Shipping

   It was the biggest news in the container shipping business for a year.    The world’s three largest container shipping companies — Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM […]

Container carriers experience another difficult year with soft demand, excess capacity.    2013 was another tough year for the liner shipping industry, with the container operations of 15 public companies […]

   The peril of not declaring the value of cargo in a bill of lading was illustrated in a recent court decision (Outokumpu Stainless USA v. M/V Vegaland.  et al. […]

   The P3 Network was an interesting concept, although unsettling to many shippers when first announced by the three largest liner carriers – Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA […]

   In early June, Gene Seroka, APL’s former head of commercial in the Americas region, was officially appointed the new executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.    His […]

   “We don’t want to see disruptions at the ports, but retailers are making sure they are prepared in case that happens,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs […]

   Concerned about a possible strike at West Coast ports as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers negotiate a new contract to replace their labor agreement that expires […]

   The Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) in Port Said has seen around 50 ships head to other ports outside Egypt during recent weeks following industrial action in the form […]

   SeaIntel said schedule integrity by global container carriers “continues to improve, but is still significantly below last year’s performance.”    The consultant said global schedule reliability increased for the […]

   The Federal Maritime Commission said the amendment to Agreement No. 012104 increases CMA CGM’s slot allocation, revises the number of vessels contributed by each party, and adds Savannah to […]

   Waldemar (Val) Poulsen has been named president and chief executive officer of Rickmers-Linie (America) Inc., based in Houston, effective July 1. Before joining Rickmers-Linie, Poulsen was director/country manager with […]

    John Atkins will to succeed Devine as president of GCT USA, effective July 1. Atkins is currently the chief operating officer for GCT USA, and he has held successively […]

   The maritime law firm Chalos O’Connor LLP is closing, and its attorneys are moving to larger law firms.    K&L Gates announced last week that Michael G. Chalos has […]

  The European Commission is allowing the P3 Network and G6 shipping alliances to move forward.   In a statement, Antoine Colombani, a spokesman for the Commission’s Competition Directorate said, […]

Jorge L. Quijano, chief executive officer of the Panama Canal Authority, said naval architects have created optimized designs that will allow ships carrying 14,000 TEUs to transit the new set of […]

The country applied for WTO membership in April 2000. Trade ministers of WTO members officially approved Yemen’s accession on Dec. 4, 2013, during the Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

   CSAV, which is in the process of merging with the German carrier Hapag-Lloyd, noted that the results “were obtained in the context of a 10.6-percent reduction in freight rates […]

   The vessel-sharing alliance has filed a discussion agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission that will allow them to discuss and determine whether to cooperate on trade lanes to and […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday released a report forecasting that the country’s agricultural exports will reach $149.5 billion, an estimated $6.9 billion higher than previous estimates and […]

   The private equity firm Rotunda Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Amware Logistics Services, a provider of third-party warehousing and fulfillment solutions headquartered in Eagle, Colo.

   Danmarks Skibskredit (Danish Ship Finance) says in its most recent Shipping Market Review that there continues to be a “massive” surplus in the supply of containerships, particularly large vessels. […]

   The Israel-based container carrier ZIM said it had a net loss in the first quarter of $62 million, 45 percent smaller than the $112-million loss it had in the first […]

   CMA CGM said it and NileDutch will upgrade a service between the East Coast of South America and West Africa.    CMA CGM said larger vessels will operate in […]

   CMA CGM, the third-largest container carrier in the world, had revenue of $3.94 billion in the first quarter of 2014, compared to $3.84 billion in the first quarter of […]

   Suttons Group, a U.K.-based chemical logistics services firm, has entered a partnership with Mexican freight forwarder ROVESA.    The partnership will provide a range of logistics and supply chain […]

   The World Trade Organization on Friday sided with the United States in a major case against China for unfair trade practices against imports of U.S. automobiles.    A WTO […]

   NYK said it took delivery Tuesday of a new car carrier, Aries Leader, which is the first post-Panamax car carrier in Japan. The ship, capable of carrying 7,000 units, was built […]

   United Arab Shipping Company said Kuwait’s Burgan Bank has agreed to provide a loan for the acquisition of two 14,000-TEU ships, saying it had concluded a bilateral facility worth $190 […]

   North American supply chains will be strongly affected over the next three months by the negotiations for a new contract between the ILWU and employers, said Noël Perry, managing […]

   Sea Star Line, which operates a liner service between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico, said Thursday that effective June 2, it will introduce a new chassis program for […]

   The private equity firm Lincolnshire Management is reportedly repurchasing the automotive terminal and processing company AMPORTS from Highstar Capital, six years after selling it to Highstar.    Industry sources […]

   The number of containerships in long term layup is decreasing, according to information service Alphaliner.    In its May 13-29 newsletter, the Alphaliner said there are “currently 45 containerships […]

