THREE cargo charter brokers - Pacific Airlift of Singapore, The Charter Store of the USA, and recently-formed NEO Air Charter of Germany - have launched the Global Charter Alliance (GCA) as the world's first consortium of independent air charter brokers.
Membership expansion will be carefully planned in order to maintain high standards, said Pacific Airlift director Andrew Sim, adding that "quality is GCA's first priority, and expansion comes second".
The aim of GCA is to exploit operational efficiencies, share contacts, market intelligence and other information, leverage collective buying power and benefit from economies of scale, said a company statement.
The benefits of GCA include its regional coverage and scale and its success working together previously, say joint managing partner of recently launched Frankfurt-based NEO Stefan Kohlmann.
Charter Store co-founder Harry Steiner agrees that GCA advantages lay in the team of experienced individuals known to one another in working partnerships which are now combined to make a larger team: "Success in charter broking is all about people, their knowledge and their contacts."
Its hopes to work with freight forwarders rather than directly compete offering an alternative model to larger brokers with an emphasis on customer focus, fair deals and competitive pricing. "We take a different view: freight agents play a vital role in the supply chain, which we absolutely respect," said Mr Steiner.
GCA membership provides coverage of US, Asia Pacific and Europe, supplemented by service partners in other parts of the world that enables it to conduct charters to or from any location.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE airport of UAE' Fujairah emirate, the second smallest and the only one facing the Gulf of Oman, has suffered a drastic decline in traffic over the last six years as interest in Abu Dhabi and Dubai eclipses its prospects and siphons off its passengers and cargo.
Despite the Fujairah airport's benefits in transporting cargo via road and cheaper aircraft parking fees it has found it difficult to remain competitive since the opening of Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, reports Abu Dhabi's newspaper, The National.
Fujairah's volumes have plummeted against Dubai International Airport's cargo volume increases, in the month of February it was up 6.5 per cent to 157,492 tonnes compared to same period 2011.
"We have seen the cargo market decline because of Al Maktoum Airport and we recognise that we will not be a major player in this market," said airport business development manager Charles Hajdu.
The airport plans to promote itself as strategic energy and shipping hub supported by the oil, gas and shipping industries in a new overland pipeline to open later this year. A pipeline will allow crude oil to go from Abu Dhabi through Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman and away from the Strait of Hormuz, where there has been much sabre rattling of late between Iran and western powers recently.
The airport has become an aircraft park, though some have been abandoned by Soviets and have been a focus for salvage companies looking for engine parts, aluminium and other metals, even seatbelts and buckles.
The addition of berths for handling extra capacity and larger vessels at Port of Fujairah is supported by intermodal improvements in a new motorway cutting journey time from the city to Dubai.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan issued a decree on conduct of 16-th International exhibition "Oil and Gas of Uzbekistan" (OGU-2012) by "Uzbekneftegaz" together with the company "ITE Exhibitions & Conferences LTD" (United Kingdom) on May 15-17 in Tashkent.
International conference "Modernization and technological re-equipment of oil and gas industry of Uzbekistan" will held on May 16-17 within the framework of the exhibition.
These events are traditionally held to introduce modern technologies and to attract additional foreign investment in oil and gas industry of Uzbekistan.
"Uzbekneftegaz" will participate in OGU-2012 with united stand under the banner of the 20th anniversary of the company, said the company.
Central Asian News Service, en.ca-news.org
Kongsberg Maritime is the owner of the ‘Windsense’ project, which aims to develop a new and flexible instrumentation system for wind turbines. The system will help to make wind power more economically competitive. The project, which amounts to 22 million NOK, has been initiated through collaboration within the instrumentation cluster NCEI (Norwegian Centres of Expertise Instrumentation).
Windsense will develop a system that will make wind turbines more effective by reducing unplanned shutdowns, thus achieving higher reliability of the power plant. The system also makes it possible to temporarily run the turbines at a lower capacity in anticipation of required maintenance, which further reduces expensive downtime.
