[280214.EN.BIZ] Truckers: Russia Risks Ouster From Customs Co-op If Border Hassle Persists

RUSSIA has been warned by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) to scrap "illegal" border inspections and charges, or risk being excluded from an international customs system that facilitates cross-border trade.

The threat comes after Russia stepped up inspections, causing long queues at its borders, when it customs service began to enforce a new system, levying charges dozens of times higher than before, reported Reuters.

The new Russian system, ruled illegal by the Supreme Arbitration Court in Moscow and affecting imports worth US$110 billion in 2013, has multiplied the cost of transport operations, according to the global road trucking body.

The IRU warns in a letter to President Vladimir Putin that it would recommend members vote to suspend Russia from the United Nations-brokered TIR a system that was started in 1959 and is now operating in 60 countries worldwide.

"There could be a huge impact on trade flows," said IRU spokeswoman Juliette Ebele. "It's going to be a complete mess for transport operators and trade, and the Russian economy, and for imports like food and medicine."

Under TIR goods-carrying road vehicles are inspected by local customs officials at departure and closed with a recognised seal.

The value of the goods is transmitted to customs in the country of destination, which is supposed to allow TIR trucks through borders rapidly to their point of destination, where the cargo can be inspected again.

The IRU says that the new system on Russia's borders affects 40 per cent of the nation's overall imports, mainly consumer goods, driving up their cost.

If Russia were to be pushed out of the TIR system, the competitiveness of its own exports to Europe and beyond could be sharply reduced, resulting in what IRU Secretary-General Umberto de Pretto calls "a lose-lose scenario." 

Source : HKSG.

[280214.ID.BIZ] Proyek Monorel Gagal, Pemprov DKI Bakal Bangun LRT

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA - Pemprov DKI akan mengambil alih proyek pembangunan monorel dengan membuat transportasi massal berbasis light rel transit (LRT).

Pasalnya, hingga saat ini PT Jakarta Monorail (PT JM) belum menandatangani syarat baru dalam Perjanjian Kerja Sama (PKS).

Wakil Gubernur DKI Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama menuturkan Pemprov DKI akan membangun proyek LRT jika monorel gagal dibangun oleh PT JM.

Proyek LRT ini akan bangun PT Transjakarta dengan penyertaan modal pemerintah (PMP) dari Pemprov DKI.

“Kalau PT JM enggak jadi, kami akan nekat terusin pembangunan monorel dan untung dong kami dapet tiang. 

Sudah setengah jalan, tinggal kasih PMP ke PT Transjakarta untuk ngelanjutin,” ujarnya Balai Kota, Jumat (28/2/2014).

Mantan Bupati Belitung Timur ini mengatakan pada prinsipnya pemprov terbuka dengan segala rencana swasta yang ingin membangun moda transportasi massal di Jakarta, guna mengurangi kemacetan total pada tahun ini.

“Makanya ketika semua orang nawarin pembangunan moda transportasi massal, kami terima. Dari awal sebenarnya saya meragukan PT JM karena niatnya tidak ada dalam membangun proyek monorel. Kami lalu beri kesempatan mereka untuk bangun proyek ini," katanya.

Dengan adanya persyaratan baru dalam PKS antara Pemprov DKI dan PT JM diharapkan agar serius dengan komitmen rencana untuk membangun proyek monorel ini.

“Semua orang termasuk Pak Gubernur bilang enggak visible monorel ini. PKS ini biar mereka enggak main-main. Kami tidak ingin seperti dulu, begitu kontrak gagal, enggak bisa berbuat apa-apa,” ucapnya.

Disamping itu, pria yang kerap disapa Ahok ini menyatakan optimisme penyelesaian proyek monorel jika berada di tangan PT Adhi Karya.

“Jika monorel dibangun oleh badan usaha milik negara (BUMN) itu bagus karena ada jaminan kuat dari pemerintah,” katanya.

Ahok menilai PT Adhi Karya lebih siap membangun proyek monorel dari segi keuangan dan pengalaman dibandingkan dengan PT JM.

