DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS...

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2008 – 181

Distribution : daily 4475 copies worldwide 7/9/2008

Number 181 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Thursday 10-08-2008 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites.

Kon. Wilhelminahaven zz 22 3134 KG Vlaardingen (Port No 650) The Netherlands www.mariflex.net tel (24 hrs) : +31 (0) 10 434 44 45 [email protected]

The Russell Tide owned by Tidewater Marine. She is seen alongside at Sonils base. She is a R.O.V. survey ship and is on hire to B.P. serving Block 18 which is a new oil field 90 miles WNW of Luanda. She is of UT745 design and built in Norway in 1999

Photo : Johno Robertson - Chief Mate - Russell Tide ©



CONTENTS EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

• 'Snel investeren in vervoer over water' • Schipper gezonken duwboot door KNRM gered • African migrants missing after boat capsizes off Spain • Dronken zeekapitein krijgt vaarverbod • Yellowcake in Montreal • Sulpicio won’t refloat, may tow ship to shore--DoTC exec • Final stages for Riverdance ferry • SKorea arrests Chinese for ship technology theft • Hood No Good • Demand for mega-ships cuts Caribbean trade lanes • Catamaran capsizes in front of lifeboat station • Lifeboat to be named • SNELLE ACTIE VAN TENDERDIENST HOEK VAN HOLLAND

CASUALTY REPORTING • $1m of timber lost overboard • Schooner gets stuck in the river

NAVY NEWS • Why the Royal Navy is getting that sinking feeling • U.S. aircraft carrier moves from Gulf to back up Afghan operations

SHIPYARD NEWS • Norwegians close to privatize Szczecin shipyard • China State Shipbuilding plans 3.7 bln yuan bonds with warrants issue • Samsung to Deliver World's Biggest LNG Tanker for Exxon Project

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES • Gorinchemse veerpont kan ook blussen • TEAL DELIVERS CARGO IN HORAMAR • Morocco grants Maersk, PSA container licences • Boskalis verkrijgt contract van euro 200 miljoen in Dubai • With Port Rashid reclamation in Dubai, Dredging International (DEME Group) obtains

another huge contract in the UAE. • Freyr nu eigendom van zeekadetkorps • Odfjell takes stake in Angelopolous drillships • ITF CALLS FOR RETURN OF HEBEI SPIRIT OFFICERS • Senaat stemt in met Scheldeverdragen • Time charter deal for Sea Halibut • Busan port goes for 'clean' energy • New German law may halt Hapag's sale abroad • Maersk plans to give up two berths in Taiwan • 'River Tosca' to make maiden voyage along the Nile • JP Morgan: NOL should forget Hapag-Lloyd takeover • First Mitsui cargo ship arrives at Blount Island



EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS HIGH

DEEP

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EURO DEMOLITION BV Lijndenweg 5, NL 1948 ND BEVERWIJK

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'Snel investeren in vervoer over water' Rotterdam moet snel een hoogwaardig netwerk van vervoer over water krijgen. Dat adviseert de Rotterdamse economische adviesraad EDBR aan de gemeente. ,,Rotterdam heeft door zijn ligging aan de Nieuwe Maas een unieke verbindingsweg voor personenvervoer, maar deze wordt niet benut.'' De bereikbaarheid van de stad en de haven staat onder druk. Zonder adequate oplossingen loopt de economische ontwikkeling van de regio Rijnmond gevaar, aldus het platform, waarin ruim dertig opinieleiders uit het bedrijfsleven, onderwijs, wetenschap en cultuur zitten.

Foto : Piet Sinke ©

Het vervoer over water moet onderdeel uitmaken van het bestaande openbaarvervoernetwerk. Tussen Hoek van Holland en Krimpen aan den IJssel dienen circa dertig haltes te komen. Bereikbaarheid is een van de hoogste prioriteiten voor de economische ontwikkeling van de stad. Ook het imago kan profiteren van het openbaar vervoer over water. Rotterdam kan zich zo beter profileren als moderne metropolis. De stad praat al langer over vervoer over water. Tussen de Willemskade in het centrum van de Maasstad en tuindorp Heijplaat op de zuidoever van de Nieuwe Maas vaart sinds eind mei een nieuwe waterbus. De rederij onderzoekt of het deze aqualiner in de toekomst kan uitbreiden naar onder meer de wijk Katendrecht, Vlaardingen, Spijkenisse, Hoogvliet, Pernis en Schiedam.

Schipper gezonken duwboot door KNRM gered Door : Ron Zegers – KNRM Hoek van Holland

Woensdag ochtend om 02.45 alarm van het kustwachtcentrum Den Helder ”boot gezonken en man over boord”. De reddingboot Jeanine Parqui van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) reddingstation Hoek van Holland voer binnen 7 minuten de Berghaven uit. De gezonken duwboot “Virgo” lag nog met de boeg boven water vast aan de duwbak toen de reddingboot om 03.00 uur ter plaatse kwam. De opvarenden van de duwbak gebaarden



de reddingboot naar het westen waar de schipper-eigenaar in een reddingboei door de wind en golven tegen de bak werd aangestuwd. Om 03.01 was de man aan boord en werd meegenomen naar de Berghaven. De vrijwillige opstappers van KNRM reddingstation Hoek van Holland werden om 02.45 uur gealarmeerd door het kustwachtcentrum Den Helder dat er een man over was en een schip gezonken. Binnen 7 minuten uitgevaren en informatie ingewonnen via VHF 16. Op dit kanaal waren al kreten te horen van het ongeval. Het schip bleek recht tegenover de ligplaats van de reddingboot te zijn gezonken in het Caland kanaal. De duwboot Virgo was zojuist vanuit de Nieuwe Waterweg door het Breediep stuurboord het Caland kanaal ingevaren toen het mis ging. De duwboot is snel gezonken door nog onbekende omstandigheden met aan boord de enige opvarende, de 47-jarige Duitse schipper/eigenaar. De overige 2 bemanningsleden bevonden zich op de duwbak en konden de drenkeling een reddingboei toewerpen en voor de rest helaas niets uitrichten. De hulpverlening kwam snel op gang. De KNRM reddingboot Jeanine Parqui was binnen 15 minuten na alarm ter plaatse en heeft de drenkeling uit het water gehaald met gebruik van het hydrolyse drenkelingen platform. Nadat bleek, uit onder meer de verklaring van de drenkeling dat dit de enige persoon te water betrof terug gevaren naar de Berghaven in Hoek van Holland. Na onderzoek door een arts-opstapper werd besloten de ambulance af te bestellen omdat de man nog in goede conditie was. Via de rederij/agent van de Duitse eigenaar/drenkeling werd voor verder vervoer en opvang gezorgd. De man moest ook via de water politie toestemming geven om zijn schip te bergen. Alles bij elkaar van alarm tot aankomst Berghaven was binnen 25 minuten geschied. IF YOU HAVE PICTURES OR OTHER SHIPPING RELATED INFORMATION FOR THE NEWS

CLIPPINGS ?? PLEASE SEND THIS TO :

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VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd. wire ropes, chains, hooks, shackles, webbing slings,

lifting beams, crane blocks, turnbuckles etc. Nijverheidsweg 21 3161 GJ RHOON The Netherlands

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African migrants missing after boat capsizes off Spain

Fourteen African would-be migrants were missing after their boat capsized off the southern coast of Spain yesterday. Two rescue ships and an aircraft were searching for the missing people in the Mediterranean off the town of Motril, a spokesman for the Spanish province of Granada said. The ship was carrying 37 migrants from Nigeria when it capsized about 4.40am. A Spanish rescue boat came to their assistance and managed to save 23 people, he said.



