[310312.EN.SEA] 2011 Data Ranks Shanghai As World's Biggest Port At 33 Million TEU

ACCORDING to the analysis released by Shanghai port authority, Shanghai will continue to stay as the world's largest container port at 33 million TEU and for overall tonnage, Xinhua reports.

Last year, Shanghai lifted 31.74 million TEU, making the first port in the world to have a container throughput more than 30 million TEU.

The port's container through put dropped 3.3 per cent year on year to 2.62 million TEU in January, but increased 13.1 per cent to 2.19 million TEU in February.

It expects the situation to improve despite weak market conditions globally.

Source : SN – TR, 31.03.12.

[310312.ID.SEA] Kapal Pesiar Azamara Quest Terhanyut di Dekat Kalimantan

MANILA, KOMPAS.com -- Kapal pesiar Azamara Quest, yang berisi tak kurang dari 1.000 penumpang dan awak kapal, terhanyut di perairan Laut Sulu dekat Pulau Kalimantan, setelah dua mesinnya mati akibat terbakar, Sabtu (31/3/2012). Lima awak kapal dilaporkan terluka dalam insiden kebakaran yang terjadi pada Jumat (30/3/2012) tengah malam.

Juru bicara Kesatuan Penjaga Pantai Filipina Letnan Commander Algier Ricafrente mengatakan, pihaknya pertama kali menerima kabar insiden kapal Azamara Quest, Sabtu pagi, dari sebuah perusahaan pelayaran feri dan penarikan kapal di Manila. Saat itu, posisi kapal berada sekitar 139 kilometer sebelah barat daya Karang Tubbataha yang masuk dalam wilayah Filipina.

Pihak Azamara Club Cruises— perusahaan operator kapal pesiar tersebut, menyatakan bahwa kapal saat ini menggunakan sumber tenaga cadangan dan terapung-apung di kawasan laut yang tenang di dekat Kalimantan, Indonesia. Kapal tersebut membawa 590 penumpang dan 411 awak kapal. Sebagian besar penumpang adalah orang Amerika dan Eropa.

Insiden kebakaran terjadi sehari setelah kapal meninggalkan Manila menuju Sandakan, Malaysia. Kapal itu sendiri dalam perjalanan pesiar 17 hari, yang berawal dari Hong Kong, Senin (26/3/2012), dan berencana berlabuh di beberapa kota di Filipina, Malaysia, dan Indonesia, sebelum dijadwalkan berlabuh di Singapura, 12 April. Di Indonesia, kapal pesiar itu direncanakan mampir di Balikpapan, Palopo, Benoa, Semarang, dan Pulau Komodo.

Jumat tengah malam api berkobar di salah satu kamar mesin kapal berbobot 30.277 ton itu. Api langsung bisa dipadamkan, tetapi lima awak kapal terluka akibat menghirup asap pekat. Satu orang dilaporkan dalam kondisi kritis dan membutuhkan perawatan rumah sakit.

Akibat kebakaran itu, mesin penggerak kapal berukuran panjang 180 meter dan lebar 30 meter itu mati. Para awak kapal baru berhasil memulihkan satu mesin yang membangkitkan listrik untuk menyalakan pendingin ruangan, aliran air ledeng, lemari pendingin, dan alat-alat masak.

Dua kapal Penjaga Pantai Filipina dan kapal patroli Angkatan Laut Filipina dijadwalkan tiba di lokasi kapal Sabtu malam. Pihak perusahaan operator juga menyewa kapal tunda dan mengirimnya ke lokasi kapal seandainya para awak gagal memperbaiki mesin dan kapal harus ditarik.

Ini adalah insiden ketiga yang menimpa kapal pesiar setelah peristiwa kandasnya kapal Costa Concordia, Januari, dan terhanyutnya Costa Allegra akibat mesin mati setelah kebakaran di perairan Samudera Hindia, Februari lalu.

Sumber: AP, AFP, Kompas, 31.03.12.

