Birdon extends Lord Howe contract
THE LORD Howe Island Board has awarded Port Macquarie-based maritime business Birdon a two-year contract extension to provide the island’s essential sea freight service. The...
FMC hits ZIM with fine over D&D charges
AUSTRALIAN shippers will be closely watching further decisions from the Federal Maritime Commission after a judge upheld complaints by Samsung Electronics America over...
USTR expands scope to all car carriers
IN WHAT appears to be further evidence of the US Trade Representative office’s scant knowledge of its own maritime trades, Chinese-built and/operated PCTCs and ro-ros will no...
Even more trade distortions to follow USTR dial-back
ALMOST A WEEK after the US Trade Representative office released the latest version of its 28 February China-targeted port and ship penalties, the proposed changes remain heavy...
MOL’S latest LNG bulker Australia bound
OVER the Easter long weekend, Mitsui OSK Lines held a naming and delivery ceremony for the LNG-fuelled Capesize bulker Verde Heraldo and the 210,321 DWT vessel is now en route to...
Major milestone for Incat Crowther
THE FIRST of two new bespoke crew transfer vessels, delivered last week to experienced Japanese operator Tokyo Kisen Co Ltd for service in Japan’s growing offshore wind energy...
New Zealand commits to ETV
THE NEW Zealand government has contracted an AHTS to provide an emergency ocean response capability while it works on a longer-term plan. Last year, Cabinet directed the Ministry...
Australasian 2024 container trade grew 8.7%
AUSTRALASIAN container trades hit 7,114,800 TEU in 2024, according to London-based Container Trade Statistics’ provisional figures. This compares to 6,544,500 TEU in 2023 and...
Downcast WTO downgrades 2025/2026 forecasts
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) now anticipates the volume of world merchandise trade will decline by 0.2% in 2025 under current conditions, nearly three percentage points...
NTSB releases report on Grande Costa D’Avorio fire
THE US NATIONAL Transportation Safety Board has released its final report into a fire on board a Grimaldi ro-ro/container ship that resulted in the death of two firefighters and...
Adani Ports buys Abbot Point
OFFICIAL ownership of the North Queensland Export Terminal (NQXT) at Abbot Point has shifted from one Adani Group entity to another, with no immediate change in the facility’s...
PacBasin: steady Q1 despite rate pain
HONG Kong minor bulks specialist Pacific Basin Shipping outperformed market indices in the traditionally slower first quarter but still saw daily time-charter equivalent rates for...
APT expands with newbuild for Portugal
MELBOURNE-headquartered APT Travel Group last week celebrated the naming of MS Estrela, the company’s purpose-built river cruise ship designed for operation on Portugal’s Douro...
Auckland Port in the path of Tropical Cyclone Tam
PORT of Auckland suspended several activities at 1900 local time last night as Tropical Cyclone Tam bore down on NZ’s North Island. Emergency management authorities warned of the...
Containerline VASI Shipping collapses
A CONTAINER LINE that briefly dabbled in Australian trades during the COVID years has gone bankrupt, owing creditors US$19 million. VASI Shipping, founded in Singapore in 2012,...