Rough seas, with waves of up to 6m, were complicating the search for the missing migrants. More than 900 would-be illegal immigrants died at sea trying to reach Spain in 2007, according to a tally by the Organisation for Human Rights in Andalusia. Of the 921 people who died, 732 were close to the western coast of North Africa, only at the start of their journey, and 189 had got near the coast of Spain. Most, 629, were from sub-Saharan Africa, 287 were from north Africa and five were Asians. Source : themercury.co.za

Dronken zeekapitein krijgt vaarverbod De Waterpolitie heeft in de nacht van dinsdag op woensdag op de Westerschelde een Russische kapitein op een schip aangehouden omdat hij te veel had gedronken. De man bleek een alcoholpromillage van 2,2 in zijn bloed te hebben terwijl maximaal 0,8 is toegestaan. Dat meldde de politie woensdag. De loods die aan boord kwam, kreeg het vermoeden dat de Rus had gedronken en alarmeerde de politie. Die nam de man een blaastest af. Ook de eerste stuurman, die het gezag van het schip wilde overnemen, bleek te veel te hebben gedronken. Het schip werd afgemeerd. De kapitein kreeg een vaarverbod van negen uur en een boete van 1500 euro.

Yellowcake in Montreal A load of nuclear material has arrived in Montreal, two weeks after the secret shipment left Iraq. The uranium's next destination is Ontario, where it will be processed into fuel for nuclear power plants.

US Military Sealift Command ship Gopher State unloaded Yellowcake from Iraq in Montreal, Canada on July 3, 2008. The Yellowcake will be processed at Cameco in Port Hope, Ontario and then used in the power plant reactors at Bruce

Power near Kincardine, Ontario. Picture is showing the vessel upbound on the St. Lawrence River at Sorel, Quebec on July 3. 2008.

Photo : Lorraine Morrill - Oshawa, Ontario – Canada ©



550 metric tonnes of uranium was trucked out of Baghdad, put aboard 37 cargo flights to a remote island in the Indian ocean, then loaded onto a Montreal-bound freighter. The operation was kept secret out of fears someone might attack the shipments. Source : CTV Montreal News

Sulpicio won’t refloat, may tow ship to shore--DoTC exec

Instead of re-floating the sunken MV Princess of the Stars, Sulpicio Lines Inc. is now planning to simply tow the vessel to shore so that bodies still trapped inside the ship could be recovered safely and the shipping firm has three months to do this, Transportation undersecretary Ma. Elena Bautista said. In a press conference at the Department of Transportation and Communication Tuesday after meeting with DoTC officials, Bautista said she was also giving SLI until Wednesday to name a salvor. Bautista, head of the task force investigating the ill-fated inter-island vessel, said refloating the ship would cost more than P100 million which SLI would shoulder. “Last resort na akuin ito ng gobyerno, pero sisingilin parin namin sila [It will be a last resort for government to shoulder the costs, but we will bill them for this],” Bautista said. She did not say how much it would cost to tow the ship that sank off Sibuyan Island during the onslaught of typhoon “Frank” (international codename: Fengshen) last June 21, bringing down more than 800 passengers and crew. Bautista said SLI had asked for 164 days for the operation, which she rejected because what the company was asking for was “hindi katanggap-tanggap [unacceptable]” and for “humanitarian considerations.” “Umapela kami sa kanila [We appealed to them] to make it three months. Hindi dapat patagalin ito. Kung kailangang magdagdag ng tao, ng equipment, para lang matapos ito, gawin natin [This should not be prolonged any longer. If we need to add personnel, equipment, to finish this, let’s do it],” she said. “Based on the Sulpicio report this morning, their plan now is to just tow the vessel to the shore, get the hazardous materials out, get the fuel out, and get the people out,” Bautista told the House of Representatives’ oversight committee, one of two committees investigating the tragedy, earlier on Tuesday. “And I think that would be more cost-effective and most practical because that can be done, maybe within a month, as compared to refloating, which would probably take three months,” said Bautista, who also heads the task force investigating the disaster. The same experts, she said, also proposed two other options to retrieve the vessel aside from towing it to shore -- re-float it from where it is now, and to pull the wreck towards the deeper part of the sea and then turn it right side up. “These were the there alternatives presented to us and it seems that the most practical option now is to just pull the vessel to the shore,” Bautista said. Bautista said SLI was looking at three possible third party companies to get the services of a salvor and adjuster but refused to name them. She added that should SLI opt to tow or just re-float the vehicle, the salvor should be an expert to make sure that minimal damage was done to sea life and hazardous wastes inside the ill-fated ship would not spill. “Dapat yung i-appoint nila may expertise. Kasi hindi dapat pabigla-bigla yung pag-alis ng barko dun kasi hindi natin alam kung anong pwedeng mangyari sa loob [They should appoint someone with expertise because the ship cannot be removed abruptly because there is no telling what could happen inside it],” Bautista said. She said she also raised this issue before some key Cabinet members and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s instruction was to make sure that there would be no additional lives lost.



Although towing the vessel would destroy the corals in the sea, Bautista said, non-government organizations also acknowledged that protecting the lives of those who would engage in a potentially dangerous mission would be more important now than the environmental issue. “So that’s our guidance now. We will be prioritizing lives, we’re not risking any more divers to go and retrieve bodies with the presence of hazardous materials inside the vessel,” she pointed out. Bautista said she was also advised by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to make sure that the shipping company would sign an undertaking vowing not to abandon its responsibility since there are still hazardous materials onboard the ship. She said the shipping company gave its commitment to assume responsibility for salvaging the vessel when she talked to Edgar Go, vice president of SLI, early on Tuesday. “There’s some progress and I think they are acknowledging responsibility and I really appreciate Sulpicio taking that effort though the vessel has been abandoned,” Bautista said. “So I’m very much relying now on their word and hopefully, if they are really serious in keeping their word, they would be willing to sign an undertaking to make sure that they will also follow through in the completion of this whole process of salvaging,” she added. Source : inquirer.net

Final stages for Riverdance ferry The stricken Riverdance ferry looked a sad sight as another ship sailed past untroubled on the horizon. With the ferry

now two months into being demolished, crews are into the engine room and are approaching the final stage of works to cut the ship to bits. It seems Hancocks were very optimistic when they suggested the wreck would be gone in 10 days. A new estimate now would suggest the end of September weather permitting... Photo : Geoff Whitworth ©

SKorea arrests Chinese for ship technology theft

A Chinese inspector sent by a US ship classification society to a South Korean shipyard has been arrested for allegedly stealing key technology, prosecutors said Wednesday. The 35-year-old unidentified man was arrested on June 27 and indicted for stealing technology to manufacture oil drilling ships and platforms, said the prosecutors' office in the southern port city of Busan. "This case shows that China is using all means available to steal advanced technology from our shipbuilding industry," the office said in a statement.



