The Strategist – Page 7
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NewsA question of capacity
The challenge presented by maintaining the right level of port capacity is becoming more complicated.
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NewsBest job in the world
In October an advertisement was placed in the French national press that said, “best job in the world” – become a crane operator at the port of Marseilles for €4000 a month, work 18 hours a week, enjoy eight weeks holiday a year and savour a job for life".
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NewsThe case for independence
It’s an old story but it is worth one reiterating that if a country has a single container terminal then it is a no brainer when it comes to deciding on the category of operator that should be awarded a concession under a privatisation initiative: independent container terminal operator every ...
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NewsExpect the unexpected
Rumour has it Maersk is in the market for a new generation of containership – a 16,000 teu vessel design – that will see a 2,000 teu increase in top of the range container vessel capacity.
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NewsLessons from the US
The vigour with which President Obama has been beating the drum about what BP should have done and should now do regarding the disastrous rig blow-out in the US Gulf is a sight to behold.
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NewsMoney isn't just there for the taking
Even in the darker days of the credit crunch there was always money around for infrastructure development, although most major projects had been mothballed.
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NewsVolume not the whole story
When it comes to awarding a port concession inevitably a lot of importance is attached to the new cargo volume that a given operator is able to attract.
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NewsA step too far, asks The Strategist
The Port of Antwerp made an interesting announcement last month, namely that it “aims to strengthen its position on a world scale” and “for this purpose the Antwerp Port Authority has opted to develop activities beyond Europe, especially in growth regions with the potential to generate cargo for Antwerp".
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NewsToo much, too soon
I’d like to share with you some wise words that appeared in the latest Container Intelligence Quarterly from Clarksons.
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Newsps the strategist
Picture this - the whole of the traditional terminal investor world, in the shape of international terminal operators, is in the grip of the world''s worst recession and it has become evident that they have scaled back investment plans, and that new projects are now further from their mind than ...
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NewssTRATEGIST COPY
Just as the "old paths" in ship finance will not adequately meet future needs it is equally clear that the traditional banking sector will not be able to meet all the requirements of the international ports sector.
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Motorway hold up is testing patience
Among consultants there is a standard joke that if Europe had funnelled into the marketplace as much money as it has spent studying the idea of Motorways of the Sea then the European maritime sector would be much richer for it.
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The slippery box throughput slope
Drewry Shipping Consultants'' newly released Top 10 container terminal operators ranking lists the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), not surprisingly, at the No 1 slot, becoming the first company to register an annual volume in excess of 50m teu.
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It's today's research that counts in asset sales
A word of caution - there is presently a lot of hot air being talked about investment opportunities in the ports sector. Some of it is understandable as, to be frank, it is coming from sources that claim to be expert but frankly when their real credentials - and specifically ...
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Port labour must change with the times
Lean times usually always teach us something and in Spain it can be seen that dock labour is beginning to get to grips with the reality that healthy pay rises and as much overtime as you can have are a thing of the past.
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Opinion Piece
London black cab drivers see life close up and are renowned for having a forthright view on world events, so it came as no surprise then to be told recently by a cabbie, "confidence mate that is what is needed, confidence".
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Strategist Column
Here we are seemingly with the natural order of things collapsing around us. Trade is on the slide, contracts are being broken, freight rates are heading south, ships are being mothballed, terminal operators are walking away from concessions and the number of company failures is accelerating. Doom and gloom! Or ...
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Cooking up a storm in Lebanon
Some interesting plans are brewing in Beirut. Informed sources indicate that the Beirut port management is planning a port extension which will incorporate a new container terminal facility developed specifically for use by CMA CGM and the Mediterranean Shipping Company, a dedicated facility.
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The idiot's guide to recession riding
Are you bombproof? Can you weather these times of economic and financial turbulence? A few suggestions that might help and if some are a little tongue in cheek then the times dictate the need for humour too! So here''s what to have in your recession survival kit:
