in Breskens have both said th ... »

13 Nov 2011

Indian ship thwarts piracy attempt in Gulf of Aden, 26 pirates arrested

Indian Naval ship, INS Sukanya, thwarted a piracy attack in the Gulf of Aden and captured three boats of the pirates.A statement from the Defence PRO says the incident happenedyesterday when INS Sukanya was escorting a group of merchant ves ... »

12 Nov 2011

Diana Shipping Inc. Announces Time Charter Contract for M/V Erato

Diana Shipping Inc., a global shipping company specializing in the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels, yesterday announced that it has entered into a time charter contractwith Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. Ltd, Seoul, Sout ... »

12 Nov 2011

Lloyd’s Register and Chandris (Hellas) Inc. join forces in the first holistic Fleet Ship Energy Management Programme

Well established ship manager, Chandris (Hellas) has chosen Lloyd’s Register to provide a wide range of ship energy efficiency services. Chandris’ aim is to enhance its in-house capacity to identify appropriate key performance indicators ... »

12 Nov 2011

Tanker fixtures rise in October offering ship owners hope for a brighter future

In its latest monthly report on the oil and tanker market for October, OPEC said that the organization’s spot fixtures increased by 5% in October to average 11.8 mb/d, up from 11.23 mb/d in September, as per preliminary data. The increase i ... »

12 Nov 2011

Mombasa to get VLCC discharge capability?

According to state-owned National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK) a feasibility study is being conducted for the construction of a single buoy mooring, or offshore jetty to handle tankers up to 280,000 dwt.T ... »

12 Nov 2011

Chamber of Commerce plea to Shipping Minister

The Nagapattinam Chamber of commerce has appealed to the Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan to take steps for modernising the Nagapattinam Port and also to commencepassenger ferry services to Singapore and Malaysia.The Nagapattinam port, whic ... »

12 Nov 2011

Wilmington Box Volume Inches Up 2.7 Percent

Container volume at North Carolina’s Port of Wilmington grew 2.7 percent in the quarter ending Sept. 30, helping push revenue at the N.C. State Ports Authority up 7 percent in the fiscal quarter.The slim gain in container business lagged behind ... »

12 Nov 2011

Nigerian Ports: Stakeholders Flay Absence of Regulator

Stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy have flayed the continuous absence of a technical or commercial regulator in the nation’s seaports; six years after the portswere concessioned by the Federal Government through the Bureau for Public ... »

12 Nov 2011

Azeri oil shipping from Turkey’s Ceyhan port rose by 6.5% in October

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has announced next statistic data on Azeri oil export via main export pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) named after Heydar Aliyev.The SOCAR informs that this October it was shipped 2.815 million tons of Az ... »

12 Nov 2011

Maersk says to invest $170 mln in Chile plant

Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk will invest about $170 million in a new factory in Chile to produce refrigerator containers, known as reefers, for a Latin Americanexport boom, the company said on Friday.The factory in San Antonio, ... »

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