[030415.EN.SEA] Egypt To Inaugurate ‘New Suez Canal’ Next August

Egypt’s “new Suez Canal” is to be inaugurated in August, Egyptian prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab said at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. 

The premier invited the summit’s guests to attend the inauguration of the newly expanded Suez Canal, which is to include a new lane to allow for ships to pass in opposite directions at the same time. 

He also called on them to invest in a commercial zone to be established near the extended Suez Canal. 

The widening of the Suez Canal and the new commercial zone are both part of Egypt’s Suez Canal Development mega-project, which also includes plans to develop the seaports in the bordering governorates of Suez, Ismailia and Port Said and in the South Sinai town of Nuweiba, as well as the Sharm Al-Sheikh airport.

Source : SN-TR.

[030415.ID.BIZ] China Bangun Infrastruktur Listrik Di KEK Bitung

Bisnis.com, MANADO - China bakal membangun infrastruktur listrik untuk menunjang Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus (KEK) Bitung guna memperlancar kawasan industri tersebut.

"Rencananya pembangunan pembangkit listrik di kawasan KEK Bitung tersebut 2x150 MW," kata Kepala Dinas Perindustrian dan Perdagangan Provinsi Sulawesi Utara (Sulut), Jenny Karouw di Manado, Jumat (3/4/2015).

Jenny mengatakan pembangkit listrik dalam KEK Bitung tersebut akan dikelola langsung oleh badan usaha milik negara China.

Pembangkit listrik tersebut, katanya, selain untuk mensuplay di kawasan industri juga termasuk kebutuhan masyarakat Sulut nantinya.

Investor asal China memperlihatkan keseriusan membangun KEK Bitung, menyusul telah dilakukan penandatanganan kerja sama dalam pembangunan infrastruktur awal.

Anggota Pokja KEK Bitung, Dr Joubert Maramis mengatakan investor asal China, katanya, memiliki pengalaman cukup banyak, mereka tidak main-main karena beberapa tahun lalu pernah membangun KEK Shensen di Afrika Selatan.

Banyak sekali KEK dan kawasan industri di Indonesia yang ingin mereka bantu, dengan adanya penjajakan sangat intens mereka.

Pemerintah akan membangun terlebih dahulu lahan milik pemerintah dalam KEK Bitung seluas 92 hektare.

KEK Bitung akan mulai dibangun pada 2015 dengan tahap awal, yakni infrastruktur jalan masuk kawasan yang secara keseluruhan lahannya seluas 534 hektare.

Dia mengatakan memang ada dana yang telah dialokasikan dalam APBD melalui Dinas Pekerjaan Umum Provinsi Sulut, namun hanya Rp 5 miliar sehingga Kemperin memberikan bantuan Rp20 miliar untuk tahap awal pembangunan KEK Bitung.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 03.04.15.

[020415.EN.SEA] Owners See Ship Supply Shrink With Orderbooks as Builders Offer Bargains

SHIPOWNERS who charter out ships to liner operators are optimistic the market is reviving and that charter rates are recovering as carriers come to close the supply and demand gap that is expected to shrink in 2016 and beyond.

"We are going to see a re-acceleration of trade over the next two years and given the fact that the orderbook now is at 18 per cent of the global fleet compared to 50 per cent in 2009," said Global Hunter Securities analyst Charles Lupinski.

"Demand is going to outstrip growth and that we are going to have opportunities to have price increases and a tighter overall market," he told the 9th Annual Capital Link International Shipping & Offshore Forum in New York.

Mr Lupinski said liner shipping companies were turning to the charter markets to fulfil their needs for new, more fuel-efficient and cost-effective containerships, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.

"The liner companies want to preserve their capital for things like terminals," he said.

More than half of the fleets operated by the top 20 container lines are chartered, according to Alphaliner.

A panel of four independent shipowners told the forum that demand for newer charter vessels is picking up while ship operators are managing to control capacity through slow-steaming and alliances.

German Society for Maritime Technology president Herman Klein said prospects for better return on new containerships is enhanced by low oil prices.

