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Port of Shanghai sets new record in cargo, container throughput

According to the latest statistics Port of Shanghai, the world's busiest cargo and container port, saw both its cargo and container throughput hit new high in the first half of this year, according to the latest statisticsreleased by the Shanghai Statistics Bureau.In the first six months,, the port's cargo throughput grew 10.3% year on year to 353.17 million metric tons, including 163.37 million metric tons of foreign trade cargo volume. The port's inward cargo volume climbed 8.3% year on year to 221.29 billion metric tons in the first half, and outward cargo volume rose 14% year on year to 131.88 million metric tons.The port's container throughput was 15.32 million twenty-foot equivalent units during the period, up 10.5% year on year. The figure included 7.47 million TEUs of inward container throughput and 7.85 million TEUs of outward container throughput, 9.8% and 11.2% more than in the corresponding period of last year, respectively.In 2010, the Port of Shanghai surpassed the Port of Singapore, becoming the busiest container port in the world. The port handled 29.07 million TEUs last year, 16.3% more than in 2009, and its cargo volume rose 10.4% year on year to 653 million metric tons.Source: China Knowledge

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Seaspan accepts delivery of new containership

Seaspan Corporation took delivery of a new 13,100 TEU containership Seaspan Corporation yesterday took delivery of a new 13,100 TEU containership, the COSCO Development, its ninth delivery so far this year.The ship, constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries, expands the Hong Kong-based company's operating fleet to 64 vessels and it is on charter to COSCO Container Lines under a 12-year, fixed-rate time charter.It is the third of eight 13,100 TEU sister ships and the 13th of a total of 18 vessels to be delivered by Seaspan to COSCO.Eight further new containerships are scheduled to be delivered to Seaspan by 2014.Source: Ship Management International

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Hong Kong issues Note re Falling of containers causing hull damage

A Hong Kong registered container vessel lost 31 containers overboard Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Falling of containers causing hull damage.This Note refers to all Shipowners, Ship Managers, Ship Operators, Masters and Officers Containers on board a Hong Kong registered container vessel fell overboard and pierced the bunker oil tanks causing devastating oil spill. This information note draws the attention of the shipowners, ship managers, ship operators and officers the lessons learnt in the accident.The Incident1. A Hong Kong registered container vessel lost 31 containers overboard in gale force weather during cyclone off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia. About 270 tonnes of fuel leaked into the sea as a result of the damage to the bunker tanks caused by the overboard containers. The oil spilled into the sea causing serious pollution.2. The investigation into the incident conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau revealed that the condition of the cargo lashing equipment was poor and its maintenance and inspection programme was inadequate.Lessons Learnt3. The maintenance of cargo securing gears is of vital importance to ship stability, safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment. A maintenance and inspection progromme should be ...

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Ocean charter market declines

Charter rates have dropped by 11 percent on average in the past three months Containership charter rates are tumbling as ocean carriers re-asses their tonnage requirements amid slowing cargo growth and weakening freight rates.Charter rates have dropped by 11 percent on average in the past three months, with all ship sizes affected, and current trends suggest they will slip further by the end of the year, according to Alphaliner. The number of fixtures and the length of fixtures have also declined significantly since April, the container market analyst said.Rates are likely to drop further in the coming months as demand from charterers has cooled. In June the number of reported fixtures reached the lowest level this year.The daily charter rate for container ship of 4,250-foot equivalent units capacity has slipped to $23,459 from $26,113 a month ago, according to the Hamburg Shipbrokers Association.
A 2,700 TEUs vessel on a 24-month charter is fetching $15,629 a day against $17,481 at the end of June.Rates are still above levels of the past two years when the charter market sank to historic lows. A 3,500 TEU gearless Panamax ship is currently earning $19,000 a day compared with an average $13,250 in 2010 and $6,575 ...

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Container shipping will stay volatile for four more years

Analyst fears overcapacity will upset unstable supply-demand balance The high volatility experienced in the container shipping market over the past few years will continue for another four years, according to one analyst.Analyst SeaIntel said changing market conditions and economic developments had caused the balance between the supply of ships and demand for space on those vessels to become increasingly unstable since 2009.And until these factors subside, which SeaIntel does not expect to happen for three or four years, the highly volatile conditions experienced in 2009, 2010 and 2011 are predicted to continue.The analyst blamed several changes in the market for the volatility. Firstly, carriers were still coming to terms with changing trade distances.In the past 30 years, global demand for container shipping had grown by 8-9% a year, but vessel supply had grown by around 11%, SeaIntel said.However, this had not resulted in oversupply of capacity, because the excess vessels were absorbed by lengthening sea journeys as production moved further away from final destination.But production is now largely as far from final destination as it can get in the US and Europe.A second factor for the volatility is the slowdown of growth on the head-haul direction of trade routes.SeaIntel said ...

