Summary for September 10 - September 14, 2007:
Monday, September 10, 2007APM opens Portsmouth box terminalAPM Terminals Sep 7 officially opened its new $450mn, 55-ft deep-water terminal in Portsmouth, VA. The 291-acre container terminal (on 576 acres of land), the third largest in the US, is capable of handling 1mn TEUs annually and has the potential to expand to handle a capacity of more than 2mn TEUs, according to the company. “This project demonstrates what can be achieved when private and public interests work together to achieve a new standard of excellence,” said Eric Sisco, president, APM Terminals North America. The largest privately owned container terminal in the US showcases new technology “designed to keep workers and drivers safe, while expediting cargo movement through use of the newest, most advanced handling equipment,” said APM. The terminal’s all-electric crane inventory includes six super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, 30 semi-automated rail-mounted gantry yard cranes (RMGs), and two rubber tire gantry cranes (RTGs) with electric spreader bars, according to the company. “On-dock rail will eliminate significant amounts of local truck traffic on local highways and in adjacent neighborhoods,” the company said. OSG names advanced LNG carrierThe Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) Sep 9 announced the naming of the world’s largest, most advanced liquefied natural gas vessels. The naming of the LNG carrier Al Gattara at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard heralds a new generation of Q-flex liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers — the world’s safest, most advanced, and largest ships to transport this critical energy source, according to the announcement. This vessel is the first in a series of four sister ships to be delivered to OSG Nakilat, the joint venture between OSG and Qatargas Transport Co., said OSG. The second ship in the new fleet, the Tembek, will be constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje Island, South Korea, said OSG. “With crude oil being pumped to capacity, energy costs climbing higher, and world energy demand increasing rapidly, natural gas is growing in importance to the worldwide energy supply chain,” said Angus Campbell, head of OSG’s gas strategic business unit. OSG Nakilat’s fleet of LNG carriers can each transport 216,000 cu meters of LNG, approximately 40% more than the standard LNG vessels in service today, said OSG. Tacoma selects senior program managerThe Port of Tacoma Sep 4 announced it has selected Robert Stromberg as senior program manager. In this position, he is responsible for leading the design and construction effort for new terminal development on the east side of the Blair Waterway, said the announcement. Before joining the port, Stromberg provided consulting services as a senior associate with the Nielsen-Wurster Group (Seattle), including contract administration and risk management on a $700mn Russian oil pipeline and contract administration work for a Japanese steel company, said the port. Previously, Stromberg was a construction manager for Berger/ABAM Engineers (Federal Way, WA), providing consulting services on the Port of Seattle’s 2002 Terminal 18 expansion and modernization project, said the port. Stromberg holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University (1973), a master’s degree in counseling from Long Island University (1975), and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point (1967), said the port. The Port of Tacoma handles an estimated $35.6bn in annual trade and 2.1mn TEUs, according to its Web site. <<<•>>> Tuesday, September 11, 2007 State of Florida renews DHL contractDHL, a leading express delivery and logistics company, Sep 11 announced that the state of Florida Dept. of Management Services renewed its contract with DHL as the exclusive courier services provider for all State of Florida agencies and institutions. The three-year, $5mn contract renewal extends DHL express services to all Florida state agencies and contractors, according to the announcement. The State of Florida will “continue to leverage DHL’s comprehensive portfolio of domestic services — Same Day, Express, and Ground delivery — for deliveries within the state and nationwide,” said DHL. “We are delighted by this latest vote of confidence from the State of Florida,” said Charles Brewer, executive vice president of sales. Thirty-seven state agencies will use DHL for shipping standard letters, reports, boxes, and time-sensitive shipments — including government institutions approved to take advantage of state contracts, the Florida State Lottery, state colleges, schools, and local and county governments, said DHL. DHL will provide several customized services for the state, including a special visibility program to identify time-sensitive shipments and a dedicated 1-800 customer service line for state users, said DHL. Genco