Port of Felixstowe Unite

Lock-out shuts box terminals at Montreal

2010-07-22T11:40:00.000+01:00

No containers have been unloaded at the Candian port of Montreal after terminal managers ordered a lock-out of workers in response to a dispute over working hours and wages.

Port landlord the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), which claimed a neutral stance, said that since the lock-out, not a single container had been loaded or unloaded and called for a swift resolution to the dispute.

It said: “All the port’s marine activities stopped following the lock-out. Furthermore, rail operations and truck traffic were halted when picket lines went up. Consequently, no container has entered or left the port since Monday morning.”

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) called for an immediate return to negotiations by the employers’ association, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA).

The ITF said that on 27 June, the MEA changed the working conditions of 169 dockers with the least seniority.

In response, the longshoremen refused to work overtime from 9 July, prompting the lock-out.

Frank Leys, Dockers’ Section Secretary of the ITF, said: “A solution to the dispute at the port was within everyone’s reach. This lock-out risks kicking it over the horizon and out of sight.”

“We’d remind the employers’ association that overtime is voluntary and not providing it is not a reason to be shut out of your job.

“Renegotiation of an existing agreement – which is what this is all about – isn’t done by barring the doors on those affected.

“Negotiation is the only way forward. The union is willing. It’s up to the employers to rescind this pointless ban and resume talks.”

The MEA said: “Considering existing market conditions, the MEA can no longer accept such a large gap between the amount of hours worked and paid for by longshoremen and the amount of hours not worked but fully paid for.

“MEA’s management team believes that while this is not a desirable outcome, it had no other choice but to order a lock-out, given that pressure tactics had begun to impede port operations.”

The two parties have agreed to begin negotiations, with the help of a federal mediator, tomorrow.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/lock-out-shuts-box-terminals-at-montreal/20017794525.htm;jsessionid=AA2733369AC7213E75A3EF42DFFEB126.5d25bd3d240cca6cbbee6afc8c3b5655190f397f

Containers still burning a week after fire on Maersk ship began

2010-07-15T15:57:00.001+01:00

More than 100 containers are still burning on board the Charlotte Maersk seven days after the blaze began.

Maersk Line said the fire started last Wednesday at around 9pm local time close to Port Klang, Malaysia, and had been brought under control.

A spokesman for the Danish carrier said this morning that at the height of the blaze, 150 containers were burning at temperatures approaching 1,000 degrees Celcius.

He said 130 containers were still burning.

The line said: “The temperatures are very high and it is impossible for firefighters to approach before additional cooling has taken place.

“This is one of the reasons why the fire extinguishing takes time and why it is difficult to estimate when the fire will be extinguished.”

It added: “Maersk Line cannot speculate on when the fire will be extinguished. The priority remains the continued safety of the crew, vessel and cargo, and the company will take the time needed to ensure a successful resolution of the situation on board Charlotte Maersk.

“Once it will be safe to discharge containers, we will do so, ensuring a minimum of delay to customers’ cargo.”

There are no reported injuries to the 21 crew members from Denmark, India, the Philippines and Ukraine.

Uncofirmed reports suggest the fire started when one of the containers exploded. By Thursday morning, the fire had been restricted to the foredeck of the vessel.

Currently there are four firefighting tug boats and two Malaysian Coast Guard vessels at the scene.

The 8,200teu Charlotte Maersk had left Port Klang and was heading to Salalah, Oman, when the drama began.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/containers-still-burning-a-week-after-fire-on-maersk-ship-began/20017792769.htm;jsessionid=53DB62AF206FDF8D54509CD449758F8E.065acf6a61c52eed94766d1ba7da5d95d4ecd58a

Unifeeder expands to the UK

2010-06-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

Shortsea operator Unifeeder has launched a network of services calling at ports on the UK east coast.

The line is using three containerships on three loops between Felixstow, Grangemouth, Immingham, Teesport and South Shields and its mainland European hubs at Hamburg and Rotterdam.

There will also be one vessel a week from Felixstowe to the port of Tyne, returning to Rotterdam.

Unifeeder CEO Jesper Kristensen said: “The expansion into the UK is a major and strategically important decision.

“The new service brings opportunities to link the UK with major continental hubs as well as with the company’s existing destinations in Scandinavia and around the Baltic Sea”.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/unifeeder-expands-to-the-uk/20017788858.htm;jsessionid=F7C7E99214027211262B34B96140AF60.5fa4e8cc80be35e2653c9f87d8b8be45bf6ba69a

Container volumes heading for new heights

2010-06-29T14:39:00.001+01:00

Container volumes will continue to surge during the peak season, following this year’s record volumes for the month of May.

Researcher Macquarie’s Global Container Index, which is based on the aggregation of volumes from almost 200 container ports in 58 countries, showed box volumes reached a record high in May, up 1% on the previous peak recorded in May 2008, and up 18% year-on-year.

If the trend continues through June, Macquarie’s estimated global throughput growth of 17% year-on-year for the second quarter of 2010, would be a record high for an individual quarter.

And it predicts volumes will continue to surge during the third quarter, growing 14-15% year-on-year.

It said: “Based on typical seasonal trends, in which third-quarter volumes typically exceed those seen in the previous quarter by around 4%, it is likely that Q3 2010 will prove a record by some distance.”

“Two key reasons suggest to us that volumes will remain strong during this period: our analysis of inventories in Europe and the US suggests the main benefit from re-stocking may be still to come; and in importing regions, such as the US, the ratio of containerised imports to end demand remains low for both consumer and industrial goods.”

Macquarie said it had argued against the popular perception held about the reasons behind volume booms reported earlier this year. These suggested that container volumes during the first quarter included significant one-off benefits from the re-stocking of empty shelves.

It said that, following the consistently strong volumes reported during April and May, its stance on the issue has become more widely accepted, and added that research suggested that major inventory re-stocking had yet to take place, and would boost volumes further.

“The observation that the main benefit from re-stocking for global freight volumes may have yet to come is an important one,” Macquarie said

“While our view that re-stocking has not driven volumes to unsustainable levels may have become accepted, we do not believe that the consensus view is considering the prospect of an increase in re-stocking benefits.

“If this view does prove correct, the potential for volumes to strengthen in the near-term should not be ruled out, particularly on the [westbound] Asia-Europe and [eastbound] transpacific routes, where volumes are driven, respectively, by European and North American imports.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/container-volumes-heading-for-new-heights/20017788463.htm;jsessionid=42ED8D5681990B2421D3ECD48F93395B.065acf6a61c52eed94766d1ba7da5d95d4ecd58a

This happens all the time and nobody seems interested.

2010-06-25T16:51:00.001+01:00

Friday Focus -- Weighing containers: is it really that difficult?

In 2007, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) published a report concerning an incident that occurred while the 868teu containership Annabella was in the Baltic Sea. The following year, it published another report, this time concerning the loss of the 4,419teu MSC Napoli, which had to be run aground on a UK beach to avoid it sinking in the Channel.

These two incidents led to the publication, by the International Chamber of Shipping and the World Shipping Council, of Safe Transport of Containers by Sea – Guidelines on Best Practices.

These two august bodies stated categorically that overloading a container is something which can never be condoned and that the party stuffing the container is responsible for ensuring that its gross mass is in accordance with the gross mass given on the shipping documents. Furthermore, the guidelines state that terminal operators should verify the weights of incoming containers before they are loaded.

Despite this, nothing seems to be happening to ensure that weighing takes place, and the container shipping industry continues to rely on shippers being accurate and honest when they declare the weight of their cargo to the carriers.

When in January 2010, the media reported the MAIB’s preliminary examination result into the loss of 18 containers over the side of the 910teu Husky Racer while berthed in Bremerhaven, the issue of weighing containers was again in the spotlight. It became very apparent that many people in the container industry were still unsure of how container weights could be verified with any reliability.

Interestingly, the question whether to weigh or not to weigh is also being asked in the ro-ro sector, and not just because many of these vessels carry containers as well as trailers. As the MAIB pointed out in its report into the stranding of the ro-ro vessel Riverdance on a beach at Blackpool, there is no requirement to weigh trailers before they are loaded onto ro-ro vessels – those permitted to carry 12 passengers or less.

There is plenty of evidence, mostly anecdotal, but some more authoritative, indicating that shippers cannot always be relied upon to make accurate weight declarations when booking cargo. Yet carriers still accept declared weights and rarely seek verification.

Over the past three years, container handling equipment manufacturers have been addressing this issue and it would appear that there are now practical and affordable solutions available. But there is, however, still no sign that the weighing of containers in ports will become routine. As a result, road hauliers continue to be prosecuted for running overweight, stevedore and seafarer lives are at risk and on-deck container stacks collapse.

Clearly, it is time for the industry to convene and discuss the various issues surrounding misdeclared container weights. As a first step,UK-based maritime PR company Dunelm has organised a one-day conference in London on 29 June, entitled Weighing containers: is it really that difficult?

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/friday-focus-weighing-containers-is-it-really-that-difficult/20017787680.htm?source=ezine&utm_source=IFW+Daily+News+Bulletin&utm_campaign=7cff05ddfb-IFW_Dail_News_Bulletin_25_06_106_25_2010&utm_medium=email

Record cargo volumes in Asia

2010-06-17T13:05:00.000+01:00

Chinese ports and airports have reported record monthly throughputs in May, exceeding analysts’ forecasts and confirming a rebound in Asia’s cargo volumes.

China’s container ports handled a record 12.4 million teu last month, which was 21.9% higher than the volumes in May 2009 and 16.6% higher than the same month in 2008.

Paris-based analyst AXS Alphaliner said Ningbo, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xiamen and Dalian all posted their highest-ever monthly liftings on record

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/sea/record-cargo-volumes-in-asia/20017785010.htm

Maersk to use laid-up ships to ferry boxes to China

2010-06-17T13:03:00.001+01:00

Maersk Line is bringing in laid-up ships to ferry containers to Asia in an attempt to address the box shortage that is set to hamper the industry during the peak season.

The Danish carrier said it had re-activated laid-up vessels to assist in repositioning containers as quickly as possible.

It has also kickstarted production of new containers and leasing of containers.

Because of the extra costs associated with combating the container shortage, Maersk last week announced a record peak-season surcharge (PSS) of US$750 per 20ft, $1,000 per 40ft and $1,200 per 40ft high-cube container on westbound services to Northern Europe from 15 July.

On westbound services to the Mediterranean, the surcharge will be $600 per 20ft, $800 per 40ft and $1,000 per 40ft high-cube.

The line said: “The surcharge will assist Maersk Line in recovering the higher costs caused by the increased volumes and equipment shortage, for example, port costs, vessels deployed to reposition containers and leasing [more containers].”

Board member Lars Reno Jakobsen, Head of Network and Product, said: “The present market situation is unique. We are experiencing a demand surge in most trades, which is a development that is both unprecedented and unexpected by us and our customers.

“For example, the Asia-Europe trade is growing by 23%, compared with the market’s single-digit expectation just six months ago.

“Therefore, we already see a very tight equipment situation. And we expect an even more pronounced and serious shortage of containers in the coming months, as we enter the peak season.”

The Danish carrier said the shortage stemmed from a lack of orders for new containers during and following the recession.

Maersk said it would only apply one PSS during the peak season to make the situation more transparent for customers.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that two deepsea carriers are looking to introduce equipment re-positioning surcharges because of a shortage of containers.

Over recent weeks, forwarders and shipping lines have been warning that there could be an equipment shortage during the peak season.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/maersk-to-use-laid-up-ships-to-ferry-boxes-to-china/20017785434.htm?source=ezine&utm_source=IFW+Daily+News+Bulletin&utm_campaign=71720c8d6e-IFW_Dail_News_Bulletin_17_06_106_17_2010&utm_medium=email

Teesport containers up 70%

2010-06-04T12:33:00.000+01:00

Teesport is reporting a 70% year-on-year increase in volumes at its two container terminals so far this year, and is targeting a throughput of 263,000 teu for the full-year 2010.

Operated by PD Ports, Teesport bucked the trend with a 20% increase in volumes through its container terminals last year, to 193,000 teu.

This included a 51% increase in volumes in the second half of the year, after the opening of the new Tesco import centre at Tees Dock.

“Quite frankly, we are blistering ahead of the rest at the moment,” said PD Ports CEO David Robinson.

“I don’t think anybody else would be looking to a 70% growth rate. We also had a record month on our container terminals in May.”

If boxes handled on ro-ro services into the port are added in, Teesport handled a total 414,000teu last year.

PD’s portcentric relationships - where retailer warehouses are based on, or near, port property - are at the centre of this dramatic growth, Robinson said.

As well as the Tesco facility, the Teesport is also home to an Asda import centre, with Asda George at nearby Darlington, a tea and coffee import facility for Taylors of Harrogate, and a new facility for chemicals giant Sabic just outside the dock estate.

“We are targeting a throughput of 263,000teu this year and we are on course for that,” said Robinson.

PD has drawn up plans to increase capacity on its container terminals from 250,000 to 450,000 teu a year, by upgrading yard, infrastructure, IT and purchasing rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

“We would expect, by 2013-1 to be a 600,000teu port, not 400,000,” said Mr Robinson.

“We will be one of the major UK container ports and our ability to put the Tees into the 1 million teu category of port is well within our reach in the next five to 10 years.”

PD’s plans for a new deepwater container terminal are still “in our sights”, he added.

PD is also looking to purchase more land in the near future to support expected growth in containers and portcentric operations.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/teesport-containers-up-70/20017781915.htm?source=ezine&utm_source=IFW+Daily+News+Bulletin&utm_campaign=315fc5f290-IFW_Daily_News_Bulletin_04_06_106_4_2010&utm_medium=email

Upgrade for Southampton berth

2010-06-03T09:06:00.000+01:00

The UK’s second busiest container terminal, DP World Southampton, is upgrading its shipside capability by deepening container berths and adding ship-to-shore cranes.

The dredging will increase the depth of berths 205, 206 and 207 to 14 metres, 14.6 metres and 15 metres, respectively. And DP World Southampton has placed an order with Liebherr for two super-post-panamax cranes.

The new cranes, due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2011, will mean that 50% of the terminal’s 10-crane fleet are of super-post-panamax design, having an outreach across 22 containers.

Chris Lewis, DP World Southampton MD, said: “The terminal continues to meet the ongoing industry trend towards larger containerships.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/upgrade-for-southampton-berth/20017781207.htm;jsessionid=F43875723A883B7EB37A7B134828923C.5fa4e8cc80be35e2653c9f87d8b8be45bf6ba69a

Felixstowe port project "on target" - more than 3 million m3 of material dredged to date

2010-06-03T09:02:00.001+01:00

The latest chapter in Costain's long-running relationship with the Port of Felixstowe is now less than a year away from its targeted completion, with the team behind the current Felixstowe South Reconfiguration project aiming to bring it in on time despite the past winter's abysmal weather.

The first phase - 440m of quay - has been completed and handed over for delivery of the new quay cranes. The second section, involving a 300m length, is now underway, together with paving work inland.

The freezing winter weather early in 2010 presented a number of challenges in the first phase due to the low temperatures affecting the laying of the concrete sub-base, says Deputy Project Director Nigel Desert.

Although the team was able to claw back some of the deficit, losing that amount of time close to the end of that section of the project had an inevitable effect on handover schedules.

Nevertheless, the aim is still to finish the second stretch of quayside by 12 September and the overall project on time in May 2011.

The new quay wall consists of 2.56m diameter piles capped with site-fabricated precast concrete units, the heaviest of which weighs 90 tonnes.

The project requires huge amounts of fill; to date, more than 3 million m³ of material has been dredged from the seabed just outside the port and from off Great Yarmouth.

As well as the quaysides themselves, which will offer deeper berths for the largest container vessels, there is also a huge expanse of container stacking areas to complete on the 35-hectare site, requiring more than 18 million paving blocks.

http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=13092

Lower emissions from Felixstowe

2010-06-01T13:31:00.000+01:00

The Port of Felixstowe has announced an 8% cut in its carbon emissions in 2009. The amount of carbon dioxide was reduced from 19.8kg to 19kg in 2009 alone, and the port is confident of a further downward trend over the coming year.

