VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd.newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/pdf/2005/077-26-03-2005a.pdf · 2005-03-25 · Piraterij vormt een serieuze bedreiging voor de wereldeconomie en de veiligheid

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2005 – 077

PSi-Daily maritime press clippings Page 1 03/26/05

Number 077*** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS ***Saturday 26-03-05

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SMIT’s TAKLIFT 6 seen here lifting the stern section of the VICUNA in Parangua, the last partto be lifted is a part of the mid section, the scrapping is ongoing at Ponto de Poco.

Photo : Henk Doornhein ©



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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONSVeiligheid op zee: piraterij laait weer op



Door : Ineke Dezentjé Hamming - Tweede Kamerlid VVD fractie

In de afgelopen weken zijn de piratenaanvallen in de Straat van Malakka toegenomen. Zo is recentelijk eenchemicaliëntanker gekaapt en is de bemanning korte tijd gegijzeld. Ook een zeesleper overkwam hetzelfdelot en drie bemanningsleden werden meegenomen. Deze recente gebeurtenissen bevestigen wederom dathet met de veiligheid op zee niet goed gesteld is.

Piraterij vormt een serieuze bedreiging voor de wereldeconomie en de veiligheid van bemanningen. Dedagelijkse realiteit van vele bemanningen die langs de Somalische kust varen, de Straat van Malakka doormoeten of in de buurt van Nigeria varen is dat zij gevaar lopen aangevallen te worden door piraten.Piraterij bestaat nog steeds en zaait dood en verderf onder bemanningen. Zo is in november 2004 in deStraat van Malakka een Nederlandse sleper aangevallen door een piratenboot.

Na op 1 december 2004 Kamervragen te hebben gesteld heb ik in samenwerking met het TV programmaNetwerk aandacht gevraagd voor dit probleem. De uitzending vond plaats op 6 februari 2005.(www.netwerk.tv)

Het is te gek voor woorden dat bemanningen eerst hun kogelvrije vesten aan moeten doen alvorens deStraat van Malacca in te varen. Stelt u zich eens voor dat een KLM-piloot zijn kogelvrije vest aan moet doenalvorens richting Amerika te vliegen!

Ik pleit voor meer grijs op zee. Aanwezigheid van onze marine, in goed samenspel met de landen rond deStraat van Malakka die het gebied in de gaten houden.

In juli zal ik tijdens de vergadering van het OVSE Assemblee in Washington aandacht vragen voor hetpiraterij probleem. In september zal ik op uitnodiging over piraterij spreken tijdens het symposium MareForum in Rome.

Op mijn website heb ik informatie verzameld over dit onderwerp. Zo vindt u op deze pagina het verslag vaneen 'pirate-attack' op een Nederlandse sleepboot in de Straat van Malakka.

Wekelijks brengt de International Chamber of Commerce een 'piracy report' uit van de recente overvallen.

Ook kunt u de antwoorden van de regering lezen op mijn Kamervragen over piraterij. De antwoordenstemmen mij niet hoopvol dat de veiligheid van bemanningen en goederen op korte termijn zal verbeteren.Ook kunt u hier terecht voor de een overzicht van de recent verschenen artikelen in o.a. De Telegraaf naaraanleiding van de Kamervragen.

Piraterij vormt niet alleen voor bemanningen een gevaar. Recente risico-analyses laten zien dat er eenrelatie zou kunnen bestaan tussen piraten en georganiseerde criminaliteit. In het verleden zijn completeschepen gekaapt waarbij de bemanning letterlijk overboord is gegooid. Deze schepen zijn nooitteruggevonden. In de praktijk worden deze overgeverfd en vervolgens ingezet voor criminele doeleinden.

De schrijver van het boek 'Terreur op zee', John Burnett, heeft in gesprekken benadrukt dat niet uit tesluiten is dat terreurorganisaties banden onderhouden met piraten. Sommige schepen kunnen eenaantrekkelijk doelwit vormen voor deze organisaties, waarbij deze schepen mogelijk als drijvende bommengaan fungeren.

