RORO CAR SHIPPING FROM JAPAN AND DUBAI: USED EXPORT CARS DIRECT TO YOUR DOORSTEP

RO-RO  your  Car / Trucks / Vehicle to Africa

Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent , including 54 states and some more territories. While selecting a Shipping company to carry your goods, ensure that it has network in the region where you will receive your consignment. Some company may not have coverage in particular regions.

African Shipping Dubai is the best choice for shipping / exporting to Africa. If you plan to transport cargo to any African nation, it is necessary that you select a company which has ample knowledge about the shipping sector of that location.

Get a free quote for your export by sending an email: asline@africanshippingline.ae or Visiting http://www.africanshippingline.com/

Africa divided into the following  Region :-

North Africa lies north of the Sahara and runs along the Mediterranean coast.



West Africa is the portion roughly west of 10° east longitude, excluding Northern Africa and the Maghreb. West Africa contains large portions of the Sahara Desert and the Adamawa Mountains.



East Africa stretches from the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa to Mozambique, including Madagascar



Central Africa is the large mass at the center of Africa which either does not fall squarely into any other region or only partially does so.

Southern Africa consists of the portion generally south of -10° latitude and the great rainforests of Congo.



Shipping your car to Africa and trying to decide who can offer you the best pricing and international shipping services to ship your vehicle?  AFRICAN SHIPPING DUBAI Transport’s specialties is overseas car transport to East and West Africa.

Our international shipping services are among the best when compared to other international shipping companies. Shipping a car to Africa should be given to a trusted shipping company such as AFRICAN SHIPPING DUBAI. Our shipping to Africa services include: door pick-up of your vehicle, documentation handling and overseas vehicle shipping to the port of destination in Africa.



International car transport to Africa can be simple if you ship with one of the leading overseas shipping companies and freight forwarders such as AFRICAN SHIPPING DUBAI . Let’s take a look at what you should consider when deciding to ship your car to Africa:


You can ship your auto overseas to  Africa using the following methods: roll-on / roll-off (ro/ro) service, container shipping and air shipping. Ro/Ro shipping is the most affordable and popular method of overseas car shipping to  Africa while air shipping is the most expensive way to send your car to Africa.

Get a free quote for your export by sending an email: asline@africanshippingline.ae or Visiting http://www.africanshippingline.com/

Low-cost inexpensive roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) international automobile shipping service  available for the following African countries:

International Car Shipping to North Africa, East and West Africa

Our shipping to North Africa, East and West Africa services include: door pick-up of your vehicle, documentation handling and overseas vehicle shipping to the port of destination in West Africa.

Get a free quote for your export by sending an email: asline@africanshippingline.ae or Visiting http://www.africanshippingline.com/

Vehicles that are shipped internationally to East and West Africa from the Dubai, Japan via ro/ro service must follow the below guidelines:

Vehicle must be free of all personal effects
Vehicle must be clean and have no more than ¼ tank of gas upon pick-up at door or delivery to port.
Vehicle must have the original title or Cerificate of Origin or Japan/Dubai customs

Looking to ship multiple cars to East and West Africa or have other items you will need to ship? International container shipping is also available from the Japan and China to most African ports including: Mombasa, Dar Es salaam, Mogadishu, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Tin Can Island, Nigeria; Onne, Nigeria; Matadi, Democratic Republic of Congo; Lobito, Angola; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Malabo, Equitorial Guinea and more!

Get a free quote for your export by sending an email: asline@africanshippingline.ae or Visiting http://asldubai.blogspot.com/p/contact-us-online.html



Car shipping overseas to Africa ports also has a number of requirements to keep in mind:

Check to see if there is an overseas auto shipping age restriction for the destination country as some West African countries do not allow international automobile shipments for cars older than 2-8 years.

Some countries in Africa require a cargo loading certificate for all incoming international car shipments.

Check to see if your country also requires a pre-shipping inspection prior to international car transport to the destination country.

provides overseas car transport to several worldwide destinations including East and West Africa. Visit our rates request page to submit your international shipping rates request and to receive car shipping quotes. We will respond to all shipping quotes within 1-2 business days.

ALL CAR, AUTOMOBILE, HEAVY UNITS SHIPPING/EXPORTING TO AFRICA

Get a free quote for your export by sending an email: asline@africanshippingline.ae or Visiting http://www.africanshippingline.com/

MAERSK CHINA PARTNERSHIP WITH YUN QU NA

Maersk announces partnership with Chinese e-logistics platform

Denmark's Maersk Line has signed a strategic agreement with the Chinese online logistics platform Yun Qu Na to jointly develop online booking services.

