DUBAI's DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and vice chairman Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah have made a tour of inspection of their DP World Dakar terminal in Senegal.
Mr Bin Sulayem and Mr Bin Thaniah also toured Terminal Conteneur, West Africa's largest and most modern container facility, managed and operated by DP World Dakar.
Four quay cranes and 10 rubber tyre gantries (RTG) were installed at the terminal recently, completing the upgrading work, which included a new gate complex and new reefer storage facilities, said the DP World statement.
The terminal opened last November after DP World carried out new expansion work that more than doubled capacity to 600,000 TEU under a concession agreement signed in 2007.
Said Mr Bin Sulayem: "As the most modern and efficient terminal in western Africa, DP World Dakar acts as a growth engine in a rapidly developing emerging market region."
Since winning the Dakar concession in 2007, DP World has introduced window berthing, where vessels book a specific time they can berth, virtually eliminating waiting time at anchorage, said the release.
DP World has also reduced truck turnarounds to less than half an hour and introduced clear tariffs and processes supported by modern technology systems.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
WITH EBIT down 2.2 per cent and cash-flow off by 19.8 per cent, Australia's Toll Group is considering the future of its Japanese trucker Footwork and other loss-making divisions, according to the UK's Transport Intelligence.
"Continued pressure from the soft retail sector in Australia affected the financial performance of our domestic businesses with an exposure to that sector, together with weakness in the global apparel sector impacted on volumes and EBIT in Toll Global Forwarding," said Toll managing director Brian Kruger.
This, he said, has prompted the company to take "a close look at underperforming businesses and are already undertaking strategic reviews of Footwork Express, Toll Marine Logistics Asia and Toll Refrigerated."
Toll Group quarterly revenue was up 4.7 per cent at A$4.43 billion (US$4.407 billion) with EBITDA increased 5.2 per cent at A$380 million (US$377 million).
Toll's forwarding division, results were affected Footwork's problems which experienced a revenue decline of two per cent. Without Footwork numbers, the division would have made 5.7 per cent more revenue and 3.8 per cent more EBITDA.
Reporting a "swing from air freight to ocean freight in the retail sector during calendar 2012", Toll said its first quarter ocean freight volume came in at 248,000 TEU while air freight stood at 66,000 tonnes.
This shift from air to sea was common to all markets, with importers in all regions minimising high-cost air cargo services, said the report.
Toll Global Logistics revenue was up 4.8 per cent and EBITDA increased 11.8 per cent. Here, contract logistics in Asian markets generally prospered, with chemical, FMCG, and automotive logistics growing in markets such as Singapore and Malaysia. But the China business was hit by rising costs of labour and fuel.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
PROJECTS FPS - the recently-established project forwarding and third-party logistics arm of Famous Pacific Shipping Lanka - has cleared and delivered a 9,000 cubic metre shipment of brewery equipment from Colombo to a new brewery at Meegoda, 35 kilometres inland.
The project - which included 37 stainless steel tanks, the largest of which measured 15 metres long and five metres in diameter - arrived in Colombo aboard a chartered vessel from Denmark.
Project FPS, a member of FPS, with its permanent secretariat in Hong Kong, transported the tanks inland over 10 nights, using two purpose-built 15 metre long low-loader trailers with rear steering to negotiate turns in the road.
The trip to the new Millers brewery also involved passing under many low-hanging telecoms and power cables. This required the assistance of staff from Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Telecom. All movements were conducted under police escort.
Said Project FPS manager Mohan Lazarus: "This was a massive undertaking. Although the route was short, it included many challenging obstacles. But everything went well, and the customer was pleased. We would like to thank the police and utilities staff for their help throughout."
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
RUSSIAN tycoon Sergei Generalov, the controlling shareholder and president of Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO), has decided to sell the country's once the country's biggest shipping company after disputes with the Kremlin over his ambitions, reports New York's Business Insider.