"Lots of offshore projects are on hold, so the major shipyards of the world are hungry for new orders and this might lead to lower prices for new container vessels," said Dr Klein, who becomes chief operating officer of Offen Ship, a German charterer with a fleet of 100 containerships, bulkers and product tankers.

Hong Kong-administered Seaspan CFO Sai Chu said new ship orders are currently at their lowest level for a decade.

"The liners have been working together to rationalise supply, and there is an interest in large ships, so broadly we see a well-balanced orderbook with industry fundamentals improving, which we expect to continue going forward," he said.

"So our forecast is for an improving environment for the industry and ultimately it's a good place for container ship owners to be," said Mr Sai.

Said Euroseas CEO Aristides Pittas: "We see an improving market, not so much within this year, but more within next year."

The containership market this year is expected to progress much as it did last year, but will show marked improvement next year, as new ship deliveries slow, said chairman and chief executive of Euroseas, Aristides Pittas.

"Overall in 2016, when new ship deliveries will only be a bit more than half of what they will be this year, we think there will be a very good market," said Mr Pittas, whose company owns a fleet of dry bulkers and box ships.

"And demand is sure to be good enough, so our best case calls for a not too surprisingly good market in 2015. And 2016 should be great, but this is shipping and anything can happen," he said.

Said Danaos Corp CFO Evangelos Chatzis: "On the back of the slow year in ordering in 2014, we will not have as many ships in the water so demand will outpace supply in 2016."

Mr Chatzis said Danaos, a Greek company that owns 56 containerships, is buying 18,000- and 20,000-TEUers, but only with contracts for long-term charters in place. "You cannot go wrong acquiring ships at historically low prices," he said.

Source : HKSG.

[020415.ID.BIZ] Dirut KRAKATAU STEEL Diganti, Selama 3 Tahun KRAS Alami Rugi Bersih

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA--Direktur Utama PT Krakatau Steel (Persero) Tbk. Irvan K. Hakim turun dari jabatan, berdasarkan persetujuan dalam rapat umum pemegang saham, Kamis (2/4/2015).

Irvan menjabat sebagai Dirut KRAS sejak 2012. KRAS terus membukukan rugi bersih dalam tiga tahun terakhir, seiring penurunan harga baja,

Pada 2012, rugi bersih KRAS sebesar US$20 juta. Tahun berikutnya, perseroan kembali merugi US$14 juta. Pada tahun lalu, rugi bersih KRAS melonjak menjadi US$150 juta.

Direktur Keuangan KRAS Sukandar menggantikan posisi Irvan sebagai Direktur Utama saat ini.

Selain Irvan, beberapa direksi juga dicopot yakni Direktur Teknologi dan Pengembangan Usaha Widodo Setiadharmaji dan Direktur Pemasaran Yerry.

Berikut jajaran komisaris dan direksi perseroan sebelum RUPS:

Komisaris Utama: Zacky Anwar
Direktur Utama: Irvan K. Hakim
Direktur: Sukandar
Direktur: Yerry
Direktur: Imam Purwanto
Direktur: Dadang Danusiri
Direktur: Widodo Setiadharmaji

Perubahan jajaran setelah RUPS:

Komisaris Utama: Achmad Sofjan Ruky
Komisaris: Binsar H. Simanjuntak
Komisaris: Tubagus Farisch Nahril
Komisaris Independen: Hilmar Farid
Komisaris: Roy E. Maningkas
Komisaris: Harjanto

Direktur Utama: Sukandar
Direktur: Hilman Hasyim
Direktur: Dadang Danusiri
Direktur: Imam Purwanto
Direktur: Anggiasari Hindratmo
Direktur: Ogi Rulino

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 02.04.15.

[010415.EN.BIZ] PMI Cites Slowdown In China While EU and US Factory Output Expands

A SLOWDOWN among Chinese factories has fuelled expectations of more monetary stimulus as China's flash HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) dipped to an 11-month low of 49.2 in March, below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction.

