OOCL confirmed Tuesday that it has been using low sulfur fuel in Hong Kong since the beginning of the year as part of the Fair Winds Charter, a voluntary shipping industry initiative.

OOCL vessels switched to using fuel with 0.5% or less sulfur content in their auxiliary engines while at berth in Hong Kong starting Jan. 1, 2011.

The Fair Winds Charter initiative has been facilitated by the Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association, Hong Kong Shipowners Association, and Civic Exchange (a Hong Kong-based independent think tank).

“As a Hong Kong-based container shipping company, we believe this voluntary initiative conveys our absolute dedication and commitment to cleaning up the air in Hong Kong,” said OOCL Director of Corporate Planning, Stephen Ng.

“With some 1,000 vessel calls in Hong Kong every year, we estimate this action will lower harmful sulfur emissions by more than 80%,” Ng said.

Ng said OOCL customers can take advantage of environmentally-friendly services as a way of meeting their sustainable supply chain commitments.

OOCL said the voluntary Fair Winds Charter is the latest in a string of environmental initiatives it has taken in 2010.

OOCL’s parent company OOIL was admitted as a constituent member of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index in July 2010, and OOCL launched its Carbon Calculator in April 2010.

OOCL said it also participates in various voluntary initiatives in North America, including 100% compliance with both the Port of Long Beach Green Flag Voluntary Speed Reduction Program and the Port of Los Angeles Vessel Speed Reduction program.

Since 2008, OOCL also voluntarily slow steams and avoids the migration paths of the North Atlantic Right Whales.

OOCL dropping chassis at seven more cities
Peter T. Leach – JOC Online, 02 Nov 2010

OOCL announced the second phase of its policy to drop chassis coverage as part of its services on Monday, adding seven cities to the areas where it will no longer provide equipment for trucking ocean container shipments.

OOCL which has already phased out supplying chassis in three East Coast cities, said it will no longer provide chassis as of Jan. 1, 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y., El Paso, Texas, Harrisburg, Pa., Huntsville, Ala., Jacksonville, Fla., Laredo, Texas and Tampa, Fla.

OOCL already stopped providing chassis in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as of Sept. 1.

OOCL said all motor carriers, either working as suppliers for OOCL or OOCL customers, must provide chassis for these shipments.

The carrier was among the first to start phasing out chassis service in the U.S., a fundamental change that has spread across the country this year as ocean carriers have cut back costs in part by carving away what they see as secondary services outside their core port-to-port operations.

“For motor carriers that do not own their own equipment, chassis are available at these locations from one or more of the major leasing companies on a daily use basis,” OOCL said. “Chassis usage fees for merchant moves should be billed by the motor carrier directly to their customer.”

Other carriers that have since announced the phasing out of chassis include, EMC, ACL, CMA CGM, Cosco, NYK, HMM, YML and Hanjin Shipping.

OOCL launches Mobile Rates of Exchange
Peter T. Leach – JOC Online, 01 Nov 2010

OOCL introduced an application called Mobile Rates of Exchange on Nov. 1 that gives shippers access to inbound and outbound rates of exchange for a particular port from their cell phones.

The new Mobile Rates of Exchange application offers shippers the ability to search for a particular vessel.

The new service can be accessed by all major mobile systems and smart phones, including but not limited to: Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, iPhone and Android.

Yemen bomb plot puts box scanning on agenda again
Roger Hailey – Lloyd’s List, 01 Nov 2010

THE maritime industry is preparing itself for renewed calls to shorten the timeline for US rules on 100% container scanning at foreign ports in the wake of a failed terrorist attempt to blow up two air cargo aircraft on Friday.

US shippers lobby, the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), says that the spotlight on freight security will focus not just on air cargo but also intensify the call by Washington politicians for speedier implementation of worldwide 100% maritime container scanning, originally scheduled for 2012 but now pushed back to 2014.

“There are going to be louder cries for stepping up and increasing security and other measures in the maritime sector,” said NITL vice-president Peter Gatti .

“But the same practical difficulties of putting that into place are still there, and making the system non-functional is as large a problem as the terrorism presents. Getting the right balance and having the best means of creating the safest and most sound supply chain has got to be weighed against not allowing the system to become paralysed.”

However, World Shipping Council chief executive Chris Koch said that he was not yet aware of any “spill over” on maritime security.

But he added that Washington’s legislation for 100% scanning of maritime boxes would be challenging: “All security procedures when implement have to face the reality of resources and operating procedures. I am not sure what will happen in 2014. But the operational realities and the difficulties which have been identified up to this point are not going to go away.”

Transport security globally was put on high alert at the weekend after printer cartridge bombs sourced to al-Qaeda in Yemen were found on two US-bound cargo planes, although the explosive devices were not picked up by initial screening.

Ship operating costs set to rise 3.2%
Julian Macqueen – Lloyd’s List, 01 Nov 2010

SHIP operating costs are expected to rise by 3.2% this year, followed by another 3.5% rise in 2011, according to Moore Stephens.

In 2010, crew costs were likely to increase by 2.7%, with a 3% rise pencilled in for 2011, Moore Stephens said.

Most items on the operating costs list are expected to rise over the next two years. Lubricants could see increases of 2.4% and 2.7% respectively. Repairs and maintenance are like to go up by 2.6% in each year.

Respondents to the survey also saw increases in stores, spares and management fees. P&I cover could also rise by 2.4% in 2010 and in 2011, according to the survey.

Moore Stephens’ survey asked respondents to identify which factors would be most likely to influence operating costs.

Moore Stephens based its findings for the estimated future operating costs on the views of a range of respondents in the same way that it does for its OpCost survey. The replies came, in the main part, from dry bulk and tanker owners and managers in Europe and Asia.