The DCN Weekly: Recent Episodes
Daily Cargo News
Brought to you by Daily Cargo News, The DCN Weekly is a regular roundup of news from the Australian maritime industry. Join our editorial team each Friday for an overview of the week's biggest stories in Australian shipping and logistics.
Woodside Energy agreed to employ about 70 Aussie seafarers on an LNG carrier and the ACCC published its annual stevedore monitoring report. Two companies received coastal shipping grants and some Queensland ports closed as a tropical cyclone swept through the state's north.
The MUA has been suspending its planned industrial action at DP World terminals this week. AMSA signed an emergency towage contract and police reported an increase in the amount of opium seized from air and sea cargo.
DP World confirmed employee data was stolen in a recent cyberattack and the WA government revealed plans for its new container port. An initial phase of expansion at VICT is approaching completion, protesters disrupted shipping at the Port of Newcastle and champions of diversity celebrated their achievements at the Maritime SheEO Awards.
Protected industrial action continued at DP World's Australian terminals and pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Port Botany. Houthis hijacked a ship, cocaine was found on a vessel in Melbourne and AMSA banned the BBC Jade.
DP World was hit by a cyberattack and pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Port Botany to block an Israeli shipping line's vessel. Maersk and ANL announced changes to trans-Tasman services and police raided a ship at Port Pirie.
A Strategic Fleet Taskforce report was released to the public this week. Qube acquired a transport and logistics firm based in Fremantle, and several of the big international ocean carriers reported their results for the first nine months of 2023.
Industrial action continued at four Australian container terminals this week and two terminal operators announced increases to landside fees. Maersk is celebrating 30 years in Australia, seafarer happiness has decreased again and a port contract was awarded in Townsville.
More industrial action was announced for DP World terminals this week and ports welcomed the upcoming summer cruise season. Inland Rail appointed a new interim CEO and a pilotage employment program is underway at Port Hedland.
WA coastal shipping taskforce, Aurizon’s Darwin containers plan, QLD rail freight line upgraded, 50 kilos of cocaine smuggled in shipping container.
A pilot boat grounded and broke up this past week, and the Maritime Union of Australia announced further industrial action at DP World terminals. A meth haul was found in a consignment at Port Botany and a big intermodal train was trialled in Victoria.
MUA announces industrial action, AMSA bans containership, and Aurizon launches new container rail service.
Police seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from a ship berthed at the port of Melbourne, and a container service to Newcastle began this month. New port infrastructure opened in Bundaberg and there was a sod-turning ceremony for a new Blue Water Shipping site at the port of Brisbane.
The ATSB this week released its report on a fatal crew transfer accident in 2021 and, a 350-metre containership became the longest vessel to berth at two Australian ports. A shipment of wind turbine blades arrived in Geelong and a port announced an upgrade to its pilot vessel fleet.
A ship lost steering in the Bass Strait and plans were announced for new port infrastructure in Broome. Port of Townsville completed a new laydown area ahead of a record shipment of vehicles and Ports Victoria welcomed an interim CEO.
MUA apples to FWC for PIA, Aurizon Darwin deal, ro-ro rescue, Townsville expects expansion – A roundup of our top stories for the week ending on 8 September.
Big, Australian, electric ferry; icebreaker Nuyina can’t get underbridge to bunker; leadership changes; and more. A roundup of Australia's top maritime and logistics stories for the week ending on 1 September
Pilots called off a strike at the Port of Brisbane this week, and Auriga announced two new services in Victoria and Western Australia. AMSA banned a ship over wage theft and seafarer mistreatment, three men were charged over a cocaine haul hidden on a bulk carrier, and Medlog announced plans to acquire a transport operator in Port Botany.
The CEO of Ports Victoria announced his resignation this week, and Port of Hastings took a step toward establishing a renewable energy terminal. Consultation opened for an offshore wind zone off the Illawarra, police appealed for information after finding meth in a sea-freight consignment, and a containership caught fire off Malaysia.
Silk Logistics has acquired Secon, and Svitzer Australia has announced its new managing director. Two people were arrested over an attempt to import cocaine on a bulk carrier, MSC bought a majority stake in a cargo airline, and an inland port in New Zealand welcomed its first freight trains.
A ballot for protected industrial action received unanimous support from union members working for a pilotage company in Brisbane this week, and a ro-ro vessel caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands. A bulker was detained in New Zealand after it lost its rudder, negotiations commenced for an ammonia plant near a Western Australian port and a new CEO was appointed at Infrastructure Australia.
