Weekly edition 4 August

Rescue equipment fault led to injuries onboard LNG tanker

A FAULTY device on a fast rescue boat (FRB)davit caused injury to three crewmen, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Hutchison turns key into new era for Port Botany

NEW SOUTH Wales ports minister Duncan Gay has handed over the keys for Port Botany’s third container terminal to new tenant Hutchison.

Aussie LNG production could create 180 aframax voyages

TANKER owners trading in the Pacific basin stand to benefit greatly from the investment in Australian LNG, according to tanker analysts Poten and Partners.

Meat body tastes export trouble in store for beef

A STRONG local currency will continue to cast a cloud over the Australian cattle and beef markets this year, according to Meat and Livestock Australia.

Report sets path to avoid conflict with China in key trading waters

OVERLAPPING claims between China and rival powers in the South China Sea have lead to a dangerous series of maritime incidents in the past few years. They pose a critical threat to regional peace because, no matter how small or innocent, each clash increases mistrust and adds to the risk of a major conflict.

Bell Bay set for development as the key Tasmanian port

BELL BAY holds the key to handling growth in the Tasmanian freight task, state infrastructure minister David O’Byrne believes.

Ports strategy – a plea to keep it simple to succeed

A NATIONAL Ports Strategy should allow for regional differences, Ports Australia’s David Anderson says.

Portland was apple of South Australia’s eye

PORTLAND in Victoria could have been a good investment for the South Australian Government back in the 1990s, Grant King of Regional Development Australia (RDA) says.

Long life for commodities boom predicted but markets to change

GROWTH in the Australian mineral commodities trade should continue until at least 2030 ABARE’s senior economist Kate Penney has said.

Training is the imperative for future of ports

QUALITY training is crucial to creating a sustainable national shipping and maritime sector, Professor Barrie Lewarn of the Maritime Transport Policy Centre at the Australian Maritime College has said.

Dry bulk hit by plummeting Indian ore exports to China

INDIA’s importance as a swing supplier of iron ore to China’s steel industry is fading fast, which is bad news for some regional dry bulk carriers – but the nation’s demand for imported coal should offset the reduced traffic.

Hong Kong keeps open mind over congestion

THE HONG Kong Government is keeping “an open mind” on how it can help the shipping industry to increase port efficiency in the territory.

Equatorial Guinea in determined shipbuilding push

EQUATORIAL Guinea, one of Africa’s smallest yet richest countries, is seeking to improve its oil wealth and capitalise on the strong interest in its offshore oil fields and liquefied natural gas businesses by strengthening its shipbuilding and ship repair capacities.

Enigma of financial crisis forestalled

TIME and again journalists favour the doom prognosis in shipping.

MOL upbeat on pure car carrier market after surprise volume recovery

JAPAN’S MOL said demand for pure car carrier (PCC) space has been showing signs of recovery since June on firm demand for finished cars, especially in developing countries and a push by Japan-based carmakers to ramp up exports as supply chains recover in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Fortescue ore volumes rise as mining recovers

SECOND-QUARTER production results from iron ore mining company Fortescue Metals Group underscore the recovery in iron ore output from key producing nation Australia. Extreme weather severely hampered production across the country throughout the first quarter of the year.

India needs LNG to supplement insatiable energy demand

INDIA’S rising appetite for energy means it will have to supplement its coal imports with liquefied natural gas to meet demand.

Markets this week 4 August 2011

August of anguish ahead as sectors suffer rough seas

Grappling with staff shortfalls in a business not seen as ‘sexy’

Shipping has, in the past, been described as a little unsexy. And sources say this might be case, as finding quality ship agents has become quite a task, reports RHIANNON ZANETIC

Third party vs independents

Australia’s ship agent market has been described by a number of industry members as challenging and “highly competitive”. However some sources say the ship agent game is different for in house and third party organisations, reports RHIANNON ZANETIC

Wilhelmsen will grow its marine chemical business

WILHELMSEN Ship Service (WSS) has completed the first integration phase of the Nalfleet marine chemicals business.

Seaway expands into NZ ports

SEAWAY Agencies has announced it will be entering the ship agent market in New Zealand from August 1.

Yards benefit from boxship order recovery this year

CONTAINERSHIP owners retain the upper hand in the newbuilding market as tanker and bulker owners stay away from the shipyards.

Chinese dry bulk drive sees carrier capacity doubling in only five years

OF THE 451 bulk carriers that entered service in the first half of this year, 14% were delivered to Chinese owners as the country makes its mark on the dry bulk sector with a growing fleet to carry its imports of raw materials.

Box numbers up 16% at Tanjung Pelepas

MALAYSIA’S Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) saw container throughput rise 16% on year in the first half of 2011 to 3.7m teu.

Solar cold ironing for ships technology one step closer

JAPANESE researchers and ship designers say they have refined the possibility of storing solar power for use when a ship is in a port.

UK ship detentions creep up in June

THREE foreign-flag ships were detained in UK ports during June 2011 failing port state control inspection, according to statistics released by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). A further three vessels remained under detention from previous months.

NYK and Tsuneishi develop wind drag reduction system

JAPANESE researchers claim they can shave 10% off the wind resistance of large bulk carriers and tankers by adding deflecting strips on the superstructure.

Central America could rival China as trade powerhouse

Opening of Panama Canal’s third set of locks likely to shake up shipping and freight distribution service patterns, writes JOHN FOSSEY*

Casualty briefs 4 August 2011

Maritime

Norway provides template for armed guards against piracy

In the light of the tragic bomb and gun attacks in Norway, it is interesting to note the preceding announcement by the Norwegian Government affecting the use of firearms on its flagged shipping. This report by TOM LEANDER was written before the more recent traumatic domestic events.

Oshima in Japan exodus with new Vietnam yard

OSHIMA Shipbuilding will build a shipyard in Vietnam, joining a small but growing number of Japanese builders that have shifted production overseas as rising costs and the appreciation of the yen squeeze margins.

Box lines gear up for next round of rate increases

CONTAINER lines are preparing for another round of freight rate increases following several failed attempts in recent months. The outcome of such rises may indicate what lies ahead in the chartering market.

ANL and privatisation – the full saga

THE AUSTRALIAN Shipping Commission under the leadership of Captain Bill Bolitho had been reconstituted as a public company in 1988, with all the shares held by the Federal Government. The new identity was known as ANL Ltd.

Strikes, import duties, live animal exports – in the news 25 years ago

In July 1986, DCN reported that the director of the Australian Chamber of Shipping as describing the waterfront strike that was “imperilling the nation”.

Ocean carriers face sorry outlook

With increasing capacity not being matched by a rise in trade, the future still looks gloomy

Mutuals should put strength before profit

P&I clubs are mutual and their purpose is to provide a cost-effective service, not a profit, writes ALISTAIR GROOM*

Operational, and technical measures can cut emissions

If we are serious in our attempts to combat the effects of climate change, then we need a proposal that will deliver real, quantifiable and fast cuts in emissions without bankrupting shipping, writes DR PHILLIP BELCHER*