Naar aanleiding van de Kamervragen heb ik van de Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Reders (KVNR)een brandbrief ontvangen. De Vaste Kamercommissies Buitenlandse Zaken en Verkeer & Waterstaathebben op mijn verzoek de regering verzocht om een reactie op de brief van de KVNR.

Tot nu toe ben ik een roepende in de woestijn. Ik heb na 25 jaar Rotterdamse haven een kennisvoorsprongop mijn collega´s in de Kamer, maar ook zij zullen kennis moeten nemen van dit probleem. Ik wil graag datde betrokken maritieme sectoren mijn collega-Kamerleden komen vertellen wat de ernst van de situatie is.



Ik zal dan ook initiatief nemen om de maritieme sectoren (reders, bemanningsverenigingen, etc.) uit tenodigen hun verhaal te komen vertellen in een zogenaamd "rondetafel gesprek", een soort hoorzitting.

Ik zou zeggen: 'full speed ahead'!Ik houd u op de hoogte! Kent u personen die in deze problematiek geïnteresseerd zijn, stuurt u deze mail

dan door. En vertelt u mij wat u ervan vindt!

Met vriendelijke groeten,Ineke Dezentjé Hamming

Tweede Kamerlid VVD fractie070-3182898

Spill prompts barge safety questionTHE oil spillage in Goa, India, yesterday after a barge struck the bulk carrier Maritime Wisdom at Panajiport, has raised concerns over the increasing barge operations in Indian ports without adequate safetymeasures. Industry officials said loading and lighterage operations at anchor, especially involving crude oil,iron ore and coal, have become commonplace, but port authorities have not provided adequate facilities toensure safe loading and unloading. They have now asked the government to bring in some strictures toensure safe loading and unloading at anchorage ports. "Since the ships will be unstable in the rough sea,there is often contact between the steel hulls of the barge and mother ship. Although ships generally usefenders, their quality and adequacy are always an issue," says Capt Pankaj Mishra, managing director ofCanopus Shipping and Trading. Many ports on the west coast are adopting anchorage operations. Theseinclude Panaji, Karwar and Belikeri (all iron ore loading), Navalakhi, Bedi, Okha, Dahanu, Mumbai (all coaldischarge), Mumbai High, Sikka, Kakinada and Kandla (all crude oil imports). "In Goa, iron ore operationswith the help of barges account for a majority of loading. In 2004, 5M tonnes of iron ore was loaded atPanaji, which is an anchorage port," said Capt Mishra.

French sailor's protestA French Seafrance sailor painting 'SEAFRANCE' on the P&Oferry Pride of Aquitaine, which tried to disembark at theharbour in Calais, on Tuesday.

Seafrance's sailors were protesting against a French lawproposal which would allow French ferries to hire a greaternumber of non-French sailors to crew their ships.

Ferry firm making a big splashPEOPLE crossing the Channel can be left in no doubt about how much it costs to travel from Dover toBoulogne with SpeedFerries.

The company has had its SpeedOne craft repainted in order to feature the latest offer of a maximum priceof £19 for a standard car and six people one way.

“It has turned the craft into the largest billboard on the Channel," said SpeedFerries communicationsmanager Marianne Illum. Last year, the slogan Fight The Pirates! was painted on craft as the company



accused the bigger ferry companies of dirty tricks. Now the fare has been painted in big letters andnumbers on the side of the craft.

The low fares charged by SpeedFerries has resulted in other ferry companies slashing their prices.

Gay cruising worries Caribbean islandThe cruise sailing ship Polynesia has been stopped from berthing at the Caribbean island of Nevis for fearthe gay nudist cruises aboard might scandalise local Christian citizens during Holy Week.

jammer Barefoot Cruises assured local officials that thepassengers would not hold hands, kiss or go any further in public,but they were still barred from the island, part of St Kitts andNevis.

The 248 foot four masted schooner Polynesia, built in 1938 forthe Portuguese Grand Banks fleet, had been chartered for a gaynudist cruise so passengers might be more than barefoot.