Seperti diketahui, PT Adhi Karya akan membangun Jakarta Light Train (JLT) sepanjang 52 Kilometer (Km) dengan rute Kuningan-Cawang-Bekasi Timur dan Cawang-Cibubur.

Proyek monorel yang menghabiskan dana Rp8,4 triliun akan bekerja sama dengan empat BUMN lainnya. JLT ini akan dibangun pada tahun ini dan ditargetkan pada 2017 bisa beroperasi.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 28.02.14.

[270214.EN.SEA] Zim Faces Legal Challange To Prevent Reduction of Israel’s Golden Share

ISRAELI container shipping line Zim's proposed capital and debt restructuring deal announced last month has been met with an outcry and instigated a legal challenge to block an alleged impairment of the Israeli government' s golden share in the company.

A golden share gives the government the right of decisive vote, thus to veto all other shares, in a shareholders meeting, regardless of the amount of voting stock it holds.. 

Israel's National Naval Officers Association and "other parties" have filed a petition to the Supreme Court against Israel's Minister of Finance, the Minister of Transport and the Government Companies Authority as well as against Zim, reported Lloyd's List.

While not disputing the necessity of the Zim deal with its creditors, the petitioners argue that the proposal includes an unnecessary "reduction, amendment, or impairment" to the state's special share in the carrier that was granted in 1995.

They also argue that the willingness to waive or amend the golden share will benefit Zim's shareholders "at the expense of public interests, which were outlined in the golden share."

The petitioners are also seeking answers as to why ministers did not act to protect the golden share or seek "less harmful alternatives."

In a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Zim's majority owner, Israel Corp, said: "The company is currently studying the petition, and to the extent required, the company will present its position.

Zim's restructuring deal allows creditors to write off a large amount of debt in exchange for equity, and postpone loan maturity dates.

In the event that the counter parties agree to the proposals, Israel Corp's s shareholding would be reduced from 99.7 per cent to about 32 per cent and Zim's debts would be halved to US$1.5 billion.

Israel Corp would also inject into Zim $200 million in fresh capital, and waive $225 million of deferred debts that arose when ship charter rates shrunk in 2009. 

Source : SN-TR, 22.02.14.

[270214.ID.BIZ] 9 Perusahaan Bongkar Muat di Tanjung Prok tak Capai Target

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA - Sembilan perusahaan bongkar muat (PBM) terseleksi yang menjadi mitra kerja bongkar di Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok, kesulitan mencapai target produktivitas bongkar muat yang sudah ditetapkan sebelumnya.

Data Pelindo II yang dihimpun Bisnis menyebutkan, Pelindo II telah menetapkan 16 PBM terseleksi yang menjadi mitra kerja bongkar muat kargo maupun peti kemas di Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok.

Namun, kini tinggal tersisa 15 PBM karena satu PBM yakni PT Hamparan Jala Segara (HJS) telah dinyatakan tidak lagi beroperasi di pelabuhan Priok.

Data itu juga menyebutkan, sepanjang periode Nopember 2012-Okober 2013, sebanyak 9 PBM terseleksi dilaporkan kesulitan mencapai target produktivitas bongkar muat yang ditetapkan sebelumnya oleh Pelindo II Tanjung Priok.

Kesembilan PBM itu a.l. Sarana Ultra Layanan Kargo, Srikreasi Unggul Persada, Mitra Karunia Samudera, Adipurusa, Mahardi Sarana Tama, Sarana Bandar Nasional, Mitra Sentosa Abadi, Olah Jasa Andal dan Tangguh Samudera Jaya.

Sementara itu, sisanya mencapai target produktivitas bongkar muat a.l. Escorindo Stevedoring, Dwipa Hasta Utama, Kaluku Maritama, Prima Nur Panurjwan, Daisy Mutiara Samudera dan Andalan Tama.

Sekjen DPP Assosiasi Perusahaan Bongkar Muat Indonesia (APBMI) Oggy Hargiyanto mengatakan seharusnya sudah tidak ada lagi status PBM terseleksi di Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok karena hal tersebut bertentangan dengan UU.17/2008 tentang Pelayaran.