It said the American Bureau of Shipping, at the request of a Chinese state shipping company, sent the man last September to supervise the building of a ship at an undisclosed yard. He was the first foreigner to be charged in South Korea with technology theft. Two other Chinese inspectors were investigated but not indicted because they acquired technology through the Internet overseas, a Busan prosecution official told AFP on condition of anonymity. South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilder but China is catching up fast. Korean shipyards led by Samsung Heavy Industries have received more than 90 percent of global orders for offshore platforms for oil development, which require high standards of technology. South Korea is sensitive to technology leaks. In July last year prosecutors charged four local shipbuilding engineers with leaking technology to China. Also last year five former and current employees of Kia Motors were accused of selling secrets on car assembly to China. In March this year prosecutors arrested a former engineer with South Korea's LG Electronics for stealing and leaking flat-screen TV technology to China.

Hood No Good Three seamen, including two Scots, died on a North Sea safety vessel after failing to recognise the potential danger of entering an enclosed space. The first collapsed and died after entering the chain locker of the Viking Islay to try to secure a rattling anchor chain and two others who tried to rescue him met the same fate, according to the report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (Maib). The victims of the tragedy off the Yorkshire coast on September 29 last year were Finlay MacFadyen, 46, originally from Glasgow but who was living in Aberdeen, Robert O'Brien, 59, from Leven in Fife, and Robert Ebertowski, 40, from Gdynia, Poland. The Emergency Response Rescue Vessel (Errv) was operating in the BP Amethyst gas field 25 miles off the coast supporting a drilling rig. There were 12 multinational crew on board midway through a 28-day tour of duty when two of the victims went forward with the intention of securing a rattling anchor chain in the chain locker. The first entered and collapsed and the report says that it is probable that the other seaman raised the alarm with the duty watch-keeping rating on the bridge before he attempted to help his companion but also collapsed. The first rescuer on the scene was unable to enter the locker wearing breathing apparatus, so put on an emergency escape breathing device (Eebd) before going in. But the hood of the device was removed or dislodged and he too succumbed and died. The report found the oxygen-deficient atmosphere was caused by natural and on-going corrosion of the steel structure. The vessel operator, Vroon Offshore Services of Aberdeen, has since provided ships in its fleet with atmosphere testing equipment. Key onboard personnel have been trained in its use and gas monitors have been supplied to the Vroon fleet. The Maib recommended that Vroon review its training regime for the use of Eebds.

Demand for mega-ships cuts Caribbean trade lanes

Increased demands for ship building, especially mega-ships by Asian heavyweights, have driven up the cost to build ships and containers, said Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester , chief executive officer of Seaboard Jamaica. These mega-ships, she said, are inappropriate for Caribbean trade lanes which require smaller feeder vessels. "Commercial ship building is undergoing a boom, driven primarily by worldwide increases in trade. In 2005, orders were received by shipyards for approximately US$100 billion worth of vessels. By 2007, the value of orders on the books had virtually tripled. As a result, it is anticipated that in excess of 5,000 new ships will be launched by early 2010," Robertson-Sylvester pointed out. She was speaking at the Shipping Association of Jamaica-sponsored (SAJ) Lunch and Learn seminar held at the Pelican in Montego Bay, St James.



Another factor affecting Caribbean trade lanes, she noted, was the demand for feeder vessels to work China's coast, making them unavailable for Caribbean trade lanes. "This is spiking demand and tightening supply, resulting in high charter costs which will invariably increase shipping costs," the Seaboard Jamaica head said. Source: jamaica-gleaner

Catamaran capsizes in front of lifeboat station Crew members at Whitstable lifeboat spotted a catamaran capsize and launched to help the crew last Saturday. The lifeboat men were at the boathouse when they saw the vessel turn over half a mile off Whitstable harbor just before 4pm on Saturday, July 5. The lifeboat launched and was alongside the catamaran a minute later. The craft had flipped totally upside down, and the mast and sail were detached and floating next to it. Using wirecutters from the lifeboat, the catamaran sailor was able to cut away the rigging, allowing the mast and sail to be brought aboard the lifeboat. The catamaran was then righted, and towed to the Yacht Club ramp. The dismasting and subsequent capsize had been caused by failure of the catamaran's forestay. Source : Yourcanterburry

Lifeboat to be named SEAHOUSES' new lifeboat is to be officially named next week. A naming and dedication ceremony for the station's new inshore lifeboat Peter Downes will take place on Saturday, July 12. The lifeboat, named after a West Midlands man who died in a diving accident in the English Channel in 2002, was delivered to the station in January. The ceremony will be at 11am at the lifeboat station and will be attended by members of Mr Downes' family and clergy. Source : Northumberland Gazette

SNELLE ACTIE VAN TENDERDIENST HOEK VAN HOLLAND

Woensdag morgen om 08.30uur raakte het zeiljacht Aura in de problemen IN DE MAASMOND, Door kordaat optreden van de bemanning van de MERCURY van het Nederlands Loodswezen kon erger worden voorkomen De MERCURY heeft de AURA op sleeptouw genomen en afgeleverd in de Berghaven (Hoek van Holland)

CASUALTY REPORTING $1m of timber lost overboard

Stormy seas swept nearly a million dollars worth of timber off a ship south of Gisborne. The unprocessed timber was on the 167m Sunny Napier II sailing from Napier to Japan when the ship ran into extreme weather early on Sunday. Olsen Shipping spokesman Allan Germain said yesterday that the crew felt the ship go over violently at one point but they did not realise until daylight that they had lost a lot of the timber from the deck. The ship returned slowly to Napier and yesterday staff were inspecting the losses. It was dangerous work because the cargo had shifted, Germain said. The timber was part of a regular consignment from the Pan Pac mill at Whirinaki, just north of Napier. Managing director Doug Ducker said it appeared that 40 per cent of the deck cargo had been lost, and the total cost would be about $1 million. He expected that the timber would eventually become waterlogged and sink. Source : stuff.co.nz



