MOL Launches Iron Ore Carrier

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, has launched one of the world’s largest iron ore carrier, the Brasil Maru (327,180 MT DWT).

Naming and delivery ceremonies were held at the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Chiba Works on December 7, 2007. It will transport Brazilian iron ore to Japan under a long-term contract with Nippon Steel Corporation. The new ship is the third-generation of MOL vessels to carry the Brasil Maru name, succeeding the first-generation cargo and passenger liner Brasil Maru (built in 1939) and the second-generation cargo and passenger liner Brazil Maru (built in 1954), reflect the long history of the Japan-South America route. It will go into service in 2008 - the centennial anniversary of Japanese emigration to Brazil.

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Alashankou to add indoor container yard

Alashankou customs checkpoint in Xinjiang will add an indoor container yard in July.

The CNY80 million indoor container yard, jointly invested by Alashankou customs and China Railway Container Transport Corporation, will have a cargo handling capacity of 10 million tons when it's completed. The improvement of cargo handling capacity in Alashankou will help to smooth transportation of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge and strengthen sea-rail intermodal transport from Japan and Korea to Europe via the continental bridge. Alashankou is an important China-Kazakhstan customs checkpoint on the New Eurasian Continental Bridge.

Yantai wants containership handling at first world levels in two years

The north eastern port of Yantai plans to build a containership handling system in two years which links maritime administrative departments, port authorities and carriers to standards expected of developed countries.

Yantai Maritime Administration will set up a ship quality management system, which will allow standards-compliant ships to enjoy priority in inspection and simplified customs clearance procedures, to encourage self-discipline. In addition, the Yantai Maritime Department will also establish a joint meeting system which government departments and carriers create a blacklist of low-quality shippers and freight forwarders. The Port of Yantai has the ninth largest container throughput in China and is also one of 13 Chinese ports with a throughput of more than 100 million tons.
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China container volume returns to steady pace after 2004 peak

Container volume of mainland ports has returned to steady growth of 20 per cent from the peak of 40 per cent in 2004, said to be the result of Beijing's efforts to curb the trade surplus.

Increase of box volume is subjected to import and export growth. Boosted by surging exports, ports in China experienced rapid growth in container through put of more than 30 per cent from 2002 to 2004. However, starting from 2005, the growth rate has fallen to 20 per cent annually due to the policy on cooling the economy. Container ports continue to maintain steady growth in 2007. Statistics of the Ministry of Communications show mainland ports handled 92.1 million TEU in the first 10 months of 2007, an increase of 22.3 per cent year on year. The top eight container ports including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xiamen and Dalian altogether handled 73.6 million TEU, accounting for 80 per cent of the total.
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