“Sesuai ketentuan perundang-undangan semua PBM yang mengantongi izin resmi berhak untuk bekerja di pelabuhan,” ujarnya kepada Bisnis, Jumat (21/2/2014). (K1)

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 23.02.14.

[250214.EN.BIZ] Thai Teenage Entrepreneurs Shine At Regional Business Competition

JA WORLDWIDE (Junior Achievement) awarded teenage entrepreneurs of student company Bagtastiq from Thailand as the Asia Pacific JA Company of the Year, and named another Thai student company KU Space as the FedEx Access Award winner.

Organised by JA Asia Pacific, the three-day competition in Singapore saw 15 student companies from China, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand participating.

In a trade fair setting, the teenagers pitched their companies to a judging panel of business leaders at the US-based JA Worldwide event that helps young people move towards their own economic success.

Bagtastiq took the first place in the JA Company of the Year competition with their environmentally friendly personalised waterproof messenger bags made up of old and discarded banners.

The second place went to Korea's Orabird student company with its mobile app on Google Play Store, providing consumer reservation services with small lifestyle, retail and food and beverage companies.

Third place honours went to Akram student company from Indonesia that designed handmade educational toys and trinkets made from expired bread clay.

Under the mentorship of local businesses, entrants start and run their own companies, developing and marketing products or services to realise profits.

These teams were selected to represent their countries and showcase their business acumen before a panel of independent judges who evaluate each student company's annual report, business presentation, trade booth display and through interviews.

"The 2014 Asia Pacific JA Company of the Year Competition provides a unique experience of entrepreneurship and global business to the youth of the region," said JA Worldwide CEO Sean Rush. 

JA Worldwide is one of the largest global NGOs dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges of young people through business development, experiential learning, financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

The 121-country JA Worldwide network is powered by 400,000 volunteers and mentors from all sectors of society, reaching 10.2 million students around the world. For more information, visit www.jaworldwide.org .

Source : HKSG.

[250214.ID.BIZ] Indonesia Keluar dari Fragile Five. Ini Sebabnya

Bisnis.com, BANDUNG—Memasuki 2014, Indonesia sudah tidak masuk  lagi dalam kelompok lima negara yang berekonomi rentan atau dikenal dengan fragile five.

Sejalan dengan mengecilnya defisit transaksi berjalan Indonesia, hal tersebut menjadi perhitungan dan daya tarik bagi investor asing untuk kembali masuk berinvestasi di Indonesia.

Direktur Eksekutif Kepala Departemen Kebijakan Ekonomi dan Moneter Bank Indonesia Juda Agung menuturkan sejak awal 2014, Indonesia sudah tak masuk dalam fragile five.

“Itu terjadi karena mengecilnya defisit transaksi berjalan yang disebabkan surplusnya neraca pembayaran serta diikuti penguatan nilai tukar rupiah,” ungkap Juda, Sabtu (22/2/2014).

Fragile five adalah istilah yang diberikan kepada negara dengan defisit transaksi berjalan yang cukup besar terhadap PDB.

Adapun negara-negara yang masuk ke dalam fragile five adalah India, Afrika Selatan, Brazil, Turki dan Indonesia.

Dengan mengecilnya defisit transaksi berjalan Indonesia terhadap PDB sebesar 1,98% pada triwulan IV 2013, secara perlahan Indonesia sudah mulai meninggalkan posisi sebagai negara fragile five.

Menurut Juda, penurunan defisit transaksi berjalan ini secara tidak langsung meningkatkan fundamental perekonomian Indonesia.

Selain Indonesia, negara yang telah membereskan defisit transaksi berjalan adalah India sehingga potensi India untuk keluar dari fragile five juga cukup besar.

Selain itu, Juda menuturkan BI masih akan melakukan pengetatan moneter dengan mempertahan suku bunga acuan BI (BI Rate) di level 7,5%.