The reported sale talks are a signal that Generalov is willing to sell if he is paid enough, reported Russia's often controversial business daily, Kommersant. The reported buyer is Summa Capital. owned by Ziyavudin Magmedov, a rival of Mr Generalov's ports and container activities.
Maritime industry sources said they were not surprised at the planned sale as FESCO is struggling and Mr Generalof's expansion plans into container handling and rail logistics has been thwarted by Russian Railways (RZD) boss Vladimir Yakunin and the Ministry of Transport.
Their opposition has also made the profitability of Mr Generalov's railway operations vulnerable to state competition, said the report.
Mr Generalov wanted to buy control of Transcontainer, the state-owned rail carrier and dominant intermodal players, but was blocked by Mr Yakunin and the Kremlin. FESCO's market value has reportedly collapsed from a peak of US$3.5 billion in 2008 to $700 million and $1 billion since January.
Mr Generalov holds 56 per cent of FESCO through his holding of Industrial Investors. Another 13 per cent is held as treasury stock through an offshore entity called Neteller Holdings. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and East Capital holds four per cent and a Swedish investment fund has seven per cent. Public shareholders of Moscow-listed FESCO hold 20 per cent.
FESCO's shipping generates 10 per cent of its operating profit, while its port terminals add another 22 per cent. If Mr Magomedov takes over, and combines it with his quarter-share in the Novorossiysk and Primorsk port companies, he may improve his status as a preferred bidder.
Mr Magomedov may then figure more in the privatisation of other port assets around the country, as well as in the government's privatisation plan for Transcontainer, said the report.
Mr Generalov's exit reportedly reflects the weakening of Russia's container business, and the intensification of competition between Russian box carriers. The slowing of growth of Russia's container volumes, reported as the third quarter gave way to the fourth quarter last year, has now turned into an outright decline in the latest figures released for the first quarter by Transcontainer.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AN Air Cargo Carrier Shorts SD-360, on a freight flight from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Houston Intercontinental, with two crew aboard, had already landed on Houston's runway 27 and was taxiing when fire broke out in the brakes of the right main landing gear.
The aircraft stopped, emergency services responded deploying numerous fire engines and put the fire out, reported the accident tracking Aviation Herald of Salzburg, Austria. No injuries occurred, the aircraft however received substantial damage to the right hand main gear and right wing, said the report.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported the aircraft was already on the taxiway when a tyre caught fire causing substantial damage to the aircraft. The FAA is investigating the occurrence.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CARGOLUX Airlines International has commenced a twice-weekly scheduled cargo service connecting Luxembourg to Chongqing in southwestern China.
The service from Luxembourg to Chongqing' s Jianbai International Airport also makes stops in Doha, Sharjah, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Baku (Azerbaijan) and Tbilisi (Georgia).
"In adding Chongqing to our portfolio of global destinations, we are extending our dense coverage of the most important Asian destinations. We see a lot of potential in Chongqing, not least because of the planned expansion of the airport's cargo facilities to accommodate the region's burgeoning export market," said Cargolux president and CEO Frank Reimen.
The airline took delivery of its third Boeing 747-8 freighter in March, bringing its current fleet to 15 Boeing freighters.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DHL Global Forwarding is building a new logistics centre at Brussels Airport that will involve a EUR27 million (US$34.25 million) investment.
The new facility will occupy 54,000-square metres, including 23,000 square metres of warehouse space to unite the company's air freight activities under one roof at Brucargo West, the airport's freight zone.
According to Jean-Claude Delen, CEO DHL Global Forwarding BeNeLux and France, the company's new logistics platform will reinforce its strategy to focus on the specific logistics needs of its various key industry sectors.
"DHL Global Forwarding's choice for Brucargo strengthens the status of the cargo area and Brussels Airport as a key employment platform in Belgium. Brussels Airport is our country's second economic driver, providing 20,000 direct and 40,000 indirect jobs," Mr Delen said in a statement.
