International Shipping News & Insights for Profitable Shipping - 31 July 2010
NewsMarketsMagazinesArchiveFree TrialAdvertiseMaritime Information CentreContactRSS
You are not logged in Login

Daily Fairplay News 26 Mar 2009

Prepare for upturn, Kolding says

PREPARE for market recovery is Maersk CEO Eivind Kolding’s positive message.

"I've never heard of a crisis that does not end," CEO Eivind Kolding told Fairplay in Copenhagen yesterday, adding: "For sure it will come to an end. Consumers just need to gain confidence, then we will have an upturn."

The Maersk Line boss went on to underline the importance of focusing on customers to ensure companies stay profitable in the current economic climate: "People forget that in a downturn, but now the customer is needed even more."

Priorities for Maersk include maintaining its market share and being more efficient in watching costs.

"We need to keep all costs down, that's our focus," said Kolding.

He even stuck to a positive approach about the loss predicted for Maersk Line this year.

"It's too early to tell," he said, adding: "I don't think anyone has a clear view of this."
Container portals post gains
CONTAINER and logistics portals Inttra and GT Nexus have announced contract gains from new and existing customers. ...Full Story
SCI defers plans for 8 large ships
SHIPPING Corp of India has deferred plans to acquire eight large ships costing $1Bn to the next financial year, chairman and MD S Hajara told reporters in Delhi today. ...Full Story
Somali pirates seize two vessels
SOMALI pirates have seized two vessels about 400 n-miles off Somalia. ...Full Story
NYK slashes profits forecast
NIPPON Yusen Kaisha said today its prediction for profits has dropped for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2009. ...Full Story
Debt prompts FESCO downgrade
RUSSIA’S dry cargo giant FESCO was today graded down by Moody's bond rating agency in Moscow. ...Full Story
Alert sounded on teu expansion
PROJECTED teu increases for Capes have serious implications for engine displacement, ship technology and the environment, a maritime analyst warned Fairplay today. ...Full Story
TT Club predicts weak premiums
TT CLUB, London’s transport insurance provider, has warned that premiums in the insurance market will remain weak this year. ...Full Story
Indian breakers return from strike
ALMOST 20,000 workers at Alang shipbreaking yard, in Gujarat, India, have returned to work after a strike over pay cuts. ...Full Story
For Santos sector, business stinks
BRAZIL’S leading importer of fertilizers has been counting its losses during the first three months of the year, with calls from bulkers transporting the cargo to Santos falling from the usual 60-80 to “close to zero”, Fairplay has been told. ...Full Story
US ‘place of refuge’ plea
US REGULATIONS on places of refuge for vessels in distress are “intolerable”, according to maritime attorney Alfred Kuffler. ...Full Story
Bridge crash pilot denies drugs
CAPTAIN John J Cota, the pilot who was directing the Cosco Busan when it collided with a San Francisco Bay Bridge support pier, is disputing allegations that he was impaired by drug use when the casualty took place. ...Full Story
Germany's lay-up space race
BERTH availability for laid-up ships is diminishing fast in Germany, with more than 40 vessels already laid up. ...Full Story
Honest relations to save shippers
OPEN AND honest relationships with lenders will pull shipowners through the hard times, Danish Ship Finance told Fairplay today. ...Full Story
Short-time working starts at TKMS
GERMAN yard group ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is introducing short-time work at two key shipyards in Germany, trade union IG Metall said. ...Full Story
Shipping slams excessive regulation
TOO MUCH regulation of the maritime industry is threatening growth and recovery, according to a warning delivered at the Connecticut Maritime Association conference. ...Full Story
West Oz plans to stem grain flood
WESTERN Australia's grain handler CBH today opened bookings for shipping slots in June, July and August as the group battles to move a record harvest through its four port terminals. ...Full Story
Rio and BHP to cut back more
THE CRASH in commodities markets is sparking more cutbacks by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton in Australia, which is more bad news for shipowners and operators. ...Full Story
EPA unhappy with Marpol VI
EFFORTS by US regulators and the IMO to regulate air pollution from ships were called insufficient by the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general – who urged more action in a new report. ...Full Story