Week 2009/07 – 09.02.2009 to 15.02.2009 www. axs …files.irwebpage.com/reports/shipping/eGco28Qa1L/AXS-Alphaliner... · Week 2009/07 – 09.02.2009 to 15.02.2009 axs-alphaliner.com

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AXS-Alphaliner News is a weekly summary of the latest liner shipping news compiled by Alphaliner and pub-lished daily on the AXS-Alphaliner website. It is e-mailed every Monday night, and is available free of charge upon request, at our discretion. Information is given in good faith but without guarantee. Please send your feed-back, comments and questions to [email protected]

Week 2009/07 – 09.02.2009 to 15.02.2009 Weekly News

www.axs-alphaliner.com

** New ** - "China Container Ports Review 2009" - ** New **

Container throughput growth at China's container ports has stalled. But new capacity addi-tions continue unabated. An estimated 35 Mteu of excess capacity is expected in 2010.

20% of the nominal capacity will be unutilised.

AXS-Alphaliner examines the key issues and challenges facing China's container ports in a new report.

"China Container Ports Review 2009" provides a detailed overview of the current condi-tions in the country with full profiles of all the main port operators in China.

Detailed analysis of container terminal operations at all the main coastal and river ports across China. More than 100 maps, charts and tables.

An essential guide to the container ports market.

Price : Euro 1,500.00

Please contact AXS-Alphaliner for details

Idle fleet at 1,1 M teu The idle containership fleet has jumped to 392 ships for 1,100,000 teu (8.8% of the cellular fleet), according to Alphaliner records. A rebound of Chinese exports after the Lunar New Year failed to materialize. Ac-tually, Chinese exports are expected to fall by 15-20% in Q1 2009 when com-pared to Q1 2008, according to current estimates. Large ships continue to gather up in Asian roads as they end their rotations on the closed services on which they were employed.

The figures are the highest recorded in containership history, way above the 3.2% recorded in March 2002 and even larger than the 5% or so reached in 1986 when the whole fleet of US Lines was frozen further to the bankrupt of this leading carrier. USL owned at that time the world’s largest container ships. This figure raises the spectre of overca-pacity hanging for years, as this fleet overhang add to the newbuildings. A projection shows that it needs an av-erage annual growth of 15% in contain-

AXS-Alphaliner - weekly news - The worldwide reference in liner shipping

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erized trade during the three years come to bring the supply/demand balance to an equilibrium by January 2013, as illus-trated by the accompanying graph. A less optimistic but more reasonable average 10% annual growth would not allow to re return to equilibrium before early 2014. These projections are based on the cur-rent fleet and orderbook, prior to possi-ble cancellations, and taking into account 160,000 teu of scrapping per year. Of note, the overhang is so high than even deferring orders by, say, 12 months,

does not change the result much for the 2013-2014 deadline. It is not tomorrow that owners will be back to the shipyards to order container-ships again. This raises some concerns for many shipyards focusing until now their production on containerships. It is the case for several North Europe ship-yards, which are now struggling with the dearth in orders and try diversification in proposing the construction of industrial modules.

Assumptions : > Containerized trade growth of 2.5% (annualized) for the remaining of 2009. > Average growth for 2010-2011-2012-2013 as per legend. > Growth measured from 1st April 2009 - based on idle fleet of 1,150,000 teu. > Deliveries of newbuildings as planned, prior to cancellations / deferrings of orders. > Scrappings set at 160,000 teu per year.


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Idle ships by size ranges :

TOTAL : 392 units for 1,100,000 teu

> 7,500-10,000 teu => 19 units > 5,000-7,500 teu => 41 units > 3,000-5,000 teu => 79 units > 2,000-3,000 teu => 61 units > 1,000-2,000 teu => 104 units > 500-1,000 teu => 88 units. (Figures at 16 February 2009) Of note, the count for the 500-1,000 teu range includes only ships which are usually deployed on container services and excludes the spot multipurpose units usually deployed on breakbulk, project cargo or tramp trades. They rarely interfere on container trades. Historical figures : > Idle fleet at 16 February 2009 –

