Fremantle based Sea Corporation signs the world's largest ship agency contract for 2008

Fremantle based ship broking, ship agency and marine service provider Sea Corp has signed an agreement to handle the shipping needs of the Pilbara's new force in iron ore, Fortescue Metals Group.

The three-year contract, which can be extended for five years, becomes effective from April 2008 and is understood to represent the world's largest ship agency tender signed this year. Seacorp will handle all the ship agency, local representation and document execution for Fortescue, and will be the exclusive agent for all ships calling at the Pilbara port of Port Hedland to handle Fortescue cargo. Seacorp managing director Craig Thompson said Seacorp would also be the shipping agent for Fortescue's CFR, cost and freight terms, shipments at various discharge ports in China. Seacorp, which was set up by Craig Thompson in 1998, is the nation's largest independently owned Australian ship agency and Shipbroking Company. Seacorp brought a unique dimension to the Australian transport scene in that it brought an all encompassing shipping and international trade consultancy service to clients. Seacorp's diversified range of services includes ship broking, ship agency, document execution, marine surveys, inspections and the provision of specialized marine personnel.

Read More

Carnival Uses Intersleek 900

International Paint completed a hull coating project on Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Victory.

The seven-year-old Italian-built vessel, one of a fleet of 23 passenger liners, was coated with Intersleek 900 during a recent drydocking in the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in late 2007. Carnival Valor is was due to be coated with Intersleek 900 in early 2008. Intersleek 900 was chosen following a long evaluation of the Intersleek 700 foul release system by Carnival Cruise Lines. According to International, Intersleek 700 demonstrated that the coating decreased fuel consumption and improved hull maintenance. Secondary benefits of using Intersleek 700 included a reduction in the amount of hazardous wash water and contaminated grit produced during coating repair, fewer coats and less paint applied at subsequent drydockings, fewer volatile organic compounds released during the painting process and less time spent in drydock. “The Intersleek coating has definitely proven to be effective on Carnival’s vessels in terms of improving vessel speed and energy efficiency along with preventing fouling build up on the underwater hull,” said Roberto Martinoli, the Executive VP of Carnival Cruise Lines who was involved in the evaluation of Intersleek 700. Carnival Cruise Lines chose Intersleek 900, the new patented fluoropolymer foul release coating for the recent docking of the Carnival Victory and the impending docking of the Carnival Valor.

Read More

China's export container transportation market coming out of stagnation

China's export container transportation market is gradually coming out of its previous stagnation with cargo volumes restored to normal on the three main routes of Europe, North America and Japan during the week ended March 21.

SSE says that the latest data Freights on part of the routes have reversed the previous decline. SSE's China Containerized Freight Index closed at 1,145.41 points on March 21, which levels with the previous week. SSE's freight index for Europe and the Mediterranean routes were 1,716.6 and 1,696. 14 points respectively in the week, up 1.1 percent and 1.2 percent respectively over the previous week. SSE's freight index for the Japan route dropped 4.2 percent from the previous week to close at 797.16 points. According to SSE's information department, freight demand on the Europe and Mediterranean routes continued to restore last week. Resumed cargo volume is keeping shipping companies' average capacity utilization at 80 percent despite the release of new shipping capacities onto these routes.

Read More

Iran singled out by US Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard has alerted the maritime community that Iran has been placed on the port security advisory list.

The Coast Guard determined that Iran has not maintained effective anti-terrorism measures. The determination was made in accordance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into account several factors, including whether a foreign port poses a high risk of introducing terrorism to international maritime commerce. Vessels will be targeted for increased boardings when arriving in U.S. ports if they have visited one of the countries in the port security advisory list during their last five port calls.

Read More

US vessel 'shoots at Suez boat'

A US container ship approaching the Suez Canal has opened fire on a small Egyptian motorboat, killing one man and wounding two others.

The Global Patriot, carrying used US military equipment, was in the Gulf of Suez when it was approached by a motorboat selling local merchandise. Its crew apparently fired after the boat failed to heed warnings to stop when asked, the US navy said. It added that it was in contact with Egypt through the US embassy in Cairo. As many as 100 other local vessels are said to have gathered at the scene, carrying hawkers demanding an inquiry. Some 7.5% of world sea trade passes through the Suez Canal, which is 190km long (118 miles) and 120m wide (395ft) at its narrowest point. It was after sunset on Monday when a motorboat carrying three local Egyptian traders approached the Global Patriot in the Gulf of Suez as it prepared to sail towards the Mediterranean, according to Egyptian officials. The Global Patriot's crew are reported to have ordered the motorboat to stop and when it did not, they opened fire, killing one and wounding two others, the officials added. According to the US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), the Global Patriot is a US-flagged roll-on, roll-off container ship chartered from Global Container Lines. In the past, it has been used by the MSC to transport a US military Patriot Missile defence battery, ammunition, and MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles around the world.
Read More