A fire broke out on a ro-ro vessel off the coast of the Netherlands this week, and the ATSB published an occurrence brief on a pilot ladder incident. Pilbara Ports Authority awarded a contract for construction of a new seawall, SeaRoad opened a new logistics facility and Ports North announced a new CEO.
This week, AMSA halted the tender process for the contract to maintain aids to navigation around Australia, and a ship ran into engine trouble off Queensland. An Aussie logistics company moved into a new facility at the Port of Brisbane and a towage contract was awarded for the Port of Esperance.
The government declared an offshore wind zone this week, and the Port of Newcastle revealed that 30 organisations would support its development of a clean energy precinct. AMSA banned a general cargo ship, construction started on a freight terminal in Melbourne and the ARTC is establishing a subsidiary to govern delivery of the Inland Rail.
A new chair and board members were appointed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority board this week, and two men were charged over a shipment of ketamine sent to Australia in two commercial vans. Lindsay Australia acquired a merchandise company, a Western Australian port secured new export deals and T-Ports welcomed a new CEO.
Offshore wind in Victoria, ATSB's Trinity Bay grounding investigation, Maersk’s methanol ships, Australian shipbuilder building ferries
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority updated a marine notice on pilot ladder safety, and protesters wreaked havoc at the ports of Brisbane, Newcastle and Melbourne. Svitzer announced it had signed an agreement for five new tugboats, and a US assault ship docked at Patrick Terminal in Brisbane.
A double-stacked container vehicle was trialled at the Port of Brisbane this past week, and union members voted in favour of a new enterprise bargaining agreement. A logistics contract was awarded for a lithium plant expansion in WA and a landing craft for Norfolk Island was delivered after moths of delays.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority this week announced it had banned a general cargo ship for being unsafe and unseaworthy. A hydrogen and methanol plant took a step forward in Tasmania, and police laid charges over an attempt to smuggle 800 kilograms cocaine into Australia on a bulker.
A containership lost steering and hit a navigational beacon in the Port of Melbourne this past week, and a company and master were convicted over a pilot ladder incident. Svitzer Australia came to an in-principle agreement with three maritime unions, and 120 kilograms of cocaine was found at a container facility in Port Botany.
The ABF found 300 kilograms of meth in a sea freight consignment from Mexico, and a logistics and ship agency group acquired Australian bulk specialist Monson Agencies. An Aussie shipbuilder delivered a ferry bound for South Korea, and a ceremony was held in Finland for the second of two new Spirits of Tasmania.
Containership Shiling loses power off New Zealand, container line to call at Gladstone, Höegh Trooper towed away, two new tugs for Newcastle and ALC’s Supply Chain Summit.
The federal budget announced this past week contained significant increases in funding for biosecurity, CMA CGM committed to the acquisition of Bolloré Logistics and the WA government announced $136 million in funding for the state's ports.
Qube announced two acquisitions, a new contract for Auriga, Port of Newcastle's Clean Energy Precinct, and a leadership shuffle at two Aussie logistics companies.
Construction started on a urea manufacturing project near Port of Dampier, and maritime and energy companies announced they would explore the feasibility of establishing a methanol bunkering hub at the port of Melbourne. Spirit Super and Stonepeak acquired GeelongPort, and the ABF seized 120 kilograms of cocaine at a Port Botany container examination facility.
A reach stacker caught fire at an intermodal terminal this week, and Svitzer abandoned action to terminate an EBA with three maritime unions. Delivery of a Norfolk Island landing craft was delayed after unsuccessful sea trials, COSCO announced a new trans-Tasman service, and Dr Kerry Schott was appointed acting chair of the ARTC.
Pilbara and Kimberley ports closed this week ahead of a category-five cyclone, and the Australian government responded to a damning review of the Inland Rail project. Neptune Pacific Direct Line announced a new shipping service to Australia and New Zealand, the ABF seized a haul of black-market cigarettes at its container facility and the ATSB released a report on a freight and coal train collision.
A 38-tonne biosecurity haul was intercepted in Sydney, and a report found Australia's hydrogen industry could be worth $40 billion by 2040. Authorities found a heroin shipment in a container at Port of Brisbane, P&O Cruises added Townsville as a port call, and TT Line became the first Aussie company to join the Green Marine program.
