Ship scrapping prices see unrealistic rise, according to industry magazine, Tradewinds.

In its weekly report, GMS explained: “Chinese containers have jumped well in excess of $265 per ton, indications from Bangladesh (for tankers) crept up towards $330 per ton, Pakistan tankers fetched [in the] region of $310 per ton and lastly India prices rebounded again this week passing the $250 per ton mark.

“With no rational explanation behind this jump, we wonder if it truly is an issue to be calm about, or approach with increased caution now that offers overall appear to be stronger.

“Subscribing to philosophy “better foresight through hindsight”, last week’s renegotiations at India and China are a stark reminder of what can happen if offers are unrealistically higher.”

Highlighting the recent price volatility, GMS points to the sale of the 156,000-dwt Hedwig (ex Hedwig Oldendorff, built 1983), which was set for scrap at $305 per ton on a forward sale deal penned in March.

This week, after the ship arrived at Chittagong anchorage, it was resold at $287 per ton, the report says.

GMS adds a recent rush of tanker sales is widening the price gap between wet and dry tonnage to unprecedented levels.

It said: “The dearth of yard space united with extremely selective nature of local buyers has gradually inched the price gap between wet and dry tonnage offerings from Bangladesh.

“For the most part, one would expect a $30 per ton different between a tanker and a bulker. However, of late, this difference has more than doubled.”

By Andy Pierce in London

C&D Consultancy is offering you the chance to press the button on an implosion.

Ever wanted to be the one to press the button to implode a building or structure? If so, John Woodward at C&D Consultancy and Joe Childs at Bloom Plant is offering you the chance while raising money for the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

Woodward is selling tickets for a chance to win the opportunity to “press the button” on a blast that will take place in Doncaster on 28 September 2009.

For your chance to win, please contact: joechilds@bloomplant.wanadoo.co.uk

Demolition News is going to the RWM 2009 exhibition…see us there.

Following some lively discussions on Twitter, Demolition News is all set to participate in a “tweet-up” get together at the RWM 2009 exhibition at the Birmingham NEC on 16 September. Among those signed up to the meeting already are C&D Consultancy’s John Woodward, Dig A Crusher’s Sean Heron and Earth Exchange’s Alex Albon.

But we’re working on the basis of “the more, the merrier” so if you’re going to be around the Midlands on 16 September, please come and look us up. Thanks to a very kind offer from Sean Heron at Dig A Crusher, the plan is to use his stand (Stand 126) as the starting point. But we’re also looking forward to seeing some of the other exhibitors and guest speakers, and to recording some fresh audio and video content from this major event.

So let us know if you can make it; and let’s make this a tweet-up to remember.

ConstructionSkills launches money-saving products to help companies through recession.

In a bid to help construction firms stay safe and productive during the downturn, ConstructionSkills has launched a set of money-saving product bundles.

Bringing together essential guides, tools and CDs into handy sets, the bundles focus on key areas of Health and Safety, and help firms to stay ahead of the game and on the right side of the law.

The bundles, including ‘Repair and Refurbishment’, ‘Think Green’ and ‘Stay Safe, Stay Legal’, offer up to 60% off the list price of the separate products.

Read the full story http://www.cskills.org/newsandevents/news/money-saving.aspx.

Demolition News is using the latest mobile audio technology to bring you daily news.

The technology may have a silly name but AudioBoo is now allowing Demolition News to deliver brief, three-minute audio news broadcasts both here at the Demolition News website AND via iTunes.

And, as this technology is designed to work via a mobile telephone, it is our intention to produce a daily audio broadcast from now in.

To kick things off, here is the first of our AudioBoos. Please let us know what you think:

AudioBoo

Demolition News backs charity fund set up in memory of demolition man Joe O’Connell.

We are asking Demolition News readers to pledge their support in raising funds for the Trust fund which will be set up for the 3 orphaned children. The fund has already received a very generous response from the NW Region of the NFDC, of which Joe was a member and hope that nationally (and internationally) further funds can be raised.

Until the Trust Fund is set – up no payments can be made but we would like you to pledge your donation now and as soon as the trust is set up we will collect payment.

If you click on the following link www.joeandanneoconnellchildrensfund.co.uk you can pledge your donation, this link will be updated daily.

Many thanks in anticipation of your support.

A new video showing the demolition of the former Somerville Grade School.

“School’s out for ever,” Alice Cooper once sang. And, in the case of the Somerville NJ Grade School, that is exactly the case.

Earlier this month, Staten Island-based DonJon Services set about the demolition of this former school and thankfully had the presence of mind to capture the process on a great video.

Demolition News is concerned at the increasingly negative connotations of the term “demolition”.

In order to bring you the very latest news from the world of demolition, we scour the Internet for new video, audio and text-based content. We’d love to say that this was done by a team of highly-paid and dedicated individuals working round-the-clock but, in fact, much of the process is achieved by the use of automated searches across a wide variety of engines.

Now Google and its search competitors are exceptionally good at finding terms like demolition, demolish, implosion and wrecking. What they’re considerably less good at is filtering out where these terms have been used out of context.

As a result, almost eight years on, we’re still receiving notifications each time a conspiracy theorists postulates that the 9/11 atrocity was, in fact, a controlled demolition. Every Sunday, our inbox fills with the news that West Ham demolished Arsenal (in our dreams) or how the Chelsea defence imploded (again, mainly in our dreams).

However, just recently, the term demolition (and, in fact, the process itself) seems to have taken on a negative, new connotation as demolition is used as a weapon in places like Gaza, China, India and Pakistan.

For those of us on the inside of the demolition industry, we know that our work opens the way for future development; for an improvement in the living and working standards of individuals and businesses; that it is often the first step on the road to improvement.

Our industry has fought long and hard to overcome the stigma of destruction and the legacy of our poor health and safety record of the past. And now, just as our industry is finally achieving the recognition it so richly deserves, its very language and processes are being used by states and terrorist organisations around the world.

So, for the record, let’s remember that demolition is defined as “the controlled dismantling or pulling down of a building or structure” while driving a tank through as opponent’s house is either an act of terrorism or an act of war.

Demolition News is offering YOU the chance to feature in an audio podcast.

Got a demolition product or service to sell? Have a demolition-related issue you’d like to address? Got a complaint you’d like to air? Working on a project you’d like to tell us about?

If so, our new 3-minute pitch is your opportunity to broadcast to an audience of demolition professionals.

Together with us, you can record a three-minute audio podcast from the comfort of your office or armchair. You can say or sell whatever you like. In fact, we’re planning to have just two restrictions:

• Your audio broadcast cannot mention any company other than your own, and cannot be libellous.
• Your audio broadcast lasts not one second more than three minutes.

That’s it – Just think of a subject, tell us when you’ll be available to record it, and we’ll do the rest.

And the cost? Well, for the time being, there isn’t any. In fact, we will even pay for the phone call via which you will record your audio.

Please note, however, that this is a limited offer and we will be planning to charge for this service in the future.

So what are you waiting for. Send an email to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk NOW and prepare to broadcast to the demolition world.

One of the best demolition videos we have seen in ages, shot in super high definition.

US contractor Testa Corp’s southern division is currently tackling the demolition of tower #3 of four blast furnaces at a rail yard in Virginia. The 30 metre tall steel cylinder is packed with 4,500 metres of fire brick and must be precut with oxy/propane torches.

Best of all, the contract has been captured using high definition videography. I could watch this for hours!