Asia Shipping News Nov 20, 2000
ne...@schednet.com
Monday, November 20, 2000
SchedNet http://www.schednet.com
* Official opening of Balboa Container Terminal
* Wallenius Wilhelmsen on a roll in Shanghai
* Beijing looks to get foreign investment back on track
* Shipbuilders talk shop at APSEM 2000
* Pilot Air Freight makes promise to deliver
* BA unveils new loose cargo centre at Heathrow
Official opening of Balboa Container Terminal
=============================================
THE Panama Ports Company (PPC) has announced the official inauguration
of its new container terminal at the Port of Balboa, following a
US$120 million investment in container handling facilities at the
Balboa Container Terminal.
Located on the Pacific side of the Republic of Panama, Balboa has a
prime strategic location for Latin American trade, providing
transshipment services for the world's major carriers operating on
transpacific routes.
Balboa Container Terminal has 350 metres of quay, 12.9 metres of draft
and 8.4 hectares of container yard equipped with three super
post-panamax quay cranes, nine rubber-tyred gantry cranes and 468
reefer plugs. The terminal has an annual handling capacity of 600,000
TEU.
"It is our vision that the Port of Balboa will quickly become one of
the major transshipment hubs for the world's container shipping lines.
There is enormous potential for cargo movement to and from the west
and east coasts of the United States of America, the Caribbean and
South America," noted John Meredith, group managing director of
Hutchison Port Holdings and president of PPC.
Commenting on the new services, Alejandro Kouruklis, general manager
of PPC, said: "Our goal is to provide world class service to all major
carriers to further enhance their options to transport cargo to and
from Asia and the Americas."
Wallenius Wilhelmsen on a roll in Shanghai
==========================================
Wallenius Wilhelmsen recently completed a call at Shanghai to load 280
light trucks and 100 mini-buses for shipment to the Turkish city of
Istanbul.
This was the first opportunity for the carrier to utilise one of its
PCTC (pure car and truck carrier) vessels in China since the mid-1999
merger of Wallenius and Wilhelmsen.
The event marked the co-operation between shipper Jianghuai Automotive
Co. Ltd (JAC), the terminal at Shanghai and Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Lines.
The shipment highlighted JAC's strategy of being proactive in seeking
foreign markets for its products rather than waiting on developments
related to China's WTO entry.
It was also an opportunity for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines to showcase
its well maintained vessel as well as its ability to handle ro-ro
shipments.
The company already has regular fortnightly service in and out of
China with container ro-ro (conro) vessels with the ability to handle
containers as well as high and heavy (HH) products and many types of
rolling cargo.
Beijing looks to get foreign investment back on track
=====================================================
THE municipal government of Beijing has unveiled a set of flexible
policies which, it hopes, will make it attractive for overseas
investors to contribute to the expansion of the capital's fast rail
transport network, or FRT.
Foreign firms have been invited to build new FRT lines and stations
for completion over the next five years.
The city's planned network would stretch for 408 kilometres and
consist of 13 main lines with two extension lines, of which three are
already operational.
Shipbuilders talk shop at APSEM 2000
====================================
WHEN the twenty-fourth Asian & Pacific Shipbuilding Experts Meeting
(APSEM) was held in Langkawi, Malaysia, earlier this month, more than
100 delegates attended to hammer out regional issues.
Key points of discussion included the relocation of Singapore
shipbuilders to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia as a
consequence of rising domestic costs; the Malaysian government's
injection of US$267 million into a shipping fund with a pledge to
double it in a bid to get the domestic shipping industry back on
track; and the Japanese shipbuilding industry's supply-demand
imbalance coupled with the long-term considerations to alleviate the
situation.
Delegates represented 10 countries - Australia, Indonesia, Japan,
South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam. China did not attend.
Pilot Air Freight makes promise to deliver
==========================================
US-BASED air freight and logistics company Pilot Air Freight, has
launched its `Platinum Guarantee' service for any domestic shipments
handled in the lower 48 states.
The service holds the distinction of being the only guarantee
programme that doesn't invoice for the service if the delivery
commitment is not met.
When a shipper signs up for the service Pilot says it will make the
specified delivery when and where the customer wants - or no invoice
is issued.
"The most important pledge we can make to our customers is that their
shipment will arrive on time and in perfect condition," said chairman,
president, and CEO Richard Phillips.
"We decided a guarantee that places the onus on the shipper to file
for refunds is not in the customers' interest. Our guarantee places
the responsibility on us, saving our customers time and effort, not to
mention expense, if we fail to meet their expectations."
BA unveils new loose cargo centre at Heathrow
=============================================
BRITISH Airways World Cargo has commenced the transfer of loose
shipments into Ascentis, its new cargo centre at Heathrow Airport,
with all Pacific loose freight collections and deliveries now being
processed in the building.
Following the successful migration of unit load collections and
deliveries into the facility, the airline began to pilot loose cargo
handling in Ascentis in October to test equipment, systems and
procedures in the 800,000-tonne-capacity centre. The trial featured
shipments travelling on World Cargo's Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong
services.
The transfer of all Pacific loose collections and deliveries means 15
per cent of the airline's total loose traffic is now being handled in
the new centre.
In total, including intact and loose freight, Ascentis is now
processing more than 75 per cent of World Cargo's throughput at
Heathrow.
Keith Dickerson, project director, Ascentis, said: "Our objective is
to achieve a successful transfer of Pacific loose traffic and then
steadily ramp up loose volume in the building.
"The next step will be to move in all London Heathrow terminating
shipments and the final stage will see loose transshipment business
processed through Ascentis.
"We are keen to complete the whole loose transfer as quickly as
possible but will ensure each stage is properly bedded down to the
required standard before we move to the next phase. This is now a
proven way of handling a complex freight move having worked
successfully for the transfer of intact cargo into Ascentis."
The dates for future stages of the loose move will be communicated to
customers shortly.
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