Cape Lambert News

Iron ore shipments to China from Australia's Port Hedland terminal rose 7 percent to 39.69 million tonnes in June from a month earlier, port data released on Tuesday showed.Total June iron ore shipments from the world's biggest export terminal for the steelmaking raw material totalled 47.29 million tonnes, compared with 44.97 million tonnes in May, according to the Pilbara Ports Authority.Port Hedland is used by three of Australia's top four iron ore miners, BHP Billiton , Fortescue Metals Group and Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.Rio Tinto uses the nearby Dampier and Cape Lambert ports to

Iron ore shipments to China from Western Australia's Port Hedland, the world's biggest terminal for shipments of the steelmaking raw material, rose 3.3% from February to 31.2 million mt in March. While the rise is partly attributable to fewer shipping days in February, it also underscores efforts by Australian miners to displace China’s domestic production of iron ore. It also indicates that demand remained strong despite weakness in the market. March exports to China were the third highest ever, after 31.7 million mt in October last year and 32.1 million mt in August. Total iron ore exports from Port Hedland in March rose to 36.6 million mt, up 2.5% from February, according to data released by the Pilbara Ports Authority.

A tropical cyclone intensifying off northwestern Australia was on course to sweep across some of the world's largest iron ore mines after causing giant shipping ports to close. Vale declared 'force majeur' and iron ore prices rose world-wide, reports Reuters. Shipments of millions of tonnes of iron ore were suspended from the west Australian ports of Port Hedland, Dampier and Cape Lambert ahead of Cyclone Christine, a category three tropical storm, making landfall. Cyclones typically cause disruptions to mining operations of between two and five days…

BigLift Shipping said Happy Sky began her maiden voyave from Shanghai to Cape Lambert, Australia on Sunday July 28. She is transporting three large modules (1 x 935 mt / 1 x 818 mt / 1 x 777 mt) to be installed as a part of the Port B, Phase B project in Cape Lambert. This voyage is the first of four consecutive shipments. Happy Sky is the latest addition to BigLift Shipping’s fleet of Heavy Lift Vessels. She was built by Larsen & Toubro in India and features two 900 mt, Huisman built, Heavy Lift Mast Cranes with a lifting height of 40.9 above deck. Happy Sky is 155m long and has 18.680tdwt.

BigLift Shipping celebrated the name-giving of its new Heavy Lift Vessel Happy Sky. The ceremony has taken place at Huisman China’s new quay side in Zhangzhou, China, which was officially opened at the same time. The name-giving ceremony of the Happy Sky was performed by Ms. Erni Bartel, the partner of Joop Rodenburg, CEO of Huisman. Huisman and BigLift Shipping share a long history together in the design of heavy lift cranes and handling materials. Besides that, Huisman has been a valuable customer for many years.

The Pilbara Apollo, the latest addition to the RAstar 3200 escort tug series was delivered to its owners, Rio Tinto Ltd., earlier this year. The vessel was constructed at Uzmar Shipbuilding Industry Co. in Turkey and will operate at Rio Tinto’s iron ore export facilities at Cape Lambert (Port Walcott) and Dampier, Australia. The Pilbara Apollo is the first of six new RAstar 3200 tugs to be delivered to Rio Tinto as part of this contract. The tugs will assist very large ore carriers in berthing and un-berthing at exposed, open water berths in severe wind and wave conditions.

BMT JFA Consultants (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, a  international engineering and risk management consultancy, has been commissioned by Pilbara Iron Company Pty Ltd (part of the Rio Tinto Group) to provide specialist dredging consultancy services. The primary objective of this work is to prepare a Maintenance Dredging Plan (MDP) for Rio Tinto’s iron ore export operations at the ports of Dampier and Cape Lambert on the North-West coast of Western Australia. The MDP will provide a wide-ranging review of all dredging-related activities at the ports of Dampier and Cape Lambert.

OW Bunker confirmed an increase in demand for bunkers across the Pacific Islands, resulting from a further strengthening in trade between Australia, China, Indonesia and India and further growth in the domestic cruise industry. OW Bunker Australia, which acts as the OW Bunker Group's purchasing centre for the region, has reported that the Pacific Islands are experiencing an increase in demand for marine fuel as Australia's commodities markets and marine tourism industries continue on a positive growth trajectory. OW Bunker has confirmed that availability of both 0.1% MGO and 3.5% fuel oil across the region is sufficient to meet demand, with a strong supply infrastructure throughout the Pacific Islands. Stefan Poulus, Branch Manager, OW Bunker Australia.

ConAgra Inc., the second largest U.S. food manufacturer, has agreed to sell American Commercial Lines LLC (ACL) its large U.S. inland barge fleet and operations. Financial terms of the deal, which ConAgra said was part of ongoing series of strategic divestments, were not announced. ACL will acquire 930 owned and chartered barges, nine chartered towboats and one dry dock, the companies said in a joint statement. The deal includes Peavey Barge Lines, Brown Water Towing Inc. and Superior Barge Lines, Inc. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval but is expected to be completed in the next 30 days, the companies said. Greg Heckman, president and CEO, ConAgra Trade Group, said, "Our decision to sell the barge company is a strategic one.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today activated two more Ready Reserve Force (RRF) ships to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The activations follow orders received from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The two ships, the CAPE LOBOS and the CAPE LAMBERT, are part of the James River Reserve Fleet anchored near Fort Eustis, VA. “The maritime community has served America with great distinction during every major crisis in our Nation’s history, and the mariners who crew the ships are the cornerstone of this effort,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta. The recently-activated ships join 32 others already activated to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

German steel group Thyssen Krupp said on Friday it had agreed to sell its shipping unit Krupp Seeschiffahrt to Los Angeles-based General Ore International. "This sale represents a systematic continuation of ThyssenKrupp's portfolio optimization," the company said, adding that the deal would be closed by September 30. A Thyssen Krupp spokesman said the group would continue to focus on the core businesses of steel, automotives and technology. He said that no freight contract was attached to the deal with General Ore and in future ships would be contracted in to handle the group's freight needs. Krupp Seeschiffahrt operates a fleet of 16 bulk carriers with annual shipping capacity of 30-35 million tons, which generates annual turnover of around $168.07 million.