News

   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 […]

   Steel exports increased in March over February by 6.1 percent based on government reporting reviewed by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS).    “The stronger showing for steel […]

   National Shipping of America (NSA) will start a new fortnightly service between Puerto Rico and the Port of Houston on May 29.    The company will operate its “Isla […]

   The United States has requested consultations with Bahrain under the Labor Chapter of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA).    The request follows a December 2012 report by the […]

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received six ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Jolaco International Procurement, […]

   A wind turbine commissioned in February 2012 at the Port of Milwaukee resulted in $5,000 net revenue for the port within the first nine months of operation, according to […]

Jolly Nero    As many as 10 people are feared dead and others injured, some seriously, following an accident at the Port of Genoa late Tuesday night.    The accident occurred […]

   Alphaliner is forecasting a record year for scrapping containerships.    In its latest newsletter, Alphaliner said vessels with a total capacity of 450,000 TEUs are expected to go to the breakers […]

   Panalpina had a consolidated profit of 14.3 million Swiss francs ($15.3 million) in the first quarter compared to a loss of 40.9 million francs in the first quarter of […]

   Textainer turned in revenues of $128.8 million in the first quarter, a 9.6-percent, year-over-year bump, and saw its income from operations rise by 11.9 percent to $76.1 million.    […]

   NUTEP, a container terminal operator in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, has finished the latest phase of its development program by completing an upgrade to its rail facilities. […]

   Canada said it’s adopting strict environmental standards to reduce air emissions from ships navigating in Canadian waters, and these changes further align the country’s air emission standards with those of […]

   Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) said it has begun upgrading its U.S.-flag fleet by replacing eight existing ships with eight newer and larger containerships at a cost of about $500 million. […]

   C.R. England has promoted Brandon Harrison and Zach England to the position of chief operating officers.    Harrison will oversee the trucking company’s national, regional, and Mexico divisions and […]

   Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) Corp., North American agents for Evergreen Line, will return to its headquarters office at One Evertrust Plaza in Jersey City on May 10, following major repairs. […]

The U.S.-flag container carrier, which offers services between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii and Guam, as well as an eastbound service from China, said it had a profit of $9.1 million […]

“As the container shipping industry is a zero-sum game, carriers are de facto forced to match each others’ rate declines in order to maintain their vessel utilization,” said Lars Jensen, […]

“Through our new name and brand, we are re-dedicating ourselves to our mission of promoting steel drums as an affordable, safe and sustainable option for transporting a wide range of […]

   In response to increased demand from Europe, logistics software provider Catapult International has opened an office in Hamburg, Germany.    This expansion complements Catapult’s other offices located throughout the […]

   Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has acquired total ownership in the Spanish crane refurbishment and maintenance company Mareiport, S.A.    The acquisition is an important step for Kalmar to become […]

   MOL said it will start offering a new Asia-Mexico Express Service, joining a string operated by Hapag-Lloyd.    Designated AME by MOL and AME 1 by Hapag-Lloyd, MOL joins […]

   Purolator International, a provider of U.S.-Canada logistics services, has opened three new branch offices in Columbus, Ohio; Newark, N.J.; and Phoenix, bringing their total number of 33 branches.    […]

   Dockworkers in Hong Kong have decided to end a 40-day strike after securing a promise of a 9.8 percent wage increase and improved working conditions.    The Union of […]

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) said five ships it will build for China Shipping Container Lines will be capable of carrying 18,400 TEUs. The vessels are scheduled to be handed over […]

Speaking during a reception for customers held in Elizabeth, N.J., Lea Bogatch-Genossar, president of Zim America, said the company’s Zim Container Service Pacific (ZCP) is adding the Virginia port with […]

Atlantic Cartier, one of the combination container-roll-on/roll-off ships operated by Atlantic Container Line in its transatlantic liner service, was damaged last week during a fire in Hamburg. Two hundred firefighters […]

   North Carolina’s Port of Wilmington will now offer shippers direct access to Manzanillo, Panama, and Puerto Moin, Costa Rica, in addition to Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and Santo Tomas, Guatemala, […]

   Interlake Steamship Co., an operator of bulk vessels on the Great Lakes, has reached an agreement in principle with Shell to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to support the […]

   COSCO, Hanjin, and Yang Ming said they will launch a new service connecting Germany, Russia and Finland later this month.    The RFS (Russia–Finland Service) service will use three […]

Members voted in favor of a new six-year contract by a vote of 632-18, according to Dennis A. Daggett, president of Local 1804-1 and the chief negotiator for the maintenance […]

   Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has been selected as a bidder for the redevelopment of the Webb Dock West automotive terminal by Australia’s Port of Melbourne Corp.    WWL currently […]

   The Port of Pittsburgh Commission is building a wireless broadband network along the rivers in Pittsburgh and is seeking partners to explore new applications for transportation, safety, security and […]