Adapun tujuan BI mempertahankan BI Rate di level tersebut untuk menjaga stabilitas ekonomi, agar defisit transaksi berjalan semakin berkurang.

Juda mengungkapkan kebijakan tersebut masih konsisten untuk mengarahkan inflasi menuju sasaran 4,5% plus minus 1% pada 2014 dan 4% plus minus 1% pada 2015 serta menurunkan defisit transaksi berjalan ke tingkat yang lebih sehat.

Ia melanjutkan, di sisi lain, BI tengah mencermati berbagai risiko, baik global maupun domestik, dan memastikan langkah-langkah antisipasi agar stabilitas makroekonomi tetap terjaga.

Sumber : Bisnis, 23.02.14.

[240214.EN.BIZ] CN to Spend US$1.9 Billion Spending in 2014 to Boost Network And Safety

THE Canadian National Railway (CN) will spend C$2.1 billion (US$1.9 billion) this year on rail network upgrades and equipment with an accent on safety and efficiency.

Mr Mongeau said the money will raise safety and efficiency, improve service and grow the business.

"The acquisition of new locomotives and equipment and the enhancement of information systems and technology will help support operational and service excellence," said CN president and CEO Claude Mongeau. 

The company also wish to take advantage of business opportunities in intermodal, energy and other resource and manufacturing markets."

The company is to spend more than C$1.2 billion this year on track to improve the safety, productivity and fluidity. This includes the replacement of rail, ties and bridge improvements, as well as branch-line upgrades.

CN's equipment expenditures in 2014 are to reach C$300 million to tap growth opportunities and improve the quality of the fleet. By the end of 2014, CN will have acquired 763 high-horsepower locomotives over a 10-year period, more than half of its high-horsepower mainline fleet.

CN also expects to spend C$600 million in 2014 on facilities to grow the business, including transloading terminals, distribution centres and the completion of its Calgary Logistics Park project.

This also includes capital for information technology to improve service and operating efficiency, and for other projects to increase the productivity.

The company is also spending to enhance its system-wide flaw detection capabilities. CN will also complete the construction in 2014 of two state-of-the-art training facilities - one in Winnipeg, the other near Chicago - to strengthen safety culture.

Source : HKSG.

[240214.ID.BIZ] Begini Cara VW "Berkorban" Untuk Kuasai Truk Scania

Bisnis.com, BERLIN – Berambisi menguasai penjualan truk di Eropa, perusahaan Jerman  Volkswagen mengincar saham perusahaan Swedia, Scania.

Volkswagen berencana membeli saham khusus segmen truk asal Swedia yakni Scania sebesar 6,7 miliar Euro atau setara dengan US$9 juta.

Rencana ini menyusul ambisi VW untuk meningkatkan performa penjualan truk di Eropa yang selama delapan tahun belakangan menurun.

Reuters melaporkan, VW telah menghabiskan miliaran Euro selama lebih dari satu dekade untuk memperluas saham di Scania dan truk lainnya di divisi MAN SE untuk menuai penghematan biaya dan mengalahkan Daimler ( DAIGn.DE ) sebagai pembuat truk terbesar di dunia .

"Kami membeli saham ini dengan maksud lebih luas agar kerjasama dengan Scania tetap terjalin sehingga segmen truk bisa terus bertumbuh" ujar Kepala Keuangan Hans Dieter Poetsch, seperti dilansir Reuters, Minggu (23/2/2014).

Untuk mendukung usaha tersebut, VW menjual saham preferen hingga 2 miliar Euro, mengeluarkan modal hybrid hingga 3 juta Euro, dan menarik 2 miliar Euro lainnya dari cadangan kas dengan total 16,9 miliar Euro.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 23.02.14.

[230214.EN.SEA] Ship Loses More Than 500 Containers In Heavy Seas

(CNN) -- On any day, between 5 million and 6 million containers are on the high seas, carrying everything from potato chips to refrigerators. But not all of them make it to their destination, as the crew of the Svendborg Maersk have just found out.

