Shipping

   No matter how many systems or automated solutions a company puts in place, there’s still that ever-present element of human input required to keep the supply chain humming.   […]

   This month’s issue of American Shipper contains articles about improvements being made at both the Global Container Terminal and Port Newark Container Terminal, but there’ also been interesting news […]

   The National Climate Assessment released in May by the federal government warned the U.S. transportation system is becoming “increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts.”    At the 33rd World […]

Port of San Francisco sees a future in breakbulk, bulk cargo.    Since 2005, when the Port of San Francisco stopped handling containers, its cargo business has dropped dramatically, from […]

Port drivers and their employers in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Saturday agreed to a “cooling off” period brokered by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. 

While containers are moving through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, concern remains that drayage truckers’ pickets could disrupt contract negotiations between the ILWU and PMA. 

   China Shippers’ Association Vice President Cai Jia-Xiang said Chinese regulators need better statistics on the Chinese market share of the carriers, but believes they are above the 30-percent limit […]

   “During this short-term bump in volumes, CN and its terminal partners will be striving to ensure that our base-level business, in particular Canadian cargo, will continue to be supported […]

   The attention of carriers and shippers is focused Friday morning on events in Los Angeles and Long Beach, where a potentially volatile labor situation is unfolding.

   “Long truck lines are expected at the ports … as drivers and their allies picket Green Fleet Systems, Total Transportation Services, Inc., and Pacific 9 Transportation trucks,” Justice for Port […]

   The companies are seeking a contract with terms similar to those the ILWU signed with the new Export Grain Terminal that opened in Longview, Wash., in 2012.

   The United States exported 1.04 million net tons of steel in May, 4.1 percent below April exports and 10.9 percent less than the May 2013 level, according to the […]

   U.S.-flag Great Lakes carriers are grateful for the increased water levels in the lakes, however it has not yet resulted in full loads of iron ore, coal, limestone, cement […]

   Maersk supports the lower emissions limits, noting they will have “significant positive effects on the environmental and health,” but also called for “strict regulatory enforcement to … ensure a […]

   The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Darci L. Vetter as the next U.S. chief agricultural negotiator.    President Obama nominated Vetter in January, citing her experience in numerous agriculture, trade […]

   Robert McEllrath, president of the ILWU, said that ILWU members have been locked out of the Mitsui-United Grain Corp. elevator since February 2013 and the Marubeni-Columbia Grain elevator since […]

   Supply chain software developer LLamasoft has opened a new office in Tokyo with more than a dozen staff, expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.     The office will […]

   MOL and China Shipping (Group) Co. signed shipbuilding contracts with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. in Korea to build three ice class liquefied natural gas carriers.     The […]

   A proposed canal across Nicaragua to link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans would extend 173 miles and cost $40 billion.    Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega and Wang Jing, the […]

   Rail operator Naviland Cargo will increase the frequency of its Marseilles Fos-Strasbourg service from three to five roundtrips per week by the end of the year.    The company […]

   In addition to the U.S., the other trading partners involved in the negotiations are Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, the European Union, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, […]

   Several terminals in Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were briefly closed Tuesday morning after members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union honored picket lines set up […]

   “With the overall uncertainty already seen in the eastbound freight market, the central issue for shippers and carriers alike is maintaining service and schedule reliability,” explained TSA Executive Administrator […]

   The Teamsters said Monday that they had shut down operations at three drayage companies servicing the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that employ about 400 drivers, but […]

   In a filing with the Tel Aviv stock exchange, Israel Corp. said a district court agreed to change the terms of the Israel government’s “golden share” so that state […]

   Hyundai Merchant Marine said it has taken delivery of the third in a series of five, 13,100-TEU ships being built at a cost of $129 million each by Daewoo […]

   The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association said late Monday they had “agreed to take a 72-hour break from negotiations on a […]

   In the early 1950s, Diaz followed his father into the shipping business at Garcia and Diaz as a ship agent and manager. He later became vice president at Grace […]

   Mundra will become India’s largest container port in next 24 months, with a total container handling capacity reaching 5.5 million TEUs, CMA CGM said. The companies plan to begin […]

   “In the past, when transporting sensitive freight such as precision equipment, medical instruments or food products over land, it was necessary to use air-suspension trucks. However, air-suspension trucks have […]

   Drivers from three drayage firms began what they are calling an “unfair labor practice strike” at truck yards and marine terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long […]

   The cranes, which are currently under assembly at the Newark, N.J., terminal, are only the most visible sign of a $500 million project to improve PNCT, with work extending […]

   Global Container Terminal is not the only facility at the Port of New York and New Jersey being upgraded.    Port Newark Container Terminal expects to put into operation […]

   At a meeting of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on June 23, Al Moro, acting executive director, said the longer construction period may also raise the cost […]

   ExxonMobil said it will invest more than $1 billion in its refinery in the port of Antwerp.    The existing ExxonMobil refinery in Antwerp is one of the company’s […]

