Tag: containerships

The vessel beached 100 metres off the shore Angolan firefighters on May 27, 2011, were struggling to control a fire on the "UAL Antwerp" in the entrance of Luanda port.A 40-ft-container aboard the ship which just had arrived coming from Houston had caught fire on June 26 at 11:30 a.m. LT, and the fire spread to other containers some of which were feared to contain petroleum products or nitrogen. Dense fume started to emerge, while offshore suppliers rushed to the scene and started with fire fighting attempts. The fire was obviously contained in the morning of June 28, and the vessel beached 100 metres off the shore.Source: Vessel Tracker

Building 2 New 8,600TEU Containerships Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) today announced a decision to order two containerships (8,600 TEU) from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., with delivery slated for 2013. Along with eight 8,100 TEU ships already in operation, the new vessels will be deployed to Asia-Europe routes.The company also reached an agreement with NOL Group* for a three-year charter of five large containerships (14,000 TEU) of 10 that NOL Group has on order. The five chartered ships will be delivered in 2013 - 2014 and will serve with the other five operated by APL on Asia-Europe routes."Expansion of the fleet will secure needed capacity on the East-West route, and allow us to provide high-quality, competitive services. MOL works continuously to further improve and optimise its service, and is reviewing the need for an expansion of the fleet on not only East-West trades but also all other routes for the benefit of our customers," said Junichiro Ikeda, CEO, MOL Liner.Source: MOL

Alphaliner warns for further rate competition The race to order ultra large container ships as ocean carriers seek lower capital and operating costs will lead to increased rate completion as lines strive to fill their vessels, Alphaliner warned.Carriers are expected to firm up orders for more than 50 ships with capacities exceeding 10,000 20-foot equivalent units by the end of the year, according to the container market analyst.They will join 147 similar sized vessels due for delivery over the next four years and the 98 that have been delivered since 2008.The carriers inability to rein in the huge appetite for new and larger tonnage will inevitably lead to further rate competition, Alphaliner noted.The latest carrier to join the race is APL, which signed deals for 10 14,000 TEUs ships, some 64 percent larger than the biggest ships the carrier currently operates.Koreas Hanjin Shipping subsequently confirmed an $846 million order for five 13,000 TEUs vessels.In the past six months OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK are also announced plans to order or charter ships of above 13,000 TEUs, joining nine carriers who have already placed orders for ships of this size.Only seven out of the top 20 carriers have still not placed orders ...

Two crewmembers including the captain were slightly injured Two crewmembers including the captain were slightly injured when the "Deneb" on June 11, 2011, suddenly heeled to starboard in Algerias. 101 meters long Germany based company owned container ship capsized in Algeriask, at Maersk container terminal, 2 injured including captain.Two crewmembers including the captain were slightly injured when the "Deneb" on June 11, 2011, suddenly heeled to starboard in Algerias.At 3:30 loading operations were stopped by MAL and SG Portainer because of stability problems.Short time later the ship began to list toward the quay at 1.55 p.m.When the ship began to list the dock quickly escaped by jumping overboard and fall into the water without damage, there were 2 non-serious injuries among the crew, it seems that a sailor was hurt in the arm and the captain struck in the mouth, fortunately no serious injuries manifested.Began to list at 13.55 before the helpless eyes of the stevedores who watched the scene as it was when it occurred is the shift and in the area were the 2 turns, the incoming and outgoing.Oil booms were laid out around the vessel, and 2 tugs were pushing from the seaward port side prevent further ...

No respite likely from newbuilding cancellations The threat of oversupply in container shipping will not be reduced by cancelled or delayed vessel orders this year, according to one analyst. Research by Paris-based Alphaliner showed that the number of vessel orders cancelled or delayed would slip to pre-recession levels this year, following a dramatic increase in 2009 and 2010.Of the 1.87 million teu of vessels on order towards the end of 2008 and due for delivery in 2009, only 57% were actually delivered.This trend continued last year, with only 66% of the 2.09 million teu of vessels due for arrival actually delivered.Alphaliner said this level of cancellations and deferrals would not continue in 2011, suggesting slippage levels would fall to around 5% - in line with historic levels."Some sources say a significant percentage of ships will not be delivered on time in 2011 and beyond," it said."These assertions are wrong, as the use extrapolations based on the past three-year slippage average, which is distorted by the effect of the crisis and therefore not representative of the long-term trend."This leads to erroneous conclusions about the future supply-demand balance."Alphaliner pointed out that some of the previous non-deliveries were caused by cancellations at the ...