   The Port of Cleveland’s board of directors on Wednesday approved up to $110 million in bond financing to help American Greetings Corp. in building its new headquarters at Crocker […]

   The P3 Network, an operational and vessel-sharing alliance planned by Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM in the major East-West trades, now expects to start operations in fall of 2014 […]

   Carrier Transicold has introduced a new anti-tamper refrigerant seal system to offer a higher level of refrigerant integrity and traceability for container refrigeration systems.    The company said the […]

   A.P. Moller-Maersk, the Danish conglomerate that owns Maersk Line, APM Terminals, Damco and other businesses, reported a profit of $1.2 billion for the first quarter of 2014, compared with […]

   The U.S. Justice Department said Jordan-based Arab Ship Management Ltd. pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Wilmington, Del., to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution […]

   SeaIntel says the ships of the carriers in the new G6 Alliance will spend 3.4 percent more time in port, but increase average vessel capacity 8 percent when compared […]

   ZIM says it is planning changes that will extend coverage and improve service between ports in the U.S. Gulf and East Coast with South America, the Caribbean and Central […]

Vilsack    U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has cited recent improvements to expanding Mexico’s consumer market to American agricultural products.    Mexico’s expanded import ruling to allow increased potato imports […]

   The Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO on Monday approved changes to the Safety of Life at Sea convention that will require verification of container weights as a condition […]

   An initial public offering of stock in Hapag-Lloyd is anticipated in 2015, according to executives at TUI, the German tourism company that is the former parent company of the […]

   A pamphlet was officially released at the 93rd session of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee in London on Tuesday to offer guidance to vessel operators on how […]

   The Israeli container shipping company ZIM says it has finalized a financial restructuring plan that will leave it “strongly positioned for growth.”

   The United States signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement last week with Uruguay.    The bilateral agreement helps the U.S. and Uruguay’s respective customs administrations to prevent and investigate […]

   With two years into the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, the White House reported that U.S. manufacturers have substantially increased exports of transportation equipment, petroleum and coal products, processed food, […]

   Port Freeport in Texas is expecting the delivery of two post-Panamax cranes by late July.    The 300-foot-tall cranes, which can lift up to 75 tons, departed Shanghai by […]

   A congressional watchdog agency warned that weaknesses in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) export control policy and implementation of foreign national access procedures at some centers increase […]

   Cargo volumes were up because of a rebound in March, when 280,519 TEU moved through the port. In January and February, container volumes were off by 0.4 percent and […]

   After a five-year absence, a new company has begun ferry service between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.    The 528-foot long roll-on, roll-off passenger (ropax) ferry Nova Star […]

   The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have reported strong growth in container volumes in April.    The Port of Los Angeles said container volumes in April were […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department this week initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of 53-foot domestic dry containers from China.    Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells […]

   Hanjin Shipping said it had a net loss of 224.5 billion South Korean won ($219 million) in the first quarter of 2014, compared to a net loss of 34.7 […]

   Chiquita plans to ship 60,000 TEUs to 70,000 TEUs of cargo per year via New Orleans, generating a 15-percent increase in container volumes at the Louisiana port. Chiquita’s ships […]

   The Israeli shipping line Zim says that its “marine operations, head office, agencies and customer service teams are all back to routine” after being disrupted by protests.    “Further […]

   Third-party logistics services provider UTi Worldwide has opened a new facility in the Houston area that will allow it to expand its work with the energy sector.    “UTi […]

   Zim said Wednesday it will restructure its services between the United States and Mediterranean in cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd. Zim said the changes, aimed at introducing improved products and better […]

   NOL Group, the parent company of the container shipping company APL and APL Logistics, said it had a loss of $98 million in the first quarter, compared to a […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on Tuesday published regulations that will change the way U.S. export controls are applied to most commercial, scientific, and civil […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 49 license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from AC Shipping, Newark, N.J. (Alexander […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 49 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.     The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from ABF Global Supply […]

   Hapag-Lloyd reported a loss in the first quarter of 119.1 million euros ($163.4 million) compared with a loss of 93.6 million euros in the first quarter of 2013, and […]

   The Army Corps of Engineers has permitted construction of the Houston Port Authority’s Bayport and Barbours Cut channel improvement projects, and approved the federal assumption of maintenance of the […]

   Liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. will consolidate its activities at the Port of Antwerp’s Deurganck dock on the left bank of the Scheldt river. The Antwerp Port Authority said […]

   BlueGrace Logistics, which operates on a franchise model, is making a push to expand in the New York market.    The process for obtaining a franchise with the company […]

   “The company does not rule out the possibility of deepening cooperation agreements with other players in order to achieve greater stability, both in fleet and in service coverage,” CCNI’s […]