Their Danish-flagged ship was in the Bay of Biscay last week as hurricane-force winds battered the Atlantic coast of Europe. Amid waves of 30 feet and winds of 60 knots, the Svendborg began losing containers off northern France. After the ship arrived in the Spanish port of Malaga this week, Maersk discovered that about 520 containers were unaccounted for. Stacks of others had collapsed.

It's the biggest recorded loss of containers overboard in a single incident.

As repairs are made to the Svendborg in Malaga, Palle Laursen, Maersk's vice president of operations, says the company is examining its procedures "to avoid similar incidents in the future." The company told CNN that the extreme weather had an unexpectedly forceful impact on the ship's movements. It said 85% of the lost containers were empty and others included such dry goods as frozen meat. None contained dangerous goods. Maersk is now contacting customers to tell them that their shipments are at the bottom of the ocean.

The Svendborg, which was on its way from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Colombo in Sri Lanka via the Suez Canal, warned French maritime authorities that vessels should look out for floating containers, but most sank quickly in the mountainous seas. Thirteen have now been recovered, according to French officials.

The French environmental group Robin des Bois said Friday it would sue Maersk for failing to disclose the full extent of the loss when it occurred, putting the lives of others in danger, causing pollution and abandoning waste at sea. The group claimed the containers were a lasting danger to fishing vessels and the environment.

Most containers won't float for long, especially in heavy seas. But one that is refrigerated may be buoyed by its insulation, and the use of polystyrene as packaging for goods also aids flotation. New Zealand marine insurer Vero Marine says a 20-foot container can float for up to two months, and a 40-foot container might float more than three times as long.

Cargo spills and shipping hazards

These rogue containers can pose a danger to shipping and pollute the environment. In 2006, thousands of bags of Doritos chips washed up on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks -- much to the delight of local gulls -- after the container carrying them split apart in the Atlantic. More famously, in 1992, a container broke apart off the coast of Alaska, and 29,000 plastic ducks and frogs escaped. They've been washing up as far away as Scotland and Japan ever since.

There is no requirement on shipping lines to report container losses to the International Maritime Organization or other international body, so no one seems to know how many containers are lost at sea every year. In 2011, the World Shipping Council estimated that including "catastrophic losses" such as the capsizing of a vessel, about 675 containers were lost at sea annually.

The Through Transport Club, which insures 15 of the top 20 container lines, has put the loss at fewer than 2,000 containers a year. But other industry sources say the number may be as high as 10,000. That would still represent far less than 1% of the containers traversing the world's oceans. Maersk, one of the world's largest lines, says that its highest annual loss in the last decade was 59 containers.

But the hazard is still real enough. In recent years, several small vessels have reported damage after hitting semi-submerged containers. During his solo voyage around the world, American sailor Paul Lutus wrote that "one night in the Indian Ocean, I hit a waterlogged shipping container that was too low in the water to show up on radar." His 31-foot boat was damaged but stayed afloat.

Container weight an issue

Shipping analysts say that one issue affecting the stability of container stacks is that the steel boxes -- 20 to 40 feet long -- are not accurately weighed. They say some shippers frequently understate the weight of their containers to reduce freight charges. Not knowing how much your cargo weighs can introduce all sorts of problems in terms of the stress a vessel must endure at sea.

Three years ago, a proposal was put to the International Maritime Organization for containers to be weighed before being loaded. But nothing has been agreed, and many shipping associations object to such a proposal as expensive and time-consuming.

Even so, one current investigation may focus more attention on the loading of containers. Last June, the 90,000-ton MOL Comfort literally snapped in half 200 miles off the coast of Yemen. The ship, built in Japan, was only 5 years old. Both sections of the Comfort, as well as 4,500 containers, went to the ocean floor. One factor being investigated is whether uneven loading of containers contributed to intolerable stresses on the hull.

It would not be the first such disaster. Seven years ago, the 62,000-ton MSC Napoli suffered catastrophic hull failure and ran aground off the English coast. A report by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Board concluded that inaccurate information about container weights could have been critical, given that cargo ships often sail close to their maximum permissible "bending moments," which measure the external stress on a vessel.

