2012-03-26
Bullish on high-growth East African markets as new terminal and Inland Services investments planned; Mombasa, Dar es Salaam are targets
APM Terminals’ annual Africa-Middle East Region’s Leadership meeting was held in the Kenyan Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa to emphasize a new direction for expansion of the APM Terminals Global Port, Terminal and Inland Services Network: East Africa.
“There are great business and growth opportunities in East Africa and this is not new territory for APM Terminals” said Mr. Peder Sondergaard, CEO for the Africa-Middle East region, who noted that Logistics Container Centre Mombasa (LCCM), part of APM Terminals Inland Services, has been in operation since 1997. He and other senior leaders including CEO Kim Fejfer recently visited Kenya and met with Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga and Minister of Trade Amos Kimunya for high level talks, and hosted meetings with local business and industry leaders in Mombasa and the Capitol of Nairobi.
APM Terminals, one of the largest port operators in Africa, currently operates nine ports in eight West African countries, as well as operations in both Morocco’s Tanger-Med port, and Egypt’s Suez Canal Container Terminal and an extensive Inland Services network across the continent, but no port operations on the continent’s Indian Ocean coast.
Although the International Monetary Fund has projected a 5.5% economic growth rate for sub-Saharan Africa this year, and a 5.3% increase for 2013, obstacles to trade, particularly concerning cargo movements between neighboring countries, will prevent the full benefit of such economic progress from being felt across the African population.
The World Bank Report “De-Fragmenting Africa; Deepening Regional Trade Integration in Goods and Services” released in February, has estimated that “in sub-Saharan Africa it takes, on average, 38 days to import and 32 days to export goods across borders, whereas the number of days required is significantly lower in other regions” and that “the cost of trading across borders is the highest in the sub-Saharan Africa region, over twice as high compared to East Asia and OECD countries”.
Investment in modern cargo transportation infrastructure and services can help to alleviate these impediments, and foster higher rates of trade and economic development. APM Terminals’ Inland Services operations in East Africa span 12 countries currently including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
Mombasa, the busiest port on the East African Coast, handled approximately 770,000 TEUs in 2011, up from 695,000 TEUs in 2010, and has enjoyed a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% during the preceding half decade. About half of this traffic is destined for neighboring land-locked countries such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.
APM Terminals is in talks with the Tanzanian Ministry of Transport and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to operate at the Port of Dar es Salaam, which handled 475,000 TEUs in 2011.
“We believe it would only benefit the port and the country to introduce a leading global port operator at Dar es Salaam, which would introduce healthy competition to the benefit of all port users” said APM Terminals’ Africa-Middle East Regional Vice President for Business Development, Hans-Ole Madsen.
Opportunities also exist beyond the Port of Dar es Salaam; Emmanuel Mallya, the Chairman of the Tanzania Shipping Association Chairman and a board member of the TPA told the Daily News of Tanzania “We need investors who will look at larger port expansion projects not necessarily at Dar es Salaam Port but also look elsewhere”, citing potential new port development project locations at Bagamoyo, Mbegani and Mwambani in the port city of Tanga, in the Tanga region of northern Tanzania, which borders Kenya.
“We are very interested in participating in and contributing to the high-growth potential of the Ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and are eager for the opportunity to expand our Global Port and Terminal Network into East Africa” added Mr. Sondergaard.
Source APM Terminals
China’s leading concrete pump manufacturer Zoomlion is continuing to choose Scania’s trucks as a platform for its largest, most efficient mobile concrete pumps. In addition to the 375 trucks being delivered by April, the company has now ordered 435 more trucks that will be delivered before the end of June.
“The year has started very well. The deliveries to Zoomlion alone mean that our sales volume during the first quarter of 2012 is at about as high as during the full year 2011,” says Peter Sjöblom, Managing Director of Scania’s Chinese sales company.
The partnership between Scania and Zoomlion is advancing smoothly. Scania’s truck chassis have been increasingly customised to facilitate and streamline Zoomlion’s work of fitting the trucks with equipment, i.e. superstructures. In close customer-supplier cooperation, Scania’s trucks have also been dimensioned to be able to carry and transport even longer concrete placing booms.
“Scania's strong position as a supplier of trucks to the premium segment for concrete pumps also represents a success for our entire organisation’s cross-functional working method,” says Mr Sjöblom.
Scania has delivered trucks to Zoomlion since 2008. The trucks are fitted with Scania’s 6-cylinder 420-470 hp engines. The pumps are used in the construction of high-rise buildings and bridges, for example.
In order to ensure high uptime, Scania China has trained personnel at Zoomlion’s own service workshops and has also established special teams of service technicians who can assist in the event of operational disruptions.
