SOUTH Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) claims its new ‘Hi-FIN' propeller device that is attached at the hub of the propeller and is suitable for installation on containerships will lower bunker fuel consumption by up to 2.5 per cent compared with the same type of vessels without the attachment.

Savings for a typical 8,600-TEU containership would translate to about US$750,000 per year, according to HHI.

The shipbuilder said that orders for propeller attachment have been placed by ship owners for over 30 vessels to date, reported Vancouver's Ship and Bunker.

To achieve the fuel savings, the device works by generating countering swirls that offset the swirls generated by the propeller, thus improving propulsion efficiency.

The performance claim follows a year-long trial of the device installed on a 162,000 cubic metre capacity LNG carrier ordered from Maran Gas.

FOUR of the six G6 alliance members posted operating losses in 2014 as the network struggled to integrate their east-west networks, according to Alphaliner's review of financial results.

Hapag-Lloyd chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen alluded to problems within the G6, saying he had not been 'super-satisfied' with its G6 membership, reports London's Loadstar.

All three old New World Alliance (NWA) members chalked up losses last year - APL, US$143 million; Hyundai, $99 million and MOL, $228 million.

Of the three old Grand Alliance (GA) members, only Hapag-Lloyd posted a loss ($149 million), with NYK back in black producing a $46 million gain while Hong Kong's OOCL profit soared to $230 million.

The GA and NWA merged Asia-Europe routes in March 2012, followed by Asia-US east coast services in May 2013 and Asia-US west coast in May 2014.

Loadstar says there has been much industry speculation that the G6 is more cumbersome than its 2M and Ocean Three rivals partly because of the high number of partners of differing corporate cultures.

Alphaliner suggested that the integration of the G6 services 'has not been smooth' - in particular on the US west coast, where the six carriers operated out of seven different terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach.

It is understood the G6 agreement runs until 2016, unlike the 10-year 2M deal between Maersk and MSC.
 

HONG KONG's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has announced it is cancelling a sailing in anticipation of slackening demand over the Qingming Festival and Easter week from Friday April 3 to April 7.

Thus. the company will withdraw the following Asia-Europe sailing: Asia–North Europe service (Loop 4) on Week 14 (ETA Ningbo on April 3).

For further information, the company asks to customers to contact their local representatives.

JAPANESE shipping giant MOL will increase the rate on all cargo moving to Tamatave in Madagascar and Maputo and Beira in Mozambique by US$150 per TEU and $300 per FEU from April 1.

The company made the announcement in a customer advisory in which it said it was making a general rate restoration in order to sustain service levels.

AN estimated 6,000 demonstrators joined the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) workers on a Los Angeles protest march against employers who refuse to give into their demands, reported the San Bernardino Sun.

Led by high school students, ILWU members, their friends and relations, marched down Harbour Boulevard along the San Pedro waterfront, carrying signs that read: 'We support the ILWU and they support us.'

Dana Middle School principal Steve Gebhart said he joined the march with his family because he feels strongly about the issue. 'A lot of my students?families depend on the union,' he said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino organised the march more than a week after the employers, of the Pacific Maritime Association, suspended night shifts for unloading ships to focus on moving containers out of congested yards. The decision affected more than 800 jobs, according to the ILWU.

Quay crane operator Jerry Ancich said he lost hours because employers have cancelled dockside shifts until more boxes are cleared from the backup yard.

'The manning of the machines has been cut back so ships are just anchored out in the bay,' Ancich said. 'Work opportunities are slim. It's very hard to get a job.'

Mr Buscaino, an ex-LA police constable, who represents the harbour area, has criticised the employers?decision, saying that cutting night shifts 'is another step closer to a lockout' that would hurt residents and make port congestion worse.

'We say to the PMA, 'Let the ILWU do their jobs,'' Mr Buscaino told the rally. 'We say this to the PMA, 'Let the ILWU clear our ports. Do not stand in their way.' Our economy’s here in the harbour.'

The employers of the PMA released a statement:

'Nearly three months ago, the ILWU began a coordinated series of slowdowns intended to pressure employers to make concessions at the bargaining table. 

'Ever since, PMA and its members have worked hard to counter the growing backlog of cargo that threatens to bring our ports to gridlock. Despite ILWU rhetoric, there was no significant congestion in Tacoma, Seattle or Oakland prior to their slowdowns, which began on Halloween night in Tacoma and at other major ports the following week. 

In southern California, the ILWU's targeted slowdowns have severely worsened existing congestion by withholding the skilled workers who are most essential to clearing crowded terminals. All the while, cargo sits idle, the economic damage to our communities worsens and the reputation of west coast ports is harmed. PMA renews its call for normal operations on the docks while we continue to negotiate a new contract,' the PMA statement said. 

SHANGHAI International Port (Group) Co yesterday reported a 27 percent jump in net profit last year after its container throughput expanded.