Local officials said that nudity and the gay lifestyle was againstthe morality of the island and as it was Holy Week passengers should not even swim in the country’swaters.

The Polynesia anchored for five hours off Nevis while negotiations continued but eventually set sail for afriendlier destination.

CASUALTY REPORTSalvors head for Alexia M

Salvor Wijsmuller has begun preparations to refloat Eurocarriers’25,452-dwt bulker Alexia M (built 1979), which has goneaground in Denmark’s Great Belt. The Cyprus flagged handysizebulker was en route from Ventspils to Amsterdam with 23,000tons of coal when it went aground on Tuesday at 55° 54'N, 10°57'E.

A salvage team has proceeded to the vessel on board theSvitzerWijsmuller tug Skuld and been allowed to board thecasualty for further inspection.

Following the contract award Wijsmuller Salvage instructed a9.600-dwt self-geared lighterage vessel to proceed towards the grounding site.

Wijsmuller Salvage said it intends to start lighterage operations of a “to-be-confirmed” quantity of cargothis weekend.

Two years ago the Alexia M limped into the Azores after water started to enter one of its holds during avoyage from Cuba and St Petersburg with a cargo of sugar.



NAVY NEWS

The Dutch MCM vessel M 857 MAKKUM passed the Oude Maas enroute Den Helder naval basePhoto : Michel Kodde ©

30-year Navy plan cuts subs, carriersThe US Navy is considering shrinking its fleet of aircraft carriers to as few as 10 ships within the next 30years, a move that would produce the smallest carrier fleet in at least a half-century.

A new long-range shipbuilding plan obtained by the Daily Press also calls for reducing the number of attacksubmarines in the Navy's arsenal, from 58 next year to as few as 41 by 2035.

The plan, which was signed by Navy Secretary Gordon England and delivered to Congress on Wednesday,officially abandons a naval requirement to maintain 12 aircraft carriers. The Pentagon has already proposedretiring the USS John F. Kennedy carrier this year, shrinking the fleet to 11.

Any reduction in the required number of carriers and submarines could have profound consequences forNorthrop Grumman Newport News, the nation's only carrier builder and one of two submarine builders.

The shipyard already faces the prospect of hundreds of layoffs because of Navy plans to delay the start ofconstruction on a future carrier by one year. An additional reduction in the size of the fleet could lead tofurther construction delays.



The plan comes as the Navy tries to redesign its fleet to meet the emerging threats in an age of terrorism.Concerns about open-ocean battles against the Soviet navy have given way to concerns about close-to-shore conflicts around the globe that require smaller vessels offering speed and agility.

"It is stressful here in the Department of the Navy," England told reporters Monday. "It is stressful in ourindustrial base and among some members of Congress. That's the way change is."

While change within the Navy may be stressful, it has also been chaotic.

In a state of affairs that would have been unimaginable during the Cold War, Navy leaders are now unableto tell the country precisely how many ships they need to fight future battles.

Today's fleet of about 290 ships has 12 carriers and about 55 attack submarines. Instead of coming upwith a revised fleet size, the new shipbuilding plan outlines two alternative force structures. One option is a325-ship fleet that includes 11 carriers and 45 attack submarines by 2035. The second option is a 260-shipforce, which shrinks the carrier fleet to 10 and the attack submarine fleet to 41.

Such uncertainty grates on industry leaders, who have complained for years that fluctuating militaryrequirements lead to inefficient production schedules and higher costs.

"How can we continue to provide value to the customer and the taxpayer when the values are constantlychanging?" asked Philip A. Dur, president of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, which owns shipyards inMississippi and Louisiana. "Isn't it fair to ask them for an accurate and stable projection of the nationalfleet's needs?"

But others argue the Navy is right to keep its options open and experiment with different kinds of ships andweapons systems, while the U.S. enjoys clear naval superiority in the world.

"A lot of people just count ships and say, 'Oh my goodness, the republic is crumbling,' " said Robert Work,a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "This fleet is without question themost powerful naval force that has ever been put to sea. The margin of superiority we have right now isjust unbelievable."

