THE second largest port in China for foreign trade, Qingdao, has manage to maintain its status with a year-on-year growth of 9.4 per cent in its foreign trade cargo volume to 157 million tonnes in the first seven months of this year.

In the same period, the port's overall tonnage increased 8.3 per cent to 241 million tonnes, while its container throughput climbed 11.2 per cent to 8.46 million TEU. The port's operating revenue grew 15 per cent to CNY7.1 billion (US$1.13 billion), according to Xinhua.



Qingdao is aiming to accomplish a throughput of 400 million tonnes in terms of tonnage and a box volume of 14.5 million TEU by the end of the year. In the meantime, its Dongjiakou port area will finish building of 10 new berths by the end of the year end, which will bring the port 100 million tonnes of extra capacity.

THE G6 Alliance will commence a dedicated feeder shuttle from German ports to Gothenburg in Sweden to boost their presence in the Scandinavian market, a move that covers the temporary suspension of Loop 3 in the slack season.

The rotation of the Gothenburg Express service (GTE) will be Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Gothenburg and Bremerhaven, again with calls at both terminals CTA and CTB in Hamburg.



First sailings of the GTE are scheduled for November 18 from Bremerhaven, November 20 in Hamburg and November 22 in Gothenburg (ETA).



The G6 Alliance members are APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK Line and Orient Overseas Container Line.

SAUDI Global Ports LLC (SGP), a joint-venture between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and Singapore's PSA International (PSA), recently broke ground to mark the official start of construction of the second container terminal in the King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam.

PIF secretary general Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Mufadhi announced the same day that the PIF board approved a loan to SGP to finance the Persian Gulf project.



One the Persian Gulf, and close to Saudi Arabia's economic centre and capital city Riyadh, the SGP Terminal is linked by existing railway network and excellent highways to the rest of the country.



When fully developed, the terminal will have a 1,200 metre quay and 12 quay cranes, with an annual capacity of 1.8 million TEU.



Said PSA International CEO Tan Chong Meng: "Dammam represents PSA International's first port infrastructure project in Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf. PSA will work in partnership with PIF and the Saudi Ports Authority to enable the Saudi Global Ports Terminal to excel in container handling operations and transform Dammam into the preferred port of call to support the high trade volumes in the region."

ANGOLA has launched the National Freight Bourse (NFB) that aims to bring importers, shipping agents and shipowners together to contract the transport of goods by sea freight.

The freight exchange's focus is to lower the freight costs for cargo arriving or leaving ports in Angola to match international transport prices.



Transport Minister Augusto da Silva Tomas said at the inauguration ceremony that in 2011 the country spent over US$1.2 billion on freight shipping for importing containerised cargo.



That corresponds to the arrival of 421,000 container imports in Angola, higher than in previous years and at a lower freight cost, reported GAC Hot Port News.



In 2008 transporting a container to Angola cost an average of $3,665, while in the first half of this year that cost had dropped by 22 per cent to $2,850.

NEWS that Maersk and its unit Safmarine, were raising reefer rates US$1,500 per FEU won a chilly reception from citrus shippers at the Cool Logistics conference in Antwerp, where the increase was called "overzealous" and "flawed".

"There is no plausible explanation that warranted such an increase," said Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) chief executive CEO Justin Chadwick, who added his group and its members were drafting impact assessments



"On the South Africa-Europe trade lane, freight rates are considered sufficient to both realise a return on investment on equipment and generate a profit," Mr Chadwick said. according to London's Containerisation International.



But Maersk and Safmarine said that without the increase there could be no upgrade in equipment, thus putting South Africa's vital fruit sector at risk.



Maersk Line CEO Soren Skou told delegates that the hike represented a 30 per cent increase in prices globally, and added that the carrier might rethink its participation in the reefer trades if it didn't see better returns.



Mr Skou said that over the past seven years reefer rates had not been able to cover increases in inflation or bunker costs, and between now and 2015 the industry would need to invest US$3.5 billion in new equipment, which also would not be covered by current rates.



Nonetheless, Mr Chadwick expressed disappointment at Maersk's demand for renegotiations on cargo being moved before the January rate increase, and "unfair" bunker surcharges.



Citrus exporters have an increasingly limited choice when it comes to moving cargo as the specialised reefer shipping fleet is in short supply, with owners/operators assigning less capacity in the South Africa trades.

THE International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre says there were fewer Somali pirate attacks in the first half of this year, but violent piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa have increased.

There has been a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in attacks off the West Africa to 32, including five hijackings in the first six months of 2012.



"Off Nigeria alone, there were 17 reports, compared with six in 2011," said the IMB. "Togo reported five, including a hijacking, but had none last year."



The IMB reported that there was a 50 per cent year-on-year reduction in pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean to 177 in the first six months of 2012. Somali pirates also hijacked fewer vessels, down from 21 to 13.



"Somali pirate attacks cover a vast area, from the southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Sea and Somali Basin, threatening shipping in the northwest Indian Ocean," said IMB director Pottengal Mukundan.



"Naval actions play an essential role in frustrating pirates. There is no alternative but their continued presence," Mr Mukundan said.