The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement came a step closer to reality this week, and National Intermodal exercised an option to acquire land in Melbourne's north. DP World opened a new reefer facility and the ATSB released an interim report on the Portland Bay incident.
This week, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its final report on the allision that sunk two tugboats in Tasmania last year. Maersk announced plans to phase out a coastal shipping service in New Zealand, and AMSA banned a general cargo ship from Australian waters.
The Victorian government named Port of Hastings as the location for a renewable energy terminal this week, and livestock carrier Yangtze Fortune was sold and released from arrest. Dachser acquired an Australian freight forwarder, Provaris is progressing with a hydrogen export project and Swire Shipping announced a new service connecting Darwin with Timor-Leste.
There were calls for a Coastal Trading Act exemption this week, and 14 furniture importers were fined over illegal timber imports. A hydrogen export project progressed in Victoria, companies stepped up to help out in the wake of the collapse of Scott's Refrigerated Logistics and a man was charged for allegedly importing cocaine in an airfreight consignment.
SeaLead, results season, AMSA bans containership, independent valuer for Port of Newcastle. A roundup of our top stories for the week ending 3 March 2023
The Prime Minister announced a $565-million investment for ports in the Pilbara region this week, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority detained a ship that caught fire in Port of Melbourne. Rail freight operator Aurizon entered a $1.8 billion contract to carry containerised freight, and the ACCC lost its appeal in a NSW Ports competition case.
Newcastle hosted the inaugural GreenPort Congress Oceania this week, and DCN caught up with some presenters and attendees on the sidelines. In other news, Brisbane-based Focus Container Line went into liquidation.
Port of Newcastle this week announced the establishment of an empty container park, and AMSA issued legal direction to allow a ship experiencing engine issues to enter a port for repairs. The ACCC gave rail operator Aurizon the green light to sell its East Coast Rail business, Neptune Pacific Direct Line announced a new landing craft for the Norfolk Island trade, and Swire Shipping launched a new service to the Pacific Islands.
This week, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its report on an incident aboard liquefied hydrogen carrier Suiso Frontier. The ship was on its maiden voyage last year when a flame appeared on board, sparking an ATSB investigation. In other news, rail repair works commenced in Queensland after a freight train and coal train collided, and there were some notable staff appointments around the industry.
This week, Maersk and MSC announced the end of their 2M alliance in 2025. Construction plans were put in place for a $400-million intermodal terminal in Melbourne, and a police are undertaking an investigation in Newcastle after a ship allegedly arrived with drugs attached to its hull.
A shipbroker was appointed for the sale of an abandoned livestock carrier off Victoria this week. The ship has 36 crewmembers on board. A freight train derailed at the Australian Rail Track Corporation's rail yard at Port Botany, wild weather impacted shipping in Queensland, and dredging began for a new development in Tasmania.
The biggest story in Australia's maritime industry this week was the Productivity Commission's final report on Australia's maritime logistics system. The report drew fire and praise from all corners of the industry. Some of the major talking points were industrial relations, terminal access charges and landside efficiency.
Recently in the news, cruise ship Viking Orion was denied permission to berth at ports in New Zealand and Australia due to biofouling on its hull. A new CEO was announced for the Pilbara Ports Authority, and the first shipment of lithium from a Northern Territory mine began loading onto a bulker in Darwin.
Two big reports were released this week. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau published its final report on the APL England incident. The containership lost 50 containers overboard in May 2020. And the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released its Container Stevedoring Monitoring Report 2021-22. The ACCC said it believes the regulation of Australia's container ports is ineffective.
Two unions made a submission to Australia's strategic fleet taskforce this week, urging the taskforce to address issues around maritime training. Australian ports agency Monson acquired Meridian Port Agencies, and more than 607,000 TEU passed through Tasmanian ports over this past financial year.
The Queensland government launched a $21 million maritime grants program this week, and a firefighting helicopter arrived at Port Botany. Progress was made on the Inland Rail project, and Maersk and IBM announced they would discontinue TradeLens. And also, a new Australia-India free-trade agreement is to soon come into force.
A direct shipping service between Tasmania and New Zealand commenced last week, and Federal Parliament passed legislation that progresses Australia's free trade agreements with the UK and India. In other news, Port of Newcastle used its two new mobile harbour cranes to load a containership. And, authorities seized drugs at a Sydney freight depot and arrested a logistics worker.