The investigation recommended that "if the stresses acting on container ships are to be accurately controlled, it is essential that containers are weighed before embarkation" and criticized the industry's "overriding desire" to maintain schedules and keep port time to a minimum.

The cost of salvage and cargo came to nearly $200 million.

An interim report into the sinking of the MOL Comfort by the Japanese Transport Ministry -- published in December -- also called for the weight of containers to be verified before loading to reduce uncertainty about ships' bending moments.

But a definitive answer to the Comfort's demise may never be known, as much of the evidence lies deep under the Indian Ocean's waves.

Source : CNN, 22.02.14.

[230214.ID.SEA] Ini Alasan 5 Rute Pelayaran Dari Tanjung Perak Ditata Ulang

Bisnis.com, SURABAYA - PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III menata ulang lima rute pelayaran domestik melalui penerapan model bongkar-muat terjadwal menjelang operasional Terminal Teluk Lamong.

Direktur Operasi dan Teknik Pelindo III Faris Assagaf menguraikan rute yang ditata ulang meliputi jalur Belawan-Surabaya, Tanjung Priok-Surabaya, Surabaya-Balikpapan, Surabaya-Makassar, Surabaya-Papua (Sorong).

"Kenapa yang ditata jurusan itu, kok tidak Sampit? Karena kedalaman pelabuhan di 5 rute mendukung kapal dengan kapasitas besar, minimal 320 Teus," jelasnya, Minggu (23/2/2014).

Selain faktor kedalaman, sambungnya, lima titik tersebut memiliki signifikansi terhadap arus peti kemas domestik. Sehingga penataan ulang rute yang disertai penjadwalan waktu bongkar muat menjamin efektivitas pengangkutan.

Menurutnya, penataan 5 rute melalui penerapan sistem bongkar terjadwal pasti (window system) sudah dilakukan sebulan terakhir. Pola ini membuat bongkar-muat tidak lagi berdasar kapal datang awal maka mendapat layanan pertama tetapi semua terjadwal sebelumnya.

Faris menilai model jadwal sandar yang pasti mendorong efisiensi operasional kapal. Selain itu, efisiensi juga bertambah saat Terminal Teluk Lamong yang terintegrasi di satu kawasan beroperasi Mei mendatang.

"Saat Teluk Lamong operasional dan rute baru dengan window system sudah tertata maka bisa mendorong peti kemas domestik yang tujuan internasional. Transhipment bisa di Teluk Lamong juga makanya lebih efisien," urainya.

Sebagai pembanding, lanjut dia, peti kemas domestik tujuan ekspor saat tiba di Tanjung Perak harus diangkut trailer ke depo sebelum dikirim ke terminal internasional. Namun, saat di Teluk Lamong maka terminal domestik dan internasional berada di satu kawasan.

Terminal Teluk Lamong pada tahap pertama dikembangkan 38,8 hektare, di antaranya terdiri dari dermaga domestik dan internasional sepanjang 5 00 meter dan lebar 50 meter. Selain itu dibangun pula lapangan penumpukan peti kemas 15 hektare.

Faris menuturkan lapangan penumpukan domestik dan internasional itu nantinya bersebelahan. Sehingga untuk transhipment pemeriksaan kepabeanan bisa dilakukan di kawasan yang sama.

Adapun di sisi operasional kapal, sambung dia, sejumlah perusahaan telah berkomitmen mendukung penataan ulang dan sistem penjadwalan pelayaran (window system). Seperti rute Makassar-Surabaya yang terjadwal didukung 8 perusahaan, di antaranya PT Salam Pasific Indonesia Line, PT Samudera Shipping Service, PT Tanto Intim Lines, dsb.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 23.02.14.

[220214.EN.SEA] Where Will The “Shipping Super Cities” Of The Future Be Located ?

