News

“These proposed changes are necessary to relieve certain restrictions, update existing provisions, and to make the regulations easier to understand and implement,” said Rebecca Bech, a deputy administrator at APHIS.

   The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is preparing for the worst with the blunt tool of across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which is scheduled to kick in March […]

   Container handling volumes are growing at their slowest rates since 2009, based on throughput data at the 25 largest ports, collected by the information service Alphaliner.    In its most […]

   In a notice posted on the Website of the Oslo Stock Exchange, Philadelphia Shipyard ASA said its subsidiary Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and an undisclosed potential buyer have signed a […]

   Washington state’s legislature has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning on a proposed law that would require large ports in the state to “employ drayage truck operators to load, unload, […]

Port commissioners last week voted to give up to $3.7 million in rent rebates ($308,333 per month) to ICTSI Oregon, the manager of its main container facility, because of reduced […]

The NIT League, World Shipping Council, and Maritime Law Association of the United States are calling on the State Department to review and approve the international maritime cargo liability convention.

   Several liner carriers said they’re increasing their transatlantic rates.    Hapag-Lloyd on April 1 will increase its eastbound transatlantic rates for all cargo and container types in the trade from […]

The Danish liner carrier said alternative arrangements for the loaded boxes on the ship were made whereby sensitive cargo was put on board vessels in its existing network shortly after the incident.

   New rules to restrict the movement of large ships near the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland during heavy fog were approved by the San Francisco Bay Harbor […]

   After nearly two months on a six-week rotation, ocean carrier Maersk Line has increased the speed of its weekly Middle East-to-East Africa Masiika Express service and dropped a call […]

   The 20th annual Maritime Hall of Fame will be held in New York on May 8.    The reception and dinner, which is attended by 400 international maritime executives, […]

The firm predicts the average cost of IFO 380 fuel oil worldwide will be $690 per metric ton this year compared to $672 per ton in 2012. The actual price in […]

The commission is expected to publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register early next week. There will be a 60-day comment period.

“Auto volumes picked up from the previous quarter, supported by stronger export volumes from Korea. High and heavy shipping volumes, healthy in the first half year, slipped in the third […]

   The industrial real estate developer Prologis said Wednesday it inked a deal to build two distribution centers for BMW of North America.    Construction of the two facilities, in […]

The ILA noted the agreement is “subject to the drafting of final contract language and acceptance by the ILA membership” and the new master contract will not take effect until […]

   The Port of Seattle said Commissioner Rob Holland is resigning to “pursue other professional opportunities.    A member of the board since 2010, he will leave March 15.    […]

Members of the ILWU’s Local 63, Office Clerical Unit, have re-filed a complaint against APM Terminals in Los Angeles for alleged eavesdropping. A similar complaint made last year by the […]

A new report by the Maritime Administration says U.S.-flag ships on the Great Lakes could be modernized with the installation of diesel or dual-fuel engines that can also use liquefied natural gas.

   NASA has posted an image on its Global Climate Change Website that shows global shipping routes can be seen from space because of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted by […]

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank on Tuesday voted to guarantee a loan of more than $500 million provided by Apple Bank for Savings to OJSC VEB Leasing (VEBL) of Moscow […]

   U.S. steel exports continued to fall in December, declining another 2.9 percent compared to November after declining nearly 16 percent from October, according to government data analyzed by the American […]

   Eimskip said it will add Portland, Maine as a port of call in the end of March 2013, replacing the port in Norfolk, Va.    The Icelandic shipping company […]

   Weber Logistics has formed an alliance with Aspen Logistics to better spread the influence of the two logistics service providers in the western United States.     Connie Anderson, the owner of […]

   Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo has released a Varation Pharma Control 15-25 C product.    Targeted at temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments, AF-KLM guarantees that each shipment will be kept within that temperature […]

The French liner said it has finalized a major financial restructuring launched last year. It also had estimated revenue of $16 billion in 2012 and carried 10.6 million TEUs.

   Union Pacific has appointed Kate Betsworth to vice president of intermodal operations.    She will direct the railroad’s intermodal facilities and network operations. UP operates 34 intermodal facilities across […]

   The transportation and logistics firm Pacer International said it had a profit of $2.2 million in the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, compared to $1.1 million in the same 2011 […]

   The Port of Philadelphia said it handled 4,418,674 metric tons of cargo last year, 10.4 percent more than in 2011.    “While the national and world economy still challenges […]

   Maersk Line will stop routing ships from East Asia to the U.S. East Coast ports of Savannah, Charleston and Miami through the Panama Canal in April, instead sending them […]

   Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions (WTS) has set up a new office in Houston in response to increased client demand for its newbuilding and aftermarket products and services.    WTS is […]

“The United States calls on Russia to restore market access for U.S. meat and meat products immediately and to abide by its obligations as a member of the World Trade […]

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank and ICICI Bank of India entered a memorandum of understanding pledging cooperation on financing projects beneficial to both India and the United States.    Up […]

