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Chris Dupin

Chris Dupin has written about trade and transportation and other business subjects for a variety of publications before joining American Shipper and Freightwaves.
Jun - 2013 -
25 June
Chris Dupin

Getting closer

   Damco, the forwarding and logistics services arm of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, has ambitious plans for growth over the next several years and a big agenda as it adapts […]

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Chris Dupin

Naval rhinoplasty

   While Germanischer Lloyd (GL) noted “a complete hull design will without doubt achieve much more substantial fuel savings,” shipowners may be able to achieve significant fuel savings by changing […]

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Chris Dupin

Thinking small

   Big ships have dominated the shipping news this year.    The first in a series of 20 18,000-TEU ships was scheduled to be delivered to Maersk Line at the […]

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Chris Dupin

MOL Comfort investigation underway

Japanese liner MOL said it’s working with the shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Japanese classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai to arrange inspection of the six sister vessels as quickly as possible.

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Chris Dupin

Wallenius orders post-Panamax ships

Sweden’s Wallenius Lines has ordered two large car carriers from Tianjin Xingang Shipyard in China with an option to build two more. The ships, scheduled for delivery in 2015 and 2016, […]

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Chris Dupin

Bill of lading trumps guarantee

   Affirming a district court’s summary judgment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held misdelivery claims against a freight forwarder were barred by a one-year limitations period […]

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Chris Dupin

Class action

   The roll-on/roll-off shipping companies that move cars, trucks and heavy equipment are facing a challenging year.    Reporting first quarter results in May, Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding, half-owner of Wallenius […]

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Chris Dupin

ANL, Agility start Papua New Guinea joint venture

   ANL Singapore Ltd. and the logistics company Agility will launch a new joint venture in Papua New Guinea July 1.    ANL Agencies PNG Ltd., will primarily handle ANL’s […]

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Chris Dupin

‘Big Three’ form alliance

P3 Network will operate 255 ships in 29 strings with 2.6 million TEUs of capacity. By Chris Dupin    The three largest container shipping carriers — Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. […]

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Chris Dupin

Washed away?

Container carriers suffered in 2012, and the 2013 financial outlook appears just as bleak. By Chris Dupin    Is the container shipping industry’s tide of red ink ebbing?    2012 […]

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24 June
Chris Dupin

Shippers concerned of possible change to rail cost measure

The URCS is the STB’s general purpose costing system that’s used to estimate variable and total unit costs for Class I railroads, including making determinations on whether a railroad’s rates […]

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Chris Dupin

Barbican buys specialist marine insurance broker

   Barbican Group Holdings Ltd. has acquired Seacurus Ltd., a U.K.-based specialist marine insurance broker that’s a leading provider of marine kidnap and ransom insurance.    Seacurus will continue to operate […]

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Chris Dupin

MarAd details shipyard impact on economy

    A study released last week by the Maritime Administration said in 2011 the U.S. private shipbuilding and repairing industry directly provided 107,240 jobs (including payroll and self-employed jobs, including […]

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21 June
Chris Dupin

Drewry says liner industry plagued by overcapacity

Rahul Kapoor, senior analyst at Drewry Maritime Equity Research, said “the sheer collapse in Asia-Europe freight rates in the past two months shows how fickle the industry’s demand supply balance […]

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Chris Dupin

Shipper groups want P3 Network scrutinized

   Shipper groups are calling for the proposed “P3 Network” between the world’s three largest container carriers – Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co., and CMA CGM – to be scrutinized by regulators. […]

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20 June
Chris Dupin

Private equity investment in shipping could double, Wilbur Ross predicts

   Private equity companies have shown increased interest in the shipping industry, and investor Wilbur Ross, who has invested in both tanker and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, predicts their investment […]

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Chris Dupin

Connor named CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics

Christopher J. Connor, currently deputy CEO and chief commercial officer, will be located at the company’s headquarters in Lysaker, Norway. He has 32 years of experience in the logistics industry.

