General Election News

President Joe Biden will announce in his State of the Union speech on Thursday that the U.S. military will construct a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea, senior administration officials said.Planning for the operation, initially based on the island of Cyprus, does not envisage the deployment of U.S. military personnel in Gaza, the officials told a news briefing.The officials also said that Hamas is delaying a new deal with Israel on…

The UK Chamber of Shipping announced the appointment of Rhett Hatcher as its next chief executive, replacing Sarah Treseder.Hatcher has recently retired from the Royal Navy. He brings with him a broad wealth of experience. His last role was as the UK National Hydrographer and Deputy Chief Executive at the UK Hydrographic Office. He gained a thorough understanding of Whitehall while in senior appointments at the Ministry of Defense, where he was responsible for global strategy…

Britain has removed migrants from a residential barge less than a week after they moved in after Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply, the government said on Friday.Britain had begun moving some migrants on to the large Bibby Stockholm barge on its southern coast at the beginning of the week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter asylum seekers from arriving in the country. The policy had divided opinion, with ministers saying they wanted to offer basic and not luxurious accommodation to help save costs, while human rights campaigners said the offer was inhumane. "Environmental samples from the water system on the Bibby Stockholm (barge) have shown levels of legionella bacteria which require further investigation…

Cyprus is speaking to other European Union member states to shore up support for the shipping industry hit by sanctions on Russia, its shipping minister said on Friday.Cyprus has the third-largest shipping fleet in the EU after Malta and Greece. It has seen defections, or itself deflagged, about a fifth of its oil tanker fleet in recent months, connected one way or another to sanctions on Russia.The island's proposals include automatic extensions of so-called tonnage tax systems…

Navy vessels from Australia and New Zealand will be exempt from a temporary ban on foreign ships entering the ports of the Solomon Islands, the Pacific island nation's prime minister told parliament on Monday.Foreign military vessels responding to a request for assistance from the Solomon Islands government would also be exempt, Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare said.The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China in April, which a leaked draft said allows the Chinese navy to replenish in Honiara…

The ongoing trend of downward pressure on long-term contracted ocean freight rates appears to have been broken, or at least temporarily derailed, with marginal increases seen across the board in November.According to the latest XSI Public Indices report from Xeneta, which provides unique business intelligence based on real-time crowd-sourced data from the world’s leading shippers, global rates climbed by 0.9% over the last month. This disrupts a long-term pattern of decline that, with the exception of a sizable and unexpected rise in May, has been ongoing since Summer 2018.Oslo-based Xeneta’s XSI Public Indices report utilities over 110 million data points, covering over 160,000 port-to-port pairings, to provide unparalleled insight into the very latest market moves.

Drewry says that recovering demand recovery in the North America-East Coast South America box trades provides encouragement, but local political conditions bear watching. Elsewhere, reports that Maersk and MSC are reviewing their Iran operations underpins broader political uncertainties that could get in the way. North America-East Coast South America box tradesMaritime Research Consultancy Drewry is reporting that the headhaul East Coast South America to North America trade fell by 1% in the first quarter 2018 to 137,000 teu. Brazil owns as much 85% of that market where the slowdown was mostly a function of waning US demand for major commodities. Nevertheless, wood shipments improved sharply to offset lower volumes for other cargoes.

A survey carried out by the UK Chamber of Shipping has found that a majority of its members believe that the general election result will damage the economy and hinder the Brexit negotiation process, and that a deal on transitional arrangements must be struck with the EU as the Article 50 process unfolds. The study, which was carried out among the UK's biggest shipping companies, found that 62.5% of the 107 respondents felt some level of concern over the effect that the June 8th general election will have on the economy, with nearly 9% describing themselves as "very concerned". 68% of those surveyed said that they would not welcome another general election within the next 12 months…

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday he was committed to building all of a new Australian submarine fleet in Australia, apparently contradicting the French contractor who said last week the deal would create jobs in France. Valls stopped off in Australia while headed to New Zealand for a scheduled visit, just days after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said France had beaten out Japan and Germany for the A$50 billion ($38 billion) contract. Valls said he would personally oversee the drafting of the contract, one of the world's biggest defence deals, between France's state-owned naval contractor DCNS Group and Australia over the next few months. "We would like to conclude as soon as possible this contract," Valls told reporters through an interpreter after meeting Turnbull.

Fleet of 12 submarines to be built in South Australia; decision has political implications at home, abroad. France has beaten Japan and Germany to win a A$50 billion ($40 billion) deal to build a fleet of 12 submarines for Australia, one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Tuesday. The victory for state-owned naval contractor DCNS Group underscored France's strengths in developing a compelling military-industrial bid, and is a blow for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda. Reuters earlier reported that DCNS would be announced as the winner, citing sources with knowledge of the process.

Government aims for second terminal startup by mid-2017. Pakistan has launched a tender for a second liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, a government official said on Tuesday. The nation of 190 million people can only supply about two-thirds of its gas needs. The ruling party, which campaigned on promises of solving the energy crisis, wants to ease shortages by expanding LNG shipments before a 2018 general election. The official, who declined to be named, said the tender was launched earlier this month with a request for proposal (RFP) by Jan. 24. The government wants the terminal, to be built at Port Qasim in the southern city of Karachi, to be operational by around mid-2017, the official said.