Yun Qu Na was launched in Febuary 2015 and provides a platform to facilitate deals between small to medium sized shippers and shipping agencies.

Through the collaboration with Maersk, users of Yun Qu Na can directly book containers on Maersk ships. This partnership follows one made earlier this year by Maersk when they made a deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba for a similar collaboration and has plans to launch trial more similar services.

TRADE NOTICE: OUR SHIPPING ROUTES FOR 2023-2025

For our weekly service to following destinations in Africa, kindly share your export inquiries/bookings for following destinations.  Looking forward to your valuable support.

DUBAI SHIPPING TO EAST AFRICA

MOMBASA
MOGADISHU
ZANZIBAR
DAR ES SALAAM
NACALA
TANGA (via Dar Es Salaam)
Pointe des Galets (Reunion Island)
Port Louis (Mauritius)
Tamatave (Madagascar)
Port Victoria (Seychelles)
Longoni (direct)
Moroni and Mutsamudu (via Longoni)
Diego Suarez, Nossi Be, Majunga,
Beira, Maputo, Quelimane, Pemba (via Durban)
Berbera

Bosaso Port

Kismayo Port

Garacad Port

Hobyo Port

DUBAI SHIPPING TO WEST AFRICA

WALVIS BAY (Namibia)
POINTE NOIRE (Congo)
LAGOS (APAPA)
TINCAN (Nigeria)
LUANDA (Angola)
DOUALA (Cameroon)
DURBAN (S.Africa)
COTONOU (Benin)
LIBREVILLE (Gabon)
CABINDA (Angola)
LOBITO (Angola)
BOMA (Congo)
BANANA (Congo)
PORT GENTIL (Gabon)
MATADI (Congo)
ONNE (Nigeria)
TEMA (Ghana) LOME (Togo)
NAMIBE (Walvis Bay)

DUBAI SHIPPING TO NORTH WEST AFRICA 

DAKAR (Senegal)
BATA/ MALABO (Guinea)
CONAKRY (Guinea)
NOUAKCHOTT (Mauritania)
BANJUL (Gambia)
ABIDJAN (Ivory Coast)
FREETOWN (Sierra Leone)
MONROVIA (Liberia)

And other inland African Inland destinations:

Nairobi ICD, Kampala, Juba, Kigali, Kigoma, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, etc……

GLOBAL SEA PIRACY RECORD LOW SINCE 1998 - INTERNATIONAL MARITIME BUREAU

Global Sea piracy down in 2016 - IMB report, Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Sea Piracy is down in the World but increase in kidnappings at sea reported in the Gulf of Guinea. 

More crew were kidnapped at sea in 2016 than in any of the previous 10 years, despite global piracy reaching its lowest levels since 1998, according to the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB’s) annual piracy report.

Its report for last year also makes note of the Gulf of Guinea as “a kidnap hotspot” and not Somalia Ship Basin anymore.

Further, It is reported that, only two incidents were reported off Somalia Targeting Large Fishing Vessels and Trawlers but Cargo or Container Vessels.

In its 2016 report, the IMB recorded 191 incidents of piracy and armed robbery on the world's seas.

"The continued fall in piracy is good news, but certain shipping routes remain dangerous and the escalation of crew kidnapping is a worrying trend in some emerging areas," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored world piracy since 1991.

"The kidnappings in the Sulu Sea between East Malaysia and the Philippines are a particular concern.”

Gulf of Guinea

Worldwide in 2016, 150 vessels were boarded, 12 vessels were fired on, seven were hijacked and 22 attacks were thwarted. The number of hostages fell to 151.

Maritime kidnappings, however, showed a threefold increase over 2015. Pirates kidnapped 62 people for ransom in 15 separate incidents in 2016. Just over half were captured off West Africa, while 28 were kidnapped from tugs, barges, fishing boats, and more recently merchant ships, around Malaysia and Indonesia.

The IMB has urged governments to investigate and identify kidnappers and punish them under law.

Mukundan said ships should stay vigilant in high-risk areas. "Shipmasters should follow the latest best management practices and where possible take early action to avoid being boarded. They should inform the IMB PRC or regional counter piracy centres for help and advice," he said.

The Gulf of Guinea remained a kidnap hotspot in 2016, with 34 crew taken in nine separate incidents. Three vessels were hijacked in the region. There was a noticeable increase in attacks reported off Nigeria: 36 incidents in 2016, up from 14 in 2015. These included nine of the 12 vessels fired upon worldwide in 2016. Some were almost 100 nautical miles from the coastline.