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19 June
Chris Dupin

Broken MOL box ship continue to drift

The Japanese liner company said it has arranged for a patrol boat, which has already departed from Port of Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, to monitor the state of the […]

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18 June
Chris Dupin

Jaxport offers CEO job to former Horizon Lines exec

The Jacksonville Port Authority’s board of directors voted Monday morning to offer its chief executive officer position to Brian W. Taylor, a former executive vice president and chief operating officer […]

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Chris Dupin

MOL ship splits in half, but both sections floating

The Japanese liner reports its containership MOL Comfort has split in half, but that as of 7 a.m. the fore and aft sections of the 7,041-TEU ship continue to float with […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM announce new alliance

   The three largest container shipping carriers in the world, Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM, said this morning they have agreed in principle to establish a long-term […]

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17 June
Chris Dupin

MOL crew safe after containership cracks

The Japanese carrier said the 7,041-TEU MOL Comfort sustained the crack in the Arabian Sea at around 7 a.m. local time on Monday morning while in transit from Singapore to Jeddah. […]

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Chris Dupin

Nicaragua canal targets big ships

Developers proposing to build a new canal across the Central American country are targeting operators of large ships that will not pass even through the new set of locks being build at […]

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Chris Dupin

Drewry says Med-North America trade soft

   The shipping consultants Drewry are predicting that the westbound cargo growth in the Mediterranean-North America trade “is likely to remain poor, so more schedules between the Mediterranean and ECNA […]

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Chris Dupin

COSCO Pacific volumes up over 2012

   COSCO Pacific reports that it handled 5.1 million TEUs in May, 7.6 percent more than in May 2012.    Year to date, the company has handled 24.4 million TEUs, […]

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14 June
Chris Dupin

Supreme Court strikes down parts of clean truck program

   The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in the group’s effort to turn back the Port of Los Angeles’ efforts to regulate […]

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Chris Dupin

Bill to end Port NY/NJ fee advances

In 2011, the port instituted a cargo facility charge (CFC) on all waterborne cargo, including empty containers. The fee is $4.95 for 20-foot containers, $9.90 for 40-foot containers, and $1.11 […]

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Chris Dupin

CMA CGM announces rate hike

   French liner carrier CMA CGM has announced a “revenue restoration program” on its Asia-Europe trade lane.    Outbound from Europe, the company said it will impose a general rate increase […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk holds naming ceremony for first Triple E ship

   The first of Maersk’s new “Triple-E” ships was officially named this morning in a ceremony at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea.    […]

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13 June
Chris Dupin

Food aid hearing targets U.S.-flag shipping

“By restricting competition to the few U.S.-flagged ships still sailing… cargo preference adds $140 million in transportation costs (to food aid) each year,” said Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the U.S. […]

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12 June
Chris Dupin

Delaware River deepening about 60% complete

“After years of discussions and hurdles, it’s wonderful to finally see steady progress on this critical project,” said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp. “A deeper shipping channel will allow us […]

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Chris Dupin

Management, ILA meet in Virginia

The meeting was described as a “state of the port” briefing for longshoremen, who rejected a local contract seven weeks ago, but continue to work while negotiations continue. The Virginia Pilot […]

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Chris Dupin

New Service to connect South Africa, South America

   Hamburg Süd will be offering a new fixed-day, fortnightly service from South Africa to Argentina and Brazil (SABR Service) in cooperation with Nile Dutch, beginning next month.    The […]

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11 June
Chris Dupin

Environmental groups sue over LA rail terminal

“This project can be built away from where people live and children go to school, but the City of Los Angeles wants to put it in a low-income minority neighborhood,” […]

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Chris Dupin

CMA CGM completes partial sale of Terminal Link

China Merchants Holdings (International) Co. Ltd. today completed its purchase of a 49-percent equity stake in the French liner carrier’s terminals business, which includes 15 facilities in eight countries, for 400 million […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk’s ‘Triple E’ sea trials in pictures

   If you have wondered what Maersk Line’s new “Triple E” ships will look like when they’re underway, the Website gCaptain has posted photographs of the first of these vessels undergoing […]

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10 June
Chris Dupin

Drewry says transatlantic trade ‘continues to disappoint’

   Cargo volumes moving from North America to North Europe picked up in the first quarter, but are “unsustainable due to the austerity measures being taken by most European governments,” […]

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Chris Dupin

Rates fall in Asia-east coast South America trade

An effort by container shipping companies to deal with surplus tonnage by cascading 8,000-TEU vessels into the trade lane between Asia and South America’s east coast “appears to have seriously […]

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Chris Dupin

MSP ships will be hit by sequestration

Operators of 60 U.S.-flag ships in the Maritime Security Program will only get about 75 percent of their normal monthly stipend in August and none in September due to sequestration of […]

