Article Abstract:
Spanish shipping industry executives unanimously agree that European Union (EU) membership has been detrimental to their business. Since Spain joined the EU, the Spanish merchant fleet has suffered a steady decline in size and a general weakening among individual companies. However, some observers are optimistic about a recovery and the current indications of the industry's stabilization. The biggest complaint of the Spanish carriers concerns the EU regulatory regime, which they consider to be costly and over-centralized.
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Article Abstract:
The bulk shipping industry, which was relatively flat for much of 1999, is not expected to show much improvement in the next year or so. The prospects of recovery of the markets in Japan and Korea has been dim since companies feel that fundamental reforms have not been implemented. The only hope for a quicker recovery in the industry is expected to come with the resurgence of the countries in the Far East. However, even this is tempered by the large number of refineries coming on line in countries such as India.
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Article Abstract:
Microbial contamination continues to be a major problem in the marine industry as there is an inherent difficulty in keeping many marine oil and fuel systems water-free. Although statistics show that the incidence of microbial contamination is relatively low, both the economic consequences and safety ramifications of microbial spoilage suggest that it is an issue that merits more concern. The sharpest increase of spoilage incidents has been witnessed in middle distillate fuels.
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