• A consortium made up of Contship Italia (part of Eurogate) and three shipping companies - Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), CMA CGM and Comanav - has been awarded a concession to operate the second half of the new container terminal complex in Tangiers, Morocco which is due to be opened in 2008.  Up to 50% of the terminal’s capacity will be available to these shipping companies and the remainder will be offered on a common-user basis.  Due to the scale of the project, commentators see the project as likely to be dedicated to transhipment cargo, in competition with other Mediterranean hubs such as Algeciras, Gioia Tauro, Cagliari and Marsaxlokk (Malta).  As Marsaxlokk is now under CMA CGM’s ownership and Gioia Tauro and Cagliari under Contship ownership, it is thought that the focus of competition might be the Spanish ports of Algeciras or Barcelona and Valencia.

7.  EUROPE

• It is rumoured that Hutchison Port Holdings might be about to move into the Russian market in a major way.  Apparently the Russian business daily, Kommersant, reported that HPH could take a 50% stake in First Container Terminal, St Petersburg’s largest container terminal.  It has also been suggested that it could take a 37% share of the deepwater container terminal being built in Ust-Luga.  We will monitor developments to see what happens.

• The Stop EU Ports Package 2 campaign has reached a critical stage.  On 22 November 2005, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on a series of amendments to the draft Directive aimed at liberalising European port services.  Among the amendments tabled was one to reject the directive altogether.  This was defeated by a very narrow margin.  Fortunately, the amended report of the Parliamentary Rapporteur, G. Jarzembowski that included provisions unfavourable to dockers was also rejected in the final vote of the day. Following what many commentators described as a series of farcical events, we were left with the original draft Directive that includes a provision on selfhandling.  This draft will go to the Plenary meeting of the Parliament in Strasbourg in January 2006 for final consideration.

Prior to the November 2005 meeting of parliamentarians, the ETF had organised a symbolic demonstration of several hundred dockers from around Europe on 21^st November.  The demonstration, which was also supported by a number of MEPs from different parties, was a success.  The demonstration and lobbying efforts of the ETF and affiliates were significant factors in influencing MEPs’ positions in the final vote on Jarzembowski’s amended report mentioned earlier.

 
The ETF and ITF are now gearing up to stop the PP2 from being passed at the meeting of the Parliament in Strasbourg between 16 – 18 January 2006 where MEPs are due to vote on the draft Directive.  Although MEPs will have the opportunity to amend the draft, this will be extremely difficult in a plenary situation. 

The ETF and affiliates have continued lobbying to defeat the PP2.  One strategy has been to try to get the European Commission to withdraw its deeply unpopular draft.  However, despite pressure from across the industry, the European Commission publicly at least is standing firm.

The position of the ETF and ITF is that the draft Directive should be rejected outright and we are working to achieve this result.  An ETF Action Day has been planned for 11 January 2006 when affiliates will organise actions at a national level.  A large demonstration is also planned for 16 January in Strasbourg.  The ITF has arranged for delegations from the ILWU from the USA and the MUA from Australia to participate in the Strasbourg actions to support the European dockers.  Their participation will also drive home the point that this is a matter of concern for dockers’ unions around the world, and that we will not accept the erosion of social and labour conditions anywhere without a fight.

 

 If you would like to include an item in the next Port Industry Update, please contact Sharon James, Dockers’ Section by 17 March 2006 (james_sharon@itf.org.uk; fax: +44 2079409275).

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