Tuesday 2 December 08 - 21:27
 

Area Survey Black Sea Development

  • Odessa celebrates leap in throughput

    01 Jun 2007

    The container terminal at the Novorossiysk’s neighbouring port of Odessa, which is run by a subsidiary of Hamburg Port Consulting, handled 395,563 teu in 2006 compared with 279,812 teu the year before. This 41% increase, notes public relations deputy general director Svetlana Yarovaya, can be attributed to a number of factors, including improved organisation of the terminal, the introduction of new equipment and working methods, and improvement to the CTIS system.  

  • Russian roulette

    01 Jun 2007

    Slow investment at the country’s leading seaport has allowed competing ports to leap-frog Novorossiysk, as Alex Hughes explains 

  • Life after feedering

    01 Jun 2007

    Black Sea ports are following Constantza’s lead to take on a transhipment role in the region.Alex Hughes reports 

Bulk Handling Mobile Harbour Cranes

  • Ditch the cables for faster,more cost efficient handling

    01 Jun 2007

    Forget traditional cable-operated mobile harbour cranes, hydraulic units have a better  overall performance, provide higher levels of operator comfort, generate improved cost efficiency, are more operationally precise, are lighter and highly flexible.  

  • Hydraulic inroads

    01 Jun 2007

    With thousands of fixed and rail-mounted slewing jib cranes around the globe nearing the end of their useful working lives,dry bulk terminals are seeking to replace them with more flexible units. Alex Hughes reports 

Container Handling Terminal Management Systems

  • Keeping abreast of the container tracking trail

    01 Jun 2007

    Despite the most advanced software solutions in use, every terminal will occasionally misplace containers, particularly if drivers may not always be able to correctly execute the instructions they receive. To avoid this, Cosmos in Belgium has integrated differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) technology into its applications, resulting in higher operational efficiency of terminal operations.  

  • Where’s my box?

    01 Jun 2007

    Customers want to know exactly where their container is in the supply chain and terminals need to have the information at their fingertips. David Foxwell reports 

  • Top to bottom control

    01 Jun 2007

    Central Systems & Automation in the UK cites the example of the container terminal management system at the Port of Waterford in Ireland as an excellent example of how technology can help container terminals respond to the challenges facing them. A key commercial pressure facing Waterford Container Terminal (WCT) is how to maintain an international competitive edge.  

  • Smarter box moves

    01 Jun 2007

    Well-designed and implemented container terminal management systems can make a huge difference to productivity, as David Foxwell finds out 

Container Seals & Tracking Security

  • Electronic seals here to stay

    01 Jun 2007

    Electronic seals for containers are the way of the future and there is no way back, says Frans Jol, spokesman for the  SMDG group. 

  • SECCONDD chance for seals

    01 Jun 2007

    The next generation of standardised container seals is already in the offing, Felicity Landon reports 

Crane Upgrades & Cab Design Container Handling

  • Making a business case for upgrades

    01 Jun 2007

    An investment return on a crane upgrade can be made in less than ten years, according to Kalmar’s Gert Jan Doornewaard.  

  • Added value

    01 Jun 2007

    Manufacturer Gottwald views crane upgrades as just another service to its clients, as Alex Hughes finds out 

  • When upgrades become a serious consideration

    01 Jun 2007

    Obsolescence can sometimes be a key driver in the quest for crane upgrades, as Gottwald company spokesperson Peter Klein explains.   

  • Life extension

    01 Jun 2007

    Port operators can inject new energy into tired cranes by upgrading and modernising.Alex Hughes investigates 

In Focus Ecuador

  • ICTSI ready to ring the changes at Guayaquil

    01 Jun 2007

    Alex Villacres Sanchez, president of the Directorate of the Port Authority of Guayaquil, explains that under the terms of its concession agreement ICTSI will invest $168m in the port in the first five years of its 20-year concession. Key features of this investment will include: 

  • New beginning

    01 Jun 2007

    Ecuador’s main port gateway, Guayaquil, is about to harness significant foreign investment and expertise from international terminal operator ICTSI.Mike Mundy reports July 1 this year will usher in a new era in port operation and development in the world’s most prolific banana producer, Ecuador.  

Insight & Opinion

  • Taking stock

    01 Jun 2007

    Other than for a select number of Chinese ports, stock exchange flotation has so far not proved a hugely popular method of raising cash in the international ports industry. Indeed, recent times have seen a number of significant players exit from public listings as they have been acquired by private entities – we have seen, for example, the acquisition of Associated British Ports by a Goldman Sachs-led consortium for £2.4bn and its exit from the London Stock Exchange.  