   NYK Stolt Shipholdings, a joint venture company by NYK and Stolt Tankers, the tanker division of Stolt-Nielsen Ltd., has ordered two 12,500-deadweight-ton parcel tankers from Japan’s Usuki Shipyard Co. […]

   TransWorks and Raven Logistics have formed an alliance to provide shippers a “one-stop shop” for managing transportation by either rail or truck.    TransWorks, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., […]

   Hanjin Shipping said it had secured KRW 300 billion (about $297 million) through the spin off of its bulk shipping business to a new company that will be jointly […]

Danieli    The Israeli business newspaper Globes and Reuters are both reporting that Rafi Danieli plans to step down as chief executive officer of Zim and will become chairman of […]

   Old Dominion Freight Line has opened additional container drayage facilities in Front Royal, Va., and Portland, Ore., increasing its number of drayage facilities to 20 across the country.    […]

   Talks continue between the West Coast dockworkers union and its employer representatives, despite passing the 5 p.m. (PST) contract expiration Tuesday. Shippers, meanwhile, are increasingly concerned about the lack […]

   Similar to previous U.S. equivalency arrangements with Canada, the European Union, and Japan, the arrangement with South Korea eliminates significant barriers, especially for small- and mid-sized organic businesses.

   “I don’t see that it is chassis any more than it is congestion,” said Fred Johring, president of Golden State Express. “As these big vessels have started coming in, […]

   The current contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers is due to expire tomorrow, July 1, but nearly all observers are expecting talks to continue.

   Shareholders of Israel Corp. approved a debt restructuring agreement for Zim, but the company is still trying to negotiate an agreement over the “golden share” the Israeli government maintains […]

   A senior executive at CMA CGM also said that the fact that the P3 will not move forward will have no impact on CMA CGM’s 2014 results, saying that […]

   CMA CGM said the first in a series of 28 new containerships with capacities of 9,400 TEU – 10,900 TEU will enter its fleet on June 30, with a […]

   “Even though a labor agreement is not expected to be reached by the June 30 deadline, the ILWU and PMA must remain at the negotiating table, without engaging in […]

   Nautilus Holdings, Ltd., a company that owns 16 containerships and charters them to various liner companies, filed for protection along with several affiliates under Chapter 11 of the U.S. […]

   The Task Force was created by the Port Authority with the New York Shipping Association in December 2013 to identify challenges and examine long-term recommendations to improve service reliability […]

   The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program is asking that seafarers attacked and kidnapped by pirates be remembered on the International Maritime Organization’s Day of the Seafarer 2014, celebrated on […]

   Bloom brought INTTRA from a start-up to a firm that originates more than 23 percent of global container traffic. The company announced earlier this year he was stepping down, […]

   Zim’s parent company said in a stock exchange filing last week that the liner company has held talks seeking a strategic partner, but said both its debt and the […]

   Port Canaveral has signed a 35-year agreement with GT-USA, the U.S. arm of Gulftainer, a terminal operator headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, to operate and further develop its […]

   OW Bunker, a distributor of marine fuels, has acquired marine fuel broker Wilhelmsen Marine Fuels, a subsidiary of Norwegian Wilhelmsen Maritime Services.    Terms of the deal were not […]

   Third-party logistics provider Yusen Logistics has started temperature-controlled, less-than-truckload services for food products in Indochina.    “With reefer trucks often used for road transportation of food products and other […]

   The 15 container shipping lines that are members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement have delayed the effective date of a scheduled peak season surcharge of $400 per 40-foot container […]

   Less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line has completed an expansion to its Portland, Maine, facility.     The renovated service center has 43 doors — more than 60-percent more doors […]

   The European Commission said Tuesday it has extended by another five years until April 2020 thevalidity of its existing legal framework exempting, if certainconditions are met, liner-shipping consortia from […]

   APM will fund the $35 million in improvements, which will raise the cranes 32 feet and extend the boom reach by 10 feet. Work is expected to begin this […]

   The PMA has released a study that cautions, “Should terminal charges at the West Coast ports increase as the result of the contract negotiations … the competitive logistics position […]

   Japanese carrier “K” Line announced on top of its recent eight-vessel building order, which will be delivered from 2015 to 2016, that it has ordered two additional car carrier […]

   Drewry said the decision to block the P3 Network “will probably postpone the stabilization of the over-supplied and unprofitable carrier industry, but the further development of mega-alliances will not […]

   The Georgia Ports Authority said it had record cargo volumes in May.    The agency said 290,436 TEU moved through Savannah, 11-percent more when compared to May 2013. Breakbulk […]

   The decision by China earlier this week to turn disallow the P3 Network should not be an obstacle to the operation of other vessel-sharing agreements, said Commissioner Richard Lidinsky […]

   The National Labor Relations Board has consolidated complaints against Green Fleet Systems that allege labor law violations and the violation of a settlement agreement reached with the International Brotherhood […]

   Israel’s Minister of Finance has said the country will not give up its so-called “golden share” in Zim.    A notice on the ministry’s website said that the decision […]

   The Massachusetts Port Authority voted Thursday to approve a business plan and budget for fiscal year 2015 of $623 million, a 5-percent increase, or $31 million more than the […]

   Doyle noted the FMC “did not have jurisdiction over the Asia-Europe service route; therefore, the FMC did not issue a decision with respect to that route.”

