COS Weekly News - 12 February 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010 08:42
COS News – Week ending 12 February 2010
Issue No. 93
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2010 WINTER OLYMPICS – Vancouver, Whistler, BC
February 12 – 28, 2010
ASIAN GYPY MOTH – MARCH 1, 2010 Please be reminded that the high risk period for the entry of vessels into Canadian ports will commence on March 1st. Earlier this week the Ship & Port Operations Committee met with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to discuss inspections for this season. CFIA has indicated that the D-95-03 (Asian Gypsy Moth – Plant Protection Policy for Marine Vessels) will be amended in March. The revisions expect to regulate all Japanese ports and clarify the agency’s policy on non-compliance. PORTS HANDBOOK REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Chamber of Shipping has issued today a Request for Proposals for the publication of the next edition of the British Columbia Ports Handbook. View our Ports Handbook - Request for Proposals. PORT WARDEN SERVICES Transport Changes should be advised in good time. Note that travel time during the Olympics and other events may be far over the normal, therefore please be guided accordingly. HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS - YVR Port Metro Vancouver has a limited number of room nights available at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel. Rooms are just under $300 per night and are available between February 11 to 28th. For more information, contact Lindsay Brumwell at tel: 604-665-9174 or email:
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. NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS COS is pleased to welcome the following two new Associate Members: Gateway Shipping & Trading – T. Hittel Shell Trading NORTON LILLY CHANGE OF ADRESS Effective immediately, please note the following new address: Norton Lilly International Inc. tel: (+604) 640-7494 (Romeo) tel: (+604) 640-7493 (Jon) fax: (+604) 640-7442 E-mail: Government News BC THRONE SPEECH – TRANSPORTATION ISSUES A few industry relevant quotes from the BC Throne Speech on Tuesday this week were: One of our great strategic advantages is our unique position as Expanding our transportation and logistics infrastructure is critical to that vision. Working with the federal government we will improve the competitiveness and reliability of our ports. § The government will encourage the new high‑speed rail link between Vancouver and Seattle. § The success of the new § New accountability and transparency will be brought to BC Ferries as it continues improving services with new ferries, terminals and amenities. § BC Rail will be brought into government and wound down as a Crown corporation. § The Gateway Project will create new arteries of commerce and reduce travel times, congestion and emissions. § Our natural resources will remain the foundation of our economy. We will add new competitive value to them with emphasis on technology, culture, art and design. § This is an age of innovation and invention. The creative economy will shape our future. On the Environment § Our government's economic mission is clear: We must foster job creation with faster approvals, lower costs, open trade and labour mobility to encourage economic growth and foster opportunities for families in every region. § The government will work with other provinces and the federal government to establish one process for one project. There is no time to waste and Canadian taxpayers cannot afford the extra costs, the uncertainties and the lost jobs that are the products of the current system. § The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act must be amended to create a unified federal‑provincial review process that does away with redundancy and unnecessary costs. § Multiple governmental reviews replicate work, add cost, increase uncertainty, delay decisions, reduce investment and ultimately cost jobs. § We will redouble our efforts to conclude equivalency agreements with § $3 billion in provincially‑approved projects are stranded in the mire of federal process and delay. This is unacceptable. Time is money. Duplication is waste. Tax dollars are limited. We cannot afford to hold investment and jobs hostage. Byzantine bureaucratic practices have no place in the 21st Century. BC RAIL BROUGHT INTO GOVERNMENT The Province is moving the operations and management of the British Columbia Railway Company (BCRC) into the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Beginning April 1, 2010, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will assume responsibility for the company’s operations, including: § Supporting and facilitating the BC Ports Strategy and Pacific Gateway Strategy, which includes the railway corridor, strategic port lands and related infrastructure investments. § Overseeing the 2004 Revitalization Agreement with CN Rail. § Overseeing the lease agreement with Kinder Morgan Canada Terminals for operating the Vancouver Wharves’ marine terminal facilities. § Retaining ownership of all former BC Rail railway lands and track infrastructure. § Retaining the ownership and operation of the BCRC Port Subdivision, a 38-kilometre line for the port terminals at Roberts Bank. § Disposing of remaining residual land assets, except those related to rail or Pacific Gateway operations. The move to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure does not alter the Province’s 2004 Revitalization Agreement with CN Rail or other existing agreements or contracts. BCRC will continue as a legal entity, with its existing legislative authority, including ownership of all BCRC’s rights-of-way, railbed, tracks and land. CBSA OFFIERS EXPANDED SERVICE FOR 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES The Canada Border Services Agency announced that, effective immediately, the maximum number of lanes at the four Lower Mainland border crossings will be open for travelers, 16 hours a day, until February 28, 2010. Aldergrove – All 3 lanes open from 05:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Even when the maximum number of lanes are not in operation, these border crossings will remain open 24 hours a day to process travelers, as per standard operating procedures. The exception is Aldergrove, which offers service from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. CFIA NOTICE – TOMATO IMPORTS Effective February 24, 2010, shipments of tomato fruits from countries infested by the insect pest, Tuta absoluta, will be required to be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate with an additional declaration stating: “This consignment originated from a place where Tuta absoluta is known not to occur and was inspected and found free of Tuta absoluta”. Shipments not meeting this requirement will be refused entry to Regulated countries: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Greece, Kuwait, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela. For all questions relating to these changes please contact Tel: (613) 221-4331 or email:
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. Other News ITF FOCUS ON AUSTRALIAN GRAIN LOADERS The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has stepped up inspection of bulk carriers loading grain throughout NORWEGIAN OWNERS SUCCESSFUL IN APPEALING RETROACTIVE TAXES The Supreme Court of Norway has ruled in favour of an appeal by a group of ship owners against $3.8 Bn in retroactive taxes imposed by the Government. A new tax system for ship owners was introduced in The transitional rules stated that companies within the old tonnage tax regime, as a main rule would have to take income deferred from taxation to income over the next 10 years (regardless of whether distributed or not during this period). This was the root cause of dispute as to whether or not the transitional rules were in conflict with the constitution, which states that no law causing liabilities can be given with retroactive effect. This question was tried twice by lower courts in June 2009; one court decision was in favour of the government, and another in favour of the ship-owner companies. CLARKSONS RESEARCH INDICATES MAJOR DELAYS IN CONTAINER VESSEL DELIVERIES A combination of delivery delays, yard cancellations and early scrapping appears to be having a significant impact in constraining container fleet growth. Capacity is now expected to increase by as little as 5% in 2010 and again in 2011, about half the previous forecast. Even so, achieving balance between capacity and demand any time soon seems a pipe dream as there are still more than 600 container vessels (11% of fleet capacity) idle. Clarksons estimates that global container trade declined by 9.7% in 2009 to 123m TEU, the first decline on record. A fragile recovery is underway and volume growth up to 139m TEU by end 2011 now seems possible. RIO TINTO STAFF IN After first being detained in August 2009, four senior staff of Rio Tinto in Rio Tinto is a major supplier of iron ore to the Chinese market and the company is the world’s second largest producer of iron ore. Chinese iron ore imports are expected to drive seaborne trade in iron ore past 1bn tons in 2010, with Rio Tinto shipping 25% of production of 217m tons there in 2009. BANKS STEPPING UP PRESSURE ON OWNERS A number of banks are “encouraging” owners to sell ships as a precondition to renegotiating loan packages. An annual conference hosted by the Hellenic-American and Norwegian-American Chambers of Commerce heard this week that banks would rely on “relationships” to stretch out loans over longer periods, or take other such halfway measures. It is estimated that $33bn in new shipping loans was contracted in 2009, down from $85bn in 2008. Meanwhile the entry of Chinese banks into ship finance is being seen as a significant financial power shift in that direction . Market Update The Baltic Dry Index continued to slide this week, eventually closing on Thursday at 2575 points compared to 2685 points last week and 2963 points the week before. Index 3224 3045 2076 Last week 3371 3109 2167 Spot time charter $30,700/day $25,000/day $22,700/day Last week $29,300/day $24,500/day $21,700/day For dry bulk, no market improvements are likely before our Chinese friends recover from New Year celebrations which begin this weekend. Tankers: VLCC rates had more slide than the slopes of Upcoming Events CHAMER OF SHIPPING ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING March 8th - Mark your calendar for our upcoming Annual General Meeting at 10:30 hrs at the new Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. We’re pleased to announce that the Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of the Asia-Pacific Gateway, will be our guest speaker following the completion of our annual business and lunch. Feb 18 COS Navigation Services Committee Meeting @ 10:30 Feb 25 COS Owners Committee Meeting @ 12:00 Feb 28 Closing Ceremony for the Winter Olympics Mar 3 COS Board of Directors Meeting @ 11:30 Mar 8 COS Annual General Meeting @ 10:30 Ship of the Week R.M.S. OLYMPIC Built Laid down 1908 In service 1911 – 35 LOA 269.0m (882 feet) Beam 28.2m (92 feet) Speed 21 knots Consumption 650 tons of coal/day until 1919 when converted to oil. Capacity 2,400 passengers Sister ships Titanic (lost on her maiden voyage1912) and Britannic (lost in action 1916)
Captain Edward Smith (right) with his officers on Olympic. Captain Smith perished on the Titanic. Olympic served as a troopship under charter to the Canadian Government in the First World War carrying thousands of conscripted troops assigned to the Canadian Expeditionary Force from http://www3.nfb.ca/ww1/postwar-film.php?id=531546 Olympic in camouflage In 2000, Celebrity Cruise Line purchased some of Olympic's original wooden panels and created the RMS Olympic Restaurant on board their newest cruise ship, M.V. Millennium. According to Celebrity Cruise Line, this wood paneling once lined Olympic's à la carte restaurant.
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