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Falling of containers causing hull damage

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note Containers on board a Hong Kong registered container vessel fell overboard and pierced the bunker oil tanks causing devastating oil spill. This information note draws the attention of the shipowners, ship managers, ship operators and officers the lessons learnt in the accident.The Incident1. A Hong Kong registered container vessel lost 31 containers overboard in gale force weather during cyclone off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia. About 270 tonnes of fuel leaked into the sea as a result of the damage to the bunker tanks caused by the overboard containers. The oil spilled into the sea causing serious pollution.2. The investigation into the incident conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau revealed that the condition of the cargo lashing equipment was poor and its maintenance and inspection programme was inadequate.Lessons Learnt3. The maintenance of cargo securing gears is of vital importance to ship stability, safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment. A maintenance and inspection progromme should be established and implemented to ensure the condition of the cargo securing gears are properly maintained at all times.4. The attention of shipowners, ship managers, ship operators, master and officers of container vessels ...

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Container shipping market more concentrated than ever

Top 20 carriers now control 84% of the total industry capacity Concentration levels in the container shipping industry during the past year have soared to the highest levels ever recorded, as smaller carriers retreat and larger liner companies gain market share.According to analyst Alphaliner, the liner industry concentration index reached a record high as large carriers "reasserted their dominance in the market, leaving little room for small carriers to compete".The top 20 carriers now control 84% of the total industry capacity, their highest level, according to Alphaliner records.Industry concentration levels, expressed by the Herfindahl Index, have reached 6.2%, compared with 3.6% in 2000.The Herfindahl Index is a measure of the size of firms in relation to the industry, and is an indicator of the amount of competition among them. Increases in the index generally indicate a decrease in competition and an increase of market power."Over the past decade the index increased, as larger carriers have continued to consolidate their business, squeezing smaller competitors out of the market," said Alphaliner.The competitive operating environment has forced several start-up carriers to exit the market in the last two months, it said."The larger carriers' market share retreated briefly in 2009-2010 as the prevailing, very ...

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Large ships threaten smaller carriers

Large container ships puts more pressure on freight rates Smaller vessel operators could be forced out of Asia-Europe container trade lanes as the deployment of ultra-large container ships puts more pressure on freight rates and the bottom line, according to one Hong Kong-based analyst.Janet Lewis, regional head of industrials and shipping research in Asia at Macquarie Capital Securities, said the influx of vessels of more than 10,000 20-foot equivalents onto Asia-Europe lanes was the prime cause of the rates collapse over the last nine months.Volumes have been relatively robust, so it would appear to be the fact that not enough capacity has been taken off to adjust for the arrival of the ULCSs, she said.Lewis warned some smaller lines could face financial difficulties because of the poor pricing outlook but said it was too early to say whether the situation will reach a point where we see failures as a result of financial distress.At the least we believe there will be a marginalization of smaller players who cant compete on the Asia-Europe route. Indeed it could be in their financial interests to withdraw from what will inevitably be an unprofitable route for operators of smaller vessels.Lewis predicted most carriers would ...

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Vessel lay ups are the way forward to provide a much needed correction

Need of a correction on the supply side The container industry is in dire need of a correction on the supply side and even the realisation of a decent peak season demand surge this summer will not provide enough momentum to lift severely eroded freight rates in the key east-west trades.Container operators will find it a very challenging environment this year in which to make money, but there is a major difference between this year and the recession-ravaged 2009. We are forecasting an 8.1% growth in global container traffic for 2011 and so, other than rising fuel costs, responsibility for the inability to run their business models profitably can only be laid at the feet of the carriers themselves.Ocean carriers have continued to launch new services in the key east-west trade lanes, many of them also upgraded with the latest 13,000 teu giants delivered from South Korean yards, but this has severely contributed to overcapacity with average load factors in the headhaul transpacific and Asia to Europe routes remaining at only 80-85%.In this environment, freight rates have massively declined on the Asia to North Europe route where in some cases spot rates are not even covering quoted bunker surcharges of ...

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