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank voted this week to guarantee a $15 million loan extended by Rabobank International of Utrecht, the Netherlands, to Energyst to facilitate the export of Caterpillar […]

   The Port of Los Angeles will hold a public hearing on Thursday evening to receive public comments prior to considering the a request by APM Terminals to raise 14 […]

   According to Drewry’s recently published 2014 Container Census report, high-cube, 40-foot containers, which it said will represent nearly 50 percent of the fleet, are cutting into the market for  […]

   Asian shippers groups said they were pleased with the decision on Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Commerce to block formation of the P3 Network, a global vessel-sharing alliance set […]

   The U.S. International Trade Commission has started an investigation into the global rice trade.     The investigation, “Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry,” was requested by the House […]

   Hong Kong will permit the import of the full range of U.S. beef and beef products, consistent with access prior to the end of 2003. Previously, only deboned beef […]

   President Barack Obama has designated Meredith M. Broadbent, a Republican from Virginia, as chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission for the term June 17, 2014 to June 16, […]

   The Chinese Ministry of Commerce will not approve the proposed P3 Network between Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM, scuttling the effort by the three carriers to […]

   Cargo container numbers edged up 2.7 percent last month at the Port of Long Beach, making for the Southern California seaport’s busiest May since 2007. Los Angeles handled 689,141 […]

   “Bold standards” that cut new heavy truck fuel consumption by 40 percent compared to 2010 levels would deliver significant environmental and economic benefits, according to a new report commissioned […]

   “Financially troubled deep-sea ocean carriers are increasingly seeking salvation in the intra-Asia market due to higher than usual cargo growth and the availability of cheap vessel charter rates,” said […]

   HMM, Korea’s second largest carrier after Hanjin, will sell 6.81 million convertible preferred shares worth 57 billion won to Market Vantage Ltd. and make a similar sale to Market […]

The U.S. agriculture secretary will discuss the expansion of agricultural trade between the two continents, the importance of agriculture’s role in the T-TIP, and benefits the trade agreement will have […]

Myles J. Ambrose, who served as a head of the U.S. Customs in the early 1970s and later specialized as a private practice customs and international trade attorney in Washington, […]

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection has appointed David P. Higgerson to the director of its Laredo, Texas, field office.    He was formerly director of the agency’s El Paso, […]

   The Agriculture Transportation Coalition has urged the ILWU and employers to “take action to keep U.S. West Coast ports (and the cargo that is dependent upon them) viable.”

    The U.S. Maritime Administration is accepting applications until Sept. 30, 2016 for future marine highway projects.    “Eligible projects should establish new or enhance existing marine highway services that […]

The Japanese shipping company bought a 30 percent stake in the Mexican logistics company CSI Group to expand its participation in Mexico’s burgeoning finished automobile trade in North America.

   The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday unanimously confirmed Gene Seroka, head of commercial in the Americas region for American President Lines, as the new executive director of the […]

   There are plans to dredge the Yangtze and increase the navigation capacity of the Three Gorges Dam. People’s Daily reported China is also working on standardized ships for the Yangtze […]

   R.J. Corman Railroad Group of Nicholasville, Ky., was selected by the board of the Northwest Tennessee Regional Port Authority to operate the nation’s newest multimodal inland port at Cates […]

   The current officer supply is 610,000, a shortfall of 19,000. This shortfall is forecast to rise to 21,700 by 2018 given that there will be a need for an […]

   Located in the Yinzhou Economic Development Zone, the plant will make various kinds of logistic equipment such as standard or special containers, CIMC said in a filing with the […]

   The rate increase is substantial compared to current spot rates measured by the Shanghai Container Freight Index, which stood at $1,183 per TEU to North Europe and $1,761 per […]

   The U.S. Department of Commerce will continue its investigations on imports of the containers, with its preliminary countervailing duty determination due on or about July 17.

   The agency said “unprecedented collaborative efforts” have put the port “in a better position to handle both current volumes and any potential diversions from the West Coast.” Last summer, […]

   Intermarine, the Houston-based project and heavylift carrier, said it will offer regular service from the U.S. Gulf and East coasts to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf.    “We are […]

FMC reviews 35 OTI license applications

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 35 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Cirrus International, […]

   The Federal Maritime Commission said it will hold a meeting on June 18 where it will be briefed by “U.S. harbor trucking representatives on trucking trends and conditions” in […]