Trade and Compliance

   The U.S. economy increased at an annual rate of 4 percent in the second quarter of 2014, compared to a first quarter decrease of 2.1 percent.    The Commerce […]

   A senior U.S. Commerce Department official told a group of exporters attending a conference in Washington Tuesday that while recent reforms to the country’s export control regulations should make […]

   Carrier Transicold has released its new XtendFRESH atmosphere control system, which preserves quality and extends shipping distances for perishables shipped in refrigerated containers.    The system uses a self-regenerating, […]

   For years, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., along with Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., have led a bipartisan effort to reform the U.S. sugar program, which has cost consumers […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security is further restricting trade with Russia in response to the country’s continued support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.     In […]

   Steel imports from Canada were up just more than 1 percent to 534,000 net tons, while imports from South Korea dropped almost 22 percent to 457,000 net tons, after […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department has determined that imports of certain electric-generating solar panels imported from China and Taiwan are being dumped on the U.S. market.    Dumping occurs when […]

   Five years after its implementation, the Earned Import Allowance Program is not providing enough incentives to help reverse the decline in Dominican apparel exports to the U.S. market, according […]

   An array of sensors that provide ships and other users in the Port of Jacksonville with real-time tidal and weather information was dedicated Wednesday.    The Physical Oceanographic Real-Time […]

   The Piracy Reporting Center of the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau is raising the alarm about an increase in small tanker hijackings.    While the overall number […]

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from ASL Global Logistics, Humble, Texas […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Blue Circle […]

Six filings come from each California and Texas; five other states represented.

FMC reviews 20 OTI license applications

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from CTL USA, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Joy Fu, secretary); […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier Burnaby license applications from Arrow […]

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Amarine Shipping, Compton, […]

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Alibaba Global Shipping, Oakland, Calif. […]

Individuals knowing of any reason why an applicant should not receive an OTI license or amendment are urged to contact the FMC’s Office of Transportation Intermediaries.

Individuals knowing of any reason why an applicant should not receive an OTI license or amendment are urged to contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries.

   A federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted FedEx Corporation and two subsidiaries with conspiracy to traffic in controlled substances and mis-branded prescription drugs because of its role […]

   The Obama administration said Russia continues to provide Ukrainian separatists heavy weapons, equipment, and other financing, and continues to allow militants to enter Ukraine freely.

   Missouri’s Mid Continent Nail petitioned the investigation. The nine U.S. steel nail producers are in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas.

   The U.S. Commerce Department will hire its first ever chief data officer as part of meeting President Obama’s Year of Action.     “No other department can rival the reach, […]

   A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel on Monday issued a mixed result, rejecting numerous claims brought by India in a challenge against U.S. trade remedy laws and determinations […]

   “This is a pure VSA, and VSAs of this type are only filed with the MOT; that is what we are seeing. That’s where they get filed, not with […]

By changing culture of operations, Con-way Freight expects to enhance competitiveness.    A company can spend millions of dollars on new equipment and systems in an effort to become more […]

   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.   […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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, […]

   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 […]

   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. […]

   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, […]

   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 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 […]

   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 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 […]

   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 […]

   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  […]

   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 […]

   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 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.

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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   “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 […]

   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 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.

   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 […]

   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. […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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, […]

   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 […]