Listening to shipping research guru Martin Stopford explain what he sees as the future of major shipping cities on Wednesday was always going to give a lot of food for thought. To make it just that a bit more interesting Stopford was being quizzed onstage by the new chief executive of the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Andrew Tan, a man who clearly has a vested interest in the topic.

Clarksons Research Services president Stopford made a clear distinction between what he sees as cargo port cities such as Rotterdam and Shanghai, which are driven their role serving their cargo hinterland, and shipping service ports or cities to the international shipping industry such as Singapore or London, in the latter’s case the port not being a major part of what it offers to the maritime world.

In the future Stopford said he sees the need for two or three of what he characterised as “shipping super cities”. At present he noted shipping currently has a number of cities that are important and will continue to play their part, but there is requirement for probably one city in each eight-hour timezone (Asia, Europe and the Americas) that acts as a shipping services hub.

Stopford did not say much on which cities might be, but noted tax regimes and regulations that are friendly to the industry would be important, and that theoretically it could even be a landlocked city such as Geneva.

As he was speaking in Singapore though it was hard to avoid discussion of where Asia’s “shipping super city” might be, especially when it came to the question and answer session.

In Asia, if one accepts Stopford’s argument that Shanghai is a cargo port, that leaves two main competitors – Singapore and Hong Kong. Singapore’s stated ambition to be an international maritime centre is well known and has made plenty of progress over the last decade or so. Bringing in international cargo players was one factor that was seen as important. Stopford noted how when Singapore attracted the Australian iron ore cargo trade to Singapore a few years back how Clarksons chose to move its dry cargo desk in the region to the city-state.

But upping the ante to Singapore’s ambitions is the longstanding shipping hub of Hong Kong. While its government has long maintained a hands-off approach to attracting shipping companies to its shores, it is now planning to set up a new bureau to make it rival London as a maritime services hub.

"What we should do now is to upgrade Hong Kong to be on par with London as an international shipping service hub," Hong Kong lawmaker Miriam Lau said recently when speaking about the setting up of the inter-departmental body to provide a one-stop shop for the maritime sector.

Whether there will really be “shipping super cities” in the future remains to be seen, but for those cities and countries where the international maritime industry plays a major part rivalries are bound to continue.

Source : Seatrade Global / SN-TR, 22.02.14.

[220214.ID.BIZ] Mantan Pejabat EPA ke Jakarta Bahas Dampak Buruk Batubara

Bisnis.com, Jakarta--Mantan Kepala Divisi Penegakan Hukum Kualitas Udara Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Amerika Serikat (AS) Bruce C. Buckheit akan datang ke Jakarta dan berbicara soal memburuknya kualitas udara akibat penggunaan batubara pada pekan ini.

Buckheit akan berbicara dalam diskusi organisasi lingkungan hidup di Indonesia dengan awak media dengan tema Batubara: Bahaya dan Alternatifnya. Rencananya, acara akan digelar pada Minggu, 23 Febuari di Chesee Cake Factory, Cikini, Jakarta Pusat. Acara dimulai pada pukul 11.00.

Buckheit berkarir 20 tahun di EPA dan berkontribusi tentang upaya perbaikan kualitas udara di AS terkait dengan pembangkit listrik tenaga batubara (PLTB). "Dia akan berbicara tentang persoalan batubara bagi udara, dan alternatif dari PLTB,"  tulis  keterangan  undangan tersebut, Kamis (20/2014)

Pembicara lainnya adalah Lauri Myllyvirta, ahli batubara dari Greenpeace International, yang akan membicarakan soal dampak batubara terhadap kesehatan. Selain itu, adalah pula Koordinator Kampanye Batubara Global dari Waterkeeper Alliance, Donna Lisenby. Lisenby akan bicara dampak batubara dan PLTB terhadap sungai.

Dua pembicara lainnya adalah Renuka Saroha dari 350.org, yang berbasis di India dan Ki Bagus Hadi Kusuma, dari Jaringan Advokasi Tambang. Keduanya akan berbicara soal tren bisnis batubara bagi kedua negara.