Source Scania
- Pennecon Energy Hydraulic Systems authorized marine crane dealer
- Increasing presence on the North American market
- Service and support in Eastern Canada
PALFINGER MARINE is strengthening its presence in Canada due to the continuing positive development on the North American market. In Pennecon Energy Hydraulic Systems (PEHS), we have found a partner with many years of experience in hydraulic marine products that enjoys an excellent reputation as a specialist for rapid and reliable solutions. Karl Oberreiter, Head of PALFINGER MARINE Cranes, says, “We welcome PEHS and all its employees into the PALFINGER MARINE network. We are very pleased to have found a partner that shares our commitment to quality and customer service.”
In future, with PEHS as a new member of the worldwide distribution network, PALFINGER MARINE cranes and its products will have the best representation on the strategic east coast of Canada. Eddy Knox, General Manager of PEHS, is also looking forward to the shared future,”PALFINGER MARINE and PENNECON complement each other very well. In future, by combining PALFINGER’s broad range of marine cranes with our expertise, we will be able to provide our customers with an even more comprehensive service.”
Source Palfinger Marine- und Beteiligungs GmbH
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), reiterating its commitment to strengthen global communication, today unveiled a microsite in the Portuguese language that is linked to its main London-based portal (www.msc.org). This is the thirteenth language site. The move shows a growing commitment not only to Portugal in the European region, but also to Brazil in the Americas region.
Brazil has emerged as the leading South American economic power with nearly 200 million people. It is the largest country in South America, both in geographical area and population, and is the world’s fifth largest country.
There is increasing interest on the part of Brazilian fisheries to enter the MSC program. The MSC employs two representatives in South America; Rodrigo Polanco who works in Spanish speaking Latin America, and Laurent Viguie in Brazil.
Portugal is recognized as one of the biggest seafood consumer countries in the world. Development of the MSC in Portugal is promoted by the MSC Iberian office based in Madrid. Laura Rodriguez, Country Manager and Carlos Montero, Responsible for fisheries are the MSC Team for Spain at Portugal. There is one Portuguese fishery in the program and 49 companies certified for Chain of Custody, mostly canning companies. More information available in Portuguese will facilitate the awareness on the program in the South of Europe and the engagement of more fisheries and seafood companies in Portugal.
The MSC main website portal is an information-rich resource that is used by journalists, scientists, companies, consumers, policy makers, and anyone seeking information about the organization.
Source MSC
2012-03-26
The Board of Directors of CMB met pursuant to the provisions of the Belgian Code of Companies relating to the existence of conflicts of interest and authorised the company to acquire the dry bulk assets of Delphis on the basis of current market values. Delphis is a subsidiary of SAVERCO, one of CMB’s reference shareholders.
The acquisition will include a 50% participating interest in the joint venture company Ocean Capes Limited, owner of the capesize vessels Mineral Subic (2011-179.397 dwt), Lake Dolphin (2011-179.418 dwt) and Bulk Canada (2012-179.397 dwt). The remaining 50% will be held by the joint venture partner Boxlog.
The Lake Dolphin and the Bulk Canada are on bareboat charter to CMB and Boxlog, respectively. The Mineral Subic is operated by the joint venture and is currently on a ten year time charter to STX Panocean (Korea).
The Lake Dolphin is on time charter to Louis Dreyfus Armateurs also for a ten year period.
CMB will also acquire 100% of the shares of Blue Dolphin Shipping Limited owner of the handysize vessel Rio Negro (1999-20.501 dwt).
The overall price for the acquisition of 50% of Ocean Capes Limited and 100% of Blue Dolphin Shipping Limited amounts to USD 9 million and is based on the current market value of the vessels and of the two time charter contracts.
Source CMB
2012-03-26
The Vilsund Blues East Jutland Blue mussel fishery has been certified against the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) [1] environmental standard for sustainable fishing, thereby proving its activities to be sustainable and well-managed. This is the second fishery to become certified as part of the Danish company’s continuous commitment to sustainable fishing. The products from the fishery will now be eligible to carry the internationally recognized, blue MSC ecolabel, which helps consumers make sustainable choices in stores.
Commitment to sustainable fishing practices
To successfully complete the rigorous third-party assessment, the fishery had to demonstrate healthy mussel stocks, sustainable ecosystem impacts, and an effective fisheries management system. The independent team of expert scientists did not identify any significant weaknesses but set two conditions, namely to produce a research plan and to continue to provide information for adequate monitoring of the stock.
