Felixstowe South redevelopement to become theme park.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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