Singapore’s transport minister Lui Tuck Yew, a familiar face among the country’s shipping industry, will step down from politics. Lui, former chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), has shocked the Singapore maritime industry advising prime minister Lee Hsien Loon that he will not be standing for re-election in the next Singapore general election. Prime minister Lee said in Facebook post this afternoon: “Lui Tuck Yew has told me that he does not wish to stand again in the coming General Election, and I have reluctantly accepted his decision. He had told me this early this year. In the letter, Lui also thanked PM Lee for the "unstinting support" given to him and his ministry, and cited how spending on new buses and trains has started to ease congestion on public transport.

Myanmar lands 727 migrants after boat kept offshore for days. Myanmar brought ashore more than 700 "boat people" it had kept at sea for days aboard a seized vessel, as the United States on Wednesday called on the country to help solve a migrant crisis by recognising the rights of its Muslim Rohingya minority. U.S. President Barack Obama has sought to make Myanmar's transition to democracy a legacy of his presidency, and Washington is stepping up pressure on the Southeast Asian nation to tackle what it sees as the root causes of an exodus of migrants across the Bay of Bengal that the region has struggled to cope with. The 727 migrants were found drifting in the Andaman Sea on Friday in an overloaded fishing boat that was taking on water.

A historic 52 million people are fleeing conflict worldwide, a trend that will intensify over the next two decades because of climate change, International Rescue Committee chief David Miliband said on Friday. "One of the drivers of displacement and potential conflict over the next 10 to 20 years will be climate (change) - resource scarcity," said Miliband, a former United Kingdom foreign minister. Miliband said there were 16 million refugees and 36 million people displaced in their own countries, typically by civil war. That is the largest number of people fleeing persecution since World War Two, he said during a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York. "Do I think the current level is a blip or a trend?" Miliband said.

The International Monetary Fund will resume bailout talks with Greece once a new government is in place after next month's snap general election, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement on Monday, noting that Athens faces no immediate funding needs. "Discussions with the Greek authorities on the completion of the sixth review of the program that is being supported by an Extended Arrangement will resume once a new government is in place, in consultation with the European Commission and the European Central Bank," the emailed statement said. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced plans for a general election on Jan. 25 after lawmakers rejected his candidate for president in a vote that will automatically lead to the dissolution of parliament.

Indian energy company Reliance Industries Ltd posted nearly flat fourth-quarter profits, in line with estimates, as a slimmer margin in its oilrefining business offset higher revenue. Reliance, which operates the world's biggest refining complex in western India, reported net profit of 56.31 billion rupees for the quarter to end-March, compared with analysts' expectations of 56.62 billion rupees. Its average gross refining margin dropped to $9.30 per barrel from $10.10 a year earlier, although it was up from the preceding quarter's $7.60. Net sales rose 13 percent. Investors have focussed, however, on the oil and gas production business at Reliance, India's second most valuable company which is controlled by its richest man, Mukesh Ambani.

Brazil's presidential vote will likely delay some investment decisions this year but spending on infrastructure is expected to remain strong, a senior government official told Reuters. Although President Dilma Rousseff is the favorite to win the Oct. 5 general election, many investors could withhold funds until the next government outlines its plans for the following four years, which could hamper the country's already slow economic growth. "It is obvious that businesses will delay some investments until after the election to have more clarity," said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not allowed to speak publicly.

Indonesia's General Election will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, and the day will effectively be a public holiday for most government institutions and subcontractors. Terminals and port activities, however, will not be affected and will be working as normal. GAC Indonesia staff will also be working as normal.   gac.com

In the cruise ship sector, the Fincantieri name is no stranger, having since the early 1900s built some of the most appreciated liners, including the legendary transatlantic Rex, built in Genoa, winner of the Blue Riband in 1933. Nowadays, cruise remains its core and Fincantieri is famous for its gigantic cruise ships; in 2013 the company delivering three. But it has diversified in recent years to ensure its future. Recent studies calculate that the European shipbuilding industry can count approximately on the 7% of new global orders…

Oil & Gas Regulators Respond to Recent Pollution Incidents by Reviewing their Regulatory Regimes. In response to the spate of significant pollution incidents involving oil & gas exploration, production and transportation that have hit the headlines in recent years, a number of national and international regulators have taken the opportunity to review their regulatory regimes. This article provides an update on the new Community-wide regulations that have been proposed by the European Commission, the regulatory reform that has occurred in Australia and the possible reforms in New Zealand.

The world’s largest power ship lies anchored off Pakistan’s energy-starved port city of Karachi, just one of its 19 chimneys puffing smoke into the sea air, reports Haris Amwar in  Blooberg Business Week news item. The Kaya Bey and a sister vessel, whose furnace-oil generators could halve the city’s peak 600-megawatt energy shortfall, has been largely idle since the Supreme Court suspended its license amid an anti-corruption probe. Karachi’s 18 million people face another summer without the power they need to cool homes or run businesses. The Turkish floating power station dropped anchor in November 2010 as part of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s bid to curb a nationwide power deficit that widened to 6,000 megawatts this month, or 30 percent of demand.