Transportation Volumes News

Ukraine's  NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard announced launching its first 140-m vessel, a unique NIBULON MAX vessel.The river-sea floating vessel is the longest one built for the past 25 years of Ukraine’s independence. The vessel flies the Ukrainian flag.NIBULON MAХ will enable the company to increase the annual river transshipment by fleet by 2-3 million tons per year and to increase transshipment volumes by NIBULON’s fleet up to 5 million tons per year.Construction of this class vessel is an absolutely new and higher level of NIBULON’s shipbuilding facilities. For this purpose, the shipyard modernized a slipway as well as a launching and lifting gear, thereby increasing the number of launching ways.The company reconstructed and modernized the existing capacities.

As a part of its growth strategy, ESL Shipping has successfully entered into smaller vessel class with ice classed 3,000 dwt vessels. Baltic Carrier, Baltic Skipper and Capella joined the fleet in fall, and fourth vessel, Delfin, joined the fleet yesterday. These smaller vessels support the flexible customer service offered to existing customers, regardless of the transportation batch size, and enable ESL Shipping to expand its customer portfolio to new customers and material flows. In the operating model that is new to the shipping company, vessels will be chartered from the market for the transportation volumes. The most sought-after volumes include renewable bioenergy, recycled raw materials, such as recycled energy fuel or steel, wood-based products and grain.

The proposed cash acquisition of NOL at SGD 1.30 per NOL share, represents a 49% premium to NOL’s unaffected share price. Strategic acquisition resulting in combined turnover of USD 22 billion and fleet size of 563 vessels. CMA CGM, a global leader in container shipping, today announces a pre-conditional voluntary general cash offer for Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), Southeast Asia’s largest container shipping company (SGX: N03), subject to the satisfaction of the pre-conditions specified in such announcement. NOL’s majority shareholders (Temasek and its affiliates) have irrevocably undertaken to tender all of their shares in acceptance of the Offer.

Kirby Corporation (NYSE: KEX) announced net earnings attributable to Kirby for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011 of $41.7 million, or $.77 per share, compared with $29.3 million, or $.54 per share, for the 2010 second quarter. The 2011 second quarter results included an estimated $.07 per share negative impact from high water and flooding issues throughout the Mississippi River System. Consolidated revenues for the 2011 second quarter were $437.3 million compared with $273.7 million reported for the 2010 second quarter. Joe Pyne, Kirby's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our second quarter results reflected continued…

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) announced net earnings for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009 of $28 million, or $.52 per share, compared with net earnings of $36.6 million, or $.68 per share, for the 2008 first quarter. The 2009 first quarter net earnings included a $4 million before taxes, or $.05 per share, charge for early retirements and staff reductions. Kirby's published 2009 first quarter earnings guidance range was $.45 to $.55 per share. Consolidated revenues for the 2009 first quarter were $277.7 million compared with revenues of $330.6 million reported for the 2008 first quarter. Joe Pyne, Kirby's President and Chief Executive Officer commented…

Kirby Corp. has apparently had success incorporating Hollywood Marine, a move which effectively created the largest inland barge operator in the country. In February, the company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.38, versus $0.31 a year ago. While the company appears strong, poised for further growth, there are some concerns as noted in a research report from Lazard Freres & Co. LLC. Management expects the slowing U.S. economy to negatively impact transportation volumes, particularly for chemicals, as those customers project reduced demand for the year. First quarter results will also undoubtedly be touched by severe weather conditions common in the Midwest in January.

Container shipping line Maersk Sealand, owned by Denmark`s shipping and oil conglomerate A.P. Moeller (APM), said on it was ready to expand again after a successful integration of its last major acquisitions. "We aim for a bigger market share and want to grow faster than the market", APM Chief Financial Officer Eivind Kolding said. In 1999 Maersk Line acquired South African shipping group Safmarine and U.S.-based international container line Sea-Land for a total of $1.04 billion. The deals made the Danish group the leading global container line with 250 ships and 700,000 containers and an estimated market share of 13 percent. However, the APM group`s ambitions are not limited to shipping activities, which accounted for 90 percent of 2000 first-half revenue.

The accord between China and the U.S. on Beijing's entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will boost trade and benefit transport companies in both countries, industry officials said. "We believe that China's entry to the WTO will stimulate growth in the volume of trade flowing in and out of China," said Eddy Chan, mid-Pacific region vice-president for Federal Express, which provides air service to three Chinese cities five times a week. "As such, FedEx would be well-positioned to handle any increase in import and export transportation volumes," Chan said. Total U.S. trade with China grew to more than $85 billion in 1998, making China the fourth largest trading partner of the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.