[270215.EN.BIZ] Police Reopen Santos Port, But Brazil's Striking Truckers Block Roads

POLICE have cleared away striking truckers and reopened Brazil's main Port of Santos that serves Sao Paulo, but the strikers continue to block roads where most farming and industry is located, Reuters reports.

By Thursday, blocked roads fell to 57 from about 100 on Wednesday as some drivers returned to work, according to Globo TV News. But roadblocks were still slowing traffic on 27 highways in four states.

After a second week, the government prepared to meet strikers while rejecting demands to cut diesel fuel prices. Drivers have blocked roads for eight days, protesting fuel prices and tolls, poor road quality and driver rule changes .

Work stoppages have made diesel and raw materials delivery difficult and threatened to hold up grain exports after a bumper harvest.

The government has threatened fines of BRL100, 000 (US$35,000) on truckers who block roads, but with little effect as blockages spread into more than 10 of Brazil's 26 states.

Strikebreaking drivers are targets of enforcers in the grain belt. "Guys run alongside trailers and pull the drop gates so soybeans run out" onto the ground, said American agricultural consultant in Brazil.

Some truckers have agreed to end the strike after the government told them it would extend a year of free financing for vehicles from a state development bank, keep diesel prices unchanged for six months, and help set freight rates.

There were "advances" on grievances, said Cynthia Laves, spokeswoman for the National Independent Transporters Association (CNTA), adding that her group recommends blockages stop to make progress in the next round of negotiations.

But the more militant National Transport Command, led by Invar Luis Schmidt, said: "We don't accept it." Mr Schmidt claims to hold sway over most strikers, adding that the government had excluded his group from talks.

Source : HKSG.

[270215.ID.BIZ] Kinerja Merosot, Bos McDonald's Diganti

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Kepala Eksekutif McDonald's Don Thompson mengundurkan diri dari jabatannya pada Rabu, 28 Januari 2015, di Illinois, Amerika Serikat. Thompson mundur setelah perusahaan fast food yang dipimpinnya mengalami kemunduran dari sisi bisnis. (Baca: Warga Amerika Tinggalkan McDonald's)

Laman Business Insider mengabarkan, Thompson akan pensiun pada 1 Maret 2015 setelah berkarier selama 25 tahun di McDonald's. "Berat untuk berpisah dengan McFamily, tapi selalu ada batas waktu untuk semua urusan," kata Thompson saat mengucapkan perpisahan.

Posisi tertinggi di manajemen McDonald's akan diisi oleh Steve Easterbrook. Easterbrook sebelumnya menjabat Senior Executive Brand President dan Chief Brand Officer. Thompson mengatakan dirinya percaya Easterbrook bisa memimpin McDonald's ke arah yang lebih baik. "Saya sangat yakin saat menyerahkan jabatan pada Steve. Dia akan melanjutkan kejayaan bisnis dan merek McDonald's." (Baca: Alasan 4 Negara Ini Tolak Produk McDonald's)

Pada jabatan sebelumnya, Easterbrook bertanggung jawab atas pemasaran, inovasi menu, dan penciptaan infrastruktur digital McDonald's. Easterbrook juga berpengalaman menangani bisnis McDonald's di luar negeri karena pernah menjadi kepala perwakilan di Eropa. "Saya merasa terhormat untuk memimpin merek ini dan siap bekerja sama lebih erat dengan pemegang waralaba, pemasok, dan pegawai untuk melayani konsumen dengan lebih baik."

Pergantian jabatan ini berlangsung di tengah kondisi bisnis McDonald's yang kurang menggembirakan. Selama dipimpin Thompson, penjualan McDonald's terus menurun. Penjualan global McDonald's merosot 1,7 persen. Hal yang sama terjadi dalam dua tahun terakhir.

Sumber : Tempo, 29.01.15.

[260215.EN.SEA] Algeciras May Lose Box Traffic to New West Africa Ports

SPAIN's Port of Algeciras has retained its title as the largest container hub in the Mediterranean region, after handling 4.5 million TEU in 2014, 113,000 TEU more than its closest rival of Valencia.

But Algeciras and other transshipment hubs in the Mediterranean, are at risk of losing ground to new terminals under construction in the Gulf of Guinea, which could potentially add 10 million TEU of deep-sea capacity, reports London's Port Strategy International.

Algeciras currently generates significant traffic by connecting mainline vessels on east-west and north-south routes with both north-south and feeder services calling in West Africa.

The newly operational Lome Container Terminal (LCT) in Togo is acting as a hub for direct calls by Mediterranean Shipping Company from the Far East.

As one can see in the story immediately above, French Shipping giant CMA CGM has just opened a major terminal in Cameroon.

London's Drewry Shipping Consultants said: "This is the start of MSC pioneering a West Africa hub and spoke strategy with LCT as the centre of the new network design from which feeder services will initially connect on a weekly basis to nine different ports."