The new building will feature a 1,750 square metres temperature-controlled area to meet the needs of the company's life science customers. It will also be equipped with environmental technologies including solar panel installations and water recovery systems.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
All the major trades saw declines last week as Asia-Europe rates experienced the biggest plunge, down 4.2 per cent to US$1,742 per TEU from the previous week, according to the latest Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI).
Asia-Mediterranean spot rates contracted 3.2 per cent to $1,872 per TEU for the week.
On the Asia-US trades, east coast rates were down 1.4 per cent week to week to $3,490 per FEU, while rates to the US west coast declined 2.6 per cent to $2,330 per FEU.
Across all trades covered by the index the SCFI was down 2.7 per cent to 1,426 points.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
FOLLOWING its 90 per cent decline in 2011 net profit, Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) announced that it plans to raise rates again for container shipments transported from north Europe to Asia, beginning June 15 to boost profitability.
OOCL plans to increase freight rates by US$200 per container (TEU and FEU) for all shipments carried on this trade route, the Dow Jones reports.
The latest rate increase comes after OOCL raised its freight rate for the same route by US$200 per box on May 15.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
TIANJIN Port Group (TPG) and Singapore's PSA International (PSA) has signed a "strategic cooperation framework agreement" to further strengthen the collaboration between the companies for the development of Tianjin port.
So far, PSA has invested in two of the port's container terminals, namely Tianjin Port Pacific International Container Terminal (TPCT) and Tianjin Port Alliance International Container Terminal (TACT).
These two facilities have a total of 10 berths that can handle the biggest containerships. This makes "Tianjin Port one of the preferred ports of call for mega containerships in the northeast Asia region," said the joint statement.
Said TPG president Tian Chang Song: "Both organisations recognise the tremendous potential of Tianjin Port as a major container hub in the Bohai Rim to support the further development of industries and hinterland investments in northeast China. Together, TPG and PSA aim to ensure that Tianjin Port will be a world class facility for global container shipping."
Said PSA chief executive Tan Chong Meng: "PSA is committed to give its best expertise and resources to help develop Tianjin Port into a resounding success."
The agreement was signed on May 18 by TPG group president Tian Chang Song and PSA group CEO Tan Chong Meng in the presence of TPG chairman Yu Ru Min and PSA group chairman Fock Siew Wah.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Hamburg, Europe's second largest container port after Rotterdam, reported a 5.2 per cent increase in first quarter volume to 2.2 million TEU, driven by improved trade with the Baltic region and North America.
This compensated for a five per cent decline in container traffic from Asia, mostly attributed to reductions in the cessation of some liner services since the beginning of the year.
"Downturns in the Asia trade are a momentary phenomenon caused by restructuring of various liner services. But we are expecting new east Asia container liner services in the Port of Hamburg in the course of the first half year," said Port of Hamburg Marketing CEO Claudia Roller.
The trend in container throughput with the Baltic area in the first quarter of 2012 was strong. Increases were also achieved in the Europe and America trades. Container traffic with the Baltic region achieved a hike of 19.6 per cent and reached 531,000 TEU.
In the first three months, the Americas trade amounted to 279,000 TEU, achieving growth of 33.3 per cent because of new and extended liner services from Canada via the US and on to South America.
Bulk cargo throughput in the first quarter of 2012 stood at 9.5 million tonnes, 4.8 per cent down from the previous year.
In the first quarter total cargo throughput at Hamburg port reached a volume of 32.6 million tonnes, an increase of 3.8 per cent over the same period last year. General cargo throughput achieved a 7.9 per cent growth to 23.1 million tonnes, primarily powered by the strong trend in exports of containerised general cargo.
"We are delighted that with a 5.2 per cent rise in container throughput in the first quarter. Hamburg is ahead of the 2.4 per cent average growth for the four major ports in the North Range," said Ms Roller, "The excellent result in this segment is what triggered Hamburg's overall growth in the first quarter of 2012. For the remainder of the year we are reckoning on a further increase in total throughput."