The port said this was due to its constant investment in new equipment and upgrading to more carbon efficient machinery, for example, new low emission RTGs.

Felixstowe is also progressing various other projects to improve its environmental performance. These include working with the Carbon Trust to develop its carbon management programme, and reducing energy used in buildings as well as increasing the amount of waste sent for recycling.

http://www.portstrategy.com/news101/europe/lower-emissions-from-felixstowe

10/05/10 09:30 Zhen Hua 25

2010-05-09T18:36:00.001+01:00

What a whopper! This incredible sight gave onlookers a lift off Sheppey yesterday.

The ship - the Zhen Hua 25 - was on its way to the Port of Felixstowe laden with four massive cranes.

But before reaching the UK's largest container terminal it stopped off to dock at Thamesport on the Isle of Grain.

One resident of the Leas, Minster, said it was "the weirdest thing I've ever seen".

She added: "It looked liked the wrought-iron framework of a pagoda and the boat was moving quite fast."

Former KM Group photographer, Barry Crayford - who snapped the ship - described it as "awesome".

The ship is owned by the Shanghai-based ZPMC company.

Crane crash caught on camera

2010-04-13T12:51:00.002+01:00

Footage of an incident involving the Liberia-flagged containership CCNI Antártico last Monday has been released, showing the dramatic moment the vessel demolished a gantry crane at International Container Terminal Services Inc’s (ICTSI) Contecon terminal at the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador, reports IFW sister publication Lloyd’s List.

The 2002-built, 4,100 teu boxship was on its maiden voyage on a service between Asia and the west coast of South America.

Footage posted on YouTube by a Contecon stevedore shows the dramatic moment the Antártico brushed another vessel at berth before ploughing into one of three gantry cranes at the Contecon facility. Remarkably, nobody was injured in the accident.

Investigators are looking into the extent of the damage caused by the incident, but Contecon general manager Luis Cao said that the crane would need to be replaced, a measure that will hit productivity for up to eight months.

Box business beats growth records

2010-03-29T12:55:00.000+01:00

Global container throughput growth in February was the most rapid on record.

And volumes in the first quarter of this year are expected to reach close to pre-financial crisis levels, according to the latest figures from Macquarie Research.

Based on data from ports accounting for around two-thirds of global container throughput, the firm said volumes increased 25% year-on-year in February.

While year-on-year growth is expected to reduce to around 15% this month, Macquarie said: “The question mark now is whether this parity will hold, or whether the Q1 volumes were inflated by the end of the de-stocking cycle.”

UK rail chaos after Easter

2010-03-26T13:40:00.000Z

Freight transport on the UK’s railways will be severely disrupted after the Easter break, following the breakdown of talks between transport workers’ unions and Network Rail yesterday.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and infrastructure operator Network Rail met at conciliation service Acas, but negotiations over plans to cut 1,500 maintenance jobs were adjourned with no agreement in sight.

The strike will begin at 6am on 6 April and run until 11.59pm on 9 April.

The RMT announced that signal workers had voted 54% vote in favour of a strike, on a turnout of 71%.

They will walk out for four hours, twice a day over the strike period, to coincide with rush hours, while the maintenance staff will stay out for the full four days.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “RMT negotiators have worked flat out to try and reach an agreement that protects rail safety, job security and working agreements in the disputes involving signalling and maintenance staff on Britain’s railways.

“Despite hours of talks, we have received nothing concrete from Network Rail that addresses the key issues.”

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s director of operations and customer services, said: “This proposed strike is not about safety. Britain’s railway is safer than ever. The issue of safety is a smokescreen from a union leadership stuck in the steam age.

“Our contingency plans are well advanced and aim to keep as many trains running as possible. But a national rail strike will have a severe impact on services and on Britain.”

Taking industrial action - a legal guide

2010-03-15T05:45:00.000Z

Knowledge of the law of industrial action is vital for trade unionists as the consequences of a failure to observe the provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 when going out on strike are severe. This booklet is designed to present to union reps the relevant information about taking industrial action so that the process is clearly understood.

Introduction (514 words)

Evidence of state interference with workers’ attempts to join together and improve their pay and conditions dates back to the Statute of Labourers 1351 . The motivation has been both economic (to prevent workers negotiating terms which are more costly for employers) and political (to prevent workers forming ...

1. The law — basic principles and definitions (600 words)

The law is created in two ways: statutory law or legislation (statutes) is made by Parliament passing Acts of Parliament. Common law is made by judges in courts of law. The judge gives a decision in a particular case and his/her reason for that decision. Authoritative precedents (which in turn influence later cases). Statutes can override the common law. ...

2. Immunities (1714 words)

Tort law is a body of law that addresses and provides remedies for civil wrongs not arising out of contractual obligations and is not ...

3. Balloting (2679 words)

In 2005, the Department for Trade and Industry (now BIS — the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) produced an updated version of its Code of Practice on Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to Employers . A copy of the Code is available at www.berr.gov.uk/files/file18013.pdf . ...

4. Taking industrial action (847 words)

At least seven days before it starts, the union must take reasonable steps to give the employer proper official notice of the intention to Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ( TULRCA), the notice must include information that the union holds that will enable the employer to plan for the industrial action and to lawfully ...

5. Halting industrial action (828 words)

The four-week rule for commencing industrial action does not prevent a union from suspending action and then re-imposing it ( Monsanto v TGWU [1986] IRLR 406 ). However, the gap between the suspension and re-imposition of the action should not be too long, or indicate a change in tactics by Post Office v UCW [1990] IRLR 143 ). ...

6. Injunctions (375 words)

The injunction (interdict in Scotland) is the most popular legal remedy sought by employers. An injunction is a court order to do or to ...

7. Who can sue (542 words)

The law is intended to assist the employer (or a customer or supplier of the employer) to take legal action against trade unions, strike ...

8. Dismissal (820 words)

The law governing dismissals during industrial action is found in sections 237-238 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA). The first key issue is whether the action was official (i.e. the union authorised or endorsed it) or unofficial. ...

9. Picketing (1093 words)

Picketing is where employees encourage others (in breach of their contracts) not to attend work during a trade dispute. Section 220 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ( TULRCA) gives statutory immunity to some individuals, but only where the picketing is in order to peacefully: ...

10. Effect on terms and conditions and benefits (975 words)

Going on strike will not result in a breach in an individual’s continuity of employment (section 216 Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA)). Neither will being locked out from work break continuity. However, the period on strike (and any period locked out) will not add to ...

Checklist (342 words)

The requirements for a trade dispute potentially covered by immunity from tort claims are that the dispute: ...

Further information (283 words)

Throughout the booklet references have been made to the relevant statutes. Copies of these can be obtained online from the Office for Public Sector www.opsi.gov.uk . In Northern Ireland, legislation is available online from the Labour Relations Agency website at: www.lra.org.uk . Legislation is also available at: www.statutelaw.gov.uk . ...

More laid-up ships back in service

2010-03-10T11:30:00.000Z

The number of laid-up ships fell to its lowest since last July this week as carriers continue to return ships into service.

The latest figures from Paris-based analyst AXS Alphaliner reveal that the capacity of ships laid-up this week stands at 1.24m teu – 9.4% of the world’s containership fleet.

The figures also reveal that the tonnage of carrier-owned laid-up ships has fallen from 1.03m teu to 633,000teu.

Alphaliner predicted that the idle fleet could fall below 1m teu over the next couple of months as new services and additional demand, created by super-slow-steaming, absorb surplus ships and a few idle veterans of 2,500-4,000teu are scrapped.

Alphaliner said: “These moves could lead to the employment of about 40 additional ships of more than 3,500teu by the end of April, with more than 15 units drawn from the pool of idle ships.

“A number of carrier-controlled units of 4,000-7,000teu are still idle, but some of these could be re-activated at short notice, if justified by the demand growth.”

As a result of carrier optimism for the summer season, charter market ships of 4,000-5,500teu are now becoming harder to find, following a wave of charter deals over the last few weeks.

Box volumes see strong recovery

2010-03-09T17:33:00.001Z

LATEST figures from the European Liner Affairs Association, for January, show a strong recovery in container volumes to and from Europe on most trades compared with the same month in 2009, the lowest point in the downturn.
That caveat aside, two other reports showed encouraging volume growth involving disparate trades.

Three people injured in two separate incidents at Southampton docks

2010-03-08T16:41:00.003Z

A DOCK worker was left injured and stranded when his container mover toppled over last night, in the second serious incident at Southampton’s docks within a matter of hours.

It happened on the same day an 80ft crane on a barge collapsed onto the ship, leaving two men injured.

The incidents come just eight months after crane operator Jay Squibb was left a crushed voicebox and windpipe after his driver’s cab plunged 100ft when the machine he was operating collapsed as he unloaded containers from a ship at the city’s port.

Two crewmen from the vessel needed medical treatment after the first of yesterday’s incidents, which happened shortly after 10am in an area near the city cruise terminal on Herbert Walker Avenue.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation, but port bosses insisted it was a very different type of incident to the one which injured Jay, a 33-year-old father-of-two from Woolston, because that involved a quayside crane.

But just hours later, at around 12.20am today, a 32-year-old man was left injured when his empty container handler overturned.

The worker was transporting two containers on the machine, similar to a large fork lift truck, but it toppled over under the weight of the boxes as he came to a halt in the DP World container port off Western Avenue.

The man suffered a knee injury in the incident, but was left suspended around 20 feet off the ground.

Fire crews from Redbridge and St Mary’s were called to help, using an aerial ladder to rescue the stricken worker, who was then taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital.

He has since been treated and allowed home.

Emergency services remained on the scene until 1.30am clearing diesel that had spilled from the carrier.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=hts&oq=&hl=en-GB&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_enGB310GB310&q=Probe+into+Southampton+crane+barge+collapse

Crane topples over at Southampton docks

2010-03-08T12:53:00.001Z

A crane has toppled over at Southampton docks but no-one has been seriously injured - the third collapse at the port in the past two years.

A worker said they heard a "humongous crash" when the crane, which was on a tug and thought to be about 200ft (60m) high, collapsed at about 1000 GMT.

Two men were assessed at the scene but no-one needed hospital treatment.

Two other cranes toppled over at the docks in 2008 and 2009. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating.

A person who was working near the latest incident, who did not want to be named, said: "A colleague of mine said they heard a humongous crash.

"We don't know if the crane was lifting anything at the time when it crashed."

Crane driver Jay Squibb was seriously injured when he was crushed by a crane which toppled over at the docks last July.

He legs were crushed and he was trapped for more than two hours but was eventually freed and airlifted to safety.

He has since returned home but admitted he cannot see himself ever returning to the job.

In January 2008, another crane collapsed but no-one was hurt.

Lines left reeling by bounceback in box volumes

2010-03-03T11:02:00.002Z

A HUGE surge in container volumes over the past three months has caught container lines by complete surprise and left them uncertain whether to reactivate idle tonnage even though their customers are screaming for extra space straightaway.
Maersk Line chief executive Eivind Kolding admitted this week that the industry had not been ready for the sudden sharp increase in demand that began in early December and continued right through to the start of the Chinese New Year holidays.
“We had no time to prepare, we did not get any signals that this was coming,” he said.
Initial figures suggest that total worldwide volumes are up by about 15%-20% on corresponding figures a year ago when the market was in sharp decline and trade overall contracted by 10%. Even so, it was “far too early to say the crisis is over”, Mr Kolding warned. With AP Moller-Maersk due to release its 2009 results tomorrow, Mr Kolding was unable to comment on Maersk Line’s financial prospects.
But assessing the industry-wide picture, he told Lloyd’s List that container shipping was heading back towards break-even.
“We are not there yet,” he said, but if lines achieve the rate increases they are seeking in the 2010-2011 transpacific eastbound contracts that come up for renewal on May 1 then the industry could move out of the red by the end of the year. That compares with global losses that are thought to have reached around $20bn in 2009.
“Certainly, 2010 will be much better than last year, probably something the industry will be satisfied with, but not anything to brag about,” he said,
Neptune Orient Lines, which announced a 63% leap in volumes in its latest six-week period compared with year earlier levels, concurred that ocean carriers had been caught offguard by the size of the cargo recovery that has pushed some spot rates in the Asia-Europe trades back up 2007 levels when conditions were still very strong.
The Singapore line, which acted fast to remove capacity at the start of the meltdown, now only has a handful of ships idle compared with more than two dozen a year ago, and has reactivated some services in the intra-Asia and transpacific trades.
“Everyone has been surprised by this big bounce,” NOL president and chief executive Ron Widdows said. “Who the heck projected that?”
But lines’ reluctance to celebrate reflects the fact that the cargo revival appears to reflect concerted wordwide inventory replenishment by many different industries in North America and Europe, but without any corresponding recovery in consumer demand.
In the US, for example, inbound volumes have risen 13% in recent weeks, whereas retail spending is only 1% higher. A similar pattern is apparent in Europe.
That has left container lines wondering whether this apparent recovery is sustainable, or if it will fizzle out once re-stocking is over.
The situation “remains fragile”, Mr Kolding acknowledged in the keynote address to the Journal of Commerce’s 10th Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference, with the still large amount of tonnage in lay-up adding to the delicate supply/demand balance that could easily tip back the wrong way if too much capacity is reactivated too quickly.
Shippers are furious at carriers’ refusals to bring more ships back into service at a time when cargo is being left on the quayside in Asia time after time.
“I have never seen shippers so angry,” said Electrolux vice-president for global freight and logistics services Bjorn Vang Jensen. “We are pissed off.”
Another prominent shipper, Pat Moffett of Audiovox Electronics, said that on one recent occasion he had 13 40 ft containers bumped off a ship.
But Mr Kolding said it took time to adjust shipping networks, while box lines are being ultra-cautious about pulling ships out of lay-up until they are certain that the cargo recovery looks sustainable.
“We will see how volumes pick up after the Chinese New Year,” he said.
But Maersk is more likely to deploy extra loaders in existing transpacific services than introduce new loops, Mr Kolding predicted.
Lloyds list

Hutchison to Invest In UK Assets

2010-03-02T14:47:00.000Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hutchison Whampoa will raise its presence in the United Kingdom by investing roughly an additional one billion pounds ($1.54 billion) over the next two years, its spokesman said on Wednesday.

The spokesman confirmed the investment figure first reported by the Hong Kong Economic Journal, which said group Hutchison Managing Director Canning Fok disclosed the figure during in a panel meeting in the UK.

Hutchison will re-invest in businesses including retail, property and telecommunications, the newspaper said.

"We hold a positive tone for reinvesting in the UK as it has been generating good investment returns and has good regulations," another Hutchison spokeswoman had said earlier.

Shares of the ports-to-telecoms conglomerate eased 0.99 percent to HK$54.95 by 2:27 a.m. British time, against a 0.81 percent drop in the broader market

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/23/business/business-uk-hutchison-uk.html

Too busy to get on to the quay...

2010-02-24T07:05:00.001Z

Please kindly note due to berth unavailability in Felixstowe the CSCL AMERICA V.0049W and the CSCL AFRICA V.0063W will both be diverted to call Southampton port

http://www.cnshipping.co.uk/

White hats tell us it's because of the threat of industrial action, China shipping tell us they can't even get on the quay!

DP World to deepen Thames

2010-02-18T19:04:00.000Z

DP World is to begin deepening the Thames estuary over the next few weeks to allow the world’s largest container ships to dock at its London Gateway terminal.

A Belgian dredger will spend six weeks from the beginning of March creating a navigation channel to the US$2.5bn project, which will add 3.5m teu to the UK’s port capacity

Simon Moore, CEO of London Gateway, said: “Dredging is an essential part of the project and will create a world-class shipping lane to a port that will become the primary sea trading route for British commerce.”

Dublin port dispute settled

2010-02-18T19:02:00.000Z

Workers at Ireland’s busiest container terminal have voted to cancel the latest round of industrial action over redundancies and working conditions, following negotiations between unions and management.

Staff at Dublin’s Marine Terminals (MTL) had been due to strike on Monday, but yesterday a deal was brokered between MTL and unions Siptu and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

Siptu told IFW today: “The dispute is over; the issues have been resolved through negotiation, and this has been voted for by the workers at a meeting in Liberty Hall last night.

