Lloyd's List's diary, Last Word, is a lighter daily look at the social and unusual sides of the shipping industry: the people, the places, the parties and more. We welcome your tales of joy, woe or achievement: lastword@lloydslist.com.
Vote of confidence
DEDICATING cruises to specific themes has become very popular and there is almost no specialist interest — from sports to gourmet food, culture to entertainment — that is not available from one of the many operators.
Politics finds a new berth
WHAT is it about UK politicians and ports? First, we had Prime Minister Gordon Brown, pictured, and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson visiting the windswept London Gateway site for a photo opportunity timed to coincide with DP World’s announcement that construction work on a new container terminal and logistics park in the Thames estuary was about to begin.
Brought to book
OCTOBER 18, 2008 was a landmark day in the world of container shipping. That was when the European Commission’s ban on conferences took effect. The end of antitrust immunity has been one of the abiding interests of the European Maritime Law Organisation over the years, no more so than at its 14th annual conference in Copenhagen that same month when the decision was taken to publish a book to mark the end of the special regime for maritime transport services.
Outside the box
ONE of the most common complaints heard from the freight industry is its total invisibility to the man on the Clapham omnibus. Well, in answer, from the makers of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares comes The Business Inspector, a new four-part series featuring the nearest thing the UK freight sector has to a superstar: Hilary Devey.
Posidonia prepares for record
UNCERTAINTIES in the market have caused some to muse whether this year’s Posidonia week in Greece will be a more muted affair than usual. But such scuttlebutt has been dismissed by the organisers of the biennial exhibition.
An enduring breed
TSAVLIRIS brothers Nicolas, George and Andreas presided over a more-interesting-than-most cocktail reception for the well-known salvage group at the Yacht Club of Greece recently.
Fight it out
AS THE race for governor of Liguria hots up, Giovanni Cerruti, president of Genoa’s shipping agents, called in the duelling candidates — perennial foes Claudio Burlando and Sandro Biasotti, respectively left and right of centre — for a grilling from his members on maritime policy.
