London: The International Chamber of Shipping has expressed grave concern over the continuing incidence of attacks against shipping in the Gulf of Aden by pirates operating from lawless Somalia.
A few days ago a South Korean vessel was seized for ransom, the 49th vessel to be attacked off Somalia this year and the 20th to be hijacked. As many as 11 ships are now being held by pirates. Malaysian carrier MISC has already ceased sending ships through the Gulf of Aden after two of its vessels were hijacked last month. At the prompting of the IMO, the UN Security Council has already given a mandate to a US-led coalition of naval forces, specifically set up to combat terrorism in the region, to take action against the pirates. However, this action has so far proved ineffective, noted the ICS Executive Committee at a meeting. It concluded that the underlying problem was that many of the military forces have not been given clear instructions or ‘rules of engagement’ by their governments, ‘presumably due to a lack of political will’. The ICS is therefore asking its national shipowner association members to draw attention to this unacceptable threat to merchant shipping and the lives of seafarers by briefing mainstream media in their countries on the problem.
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Monday, September 15, 2008
South Korea’s big three shipyards breach $10 bln mark for new orders booked this year
South Korea's two largest shipyard groups have each won hefty new contracts - meaning that all of the country's Big Three yard groups have now breached the USD10bn mark for new orders booked this year.
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) announces it has just landed orders worth USD430m, for one Taiwanese LNG carrier and two LPG tankers for Brave Maritime Corp of Greece, all to deliver in 2010. The contracts take the total of orders won this year to USD10.2bn, past the group's 2006 target of USD10bn - which has now been increased to USD12bn, almost twice 2005's total of USD6.8bn. Last week Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) also broke the USD10bn barrier, winning a USD1.6bn contract from the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company subsidiary of Abu Dhabi oil major ADNOC to build three fixed platforms for the Um Shaif oil and gas project, believed to be the world's largest ever single offshore construction award.
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Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) announces it has just landed orders worth USD430m, for one Taiwanese LNG carrier and two LPG tankers for Brave Maritime Corp of Greece, all to deliver in 2010. The contracts take the total of orders won this year to USD10.2bn, past the group's 2006 target of USD10bn - which has now been increased to USD12bn, almost twice 2005's total of USD6.8bn. Last week Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) also broke the USD10bn barrier, winning a USD1.6bn contract from the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company subsidiary of Abu Dhabi oil major ADNOC to build three fixed platforms for the Um Shaif oil and gas project, believed to be the world's largest ever single offshore construction award.
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Keppel rolls one out for India’s Jindal
Indian contractor Jindal Drilling & Industries is primed to start a new contract for Oil & Natural Gas Corporation in the Bombay offshore area after taking delivery of the Discovery I jack-up drilling rig from Singaporean rig builder Keppel.
Keppel earned a S$1 million (US$700,000) bonus as the new build jack-up was delivered 49 days ahead of schedule to Discovery Drilling, a joint venture led by Jindal Drilling & Industries (JDIL). Discovery I, is the first of two jack-up rigs being built by Keppel for Jindal, with Virtue I set for delivery in November before starting work with ONGC. The Indian drilling contractor plans to add at least one or more jack-up drilling rigs per year, either owned or leased to its operated fleet, which currently stands at two units. Jindal is also positioning itself for the deep-water market, having forged an alliance with a foreign company earlier this year, which resulted in a three year deal with ONGC. The latest jack-up rig is capable of operating in water depths of 350 feet and drilling down to 30,000 feet. Over the last five years, Indian offshore and marine companies have ordered a total of nine jack-up drilling rigs amounting to about US$1.5 billion from Keppel. All nine rigs are of the KFELS B class category. The design has been developed to meet the requirements of drillers for more powerful jack-ups as the search for hydrocarbons moves into harsher environments and deeper waters.
