WORLDWIDE MARITIME NEWS (XXII)

1.- DANISH MARITIME AUTHORITY: NEW SHIP SURVEY

Starting January 1st, the Danish Maritime Authority is surveying all Danish passenger ships in a new way. This new survey means that Renewal Surveys, MLC Surveys. ISM Audits and, in some cases, ISPS Surveys are combined into one survey.

The types of ships covered by this new survey are passenger ships; passenger ships on voyages in port areas or lakes; viking ships carrying more than 12 passengers and ships for special purposes carrying more than 12 passengers.

2.-WEST AFRICAN CONTAINER TRADES: PORT AND LANDSLIDE CONGESTION

West African ports are facing great congestion pressures from the cascading of container vessels into the region's trades. As many as 16 ships between 8.000 TEU and 11.000 TEU are likely to be cascaded into other trades in the next 15 months. Significant challenges remain both at the port gates and outside the port gates, such as long delays at ports and borders, inland transit corridors subject to constant harassment and corruption in moving cargoes.

3.- HAPAG-LLOYD: MERGER PLANS WITH CSAV

Following its merger with Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores (CSAV), Hapag-Lloyd is expecting greater shipping interaction in emerging markets, particularly in the Inter-Asia and Africa trade, though it would continue with its past concentration on the markets of developed countries.

4.-CONTAINER SECTOR: NAVAL GIGANTISM AND NEW ALLIANCES

According to the annual report "Italian Maritime Economy: New Routes to Growth", written by Oliviero Bacelli and Lanfranco Seni, the development of naval gigantism is leading to the development of new port and commercial arrangements at an international level. The increasing of alliances on the main routes is the shipping companies' response to the demand for lower prices and greater capability of this service. But this would lead to the marginalisation of port structures that are not ready to seize greater carriers or have enough space to seize containers.

5.- OMAN: TENDERS FOR FIRST DRY PORT

The Government of Oman has launched a Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the lease to operate and manage the country's first dry port, located in the South Al Batinah Logistics Area (SABLA). The project is designed to position the Sultanate as a logistics gateway for the Gulf and the Middle East Region.