Schooner gets stuck in the river THE historic schooner Kathleen and May was the subject of a lifeboat rescue at Appledore on Sunday afternoon. In high winds and dropping tides, the Bideford based sailing vessel became stranded and entangled on the Appledore lifeboat mooring, with the mooring rope tight around its rudder. Timing is crucial for the three-masted ship to leave her moorings and make her way down river from Bideford to ensure sufficient water to float, but allow clearance for her 100ft masts under the Torridge Bridge. Having negotiated the bridge she would normally then moor up at Appledore before starting her passage. On this occasion the water had dropped too far to reach the mooring, so Appledore lifeboat offered its secondary mooring. But in strong tides and heavy winds she missed the pickup and over-sailed the mooring. The mooring strop got caught in front of the rudder, bringing the boat to an abrupt halt and she was well and truly stuck, with the tide about to turn. A full scale exercise by the Appledore lifeboat crew followed and local diver Colin Eastman was called in. Despite only a metre clearance under the boat and murky conditions, he managed to clear the rope from the rudder and the Appledore lifeboat pulled the mooring clear. The 100-year-old vessel was able to continue her journey out of the estuary on route to the Brest International 2008 Tall Ships Festival in France. Steve Clarke, owner of the Kathleen and May, said: 'We were extremely grateful to the Appledore RNLI letting us borrow its mooring in the event we missed the tide, which prevented us being able to tie up elsewhere. We were even more grateful to the crew for getting us off the mooring so we could go on our way!' Source : North Devon Gazette

NAVY NEWS Why the Royal Navy is getting that

sinking feeling At the height of the Royal Navy's dominance of the world's oceans in the late 1800s, Britain had more warships than the next seven navies combined. As of June 25 this year, there were just six destroyers, 14 frigates and six attack submarines available for tasking, with 10 other combatants in refit or at "reduced readiness", the Whitehall euphemism for being laid up because of fuel costs, lack of spares or crew shortages. For most of the latter, it would take between six and 18 months to make them seaworthy. Then there would be the problem of crewing them in a navy that has too few sailors to man even the rump fleet which remains. The government now led by Gordon Brown has presided over an extraordinary decline in naval fortunes. Since New Labour came to power in 1997, it has ordered only six destroyers and four submarines - none of which is yet in service - plus the two super-carriers for which the go-ahead was finally given last week. It is an average of just over a ship a year, with no replacements for the jack-of-all-trades frigates that are the backbone of the working, fighting navy. The Ministry of Defence has even admitted in a parliamentary written answer that the strength of the surface fleet is likely to decline to 21 destroyers and ageing frigates over the next three years, four fewer than the absolute minimum needed to perform even the most basic job of patrolling the sea lanes along which 95% of the UK's raw materials are transported. While the £4.2bn carrier contract is welcome for the medium-term job protection it will offer on the Clyde and elsewhere, it is essentially a political order placed for vote- winning reasons rather than as a central plank of achievable future maritime strategy.



Britain's shiny new carriers will be unable to operate independently against any potential adversary who possesses a modestly capable air force or whose navy can send out a handful of cheap, deadly-silent diesel-electric submarines. They will, in effect, be an addition to the US Navy's order of battle, relying on American satellite cover, long-range aerial surveillance and outer rings of protection from most threats. The navy has conceded that it does not envisage major carrier operations in any circumstances short of US-led joint deployments. It lacks the escort vessels, aircraft and wider tactical-intelligence gathering assets to allow it to fight alone, and it cannot risk losing ships which cost £2bn apiece. Rear-Admiral Alan Massey, the assistant chief of the naval staff and one of the service's most influential officers, last year drew up an internal report which reached the damning conclusion that: "The current material state of the fleet is not good. The Royal Navy would be challenged to mount a medium-scale operation in accordance with current policy against a technologically capable adversary." A medium-scale operation is similar to the naval involvement in the Iraq war. Admiral Jonathon Band, the head of the RN, said later that if the government wanted the white ensign to be flown around the world, the issue of the number of destroyers and frigates available, "particularly frigates", was crucial. The original plan had been to order 12 Type 45 destroyers to replace Falklands-era Type 42s, but this has now been cut to six. Since the cost of the overheads was based on ordering 12 of the destroyers and the overheads are still there, neither the navy nor the taxpayer will benefit. On paper, the navy appears to be managing a hugely expensive equipment programme, including £4.2bn for the carriers, six Type 45s at £6bn, four Astute class nuclear-powered submarines at £3.7bn and a replacement for the Vanguard class Trident ballistic missile submarines, which could cost between £15bn and £20bn. None of it is yet in service and much of it might yet be subject to cancellation, depending on economic circumstance and political expediency. Instead of two gold-plated carriers which as yet have no aircraft to fly from their decks, the sensible option would have been to spend what cash is available now on maintaining enough frigates and destroyers to guard the country's lifelines, promote its global interests and to add punch to the kind of task force the UK can actually afford. We are not yet, all evidence to the contrary, the 51st state of the US. Nor are we still a world power, despite pretensions and a nuclear missile flotilla which could lay waste to entire continents. Money should be spent where it is most needed: on helicopters and armoured vehicles for the wars in which we are embroiled, transport aircraft to keep open the air bridges to Afghanistan and Iraq, and on a fleet to defend, if not dominate, the waves. Source : theherald.co.uk

U.S. aircraft carrier moves from Gulf to back up Afghan operations

A U.S. aircraft carrier has moved to the Arabian Sea to support military operations in Afghanistan, leaving the Gulf without a carrier, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday. The shift by the USS Abraham Lincoln over the weekend comes amid stepped up insurgent violence in Afghanistan where U.S. combat casualties have been on the rise even as they have dropped sharply in Iraq. The operations in Afghanistan and Iraq 'are extremely dynamic and sometimes we have to adjust the posture of forces so we can take advantage of certain opportunities that are there,' said a Navy official, who asked not to be identified. The official emphasized that the repositioning of the Abraham Lincoln was unrelated to tensions with Iran, which Tuesday announced that the Revolutionary Guard forces were kicking off a new round of war games.