1,100,000 teu - 392 ships > Idle fleet at 02 February 2009 –

800,000 teu - 303 ships > Idle fleet at 19 January 2009 –

675,000 teu - 255 ships > Idle fleet at 05 January 2009 –

550,000 teu - 210 ships > Idle fleet at 17 December 2008 –

420,000 teu - 165 ships > Idle fleet at 08 December 2008 –

300,000 teu - 135 ships > Idle fleet at 24 November 2008 –

270,000 teu - 115 ships > Idle fleet at 25 October 2008 -

150,000 teu - 70 ships

Grand Alliance joins Zim Grand Alliance (Hapag-Lloyd + NYK + OOCL + MISC Bhd) today announced that they will continue to serve the Far East-Black Sea trade in co-operation with Zim in order to continue to offer a direct Far East-Black Sea service after the closure of the Asia-East Mediterra-nean/Black Sea Express service that GA operated jointly with NWA partners (EBX / ABX). They will co-load on the Zim's East Med Express service (EMX), effec-tive with the sailing of the ZIM YOKO-HAMA from Busan on 23 February. Of note, the EMX is modified (See below).

It is the second major service on which GA and Zim co-operate, as it adds to the Europe-USEC 'ATX' service (Atlantic Ex-press), initially a Grand Alliance service on which Zim has been co-loading since March 2008 after the closure of the transatlantic NEX service that Zim oper-ated jointly with Evergreen Line.

*** New ***

AXS-Alphaliner

Who controls and operates the world containership fleet ?

• Breakdown by size ranges of existing fleet and orderbook

• By operators • By owners

• Synthetic tables

Updated as at 1st January 2009

Zim initiatives Zim is to close a transpacific loop (AGX) and is to add Far East-India and Med-India links on its EMX service. Zim announced the suspension of its Asia-US Gulf Express service (AGX) as part of its winter program, with its re-maining volumes taken on the relevant leg of the ZCS service. The AGX turns in ten weeks using ten ships averaging 3,000 teu, after a short period when it was run with 4,250 teu ships in end 2008. Its capacity has significantly de-creased over the past weeks with only five ships left lately. The Asia-Gulf trade will be served again with a feeder service hubbing at King-ston to and from Tampa, Mobile and Houston, employing two of the 3,000 teu ships plying the AGX, the 3,351 teu ZIM CANADA and the 3,005 teu NORTH SEA. This feeder service will connect at King-


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ston with the ZCS service to which a call at Busan is added. The move marks a return to the way the Far East-US Gulf sector was served until May 2006, using a similar feeder service run at the time with two ships of 1,100 teu. Zim adds that it will monitor market conditions with the expectation of re-turning to the original AGX direct service pattern later on. The AGX was launched in June 2006 by Zim and Emirates Ship-ping Line (ESL). On the India market, Zim is to add Far East-India and Med-India links through the addition of calls at Mumbai-Nhava Sheva (in both directions) to its East Med Express service (EMX). The EMX will remain run with ten ships, mostly of 4,250 teu. Of note, Zim is already offer-ing an FE-Mumbai link with the 'Super Galex'. Besides, the EMX will call at the Russian port of Novorossisk instead of the Ukrainian port of Ilichevsk as well as Is-tanbul-Evyap inwards to the Black Sea and Istanbul-Kumport out of the Black Sea. The changes occur as Grand Alli-ance join as co-loaders (See above).

Maersk rationalizes FE-ME services Maersk Line has merged its Far East-Middle East FM-2 service within the FM-1 service (FE-ME string of TP-9 / FM-1 pendulum). The process involves the split of the US-Far East-Middle East TP-9 / FM-1 pendulum service into two loops : TP-9 and FM-1. The FM-2 volumes are henceforth taken on board the enhanced FM-1 service, which will use six ships of 8,200-8,500 teu. It will be by far the largest dedi-cated services on the Far East-Middle East route. The TP-9 / FM-1 combined service used nine ships of 6,500-7,400 teu and the FM-2 service used five ships of 4,000-5,000 teu.

