BIMCO Endorse New Quality Standard For Shipping Agents And Brokers
Concerns at Credibility of Sector Encourages Self-Regulation

08 February 2010
WORLDWIDE - The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the world’s largest ship owners association, has endorsed the Federation of National Associations of Shipbrokers and Agents (FONASBA) Quality Standard mark as an important step in regulating the shipping brokers and agency sector and maintaining the quality of these fields.
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Container Shipping Boss To Speak At Conference After Record Company Loss
Hanjin Figures much as Expected but Some Good News

08 February 2010
SOUTH KOREA – Hanjin Shipping, ninth largest container shipping line in the world, have posted the disastrous figures that were anticipated last week. The company separated the shipping operation from other subsidiary businesses toward the end of last year and posted an overall loss for all operations on in excess of a billion dollars for2009. In December alone the company posted losses of $75 million for the shipping segment. The balance of group operations is now listed as Hanjin Shipping Holdings.
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Finnish Container Ship Sheds Hazardous Goods Into Baltic Sea
Marine Search Continues for Poisonous Chemicals

08 February 2010
SWEDEN – In a catastrophic accident on Saturday three steel shipping containers fell from the decks of the MV “Linda”, an 11,000 tonne Finnish owned freighter. The accident happened after the bottom container in a stack of four folded and shed the others into waters south of the island of Gotland. One of the boxes contained inflammable cargo but the other two are believed to hold around fifteen tonnes of materials toxic to marine life.
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Australian Sea Freight Container Firm Acquires Rival
ACFS buys Port Botany Neighbour

08 February 2010
AUSTRALIA - Australian Container Freight Services (ACFS), a freight container handling, transport and storage company formed in 2005 and with operating centres in Sydney Melbourne and Brisbane, have acquired the business of a former Sydney rival, Freight Central.
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Asian Shipping Investment Set To Grow As Air Freight And Banks Declare An Interest
Asia – Pacific Region is seen as the place to be whilst Europe economises

06 February 2010
ASIA – PACIFIC – After the announcement that HSBC were moving their CEO’s office to Hong Kong and considering a listing on the Shanghai Index comes the news that Airbus Industries predict that regional cargo traffic will rise 6.3% each year until 2030. Despite the fact that many will look sideways at such hopeful pronouncements it is not exactly a leap of faith to say growth in the region will outstrip global performance. Airbus reckon demand from local carriers will return sales for them of over a trillion dollars with sales to exceed 8000 aircraft with cargo freighters taking up to 40% of the world market.
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Special Forces Thwart Pirate Attack On Slovenian Shipping Lines Bulk Carrier
Crew Secure After Raiders Flee

06 February 2010
GULF OF ADEN – A gang of Pirates was interrupted and fled yesterday after the Antiguan and Barbudan flagged ship MV Ariella, a bulk and container carrier owned by Splosna Plovda, a Slovenian registered company was rescued by Danish special forces in a manoeuvre which may become more common in future. Normally the NATO warships which patrol the area are more stand offish, fearing the murder or incidental injury of the crew, but this was a vessel registered with the authorities to be in the area and transiting via a patrolled corridor. This meant her distress signal was monitored and reacted upon extremely quickly.
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British Rail Freight Modernisation Plans Take Step Forward
Network Rail Awards Design Contract for New Link

05 February 2010
UK – Plans on upgrading the British rail freight network have taken a step forward after infrastructure operator Network Rail announced that they have appointed Jacobs Engineering to design and construct new rail links that will improve connections between the port of Felixstowe and the rest of the country.
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Japanese Shipping Line Lock Horns With Union
Dowa Lines Sue Japanese Seaman’s Union

05 February 2010
JAPAN – Tomorrow will see a rally of dockworkers and seafarers outside the offices of Dowa Line who operate a non union policy, unlike the majority of the country’s maritime employers. According to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), who represent 650 unions in 148 countries, Dowa run a fleet of 24 bulk freight and cargo vessels entirely crewed by Filipino staff and they have resisted all efforts at negotiation and now initiated litigation against the national union.
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Major Logistics Operators Make New Appointments
CEVA and Panalpina Recruit New Management

05 February 2010
EUROPE / CANADA – Both CEVA Logistics and Panalpina have announced new appointments to expand on their current market shares and improve their pricing policies in order to become more efficient.
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US Truck And Logistics Giant Report Fourth Quarter Loss
Con-wayTo Hold Investor Conference Call Today

05 February 2010
US – Con-way, the freight trucking and logistics carrier have announced a group loss for the last quarter of 4 cents per share to investors, this compares to a 94 cent loss for the equivalent period in 2008. The company hosts an investors conference call today at 0830 hrs EST (0530 hrs Pacific). The less than truckload (LTL) operations of the freight division reported more stability of prices and lower yields in a difficult market.
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