|
Shipping
New NEMO/ANZ to patronize SLPA/JCT
Vessels deployed by Hapag Lloyd in New Europe Mascarene Oceania
Service (NEMOS) which is jointly operated by the same company in
partnership with CMA-CGM commenced patronizing SLPA/JCT with effect from
today. Hapag Lloyd had been patronizing SAGT, SLPA's sister terminal,
with NEMO service until recently.
 |
|
The Ottawa
Express |
In celebration of the significance of this move to SLPA/JCT, a plaque
exchange ceremony was held on board the vessel Ottawa Express, on her
maiden voyage at SLPA/JCT, yesterday between SLPA Chairman, the Managing
Director and the Master of the vessel Capt. Zvonko Barac and the
officials of Spence Shipping (Pvt) Ltd., the local agent for Hapag-Lloyd.
The SLPA was quite instrumental in the recent past in attracting
several container lines and cruise lines to JCT by convincing them of
the promise and potentialities of the current development landscape in
port construction in Sri Lanka, under the present regime. The Mahinda
Chintana program, which lays emphasis on port construction, recently
conducted an IMF team to the Hambantota port construction site for
inspection of the progress and the mission was very impressed by the
rapid progress the project has made thus far.
The first stage of the Hambantota Port Development project is to be
completed by the end of this year at a total cost of US $ 361 million.
An oil tank farm with 14 tanks under an investment of US $ 76 million is
also being constructed at the Hambantota port.
The tank farm consists of eight tanks for fuel bunkering facilities
for vessels while three are set apart for storage of aero fuel and three
for storing LP Gas. Once the Hambantota Port is completed, vessels could
save nearly three hours' sailing time, fuel and enjoy a number of other
benefits.
The other mega development project that the SLPA attaches great
importance is the Colombo Port Expansion Project (CPEP), the
infrastructure of which is constructed by SLPA at a cost of Rs. 36
billion. Around 2200m of the breakwater construction work has so far
been completed and almost 80 percent of the reclamation work and half of
the dredging work is also completed. CPEP's first container terminal's
construction activities will commence in the second quarter of this year
under a BOT agreement and currently discussions are being held between
SLPA and the selected bidder, China Merchants Holdings Company Limited.
It is expected that the agreement will be finalized in the course of the
next couple of weeks.
SLPA Chairman, Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama said, "During the last two
months our volumes are up 20 percent compared to the same period in the
previous year. The cargo forecasts done by Scott Wilson, a few years ago
had stated in their final report that the potential for container cargo
at Colombo is tremendous and that the port would be reaching its maximum
capacity around 4.5 million TEUs in 2012. SLPA has already started
capacity expansion projects and last year its age-old Terminal Operating
System at JCT was replaced with Navis - SPARCS and Navis - EXPRESS with
a DGPS-based communication system to monitor container stacking and RFID
tags to automatically track the location of containers and prime movers
in the yard. I firmly believe that this is our order qualifying and
order winning criteria in which shippers have placed great confidence.
We are determined to offer them an unsurpassed service that none can
match in the region". SLPA Managing Director, Capt. Nihal Keppetipola
said "The shift of the NEMO partner Hapag-Lloyd to SLPA/JCT from SAGT is
a clear demonstration of the trust that shippers and lines have placed
in the state-run terminal at a time like this when Sri Lanka has brought
its macro-economic fundamentals into good shape after a 30-year war.
There is expression of continuous confidence in the economy.
According to IMF literature our external balances are strong, remittance
inflows continue at a high rate, tourism prospects are rapidly improving
and our gross reserves remain at a comfortable level".
"When the country is poised for a post-war economic revival, we
expect a peace-led windfall of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). So
there will be development everywhere soon resulting in a strong demand
for logistics services. Therefore the onus is on us to fully contribute
to this development drive as the only State-run logistics and port
services provider" he further said.
NEMO will offer connections all over the world via its main hubs at
Damietta, Malta, La Spezia, Tilbury, Hamburg, Antwerp, Leharve, FOS, La
spezia, Damietta, Suez, Djibouti, Port Reunion, Port Louis, Melbourne,
Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Lyttelton, Melbourne, Adelaide, Jakarta,
Port Kelang, Chennai and Colombo.
Port Management Container Services Ltd (PMCS), a fully owned
subsidiary of Aitken Spence PLC has formed a strategic partnership with
Colombo International Nautical Engineering College (CINEC).
 |
|
From Left - Aitken Spence Maritime
Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Aitken Spence Deputy
Chairman J.M.S. Brito, Ceyline Group Deputy Chairman Lucky
Wickramanayake and Ceyline Group Managing Director Capt.
