[310115.EN.SEA] Dockers Again Walk Out in Portland After a Half-day Slo-mo Shift

MANILA's International Container Terminals Services Inc (ICTSI), which runs Portland, Oregon's sole container port, said dockers have hit out a second time with another wildcat strike.

ICTSI Oregon lawyer Michael Garone said action by the International Warehouse and Longshore Union (ILWU) goes "far beyond what other west coast ports are experiencing" in terms of sabotage to the supply chain.

US west coast ports have been plagued with go-slows and acts to supply chain sabotage as labour contract talks drag on inconclusively since May despite the recent arrival of a federal mediator.

Mr Garone said this time ILWU members "worked during the morning, but walked off the job without notice at 1:15pm, reported American Shipper.

The day before, he said, the "ILWU ordered a 12-hour work stoppage" commencing at 7am.

"Work stoppages like this cause serious hardship to truckers, shippers and the general public," he said.

"During the busy 2014 holiday season, ILWU engaged in 36 work stoppages and slowdowns of various types and for varying durations. Similar efforts, along with intentional labour shortages, have continued into the first month of 2015," said Mr Garone.

"Productivity continues to fall well below acceptable historical levels. In May 2012, prior to the labour dispute that arose in June 2012, ILWU labour was producing 24.8 moves per hour. However, in the last quarter of 2014, ILWU labour was producing 13.2 moves per hour - a 47 per cent reduction," he said.

"Terminal 6 is the only international shipping container terminal in Oregon. As such, it is a powerful economic engine to the region that offers significant benefits to thousands of businesses, workers and consumers.

"For this reason, the ILWU's deliberate and continuous work delays since June 2012 threaten the terminal's future viability as a critical hub of regional economic activity," Mr Garone said.

Source : HKSG.

[310115.ID.BIZ] Ekonomi INDIA: Formula Hitung Berubah, Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Jadi Melejit

Kabar24.com, NEW DELHI - Dengan perubahan formula perhitungan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang baru diadopsi tahun ini, India merevisi pertumbuhan tahun fiskal 2013/2014 menjadi 6,9% dari sebelumnya 4,7%.

"Dengan demikian, pertumbuhan India lebih tinggi 50% dari angka yang sebelumnya kami laporkan. Kami aikan terus menggunakan formula perhitungan baru ini," ungkap Kepala Perhitungan Statistik, TCA Anant di New Delhi, Sabtu (31/1/2015).

Angka pertumbuhan yang direvisi itu menjadi kabar baik bagi Perdana Menteri India Narendra Modi, mengingat dia konsisten mengampanyekan pemulihan pertumbuhan. Dalam setidaknya satu dekade terakhir, negara itu tumbuh pada laju paling lambatnya.

Sejak terpilih pada Mei 2014 lalu, Modi berjanji untuk menggenjot pertumbuhan India dengan berbagai cara, termasuk memangkas birokrasi berbelit untuk menarik investasi, membuka keran kepemilikan asing pada sektor-sektor strategis, dan mendorong kinerja manufaktur.

Dengan naiknya pertumbuhan 2013, Anant meyakini pertumbuhan 2014 akan mencapai target pemerintah dan bank sentral yang ditetapkan sebesar 5,5%.

Kepala ekonom State Bank of India Soumya Kanti Ghosh menyampaikan metodologi perhitungan pertumbuhan baru yang diadopsi India ini akan menyejajarkan negara itu dengan standar global.

"Metode perhitungan baru ini menggunakan komponen harga pasar, dengan memantau inflasi konsumen, bukan inflasi grosir. Ini akan meminimalisasi distorsi pasar dan memberi representatif lebih baik dari sektor manufaktur," ungkap Ghosh, merespons laporan Kantor Statistik India.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 31.01.15.

[300115.EN.SEA] CMA CGM to Start Academy to Instil Values And Corporate Culture

The CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce the opening of the CMA CGM Academy, its new in-house business school within its Marseilles headquarters.

The first in-house school was launched years ago to make the group's collaborators' training a priority. Today, this priority is being reinforced with the CMA CGM Academy.

Students will receive instruction in shipping, management and intercultural courses to assist them working with different countries and improve their cultural understanding.

Fifty-three CMA CGM trainers will tutor 285 courses. Those half-day to six-days courses will be taught in one of the 11 dedicated rooms. The CMA CGM Academy was also planned as a global digital project, with trainings accessible at any moment by all of the 20,000 CMA CGM collaborators 450 e-learning courses.

Said CMA CGM vice president Thierry Billion: "With the CMA CGM Academy, our group is investing in innovative tools to go on improving operational performance and to convey its values and corporate culture. With the CMA CGM Academy, our group development develops along with our collaborators' skills."

Source : HKSG.

[300115.ID.BIZ] China Pangkas Pertumbuhan Ekonomi

Kabar24.com, BEIJING--Pemerintah China dikabarkan akan memangkas target pertumbuhan ke kisaran 7% tahun ini, seiring para pengambil kebijakan yang ingin lebih menata perlambatan pertumbuhan dengan tetap memastikan penyediaan lapangan kerja.

Sumber Reuters yang menolak namanya disebutkan menyampaikan Pemerintah China berkomitmen menggenjot implementasi reformasi tahun ini untuk mendorong kontribusi pasar yang lebih besar terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi.

Target pertumbuhan tahun ini akan ditetapkan di sekitar 7%, namun 7% itu merupakan titik terendahnya, ungkap sumber yang merupakan salah satu penasihat ekonomi pemerintah, Rabu (28/1).

Dengan demikian, pertumbuhan tahun ini dipastikan akan kembali menyentuh level terendahnya dalam 25 tahun terakhir.

