Monday 8 September 08 - 08:27
 

Bevis Marks

  • Middle East embraces ISPS

    01 Sep 2004

    Portside compliance with the ISPS Code is pretty much a farce at the moment, right? 

Bulk Handling Indian Port Review

  • PRIVATE PARTICIPATION POINTS THE WAY

    01 Sep 2004

    Undeterred by the worries that have beset the Bombay Stock Exchange since a new government took power in India in May, port throughput volumes have continued to rise across the country, up 7% compared to last year, and it is the bulk industry which remains its main driver. Gavin van Marle reports from Chennai. 

Close-up Emanuele Grimaldi

  • TIGHTENING HIS GRIP ON THE VEHICLE SECTOR

    01 Sep 2004

    Emanuele Grimaldi has been managing director of the Naples-based Grimaldi Group since 1986 having previously worked as line manager on the company's various international services. Alex Hughes talks to a shipowner who takes his terminal operations just as seriously. 

Country Survey Poland

  • READY FOR A CHALLENGE

    01 Sep 2004

    As Poland accedes to the European Union, Benedict Young assesses the county's economic prospects and visits the port of Gdynia to investigate how it is preparing for the rigours of free European trade. 

  • AN IDEA WITH LEGS INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY

    01 Sep 2004

    When ICTSI took over Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) Gdynia, it became clear that much of the equipment it took ownership of had been exceptionally well looked after. Jan Mors, BCT's executive vice-president comments: "The function in the terminal was excellent. Technical and maintenance was good and equipment had at least five years more life than would normally be expected." 

Marine Engineering Steel Piling

  • SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO ALWC

    01 Sep 2004

    Despite extensive research now being undertaken, for the time being there is little comprehensive, independent, user-friendly guidance available about Accelerated Low Water Corrosion (ALWC), perhaps the most serious problem affecting steel piling in ports and harbours today. David Foxwell investigates. 

  • MORTAR IN THE WATER

    01 Sep 2004

    Another way to reinforce steel piling that has been subjected to ALWC is to use a reinforcing concrete. UK-based Flexcrete uses a wide range of purpose-designed marine mortars, sprayed mortars and unique cementitious coatings based on its advanced microsilica, polymer and fibre technology, to protect marine structures. 

News Americas

  • Venezuela to build new deepsea port

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • Esmeraldas in the private sector

    01 Sep 2004

    On 15 July Puerto Nuevo Milenium SA, a Colombian/ Ecuadorian consortium, took over management of Ecuador's Esmeraldas port for the next 25 years. 

  • Cross-continent rail link mooted

    01 Sep 2004

    The Chilean and Brazilian governments are in discussion regarding the promotion of a rail link between the ports of Antofagasta and Santos. 

  • Santa Fe to return to private sector

    01 Sep 2004

    October 2004 has been set as the deadline for bids to operate the container and multi-purpose terminal at Argentina's Santa Fe port. 

  • LNG terminal for Long Beach

    01 Sep 2004

    Conoco Phillips and Mitsubishi have signed an MOU to undertake a joint development of an LNG import terminal at the US West Coast port of Long Beach. Investment of up to $400m will enable the facility to output 700m cu ft of gas daily, rising to 1,000m cu ft during peaks. Operations are due to start in 2008. The LNG will be imported by Mitsubishi from Oman, following the signing of a contract to buy 800,000 tonnes per annum. 

  • BRAZIL MAY WAIVE PORT TAXES

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • NEW GRANITE TERMINAL FOR SUAPE

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • L.B. SETS BUDGET

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • Paranagua upgrades quay

    01 Sep 2004

    The port of Paranagua, Latin America's largest dry bulk exporting facility and Brazil's leading soya export gateway, has issued tenders for the repair and upgrading of its Muelle Comercial. 

  • NY/NJ DREDGES FOR THE FUTURE

    01 Sep 2004

    The Port of New York & New Jersey has implemented a $1.66m channel-deepening programme which will be completed in 2014. This is a joint project between the port authority, which will finance half the cost, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, with the Federal Government providing matching funding. 

News Asia

  • PSA pulls out of India

    01 Sep 2004

    Indian port news is plentiful this month with the "ins and outs" of investment strategy, congestion issues, new development plans and mooted institutional change in port authority operating structures, all generating items of interest. 