The IMB recorded two incidents off Somalia mostly targeting Large Fishing Trawlers. Before, Pirates attempted to attack a container vessel in the Gulf of Aden side in May and fired on a product tanker in the Somalia basin some 300 nm from Somalia shore in October near Socotra. For IMB, this latest incident demonstrates the capacity and intent to attack merchant shipping still exists off Somalia.

The kidnapping of crew from in transit merchant vessels in the Sulu Sea and their transfer to the Southern Philippines represents a notable escalation in attacks. In the last quarter of 2016, 12 crew were kidnapped from two cargo vessels whilst underway and an anchored fishing vessel. In November a bulk carrier was fired on but pirates were not able to board the vessel. Earlier in 2016, crew members were kidnapped in three attacks on vulnerable slow-moving tugs and barges.

The IMB advises charterers and owners to consider avoiding the Sulu Sea by routing vessels west of Kalimantan.

Meanwhile, Indonesian piracy incidents fell from 108 in 2015 to 49 in 2016. Although the overwhelming majority were low-level thefts, vessels were boarded in all but three of the incidents.

MAERSK LINE ADDS ANOTHER PORT IN IRAN

Maersk Line has expanded its footprint in Iran by adding a second port of call less than three months after it resumed services to the country following the lifting of sanctions imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear program.

The Danish carrier, which suspended services in 2012, has added the port of Bushehr to its Iran coverage, which was relaunched with calls to Bandar Abbas in October, the US-based biweekly magazine The Journal of Commerce reported on its website.

Maersk, which also has an office in Tehran, the Iranian capital, said it selected the port because it is the largest gateway for transportation of goods in the province of Bushehr, with an annual throughput of 7 million tons.

The port of Bushehr can provide all containerized cargo services and, most significantly, refrigerated products.

The port has 400 reefer plugs and cold-storage warehouses with a total capacity of 5,000 tons and has easy access to local markets and is a short distance from ports in neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, Maersk said.

The first direct weekly feeder sailing from the port of Jebel Ali in the UAE to Bushehr, the 3,400-TEU containership Inter Sydney, was launched on January 4.

When Maersk first resumed service to Iran, the company said the market was estimated at about 700,000 forty-foot-equivalent units.

Iran’s largest trading partners in first 11 months of 2016 by value were China, the UAE, South Korea, Turkey and Germany, according to Global Trade Atlas, a sister product of JOC.com within IHS Markit.

China and the UAE were by far the largest trading partners with Iran, amounting to 24.3% and 15.9%, respectively, of Iran’s international trade volumes, according to GTA. South Korea accounted for 8.1%, Turkey was 6.9% and Germany 5.5%.

Maersk’s 2M partner Mediterranean Shipping Company resumed full service to Iran much earlier than the Danish carrier, with a ship with a capacity of 9,000 TEU units calling at Bandar Abbas on Dec. 31, 2015.

MSC partially resumed service to Iran in April 2014, employing a third-party feeder service that enabled cargo to be transshipped at Jebel Ali.

Container lines, not just Maersk, have been struggling since the 2010 financial crisis, when the GDP multiplier, which refers to the rate of growth in container shipping as it relates to global GDP growth, evaporated.

The multiplier from 2000 to 2008 was 2.2x with x being global GDP growth, which had averaged around 4%. The multiplier since 2010 has shrunk to 1.1x while GDP growth fell to an average of 2.9%. That slower rate of growth dovetailed with a surge of mega-ship newbuilds that have created an enormous capacity surplus

Given these difficult conditions, other container lines have also looked to Iran for volume growth. CMA CGM, for example, teamed up with IRISL to share vessel capacity and jointly operate routes and marine container terminals.

UBERIZATION OF SHORT SEA SHIPPING

Shipping is a traditional and romantic industry. Ship chartering, in particular, has not experienced major revolutionary changes during the years. From the Virginia and Baltick coffee house in the City of London and the Baltic Exchange we have gone to chartering via mail, telephone, and then to telex, fax and finally to e-mail. Apparently, since the very early years, it has just changed the way of communication between the parties but the whole process has remained almost the same. When you want to fix your ship, you have to build your own network, read hundreds of emails, which might also be irrelevant with what you are looking for, discuss with your counter-party for several hours and exchange various offers in writing, search information of the other party’s background in order to perform a due diligence, then draft the fixture recap and the charter party, print a copy and send to the other party for its signature.



