Container Ship Wrecks and Fires
July 26th, 2007
On occasion, container ships do not make it to their destination port. No one likes to think about it but a ship can encounter any number of problems and, unfortunately, when a container ship has a problem, it’s a BIG problem.
The photos we point to here show container ships from many different shipping lines, there is no focus on any one line, and the problems vary from wrecks and damage due to heavy weather, ships that have capsized due to improper loading, and fires from hazardous cargo and even terrorist attacks.
The photos are amazing and are sure to make any exporter a little uncomfortable but they are definitely interesting. They also underscore the reasons for proper declaration of hazardous cargo and very careful and secure loading of each container.
Link: Ship photos via BoingBoing
Port of Tacoma Plans NYK Line Terminal
July 26th, 2007
The Port of Tacoma is planning to construct a new terminal which will be leased to Yusen Terminal Tacoma for the NYK Line.
The Port of Tacoma today announced plans to build a $300 million, 168-acre (68-hectare) container terminal on the industrial east side of Tacoma’s Blair Waterway. The terminal will be leased to a container terminal operator, Yusen Terminal Tacoma Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYK Line.
The plan was approved by NYK Line at its Board of Directors July 26 meeting in Tokyo, Japan. The Port of Tacoma Commission will hold a special meeting in Tacoma tonight to consider and approve the final lease.
The lease agreement will introduce Yusen Terminal Tacoma Inc. (YTTI) to the Pacific Northwest. Another subsidiary of NYK Line, Yusen Terminals, Inc. (YTI), is currently operating a terminal in the Port of Los Angeles and now the NYK Group is expanding into the Puget Sound. Read the rest of this entry »
BigLift Shipping Building Two Heavy Lift Ships
June 26th, 2007
BigLift Shipping, a company specializing in the worldwide transportation of heavy lifts and project cargo, is undertaking an investment program to extend their fleet in numbers of vessels and in lifting capacity.
A contract was signed with Larsen & Toubro of India, for the construction of two multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels.
The main characteristics of the newbuildings are:
Length o.a. 154.80 m
Beam 26.50 m
Scantling draft 9.50 m
Deadweight 18,680 mt
The vessels will be equipped with two Huisman heavy-lift mast cranes, each having an SWL of 900 mt: lifting capacity in tandem 1800 mt.
The new buildings will have 1A Finnish Ice class, have hydraulically operated upperdeck hatch covers, pontoon tweendeck covers at adjustable heights, two trolley cranes of 37.5 t SWL, hold ventilation and heating, C02 and sprinkler systems in the hold.
The vessels will be able to carry all kinds of dry cargo as well as project cargoes and heavy lifts in the most efficient manner.
To carry very tall heavy lifts such as cranes, modules, etc. the ships can sail with the upperdeck covers totally or partially open.
The vessels will be delivered end 2009 and early 2010. BigLift and Larsen & Toubro agreed on two further options for sister vessels.
The vessels are built at the brand-new shipbuilding facility of Larsen & Toubro at Hazira.
Link: BigLift Shipping
FedEx and U.S. Commercial Service Agreement to Boost U.S. Small - Medium Business Exports
May 16th, 2007
Deciding to export your products into the global marketplace can open huge new opportunities for your company but small and medium sized businesses are often not equipped to take on the task and need a bit of up front help. FedEx and the U.S. Commercial Service have a new 5 year agreement to simplify the complexity of international trade, focusing on the small and medium business market, precisely where the need exists.
FedEx and the Commercial Service created the concept for their joint trade promotion initiative in 2004. Since joining forces, FedEx and the Commercial Service have introduced approximately 10,000 clients to the business of exporting. As part of the new five-year agreement, FedEx and the Commercial Service will continue to help U.S. businesses develop successful export strategies through free resources such as market research, trade leads, export seminars, and supply chain management services.
“More than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power and 95 percent of its population are outside of the United States,” said Israel Hernandez, assistant secretary for Trade Promotion and director general of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. “We recognize that together, the public and private sectors can do more to help both U.S. exporters and the U.S. economy grow and remain competitive.”
“If you do business here in the United States, the most competitive market in the world, then you can certainly sell your product or service in other markets around the world, just like thousands of small-and medium-sized businesses do every day,” Hernandez added. Read the rest of this entry »
Dockwise Yacht Transport Builds Largest Yacht Carrier
May 5th, 2007
Dockwise builds semi-submersible heavy lift vessels capable of moving extremely large objects worldwide and their subsidiary, Dockwise Yacht Transport, has just completed the world’s largest purpose built ship of its kind, the Yacht Express. The float on/float off design enables easy loading and unloading for all shapes and sizes of yachts. Yachts can be carried quickly and safely to ports worldwide for cruising foreign waters without the necessity of an ocean crossing.
