Singapore's MPA launches maritime career portal

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Ceo BG (NS) Tay Lim Heng launched a one-stop job portal Maritimecareers.com.sg, at the quarterly NetworkONE Reception for the maritime community yesterday.

The portal, which is an initiative under MaritimeONE (Outreach Network), is designed to support Singapore's rapid growth as an international maritime centre. It effectively performs the role of an on line job match maker that operates 24/7, promoting maritime careers and education, bringing prospective employers and employees together, and featuring jobs spanning all three maritime sectors: shorebased maritime services, offshore and marine engineering, and seafaring.
“The launch of this new maritime career portal marries the growing interest among our youth in the maritime sector and the industry's need for quality manpower to fuel the rapid growth of Singapore as an international maritime centre,” said Tay. “By leveraging on the internet, the job match-making can be effected around the clock.” S.S. Teo (pictured), chairman of the MaritimeONE steering committee, said, “We are very heartened by the support of the maritime industry to the various events and initiatives that the MaritimeONE has organized. This portal is yet another avenue for the industry to showcase its wide ranging career opportunities that many may not be aware.

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French shipping group CMA CGM 2007 profit up 58 pct

French shipping group CMA CGM said that its 2007 net profit rose 58 percent to $966 million as it launched 42 new services throughout the world and took delivery of 98 new vessels.

The company said sales rose 40 percent to $11.8 billion. Stripping out acquisitions, growth was 35 percent, it said. CMA CGM's fleet is now composed of 384 group-operated ships with a carrying capacity of 913,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) compared with 698,000 at the end of 2006. It said the container fleet grew 28 percent in 2007 for a total of 1,535,000 TEU. In the statement, Chairman Jacques Saade was quoted as saying the company was preparing for "the arrival of a new generation of large vessels in our fleet which will represent a new era for the maritime shipping industry and for CMA CGM". CMA CGM competes with companies such as A.P. Moller-Maersk and Evergreen Marine Corp. A CMA CGM spokesperson said earlier this week the company was not interested in acquiring Germany's Hapag-Lloyd amid speculation it could be split off from parent group Tui.

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Canada-US link gets green light

TransCanada has been given the green light by the US State Department to build pipeline facilities at the border between the US and Canada as part of its pending $5.2 billion crude pipe project that will eventually link the two countries.

TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline, which is co-owned by ConocoPhillips, will begin construction on the pipe in the second quarter of 2008. The in-service date is expected some time during the fourth quarter of 2009. Keystone received National Energy Board approval last year for two major regulatory applications to construct and operate the Canadian portion of the project. Keystone also received approvals in 2007 and early 2008 for major US state-level regulatory applications. Affiliates of TransCanada will be responsible for constructing and operating the 3456-kilometer (2148-mile) Keystone Pipeline, which will be capable of delivering 590,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to US mid-west markets at Wood River and Patoka, Illinois, and to Cushing, Oklahoma. Initial deliveries to Patoka are expected to begin in late 2009. Keystone has secured firm long term contracts of 495,000 barrels per day with an average duration of 18 years.

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The 'Lions' of Hong Kong awaken at the official opening of China Maritime 2008

Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Chan JP, awakens Hong Kong's 'Lions' at official opening of China Maritime 2008.

In front of a growing crowd of 100+ people and a well-represented media sector, China Maritime 2008 opened its doors for Hong Kong's only international shipping exhibition. Organiser, Neil Baird welcomed the VIPs and guests and stated how excited he was to be back in Hong Kong (since China Maritime 2006). 'We have a big spread of exhibitors covering the whole shipping industry, from small to large,' he said. 'Hong Kong is an exciting entry point to China and with the support of the Hong Kong Government, we are looking to build on our last exhibition and are looking forward to helping to build a truly international Hong Kong maritime week, over the years to come. Mr Peter Cremers, Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, thanked the organisers for their persistence in bringing the China Maritime exhibition to Hong Kong and wished the exhibition a successful three days. An exciting Lion dance was witnessed by all. Ms Eva Cheng and Mr Peter Cremers conducted the ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opens the Exhibition. Over the past seven years, China's shipbuilding industry has had some 30 percent growth per annum, making it the second largest shipbuilding country in the world, today.

