News

“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 […]

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 […]

   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 […]

“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,” […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   A long-planned barge service between the Ports of Stockton and Oakland, Calif., began operation on Sunday evening.    A barge loaded with 32 40-foot containers filled with animal feed […]

   Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.6 million tons in May, a decrease of 11.3 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. […]

   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,” […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   Intermodal traffic rose 3 percent, year over year, to 1.21 million containers and trailers, according to the Association of American Railroads. May’s weekly average for intermodal traffic stood at […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

    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.

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

      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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

    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 […]

Maersk announces rate hikes

   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 […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

The plan raises the local share of the $733 million project from $189 million to $383 million, with $95 million of that increase for terminal improvements necessary to accommodate the deeper […]

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.

   The U.S. Commerce Department has found shippers of certain frozen shrimp in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam receive government subsidies, while those in Ecuador and Indonesia do not. […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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 […]

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.

   The Mexican government is stepping up its implementation of recently introduced streamline audit procedures for the verification of textile products entering the country.    The procedures seek to avoid […]

   Vice President Joe Biden and Haitian President Michel Martelly signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) this week in Port of Spain which will provide a forum for […]

   The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has upgraded the United States’ risk classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease, to negligible risk.    “This is a […]

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 […]

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 […]

   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), […]

   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 […]

   Fednav Ltd., the largest bulk carrier in Canada, will add six new vessels to its fleet.    Ordered from Sumitomo Corp. and Oshima Shipyard in Japan, the vessels will add […]

   PECO Pallet has opened a new depot in Hazleton, Pa.    The facility, located about 95 miles north of Philadelphia, offers services such as sorting, repairing, storing, and reissuing […]

   The massive agriculture processor Archer Daniels Midland Co. continues to heavily invest in transportation infrastructure to move commodities around the world and expects governments and its business partners to make […]

   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 […]

   To take further advantage of the increased trade between the United States and Mexico, CEVA has added a bonded trucking program targeted at Mexican importers and a new intermodal […]

   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 […]

    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 […]

   Norbert Dentressangle has purchased the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese logistics operations of Fiege for an undisclosed amount.    By picking up Fiege Borruso and FLI spa, a pharmaceutical operation, […]

   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 […]

   U.S. steel imports increased 4.2 percent in April compared to March, according to preliminary government reporting analyzed by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS).    “Imports increased in […]

   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 […]

   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, […]

   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 […]

“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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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, […]

   Total domestic rail activity ticked up 2.6 percent last week compared to the same week last year, reaching 535,835 carloads and intermodal units, according to the Association of American […]

   Truckload linehaul rates rose 2 percent in April, continuing a slow but steady price increase seen the beginning of the year, according to Cass Information Systems.    Intermodal only […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

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.

   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 […]

   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.    […]

   The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday awarded a $10.9 million TIGER 2012 grant to the City of West Memphis, Ark., to expand the city’s port.    “Once the expansion […]

“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.

The ocean carrier’s liner services group is adding more than 3,000 pieces of cargo handling equipment to its fleet. The new equipment will be used to serve shippers in its Puerto Rico, […]

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Shipco Transport will start a joint venture with its longtime partner and agent Profreight in Auckland, New Zealand.    Shipco New Zealand will take over all […]

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Ecu-Line has made several changes to its Far East management.    “This step has been taken as part of the long-term development strategy for the region,” […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   DHL Supply Chain announced that it will invest INR 650 million ($11.7 million) in its new 320,000-square-foot warehouse in Luhari, Delhi, anchored by Proctor & Gamble.    The company […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   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 […]

   Ocean carrier Sea Star Line has appointed Tim Nolan to executive vice president.    Nolan has an extensive background in liner shipping, including management experience in Chile, as well as […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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 […]

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 […]

   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.    […]

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 […]

   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 […]

   Remember back to 1996 when Maersk introduced the 6,400-TEU Regina Maersk to the Europe-Asia trade?    Then the vessel was considered the giant of the sea, unable to fit […]

   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 […]

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 […]

Kansas City Southern markets border-crossing alternative to trucks. By Jon Ross    The current boom in Mexican trade has mostly benefitted truck carriers, but Kansas City Southern is trying to corner […]

Mexico, once again, becomes attractive to U.S. shippers. By Jon Ross    In today’s burgeoning trade between the United States and Mexico, a business that reached nearly $500 billion in 2012, […]

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 […]

United States expects to bolster trade with South America, hastening liner carrier service changes. By Chris Dupin    In the past month, the Obama administration has been drawing renewed attention to […]

   In late April, a joint venture by ACM Shipping and broker GFI Group exited the container derivatives market.    A GFI spokeswoman said the firm might return someday to […]

   Atlanta is the new Miami. Dallas-Forth Worth is the new Los Angeles. If only targeting a new air cargo gateway were as easy as making a simple declaration of […]

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Vanguard Logistics Services has started new services from Batam, Indonesia to global destinations.    Many Indonesian and multinational manufacturers operate on the small island of Batam, […]

   Maersk Line made a profit of $204 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared to a loss of $599 million in the first quarter of 2012. It said […]