City of Singapore

22. май, 9:39 Indonesia plans port to rival Singapore Work on a new deepwater port for cont...

seagull 22. май, 9:39
Indonesia plans port to rival Singapore

Work on a new deepwater port for container ships on an island between Batam and Bintan is set to begin next year, creating a potential rival to Singapore's port, reported Straits Times.

The port, on Tanjung Sauh, aims to be a major transhipment centre for Indonesia, and is part of the country's overhaul of its transport infrastructure to cope with growing domestic demand.

It also looks set to be a direct competitor to Singapore's port, as it aims to capture shipping to and from East Asia.

"They should not just be a centre for transhipment cargo to Indonesia but to other regions, and it will be good if they can keep costs low,'' said Wijaya Surya, managing director of Hong Kong-based shipping advisory and consultancy company Aptus Maritime.

As an alternative to Singapore, Wijaya said, "turnaround time will be a key factor''.

Indonesia Port Corporation (IPC) chief executive Richard Lino said the Tanjung Sauh port will more likely "complement'' Singapore.

Container traffic to and from Indonesia is also set to pick up, he said, adding that Singapore "will also reap the benefits'' from a more vibrant Batam.

Lino told The Straits Times that the port's initial 2km of wharves will target handling four million TEUs when ready around 2015. He projects the new facility will require an initial investment of US$760 million.

It will be part of a "sea corridor'' that will also see the ports of Medan, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar and Sorong form six large ports that can serve as transit points for smaller feeder ports all across the archipelago.

Vice-minister for Transport Bambang Susantono said this corridor is a private undertaking that will reshape how goods are moved in the region.

For example, smaller ports across the archipelago may see more frequent services to the nearest hubs like Batam and Medan.

Lino sees Tanjung Sauh as an ideal location as almost no dredging or reclamation is needed. And it will have room to grow, being across the island from the existing port at Batu Ampar.

Batam officials back the project, which they hope will revive the island's moribund economy. The island is already a special economic zone.

The move also comes as Jakarta's port, Tanjung Priok, will see more than $2.5 billion pumped in to triple its present annual capacity to over 18 million TEUs by 2023.

Still, some wonder whether the Batam project will take off on time, given the country's history of delayed and aborted projects.

French company CMA-CGM won a tender to develop a smaller-scale container terminal at Batu Ampar in 2005, but the deal fell through.

Teo Siong Seng, managing director of Pacific International Lines, said Singapore's ports will always face competition from ports in the region, with shippers weighing cost against quality.

Shipowners will want to go to the ports with the best facilities, he said. "Competition should be welcomed,'' he added. "It will only push us to be more efficient.''

en.portnews.ru

22. май, 9:38 Singapore, others to sell their stakes in Gwadar port to China The Port o...

seagull 22. май, 9:38
Singapore, others to sell their stakes in Gwadar port to China

The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), Aqeel Kareem Dedhi (AKD) Group and the National Logistic Cell (NCL) have decided to sell their shareholding in the Gwadar Port to China, sources said, The News Pakistan reports.
A senior port official said that the government of China has agreed to take charge of the Gwadar Port and it is expected that the deal will be finalised by the end of this month. A Chinese delegation is expected to arrive soon to visit the Gwadar Port Authority and signed the deal. Since last year negotiations were going on between the shareholders and the Chinese officials, sources said.
PSA holds 60 percent shares in the Gwadar port while AKD Group and NLC hold 20 percent shares each.
The Gwadar Port is envisioned to become a major trans-shipment port and a shipping hub for the landlocked Central Asian States (CAS), Afghanistan and Western China. The Gwadar deep seaport is strategically located at the crossroads of the increasing important regions of the world that is the oil rich Middle East, resource-rich Central Asian Republics and populated South Asia.
The official said some amendments will be made in the concession agreement for the new operator.
It may be pointed out that China not only constructed the Gwadar Port but also provided 80 percent of the initial funds worth $248 million for the construction. Out of $248 million extended by China, $50million was given as grant to mark the 50-year of Pak-China friendship while $198 million was given as a soft loan. The port construction got started in 2002 and was completed in 2007. However, the port is yet to become fully operational.
The running of the port affairs was given to Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), one of the biggest port operators in the world 40 years so that it will fetch considerable business for making Gwadar port a success.
However, PSA and the government both failed to fulfil their commitments.
According to the concession agreement if any of the parties, either government or PSA withdraws from the agreement, it will have to pay the penalty or the amount will be double that of investment. As a result, both the parties were reluctant to withdraw. However, to resolve the issue it was decided to handover the port to the Chinese by transferring shares. A legal expert said that it was a typical share purchase agreement and would be executed as per regulations defined by the regulator.
He said that there was no legal or constitutional glitch in such a deal where all stakeholders had reached an understanding.
Ports and shipping experts believe that if Gwadar port is marketed well, other regional ports will lose considerable business. Gwadar has the strategic value once it is properly connected through an extended road network.
They said the its right decision to change the port operator otherwise the Gwadar port is losing this opportunity vis-a-vis fast developing Iranian port of Chabahar and other regional ports. If this deal materialises than there would be no difficulty in changing the port operator and it is a good step that China will run this port, they said and added in the current scenario China is the only country which is working actively in Pakistan on different projects. Ports experts believe that Balochistan government cannot run the port affairs as it is a commercial port and it needs commercial ports & shipping experts to make the port operational as per its original master plan.