The settlement between MTL and Siptu concerns the Irish Labour Court’s recommendation of 12 October, and an arbitrator’s findings issued on 5 January.

It sets out agreements on arbitration and problem solving, and commits both parties to building skills and co-operation for the future running of the port, and includes a comprehensive training programme for the workers to ensure they are multi-skilled in all the disciplines at MTL.

Siptu divisional organiser Christy McQuillan said: “Our members have been through a very difficult experience regarding their welfare and that of their families over a protracted period.

“The important thing is that hands-on jobs at Dublin Port have been protected and the company has an opportunity to grow and develop the business, which will, hopefully, lead to the creation of further jobs.

“The agreement also ensures that workers in the company will have union representation and will have access to all the industrial relations procedures of the state.”

An MTL spokesman said: “Today’s agreement marks a major step forward in ensuring our customers continue to receive the high level of service they are accustomed to.

“We are grateful to the ITF for its efforts and look forward to working in partnership with Siptu to deliver on both the spirit and letter of the agreement.”

Dublin dockers vote for new strike

2010-02-16T08:58:00.001Z

Dockers at the Ireland’s busiest container terminal will go back on strike on 22 February after negotiations over redundancies and working conditions broke down.

The Dublin dock workers said they had served a strike notice on Marine Terminals (MTL), owned by Peel Ports, on Friday after the terminal operator indicated it "would not abide by the arbitrators’ ruling”.

Arbitrator Finbarr Flood had been tasked with resolving the differences between workers’ union Siptu and the MTL management.

It is understood that MTL rejected his recommendations and the workers were also unhappy with them.

Flood outlined three areas where the two parties disagreed and ruled that both sides should abide by court recommendations on severance packages, that the company needs 30 workers and that the “agreed” selection criteria for compulsory redundancies be implemented.

The previous strike, over the same issues, began last July, lasted 111 days and only ended after a resolution was brokered by the Irish Labour Court.

Peel Ports was unavailable for comment at the time of posting

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/dublin-dockers-vote-for-new-strike/20017749090.htm;jsessionid=1DD7E3B11A7CBA65B82EE97343D7D2DF.5fa4e8cc80be35e2653c9f87d8b8be45bf6ba69a

For more information on this dispute or to leave messages of support for our fellow dockers please have a look at this site. http://www.mtldockers.com/index.html

Hutchison takes knife to ACT top brass

2010-02-15T18:16:00.000Z

Hutchsion Port Holdings will dismiss the 11- strong management team of its subsidiary Amsterdam Container Terminal (formerly Ceres Paragon)
ACT's CEO Pieter Bas Bredius described the management clear-out - which includes himself - "as a logical step…we proposed it ourselves. With HPH as majority shareholders, a facility like this should be run lean and mean, and should not have its own fully-fledged local management.

"Rotterdam is just down the road and HPH’s regional HQ is well-staffed. ECT's president Jan Westerhoud is responsible for all HPH's European terminals and business development north of the Mediterranean, excluding the UK."

The ACT management team will leave towards the middle of this year, with some reports suggesting March, in what Bredius calls "complete harmony and in a very decent manner. Compulsory redundancies are unlikely, as everybody backs it.

"We are very proud to have gotten this terminal off the ground in the face of Rotterdam competition, and we’ll continue to seek new deepsea liner business to the end."

Bredius joined the then Chris Kritikos-owned Ceres Paragon facility terminal in December 2003 (it was sold to NYK in December 2006), Before that he was director, terminals and procurement, with PONL in Rotterdam.

Operations manager Chris Schaffers will be the only senior staffer to stay and head the 130 strong workforce, but their fate is also unclear. Westerhoud is said to be considering the option of transferring a number of the Amsterdam dockers to one of ECT’s four Rotterdam marine terminal complexes.

HPH has failed to lure the Wan Hai Lines/PIL service to Amsterdam, but is still eying a few options to keep the terminal alive on a stand-alone basis.

As previously reported, the Port of Rotterdam's CEO Hans Smits is of the opinion that ACT should concentrate on inland shipping and barge services. So far at least, HPH is resisting that outcome.

http://www.worldcargonews.com/htm/w20100212.952517.htm

London Gateway still subject to market demand

2010-02-11T21:14:00.001Z

DREDGING work at London Gateway, the first deepsea port to be built in the UK in more than 20 years, will begin next month. But completion of the project is still dependent on an improvement in market conditions.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/london-gateway-still-subject-to-market-demand/20017748076.htm;jsessionid=C0B8813A7EA151F0C237B4540E4C1C96.5fa4e8cc80be35e2653c9f87d8b8be45bf6ba69a

New Forest councillors expect more proposals to expand docks

2010-02-08T16:29:00.000Z

A new attempt to build a massive dock development at Dibden Bay is “inevitable”, say council chiefs.

They issued the warning after criticising the Government’s new policy statement on the future of UK ports, saying it failed to protect the environmentally sensitive site.

The newly-formed Infrastructure Planning Commission will be guided by the statement if Associated British Ports (ABP) submits another proposal to develop Dibden Bay.

Critics say the document demands a market-led approach to port expansion instead of calling for new docks to be built in the least damaging places.

A report to New Forest District Council’s ruling Cabinet said: “The statement does not indicate the locations at which further port capacity could be provided.

“This is to be determined through competition ‘subject to developers satisfying decision-makers that the likely impacts of any proposed development have been addressed’.

“This provides an inadequate basis for the commission to properly determine proposals.

“The statement should be clearer about the appropriate locations for major port development, having regard to international designations, impacts on local communities and other relevant considerations.”

Councillors stressed the need for proper safeguards, saying it said it was “inevitable” that ABP would submit another application.

Chris Elliott, head of the council’s planning and development control unit, warned that the new policy statement failed to reflect the importance of the recently created New Forest National Park, which adjoins Dibden Bay.

David Harrison, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, was also scathing.

He said: “Here we see not only an attempt to move the goal posts but the possibility of replaying the match with the goal posts set wider apart.”

Cabinet members agreed that the council should lobby the Department for Transport in a bid to save Dibden Bay.

The authority will call for any new docks to be built in places where they will have a minimal impact on local communities.

ABP’s application to construct a £600m container terminal at Dibden Bay was rejected by the Government in 2004 following a 13-month public inquiry.

Ministers refused to allow the scheme because of its effect on nationally and internationally important wildlife sites.

But ABP’s Port of Southampton Masterplan, published last summer, predicts that the docks will see a surge in trade over the next 20 years.

The document claims that Dibden Bay is the only suitable site for much-needed port expansion.

http://www.thisishampshire.net/archive/2010/02/05/++News+-++Latest+Headlines/4909826.Another_Dibden_Bay_plan____is_inevitable___/

Chris Lewis

2010-02-08T13:29:00.000Z

Chris Lewis has officially begun his role as the new MD of DP World Southampton Container Terminal.

Lewis has been involved in the freight industry for more than 25 years and was previously CEO of Hutchison Ports, owner of Southampton rival and the UK’s busiest container port, Felixstowe.

Lewis said: “The container port industry in the UK has had a difficult two years, caused by the global economic downturn, but we must look ahead positively, so we are well placed to benefit from the upturn when it comes.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017746387

Felixstowe South redevelopement to become theme park.

2010-02-07T05:46:00.004Z

Breaking news, Felixstowe South redevelopement to become theme park.

From what I've heard ( My shift haven't been given the bullshit briefing yet. I wonder if it is because our managers don't believe it?) the company are ready to turn business away. Managers are saying that the company don't care if Maersk take the AE1 service away and that they have contingency plans for MSC and the other shipping lines if we carry on with our industrial action. Also they are very sorry but there might be job loses.
From the feedback I've had the workforce are laughing at you, they don't believe a word you are saying anymore. This will become clear to you again Mr Gledhill after the ballot next week.

Just take a few minutes and look at some of the headlines on this blog and people will see that the economy is on the up. FDRC keep on telling us about record breaking volumes on rail and about how well we are doing on shipping with customer satisfaction at an all time high. All this was achieved when we all took cuts in our pay to help the company through a difficult economic climate. What thanks have we had? An offer of **************** (removed because company says it's delicate commercial info) when we've all lost far more than that while the company carried on making money.

Listen to what the company has to say and think about prievious briefings where they've told us how hard they had to fight to get these contracts, do you really think they are ready to give them away to Southampton? If you do then save me a space in the queue for the rollercoaster on FSR!

Laid-up ships begin the return voyage

2010-02-04T12:43:00.000Z

Shipping lines are starting to return laid-up ships back into service, as super-slow steaming initiatives absorb more capacity than anticipated and demand grows, according to analyst AXS Alphaliner.

According to its latest figures, the idle containership fleet has declined by 142,000teu over the last month, from 581 ships at the start of January to 532 this week.

However, it still represents 10.4% of the total cellular fleet, and expected deliveries for this year could add to the vessel surplus.

The Paris-based analyst said: “The outlook for the liner market has improved considerably over the last 12 months as both volume and rate increases appear to be resilient.

“There has been increasing optimism among operators, with a stronger-than-expected surge in demand in the period to mid-February.

“Furthermore, extra slow-steaming is absorbing excess capacity quicker than anticipated, especially for the larger vessel sizes.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/laid-up-ships-begin-the-return-voyage/20017745084.htm

2010 starts weak, but will improve

2010-02-02T19:44:00.000Z

Freight forwarders are reporting a slow start to 2010, but expectations for the future continue to improve, according to Danske Bank.

In its January survey of more than150 freight forwarding companies, Danske Bank found that 2010 had started on a “weak note” because industrial companies had enjoyed a longer Christmas holiday than usual.

However the underlying recovery in the freight market was still in place, it added.

“We keep our view that the market is still in a recovery mode, but the recovery is slow and gradual.

“The uptick in sentiment is most significant within the sea freight sector. Industry sources tell us rates are rising extremely fast these days, as vessels are fully booked and carriers clearly have the upper hand.”

Adjusted for seasonality, 51% of companies surveyed expected higher volumes in February and 58% in March, compared with two months ago.

Meanwhile, 50% of companies saw volumes increase in January and 55% in December.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017743986

Dublin terminal set for new strike action

2010-02-01T12:03:00.001Z

Workers unhappy with arbitrator's ruling

Dock workers at Ireland’s busiest container terminal are set to go back on strike, after an arbitrator failed to resolve their differences with management.

Ruling on the dispute, arbitrator Finbarr Flood said there were three areas of difference between Peel Ports-owned Marine Terminals (MTL) and workers at the Dublin terminal over planned redundancies.

Workers said: “This ruling can in no way be seen as a victory for dockers, and is in no way comprehensive in addressing the issues which led to strike action.”

The strike, which started last July, lasted 111 days, only ended after a resolution was brokered by the Irish Labour Court. This week,, a source close to the dispute said it looked likely that the strike would be back on.

Flood said the workers union Siptu had accepted a proposal by the Labour Court over the severance package, but MTL’s position was that the court recommendation made no mention of the calculation of service in respect of the ex-gratia element of the severance package.

MTL and the union also disagree over employee numbers.

The company argues it needs 27 workers, with two more positions recruited externally, meaning nine compulsory redundancies, The union claims there is no agreement to recruit externally.

It also claims the establishment figure and working hours have not been agreed.

The union is also unhappy with the company’s selection criteria for the redundancies.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/dublin-terminal-set-for-new-strike-action/20017743751.htm

MTL Dublin. Strike back on.

2010-01-30T12:14:00.001Z

Not sure if you're aware yet but Peel Ports have now refused to accept
the rulings made by the Labour Court and the arbitrator. Looks like
the strike is back on now. Appreciate if you could spread the word.
Please see the http://www.mtldockers.com/ site for more info.

Unionised labour in Ireland was born on Dublin Docks 100 years ago.
It is now likely that unionised labour will die on Dublin Docks.

The strike lasted 111 days and since it ended over 14 weeks have passed without a single worker getting their job back.
The "negotiation process" was deliberately prolonged by the company allowing them to proceed with their Christmas trade unhindered by picketing and the arbitration procedure was unacceptably protracted.
This ruling can in no way be seen as a victory for the dockers and is in no way comprehensive in addressing the issues which led to strike action.
Even acknowledging the weakness of the ruling their is still no indication from company management whether they will accept the arbitrators ruling or when anybody will return to work.

APL volumes up 40% at the end of last year

2010-01-27T08:27:00.000Z

Over the final month and a half of last year, APL saw its volumes increase by over 40% year-on-year, although its revenues per container remained down on 2009.

In total the Singapore-based carrier handled 625,000teu between 14 November and 25 December, compared to 436,000teu a year earlier.

Its volumes over that time were also up on the previous four-week period, when it handled 416,000teu.

Meanwhile, APL’s average revenues per 40ft container declined by 25% year-on-year to US$2,189.
Revenues per container were also down on the previous four weeks when it made $2,239 per 40ft box.

The carrier put the lower average revenue per container down to lower core freight rates, lower bunker recovery and changes in trade mix.

For the full year, APL handled 4.4m teu, which was down 7% on 2009 and average revenues per 40ft container reached $2,286, 25% down on the previous year.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/apl-volumes-up-40-at-the-end-of-last-year/20017741779.htm

DP World volumes down 8% last year

2010-01-27T08:25:00.000Z

DP World last year suffered an 8% drop in throughput at container terminals in which it holds a majority stake, according to figures released yesterday.

In 2009 it handled a total of 43.4m teu in the 50 terminals in which it has a presence, with 28 of those majority-owned.

The worst affected was its Americas and Australia region, which handled 3.5m teu, a 15% drop on the 4.1m teu handled in 2008.

The Asia Pacific and Indian Subcontinent region fell by 5%, from 5.8m teu in 2008 to 5.5m teu in 2009.

Its emea region saw volumes drop by 7%, from 17.8m teu in 2008 to 16.5m teu last year.
DP World CEO Mohammed Sharaf said: “As anticipated, all our regions handled more containers in the second half of 2009 than in the first half and the early signs of stability seen in the third quarter continued into the final quarter of the year.

“Customer confidence, whilst improving, remains fragile with limited visibility for the medium term.

“Our 8% decline in volumes will lead to a decline in full-year profit before tax against the same period last year; however management’s focus on cost cutting and maintaining revenues has mitigated the downside and we expect to report 2009 results in line with expectations.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/dp-world-volumes-down-8-last-year/20017741721.htm

World’s Biggest Container Ships Return to Felixstowe

2010-01-20T09:01:00.001Z

The Port of Felixstowe has been included for the first time on the schedule for Maersk Line’s AE7 Asia – Europe service. The first vessel of the service, the Gjertrude Maersk, called at 9.30pm local time on Wednesday 13th January 2010. The 7,929 TEU Gjertrude Maersk shares the AE7 service with the world’s largest container vessels, the Emma Maersk and Estelle Maersk, which have already made numerous calls to the Port of Felixstowe whilst serving on other routes over the past 3 years. David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports UK Ltd, which owns the Port of Felixstowe commented: “The inclusion of the Port of Felixstowe on the AE7 schedule is a great vote of confidence for the port, and strengthens our existing relationship with a very important customer. Felixstowe is unique as the only UK port that can accommodate the world’s largest container ships. We already have a capacity and capability that no other port in the UK, existing or planned, will be able to match.” The port is not resting on its laurels however, and is already investing in the next phase of capacity, as Mr Gledhill explained: “The Felixstowe South development is the only additional capacity fully committed and under construction in the UK capable of handling even larger vessels. Together with our other assets which include the UK’s busiest intermodal rail terminal, a range of coastal feeder services, a flexible workforce and a commitment to service delivery, Felixstowe can offer importers and exporters a choice of transport solutions that are unparalleled and will remain so in the future.” As well as Felixstowe, the AE7 service will call at: Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Algerciras, Salalah, Yantian, Hong Kong, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai.

