#ShippingReview: Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene where European port representatives and trade unions met for the first Sectorial Social Dialogue Committee for the Port Sector.

AP Moeller-Maersk A/S the World's largest container line, said it will pool vessels with its two biggest rivals in an effort to manage overcapacity and raise unprofitable freight rates.

Volumes from Asia to Europe grew just 0.1% in the first four months of the year to 4.4m TEU, according to the latest figures from Container Trades Statistics. This growth was mainly fuelled by an up-lift in Asia to Mediterranean services, with volumes declining from Asia to north Europe.

US training ship T.S. Empire State (1962/14,557grt) made a visit to Dublin Port having crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The veteran vessel, a former general cargo ship dates back to the era before containerisation.

Orders for newbuildings reached a two year high, with 222 ships of over 15m dwt in May, a level not seen since May 2011.

#FerryTraffic- Both the Dublin to Holyhead and Liverpool routes were the most important shipping routes last year.

Data from the Central Statistics Office reveal the Ireland-Wales route accounted for 7.9pc of all tonnes received into the State's ports.

The Liverpool route was the most important in terms of tonnage sent out from the country, at 12pc of all tonnes forwarded. For more on this see today's Irish Independent.

#Ports&Shipping –The latest IMDO Weekly Shipping Market Review includes the following stories as detailed below.

Irish Economy: Agri-food exports - Irish agri-food will meet its goal of reaching €12bn annual exports by 2020, according to Irish Exporters Association chief executive Colin Lawlor. Irish food and drink exports have grown 26% in the last three years, totalling a record €9.2bn in 2012. The sector now accounts for about 10% of total exports. Mr Lawlor said agri-food is one of Ireland's most important indigenous manufacturing sectors, accounting for the employment of some 160,000 people.

Newbuilding: Two year high - Newbuilding orders reached 222 ships totalling over 15m dwt in May, a level not seen since May 2011, Fairplay reported last week, quoting shipbroker Golden Destiny. Invested capital exceeded $11.8Bn, although the contract price was not revealed for 85 orders, the shipbroker said.

Container Market: Rates slump - Global freight rates fell by 9% in May, marking a 17-month low, according to Drewy's Global Freight Index. While the bulk of the fall-off stemmed from weakness on the east-west routes and particularly westbound rates on the Asia Europe trade lane, poor load factors led rates to weaken on other major trade routes as well. Bucking the trend, however, was the Intra-Asia market, which remained stable over the month.

For more of the above visit the IMDO Weekly Markets Review (Week 25) and also on Afloat.ie's dedicated Ports & Shipping News.

#TrainingShip – The veteran US training ship T.S. Empire State (1962/14,557grt) arrived into Dublin Bay yesterday having crossed the Atlantic Ocean, she is however not due to dock in Dublin Port until tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Operated by the SUNY Maritime College, University of New York, the 565-foot Empire State provides an essential component of the maritime experience for trainee cadets during the annual Summer Sea Term.

Cadets travel across the world learning about the hands-on operations of the ship which complements classroom studies while gaining exposure to international cultures.

This year's Summer Sea Term calls to ports in the U.S Gulf Coast, Canada, Ireland, Italy and Malta.

The cadets at SUNY Maritime enroll for four-years at the college which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. As well as the summer training-ship cruises, there are 20 varsity athletic teams, five ROTC options, US Coast Guard license and intern programs.

Empire State was laid down originally as the general cargos ship SS Oregon at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia and launched in 1961. Her career began with States Steamship Company for service in the Pacific trades.

Note the vessel's design of a different era as expressed through her classic hull form, fitting of cargo derricks and large superstructure compared to her modern container counterparts. For further details of the ships interim career prior to her current role in which she has served since 1990 click this Link.

#ContainerRates- The World's largest container line, AP Moeller-Maersk A/S said it will pool vessels with its two biggest rivals in an effort to manage overcapacity and raise unprofitable freight rates, according to Bloomberg.

The Danish giant Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and CMA CGM SA will form a network that will comprise of 255 vessels on 29 loops, the Copenhagen-based shipping line has confirmed.

Together these lines will co-operate on the world's three largest trade lanes: Asia-Europe, trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic. Container companies including Maersk Line, have said they plan to raise rates next month following the price declines caused by overcapacity.

The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index, a measure of box rates out of China, has dropped 21% in the last three months as industry efforts to boost prices earlier this year failed to yield results.

"We're joining forces after experiencing virtually no growth in these tree trade lanes since the financial crisis in 2008," Maersk Line chief trading and marketing officer Vincent Clerc said.