"The deteriorating PMI confirmed that downside risks to China's 2015 growth have started to materialise. We expect an accelerated monetary easing cycle and a loosening of the fiscal stance," said Jian Chang at Barclays.

Some expected China's first quarter to slip below Beijing's seven per cent target, widely seen as needed to keep employment steady.

China's economic slowdown is stabilising, with employment and services among the bright spots, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said last week, Reuters reported.

China's leadership said it would tolerate slower growth as long as the labour market remained resilient. But the latest PMI contracted for a 17th straight month, hitting its lowest since the depths of the global financial crisis.

Meanwhile, Euro zone businesses ramped up activity in March as the European Central Bank (ECB) started printing money to spur economic growth. US manufacturing growth also edged up despite a stronger US dollar and the threat of an interest rate rise from the Federal Reserve later this year.

The Eurozone Composite Flash PMI from data vendor Markit, based on surveys of thousands of companies and seen as a good growth indicator, jumped to a near four-year high of 54.1 from February's 53.3.

The surveys pointed to first-quarter euro zone economic growth of 0.3 per cent, Markit said, matching the previous three months, but shy of the 0.4 per cent median forecast in a Reuters poll taken earlier this month.

The ECB began its quantitative easing programme to buy bonds worth more than EUR1 trillion in March.

"I wouldn't want to give QE too much credence at this stage," said Peter Dixon at Commerzbank. "The ECB has only been buying for a couple of weeks and QE takes a long time to have any impact."

Growth in the US manufacturing sector edged up to a five-month high in March, according to Markit. The preliminary US manufacturing PMI rose to 55.3, its highest since October when the final PMI was 55.9.

"Manufacturing regained further momentum from the slowdown seen at the beginning of the year, with output, new orders and employment growth accelerating in March," said Chris Williamson, Markit's chief economist.

The flash reading of the index measuring new orders also rose in March to the highest since October, coming in at 56.4, compared with February's final reading of 55.8. Employment growth also rose in March from February, Markit said.

Source : HKSG.

[010415.ID.BIZ] Ahok Rencanakan Jalur Kereta Api Ke Pelabuhan Priok

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA--Gubernur Provinsi DKI Jakarta Basuki TJahaja Purnama mengatakan mahalnya harga jual beberapa jenis barang sebagian besar dikarenakan tingginya biaya distribusi produk.

"Mahalnya ongkos distribusi terjadi karena infrastruktur transportasi di sekitar pelabuhan Tanjung Priok, Jakarta Utara," ujarnya di Jakarta, Rabu (1/4).

Menurutnya, buruknya kondisi jalan membuat konsumsi bahan bakar truk dan kontainer melonjak tajam.

Apalagi, saat ini harga bahan bakar minyak naik turun alias fluktuatif.

Karena itu, Ahok berencana membangun jalur kereta api ke kawasan pelabuhan untuk memangkas mahalnya biaya distribusi.

Untuk itu, Pemprov DKI Jakarta tengah menjajaki kerja sama dengan PT Pelindo dan mengembangkan reklamasi 3 pulau untung pengembangan kawasan pelabuhan.

"Saya mau nego minta porsi reklamasi untuk DKI. Ini dilakukan agar kereta api bisa langsung masuk kawasan pelabuhan.

Kontainer ga perlu terlalu banyak yang masuk karena bikin macet dan rusak jalanan," paparnya.

Sebelum rencana tersebut direalisasikan, lanjutnya, pemerintah akan membereskan masalah banjir yang kerap kali terjadi di kawasan utara DKI Jakarta tersebut.

"Mengatasi banjir besar bukan bikin tembok atau meninggikan jalan. Kita harus menutup laut dan membangun saluran," ujar Ahok.

Setelah itu, Ahok juga akan membangun rumah susun dan membereskan kawasan perumahan kumuh dan ilegal yang saat ini masih memenuhi sebagian wilayah di Jakarta Utara.

"Semua akan dikerjakan, tetapi tak instan. Kami menargetkan ada perubahan pada 2016 mendatang," pungkasnya.

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 01.04.15.