Paccship fined for pollution

PACCSHIP, which operates vessels trading in Asia and to the US has been fined US$1.7m for offences relating to improper transfers and discharges of oil-contaminated waste from two of its ships.

Paccship pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and for using falsified records that concealed improper transfers and discharges of oil-contaminated waste. The company was also sentenced to serve a four-year term of probation during which it must implement and follow a stringent environmental compliance program that includes a court-appointed monitor and outside independent auditing of its ships. The company will also hand over a $400,000 community service payment. The government’s investigation began on April 11, 2006, when inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the PAC Antares operated and managed by Paccship, following the ship’s arrival in Morehead City, N.C. The inspection uncovered evidence that crew members aboard the ship had improperly handled and disposed of the ship’s oil-contaminated waste and falsified entries in the ship’s official Oil Record Book to conceal these activities. During the inspection, crew members lied to Coast Guard inspectors in an attempt to obstruct the investigation. In November 2006 similar evidence was found on another ship operated by the same company, the PAC Altair.

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Vinalines sets high target for ’08

Viet Nam National Shipping Lines plans to invest about US$3bil in development through 2010, Mai Van Phuc, Vinalines' director, said.

The money would mostly be invested in the building and development of its flotilla, the upgrade of seaport infrastructure and the development of transport services, Phuc added. Vinalines is currently building new ships and buying second-hand ones from foreign partners to increase its total ship capacity from 2.1mil tonnes by the end of 2007 to 2.8mil tonnes by the end of 2008, and up to 5mil tonnes by 2010. Current ships will gradually be replaced with more vessels that are modern. Those with 50,000-70,000 tonne capacity will replace ships with a capacity of 25,000-30,000 tonnes. Phuc said that Vinalines would have 11 projects related to seaport infrastructure development in 2008, including Hai Phong's Lach Huyen International Seaport, HCM City's Hiep Phuoc Seaport and the second phase of the Tien Sa seaport project in Da Nang. Regarding Vinalines' biggest seaport infrastructure project in 2008 - the construction of the Van Phong International Ship Container Terminal - Phuc recently confirmed that the project would be launched this June. Vinalines will also invest in upgrading Nha Rong and Khanh Hoi ports in HCM City, along with Song Han port in Da Nang, into tourism seaports with developed cargo storage systems and logistical services. Vinalines plans to diversify its capital mobilization channels, including loans from domestic and foreign financial institutions and loans from the State, building its plans to issue construction and enterprise bonds to the domestic and international markets, as well as towards establishing financial companies.

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China Shipping to spend US$3.3 billion on vessels

China Shipping Development plans to spend 23 billion yuan (US$3.3 billion) to buy 59 vessels over the next five years.

This will more than double its capacity to ride an anticipated upswell in global trade, its top executive said. Oil and coal carriers will build up to a fleet of more than 180 ships to meet the heavy resource needs of China's fast-growing economy. The world's fourth-largest economy currently maintains a total capacity of 7.82 million DWT, Chairman of China Shipping Development, Li Shaode said. The 59 vessels, to be delivered in the years until 2012, come with a collective capacity of 8.69 million DWT and will more than double the firm's shipping capability. China Shipping Development is also reports its 2007 net profits as jumping a staggering 66 percent, following a venture, late last year, into the iron ore business. Profits for last year have jumped from 2.8 billion yuan (US$0.4 billion) in 2006 to hit 4.6 billion yuan (US$0.66 billion). China Shipping Development says the big jump in earnings is largely due to expansions in its core business of ocean shipping. In any case, the fast-growing economy has meant much higher demand for oil, coal and iron ore.
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Superfast internet may replace World Wide Web

The internet could soon be made obsolete by a new "grid" system, which is 10,000 times faster than broadband connections.

