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June 17 (Reuters) – Maersk Line’s (MAERSKb.CO) head of Network and Product and management board member Lars Reno Jakobsen told Reuters:
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* European demand surge still driven by restocking, future uncertain.
* All major vessels employed, only minor tonnage still laid up.
* Maersk has obtained 50,000 extra 40-foot containers to deal with equipment shortage.
* Sees nearly same trends in Trans-Pacific trade as in Europe-Asia. (Reporting by Peter Levring)
June 17 (Reuters) – The following stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Thursday:
STATOIL (STL.OL)
Norwegian offshore oil workers landed a wage deal with energy companies, averting a strike that had threatened production in three oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
Around 400 workers on the Gullfaks B and Gullfaks C fields, operated by Statoil, and Shell’s Draugen field had planned to strike from Thursday if no agreement was reached. For full story double-click on [ID:LDE65G01T] For more on the company, double-click on [STL.OL]
AKER SOLUTIONS (AKSO.OL)
The Norwegian oilfield engineering firm announced on Thursday that it has won a 115 million euro wind project in Germany.
For more on the company, double-click on [AKSO.OL]
A.P. MOLLER-MAERSK (MAERSKb.CO)
Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container shipping company, said on Thursday that demand for shipping was surging in most areas, and the upturn was leading to an “unprecedented” shortage of containers expected to last through the third quarter.
Maersk said the Asia-Europe trade was growing at a rate of 23 percent year-on-year, outpacing a market forecast of 3-6 percent from just six months ago. [ID:nLDE65F1E3]
For more on the companies, double click [MAERSKb.CO]
SKF (SKFb.ST)
The Swedish bearings maker has seen a market upturn in Europe continue deep into the second quarter despite the sovereign debt crisis gripping the region, its top executive told Reuters in an interview.
“Europe is starting to move in the right direction … We don’t see a strong recovery, but it’s starting to move up,” he said. [ID:nLDE65F1JL]
For more on the company, double-click on [SKFb.ST]
NOKIA (NOK1V.HE) The world’s top mobile phone maker warned on Wednesday its second-quarter phone unit sales and profits would be weaker than expected as it struggles to compete against Apple’s iPhone.
Nokia said profit margins at its cellphone unit would be at the lower-end of its forecasts, or below, in the second-quarter and in 2010. The firm had previously predicted the unit’s operating margin would be 9-12 percent in the second quarter and 11-13 percent for the full year.[ID:nLDE65F1F5]
For more on the company, double click on [NOK1V.HE]
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(Additional reporting by Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm newsrooms) (Helsinki Newsroom; +358-9-6805-0244)
COPENHAGEN, June 17 (Reuters) – Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container shipping group, said on Thursday a strong rebound in global trade has led to an unprecedented shortage of containers as shipping enters its peak season.
Maersk Line, part of Danish oil and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), announced unusually high peak season surcharges on freight rates from Asia to Europe last week. [ID:nLDE65A0FY]
“The present market situation is unique,” Lars Reno Jakobsen, head of Network and Product and member of Maersk Line’s management board, said in a statement.
“We are experiencing a demand surge in most trades, which is a development that is both unprecedented and unexpected by us and our customers,” Jakobsen said.
The Asia-Europe trade is growing by 23 percent year-on-year, outpacing the market’s 3-6 percent forecast from six months ago, he said.
“We expect an even more pronounced and serious shortage of containers in the coming months as we enter the peak season,” he added.
After a plunge in the market from late 2008 through last year, the global shipping industry is recovering with world trade.
“Maersk Line expects the equipment (container) shortage to last through the third quarter of this year and will continue to work closely together with all stakeholders, not least our customers, to further reduce equipment turnaround times,” it said.
During the slump of 2008-2009, many container shipping and container leasing companies stopped sourcing and producing containers, Maersk said.
“As carriers and shippers did not expect the current demand surge, the necessary equipment has not been ordered in 2010, ultimately resulting in the global shortage in equipment,” it said.
In response to the equipment shortage, Maersk Line has begun producing new containers and leasing containers, it said.
It has also re-activated laid-up vessels to help reposition containers as fast as possible from, for instance, the east coast of North America and Latin America to Asia, it said.
Last week, Maersk Line announced a peak season surcharge (PSS) for the Far East-Europe trade applicable from July 2010, Maersk said.
The surcharge will help Maersk recover the higher costs caused by the increased volumes and equipment shortages, such as port costs and costs of extraordinary vessels deployed to reposition containers, Maersk said.