   Preparations for Valentine’s Day, the annual onslaught of flower shipments from around the world, have begun.    Saudi Cargo has added four extra freighter flights between Nairobi and Amsterdam […]

The service allows booked vessels to arrive much closer to their scheduled transit times, instead of arriving earlier and having to remain for several hours at anchor before actually beginning […]

The union said its Wage Scale Committee, a group of about 200 delegates, will meet in Tampa, Fla., on March 12-14. The committee is the group that decides whether or not […]

The U.S. shippers’ group said its proposal, submitted in 2011 to increase rail competition, “represents one of the best efforts to achieve rail regulatory reform since the passage of the Staggers Act over […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission will consider changes that would allow foreign non-vessel-operating common carriers to use Negotiated Rate Arrangements (NRAs) during a meeting on Wednesday.    In December, the commission directed […]

   The Commerce Department on Friday reported that U.S. exports of goods and services reached a record $2.2 trillion in 2012.    Export records were seen across the board, including […]

   After nearly two months on a 17-week rotation, the ocean carriers Maersk Line and CMA CGM have increased the speed of their joint weekly TP3/TP9/Columbus pendulum service between Asia […]

The harbor employers said in a statement “the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to operate normally.” The rejection by union members, however, raises questions about the settlement that ended […]

   Higher cargo volumes to Guam helped Matson report higher profits in the fourth quarter and for all of 2012.    Horizon Lines, Matson’s main competitor in the U.S. mainland-to-Hawaii trade […]

   International Shipholding Group said it had a profit of $11.5 million in the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, compared to $1.8 million in the same 2011 period.     Operating […]

   The U.S. Justice Department said Ashu Bhandari, former president and chief executive officer of U.S. Virgin Islands-based GEM Manufacturing, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in St. Thomas for […]

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s Local 63 Office Clerical Unit rejected some of the proposed contracts that were reached with employers last December during ratification voting on […]

“While carriers deserve some plaudits for their improving reliability, a worrying trend for cancelled or blank voyages is emerging as carriers attempt to redress weak supply and demand fundamentals,” said […]

   Liner carrier MOL said Thursday it will offer a new China–Middle East Express (CMX) service by joining an existing service operated by APL.    The service will operate with six […]

   Horizon Lines said Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement to purchase the three ships it operates in its service between Tacoma, Wash., and three ports in Alaska—Anchorage, Kodiak, […]

   Intermodal container volumes ended 2012 at a record high with 13.1 million moves, surpassing the previous year by 5.9 percent, according to the latest Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics […]

   The parent company of Tropical Shipping said it expects the Caribbean carrier to have higher earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in 2013 than last year.    AGL Resources, a […]

   Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the transportation and logistics industry was higher in the fourth quarter of 2012 than in any quarter in the past three years, according to […]

   DB Schenker is planning to construct a 41 million euros ($55 million), 54,520-square-foot logistics center in Singapore.    The warehouse — which will be geared toward the healthcare, electronics […]

The board said NACPC’s 10 current members account for a very small percentage of the estimated 7,000 motor carriers that provide intermodal transportation of marine chassis in the country.

The program is set to expire at the end of July and American companies would face $2 million per day in new taxes if Congress fails to renew GSP by Aug. […]

   The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday said five individuals and five corporations have been charged in an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn, N.Y., for allegedly importing hazardous and counterfeit toys […]

   The United States on Wednesday requested World Trade Organization dispute settlement consultations with India concerning domestic content requirements in India’s national solar program.    “India’s program appears to discriminate […]

Rafi Ben Ari, the carrier’s vice president of shipping, said the “revised network presents an improved alignment, better suited to our customers’ requirements, with improved coverage, reliability and availability.”

   The North Carolina Council of State Tuesday voted to approve a lease that gives the go-ahead to a public-private partnership seeking to construct a cold storage facility at the […]

   The Port of Tampa said it has been selected as the port of entry for shipments of wing and fuselage assemblies destined for Embraer’s jet assembly plant in Melbourne, […]

   The National Industrial Transportation League, the nation’s largest shipper organization, urged the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to “closely examine the ramifications and impacts” of a plan by the Transpacific Stabilization […]

   Container throughput at the French port of Marseilles Fos rose 13 percent in 2012 – led by a 16 percent surge in deepsea volumes at Fos – for a […]

Legislation in both the House and Senate would require the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to spend the amount of tax it takes in each year explicitly on dredging needs.