Ajith Peiris after signing the partnership agreement. |
Nine boats, 95 Indian sailors still held by pirates
At least nine vessels and 95 Indian sailors are still being held
captive by pirates off the coast of Africa, a Government official in
Mumbai said on Tuesday.
Six Indian boats with 78 sailors and another three foreign boats with
17 Indians on board are in the custody of Somali pirates, Director
General of Shipping Lakshmi Venkatachalam said.
India has approached the Somalian Government for help to ensure
release of the captured vessels.
"Our view is pirates are using these sailing vessels as an interim
mode of travel across the seas," she said.
Last week, Somali pirates released two of the Indian boats hijacked
in recent weeks, freeing 26 sailors.
The released ships were on their way to Dubai when they were hijacked
after leaving a port in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia.
India's Union Shipping Minister Thiru G.K. Vasan on Tuesday said
piracy was of "grave concern" to international maritime operations.
Somali pirates, targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade
routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.
AFP
Seized South Korean supertanker heading for Hobyo
The South Korean supertanker Samho Dream, captured Sunday by Somali
pirates in the Indian Ocean, was Tuesday heading for the port of Hobyo,
a pirate chief said.
"The supertanker is coming here. There are dozens of pirates on
board," Abdi Yare said by phone from Hobyo. Fishermen in Hobyo, a pirate
stronghold 300 kilometres (180 miles) north of Mogadishu, confirmed the
tanker was expected to arrive there shortly. "I've seen dozens of
pirates heading out to sea this morning to escort the ship into land.
But I think it's still some way from the coast," said Jama Hussein Adan,
a Hobyo fisherman.
Another pirate who identified himself as Hassan said the South Korean
ship was attacked by a mixed group of pirates made up partly of men from
Hobyo and partly of men from Garaad, further north in the breakaway
region of Puntland. AFP
ZIM launches AME service
ZIM launched Asia-Med-Europe (AME), a new Cross Suez direct service
between Asia, Indian subcontinent, Mediterranean and Europe. The new
service, based on 11 x 3,800 TEU's vessels, will take effect with the
first westbound call at Colombo on April 20 of MV. Zim Pacific voy 48W.
The service will offer additional direct links to West Mediterranean,
Black Sea, North Africa, Central America and Caribbean from China, South
East Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The ZIM North Europe and UK East Coast Service (NEC) between East
Mediterranean and Europe will be combined with this service, sustaining
the same scope and reliable service levels. This service will be
complementary to ZIM's Cross Suez services including the East Med
Express Service (EMX) and slot swap agreement on the Asia-Europe Grand
Alliance as well.
Port rotation will be as follows:
Shanghai-Da Chan Bay - Port Kelang - Colombo - Nhava Sheva - Haifa -
Ashdod - Felixtowe - Antwerp - Hamburg - Alexandria - Limassol - Haifa -
Ashdod - Colombo - Shanghai . With this new service, ZIM will also be
able to offer its customers an extensive onward routing and feeder
network coverage Ex. Haifa
******
Feeding network via Haifa
* ADX (Adriatic service): HAIFA - ASHDOD -
KOPER - TRIESTE - VENICE - RAVENNA - ALEXANDRIA - HAIFA.
* TYR (Tyrrhenian Service): HAIFA - FOS -
GENOA - NAPLES - ASHDOD - HAIFA.
* ZCS (ZIM container Service): HAIFA -
PIRAEUS - LIVORNO - GENOA - TARRAGONA - North America and Kingston.
* BSU (Black Sea Ukraine Service): HAIFA -
LIMASSOL - CONSTANTA - ODESSA - ILLICHIVSK/ VARNA - IZMIT/ GEMLIK -
IZMIR - PIRAEUS - HAIFA.
*****
Italian firms to build Iraq's biggest port
An Italian group will begin construction in a month's time on what
will become Iraq's largest shipping port, the Iraqi Transport Minister
said on Monday. The facility at Fao, at the Southernmost tip of the
country, will be fed by a new rail line linking it to the Turkish border
in the North, dramatically improving Iraq's moribund transport
infrastructure. "Fao, which will be built by an Italian consortium, will
be the biggest port in Iraq," Transport Minister Amer Abduljabbar Ismail
said in a ceremony at Fao on the Gulf, 535 kilometres (335 miles) south
of Baghdad.
"This project is part of a larger vision that we call a 'dry canal'
which will allow for transport of goods between the north and the south
of the world quickly, cheaply and safely," he said. AFP
|