On Friday this week, the Fair Work Commission suspended Svitzer's lockout of its maritime employees, along with all industrial action by the company and unions for six months. The lockout would have affected seventeen ports around the country. In other news, Neptune Pacific Direct Line progressed its acquisition of a new vessel for its Norfolk Island shipping service, and the Australian Border Force seized more than one tonne of cocaine in shipping containers at Port Botany.
The latest episode of The DCN Weekly features coverage of the 2022 DCN Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards in Melbourne. In the news, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority banned bulk carrier Costanza for underpayment the crew wages. Unions representing Svitzer's maritime workers gave notice of more protected industrial action, and a bill passed the lower and upper houses of New South Wales Parliament that would lift the cap on container throughput at Port of Newcastle.
Unions have been issuing notices of protected industrial action on Svitzer tugs on a near-daily basis this past week. Pacific International Lines launched an intermodal service, and the Western Australian government awarded a $15.2 million contract for a container terminal design project. And also, authorities in Hong Kong intercepted a record-breaking meth shipment packed in a shipping container bound for Australia.
A ship equipped with a hard sail called Newcastle on its maiden voyage this past week, and a vessel was purchased for deployment on a new trans-Tasman route. A containership lost power off the New South Wales coast, the Australian government announced millions in funding for the strategic fleet taskforce, and the Spirit of Tasmania called its new home in GeelongPort for the first time.
This week, the Australian government launched a taskforce to guide the establishment of a "strategic fleet" of Australian flagged and crewed vessels. In other news, the Maritime Union of Australia announced its members at Svitzer Australia would take protected industrial action next week. And, there is legislation before the federal parliament to update Australia's maritime environmental rules.
Flood warnings in Tasmania this week prompted Port of Devonport to suspend operations, and Port of Melbourne welcomed CMA CGM Estelle as the largest containership by capacity ever to visit the port. In other news, a report found the total TEU capacity of ships arriving in Australia has hit a two year high. Two men were arrested after authorities seized more than 300 kilograms of liquid MDMA hidden in an air freight consignment of wine bottles, and a contract has been signed to construct a ship to replace sailing shipYoung Endeavour.
This week, Port Botany welcomed the ship with the biggest container capacity ever to visit the port, and the Australian government announced an independent review of the $14.5 billion Inland Rail project. Rail freight operator Aurizon received $5 million in funding for a hydrogen project, Poseidon Sea Pilots are preparing to commence services in Victoria, and police are seeking information on a consignment of cocaine they found in a shipping container at Port Botany.
Aurizon has invested $5 million in developing a multi-modal rail terminal at Port of Townsville, and Bass Island Line is introducing a new refrigerated container service to King Island. Also in the news this week, Tasmania is gearing up to welcome its first cruise ships of the season, the Australian government introduced a biosecurity amendment bill and Toll's Global Forwarding division appointed a new president.
The Australian Federal Police launched an investigation last week after more than $182 million worth of drugs was found concealed in a shipment of coffee beans, seized in Melbourne. Darwin Port and Port of Portland welcomed new CEOs, the Australian government announced funding for a barge service to Norfolk Island, and a cargo ship sank while it was berthed at the Turkish port of Iskenderun.
This week, Sydney-based logistics tech company Ofload announced its acquisition of CIA Logistics, and a noisy containership is to be phased out of its current service after leaving a trail of noise complaints. Also in the news, two men were sentenced to jail for their role in smuggling 1.3 tonnes of ephedrine into Melbourne. A Kiwi freight transport company is working towards deploying a methanol-capable ship on coastal routes, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority co-ordinated the rescue of a boat that went missing in the Solomon Sea.
The biggest story in Australia's maritime news this week was the release of the Productivity Commission's draft report on Australia's maritime logistics system. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority co-ordinated the rescue of two sailors in the Tasman Sea with support from the air force and two nearby ships, a build-up of congestion around Port of Brisbane sparked some concern, and two men were sentenced to jail for attempting to smuggle 645 kilograms of meth in a container full of barbeques.
It was a big week for the maritime industry as leaders gathered for the Ports Australia Biennial Conference in Brisbane. Among the many highlights of the event were presentations from the ACCC and Productivity Commission. In Canberra, the Jobs and Skills Summit discussed the enterprise bargaining system. Toll Shipping in Tasmania announced it has changed its name to Strait Link and is becoming an independent company, and an investment consortium's proposal to acquire GeelongPort fell through.
