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ABU
DHABI—Dubai Ports (DP) World of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) recorded a growth of 19 percent in the UAE’s
container throughput in 2007, local newspaper Gulf News
reported on Thursday.
The
company handled 11 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent
container units) at its marine terminals in the UAE in
2007, growing 19 percent over the previous year.
DP
World’s container throughput in the UAE in 2007
accounted for more than one fourth of its global
throughput, which stood at 43.3 million TEUs.
“The
opening of the new container terminal (T-2) at DP World
Jebel Ali in August last year has contributed to a
substantial increase in our handling capacity,” said
Mohammad Al Muallem, senior vice president and managing
director of DP World’s UAE division.
Jebel Ali Port
in Dubai registered a throughput of 9.9 million TEUs in
2007, representing an increase of more than 25 percent
over 2006 and 90 percent of DP World’s throughput in the
UAE.
DP
World, owned by the
Dubai government of the UAE, currently owns 43 terminals and
13 new developments in 27 countries.
Its
capacity stands at 48 million TEUs now and is expected
to increase to around 90 million TEUs by 2017 when new
terminals are ready. Bloomberg
*****
Shares of
Europe’s biggest shipbuilder plunge to a seven-week low
on expectations of a cut in earnings
LONDON—Aker
Yards ASA, Europe’s biggest shipbuilder, fell the most
in seven weeks in Oslo trading after warning it may miss
a profit forecast and postponing the day on which it
will announce earnings.
The
shares fell as much as 6 kroner, or 11 percent, to 46.7
kroner, the biggest intraday decline since December 18.
The stock was trading 4.45 kroner lower at 48.25 kroner
as of
10:20 a.m. in
Oslo,
valuing the company at 5.5 billion kroner ($1 billion).
The shares have dropped 52 percent in a year.
Aker’s
ferry-building unit in Finland has reported delays and
rising costs for onboard facilities such as swimming
pools.
Aker
Yards cut its profit forecast in July, August and
December last year. Its last estimate was for full-year
earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortization of 500 million kroner. Profit may be
“somewhat below” that, Aker said last week.
“They
obviously don’t have control over projects,” Anders
Rosenlund, an Oslo-based analyst at ABG Sundal Collier,
said by telephone. “It’s clearly disappointing that they
have to say there’s more risk on the downside.”
Full-year earnings will be reported March 3, the
Oslo-based company said in a statement distributed by
Hugin last week. Aker had previously said it would
publish the results February 18. Bloomberg
*****
Swedish
govt makes huge investment for a new terminal
STOCKHOLM—Plans
to expand the port of Stockholm-Nynshamn at Norvikudden
have now entered a new phase. SWECO has been chosen for
preconstruction planning of the port on behalf of Ports
of Stockholm.
The new
port will cover an area of 60 hectares. Its nine berths
with a total length of 1,800 meters, capacity for
500,000 TEUs of container goods and Ro-Ro capacity for
300,000 vehicles per year, make this Sweden’s largest
port investment in many decades.
“This is
an unusually exciting and challenging project. The
breadth SWECO can offer, ranging from specialized civil
engineering and structural design consultants to
landscape architects, enables us to take on large-scale
multidisciplinary undertakings like that in Norvik,”
says Eva Nygren, managing director of SWECO Sweden.
The new
port will be built in stages and is planned for
completion in 2020, although it is hoped that the port
can be opened for traffic already in 2011.
“The
harbour expansion is vital for the supply of goods and
ongoing growth in the Stockholm-Mlardalen region. It
feels very secure to be working with SWECO at this early
and formative stage,” says Christel Wiman, president of
Ports of Stockholm.
SWECO’s
services will include civil engineering design,
structural design, landscape architecture and building
design. The contract is worth more than SEK 4 million.
SWECO
has previously carried out a technical feasibility
study, prepared a preliminary layout for the port and
was responsible for preparing the environmental impact
assessment (EIA) as a basis for the environmental
court’s decision on the project. SWECO has longstanding
experiencing of working in other Swedish port projects.
Bloomberg
*****
Strikes held by Greek workers have
reduced cargo traffic
ATHENS—Greek
dock workers’ strikes have reduced container traffic by
40 percent in the country’s two biggest ports, newspaper
Imerisia said last week, citing data from the Piraeus
Port Authority and the Thessaloniki Port Authority.
Some
Greek exporters have stopped sending shipments through
the two ports after shipping companies canceled
scheduled calls following the walkout, according to the
report.
Greek
industries have started suffering from a lack of
imported raw materials and rising transportation costs,
Imerisia said. Piraeus Port management is considering
asking Greek courts to declare the strike illegal,
according to the report. Bloomberg |