  • Lesson in the importance of hinterland competition

    01 Jun 2007

    There is not a day that passes without a senior industry executive warning of the dangers of congestion and lack of terminal capacity. I have come to the conclusion that this is usually tied to the acquisition of subsidised state funding and\or permissions from state authorities to go ahead with an expansion plan.  

  • Does size really matter in the terminal operating game?

    01 Jun 2007

    Interesting times in the US, sparked originally by DP World’s forced sale of its US assets, the former P&O Ports US portfolio.  

  • Time for Clarity

    01 Jun 2007

    Port tariff reform is not a subject that “rings everyone’s bell”, but it is an important one worth paying some attention to. Larger ports will tend to have the subject fairly high on their agenda; others in the middle range and lower are not always so diligent.  

Legal & Insurance Crane Knockdowns

  • The maintenance question

    01 Jun 2007

    The most important thing to consider when undertaking risk assessments regarding cranes is whether the right maintenance has been done, says Arnold Warmerdam, senior risk control consultant at Fortis Corporate Insurance’s marine department.  

  • Don’t skimp on recommissioning inspections

    01 Jun 2007

    Decommissioned or infrequently used cranes pose their own problems, says Stuart Armstrong, a senior associate in law firm Pinsent Masons’ litigation department.  

  • Reducing the knockdown risks

    01 Jun 2007

    Whether a crane knockdown is caused by structural failure, weather or being hit by a ship, steps can be taken to reduce the risks, says Laurence Jones, TT Club’s risk assessment manager. Structural failure can be due to  overload, prior damage, fatigue or design error.  

  • Crane calamities

    01 Jun 2007

    Serious injuries or fatalities, high equipment replacement costs, berths put out of action, prolonged insurance and legal ramifications – crane knockdowns can have a catastrophic effect. Felicity Landon investigates 

Manpower & Training Tracking Productivity

  • Jade solution reduces data entering time

    01 Jun 2007

    New Zealand’s Jade Software has recently been responsible for a wholesale IT revamp at Port Nelson, which included the replacement of the port’s outdated radio data terminals with a new solution using a 3G network, ruggedised laptops and a customised user interface. 

  • Taking on the task of global port benchmarking

    01 Jun 2007

    A recent report on “Measuring Port Performance” produced by the World Bank emphasises from the start that is not possible to determine “common” port performance benchmarks which would be applicable for any port.  

  • A measure of success

    01 Jun 2007

    Tracking productivity – whether of people or of kit – is increasingly critical as port and terminal operators seek to maintain their competitive edge. Felicity Landon reports 

News Africa & Middle East

  • Jordan prepares Aqaba tender

    01 Jun 2007

    Jordan is readying itself for a $3bn project to relocate its only port, Aqaba, to deeper waters 20 km south to expand its handling capacity. The government has confirmed that it has started the study of tender documents for the new port, which will include general cargo, industrial bulk and grain terminals.  

  • Dar es Salaam terminal offer

    01 Jun 2007

    Tanzania Port Authority is to go ahead with the privatisation of operations at the Dar es Salaam’s general cargo terminal. An outside operator is expected to be in place by June.  

  • Ngqura development ploughs ahead

    01 Jun 2007

    South Africa’s National Port Authority has decided to implement the €363m ($489.7m) first phase development of Ngqura without private sector partners. However, it is still interested in collaborating with external companies to take forward the container terminal project.  

  • Khor Fakkan boasts record moves

    01 Jun 2007

    Gulftainer’s Khor Fakkan Terminal produced record handling figures of 237 moves per hour with four super post-panamax cranes when the CMACGM La Traviata called last month.  

  • Yellow card for Haifa strikers

    01 Jun 2007

    The Labour Court in the Israeli city of Haifa has determined that local port workers will be personally fined €182 ($248) for every hour that they go on strike. Should the strike exceed 12 hours, the fine will rise to €273 ($372).  

  • DP World profits take a tumble

    01 Jun 2007

    DP World reported a net profit of $216.9m in 2006 compared with one of $242.5m in 2005.  

  • TRUCKS CLOG APAPA

    01 Jun 2007

    Truck parking around the Nigerian port of Apapa, as well as the location of tank farms on the main road to the facility, are causing serious congestion in the immediate area. A joint action committee has called for the rehabilitation of railway lines to the port and the fast tracking of inland container depots to ease traffic problems. 

