Asia Shipping News Nov 16, 2000
ne...@schednet.com
Thursday, November 16, 2000
SchedNet http://www.schednet.com
* Maersk puts Savannah into loop
* Shandong opens motorways
* Daly attention for CSX
* AP Moller introduces SATI
* Australian Railroad Group acquires Westrail Freight
* Hainan goes gunning in Hunan
* CIT orders 35 new Airbuses
* Jordan given free ride
* Cosmetic change for the new year
Maersk puts Savannah into loop
==============================
MAERSK Sealand has begun direct services via the Port of Savannah with
its new transatlantic TA2 string, which is composed of five US flagged
Maersk vessels with carrying capacities of 3,700 TEU.
The weekly rotation will include Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Felixstowe,
Charleston, Houston, Savannah, Norfolk and then back to Rotterdam.
"The Georgia Ports Authority welcomes Maersk Sealand's new TA2 string
to the Port of Savannah's Garden City Containerport Terminal," said
GPA director of trade development Byron Hock. "We are pleased that we
have the opportunity to provide exporters to Europe a direct port of
call from the South Atlantic range via Savannah," he continued.
Joining Maersk in the new string are New World Alliance partners
APL/NOL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui OSK Lines. Maersk also has
a slot charter agreement with CMA CGM.
Shandong opens motorways
========================
TWO motorways were opened to traffic on November 9 in China's eastern
province of Shandong.
The cost of the two roads, in Linyi and Rizhao counties, was given as
US$532 million by officials.
Since 1998 more than $1.8 billion has been invested in road
infrastructure in the province each year.
With the opening of these two new roads Shandong has become the first
province to boast more than 2,000 kilometres of motorway, with a grand
total of 2,006 kilometres.
Daly attention for CSX
======================
ARNO Dimmling, vice president and chief operating officer of CSX World
Terminals LLC, has announced the appointment of Ted Daly to the
position of director of CSX World Crane Services LLC.
In his new role, Mr Daly will be responsible for the management of the
third-party consulting services for all container handling equipment
maintenance and repair. Mr Daly will drive the CSX World Crane
Services' business plan, marketing and sales efforts, geographic
expansion and financial performance.
"We welcome Ted to this challenging and exciting opportunity to
further expand CSX World Crane Services' consulting portfolio," Mr
Dimmling said. "Mr Daly's breadth of knowledge and experience in the
maritime industry further strengthens the service deliverables and
provides a level of proven operations excellence to the valued
customers of CSX World Crane Services."
AP Moller introduces SATI
=========================
SAFMARINE (Pty) Limited and Maersk (South Africa) (Pty) Limited,
together with their parent company, the AP Moller Group, have formed a
new land-based transport investment company named Southern Africa
Transport Investments (Pty) Limited; or SATI for short.
The new South Africa-registered company has commenced business with
Tony Farr and Brett Gray as chairman and managing director,
respectively.
While a number of current and anticipated investment opportunities are
under review by SATI, work on the first project, a multi-million rand
container services facility in Cape Town, has already commenced. SATI
has, in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC),
formed a subsidiary company, SATI Container Services (Pty) Limited,
which will house the project. SATI managing director Brett Gray
commented: "The objective is to build a specialist `reefer'
(temperature controlled) container storage depot and repair facility
that can also handle all types of containers, for the benefit of
shippers using the services of Safmarine and Maersk Sealand.
"Reefer cargo shipments account for a significant volume of
containerised exports from Southern Africa; yet to date there has been
no local repair facility for technical problems of a sophisticated
nature.
Previously, seriously defective reefer containers needed to be sent
overseas to be repaired. Springbok Container Services will provide
full reefer container repair and service facilities, thus saving not
only time but also foreign exchange, as the work will now be
undertaken locally. Third party reefer container repair requests from
other carriers will be welcomed."
Australian Railroad Group acquires Westrail Freight
===================================================
THE Australian Railroad Group (ARG), comprising Wesfarmers Limited and
Genesee & Wyoming Inc (GWI), has been successful in its bid to acquire
the Westrail Freight business.
The joint venture will pay US$304.7 million to purchase the business
including rolling stock, customer contracts and a 49-year lease on the
rail network.
In addition, it expects to outlay over $200 million over the next five
years on track upgrades and purchase of new rolling stock to meet
anticipated growing demand for rail freight services.
The managing director of Wesfarmers, Michael Chaney, and Charles
Chabot, CEO of Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd, said their
companies were delighted to have been chosen to take over the freight
side of Wesrail's operations.
