International News : Australia & Oceania

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky has forwarded a wide-ranging set of recommendations for revising the Shipping Act of 1984 to the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Lidinsky Included in the recommendations to committee Chairman Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, R-Md., are six proposals: • Bring container and chassis lessors within the ambit of...

Ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. said last week it will raise rates from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong to all Australian ports beginning Sept. 15. The rate increase is $250 per TEU. ...

OOCL said it will increase rates on cargo moving from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, the Indian Subcontinent and Middle East to Australia by $300 per TEU on Oct. 1. ...

Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday Jesper Praestensgaard, 46, will become a member of its executive board on Jan. 1. As chief commercial officer, he will be responsible for the marketing and sales areas. Praestensgaard has more than 20 years of liner shipping experience, holding senior positions for Maersk Line, most recently as Singapore-based chief executive Asia Pacific Region with responsib...

DHL Global Forwarding said it has launched a weekly less-than-containerload service from Auckland, New Zealand, to Singapore, where shipments can be transshipped around the world. The direct service will provide customers with faster transit times, the company said. The service will be operated by Danmar Lines, DHL’s in-house non-vessel operating common carrier. DHL, which handles...

Global container terminal operators had their "toughest year ever" in 2009, said Drewry Shipping Consultants. But in a few years terminals may once again face a capacity crunch, the London-based consultants said in a summary of its Annual Review of Global Container Terminal Operators 2010. "Global economic trends meant that container throughput at the world’s ports fell for the first ...

Australia-based global logistics company Toll Group said its operating profits rose 7 percent to $413 million in the financial year ending June 30. Revenue for the company, parent of Toll Global Logistics (TGL), also rose 7 percent to $5.7 billion. The TGL business saw operating profit increase 10.9 percent to $89 million, despite revenue decreasing 6.3 percent to $1.1 billion. Its forwar...

Container line Hapag-Lloyd has joined a Far East/Australia service operated by ANL, China Shipping and OOCL, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data. Hapag-Lloyd has become a slot buyer on the AANA service, which has a rotation of Yokohama, Osaka, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Yokohama. The service is operated with five ves...

Mediterranean Shipping Co. said Monday it is raising rates on all shipments from Southeast Asia to Australia beginning Oct. 1. The increase, $300 per container, applies to container moving from ports in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to all Australian ports. ...