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Chris Dupin

Nicaragua leaders push Panama Canal alternative

News reports say a Chinese company, HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment, is working with the Nicaraguan government on a $40 billion project that would provide a vessel transit alternative to the […]

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07 June
Chris Dupin

Seaspan sees big demand for efficient ships

   Gerry Wang, the chief executive officer of Seaspan, one of the world’s largest builders and charterers of containerships, told financial analysts that while freight rates are depressed, there is […]

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06 June
Chris Dupin

Coos Bay railroad signs 10-year deal

   The agreement with the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, signed last week, is to run the 134-mile railroad. CBR has been running revenue freight trains on the line […]

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Chris Dupin

ICS: Green regulations could cost $500 billion

   Masamichi Morooka, the chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), said this week that new legislation to protect the environment could potentially cost the shipping industry $500 billion […]

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Chris Dupin

Kings Point names advisory board

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood named seven people to the board of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, which has been rocked by a series of controversies in recent years.

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Chris Dupin

Musical piece won’t offer much peace and quiet

   The composer Alan Hovhaness incorporated recordings of whale songs into one of his symphonies, but a new group of composers are working another sound from the sea into their […]

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05 June
Chris Dupin

Drewry: Liner rate war could hurt service

   Drewry cautions that shippers may see a deterioration in service if the current price war in the ocean container industry continues.    “The carrier financials that have so far […]

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Chris Dupin

ART Logistics launches new sea-rail service

   Cargo is moved by sea from the ports of Jakarta, Port Kelang, Bangkok, Haiphong, Keelung and Singapore. Shipments are then routed by rail through the China corridor to the […]

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Chris Dupin

Saltchuk buys Alaska trucker Carlile

      Carlile’s 700 employees will join Saltchuk’s national team of 5,500 workers. Carlile will remain a standalone company headquartered in Anchorage. Other Saltchuk Alaskan firms include Totem Ocean Trailer […]

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Chris Dupin

Nardi named president of NYSA

   John Nardi was appointed president of the New York Shipping Association (NYSA) on Tuesday by its board of directors.    Nardi, who has been executive vice president of NYSA […]

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04 June
Chris Dupin

New tankers could be run on LNG

   Four, 50,000 DWT Jones Act product tankers being built by General Dynamic’s NASSCO shipyard in San Diego for American Petroleum Tankers will be “LNG-conversion-ready. Construction of the first tanker […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk announces rate hikes

    Maersk Line said it will implement rate hikes on several trades: A general rate increase (GRI) for dry cargo moving from the Middle East, India and Pakistan to the […]

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Chris Dupin

CaroTrans enters Philippines partnership

   The NVOCC CaroTrans said it has entered into a strategic alliance with Multifreight Consolidator System, Inc. (MFCSI), an NVOCC in the Philippines market.    CaroTrans said the two companies […]

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Chris Dupin

New ship design aimed at intra-Asian trade

   Germanishcher Lloyd has designed a ship called “C-Dragon” that has design layout features considered to have an effect on container movement times. The ship is designed to have capacity of […]

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03 June
Chris Dupin

Drewry: ‘Big 3’ have advantage in transpacific

Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM have been deploying vessels on transpacific lanes that average 32 percent more TEUs than the normal ship size on the lane, according to an article […]

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Chris Dupin

Railroads, shippers spar over competitive switching

   The American Association of Railroads (AAR) and National Industrial Transportation League (NIT League) last week sparred over proposed changes in railroad regulation.    The AAR, which represents the country’s […]

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Chris Dupin

CMA CGM reports 1Q profit

   CMA CGM, the world’s third largest container shipping group, said it had a profit of $102 million in the first quarter compared to a loss of $240 million in […]

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May - 2013 -
31 May
Chris Dupin

NJ bill targets independent contractor trucking

The Truck Operators Independent Contractor Act would prevent trucking companies from misclassifying truckers as a way to avoid workers’ rights and employer responsibilities, including unemployment and Social Security contributions.

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Chris Dupin

Zim: July 1 rate hikes key for container industry

   Officials from Zim said they are hopeful that general rate increases being announced by carriers to take effect at the beginning of July will stick and improve the outlook […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk bumps up Asia-Europe rate hike

The liner carrier said Friday it’s increasing the size of a July 1 general rate increase for cargo moving from Asia to North Europe from $750 per TEU to $950 per […]

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Chris Dupin

Yang Ming extends lease at Port of Los Angeles

   Yang Ming has extended its lease at the Port of Los Angeles for an additional nine years.      The liner carrier’s current lease at the West Basin Container Terminal […]

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30 May
Chris Dupin

Port charge faces possible challenge in NJ legislature

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey implemented the controversial $4.05-per-TEU Cargo Facility Charge in 2011 to help pay for road and rail infrastructure, as well as security at the port.

