Steel Billets News

Cooper Marine and Timberlands (CMT) is set to take over as the exclusive barge fleeting and shifting service provider for Yellow Creek State Inland Port, located at the intersection of the Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, effective September 1.“Thanks to the leadership of federal, state and local officials, Yellow Creek Port is on a trajectory of exciting new growth,” said YCP Executive Director Robert Dexter. “Tonnage and revenues have grown by double digits in the past few years.

Compared to the excellent first three quarters of 2015 (+5.4%), cargo throughput in the same period this year fell by 1.9%. The decrease was particularly strong in coal and iron ore. Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “Each of the different sectors in the port has its own dynamic. The 1.9% decrease is consequently the sum of a number of different developments. Last year, throughput in the port increased by 4.9%, to 466 million tonnes. Castelein: “Throughput figures only tell part of the story. Throughput in liquid bulk fell by 0.4%, to 160.0 million tonnes. The volume of crude oil handled in the port saw a 1.6% decrease. While the refineries’ margins are still positive, they are smaller than last year.

India's troubled shipping sector has been passing through tumultuous waters in recent years with over 40 per cent of the country’s fleet older than 20 years and about 12 per cent of them being 12-15 years old, says the Economic Survey 2015-16 , tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday. The decline in the Baltic Dry Index, a freight index that depicts the robustness of trade, from 10,720 in May 2008 to 386 in January 2016 “is a reflection of the slowdown in India’s and the world’s merchandise trade as well as of overseas shipping services,” according to the statement tabled in Parliament. "The shipping sector has been passing through tumultuous waters in recent years... There is urgent need to increase India's shipping fleet.

According to Clarkson Research Services, the record pace of fleet growth over the last decade and weakening global demand outlook has left many of the major shipping segments facing severe oversupply. Demolition of older ships is one way of easing overcapacity and recycling volumes have been strong in recent years. The top ten owner countries typically account for the majority of recycling with Chinese and Greek owners leading the way. Last year a total of 860 ships of a combined 23m GT were reported sold for demolition. This is equivalent to 2% of the start year fleet. During the shipping market boom demolition activity was limited as owners capitalised on the strong earnings environment.

Welcoming the latest policy, Ship breakers in Pakistan defended the imposition of 15% Regulatory Duty (RD) on the import of all steel billets, steel bars and wire rods. Describing the step as much needed and timely, the Pakistan Ship-Breakers Association (PSBA) lauded the imposition of RD. "The Pakistan Ship breakers Association salutes the Government of Pakistan for this bold move which has helped save hundreds of thousands of jobs as well as the local steel industry," it said in a statement. The government’s decision has come as a response to lengthy lobbying on part of the steel industry, which was trying to secure its survival in the face of international competition.

Continued demand for iron ore, coal, and general cargo for the industrial and manufacturing sectors lifted the tonnage numbers along the Great Lakes-Seaway System to the positive column. For the period March 22 to November 30, year-to-date total cargo shipments were 34.6 million metric tons, a rise of 2.67 percent over the same period in 2011. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported an 11 percent increase for total cargo shipments during the month of November – 5.1 million metric tons – compared to November 2011. “The nearly 3 percent rise in overall tonnage handled through the Seaway in 2012 is due in part to the proven formula of ‘steel in, grain out’ as steel imports rose 12 percent in November as compared to the same month last year, and combined Canadian-U.S.

The 9,000 metric tonne MV Maria, owned and operated by SAL Heavy Lift GmbH, berthed at the container terminal C Steinweg Oman (CSO). On board was a 300-tonne gas turbine due for installation at a new power plant under construction in the Batinah area. The arrival of the 1,000th vessel this early augurs well for a significant increase in ship calls during 2012. When compared with figures for 2011, Port of Sohar received its 1,000th vessel in September of the year, notching up a tally of 1,474 calls by year’s end. The CSO Terminal handles industrial project cargo, among which many heavy lifts, a variety of break-bulk cargos (aluminium ingots and sows, steel billets, steel coils, steel pipes and tubulars, steel plates, and so on), dry-bulk and RO-RO cargo.

Positive Outlook as St. Lawrence Seaway Opens the 2012 Season. The steel and construction industries pushed the demand for North American commodities such as iron ore, stone and cement, and provided the 2012 shipping season with a solid start. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to April 30 were 4.4 million metric tons, up 2.24 percent over the same period in 2011. “Coal shipments, the Seaway’s second largest commodity by tonnage for more than a decade…