Although the new FM-1 loop will offer an average weekly capacity of almost 8,400 teu, it is significantly lower than the total 11,500 teu capacity previously offered by the former FM-1 (7,150 teu) and FM-2 (4,350 teu). This loss may be only ap-parent as Maersk Line is also shuffling ships on other services involving Middle East calls, including Far East-Europe services wayporting in Jebel Ali or Sala-lah and Europe-Middle East services. The new FM-1 turns in six weeks. It will connect the whole China coastline (from Xingang to the Pearl River delta) and SE Asia (through Tanjung Pelepas) to Jebel Ali and Dammam. Further local connec-tions are offered at Jebel Ali to serve other Middle East ports as well as East Africa. Of note, the FM-1 does not call in Iran, as did the FM-2, so a local Jebel Ali-Bandar Abbas feeder loop is put into place by Maersk, using the 3,987 teu MAERSK DULLES, shifted from the FM-2. It comes on top of services ensured through slot buying on common feeders, including Simatech. HMM will co-load on the new FM-1 serv-ice as it did on the former services within the frame of a slot exchange agreement, while MOL is expected to go on with its slot allocation, at least for time being.

Various Lines News CMA CGM is to re-route its PEX 2 service (run in co-operation with CSCL, which provides one ship) from the Panama Ca-nal route to the Cape of Good Hope on its way back to Asia. The PEX 2 will then circumnavigate the globe with an eastabout Round the World pattern via Panama and CGH, a pattern never expe-rienced before. The move, which implies the addition of a tenth week to the rota-tion, will allow to bring loop costs down in avoiding the westbound transit via the Panama Canal. CMA CGM and its subsidiary Delmas are to launch the Mozambique Express, a new relay service connecting Port Kelang (hub) to Reunion, Mozambique and


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Comoros (MOZEX). The MOZEX will be the only container service to connect di-rectly the Far East to Mozambique (Maputo, Beira, Quelimane (isi) and Nacala). Through this service, Delmas will also supply African landlocked coun-tries via the Beira and Nacala corridors : Malawi, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo. Feeder connections at Reunion and Longoni will also allow to cover Port Louis and northern Madagascar. Hapag-Lloyd has become a vessel pro-vider on the Europe-West Africa service, shared with Zim. It replaces CSCL in this role. Hapag-Lloyd brings the 2,226 teu AENNE RICKMERS, replacing the CSCL-chartered 1,732 teu HANSA LIMBURG. Hapag-Lloyd joined this service as slot buyer in August 2007 after having closed its own service. Maersk Line is to alter its Europe-ECSA 'L-class' service, with Bremerhaven re-placing Antwerp and an Algeciras call added southbound, allowing to reduce transit times between Med ports and the ECSA (southbound). In the northbound direction, the service will call again at Algeciras instead of Tangier. As for Ant-werp, it continues to be served thanks to Maersk's slot allocation on the Hamburg Süd's 'River Plate Express'. It is recalled that Maersk Line had closed in December its North Europe-ECSA SAMEX service, which offered an Algeciras-ECSA south-bound leg. Since that date, Med-ECSA cargoes were loaded on the 'L-class' service during the northbound call at Tangier. The 'L-class' service remains ensured with six ships of 4,500 teu. Cheng Lie and Sea Consortium have closed their joint 'Singapore-Pakistan-India Express' service (SPX), ensured with three ships of 1,500 teu. The two ships operated by Sea Consortium are redelivered to their owners as their char-ters expired while the Cheng Lie ship will fill gaps on the Cheng Lie network. Ham-burg Süd, which co-loaded on the serv-ice, will continue to serve the Singapore-Karachi run through slot buying on the Samudera-MOL Singapore-Pakistan relay service (KEX). As far as the connection