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Chris Dupin

Panama Canal offers just-in-time transit slots

The authority said the new service will allow vessels to arrive at the canal much closer to their scheduled transit times, allowing them to remain at anchor for less time before […]

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Chris Dupin

Zim reports smaller loss, higher revenues

The Israel-based liner carrier recorded a loss to shareholders of $112 million in the first quarter of 2013, compared with a loss of $163 million in the same quarter last year. It […]

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Chris Dupin

MSC completes sale of terminal company stake

   Liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. has closed on the sale of a 35-percent interest in its terminal division, Terminal Investment Ltd. (TIL).    The Stamford, Conn.-based infrastructure investment fund, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), […]

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Chris Dupin

Maersk sets new rotations for MECL 1 and 2

   Maersk Line has announced new rotations for its MECL 1 and MECL 2 services between the United States, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Mediterranean.    The company announced earlier this […]

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29 May
Chris Dupin

Zim selling interest in container factories

   Zim has agreed to sell its holdings in two companies that own container factories in China.    Israel Corp., Zim’s parent, said the stake in the two companies would […]

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Chris Dupin

CSAV reports smaller loss despite car carrier charge

   This result includes a provision of $40 million that the board of CSAV decided to make to cover possible costs as a result of investigations into breaches of free-competition […]

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Chris Dupin

Law firm files suit against car carrier operators

    An antitrust litigation firm based in Houston said it has filed a nationwide class action law suit against some of the world’s largest vehicle shipping companies, alleging price fixing of […]

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Chris Dupin

Transpacific carriers seeking July 1 rate increase

   The 15 container shipping companies that are members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement are recommending a “guideline” general rate increase (GRI) for all commodities in the amount of $400 […]

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28 May
Chris Dupin

Food aid reform may be revised

   President Obama’s plans to overhaul food aid by allowing more regional and local purchase of food may be revised because of congressional opposition.    An article appearing in on […]

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Chris Dupin

Horizon to offer Houston-to-Jacksonville service

   Horizon Lines will start a “marine highway” service between Houston and Jacksonville, Fla., and restore capacity on the Jacksonville-Puerto Rico lane next month.    Horizon Lines said its ship Horizon Producer, […]

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Chris Dupin

Caribbean shipowners announce rate increase

   The Caribbean Shipowners Association announced a general rate increase that will go into effect June 16.    The increase is applicable to all contract and tariff rates, northbound and […]

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Chris Dupin

APL suspends bookings from Sokhna, Egypt

“The drop in productivity has reached some 70 percent and is causing a serious port congestion in Sokhna with vessels not able to load and discharge containers according to their […]

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Chris Dupin

Liberian president dedicates new berth

   APM Terminals said Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf dedicated a new 600-meter wharf at the Freeport of Monrovia on May 22.    Under a 25-year agreement signed in 2010, APM […]

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24 May
Chris Dupin

NTSB issues report on Delta Mariner accident

   An accident last year that occurred when the Foss ship Delta Mariner struck the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge in Kentucky was caused by the reliance of the vessel’s bridge team […]

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Chris Dupin

Bridge collapses on major U.S.-Canada link

Three people were pulled from the river with minor injuries. Chief John Batiste of the Washington State Patrol said early indications were that a truck struck the overhead of the […]

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Chris Dupin

DCLI adds chassis to CCM’s South Atlantic pool

   Starting June 1, the container chassis provider Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI) will contribute all of its chassis in the South Atlantic region to the Consolidated Chassis Management (CCM) pool, […]

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23 May
Chris Dupin

New Hapag-Lloyd service links Italy, Turkey and Egypt

   Hapag-Lloyd is launching a new service linking 10 ports in Italy, Turkey and Egypt.    The first sailing in the new Levante Express Service (LEX) will depart June 18 […]

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Chris Dupin

Bank unveils financing tool for insolvent ships

   HSH Nordbank, one of the world’s leading shipping banks, said Wednesday it is has developed “an innovative financing solution for vessels, which are either in insolvency already or on […]

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Chris Dupin

SinOceanic to facilitate 10-ship order

   The Norwegian ship investment company SinOceanic Shipping said Thursday that, on behalf of unnamed foreign interests, it has entered into a contract with Jinhai Heavy Industries in China to […]

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Chris Dupin

Triple E Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller is ‘semi-launched’

Maersk Line said a major milestone was reached today with the “semi-launch” of the first of the 20 Triple-E containerships that Daewoo shipyard is building for the company in Okpo, Korea.