Port of Melbourne continued working through its proposed capacity enhancement program this week, with the goal of enabling the development of a new container terminal and securing the future of Tasmanian trades. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority diverted a bulk carrier in the Indian Ocean to rescue a kayaker, and there were several stories about border authorities intercepting drug consignments, including the largest shipment of the deadly opioid fentanyl.
A wage dispute brewing at Darwin Port for more than a month amounted to industrial action on Friday morning. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an investigation into the grounding of a bulk carrier off the Western Australian coast, and a noisy containership left a trail of complaints across Australian and New Zealand ports. Episode 11 of The DCN Weekly covers these stories and more.
Two sunken tugboats were salvaged from a port river in Tasmania this week after a cement carrier allided with them in late January. The Australian Border Force uncovered 700 kilograms of cocaine on a containership at Port Botany and a New Zealand company announced a new trans-Tasman shipping service while another new trans-Tasman service took off with its first sailing. We explore these stories and more in the latest episode of The DCN Weekly.
This week, Daily Cargo News covered the industrial action that unfolded across Australian ports after towage operator Svitzer Australia applied to terminate its enterprise bargaining agreement with its maritime workforce. There was a change of plans in the salvage of two sunken tugboats in Tasmania's Port of Devonport, and Darwin Port exported the first load of iron ore from a local mining project. We unpack these stories and more in the latest episode of The DCN Weekly.
In the news this week, the Victorian government released its 30-year port plan as a result of an independent review of the state's port system. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority banned a Liberian-flagged tanker after receiving a complaint about crew underpayment and welfare issues onboard. Melbourne-based port logistics specialist Silk Logistics acquired Fremantle Freight & Storage Group, and Pilbara Ports Authority and Yara Clean Ammonia signed an agreement to facilitate the uptake of clean ammonia as a marine fuel in the Pilbara.
In the news this week, CMA CGM confirmed APL Vanda lost 55 containers overboard while sailing from Singapore to Suez earlier this month. Industrial action disrupted operations at Port of Mackay, and nearly escalated at Darwin Port where the Maritime Union of Australia accused port management of cutting workers' wages. The ACCC approved Aurizon's acquisition of One Rail Australia, a barge deployed to remove sunken tugs from the Mersey River was delayed by an east coast weather pattern, and north Australian shipping specialist Sea Swift announced a new CEO.
The top news story this week was about a Dutch court's ruling that cargo lashing should be assigned to dock workers, not seafarers. In Port of Mackay, pilot cutter crews who went on strike were locked out by their company. An industry peak body raised concerns that biosecurity risks and clearance delays are adding costs to an already costly supply chain. And finally, bulk carrier Portland Bay - which nearly ran aground last week - has departed Port Botany.
This week's news was dominated by the story of Portland Bay and its crew. The bulk carrier lost power off the New South Wales coast and found itself in imminent danger of grounding on the rocks. It is a story of peril and the heroic efforts of tug and rescue crews. We cover this story and more in the latest episode of The DCN Weekly.
Over the past week, the master and first officer of a bulk carrier were fined $75,000 for breaching a designated shipping area in the Great Barrier Reef, and a protester suspended herself from the mooring line of a fishing vessel in Hobart. In the Middle East, a toxic gas explosion in a port killed at least 13 people and injured more than 250. A man was charged for his role in a plot to smuggle 1.2 tonnes of cocaine into Australia by transferring drugs between vessels at sea, and the deadly varroa mite - a parasite threatening Australia's bee population - was detected in Port of Newcastle.
In the news this week, a man was charged for smuggling 7000 litres of alcohol into Australia while already serving a prison sentence for importing 100,000 cigarettes in the same shipment. Pacifica Shipping announced a new vessel on its NZ coastal service, and Maritime Safety Queensland hosted an oil spill response exercise in Gladstone. The World Shipping Council released some “worrying” figures in its latest Containers Lost at Sea report, and DHL Supply Chain announced it would acquire a national logistics company.
This week, Maersk announced the launch of a coastal service in New Zealand, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau explored the safety issues behind a fatal helicopter crash during a marine pilot transfer in 2018. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority celebrated the successful outcome of its proposal to mandate the reporting of seafarer fatalities in the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, and MSC has announced it will begin to use biofuel in its ships.
In the news this week, the Australian Border Force seized what it suspects to be cocaine on a ship at Port Botany, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an investigation into the near-grounding of a bulk carrier in Hydrographers Passage. The US Federal Maritime Commission released its findings on ocean carrier competition, Ports of Auckland halted its container terminal automation project and new leadership was appointed across several shipping and port companies.