E-Mail has sped up the communication between the parties but chartering still looks like a very time-consuming work which may take even days. And this is just for a simple fixture. Despite the fact that digitalization has been developed in all aspects of our life and while everything can now be done on the go -via a smartphone- this is not yet the case with ship chartering which has remained quite traditional. Even the special language of abbreviations which was developed in order to minimize the cost of telex remains popular nowadays, while it just creates misunderstandings and disputes between the parties. New technologies have already entered shipping, even in a limited way (e.g. electronic maps, AIS, e.t.c.) and one would expect that the commercial sector would have been one of the first to take the benefit, though chartering is not the leader of digitalization but a follower.

Could an ‘Uber of the Oceans’ concept be the start of a new era?

Our Finnish colleagues made a research and analyzed how ‘Uberization’ of short sea shipping can be effected: “Why is the Uber transportation concept interesting to compare with? Uber revolutionized the traditional taxi transportation concept by creating a new, more transparent marketplace, which is more efficient and provides a better service for a significantly lower price. It also, importantly, created a more relational approach that has a friction-free way of interacting. Moreover, by having a two-way feedback, it created a system that continuously strives to improve its performance. Another interesting factor learned from Uber is the extensive resistance from existing structures and organizations, where many of the lock-ins have made the implementation troublesome yet successful from a global perspective.”

Finnish academics were really surprised when they realized that their concept already exists and not only for Short Sea Shipping but on a greater scale of “Uber of the Oceans”. After so many years of technological revolution around us, the online marketplace has recently come to change the way that ship chartering process is taking place. With the online marketplace of OpenSea.pro which is now used by more than 1,300 professionals, you can get an instant result by avoiding the long chain of intermediaries, the time-consuming negotiations and the heavy paper works. It does not take more than a couple of minutes to join the OpenSea platform and become a member of the electronic marketplace where you can, then, register your ship’s position or post your cargo inquiry. Then, smart algorithms will automatically find the best matching cargo or ship’s position and bring the shipowner in contact with the charterer so as to fix the charter party with just a few clicks.

The OpenSea marketplace brings various revolutionary advantages in the chartering community:

A strong online community is built where you can easily communicate with the other members, establish new business relationships with them in a quicker manner and use a common platform for easier and prompt communication.

The users can easily have a clear picture of the available cargoes and ships around the world. At any given time shipowners may take a look at the online map and evaluate the demand at each port. Therefore, they can not only find cargoes for their current opening but also see the market dynamics in the area around the port of discharge so as to optimize their chartering strategy with backhaul cargoes.

It improves your own efficiency and time management since the fixture can take place way faster and even within just a few minutes. Instead of scanning your mailbox or talking on the phone for hours, the system automatically finds the best matching cargo & ship. Then you can send an offer by inserting just the necessary information and conclude the charter without leaving the service. This way, all information will be safely stored in the cloud and available from any place and any device you use.

Principal’s contact details remain private and confidential until the user starts firm negotiations with the counter-party. This way the ship/cargo details are not exposed until the parties decide to move forward. Such approach gives additional opportunity to the charterers – to place their cargoes with freight ideas and become the first to receive a firm offer.

The users can easily evaluate the performance of their counterparties. After the completion of each charter which is fixed via the OpenSea marketplace, the parties are welcome to leave feedback on the performance of their counterparty. This contributes so as the marketplace to become transparent and safer for its participants.

Furthermore, OpenSea users can save more time and update their positions or cargoes on the online map, by simply adding the ‘chartering@opensea.pro' e-mail address into their list of circulars and all changes become instantly available to the worldwide users. This way, their mailbox will not be bombed with irrelevant emails/ business but will only receive all matching opportunities or firm offers.

The online marketplace is already here and moving forward it needs to be established. The more than 1,000 members of OpenSea within just a few months show that we are not far apart. The market establishment is very important since the chartering procedures require high interaction between the parties, therefore the more the members of the marketplace, the higher the success. Any new technology needs to be used by as many companies as possible in order to become the norm in the shipping markets and this is the main reason that new technologies have failed to lead the way in the commercial sector of shipping so far. We still see chartering people to believe that digitalization is far from our industry and that new technologies are handled by the IT people only, however our world is becoming so technologically advanced that the online marketplace is the future of ship chartering. 