  • KGL AND TATWEER JV

    01 Jun 2007

    KGL Ports International has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar-based Tatweer Infrastructure Company to undertake joint port infrastructure projects wherever they present themselves. 

  • DREDGING PROGRAMME FOR MOMBASA

    01 Jun 2007

    The Kenyan government is to fund a €37m ($49.9m) dredging programme at the port of Mombasa.Work,which will involve deepening and widening the port channel, will be completed within three years. It is feared that a failure to implement the deepening of the draught could reduce Mombasa to feeder port status. 

  • DPW JEBEL ALI INVESTMENT

    01 Jun 2007

    DP World has placed an order for 129 terminal trailers with global handing solutions provider Gaussin.The trailers, due for delivery this summer, will operate in the new Terminal 2 expansion phase of Jebel Ali Port container facility 

  • PSC SEEKS CONTRACTS

    01 Jun 2007

    Oman-based Port Services Corporation, which operates and manages Port Sultan Qaboos, has revealed that it is seeking additional port management possibilities both within Oman and also abroad. Initially, negotiations are to be made for the operational and management contract for Khasab Port. 

News Americas

  • ANTOFAGASTA AREA AVAILABLE

    01 Jun 2007

    Chile’s Antofagasta Port Company is considering offering so-called “Area C” to companies wishing to establish terminal operations in the port. 

  • Panama invests in minor ports

    01 Jun 2007

    Panama Maritime Authority is to invest more than $700,000 across 10 minor ports.Work will involve minor repairs and upgrades to buildings and infrastructure.  

  • PUNTA COLONET SUPPORT

    01 Jun 2007

    The Mexican Minero Lobos group has made public its decision to support the Punta Colonet port tender, which is being put together by the Transport Ministry. 

  • PUGET EMISSIONS BENCHMARK

    01 Jun 2007

    The Port of Tacoma, in cooperation with the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum, has released a scientific study measuring maritime-related air emissions in Puget Sound.The inventory will form a baseline for future emissions comparisons. 

  • New Galveston hub plan

    01 Jun 2007

    The Port Authority of Houston and Galveston has signed an agreement to build a new container terminal on Pelican Island, which is situated to the north of Galveston Island. 

  • Nine Santos terminals up for grabs

    01 Jun 2007

    Santos Port Authority is to put out to concession nine terminals by 2010.  

  • Pedregal port concession challenged

    01 Jun 2007

    The governor of the Panamanian province of Chiriquí has asked Panama Maritime Authority to have another look at the concession awarded to a company in Pedregal port, which he believes has not stuck to agreed investment plans.  

  • Burden of bureaucracy

    01 Jun 2007

    Terminales Internacionales del Ecuador (TIDE) believes that there are bureaucratic obstacles in place that mean potential cargo is still being displaced to terminals in Guayaquil rather than going through its port of Manta.  

  • ALINPORT STARTS POSORJA

    01 Jun 2007

    The Spanish company Alinport has begun construction of the port of Posorja in Ecuador, which will occupy a 200,000 square metre area.Total cost is $450m. 

  • BRAZIL EYES EUROPEAN HUBS

    01 Jun 2007

    A Brazilian engineer attached to Santos Port Authority (Codesp) is to visit 20 ports in Europe over the next four months to identify strategies that Brazil needs to adopt to develop major hub ports.  

  • SANTA CATARINA LEADS

    01 Jun 2007

    Santa Catarina, with investment of €491m ($664.3m), is Brazil's leading port this year in terms of private capital.Part of the money is being spent on constructing two new complexes, various terminals, on new equipment and modernising existing installations. In Brazil as a whole, €1.4bn ($1.9bn) is being spent on ports this year 

  • PURETECH HALIFAX COUP

    01 Jun 2007

    Halifax Port Authority has awarded a wide-area surveillance contract to PureTech Systems.The technology will be installed under a C$8m (US$7.2m) contract. 

  • Mejillones in major refinancing

    01 Jun 2007

    Chile’s Angamos Port, which is better known as Puerto Mejillones, is to undertake a $60.6m refinancing involving Corp Banca and BCI.  

  • Brazil offers trucker incentives

    01 Jun 2007

    Brazil has passed a federal law limiting the amount of time a truck driver has to wait before being attended to at the port of Rio Grande in a bid to prevent the hold-ups that plagued last year’s bumper harvest. Now,if a truck driver has to wait more than five hours to discharge the consignment, he is eligible to receive €0.36 (US49¢) for every tonne he is carrying for each extra hour he has to wait. Of the 9.1m tonnes of soya expected to be harvested in the State this year, 5m tonnes will be exported.  

