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India, China, Japan to coordinate in anti- piracy operations

Anti-Piracy Operations to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden India, China and Japan have started implementing a new mechanism to coordinate the movement of their warships in the Gulf of Aden to provide protection to cargo vessels from sea brigands. The three countries operate independently in the Gulf of Aden to provide protection to cargo ships from pirates and are not part of the two groupings deployed there-- the European EUNAVFOR and the US-led Task Force 151."Earlier what was happening was that the convoys of all these three countries would be spaced by few hours and there would be long hours in a day when no convoy was available for escorting the vessels," Indian Navy's Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Naval Intelligence) Rear Admiral Monty Khanna told reporters here.The officer was holding a briefing on the 'Milan' naval exercise, which started in Port Blair Wednesday. He said now the three countries have "evolved a mechanism under which it will be ensured that there is enough gap between the Indian, Chinese and the Japanese convoy and they are well-displaced" to be able to escort a greater number of ships in a day. Khanna was replying to a ...

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China mega ships ban aimed at helping own shippers

China is shielding its loss-making shipping industry China is shielding its loss-making shipping industry by blocking from its ports giant vessels such as those mining giant Vale SA is building to cut the cost of sending iron ore to its largest market, analysts said on Wednesday.China, the world's top iron ore importer, on Tuesday said its ports could not accept vessels with a deadweight over 300,000 tonnes, which encompasses the Valemaxes, 400,000-deadweight-tonne freighters that are large enough to hold three soccer fields end-to-end on their decks.One of these Valemaxes, the Berge Everest, docked at China's Dalian port in December for the first time, and unloaded its iron ore cargo.But analysts said China was now clearly trying to protect its own shipping industry, which has been hard hit by the economic downturn and at a time when benchmark shipping rates have fallen nearly 70 percent since October, slashing revenue for shipowners a worldwide.China may also be playing hardball to try and get as better deal out of its main supplier Vale, the analysts said. Vale is the world's largest iron ore miner, accounting for more than a quarter of all seaborne trade in iron ore, the main ingredient in steel. China ...

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China ministry says to bar giant ships from ports

China will no longer allow large ships China will no longer allow large ships exceeding approved capacities to dock at its ports, the Ministry of Transport said, effectively snuffing Brazilian miner Vale SA's hopes of sending its mega-ships to China.Ships exceeding approved capacities were previously assessed on a case-by-case basis, but the ministry said in a statement on its website on Tuesday that giant dry bulk vessels and oil tankers were prohibited with immediate effect.The statement comes just a month after Vale managed to unload its 388,000-tonne vessel Berge Everest at Dalian port -- swiftly drawing an outcry from the influential China Shipowners Association, which has been actively lobbying Beijing to ban Vale's giant iron ore carriers.At present, no Chinese ports have regulatory approval to receive dry bulk carriers of more than 300,000 tonnes and industry sources have said Berge Everest's entry to Dalian's Port was likely a bureaucratic fluke since one-off permissions for such large ships could be issued by provincial authorities.The transport ministry said its decision to bar giant ships was in part a result of the severe downturn in the shipping industry as well as maritime safety issues.With Beijing keeping its ports closed to Valemax very large ...

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China Gets Tough on Superships

Stricter Oversight Could Restrict Brazilian Miner Vale's Ability to Deliver Iron Ore China's central government put a tight rein on the ability of a new breed of supersize iron-ore freighters to stop at Chinese ports, potentially complicating efforts by Brazilian mining company Vale SA to gain access to the lucrative market.China's Transport Ministry called for more stringent review for accepting such ships into ports. It also said port operators no longer would enjoy discretion in allowing dry-bulk and oil ships exceeding current weight limits to berth at the ports."The safety outlook regarding oversized ships is not good, and the risks from their stopping at ports is on the higher side," the ministry said on its website Tuesday. China had given port operators discretion to permit oversize ships to berth three times a year.The ministry's statement stopped short of an outright ban on the ships, an apparent compromise in the face of competing agendas from Chinese companies that see profit and peril in the ships. The 361-meter-long, 400,000-deadweight-ton Vale Beijing, one of the new breed of 'very large ore carriers'The move appeared aimed at Vale, one of the world's largest producers of iron ore, a critical ingredient for making steel. Vale ...