DDU, DAP, AIR SHIPMENT TO SOMALIA, MOGADISHU AIRPORT

DAP SHIPMENTS TO SOMALIA, MOGADISHU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT NOW POSSIBLE. Please send your requests to asline@africanshippingline.ae or africanshippingdubai@gmail.com

MAERSK LINE ADD KAKINADA ON TO IT'S COLOMBO CONTAINER FEEDER

Maersk Line is ramping up its feeder operations at Kakinada Port, an emerging alternative cargo gateway on India’s east coast, as part of what the Danish carrier described as "moving closer to shippers and seeking new growth areas."

Maersk said it is adding a feeder link from the minor, or privately operated, Kakinada to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in order to meet growing transshipment demand. The new service will begin with the SSL Vishakhapatnam, voyage 010, arriving at Kakinada on Oct. 29.

The new service comes on the heels of Maersk connecting Kakinada via its Mesawa Service between India and Africa. The Kerstin, the most recent vessel to call Kakinada on the Mesawa service, lifted 800 twenty-foot-equivalent units last month, the highest for any ship on the service to this point in time.

Kakinada Port offers an alternative to the often congested Chennai to the south.

“The landmark effort was acknowledged by port authorities and they expressed confidence that similar handling would happen again at the port in the future,” Maersk said.

Maersk’s latest move adds to a growing trend of mainline container lines frustrated with delays at major public ports shifting operations to private terminals. Krishnapatnam and Kattupalli have been major beneficiaries of such diversions.

Another factor driving ocean carrier interest in new port locations is an expected manufacturing boom from the union government’s ongoing Sagar Mala and other reform measures.

Kakinada Container Terminal is a joint venture between Singapore’s PSA International and two local groups: Kakinada Infrastructure Holdings and Bothra Shipping Services. The Kakinada port complex, which is located between the ports of Visakhapatnam and Chennai, is under the control of Andhra Pradesh State Authority.

Kakinada includes a quay length of nearly 1,000 feet and is capable of handling about 200,000 TEUs per year.



Port statistics compiled by JOC.com show Kakinada handled 164,000 TEUs in fiscal year 2015 to 2016 through March.

AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE TO START INDIAN OCEAN SHIPPING FEEDER SERVICES

MOMBASA, NOVEMBER 28, 2016:  

A new container feeder service by AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE will connect Eastern African Port of Mombasa (Hub) and Mogadishu, Somalia with Further Rotations from Mombasa hub to Tanga, Pemba, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar Covering Indian Ocean Ports.

In The Mombasa-Kismayu-Mogadishu (MOKIMOG) and Mombasa-Tanga-Zanzibar-Dar-essalaam service (MOTANZI), AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE will be operating Two Vessels each of 500 and 600 twenty foot equivalent unit capacity vessels with the port rotation.

AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE operated vessels - will be part of the weekly fixed sailing to the said port rotations will be operating at Mombasa Port Hub.

The service is set to commence on May 25th 2017. In the return voyage, the ships carried export boxes to Mombasa and Dar Es Salaam ports. It is expected AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE will act as a fast feeder link of Major Liners (MAERSK, CMA-CGM, EVERGREEN and COSCO) connecting from The Dubai Gulf Corridor, Indian Subcontinent, Far East Asia and China. 

CMA is also offering other Feeder Network in Indian Ocean connecting Nacala to Mutsamudu (Comores). Major commodities included Foodstuff, Textile, Construction materials, Machinery and Spareparts, garments and Other general cargo.

Clients from Eastern African Countries of Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar Islands will now have connections for importing  automobiles, pharmaceutical & Chemical goods, Foodstuff, Textile, Construction materials, Machinery and Spareparts, garments and Other general cargo.

In the return leg, Agricultural Products like Cashewnuts, Dried Bananas, Hides & Skins, groundnuts, coffee and machinery spares would be carried.

MAERSK LINE BUYING GERMAN CONTAINER LINE, HAMBURG SUD

The shipping arm of Danish conglomerate A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S is looking to buy German peer Hamburg Süd, people with knowledge of the matter said, a deal that would help Maersk Line boost its presence in global trade with Latin America.

Maersk Line, the world’s leading container-shipping operator, is interested in acquiring the entire Hamburg Süd business, which had $6.7 billion in revenue in 2015, the German-owned line focused on South American routes.  

It will be Maersk Line first acquisition of an entire shipping company in more than a decade. 

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that the Oetker family, which has owned Hamburg Süd since 1955, were thinking of selling. On Monday the Journal identified Maersk as a potential buyer. Other potential names included CMA CGM and China COSCO. 