"Wesfarmers' proven business acumen and GWI's world class rail
expertise is an ideal combination for the growth and development of
Westrail freight as part of a national rail operation," they said.
An important feature of the successful bid is that the joint venture
will own both Westrail Freight and the South Australian rail freight
operations acquired three years ago by Australia Southern Railroad
(ASR), a GWI subsidiary, from Australian National Railways. Since GWI
acquired the South Australian business it has increased market share
and profits, and enhanced services, through a capital investment and
refurbishment programme.
ASR is also a member of the consortium chosen to build the Alice
Springs to Darwin railway line.
Hainan goes gunning in Hunan
============================
CHINA'S largest domestic flight operator, Hainan Airlines, has taken
the unprecedented step of constructing an airport in Changsha, the
capital of Hunan province in central China.
When complete next month, the facility will become a domestic feeder
hub and already has the blessing of the Civil Aviation Administration
of China (CAAC). CAAC is actively supporting the growing trend for
short-haul regional jets.
Hainan Airlines will commence business services with three short range
32-seater jets. The carrier plans to expand services to 25 flights
serving 15 cities within the province next year.
With a fleet of 43 feeder jets, Hainan Airlines also operates feeder
airports in Ningbo (Zhejiang province) and the cities of Sanya and
Haikou in Hainan.
CIT orders 35 new Airbuses
==========================
CIT AEROSPACE, a company of the CIT Group, has signed a firm order for
35 A320 family aircraft and 15 A330s, confirming an intent announced
in July. The deal is valued at about US$3.5 billion.
The order includes A318s, as well as flexibility among A330/A340
family members. It thus gives CIT the ability to offer airlines a wide
range of aircraft sizes and ranges to meet different needs.
CIT's latest deal takes total firm orders for the A320 family to over
2,500 aircraft from some 130 customers and operators. Its selection of
the A330 takes A330/A340 sales to more than 625 from over 60 customers
and operators.
Engine selections have yet to be announced.
"As a leasing company, we need to select aircraft that airlines will
want to fly, and as a financial services company, we need to invest in
products that retain their value, and the A320 and A330/A340 families
are strong performers on both counts," said CIT Capital Finance chief
executive officer and president Nikita Zdanow. "We have experienced
strong demand for the A320 family and A330-200 aircraft we ordered
last year and, in fact, have already placed four of our five A330s. We
especially like the Airbus family concept and we look forward to the
arrival of the A330-500 which will further extend the spread of
aircraft sizes and ranges in our portfolio," added CIT Aerospace
president Jeffrey Knittel.
CIT took delivery of its first Airbus aircraft last month - an A320
that it is leasing to Air 2000 - under a contract placed last year.
The new order takes the total number of Airbus aircraft ordered by CIT
to 80.
"CIT is an increasingly large player in the aircraft leasing business,
with a strong determination to share in the large growth-market that
the airliner industry represents," said Airbus Industrie chief
executive officer No‰l Forgeard. "We recognise the important role that
financial services companies such as CIT Aerospace play in our
industry, in both anticipating and satisfying airline needs, and look
forward to growing our businesses together."
Jordan given free ride
======================
JORDAN is set to become only the fourth country in the world, after
Israel, Canada and Mexico, to have signed a free trade pact with the
US.
The agreement, under which tariffs on textiles, farm produce/goods and
other products will be phased out over a 10 year period, is expected
to encourage foreign investment in the Middle Eastern country.
Currently trade volume between the US and Jordan is low and strongly
weighted toward the US, which sold US$276 million worth of products
(mainly grain and aircraft parts) to the kingdom in 1999 while
purchasing just $11 million worth of Jordanian products (from men's
suits to jewellery). The US Congress and the Jordanian Parliament are
not expected to vote on the agreement until next year.
Meanwhile, in a further bid to boost trade, the Jordanian government
has decided to end its contract with Lloyd's Register inspectors at
Aqaba Port. The move, which is unlikely to be blocked by the UN, will
remove obstacles to increased trade between Jordan and Iraq.
Cosmetic change for the new year
================================
AS soon as the clocks strike midnight on New Year's Eve, importers and
exporters of cosmetic products to and from China will be required to
obtain lable inspection certificates before submitting products for
routine checks.
Applications will need to be assigned to primary inspection agencies,
with product specifications and ingredients to be forwarded to
Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine depots in Beijing, Shanghai,
Xiamen and Hubei, plus a specially appointed agency in Hong Kong.
Inspection results will be overseen by a supreme inspection agency in
Beijing which, in turn, will issue certificates if inspection
criterion are met.
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