Rising obesity levels have given a new urgency to efforts aimed at improving European eating habits. European research is helping, by finding out how food labelling can change and improve consumer habits.
Deny it as we might, but Europeans are getting fatter. From 1990 to 2006, obesity levels in Europe tripled on the whole, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Faced with this unprecedented public health challenge, Europe is changing the way food products are labelled in an attempt to improve citizen's overall nutritional education. One research project looking into this issue is FLABEL (Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life) which receives €2,860,000 in EU-funding. FLABEL has examined more than 37,000 products in 84 retail stores, finding an average 85% of the products with back-of-pack (BOP) nutrition labelling or related information, versus 48% for front-of-pack (FOP) information.
The research from FLABEL and other projects is already feeding into the European debate. In June last year new rules on food labelling were agreed by the European Parliament and EU member states, setting obligations on manufacturers to display nutritional information on packaging. The rules say that within five years EU food labels must indicate the nutritional breakdown for energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar and salt levels. It also says pre-packed meat should indicate the country of origin, and allergenic substances must be shown. And the legibility of labels is to be improved with a minimum font size.
Indeed, sometimes labels can be misleading: in November last year, a German court ordered the makers of a well known brand of chocolate products to change the labels which gave the impression that its nut-chocolate spread had more vitamins and less fat and sugar than it did.
Giving consumers the best information possible can clearly help them decide whether the product on a shop shelf is really right for them. FLABEL looks at the question of how to label products, as food label information is not always understood by consumers. Until now, research on how nutrition labels are used by consumers in real-world shopping situations has been limited. The research can then help policy makers and food manufacturers to determine the most effective way to deliver the data.
Food labels alone will not solve Europe’s obesity problems: it will require a complex mix of solutions covering factors like education, physical activity, portion size and frequency of consumption. But it is important nonetheless, given that on average, Europeans have about a half hour each week to do all their food shopping, forcing them to make quick decisions while rushing through the supermarket aisles. Devising better labels could give them the tools to make healthier choices.
Source MEDIA CONSULTA
New LED display for navigation and engine room applications
Leading maritime display solutions developer North Invent has expanded its portfolio of rugged maritime displays with the introduction of the new 19” Sea Line MK3 (LED), which is designed primarily for ECDIS, radar, Integrated Bridge System and engine room applications. The new display expands the use of LED technology within the North Invent Sea Line MK3 range, which brings with it benefits in operational performance and brightness in addition to enhanced reliability and increased lifetime.
The new 19” Sea Line MK3 (LED) display joins an established range of North Invent Sea Line MK3 displays in 15”, 19”, 21.3” and 23.1” sizes that are already a popular option with equipment manufacturers, system integrators, service companies and ship yards worldwide. With the introduction of the 19” LED model, North Invent improves on the flexibility its product portfolio gives to customers and provides operational enhancements to the end user.
“LED technology enables better performance in terms of brightness so our new 19” Sea Line MK3 (LED) display offers excellent viewing clarity,” comments Søren Refsgaard, International Sales Manager, North Invent. “Reliability and operational life expectancy have also been improved because LED displays use fewer components. Based on these benefits we have chosen to introduce LED versions of our most popular sizes first, but we plan to offer this technology throughout the Sea Line MK3 range in the future.”
The new Sea Line MK3 19” LED display is EN60945 approved with type approval for ECDIS and radar use from the major classification societies pending (expected before April 2012). North Invent also imposes a strict internal testing regime on all of its maritime displays, to ensure that they can continue to perform in the most extreme environments in terms of temperature changes and vibration.
Designed specifically for use in commercial maritime and naval applications on the bridge and in the engine room, the 19” Sea Line MK3 (LED) display features AC or DC power (self-sensing with priority for AC) and 100% graduated dimming for differing lighting conditions, in addition to being waterproof to IP65. It also features extensive interface options including DVI-I (analog + digital), VGA, Composite Video and S-Video.
The North Invent 19” Sea Line MK3 (LED) display is available now through North Invent’s global network of distributors and resellers. Visit www.northinvent.com to find out more.
