Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Oil & Gas Related Exports: Pipes

Pipes, including those used for the oil industry fall under these Harmonized Code categories:

• 3917 Tubes, Pipes And Hoses, And Fittings Thereof (Including Joints, Elbows And Flanges), Of Plastics
• 7304 Tubes, Pipes And Hollow Profiles, Seamless, Of Iron (Other Than Cast) Or Steel
• 7305 Tubes And Pipes Nesoi (Welded Etc.), Of Iron Or Steel
• 7306 Tubes, Pipes And Hollow Profiles Nesoi (Open Seamed Or Welded, Riveted Or Similarly Closed), Of Iron Or Steel
• 7307 Tube Or Pipe Fittings (Including Couplings, Elbows And Sleeves), Of Iron Or Steel

Combined, these products represented a total of $96 million in exports sales for the state.

Monday, September 22, 2008

container ship orders collapse

September 22, 2008

Orders for new container ships have dried up as vessel charter rates and ocean freight rates tumble and volume growth slows on key liner trade routes.

Enquiries to shipbuilders about new tonnage have “hit the floor,” according to London-based Clarkson, the world’s biggest shipbroker “With volumes and earnings stalling, owners’ taste for newbuilds has slowed right down.”

The collapse in orders, which has affected all ship sizes, follows five straight years of historically high deliveries. Only 179 containerships were contracted in the first eight months of this year, down 49 percent on-year, Clarkson reports. This compares with a record 566 contracts in 2005, 479 in 2006 and 530 in 2007.

From The JOURNAL of COMMERCE ONLINE
Full Story here