WorldCargo
PORT NEWS
news
DP World takes
Auckland
Reality check in Manila
control in Algeria
for sale?
The global economic downturn civil works, systems improvement
(Makar Wharf) - all located on the
has prompted publicly-listed In- and acquisition of major cargo
southern island of Mindanao -
Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL)’s ternational Container Terminal handling equipment for MICT
helped raise the company’s do-
ultimate owner, Auckland Re- Services Inc (ICTSI) to put off and the terminals in Brazil and
mestic throughput by 18% to
gional Council (ARC), is under an order for two Noell quayside Ecuador.
1.91M TEU.
pressure to consider selling off or cranes intended for the sixth ad- ICTSI has reason to be guard-
ICTSI’s foreign terminals
privatising the port as profits ditional berth it is constructing edly optimistic about its flagship,
cleared a total of 3.73M in 2008,
come under increasing pressure. at the Manila International Con- which is a 100% import/export
24.2% up on 2007, thanks to the
ARC owns 100% of POAL tainer Terminal (MICT). terminal. Throughput last year
addition of new concessions in
through investment arm Auck- Throughput at MICT in 2008 was up 10% from 1.37M TEU in
Ecuador, Georgia and Syria, plus
land Regional Holdings (ARH) as a whole was up by 10.3% to 2007, even though the value of
exceptionally strong growth in
but POAL has suspended divi- 1,513,543 TEU. All the same, the Philippine exports (FOB value)
Brazil and Madagascar. Tecon
dend payments after suffering a target completion date for Berth contracted by around 2.9% whilst
Suape handled 294,383 TEU (+
26% fall in first half profit. 6, which would lift MICT’s an- imports grew by an all-time low
21.8%) and the Taomasina facil-
POAL chairman Gary Judd nual handling capacity by 0.5M of 2%.
ity 143,371 TEU (+ 27.5%).
suggested that the effects of the TEU to 2.1M TEU, has also been A further 20% volume in-
The only operation to expe-
global economic situation may moved to 2011 at the earliest in- crease in the Port of Davao (Sasa
rience a downturn was BCT
mean it is “the right time to con- stead of 2010. Wharf), additional volume from
Gdynia ( down by 10.8% to
DP World has officially taken con- One of DP World’s priorities will be sider privatisation,” which could ICTSI, however, is still due to the Mindanao Container Termi-
440,591 TEU), due in part to the
trol of operations at the Port of Al-
to tackle congestion in Algiers
be recommended in the port take delivery this year of eight nal and consolidation of volume
switch by Maersk to DCT
giers, which is now known as DP company’s newly-announced new RTGs from Noell Crane of ICTSI’s unit in General Santos
Gdansk.
World Djazair, and will shortly add step towards its training goals, the capital structure review. Systems China Ltd to add to the
the Port of Djen Djen to its port- company will send several Algerian But ARC chairman Mike Lee, four units commissioned last Sep-
Customers such as Brazilian operator Log-in Logística helped ICTSI’s Brazilian
folio, bringing its global network workers to DP World terminals at who strongly backed the 2005 tember. It is understood that the
concession Tecon Suape, to grow by almost 22% last year
to 49 terminals in 27 countries. Djibouti, Dakar and Dubai for two delisting of POAL, said the high timing of the quay cranes for the
As reported in the June 2008 month apprenticeships. degree of interest in public owner- new berth would depend on
issue of WorldCargo News (p7), DP DP World expects to assume ship meant there was no political MICT’s throughput over the next
World’s 30-year concession is con- operation of Djen Djen port, to will to sell the port company and 12-18 months.
sistent with Algeria’s strategy to be known as DP World Djen Djen, “now is the worst possible time to Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI
develop the two ports in line with in late April, 2009. be selling assets.” vice president and MICT general
national interests: DP World “While we are a global port The latest speculation arose af- manager, stated that the company
Djazair, which handles more than operator, we are, importantly, an ter entrenched rival Tauranga flatly was not downscaling the
60% of the country’s external active member of the communi- rejected merger and buy-out pro- PhP4.6B (US$94.8M) Berth 6
trade, will be developed further ties in which we operate. As with posals from POAL. In late Febru- project. “We’re just stretching out
primarily to serve domestic needs, our other terminals, we will be ary, Judd announced that Tauranga the timetable due to market con-
while Djen Djen will become the investing in training and develop- had “declined to advance” recently- ditions,” he said.
main terminal for the eastern part ment of local people in Algeria, initiated preliminary discussions for ICTSI’s total capital expendi-
of the country, as well as a tran- offering new opportunities for a merger that would “deliver obvi- tures in 2009 is estimated to reach
shipment hub for the Western career growth as part of a global ous synergies, cost savings and ben- PhP7.20B (US$148.4M) com-
Mediterranean. company. At the same time, we are efits to all of New Zealand.” pared with PhP7.97B last year.
DP World’s priorities include pleased to be able to add Algeria “We saw an opportunity to do Most of the money will go on
reducing congestion and adminis- to our global network, enhancing something that would benefit New
trative delays at Algiers, which have our ability to serve customers in Zealand,” Judd said. “Tauranga’s
seriously impeded Algeria’s com- North Africa,” said DP World decision to withdraw, despite solid
petitiveness in recent years. As a first CEO Mohammed Sharaf. evidence of the benefits to share-
holders and ratepayers in both re- BBI looking to sell more
gions, is disappointing.”