[300312.EN.LOG] EU Fines K + N, Panalpina, 12 Others US$225 Million For Price Fixing

THE European Commission has fined 14 air forwarders US$225 million for price fixing with the largest fine - $71.5 million - going to Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel ($71.5 million) with fellow Swiss operator Panalpina having to pay $61.9 million penalty. Both are contemplating appeals.

UPS was also hit with a $13 million fine, but DHL Global Forwarding and Exel were exempt because they turned on the others and informed the EU's antitrust regulators.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the probe, started with EC office raids in October 2007, concerned price-fixing in four separate cartel infringements, including services from the UK to outside the European Economic Area to the United States, China and from southern mainland China and Hong Kong to European destinations.

"Companies should be aware that crossing the line and colluding on prices comes at a high price, as today's decision illustrates," said EU antitrust commissioner Joaquin Almunia. "These cartels affected individuals and companies shipping goods on important trade lanes."

In November 2011, Kuehne + Nagel made a plea bargain with US Justice Department prosecutors and agreed to pay a $9.8 million fine, reported American Shipper.

"We will carefully consider the decision of the EU Commission and its rationale," said KN chairman Karl Gernandt. "We are of the opinion that the commission has not correctly investigated the facts and the participation of Kuehne + Nagel and has drawn significantly incorrect factual and legal conclusions.

"In addition, Kuehne + Nagel's comprehensive cooperation throughout the investigation was not adequately acknowledged. That is why we take into consideration to appeal against the decision before the European courts," he said.

Panalpina felt the same and is considering an appeal too. "Panalpina will analyse the commission's decision given its right to appeal the decision to the European General Court," the company said. "The group has so far made no provision for the penalty of EUR46.5 million euros (US$61.9 million) as it was not in a position to predict the outcome of this proceeding and to assess its financial exposure. It is Panalpina's position, which is supported by independent economic evidence, that the infringements likely did not affect prices paid by Panalpina's customers."

Panalpina settled with the US prosecutors for $12 million.

"Panalpina also completed settlement negotiations with the New Zealand Commerce Commission and the agreed penalty was approved by the competent court," the company said. "Identical antitrust proceedings in Canada and Australia were dropped. Two antitrust proceedings are still ongoing in Switzerland and Brazil."


Source : HKSG.

[300312.ID.AIR] Industri Penerbangan : Penerbangan Domestik Mandala Diumumkan

JAKARTA: Mandala, Kamis 29 Maret 2012  resmi mengumumkan penerbangan perdana domestik dan luar negeri setelah memutuskan berhenti operasi sejak Januari 2011.

Untuk penerbangan domestik, Mandala mulai terbang pada 5 April 2012, sedangkan untuk rute internasional, akan dimulai pada 4 Mei. Adapun penjualan tiket sudah dimulai sejak 17 Maret.

Untuk domestik, rute pertama yang dilayani adalah Jakarta—Medan dengan harga tiket mulai Rp519.900, sedangkan rute internasional akan dibuka layanan Jakarta—Kuala Lumpur Rp329.900.

Manajer Investasi Saratoga Davin Wirawan mengatakan untuk tahap pertama, pihaknya akan mengoperasikan 2 unit armada Airbus seri A320. “Kami nantinya akan menggunakan pesawat dengan tipe yang sama,” katanya, Kamis, 29 Maret 2012.

Dia menyebutkan hingga akhir 2012, sedikitnya 10 pesawat akan didatangkan guna memenuhi regulasi penerbangan di Indonesia. “Kami masuk ke segmen low cost carrier yang pangsanya masih besar.”

Seperti diketahui, Saratoga Group akhirnya menjadi pemegang saham mayoritas Mandala Airlines. Kepemilikan Saratoga Group sebesar 51%  setelah penandatanganan dokumen perjanjian jual beli bersyarat.

Selain Saratoga, Tiger Airways juga menjadi pemegang saham baru Mandala Airlines dengan kepemilikan sebesar 33%. Sementara sisanya dimiliki oleh kreditor konkuren dan pemegang saham lama.(msb)

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 29.03.12 (kliping di tanggal 29/03 ngga sempat disimpan karena repot).