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Keppel earned a S$1 million (US$700,000) bonus as the new build jack-up was delivered 49 days ahead of schedule to Discovery Drilling, a joint venture led by Jindal Drilling & Industries (JDIL). Discovery I, is the first of two jack-up rigs being built by Keppel for Jindal, with Virtue I set for delivery in November before starting work with ONGC. The Indian drilling contractor plans to add at least one or more jack-up drilling rigs per year, either owned or leased to its operated fleet, which currently stands at two units. Jindal is also positioning itself for the deep-water market, having forged an alliance with a foreign company earlier this year, which resulted in a three year deal with ONGC. The latest jack-up rig is capable of operating in water depths of 350 feet and drilling down to 30,000 feet. Over the last five years, Indian offshore and marine companies have ordered a total of nine jack-up drilling rigs amounting to about US$1.5 billion from Keppel. All nine rigs are of the KFELS B class category. The design has been developed to meet the requirements of drillers for more powerful jack-ups as the search for hydrocarbons moves into harsher environments and deeper waters.
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Hamriyah Free Zone expands dedicated zone for small and medium-sized enterprises
UAE: The Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ) has created a dedicated SME Zone to cater to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs in Asian countries and Middle Eastern often face obstacles such as unfair competition, complex business regulations, and difficult investment approach systems. However, SMEs form a major part of the industrial base. “The structure of large enterprises will see SMEs as the middle link in strengthening their business,” said HFZ Director General, Dr Rashid Al Leem. “SMEs can be the key to finding joint venture partners that can broaden our technological base, strengthen our research and help us build new markets.” HFZ has formulated explicit policies and have designed special programs to strengthen the SME sector. Officially called Hamriyah SME Zone, its policy includes establishing a monitoring and performance system; encouraging SMEs to develop further; provide accurate information to the small investors; provide access to support services; and encourage linkage to SMEs across the borders. The decision to expand the zone is a strong vote of confidence by the skilled management team and the well-planned facilities that HFZ has to offer.
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SMEs in Asian countries and Middle Eastern often face obstacles such as unfair competition, complex business regulations, and difficult investment approach systems. However, SMEs form a major part of the industrial base. “The structure of large enterprises will see SMEs as the middle link in strengthening their business,” said HFZ Director General, Dr Rashid Al Leem. “SMEs can be the key to finding joint venture partners that can broaden our technological base, strengthen our research and help us build new markets.” HFZ has formulated explicit policies and have designed special programs to strengthen the SME sector. Officially called Hamriyah SME Zone, its policy includes establishing a monitoring and performance system; encouraging SMEs to develop further; provide accurate information to the small investors; provide access to support services; and encourage linkage to SMEs across the borders. The decision to expand the zone is a strong vote of confidence by the skilled management team and the well-planned facilities that HFZ has to offer.
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UAE port handling costs on the increase
The cost of handling containers as terminals in the UAE has increased by an average 60 percent in the past one and a half years.
The general shortage of manpower and berthing space has both resulted in the rise in overall container freight charges. The ports of Jebel Ali, Khalid and Khorfakkan have all increased their handling fees within the past 18 months. According to Trade Arabia, the cost of handling a 20-foot loaded container at Jebel Ali increased in February from DH380 (US$130) to DH 750 (US$204) while handling a 40-foot loaded container is now DH870 (US$236), compared with DH460 (US$125) in 2007. Jebel Ali is the world’s largest man-made harbor and the biggest port in the Middle East. It comprises 67 berths and is the size of 134.68 square kilometers.
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The general shortage of manpower and berthing space has both resulted in the rise in overall container freight charges. The ports of Jebel Ali, Khalid and Khorfakkan have all increased their handling fees within the past 18 months. According to Trade Arabia, the cost of handling a 20-foot loaded container at Jebel Ali increased in February from DH380 (US$130) to DH 750 (US$204) while handling a 40-foot loaded container is now DH870 (US$236), compared with DH460 (US$125) in 2007. Jebel Ali is the world’s largest man-made harbor and the biggest port in the Middle East. It comprises 67 berths and is the size of 134.68 square kilometers.
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