  • SAN VICENTE EXTENSION

    01 Jun 2007

    San Vicente Terminal Internacional has been granted a 15-year extension to its container terminal concession at the Chilean port of the same name.The concession will now run for 30 years as from January 1, 2000.  

News Asia

  • Chennai commits investment

    30 Jul 2008

    Chennai Port Trust will invest €267m ($361.2m) over the next two to three years as throughput in the last financial year rose 13%. Half of this investment will be spent on a new dedicated elevated expressway linking the port with National Highway 4.  

  • QASIM BULK STORAGE

    01 Jun 2007

    A joint-venture encompassing FELDA of Malaysia and Pakistan’s Westbury Group have inaugurated 100,000 tonnes of additional storage capacity at Mapak Qasim Bulkers in Port Qasim.This will be used for edible oils, molasses and other liquid cargoes. 

  • TRAFFIC IN INDIA UP 10%

    01 Jun 2007

    India’s 12 leading ports handled a total of 463.8m tonnes in 2006- 07, equivalent to an increase of 9.51% over the 423.6m tonnes reported for the previous year. Nevertheless, the target forecast had been for 465.7m tonnes, resulting in a 0.4% shortfall.The three leading ports were: Visakhapatnam (56.3m tonnes), Calcutta/Haldia (55.05m tonnes) and Chennai (53.4m tonnes). 

  • Death of domestic for Colombo

    01 Jun 2007

    The association of Sri Lanka’s Clearing and Forwarding Agents is lobbying the government with a view to moving all domestic containers away from Colombo port as a means of easing congestion.  

  • Tianjin’s deep water goals

    01 Jun 2007

    The Chinese port of Tianjin is spending $89.25m on creating the world’s largest manmade deep water port.  

  • Saigon favours electric avenue

    01 Jun 2007

    Vietnam’s Saigon Newport Company (SNP) has plumped for ten Kalmar Industries E-One type rubber-tyred gantry (RTGs) cranes, underlining the increasing demand for environmentally sensitive handling machines.  

  • INDIA CONSORTIUM CHOSEN

    01 Jun 2007

    A Maytas Infra-led consortium has been chosen to develop the proposed new Machilipatam port at Gilakaladinne, in India. Initially, the port was to be sited at Gogileru. 

  • VIETNAM HANDLING FEE

    01 Jun 2007

    Exporters in Vietnam may well have to pay $200m annually if shipping lines go ahead with a planned terminal handling fee, which will add $65 per teu. The government claims that this will negatively impact on producers of low value added items.However, it will bring Vietnam in line with other ports in the Far East. 

  • Haldia Dock at saturation point

    01 Jun 2007

    Calcutta’s Haldia Dock Authority has conceded it has reached saturation point, with an increase last year of just 0.28% to 42.45m tonnes. Today, ships can wait up to 18-19 days before berthing.  

  • JADE’S EASTERN PROMISE

    01 Jun 2007

    New Zealand’s Jade Software Corporation has signed an Memorandum of Understanding with CMC Limited of India to “accelerate the rate of use and deployment of Jade technology and applications”. 

  • Dublin Port Company active in Indonesia

    01 Jun 2007

    Sabang Free Trade Zone Management Board in Indonesia’s Aceh province has put together a joint venture with Dublin Port Company of Ireland to undertake a $445m investment in the Port of Sabang.  

  • Auto-pilot for Kalmar facility

    01 Jun 2007

    Its first project will be to test the automation and control systems developed for HHLA’s conversion of Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) from straddle carriers to automatic stacking cranes (ASC), pictured here.  

  • DP WORLD WOOS RUSSIANS

    01 Jun 2007

    The Russian government has revealed that it is in talks with DP World in respect of new developments in its future port special economic zones.The company already has interests in Vostochny Port in the Russian Far East, where PSA International has also indicated an interest in operating. 

  • Swiss-challenge in Subic Bay

    01 Jun 2007

    A Swiss-challenge bidding system has been adopted in the Philippines for the award of a 30-year contract to manage Container Terminal 1 at Subic Bay Freeport.  

  • ABB ASIAN BONANZA

    01 Jun 2007

    Zurich-based engineering company ABB has netted more than $65m in orders for crane systems at Asian ports.The contracts cover the supply of automation and electrical systems for 74 ZPMC cranes, for delivery in 2008 and 2009.  

