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Container shipping industry in ‘fragile’
state: Maersk
The global container shipping industry
remains in a “very fragile” state due to
weak demand and a glut of ships, the
world’s largest shipping company Maersk
Line reported.
Maersk Line said companies should go
slow in bringing back to service hundreds of
ships idled during the recession, otherwise
the sector will extend losses which totaled
15 billion US dollars in 2009.
“The situation remains very, very fragile
for the shipping industry, it is balanced
on a knife’s edge,” said Hennie van
Schoor, Maersk Line’s director of business
performance, at the Asia-Pacifi c maritime
2010 Conference held in Singapore recently.
As global trade slowed during the global
economic crisis last year, freight rates
plunged and 11 percent of the world’s
container shipping fl eet, or about 500
vessels, had to be parked. In terms of
volume, about 80 percent of world trade is
carried by sea.
There are signs of a pickup in global
trade, with the United States and Europe
importing more from the rest of the world,
however, indications show this is being
driven by companies stocking up on
inventories rather than a surge in general
demand. US imports rose 13 percent yearon-year
in the fourth quarter of 2009, but
retail sales in the same period expanded by
only 1.0 percent. For Europe, the continent’s
imports were up 3.0 percent, but retail sales
climbed a mere 1.0 percent.
Van Schoor also cautioned against the
idled ships going back into the market,
saying it will further upset the imbalance
between a glut in capacity and weak
demand.
DHL official logistics provider for the
British Embassy
DHL, the world’s leading express and
logistics company, has signed a contract
with the British Embassy in Doha for the
provision of express courier services to
and from the Embassy.
Head of Corporate Services, Joel
Watson commented, “I am delighted that
the Embassy had been able to reach
an agreement with DHL Express on
the provision of courier services. The
Embassy, like many other organisations,
is looking to increase our operational
excellence and realise effi ciencies.
Establishing partnerships with world
renowned commercial partners such as
DHL is an essential part of the Embassy’s
Corporate Services Strategy.”
“DHL Qatar is honoured to have been
appointed as the exclusive express
and logistics partner, entrusted with the
responsibility for meeting the
British Embassy’s requirements.
This prestigious partnership is
an endorsement and recognition
of our market leadership and
highly professional operation
in Qatar”, said Daniel Kearvell,
General Manager, DHL Express
Qatar.
DHL Express Qatar
celebrates 30 years in operation
in 2010.
US warship ‘sinks
pirate mother ship’
A US warship intercepted suspected
Somali pirates and sunk their “mother
ship” after they attacked an oil tanker off
the Seychelles, the US navy’s Fifth Fleet
said recently.
It said the Sierra Leone-fl agged tanker
MV Evita “came under attack 500 kilometres
(110 miles) northwest of the Seychelles by
three suspected pirate skiffs. During the
attack, the pirates fi red rifl es and aimed
rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel in
an attempt to force it to stop,” but the MV
Evita evaded the pirates, the navy said in a
statement. “The MV Evita was able to evade
attack by adopting industry-recommended
‘best management practices,’ increasing its
speed and fi ring fl ares at the pirates to warn
them off,” it said.
Coalition forces on patrol in the area
were alerted and dispatched the USS
Farragut to track down the pirates on
board the three skiffs. “A SH-60B Seahawk
helicopter, from Farragut, was immediately
dispatched to monitor the pirates while the
suspected pirate skiffs were boarded,” the
statement added.
Eleven suspected pirates were held
briefl y “while the mother skiff was destroyed
and sunk,” it said. “After ensuring that
the suspected pirates had no means to
conduct any more attacks, all 11 were
released on the two small skiffs,” according
to the statement from the Bahrain-based
Fifth Fleet. The USS Farragut is part of
the US-led Combined Task Force (CTF)
151 coalition carrying out counter-piracy
operations in the Gulf of Aden and the
Indian Ocean.
Also on Thursday near the Seychelles,
the USS Nicholas captured fi ve suspected
pirates who had opened fi re from a
small boat.
50 Link May 2010