News

   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 […]

   AES Logistics and Aljex Software said Thursday the two companies have integrated AES Logistics rates into Aljex hosted software for quick access by Aljex users.    AES is a […]

Once developed, the mine, which is located about 550 kilometers south of the capital city Ulaanbaatar, will be one of the largest copper mines in the world. It will also count as […]

The London-based firm said its global freight rate index, which covers 600 trade routes, fell 12 percent in April to reach its lowest level since February 2012, when container shipping was still recovering from […]

U.S. exports of transportation equipment, petroleum and coal products, processed food, and computers and electronics have risen to Colombia, while U.S. farmers saw growth for soybean, wheat, grape, pork, and […]

Starting with the voyage of the ship Suape Express (1316N), the GS1 will replace the northbound call of Caucedo, Dominican Republic with Cartagena, Colombia. The first call in Cartagena will […]

   Rickmers Holding GmbH & Cie. KG, the parent of the Rickmers Group of shipping companies, intends to issue corporate bonds of up to 200 million euros ($258 million).    […]

   The Coast Guard has completed an environmental assessment of a plan by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to increase the clearance or “air draft” beneath […]

   DHL Supply Chain will invest 10 million euros ($12.9 million) in Vietnam over the next two years, hiring new staff, upgrading current infrastructure and building a new facility in […]

   Mark Ivey Sheppard, vice president for trade and development for the Alabama State Port Authority, died Tuesday at his home following a brief illness. He was 61 years old. […]

   Heavy ice cover on the Great Lakes that stretched well into April slowed resumption of the region’s limestone trade, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association.    Shipments totaled only 1.8 […]

   The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), along with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), MAIZAR, representing Argentinian producers and the maize supply chain, and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) […]

The German liner carrier said “Europe-America and Far East services contributed in particular to this growth. Pleasing performance was seen, too, in some of the inter-America services.” Mediterranean services fell below […]

The liner carrier had a net loss of 93.6 million euros ($120 million) in the first quarter 2013, but considered an improvement over the net loss of 132.4 million euros recorded […]

   Hapag-Lloyd has announced substantial rate increases and a peak season surcharge in the Asia-Europe trade.    They include: $1,000-per-TEU general rate increase on the Far East Westbound trade, effective […]

   Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez will lead a civil nuclear trade policy mission to Vietnam and China, May 17-23.    Representatives from 18 companies, law firms, […]

   The Montreal Port Authority said the Canadian Coast Guard has authorized the passage of vessels up to 44 meters wide in the Quebec-Montreal section of the St. Lawrence navigation […]

   A half dozen container shipping lines say they will restructure their services between the Far East and South America east coast.    The Chilean carrier CSAV said the changes are […]

   Yusen Logistics (Americas) will open a new 229,000-square-foot warehouse in Chicago on May 20 that will employ 170 people.    The warehouse will include 185,000 square feet dedicated to […]

Matsuda    David T. Matsuda, head of the Maritime Administration, plans to leave the agency at the end of the month.    In a memorandum sent to industry leaders to […]

   SeaIntel Maritime Analysis says some carriers appear to be moving freight in the Asia-Europe trade lane at below the price of fuel.    In the most recent issue of […]

   United Arab Shipping Co. said an explosion Saturday morning in the engine room of its ship Asir, while en route from Suez to Jeddah, injured three officers.    The ship […]

   Lloyd’s List reported China Shipping Group Chairman Li Shaode has confirmed the five 18,400-TEU ships his company has ordered will be deployed in a 10-year joint service with United Arab […]

   The Port of Seattle promoted Kurt Beckett to deputy chief executive officer with primary responsibility for port infrastructure development and internal operations.    The move will allow Tay Yoshitani, […]

   Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, or TWIC cards, were described as a “joke” during hearings before the U.S. House of Representative’s Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee last week.    The hearings came […]

   Charles “Wick” Moorman will give up his duties as president of Norfolk Southern Corp. to James Squires, who has been promoted from vice president administration, effective June 1, the company […]

The liner said its petroleum services group is entering the liquefied natural gas market by acquiring Carib Energy, a Florida-based company that was founded in 2011 to export LNG to industrial […]

   IAS Logistics will expand its Texas hub-and-spoke trucking operation to Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami.    No timeline for the expansion has been released.    The carrier’s services currently […]

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a final commitment for a $45.5 million loan guarantee to VRG Linhas Aereas S.A. (GOL), a Brazilian airline.    The financing will support the […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has proposed to amend its rules to allow the import of fresh jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia […]

   Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez arrived in Hong Kong Thursday with representatives from a group of U.S. companies to start off the Trade Winds Asia 2013. […]

   With large quantities of sugar currently on the domestic market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will use its waiver authority under the Refined Sugar Re-Export Program to temporarily permit […]

Hutchison Port Holdings Management said a wage increase proposal put forth by the external contractors at its Hongkong International Terminals, providing a 9.8 percent pay rise, has been accepted by […]

   DHL Global Forwarding has added daily intermodal services from Shanghai and a weekly service from Chengdu to the European border.    The offerings will use a combination of rail […]

   The Messenger Courier Association of America (MCAA) has changed its name to the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA).    The rebranding effort was announced today by CLDA president, […]

The guide was created to help U.S. small and midsized businesses overcome one of their major export challenges, how to get paid from export sales, thereby helping turn their export […]