  • SHANGHAI EXPECTS

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • P&O Ports signs for Bengal box terminal

    01 Sep 2004

    The international terminal operator that has shown most commitment to India is P&O Ports and it has just reaffirmed this by securing the rights to become an investor in Bengal Port Ltd (BPL). In early August, according to a P&O Group announcement, P&O Ports signed development and concession agreements for a port and special economic zone property development in West Bengal at Kulpi, 45 miles downriver from Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). 

  • PARADIP CLOSING DATE

    01 Sep 2004

    15 September 2004 is the closing date for qualifying bids for a BOT project for the construction of a new iron ore export facility at Paradip on India's east coast. 

  • SHENZHEN CONTINUES TO CLIMB

    01 Sep 2004

    The Chinese port of Shenzhen reported a 32% first half throughput growth with a total of 6.06mTEU, in line with expectations. The port's three terminals forecast reaching at least 13mTEU by the end of the year. 

  • PTP REPORTS RECORD GROWTH

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • IRANIAN DEAL FOR ALPS

    01 Sep 2004

    Ironically, while PSA Corp is backing out of India - see preceding story - a consortium of Indian companies has taken their expertise overseas and signed a deal to set up a container terminal at the Iranian port of Chabahar. 

  • JNPT congestion..

    01 Sep 2004

    JN Port's two existing container terminals continue to suffer congestion problems with some 14,000TEUs rumoured to be effectively trapped within the various stacking yards because of insufficient block trains to move them. 

  • Ennore touts for business

    01 Sep 2004

    About 25km to the north of Chennai, Ennore Port Ltd is to go out to tender for a 30-year BOT contract to build a brand new container terminal capable of accommodating vessels of up to 8,000TEUs. The facility, which will have an annual capacity of 6m TEUs, is being built in response to predictions that box traffic in India is set to quadruple to 16m TEUs within ten years, but stresses it will not take traffic away from Chennai. 

  • ..and P&O Ports' CCCL at Chennai following suit

    01 Sep 2004

    P&O Ports is also facing congestion problems at Chennai on India's east coast, where feeder operators increased the congestion surcharge from $15 to $50/TEU as from July 15. Chennai International Container Terminal Ltd (CCCL) has been suffering from serious berthing delays and a drop in productivity following a strike in late May, which resulted in the general manager tendering his resignation. 

  • Inflexible decision-making dogs Indian ports

    01 Sep 2004

    India's recently published Economic Survey 2003-2004 highlighted the main problems faced by the country's 12 leading ports - Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai, Cochin, Ennore, JNPT, Kandla, Marmagao, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Paradip, Tuticorin and Visakhapatnam - which handle 76% of national port volumes. 

  • ICTSI sees 100%+ increase in half-year profits

    01 Sep 2004

    ICTSI has doubled its half-year profits compared to the same period in 2003. The company's international operations in Gdynia, Poland and at Tecon Suape, Brazil made a significant contribution to the result. ICTSI reports that net profits for the first half of 2004 were $8m, up 101% compared with $3,98m in the first half of 2003. 

  • INCHON PHASE ONE OPENS

    01 Sep 2004

    Phase I of the Inchon Container Terminal (ICT), located 30km from the South Korean capital of Seoul, has opened for business. 

News Europe

  • China and Russia fuel northern port growth

    01 Sep 2004

    The Hamburg Port Marketing Association has generated the table below, which provides an interesting snapshot of performance in the main part of the north European port range up until the middle of 2004. 

  • CEMENT PLANT FOR MARSEILLES

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • EC aid for congestion

    01 Sep 2004

    In an interesting move that may be followed by others to obtain similar funding, the European Commission has provided ?1.79m of aid for the extra labour required to handle containers as a result of problems posed by congestion and roadworks around the Port of Antwerp. 

  • PORT BOSS QUITS

    01 Sep 2004

    Rotterdam Port Authority ceo Willem Scholten has resigned following financial blunders that could cost Rotterdam €100m. Between 2002 and the present, the Port of Rotterdam granted guarantees on bank loans of the RDM company, totalling €100 million. 

  • Valencia consolidates shortsea shipping..