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With China shut, Vale iron ore ships head to Philippines

Accessibility to Chinese ports - domestic ship owners strongly protested the arrival of the vessel Two of the world's biggest iron ore carriers are due to arrive in the Philippines for the first time next month, shipping data showed, as Brazilian mining giant Vale looks to use the country as an alternative base to reach Chinese ports.China, the world's largest iron ore importer and Vale's top market, has yet to fully open its seaports to the giant vessels after domestic ship owners strongly protested the arrival of the first and only vessel of the type into the country in late December.With accessibility to Chinese ports uncertain, Vale has been forced to rely on its transshipment hub in the Philippines, a costlier alternative that involves employing more vessels and workers."I'm not surprised that Vale is sending its ships to the Philippines. They have no choice with China's ports still closed off to them," said a Singapore-based ship broker."They have to keep these ships moving or face major losses." The 400,000-deadweight-tonne Vale China is due to arrive in Subic Bay Freeport, located in the Philippines' main Luzon island, on Feb. 22, shipping data showed.That is 10 days after similar-sized Vale Brasil is ...

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Oversupply and global economic downturn to dominate China Maritime Week

China Maritime Week to be held in Hong Kong from February 28 to March 1 The global maritime industry is bracing for a challenging year ahead, and there is an increasing need for the industry to get together and discuss the wide range of issues that will have to be addressed.China Maritime Week, to be held in Hong Kong from February 28 to March 1, will provide a platform for industry leaders from Asia, Europe and the US to discuss issues and formulate ideas to overcome the looming crisis for the shipping industry. There is intense activity throughout the region in ship-owning, ship-building, ship-repair, naval architecture, port operations, tugs, work boats, ferries, tourism, commercial fishing, naval, police and coast guard, and pollution control.Arthur Bowring, managing director of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, sees the event as a good opportunity for debate and discussion for industry leaders."Shipowners are facing a challenging year in 2012, as oversupply and the global economic downturn are having negative impacts on shipping," he said. "China Maritime Week will provide a good platform for the shipping community to meet to discuss the way forward, share ideas and formulate strategy for the year ahead. Hong Kong is the ...

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French ports form alliance to boost trade

Collaboration for greater China trade The ports also announced the creation of a major port complex, as part of the Grand Paris project."I think streamlining the three ports will be of great interest to our Chinese partners," said Laurent Castaing, managing director of Le Havre Port in northern France.According to data from Le Havre Port, trade volume with China increased by 20 percent annually over the last four years. The three ports handled a total of 94 million tons of cargo last year, down 4 percent from 2010.Nearly 67 percent of that figure was from East Asia and more than one-third was from China.The alliance has set up direct routes with 14 ports in China, including Shanghai and Ningbo.In recent years, several gateways have been constructed to facilitate trade between China and Europe. In Greece, China is leasing ports in Athens and has increased cooperation with Western European ports.Recently, Hungary has requested Chinese assistance in building maritime gateways for Eastern European countries to reduce freight costs and the region's reliance on ports in Western Europe.In May, Belgium and China launched a freight rail line linking the Port of Antwerp and the southeastern Chinese city of Chongqing."We will try our every ...

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NATO and China Cooperate to Fight Piracy

The fight against piracy is an international effort The fight against piracy is an international effort. This is especially clear off the coast of Somalia, where a recent meeting at sea between Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi Tosun, the Commander of NATO's Counter Piracy Mission, Operation Ocean Shield, and his Chinese counterpart, Rear Admiral LI Shihong, illustrates how cooperation is the key to fighting this global threat.NATO has contributed to the international counter-piracy effort off the Horn of Africa since December 2008, working with other international actors to disrupt pirate attacks and develop the capacity of countries in the region to tackle piracy on their own. The wider region has seen a 20 % increase in pirate attacks against commercial shipping between 2010 and 2011. But through cooperation between NATO and its international partners in disrupting these attacks, successful hijacking are down 45% for the same period.The two naval commanders paid reciprocal visits to each others' flagships on the same day, while the Chinese Task Group ships were escorting a convoy and the NATO flagship, a Turkish frigate named TCG Giresun, was patrolling through the Gulf of Aden. "The Chinese Navy has supported the counter piracy efforts by providing escorts ...

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China establishes Ship Dynamic Monitoring Center

The center will provide efficient and convenient coordinated maritime management Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration recently announced that the China Ship Dynamic Monitoring Center will be established in the city.The monitoring center will serve as a national maritime cloud-computing platform, which integrates various marine information resources, and promotes the adoption of advanced maritime technologies under the guidance of the China Maritime Safety Administration.The center will provide efficient and convenient coordinated maritime management and other services to boost the development of China's shipping industry, and lay an information foundation for building Shanghai into an international shipping center.Statistics showed that about 29 traffic accidents occurred in waters in Shanghai in 2011, resulting in 13 shipwrecks and 18 deaths as well as over 189 million yuan in direct economic loss. Overall, the city faces a basically stable water safety situation. Source: People's Daily

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