to India is concerned, Hamburg Süd covers already this sector with slots on the 'Central China-India service' (CCI), run by Wan Hai, RCL and Sea Consor-tium. Tianjin Marine Shipping Co (TMSC) has launched a weekly service connecting Fuzhou and Xiamen to Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya), using the 617 teu SKY SUCCESS and the 359 teu TIAN YAN. Both ships were recenty recovered by TMSC as their charters to Onto Ship-ping expired. The SKY SUCCESS in on long term charter to TMSC while the TIAN YAN is owned by the company. Grand China Shipping (Yantai) Co Ltd (GCS), the liner shipping arm of Grand China Logistics (GCL), has added an-other China-Japan shuttle to its network. The new shuttle will connect Qingdao to Osaka and Kobe with the GCS-controlled 408 teu DA XIN HUA DONG SHUN (bet-ter known as the former TONG DE QUAN, which was controlled by SYMS prior to the demise of this carrier).

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OOCL is to swap Amsterdam and Rotter-dam for Hamburg on its SBX-2 feeder service, one of two dedicated loops cov-ering the Baltic and Scandinavia. The other loop (SBX-1) will continue for time being to hub at Antwerp and Rotterdam on one of its wing and at Hamburg on its other wing. Maersk Line will add Antwerp to its North Europe-Morocco KNSM service. The


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KNSM service will thus connect Rotter-dam, Bremerhaven and Antwerp to Casablanca. NYK and Sea Consortium have sus-pended the 'Baltic Express' service (BAX / RKX), a feeder service connecting Zee-brugge, Amsterdam and Hamburg to St Petersburg, Kotka and Goteborg. It was launched in December 2007 as a feeder service dedicated mostly to NYK and op-erated by Sea Consortium, for which it was the first service in the Baltic sector. It was run with the 956 teu X-PRESS FUJI and X-PRESS ELBRUS, one of which returned to her owners and the other one redeployed by Sea Consortium on its West Europe feeder network. Feeder volumes have dwindled in the Baltic sector, especially for connections with Russia. All operators have reduced their capacities, with the consequence that around 40 modern ice strengthened containerships of 500 to 1,000 teu are lying idle in North Sea ports and in Nor-way, according to Alphaliner records.

*** New ***

AXS-Alphaliner

Far East-North Europe Survey Issued October 2008

Updated December 2008

Price : EUR 1,500

Corporate New Econ Line Singapore-based New Econ Line (NEL) has suspended its services. NEL oper-ated feeder services connecting Singa-pore to Thailand, Vietnam and Indone-sia. Most of these services were oper-ated in co-operation with K Line and -in a lesser measure- with Sinokor.

New Econ Line (NEL) has been formed in May 2000 by Chan Tuck Hoi, a former top executive of RCL who left this latter company as he did not share the views of the company's management. RCL was at the time developing a network to China and the Middle East in competition with the MLOs, which were also RCL cus-tomers on its SE Asia feeder network. New Econ Line idea was to focus on common feeder services only. GOCL Great Ocean Container Line (GOCL) has withdrawn its Asia-Europe services as the 9-month old start-up goes out of business, reported the Hong Kong Ship-ping Gazette. Hong Kong-based GOCL had been offering since last April a Far East-Europe service through slot buying on Hanjin-UASC services (lately on the AEC 2 service). It expected to introduce a dedicated Asia-Europe liner service during the 4th quarter 2008. GOCL was founded by German shipping executives.

Deliveries Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is to take in charge the HYUNDAI LOYALTY, second of four 8,900 teu ships ordered in April 2006 at Hyundai H.I. by Zodiac Maritime with the backing of a long term HMM charter. As planned, the HYUNDAI LOYALTY and her three sister ships (all delivered by end March) are to join the New World Alliance 'Asia Europe Express' service (AEX), currently operated with HMM's 6,800 teu ships. This four ship series follows a previous batch of four similar ships delivered one year ago in HMM name (two of which currently char-tered out to CMA CGM). It is expected that these eight ships replace the 6,800 teu ones on the AEX. The first 6,800 teu ships displaced are to join the transpa-cific HMM's PCX loop. German owner Conti Reederei has re-ceived the 4,872 teu CONTI SAN FRAN-CISCO from Korean shipyard DSME (Daewoo - Okpo). She is managed by Niederelbe Schiffahrt Buxtehude and is