    01 Sep 2004

    Valenciaport is to transfer all shortsea shipping services and new vehicles traffic to a new area based around an extension of the port's Eastern Dyke. A new 250 metre-wide quay, some 1,000 metres in length, is to be built parallel to the dyke, in addition to a second new quay, which will be 350 metres long; 

  • Amsterdam angst

    01 Sep 2004

    The rumour mill is buzzing that with Rotterdam experiencing container congestion problems off the back of strong container growth, NYK, part owner of the Ceres Paragon Terminal in Amsterdam, is increasing the pressure on its partners in the Grand Alliance to make use of the Paragon Terminal. The innovative terminal has lain largely unused since it was opened and, to the amazement of some, ever since NYK's acquisition of the Ceres Terminal group around two years ago. 

  • ..meanwhile TCV is a victim of its own success

    01 Sep 2004

    The port's number twocontainer terminal, TCV, continues to experience significant congestion problems following 18 months of consecutive volume growth. 

  • P&O Ports star performer in group half-year report

    01 Sep 2004

    The P&O Group recently delivered a half-year trading report that highlighted the strong performance of the group's core P&O Ports division. 

  • Banks crowd in for Baltic Container Terminal business

    01 Sep 2004

    ICTSI, the Manila-based international container terminal developer and operator, is understood to be at an advanced stage of concluding financing arrangements for a largescale expansion of capacity at its wholly-owned Baltic Container Terminal subsidiary in Gdynia, Poland. 

  • ..with new rail link to boost box traffic..

    01 Sep 2004

    Fifteen companies have bid to provide a dual gauge rail access to Valencia's key southern zone where container traffic is being progressively concentrated. 

News Products & Systems

  • OOI selects ESC systems

    01 Sep 2004

    Two US east coast terminals of the Orient Overseas International (OOI) group, which has the same parent company as Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), have placed orders for Embarcadero Systems Corporation's (ESC) smartGATE suite and Intelligent Camera system to manage their gate operations. 

  • SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS TAKEN UP FROM A BROADER INDUSTRY BASE

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • Mafi tractors arrive in Piraeus

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • KOPER ORDERS UP SSG

    01 Sep 2004

    Konecranes VLC Corporation has received an order for a Panamax dimension ship-to-shore gantry from the Luka Container Terminal at the Port of Koper. 

  • HPC CTIS FOR PICT

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • Mobile achievement..

    01 Sep 2004

    Mobile crane manufacturers are enjoying a buoyant time with Liebherr-Werk Nenzing announcing an order for its 100th model LHM 400 mobile and Gottwald Port Technology reporting that up until the midyear point it received orders for 15 of its model HMK 300 E mobile cranes with the latest order coming from Turkey. 

  • ..and reports success for medium-weight FLTs

    01 Sep 2004

    Nearly two years on from its introduction, Kalmar is reporting success with its medium-weight FLT range offering capacities of between nine and 18 tonnes. Greater service intervals, enhanced availability and operating costs 15% lower than other models are all claimed by Kalmar in the light of operational experience. Further, the company states that machines equipped with Optirev, which enables the engine to work at optimum revolutions, record a 10% reduction in fuel consumption. 

  • ..and Gottwald diversification

    01 Sep 2004

    Gottwald Port Technology has announced its diversification into another sector of the cargo-handling equipment supply market - pontoon mounted cranes, or barge cranes. At the same time, it has reported the first order from its new HPK range of Harbour Pontoon Cranes, a HPK 330 EG unit destined for service on the Mississippi River. 

  • ABG BAGS MORRIS DESIGNS

    01 Sep 2004

     

  • Kalmar to open Shanghai assembly plant..

    01 Sep 2004

    Cargo handling equipment supplier Kalmar is to invest $10m in a new assembly plant in the Shanghai area. 

  • Tideworks Technology for military

    01 Sep 2004

    Tideworks Technology of Seattle has been selected to be part of a team led by Computer Sciences Corporation to provide terminal operating system support to the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) in North Carolina, USA. 

News Safety & Security

  • X-ray system for Adelaide

    01 Sep 2004

    Smith's Detection has received an order from the Australian Customs Service for its newly introduced container/ palletised goods cargo X-ray system, HI-SCAN 250250, to go into service at Adelaide. 

  • Search mirror redesign

    01 Sep 2004

    UK-based security equipment specialist PW Allen has redesigned its range of CEM Search mirrors - mirrors used to look under vehicles and access other normally difficult to-access areas. 