By 2017, Algeciras will have an annual capacity of two million TEU. To be able to handle 18,000-TEU ships, APM Terminals plans to install 12-wheeled gantry cranes at its Algeciras facility this year as part of a US$63 million investment.

Source : HKSG.

[260215.ID.AIR] MH370 Dibajak atas Perintah Presiden Rusia?

Suara.com - Pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 diduga dibajak atas perintah Presiden Rusia, Vladimir Putin dan secara rahasia telah mendarat di Kazakhstan. Ahli penerbangan Jeff Wise mengungkapkan, teori itu dimunculkan berdasarkan ping terakhir yang dikeluarkan MH370, tujuh jam setelah menghilang.

Wise meyakini, para pembajak itu berhasil menipu data navigasi pesawat untuk membuat seolah-olah pesawat itu berubah arah. Namun, pesawat itu sebenarnya mengarah ke Baikonur Cosmodrom yang disewa Rusia dari Kazakhstan.

Dalam wawancara degan New York Magazine, Putin mengaku belum tahu alasan Putin untuk mencuri pesawat berikut dengan seluruh penumpangnya. Dia hanya mengatakan bahwa ide Putin itu sebagai sesuatu yang ‘gila.’

“Rusia adalah satu-satunya negara di luar negara Barat yang punya kemampuan di industri penerbangan. Apabila Rusia ingin melakukan operasi khusus yang kompleks, mereka bisa melakukan itu (menculik MH370-red). Mungkin, Putin ingin memperlihatkan kepada negara Barat bahwa Rusia bisa menyakiti mereka dan sekutunya di seluruh dunia,” ujar Wise.

Satu hari sebelum MH370 hilang pada 8 Maret, Amerika dan negara sekutunya menjatuhkan sanksi kepada Rusia terkait konflik di Ukraina.

“Mungkin Putih tengah mengincar rahasia yang dibawa oleh salah satu penumpang. Mungkin ada sesuatu yang strategis di dalam pesawat itu. Atau mungkin dia ingin pesawat itu muncul secara mendadak suatu saat nanti dan dilengkapi dengan bahan peledak,” jelasnya. (Dailymail)

Sumber : Suara,com, 25.02.15.

[250215.EN.SEA] Maersk Line Profit Up 50pc To US$2.3 Billion as Sales Rise 0.3pc in 2014

MAERSK Line, the world's biggest container shipping company with a 15.5 per cent market share, has posted a 50 per cent year-on-year 2014 profit increase to US$2.3 billion, drawn on revenues of $47.56 billion, an increase of 0.3 per cent.

The profit surge came despite average freight rates falling 1.6 per cent to $2,630 per FEU.

With global container shipping volumes forecast to increase 3 - 5 per cent in 2015. Maersk Line is aiming to grow in line with the market.

"Maersk Line improved its position and the start up of the 2M alliance has gone well," said Maersk Group CEO Nils Andersen.

During the year, the company fleet grew 11.5 per cent to 2.9 million TEU with the delivery of eleven 18,000-TEUers Five more will ply the Asia-Europe trade later in the first half.

“The achievement came from 5.4 per cent lower unit costs mainly due to improved network efficiencies and lower bunker price," said the annual report.

"Efficiencies were achieved through increased volumes in line with market as well as continued vessel network optimisation and active capacity management," Maersk said.

"To minimise the impact of the low and volatile freight rate environment, Maersk Line continued to absorb capacity by active capacity management in the form of idling, slow steaming and blanked sailings," the company said.

Looking ahead Maersk Line is expecting to better its 2014 underlying result of $2.2 billion in 2015. "Maersk Line aims to improve its competitiveness through unit cost reductions and implementation of the new 2M alliance," the company said.

Source : HKSG.

[250215.ID.BIZ] 2016, Kapal Feri Akan Gunakan Bahan Bakar Gas Alam Cair

Suara.com - Kementerian Energi Sumber Daya Mineral akan merealisasikan ide pemanfaatan gas alam cair atau liquefied natural gas untuk bahan bakar kapal penyeberangan atau feri pada 2016.

"Tahun depan (2016) akan direalisasikan. Studi kelayakannya tahun ini," kata Pelaksana tugas Direktur Jenderal Migas Kementerian ESDM I Gusti Nyoman Wiratmaja di Jakarta, Rabu.

Menurut Wira, kapal feri yang menggunakan bahan bakar LNG akan lebih hemat sekitar 25-30 persen ketimbang menggunakan bahan bakar minyak (BBM).

"Untuk awal kapal feri dulu untuk rute-rute pendek seperi Merak-Bakauheni atau Ketapang-Gilimanuk," katanya.

Namun, Wira enggan menyebutkan anggaran yang akan digelontorkan kementerian untuk program tersebut.

Sebelumnya, Direktur Gas Badan Pengatur Hilir Migas Djoko Siswanto mengatakan proyek percontohan (pilot project) pemanfaatan bahan bakar gas untuk moda transportasi seperti kereta api dan kapal laut akan segera dilakukan.