PLA announced London Gateway pre-dredging survey

2010-01-14T10:12:00.000Z

The Port of London Authority (PLA) in the UK has issued a Notice to Mariners regarding a pre-dredging survey which is to be carried out prior to the dredging campaign for the London Gateway project.
In the Notice, Number L2 2010, the PLA said:
"The dredging of a deepwater navigational channel between Shellhaven and the Sunk, a manoeuvring area and berth pockets together with the reclamation for the new port located at the former Shellhaven Refinery site."
"On or about 18th January 2010 pre dredging survey work will commence between Shellhaven and the Oaze Deep. This work is expected to take about two weeks."
"During March 2010 the main construction works are planned to commence and are expected to take four years to complete. Initial dredging works which will take place between Shellhaven and Canvey Island will involve the deployment of a cutter dredger and a suction hopper dredger. During this period survey work along route will also be undertaken. As work progresses dredging and survey work will be extended to include the complete route Oaze deep, Knock John and Black deep channels to the Sunk."

http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=12447

Gateway gears up for initial dredging work

2010-01-14T10:09:00.002Z

Sorry I missed the full story on this. As I've said before if anyone want to buy me access to the full Lloyds list site I'd appreciate it.

PRE-dredging survey work will begin next week on DP World’s stalled £1.5bn ($2.5bn) London Gateway project to construct a 3.5m teu final phase container terminal and logistics park 25 miles from the UK capital.

DP World greenlights London Gateway construction

2010-01-06T04:44:00.001Z

DP World has purchased the remaining land it needed to develop its London Gateway container terminal and logistics park.
In a Dubai stock exchange announcement, the Dubai World-owned terminal operator said it had purchased the 400ha of land and Shell’s remaining interests in the project for around US$220m, and said it would proceed with initial work on the site.
“The board of DP World Limited has reviewed a number of options for the London Gateway project in light of the current market downturn and is pleased to announce it has decided to proceed with construction of essential infrastructure that lays the foundation of the facility.
“DP World will continue to review the development of the port and park operations in line with market demand.”
The announcement coincided with a visit to site by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and secretary of state for business Peter Mandelson, where they were welcomed by DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
Gordon Brown said: "The London Gateway is a significant foreign investment into the UK. It is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s economic recovery and in this region.
“I am delighted with the decision to locate this world-class project here in the UK. It will help bring the largest deepsea vessels here and improve the efficiency of the UK’s freight distribution, creating thousands of jobs, future growth and economic prosperity.”
Mandelson added: “London Gateway will mean the creation of 36,000 direct and indirect jobs. This project sends a message to companies worldwide that the UK is the number one place in Europe to invest. It is an excellent example of the long-term investment that the UK is looking for.
“Developing our infrastructure will underpin the steps the government is already taking to stimulate the economy, and will lay the foundations for further advances in the future."
Bin Sulayem further explained: “By starting the major elements of construction, we ensure maximum flexibility to develop the project efficiently in line with market demand.”
When complete, the £1.5bn ($2.4bn) container terminal will have a 3.5m teu capacity, while the distribution and logistics park will be Europe’s largest with a total footprint of 860ha

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017733963

Rotterdam volumes down 8.5% last year

2010-01-04T15:51:00.000Z

Provisional figures from the Port of Rotterdam Authority show that container volumes fell by 6% last year compared to 2008, while ro-ro traffic was down 11%.
The port’s overall volumes fell 8.5% year-on-year to 385m tonnes, but CEO Hans Smits said given the overall circumstances, he was not dissatisfied and hoped volumes would increase this year.
“After hitting rock bottom in the second quarter, throughput has been improving slightly every month and virtually all the investments are going ahead," he said.
“Moreover, Rotterdam is doing better than its main rivals. But I am not unconcerned. Many of our clients are having a difficult time and that will not be much different in 2010.
“The best medicine for this is growth, partly through an increase in our market shares. We therefore intend to continue with our active commercial policy.
“As a result of this, among other things, I hope that we will be able to break through the 400m tonne barrier again next year. That means growth in throughput considerably over 3%.”
The port’s container tonnage for the year remained just above 100m tonnes, but as fewer empty containers were handled, units declined by 10% to 9.8m teu.
The port said: “Container traffic within Europe, mainly to the major destinations such as England, Ireland and Spain, was hit quite hard. The services to North and South America are sharing in the malaise. The Baltic trade, mostly involving feeder traffic linked to the Asia services, is really flourishing.”
The port said its ro-ro volumes were primarily hit by the decline in the UK market.
It said: “The crisis, which hit [Britain] early and hard, has not led to an earlier onset of recovery. This is further hampered by the value of the pound in relation to the euro.
“England and the Rotterdam services are focused very much on imports. In addition to the imbalance, the North Sea is characterised by the fierce competition between ferry services and with the container services and the Channel Tunnel.
“In the slightly longer term, the investments related to the Olympic Games offer positive prospects, which will buttress the investments in the expansion of capacity for Stena and Cobelfret.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/rotterdam-volumes-down-85-last-year/20017733358.htm

Port workers edge closer to strike

2009-12-29T09:20:00.001Z

Fresh talks will take place in the New Year over a proposed pay increase for port workers after a ballot indicated they would be willing to take industrial action.
Quayside workers said 1,577 voted in favour of action with 30 no votes and two spoiled ballot papers - rejecting the one per cent pay offer and sending a clear message to management.
It is now expected union officials from Unite, formerly the Transport and General Workers' Union, will meet bosses in early January to get management reaction and see if an improved pay offer will be made.
If no acceptable new offer is received, the next stage will be a postal ballot on industrial action.
One port worker said: “Quite often we have seen a ballot like this being much closer - people sometimes have second thoughts when industrial action is mentioned and chicken out - but this will send a strong message to management about how people are feeling.”
Another worker said: “The strength of feeling is huge - it's been a very busy year and we took a big pay cut to help the company.”
Union officials apparently asked the company for 5pc plus a £500 lump sum for each worker to make up for the two days' compulsory unpaid leave workers had to take this year as part of the earlier cuts.
Changes this year included scrapping of all bonus schemes, compulsory unpaid leave, axing of the “hot seat” changeover payments, removal of canteen subsidies, and closure of the port on Boxing Day.

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED26%20Dec%202009%2012%3A15%3A18%3A263

Port vote result expected this week

2009-12-23T09:23:00.002Z

UNION officials at Britain's biggest container port will this week announce the result of a vote which could take the workforce to the brink of industrial action.
It is understood the 2,700-strong workforce at Felixstowe was offered a one per cent pay rise - after earlier this year accepting changes to contracts which meant a “temporary pay cut” of between six and 11 per cent, depending on their contract package.
An initial ballot organised by the union Unite overwhelmingly rejected the offer with nearly 1,600 workers against the one pc and less than 20 in favour.(16 in favour)
Union officials had apparently asked the company for a five pc pay increase plus a £500 lump sum for each worker to make up for the two days compulsory unpaid leave workers had to take this year as part of the earlier cuts.
Over the past few days, the four shifts at the port have been voting on whether they would be prepared to take part in a strike ballot.( It's industrial action that we are balloting on not strike!)
If they vote yes, a postal ballot on industrial action will be organised. If they vote no, the one pc pay rise will be accepted.
One port worker said: “People are very frustrated.“
The port made us take huge pay cuts because of the recession but the situation hasn't been as bad as they predicted.
“They said there would be no work and we had to make sacrifices to keep our jobs, but the quays have not been empty and we have had a busy year.”
Changes this year included the scrapping of all bonus schemes, compulsory unpaid leave, axing of the “hot seat” changeover payments, removal of canteen subsidies, and closure of the port on Boxing Day.
Phil Pemberton, convenor for Unite, formerly the Transport and General Workers' Union, was not available for comment.
Paul Davey, head of corporate affairs for the Port of Felixstowe, said the company did not comment on union ballots.

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED21%20Dec%202009%2000%3A14%3A07%3A160

UPDATE YOUR DETAILS ON LMS SO THIS CAN NOT HAPPEN TO US!

2009-12-18T09:28:00.000Z

High Court denies BA cabin crew right to strike - but Unite determined to reballot.

On the ruling of the High Court today (Thursday), which has not upheld Unite the union's ballot of more than 12,000 cabin crew members, Unite joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said: "While we have never wanted this dispute it is a disgraceful day for democracy when a court can overrule such an overwhelming decision by employees taken in a secret ballot.
"We will of course be studying the judgement, but the fact remains that this dispute is not settled. Passing the buck to the courts to do management’s job for them was never going to be the answer.
“BA must accept that there can be no resolution except through negotiation, failing which there will inevitably be a further ballot for industrial action.
"Given the clear mood of cabin crew about management’s imposition of changes on their working lives, this means that the spectre of further disruption to the company’s operations cannot be removed. Only a negotiated agreement can do that.”

http://www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/latest_news/high_court_denies_ba_cabin_cre.aspx

Marshalls to supply 330,000m2 of its Machine Lay Keyblok paving to the Port of Felixstowe

2009-12-17T22:23:00.002Z

The construction of the new 730m quay for clients Hutchinson Port Holdings forms part of the UK’s Port Expansion programme and will allow berthing of deep water container ships with an increased capacity of 1.5m containers per annum.
Marshalls has just secured its largest single commercial order to supply 330,000m2 of its specialist Machine Lay Keyblok paving to the Port of Felixstowe – that’s the equivalent to the size of 47 Wembley football pitches.
Marshalls entered final negotiations with Costain Ltd recently to secure the £3 million order and the project will commence in January 2010, providing Marshalls Sandy works with a full order book.
Steve Attfield, Marshalls Commercial Manager commented “Some of the numbers we are talking about here are huge. Just to put the contract into perspective, an area the size of 47 Wembley football pitches will be installed in under 12 months. That’s over 2,300 full wagon loads of material. We are absolutely delighted to have secured this order.”
Pioneering machine lay techniques have been a crucial factor in securing this major contract. The speed and efficiency of the machine laying will enable vast areas of block paving to be laid by a minimal number of skilled operatives in a safe and controlled manner.
Marshalls has already supplied the Port of Felixstowe with more than 230,000m2 of its Keyblok paving, giving an additional 23 hectar container storage area able to withstand the constant movement and load impacts of various goods that are stored at such a major cargo port.

http://www.constructionnewsportal.com/construction_article6925.html

I'm wondering if with the port signing up to 10:10, will the materials be coming by road? Also will the job be better than the surfaces we have to bounce across now?

Postal ballots.

2009-12-17T20:28:00.002Z

I've been thinking about this today.
http://grayee.blogspot.com/2009/12/british-airway-strike-ban.html
As a union we need to make sure that if the company are going to take this dispute all the way that we are ready to take them on in a legal way.
What you need to do is make sure that all your details are upto date so if we have to go to a postal ballot we get the papers to the right place.
Don't go moaning afterwards if you haven't bothered to keep your details updated.

HUTCHISON'S SMALLER FOOTPRINT 10:10

2009-12-17T20:23:00.000Z

Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited (‘HPUK’) says it has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint. The Port of Felixstowe, Harwich International Port and London Thamesport have signed up to the 10:10 initiative; a national drive to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by 10% during 2010. The ports, all owned and operated by HPUK, have made the commitment to cut their carbon emissions by 10% as part of a wider national effort to significantly reduce the output of greenhouse gasses. David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer of HPUK, said: "Signing up to 10:10 is evidence of our commitment to reduce greenhouse gasses and lessen the impact of our operations on the environment. Low carbon supply chains are increasingly important and we have a major role to play in helping our customers achieve them. In addition to reducing our own footprint, we are investing in rail to provide low carbon options beyond the port, and working with our customers and tenants to supply port-centric logistic solutions. There are already more frequent rail departures from Felixstowe, to more destinations, moving more containers, than any other UK port. This latest commitment reinforces our position as the low-carbon option for shippers and shipping lines." HPUK says it pursuing a “whole range of initiatives to improve its environmental performance”. These include an ‘Eco-RTG’ project to reduce emissions from its fleet of Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) by up to 50%, smart crane lighting to improve energy efficiency of its 24-hour operations, and a car-sharing scheme for employees.

http://www.mgn.com/news/dailystorydetails.cfm?storyid=10532

Maersk agrees $498 mln sale of Norfolkline to DFDS

2009-12-17T19:55:00.001Z

COPENHAGEN, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk will sell its Norfolkline ferry unit to Denmark's DFDS for cash and shares worth about 346 million euros ($498 million), the companies said on Thursday.
Under the deal, Maersk will get a 31 percent stake in ferry operator DFDS and 170 million euros in cash, Maersk and DFDS said separately.
"The sale of Norfolk Holdings B.V. is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010 and is not expected to have a significant impact on the result of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S," Maersk said.
The parties have agreed to a lock-up period of 24 months on the DFDS shares from completion of the deal, Maersk said.
Norfolkline Chief Executive Niels Smedegaard said that the deal would boost Norfolkline's position as a ferry and freight operator in northern Europe, adding operations in the English Channel and the Irish Sea to its North Sea base.
"This is a perfect match," Smedegaard said. "The integration of our companies will generate considerable synergies and we expect this transaction to improve our earnings capability once the market recovers."
The deal is subject approval by relevant competition authorities and approval of the share issue by DFDS's extraordinary general meeting, the companies said.
The company to be formed by the combination of Norfolkline and DFDS will have pro forma 2009 revenues of about 1.5 billion euros and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 139 million, DFDS said.
Maersk shares traded down 1.4 percent at 36,500 crowns and DFDS shares were off 1.0 percent at 337 crowns by 1141 GMT, underperforming a 0.4 percent fall in the Copenhagen bourse bluechip index.
DFDS said in May it was discussing a possible "transaction" of Norfolkline with Maersk, and Maersk said it was talking with potential interested parties about a transaction involving Norfolkline.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8861170

Port workers set to vote for strike action

2009-12-17T19:48:00.000Z

QUAYSIDE workers at Britain's biggest container port today begin voting on the possibility of industrial action after rejecting a pay offer.
It is understood the 2,700-strong workforce at Felixstowe was offered a one per cent pay rise - after earlier this year accepting changes to contracts which meant a “temporary pay cut” of between six and 11 per cent, depending what package people are on.
An initial ballot organised by the union Unite overwhelmingly rejected the offer with nearly 1,600 workers against the one pc and less than 20 in favour.
Union officials had apparently asked the company for five per cent plus a £500 lump sum for each worker to make up for the two days compulsory unpaid leave workers had to take this year as part of the earlier cuts.
Last minute negotiations yesterday failed to bring a breakthrough, with no new offer from management on the table.
Over the next few days, the four shifts at the port will all vote on whether they would be prepared to take part in a strike ballot.
If they vote yes, a postal ballot on industrial action will be organised. If they vote no, the one pc pay rise will be accepted.Phil Pemberton, convenor for Unite, formerly the Transport and General Workers' Union, was not available for comment.
Paul Davey, head of corporate affairs for the Port of Felixstowe, said the company did not comment on union ballots.

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED17%20Dec%202009%2008%3A58%3A33%3A197

Ballot for industrial action.

2009-12-16T19:44:00.002Z

This will take place at Trinity union office, Next to Centenary House Trinity terminal.

THURSDAY 17-12-090
6.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

SATURDAY 19-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

MONDAY 21-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

WEDNESDAY 23-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO CAST YOUR VOTE.

The unions recommendation is that you vote YES to industrial action.