The purchase would give Maersk a boost in the South American market, and it would give Hamburg Süd's operations access to Maersk’s global scale: Maersk Line is the largest carrier, and it is one-half of the massive 2M alliance. Hamburg Süd is not presently a member of an alliance, and its capacity accounts for about three percent of the world's total. 

Maersk has indicated that it will seek to grow through acquisitions rather than newbuildings, given the ample supply of existing tonnage in an oversupplied, depressed market. It has already acquired charters on six 13,000 TEU vessels previously used by Hanjin Shipping, which is presently in bankruptcy proceedings. 

Hamburg Süd considered a merger with Hapag-Lloyd in 2013. The talks did not succeed, and Hapag went on to initiate mergers with CSAV and UASC instead.

Media reports suggest the Oetker family will meet to discuss Hamburg Süd's fate on Wednesday. The Oetker Group and Hamburg Süd have declined to comment on any potential sale, but Hamburger Abendblatt reports that there is a division within the family about which course to take: Rudolf August Oetker's eldest sons are said to favor keeping Hamburg Süd, while his younger children favor a sale. The family's corporate group has a wide range of other business interests, from wine to private banking to food products – but shipping is by far its largest division, accounting for about half of group sales last year.

MAJOR SHIPPING LINES ANNOUNCE 2017 ROUTES

On Tuesday November 9, 2016, THE Alliance announced its 2017 route programme, which includes 31 services on all key east-west trade routes and a 240 strong container vessel fleet, reported JOC.com

The alliance is formed of Mitsui O.S.K Lines, NYK Line, K- Line, Hapag-Lloyd and Yang Ming Line; it previously included Hanjin Shipping before it announced its court receivership on August 31, 2016.

The new services will include one specifically for the Middle East, connecting Dammam, Jubai and the Persian Gulf to South East Asia and China. There will also be 16 trans-pacific trade routes and six North Atlantic routes connecting Northern Europe and the Mediterranean to Canada and the America; the alliance will control 21% of the Asia-Europe trade routes and 29% of the trans-pacific trade routes but these are set to increase to 35% and 40% respectfully.

The direct competitor to THE Alliance is the Ocean Alliance, who has also recently announced their planned services and port calls. PTI reported on November 3, 2016 that the alliance consisting of COSCO Container Lines, CMA CGM, Evergreen Line and Orient Overseas Container Line had signed a document entitled the Day One Product, which sets out the proposed network, including port rotation for each service loop.

K-Line, a member of THE Alliance has recently engaged in a merger with Nippon Yusen and Mitsui O.S.K Lines, which would mean 7% of the container line market being owned by them as a conglomerate, in a bid to protect them from failing in the ailing shipping market.

COSCO, CHINA SHIPPING MERGE SHIP BUILDING ARMS

• Combination will create China’s third biggest shipbuilding group

China’s two biggest state-owned shipping companies plan to merge 11 shipbuilding yards into a single entity in one of the industry’s biggest consolidation moves yet as ship orders hit record lows, according to people familiar with the matter.

If it goes ahead, the merger of the shipyards of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co., or Cosco Group, and China Shipping Group Co. is expected to be announced by early next year, the people said.

The two companies had already combined their fleets and port operations last year to create China Cosco Holdings, the world’s fourth biggest container operator in terms of capacity. The combination of their shipbuilding arms will create China’s third biggest shipbuilding group.Cosco owns six yards and China Shipping Group owns five. Cosco also operates two joint-venture yards with Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

It is unknown whether the joint ventures will be part of the merger. Kawasaki said Monday that it may exit the shipbuilding business.

Down payments for new vessels used to be 30%, the official said. But in the past 18 months, the share shrank to 10%, he said, adding to the challenges that shipbuilders face.

Chinese shipbuilding industry officials said the two companies have a combined workforce of more than 25,000. Job losses in mergers of state companies are frowned upon in China.

People involved in the process said the shipbuilding merger would be used as a model for a wider plan to merge the country’s two biggest shipbuilders— China Shipbuilding Corp. and China Shipbuilding Industry Co., which own dozens of yards along China’s Pacific coastline.

China builds roughly half of the world’s new ships. But the once-thriving industry has been shrinking steadily for the past four years on tumbling orders and Beijing’s evolving strategy to stop subsidizing unprofitable enterprises.

About three-quarters of the 1,800 shipyards China had in 2009 have closed “as Beijing stopped subsidizing the sector,” said George Xiradakis, chief executive of Athens-based XRTC maritime consultancy and an adviser to China Development Bank, one of China’s biggest shipping financiers.

