Port Briefs INTERNATIONAL SCENE

Hong Kong Relinquishes Top Box Port Title Although apparently relinquishing its title as the world's leading container port to Singapore in 1990, Port of Hong Kong officials expressed satisfaction with the fact that the port showed an increase in box traffic of 14.3 percent over 1989 figures.

According to recently reported figures, Singapore handled 5.2 million TEUs in 1990, just beating Hong Kong's volume of 5.1 million TEUs.

The two ports were the only ones in the world to handle more than 5 million TEUs.

Piraeus Plans VTS The Port of Piraeus will get a Vessel Traffic Control System (VTS) if plans by the Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine are successful.

According to Aristotle Pavlides, merchant marine minister, the Ministry of Environment, Planning and Public Works, has been asked to cover the costs of buying and installing the VTS, which could amount to over $800 million.

The ministry is conducting a study as to the system's specifications, but the project has not been tendered and there is as yet no operational date.

In The Wake Of War, Kuwait Faces $1 Billion Repair Of Ports Following the devastation of the Gulf War, Kuwait now faces an estimated $1 billion pricetag to restore its two heavily damaged commercial ports, according to a Kuwaiti official.

The acting director-general of the Kuwait Ports Authority, Capt.

Abdul Rahman al-Naibari said that the restoration of Shuwaikh and Shuaiba, the country's two corn- mercial ports, would cost an estimated $500 million each. Besides the removal of port vessels and equipment, restoration crews face the task of hidden mines, boobytraps and sunken boats.

Access to Shuaiba, about 40 miles south of Kuwait City, has been limited to RO/RO vessels for about the last three weeks. Entry to the port is limited to a 3,000-foot-wide channel cleared of mines and restricted d) 8 K> to daylight hours under naval escort.

Shuwaiakh, on the other hand, remains closed and is expected to be out of service for several months.

Brazilian Bill Looks To Privatize Port Terminals A new Brazilian bill with farreaching implications would provide the private sector the opportunity to operate port terminals. The proposed legislation would also end the monopoly stevedore unions have on employment on board ships.

At present, port authority-hired dock workers can only handle cargo dockside. Under no restraints from the government or commercial sectors, stevedore unions, on the other hand, can select self-employed workers to handle cargo on board ship.

The outcome of the legislation is still pending.

Other stories from May 1991 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.