First ever 30-wagon train

2009-12-15T11:11:00.001Z

Freghtliner’s first PowerHaul locomotive 70001 has completed operational trials hauling, the first ever 30-wagon train to and from the Port of Felixstowe.
Following a test run last week, the PowerHaul locomotive today conveyed a train of 60 imported boxes to Freightliner’s terminal in Birmingham before returning later that night with exports.
With higher haulage and acceleration capabilities, the PowerHaul locos are able to increase payloads per train and could remove more than 120 lorries from the UK’s roads for each return trip.
Adam Cunliffe, managing director of Freightliner said: “We currently operate 21 daily services from the Port of Felixstowe, and until developments within the port are completed the number of train slots are limited. By use our new PowerHaul locomotives we are able to increase the capacity available to our customers while improving our carbon footprint.”

http://www.logisticsmanager.com/Articles/12864/First+ever+30-wagon+train.html

Asia-Europe box traffic steadies

2009-12-14T14:35:00.000Z

Container volume declines on the Asia to Europe trade have stabilised over the last few months, while freight rates in September crept back to last year’s levels.
Figures from the European Liner Affairs Association (ELAA), show that 962,800teu was moved from Asia to Europe, 10% down on October last year.
In September, volumes were also 10% down year-on-year, while in August they were 12% down, figures which represent improvement on the 22% decline experienced over the first six months of the year.
Meanwhile ELAA’s price index for the Asia to Europe trade hit 78 in September, assuming a 2008 average of 100, the index’s highest level this year and compares with March’s figure of 48.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=1260545071650

Teesport counting the cost

2009-12-14T14:34:00.000Z

The full extent of job and volume losses at Teesport following the partial closure in the new year of its biggest customer Corus’s plant is still unknown.
A spokeswoman for Teesport owner PD Ports said it would hold talks with Corus following the steel producer’s announcement on 4 December that it planned to mothball Redcar Blast Furnace, Lackenby steelmaking and the South Bank Coke Ovens at the end of January.
However, Corus said it intended to keep open a number of operations, including the Redcar Wharf, Redcar Coke Ovens and some of the power-generating capacity.
In July, PD Ports wrote to workers to tell them it may make up to 120 redundancies because Corus had threatened to close Teesside Cast Products and because of recession-related volume reductions.
The spokeswoman said: "The news is extremely disappointing, but given previous announcements by Corus and the lack of a positive conclusion to discussions with potential offtakers and investors in TCP, it is not especially surprising.
"The 120 job losses quoted in July when Corus announced that part of the Corus TCP site would be mothballed, was prior to the restructuring activity that our business has engaged in over recent months.
"Additionally, the growth in areas such as the container handling operations at Teesport will help us mitigate some of the impact on our employees. But further work needs to be concluded.
"Until we receive more definitive information from Corus on the implications of this closure, it is too early to understand the level of impact the announcement will have on PD Ports, but this is not good news."
Last week, Teesport announced it had handled more than 100,000 containers in a single year for the first time.
It had also recently announced a new contract with shipper Taylors of Harrogate to handle more than 1,000 containers of imported tea and coffee a year, and Taiwanese container line Evergreen has started to deliver containers to Teesport following the opening of a Tesco’s distribution centre there.
In July, PD Ports welcomed UK government approval for it to build a woodfuelled power station at Teesport, which would bring in an extra 2m tonnes of traffic when it opened in 2012.
Last month, it was confirmed PD Ports had been sold by Babcock and Brown Infrastructure to Brookfield Asset Management.

MSC UK gets AEO status

2009-12-11T13:11:00.002Z

I hope that this next press release doesn't mean that we will get more misdeclared units. Something needs to be done to stop boxes coming to us with wrong weights on them before somebody gets hurt. Nobody wants another MSC Napoli or an IMV turning over because the front box has too much weigh in it. I am not pointing the finger at MSC but the whole industry.

MSC’s UK business has been approved by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO).
Recognition under the EU scheme enables businesses to have their consignments fast-tracked through customs’ controls and if a consignment is selected for examination it will receive priority over non-AEOs.
AEO’s get a lower “risk score”, which will be incorporated into HRMC's risk management systems and used to determine the frequency of customs physical and documentary checks.
AEOs are also allowed to omit certain data elements from pre-arrival and pre-departure summary declarations.
A spokesperson for HMRC said: “The AEO scheme is the way forward for businesses involved in the international supply chain.
“It shows they are committed to raising their security and safety standards, which will be of benefit to themselves, their business partners and assists in the development of their long-term relationship with HMRC."
To achieve AEO status, businesses have to prove they are compliant, safe and secure and are subject to an audit run by customs.
AEO is recognised across the whole EU and it is hoped that mutual recognition of similar systems, across other third countries, will take place in the future.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/msc-uk-gets-aeo-status/20017728708.htm

Dubai World's woes will not affect Rotterdam Gateway

2009-12-10T16:52:00.001Z

Rotterdam Port Authority is convinced DP World’s investment in the Rotterdam World Gateway container terminal on Maasvlakte Two will go ahead, despite its parent company’s restructuring.
The port authority said that while DP World was a subsidiary of Dubai World, this did not mean that it was involved in its parent’s problems.
In addition, with a share of 30%, DP World is just one of five companies that together form Rotterdam World Gateway, MOL, Hyundai, APL and CMA CGM being the others.
“The Port of Rotterdam Authority has very regular contact with all the container companies that are active in Rotterdam, during which the consequences of the economic crisis are a recurring topic of conversation,” it said.
It added that the APM Terminals facility, which is also being built on Maasvlakte Two, and the 4m teu Rotterdam World Gateway were sticking to the current schedule.
This means that Rotterdam World Gateway will start operation of its terminal in 2013, and APM Terminals in 2014.
At the end of last month, the government of Dubai, acting through the Supreme Fiscal Committee (SFC), authorised the Dubai Financial Support Fund to spearhead the restructure of state-owned conglomerate Dubai World.
Dubai World intended to ask all providers of financing to allow a freezing of repayments and extend maturities until at least 30 May 2010.
However, DP World said the government of Dubai had confirmed that DP World and its debt were not included in the restructuring process for Dubai World.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017728060

Ballot result on company pay offer of 1%

2009-12-10T10:41:00.000Z

For 16
Against 1599

Teesport container volumes break annual record

2009-12-08T19:31:00.001Z

PD Ports’ Teesport facility has handled over 100,000 containers in a year for the first time in its history.
The north-east UK port reached the milestone last month and Frans Calje, PD Ports’ MD for unitised traffic, said: “We are delighted that in these difficult economic times our efforts have clearly out-performed the market.
“We are really proud of what has been achieved at Teesport this year. We expect to reach this benchmark earlier each year as we move forward.”
Over the last few months, PD Ports has unveiled new container contract wins.
It announced a contract with shipper Taylors of Harrogate, to handle more than 1,000 containers of imported tea and coffee a year, and Taiwanese box carrier Evergreen started to deliver containers to Teesport following the opening of Tesco’s distribution centre.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/newsarticle.htm?artid=20017727112

APL reports 23% volume growth

2009-12-08T19:29:00.000Z

APL’s container volumes increased by 23% year-on-year from mid-October to mid-November, but this failed to materialise into an increase in revenues per 40ft container.
The NOL-owned carrier said it handled 416,000teu between 17 October and 13 November (period 11), up from 339,000 for the same period last year.
Meanwhile, its revenues per forty-foot equivalent unit (feu) for the period were 28% down year-on-year at US$2,239.
During the previous four week period, APL moved around 423,400teu, a 14% improvement on the same period last year.
Over this same period, APL generated revenues of $2,254 per feu, which was 29% down on last year. Between mid-August and mid-September its revenues per feu came to $2,247.
The carrier’s year-to-date volumes for period 11 were 12% down on 2008, while its revenues per feu 24% down on the previous year.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017727100

Long-term parking

2009-12-07T14:11:00.001Z

There is clearly no current commercial need for DP World's London Gateway container terminal and, let's face it, there's unlikely to be for some years. Behind the brave faces and talk of fiexamining all the optionsfl, it's just not going to happen anytime soon.
With the Felixstowe South development under way and due to enter some sort of operation in the next couple of years, there will be plenty of capacity to handle the country's imports, even if they return to 2007 levels in an unexpectedly short time.
Which makes the request of Thurrock Council to borrow - or however the financing is structured - money to fund the development of the logistics park adjoining the port plainly ridiculous.
The whole point of the enormous London Gateway logistics park was to almost instantly create the type of fiport clusterfl that makes ports attractive to lines and their customers.
But there's no point in having that logistics park until the terminal also exists.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/searcharticle.htm?articleTeaser=true&keywords=London+gateway&artid=1259939144897&highlight=true&articleContext=search

Council bids to help fund logistics park

2009-12-07T13:57:00.000Z

A UK council has applied for financial support for the development of Europe’s largest logistics park, close to the site of the proposed London Gateway container terminal.
DP World London Gateway confirmed that Thurrock Council had responded to a government request for councils to apply for funding for infrastructure projects.
IFW understands Thurrock Council applied for funding because of concerns that the 884,000sq metre logistics park project would not be viable without government intervention, after developer DP World revealed financial concerns.
DP World announced in March that it was putting development of the London Gateway logistics park and container terminal on hold because of volume declines.
A DP World London Gateway spokesman said: "London Gateway [port and logistics park] remains under review.
"We are exploring a variety of funding options, one of which was to explore the possibility of London Gateway Park taking part in the UK government’s open call for pilot Tax Incremental Funding (TIF) projects, announced in the summer.
"Thurrock Council submitted an application in July to the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and we await the outcome of that process."
A spokesman for the DCLG said there was no guarantee that the government would adopt the TIF scheme, as it was still at the consultation stage.
And the DP World spokesman said that even if the government went ahead with the scheme, there had been 124 applications for funds from councils, so Thurrock’s might not be successful.
He also stressed that the application had been made in regard to the development of the logistics park, not the 3.5m teu container terminal, contrary to some reports.
The government is expected to announce this week whether it will go ahead with the funding scheme for accelerated development zones, as TIFs are also known.
DP World received some good news towards the end of last month, when the European Investment Bank announced it would provide up to £300m (US$500m) worth of funding towards the development of the £1.5bn London Gateway terminal.
It has already benefited from €14.1m ($21.2m) from the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency for dredging work.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/council-bids-to-help-fund-logistics-park/1259939144773.htm

Maersk container boss sees box upturn in Asia

2009-12-07T13:28:00.000Z

Copenhagen: Maersk Line chief executive Eivind Kolding says his company expects container export trades from Asia to grow by 3-8% in 2010. The A P Moller-Maersk director sees the first signs of rising cargo volumes, with liftings up in November compared with one year ago. But 2010 will nevertheless be "extremely challenging". He does not, however, subscribe to the double-dip philosophy and expects volumes to continue to grow, though not in a linear fashion.
Kolding anticipates that the number of container ships laid-up by the company will peak during this slack season, after Christmas in the west, probably rising from today's 16-17 vessels by a few more units. However, he says, laid-up ships will not include any of the company's largest vessels - these are still working effectively, with good load factors, through close cooperation with partners in vessel-sharing arrangements.
In fact, Kolding points out that most of the container vessels laid up so far are in the medium sizes, notably Panamax units, underscoring that the company's pioneering move into operating the world's largest container vessels was the right one.
None of the company's 40-odd newbuildings are likely to be laid up either, Kolding says. "Although 40 ships seems a high number," he says, "in relative terms, it's really quite modest. They will mostly deliver through 2011/12 and, by then, we will need them."
Maersk today operates a fleet of about 460 container ships, of which a little over half are owned vessels. The company has redelivered a number of chartered vessels this year, as well as recycling some nine older leased units in China. A clear demonstration of its green initiatives, the company has netted about $18m less from this recycling process than it could have made by running the ships on to the beach. [04/12/09]

Top 25 union blogs!

2009-12-07T12:18:00.002Z

I've just found out that I'm number 11 in the top 25 union blogs. I think I only got there because of the amount of posts I do to keep my workmates up to date with issues concerning the dock industry. But hey I'm nearly top 10! Never mind the quality here's the quantity!

http://www.tigmoo.co.uk/files/tigmoo2009.pdf

Hamburg to reduce transhipment charges by 50%

2009-12-07T10:57:00.000Z

THE port of Hamburg is to reduce its charges in an attempt to regain lost transhipment volumes.“We will introduce a scheme which will see cost cuts of up to 50% per single transhipment container,” said Hamburg’s port senator Axel Gedaschko.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/hamburg-to-reduce-transhipment-charges-by-50/20017726113.htm;jsessionid=B4D73BE03D1FF394C50BE7A1C90E9F31.5d25bd3d240cca6cbbee6afc8c3b5655190f397f

2009-12-04T13:25:00.000Z

Notice of Ballot

2009-11-30T22:11:00.003Z

MASS MEETING 7PM TUESDAY @ 70 SHED.

BALLOT VOTE - ANNUAL WAGE AWARD:

A ballot vote (concerning the above) will be held at the Trinity union office next to Centenary House on Trinity terminal on the following days/times.

THURSDAY 03-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

SATURDAY 05-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

MONDAY 07-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

WEDNESDAY 09-12-09
06.00-09.30
17.00-20.00
23.00-00.30

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO CAST YOUR VOTE.

London Gateway in calls for government aid

2009-11-30T21:55:00.003Z

Sorry but I missed the full story from Lloyds list and nobody has offered to pay for me to have the full site so this is all I can bring you on this story for now. If anyone would either like to pay for access for me or has the full story please email me chifttugrep@googlemail.com Come on Mr Gledhill pay for the site!

A BRITISH local authority has asked government permission to borrow heavily to prop up DP World’s planned £2.3bn ($3.8bn) London Gateway container terminal development, which it openly states “will not be viable without suitable government intervention”.

Business as usual, say Dubai World affiliates

ALL three major maritime industries affiliates of Dubai World are fully confident that they will not get caught up in the flak surrounding their parent concern’s shock debt moratorium request yesterday, in a development that will reassure customers that include many of the world’s top shipowners.

Port in a storm: DP World’s London Gateway struggles for funds
Posted by Miles Johnson on Nov 30 18:25.
The flagship UK development of DP World, the port arm of the troubled Dubai World, looks to be sinking as it struggles to raise financing for the project, based on the Thames at Thurrock in Essex.
The London Gateway project, Dubai’s most significant investment in the UK, “will not be viable without suitable government funding”, according to a local UK government funding application from July seen by FT Alphaville.
While DP World placed the ₤1.5bn container port project “under review” in March amid a painful downturn in global trade, the conclusions of the application will raise further questions over the company’s ability to complete the port scheme.
London Gateway has struggled to secure bank lending to pay for ₤400m of upfront infrastructure costs, according to the application for pilot funding under the government’s “tax incremental financing structure” scheme, first reported by Regeneration & Renewal.
Initial approaches to key UK banks by DP World were “disappointing”, the application letter says, citing conversations with the Dubai company.
Though London Gateway is viewed by the UK government as a valuable development project, any government funding seen to be bailing out DP World may well prove highly controversial.
The letter, sent from Thurrock council to the UK Department for Communities and Local Government, states: “Bank interest in London Gateway is either very limited, or on terms (pricing and tenor) which will severely impact DP World’s equity returns, making the project even more unattractive. ”
When contacted DP World said:
London Gateway remains under review including the financing options. We are exploring a variety of different funding options, one of which was to explore the possibility of London Gateway Park taking part in the UK Government’s open call for pilot Tax Incremental Funding projects, announced in summer 2009. Thurrock Council submitted an application in July to the Department of Communities and Local Government and we await the outcome of that process.
A Thurrock Council spokesman said the council had looked into the possibility of creating an accelerated development zone (ADZ), which was no longer feasible.
The council also cited a DCLG spokesman as saying the ADZ proposal “was always a feasibility study”.
Further evidence of financing problems for one of DP World’s flagship developments coincides with mounting concern over the ability of Dubai-owned businesses to service their debts. Last week the developer Nakheel, owned by DP World’s parent group Dubai World, stunned global markets by asking to delay payments on its debts.
DP World, viewed as one of Dubai’s crown jewels and one of the largest listed companies on the Dubai stock exchange, inherited London Gateway from P&O when it bought the British group for £3.9 billion in 2006.
The company, which owns port assets in locations ranging from Antwerp to Djibouti, has previously told the Financial Times it has no debt maturities due until 2012. Net debt stands at just under $5bn, but DP World holds $3bn in cash.