Source SALTWATERPR
DANISH shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk, which owns the world's biggest container carrier Maersk Line, posted 2011 profits of US$3.4 billion, down 32 per cent year on year due to "low container freight rates especially on Asia-Europe trades".
Maersk's container business made a loss of $600 million in 2011, a steep decline from a $2.6 billion profit in 2010.
Group revenue increased seven per cent to $60.2 billion in 2011 from $56.1 billion the previous year, "positively affected by higher oil prices and container volumes, but offset by lower freight rates," said the company.
Commenting on the under-performance of its container business, the company said: "The negative result was primarily due to the low rates on the Asia-Europe trades. The freight rates started the year at a reasonable level, but decreased throughout the year as large amounts of new tonnage was delivered.
"Overall freight rates were eight per cent lower than in 2010 and this, combined with 35 per cent higher bunker prices, reduced margins considerably. The number of containers carried increased by 11 per cent to 8.1 million FEU, and the group more than regained the market share lost during 2010."
Besides the liner business, APM Terminals posted a profit of $649 million in 2011, down 18 per cent from $793 million in 2010. However, said the company, the "profit excluding sales gains and impairment losses was 24 per cent higher than in 2010".
Its terminals' container throughput increased eight per cent on a like-for-like basis and the ROIC was down about three percentage points to 13.1 per cent from 16 per cent in 2010.
"The high investment level from previous years continued, and during 2011 APM Terminals secured further new investments and development projects primarily in emerging markets," said the company statement.
Additionally, Maersk Drilling made a profit of $495 million, up 24 per cent from $399 million in 2010, due to higher day rates and better contract coverage.
The company said it has signed several new long-term contracts and has committed $3.9 billion for investments in six new rigs.
And Maersk Supply Service made a profit of $210 million last year, up four per cent from $201 million in 2010 because of higher activity level and improved spot rates.
Damco, the group's freight forwarding and supply chain management business, posted a profit of $65 million in 2011, up $21 million from $44 million in 2010, attributing the gain to air freight with its acquisition of NTS International Transport Services in China.
Its ocean towage business Svitzer also experienced a profit of $133 million from $130 million in the previous year.
Looking ahead, the AP Moller-Maersk group expects "a positive result lower than the 2011 result. Cash flow used for capital expenditure is expected to be around the same level as in 2011 while cash flow from operating activities is expected to develop in line with the result."
For liner business, the company expects a "negative result in 2012 as a consequence of excess capacity. Global demand for seaborne containers is expected to increase by four to six per cent in 2012, lower on Asia-Europe trades but supported by higher growth in the north-south trades".
It expects the APM Terminals to perform better than in 2011, growing "more than the market supported by volumes from new terminals."
The total result from all other activities is expected to be at the same level as in 2011 excluding divestment gains and impairments, said the company.
But the company also said that its "outlook for 2012 is subject to considerable uncertainty, not least due to developments in the global economy".
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE most critical and expensive phases of the US$5.25 billion Panama Canal expansion programme may soon run over budget and require more funding, says Jorge Quijano, executive vice president of engineering at the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).
In a lengthy interview appearing in UK-based Infinity Business Media, Mr Quijano said extra funds would be needed to completing the channel that connects the new Pacific locks to the Culebra cut to bring the locks project to completion on time.
"We started with a large contingency fund containing over $1.5 billion to account for inflation and all sorts of possible unknowns in the field. As projects were designed, bids made and awarded at or under budget the remaining contingencies have been consolidated to complement the final components of the expansion if we see that they are needed," he said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
MUMBAI's Gateway Terminals, controlled by Maersk's APMT, has said it will cut throughput the Mumbai area terminal after the Indian High Court upheld the 44 per cent reduction in terminal handling charges (THC) ordered by the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP).
Gateway Terminals confirmed the company was looking to restrict the capacity of its Jawaharlal Nehru (JN port) facility to 1.4 million TEU. After the rate cut was ordered, Gateway told JN port it will load only 1.4 million containers a year - the number it can handle based on the optimum quay capacity of the terminal for the next three years, ending December 31, 2014.