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on long term charter to Zim as ZIM SAN FRANCISCO. She will join the Zim’s ZCS pendulum in a couple of weeks. The CONTI SAN FRANCISCO is the eleventh unit of its type and the first of the series to trade for Zim. The first ten vessels of all trade for MSC. Some of these ships were built in South Korea, whereas oth-ers originate from Daewoo’s Romanian sister company at Mangalia (DMHI). The CONTI SAN FRANCISCO will be followed by three more sister ships. In late March, Daewoo’s Okpo yard is scheduled to deliver ZIM ONTARIO, another Conti ship. Two more units will then be deliv-ered by DMHI to Singapore-based Sea-Castle, the APL OMAN and APL QATAR. Safmarine is to take in charge the SAFMARINE BAYETE, sixth of a series of ten ships of 3,200 teu, ordered by the A.P. Möller-Maersk Group at Hanjin in two steps (May and Oct 2005). The SAFMARINE BAYETE is expected to pro-ceed to SE Asia where she is planned to join the Maersk Line's Thailand feeder service. Her initial intended assignment was for the Samba service. It is unclear if and when she enters this service. The Mercosul Line, the Brazilian arm of the APM-Maersk group, has received the MERCOSUL MANAUS, last unit of a series of ten 2,478 teu ships built at the Volkswerft for Maersk companies. The MERCOSUL MANAUS is the tenth and last unit in a series of container vessels that Volkswerft ordered when it was still af-filiated to the APM-Maersk group, prior to its sale to the Hegemann group in 2007. Of these ten ships, three were al-located to Maersk Line, five to Safmarine and two to Mercosul Line. They are part of a wider series of 55 broadly similar vessels built at different German yards. The MERCOSUL MANAUS flies the Brazil-ian flag, which will enable her to be em-ployed on the Brazilian cabotage trade, although she will start he career on the Maersk Line - Hamburg Süd 'Scan Med' service, replacing the 2,492 teu E.R. ELSFLETH, redelivered to her owners at expiry of her charter.

German owner Hermann Buss has re-ceived the MEDPEARL, first unit in a new series of ships of 1,496 teu built in China by the Ouhua shipyard (Zhejiang prov-ince). She is currently lying at anchor, awaiting for an employment. Greek owner Cosmoship has received the DORA C, one of a series of standard 1,043 teu ships ordered by this owner at the Dae Sun shipyard (Korea) (some were resold since). The DORA C is to join Chinese carrier Winland Shipping for as-signment to its North China-Japan serv-ice. She brings to 26 the number of units built in the 'Dae Sun 1000' series. Drochtersen-based owner Jürgen Ohle has received the JANA, first of a pair of 974 teu units (RW 850 design) ordered by this owner to the Hegemann Ship-building Group. The second ship, MARE, is to be delivered in April. Both ships have been chartered by Finland carrier Containerships OY (a subsidiary of Ice-landic carrier Eimskip) for their Western Europe-Baltic services. The delivery of the JANA coincides with an expansion of the services offered. SITC has taken in charge the SITC SHENZHEN, a 907 teu ship built at the Kyokuyo Shipyard (Japan), long term chartered from Japanese investing com-pany Itochu Corp. She has joined the SITC's Japan-North China & Shanghai service. The Croatian Brodogradiliste Uljanik shipyard, located at Pula, has handed over the 214-meter conro GRANDE GHANA, second unit of a new series of seven identical units that Uljanik will build for Grimaldi di Navigazione. The GRANDE GHANA is presently positioning to join her owners’ Europe-West Africa 'Southern Express' service.


