Sydney's port facilities could hit capacity as early as 2013 if a new terminal isn't built to cope with growing demand, an international cruise company is warning. Australia's cruise market is expanding so quickly that existing facilities won't be able to accommodate the increasing number of large ships wanting to enter Sydney Harbour, says Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We have a good situation that needs attention before becoming a problem," Royal Caribbean's Australian managing director Gavin Smith said in a statement on Thursday. The Miami-based company is calling on the NSW government to reconsider the $60 million allocated by the previous Labor government to build a new terminal in White Bay, in Sydney's inner west. It says the proposed terminal would not be able to support the growing number of ships that are too big to fit under the Harbour Bridge. More to read news.ninemsn.com....

Two oil-slicked pelicans are recovering at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Seabrook after being found Monday near where 50 barrels of bunker oil spilled into the Texas City ship channel during the weekend, officials confirmed. It was unconfirmed if the birds were covered in oil from the spill at Dock 34 at the Port of Texas City or the oil source was from elsewhere. Officials with the Unified Command initially said there were no impacts on wildlife from the spill. It was Texas City officials who revealed the information to The Daily News after finding out. galvestondailynew...

Port of Civitavecchia Authorities has announced tender for first batch function works for the strategic port of Civitavecchia: Colombo breakwater extension, Ferry Dock, Dock Services. Contractor needs to perform all work required for the realization of called “first functional strategy works for the Port of Civitavecchia” substantial extension in C. Colombo breakwater, dredging, Construction of Docks and Ferries services, Accommodation in the area Mattonara and Tombamento del Fosso del Buonaugurio. Value of this contract is 154,931,775 EUR.

Chinese petroleum firm PetroTrans is to carry out extension works to the port of Berbera, in the wake of signing a transaction agreement with the government of the breakaway enclave of Somalia, esi-africa reports. The Horn of Africa has been attracting increased investment in the area of exploration by foreign oil firms, due to its proximity to east Africa, where oil has been discovered in Uganda and natural gas found in Tanzania. “Redevelopment of Berbera Port to make it a gateway to East Africa is the major project of the framework of an agreement signed by the government of Somaliland and PetroTrans Company,” Somaliland foreign minister Mohamed Abdillahi Omer told Reuters. "The full agreement has not been finalised as the financial and technical details will only be settled in the next few weeks.” he added. In addition to extension of the port, other projects will be carried out under the terms of the deal that was signed when the Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo visited China last week.

Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest port, is expanding its capacity to handle coal shipments to meet “sharply” higher demand for the fuel in Europe in the next few years, according to Karel Peters, a business manager at the hub, Bloomberg reports. The port, which handles 60 percent of seaborne coal to Europe, will receive 27 million metric tons of coal this year, up from 24 million tons last year, Peters said by phone. The port is investing 50 million euros ($72 million) to expand its coal capacity to 42 million tons by 2018, he said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Friday approved raising bridge and tunnel tolls that will mean an extra $50 per five-axle truck for E-Z Pass users and even more for cash customers. Starting next month, tolls for trucks using E-Z Pass payment tags will rise $2 per axle in September, or $10 for a five-axle vehicle. Tolls will rise an additional $2 per axle each December between 2012 and 2015, resulting in a total increase of $50 per five-axle truck over five years.

Publicly-listed Mic Holdings of the Romero Group is looking at acquiring seven domestic ports as part of its bid to become the largest port operator in the country, The Star reports. Mic chairman and president Michael Romero told The STAR that this will be in addition to a number of foreign ports their group is also eyeing to operate. More at www.abs-cbnnews.c...

Ali Abdi Mohamed, 30, and Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf, 31, were sentenced to the life prison terms in a federal court in the US city of Norfolk after they pleaded guilty earlier this year to piracy of the S/V Quest vessel off the Somali coast. "Today's sentences send a message to all those who participate in piracy that armed attacks on the high seas carry lifelong consequences," US attorney Neil MacBride said in a statement. A group of Somali and Yemeni pirates seized the yacht on February 18 and two went aboard the US guided-missile warship USS Sterett to negotiate a possible ransom.

Antigua and Barbuda has notified the International Labour Office (ILO) that it has ratified the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) – the “seafarers’ bill of rights”. It is the 17th ILO state to ratify the convention, and the third Caribbean country to do so. Antigua and Barbuda ranks in the top 20 flag states, and over 90,000 seafarers worldwide serve on vessels carrying its flag. The convention sets out minimum standards and fair working conditions for seafarers. It will come into international law once it has been ratified by 30 countries and representing at least 33 per cent of the world’s shipping. The latter condition has already been exceeded. There are hopes that the 13 further countries needed to sign up will do so this year in time for the convention to come into force in 2012. www.itfseafarers....

Nigerian officials are most likely involved in an oil theft scam which has led to a spate of pirate activity off the coast of Benin this year, a report claims. Gangs in the neighbouring West African countries are also colluding when it comes to the “dirty job of stealing oil” which is driven by the relatively low cost of fuel in Nigeria, the report from Norwegian security analyst firm, Bergen Risk Solutions, contends. The number of tankers and other vessels being attacked just off Benin’s coast has skyrocketed since April with the latest incident seeing a chemical tanker hijacked by 12 armed pirates off Cotonou on Saturday when it was conducting a ship-to-ship transfer of hydrocarbons. Corruption in high levels of Nigeria’s governmental, naval and port authorities could be feeding the piracy frenzy as the trade in illegal bunkering proves lucrative, the report contends. more at: www.upstreamonlin...