“We hope that this project will help to make offshore wind power more competitive and thus help to facilitate a green Norwegian economy in the future,” says project manager, Oddbjørn Malmo from Kongsberg Maritime, Lade.
The project has been awarded a total of 10 million NOK from The Norwegian Research Council’s RENERGI program.
A key challenge is the adaptation of equipment and methods for maintenance from the maritime and oil and gas industry, for use on offshore wind turbines. Cost-effective operation of offshore wind turbines will require new technology that enables a greater degree of remote control and remote monitoring of the turbines. It also requires durable and reliable instruments to monitor the operation and components in harsh environments at sea.
“This system will primarily be an instrument for monitoring the technical condition of the wind turbine and the life cycle of the components used. It will make it possible to more accurately predict when the equipment must be replaced. Today, such assessments are usually done by operators using handheld inspection equipment,” says Malmo.
Windsense is a collaboration project between some of the strongest wind power and instrumentation companies within Wind Cluster Mid-Norway, mainly located in the Trøndelag region of Norway. The project has been awarded 40% funding from The Research Council of Norway for a 3 year project period starting in February 2012. Kongsberg Maritime is project owner with Oddbjørn Malmo, Kongsberg Maritime, Lade as project manager. Other participants are Statoil, NTE, Light Structures, Trollhetta, NTNU, HiST, SINTEF Energy Research and MARINTEK.
The project is one of many projects that have been initiated by the Norwegian Centres of Expertise Instrumentation (NCEI www.neci.no). The general manager of the cluster Torbjørn Akersveen is very pleased with the project.
“We are very pleased that the cluster again delivers an exciting project with a large commercial potential. Our goal is to be a spearhead in Norwegian instrumentation, and together with Norwegian industry develop solutions to the challenges the industry considers to be relevant,” comments Akersveen.
Source Kongsberg Maritime
The construction of Chui-Fergana raliway is possibility to enter the Common Economic Space as an equitable partner, Kubatbek Rahimov, expert on Central Asian infrastructure projects, told a press conference in AKIpress news agency today while talking about this route of the railway as an alternative to construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.
“Construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is currently discussed in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan should shape its strategy at first. The railway should link densely populated areas of Chui and Fergana regions, that is the north and the south of the country. Construction of Chui-Fergana railway would allow to do this. It would become the critical element of the continental mega-project – construction of India-Siberia railway, which would link Russia's Urals, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan with Pakistan and India,” the expert said.
Construction of this railway would enable Kyrgyzstan to hold talks with Russia concerning its debt transformation and would produce multiplicative effect in the agrarian sector, according to Kubatbek Rahimov.
The alternative project does not envisage the resources in exchange for investments scheme and as such deserves more attention, Rahimov added.
“Opening of the Chui-Fergana route will bring the country out of transport blockade. This railway construction will be more expensive over its length of 500 km. But the railway is built for development of the territories, not in exchange for or rent of resources. Presence of infrastructure will automatically increase costs of deposits. Investors not only from China, but also other countries will be able to reach new markets of raw materials and to build processing plants,” he said.
This would provide an equitable access for investors to the railway construction project, he added. “This railway will run alongside power transmission lines. We are imposed not electrified railway from China. We need to build the electrified railway to avoid unnecessary costs,” Rahimov concluded.
Central Asian News Service, en.ca-news.org
After 20 months of assessment, the North-East Arctic cod and haddock fishery becomes today the 5th French fishery to be certified to the MSC standard for sustainable fishing.
A joint commitment to sustainability
Already certified independently for their catches of saithe in the North Sea [1 & 2], the Boulogne fleet EURONOR and the Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo embarked on a joint endeavour to obtain MSC certification for cod and haddock, supported by their producers’ organisation, the FROM Nord [3].
Holding the entire French quota for cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in the North-East Arctic Ocean, the FROM Nord shares it each year between these two companies that have now been certified. A long-standing coordinated management model that Thierry Missonnier, Chairman of the FROM Nord, wanted to enhance: “We work in close collaboration with the subscriber fleets to ensure a sustainable management of halieutic resources. Obtaining MSC certification today is recognition of the coherency of the management measures that we have implemented around an eco-responsible fishery.”
