China has established a relatively complete maritime judicial system after combining “international maritime judicial norms” with “Chinese characteristics,” said Cao Jianming, vice president of the Supreme People’s Court Thursday in Shanghai.

Cao made the statement at an ongoing nationwide maritime judicial working conference held in Shanghai.

China founded six maritime courts in Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou in 1984. Courts were later added in Ningbo, Xiamen, Beihai and Haikou to provide a relatively complete maritime judicial network, the official said.

He said China’s maritime courts primarily deal with cases of maritime rights infringement, maritime business conflicts and other entanglements. The courts had solved a great many cases, protecting the legal rights of organizations and individuals involved, and safeguarding China’s shipping industry and trade.

Cao said China’s maritime courts are likely to deal with more cases of oceanic environmental protection in the future. 
 

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OSLO, Norway Norwegian shipbuilding group Kleven Maritime AS won a 3.2 billion kroner (US$477 million, €380 million) contract to build six ships for Siem Offshore, the companies announced Wednesday.
 
Kleven said the contract shared by its two western Norway yards was the largest in its history.
 
The shipyards will deliver six, 91-meter (292-foot) long anchor handling tugboats during 2009 and 2010, with an option for six more in 2010.
 
The ships will be capable of anchor handling as well as construction work for the offshore oil industry, the companies said in news releases.
 
Siem Offshore, based in the southern Norway city of Kristiansand, offers maritime services to the offshore oil industry.
 

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In spite of fierce competition, Norwegian suppliers, manufacturers and ship-owners have shown strong interest in the Vietnamese market this year. In 2006, at least two Norwegian companies have established local representative offices in Vietnam, and many others are operating through local agents. As a result, a one-week promotional and study tour to Vietnamese yards and influential ship-owners has been arranged, jointly organized by Norwegian Maritime Exporters (NME) and Innovation Norway Hanoi.
     Set to take place on November 3-11, the tour will include visits to major yards and to the facilities of the dominating shipbuilding corporation Vinashin, as well as to the large domestic ship-owner Vinaline. The group will also visit the Maritime Vietnam Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City. At this point, 12 Norwegian companies have signed up for the study tour with 17 participants.

Charming the Local Market
Vietnam is known for its skilled maritime labor force with low and very competitive labor costs. Consequently, the country is a very attractive place for Norwegian companies to consider local production of ship equipment – both for the Vietnamese market and globally. The 12 visiting Norwegian companies will be offered opportunities during the tour to investigate the possibilities of setting up a local production, with visits to relevant industrial parks. The companies will be able to present their products and services to key players on the Vietnamese market – both at management level and among the technical staff.

Closer Co-operation in the Future
One of the major events scheduled to take place during the tour is the signing of a so-called Letter of Intent between Vinashin and NME. The parties are currently considering entering into a closer co-operation to support Norwegian companies in entering the Vietnamese maritime market, and to identify possible Vietnamese partners and ship yards.
     “We assume the Norwegian participating companies should have a good chance to identify concrete business opportunities during the study tour,” announces Innovation Norway Hanoi in an official statement concerning the upcoming tour.
     Vietnam aims to be the 4th largest shipbuilding nation within 2015 and has recently committed 750 million USD in development projects in order to achieve this goal. VINASHIN recently was awarded big contracts from CRAIG, RAY shipping, Briese Schiffahrts, Damen Shipyards, Japanese and other major Vietnamese ship-owners. Current order books total around 155 ships. By 2010, the industry estimates an annual turnover of 1 billion USD and a production of 3 million tons of various ships. 60% of the ships equipment is expected to be supplied through local production.

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India’s international trade, a majority of which is handled by sea ports and shipping, has seen a rapid growth over last few years, resulting in a substantial rise in total cargo handled by the major ports of the country.
However, a large percentage of India’s overseas trade is carried by foreign companies. The shipbuilding industry, once a proof-of-concept for national self-reliance, has long since slipped off its position and is now sputtering due to lack of shipyards in the country.

At present, there are 32 shipyards, including seven government-owned companies, engaged in shipbuilding and ship repairs in India. The Cochin Shipyard is the only yard in the country that has the capacity to build and repair large ocean-going ships.

However, the capacity will also be increased to handle VLCCs with the smaller Aframax tankers constituting only a minor proportion of the demand.

Looking at the prospects of the Indian shipbuilding industry, analysts say cost competitiveness remains a significant advantage for the domestic shipbuilding industry considering the two major parameters like steel fabrication and labour.

The government has also extended the shipbuilding subsidy scheme for Central Public Sector Shipyards till 2007. On the other hand, the government identified the areas for building new areas with private parties for shipbuilding and ship repair. The government is also going to set up ship repair facility at the existing port areas for building and repairing hi-tech vessels of oil tankers and container-cum-cargo vessels.

Meanwhile, to build more shipyards in the country, the government has also decided to provide facilities at par with 100% export oriented units for ship repairing industry along with 30% subsidy for Indian shipyards from governments for both domestic and exports orders on ocean going vessels.

On the other hand, private companies think that the public sector is low on profits and volumes and subsidies have been extended to the private sector in 2002 but that’s more on paper.

The shipping ministry, under its national maritime development programme, estimated that an outlay of Rs 2,800 crore would be required for upgrading the existing shipyards in the public sector over the next 10 years, while the private shipyards would need an investment of Rs 1,200 crore.

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Projects implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Transport in the last four years to increase shipyard capacity and efficiency have started to bear fruit.

The ministry took the shipyards’ demands for growth as their priority and development plans were approved by the Ministry of Public Works.

The Tuzla Shipyard and Tourism Co. has reached a capacity to build 45000 deadweight (DWT) ships.

Employment rose from 13,000 in 2003 to 28,500.

Shipbuilding capacity rose from 654,000 DWT to 1.4 million DWT.

The amount of sheet steel processed in shipyards has doubled.

Turkey’s worldwide market share in shipbuilding has risen from 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent; making Turkey fifth place in shipbuilding, right behind Germany who occupies fourth place with a share of 3.6 percent.

With these developments, the Turkish Ministry of Transport’s bureau for Maritime Affairs has expanded its goals.

Maritime Affairs’ new shipbuilding target for 2010 is now fourth place in the world.

Speaking to Zaman, Minister of Transport Binali Yildirim said: “Shipbuilding capacity has increased by an average of 65 percent in the last four years. The number of shipyards operating or about to start operating in Tuzla as well as in the Black Sea, Izmit Gulf, Yalova, in the Aegean or Mediterranean has reached 60. We used to build ships of up to 20,000 tons maximum but we are currently able to build ships of up to 60,000-70,000 tons.”

An additional 3,600 people have been employed in the last three years.

The steel processing capacity has increased by 306,000 tons.

Maintenance and repair capacity have also seen a considerable increase.

A million-ton yearly capacity has been reached with the restructuring of some other shipyards.

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