   U.S. steel exports experienced a significant rebound in March, though they remained below the levels of a year earlier, according to U.S. government data analyzed by the American Institute […]

   The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday determined that there’s a “reasonable indication” that a U.S. industry is harmed by sugar imports from Mexico that are allegedly subsidized and […]

   “Lake Superior’s ice was so challenging that the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards had to convoy freighters the entire month,” the Lake Carriers’ Association said, noting that vessels couldn’t […]

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Shipco Transport has opened a new office in Chongqing, China.    Consolidations from Chongqing will route through the NVO’s Shanghai gateway.    “China’s focus is moving […]

   The much-anticipated negotiations on a new contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and their employers at 29 West Coast ports, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association, started Monday. 

Latin America’s growth is attractive, but carriers to the region face potential for overcapacity.    In January, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced the government’s “Look South” Initiative focused on […]

Businesses that control freight have leverage to keep down additional costs.    Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF), an umbrella organization of shippers groups such as the National Industrial Transportation League (NIT […]

   While not the sole cause, lack of adequate infrastructure to keep up with the rapid growth in container traffic in Latin America is one of the contributing factors to […]

   As representatives of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association negotiate a new labor contract to replace the one that expires July 1, shippers say they […]

   Is an offshore drilling rig — a vessel so large that it cannot pass through the Panama Canal — “merchandise” subject to the Jones Act’s restriction that cargo transported […]

   The Kuwait-based logistics and infrastructure company Agility said it had a net profit of 11.24 million Kuwaiti dinar ($40 million) in the first quarter of 2014, 11 percent more […]

   Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vowed to shipping representatives of the Hampton Roads port area that he will raise the state’s East Coast ranking in agriculture and forest products exports […]

   London-based Drewry has created a product that it says will allow shippers to share information about trends in contract shipping costs.

   LNG container ships are coming to the European short sea trades.    The Finnish short sea operator Containerships Ltd Oy, GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg, and ARKON Shipping said Wednesday they […]

   FedEx said that effective next year, its FedEx Ground service will apply dimensional weight pricing to all shipments.    Currently, FedEx Ground applies dimensional weight pricing only to packages […]

   Maersk Line said it is making changes in its transatlantic services this month, ending its TA1 and TA5 services.    “We will now be operating a consolidated transatlantic service […]

   Matson said Monday that it had a profit of $3.4 million in the first quarter ending March 31 compared to $9.1 million in the first quarter of 2013.   […]

   The governors of New York and New Jersey have created a panel to “review the operations and procedures of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.”

   The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday reported that the country’s exports of goods and services in March increased to $193.9 billion from $190 billion in February.    Record exports […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a change to the regulations for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program that it says expands the range of projects […]

   AmeraMex International, a Chico, Calif.-based provider of heavy equipment to logistics companies and stevedores, infrastructure construction firms, commercial farmers and mining companies, entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) […]

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Shipco Transport has started a new direct less-than-containerload service from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica, in conjunction with WorldWide Alliance partner PCS.    This […]

   Swiss freight forwarder Kuehne + Nagel has opened a container freight station (CFS) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.    It’s the second-largest facility of its type in Phnom Penh that […]

   Third-party logistics services provider Norbert Dentressangle will purchase the logistics assets of MGF, a subsidiary of the G7 Group, consisting of nine warehouses in France.    With a combined […]

   The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) is recommending a freight rate increase of $700 per 40-foot container on July 1 for “protein shipments” –refrigerated meat such as beef, pork and […]

   The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division on Monday reached an agreement with Penske Truck Leasing Co. resolving claims that the company violated the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and […]

   Bay & Bay Transportation of Rosemount, Minn., has acquired J&C Trucking of Baldwin, Wis.    Terms of the deal were not disclosed.    Bay & Bay said the purchase […]

   ROAR Logistics has acquired Phoenix-based Legend Transportation Group (LTG).    Through the purchase, ROAR adds LTG’s less-than-truckload systems and services to its third-party logistics services offerings.    ROAR’s acquisition […]

   The New York Shipping Association, the ILA and American Legion will hold a job fair focused on hiring honorably discharged veterans for port jobs in the Port of New […]

   A large retail industry association said in a report that many imports sold in the United States may contain more U.S. parts and other content, in addition to supporting […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Michael Scuse, and a group of representatives from 28 trade associations and companies are in northeast China […]

   MSC said it will start a new direct service connecting India, the Middle East, the Red Sea and the United States.

   The logistics security services firm FreightWatch International said in the first quarter of 2014, it recorded 206 full-truckload cargo theft incidents in the United States, with 82 thefts in […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service will start accepting claims from domestic manufacturers citing economic harm caused to them by tariffs on cotton fabric that are higher […]