Three of EURONOR’s freezing trawlers (Cap Nord, Klondyke and Nordic II) as well as the trawler Grande Hermine of Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, operate in this fishery. The independent certification body MacAlister Elliott and Partners Ltd and the expert team in charge of assessment found that cod and haddock stocks in the North-East Arctic Ocean were in excellent condition, and reported a controlled impact of fishing gear on marine ecosystems. Going further, an action plan will be implemented to improve the detection and protection of sensitive habitats.
An answer to consumers’ expectations
For Martine Edouard Leborgne, Communication Manager at Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, “The MSC certification is a way to show our good fishing practices to the general public using an independent certification recognised all over the world. We think that MSC certification will consolidate and develop our products on the French market and expand their export marketing.”
Euronor CEO Xavier Leduc confirms these expectations: “With this MSC certification, we are opting to position ourselves on a market that is strategic today. Whereas our first certification (for saithe) was first of all a bet on the future with the aim of enhancing the image of our fishery and attracting new sailors, this second certification responds to a market reality in which we want to have a part.”
An increasingly diversified MSC-labelled product offer
Nicolas Guichoux, MSC Regional Director - Europe, says: “I would like to congratulate and thank all the stakeholders who were involved in the certification process. The demand of sustainable seafood is increasing in Europe, North-America and even Asia. Cod and haddock are white fish species that are very appreciated by French consumers. The MSC ecolabel displayed on these fishery products is very important because it gives the information to the consumer that these species were fished in a sustainable way.”
Edouard Le Bart, MSC Country Manager France, adds: “My congratulations to the EURONOR shipping company, Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, and the FROM Nord producers’ organisation, of which the coordinated approach and good fishing practices have borne fruit and made it possible to obtain MSC certification for cod and haddock. This certification also enlarges the offer of MSC-labelled seafood caught by French shipping companies. Cod and haddock therefore now join the North Sea saithe, Brittany sardines, and Normandy and Jersey lobster that are already MSC-labelled, and show the growing importance that French fisheries attach to obtaining recognition for their good practices.”
Source MSC
Proposed dividend of €2.30 per share follows positive business performance
Dr. Georg Pachta-Reyhofen, Chief Executive Officer of MAN SE, has confirmed the MAN Group's long-term objectives at the Annual General Meeting: "We want to continue growing profitably and to be the world's most successful commercial vehicle manufacturer," said Pachta-Reyhofen. He added that technologically leading products were a key to this in addition to systematically focusing the Company strategically.
He went on to explain that MAN was well positioned: Fiscal year 2011 was one of the most successful in the Company's history. In this context, Pachta-Reyhofen referred to the record revenue in the amount of €16.5 billion, which was an increase of 12 percent on 2010's revenue. The excellent operating profit of around €1.5 billion and the earnings before tax of €1.1 billion also reflected last year's positive business developments. By contrast, net income was impacted by exceptional factors and amounted to €247 million. Order intake rose by 14 percent and at €17.1 billion drew nearer to the record level of 2007 again.
Looking to the provisional figures for the first quarter of 2012, Pachta-Reyhofen made it clear in his speech that the demand for MAN's commercial vehicles and its machinery also remained at a high level in the first few months of 2012.
At €4.4 billion, the order intake of the MAN Group as a whole in the first quarter remained around the sound prior-year level in line with this. A slight increase to €3.8 billion was even recorded in revenue. As in the previous year, 35,000 commercial vehicles were sold. Revenue in the Power Engineering business area climbed by around five percent compared with the first quarter of 2011.
In the first quarter of 2012, the MAN Group generated an operating profit of around €250 million. This decrease of around 20 percent year-on-year is due to the strong competition in several markets. "We will counter this with measures to boost profitability and efficiency," stated Pachta-Reyhofen.
