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Jenny Wiggins

This Month

The Port of Los Angeles in the US. The port is forecasting a 10 per cent fall in volumes later this year.

Shipping giants face surging demand before tariffs hit global freight

Executives at big maritime transport businesses and ports warn consumers could get hit with higher prices as importers scramble “to get cargo in under the wire”.

Global shipping lines are preparing to skip ports and adjust voyage schedules amid expectations demand for consumer goods will drop following the new US tariffs.

Trump trade war shakes up shipping and ripples to Australia

International shipping lines are cancelling scheduled port calls or entire voyages and some are preparing to idle vessels with crew aboard as cargo volumes drop.

Ruslan Kogan, founder of Kogan.com, says prices for shoppers might come down given the extra capacity of Chinese manufacturers following the US tariffs.

US-China trade war could lead to cheaper goods for Australian consumers

Ruslan ​Kogan, founder of online retailer Kogan.com, says Chinese manufacturers lumped with extra capacity could direct goods to Australia.

Sydney Airport is postponing some transport and hotel projects as it improves some terminals and security screening systems

Sydney Airport takes $46m write-down on deferred hotel, transport hubs

It is postponing some projects as it overhauls its business strategy and prepares to deliver a new 20-year master plan.

March

CPB Contractors managing director Jason Spears says foreign companies underestimate Australia’s rules and regulations

Building giant says low bids from global rivals put projects at risk

The managing director of CPB Contractors says multi-billion dollar infrastructure work is coming unstuck because some big rivals don’t understand local cost.

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Juan Santamaria: Capacity constraints.

How the builder of the Sydney Metro is adapting to Donald Trump

Five years after a $1 billion loss, Juan Santamaria has changed the way construction giant CIMIC works to avoid US tariffs and ride the data centre boom.

ASX-listed IAG is defending itself against some $7 billion in claims related to the collapse of Greensill Capital.

IAG seeks to delay trial on $7b Greensill insurance claims

Greensill Capital’s biggest insurer is less than a year away from defending claims that were lobbed after Lex Greensill’s financing firm collapsed in 2021.

Less passengers are travelling through airports than before COVID-19 but airports are reporting record aeronautical revenue.

Airport ‘super profits’ back as revenue hits record

Australia’s biggest airports were flush in 2023-34 despite the number of travellers remaining below pre-pandemic levels.

John Holland is taking losses on its construction contracts for Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel and stations

Melbourne blowouts tip John Holland into $55.5m loss

The construction giant slid into the red from a profit of almost $100 million a year earlier due to “project delivery issues” and cost blowouts.

New Optus boss Stephen Rue.

Optus considers bundling sports streaming with mobile plans

The Singaporean-owned group has been weighing up whether to sell off its streaming business, which holds the broadcast rights to English Premier League matches.

New chief Stephen Rue says making sure the Optus network is resilient and secure will be a priority.

Optus has had some horror years, but its new CEO is taking on Telstra

From overhauling the books at Melbourne Storm to war gaming the impact of COVID-19 on the NBN, Stephen Rue is a solutions guy. Optus is his next big challenge.

Silk Logistics’ shares tumbled after the ACCC said it would scrutinise the company’s proposed sale to stevedore DP World Australia.

ACCC warning on DP World’s $174m takeover sends Silk shares diving

The purchase of the ASX-listed warehousing and port services group by the global stevedore could lessen competition and send the price of goods higher.

Loss-making tower network operator Indara is XXXX

AustralianSuper’s Indara reviews ‘smart city’ assets as losses mount

Australian Super’s loss-making telcoms tower business, Indara, is reviewing its troubled smart city infrastructure businesses as it searches for a new boss.

February

TPG Telecom CEO Iñaki Berroeta

TPG Telecom says regional push is growing customer numbers

The country’s third-largest telco, which owns Vodafone and iiNet, is sharing a network with Optus, and hopes this will increase its mobile market share.

The underground work at the Snowy 2.0 site requires significant ventilation equipment.

Snowy 2.0 dig shut down after shrapnel flies from fan

The incident could cause further delays to the project, which has been plagued by overruns including when the tunnel boring machine was bogged for over a year.

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Optus executive Maurice McCarthy, who was in charge of customer success, is leaving the telco group in June.

Optus customer executive the first to leave under new CEO Stephen Rue

Maurice McCarthy’s resignation marks the first big executive departure under new boss Stephen Rue as he tries to restore the embattled telco group’s reputation.

Hugh Wehby, new Atlas Arteria CEO.

Atlas Arteria tries to claw back $20b in lost returns on US toll road

The ASX-listed company, partially owned by IFM Investors, says the state of Virginia tried to force the Dulles Greenway toll road near Washington DC into bankruptcy.

Worley boss Chris Ashton expects the engineering group to benefit from a resurgence in fossil fuel projects.

Worley expects profit boost from Trump energy policies

The engineering group’s shares jumped 11 per cent after it announced a $500 million share buyback and said it would benefit from a resurgence in fossil fuel projects.

How to fly green without the carbon offset ‘accounting trick’

Does ticking the carbon offset box and paying loose change to plant a few trees really make a difference?

SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship launches for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

Labor says it will back high-tech bush mobile phone satellite network

The proposed law would oblige and support companies like Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom to extend coverage across the country even where there are no towers.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/jenny-wiggins-j7gf5