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Terminals Jeddah Recent reports indicate that construction work on the USD 453 M Red Sea Gate-way Terminal (RSGT) at Jeddah is mak-ing fast progress and that the new ter-minal will commence operations in Octo-ber. RSGT, the first privately developed con-tainer terminal in Saud-Arabia, will al-most double Jeddah’s annual box han-dling capacity from 1.8 Mteu to a total of 3.3 Mteu. The new facility is being de-veloped by Tusdeer, a subsidiary of Saudi Industrial Services Co, who had signed a build-operate-transfer scheme with the Saudi Port Authority early in 2007. Once completed, RSGT will be the third box terminal at Jeddah. Fitted with eight ZPMC-built super-post-panamax gantries and dredged to a depth of 16.5 metres, it will be capable of handling vessels of ULCS dimensions. The terminal’s 1,045 metre quay can accommodate two large mainline vessels and two smaller feeder ships at a time. Along with the RSGT, Tusdeer presently also develops an adjacent bonded and re-export zone – the first free zone in Saudi Arabia. One of the driving ideas behind the terminal development was to establish Jeddah as the bridgehead of a land corridor between the Red Sea and the Middle East Gulf. This would allow Asia-Europe main line container services to not take a detour via the Gulf and yet serve centres of economic activity like Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. Presently however, all containers taking such a route would have to be trucked some 1,000-kilometres across the Arab peninsula, since there is no railway line except for a connection between Dam-mam on the Middle East Gulf and the Saudi capital Riyadh. A feasibility study for a railway connection between Jeddah and Riyadh is presently in the making,

but it is not yet known if and when the link would be ready. Lattakia - CMA CGM CMA CGM announced it has concluded an agreement with the Lattakia Port Gen-eral Company (LPGC) to operate the Lat-takia Container Terminal (Syria) for a duration of 10 years extendable to 15 years. The LCT will be operated by a joint venture in which Terminal Link (CMA CGM terminal subsidiary) will hold 51% and Syrian company Souria Holding will hold 49%. The takeover is expected to take place in July. Located in Western Syria, 186 km south-west of Alep and 90 km north of Tartous, Lattakia is Syria’s main port. Its con-tainer terminal offers a quay with a length of 972 metres with a depth of 11.8 to 13.3 metres. The terminal han-dled 0.57 Mteu last year and the consor-tium plans to increase the facility’s ca-pacity to approximately 1 Mteu per year by 2012. Lattakia is currently served by the Marsaxlokk-Near East feeder service operated by CMA CGM's feeder arm Feeder Associate System (FAS), using two ships of 2,686 teu, CMA CGM LYS and CMA CGM GARDENIA. Presently, CMA CGM’s stronghold in the Levant is the Port of Beirut, where the French Line – along with MSC – is one of the most important callers. It was re-cently rumoured that Beirut might de-velop a dedicated facility for either of these two lines in order to secure its business. In this context is has to be said that Beirut is capable of handling large mainline vessels at full draft. Such ships could presently not be re-routed to Lattakia. Zhuhai Hutchison Ports has started to conduct tests at the newly constructed phase two of its Zhuhai International Container Terminal (ZICT), also marketed as Gao-lan Port. The presently unemployed 6,350 teu APL NEW JERSEY recently per-formed a test call at Zhuhai and thus be-


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came the largest boxship ever to call at any of the city’s docks. The new container Terminal is located on the western side of China’s Pearl River Delta. It lies approximately 90 kilome-tres south of Nansha (Guangzhou), its nearest rival port, and about 110 kilome-tres west of Hong Kong and its direct neighbours, Yantian, Chiwan and Dachan Bay. Technically, the terminal which is presently nearing completion is merely an extension of Zhuhai’s ZICT-I port. Though marketed as a container termi-nal, this older part of the port actually rather resembles a multi-purpose facility which has the capability to handle con-tainers on medium sized ships too. It uses large conventional quayside cranes and does not offer a sophisticated con-tainer stacking yard. ZICT-II however is different. Scheduled to be fully operational in August, the new terminal module will offer 824 me-tres of dedicated container ship berths. A total of eight SPP-sized gantries and a draft clearance of 15.8 metres will allow ULCS to call at Zhuhai. A total of 24 rub-ber-tyred gantries will serve the storage blocks of ZICT-II’s container yard. Re-portedly, a further large-scale expansion to the terminal is being considered. This third module would take the number of berths for mainline container ships from two to six. These plans however, have their roots in the boom days of the last couple of years and it remains to be seen when, if, or to what extent they will be implemented. Lagos The Nigerian port concessionaire and terminal operator Sifax Group now re-portedly entered discussions with DP World to jointly develop new container and multipurpose port complex in Lagos. The Nigerian government had lately called for the development of a green field container port to add to Lagos’ ex-isting terminals at Apapa and Tin Can Island which frequently suffer from con-gestion. The exact whereabouts of the