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European shipping co. to bring more cargo through port

A European shipping company has agreed to bring more containerized cargo to the Port of New Orleans.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. said that it will immediately open a direct shipping line between New Orleans and docks on the west coast of South America, adding one vessel call per week to the port's container terminal at the foot of Napoleon Avenue. MSC already brings two ships per week to Napoleon Avenue from wharves on the east coast of South America and in Europe. The new service is "a coup" that will bring New Orleans more business from a major shipper, said Conrad Appel, a former chairman of the Dock Board of the Port of New Orleans who advises GNO Inc. on maritime issues. "What this means is that New Orleans can be considered a blooming but potentially major player in the container ship trade," Appel said. "It demonstrates their confidence in the Port of New Orleans as a gateway." MSC's decision follows news that the company forged a partnership with Ceres Gulf Inc., one of two stevedores that operate the Napoleon Avenue terminal. Joined under the banner New Orleans Terminals, MSC and Ceres Gulf soon will begin operating half of the terminal. Upon announcing the partnership last year, port officials promised the arrangement would result in more containerized cargo from MSC. Cargo volumes at the terminal have grown in recent years. Data shows that the port handled 250,649 TEUs last year, up more than 42 percent from 2006.

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Keppel surpasses 11 million safe man-hours on two FPSOs for SBM

ExxonMobil to support Keppel Shipyard in its Safety Excellence 2010 roadmap.

Keppel Shipyard has set another safety milestone with more than 11 million man-hours worked without lost-time incidents (LTI) on two FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) facilities converted for Single Buoy Moorings (SBM) and Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) (ExxonMobil) for the Kizomba C project in Angola. FPSO 'Saxi Batuque', achieved six million man-hours without LTI, while FPSO 'Mondo', which was delivered in September last year, attained five million. The successful completion of these FPSOs is the culmination of seven years of safety partnership involving Keppel Shipyard, SBM and ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil's contribution to Keppel's safety efforts goes far beyond the projects they work on. The oil major has been actively involved in the promotion of safety programs at Keppel Shipyard throughout the seven-year period. ExxonMobil and SBM also play an important role in Keppel Shipyard's Safety Steering Committee. The delivery of Saxi Batuque will mark a new phase in ExxonMobil's strategic safety partnership with Keppel Shipyard to achieve its Safety Excellence 2010 plan. The program will establish a roadmap for additional safety improvements, to ensure that results are sustainable and can continue to grow in the future. The Minister of Planning of the Republic of Angola, Mrs Ana Dias Lourenco, named the vessel ‘Saxi Batuque’. FPSO 'Saxi Batuque' will be capable of processing 100,000 barrels of oil per day with a storage capacity for 1.6 million barrels of oil.
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Eskom buys raw export coal to boost quality-miners

South African state utility Eskom is having to buy more raw, unwashed export coal on a spot basis because much of its newly-rebuilt stocks are powdered fines difficult to handle.

Eskom has been battling a power supply crisis that has hit the country's lifeblood mining industry and caused blackouts. Eskom has during the past month been buying crushed run-of-mine (ROM) coal at just under R300 a tonne free-on-truck to blend with fines making them useable. Eskom has signed new term contracts in the past two months at around R150 a tonne FOT, double last year's contract price. A high proportion of fines delivered to the plants would leave Eskom little option but to buy ROM coal at market value in order to sweeten the blend and ensure maximum power generation round the clock. Eskom has also bought a small amount of washed, export coal at around R600 a tonne FOT, where ROM has not been immediately available, according to one mining source. Earlier this week, Eskom spokesman Andrew Etzinger acknowledged that the utility had experienced difficulty handling and burning fine coal over the past few years. This remains a problem for Eskom, he said. "It's as much an issue of quality as quantity," he said. Coal mining companies have pledged an additional 5.4 million tonnes to Eskom for delivery within the next couple of months and this coal is starting to be moved. The majority of large and small coal producers have stepped up deliveries to Eskom during the past few weeks and are delivering coal of the size and quality sought by the utility.
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