'This is not a move in preparation for an attack on Iran. We're simply repositioning the capabilities to support the commanders on the ground down there,' the official said. Source : forbes.com

www.tos.nl TOS Rotterdam (+31)10 – 436 62 93 E-Mail [email protected]

SHIPYARD NEWS

2x 3400 kW azimuth propellors from WPNL mounted on Fosen shipyard NB 77 for the Geowave Endeavour. Photo : Tim de Klerk - Wartsila Propulsion NL BV ©

Norwegians close to privatize Szczecin shipyard Mostostal Chojnice and Ulstein Verft have been numerous times enumerated as potential investors for SSN shipyard in Szczecin, a state-owned company in difficulties. The two companies have now decided to cooperate. “We have signed a letter of intent and we will propose a restructuring program together”, Marcin Garus, Mostostal Chojnice CEO said. The company is subsidiary of KEM steel distributor. The plan is supposed to be approved of today. Polish shipyards must be privatized till the mid of this month. Ulstein Verft is an important contractor for Polish companies. It is also a key partner of Maritime Shipyards, a company owned by Janusz Baran businessman who is interested in Stocznia



Gdynia shipyard. Maritim Shipyard needs fresh capital but its contracts with Ulstein Verft prove its future looks quite good. SSN is supposed to generate PLN 300m (EUR 90.3m) of losses from unprofitable contracts. Source: pb.pl

China State Shipbuilding plans 3.7 bln yuan bonds with warrants issue

China State Shipbuilding Co Ltd said its board has approved a plan to issue up to 3.7 bln yuan worth of bonds with warrants. In a statement filed with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the company said the bonds will have a duration of five years, and subscribers will receive an unspecified number of call warrants for every bond taken up. The coupon and the exercise price for warrants will be determined later, it said. Proceeds of 7.4 bln yuan raised from the bond issue and warrant exercises will be used for eight production or technology upgrade projects, which require total investment of 8.849 bln yuan. The proposal is subject to approval by shareholders and the securities regulator, the company added. Source: quamnet.com

The SMIT WARRI seen for maintenance at the De Haas Shipyard in Maassluis Photo : Michel Kodde ©

Samsung to Deliver World's Biggest LNG Tanker for Exxon Project

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. will deliver the world's biggest liquefied natural gas tanker to Exxon Mobil Corp.'s venture in Qatar in August, adding capacity to the market for the cleaner-burning fuel. The tanker, Mozah, named after the wife of the Emir of Qatar, will supply gas to customers in the U.S. and the U.K. at lower costs, C.H. Park, executive vice president for project planning, said yesterday in Busan, a port city where Samsung was contracted to make 11 tankers, each of 266,000 cubic-meter capacity. ``The vessel can hold almost twice the amount of LNG as



conventional tankers while it can save 30 percent of transportation costs,'' said Park, clad in a grey workman suit that's worn by the 15,000 workers at the yard. ``Overall, it's 50 percent more cost-efficient than a traditional tanker.'' Qatar, the world's biggest LNG producer, has ordered 45 LNG tankers from three Korean shipyards, each capable of carrying more than 200,000 cubic meters. The ships include 31 tankers of 209,000 cubic-meter capacity, known as the Q-Flex, and 14 Q-Max vessels, of which Mozah is the first. The price of a Q-Max increased to $400 million currently from $300 million in 2005 when Samsung's yard was booked for the ship because steel and raw material prices have risen, Park said. A Q-Max holds enough LNG to power South Korean households for more than two days. Global LNG consumption is set to increase 10 percent a year through 2015, more than five times the estimated gain in crude oil demand, Citigroup Inc. said in a report in April. In addition to the existing 270 LNG tankers, there are orders for 118 new ships still to be built and 29 have been delivered this year, Debbie Turner, director of LNG at BS Energy Services Ltd., a broker, said in an interview from London July 7. For Samsung, the world's second-largest shipyard, LNG vessels account for 30 percent of revenue, Park said. Mozah took 15 months to build after the company cut steel in April 2007 and will be named on July 11. The Q-Max, which is about the size of four football fields, can load only at Qatar's Ras Laffan port and dock at specially built import terminals, one of which is operated by the South Hook LNG Terminal Co. in the U.K. and is scheduled to open this year, Turner said. South Hook is a venture between Qatar Petroleum, Exxon and Total SA. ``There is a very good chance that this will dominate the trade from Qatar to the U.K. or the U.S.,'' said Luis Benito, manager, Korea Business Development Team, at Lloyd's Register Asia, which inspects and certifies ships. ``The ship is designed for the long-haul trade.'' Equipped with slow-diesel engines that work more efficiently than steam turbines, these super-sized tankers burn less fuel and produce 30 percent less emissions compared with a typical tanker, Park said. The Q-Max has a re-liquefaction plant that returns evaporating gas back to the storage tanks, maximizing the fuel cargo at the discharge port. Traditional tankers typically lose 0.15 percent of cargo a day during a voyage. Qatar, which overtook Indonesia in 2006 to become the world's biggest LNG exporter, plans to expand capacity to 77 million metric tons by the end of the decade, accounting for a third of the world's supply in 2010. The nation is building six LNG production lines, or trains, of 7.8 million tons each, about twice the size of a typical train, Qatar Petroleum, the biggest shareholder in the LNG projects at Ras Laffan, said on its Web site. Qatar Petroleum's partners include Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ConocoPhillips. Source: Bloomberg

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Gorinchemse veerpont kan ook blussen Gorinchem krijgt een multifunctionele veerpont, die ook dienst doet als watertaxi en blusboot. ,,De boot vaart langzaam als het kan en snel als het moet bij calamiteiten'', zei een gemeentewoordvoerster dinsdag.



Volgens de woordvoerster is de nieuwe veerpont uniek in Nederland. Afhankelijk van de vraag wordt de boot ingezet als langzame pont, iets snellere taxi of om branden te blussen. Het schip gaat varen tussen Gorinchem, Sleeuwijk, Woudrichem en Slot Loevestein. Damen Shipyards uit Hardinxveld levert het vaartuig uiterlijk 2009 op.

TEAL DELIVERS CARGO IN HORAMAR

The loaded TEAL seen ready to depart to Horamar (Argentina) loaded with 24 barges (for dry cargo) 1 tank barge and 2 pusher tugs earlier this month, and below seen during the discharging operation at the Parana River for Navios /

Horamr Photo : Jan Kok – SAMTRANS ©

Morocco grants Maersk, PSA container licences

Morocco's main port state agency said on Tuesday it has awarded licences to two consortiums led by Danish shipping and oil group A. P. Moller-Maersk and Singapore's state-owned PSA International. The Danish-led consortium, which includes Moroccan conglomerate Akwa Group, won the licence for Tangier Med Terminal 3, with capacity for 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the Mediterranean Tangier Special Agency said. The PSA-led consortium was awarded Terminal 4, with about 2.0 million TEUs capacity. The consortium includes Moroccan state maritime firm Marsa Maroc and SNI, an investment company controlled by Morocco's royal family, it said. The Maersk group plans to make Tangier Africa's biggest port complex, with a goal of handling 8 million 20-foot containers per year by 2013, the company has said. Tangier Mediterranean port is a key player in attempts by Rabat government to revive Morocco's long-neglected northern region. Source : africa.reuters



Boskalis verkrijgt contract van euro 200 miljoen in Dubai

Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster nv heeft van opdrachtgever Nakheel het contract verkregen voor de herontwikkeling van de haven van Port Rashid in Dubai. Boskalis gaat het project uitvoeren in een 50/50 samenwerkingsverband met de Belgische baggermaatschappij D.E.M.E. De contractwaarde is circa euro 400 miljoen; het aandeel van Boskalis hierin bedraagt circa euro 200 miljoen. Het project zal binnenkort van start gaan en zal circa twee en een half jaar gaan duren.