The 30-year shipbuilding plan, which is described as an interim report, does not lay out any specificconstruction schedules or costs. In a letter to senior lawmakers, England said such details will be providedin a final version of the report that will be completed this summer.

The Navy's force requirements will be further refined later this year, when the Pentagon conducts itsQuadrennial Defense Review, a comprehensive evaluation of all military programs undertaken once everyfour years.

The long-range shipbuilding plan is not a legally binding document and Congress drafts a new defensebudget annually. Officials stressed that 30-year projections are only rough estimates of future needs.

"The near term probably means a lot," said John Young, assistant Navy secretary for research,development and acquisition. "The long term will change. It's 30 years from now."

Even so, the plan's 30-year forecast marks an abrupt departure to the position taken by Navy leaders inrecent years, when they steadfastly maintained they need at least 12 aircraft carriers and would ideally like15.

But budget pressures, technology advances and new fleet maintenance policies have combined todramatically alter the Navy's assessment of required combat power.

Precision striking ability of carriers -- already four times more advanced than a decade ago -- will doubleagain in the next four to five years, meaning it takes fewer carriers to do what 12 did years ago, said Adm.Vernon Clark, the chief of naval operations, in recent congressional testimony.



SHIPYARD NEWSFAST CAR FERRY FOR GREECE LAUNCHED

The Auto Express 85 fast carferry "Highspeed 5" waslaunched at the Austal shipyardon March 20. The 85 metrealuminium catamaran is the fifthfast ferry the shipbuilder hasbuilt for leading Greek ferryoperator Hellas Flying Dolphins,which has recently re-branded itsoperations under the new name

Hellenic Seaways.

Scheduled for delivery in May, the custom designed ferry will enter service following its delivery voyagefrom Australia to Greece. Its operations will include a new fast ferry service linking Piraeus with Chania onthe island of Crete; one of the most important routes in the Greek Islands trades. The Austal AutoExpress 92 "Highspeed 4" (delivered in July 2000) inaugurated that service recently.

When complete, "Highspeed 5" will be able to carry 810 passengers and 154 cars and will be capable of39 knots when loaded. The catamaran's propulsion consists of four Caterpillar 3618 diesels each driving aRolls-Royce Kamewa waterjet via a Reintjes gearbox.

In addition to the Greek catamaran, Austal is currently building high speed catamaran ferries for VirtuFerries (Malta), Hawaii Superferry (USA) and two for L'Express des Iles (Guadeloupe). The 127 metretrimaran fast ferry for Fred. Olsen, SA (Spain) is expected to depart for the Canary Islands shortly. Also onorder are 12 naval patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy and a 38 metre research / pleasure vessel fora private owner.

Yard groups compete for Lloyd WerftFincantieri and Aker Yards are lining up to take a chunk of German shipyard. A large stake in leadingGerman cruiseship repair-and-conversion yard Lloyd Werft may soon fall into the hands of either Fincantierior Aker Yards. Bremerhaven-based Lloyd Werft is seeking a strategic partner and a deal could beconcluded in the next four to eight weeks, say sources. Cruiseship newbuilding specialists Fincantieri andAker are said to be the parties now holding discussions with Lloyd Werft, which is close to deliveringNorwegian Cruise Line's 72,000-gt Pride of America .

Werner Luken, 90% shareholder of Lloyd Werft and its managing director, confirms that four Europeanyards have shown an interest. "We are still in negotiations with two of them and hope to reach aconclusion with one very soon," he told TradeWinds.

Luken declines to identify the remaining pair but industry sources say they are the Italian state-ownedFincantieri and Aker, which controls the former Masa-Yards at Turku and Helsinki in Finland. Lloyd Werftsplit from bankrupt Bremer Vulkan in 1997 and exactly two years ago management took over by acquiringthe 70% held by investment firm Bridgepoint.

Luken says he is flexible on how much of Lloyd Werft will be sold provided a guarantee is secured over itsfuture. "They are interested because of our good name in the field of repair, conversion and completion ofcruiseships," according to Luken. It is understood that talks have not involved Lloyd Werft being used for



newbuildings, although a future business plan under discussion holds out this possibility. Lloyd Werft lackssteel-fabrication capacity and hulls would have to be sub-contracted.