“The word from Beijing is that it will continue to finance with strict performance criteria a handful of state shipbuilding conglomerates which are pushed to consolidate,” he said, “but the rest are left on their own.”

The shipbuilding consolidation is part of China’s strategy to get more of its growth from services and consumption than heavy industry and construction.



Chinese yards got a total of 127 orders this year amounting to $3 billion, compared with 621 orders worth $26.5 billion last year and 992 orders worth $33.7 billion in 2014.

“The Cosco-China Shipping yard merger will be supported from shipbuilding and repairs for the fleets of the two conglomerates that have already merged their shipping operations,” said Mr. Xiradakis. “But orders must also come from the outside if the yard merger is to be sustainable,” he said.

At least 20 medium and large private shipyards closed in China last year, according to the industry executives, with total job losses of around 40,000.

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

CMA-CGM ADJUSTS EASTERN AFRICAN ROUTE, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NOW INCLUDED IN NOURA EXPRESS

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets.

Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly.

Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days.

NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria. Effective m/v MARIE DELMAS voy. 1339WS Mundra ETA July 24th, 2016, and as from m/v CMA CGM LATOUR voy. 1299WS Port Victoria on July 31st, 2016.

NOURA EXPRESS service new port coverage will be the following: Mundra - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Port Victoria - Mundra.

SWAHILI service operated with 6 vessels up to 2,700 TEU linking India Middle East Gulf to Tanzania will be revised in order to respond better to customers’ need for service punctuality.

Very challenging operation conditions in Zanzibar with heavy port congestion has negatively impacted our scheduling. To restore Swahili service reliability, Mundra and Port Victoria calls are transferred on to Noura Express which has sufficient buffer time.

SWAHILI service new port rotation is effective with m/v DELMAS KETA voy. 1192SS Nhava Sheva ETA July 21st, 2016, as follows: Nhava Sheva - Khor Fakkan - Jebel Ali - Longoni - Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nacala (fortnightly) - Nhava Sheva 

KENYA REPORTS CARGO INCREASE AT MOMBASA PORT

Cargo traffic through Kenya's biggest port, Mombasa, increased by 1.4 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, the port's managing director said on Monday. 

The Indian Ocean port serves as the main trade gateway for East Africa, handling fuel and consumer goods imports as well as exports of tea and coffee from landlocked nations like Uganda. 

Managing Director Catherine Mturi said cargo volume rose to 13.4 million tonnes from 13.2 million handled a year earlier. Total volume rose despite container traffic falling by 0.6 percent to 527,523 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) thanks to an increase in loose cargo not shipped by container such as grains and railway steel bars. 

"This is below the expected global average growth rate of four percent per annum, but with the expansion and improved efficiency currently, we should do much better by end of the year and beyond," Mturi said in the statement. 

Early this month Kenya inaugurated the first part of a new container terminal at the port, which is expected to boost capacity by 50 percent. 

The port's management says it has reduced the time it takes to evacuate a container from the port by a day to 4.3 days, and the time it takes to load and offload a ship to three days from 3.7 days previously. The east African nation plans to build a second port in Lamu, north of Mombasa, with a capacity of 23 million tonnes per year.

KENYA COMMISSIONS A NEW $296.74 M CONTAINER TERMINAL

Kenya Commissions Terminal at Mombasa Port

Kenya on Saturday inaugurated the first part of a new container terminal at Mombasa which is expected to boost by 50 percent the volume of cargo handled by East Africa's largest seaport. Construction of the 30 billion shilling ($296.74 million)terminal began in March 2012 and was completed in February this year. The project was financed by a loan from Japan through the Japan International cooperation agency (JICA), and Kenya will repay the loan over a 40-year period.

A gateway to East and Central Africa, the Indian Ocean port funnels imports of fuel and consumer goods as well as exports of tea and coffee from landlocked neighbours such as Uganda and Rwanda.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who opened the facility, said the terminal heralded "a whole new era in the development of our ports and facilitation of the region's international trade". A bigger cargo capacity for Mombasa was crucial because of the discovery of oil and gas in the region, he said.

British explorer Tullow Oil and partner Africa Oil discovered oil in Lokichar in northwest Kenya in 2012. Recoverable reserves are an estimated 750 million barrels of crude and commercial production is expected to commence in 2017. Uganda also has confirmed crude reserves while Kenya's other neighbour Tanzania has huge gas discoveries.

The new terminal can handle 550,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year and will ramp up Mombasa's existing annual cargo handling capacity from 1.05 million TEUs to 1.6 million TEUs.

