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Inchcape Shipping Services launches operations in Saudi Arabia

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In creating the new entity, ISS has signed a joint venture agreement (JV) with Al Bakri Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading and most respected organisations.  The JV, known as ISS Saudi Arabia will provide customers with marine, cargo and government services as well as survey and liner agency; all specifically tailored to meet the precise needs of each customer’s business.  ISS Saudi Arabia will also operate launch services off Rastanura.  All services are available to customers 24/7, and are supported by ISS’s global network, systems, infrastructure and standard operating procedures.

Headquartered in Jeddah, where the country management team is based, ISS Saudi Arabia also has offices in Yanbu, Rabigh, Jubail, Rastanura, Ras Al Khafji and Dammam.  Mr. Rohan D’Souza, who has over 15 year’s port agency experience, has been appointed as ISS Saudi Arabia Port Manager. D’Souza has been transferred from ISS Qatar, where he was the Marine and Government Services Operations Manager for several years. During this time he developed strong partnerships with ISS customers providing cutting-edge solutions to drive efficiencies within their operations.   Based in Jeddah, D’Souza will be responsible for operational delivery and ensuring a consistently high level of service for customers within the region. 

Commenting on the launch, Flemming Jensen, Senior Regional Vice President for Middle East and India said: “The launch of our new operations in Saudi Arabia represents the commitment we have to our customers in providing them with state-of-the-art services in a vitally important region for global trade. 

“Our vision is for ISS Saudi Arabia to become a market leader for maritime and cargo services within the region; a model that we have successfully replicated around the world.  I am confident that with our global expertise and experience, combined with our local knowledge and understanding of the region, ISS Saudi Arabia will go from strength to strength based on consistently delivering a high level of service to our customers and demonstrating the tangible difference we can make to their businesses.”

 Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and has significantly boosted its foreign reserves over the past years, which were projected to reach 1.65 trillion riyals ($440bn) by the end of 2011 according to the Central Bank. Under its budget unveiled in 2011, Saudi Arabia plans to spend $160bn on domestic projects by the end of 2012. The country has also pledged to spend $400bn by the end of 2013 to upgrade its infrastructure, including the establishment of five major economic and industrial cities.

Container volumes, intermodal traffic rise in Tacoma

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While international container volumes rose 8 percent in January, domestic containerized volumes (Alaska and Hawaii) dropped 5 percent. Intermodal volumes rose 19 percent during the first month of the year. Despite these cargo gains, the U.S. economy remains fragile. In January, U.S. consumer confidence dipped slightly from December levels due to rising gasoline prices and pessimism about short-term business conditions and income prospects.

Other year-over-year Tacoma cargo results include:

Breakbulk volumes climbed 66 percent.

Log exports rose 60 percent.

The Port’s total tonnage reached 1,359,805 tons, up 8 percent.

The Port expects to experience slight declines in container and intermodal volumes in February because Lunar New Year closes Chinese factories for one to two weeks in January.

APM Terminals doubles productivity in South America

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To date, APM Terminals has invested USD 27 million of a total of USD 749 million earmarked to modernize and expand the existing facility.

“We began dredging the container berths last week to increase the depth from 11 to 12.5 meters, and in April two post-Panamax mobile cranes will be delivered to the terminal, which will raise productivity to an even higher standard and increase our value proposition in the market” said APM Terminals Callao Managing Director, Henrik Kristensen.

Planned improvements at APM Terminals Callao include the installation of 12 new post-Panamax STS cranes and 36 new RTGs.  Other investments will increase the annual capacity to 2.9 million TEUs – and the installation of a new grain silo will allow 9.9 million tons of general cargo capacity over the next decade. The multi-purpose terminal will handle containerized and general cargoes as well as Ro-Ro, breakbulk and cruise ships.

The Peruvian economy grew by 6.6% in 2011 and has been projected by the International Monetary Fund to expand by 5.9% in 2012. Peru’s GDP of approximately USD 300 billion ranks as the 5th-largest economy in South America. Callao as a deep-water port could serve as an important container hub for the South American west coast, as trade between South America and Asia continues to expand. Peru’s main trading partners are the USA and China.

APM Terminals also operates local cargo inland services company Almacenes de Contenedores Sudamerica (ALCONSA) in Peru, with locations in Callao and Paita. APM Terminals Callao is a joint venture between APM Terminals and Peru’s Central Portuária. The Callao North Terminal concession covers a 30-year term.

“During the first seven months, we were averaging $1 million a week in investments to improve the port.  Now, we are just awaiting the final approvals of the Peruvian National Port Authorities of the technical reports to begin Phase I and II of the project which we expect shortly. We are looking forward to start these phases by investing USD 307 million to transform the port of Callao into one of the world’s leading ports and shining star for the country’s economy” said Kristensen.

Med-Caribbean box service back to Fos

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Ship capacity on the service now ranges from 1700-2500 teu compared with 1400-1700 teu in 2010.  Calls will be handled by Eurofos at Terminal de Mediterrannee, part of the Fos 2XL development. 

The service rotation is Algeciras, Livorno, Genoa, Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Tangier, Pointe a Pitre, Fort de France, Port of Spain, La Guaira, Cartagena, Manzanillo (Panama), Puerto Moin, Caucedo, Fort de France and Algeciras.

The Marseilles Fos port authority welcomed the restoration of maritime links with the Caribbean and said it underlined the reliability established since the implementation of national port reforms.