Maersk said it would apply only one peak season surcharge so it would not announce separate surcharges or rate increases in connection with the peak season. (Reporting by John Acher; Editing by Louise Heavens)
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – A U.S.-flagged container ship that was briefly seized by Somali pirates earlier this week arrived safely in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Saturday amid tight security.
The 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama was attacked by gunmen far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, but its 20 American crew fought off the hijackers and regained control of the freighter.
The captain of the huge vessel, Richard Phillips, was taken hostage and is still being held captive on a lifeboat by the gang of four pirates.
“The captain is a hero. He saved our lives by giving himself up,” one unidentified crew member shouted over the ship’s side to a posse of journalists waiting as it docked.
Another crewman wanted reporters to pass a message to loved ones back in the States: “I’m happy, I’m safe,” he yelled.
The Norfolk, Virginia-based owner of the ship, Maersk Line Ltd, said earlier on Saturday that for “security reasons” the media would not have access to the vessel and crew in Mombasa.
In a statement, it said FBI officers at the port would debrief the sailors on board before they disembarked.
The world has been waiting to hear how the crew retook control of their vessel, which was carrying thousands of tonnes of food aid for Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.
There is also huge interest in how Phillips apparently volunteered to board the lifeboat with the pirates in return for his men’s safety.
(Additional reporting and writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
Washington – Crew members retook control of a US-flagged cargo ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, but the ship’s captain was still being held hostage.
Captain Richard Phillips was being held by the pirates on the ship’s 28-foot lifeboat and was alive, second mate Ken Quinn told broadcaster CNN.
Quinn confirmed that the crew was in control of the ship and was waiting for additional support from a US Naval destroyer, which was a few hours away.
“We took one of the pirates hostage. We tied him up and kept him for 12 hours. We returned him, but they didn’t return our captain,” Quinn said.
“They’re (pirates) not aboard. We’re in control of the vessel. We can hear our captain – he’s got a ship radio.”
The ship with 20 US citizens on board was hijacked by Somali pirates early Wednesday morning, the first time a US crew has been taken hostage in the volatile waters.
Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Association said that the 17,000-ton vessel, the Maersk Alabama, was taken in the Indian Ocean, around 500 kilometres off the Somali coast.
Four pirates apparently boarded the ship and at least one of them had been taken into custody by the crew, Defence Department officials said according to the American Forces Press Service.
The US State Department would not confirm that the ship was recaptured. Spokesman Robert Wood said there were still a number of “contradictory reports” coming out of the region.
Owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Limited, the ship was carrying food supplies and no weapons, and was headed to Mombasa, Kenya, according to John Reinhart, chief executive of Maersk Line.
“This was going to Africa for people who are in need,” Reinhart told reporters from the company’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.
Reinhart said the crew had been trained to deal with attacks from pirates but did not carry weapons.
The White House earlier said it was “closely monitoring” the situation. A spokesman for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain said a coalition force off the Somali coast was keeping watch on the vessel.
Somali pirates, who typically seek ransom, have stepped up their attacks on ships operating off the coast in recent weeks. The Danish- US ship is the sixth to be seized since Saturday.
The 32,000-ton British-owned Malaspina Castle, flying a Panama flag, was seized on Monday along with its crew of 24 from Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines.
Taiwanese fishing vessel MV Win Far was taken on the same day near the Seychelles. Its crew of 30 is from Taiwan, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
A French yacht, a Yemeni tugboat and a German container ship were also seized over the weekend.
The pirates do not harm their crew, instead holding out for multi- million dollar ransoms.
Pirate gangs in 2008 seized dozens of ships and earned tens of millions of dollars, prompting the international community to send in a fleet of warships.
Around 15 warships from the European Union, a coalition task force and individual countries such as Russia, India and China patrol an area of about 2.85 million square kilometres.
The warships, along with unfavourable weather conditions, appeared to have been deterring the pirates, with successful attacks dropping off between December and February.
However, the recent hijackings, many of which have been further out to sea, show that the pirates are changing tactics to avoid the patrolling vessels.
Despite the setbacks, however, there have been recent successes.
The German frigate Rhineland-Pfalz docked in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Wednesday, carrying seven Somali pirates captured during an abortive attack on a German naval tanker in the Gulf of Aden last month.
The German Foreign Ministry said Kenya had taken custody of the pirates and they would appear before a judge on Thursday to determine whether they remain in detention.
