Archives: January 2008 cargo news
The News stories below are cargo / freight related stories which made the headlines in January 2008 (other archived months are shown at the bottom of the page).
For all the latest Cargo News, click on the link on the left-hand side menu.
UKimports.org is not responsible for any content or advice given in any external site and we are not endorsing or promoting any product or company referred to on our site. ukimports.org
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31/01/08 - Change of address for the TURN Team and new working practices.
- Courtesy of HM Revenue and Customs (www.hmrc.gov.uk)Contact details for the TURN Team with effect from 4th February 2008:
TURN TEAM -
HMRC
5TH FLOOR,
PORTCULLIS HOUSE
21 COWBRIDGE ROAD EAST
CARDIFF CF11 9SS
Also with effect from 4th February 2008, you will no longer be able to contact the TURN Team by telephone. This will allow processing of applications to be more efficient and should improve the current level of service provided.
The National Advice Service will be your first point of contact by telephone and they will be able to assist you with the following:
- Completion of the application form C219, for a Pseudo TURN;
- Advise you if your TURN has been activated, if you have not recieved correspondence from the TURN Team directly; or
- Forward any telephone queries to the TURN Team for follow-up action
HOW YOU CAN CONTACT THE TURN TEAM:
BY FAX – 02920 386291
BY E-MAIL – Turn@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
BY TELEPHONE – Via National Advice Service – 0845 010 9000 ukimports.org
21/01/08 - Checks follow cargo ship concerns
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Firefighters have been making regular checks on a container ship in Dover where two crew members were found dead, following concerns about its cargo.
The Latvian-registered Sava Lake moored in Dover on Friday after the deaths were discovered. They were thought to have been caused by a chemical leak.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service said it was keeping an eye on the temperature of ferrous metal on board. ukimports.org
21/01/08 - Crane on fire at container dock
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Firefighters are tackling a blaze which has broken out on a container crane at a dockyard in Essex.
Seven crews were called to the site at Tilbury Docks where the crane, about 40ft (12.2m) high, was on fire in the container port area. ukimports.org
20/01/08 - Crashed jet removed from runway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The British Airways plane that crash-landed at Heathrow has been moved from the southern runway.
Engineers described it as a "delicate" operation to place the 200-tonne jet on wheeled platforms to be taken to a hangar 500m away.
Accident investigators will continue with their examination of the plane and are expected to report back in 30 days. ukimports.org
19/01/08 - Crew members found dead on ship
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two crew members have been found dead on board a container ship forced to dock at the Port of Dover in Kent.
The Latvian-registered Sava Lake had contacted Dover Coastguard on Friday night to report an incident on board.
A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said the deaths, which are not being treated as suspicious, were believed to have been caused by a chemical leak.
The vessel, which was carrying ferrous metal from Denmark to Portugal, moored at Dover Harbour at 2150 GMT.
The ship with a seven-strong crew on board had alerted Dover Coastguard at 1905 GMT after the deceased, believed to be either Latvian or Russian, were discovered. ukimports.org
18/01/08 - Crane collapse at docks
- Courtesy of The Southern Daily Echo (www.dailyecho.co.uk)PART of Southampton Docks was evacuated today after part of a crane collapsed and fell on to a container ship.
No-one was hurt in the incident which saw the boom of the crane crashing down on to the Kyoto Express.
Bosses at Southampton Container Terminals confirmed that operations had been suspended and the emergency services called as a precaution after the incident at about 4.35pm. ukimports.org
18/01/08 - U.K. Port Congestion Surcharge (Westbound)
- Courtesy of The FEFC (www.fefclondon.com)Further to our notice of 29th October 2007, FEFC Lines have been monitoring the situation in United Kingdom ports in order to make the 60-day review as previously announced. An improvement in the port congestion situation in the UK has been detected and, in the light of this, Lines have decided to suspend the UK Port Congestion Surcharge with immediate effect while keeping the situation under review.
Port congestion continues to be an expensive and inefficient aspect of European maritime activity, in both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, and the FEFC Lines are very concerned at the current situation and the likelihood of future increased congestion with ever-growing container volumes.
Conference Secretariat, London. ukimports.org
18/01/08 - Latest on Heathrow travel problems
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Following the crash-landing of British Airways flight BA038 at Heathrow on Thursday, airport operator BAA says there is likely to be some disruption to services on Friday.
However, it said it hoped to be returning to "near normal operations" during the day. ukimports.org
17/01/08 - Airliner crash-lands at Heathrow
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A passenger plane has crash-landed short of a runway at Heathrow Airport, ripping off part of its undercarriage.