"In five years' time, we expect to have hit 2.5 million TEUs after completing the second phase," Kenya's finance minister, Henry Rotich, said.

He added the country had already signed an agreement with JICA for credit worth 32 billion shillings to fund construction of the new terminal's second part. 1 = 101.1000 Kenyan shillings) 

SOMALIA OPENS A NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL IN MOGADISHU PORT, SOMALIA

The Somalia Government has opened a New Container Terminal at Mogadishu Port in effort to make Mogadishu port once again, a preferred key gateway to the Indian Ocean Countries in the International Trade of the region.

The Port is already under heavy restructuring and Maintenance by the Turkish Government Agency and A host of Shipping Companies that has made it now served by Major Shipping Lines Like CMA-CGM and MSC Among other NVOCC's.

The Scope of the agreement entered with the Somalia Government in the Mogadishu Port Infrastructure covers stacking and handling of full import and export containers to / from port of Mogadishu, empty containers storage and any additional services required for reefer and dry container, as well as chilled cargoes.

In second phase, Mogadishu Port Terminal further plans to develop a Logistics Centre comprising of a warehouse to store loose cargoes from sea and air freight and a cold store for perishable cargoes to develop and improve exports of Somali fruit, fish and meat to various parts of the world.

African Shipping Line already operates Container Liner Agency at Mogadishu Port, Somalia.

DP WORLD EXPANSION INTO SOMALIA PORT OF BERBERA

Summary: DP World of Dubai has agreed to manage the Somalia'sPort of Berbera, In Somaliland, 

A Break Away Federal Part of Somalia, in a landmark deal this month that opens a new point of access to the Red Sea and gives the global ports operator an alternative hub to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. Under the terms of the concession agreement, according to a person who has seen the document, Somaliland will grant the Dubai-based company the right to manage the Red Sea Port of Berbera for 30 years.

DP World said Sunday that it agreed to the port-management deal earlier this month in Dubai. Under the term sheet —a nonbinding agreement that serves as a precursor to a more formal deal—the company is to set up a joint venture to manage and invest in the port. DP World put a $442 million value on the project, but said it would be a phased investment and depended on port volumes.

The term sheet—which calls for DP World to pay $5 million a year plus 10% on port revenue to Somalia—is a breakthrough in developing access to the sea for landlocked Ethiopia, the region’s largest economy, which until now solely relies on the Port of Djibouti for its exports.

DP World will control 65% of the joint venture and five of seven board seats, with the rest going to Somaliland, an enclave of Somalia, according to the term sheet, Reports says.

It is the biggest single investment agreement in breakaway Somaliland Federal State—and treats the northern Somali region as ade facto independent nation, a position Somalia rejects. The U.N. doesn’t acknowledge Somaliland as independent, and it isn’t recognized by any other country in the world.

Other investment agreements in Somaliland have included fisheries and offshore oil-exploration licenses, but they have mostly been acquired for small sums or on the promise of job creation and development.

A free-trade zone was also planned to support the development of trade through Berbera, DP World said.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World’s chairman and chief executive, portrayed the port as a future magnet for shipping to East Africa that would spur regional economic growth.

“Investment in this natural deep-water port will attract more shipping lines to East Africa and its modernization will act as a catalyst for the growth of the country and the region’s economy,” he said.

AFRICAN SHIPPING LINE offers Ship and Container Agency at Berbera Port

The ambitions of Dubai, which is a part of the United Arab Emirates, in the Horn of Africa have run into trouble over the past year. The country left an air base it was leasing in Djibouti after a dispute with the government there—opting to lease another base in Assab in neighboring Eritrea, a remote state under U.N. sanctions for supporting armed groups in neighboring Somalia.

“Berbera represents a pragmatic compromise, providing a friendly corridor for Ethiopian markets while signaling that Djibouti—though by far the most developed gateway to the Horn of Africa—will no longer enjoy a de facto monopoly over trade with the region’s landlocked markets,” Reports say

Another driver for the Berbera deal might be a long-running dispute surrounding DP World’s port in Djibouti, the largest container terminal in Africa. The Djibouti government accused DP World in 2014 of paying bribes to the former head of its ports authority, Abdourahman Boreh, to secure a concession to operate the Doraleh Container Terminal in 2000. Djibouti revoked DP World’s 20-year concession and launched an arbitration case in London.

DP World has denied the allegations, and a U.K. court found in March that Mr. Boreh didn’t take bribes. DP World has continued to manage the port as the legal proceedings continue.