   Rickmers-Linie has added a 10th vessel on its eastbound Round-the-World Pearl String Service by taking delivery of the Rickmers Savannah on long-term charter.    The 30,000-deadweight-ton Savannah, which was […]

   With dimensions that might have stunned even France’s greatest writer of science fiction, CMA CGM said the third in a series of 16,000-TEU containerships, CMA CGM Jules Verne, will […]

Recyclers in the United States and Europe are concerned about these proposed exemptions because their investments in businesses to dismantle or shred e-waste and transform it into commodities will be […]

The South Korean liner carrier predicted “even though some difficulties are inevitable due to supply growth, numbers in the second quarter will improve through continued rate restoration efforts and active cost […]

   Attempts by container carriers to tackle surplus capacity are being undone as new orders for ultra large container vessels (ULCVs) make the headlines, said London-based Drewry, in a press […]

   Domestic intermodal container volume ticked up 10.2-percent, year over year, during the first quarter, making it the sixth consecutive quarter of increases of more than 10 percent, according to […]

   Eurogate said its container terminal in Wilhelmshaven is enhancing its competitiveness by offering hinterland connections by rail at the same prices as other German ports.    “Eurogate Group rail operators Eurogate […]

   Horizon Lines said it lost $20.1 million in the first quarter of its current fiscal year compared to $26.8 million in the same 2012 period.    Horizon, which operates […]

Allegretti    The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), a trade organization for the U.S. shipping industry, said Thomas Allegretti has been elected as its new chairman.    Allegretti is president and chief […]

The Chilean liner shipping company said shareholders meeting in Valparaiso this week approved a plan to increase capital by $500 million that will be used to purchase seven 9,300-TEU ships […]

SA Recycling, a long-time exporter of scrap metal through the port, is working with CML Metals Corp. to send iron ore from mines in Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada to […]

   Hong Kong Radio Television said striking dockworkers are expected to return to the bargaining table on Thursday for a fifth day of talks after little progress was made in […]

   The information service Alphaliner says spot freight rates from China to Europe have crashed.    “Spot freight rates from China to Europe are currently offered at $700-$800 per TEU, […]

The Washington-based NCBFAA wants exemptions pertaining to non-vessel-operating common carrier negotiated rate arrangements (NRAs) extended to foreign-based, unlicensed NVOs as well as U.S.-licensed companies.

   Maher Terminals has appointed Gary Cross as president and chief executive officer.    Cross joined Maher in 1978 as a management trainee in the safety department and has held […]

   U.S. trade officials are stepping up the pressure on members of the World Trade Organization to advance a “small package” outcome at the upcoming 9th Ministerial Meeting at Bali, […]

   Southern California-based ocean freight consolidator DGX will start a weekly all-water service from Los Angeles to Guayaquil, Ecuador, effective May 7.    “With an aggressive transit time of only […]

Japan’s three large container carriers, which operate with a fiscal year that runs from April 1 to March 31, on Tuesday reported their results for the 2012-2013 fiscal year ending […]

   President Obama has named Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx to succeed Ray LaHood as secretary of transportation.    Foxx must now be confirmed by the Senate before taking his post. […]

   Two members of Congress from Southern California are urging the City of Los Angeles and BNSF Railway to take further steps to mitigate the environmental effects of a planned […]

   Maersk Line has named Stephen Richard Schueler as chief commercial officer, effective May 27.    He replaces Lucas Vos, who leaves the position at the liner carrier on May […]

It’s not clear how the company will deploy the ships. Maersk and most large shipping companies have deployed their largest ships in the Asia-Europe trade lane, but such strings generally […]

   For the first 16 weeks of the year, total railroad traffic in the United States has grown by nearly 1 percent over 2012’s figures, according to the Association of American […]

The Chinese liner company’s report to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange said its container shipping business had revenue of 9.2 billion yuan in the first quarter, 14.3 percent more than in […]

Hong Kong-based OOCL had revenue of $1.36 billion in the quarter, 3.6 percent more than in the same 2012 period. Container volumes in the first quarter were 1,241,454 TEUs, down […]

   Sea Star Line said it has increased its refrigerated container fleet by 25 percent in the past year to better serve the Puerto Rico trade.    The company said […]

   Industry leaders concurred during testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the freight transportation industry is doing a lot to make fleets greener, but said Congress could help reduce air pollution […]

   UTi Worldwide has opened a new multi-client logistics center in New Taipei City, Taiwan.    The facility, measuring 461,000 square feet, is located about 20 minutes from Taiwan Taoyuan […]

   Kuehne + Nagel is opening an office in the Russian Far East port city of Vladivostok.    The new office will be managed by the operation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk where K+N […]

