KEEPING A WEATHER EYE OUT

Sometimes misquoted as "keeping a weathered eye out", this seafarer's expression has nothing to do with the condition of one's ocular orb!
The expression probably originated in the early 1800's and refers to the need to keep a watchful eye on the horizon for any approaching storms or squalls.
A good seaman therefore should always be alert and ready to react to any situation that may put a ship in peril.

Seafaring in fact has been a rich source of sayings found in everyday language and often used in difficult times, including: "all in the same boat" and to be "all at sea". Others such as to "know the ropes" and "in the doldrums" are associated more specifically with the age of sail.

Even F. Scott Fitzgerald ends his legendary novel "The Great Gatsby" with the line "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past". read more

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OVERSEAS PORT REFORM UNDER WAY

The French National Assembly on 16th December passed the bill providing for the reform of ports in French overseas départements and territories, with a law due to come into effect on 1st July, 2012. read more

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CLEARING SKIES AT DUNKIRK

After two difficult years, optimism has returned to the port of Dunkirk. read more

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INCREASE IN REEFER TRAFFIC TO FRENCH GUYANA AND SOUTH AMERICA

Marfret has increased its refrigerated container volumes out of North Europe to French Guyana and the northern Brazilian ports. read more

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MARFRET'S ROUEN-PORT 2000 SHUTTLE STARTS

Marfret's Rouen-Port 2000 Shuttle Starts The 24th January saw the start of Marfret's estuary shuttle service between Rouen and Port 2000. The service links the Le Havre terminal with Honfleur and Rouen-Radicatel using a 200-TEU feeder, with two departures each week (to be increased eventually to three). read more

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INVESTORS BANKING ON COSTA RICA

Bookended on either side by Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica is one of the few Central American countries to have seaboards on both the Pacific and Atlantic. A tiny country famous for its tourist industry, coffee exports and tropical fruits…

A narrow band of some 19,700 square miles, with a population of 4.3 million –of which 2.5 million live in the capital, San José- Costa Rica is the oldest democracy in the Americas. The country abolished its regular army in 1948. Its stable political scene, social security system and natural resources attract foreign investors, rich American retirees and tourists alike, with almost two million visitors each year. read more

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THE SHIP PLANNER - WORKING IN THREE DIMENSIONS

Imagine a giant game of Tetris, with a bunch of extra parameters thrown in just to make it more complicated… That is the task of the ship planner, whose job it is to ensure each container ship is loaded to its optimal capacity, while keeping berth times and handling costs to a minimum.

The ship planner's duties, introduced with the age of container transport, were once carried out by the chief mate who was in charge of ensuring the safe stowage of cargo on board ship. With the industrialisation of sea transport, the exponential growth in ship size and an increase in the number of port calls, a ship's crew no longer has time to handle this task alone. Planning, which today is as much part of logistics as it is seamanship, is now managed on shore using the latest software that transmits the data to the ship's bridge. read more

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SURPRISE NEW FERRERO ROUTING KINDER TO ENVIRONMENT

Nutella, Mon Chéri, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder… names that make our mouths water; names that also were part of a special refrigerated container load shipped by river barge last December, a first in France and one in which Marfret played an important part. The operation is now a regular, weekly event.

On 9th December last, just prior to the Christmas holiday season, Ferrero France shipped a controlled-temperature container load of mass-market, processed foodstuffs by river barge, a first for this subsidiary of the world's n° 4 confectionery and chocolate group.
The 40' reefer box, packed with 23 tonnes of chocolates, successfully completed its journey from Rouen to Paris on Marfret's FluvioFeeder service. read more

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