Fincantieri's involvement follows reports last week that it is also mulling acquiring a stake in the GrandBahama Shipyard in Freeport, another repair-and-conversion facility. The company is the world's leadingbuilder of cruiseships, with more than a 50% market share. Sources say it is keen to provide its customerswith a turnkey service, including post-delivery repair and maintenance.

Fincantieri already handles ship repair and conversion at its Palermo yard, which also builds cruiseshipsections. Luken says finding a strategic partner would enable Lloyd Werft to secure a wider market share. Acondition would be retention of the company's name. He intends to stay on as managing director "as longas they want me".

In addition to the scheduled delivery in June of the Pride of America , Lloyd Werft's other current workincludes changing the two main electric propulsion motors on the 76,100-gt P&O Cruises' Aurora (built2000). Luken says it will be redelivered in mid-April.

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The 144 mtr long 14.400 kW Irish stern trawler ATLANTIC DAWN (SO 914) seen here at theNoordzeekanaal departing, for the fishing grounds 150 nm west of the Irish coast.

Photo : Jack van der Valk ©



China Merchants targets ShekouHONG Kong-listed port operator China Merchants Holdings has acquired the entire 17.5% interest of rivalCosco Ports (Shekou) in China’s Shekou Container Terminals. China Merchants will pay HK$610M ($78M) incash for the purchase, which raises its stakes in SCT’s Phase I expansion to 50%. “[The purchase] willfacilitate more efficient and more effective co-ordination and management over all the Group’s terminals inwestern Shenzhen,” China Merchants said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange yesterday.Shenzhen terminals in southern China are the fastest growing container facilities in the country and ChinaMerchants has substantial control of Shenzhen’s port expansion. It holds a 51% interest in Phase II and theentire interest in Phase III of Shekou Container Terminals expansion projects. SCT throughput in 2004jumped 40% to 2.1M TEU. Two more berths are expected to be added this year when volumes areexpected to exceed 3M TEU.

Dispute hits Finland-Germany tradeTRADE between Finland and Germany has been seriously disrupted by the continuing dispute involving 40Polish seafarers on Finnlines vessels Runner and Rider. German rail freight group Railion said 200 fullyladen wagons are idle in Turku and Lübeck-Travemünde, where the ferries are blocking the only berthscapable of handling rail wagons. “It will take us months to clear the backlog that has piled up over the lastten days,” said Railion’s press officer Thomas Altmann. Many cargo owners have already started to shifttheir deliveries back from sea to road since the dispute began. The seafarers have been on strike for tendays because Barber Ship Management had allegedly attempted to cut their wages by 60%. Until now thecrew has been paid according to the German wage scale as both ships used to be owned and operated byFinnlines Deutschland until 2003.

Gov't announces first step towardfreeing ferry fares

The Merchant Marine Ministry announced the lifting of fare ceilings for passengers and vehicles using fourminor ports, as part of a pilot program targeting the full deregulation of domestic maritime transport.

Shipping circles said that the measure, which Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis announcedwill apply to the ports of Lavrion, Rafina and Elefsina in Attica and Kymi on the island of Evia soon, is alsoan important step toward the harmonization of Greek with European Union legislation.

It also provides incentives for ferry operators that would reduce journey times to the islands of the easternAegean and the western Cyclades.

"The new regime for thespecific ports will beapplied as soon aspossible.

Left : The BLUE STAR 2seen here arriving inPatras (Greece)

Photo : Piet Sinke ©

Ideally, we would like it tocome into force from the



end of this month," said Kefaloyiannis. He said the ministry hopes that fares will not rise - despiteoperators' demands for a 15 percent increase on all routes - and to finalize a system whereby fares will riseand fall in line with the fluctuations in fuel prices. The Coastal Shipping Transportation Council (SAS), whichconvened yesterday, decided to adopt the system and rejected the demand for fare increases.