Proyek percontohan itu, menurut Djoko dilakukan untuk bisa menggenjot penggunaan bahan bakar gas dalam rangka konversi dari bahan bakar minyak.

Kementerian ESDM sejumlah pihak terkait seperti KAI, Pelni, Pertamina, PLN dan PGN untuk proyek tersebut.

Ia menuturkan, dalam kerja sama itu nanti, Kementerian ESDM akan menyiapkan konverter kit, PT KAI dan Pelni menyiapkan kereta dan kapal yang bahan bakarnya bisa dikonversi, sedangkan PT PLN, Pertamina Gas dan PGN menyiapkan fasilitas gas.

"Sementara Ditjen Perhubungan Laut nanti harus siapkan lahan di pelabuhan untuk SPBG," ujarnya.

Menurut Djoko, pemanfaatan gas untuk kereta api dan kapal laut memungkinkan untuk dilakukan. Pasalnya, negara lain seperti Kanada dan Norwegia telah menerapkannya dengan sukses.

Selain alasan ramah lingkungan, konversi ke gas diklaim bisa menghemat penggunaan bahan bakar minyak.

Ke depan, Djoko mengatakan ditargetkan akan ada total 50 kapal perintis dan 30 kapal Pelni yang sudah bisa dikonversi menggunakan BBG. (Antara)

Sumber : Suara.com, 25.02.15.

[240215.EN.SEA] Gulf Council of Cooperation Port Capacity to Reach 45 Million TEU

GULF Cooperation Council ports' throughput is expected to rise by seven per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 35 million TEU by 2020, while capacity will surge from 30 million TEU to 45 million TEU to maintain utilisation in the 70-80 per cent range.

The GCC, formally known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, is a regional intergovernmental body of Arab states of the Persian Gulf except for Iraq.

Member states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking at the Global Liner Shipping conference in Dubai, senior vice president of DP World in the United Arab Emirates, Mohammad Al Muallem, revealed that US$36 billion would be invested in port development in the GCC.

He was quoted as saying in a report by Seatrade Global, Colchester, England, that "regional port infrastructure will keep pace with the increasing demand."

Last year 12,200 vessels called at Jebel Ali, and 15.2 million TEU were handled, with 180 shipping lines visiting the port that operate 90 weekly services.

There is no doubt that Jebel Ali, as a successful transhipment hub, will continue to add capacity at pace as the population and consumption increases, bringing more origin and destination cargo in future.

Future blueprints include four larger fingers reaching out beyond the existing Terminal 2 into the sea.

Terminal 3 came online in November, with an additional two million TEU capacity, and another two million TEU is due to be added later this year.

The terminal operator also plans to offer hull-cleaning, bunker services, waste and sludge collection, tank container cleaning facilities, cargo conversion and logistics services.

In nurturing the supply-chain envisaged when the UAE adds rail to sea, air and road in 2018, he said the keys to success would be adequate storage facilities, and equipment upgrades as well as unit increases to deal with increasing volumes.

Meanwhile, Mr Al Muallem anticipates that freight rates will grow by just 0.4 per cent this year, while bunker prices have fallen to a six-year low of US$242.

Source : HKSG.

[240215.ID.BIZ] Proyek Infrastruktur Tak Didanai Bank Nasional

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA—Pemerintah tidak akan menggunakan pendanaan dari perbankan nasional untuk membiayai pembangunan infrastruktur di dalam negeri.

Sofyan Djalil, Menteri Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian, mengatakan kapasitas bank nasional masih sangat terbatas untuk membiayai pengembangan infrastruktur. Untuk itu, pemerintah akan menggunaan lembaga pembiayaan lain agar dapat mempercepat pengembangan infrastruktur di dalam negeri.

“Pemerintah akan gunakan mekanisme lain, seperti dana official development assitance atau ADB , karena kapasitas bank di dalam negeri terbatas,” katanya di Komplek Istana Kepresidenan, Jakarta, Selasa (24/2).

Sofyan menuturkan perbankan di dalam negeri sebenarnya sangat tertarik untuk membiayai proyek infrastruktur yang dianggap bankable. Akan tetapi, keterbatasan kemampuan pendanaan di bank nasional, membuat banyak proyek nasional yang tidak dapat dibiayai.

Menurutnya, Presiden Joko Widodo sendiri ingin mengetahui langsung kondisi perbankan nasional saat ini. Presiden juga meminta bank plat merah mendukung program yang telah dicanangkan oleh pemerintah.

“Presiden ingin mengetahui kondisi bank BUMN, dan tanggapannya terhadap BI rate saat ini, dan interest rate yang masih cukup tinggi,” ujarnya.

Sofyan menyebutkan meski BI rate merupakan bagian dari interest rate secara umum, pemerintah tidak dapat mengintervensi penentuan suku bunga acuan tersebut. Pemerintah hanya dapat memberikan kebijakan fiskal yang baik agar iklim investasi terbangun.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 24.02.14.