News Australasia

  • QUEENSLAND SHUNS INVESTMENT

    01 Jun 2007

    Privately-operated coal terminals in Queensland have rejected any offer to publicly fund their export infrastructure, despite vessel queues reaching record levels.  

  • MARLBOROUGH SAFETY DRIVE

    01 Jun 2007

     

  • GLADSTONE COAL GOAL

    01 Jun 2007

    A new A$200m ($165.8m) ship loader will add an extra 10m tonnes to the export coal capacity of Gladstone’s RG Tanna Coal Terminal. The commissioning follows a 20% increase in capacity at the port in the last 12 months. 

  • NEW NORTHPORT CEO

    01 Jun 2007

    Northport has appointed qualified Master Mariner Jon Moore as its new chief executive, in light of the pending retirement of Ken Crean in June. 

  • MELBOURNE WATER WAR

    01 Jun 2007

    The Port of Melbourne Corporation has reported that visiting ships have drastically reduced their intake of potable water in an effort to play their role in water conservation.  

  • Lyttelton callers boost volumes

    01 Jun 2007

    Lyttelton Port of Christchurch is expecting calls from the weekly Maersk Line Pacific Island service and the currently fortnightly CMA CGM New Europe, Mascarene and Orient (NEMO) service will raise its annual container volume by about 10% to 200,000 teu. 

  • APM not eyeing Australian ports

    01 Jun 2007

    AP Moller-Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals has denied recent New Zealand media speculation it is actively planning to buy port terminals in either that country or Australia. 

  • Newcastle rationing about turn approved

    01 Jun 2007

    Australia’s competition watchdog, the ACCC, has given draft approval for capacity rationing to return to the port of Newcastle. The approval authorises rationing until the end of this year, and assumes that under the amended system,the total volume of coal exports is unlikely to be reduced. 

  • Auckland overcomes congestion blight

    01 May 2007

    Removal of a large backlog of empty containers and continued personnel recruitment have significantly improved congestion at the Ports of Auckland. 

  • Double demand on Marlborough

    01 May 2007

    the port operation itself and quite of lot of undeveloped land and resources,”he said. “Another encouraging sign is the logging, which had not been performing that well, but is improving at the moment.  

News Europe

  • Congestion stunts liner reliability

    01 Jun 2007

    Port congestion is being blamed for the massive failure of liner ships to meet their scheduled berthing slot this year.  

  • Port workers need never be alone

    01 Jun 2007

    The UK’s Argyll Telecom has launched a waterproof device for mobile personnel monitoring allowing easy pinpointing of workers in an emergency. The MaxCare device, which can be worn on the arm, leg, shoulder, waist or sewn into an item of clothing, combines mobile phone and satellite location monitoring technology. 

  • Marseilles takes the long view

    01 Jun 2007

    In an attempt to put crippling strike action earlier this year behind it, Marseilles has announced a string of investments to secure its future growth.  

  • EL PRAT PUT BACK TO 2010

    01 Jun 2007

    Partial opening of Barcelona’s El Prat Quay has been put back to mid-2009. This follows the collapse on January 1, 2007 of one third of the 1,500 metre quay line. 

  • CYBIT LOCATOR LAUNCH

    01 Jun 2007

    Online Telematics Service Provider Cybit has launched Cybit Positioning Solutions (CPS) to provide specialist telematicsbased solutions to industries requiring precision location and positioning information.The technology can be used to manage busy operations in ports and harbours. 

  • Personal injury claims on the rise

    01 Jun 2007

    Personal injury and handling equipment incidents on the quayside are on the up in Europe and the US, as ports struggle to boost capacity to meet the challenge of China.  

  • Mark of quality for container terminals

    01 Jun 2007

    Classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has spearheaded a drive to develop a benchmarking system for terminals.  

  • Babcock & Brown plans investment fund

    01 Jun 2007

    Australian finance group Babcock & Brown is reported to be seeking to raise up to €2bn ($2.7bn) to feather  a new European investment fund for the future financing of ports and freight transport speculations.  

  • Automation the key for Euromax

    01 Jun 2007

    ECT Euromax Terminal, currently under construction at Rotterdam, has taken delivery of 12 automated rail mounted gantry (ARTGs) cranes to work the stacking lanes at the terminal. 
     

  • HASKONING STRENGTHENS SERVICES

    01 Jun 2007

    Specialist consultant Royal Haskoning has purchased UK transport consultant Denis Wilson Partnership in a bid to take its operations “beyond the waters’edge”.The marriage will bring Denis Wilson’s expertise in inland logistics and transport planning to Haskoning clients,offering what the company claims will be a “one-stop service”to clients for environmental services and commercial development. 