Kefaloyiannis said the government is seeking to promote an economic environment conducive to theprofitability of operators, but added that "social criteria will continue applying as they are part of thegovernment's political strategy."

He said the government is trying to obtain a 3-billion-euro loan from the European Investment Bank for the"radical" improvement of the country's ports.

Referring to the cruise industry, he said the government's policy has attracted seven ships to the Greek flagand hopes for three more by the summer.

"We are open to discussion with any interested operators, including the big concerns, for the provision ofincentives that will attract cruise ships to the Greek flag, which will bolster employment among Greekseamen," he said.

Price cap to be lifted from some ferry fares

In what is billed as a pilot scheme intended to lower the cost of transport by sea and improve connectionswith distant islands, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday it would deregulate ferry fares at fourGreek ports, including three in Attica.

The measure, which Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis said might come into effect at the endof this month, will apply to the harbors of Rafina - Attica's second-busiest, after Piraeus - Lavrion, Elefsinaand Kymi, on Evia. He added, however, that the measure would not apply to routes to remote orunprofitable destinations, which receive state subsidies.

Kefaloyiannis claimed that the deregulation would work as an incentive to attract ferry companies, which itis hoped, in turn, would introduce faster ships and more frequent services.

Hapag Lloyd rides container waveGERMAN containers-to-cruise operator Hapag Lloyd raised its operating profit by 6.6% to €279M ($363M)last year on the back of strong demand in the container sector. While its cruise business registered lowerrevenues following heavy divestments in 2003, Hapag Lloyd Container Line increased turnover by 14% to€2.6Bn. The company now operates 51 ships, including chartered-in tonnage, and carried 2.4M TEU – 15%more than the year earlier. Average freight rates were up 8% to $1,252, said parent group TUI at itsresults briefing in Hanover. Hapag Lloyd’s volume in the Far East-Europe trade soared by 16% to just over1M TEU. Growth in operating profit, however, was held back by rising bunker costs and the weakness ofthe US dollar.

A NEW ferry operator will sail between theIsland and Normandy from next month.

After a tendering process run by the French local council funding the service, a Breton company calledSociété Morbihannaise de Navigation has been chosen. The Lorient-based shipping line beat Emeraudeand incumbent operator Connex to run the year-round service.

The service, which will run from Carteret, Granville and Diélette to Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark,will begin on 1 April.



Established more than 100 years ago, SMN currently runs eight ferries that sail between Lorient andQuiberon on Brittany's south coast and the nearby islands of Ile de Groix, Belle-Ile, Houat and Hoedic. Itsparent company was one of the firms that bid for Emeraude when the company was put up for sale in2003.

CMA CGM fixes new feederships duoCMA CGM has joined the race for 1,100-teu containership tonnage by fixing a pair of newbuildings for fiveyear, an unusually long term for feederships.

The French carrier is reported to be chartering the Stadt Celle and Stadt Goslar for $15,500 per dayover 60 months.

The ships will be delivered thisNovember and next March, respectively.Smaller 650-teu feeders are also provingpopular with several being snapped up.

The ANKE EHLER enroute Rotterdam –Photo : Martin Zeeman ©

CMA CGM has fixed the 656-teuAntatradus (built 2003) for two yearsat $10,800 per day. Unifeeder has takenthe gearless Anke Ehler (built 2000) for

a relatively cheap EUR 8,500 ($11,200) per day over two-and-a-half years. And the geared, 650-teuAlexandra (built 1992) has been fixed by Hamburg Sud for one year at $13,900 per day.

The race to secure 1,100-teu boxships has been hotting up with several carriers, including P&O Nedlloyd,Maersk Sealand, CSAV and Sinotrans, said to be in the frame.

P&O Nedlloyd is said to have been looking for around ten 1,100-teu newbuildings in recent weeks, either tobuy or charter, but sources say it has scaled back its firm intentions to around half this number.

The company is believed to have signed a letter of intent for a quartet of the ships at China's JinlingShipyard.