About the fishery
The certified blue mussel dredge fishery operates in the southern Kattegat year-round. Vilsund Blue undertakes self-management of the fishery, voluntarily harvesting less than the quota allows. Last year the company harvested only 3100 MT out of a quota set at 23 000 MT, and the mussels were then sold preserved, fresh or frozen, mostly to markets in mainland Europe
The fishery is managed at a national level by the Danish Commission of Commercial Fisheries with members from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries/ Fisheries directorate, as well as local councils.
Vilsund Blue says
“We are happy that our effort to be and to remain sustainable now is something we proudly can announce loud and clear,” says Mr Sören Mattesen, Vilsund Blue.
Demonstrated commitment
“Vilsund Blue is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable fishing practices through the MSC certification of this blue shell mussel fishery. We are very happy about its staunch support of the MSC programme and look much forward to seeing MSC-labelled mussels from this fishery on the market”, says Minna Epps, Manager Baltic Sea Region, MSC.
Source MSC
DANISH global container giant Maersk will increase rates US$500 per TEU on dry shipments on April 15 from the Far East to the west coast of South and Central America with rates rising $1,250 on 45-footers.
From the Far East Asia to the Caribbean the rates will go up by $560 per TEU and $800 per FEU. Maersk will also raise rates from Far East Asia to Puerto Rico by $560 per TEU and $800 per FEU.
From Far East to the US and Canada rates will increase $320 per TEU, $400 per FEU and $450 per 40-foot high cube container.
Maersk also said it would apply a $150 per TEU general rate increase in the trade from the Far East (excluding Japan) to India, effective April 1.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
SPOT rates from Shanghai to the US west coast rose 1.5 per cent to US$2,021 per FEU last week and east coast rates were up 2.7 per cent to $3,204 per FEU, according to the latest Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI).
The latest hike on the US-bound trade from Shanghai marks the second straight week of increases on the trade lane.
Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean rates held steady at $1,371 per TEU and $1,376 per TEU, respectively, after a series of dramatic rises earlier in the month.
Across all trades covered by the index the SCFI rose 0.6 per cent to 1,230.18 points.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
JAPANESE "K" Line has announced it will add two China calls - Ningbo in Zhejiang province and Da Chan Bay in western Shenzhen - to its weekly intra-Asia Jabco-1 and Jabco-2 loops, offering direct trade linkage for Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
"K" Line will deploy four 2,500-TEU ships for the Jabco-1 service and another four 1,700-TEU vessels for the Jabco-2 string.
Port rotation for Jabco-1 includes Tokyo, Yokohama, Shimizu, Yokkaichi, Nagoya, Shanghai, Ningbo, Laem Chabang, Manila, Ningbo, Shanghai, and back to Tokyo. The estimated time of arrival (ETA) at Tokyo for Jabco-1 is April 23.
Jabco-2 loop will call at Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay-western Shenzhen, Ho Chi Minh, Laem Chabang and back to Ho Chi Minh and Tokyo. Its ETA at Tokyo is April 25. Both loops take 28 days for their individual voyage.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
INTERNATIONAL shipbroker Braemar Seascope has reported that 56 per cent of new containership capacity delivered over the past two years entered the Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trades.
It said that 2.6 million TEU of newbuilding capacity has been delivered over this period with 1.5 million TEU being absorbed by the Asia-Europe trades.
In 2011 alone, "59 post-Panamax containerships, with an average capacity of 11,500 TEU, entered Asia-Europe services, adding 680,000 TEU of fresh capacity", Braemar was cited as saying in a report by the American Shipper.
"Additionally, 15 containerships of an average 8,400 TEU were delivered and deployed on Asia-Mediterranean and a developing Asia-Middle East trade lane, adding more than 125,000 TEU of new capacity."
The Asia-east coast South America route also absorbed a significant amount of the new tonnage delivered over the past two years, with 40 newbuildings entering service, including high reefer capacity vessels of more than 7,000 TEU which were introduced by Maersk Line and Hamburg Sud.
"In 2011, this emerging Latin American container route accounted for more than 10 per cent of all new capacity commissioned," Braemar said. "Another developing container trade lane, Asia-West Africa, witnessed deployment of 11 newbuildings last year, including the first of a newbuilding series of twenty-two 4,500-TEU geared vessels designed for the West African-Asian trade."
Said Braemar analyst Jonathan Roach: "For the next three years we expect another four million TEU to hit the water, which includes 150 containerships with a capacity of 10,000 TEU or more."
London's Containerisation International noted that according to Clarkson Research Services' latest Container Intelligence Monthly, the global containership fleet capacity will increase 7.3 per cent this year, with an estimated 67 per cent of the capacity to be delivered being over 8,000 TEU.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Hamburg handled nine million TEU last year, a rise of 14.2 per cent, or 1.12 million TEU, compared to 201O, achieving the fastest growth rate in container throughput in northern Europe and becoming Europe's second largest container port.