   Just when you think it couldn’t happen — not in this day in age when communications are instant and regulatory oversight abounds — somewhere along the supply chain someone […]

   This case highlights the importance of clean equipment when carrying ingredients for moving food.    In 2006, Cargill and Ron Burge Trucking entered into a motor transport agreement that […]

   During the 19th and early 20th centuries, logs were frequently transported in rafts, and sometimes sank to the bottom of rivers. Aqua Log is a company that recovers sunken […]

Terminal operating systems developers use economic downturn to focus on new technologies. By Eric Johnson    During the depth of the economic recession in 2009 came an inflection point for investment in container terminal […]

   Not everything shipped by rail fits in an intermodal container, gondola, hopper, or box car. For high, wide or oversize loads railroads such as BNSF Railway use specialized railcars.    Products hauled by […]

Ports, terminals prepare for challenges from bigger ships, expanding alliances. By Chris Dupin    Ports and terminals in the United States and worldwide will have to accommodate growing numbers of […]

First Solar counts on carriers, 3PLs to deliver materials safely to project sites. By Chris Dupin    While clouds have been hanging over the solar energy industry in recent years due […]

‘The transition continues and there is no turning back.’ By Chris Dupin    Container carriers are continuing the push to reduce the size of their U.S. chassis fleets, but their […]

   Thanks for bringing the important topic of the Trendset freight payment matter to the shipper community’s attention.    In my 30-plus years in the business, I have never quite […]

A leading U.S.-flag shipowners’ group said a proposal by the Obama administration to allow more purchasing of food abroad and eliminating requirements that it be carried on U.S. merchant ships would […]

   Evergreen said it will launch a new weekly direct service next month linking central China with the U.S. West Coast.    The China-Pacific South West Service (CPS2) will employ […]

The $743.3 million contract was issued to a joint venture of Skanska Koch and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. as part of a $1.29 billion project to raise the bridge so bigger ships can […]

Ocean carriers are reaping big savings through slow steaming and using larger vessels, but a Germanischer Lloyd official said significant additional benefits can be realized through adopting improved technology.

   The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security said Computerlinks FZCO of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has agreed to pay a $2.8 million civil penalty following allegations […]

   The Obama administration said it’s looking forward to stronger trade relations with Vietnam through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.    Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis on Wednesday […]

   It’s become an article of faith for some in the transportation industry that ocean shipping’s move to larger ships will be a boon to the environment.    But speaking […]

   The Obama administration Wednesday notified Congress of its intent to include Japan in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations.    This notification follows an announcement on April 12 that […]

   The news in early April that freight payment and audit services provider Trendset was beset by internal embezzlement and fraud has struck a nerve among shippers on how best […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department has selected 20 companies to join its deputy secretary, Rebecca Blank, on an infrastructure business development trade mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; and […]

   Bowhead Transport Co. and Crowley Marine Services said they will set up a joint venture to provide marine services in Alaska’s Arctic.    The entity will operate as UIC […]

   VTG Aktiengesellschaft, a European railcar and logistics services provider, and Kuehne + Nagel, a large logistics firm, are planning to merge parts of their rail logistics activities.     Both parties entered a letter of intent this […]

   Paul Fisher, president and chief executive officer of industrial real estate developer CenterPoint Properties Trust, announced his retirement.    Fisher was one of the founders of the company in […]

   The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday morning that the Port of Mobile was open following an explosion Wednesday evening aboard a gasoline barge owned by Kirby Inland Marine.    […]

   Maersk Line will discontinue its participation in two direct services, its West Med and Med Gulf strings, later this spring in favor of a feeder network to serve Mediterranean […]

   Steel imports fell again in March by 1.3 percent compared to February, based on preliminary U.S. government reporting analyzed by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS).    “After […]

Hong Kong’s Labor Secretary, Matthew Cheung, met with striking dock workers on Monday and urged them to return to the negotiating table. The workers are employed by subcontractors at Hong […]

   Swift Transportation turned in operating revenue of $856.8 million during the first three months of the year, a result the company is touting as record first quarter revenue.    […]

“The lack of investigation and accident reports hinders the development of appropriate measures by IMO to address the cause of serious incidents in which seafarers may have lost their lives.” […]

“Where the cargo to fill the extra capacity is going to come from has not yet been defined,” the London-based firm said, adding it appeared carriers expect to entice some cargo […]

While the new containerships will result in a big infusion of capacity in the Asia-Europe trade, “we will put them in over a prolonged period and we will take out a […]

A report released this month estimates the cost of Somalia Piracy was around $5.7 billion-$6.1 billion in 2012, despite notable gains achieved by private armed security guards and aggressive naval […]

   Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett visited the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Thursday to welcome Horizon Lines to the Port of Philadelphia.  PA Governor Tom Corbett welcomes […]