Category: Shipping and Transport

CIANJUR, July 25, 2013 (AFP) – The confirmed death toll from the sinking of a boatload of Australia-bound asylum-seekers rose to 11 Thursday, as rescuers continued searching the seas off Indonesia for survivors.Local police spokesman Achmad Suprijatna told AFP two more bodies were found Thursday morning, two days after the boat sank off the southwestern […]

CIDAUN, July 24, 2013 (AFP) – More than 100 asylum seekers who were feared dead have been rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia’s Java island, an official said Wednesday, confirming that one child had died.Indonesia’s rescue agency was alerted by Australian authorities on Tuesday evening. “We don’t know exactly how many […]

NAIROBI, July 22, 2013 (AFP) – On Somalia’s pirate coast, more than 50 sailors are being held for ransom in grim conditions, many abandoned by their ship’s owner whose willingness to pay to free them sank with their boat.“The pirates have shown violence… the worst case is that they become agitated and open fire.” Last […]

July 18, 2013 (LBO) – A 260 million dollar circular highway around Sri Lanka’s Northeastern port city of Trincomalee will be built by a Chinese contractor with financing from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a minister said.Information minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said the cabinet of ministers had awarded the building contract to Hunan Road […]

July 17, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Tokyo Cement group said it planned to buy two more vessels in the next three years, as the firm expanded.“Therefore, sudden spikes in freight costs have significant and unavoidable negative impacts on the company’s balance sheet. “Our decision to invest in our own fleet of vessels therefore, has […]

July 16, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s re-conditioned or imported used automobile registrations hit a 19 month high in June 2012 with Japanese made Toyota and Honda brands in pole position, an analysis by an equities research house shows.Imported used vehicles rose to 1,327 in June 2013, the highest since 1,205 hit in June 2011 […]

MOGADISHU, July 13, 2013 (AFP) – At least three, and perhaps all, of the 15-man crew of a merchant vessel that sank last week while being held by Somali pirates are alive, their families said Saturday.The Malaysian-flagged MV Albedo container ship, seized by Somali pirates in November 2010, sank last week in rough seas a […]

July 12, 2013 (LBO) – A top Chinese toll road company has landed deal to build and run a 1.5 billion US dollar expressway from the capital to central Sri Lanka, which could be the island’s largest single foreign investment to date.Hua Jian Highway Investment Company manages 6,900 kilometres of toll roads, bridges and tunnels […]

July 03, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run ports agency said it had begun testing a bunkering tank farm in at its newly built Hambantota port with a cargo of marine gas oil being unloaded.The tank farm has 08 tanks for marine fuel ranging from 3,000 cubic metres (two), 5,000 cubic metres (three) and 10,000 […]

July 01, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas group, which has interests in consumer goods, leisure power and logistics said it has started building a container yard and warehouse in Welisara, north of the capital Colombo.It will handle and store empty and laden containers. The firm will also provide warehousing facilities to exporters, mainly aimed […]

June 12, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s vehicle importers have been badly hit by a sharp increase in theft of parts in vehicles imported via Hambantota port and security has been tightened, officials said.“Our members frequently complain to us that there is a strong increase in the stealing of vehicle parts especially in the past […]

June 08, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Kia automobile distributor which launched the 2013 Sorento sport utility model in Colombo is banking on tax slashed permits issued to state workers to sell the vehicles, an official said.“We haven’t gone in to those markets yet but I am sure there is potential,” Perera said.“I guess with […]