[280312.EN.SEA] Cosco Busan Material Witnesses Held In LA Until Court Ready To Hear Them

Officers aboard Cosco Busan when it collided into a San Francisco Bridge languish in an a Los Angeles apartment, detained as material witnesses on a US$50 a day food allowance, waiting for the day they give evidence for the trial of the ship's pilot, reports New York's Maritime Advocate.

Bay area governments fined the owner and operators of the 5,450-TEU Cosco Busan US$44.4 million for polluting California waters with a 53,000-gallon oil spill after the ship hit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007.

"True, they are living in a reasonable apartment, they have been allowed to visit the local Chinatown and museums, almost certainly under the watchful eye of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service or spooks from the Department of Homeland Security," said the report.

They have not been charged but are witnesses in involving Cosco Busan pilot John Cota who was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, said the report. There is a lawsuit against the pharmacist who provided the prescription drugs that incapacitated the pilot. 

"At the moment they are receiving their salaries from their company, Hong Kong's Fleet Management Ltd, which was fined US$10 million. But wages stop on May 31, said the report. They've lost their jobs on the Cosco Busan and can't find replacement employment because of their detention," said the report.

Source : HKSG.

[280312.ID.BIZ] Terminal Gas Terapung : Pemindahannya Butuh Inpres, Tak Cukup Ucapan DAHLAN ISKAN

JAKARTA: Relokasi proyek terminal Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) dari Belawan ke Lampung ternyata masih belum jelas meski Menteri BUMN Dahlan Iskan sudah memutuskan hal itu.

Dirjen Migas Kementerian ESDM Evita Herawati Legowo mengatakan meski Dahlan sudah membuat pernyataan tentang relokasi proyek, namun pihaknya berkeyakinan itu bukan keputusan resmi.

“Belum ada keputusannya. FSRU Belawan itu kan asalnya dari inpres ya, mestinya ada pembatalan inpres. Kalau saya belum lihat ada keputusan resmi, karena pegangan saya masih inpres. Selama belum ada pembatalan inpres, Belawan masih jalan,” tegas Evita ketika ditemui di gedung DPR, akhir pekan.

Relokasi proyek FSRU Belawan memang mengagetkan sejumlah pihak. Pasalnya, kebijakan pembangunan FSRU Belawan tercantum dalam Inpres No.1 Tahun 2010 tentang Percepatan Pelaksanaan Prioritas Pembangunan Nasional Tahun 2010.

Aturan lainnya adalah Inpres No.14 Tahun 2011 tentang Percepatan Pelaksanaan Prioritas Pembangunan Nasional Tahun 2011. Hingga hari ini, belum ada pembatalan inpres.

Sebelumnya, PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (Persero) Tbk menyatakan siap melaksanakan penugasan Menteri BUMN terkait relokasi proyek FSRU dari Belawan ke Lampung.

Sekretaris Perusahaan PGN Heri Yusup mengatakan berkaitan dengan rencana itu, PGN akan mengambil langkah-langkah yang diperlukan terkait penyelesaian kontrak-kontrak yang telah berjalan, baik dengan pelanggan maupun pemasok.

Selain itu, PGN juga akan melakukan persiapan yang menyangkut perizinan serta hal lainnya dalam melaksanakan proyek di lokasi yang baru, yakni di Lampung.

Menteri BUMN Dahlan Iskan sebelumnya telah memutuskan 5 hal. Pertama, proyek terminal FSRU direlokasi dari Belawan ke Lampung dan PGN diminta untuk memperkuat infrastruktur pipa gas di wilayah tersebut.

Kedua, PT Pertamina (Persero) segera melaksanakan proyek revitalisasi terminal LNG Arun yang diintegrasikan dengan pipanisasi dari Arun ke Sumatra Utara dan memenuhi komitmen batas waktu penyelesaian proyek itu pada akhir 2013.

Namun menurut Evita, keberadaan FSRU Belawan dan revitalisasi aset Arun sudah ada peruntukannya masing-masing.