Sumber tersebut menuturkan Perdana Menteri Li Keqiang dijadwalkan akan mengumumkan target pertumbuhan pada sidang tahunan parlemen Maret mendatang.

Kendati demikian, sumber tersebut menyampaikan target bisa saja berubah sebelum sidang parlemen, jika situasi perekonomian berubah di luar ekspektasi.

Seperti diketahui, China tengah berupaya menggeser sumber pertumbuhan dari investasi menjadi konsumsi domestik.

Para analis dan ekonom pun sebelumnya kerap menyampaikan Li sebiknya menargetkan pertumbuhan 7% tahun ini.

Dengan menargetkan pertumbuhan 7%, pemerintah akan berupaya menyeimbangkan perekonomian, menjaga ketersediaan lapangan kerja, dan terus mengimplementasikan reformasi struktural di segala sektor, tutur sumber tersebut.

Data kompilasiReutersmengemukakan terakhir kali China menetapkan pertumbuhan 7% adalah pada 2004 lalu. Namun pertumbuhan tahun itu akhirnya berlabuh jauh melebihi target yaitu naik 10,1%.

Sumber : Kabar24, 28.01.15.

[290115.EN.BIZ] E-commerce Logistics Models Are Unsustainable, Says Ti Report

A STUDY from the UK's Transport Intelligence, the Global e-Commerce Logistics Report 2015, has concluded that the present business models being employed by e-retailers and their shipping partners are unsustainable.

The report found that while logistics is viewed as a strategic advantage by online retailers and many are investing in delivery and fulfilment networks, the financial impact of these investments is weighing heavily on their profits.

The resulting squeeze on carriers, not least due to "free shipping" options, has already led to additional pressure on the industry, leading directly and indirectly to consolidation and business failures.

According to the report's author, Cathy Roberson, this will mean that although parts of the logistics and express industry will benefit from increased revenues, it will be a huge challenge to translate this growth into profits.

These challenges were evident in the past two holiday seasons when several carriers were overwhelmed by volumes and in some cases stopped accepting new shipments.

"The pressures on carriers will only increase as some retailers take on many logistics functions, including, as in the case of Amazon, last mile delivery," warned Ms Roberson.

She pointed towards alternative delivery networks as being the way forward for the industry. "What the end-customer wants is choice allied with cost-efficiency," she said.

"New solutions such as 'click and collect' and lockers are becoming popular as they can be more convenient than waiting at home and have the added benefit of being free-of-charge.

"At the same time, these alternatives may not suit many carriers who struggle to make any money on home delivery, not least because of the costs incurred in re-delivery," she said.

Source : HKSG.

[290115.ID.AIR] Kecelakaan MH370 Murni Kecelakaan, Penumpang Tidak Ada Yang Selamat

Kabar24.com, JAKARTA - Pemerintah Malaysia secara resmi menyatakan insiden hilangnya pesawat Malaysia Airlines nomor penerbangan  MH370 murni kecelakaan, sekaligua menyatakan tidak ada yang selamat dari tragedi itu.

Tidak ada jejak dari pesawat dengan jalur penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur ke Beijing, Tiongkok, yang hilang sejak 8 Maret 2014 itu.

Pejabat pemerintah mengatakan operasi pencarian masih berlangsung namun 239 orang di dalam pesawat diperkirakan tewas.

Keberadaan pesawat tersebut masih belum diketahui meskipun pencarian besar-besaran telah dilakukan di Samudera Hindia Selatan.

Pengumuman Kamis yang dikutip BBC itu memungkinkan pembayaran kompensasi kepada keluarga korban.

Pejabat Malaysia menambahkan pencarian pesawat yang hilang tetap prioritas dan bahwa mereka telah mengejar "segala petunjuk yang memungkinkan".

Empat kapal sedang mencari dasar laut dengan teknologi sonar khusus dalam bentangan terpencil laut di mana pesawat itu diyakini telah berakhir penerbangannya.

Berdasarkan analisis satelit dan data kinerja pesawat, MH370 dianggap di laut barat jauh dari kota Perth, Australia.

Empat kapal sedang mencari  ke dasar laut dengan teknologi sonar khusus dalam bentangan terpencil laut di mana diyakini menjadi tempat pesawat tersebut telah berakhir penerbangannya.

Berdasarkan analisis satelit dan data kinerja pesawat, MH370 dianggap berada di laut di sebelah barat jauh dari Perth, demikian bbc.com.

Sumber :Bisnis Indonesia, 29.01.15.

[280115.EN.SEA] Cosco Group Declares 2014 Profit After 3 Years of Losses

CHINA Ocean Shipping Group Co (Cosco) returned to profit in 2014 after three years of losses, state media said on Saturday, citing an interview with the group's chairman Ma Zehua.

The state-controlled conglomerate, which owns China Cosco Holdings Co Ltd, had a profit of CNY5.04 billion (US$809.26 million) last year, said Mr Ma, reported Xinhua.

Operating revenues were up two per cent year-on-year, said Xinhua without providing a figure, noted Reuters, while Cosco's asset to liability ratio fell 4.4 percentage points to 55.4 per cent at the end of 2014.

Cosco is now targeting annual profitability of between four and 5.5 per cent by 2020, said Xinhua.

On Monday, the group said it had received a $1.75 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of China with which to buy 53 new ships. These would include oil tankers, containerships and dry-bulk vessels, helping to replace 100 vessels Cosco had scrapped in the last two years.

Last week, Cosco Shipping Co Ltd said its preliminary 2014 net profit was up 491.3 per cent year-on-year to CNY193 million.

Source : HKSG.