Despite existing uncertainties on the financial markets triggered by the European debt crisis, MAN's success continued in fiscal year 2011 thanks to its international position. The Company's systematic focus on the fields of transportation and energy plays a key role in this success. The Chief Executive Officer of the MAN Group is convinced that there are still major development opportunities here: "We still see an increasing demand for transportation and energy, especially in the emerging economies. Because unless they resolve key transportation and energy issues, these economies cannot grow any further. This is precisely what we are counting on with our BRIC strategy and have secured ourselves market access to the key markets of the future in good time."
The joint projects within the Volkswagen Group will also have a beneficial impact: "The opportunities to cooperate with Volkswagen and Scania that are now available will give us fresh impetus." Cooperating in purchasing, development, and production will enable us to leverage the necessary synergies to tackle the competition head on," announced Pachta-Reyhofen.
While MAN expects solid growth on the transportation and energy markets worldwide in the long term, the Executive Board still expects global economic growth to slow in 2012. Against this backdrop, Pachta-Reyhofen reaffirmed the business forecasts that MAN had issued at the beginning of the year at the Annual General Meeting. The Company expects revenue in the Commercial Vehicles business area to decrease slightly by up to five percent while revenue in the Power Engineering business area is likely to increase by five percent. "Due to the predominance of the commercial vehicle arm, we expect a slight decline in revenue for the MAN Group as a whole, which will lead to a drop in operating profit. Return on sales is likely to remain at the average long-term target of 8.5 percent," said Pachta-Reyhofen.
Source MAN SE
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met with Vagit Alekperov, President of Lukoil Oil Company, on April 19.
The parties discussed Lukoil’s activities in Uzbekistan with regard to geological prospecting and development of hydrocarbon deposits in a range of investment blocks, as well as the progress in constructing a new gas processing plant in Bukhara region.
According to President Islam Karimov, the effective materialization of exploration works has allowed Lukoil to secure growth of hydrocarbon reserves across deposits of Kandym group, Khauzak-Shady, Gissar region, Kungrad segment, and as part of Investors Consortium on the Uzbek section of the Aral Sea.
It has been stressed during the meeting that Lukoil’s direct investments into the hydrocarbon complex of Uzbekistan on three investment schemes have already exceeded US$2 billion. More than US$5 billion of investments in general are due for the period of execution of all projects with Lukoil. Uzbekistan’s willingness to bolster cooperation in deep reprocessing of raw stock with production of goods with higher added value has been underscored.
In his turn, Vagit Alekperov expressed gratitude for a warm welcome and a facilitating environment created to implement extensive mutually advantageous projects; he also highly appreciated the Lukoil activities in Uzbekistan’s oil and gas industry. The guest assured of the readiness of the company he runs to continue with the longer-term and rewarding interaction with Uzbek partners.
Central Asian News Service, en.ca-news.org
KOREA's Hanjin Shipping has announced it will expand its east Mediterranean service by joining the existing ABX (Asia-Black Sea Express) string from mid-May and TLS (Turkey-Levant Service) loop from April 25.
The ABX loop is jointly run by China Shipping, "K" Line, PIL, Wan Hai and Yang Ming at present, covering north China, south west Asia and the Black Sea regions with eight 4,000- to 4,250-TEU vessels.
With a transit time of 26 days from Shanghai to Constanza, the ABX loop calls at Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Shekou, Singapore, Port Kelang, Piraeus, Istanbul, Constanza, Ilichevsk, Port Kelang and back to Shanghai.
And the TLS loop is currently operated by Arkas Line and Turkon Line, each deploying one 2,000- to 3,000-TEU vessel. Hanjin will add a third ship to this weekly service that links Port Said and Piraeus to Turkey and Levant regions.
"Using Port Said and Piraeus as transshipment hubs, TLS service will cover all major Turkish ports in addition to Lebanon and Egypt so as to fulfil customers' demand in the area," said a Hanjin's statement.
Port rotation of the TLS service is Port Said, Alexandria, Beirut, Mersin, Piraeus, Evyap, Istanbul, Gemlik, Izmir, Mersin and back to Port Said.