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Xiamen, in Fujian opposite Taiwan, lifted 2.06 million TEU from January to April this year, an increase of 11.82 per cent year on year, Xinhua reports.
Overall cargo tonnage of the port grew 5.86 per cent to 52.33 million tonnes.
In April, Xiamen handled 573,200 TEU, up 18.06 per cent year on year. The overall monthly tonnage increased 16.77 per cent to 15.48 million tonnes.
During the first four months, Fujian's main seaport handled a total of 3.11 million TEU of containers, up 10 per cent. Cargo tonnage increased 16.7 per cent to 15.48 million tonnes.
In the same period, another major port of Fujian, Fuzhou port, handled 538,400 TEU, up five per cent. Its throughput tonnage increased 13.2 per cent to 33.02 million tonnes.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
GUANGZHOU Railway Huizhou section posted a revenue of CNY1.05 billion (US$166 million) last year, CNY8.9 million more than its annual target, Xinhua reports.
Last year, Guangzhou Railway Huizhou section enhanced its efficiency and optimised its operations, and handled 704,211 tonnes of sea-rail intermodal cargo, a sharp increase of 573 per cent over 2010's volume.
This year, Huizhou section aims to achieve a year-on-year growth of 23 per cent in its cargo movement. To meet the target, the railway is seeking to sign transportation agreements with a number of steel plants and reduce transport charges.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CHARLESTON, South Carolina, has handled its first project cargo shipment for Toshiba's Westinghouse Electric Company, part of a series of deliveries to the state's nuclear plant over the next few years.
The high, wide and heavy cargo arrived at Charleston's Columbus Street Terminal, and is being shipped to the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company's (SCE&G) nuclear plant expansion 30 miles from the state capital of Columbia.
Crews offloaded a large amount of specialty cargo from the 10,500-ton HR Recommendation, operated by BBC Chartering. From there, the cargo moved by rail and truck to SCE&G's project site.
A US$23-million improvement project completed last year at the 135-acre Columbus Street Terminal to enhance the facility's mix of on-dock rail, storage and heavylift capabilities. The terminal handles a variety of non-container freight, including vehicles, other rolling stock, breakbulk, heavylift and project cargo, including power generation equipment.
"This is a project that will boost port volume and maritime jobs over the course of several years," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority. "We are very pleased that Westinghouse selected the Port of Charleston for this project, which further establishes our port as the premiere east coast port for power generation moves."
In 2011, the Port of Charleston held a full half of the US south Atlantic ports' market share in the non-containerised power generation segment.
The project, which is scheduled for completion in 2018, involves handling about 24,000 tons of equipment that will be deployed at VC Summer Units 2 and 3 in Jenkinsville, SC.
Thirty ships will deliver machinery and equipment - some pieces weighing up to 700 tons apiece - for onward passage by rail and truck to the site.
Westinghouse Electric Company, now part of Japan's Toshiba group, is also a nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE US Port of Charleston' s container throughput increased by 7.7 per cent in April compared to the same month the previous year to 123,439 TEU.
According to a statement issued by the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), the result marked the strongest April seen at the port since 2008.
Containerised traffic for the 10 months comprising the fiscal year to date (June through April) was up 2.7 per cent from the same period last year, while container volume for the calendar year to date (January through April) increased 7.3 per cent over 2011 levels.
The SCPA's non-container cargo continued its upwards trend, with breakbulk tonnage in the Port of Charleston up 57 per cent in April year on year and up nearly 24 per cent in the fiscal year to date.
Two new, weekly container services connecting the Port of Charleston to markets in Asia in June, including the first direct Vietnam call for the port, will help boost container volumes further.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
.jpg)
The magazine SEA has been published since 1935
International business magazine JŪRA MOPE SEA has been published since 1999
The first magazine in Eurasia in the four languages: English, Chinese, Russian and Lithuanian
|
|