APMT in Bristol talks
Tauranga CEO Mark Cairns
Sydney-based Babcock & BBI’s asset sale process, its busi- BBI to consider a possible eq-
commented, “Earlier in the
Brown Infrastructure (BBI) will nesses or its operations. uity sale; the company did not
month, we held an informal meet-
consider selling 100% of PD “Our businesses continue to say whether it contemplated a
APM Terminals (APMT) is re- depend both on the state of the ing at Ports of Auckland’s request
Ports in the UK, all but 15% of operate as usual and our essential total or partial sale, nor did it
ported to be in discussions with world container shipping market where they presented an incom-
BBI Euroports and at least 49% services infrastructure assets are reveal interested parties.
the Bristol Port Company (BPC) and capacity in the UK. plete proposal to merge our re-
of Queensland’s Dalrymple Bay performing well,” Kendrew said. BBI has already sold around
concerning the development of “Now is not the best time to spective container terminal busi-
Coal Terminal (DBCT) as it “BBI is in the process of appoint- 30% of BBI Euroports to sepa-
a new container terminal at the talk about a major infrastructure nesses. This was considered by the
tries to get debt levels under ing external advisors where ap- rate, but related, infrastructure
UK south west coast port able to investment in the UK,” he said. Port of Tauranga Board…and re-
control in the wake of the col- propriate, to enable a smooth funds, with Kendrew indicating
handle the world’s largest The BPC plan, for which jected on the basis that it is not in
lapse of its parent, investment transition of the sale processes.” the company would be happy
containerships. planning consent is being sought, the best interests of shareholders
bank Babcock & Brown (B&B). Earlier BBI announced it had ending up with a 15-25% hold-
BPC chief executive Simon envisages a 1.5M TEU/year ter- or our customers.”
B&B went into voluntary appointed the Royal Bank of ing.
Bird said that the two companies minal to be built at a cost of Cairns said Tauranga had not
administration on 13 March af- Scotland and Dresdner Kleinwort In Australia, BBI is expected
have been working closely to- £500M on the site of a former changed its position on the need
ter New Zealand investors to advise on a possible sale of PD to appoint external advisers for
gether for over a year on a joint oil terminal outside the locks at for port rationalisation and re-
voted down a A$3.2B debt re- Ports, which owns all or part of the sale of DBCT, after initially
feasibility study for a deepsea con- Avonmouth. Covering 100 acres, mained willing to reopen full
structuring proposal. But BBI the ports of Tees and Hartlepool, running the process internally.
tainer terminal in Bristol and had the facility would have 1,200m merger discussions with Auckland
chief executive Jeff Kendrew Hull, Immingham, Howden, An Xstrata-led consortium of
“reached agreement on the prin- of linear quay with a depth along- on terms that would be beneficial
said the administration would Keadby and Cowes. This followed customer coal producers is re-
ciples to move forward.” side of 16m at all states of the tide. to shareholders.
not have any direct effect on “unsolicited interest” that caused ported to be the frontrunner.
Klaus Sejling, APMT’s vice- If BPC is able to reach an
president for global business de- agreement with APMT, it would
velopment, confirmed that dis- mark the Danish company’s first
cussions had taken place, but said container terminal investment in
the outcome of the talks would the UK.
Gothenburg lay-offs
The Port of Gothenburg has an-
for 2009 redundancies are unfor-
nounced 155 redundancies due to
tunately necessary,” said Kårestedt.
the sharp downturn in import and
The port has 1060 permanent
export volumes. The cuts will in-
employees, including 710 dock
clude dock workers, managers and
workers, 100 production supervi-
Computer simulations performed to determine equipment Civil engineering activities. Work begins on strengthening Specification, acquisition, delivery and installation of all
requirements and most efficient yard configuration the quayside with steel-reinforced concrete equipment for the terminal
white-collar staff. “The Port of
sors and foremen and 200 white-
Gothenburg reflects the state of
collar staff. It also has a pool of
Swedish industry and we have
220 workers who can be brought
been hit hard by the recession,”
in when required.
said the port’s CEO Magnus
a71 For the first time ever
Kårestedt. “Consequently, we have
Gothenburg has a Russian con-
been forced to announce redun-
tainer line as a customer. Delta
dancies, which is something which
Shipping Lines is putting into
we had hoped we could avoid as
Gothenburg weekly as part of the
far as possible.”
scheduled route between North
There has been an adjustment
Continent (Rotterdam and Ham-
programme in place at the port
burg) and Saint Petersburg. The
since last October to improve flex-
port gained its first direct Russian
Before: A conventional multi-purpose port
ibility and efficiency and at the
link recently when WWL opted
same time reduce manning costs
to use it as a transhipment base
by the equivalent of 100 full-time
for cars, with a feeder service that
employees. In the meantime vol-
calls at Kotka in Finland as well as
ume forecasts have fallen result-
Saint Petersburg. The port also has
ing in an acute need to cut costs.
a new direct shipping route with
“The adjustment process that
India, with a service provided by
has commenced will continue, but
the Shipping Corporation of In-
if we are to avoid substantial losses
dia (SCI).
8 March 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40