Dalam latar belakangnya dijelaskan, batubara merupakan salah satu energi penting di Indonesia dan digunakan sekitar 54% sebagai pembangkit listrik oleh PLN. Walaupun demikian, pembakaran batubara ternyata berdampak besar pada emisi karbon.

Distribusi batubara yang menggunakan transportasi sungai pun ternyata mengganggu ekosistem di wilayah tersebut. Dampak buruk lainnya juga pada kualitas udara yang akhirnya menimbulkan masalah pada kesehatan macam pernafasan, paru-paru dan perkembangan anak.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 20.02.14.

[210214.EN.SEA] Singapore Meeting to Discuss Costly UN Ballast Water Regulatory Proposals

THE IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology) Ballast Water Technology Asia Conference will be held on March 20 at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands hotel to address costly red-tape and refitting problems arising from the UN ballast water convention if ratified by member states.

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) would require all ships to implement costly ballast water and sediment management plans.

"It is thought that ratification of the convention will happen in the very near future and thoughts now turn to implementation," the statement from conference organisers.

The convention has nearly reached the necessary threshold to come into force, but has already seen its implementation dates pass, reports Lloyd's List.

Said IMO Secretary General Koji Sekimizu: "It's been almost a decade since the adoption. It really is high time to move into implementation, especially taking into account the uncertainties about the application date, with shipping companies wondering whether they should invest now or whether they should wait."

Parties to the convention are given the option to take additional measures, which are subject to criteria set out under the UN's International Maritime Organisation.

Another IMarEST Ballast Water Technology conference will take place in London on March 27-28 as delegates gather for IMO's Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 66) at the IMO's office in London the following week, see www.imarest.org/BWT .

Topics covered include the regulation and compliance session including a regulatory review - IMO and US; remaining concerns with the BWM Convention; compliance challenges: port state control and testing as well as retrofit problems for shipyards. Also discussed will be the minimum level of ballast water a ship can hold without being bothered by the above.

Further information and registration details are at www.imarest.org/BWTAsia.and from events@imarest.org and Tel: +44 (0)20 7382 2617/2702; Fax: +44 (0)20 7382 2667.

Source : HKSG.

[210214.ID.BIZ] Martua Sitorus Akuisisi Pabrik Gula India

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA—Wilmar International Limited., perusahaan induk milik pengusaha kaya Indonesia Martua Sitorus, menyuntikan modal senilai US$200 juta kepada perusahaan agribisnis dan bioenergi asal India, Shree Renuka Sugars Limited (SRS).

 

Dalam keterangan kepada otoritas bursa Singapura seperti dikutip Jumat (21/2/2014), penyertaan modal tersebut dilakukan melalui anak usaha Wilmar Gula Holdings Pte. Ltd. (WSH), yang sahamnya dikuasai 100% oleh Wilmar International.

Martua Sitorus ditaksir memiliki kekayaan tak kurang dari US$2 miliar pada 2013 berdasarkan data majalah Forbes.

Langkah penyertaan modal tersebut dilakukan dalam dua tahap. Pertama, Wilmar akan mengambil alih 27,5% saham atau setara 257,5 juta unit milik Shree Renuka Sugars. Nilai eksekusi itu sekitar US$83 juta.

Tahap kedua, Shree Renuka Sugars bakal menerbitkan saham baru(rights issue) yang sebagian dari saham baru tersebut dieksekusi oleh Wilmar Gula.

Manajemen Wilmar mengaku seluruh dana penyertaan modal kepada perusahaan gula India sepenuhnya menggunakan modal internal.

Shree Renuka Sugars memiliki tujuh pabrik gula di India dengan kapasitas produksi hingga 20,7 juta ton per tahun. Selain itu, perusahaan tersebut juga memproduksi bahan bakar etanol dari ampas tebu.

Selain di India, produksi bahan bakar etanol juga dilakukan di pabrik yang berlokasi di Brasil dengan kapasitas total 6.240 kilo liter. Produksi etanol di India sebesar 930 kilo liter, dan sisanya yang besar di Brasil sebesar 5.310 kilo liter.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 21.02.14.