Thursday 20 November 08 - 11:42
 

Insight & Opinion

  • Burst that bubble

    01 Sep 2007

    Give or take a few US politicians, no-one thinks its workable, no-one wants it, it will be expensive but it is in the pipeline. “It” is, of course, new legislation in the US compelling the screening of all US bound containers at foreign ports.  

  • Will the US port worker ID scheme cut the mustard?

    01 Sep 2007

    Much discussed, long overdue and after numerous stumbles the Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC) is, again, moving closer to real implementation by the stated deployment target date: September, 30, 2008. Workers at ports and terminals, and those needing access to them, will be required to obtain the TWIC, a smart card with a digital photo and fingerprint, before the program implementation.  

  • Shipping and the sun spot theory of economic cycles

    01 Sep 2007

    In the world of shipping we have eternal optimists who would have us believe that growth in trade has reached runaway proportions and will not stop in the foreseeable future. There is hardly a week that goes by without a leading senior executive telling us that double digit growth in container volumes is unstoppable and that the rationale for ever larger ships cannot be questioned. This said, they go on to warn us of ever increasing congestion. The fact that these very same large ships discharging 3,000-4,000 plus containers at a time at a very limited number of ports is one of the root causes of that congestion is not discussed.  

  • UK ports need realism, not optimism

    01 Sep 2007

    The UK Government delivered its port policy interim review document in mid- July and this raises a number of interesting issues. One in particular appears worthy of comment. The point is made that the UK ports sector is thriving and profitable. Following on from this, structural changes in port financing are noted and specifically the entrance of infrastructure investors and pension funds into the marketplace.  

  • Hand that feeds

    01 Sep 2007

    Back to normal in Tuticorin after PSA International made a point to the Indian Government about the weird workings of the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP), the body which, in September 2006, effectively halved PSA’s revenue at its Tuticorin Container Terminal (TCT) as a result of enforced tariff reductions. PSA had earlier decided, in the light of TAMP’s actions, to “right-size” its operations to match its concession commitment to the Government by handling just 300,000 teu per annum, down from the 377,000 teu it handled in the 12 months prior to March 2007.  

Motorship