News

   Two wind turbines were installed this week at the Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) bottling plant in Cabazon, Calif., which will provide 30 percent of the facility’s electricity.    […]

   The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) said CMA CGM is adding the Port of Charleston to its Pacific Express 3 (PEX 3) weekly service, providing an additional connection for […]

   APM Terminals said a push to improve efficiency at its marine terminals was successful last year with crane lifts per hour – a key indicator – improving “no less than […]

   New Jersey-based logistics software provider Aljex Software on Wednesday said it has released a new product for rail intermodal management.    The new solution, Vision Intermodal, operates within Aljex […]

The Pacific Northwest grain terminal operator said its decision was based on evidence that shows two significant attempts to sabotage export equipment were carried out by a member of ILWU […]

   DHL Supply Chain will invest 40 million euros ($52 million) in Indonesia during the next few years, more than doubling its vehicle fleet, increasing its employment base by nearly two […]

   What this past year has taught the shipping industry is just how powerful unionized dock labor on both coasts has become in the United States and how much of […]

Suez routings to U.S. East Coast increase with bigger, more efficient ships. By Chris Dupin    As work continues on the expansion of the Panama Canal, fuel has gotten extremely expensive […]

   The Port of Savannah soared into prominence in the container shipping business back in 1984, when Malcom McLean, then head of United States Lines, made the Georgia seaport, along […]

   In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a homeowner who said his floating home was not a vessel and therefore not subject to arrest under maritime […]

   In a summary order, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2011 decision by the District Court for the Southern District of New York confirming an arbitration award […]

   Forget the Great Wall of China and mighty Amazon River, NASA has posted an image on its Global Climate Change Website that shows global shipping routes can be seen […]

By Eric Kulisch    Several dozen freight industry professionals involved in container shipping met in Chicago last summer to discuss ways to increase exports by ocean container. A big part […]

   In fiscal year 2012, ended Sept. 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers processed more than $2.3 billion in trade and 25 million containers (ocean boxes, and intermodal containers […]

Proximity to West Florida port is key attraction for LNG equipment maker. By Chris Dupin    The natural gas industry in the United States is booming and dozens of shipping terminals […]

   Speed is “an underestimated factor in the current supply-demand balances in shipping,” said Petter Haugen, an industry analyst at DNB Bank in Oslo.    Speaking late last year at […]

By Eric Kulisch    The Union Pacific Railroad has taken several steps in the past year to increase capacity on its network for agricultural products, many of which are destined […]

   Despite Maersk Line’s decision to start rerouting its TP7 service through the Suez instead of the Panama Canal, 13 of the 32 liner services that used the waterway as […]

   Liner carrier Maersk has announced a general rate increase that will go into effect April 1 on cargo moving in dry containers between the Mediterranean and the United States […]

A proposed law, H.B. 1719, that would force the ports of Seattle and Tacoma to employ drayage truck operators to move containerized cargo, was approved 5-4. The bill may be […]

   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will start inspecting cantaloupe packinghouses, specifically targeting Listeria, during the 2013 growing season to assess current industry practices and identify unsanitary conditions that […]

The European Shippers Council has proposed that problems related to misdeclared container weights can be dealt with through better exchange of information between shippers and container liner companies.

   Toyota said Tuesday it will begin exporting U.S.-assembled Venza autos to Russia and the Ukraine via the Port of Brunswick, Ga.    Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of […]

   After a nearly 1-percent gain in December, the Chemical Production Regional Index rose by 0.7 percent in January, according to the American Chemistry Council.    Chemical production increased across all […]

   NewAge Software & Solutions, a provider of enterprise applications for freight forwarding and logistics companies, has moved into the North American market, led by industry veterans Michael Sinclair and […]

Transit times eastbound from the Mediterranean to South Korea and China have improved by about seven days, as vessels will no longer slow steam one week on the return leg […]

The British Columbia port said increasing the number of trucks with GPS transponder units “will provide an even more accurate, real-time base of data enabling greater insight to routing, operational […]

   Lars Jensen, chief executive officer of the Danish maritime research firm SeaIntel, said his firm expects 48 super-post-Panamax vessels to enter Asia-Europe trade in 2013, and for some existing […]

   January’s bump in the air cargo market came simply because of the ramp up to the Chinese New Year, and those in the air cargo industry should expect a […]

The Singapore-based carrier said it had a net loss of $98 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to a loss of $320 million in the fourth quarter of […]

   Assisted by improved results from its container shipping subsidiary Maersk Line, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group reported improved profit in the fourth quarter and for the whole year 2012 when compared to […]

   The Port of Charleston handled 121,286 TEUs in January, 7.7 percent more than the same month in 2012.    It was another good month for the port, which handled 892,387 TEUs […]

   APM Terminals said it has entered a final agreement with Petkim to create and operate for 28 years the Aegean Gateway Terminal (AGT), close to Izmir.    APMT said […]

CMA CGM announces rate hikes

   French ocean carrier CMA CGM has announced the following general rate increases:    On March 15, the rate on dry and refrigerated cargoes from India and Pakistan to the […]

   International Shipholding Corp. said Thursday it had closed on the sale of $25 million of cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock at $100 per share.    Dividends will be payable […]

Late Wednesday the OCU bargaining units voted and agreed to ratify the terms of tentative agreements reached with the Harbor Employers Association member companies on Dec. 4, 2012.

“Any move to eliminate these important U.S. commodity donation programs would be shortsighted, ineffective, and could ultimately jeopardize national security and merchant mariner jobs,” warned the USA Maritime chairman.

   Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton made clear in an interview last week that he and Gov. Bob McDonnell will have the final say over whether to sell operating rights […]

   The Danish newspaper Børsen has reported the European short-sea operator Unifeeder has been put up for sale by its owner, the private equity firm Montagu and Maersk Line has […]

   Matson Logistics, a provider of multimodal transportation, warehousing, and distribution services, has obtained distribution center space in Savannah, Ga.    “Our new operation expands on our ability to move […]

   The Scientific Commission for the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recommended Wednesday that the United States’ risk classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease, be […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday determined that Chinese-made stainless steel sinks are dumped on the U.S. market, as well as benefit from export subsidies from the Chinese government. […]

   The U.S. International Trade Commission has initiated the second of two investigations into the role of digital trade in the United States and global economies.    The investigation, Digital Trade […]

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank has partnered with World Business Chicago to launch the so-called Chicago Trade Accelerator, a program that will provide new resources for small area businesses that are […]

Andreas Dombret, board member at Deutsche Bundesbank, said in a speech in Hamburg Monday that “the financing of shipping undoubtedly represents a substantial regional and sectoral risk in the banking […]

   Maersk said it’s increasing rates from East Asia to the United States on April 1.    To the U.S. East Coast, the increases will be $480 per 20-foot container, $600 […]

Rep. Roger Freeman, the prime sponsor of the bill, H.B. 1719, said “there are injustices in the Port of Seattle and trucking business” and was introducing the bill to help […]

   The procurement solutions provider CombineNet has extended an existing deal with transportation management systems and third party logistics services provider Transplace, the companies said Tuesday.    The agreement will […]

The union, which represents 4,500 to 5,000 licensed deck officers and retirees on board U.S.-flag ships, said the members of its offshore group have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a series […]

On Feb. 16, 30 armed men forced their way into a warehouse in the Sao Paulo-based industrial park Centro Logistico Brasil, stealing an unknown number of tablet computers and smartphones, […]

“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, […]