proposed new terminal have not been revealed, but the coastal flats just west of Lagos Lagoon’s sea channel seem to be the most likely option. The port of Lagos features both on direct routes to Europe and on direct services to the Far East. Furthermore it sees a three low-frequency links to South America which are maintained by small multipurpose and roro ships. Generally, the Nigerian main port is served by ships of around 2,500 teu, though some larger Maersk Line and MSC vessels have re-cently appeared. Lagos-Apapa’s main present-day container facility is operated by APM Terminals. It offers 1,005m of quay length and is able to handle four commonly-sized vessels at a time. India The Indian Government says that it will pursue its National Maritime Develop-ment Programme (NMDP) despite the recent economic downturn. While work is in progress with 65 port development projects, a further 31 plans are approved but not yet awarded to de-velopers. Furthermore, 26 projects are waiting for approval and 93 projects are in the planning phase. Despite the recent adverse developments like the financial crisis and the decline in world seaborne trade, overall progress of the NMDP pro-jects is said to be good and most pro-jects were able to attract investments for private players as scheduled. The share of private sector investments in com-pleted projects is close to three quarters. Nine NMDP-projects worth a total of USD 290 M have been completed at Kandla, where three new cargo berths and a container terminal with storage up areas have been constructed in addition to up-grades made to the local rail and road infrastructure. Jawaharlal Nehru Port – better known as Mumbai-Nhava Sheva - has completed four NMDP-projects at an estimated cost of USD 232 M. These in-clude the reconstruction of a former bulk terminal into a container facility. Under the NMDP-Plan, improvements have also


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been completed at Paradip, Haldia, Tuti-corin, Mumbai, Kolkata and a number of smaller ports. Despite the present progress, there are concerned voices within the Indian ship-ping sector which doubt that some of the port infrastructure improvements will be completed within the stipulated timeframe. Especially the present ten-dering procedures for port operating concession are frequently described as lengthy, complicated and standing in the way of a quick project implementation. The Ennore container terminal tender for example recently entailed a court trial in which the court ruled that the process of selecting an operator had to be reviewed

Trade Chinese trade China’s imports and exports fell in Janu-ary for the third consecutive month. January exports went down 17.5%, compared to the corresponding month of 2008 and totalled at USD 90.45 bn. The nation’s imports even dropped 43.1% to USD 51.34 billion. These figures have been published in a report from the Chi-nese General Administration of Customs. While these numbers represent a grand total for all commodities imported and exported, including non-containerised freight, bulk cargoes and liquids, they very much illustrate the scale of the re-cession and its effects on world trade. Chinese exports are among the most powerful driving forces behind container volumes carried on many mainline east-west container routes. Indonesian exports Indonesia's trade minister recently pre-dicted that her nation’s export volumes - with the exception of oil and gas - are expected to fall by about a quarter this year compared to 2008. Exports of automotive components and consumer electronics are expected to be hit worst by the current economic downturn. Since

these commodities are typically contain-erised, box throughput figures in Indo-nesian ports are expected to take a plunge of 20, if not 30%. A few weeks ago, Indonesia reported that exports had fallen 20.6% year-on-year in December - the biggest decline in since 2002. Indonesia is South East Asia’s largest economy. With its 238 million inhabi-tants, it is not only an export nation, but also a significant consumer market. In-donesia is mostly served through feeders hubbing in the SE Asia hubs. Its main ports are Jakarta, Semarang and Sura-baya, which are generally served by me-dium sized vessels only.

Documents

Week 2009/07 – 09.02.2009 to 15.02.2009 www. axs …files.irwebpage.com/reports/shipping/eGco28Qa1L/AXS-Alphaliner... · Week 2009/07 – 09.02.2009 to 15.02.2009 axs-alphaliner.com