Northern Gateway construction work could face delay.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/lack-of-funding-could-delay-northern-gateway-work/20017598305.htm

WORK on PD Ports £330m ($488m) Northern Gateway container terminal in Teesport may not start until 2010 as a result of the global financial crisis which has seen commercial borrowing dry-up.

Graham Wall, PD Ports group commercial director, said that while the intention is still to go-ahead with the terminal’s ground breaking ceremony next September the actual start is “subject to finance” and could slip to 2010.

PD Ports chief executive David Robinson confirmed that work was expected to start in 2010.

The first of three mainline and two feeder berths would become operational about two years after construction started.

Mr Wall also indicated the company had been approached by an international container terminal operator to partner in the development of the terminal which would have an initial capacity of 1.5m teu, rising to 1.8m teu. But he would only confirm that the firm was not Hong Kong’s Hutchison Port Holdings.

Weigh boxes at dock gate, urge industry leaders.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/weigh-boxes-at-dock-gate-urge-industry-leaders/20017598355.htm;jsessionid=DE69DB6EAFD4B634046590EE4C5917A4


DRAMATIC improvements in container shipping safety would be achieved by weighing every box at the dock gate, industry leaders said today as they unveiled best practice guidelines.

Ensuring that container weights are accurately declared would eliminate many of the accidents that have dogged the industry in recent years and go some way towards satisfying regulators who are starting to take a closer look at industry standards.

The International Chamber of Shipping and the World Shipping Council produced the document, that sets out recommended procedures for each stage of a container move, following failings that were highlighted during the investigation into a container stack collapse on the shortsea ship Annabella in 2007.

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch was particularly critical about the lack of a code of practice for container shipping and urged the ICS to remedy this situation.

Container shipping came under further scrutiny when MSC Napoli was grounded early last year, but that accident also provided a unique opportunity to conduct a forensic examination of a containership and its cargo. Investigators discovered that around a fifth of all containers MSC Napoli had been carrying were either badly packed, inaccurately labelled, or the wrong weight.

The biggest problem, though, is shipper ignorance of the risks they are taking with the lives of others by not stuffing and labelling containers properly, or weighing them accurately.

Mr Hinchliffe is urging ports to weigh all containers entering their gates to verify that the declared weight was correct.

“We recognise that this is not achievable at all terminals at present, but we want this to become the international expectation,” he said.

Over-heavy or underweight containers should not be loaded onto the ship, a sanction that would soon persuade shippers “to take the subject more seriously”.

Air fumes fear at port.

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED01%20Dec%202008%2015%3A41%3A32%3A197

FUMES from ships, traffic and quayside operations at the Port of Felixstowe are becoming so bad special measures may have to be taken to improve air quality.

Emissions from ships' funnels, dredgers, cranes, tug vehicles, and the thousands of lorries visiting every day are causing concern.

Suffolk Coastal says measuring equipment shows the area around the port is just below acceptable limits, but at the Dooley pub, Ferry Lane, nitrogen dioxide is above the permitted level.

There is a similar situation at the Adastral Close housing estate, where it is feared increased activity from port expansion could lead to levels being exceeded by 2010.

I'm glad I don't live next door to the port!

Land in spotlight for Port expansion.

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED08%20Dec%202008%2011%3A10%3A54%3A860

MORE than 800 acres of potential land for port operations has been identified in a major new study to assess the impact of the growth of the Port of Felixstowe.

Community leaders are fully behind the £250 million expansion of the port - the first phase of which is under way - and say it could bring thousands of new jobs if handled right.

But one major headache will be providing storage sites for cargo, places for modern distribution centres, and offices and yards for port-related business.

The logistics study - carried out by GHK for Suffolk Coastal and its neighbouring authorities, the East of England Development Agency and the port owners - says 286 acres of land will be needed by 2023 if the port grows as expected.

Thanks to the input of businesses, the study has identified 820 acres that could be used, although 320 of the acres has not yet been officially set aside for such use, and not all of the land may be suitable or available.

Sites under consideration include:Trinity 2000 on Clickett Hill alongside the A14 at Felixstowe.
Innocence Farm at Kirton, also next to the A14.
Land at Fagbury Cliffs, Trimley St Mary.
British Sugar site, Ipswich.
Shepherd's Grove, Stanton.

Colin Hart, Suffolk Coastal cabinet member said: “The primary goal of the study has been to identify the key land use requirements and issues that will occur as a result of the expansion of the port.
“It will help this council and others to maximise the opportunities for increased employment and stronger local companies that a bigger port will offer.
“This study that has been drawn up with input from local businesses is an important step forward in creating the support that can keep Felixstowe as the number one container location in Britain.
“This study highlights the importance of ensuring that there is sufficient land available to meet the future demands caused by the growth of the port.
“If we do not plan ahead, then it could have significant economic repercussions for the port, but it would also be a missed opportunity to maximise the local job and income benefits of the expansion.”

What are we worth. 31/12/2006

http://www.worksmart.org.uk/company/company.php?id=02590042

Accounts

Last registered accounts: 12/31/2006*
Annual turnover: £204,583,000.00
Annual profit: £38,541,000.00
Turnover per employee: £72,779.44
Profit per employee: £13,710.78


* Data from this site is updated annually from official company reports, and any company reports issued since our last update will not be reflected until the next annual update. Take advice on the latest results before using this information.


Salaries
Number of staff: 2,811
Total spent on wages: £92,081,000.00
Average staff pay: £32,757.38
*Average pay increase over last 4 years: 17.42%*

Number of directors: 39
Directors' remuneration: £365,000.00
Increase over last 7 years: -2.41%

Maersk Line lays up eight vessels

http://www.maerskline.com/link/?page=news&path=/news/news20081204

Maersk Line announces the lay up of eight 6,500 TEU (twenty- foot equivalent unit) vessels. Our decision follows the recently announced changes in our Asia – Europe, Asia – Central America, and Transpacific service networks. This resulted in surplus vessel tonnage, which we will not redeploy in our service network.

“In view of the market conditions, we have reached the point where laying up the eight vessels makes better economical sense than redeploying them. Freight rates remain under severe pressure, and in several corridors the rates do not fully cover our variable costs. Rate improvements are imperative for the industry to create a sustainable environment,” says Michel Deleuran, Head of Network and Product in Maersk Line.

Maersk Line will continue to adjust capacity in light of market developments by optimising our schedules, consolidating services, vessel sharing agreements (VSA), enhancing port productivity, economical sailing (reducing speed), and – unless current market conditions improve – additional laying up of vessels.

“We make these changes to reduce capacity and save costs, while we at the same time seek to maintain or expand our service level and coverage. For example, our recently announced Asia – Europe and Transpacific service changes includes more direct services,” Michel Deleuran says.

“We belong to a financially strong group and we will continue offering our customers reliable services in line with their requirements, also in these challenging times”.

The eight vessels that Maersk Line will lay up are of the CV 65 class. We will lay them up from December 2008 to May/June 2009, predominantly in Asia.

CIMC suspends dry container production

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/cimc-suspends-dry-container-production/20017596918.htm;jsessionid=26F215EE6323188BF18B0EFC7B0DFA0A

CHINA International Marine Containers. the world’s largest marine container maker, has brought forward its year-end holiday and suspended the production of dry marine containers due to exceptionally slow demand.

Shenzhen-listed CIMC, which has a 56% share of the world’s dry marine container market, halted all production lines of dry containers in October this year and 22,000 employees from the production department have been on leave since then, according to local reports.