US box traffic looking up for 2010

2009-11-25T14:19:00.000Z

The start of next year could see the first year-on-year increase in US container import volumes for 31 months, according to the Port Tracker report published by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight.
The report forecasts imports at the major US ports will reach 1.09m teu in November, down 11% year-on-year, 1.06m teu in December, the same as last year, and 1.03m teu in January, down 3%.
However, it said it expected February’s volumes to reach 973,800teu, which would represent a year-on-year increase of 16%.
“This could be the turnaround we’ve been waiting to see for a long time,” said NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold. “There’s not enough data yet to establish a clear trend, but we’re hopeful that this is a sign of recovery.”
Volumes in the second half of this year have marginally improved.
“The second half of 2009 has continued to see declines from 2008’s levels, but not as large as we saw during the first half of this year,” IHS Global Insight economist Paul Bingham said. "These ‘less bad’ numbers are evidence that the industry is seeing early signs of recovery."
In September, the most recent month actual numbers are available, the US ports surveyed handled 1.14m teu, down 3% compared to August and 16% from September 2008.
Volumes for the traditional peak, October, are expected to have hit 1.17m teu, down 15% on last year.
The US ports covered by Port Tracker are Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the west coast; New York/New Jersey, Virginia, Charleston and Savannah on the east coast; and Houston on the Gulf Coast.
http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017722622

The law on industrial action.

2009-11-25T12:35:00.002Z

I have posted this before, I'm reposting because of the ammount of questions I've been getting about "What exactly is industrial action?"
Hope this makes it clear for you.

The Law on Industrial Action

Introduction

The law relating to industrial action is to be found in:

· Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992;
· Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993;
· Employment Relations Act 1999.

There is also an advisory code of practice on picketing.

The law covers:

· the definition of industrial action;
· strikes;
· ballots on industrial action.

Industrial Action Defined

In legal terms, 'industrial action' means:

· strikes;
· lockouts;
· overtime bans (including voluntary bans);
· go slows;
· working to rule;
· refusing to cross a picket line;
· refusing to work with non-members.

Strikes and the Law

British employment law has no tradition of a positive right to strike, and industrial action is a breach of the employment contract. The tradition, instead, is that of 'immunities'; that is, immunity from legal action so long as certain conditions are met. Since 1979, these conditions have become more rigid and complex.

The law gives trade unions immunity for actions "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute". A 'trade dispute' is a dispute between workers and an employer in the UK, which is "wholly or mainly" about:

· terms and conditions of employment;
· recruitment, suspension or dismissal;
· work allocation;
· discipline;
· facilities for union officials;
· the negotiating machinery.

There is no immunity for disputes which:

· are 'political';
· have not yet started;
· are over union membership;
· are protests over dismissal following unofficial action;
· constitute 'secondary action'.

To be lawful, therefore, industrial action must be a trade dispute. It must also be 'official', and it must comply with the requirements relating to ballots (see below).

Official and Unofficial Industrial Action

To maintain immunity, industrial action must be 'official'. This means that:

· the employee(s) taking action must belong to a trade union, and;
· the union (usually the executive committee) must authorise or endorse the action.

Action which does not meet these requirements is unofficial and, therefore, unlawful. Workers can be lawfully dismissed for taking part in unofficial action.

Unions are legally responsible for all industrial action, unless they have 'repudiated' it.

If there is unofficial action and the union wishes to make it official, the action must be repudiated before a ballot is held.
Industrial Action Ballots

In any case where industrial action may be necessary, a ballot must be held. In addition, the ballot must comply with a series of requirements.

First, the employer must be given notice of:

· the intention to hold a ballot;
· the date of the ballot;
· basic details of those to be balloted (i.e. the workplace or job title – not the names);
· a sample copy of the ballot paper.

Following the ballot, the employer must be given:

· notice of the outcome of the ballot;
· seven days’ notice of any action, along with details of those involved (but not their names), and when the action will start.

All industrial action ballots must be secret, postal ballots. Only those workers who are involved in the dispute may be balloted. They must be given at least seven days to return the ballot paper, and this must be numbered and must comply with the prescribed wording, which includes a statutory warning to the effect that industrial action is a breach of the employment contract. An independent scrutineer must oversee the ballot.

To proceed to industrial action following a ballot, there must be a simple majority in favour of action. The union must inform the members and the employer of the result, and give notice of the commencement of any action (see above).

The result of an industrial action ballot only lasts for four weeks; that is, any action must start within four weeks to be lawful. However, if the employer and the union agree to this, the result may be suspended to enable negotiations to re-start.

Picketing

If workers are acting "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute", it is lawful for them to picket "at or near" their own place of work. However, this right is qualified by a number of requirements.
Picketing must only be for the purpose of:

· peacefully getting or communicating information, and/or
· peacefully persuading others not to work.

There is no immunity for pickets who trespass, or who commit criminal offences such as obstruction, or breach of the peace.

There is no legal limit on the number of pickets. However, the Department of Trade and Industry Code of Practice on Picketing, which has advisory status only, suggests a maximum of six.

Ireland's volume decline slows

2009-11-24T16:45:00.000Z

The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) has claimed the rate of decline in Irish freight volumes slowed in the third quarter of the year, but warned operators should expect a challenging winter.
IMDO statistics show third quarter lo-lo traffic slipped 20% year-on-year to 268,000teu and ro-ro volumes fell 8% 385,000 units.
However, the IMDO pointed out this was an improvement on half-year figures, when lo-lo volumes were 24% down year-on-year and ro-ro traffic was 13% down.
It said: “While all market segments have not returned to the previous 30 month volume lows that were recorded earlier this year, the severe volume deterioration that has occurred over this period is likely to result in traffic volumes returning to pre 2003 levels by the end of this year."
It added: “Depressed freight rates, lower volume demand coupled with increases in fuel and bunker costs will provide a challenging environment for shipping operators over the winter months.
“Underlying weaker domestic consumer demand is likely to continue to suppress import volumes while the strength of the euro against the dollar and sterling will continue to put pressure on export volumes to our key markets.”
The IMDO said container volumes have slumped over the past 18 months because of an “abrupt correction in consumer demand and slowdown in the domestic construction sector”.
It added Christmas demand had resulted in a slight rise in imports, by 5% in September compared to August, and exports were up 22% between September and August.
IMDO said these seasonal factors were absent in 2008 when volumes continued to fall at an accelerated rate of decline from the middle of the year.
Overall it forecast a total decline of 23% in lo-lo volumes to the year-end.
Meanwhile, volumes on direct continental ro-ro routes increased year-on-year by 64% to 8,044 units in the third quarter of 2009, because of an increase in the number of direct services on offer.
Overall in the ro-ro sector, 35,000 less freight units were carried on all routes when compared to same quarter in 2008.
The IMDO also estimated that total available capacity reduced by 13% in the third quarter, which has been implemented by a reduction of frequency on certain routes and reduction in vessel sizes, while the price of bunker fuel has doubled since the beginning of 2009.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017722173

Asia unions launch strike action

2009-11-24T12:38:00.001Z

Trade unions in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore have embarked on a week of action to highlight the exploitation of seafarers.
Lasting from 23-27 November, the seafarers’ and dockers’ unions will target vessels and companies without International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) approved manning agreements during port inspections in south-east Asia.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/asia-unions-launch-strike-action/20017722073.htm

Winds blow down container stacks at port

2009-11-22T18:42:00.001Z

STRONG winds battering the Suffolk coast today knocked down stacks of containers at Britain's biggest port.A large number of boxes were blown over in quayside storage parks at Felixstowe.Port officials said rail and yard operations had been affected and for the safety of all port users access was being restricted to operational areas. “Vehicles are being marshalled on site and will be processed through to operational areas as soon as it is safe to do so,” said a port spokesman.The situation was being monitored, and hauliers were advised there would be delays and they may wish to consider re-scheduling their arrivals.Operation Stack was not in place at present - traffic levels are not as high at weekends as on weekdays.

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED22%20Nov%202009%2015%3A10%3A46%3A570

Stowaway cat Pharaoh survives two-week voyage to Britain from Egypt

2009-11-21T22:20:00.001Z

Pharoah the cat has survived after stowing away in a container on a merchant ship that arrived at the British port of Felixstowe after a 3,000 mile journey from Egypt.

The hungry animal was found in a container after two weeks on board the MV Maersk Batam which travelled from the Port Said in Egypt to the Suffolk port.
John Biscoe, of GMA Freight, said: "We opened this container that had just arrived from Egypt to ensure that it was all in order and I was with the forklift operator and became aware there was something in there.
"It was a container with wire coils and I said there was a cat in there.
"The other chap wondered if it was a lion or something but then this little thing jumped out and started rubbing around my legs."
Two RSPCA officers collected Pharaoh and he is now being looked after a quarantine cattery near Colchester, Essex.
"He was very scrawny and we gave him a bowl of water and one of my colleagues gave him his sandwich ~ he ate the meat very quickly," said Mr Biscoe.
"He must have been someone's pet in Egypt – he was very happy to see us."
Pharaoh will be kept at the cattery for five and a half months because of rabies quarantine regulations.
A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said it had been "touch and go" for the cat when it was found two weeks ago.
She said: "He was not in a very good state and at first it was thought he might not survive.
"He has been taken to a quarantine centre at Colchester, checked for rabies and other problems, fed and been looked after and now looks much better.
"Pharaoh will have to stay in quarantine and then it will be re-homed here."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6621708/Stowaway-cat-Pharaoh-survives-two-week-voyage-to-Britain-from-Egypt.html

Antwerp prepared to freeze port dues to secure jobs

2009-11-20T14:52:00.000Z

SOUNDS LIKE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN TO ME...

The port of Antwerp is to readjust next year’s port dues to help secure jobs, but added unions and employers must strive to be more efficient.
The port will freeze most rates at 2008 and 2009 levels and reduce dues for the transhipment of conventional/breakbulk cargo, such as steel, fruit paper and wood, by 10%.
However, the port authority linked the reduction in rates to the condition that labour unions and employers must make a serious contribution towards greater efficiency in loading and unloading “labour-intensive items”, without compromising safety.
The port authority said it hoped freezing fees would combat further losses in freight volumes and employment and help shipping companies deal with the recession.
Port alderman Marc Van Peel said: "Nobody can deny that the port of Antwerp has lost some trade in the past years due to the overly rigid work organisation in freight handling."
Port authority CEO Eddy Bruyninckx added: "We expect to see clear signals from both sides of industry before 1 January, about their willingness to make significant improvements in the efficient use of dock labour."

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017721042

APM Terminals investigates driver beating

2009-11-20T14:50:00.000Z

APM Terminals has vowed to investigate allegations that a subcontractor ordered the beating of port drivers at JNPT.
Last week, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) demanded that APM Terminals dump sub-contractor SC Thakur because of allegations it was behind attacks on three members of the Transport and Dock Workers’ Union on 23 October.
In response, APM Terminals said: “We’re investigating this incident, which appears to have taken place outside the port with a subcontractor, Thakur.
“We have strict standards on the safety and the security of our employees, including those who are classified as contracted workers, working for vendors.”
APM Terminals investigates driver beating
The ITF said the victims had all made court depositions regarding the company’s failure to pay their provident fund contributions.
Reports about the attacks had been filed with the police, Thakur and Maersk subsidiary Gateway Terminals India.
The ITF added the workers had been attacked in the past.
“The situation first erupted in April 2007 when four drivers employed by contractor SC Thakur were abducted and severely beaten.
“When other union members went on strike in support of the hospitalised colleagues they were sacked. Following dialogue between Maersk and the ITF the workers were reinstated.”
It added: “The ITF has made it clear that it believes there can be no excuse after two years, for a multinational of Maersk’s size and reach not to have assured its workers, including subcontracted workers, basic rights and protection from violence.”

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017721004

PAY TALKS LATEST...

2009-11-20T10:48:00.000Z

Company has made their final offer of 1%. Mass meeting to be held soon as possible.

The story of Great Yarmouth redevelopment and the loss of dock workers jobs.

2009-11-20T06:49:00.003Z

Outer Harbour - the inside story.

Eddie Freeman, chief executive of Eastport UK is one of the speakers in today's Shaping Norfolk's Future conference. But as the Yarmouth outer harbour finally gets ready for business, has it delivered what was promised? Public affairs correspondent Shaun Lowthorpe reports.

Eddie Freeman admits that the pressure is on at the moment as contractors put the finishing touches to the Yarmouth outer harbour.

An engineer by trade, he has spent more than 30 years in the ports industry, including a stint in South Africa. The chief executive of Eastport UK is, he says, like a salesman. And he comes across as somewhat of a fixer - brought in by International Port Holdings, the parent company of Eastport, to get the harbour up and running and make it a success.

The 61-year-pld admits that with the global economic downturn adding to the pressure, he has a job on his hands selling the outer harbour to prospective businesses. But also, you sense, he has a battle to convince the people of Great Yarmouth themselves of its merits, some of whom are less than enamoured with what has finally emerged.

Work is almost complete on the new harbour, with hopes high that the first container ships will be set to dock within a few weeks.

And that's the issue in many people's minds - what has been built is primarily at this stage a container port.

Think back a decade and talk was of a harbour bringing jobs and visitors to Norfolk with a roll-on, roll-off ferry service at its heart.

Detailed studies were produced showing that there would be 120,000 visitors coming to the town each year - a boon to the Yarmouth tourist industry. In 2000 a partnership was forged with the Dutch port town of Ijmuiden, and a provisional agreement was signed with Greek firm Superfast Ferries with a view to operating services.

But the business as it is now taking shape looks markedly different.

Critics fear that the harbour will not be able to deliver on promises to create 1000 jobs because the forecasts were largely based on securing a ferry operator to run services from the port, which has since receded from view.

Pinning down exactly how many jobs the port in its current form will create is actually quite difficult as the public bodies who pump-primed the project have not produced any updated studies.

Getting hold of the business case is also tricky, since because it comes under the auspices of the Great Yarmouth Port Authority, which is not subject to the freedom of information act, any request for a copy will be automatically refused, while officials also cite commercial confidentiality as another reason for withholding it.

There is also simmering anger in some quarters that the privately run port will not yield the spin offs for the town that backers of the original project, which was kick-started with around £18m of public cash, once promised.

Relations were also soured earlier this year when the port sacked 11 dock workers as part of a switch to casual labour - fuelling concerns that instead of creating a port for the community to rally around, there was a risk of creating a town within a town.

And while borough council land worth £1.5m has been provided to help set it up, other issues such as creating a viewing platform and doing up Gorleston Pier remain unresolved.

But Mr Freeman, insists the port would bring benefits to the town.

“To get this level of investment going on with this level of ambition at this time in the recession has got to be good news,” Mr Freeman said.“There seems to be no recognition of the fact that we are in a recession and that has its effects.

“The outer harbour isn't the great white hope. Great Yarmouth has been very active in doing all kinds of projects dealing with regeneration. We are just one of these.

“There was a lot of prejudice to overcome in the ports industry and to some extent locally about what we were doing. But it was not based on any fact. I think it's unfair given the fact that we are not open yet. How people can talk about it being a white elephant when it's not open, is an absolute contradiction in terms. There have been complaints about the investment and when people are going to see it - there has been £60m already going in.

“We can't stop people having their views, and we don't want to, we live in a democracy,” he said. “There will always be issues people don't agree with for whatever reason, but we just have to get the right message across.”

Now the focus is centring on the container port operation, where goods arriving at major destinations such as Antwerp can then be quickly transferred to ships and brought in to the UK at Yarmouth. This year saw two £7m cranes installed as part of the development, which will be operated by Port of Singapore, one of the largest operators in the world.

And Mr Freeman said that while not something for the immediate future, Eastport UK still had an open mind on whether a ferry operation could be part of the new facility.

He said there were five strands to the business - containers, offshore and renewable, agricultural, general aggregates, and Roll-on, roll- off ferries (Ro-Ro).

“There's quite a range of industries we are interested in,” he explained. “The renewables market is changing all the time, that's driven as much by technology as politics. With offshore we have got a large market off our coast that needs to be serviced. We are very well positioned to exploit that.

“The range we have been able to consider has been growing during our development period. Our ambitions are quite wide-reaching.

“All ports have got to be flexible,” he added. “We are in a recession. Nobody saw it coming particularly and I don't think anybody is very clear when it is going to end. Certainly the global container market is down. The Ro-Ro market is significantly down. That's tending to suppress other commodities as well.

“There's no doubt about it, everybody is feeling the pinch.

“We are not thinking about next week, we are thinking long-term. As far as the Ro-Ro market is concerned we are keeping a watching brief. Ro-pax is an option within Ro-Ro that we are more than happy to exploit if we are able to. We do not rule anything out. But at this moment in time while the market is still contracting, the decision to launch a Ro-Ro service may not be seen as particularly attractive.

