Port Agents News

The end of a contract between a Bunge agent and a state-run port company in southern Brazil could make room for rivals interested in the public grains terminal, documents and court filings showed.The contract between Bunge port agent Litoral and the Sao Francisco do Sul port authority ended on April 11 and does not foresee an extension.Bunge declined to comment. Litoral did not reply to a request for comment.The port authority did not answer questions about whether it is preparing…

Brazil's port regulator targeted the local unit of global grains merchant Bunge and two port agents in an investigation announced on Tuesday, threatening the trader's dominant position at a key export hub in the south of the country.The probe, ordered by port regulator Antaq via regulatory decision in the official government gazette, centers on alleged irregularities in a contract to move grain cargos at public terminals in the port of São Francisco do Sul.A regional branch of Antaq in Santa Catarina state will conduct the probe…

Russia has ordered the mandatorydisinfection of ships arriving at the Black Sea ports of Novorossiisk and Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka from Iran, Italy and South Korea because of the coronavirus, a  document seen by Reuters showed.A branch of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer safety watchdog, has ordered port agents "to arrange the disinfectionof ships arriving from these countries before the border is opened" in the city of Novorossiisk, the document showed.Novorossiisk port is one of the biggest on the Black Sea.

French supply chain data services company Traxens has joined the new European DataPorts project, aimed at creating a data platform for cognitive ports of the future.DataPorts is an EU-funded, three-year project with a budget of $7.3 million (€6.7 million). It is coordinated by the Technological Institute of Informatics (ITI) in Spain.According to a press release from the Container IoT company, today, only three per cent of container terminals are automated. However, the future of the industry points towards smart ports as the best way to overcome the challenges and demands that arise in the sector.Challenges include optimizing port operations…

BIMCO members can now monitor the price spread between Marine Gas Oil Low Sulphur and 380 centistoke High Sulphur Fuel Oil in 32 different ports around the world with daily information supplied by MABUX.The service is intended to assist members in making bunkering decisions before and after January 1, 2020.“We have seen significant fluctuations in the market over the past couple of months – fluctuations that can only be explained by the massive uncertainty about the future. It is currently not operating by market fundamentals.

Oceans X is a new web-based platform that allows a wide variety of users such as port agents, bunkers suppliers, port chandlers, port authorities, banks and others to track and monitor tankers and dry cargo vessels globally and in real-time. Oceans X’s vessel monitoring technology uses a combination of automatic identification system (AIS), artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive data analytics to add value for the user.For example, sing Ocean X’s Distance tool feature, which is available to all users for free…

Wallem Group is introducing collaborative inboxes to its agency business line, in a move designed to enhance responsiveness in communications by overcoming the limitations of conventional end-to-end email. The rethink on how communication takes place between Wallem’s agents and its counterparties is part of a broader digital transformation championed by CEO Frank Coles aimed at streamlining interactions with customers and improving transparency through the intelligent use of technology.Wallem is modernizing the communication infrastructure by deploying a collaborative platform…

BIMCO and FONASBA have once again joined forces to create and launch a new general agency agreement for port agents, shipowners and ship operators contracting port agency services. The new standard contract, which can be downloaded from the FONASBA website and BIMCO’s IDEA, formalizes and sets out clear terms for any agreements made, for the benefit of both sides. Drawn up by the group responsible for drafting the Agency Appointment Agreement which was released earlier this year, the new contract is easy to use and can readily be adapted for single use or a long-term contract. Parties can select their requirements from a list of functions such as sales and marketing, port or general agency and husbandry and can agree other services to suit their needs.

Ship operators who rely on a myriad of companies for their global bunkering needs are wasting time, money and energy, with no guarantee of standardized quality of products and services, says Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS). In an industry defined by tight margins and cost constraints this approach, WSS believes, is ultimately bad for business. The global provider of maritime products and services WSS says it offers an alternative, with its global Bunker Service Agreements. These provide shipping firms with peace of mind and uniform quality…

Tankers at Qingdao port face up to 30-day wait. At least 15 large tankers wait to offload -shiptracking data. A surge in oil buying by China's newest crude importers has created delays of up to a month for vessels to offload cargoes at Qingdao port, imposing costly fees and complicating efforts to sell to the world's hottest new buyers. China's independent refiners, freed of government constraints after securing permission to import just last year, have gorged on plentiful low-cost crude in 2016. This has created delays for tankers that have quadrupled to between 20 to 30 days at Qingdao port in Shandong province, the key import hub for the plants, known as teapots, according to port agents and ship-tracking data.

Nearly 30 large oil tankers waiting to load at Basra; daily VLCC tanker rates have doubled to nearly $75,000. A traffic jam of nearly 30 large oil tankers has built up outside the Iraqi port of Basra due to loading delays, with some waiting up to three weeks and costing ship operators around $75,000 a day per vessel. Shippers and port sources said more delays are expected throughout April as the city's facilities struggle to cope with Iraq's soaring crude output. The problems at Basra, coupled with continuing storage tank shortages in China, have pushed supertanker rates from the Middle East to Asia to unseasonal highs as the delays disrupt future sailing schedules and charterers cover future tonnage requirements.

Swiss-based trader and miner Glencore has sold 100,000 tonnes of Urals for loadings from Primorsk on Jan. 16-17 to Chevron for delivery to the US Gulf Coast, traders said, making a return to the United States after a four-year hiatus. Glencore originally bought the cargo from Russia's Rosneft under a five-year pre-finance agreement, according to the traders. Rosneft declined to comment. Glencore does not typically comment on its trading deals. The cargo had been loaded from the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on the vessel called Sparto, port agents' data shows. Sparto was heading to Skagen in Denmark, where it would be re-loaded onto another tanker for shipment to the United States, traders said.