Seaway cuts fees for cargo new to waterwayThe St. Lawrence Seaway announced today that it is reducing lockage fees on the Welland Canal for shipscarrying cargo new to the waterway. The reduced rates are calculated on a sliding scale. All qualifyingships will benefit, with greater reductions going to smaller ships.

"We want to encourage new business for the Seaway, and more short-haul traffic, carried by smallerships," said Richard Corfe, President of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. "The newrates are an excellent first step towards our goal of a market-driven toll structure."

The new fees will come into effect at the start of the 2005 navigation season on March 23, 2005, and are aresult of collaboration between the Corporation and Transport Canada to promote short sea shipping.

"New cargo" qualifying for the reduced fees is defined as either containerized cargo, or cargo that has notmoved through the Welland Canal in an average annual amount greater than 10,000 metric tonnesbetween 2001Ð2003. "Any cargo that qualifies as new cargo will remain qualified for the reduction through



the 2007 shipping season. A ship carrying more than one cargo will qualify for the reduction if more than50% of its cargo in any transit is classified as new," Corfe said. "The reduced rates will apply both to theloaded transit and to the same ship's return transit in ballast."

The new lockage fees will be calculated based on the ship's gross registered tonnage. For example, a shipof 23000 GRT will see a reduction of about 15 percent while the reduction will be about 75 percent for aship of 7,000 GRT.

Groupe Bourbon hails ‘spectacular’income increase

FRENCH shipping and retail distribution operator Groupe Bourbon has seen a “spectacular” 75% increase in2004 net income to €100.1m ($130m) after record earnings from bulk and other shipping activities andexceptional items. Income was boosted by the € 8m net proceeds of ship sales, €6.7m from sales ofshareholdings and the cancellation of a €10.2m provision for tonnage tax expenses.

But shipping turnover rose 22.1% to €492.6m and 30.3% at constant exchange rates and the sector’soperating result climbed 64% to€92.3m.

Left : the BOURBON EXPRESSPhoto : Capt Hans Bosch ©

In the retailing sector, on theother hand, turnover rose amodest 1.2% to €575.3m andthe operating result progressed

11% to €31.5m. The group, which is due to sell its retailing interests to the Casino group before the endof 2007 to become an all-shipping concern, said its board would decide on May 2 whether to exercise afirst sell option.

Bulk shipping, where the group is represented by its subsidiary Setaf-Saget, was the star performer lastyear, lifting turnover 47% to €158.7m and almost quadrupling its operating result from €11m to €42.6m.The group said it had benefited from a high level of carryings at 12m tonnes and record freight rates andpredicted that another exceptional performance could be expected this year. In offshore, turnover rose20% to €223.6m but operating result fell back 13% to €33.7m.

The group said its offshore performance was affected by the weak dollar, the end of futures coverage andcosts associated with the final stages of restructuring its Norwegian subsidiary, the former Havila Supply,following its takeover of the company in July, 2003. Offshore was also bearing the heavy amortisationcosts accompanying the group’s extensive fleet expansion programme. The group said that business hadnevertheless picked up markedly in the final quarter and the sector had begun to feel the benefit of thecompany’s €1.3bn investment programme, which is largely devoted to expansion of the offshore fleet.

The group took delivery of 20 vessels last year, most of them crew boats and supply ships, and hasanother 34 under construction. At the end of last year its offshore fleet comprised 145 vessels, of which 90were crew boats, 17 conventional supply vessels and 38 deep water supply vessels. Towage and salvage,the other main shipping activity, showed comparatively modest growth with a 2.2% increase in revenues to€106.8m but virtually doubled its operating result from €9.9m to €19.2m.

Growth was mainly accounted for by activity overseas where revenues increased 20%, mainly on accountof strong growth in the first half in Ivory Coast.



Vroon ups tanker tallyDutch owner Vroon is stacking up orders for tanker newbuildings at Korea's Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.

Sources say Vroon has added orders for two more 37,000-dwt, IMO III products tankers at the Ulsanshipyard, bringing its tally to six. The contract is said to have been inked recently. Vroon is paying about$40m per ship, which brokers say is on the high side. The owner is paying a premium to the engine makerand the yard for early delivery.