De opdracht omvat een grote landaanwinning inclusief de aanleg van een "breakwater" en oeverbescherming. In totaal wordt circa 86 miljoen m3 zand gebaggerd en opgespoten waardoor 540 hectare nieuw land ontstaat waarop de voorbereidingen voor een nieuwe prestigieuze cruiseterminal met een 3,4 kilometer-lange kademuur worden getroffen. Het project zal worden uitgevoerd met vier grote sleephopperzuigers. De opdracht komt voort uit de herontwikkeling van Port Rashid, de van oorsprong belangrijkste haven van Dubai. Met het overbrengen van alle overslagactiviteiten naar de haven van Jebel Ali komt Port Rashid beschikbaar voor het ontwikkelen van vastgoed. De strategie van Boskalis is erop gericht om te profiteren van de belangrijkste macro-economische factoren die de wereldwijde vraag opdrijven op onze markten: de snelle groei van de wereldhandel, snel stijgende energieconsumptie, druk als gevolg van de groeiende wereldbevolking, de opkomst van het mondiale toerisme en

de uitdagingen die gepaard gaan met klimaatverandering. Het Port Rashid project is het gevolg van de sterk groeiende wereldbevolking en de opkomst van het mondiale toerisme.

Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster nv is een internationaal opererend concern met een leidende positie op de wereldmarkt van baggerdiensten. De kernactiviteiten van Boskalis zijn aanleg en onderhoud van havens en

vaarwegen, creatie van land in water en bescherming van kusten en oevers. Met belangrijke thuismarktposities in Europa en daarbuiten richt de onderneming zich op alle in de baggersector voorkomende diensten. Daarnaast heeft zij

posities in strategische partnerships in het Midden-Oosten (Archirodon) en in offshore dienstverlening (Lamnalco). Boskalis heeft de beschikking over een veelzijdige vloot van meer dan 300 units en is actief in circa 50 landen,

verspreid over vijf continenten. Boskalis heeft (inclusief zijn aandeel in partnerships) circa 8.000 medewerkers in dienst.

With Port Rashid reclamation in Dubai, Dredging International (DEME Group)

obtains another huge contract in the UAE. The Joint Venture Dredging International – Boskalis Westminster Middle East has been awarded a contract from the leading development company Nakheel for the construction and expansion of Port Rashid in Dubai. The Joint Venture will execute the works in a 50/50 partnership and Dredging International will be the managing partner in the joint



venture. In a joint effort both companies will mobilise some of the biggest trailing suction hopper dredges in the world for the execution of these important works. The contract is worth approximately 2.2 billion AED (390 million Euro). Work will commence immediately and the project will be executed within a period of two and a half years. The assignment includes a sizeable amount of land reclamation including the construction of a breakwater and shore protection. A total of approximately 86 million m3 of sand will be dredged thereby reclaiming 540 hectares of new land which includes the preparations for the construction of a prestigious new cruise terminal with 3.4 kilometres of quay walls. It is however the intention of Nakheel to conclude the contract for a total of 110 million m3 of reclamation in accordance with the masterplan. Four to six large trailing suction hopper dredgers will be deployed on the project. The project is a direct consequence of the redevelopment of Port Rashid, the original key port of Dubai. Since all the harbour trade activities have been moved to the Port of Jebel Ali, Port Rashid has become available for the development of real estate The huge reclamation contract in Dubai’s Port Rashid is the fifth major project Dredging International has recently obtained in the Gulf – after the Pearl of the Gulf (Qatar), , and the Al Raha Beach development in Abu Dhabi, the Al Marjan and Al Dana artificial islands at Ras-al-Khaimah. The latter € 350 million contract has been awarded to Dredging International only a couple of days ago. Source DEME

Freyr nu eigendom van zeekadetkorps Het Zeekadetkorps Gouda mag zich nu eigenaar noemen van het marineschip annex clubhuis Freyr. Het voormalige patrouillevaartuig had de vereniging eerder in bruikleen. ,,Ons schip,’’ zegt voorzitter J. Verhulst, ,, is meer dan vijftig jaar oud en dan gebeurt het vaker dat de marine, dit soort schepen afstoot. Men heeft in 2007 besloten dat zijn het schip niet meer te willen opeisen, als daar al een reden toe zou zijn. Daarom heeft men besloten de bruikleenovereenkomst om te zetten naar een leveringsovereenkomst.’’ De voordelen die aan het bruikleen zaten, waren al minder geworden, aldus Verhulst. ,,Het heeft voordelen om juist een schip in bruikleen te hebben. Je kunt nog eens aankloppen bij de Koninklijke Marine. Maar dat is de laatste jaren steeds minder is geworden, omdat Defensie ook fors moet bezuinigingen.



,,Wij daarentegen hebben een zeer goed schip, wat we gebruiken als een varend clubhuis, dat goed door ons worden onderhouden. Echter gezien de leeftijd van ons schip, moeten er met enige regelmaat investeringen worden gedaan om het schip met de huidige regels in de vaart te houden. Dat zijn kosten die niet door Defensie zullen worden vergoed. Dat kan ook niet, omdat wij geen onderdeel van Defensie.’’

Met de overdracht, zegt Verhulst, maakt Defensie het wel mogelijk dat er in Nederland zeekadettenkorpsen met oude marinevaartuigen varen om de jeugd een ‘echte kick’ te geven om met dit soort schepen. Beter dit, dan slopen dus. De 36 meter lange Freyr, vernoemd naar een god uit de Noorse mythologie, is destijds in Den Helder gebouwd met geld van de Marshallhulp. De Freyr maakte deel uit van een serie van vijf, met als zusterschepen de Balder, Bulgia, Hadda en Hefring. Er werden

hoofdzakelijk patrouilles op zee uitgevoerd, maar ook visserij-inspecties. Voorts werden de schepen bij onderzeebootbestrijding ingezet en voor gewoon vlagvertoon. De Freyr werd in 1986 uit dienst genomen en zou worden verschroot. Een lobby van het Goudse zeekadettenkorps wist dat te voorkomen. In 1987 is de Freyr van Den Helder naar Gouda gesleept. Het schip speelt sindsdien een hoofdrol binnen het plaatselijke zeekadettenkorps. Op last van de marine, die het ontwapende schip in bruikleen gaf aan de stichting Zeekadetkorps Nederland, is de romp zwart geverfd en de opbouw zandgeel. Source : AD