Scientists in Switzerland have developed a lightning-fast replacement to the internet that would allow feature films and music catalogues to be downloaded within seconds. The invention could signal the end of the dreaded 'frozen screen', when computers seize up after being asked to process too much information. The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the internet, the grid could also provide the power needed to send sophisticated images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call. David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technology could change society. The power of the grid will be unlocked this summer with the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a new particle accelerator designed to investigate how the universe began. The grid will be turned on at the same time to store the information it generates, after scientists at Cern, based near Geneva, realized the internet would not have the capacity to capture such huge volumes of data. The grid has been built with fibre optic cables and modern routing centres, meaning there are no outdated components to slow the deluge of data, unlike the internet. There are 55,000 grid servers already installed, a figure that is expected to rise to 200,000 within the next two years. Britain has 8,000 servers on the grid system, meaning access could be available to universities as early as this autumn.

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India sees Rs.1 trillion investment in port, shipping

India expects to double port capacity to 1,500 million tonnes by 2011/12 and would require 1 trillion rupees investment in the port and shipping sectors, federal shipping secretary A P V N Sarma said.

The port sector would require investment worth 550 billion rupees while shipping and inland waterways would need another Rs 450 billion by 2015. Planning Commission estimates that the infrastructure sector will require investment of $500 billion between 2007/08 and 2011/12, which is key for the economy to sustain an average 9 per cent growth. "We will require one trillion rupees investment by 2015 (in ports, shipping and inland waterways," Sarma said. However, a cash-strapped government is looking for greater private role in infrastructure building and has been inviting foreign players to pour in more money and bring in their expertise in Asia's third largest economy. "There is tremendous room for private sector to participate. We have got a lot of response from foreign players for the port sector," Sarma said. Sarma said cargo-handling volume in 12 major ports in India was at 520 million tonnes, while smaller ports contributed another 260 million tonnes during 2007/08. "We are expecting a 12-15 per cent growth in 2008/09." The government aims to double capacity in major ports to 1,000 million tonnes by 2011/12, and raise it to 500 million tonnes for smaller ports, he said. Raising port capacity and speedy cargo handling is crucial for India to sustain high growth in exports and imports.

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MOL Offers New West Mediterranean Service

The New World Alliance carriers - APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and CMA CGM have announced a new joint West Mediterranean (MED) service starting from April 26th, 2008.

The new service offers shippers access and fast transit times to the growing Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Eight vessels will be deployed on the service. TNWA will operate six vessels while CMA CGM will operate two vessels. Capacity for these eight ships will be between 4,000 and 4,500 TEU. Port rotation for the MED service is: Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Kelang, Damietta, Genoa, Barcelona, Fos, Damietta, Jeddah, Port Kelang, Singapore, Chiwan and Shanghai.
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Caterpillar powers China-built IHC Merwede dredgers

Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific and WesTrac China, the Caterpillar dealer for North and Northeast China, have established a preferred supplier status in powering China-built IHC Merwede dredgers.

Since cooperating on the dredger project 'BeiYa 1' in 2005, WesTrac China and IHC Merwede, the global leader, have collaborated on 23 newbuildings for the Chinese dredging market. These dredgers belong to three different models and utilize six different types of Caterpillar engines, with a total 81 units involved. Buoyant seaborne trade has led to global record levels in dredging and port construction. IHC Merwede has extensive experience in this segment having built thousands of dredgers. The company serves half the world market today. In 2004, IHC Merwede developed a concept for an advanced cutter suction dredger with a capacity of about 2,300 cubic metres per hour for customers in China, which eventually resulted in the delivery of 'BeiYa 1' from Liaonan Shipyard in January 2006. Three Cat 3500 series marine engines provide ample power for high-performance dredging in the Bohai Sea on behalf of Quingdao North Asia Construction Engineering. 'BeiYa 1' established the IHC 7025MP cutter suction dredger design, which is characterized by a 70 centimeter suction diameter, up to 25 metres of dredging depth and mono pontoon execution. Following the success of the IHC 7025MP series, IHC developed the more powerful 8527MP cutter suction dredger. This design is based on a suction diameter of 85 centimetres and can cope with dredging depths up to 27 metres. WesTrac has already signed repeat contracts to power six additional IHC 8527MP dredgers.

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