"Handling higher volumes will depend on how the tariff case is settled; we cannot be perpetually running in losses," said Gateway chief executive P Agrawal, reported Livemint Wall Street Journal.
But Jawaharlal Nehru port operations chief SN Maharana said: "This is not acceptable to us. Gateway has declared a capacity of 1.8 million standard containers a year. If the capacity is reduced, exporters and importers will suffer."
Gateway Terminals is 74 per cent owned by APM Terminals Management BV, the world's third-biggest container port operator with state-run Container Corp of India (Concor) holding the balance.
Gateway Terminals loaded 1.85 TEU in 2010-2011, accounting for 20 per cent of India's national throughput.
Gateway had asked TAMP for an increase of 8.72 per cent on the existing rates arguing it could handle more than 2.1 million TEU.
Said a Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Ship Agents Association spokesman: "There is lack of capacity in JN port. If private terminals deliberately reduce volumes, it will seriously affect the trade."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THIS week's Shipping Hong Kong conference features a Business of Crisis Media Management session today, (Tuesday February 28) at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Members Suite 3/F in Happy Valley, where one can learn public relations techniques and how the US Coast Guard deploys social media to advantage.
On Wednesday, February 29 there will be a session on marine insurance and P+I (property and indemnity) Clubs, and piracy from all angles - financial, armed guards, contractual, negotiations and cost to the industry and possible solutions. China pollution legislation, vetting, hedging strategies (freight/bunkers/currency) and magic-pipes are all covered.
"We look at the all important issues of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act and how they can affect you in Hong Kong and elsewhere. For owners the important issue of sanctions worldwide, how do you handle it and where will it end? The closing session will deal with how to plan and manage potential risks.
On Thursday, March 1, there will be a session on China's changing trade patterns, the new sea route over the north pole, the quality and cost of ships and in these depressed markets.
Should you outsource your ship management - listen to our experienced panel who have seen both sides. Sinopacific chairman Simon Liang discusses industrial shipowners and an examination of non-banking finance and using mergers and acquisition and private equity for restructuring.
For more information Noelle Wong or Adam Thompson, call +852 2840 0224.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
MARINE mutual, the UK P&I Club, has announced it is launching a risk management scheme utilising a BowTie approach to identify areas of risk and minimise the occurrence of incidents, following "much" study and "in-depth trials" with a number of unidentified ship owners.
The new offering will be presented publicly for the first time in Asia during the Shipping Hong Kong Week this week (February 27 to March 2), and at the Business of Shipping conference on March 1, where the club's loss prevention director, Karl Lumbers, will explain the concept.
"Working with those members who wish to identify the various threats to the smooth (claim-free) running of their vessels, we conduct reviews on those areas which may cause claims. Thomas Miller P&I Ltd, the manager of the UK Club, has access to an incomparable amount of claims data resulting from extensive analysis of previous incidents over a period of 23 years and it is this that has enabled the club to identify 'threats, consequences and controls', the foundations of developing BowTie reports on individual vessels."
The BowTie methodology is a way of outlining in a graph both the controls that should be in place to contain a threat and therefore stop an incident, and the controls that should be in place to minimise the effect of any incident that does occur.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NEW YORK's strict ballast water rules imposed by its Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that threatened ocean-going ships this summer have been dropped because technology does not exist to meet regulatory demands, reports American Shipper.
In comments filed this week with the US Environmental Protection Agency, New York's DEC commissioner Joseph Martens, New York state will instead uphold EPA standards in through December 2013.
Said American Great Lakes Ports Association director Steve Fisher: "This eliminates the unworkable ballast water rules. It protects jobs and supports the thousands of Americans who make their living in the maritime industry."
Mr Fisher said under the New York rule demanded standards 100 times stronger than those established by the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO). No such technology exists, he said, adding that next year's rule would be 1,000 times more demanding than the IMO standard.