“I don't think it's going to be now, but it's certainly within our strategic planning.

“I am not going to get into a debate about Ro-Ro, I didn't make the promises. There was never a promise. We have said ourselves quite clearly that if we can get somebody that wants to start a Roll-on, Roll-off out of Great Yarmouth and came knocking on our door, we can deliver.

“There's never been a firm promise about this issue. The company they were talking to no longer operates out of the UK but that doesn't mean to say there won't be others.”

Now he said the task in hand was to focus on what has been achieved and build on that.

“It's been a fantastic effort. We have got a new management team here and we are intent on getting this project finished and are all determined to make it really successful.

“The cranes are in,” he said. “At the moment we are just completing some of the paved works. Hopefully by the end of this month, middle of next month, we should be seeing this as a port that's available to do some business.

“We want to create a one-stop shop and make the customer feel really good about doing business here in Great Yarmouth. We want to listen to the client and be as flexible as we can.

“Obviously we are concentrating heavily on containers at the moment and renewables are very close to our heart, the agricultural market is also crucial to us. At the moment we are comfortable and happy with what we have got.

“It's about getting the processes in place and make sure what we are promising, we can deliver. It's about bringing the trade along with us with regards to what we are doing, and listening to the industries.

“I think we have got a brand new culture. It was very much about making the trust port work in the private sector model, it's still a work in progress, but we are very nearly there now. We are a 24/7 port. Traffic will come and go round the clock.

“The port facility is quite crucial to the region. It's the only one that Norfolk has outside of King's Lynn of any size. By building the outer harbour, we have stopped the decline of the port. "

The port is bigger in capacity terms than King's Lynn, Ipswich and Lowestoft. If you look down the East coast, you have got the Humber, ourselves, Felixstowe, then you are down into Tilbury.

“We are very much hoping that we will be able to promote and develop jobs as our infrastructure expands. Just being able to show people around makes a huge difference in marketing terms.

We know what we are about, we are about trying to maximise this port as best we can for the benefit of our community.

“One of the reasons we wanted to be involved in Shaping Norfolk's Future is that we think the port has a very significant role to play in the development of the country and how the county sees itself.”

Like the port of Felixstowe which has helped create jobs behind the town itself and along the A14 corridor, supporters of the outer harbour believe it will create jobs across the region working along the A47 up to the Norwich and even along the A47 corridor.

George Bennett, head of development at Eeda, and a member of the First East board, said the port would help create vital skilled blue collar jobs in the town, while also freeing up land along the river for redevelopment as industries start to cluster around the new outer harbour.

“The easiest way to think of it is like building a road,” Mr Bennett said. “We have paid for the breakwater, we haven't paid for an entire harbour. That's up to market conditions.“We have got a facility that's not quite finished yet,” he said. “The paint isn't even dry, but there is a bit of a British psyche to knock something before it has started. We are looking at a 10-15 year period before the port is anywhere near its full capacity. It needs to build up to that. The private sector investment that's gone into the outer harbour is looking at a 50 year return.

“We are absolutely delighted that the port has been finished and largely achieved on time.”

Mr Bennett said developments, such as the recently announced Saul's Wharf would help regenerate the town with developments similar in scale and ambition to Norwich's Riverside the Ipswich wharf front.

“We have got an opportunity to relocate a number of port businesses in South Denes,” Mr Bennett added. “We have got 8km or river frontage. There's quite a number of opportunities there to really reshape the town with a mixture of commercial and residential development.

“A ferry service is quite important and we would say that the door hasn't closed on that,” Mr Bennett said. “It's still an ambition held by ourselves to see a ferry service. The current climate has affected that. The outer harbour was designed with a ferry service in place, and that requires substantial investment. It's not yet right for that objective but it's still in there. But it's not going to be delivered on day one. It's a 50-year vision. What we have done is safeguard the future of the current port.”

Peter Hardy, executive director for environment and economy at Great Yarmouth borough council, said the port's owners had spotted commercial opportunities previously not thought of and people should not get too hung up on the ferry issue, though he admits it was the aspect of the business which most captured the public imagination.

“When International Port Holdings came in and said they reckoned they could get into the container business, that was a bonus,” Mr Hardy said. “That was certainly an option that nobody had thought of. There are as many jobs coming out of that as there may have been from a ferry service.“In 2003 there was a ferry company saying if we could build the outer harbour, they would like to run a ferry service, which in business terms would have been nearly all freight, but would also carry passengers.

“The ferry market in the southern North Sea continued to show growth in freight until the recession,” Mr Hardy added. “The passenger market was very different. It was slammed very hard by the mushrooming of low cost flights. Harwich had a fast ferry service and they couldn't keep it going. In 2004/05 the other that came in was oil doubling in price.

“All of these external factors prior to the recession meant we were unlucky. The world has moved on.”

But he said the crucial thing was that after more than 20 years of hopes and dreams the outer harbour had been built in the first place.

“The fact it was built has put Great Yarmouth back in the port business for the next century and has put East Anglia back on the trade route,” he said. “It may be that you won't find that many jobs on the quayside, but it's certainly creating opportunities for the agricultural industry all over Norfolk.

“I am not alone in being absolutely delighted that it did come off.”

Mr Freeman, who hails from Middlesborough, and still has traces of a North-East accent, admits that delivering the outer harbour probably represents the last great challenge of his career. And it is one he is determined to achieve before stepping back from the business and pursuing other interests including sailing and hanging out at his favourite pubs, such as the Fat Cat in Norwich, where he now lives.

“At this late stage in my career it represented a challenge to me personally,” he said. I think we have got enough positives in here to see us through what's probably the deepest recession that we could have seen in our lifetime.

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing this project up and running and successful. And it will be, nobody has come here to fail.”

http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/business/story.aspx?brand=BIZOnline&category=Features&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xBusiness&itemid=NOED19%20Nov%202009%2018%3A19%3A37%3A300

Cost control will pull CMA CGM out of the red

2009-11-18T14:00:00.002Z

Deepsea carrier CMA CGM is expecting to return to breakeven point by December, thanks to its cost-cutting efforts and a rebound in rates and volumes.
The Marseille-based shipping line said: “The savings plan applied throughout all segments of the group, combined with increasingly firm volumes and rates, is already producing its initial effects.”
The cost saving measures include; closing of secondary lines to concentrate volumes on the main lines; an increase in strategic shipping partnerships; redelivery of chartered ships; reduced logistics expenses and port expenditures; optimised capacity in line with transport demand.
It added a rebound in cargo rates had been observed on Asia–north Europe, Asia–Mediterranean and Asia–South America services.
The carrier said its Asia-north Europe services, which account for almost quarter of its volumes, returned to profitability in October and its other lines are expected to reach breakeven point by the end of this year.
CMA CGM also announced it would extend its super-eco speed program across all ships on ocean-going services to reduce fuel consumption and costs.
CMA CGM’s latest vessel, which it took delivery of last week, is capable of sailing at speeds of around 14-15 knots.
Earlier this week the CKYH alliance of shipping lines, which includes Cosco, K-Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin, announced they would also fully implement super-slow steaming.
Maersk Line has also implemented a super-slow steaming program.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/cma-cgm-forecasts-2010-profit/20017720104.htm

CMA CGM forecasts 2010 profit

2009-11-18T13:23:00.000Z

FRENCH line CMA CGM expects to return to breakeven next month, sooner than it had predicted earlier, and be in the black next year.
In a statement today, CMA CGM said the savings plan applied throughout the group, combined with improvement in both cargo volumes and freight rates, was already improving the bottom line.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/cma-cgm-forecasts-2010-profit/20017720104.htm

Booking bother at Felixstowe

2009-11-16T14:25:00.000Z

Hauliers are finding it increasingly difficult to access Felixstowe’s Trinity Terminal during peak hours, due to the sheer weight of demand for slots on its vehicle booking system (VBS).
One haulage firm told IFW that it had lost all confidence in the system and warned that people could be laid off as a result.
He said: "I spent half an hour begging and pleading just to get four bookings.
The port of Felixstowe handles over a million containers, and I’m trying to get four bookings.
"If we can’t get in to service the lines, how can it continue?" he asked.
"I don’t think the haulage industry has got any confidence in such a system, in whatever shape or form it comes and whether it is at Southampton, Tilbury or Felixstowe."
A spokesman for Hutchison Ports UK, said that while the booking system was "technically working fine", the port was aware of the frustration felt by hauliers who were not always able to book the slots they needed.
"At peak times there may not always be slots available," he said.
The VBS caps the number of vehicles that can enter the port in any one hour at 210.
It also allows firms to book seven days in advance, but stops anyone from block-booking.
Peak periods operate between 6-8am and 2-6pm each day.
The spokesman said: "When it [the VBS] gets fully booked, it’s between those periods generally.
"The reason that a VBS was needed in the first place was that in peak periods, more hauliers were arriving than we could physically handle, which obviously led to delays.
"If more than 210 vehicles want to book in any one hour, then they are not all going to be successful."
He argued that the system "gave more certainty" to hauliers over when they would get serviced, but said he appreciated the frustration felt by others.
"Clearly they need to do what they can to deliver the containers where and when their customers want them and I fully understand that.
"It [the VBS] has, overall, reduced the average waiting time.
"We’re trying to smooth out the peaks as best we can, to make it more of a 24-hour system.
"We’re in the peak period of the year as well, with the run up to Christmas.
"There are more hours that are maxing out at the moment - more than there were earlier in the year."

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/newsarticle.htm?artid=1257955569995

Maersk suffers increased losses

2009-11-12T13:56:00.000Z

AP Moller Maersk’s container shipping division made a loss of US$539m in the third quarter, bringing its total loss for the year to $1.5bn.
The Danish shipping group, which owns Maersk Line and Safmarine, blamed the loss on low freight rates, which were 32% less in the third quarter of this year than they were a year earlier.
However, it said rates had improved in the third quarter compared to the second quarter.
It said: “Falling demand and additions of new tonnage led to substantially lower rates in the first nine months of the year than in the same period of 2008.
“Due to the current market conditions, approximately 10% of the global fleet has been taken out of service.
“In the third quarter of 2009, volumes showed an upward trend compared to the second quarter, primarily reflecting the traditional peak season. However, volumes were lower than in the third quarter of 2008.
“Combined with temporary capacity reductions, the rising volumes led to a general increase in freight rates in the third quarter.
“Nevertheless, rates were considerably lower than in the same period of 2008, and further increases are required for the container market to become profitable again.”
In the third quarter of last year, Maersk’s container sector made a profit of $99m.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/indexarticle.htm?artid=20017717951

New logistics park plan for Felixstowe

2009-11-09T12:17:00.001Z

The chronic shortage of land available for warehousing around the UK’s largest container port, Felixstowe, may be alleviated, after Cambridge University’s Trinity College delivered new development proposals to local and regional authorities.
Trinity, which owns large tracts of land both in the port and in the surrounding hinterland, has submitted outline proposals for a massive extension of Trinity Distribution Park, which would see a 132ha rail-connected logistics park developed within a few miles of the port.
Tim Collins, partner at agent Bidwells, which advises Trinity College, told IFW it was not a planning application.
"This is preparatory work, which is aimed at a strategic level to the local, regional and sub-regional authorities."
"It is not a planning application - the college is going through a stage one engineering assessment to investigate whether the project is achievable, in terms of getting services to the site and the construction of road and rail links.
"Ultimately, Trinity College hopes this will lead to an allocation within regional planning policy that says: 'this land should be developed for port-related employment’.
"There is an ongoing debate about the supply of port-related land, and we have an identifiable shortfall of land to service the port - you can’t separate port growth from the proposals we are talking about here. Trinity College needs to respond to that growth trajectory."
The proposals concern two separate sites. The first is the 18ha Christmasyard Wood area, which is immediately adjacent to the port and expected to be used for container storage.
"Because Christmasyard Wood is the closer site, and the smaller one, it’s the short-to-medium option - the one that would likely go to planning application first," Collins said.
The second, much larger development, involves a 113ha site at Innocence Farm, which Collins described as a medium- to long-term project.
He said: "If trading conditions now were what they were two years ago, you would likely see a planning application go in for Christmasyard Wood now.
"For Innocence Farm, my guess is that is is well outside the five-year time frame."
A port of Felixstowe executive declined to comment on the specific proposals but said: "It is important that there’s enough land to support the port."

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/new-logistics-park-plan-for-felixstowe/1256906289865.htm

Tilbury suffers decline despite stronger ro-ro

2009-11-05T11:34:00.000Z

The port of Tilbury saw year-on-year volumes drop 3% over the first nine months of the year.
Despite the “robust” performance overall, the Forth Ports owned port’s container volumes dropped 18% year-on-year.
The overall volumes were positively impacted by “continued increases” in ro-ro volumes on the Tilbury-Zeebrugge route and grain volumes.
Container volumes at Grangemouth, another of Forth’s ports, were 11% down.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/tilbury-suffers-decline-despite-stronger-ro-ro/20017715115.htm

Hapag-Lloyd staff to take pay cut

2009-10-30T07:20:00.000Z

HAPAG-LLOYD has announced internally an across the board pay cut of at least 5% for all staff worldwide including seafarers, with senior employees facing a 20% reduction in salary, the company has confirmed.
While most top shipping operators keep their remuneration policies under wraps, sources familiar with the maritime labour market are not aware of any other big name operator that has adopted a similar policy.
However, Hapag-Lloyd indicated today that its hand has effectively been forced, as taking an axe to payroll and other costs is a condition of the €1.2bn ($1.8bn) in loan guarantees it is getting from the German government.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/hapag-lloyd-staff-to-take-pay-cut/20017713159.htm;jsessionid=20DA2B21E6D164E08CD854DC554A916C.065acf6a61c52eed94766d1ba7da5d95d4ecd58a

Maerks saves $500m in bunker costs

2009-10-23T16:19:00.000+01:00

AP MOLLER-Maersk has saved a total of $500m in bunker costs so far this year through slow steaming and other efficiency measures.
The box giant, which is aiming for a 35% total reduction in terms of emissions per containership by 2017, says it has already achieved a 15% reduction through reduced fuel consumption.
The percentage reductions have been calculated relative to the amount of business conducted so the dollar equivalent cost savings are unlikely to be quite so dramatic once trade picks up. However, according to Maersk director of sustainability Soren Stig Nielsen, a further 20% reduction in emissions is entirely achievable.
“I think as trade picks up there are going to be more ships in operation so that is going to have a bearing on the savings, but we are very keen on pursuing these targets — particularly if bunker costs are only going to rise. We will do whatever we can to drive costs down,” he told Lloyd’s List.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/maerks-saves-500m-in-bunker-costs/20017711190.htm;jsessionid=EACE1570E1074AFA71A204ECEA218E5D.5d25bd3d240cca6cbbee6afc8c3b5655190f397f

Dublin terminal dispute resolved

2009-10-23T11:53:00.000+01:00

As I reported via the MTL Dockers site, Heres Lloyds report on it.

THE 15-week dockers’ dispute at Marine Terminals in Dublin has ended following the company’s decision to accept a Labour Court recommendation on jobs and redundancies.
Workers at the Peel Ports subsidiary, which is the largest container terminal in Ireland, will now get a pay-off package of six weeks wages per year of service, including statutory entitlements.
Issues surrounding the terms and conditions of those who remain with the company are still to be determined.
The Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, which represents the employees, has welcomed the move.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/dublin-terminal-dispute-resolved/20017711009.htm;jsessionid=B2E056392798C72EF26D327BA1E1985C.5d25bd3d240cca6cbbee6afc8c3b5655190f397f

On my facebook page I've had a lot of questions about why we don't have an online ballot and what is the definition of industrial action?

2009-10-23T09:04:00.002+01:00

The Law on Industrial Action

Introduction

The law relating to industrial action is to be found in:

· Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992;
· Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993;
· Employment Relations Act 1999.

There is also an advisory code of practice on picketing.

The law covers:

· the definition of industrial action;
· strikes;
· ballots on industrial action.