“Kalau dari awal saya tidak pernah melarang Arun. Dari awal itu Arun khusus Aceh, kalau Belawan itu untuk Sumatra Utara, kan dua-duanya kekurangan gas,” ujar Evita.

Ketiga, segala biaya yang telah dikeluarkan oleh PGN selama tahap proyek pembangunan terminal FSRU Belawan, akan dimasukkan dalam biaya proyek revitalisasi terminal LNG Arun dan pipanisasi dari Arun ke Sumatra Utara. Untuk itu, Pertamina diminta menunjuk auditor independen untuk melakukan verifikasi atas biaya tersebut.

Keempat, Pertamina diminta untuk menyiapkan solusi alternatif andaikata komitmen penyelesaian proyek tidak tepat waktu, sehingga industri di Sumatra Utara tetap memperoleh pasokan gas ketika pasokan gas dari PGN habis pada 2014.

Kelima, kedua proyek itu (relokasi FSRU dan revitalisasi Arun) saat ini telah diusulkan kepada Kepala UKP4 untuk ditetapkan dalam Inpres Percepatan Pelaksanaan Prioritas Pembangunan Nasional tahun 2012. (ea)

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 25.03.12.

[270312.EN.SEA] New Zealand: Svitzer Salvors Examine Damage on Rena Wreck Caused by Heavy Weather

A full team of 16 Svitzer salvors are on board Rena today, examining the damage resulting from Wednesday night’s heavy weather event. It is likely to take some time to make this assessment.

Initial assessments confirm no further significant change in the state of the wreck.

There is currently a 2-3m swell around the Astrolabe Reef. These conditions mean it is impossible for the salvors to access the holds to assess how many containers were lost overboard on Wednesday night. They will do this as soon as conditions allow.

Conditions are forecast to continue easing today and remain calm over the weekend.

Smit Borneo is due to depart the port today to resume its position at Rena.

The amount of oil remaining on the wreck is estimated to be in the order of tens of tonnes. This oil is located in a number of different pockets throughout the wreck. Salvors will continue to strip oil from the wreck when they are able to access these pockets.

A total of 649 containers are now accounted for onshore. This comprises 575 containers removed from Rena by Svitzer salvors and 74 containers recovered from the sea and shoreline by Braemar Howells container recovery teams.

Container and debris recovery

The Braemar recovery team has successfully secured one container located at sea and recovered a large quantity of debris released from the wreck in the stormy conditions.

Braemar deployed a plane to search the coastal waters and number of vessels early yesterday morning. The debris collected, bags of milk powder and timber, virtually filled a 40 foot container being used for storage.

The recovery team say there were reports that two containers had been released, but only one with milk powder contents could be found. It was towed to an anchor point on the west side of Motiti Island and marked with a buoy.

Today the recovery team will focus on picking up remaining debris floating at the northern end of Motiti Island. Once this has been picked up, divers will be used to retrieve debris which has washed onto the northern tip of the island.

A survey of beaches between Mount Maunganui and the Kaituna Cut will also be carried out.

Oil spill response

A shoreline clean-up assessment technique (SCAT) team yesterday surveyed the beach from Mount Maunganui to Omanu following reports of small amounts of oil coming ashore. This was confirmed as small droplets of possibly fresh oil along the high tide mark. The team removed the larger deposits of oil – it is likely the smaller deposits will break down naturally in the tidal movement. The team will return to the same stretch of beach today to monitor the oil’s progress and assess whether further clean-up activity is required.

SCAT teams are heading to Maketu and Little Waihi this morning to assess whether any oil has reached shorelines there.

National On Scene Commander Rob Service said it was impossible to calculate exactly how much oil leaked during Wednesday’s heavy weather event, however, it was only a very small amount. While some of this oil appears to have reached the shoreline, it is unlikely to have a significant impact. The oil spill response team will closely monitor the situation over the weekend and remains ready to mount whatever response is necessary.

Source : SN-TR, 24.03.12..