Hanjin said it also launched its own ADN (Adriatic) service in early April to build presence in the area.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DUBAI-based Emirates Shipping has announced it will launch two direct fixed scheduled weekly services to Africa, the Gulf Mombasa Express (GMX) and the Gulf Dar-es-Salaam Express (GDX), with CMA CGM from May 11
The Gulf Mombasa Express (GMX) service will call at Jebel Ali, Khor Fakkan, Mombasa, Zanzibar and back to Jebel Ali.
And the Gulf Dar-es-Salaam Express (GDX) service will rotate through Jebel Ali, Khor Fakkan, Dar-es-Salaam and back to Jebel Ali.
First sailing for both loops will start from Jebel Ali. Emirates will deploy five 2,200-TEU ships on GMX loop and three 1,700-TEU vessels on the GDX string.
Emirates Shipping, registered in Dubai and commercially run from Hong Kong, said the two new services "targeted the high growth areas in East Africa which is important to our overall strategy. By offering a comprehensive weekly network of reliable services we are responding to the needs of our customer base."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DURING the first quarter of this year, southeastern Fujian province spent CNY14.97 billion (US$2.38 billion) on road and water traffic projects, taking 18.7 per cent of the province's annual investment target, Xinhua reports.
Expenditure on expressways totalled to CNY7.32 billion. Those on roads and highways totalled CNY5.17 billion. Waterway projects cost CNY1.88 billion. CNY219 million was spent on freight yards and depots. The province also spent CNY352 million on other auxiliary facilities for transportation.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE G6 Alliance, made up of APL, Hyundai, MOL, Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL, has started a Far East weekly service to Sweden's largest port of Gothenburg from the Far East, port authorities announced.
"We have worked for several years to attract more direct calls for Swedish industry to key markets in the Far East. This news is extremely welcome and very positive," said the Port of Gothenburg's sales chief Claes Sundmark.
The first to arrive was the 8,110-TEU APL Finland. "APM Terminals in Gothenburg is the only container terminal in Sweden that can handle vessels of this size," said Port of Gothenburg CEO Magnus Karestedt.
APM Terminals officially took control of Sweden's largest port in January, noted the UK's Port Technology International.
"Up to now, Sweden has had one direct service to the Far East - Maersk Line, which calls the Port of Gothenburg once a week with its very largest container vessels. From next week, there will two competing alternatives. The Port of Gothenburg now has seven direct deep sea services," Mr Karestedt said.
The new Far East service rotates through Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Shekou, Singapore, Tangier, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, Jeddah, Singapore, Shenzhen-Shekou, Hong Kong and back to Shanghai.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
STIMULATED by the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between mainland China and Taiwan, Xiamen city's fruit imports from Taiwan doubles in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period a year ago, Xinhua reports.
In the first three months, the southeast China coastal city imported 160 batches of Taiwan fruit, up 22.1 per cent year on year, weighing 22.22 million tonnes, up 99.9 per cent over the same period in 2011. Value of these fruit soared 103.1 per cent to US$2.49 million.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
TAIWAN's Evergreen Line is to add a Japan-Thailand-Vietnam service through slots purchases on the NYK and Bangkok-based carrier Siam Patella's Phoenix service (PHX) with a first sailing from Laem Chabang on April 24.
The PHX serves Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Yokohama, Laem Chabang, Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai), Hong Kong and back to Kobe.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CHINA's Tibetan territory plans to invest CNY46.2 billion (US$7.3 billion) in roads in the next four years, 178 per cent expenditure increase against the period between 2005 to 2010, reports Xinhua.
The region aims to build a comprehensive transport network by 2015 by boosting construction of outbound mainline highways and rural highways. Tibet's total highway mileage will reach 70,000 kilometres with paved roads linking all its counties and covering 60 per cent of its towns and villages in 2015.
Tibet's highway operating mileage stood at 58,200 kilometres in 2010, while in 2011 the territory spent CNY8.5 billion (US$1.35 billion) to build 15 projects which increased to 4,600 kilometre of new highway, creating a total of 63,100 kilometre of road surface. Investment in road building will come to CNY9.5 billion this year.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
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