sells handymax vesselGenco Shipping & Trading Ltd. Sep 10 announced that it has reached an agreement to sell the Genco Commander, a 1994-built handymax vessel, to Dan Sung Shipping Co. Ltd. for $44.45mn less a 2% brokerage commission payable to a third party. The company expects to realize a net gain of approximately $24mn from the sale of the vessel in Q4 2007 and plans to use the proceeds to pay down debt following its recent agreements to acquire a total of 15 drybulk vessels. The delivery of the Genco Commander is expected to take place upon the expiration of the vessel’s current time charter, between Oct 1, 2007 and Dec 31, 2007. “With the sale of the Genco Commander at an attractive price, management continues to capitalize on the strong fundamentals in the drybulk industry,” said Robert Gerald Buchanan, president. “Upon completing the sale of one of our oldest vessels,” Buchanan added, “and after the expected delivery to Genco of the remaining 13 drybulk vessels Genco agreed to purchase earlier this year, the average age of our fleet will improve to approximately 7.5 years, well below the industry average.” POLA emissions declineThe Port of Los Angeles Sep 6 announced that between 2001 and 2005, overall container-related emissions at the port grew at rates of less than half the 44% increase in container volume, according to a 2005 air emissions inventory just released. The combined effects of regulations, voluntary emission reduction efforts (by the port and port tenants), improvements in terminal operations, and other factors also contributed to a 17% to 27% reduction in tons of mass emissions per 10,000 containers or TEUs, said the report. Port-wide emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) showed the strongest decreases in the reporting period: 4% overall and 27% in terms of the aforementioned emissions-to-throughput ratio. “This study illustrates how strong coordination and millions of dollars in port, cargo terminal, and harbor craft operator investment have started to improve the air quality at the port,” said Geraldine Knatz, POLA executive director. “This inventory underscores our need to continue to move aggressively forward with the implementation of the Clean Air Action Plan — and that’s our primary focus this year, “added Knatz. <<<•>>> Wednesday, September 12, 2007 <<<•>>> Thursday, September 13, 2007 Prince Rupert terminal opens for businessThe Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Sep 12 celebrated the grand opening of its 500,000-TEU-capacity Fairview Container Terminal. The Cdn$170 project was jointly funded by Maher Terminals, CN Rail, the provincial and federal governments, and the Prince Rupert Port Authority. BC Premier Gordon Campbell commented, “The Port of Prince Rupert is the closest port to the fastest growing economies in the world. This single expansion will create thousands of jobs in this region alone and shift the focus of North American economies to the Pacific.” Maher Terminals Chairman Brian Maher commented, “…[W]e saw one of the deepest harbours in North America with no congestion, two to three days closer to Asia than any other West Coast ports, and one of the best rail lines on the continent with plenty of capacity.” “This hails a new era for Prince Rupert, a major milestone in the gateway initiatives of Canada and British Columbia, and a wave of new business opportunities for CN Rail and Maher Terminals,” said the port. Dignitaries from Canada, the United States, China, Japan, and Korea joined in the celebration. Web site: Port of Prince Rupert http://www.rupertport.com/Seaspan contracts for 8 new box shipsSeaspan Corp. Sep 10 announced that it has signed contracts to build eight new 13,100-TEU containerships with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. and its subsidiary, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (collectively HHI). The contract price per vessel is approximately $165mn, resulting in an expected delivered cost per vessel of approximately $181mn, said Seaspan. The eight newbuildings are scheduled to be delivered between January 2011 and October 2011. Currently, 20 of Seaspan’s 34 vessels on order are with HHI, the largest shipbuilding company in the world. Seaspan also announced that all eight vessels have been simultaneously signed to 12-year time charters with COSCO Container Lines Co. Ltd. (Coscon) of Shanghai, one of the largest container liner shipping companies in the world. The time charter rate is $55,000 per vessel per day for the duration of the contract, with no commissions or broker fees, said the company. Seaspan Management Services Ltd. will supervise the construction of the vessels and then operate the ships at an estimated fixed rate of $6,750 per day per vessel from delivery, said Seaspan. Web site: Seaspan Corp. http://seaspan.com/POLA/POLB receive top “green” honorsThe American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is awarding its highest