Hyundai Mipo is set to deliver the tankers in the first half of 2007. Vroon was said to have paid only $27meach for its earlier four 37,000-dwt tankers contracted in mid-2003. The first, the Nor'easter , wasdelivered recently. The remaining three are set to arrive in the coming months. Vroon also has three46,000-dwt, IMO III products tankers under construction at the yard. They were ordered at the end of2003 for a reported $31m each. Delivery is slated for 2007. The fast-expanding company has aslo beenactive in the resale sector and was recently said to have bought a 82,000-dwt panamax-bulker newbuildingfrom Kambara Kisen for $44m. The ship is set for delivery from the Tsuneishi yard in April 2006.

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Tidewater’s STIPE TIDE seen here moored in Pointe Noire – Photo : Capt. Hans Bosch ©



The tug EN AVANT 4 operatesin the Rotterdam/Dordrecht area

Photo : Bram Plokker ©

K-Sea’s tug HOUMAPhoto : Bob Mattsson ©

The TEXELBANK (left) and the SMIT POLEN operating in the Port of RotterdamPhoto : Ferry van Rijsbergen ©



The VICTORIA operates in the Port of Belfast – Photo : Tommy Bryceland – Scotland ©

VICTIM OF THE DAYBy : Hans van der Ster ©

PACIFIC

The Pacific sailed from Maryport to Penryn inthe British Channal in position 49.54N, 05.17W

with a cargo of 350 tons coal. At 05.30 hours on26 Mar, 1945, the Pacific in convoy BTC-108

was torpedoed and sunk by the U-399,commander Heinz Buhse, which was herself lost

after the attack. All 5 crew lost their lives

The Pacific, a coaster, built in 1938 by the Noord Nederlandse Scheepswerven te Groningen, owned byC.Tammes; Groningen and 362 brt

AIRCRAFT / AIRPORT NEWSWestland £1bn helicopter deal

angers rivalsGEOFF HOON, the Defence Secretary, has handed a £1 billion helicopter contract directly toAgustaWestland, ignoring calls from rival manufacturers that the order should be put out to competition.



News of the £1 billion order for a new generation of Lynx helicopters was greeted with delight in Yeovil,where unions had feared that many of the group’s 3,300 jobs would be under threat if the order was notsecured. But rival manufacturers were furious that they had not been allowed to compete to providereconaissance and maritime attack helicopters.

Mr Hoon’s determination to award the contract to Westland caused fierce Cabinet debate between the MoDand the Treasury. It was suggested that the MoD wanted to prevent rumours of job losses at the Somersetplant in the run-up to an election and that ministers were “scared” by the political power of Westland.

But a spokesman for the MoD insisted yesterday that the Treasury supported the decision to award thecontract to Italian-owned AgustaWestland. “Competition remains the cornerstone of MoD procurementpolicy,” a spokesman said last night. “But the current Lynx is coming to the end of its life and the cost ofsustaining it through a competition was so high that it is better value for money to go for one supplier,” thespokesman said. The £1 billion order will provide about a third of the new helicopters the armed forcesrequire over the next ten years. The MoD held out the prospect of a full competition for the rest of theMoD’s helicopter needs, worth an additional £2 billion. EADS, the European space and defence group,which has been arguing to be included in any competition said: “We welcome the Ministry’s proposal tohave a competition in the Land Lift (troop moving) programme.”

Privately, the group is thought to be furious that its offer to allow its helicopters to be built under licence atYeovil by an AgustaWestland workforce trained by EADS had been overlooked. The Franco-Germanmanufacuturer’s Eurocopter arm had offered to work with AgustaWestland and wanted to build aproduction line for its own helicopters in the UK. It claims that it could have undercut the AgustaWestlandquote. Boeing was also anxious to compete for the contract.

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Documents

VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd.newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/pdf/2005/077-26-03-2005a.pdf · 2005-03-25 · Piraterij vormt een serieuze bedreiging voor de wereldeconomie en de veiligheid