A coalition of environmental groups including the National Resources Defence (NRDC), Great Lakes United, Alliance for the Great Lakes, National Wildlife Federation and Northwest Environmental Advocates said: "The EPA's new proposed permit isn't tough enough to protect the Great Lakes and other vulnerable watersheds throughout the country."
Said Ed Kelly, president of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey: "This removes the potential for serious economic damage to the New York-New Jersey port and to commerce on the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway."
Said Raymond Johnston, president of Canada's Chamber of Marine Commerce, applauded the decision. (Canada shares the seaway with the US.) The governors of three Great Lakes states said in September that New York's regulation could close the waterway and "imperil thousands of maritime-related jobs in the Great Lakes states and Canada" if not changed.
The US Chamber of Shipping said they were unable to "purchase systems deemed compliant. The US should either recognise other national type certifications or delay implementation of the requirements until systems are available for purchase".
Ballast water treatment kills marine life in ballast tanks with chemicals or ultraviolet light to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species migrating to new waters.
"New York remains concerned. We hope that a strong national solution can be achieved," said Mr Martens. "At the same time, shipping and maritime activity is critical to New York state and international commerce. A technically feasible national standard which recognises the critical economic role played by our waterways is the only viable way to address the spread of destructive aquatic invaders through ballast water."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will auction 200 containers that have stayed for more than 100 days at the Port of Mombasa after a partial waiver on storage charges failed to induce owners to remove them, reports Nairobi's Business Daily.
To clear congestion, the KPA announced in December that it would partially waive storage charges on overstayed containers if owners removed them by March.
"There has been no major impact," said KPA supply chief Yobesh Oyaro. "KPA will now hire auctioneers to dispose of these containers when the need arises."
The KPA placed bids for auctioneers to help dispose of the overstayed cargo both within the port and the inland container depots (ICDs).
KPA managing director Gichiri Ndua said KPA had identified 466 export containers, 737 domestic import and 294 transit export containers that have been lying at the port of Mombasa for between 100 and more than 1,000 days.
Importers say the KPA's offer was meaningless because the reduction in warehouse charges - 30 US cents per cubic metre per day - was only partial while they wanted a waiver on the full Customs Warehouse Rent, which was refused.
Said KRA commissioner general Michael Waweru: "Customs Warehouse Rent is part of government revenue and unless the law is changed, we cannot give a general waiver.
Mombasa is suffering congestion which KPA attributes to lack of space following delays by importers and clearing agents to collect containers from the port and container freight stations.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AFTER five years of trading into the northwest of Australia under the name Mocean Shipping Pte Ltd, the company is being renamed MM Line Pte Ltd, effective from March 1.
The move is said to be "in keeping with our continued commitment to support our long-term customers with break-bulk shipping services into Western Australia", said the company.
MM Line Pte Ltd is an independently managed company and also an affiliate of the Pt Meratus Group of companies (www.meratusline.com), which owns and operates 49 vessels on liner trades within the Indonesian archipelago.
"This change heralds our re-instated focus on delivering a regular and reliable service. All previous staff of Mocean will be retained and the new team will comprise of some additional experienced personnel from the southeast Asia-northwest Australia trade lane.
"MM Line also has the pleasure to announce the opening of their office in Fremantle (MM Line Pty Ltd) managed by Paul Zaccaria. This combination of focus on reliability added with the enhanced knowledge whilst working hard to better understand our customers will allow real-time effective decision making, improved service and above all maintain the competitive edge for our customers," it said.
MM Line will in no way be commercially represented by any of the affiliated companies within the Meratus group, such as its forwarding subsidiaries, MIF Services, MB Line NVOCC or Meratus Line.
All commercial matters will be handled entirely by MM Line staff in Singapore and Australia.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AMERICA's biggest truckload carrier, Swift Transportation, must pay US$4 million to the Port of Los Angeles over its failure to use the $11.8 million from the port to buy new 600 trucks as part of LA's clean trucks programme, reports the Daily Breeze.
Many of the trucks purchased did not make a required 150 trips to the port each year the newspaper reports, adding that the Port of Los Angeles granted $44 million to 56 motor carriers to new buy trucks through its Clean Trucks Programme.