  • No ISPS gold for Piraeus yet

    01 Sep 2004

    Of all the ports in the world to fail to meet the requirements of the ISPS Code, Piraeus would not be an immediate selection. 

Post Script

Regional Survey Middle East

  • DUBAI INC. DRIVES REGION FORWARD

    01 Sep 2004

    War and security concerns, political and religious tensions - none of these things have dented the region's seemingly relentless trade surge with the principal transhipment hubs all showing remarkable throughput increases (see Table 1). 

  • FREE ZONE FORMULA OR FRENZY?

    01 Sep 2004

    Many a port, both in the Middle East and elsewhere, seeks to emulate the success of Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone. Already a base for 2,800 companies from more than 100 countries, the Free Zone and Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) are inextricably linked. The Free Zone is built around the DPA's Jebel Ali terminal offering specialized unloading facilities and purpose-built storage and allows 100% foreign ownership of companies, as well as full repatriation of capital and profits. In addition there is no corporate and income taxes and no currency restrictions. 

  • COASTAL AND TRANSHIPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAUDI

    01 Sep 2004

    Jeremy Brown reports that when current reforms and the easing of Customs restrictions are complete, the Saudi regulatory framework will be more supportive of port trade development and should allow ports to better benefit from their unique trading position. New coastal shipping options and transhipment opportunities can then emerge. 

Regional Survey The Rhine

  • CRUNCH TIME FOR THE RHINE

    01 Sep 2004

    Barging containers along the river Rhine is an increasingly popular transport mode. But, as Neil Madden reports, congestion problems at the river's seaport end have proved frustrating for shippers and carriers. 

  • NO WALTZ ON THE DANUBE

    01 Sep 2004

    Creating an all-river route from the Atlantic to the Black Sea remains problematic. The European Union is financing upgrades along the Main-Danube canal, but barge transit times remain too long. In addition, low bridges restrict container carryings to twohigh, although a recent study showed that three-high carriage is possible with careful use of ballasting. 

Regulation Water Framework Directive

  • PORTS HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS ABOUT LATEST EU LEGISLATION

    01 Sep 2004

    Port organisations say the latest environmental legislation from Brussels - the Water Framework Directive (WFD) - could have adverse effects on essential operations such as maintenance dredging, as David Foxwell explains. 

Review Feedering, Trades And Top Operators

  • IGNORE US AT YOUR PERIL

    01 Sep 2004

    A study just published on the global container feeder industry offers some interesting views and data to port readers, not the least of which is that it is a big mistake to treat the sector as a poor relation. Mike Mundy takes a look. 

Terminal Performance Heavy-duty Forklifts

  • AND THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT?

    01 Sep 2004

    So how does it all stack up in terms of cost efficiency? Dan Pettersson, Kalmar's product manager, says: "We're not much into the argument between FLTs and reachstackers. Most of the world has recognised that the reachstacker is in most cases a more efficient and cost-effective handling solution when it comes to loaded containers. As to cost, per se, there is not much of a difference. The purchasing cost of the reachstacker is high but the running cost is lower. And you can specify a forklift with a lot of options, which makes it just as expensive as the reachstacker. 

  • REACH OR LIFT WHAT'S IT TO BE?

    01 Sep 2004

    The debate rumbles on: is a reachstacker better suited to handling full containers in the yard than a forklift? Nick Elliott finds there are arguments for either solution. 

Trade Review Black Sea Container Trade

  • DIRECT CALLS FOR NORTHERN BLACK SEA PORTS

    01 Sep 2004

    Black Sea ports have traditionally been served by feeders out of Istanbul, Malta, Piraeus and even Gioia Tauro rather than being subject to calls from liner services. However, as the region increasingly sources its imports from China rather than Western Europe, shipping lines have reacted by establishing new liner services, which terminate/originate in the Black Sea. But the question remains: is port infrastructure up to the task? Alex Hughes investigates. 

Viewpoint

  • IN PRAISE OF THE HUMBLE AGENT

    01 Sep 2004

    As a magazine for port managers maybe we don't pay enough attention to the humble shipping agent but think about it and you'll realise the relationship between port and agent can and should be of benefit to both - truly symbiotic. 

Port Security 1/2 October.