All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight BA038 from Beijing. Eighteen people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.
An airport worker told the BBC the Boeing 777 pilot, named later as Peter Burkill, 43, said he had lost all power and had to glide the plane in to land.
All BA short-haul flights from Heathrow have been cancelled and others delayed. ukimports.org
16/01/08 - Hazardous chemical spills at dock
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Firefighters wearing full chemical protection suits have cleared up a hazardous spillage at a dock in Essex.
A 20,000 litre containerised tank fell from the back of a lorry, causing 2,000 litres of sodium methylate to spill onto the road at Tilbury Docks.
The chemical - which is flammable and corrosive - leaked into a watercourse and Environment Agency workers are assessing potential damage.
An operation was mounted to decant the remaining chemical from the tank. ukimports.org
16/01/08 - Timber hazard after ship wrecked
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Measures are being put in place to protect shipping in the area where a cargo ship sank off the Dorset coast.
The Greek-registered Ice Prince went down about 26 miles (42km) off Portland Bill after being damaged in a storm.
She shed more than 2,000 tonnes of her 5,260-tonne timber cargo. An exclusion zone is in place around the ship.
Representatives of the government, police, councils, the ship's owners and salvors met to discuss how to minimise the impact of the cargo or leaked oil. ukimports.org
15/01/08 - Wind stops work at container port
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Gale force winds in the North Sea have forced a Suffolk port to close its container terminals.
Quayside cranes at the Port of Felixstowe were unable to work as gusts of up to 67mph (108km/h) - a violent storm force 11 - were forecast. ukimports.org
15/01/08 - Stricken cargo ship is refloated
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A cargo vessel carrying 643 cars has been refloated after running aground eight miles off the Norfolk coast, the Coastguard has said.
The City of Sunderland was pulled free of the sandbank at Haisborough Sands, near Cromer, at about 2040 GMT.
The vessel had been en route to Tees Port from Zeebrugge when she ran aground in the early hours of Monday. ukimports.org
15/01/08 - Timber ship sinks in rough seas
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A stricken cargo ship has sunk in rough weather off the Devon coast, the Coastguard has said.
The Greek-registered Ice Prince went down about 26 miles off the Portland Bill after shedding most of its load of 5,260 tonnes of timber.
A coastguard spokesman said the ship had sunk at about 0045 GMT after being monitored throughout the night by a French Coastguard tug and another tug.
The 328ft vessel had sent out emergency calls after getting into difficulties.
Waves had reached 9ft and there were strong winds in the area. ukimports.org
14/01/08 - Vessel abandoned and drifting mid channel
- Courtesy of The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (www.mcga.gov.uk)At just before midnight last night it was confirmed to the Coastguard at Brixham that all 20 crew had now abandoned the `Ice Prince which has is presently drifting and listing at 40 degrees to port. The stricken vessel has some navigation lights showing and some partial upper deck lights.
Twelve crew, including a 41 year old Greek national with a broken leg, were airlifted by the Coastguard helicopter late yesterday evening to Portland whilst the RNLI Torbay and Salcombe lifeboats took off the remaining 8 crew. ukimports.org
13/01/08 - Vessel disabled and drifting mid channel
- Courtesy of The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (www.mcga.gov.uk)At just after 7.00 p.m. this evening Brixham Coastguard became aware through an emergency call that a general cargo vessel, the Greek registered, 6395 ton, `Ice Prince was in difficulties mid channel. The vessel has been plotted to be 35 miles south east of Start Point.
The vessel which was heading for Alexandria has 5258 metric tons of sawn timber on board which has shifted and the ship is listing at 25 degrees. There are no reports of any cargo being lost to the sea.
Twenty people are on board and she is now without power and drifting at nearly 4 knots although the Master on board has confirmed she has navigation lights working off emergency batteries. A further vessel, the Libertas H, is standing by. Various other vessels have also responded to the emergency call. ukimports.org
13/01/08 - Liverpools Docks are expanding on a wave of regional optimism
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Staring at a huge pile of lumpen metal, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the middle of a giant scrap merchant's yard.
But the scene is actually the Port of Liverpool on the banks of the Mersey.
The scrap is just one of a wide range of goods - including steel, grain, whisky and clothes - which pass through its docks on a weekly basis.