environmental award to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for their plan to reduce air pollution from both ports by 45% within five years, port officials announced Sep 11. The Comprehensive Environmental Management Award, to be presented Oct 3 at the association’s annual convention in Norfolk, VA, will honor the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. The Clean Air Action Plan, approved in November 2006, is specifically aimed at reducing the health risks posed by air pollution from port-related ships, trains, trucks, terminal equipment, and harbor craft. The plan was created by both ports with the cooperation and participation of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Air Resources Board, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. “We’re very pleased that AAPA has recognized our efforts in developing and implementing the Clean Air Action Plan,” said Rick Cameron, manager of environmental planning for the Port of Long Beach. “It was a landmark undertaking that will deliver major clean-air benefits to the region.” Web site: American Association of Port Authorities http://www.aapa-ports.org/<<<•>>> Friday, September 14, 2007 ACL raises grain contract feesACL raises grain contract fees American Commercial Lines Inc., which builds and operates inland barges, Sep 12 announced it has increased its ancillary charges for grain shipments, effective immediately. Gulf reconsignment charges, the fees assessed to shippers for changing the destination consignee on Gulf in-port moves, will increase from $300 to $500, said the company. ACL will also increase demurrage charges. At origin locations, the new terms include a load and release commitment of three days, with demurrage charges for days four and five at $200/day and days six and beyond at $400/day. At destination locations, ACL will increase demurrage charges to $500 per day after three free unloading days. Mike Ryan, senior vice president, sales and marketing, stated, “We continue to advance our program of running a scheduled service. To do so, we must have the cooperation of shippers to load and release barges on schedule.” Ryan added, “The elimination of idle barge days at origin and destination is important to ACL as we continue to create the shipping capacity necessary to meet the needs of our existing and new customers.” Web site: American Commercial Lines Inc. http://www.aclines.com/Port of Montreal names new president, CEOPatrice M. Pelletier has been appointed president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, according to an announcement Sep 12 by Marc Y. Bruneau, chairman of the board. Pelletier succeeds Dominic J. Taddeo, who will soon retire after a career of 33 years at the MPA, including 24 years as president and CEO. Pelletier will join the MPA in October, according to the announcement. Since 2005, Pelletier has been president of L-3 Communications SPAR Aerospace Ltd., headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. He has 24 years of experience in high-ranking positions within global organizations specializing in transportation, energy, and project management. “We are most pleased to welcome to the MPA team a leader of this caliber who has demonstrated continued leadership throughout his career within multidisciplinary teams, a solid track record as manager focused on results, and the capacity to develop and implement growth strategies on a world scale,” said Bruneau. Pelletier has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the École Polytechnique, Montreal. He also holds a Master’s in Science (civil engineering) from the University of Manitoba. Web site: Montreal Port Authority http://www.port-montreal.com/PNW ports counter national trendThe Pacific Northwest region of the US — home to major Puget Sound container ports in Seattle and Tacoma — is expanding its worldwide exports, countering a national trend, according to a Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT) analysis issued Sep 13. On a per capita basis, Washington is now the most trade-dependent state in the United States, said the WCIT. “When you take our total two-way trade volume — more than $110bn annually — and divide by our population of roughly 6.3mn Washingtonians, you get an annual two-way trade volume of more than $17,000 per person,” WCIT President Bill Center said in a recent speech. States with a larger aggregate total such as California, Texas, and New York, Center noted, have a per-capita volume of approximately $8,000. “These growing markets, especially in Asia and India … want US products,” said Tong Zhu, director of commercial strategy for the Port of Tacoma. But Zhu says that for success in the international marketplace, “It’s very important for us to keep innovation going and localize our products … manufacturers can’t consider the whole Asian market as one entity.” Web site: Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT) http://www.wcit.org/ |