Before port states became hyper-sensitive to security issues, shore leave was natural part of a seafarer’s life. You worked long and hard hours at sea, often for extended periods of time on long voyages. When the ship reached port, you went ashore and decompressed, connecting with family and friends. That and much more changed after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The IMO adopted the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code mandating enhanced security onboard vessels subject to the SOLAS Convention.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) is driving forward in South America with newly completed operations in Argentina and Panama as the car carriers agent for Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV). As general and port agents for the car carriers division of CSAV Group, the largest shipping company in Latin America, ISS managed the arrival of CSAV Rio Maipo at Zarate port in Argentina, successfully handling 1,648 vehicles. Most recently, ISS managed the arrival of CSAV Rio Nevado in Panama, with this vessel also transiting the Panama Canal. CSAV appointed ISS at the end of 2014 to attend one of its car carrier vessels at Callao port, Peru, when it successfully discharged 1,825 vehicles.

The Marcura Group, a Dubai-based group of companies focused on providing innovative business solutions to the maritime industry, has announced the launch of PortPoint, an online platform with modules for port costs, port information and port agents’ data. With the PortCosts module, users are able to quickly look up port costs globally based on data from over 200,000 anonymous and actual port calls. This unique feature enables brokers, charterers, operators and other players in the dry bulk and tanker industry to secure valuable cost information for use in pre-fixture negotiations…

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), the world-leading marine, cargo and supply chain solutions provider, has teamed up with Brightwell Payments, Inc. to introduce an innovative payment system for ship owners and managers to simplify cross-border crew payments, cut onboard cash and enhance crew and vessel safety. The new payments platform, Brightwell Navigator, will significantly reduce overall cash on board. Instead, ship owners and managers can send crew payments via bank transfer and/or loaded to an OceanPay® MasterCard® Prepaid Card to ensure a ‘cash free vessel’ and help safeguard crew against piracy and theft. With commercial shipping, crew traditionally receive part or all of their wages in cash.

Harry Corkerry, Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) Port Manager at Tilbury, UK, delivers a master class in handling a detained ship - a situation encountered by most agents at some point. ISS Thames explains that it recently received a request to provide shipping agency services to a vessel that had been placed under detention by UK Port State Control. The detention order was placed on the vessel on account of an extensive list of deficiencies that had been identified. It is important to note that whenever conducting business of this kind, and with companies the agency has  no inside knowledge of, it is essential to bear in mind the financial risks involved. A decision was made by Guy Lear, UK General Manager, to accept this agency appointment.

Veson Nautical announced the release of the Veslink Agent Portal, a new feature of Veslink, Veson Nautical’s online service that streamlines the collection and distribution of mission-critical maritime data. The Veslink Agent Portal enables port agents to submit Statements of Facts and Port Disbursements against nominated port calls. These standardized forms flow directly into Veslink for approval by voyage operators, and can then be imported into the Integrated Maritime Operations System (IMOS) to drive further workflows.

These frauds always emanate from Turkey and involve criminals purporting to be ship brokers and port agents. At present Signum say they are aware of at least twenty cases over the past eighteen months. The nature of the frauds are that non-existent cargo is offered to ship owners / managers at attractive rates, generally at a time when their vessel is 'spot' i.e. at a port without a cargo. The type of cargo offered varies but the favourites are cement, boilers and phosphate. The terms are always 'Liner In' meaning that the owner must pay up front for any stevedore and berthing costs.

TRACE International and DA-Desk FZ-LLC today announced a partnership to create greater transparency in the shipping industry. The first-of-its-kind shipping industry partnership pairs TRACE, the worldwide leader in setting the standard for global compliance due diligence, with DA-Desk, the largest independent provider of port cost management services. The alliance enables port agents and suppliers registered with DA-Desk to receive preferential pricing for TRACEcertification and promote their commitment to compliance. TRACEcertification is an internationally accepted due diligence review, analysis and approval process that allows entities to own their verified compliance information and share it with all global business partners.

From Annapolis, Md. USA and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, TRACE International and DA-Desk FZ-LLC announce a partnership to create greater transparency in the shipping industry which they say will set the standard for global compliance due diligence and port cost management services. The alliance enables port agents and suppliers registered with DA-Desk to receive preferential pricing for TRACEcertification and promote their commitment to compliance. TRACEcertification is an internationally accepted due diligence review…

BIMCO reminds its members that one of its services is intervention to recover outstanding undisputed amounts. The service is free of charge and is offered only to members acting on their own behalf and in their own interest. Members owed money - be it an owner having problems obtaining payment of freight or demurrage or an agent or broker having difficulties in recovering his outlays, agency fee or commission - can ask BIMCO to intervene on their behalf with a view to retrieving the outstanding balance…

DA-Desk, an independent provider of port cost management services, today announced the promotion of Anna Zhurbenko to Agency Relationship Manager, replacing the retiring head of the department, Bert Hoogenboom. Zhurbenko, who has been with DA-Desk since 2011, was formerly Assistant Operations Manager. In her new capacity, Zhurbenko will focus foremost on developing new services designed to provide value to agents and owners/operators alike. As such, she will build on the recently introduced TRACEcertification program…