Its net profit hit 6.68 billion yuan (US$1.07 billion) while revenue added 1.9 percent to 28.7 billion yuan, the company said in a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The average earnings per share reached 0.29 yuan.

Container terminal operations are the core business of the largest port group on the Chinese mainland.

The port operator handled 35.29 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) at its container terminals in 2014, a rise of 1.51 million TEUs from 2013.

But the company saw a slight drop in its cargo throughput to 539 million tons last year.

The company has also tied up with other interested parties to boost its core business. At the end of December, the company teamed up with the Hunan provincial government to form a container business joint venture.

The company said it made a breakthrough by attracting foreign capital to expand its port operations when it tapped beneficial polices unveiled for Shanghai’s free trade zone.

PORT Lafito, a private port under development in Haiti, and Puerto Rico's Port of the Americas are the latest in the Caribbean vying to become transshipment hub hoping to handle postpanamax ships, which will transit the expanded Panama Canal in early 2016.

The ports' plans were unveiled during the 38th annual Conference on the Caribbean and Central America in Miami, reported the Miami Herald.

The Haitian port proposes dredging to 17 metres from its present 12 metres, according to Port Lafito director Pierre Liautaud.

The Puerto Rican port in Ponce is big ship-ready with a draft of 15 metres. Port officials would like to see the Port of the Americas become a major global shipping hub in coming years and are looking for an international port operator to run it.

But the seas are already crowded with ports both in the United States and the Caribbean that want their deep water to capitalise on the expansion of the Panama Canal, which will allow the passage of ships that can carry three times as many containers as the panamax ships can today.

Billions of dollars of investment in new ports and port improvements have been made throughout the region or are being contemplated in this race for deep water.

PortMiami is dredging its shipping channel to a depth of 50 to 52 feet and will be the first US east coast port south of Norfolk, Virginia, with water deep enough to handle a fully loaded post-Panamax ship.

But not everyone is convinced this part of the world needs so many deep-water ports.

'We have too many ports in the Americas and there are too many ports that are developing container capabilities beyond what will ever be needed,' former Tampa port authority CEO Richard Wainio. 'There will be winners and losers.'

Since September the spot market on Asia – North Europe trade routes has tracked a similar course of falling rates to that of last year, and therefore it is difficult to foresee that the westbound Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO) rate fixtures for 2015 will be any higher than this year, according to Drewry.

The November 1 General Rate Increase (GRI) on Asia – North Europe trade lanes provided some respite for carriers after two months of falling spot market rates, but Drewry believes that despite good headhaul cargo growth profitability, this trade will continue to rely more on cost saving than revenue enhancement.

September volumes of Asian exports were over 100,000 teu lower than those of August and it proved to be the third weakest month of the year to date after February and April,

Drewry reports. Nevertheless, westbound traffic levels for this latest month still posted a gain of 6.1% over September 2013. During the first nine months of 2014, the year-on-year growth rate registered 8.5% but between June and September the pace of growth on a 12-month rolling average basis has remained remarkably constant at around 7.8%.

Christmas goods have moved on the water earlier this year and the end of the peak season in this trade came more at the beginning of September rather than traditionally at the end. This change is partly a consequence of slow steaming, and with this cost-saving measure unlikely to be reversed despite much lower oil prices, importers have adjusted their supply chain schedules accordingly, says Drewry.

During the third quarter, Far Eastern goods bound for Germany and UK rose by 10.9% and 10.2% respectively compared to the same period in 2013, but among the major markets it was the Netherlands which stood at the forefront with a 12.5% gain, according to Drewry. For Belgium and France the pace of growth was lower at 6.9% and 5.3%. Imports into Russia, on the other hand, fell by 5.7% and this drop in demand affected adjacent areas through which quantities of Russian transit cargo flow. Finland and the three Baltic States all posted a year-on-year decline in volumes between July and September.

The culling of individual sailings during October did little to stop rate erosion; it is simply a means for the carriers to save costs where they can and Drewry says that further blanked sailings can be expected as the year runs to a close, although not on the scale of what took place in October. No single service has been actually suspended during the slack season, and in the meantime, Zim continues to place an ad hoc sailing each month which according to Drewry tends to unsettle the market.

Outside the peak periods the carriers are still unable to maintain spot market rates at any constant level. Between the start of September – when vessel utilisations were dropping down to below 90% – and the end of October, rates fell sharply from around USD 2,100 per 40ft to USD 1,300.

Drewry says that the carriers will argue that shipments carried at spot rates represent only a small proportion of their overall cargo mix, with annually and quarterly contracted rates yielding appreciably higher revenue than the rates that were being offered in the spot market during October. However, the collapse yet again of the spot market demonstrates the lack of any self-discipline on the part of the shipping lines and their failure to learn any lessons from the past, according to Drewry.

