BOW WAVE 118

TOC (Asia) Edition

news and views on trade, insurance and risk

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(c)2002 WavyLine.com	Issue No 118 25 Feb 02
Published free of charge to Readers
Editor: Sam Ignarski
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In this issue:

1. Welcome
2. Ministers of Transport
3. Container Terminal Numbers
4. Diploma Course for Ship Agents
5. The Electric Eclectic
6. And Finally...

1. Welcome

New Readers this week include:

Mr. Thomas Sofyanos of Sea Technology (USA)
Specialist Reinsurance Consultant Eric Alexander
Casey Singh of Snrshipping
Editor Simon Fullalove, who also does PR for the NOE P&I Club Tony Edwards of Rennie Murray & Co in Durban, South Africa Kerri Sibson of Tri-Mex
Laurence Bebbington at Nottingham University

This week past saw your editor in Kuala Lumpur attending the Terminal Operator's Conference (Asia). Neil Madden and Rachel White, the planning minds behind the event are to be congratulated on producing a bill of fayre which is quite a bit more stimulating than anything else on offer on the subject. It is always intriguing to see the industry described over days from the perspective of the waterfront.

2. Ministers of Transport

The Malaysian Minister of Transport Dr. Ling seemed rather ubiquitous last week. Opening the TOC (Asia) Conference on day one, sponsoring a beano for the delegates in the evening and occupying many column inches in the local papers. It reminded us how important is the transport portfolio in many governments in areas where goods are still manufactured and vanned in containers in large amounts. In such places the power of the office recalls the critical role that infrastructure plays, the importance of visible trade, the splendour of patronage. So Dr Ling is probably number two or three on the governmental ladder

Sunday morning, returning to the UK we read of the trials and tribulations of Steven Byers, British Minister for (inter alia) Transport,
the post-modern war of the spinners, the struggle for smoke and mirrors, the tiresome quest for control. Transport infrastructure takes a decade and more between idea and execution, an unfeasibly long time for the attention span of West European politicians. And Steven Byers is probably nowheresville in the Blair Government.

3. Container Terminal Numbers

Chairing a number of the sessions at the TOC (Asia) show was Professor Emeritius Ernst Frankel of MIT, who is a kind of Henry Kissinger of the Ports field. He was involved in the planning of the first dedicated container terminals for Seatrain and SeaLand in Puerto Rico in 1959. He says that so far as looks go the terminal then didn't look very different from a modern equivalent. When a man who taught port planning and engineering for 40 years at MIT and consulted in the planning of 61 container terminals produces figures for the future of the industry, a respectful listening is in order.

He expected a further growth in container infrastructure following the needs of the globalised economy, and this would need to include countries in Africa, South and Central America if the system is to live up to its promises.

He expected world containerised trade to grow by a compound rate of of 6 to 8 per cent in volume and 4 to 6 in value per year over the next 10 years. In other words containerized trade will more than double over the next 10 years in volume and increase by over 70 per cent in value.

He expected 50 per cent of containerised trade to be transhipped in ten years (the figure is 8 per cent now). This all boils down to an investment in new terminal capacity estimated to exceed $40 billion over the next 10 years, of which 30 per cent will be required for transhipment ports, 30 per cent to upgrade existing ports and 30 per cent to build or rebuild terminals in developing countries.

4. Diploma Course for Ship Agents

Alex Wakelin has written in with details on the Diploma in Ship Agency which commences June 2002. It is offered by The National Sea Training Centre and Lloyd's List Events and supported and approved by IFSMA.

This course leading to a diploma in ship agency is designed to equip potential ship agents with the relevant skills associated with this specialised and complex profession. This course explores these complex roles in depth and looks at the commercial, legal and financial skills required as well as the new communications technology needed to be competent in today's market.

To receive a copy of the course programme and enrolment form email:

claire.owen@informa.com

5. The Electric Eclectic

This site, which came to our knowledge from Roger Quinion's excellent site World Wide Words begins with the following rather wise quotation by Willard R Espy:

"Treat words as a Victorian gentleman treated a lady : as his superior, certainly, but not his equal. Cosset them. Defer to them. Tell them how beautiful they are. Give them your seat in the subway. But don't let them break your heart as I have let them break mine. Don't take them seriously."

Jim Eccleston is the man behind this Writers' Enquire Within Upon Everything. There are hours of good browsing here and we hope one day to meet this presiding spirit.

A bookmark of the week for anyone in love with the printed word.

http://bloxword.ca/jimsbmks.htm

6. And Finally...

From Jock Mowson, the insurance man over at CP Ships comes this mordant multiple choice question:

What is insurance ?

a) A seldom kept promise to indemnify the world and his cat for every little upset encountered along the way.

b) Sugar and spice and all things nice and/or a schnitzel (to be agreed L/U)

c) An express pass to heart disease, sclerosis, mental torment, depression and acute diarrhoea (and/or as original).

d) An overrated concept that really doesn't matter very much when all is said and done.

Answer: d)

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