At the TOC conference in Belgium Yesterday, Maersk Line CEO, Eivind Kolding, addressed the container shipping and logistics industry as the keynote speaker at the TOC conference in Antwerp, Belgium.His message was clear and simple: If container shipping is to secure its licence to operate in the future, the industry needs to change now! Containerisation often referred to as the engine of globalisation - revolutionised world trade. The potential it unlocked by effeciently connecting producers and consumers across the world enabled both shipping lines and their customers to develop their businesses in ways that previously had seemed impossible.However, container shipping, is also the story of an established business model that often disappoints customers: one in every two containers is late, shipping lines are complex to do business with, and the industry, even while being the most environmentally-friendly transportation mode, still lacks transparency and common goals.With examples from the automotive, aviation, portable music players and mobile phone industries, Eivind Kolding told the conference that just because an industry is established it may only be a few years from being completely overtaken by new technology. And, that market and customer behaviour is forcing companies to never lose sight of what customers really ...

Circular by German Flag Administration The German Flag Administration has issued ISM-Circular, which concerns guidance on providing safe working conditions for securing of containers.This circular informs ship owners, ship managers, designated persons and masters of German flagged ships about important amendments to the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS-Code).The aim of the new annex 14 to the CSS Code (implemented by the MSC.1/Circ. 1352) is to ensure that persons engaged in carrying out container securing operations on deck have safe working conditions and, in particular safe access, appropriate securing equipment and safe places of work.The new annex 14 to the CSS Code applies to containerships, the keels of which were laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2015.On existing containerships the following sections of Annex 14 have to be applied :4.4 (Training and familiarization) 6 (Design) 7.1 (Introduction) 7.2 (Operation procedures) 7.3 (Maintenance) 8 (Specialized container safety design)With regard to section 6 (Design) and section 7.2 (Operation procedures) existing ships are not be required to be enlarged or undergo other major structural modifications.This ISM-Circular reminds also the revisions of the "Recommendation on safety of personnel during container securing ...

Container volumes continue to grow Moderate growth in container volumes across Europe seen in the beginning of the year have continued in March, according to Hackett Associates and the Bremen Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics. The latest Global Port Tracker: North Europe Trade Outlook said low volumes in February led to a relatively weak quarter, with a total of 5.52 million teu.This represents a 2.1% increase over the previous quarter and an 8.9% year on year gain. In February it predicted imports in the first quarter of 2011 to increase 7.3% year on year.Import volumes for March were up 8.6% year on year and 6% month on month.Export volumes for March were, at 1 million teu, 16.1% up on the previous month and 7.8% higher than March 2010.Meanwhile, Ben Hackett, Founder of Hackett Associates, predicts trade to grow only in single digits this year, despite capacity increasing in double digits."The carriers will be under considerable pressure as freight rates remain weak. One can certainly expect to see a return to laying up ships in the coming months."The Global Port Tracker monitors six North European ports: Le Havre, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Hamburg.The ports of Zeebrugge and Hamburg were ...

Over 70 ships recorded as unemployed The idle containership fleet has returned to pre-crisis levels, with just over 70 ships recorded as unemployed. The latest figures from analyst Alphaliner show that the idle fleet has reached a 30-month, low with 71 ships, or 134,000teu, laid up.This represents around 0.9% of the overall cellular fleet and is the lowest level the idle fleet has been at since September 2008.At the peak of the crisis, close to 400 non-carrier-controlled (NCC) ships and 200 carrier-controlled vessels were unemployed.Alphaliner said: "Twenty-six carrier-controlled ships are currently unemployed, 75,000teu."However, apart from a few over-aged, mothballed ships and some damaged units, essentially the entire usable cellular fleet under carrier control is expected to be employed by the end of May."Two ships of above 5,000teu remain unemployed so far, but both are to join the newly-launched Asia Europe Express 2 (AEX2) service, a loop jointly operated by Zim, CSCL and Evergreen."A further 45 units for NCC accounts, aggregating 59,000teu, are presently idle.Alphaliner said supply and demand was currently "fairly balanced". But added that declining freight rates could result in the size of the idle fleet increasing again soon.It added: "Containership demand has been sustained since August 2010, in ...

Ten environmentally advanced vessels The Evergreen Group has ordered and signed a contract with China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSBC) today for ten 8,000-TEU container vessels.The contract, signed by Bronson Hsieh, Evergreen Vice Group Chairman, and Tang Tay-Ping, CSBC Chairman, is for Evergreen's third-time order of L-class environmentally advanced vessels and marks the global ocean carrier's last order from Taiwan's CSBC since 1997.Three of the new vessels will be built for Evergreen Marine Corporation, four for Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd., and three for Evergreen Marine (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All will be utilized for Evergreen Line's worldwide services in various trade lanes. The first new vessel is due for delivery in 2013.As part of its newest shipbuilding program, The Evergreen Group placed orders with Samsung Heavy Industries Co. last July and September for twenty 8,000-TEU L-class vessels, which are due for delivery beginning in 2012.As with those L-class ships, the new ten ships will have an overall length of 334.8 meters (1100 feet) and a beam of 45.8 meters (150 feet) and a maximum draft of 14.2 meters. With fuel-saving features and a highly efficient operation they are designed to provide shippers an upgraded delivery service as well as reducing carbon emissions.Evergreen will ...