The renegotiation of many BCO contracts for 2015 started in November and because spot rates had fallen below the 2014 contract levels (USD 1,500-USD 1,600) it was imperative that the lines secured as much of the November 1 GRI quantum (set at USD 900-USD 1,000 per teu) as possible, says Drewry.

In the first week, market rates did soar USD 1,200 per 40ft but thereafter retreat occurred with USD 300 of the increase being given up in the second week of November alone. A further GRI for December 1 of around USD 800 per teu has been declared to ensure that spot rates do not fall too far below USD 2,200 during this critical renegotiation period.

There is also likely to be another GRI in the middle of January designed to drive up spot rates during the pre-Chinese New Year cargo build-up, says Drewry.

Dear Valuable Partner,  
 

We are pleased to announce that effective from Nov 10, 2014, Lead Trans Company will be moving to new and larger premises.

New location is: 

Room 1801 & 1808, Building 10 Hai Shanghai Plaza ,Dalian Road No. 990 ,Shanghai City, China

Zip Code:   200086

Tel :        021-65382335

Fax:        021-65382120

This move will promote us to a higher development and we will do our most to provide more satisfied service to all customers. We would like to thank you for your continued supports.

                                     Yours Truly

                                                                               Shanghai Lead Trans Int’l Logistics Co., Ltd

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       10^th NOV,2014

US Aircraft maker Boeing has received 1,000 orders for new aircraft and delivered 528 planes compared to European rival Airbus, which trailed at 791 orders and 443 deliveries in the first nine months othe year.
According to the latest Airbus figures, the manufacturer received a total of 1,077 aircraft orders for the nine-month period, but cancelations and conversions of orders to different models reduced the total to 791, reported Air Cargo World.
This figure includes the conversion of IAG's draft purchase of eight A330-200 wide-bodies into firm orders for Madrid-based Iberia Airlines, as well as also 27 firm orders for medium-range A320 aircraft by low-cost carrier easyJet.
By the end of the year, Airbus said it still has plans to reach roughly the same level of deliveries as it did in 2013 (626) and expects to see the first deliveries of its long-anticipated A350 wide-body, which received flight safety certification by the European Union at the end of September. Leasing company AWAS also converted two orders of the slow-selling A350-800 aircraft to the larger A350-900 model last month.
Last week, Boeing reported 1,106 orders in the first nine months of 2014, adjusted to 1,000 after cancelations and order conversions. The company has a target range of 715 to 725 deliveries planned by the end of the year.

Twenty-Eight per cent of the containerships being scrapped this year will be less than 3,000 TEU, says Peter Sand, chief analyst at the shipowners Baltic International Maritime Council (BIMCO).
'It is important for the container companies to get the unit cost down,' he said. 'The small vessels are more than matched by the other ships.'
Mr Said said container shipping is most effective when unit costs are down, adding that it is not the big ships that are to blame for the crisis we are in, reported Hellenic Shipping News.
But big ships, that can be driven without major impact on the supply side, improve competition. 'The majors have realised this,' he said.
Mr Sand does not think we have seen the largest containerships to be built yet. 'We have not yet found a natural limit to how large containerships can be.'

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and Evergreen have announced  the putting on additional vessels and port calls on services between Asia and South Africa.
Evergreen announced that from October it will be adjusting its existing FAX joint service with Cosco and contributing vessels to the ASA service currently operated by Mitsu OSK Lines (MOL), K Line and Pacific International Lines (PIL).
Both Cosco and Evergreen's FAX service and the ASA service run in partnership with K Line, MOL and PIL will get two 4,200 teu vessels added by Evergreen.
The new ASA central or FAX service will run Shanghai – Ningbo – Keelung – Singapore – Durban – Singapore – Shanghai with six vessels of 4,200 - 5,800 teu in size.
The new ASA or ASA south service will have seven vessels of between 4,200 - 5,800 teu calling Kaohsiung – Xiamen – Hong Kong – Shekou – Singapore – Port Klang – Durban – Cape Town – Port Klang – Singapore – Kaohsiung.

Shanghai, the world's biggest container port, posted a 5.4 per cent year-on-year increase in August volume to 3.11 million TEU, the highest monthly throughput this year, according to the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG).
August container volume also increased 1.6 per cent month-on-month over July, data from SIPG showed.
From January to August 2014, Shanghai port handled a total throughput of 23.44 million TEU, up 5.3 per cent year on year.

Singapore's July box volumes flat at 2.95m teu
Container throughput in the port of Singapore remained unchanged in July on a year-on-year comparison, according to preliminary estimates by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Last month’s box volumes were recorded at 2.95m, unchanged from the same period in 2012, data from MPA showed.

Throughput in July, however, rose 3.9% compared to 2.84m teu posted in June this year.
In the first seven months of 2014, Singapore handled a total throughput of 19.45m teu, an increase of 3.6% over 18.77m teu moved in the previous corresponding period.