Industrial Action Defined

In legal terms, 'industrial action' means:

· strikes;
· lockouts;
· overtime bans (including voluntary bans);
· go slows;
· working to rule;
· refusing to cross a picket line;
· refusing to work with non-members.

Strikes and the Law

British employment law has no tradition of a positive right to strike, and industrial action is a breach of the employment contract. The tradition, instead, is that of 'immunities'; that is, immunity from legal action so long as certain conditions are met. Since 1979, these conditions have become more rigid and complex.

The law gives trade unions immunity for actions "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute". A 'trade dispute' is a dispute between workers and an employer in the UK, which is "wholly or mainly" about:

· terms and conditions of employment;
· recruitment, suspension or dismissal;
· work allocation;
· discipline;
· facilities for union officials;
· the negotiating machinery.

There is no immunity for disputes which:

· are 'political';
· have not yet started;
· are over union membership;
· are protests over dismissal following unofficial action;
· constitute 'secondary action'.

To be lawful, therefore, industrial action must be a trade dispute. It must also be 'official', and it must comply with the requirements relating to ballots (see below).

Official and Unofficial Industrial Action

To maintain immunity, industrial action must be 'official'. This means that:

· the employee(s) taking action must belong to a trade union, and;
· the union (usually the executive committee) must authorise or endorse the action.

Action which does not meet these requirements is unofficial and, therefore, unlawful. Workers can be lawfully dismissed for taking part in unofficial action.

Unions are legally responsible for all industrial action, unless they have 'repudiated' it.

If there is unofficial action and the union wishes to make it official, the action must be repudiated before a ballot is held.
Industrial Action Ballots

In any case where industrial action may be necessary, a ballot must be held. In addition, the ballot must comply with a series of requirements.

First, the employer must be given notice of:

· the intention to hold a ballot;
· the date of the ballot;
· basic details of those to be balloted (i.e. the workplace or job title – not the names);
· a sample copy of the ballot paper.

Following the ballot, the employer must be given:

· notice of the outcome of the ballot;
· seven days’ notice of any action, along with details of those involved (but not their names), and when the action will start.

All industrial action ballots must be secret, postal ballots. Only those workers who are involved in the dispute may be balloted. They must be given at least seven days to return the ballot paper, and this must be numbered and must comply with the prescribed wording, which includes a statutory warning to the effect that industrial action is a breach of the employment contract. An independent scrutineer must oversee the ballot.

To proceed to industrial action following a ballot, there must be a simple majority in favour of action. The union must inform the members and the employer of the result, and give notice of the commencement of any action (see above).

The result of an industrial action ballot only lasts for four weeks; that is, any action must start within four weeks to be lawful. However, if the employer and the union agree to this, the result may be suspended to enable negotiations to re-start.

Picketing

If workers are acting "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute", it is lawful for them to picket "at or near" their own place of work. However, this right is qualified by a number of requirements.
Picketing must only be for the purpose of:

· peacefully getting or communicating information, and/or
· peacefully persuading others not to work.

There is no immunity for pickets who trespass, or who commit criminal offences such as obstruction, or breach of the peace.

There is no legal limit on the number of pickets. However, the Department of Trade and Industry Code of Practice on Picketing, which has advisory status only, suggests a maximum of six.

Victory for the Dublin dockers, strike over after 111 Days. Well done.

2009-10-22T20:58:00.002+01:00

Marine Terminals management have accepted the Labour Courts Recommendation and have entered into negotiation with the Labour Relations Commission and SIPTU.
This Strike is now at an end!
Thanks from every striking Dublin Dockworker to each and every one of our supporters, your solidarity will never be forgotten.
After 111 days the strike has ended. Late Yesterday evening MTL accepted the Labour Court recommendation although as per the recommendation there are still matters to be resolved , in negotiation or through binding arbitration.This represents a major victory for the workers, who's dedication and commitment during this long and difficult dispute was inspiring, and they have set a powerful example for other workers.
Considering the attitude of MTL/Peel Ports, their anti union reputation and history ,plus the almost unlimited resources at their disposal it is all the more significant that they have backed down.
The campaign by supporters was crucial to this successful outcome. This support came from the local communities Eastwall - Irishtown & Ringsend , political groups , other workers and trade unionists.
The role played by the ITF was a major factor in bringing about this successful outcome , which includes the international solidarity, from across Europe, Australia and also the U.S.
The workers have asked that their sincere graditude be expressed to everybody for their support , and that they know they "COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!".
Further updates will be issued as they become available, keep checking the website, and messages of support.
Go raibh mile maith agaibh!

http://www.mtldockers.com/index.html

DP World Southampton announces new Managing Director

2009-10-22T20:32:00.000+01:00

In line with its succession planning, global marine terminal operator DP World today announced the appointment of Chris Lewis as Managing Director for DP World Southampton with effect from February 2010. Mr Lewis was the former CEO of Hutchison Ports in the United Kingdom with overall responsibility for their port activities and developments in and outside the gates. He has been involved in the ports and shipping industry for over 25 years.Flemming Dalgaard, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director for Europe & Russia announced, “Chris will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in UK port infrastructure and development as well as an excellent network in the UK maritime industry. We are sure that Southampton will benefit from the synergies that Chris will bring to therole.”Campbell Mason, the current Managing Director for DP World Southampton will return home to Australia upon completing his assignment. He was personally thanked by Mr Dalgaard for his continued commitment and hard work during his time at DP World Southampton.

http://www.porttechnology.org/going_places/DP-World-Southampton-announces-new-Managing/5222.html

UK lags behind others on bank holidays

2009-10-22T20:27:00.000+01:00

The UK is close behind some of the most generous countries in the world in terms of statutory holiday allowance, with employees being entitled to 28 days per year. But after public holidays are taken into account we drop down the league table.
The 2009 Worldwide Benefit and Employment Guidelines report, by consultancy Mercer, which was based on statutory entitlements for an employee working five days a week with 10 years' service, shows that Finland, Brazil and France tops the global list by offering staff 30 days statutory holiday a year.
UK workers are, however, entitled to the lowest number of public holidays at just eight a year, along with Australia and The Netherlands, while Japan and India offer employees twice as many.
Once the statutory minimum and public holidays are taken into account, workers in Lithuania are entitled to the greatest amount of paid leave in Europe with 41 days' holiday per year, with France, Finland and Russia coming second (40), followed by Austria and Malta (38), Greece (37), and then the UK along with Sweden and Spain (36).
Mercer: www.mercer.com/summary.htm?idContent=1360620

DP World bags former Hutchison executive

2009-10-21T21:08:00.001+01:00

I got an email from an employee at DP world Southampton a couple of weeks ago asking about this. All I could tell him was we believed he was retiring...

CHRIS Lewis, the former boss of Hutchison Ports in the UK, is joining rival global ports group DP World as managing director for its Southampton operation, with effect from February 2010.Campbell Mason, the current managing director for DP World Southampton, will return home to Australia upon completing his assignment, a move announced in August....

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/dp-world-bags-former-hutchison-executive/20017710234.htm;jsessionid=2E1BFD2CB3B2C1D1086B275A5F63112F.5d25bd3d240cca6cbbee6afc8c3b5655190f397f

Tonights branch meeting

2009-10-20T21:15:00.002+01:00

Geordie told us that in the previous quarter the union assisted it's members at the port in claiming over £64,000 in damages. This quarter it was over £41,000! Another good reason to be a member!

The bit you've all been waiting for is Phil put to the branch the pay deal that he will be putting to the company. He will be asking for 5% on all rates (overtime and basic etc) plus a lump sum to cover the two days unpaid leave that we all lost and something towards our Christmas bonus. He added that the rpi is currently at -1.4% so that would mean to us a real improvement of 6.4%. He feels that the company will be pushing for a pay freeze. He is asking for this because volumes over the quay didn't drop as presumed and as we all know in the past few months we've all been busy.
Phil did comment that he knows in the past we've all had our squabbles but we now need to draw a line under this and all stand together strong and united.

I've been asked over the past few days about why we don't have a ballot on the LMS system. I brought up this point at the meeting and was told that the union has rules that we have to abide by and we are only allowed to hold two types of ballot, one being the type that we normally hold which is supervised and held in the union office. The other is a postal ballot, this is normally used if we vote for industrial action after the manned ballot goes this way. It was also mentioned that with the union office now at the Trinity car park 95% of the workforce has no real excuse for not going 1 minute out of their way to vote.

I'd just like to say that I personally though tit was more than disappointing that out of nearly 2000 members that only a handful attended the meeting especially after all the moans I hear on a daily basis about "Just get us our money back!"

New trucks escape charge at Port of Long Beach... What's FDRC doing to reduce emissions?

2009-10-20T18:23:00.000+01:00

The Port of Long Beach will eliminate the pre-payment of its Clean Trucks Fee from 15 November for users of modern equipment.
At present all cargo owners pre-pay the fees, although those using rail or cleaner trucks that meet strict 2007 EPA emission guidelines, or run on cleaner alternative fuels like Liquid Natural Gas, are later reimbursed.
From the middle of next month only shippers using older trucks will be required to pre-pay the fee, a move taken in a bid to remove administrative costs for compliant shippers and operators, said the port authority.
From the start of next year, all 1993 and older trucks will be banned from Long Beach terminals and 1994-2003 trucks will need to be retrofitted or replaced.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/new-trucks-escape-charge-at-port-of-long-beach/20017709463.htm

Marseilles box throughput up 5%

2009-10-20T13:00:00.001+01:00

CONTAINER traffic at the French port of Marseilles increased 5% during the first nine months of the year to a total 660,631 teu.
The increase was partly the result of reduced throughput last year following industrial action over the government's port reform but there were signs that the port has started to benefit from a more general recovery in container traffic.
In September, container throughput rose 9%, as traffic at the port's mainline Fos deepwater terminal shot up 40%, compensating for the sharp drop in container activity at the port's city centre eastern docks.

DPWS to upgrade quay cranes

2009-10-16T14:10:00.001+01:00

DP World Southampton (DPWS) is close to ordering new super-post panamax cranes after it announced plans to decommission three older cranes, which were suspended following the collapse of a sister crane.
The terminal operator said it had commenced discussions with suppliers with a view to ordering additional super post-panamax cranes, which would operate alongside the other cranes of that class that were commissioned in 2008 and 2009.
Campbell Mason, DPWS MD, said: “While our presently operating crane fleet has more than adequate capacity to handle current levels of demand, we will continue to invest in super post-panamax cranes to ensure that our handling capacity stays ahead of the anticipated growth in container volumes and that our operational capability expands to meet the increasing requirements of shipping lines.
“In parallel with the industry trend toward ever-larger vessels, we must continue to invest in the equipment required to meet our customers’ growing needs.”
DPWS said as part of this upgrade, it would also decommission the three older cranes that were suspended from operation after the boom collapse accident in July this year.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/news/dpws-to-upgrade-quay-cranes/20017708703.htm;jsessionid=3AEC2BCBF2A0978F44477FE842B2CF4E.5fa4e8cc80be35e2653c9f87d8b8be45bf6ba69a

DP World decommissions cranes

2009-10-14T20:11:00.002+01:00

DP WORLD Southampton is decommissioning three Morris container cranes after one of a similar class and design collapsed in July, leaving the operator seriously injured.

The decommissioning of the cranes comes as DP World Southampton announced plans to increase its quayside crane capability to handle super post-panamax container vessels.

New business park set for Suffolk

2009-10-13T21:34:00.001+01:00

FELIXSTOWE: A massive 280-acre business park - as big as the village of Trimley St Mary - could be built on the Felixstowe peninsula to help keep the port as a world-class container terminal.
But battlelines are set to be drawn between those who see the development as bringing a jobs boost for the area and those who see it as a threat to the rural countryside between Felixstowe and Ipswich.
Experts say the Port of Felixstowe will need extra land to help it grow and keep its rivals at bay, and the project could create many new jobs.
Immediate concerns will focus on the size of the development at Innocence Farm alongside the A14, but landowner Trinity College, Cambridge, insists it will not be a “blot on the landscape” and be hidden by a 70-metre deep earthbank, planting and trees.
Earlier this year, Liberal Democrats suggested the site could become a 4,000-home new village to cope with Felixstowe's future housing needs but the site was said to be too far away from facilities families would need.
The college's plan involves:
280-acres of land for a business park between the A14, Kirton Road, and Croft Lane;
a new freight railhead to connect with the Ipswich-Felixstowe line near Morston Hall;
a 44-acre development, probably for container storage, at Christmasyards Wood in Trimley St Mary.
Last year a report examining land needed to cope with the growth of the port said more than 800 acres of potential land had been identified as suitable for port operations and 286 acres would be needed by 2023 if the port grows as expected.
The land is needed for storage sites for cargo, places for modern distribution centres, and offices and yards for port-related business.
Tim Collins, a partner in Bidwells, agents for Trinity College, said the projects were currently before district, sub-regional and regional bodies and it was hoped they would be included in the new planning policy for the area.“Felixstowe port is a significant player on the European and world stage and from Felixstowe's, the port's and Trinity College's perspective, if we want that to continue we have to be planning in terms of supply and availability strategic employment land to take the port forward now and beyond 2025,” he said.
“It will be critical to keep a first-class port functioning and for Felixstowe to have a vibrant economy.”

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED13%20Oct%202009%2006%3A23%3A09%3A463

Next branch meeting.

2009-10-13T19:27:00.002+01:00

Tuesday, 20th October 2009
20:00hrs
at; Felixstowe Trades and Labour Club
High Road,
Walton,
Felixstowe.

Please make every effort to attend. I'm driving from Ipswich and will be picking a few people up, I still have room in the van for more.

Topics to be covered are:
Pay talks and unpaid leave!

Recession Update September 2009

2009-10-12T06:34:00.002+01:00

August sees a large fall in total redundancies
In August a total of 6,151 redundancies were announced in Unite companies,
which was considerably down on the July total of 10,291. This downturn is the
lowest reported redundancy figure since September 2008, when 2,539
redundancies were reported. So are we finally seeing a softening in
redundancies? A note of caution would be that August is a prime holiday
month, which may have influenced reporting. So figures in September might
give a better indication of where we are heading.

UK economy ‘returning to growth’
There are signs that the economy has retuned to growth, says the governor of
the Bank of England. Mervyn King told a Treasury select committee hearing
that there were indications of a pick-up in activity, both in the UK and
overseas, but the effects of the recession will continue to affect people.
"Growth rates don't tell the full story, it's the levels that matter," he said.
"For most businesses and households the recession will continue for some
time."
King said the Bank's £175bn quantitative easing programme to boost money
supply and historically low interest rates of 0.5 per cent were helping support
a UK recovery.
"Six months after launching the programme, we are beginning to see its
impact on the supply of broad money and nominal spending," he said.
But he warned that the path ahead would be volatile.
Source: Dods Monitoring

Eurozone is 'exiting recession'

The eurozone is emerging from recession, according to the latest forecast
from the European Commission. "The economy appears to be at a turning
point," the commission said.
It forecast growth of 0.2% for the July to September quarter, with Germany
and France continuing to grow and Italy exiting recession.
The commission also forecast the UK economy, which is outside the
eurozone, would grow by 0.2% during the third quarter, marking the end of
recession.

Full report here: http://www.unitetheunion.com/pdf/Recession_Update_Sep09.pdf

MTL Dublin 100 days on.

2009-10-12T06:25:00.000+01:00

On Saturday, 10th of October, the 100th day of this official strike, supporters and strikers met at Croke Park to distribute flyers detailing a connection between Celtic FC and Peel Ports. Mr. Tom E. Allison is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee for Celtic FC, he is also Chairman of Peel Ports. Celtic football club was founded in 1887 to provide relief for impoverished Irish immigrants in Glasgow’s east end parishes and now has support from Irish all over the world.No doubt Celtic fans will be appalled to know that a prominent member of their club is involved in this attack on Irish workers.The game in Croke Park between Ireland and Italy was attended by 70,640 fans with a 2 all draw result.Send messages of protest to publicrelations@celticfc.co.uk, and mark them for the attention of Mr. John Reid, chairman

http://www.mtldockers.com/index.html