   The International Chamber of Shipping said it will support the concept regulating carbon dioxide emissions from ships.    Meeting in London on Tuesday, the ICS board reviewed recent developments […]

   Pangea LNG (North America) Holdings, LLC, the Woodland’s, Texas-based subsidiary of the Netherlands-based Pangea LNG B.V, said Monday the Energy Department has granted it permission to export liquefied natural […]

   All 28 speakers at a public hearing Monday evening in Norfolk urged the Virginia Port Authority board of commissioners to reject proposals by APM Terminals and a consortium led by […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is asking the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) for additional information about its plan to expand its scope to include not only the inland container […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department has proposed an agreement to drop antidumping duties on imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico.    The department believes the draft agreement meets the requirements […]

   Classification society ABS said it will relocate its Northern European regional marine operations office from London to Hamburg, Germany.    “This relocation is part of ABS’ ongoing effort to […]

The discussion agreement will deploy more than 50 ships in the trade that will call at 30 ports in Asia, the North American east coast, Central America, the Caribbean, Indian Subcontinent, […]

The across-the-board general rate increase (GRI) applies to all dry and refrigerated cargo and will be in the amount of $400 per 40-foot container (FEU) to the U.S. West Coast […]

   A study released Tuesday has defined the modal and environmental advantages of using marine shipping to transport goods in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway region.    The Environmental and […]

   Crowley Maritime Corp. and Customized Brokers, the company’s customs broker, have opened a new cold storage warehouse facility, Crowley Fresh, located in Miami.    A joint offering from Crowley […]

   The supply chain executive software developer Accellos said Tuesday it has partnered with business and technology consultancy West Monroe Partners to add West Monroe’s proprietary FLEXdls labor management software […]

   Liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. has announced a general rate increase covering exports from Canada, the United States and Mexico to North Europe (including Scandinavia and the Baltic region) and West Mediterranean (including […]

Increases amount to 5 percent on tankers and 2 percent for containerships and car carriers, and 3 percent for other types of ships. Tolls vary based on type of vessel […]

Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said divers examined the ship on Sunday while discharging containers at the Suez Canal Container Terminal and found the flooding was caused by damage to one of […]

   The Port of West Sacramento in Northern California has released a request for interest (RFI) to identify potential business partners to lease or operate the port’s cargo facilities and […]

   The North Carolina State Ports Authority on Friday named Jeff Miles as acting executive director.    Miles has served in senior management positions in the port and maritime transportation […]

   After nine months on a seven-week rotation, the ocean carrier Maersk Line has further slowed its FM3 service between Asia and the Indian Subcontinent in order to skip a […]

George H. Cohen, director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said “local negotiations are ongoing and will continue without interruption to any port operation.”

   The logistics services provider GAC said Monday it has started construction of its new office and warehouse in Houston.    The facility is located in Houston’s Central Green Business […]

The U.S. federal mediator said “the tentative agreement is subject to the ratification procedures of both parties and, as well, to agreements being achieved in a number of local union […]

During past year, USDA has eliminated barriers, opened markets, secured the release of U.S. shipments held in foreign ports, and ensured the safe movement of agricultural products consistent with international standards.

   Japan’s largest shipping companies reported results for their third fiscal quarters, ending Dec. 31.    NYK, MOL, and “K” Line all have fiscal years that end on March 31. […]

“Though justified for decades as national security measures, many cabotage regulations… are motivated largely by protectionist concerns for local industries and employment,” the organization said.

“I think there is still a lot of skepticism and concern out there, rightfully so,” said Curtis Foltz, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, during an interview with American […]

   Roller coaster negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) are continuing today, with some sources saying Friday afternoon that the chances of a settlement […]

   DB Schenker Rail has been appointed to operate the Telford International Railfreight Park.    The company was appointed through formal EU procurement after the Telford & Wrekin Council consulted […]

James Capo, USMX’s CEO, said the two sides are “still bargaining,” but he could offer no further comment. In an update to members on its Facebook page, the ILA said yesterday […]

   Classification society ABS has formed an operational and environmental performance department.    “The shipping industry continues to deal with a weak and challenging market. Vessels and assets have to be […]

   Frank Peake, the former president of Sea Star Line, was found guilty this week after a two-week jury trial held in the U.S. District Court for the District of […]

   Crowley Maritime Corp. christened its newest tanker, Florida, on Wednesday at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.    The 46,000-deadweight-ton ship and a sister ship, Pennsylvania, that was delivered by Aker […]

   United Fresh, a large trade group representing shippers of fresh fruits and vegetables, will host a series of stakeholder meetings in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s […]

Stephen Berry, attorney for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association, said a vote on 16 contracts for 14 employers and members of the ILWU’s Local 63 Office Clerical Unit […]

“Where there is federal jurisdiction, we need the federal government to step up to the plate and be a stronger partner for our nation’s transportation infrastructure,” Kurt J. Nagle, the […]

   Hanjin Shipping said it had a net loss of 638 billion South Korean won in 2012 ($587 million), compared to 823.9 billion won in 2011.    The company’s operating […]

   The Pacific Northwest port of Tacoma handled 1.7 million TEUs in 2012, a 16 percent increase over the previous year and its best year since 2008.    Inbound containerloads […]

The ILA and its employers resumed contract negotiations on Tuesday, but sources say efforts to reform work rules and improve productivity in the Port of New York and New Jersey are […]

Both APM Terminals and a group that includes Maher Terminals and JPMorgan IIF Acquisitions LLC have submitted bids to privatize the VPA terminals under the state’s Public-Private Transportation Act of […]