en.portnews.ru

18. май, 9:00 Singapore's Sembcorp Marine wins contracts worth $103 mln Sembcorp Marine Ltd...

seagull 18. май, 9:00
Singapore's Sembcorp Marine wins contracts worth $103 mln

Sembcorp Marine Ltd, the world's second largest oil rig builder, said on Thursday it has secured three contracts worth a total of S$130 million ($102.6 million), Reuters reports.

One of the contracts was awarded by an Angola state-owned company Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção S.A. for the repair and upgrading of a vessel, Sembcorp said in a statement.

The other two contracts involved extending the lives of two liquefied natural gas carriers for Australian company North West Shelf Shipping Service Co.

en.portnews.ru

17. май, 8:21 Singapore shipowners welcome EU air strikes on Somali pirate bases The Singap...

seagull 17. май, 8:21
Singapore shipowners welcome EU air strikes on Somali pirate bases

The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) has welcomed the air strikes on Somali pirate bases, Seatrade Asia online reports. On 15 May EU naval forces launched their first onshore raid attacking pirate bases from the air. “These criminals have held the world economy and international shipping hostage for more than half a decade,” said SSA executive director, Daniel Tan. “It is to be hoped that this action by the EU will encourage more pro-active and effective measures on land and at sea,” he added.

“Whilst the EU strike against pirate logistics is long-overdue, it certainly is a welcome step in the right direction. This effort must be sustained to remove any future pirate attacks. Furthermore, any effective strategy must also address the root causes of the piracy problem on land in Somalia,” Tan said.

Over the last five years nearly 200 ships have been hijacked 3,000 seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates.

en.portnews.ru

17. май, 8:18 Singapore container throughput up 5.7% to 2.6m TEU in April The busy cont...

seagull 17. май, 8:18
Singapore container throughput up 5.7% to 2.6m TEU in April

The busy container port of Singapore handled larger box throughput in April compared to year ago levels, according to figures from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Seatrade Asia online reports.

Singapore port moved 2.6m teu of boxes last month, an increase of 5.7% from 2.46m teu recorded in April 2011.

Month-on-month, volumes dipped marginally from 2.65m teu seen in March 2012.

In the first four months of this year, Singapore port handled a total throughput of 10.14m teu, up 6.4% from 9.53m teu in the same period of last year.

en.portnews.ru

14. май, 23:18 Port of Singapore four-month traffic climbs 0.8 percent Cargo throughput at t...

seagull 14. май, 23:18
Port of Singapore four-month traffic climbs 0.8 percent

Cargo throughput at the Port of Singapore in January-April 2012 totaled 178.27 million tons, a 0.8-percent gain from a year before, the Port Authority statistics said.

In the reporting period, crude oil shipments through Singapore port fell 12.1% to 56.94 million tons, while container traffic increased by 6.4% to 10,136,900 TEUs.

Singapore is the city-state located on an island in Southeast Asia. Container traffic at Port of Singapore in 2011 rose 5.3% year-over-year, to 29.93 million TEUs. Annual cargo throughput at the port totaled 530.48 million tons.

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