Prosecuting pirates after they have been captured has proven a problem, with the law covering international waters unable to cope adequately with the issue. (dpa)
Washington – The captain of the US-operated cargo ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday has been taken hostage, a crew member confirmed.
Captain Joseph Murphy was being held by the pirates on the ship’s lifeboat and was alive, second mate Ken Quinn told broadcaster CNN.
He also said that the crew was in control of the ship and was waiting for additional support from a US Naval destroyer, which was about three hours away.
“We took one of the pirates hostage. We tied him up and kept him for 12 hours. We returned him, but they didn’t return our captain,” Quinn said.
“They’re (pirates) not aboard. We’re in control of the vessel. We can hear our captain – he’s got a ship radio.”
The ship with 20 US citizens on board was taken by Somali pirates early Wednesday morning, the first time a US crew has been taken hostage in the volatile waters.
Owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Limited, the ship was carrying food supplies and no weapons, and was headed to Mombasa, Kenya, according to John Reinhart, chief executive of Maersk Line. (dpa)
Washington – Crew members may have retaken control of a US- operated ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, CNN reported Wednesday citing an unnamed Pentagon official.
The ship with 21 US crew members on board was taken by Somali pirates early Wednesday morning. At least one of the pirates had been taken into custody by the crew and another three of the hijackers had attempted to escape, according to CNN.
Owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Limited, the ship was carrying food supplies and was headed to Mombasa, Kenya, according to John Reinhart, chief executive of Maersk Line in Norfolk, Virginia.
Reinhart would not confirm to reporters that the ship had been retaken by the crew, saying it was a fluid situation. (dpa)
Washington, April 9 (DPA) The captain of the US-operated cargo ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia Wednesday has been taken hostage, a crew member confirmed.
Captain Joseph Murphy was being held by the pirates on the ship’s lifeboat and was alive, second mate Ken Quinn told CNN.
He also said the crew was in control of the ship and was waiting for additional support from a US Naval destroyer, which was about three hours away.
‘We took one of the pirates hostage. We tied him up and kept him for 12 hours. We returned him, but they didn’t return our captain,’ Quinn said.
‘They’re (pirates) not aboard. We’re in control of the vessel. We can hear our captain – he’s got a ship radio.’
The ship with 20 US citizens on board was taken by Somali pirates early Wednesday morning, the first time a US crew has been taken hostage in the volatile waters.
Owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Ltd., the ship was carrying food supplies and no weapons, and was headed to Mombasa, Kenya, according to John Reinhart, chief executive of Maersk Line.
Washington, April 8 (DPA) Crew members may have retaken control of a US-operated ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, CNN reported citing an unnamed Pentagon official.
The ship with 21 US citizens on board was taken by Somali pirates early Wednesday, the first time a US crew has been taken hostage in the volatile waters.
At least one of the pirates had been captured by the crew and another three of the hijackers had attempted to escape, according to CNN.
Owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Limited, the ship was carrying food supplies and no weapons, and was headed to Mombasa, Kenya, according to John Reinhart, chief executive of Maersk Line.
‘This was going to Africa for people who are in need,’ Reinhart told reporters from the company’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.
Reinhart would not confirm that the ship had been retaken, saying it was a fluid situation. Reinhart said he had earlier been in contact with a crew member by mobile phone and that all 21 on board were apparently safe.
The White House earlier said it was ‘closely monitoring’ the situation. A spokesman for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain said a coalition force off the Somali coast was keeping watch on the vessel.
Somali pirates, who typically seek ransom, have stepped up their attacks on ships operating off the coast in recent months. The Danish-US ship is the sixth to be seized since Saturday.
Washington – The United States is considering its options to assure the safety of 21 crew members being held after pirates hijacked a US-operated vessel off the coast of Somalia, the White House said Wednesday.
The White House is closely monitoring the apparent hijacking of the US-flagged ship in the Indian Ocean and assessing a course of action to resolve this situation,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
“Our top priority is the personal safety of the crew members on board,” Gibbs said.
The ship, owned by Danish firm Maersk and operated by US company Maersk Line Limited, was taken Wednesday morning and is believed to be headed for the Somali port town of Eyl.
The hijacking occurred near the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain. A Navy spokesman there said that a coalition force off the Somali coast was keeping watch on the vessel.
Somali pirates, who typically seek ransom, have stepped up their attacks on ships operating off the coast in recent months. The Danish-US ship is the sixth to be seized since Saturday. (dpa)
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