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Chris Dupin

Subaru: 15,000 cars through Brunswick annually

   The Georgia Ports Authority said Subaru will start importing five of its models through the Port of Brunswick.    Subaru National Transportation Manager Larry Strug said the deepwater port […]

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Chris Dupin

Houston awards crane contracts

   The Port of Houston Authority’s commission Tuesday awarded a contract worth nearly $50 million to Konecranes Finland Corp. for four electric wharf cranes at Barbours Cut Container Terminal.    […]

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22 May
Chris Dupin

U.S. investors buy stake in König & Cie

“We had to restructure and reorganize and become more like an asset manager, and that is what we did,” Tobias König, CEO of the company, said in a telephone interview with American Shipper.

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Chris Dupin

Concerns about U.S. Merchant Marine aired at hearing

Auggie Tellez, executive vice president of the Seafarers International Union, said in testimony the U.S.-flag vessel industry already lost a third of food aid cargo last year because of a […]

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Chris Dupin

MOL to open own liner office in Canada

   MOL said it will open its own office in Canada and operate as MOL (Canada) on July 31, ending 53 years of representation of its liner business by the agency […]

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21 May
Chris Dupin

Stake in container manufacturer being sold

COSCO Pacific has entered into a conditional agreement to sell its 21.8 percent indirect interest in CIMC for $1.2 billion to Long Honor Investments Ltd., which today has a small […]

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Chris Dupin

MSC to start new service to Dominican Republic

   Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will start a new service connecting Port Everglades, Fla., with Caucedo and Rio Haina in the Dominican Republic, beginning in mid-June.    The service will offer transit times […]

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Chris Dupin

New service to link China, Taiwan and Australia

   Evergreen Line, Pacific International Lines, Sinotrans and Yang Ming have announced they will cooperate on a new service between China, Taiwan, and Australia.    The China-Australia-Taiwan (CAT) service will […]

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Chris Dupin

World War II ships pose pollution threat

   The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it had forwarded to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report about 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor that […]

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20 May
Chris Dupin

Maersk plans $750 rate hike from Asia to North Europe

The liner carrier also announced a $150-per-container increase on dry and refrigerated cargo moving from the Mediterranean to the Far East, effective June 1. From Syria, the increase will be $115 […]

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Chris Dupin

Drewry forecasts more slow steaming

   Drewry is predicting an increase in slow steaming by container carriers.    “Although slow steaming continues to be a contentious issue with shippers, more is on the way as […]

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Chris Dupin

SeaIntel says shippers should prepare for ‘blank sailings’

Lars Jensen, chief executive officer of SeaIntel Maritime Analysis, writes that “From a service quality perspective, the data thus support the shippers’ notion that this is becoming a significant issue […]

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Chris Dupin

Georgia Ports has record April

   Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) moved 2.4 million tons of cargo in April, a 4.7 percent increase — or 108,532 tons –- over the same month a year ago.    […]

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Chris Dupin

Report: China will assist its shipping industry

Xinhua quoted He Jianzhong, China’s vice minister of transportation, as saying the government would assist companies in several ways, including offering subsidies to encourage retirement of old ships to reduce […]

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Chris Dupin

Shift in wind trade direction at Corpus Christi

   Port Corpus Christi says it has been a leading port for imports of wind energy turbine components since 2006, but last week handled components for export for the first […]

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19 May
Chris Dupin

Crusaders or pirates?

   In late April, six Greenpeace protesters boarded the vessel Meister, which was carrying coal from northern Queensland, Australia to South Korea.    “Right now there is no political solution […]

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Chris Dupin

Problem pallets

U.S., Canadian shippers struggle to meet anti-bug rules for cargo platform. By Chris Dupin    Wood packaging material, such as pallets, crates, and dunnage, used to secure freight has been subject […]

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Chris Dupin

Re-stitching U.S.-flag services

Liner carriers set changes to their fleets as Iraq, Afghanistan wars end. By Chris Dupin    The U.S. merchant marine is adjusting to the drawdown in military operations in Iraq and […]

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