The port, which is the largest in Germany, also handled 132.2 million tonnes of cargo in 2011, an increase of 9.1 per cent compared with 2010.
Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), said: "We are delighted that in 2011 the Port of Hamburg proved able to achieve above-average growth both in total throughput and container traffic. With the strongest absolute growth in container throughput, Hamburg regained market share against competing ports."
She pointed out that for 2012 the port is estimating an increase in throughput figures, but not as high as in 2011.
"By year-end the port should achieve a moderate increase in seaborne cargo. With its existing capacities, well-developed infrastructure and highly efficient port service providers, some of whom have recently won international awards, Hamburg is very well equipped to handle growing cargo volumes with its customary reliability, speed and high quality."
Furthermore, the port's CEO noted that the forthcoming deepening of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe will further boost Hamburg's attractiveness as a European hub for ultra-large vessels.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
A new all-water service connecting Asia and Houston via the Panama Canal is being introduced by Cosco Container Lines Americas.
The sailing of the Gulf of Mexico Express service (GME) is scheduled to depart from Shanghai on April 29 and to arrive on May 28 in Houston, which is the service's only US port of call.
The first voyage will be undertaken by the Cosco Auckland, which will also be the ship's first deployment since joining the Cosco fleet.
The port rotation of the GME service is Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shenzhen-Yantian, Colon and Houston.
A statement from the Port of Houston Authority said its representatives have been working for more than two years on soliciting and securing the service that links ports in China directly to Houston.
It expects the new service to bring "significant" new business to Houston as demand for direct services has grown significantly as a result of a strong regional economy and a fast-growing population.
"We chose the Port of Houston because of their progressive approach to cargo handling, ideal intermodal connections and geography that easily met shipper requirements. Quay and crane configurations allow us to turn a vessel in minimum time," said Tim Marsh, vice president, North American sales, Cosco Container Lines Americas.
The new GME service joins CMA CGM's existing PEX3 service, which has been operating as an all-water service between Asia and Houston for several years.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
APS Technology Group has announced that Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) is implementing its Automated Gate System optical character recognition (OCR) solution at two marine container terminals at the ports of Manzanillo and Veracruz in Mexico.
The solution provided by APS will automate the container identification process at the exit gates of the two terminals with the collection of high-resolution images, in a bid to increase throughput and enable remote equipment inspections.
This marks the first time that APS has entered the Mexican container terminal market. Its Gate OCR solution will be integrated with Hutchison's proprietary host system to enable automatic gate processing functions without human interaction, a joint company statement said.
"We regularly look for and evaluate the latest technologies for our terminal. We selected the APS Gate OCR system as the better solution to help increase our productivity as well as to increase overall safety and security during gate operations," said Alejandro Plascencia, CIO, HPH Americas and Caribbean.
HPH's Internacional de Contenedores Asociados de Veracruz (ICAVE) is located at the Port of Veracruz and handles 80 per cent of Veracruz's container throughput and 19 per cent of all containers handled in Mexico.
Terminal Internacional de Manzanillo (TIMSA) on the west coast of Mexico handles 18 per cent of containerised cargo in the port of Manzanillo.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
HAMBURG's Rickmers-Linie, heavy lift and project liner services operator, is expanding into inland China, to be closer to industrial factories that supply nearby end-user building sites, said Rickmers-Linie chief China representative Wolfgang Harms.
"We have appointed additional liaison offices in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, Chongqing and Chengdu, the capital of Szechuan province. These three inland liaison offices will be managed for the time being out Shanghai by general manager Zhao Jin Hai. We are also strengthening our presence in the south Guangdong province with a liaison office in Shenzhen, which will be managed by Sylvia Mak in Hong Kong," he said.
Rickmers-Linie has already had for some years an inland representation in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, bordering on Kazakhstan. This office is managed from the Beijing office by Julie Zhu.
Rickmers-Linie is a specialist in global transport of breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo by sea. The company belongs to Rickmer Groups, which offers diversified activities in the segments of maritime assets, services and logistics.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CEVA Logistics has signed a five-year contract with Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal, one of the biggest importers and distributors of major tyre brands.
CEVA will be responsible for the management of all Alserkal's outbound logistics and tyre distribution across the region, which will be managed from an 8,000-square-metre facility at CEVA's number four site located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Ahmad Alserkal, managing director of Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal, Bridgestone tyres division, said: "Our strategic aim is to centralise all our logistics functions, so we benefit from streamlined activities, improved operational efficiency and can focus on our core business of tyre trading, as well as building strong relationships with our customers."
John Gould, CEVA's managing director, Middle East, said: "This partnership demonstrates our ability to provide comprehensive and integrated logistics services for the tyre industry," he said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
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