Odfjell takes stake in Angelopolous drillships Norway's Odfjell Drilling has entered a joint venture with Metro Exploration (part of the Th. Angelopolous Group, whose best known operation is Athens-based Metrostar Management). Under the joint venture arrangement, Metro Exploration retain a 60% ownership stake in two ultradeepwater drillships has on order at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea for delivery in the second and fourth quarter of 2011, while Odfjell Drilling will take a 40% ownership in the vessels and be responsible for the construction supervision, marketing and operation of the vessels. "Odfjell Drilling welcomes this opportunity to expand the fleet in collaboration with MetroExploration. The acquisition is part of the company's strategy to expand its fleet, and to strengthen the position of Odfjell Drilling in the fast growing deep water markets internationally," says Odfjell Drilling CEO Ketil Lenning. The drillships are of Gusto design and will be equipped for operations in water depths up to 3000 meters. However, the vessels are designed to be upgraded for operations in water depths up to 4,000 meters, should they be assigned for such employment. The vessels incorporate state of the art technology for safe and efficient operations in ultra deep water. Source : MarineLog



The "Haven Heron" one of Harwich Haven Authority's Pilot launches. Photo : Derek Sands ©

ITF CALLS FOR RETURN OF HEBEI SPIRIT OFFICERS

The ITF appealed to the South Korean authorities to allow the two Hebei Spirit officers found innocent of causing an oil spillage to return home. Both men, backed by the ship manager V Ships, have given assurances that they will return as and when any further trial takes place, following the local prosecutors’ surprise decision to appeal against the judgement that exonerated them of involvement in the spill, which took place last December when their ship was struck by a crane barge while at anchor. Two tug captains were jailed and the crane operator fined in the same trial, which found the Hebei Spirit men Captain Jasprit Chalwa and Chief Officer Syam Chetan innocent. ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton said: “Captain Chalwa and Chief Officer Chetan have asked to be able to go home pending what might be a wait of many, many months before any possible further hearing, which they, with V Ships’ full support, have pledged to attend. We can see no possible reason why they should not be allowed to do so.” He continued: “The ITF unequivocally condemns any attempt to avoid investigation of matters that affect safety on board or damage to the environment - but this is clearly not one of those cases. The authorities have found that these men have committed no unlawful act. Depriving them of their freedom will not further the investigation in any way and will only serve to cause them further distress.” He concluded: “The ITF, supported by its affiliates worldwide, is committed to assist every seafarer who is unfairly criminalised and to bring his or her case to the attention of the international shipping regulatory bodies. We see no reason why these men should not return to their families, and are calling upon the Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office to grant such permission as a matter of urgency.” Source : Maritime Global Net



The ANL BASS TRADER seen operating Down Under Photo : Annie Larter ©

Senaat stemt in met Scheldeverdragen Een meerderheid van de Eerste Kamer heeft dinsdag ingestemd met in 2005 gemaakte afspraken over de Scheldedelta. Vooral in Vlaanderen zal dat besluit voor opluchting zorgen, omdat de Westerschelde kan worden verdiept waardoor de haven van Antwerpen beter bereikbaar wordt. De schade aan de natuur die deze operatie oplevert, moet worden gecompenseerd door de aanleg van nieuwe natuur. Daarvoor moet de Zeeuwse poldergrond onder water worden gezet. Zeeuwen en ook verscheidene politieke partijen zijn daar fel tegen. Een commissie onder leiding van Ed Nijpels zoekt nu alternatieven voor de twee gebieden, de Hedwigepolder en het Zwin, die aanvankelijk ontpolderd zouden worden. Voorstellen van de VVD om niet te ontpolderen en pas in december, wanneer de resultaten van de zoektocht van Nijpels bekend zijn, over de Scheldeverdragen te stemmen, vonden dinsdag onvoldoende steun. Minister Gerda Verburg (Landbouw) kreeg dinsdag de meerderheid achter zich door de Senaat te verzekeren dat de Vlaamse regering bereid is ,,serieus en welwillend'' te overleggen over mogelijke alternatieven die de commissie-Nijpels vindt. Eerder kreeg ze al voor elkaar dat Nederland hiervoor tot 2010 de tijd krijgt en niet al in 2007 moest beginnen met natuurherstel. Verburg had de Vlaamse premier Kris Peeters daar dinsdagochtend speciaal nog voor gebeld. ,,Het Nederlandse voorstel op basis van de commissie-Nijpels kan rekenen op positieve Vlaamse medewerking'', vatte Verburg het telefonisch onderhoud samen. Nijpels presenteert zijn bevindingen uiterlijk 1 november. Tot 1 augustus kunnen nog suggesties bij hem worden ingediend.

Time charter deal for Sea Halibut Deep Sea Supply in Norway has announced that it has entered into a one-year firm time charter contract for the PSV Sea Halibut with ENI North Africa for operations in Libya. The charter may be extended to three years if all options are exercised, and is worth Euros 6.9 million. Commencement is early October. The vessel will move from Angola after expiry of its current charter and be upgraded in Malta to FiFi1 standard and then go straight to Libya for commencement of the charter. Deep Sea Supply said all of its PSVs are now on long term charter contracts. Source : Offshore Shipping Online



Busan port goes for 'clean' energy Surging oil prices have prompted the Busan Port Authority (BPA) to employ fuel-energy-saving measures such as photovoltaic, geothermal and other renewable energy systems to power normal port operations. The measures have been undertaken in an effort to save up to 10% in fuel energy consumption, the BPA told Portworld in a statement on Tuesday. The BPA also intends for these energy-saving policies to develop Busan port into an eco-friendly port. Plans are underway for the introduction of the BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) System to power a business supporting facility with an area of 6,500 square metres and an eight-storey building at the Busan New Port (BNP). The system is slated to produce 20 kilowatts of electricity per hour. The BPA is also scheduled to use geothermal energy in the cooling and heating systems for a Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd operating office for the BNP's phase 2-1. A BIPV System producing 50 kilowatts of electricity per hour will also be employed for a Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd operating office for phase 2-2 at the BNP from September next year. The BPA intends to spend some $4.8 million installing systems using photovoltaic, geothermal and wind energies by 2013, and some $2.9 million on marine energy systems by 2016. Aside from their environmental benefits, the BPA believes that these measures will reduce the nation's dependence on oil and secure inexpensive and stable energy resources. Source: Sustainable Shipping

The WESTERDAM seen in Glacier Bay (Alaska) Photo : Willem J.M. Kappert ©

New German law may halt Hapag's sale abroad Hamburg cautiously optimistic lawmakers in Berlin will amend draft bill

Germany's planned legislation to protect industries it deems key to the national interest from takeover by sovereign wealth funds may be expanded to stop foreign companies from buying TUI AG's container-shipping line. The Federal Economy Ministry in Berlin is mulling over changes to a draft law that would be broad enough to protect the Hapag-



