More Pipavav for Maersk

MSC-PSA Asia Terminal, a joint venture between PSA International and Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), started operations in Singapore at the beginning of this month.

A number of design innovations have been unveiled recently as reefer machinery manufacturers continue to battle for market share.

Just two bids were received in the tender to operate freight services on the Mombasa-Kampala railway at the end of September. A large number of firms initially expressed an interest in the tender and seven prequalified to bid, but some have either opted to combine their efforts or decided not to bid.

APM Terminals (APMT) has been awarded a 4-year contract to manage and operate Terminal de Contenedores de Algeciras (TCA), the common user container terminal in the Port of Algeciras. As previously reported (see WorldCargo News April 2005, pp21-22), Barcelona-based terminal operator Grup TCB pulled out of its contract to operate TCA and sold its minority 30 per cent stake in the operation to majority shareholder Acciona following disappointing traffic results.

Last year’s NAWC range port congestion has largely not been repeated this year, but all the same there is still substantial interest in finding alternative ways to serve the US market. Shipping lines are routing more services to Atlantic coast ports via Panama and Suez and several lines have increased sailings to Mexican ports, using intermodal rail to move containers to US interior points.

With close to 50 per cent of reefer container units now equipped with scroll compressors, and the recent scaling up of production, machinery prices have been forced down to their lowest level in many years.