#PortSector – European port employers representatives and trade union organisations are meeting in Brussels today for the official inauguration of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Port Sector.

The committee will act as a platform to discuss issues of European social reference for the sector. The work programme, which was formally adopted this morning, mainly focuses on health and safety matters associated with port work as well as training and qualifications.

Other topics include the impact of sulphur emission rules on port employment, the attractiveness of the sector to young workers and gender issues.

The social partners are FEPORT and ESPO on the employers' side and trade union organisations ETF and IDC. The participation of ESPO is limited to those countries where port authorities employ dockworkers or are otherwise involved in collective agreements between port employers and dockers' unions.

"We are pleased that the social dialogue got started and we hope to reach concrete results soon that will contribute positively to our sector", said ESPO Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven, "At the same time, we must keep expectations realistic. This committee cannot and should not replace social negotiations and collective agreements at national or local port level. It will also be extremely difficult to deal with market and competition restrictions, given the specificities of individual cases."

The European Commission announced that it is willing to facilitate the social dialogue and respect the autonomy of social partners.

The Commission however indicated that, in time, it expects the social dialogue to also deal with labour conditions, on which a comprehensive fact-finding study was recently published by the Portius institute.
The Commission further intends to start a research project soon that will examine health and safety, training and qualification challenges in EU ports. Social partners will be involved in this project. An overall review of the social dialogue is planned for 2016, to assess progress made.

#ShippingReview: Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene where Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar confirmed a successful Irish Presidency trilogue which dealt with the Maritime Labour Package.

Celtic Link Ferries recorded an increase in both passenger and vehicle traffic for the month of May compared to same period in 2012.

A new ferry route linking Campeltown on the Mull of Kintyre peninsula and Ardrossan on the Firth of Clyde via the Isle of Aran began operations, the first new service for nearly 20 years by CalMac in the region.

Irish based shipping companies (340 vessels) in 2012 experienced a challenging year in operations both with domestic and international, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO).

Celebrating this month is the 40th anniversary of Irish Continental Line's Ireland-France route served by Saint Patrick, the service's successor is operated by Irish Ferries.

Cork based Ardmore Shipping's newly launched 49,999dwt tanker Ardmore Seaventure built by SPP Shipbuilding in Korea, was immediately delivered to Cargill on a 12 month time charter arrangement.

Ireland's first custom-built cruise terminal costing £7m is planned for Belfast Harbour, the new facility will be able to handle the next generation ships which carry over 4,500 passengers and crew.

The seized bulk-carrier Clipper Faith (1998/19,354grt) has been sold at auction for €4.8m to Greek owners.

#SoldShip – The Belize flagged bulk-carrier Clipper Faith (1998/19,354grt) seized in Dublin Port in March as previously reported on Afloat.ie has been sold at auction for €4.8m reports RTE News.

The crew who had not been paid since December 2012, were paid off and repatriated to their native Ukraine last month following intervention by the International Transport Workers' Federation.

The Clipper Faith was sold to a Greek shipping company. The sale price will now be given to the Admiralty Marshall for distribution to creditors who include Dublin Port and the Amsterdam Trade Bank.

#NewCruiseTerminal – The first purpose-built cruise terminal in Ireland is to be built in Belfast Harbour.

The £7m investment  will ensure that Belfast Harbour will be able to handle all cruise ships operating in the Irish Sea, as well as next generation ships which carry over 4,500 passengers and crew, a harbour spokesman said.

According to a report in today's Belfast Telegraph, the new facility will also enable visitors to disembark within walking distance of the city's Titanic visitor attractions - Titanic's Dock & Pumphouse, Titanic Belfast visitor centre and SS Nomadic - by next year.

Roy Adair, Belfast Harbour's chief executive, said: "A decade ago hardly any cruise ships berthed in Belfast. Now, thanks to our Cruise Belfast partnership with Visit Belfast, considerable previous investment in our existing facilities for accommodating cruise ships and tourism attractions such as Titanic Belfast and the new Giant's Causeway Centre, Northern Ireland has a thriving cruise sector.

#NewTanker – Cork based Ardmore Shipping has taken delivery of the newbuild Ardmore Seaventure from SPP Shipbuilding in Korea and the 49,999dwt tanker was immediately delivered to Cargill on a 12 month time charter arrangement.

Ardmore Seaventure is classed as an IMO 3 product and chemical tanker and the second vessel to be delivered to Ardmore Shipping from a series of four orders placed with SPP Shipbuilding, Korea.

The newbuild has also been verified by ABS in accordance with the IMO's Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). For more on this development, visit the IMDO website.