Lloyd AG unit from being sold to foreign investors, said a spokesman for Hamburg's Economy Ministry. The legislation still needs the federal parliament's seal of approval. Hamburg, home to the shipper's headquarters, is 'cautiously optimistic' that lawmakers in Berlin will amend the draft bill, said spokesman Michael Ahrens in Hamburg on Monday, confirming a Bild-Zeitung newspaper report from July 5. 'After all, it's a matter of upholding national security and public infrastructure,' he added. The state government in Hamburg and the federal government in Berlin may be faced with a race against time to secure their interests in keeping the traditional shipper under German ownership. TUI has requested initial bids for Hapag by July 21 - months before federal legislation to protect key industries is due to be passed by parliament in Berlin. Hamburg's government said in April that the port city might consider buying the shipping line to protect jobs. TUI, Europe's biggest tour operator, is seeking a buyer for Hapag, which analysts have said may be worth 5.4 billion euros (S$11.55 billion). Press reports have said Singapore's Neptune Orient Lines is interested. Hamburg, one of 16 German states, has joined investment bank MM Warburg & Co and billionaire Klaus-Michael Kuehne to look for German bidders to buy Hapag. The group is trying to drum up enough investors to compete with rival bids. With the help of federal government, Hamburg may succeed changing the planned legislation, called the 'Foreign Economic Law', to categorise container shipping as a strategic industry, giving the government a veto right on a sale. 'I don't know how this is going to work,' Barbara Ahrons, the spokeswoman for the ruling Christian Democrats in Hamburg, said. 'As much as we want to keep the unit in German hands, there's clearly a problem of timing here,' she added. Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition's revamp of legislation is aimed at protecting industries including telecommunications, energy and arms manufacture. Juergen Klimke, a federal lawmaker and member of Ms Merkel's Christian Democratic Union from Hamburg, said on Monday that 'Hapag is a container company, not a port, so claiming that it's a strategic company may be very difficult in a legal sense'. Deputy Federal Economy Minister Dagmar Woehrl said on July 4 that the sale of Hapag is 'a matter for TUI'. Still, 'a sale to foreign investors would probably mean job cuts. That's not in the interest of the federal government.' In a statement on Monday, her ministry said 'the overhaul of the legislation is independent of concrete investment plans.' Source : Bloomberg

Hamburg heeft honderden miljoenen over voor Hapag-Lloyd

De stad Hamburg heeft een driecijferig miljoenenbedrag over voor een deelname in het consortium dat de rederij in Duitse handen moet houden. Dat heeft senator Michael Freytag dinsdagmiddag bekendgemaakt. De hoogte van het bedrag hang af van de bereidheid van andere deelnemers binnen de investeringsgroep rondom K+N-topman Klaus-Michael Kühne. 'Het hangt in de eerste plaats van private investeerders af of er een overtuigend bod komt', aldus Freytag. Hapag-Lloyd moet moederbedrijf TUI naar schatting ongeveer vier tot vijf miljard euro opleveren. Bron : Nieuwsblad Transport



Maersk plans to give up two berths in Taiwan Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk plans to give up two berths in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's biggest port, when their leases expire by the end of October, local media reported on Wednesday, in the harbour's latest loss to regional rivals. Maersk, the largest foreign operator in Kaohsiung port, intends to give up berths 118 and 119, leaving it with berths 76 and 77, the Chinese-language Economic Daily reported, without citing sources. The move is likely to further hurt Kaohsiung's declining position as one of Asia's top ports. The report said Kaohsiung port officials were considering other proposals to try to help Maersk reduce its costs, with one saying he was "very confident" of convincing the company to retain a larger presence. The 143-year-old southern harbour has been losing ground to fast growing rivals across the straits in China. The global container shipping industry has been under pressure amid a slowing world economy and rising fuel prices. Kaohsiung slid two places to become the world's No. 8 busiest container port last year, surpassed by Rotterdam and Dubai. It moved a total of 10.26 million twenty foot equivalent units of goods in 2007, up about 5 percent year on year. Source: reuters.com

'River Tosca' to make maiden voyage along the Nile

Uniworld has debuted the ‘River Tosca' which will work on the Nile River in April 2009. ‘River Tosca' joins Uniworld's nine other intimate, boutique hotel-style ships. The ‘Tosca' was decorated by the interior design team responsible for furnishing the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, one of Uniworld's sister companies. Each of the 42 suites onboard the all-suite ‘Tosca' is adorned with rich wood paneling, original Egyptian artwork, handcrafted Alhambra brass lanterns. Uniworld offers over 500 departures on more than 30 itineraries sailing on twelve rivers in 20 countries across four continents. Source : Baird

JP Morgan: NOL should forget Hapag-Lloyd takeover

Thomas Held's shock resignation after 20 months as chief executive of Singapore' NOL Group will have little impact on the company's operations and could signal the end of the widely reported merger with German container line Hapag-Lloyd, according to JPMorgan, an international financial advisor. A report by JPMorgan's Asia Pacific Equity Research division said NOL's operations will continue to run smoothly as Held's replacement, Ron Widdows, has already been running the group's core container shipping activities, which are marketed under the APL banner. "Moreover, the organization of NOL is no stranger to turnover in the top post as Ron Widdows will be the fourth Group CEO in the past five years," JP Morgan said. The report added that the resignation of Held could indicate that the NOL's anticipated move for Hapag-Lloyd may no longer be a certainty due to the growing opposition in Hamburg to a foreign takeover and an increasingly challenging operating environment in the Asia/Europe trade as a result of slowing demand growth and accelerating supply growth.



While NOL/APL would gain a significant boost to its European volumes buying Hapag-Lloyd, JPMorgan warned that it would have to take on the German companies considerable freight forwarders customer base, something NOL has strategically avoided in order to foster direct relations with end customers. Held, formerly CEO of freight forwarder Schenker, could have helped NOL to maintain and develop relationships with those customers of Hapag-Lloyd, JP Morgan said. "We think NOL is better off not to acquire Hapag-Lloyd considering the hostility toward foreign ownership within Hapag-Lloyd and the potential high price that an acquirer may be required to pay. Last but not the least a merger of two top container operators has been a reason for some price wars for the sector in the past," JPMorgan said. Source: americanshipper

First Mitsui cargo ship arrives at Blount Island

The first ship of the weekly container ocean shipping service linking Jacksonville to Asia called on Blount Island Marine Terminal late Monday night. The arrival of the MOL Vision fulfills the goal of Tokyo-based Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. of starting service in Jacksonville before it opens its 158-acre container terminal at Dames Point in January 2009. The new terminal, to be operated by Mitsui subsidiary TraPac Inc., will feature post-Panamax container handling systems and be able to move 800,000 20-foot-equivalent units of containerized cargo a year. Post-Panamax refers to the size of ships that will be able to traverse the Panama Canal when the project to expand it is completed in 2014 or 2015. Mitsui's early arrival is driven largely by a desire to align service with major shipping customers' contract year, which starts in the summer. Source: Business Journal

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