Separately, Moody's Investors service boosted its outlook for Swift Transportation to positive from stable after the company reported a $90.6 million net profit for 2011, its first annual profit since 2006.
"Volumes are improving, operating metrics are favourable, and our driver pipeline continues to be full," the carrier said.
Moody's expects increasing freight demand and strong truckload pricing will help the Phoenix-based company increase its revenue and remain profitable.
"We expect that Swift will be able to sustain operating margins in the eight to 10 per cent range through 2013," said Moody's.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem says his group recognises the importance of its container terminal in Caucedo to serve the Caribbean region, as a hub port, during a company tour of its marine terminals in South America.
The delegation visited the group's sea freight terminals in Peru, Argentina, Suriname and the Dominican Republic, as well as the new development in Brazil, a statement posted on the 4 Traders news portal said.
In March last year, Leonel Fernandez, the President of the Dominican Republic and Mr Bin Sulayem officially inaugurated the second phase of the group's terminal in Caucedo, which has increased the facility's overall handling capacity by 25 per cent to 1,250,000 TEU annually.
The expansion comprises an additional 300 metres of deepwater berth, two new yield mobile cranes in addition to five existing gantry quay cranes. A sixth quay crane and three further rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes are scheduled to arrive in April.
Mr Bin Sulayem, was cited as saying: "The recent expansion in handling capacity of the port is an indication of our confidence in the strength of the Dominican Republic's economy, and fits with our strategy of focusing on fast emerging markets."
He noted that the terminal has been awarded the ISO 28000 security management standard, and it participates in the US Container Security Initiative (CSI), with US Customs officials stationed at the port.
The group has its eye on expanding the feeder capacity at the Caucedo container terminal through the development of an additional feeder berth at the breakwater.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
TOLL Holdings Limited, a provider of integrated logistics services in Asia, has announced a "solid" result in "challenging conditions" for the second half of 2011.
It said in a statement that net profit after tax amounted to A$158 million (US$169.24 million), representing a decrease of four per cent year on year.
Second half sales revenue came in at A$4.4 billion, up five per cent. On the other hand, total operating profit (EBIT) fell by two per cent year on year to A$248 million.
According to Brian Kruger, managing director, he said the group's exposure to the resources sector as well as the faster growing markets in Asia helped offset the difficult conditions in discretionary retail and in the manufacturing sector in Australia.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
RUSSIA's National Container Company (NCC) has announced that its Ukrtranscontainer terminal (UTC) is recommencing operations at the Port of Illichivsk on the Black Sea near Odessa.
This comes after an agreement was reached between UTC and the port authorities to jointly operate the terminal was "re-affirmed" by the Ukraine's Arbitration Court of Odessa Region at the end of last year, an NCC statement said.
"UTC took over the terminal's management without interruption of vessel handling. Organisational arrangements (employee relocation, property transfer, etc) have been implemented to restart operations. UTC proceeds with rendering services on the same contractual terms that were valid in Illichivsk port in the current year," it said.
Vladimir Burulya, China Shipping Agency director in the Ukraine, said: "I am sure that after NCC's return, Illichivsk port will keep on growing as the main container gateway to Ukraine. We expect important changes in the terminal's operation, which will be implemented due to the experience of the international investor."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
US CUSTOMS and Border Protection (CBP) has proposed a rule change on imported merchandise which allows cargo to move without duties being paid to another US port before re-export under bond.
CBP requests for comments from trade to be submitted by April 23.
In-bond movements allow freight to move under a bond that provides for liquidated damages if the conditions of the bond are not met but the system has been exploited through smuggling of restricted or high duty items.
To tighten the system, the CBP rule would compel agents to file electronic in-bond applications instead of paper documents, reports American Shipper, adding that it would also require information on the safety and security of the goods and its six-digit Harmonised Tariff Schedule number.
Any diversion of merchandise from intended destination port to another would need permission from CBP and be within a 30-day maximum to transport under bond between US ports. Arrival and location of merchandise would need to be filed within 24 hours of arrival at the destination port, it said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
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