Liverpool is the UK's sixth-largest port for freight and the fourth-largest for container traffic. ukimports.org
10/01/08 - Thamesport Port experiencing Delays Due To High Winds
- Courtesy of the Thamesport PortPlease be advised that Thamesport anticipate landside delays (15:33) due to the following adverse weather conditions ie Strong Winds. ukimports.org
07/01/08 - Felixstowe Port Closes Due To High Winds
- Courtesy of the Felixstowe PortThe Port of Felixstowe has just closed (09:03am) to all container based operations for wind stoppages at both Landguard & Trinity terminals.
Currently we have winds in excess of working limits across the quay and the park and this is due to build until 12pm.
This afternoon, according to reports, should see a drop in the wind speeds. ukimports.org
05/01/08 - North Sea cargo ship is righted
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A Dutch cargo ship, which began listing in high winds 90 miles north east of Aberdeen, has been righted.
The crew of the 3,000-tonne Nordgard, which was heading for Grangemouth, raised the alarm after some of its cargo of timber came loose.
The timber has since been dumped into the North Sea. The ship changed direction in an attempt to stabilise the vessel in winds of 50 knots.
The seven crew are understood to be safe and well. ukimports.org
04/01/08 - Firms 'unaware' of emission zone
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Small businesses say not enough is being done to highlight the new Low Emission Zone (LEZ).
From 4 February older diesel-engine lorries, coaches and other heavy vehicles must pay up to £200 to enter the zone, covering most of London.
But the Federation of Small Businesses said many of its members were still unaware of the scheme.
Transport for London (TfL) said it had run two periods of consultation and carried out a publicity campaign.
The LEZ will be enforced using fixed and mobile cameras, which will read vehicles' number plate as they are driven within the zone and check them against a database of registered vehicles. ukimports.org
03/01/08 - Stranded ship declared seaworthy
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A German container ship which ran aground in the Dover Strait, off the coast of Kent, has resumed its journey to the Suez Canal and Malaysia.
The 90,465-tonne LT Cortesia was declared seaworthy after surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spent the day on the vessel.
The ship ran aground on the Varne Bank, nine miles (14km) south of Dover harbour, early on Wednesday morning.
She was refloated by three commercial tugs at high tide the same evening. ukimports.org
03/01/08 - UK airport strikes are called off
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Unions have called off three strikes set for January that threatened to close the UK's busiest airports.
Officials voted to halt the industrial action after airport operator BAA eased plans to alter worker pensions rights.
The strikes would have hit all of BAA's seven UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh.
Under the terms of the plan, BAA and the unions will meet to consider the future of the pension fund and call in independent experts to assess it. ukimports.org
02/01/08 - High tide refloats container ship
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Coastguards have successfully refloated a German container vessel which ran aground off Kent.
The 90,465-tonne LT Cortesia with 27 crew onboard was en route to the Suez Canal when it hit the Varne Bank, nine miles (14km) south of Dover harbour.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said three commercial tugs refloated the vessel while a coastguard tug also stood by.
The ship will be anchored three miles off the coast of Deal overnight.
Surveyors from the MCA and investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch will board the vessel to decide whether it is safe for it to continue its voyage. ukimports.org
02/01/08 - Container vessel aground in Dover strait
- Courtesy of the Marine and Coastguard Agency (www.mcga.gov.uk)A large container vessel ran aground in the Dover Strait this morning and Dover Coastguard has sent the Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel, Anglian Monarch to render assistance and assess the situation.
At 5am Dover Coastguard were in contact with the German registered container vessel LT Cortesia after Coastguard radar monitoring of the traffic separation zone indicated she had come to a sudden stop close to the Varne Bank. The crew confirmed that the vessel had run aground on the Varne Bank.
The LT Cortesia is a large container vessel of 90,465 Gross Tonnes and was traveling through the Dover Strait in the South West bound lane from Thames Port on route to the Suez when she ran aground on the Varne Bank 9 miles South of Dover Harbour. The vessel has 27 people on board who are all uninjured. Crew members are checking for damage on board but the cargo is reported to be secure and early indications are that the vessel is watertight. There is no reported pollution from the vessel. ukimports.org
01/01/08 - Cyprus and Malta adopt the euro
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two Mediterranean island states, Cyprus and Malta, have begun using the euro, joining 13 other countries.
The countries' leaders made symbolic withdrawals of euros from cash machines just minutes into the New Year.
Major bank branches opened for a few hours in Cyprus despite the New Year holiday. The Maltese celebrated the euro's arrival with fireworks.
Cyprus and Malta have added just 1.2 million people to the number of Europeans using the single currency.
But they will have equal voting rights with the other 13 eurozone members at the European Central Bank. ukimports.org
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UKimports.org is not responsible for any content or advice given in any external site and we are not endorsing or promoting any product or company referred to on our site. ukimports.org