  • MOTA-ENGIL ACQUISITION

    01 Jun 2007

    Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil has acquired port terminal operator Multiterminal for €25m ($33.8m). 

  • BEJAÏA INVESTS

    01 Jun 2007

    Bejaïa Mediterranean Terminal, a joint-venture between Enterprise Portuaire de Bejaïa and Singapore’s Portek International, will invest $20.2m in upgrading the container terminal it manages in the port of Bejaïa. 

  • HEROD FOR MOFFATT

    01 Jun 2007

    Ex-Associated British Ports’ executive David Herod has joined the London team of consultant Moffat & Nichol. 

  • SPANISH RTG BOOST

    01 Jun 2007

    Grupo Boluda Corporacion Maritima confirmed an order for eight rubber-tyred gantry (RTGs) cranes, while Dragados ordered a further six RTGs from Konecranes. 

  • Rotterdam on the slab with ThyssenKrupp deal

    01 Jun 2007

    Steel specialist ThyssenKrupp Steel has announced that it will favour Rotterdam when it expands its manufacturing capacities around the world.  

  • Box traffic to hit 1bn by 2020

    01 Jun 2007

    Andrew Penfold, director of Ocean Shipping Consultants, anticipates that total container traffic will hit 1bn teu by 2020, building on last year’s total of 426m teu and 2015 estimates of 600m teu.  

  • FIRST SEA MOTORWAY CONTRACTS

    01 Jun 2007

    The governments of Spain and France have issued the first tenders covering seven motorway services between ports on their Atlantic and northern coasts. These are expected to enter into service in 2008 and attract a subsidy of €15m ($20.3m) per service from the Spanish state, while France has put together a €41m ($55.5m) overall budget. 

News ISPS Report

  • ISPS an easy, but expensive, pill to swallow

    01 Jun 2007

    The estimated global port-related cost of implementing the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code has been put at between $1.1bn and $2.3bn initially, with annual costs thereafter of between $400m and $900m, in a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  

Planning & Design Quay System Upgrades

  • Corrosion bug needs careful consideration

    01 Jun 2007

    Accelerated Low Water Corrosion – a bacteriological attack on steel – has in the past contributed to the loss of two thirds of the structural design life of many quay walls before major maintenance, says UK specialist Nuttall John Martin.  

  • Jobs piling up

    01 Jun 2007

    There’s mounting demand for quayside upgrade projects as ports tussle to accommodate larger ships and swelling volumes, as Alex Hughes finds out 

Port Profile Singapore

  • Final piece of jigsaw

    01 Jun 2007

    In signing up Japanese car carrier experts NYK and K Line to its car terminal ambitions, PSA has cemented Singapore’s number one position, writes Wing Kah-goh 

Southeast Asia Regional Feature

  • New-found popularity threatens to block Vietnam’s arteries

    01 Jun 2007

    In Southeast Asia,the single most exciting development ports-wise has been the rapid opening up of Vietnam, where container exports have been growing at 19% on average for the past decade. In the last 12 months the world and his wife has piled into the former French colony. Most are forming joint ventures, primarily in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port project located in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, about 80 km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.  

  • Number crunching

    01 Jun 2007

    Mike Mundy unveils the findings of a new study focusing on South East Asian port costs 

  • Trouble brewing

    01 Jun 2007

    Laem Chabang’s expansion doesn’t add up:too many berths, too few boxes equals trouble, suggests Wing Kah-goh 

  • The ever-increasing reach of Philippines’ darling ICTSI

    01 Jun 2007

    The Philippines’ dominant terminal operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc continues to widen its national reach.Most recently it expressed interest in bidding for the 25- year contract to handle cargo at the port of Batangas, situated two hours south of Manila on the main island of Luzon.  

  • PSA’s departure no joke for Brunei

    01 Jun 2007

    The timing was appropriate.April Fool’s  Day was the given date when PSA  handed back operations of Muara Container Terminal, some 19 years ahead of its 25-year contract expiry date, bringing an abrupt drop in management expertise.  

  • Malaysia’s giants

    01 Jun 2007

    Will Johor and Tanjung Pelepas ever join forces for the greater good of the country,wonders Wing Kah-goh 

  • All things Indonesian

    01 Jun 2007

    Long avoided, suddenly international firms are eyeing the archipelago, as Wing Kah-goh uncovers 

Motorship