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 could pose an oil pollution threat. Seventeen of the ships were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil […]
Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development have launched an initiative with Tunisia to establish trade in the region and internationally, and encourage the local growth of small and midsized businesses. The Office of the United States Trade Representative helped develop the initiative, which is part of the U.S-Tunisia Trade and Investment […]
Air freight rates out of Asia are slowly inching back up to February’s yearly high of $3.32 per kilogram, ending April at $3.21 per kilogram, a rise of $0.06 over March’s figure, according to the Drewry East-West Air Freight Price Index. The index measures the average per-kilogram price paid by forwarders to airlines […]
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 per container.
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 fuel prices remain stubbornly high and ocean carriers can no longer absorb the bill due to the parlous nature of their finances,” the London-based consultant […]
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 if supply chain stability is of importance.”
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. “Our total tonnage makes April the highest volume month on record,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz The GPA handled 258,951 TEU, 10,040 TEUs […]
The state of Virginia will open an international trade office in Canada this year to further promote exports of agriculture and forestry products, which hit an all-time high last year, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore recently reiterated. During remarks May 9 at the Virginia Maritime Association’s annual banquet in Norfolk, […]
March tonnage numbers for four airports spanning the United States – Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta amd Dallas-Fort Worth – paint a mixed picture of the health of U.S. airports, but the general trend is one of cargo activity decline.
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 supply and improve safety.
Port Logistics Group has added two new facilities spanning more than 1.1 million square feet to its retail distribution campus in City of Industry, Calif. The development now boasts more than 2.5 million square feet of space. The first new building, a 350,000-square-foot facility, will house new and existing clients. A 775,000-square-foot development […]
In its recently ended fiscal year, Virgin Atlantic Cargo boosted its market share on 30 routes, sometimes gaining up to 40 percent of the share of a given lane. That aggressiveness helped lead to cargo results that, despite a terrible cargo market, were basically flat when compared to the previous year. Virgin Cargo […]
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 time. On Saturday, 35 Mitsubishi wind blades made in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico were loaded on a vessel carrier operated by NYK-Hinode. […]
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 through the Panama Canal and barely able to enter fully laden in many U.S. East Coast ports due to its hull depth. Since renamed the […]
By Jerry Cook In my last column, I wrote about the recent study by Prof. Matthew Slaughter of Dartmouth University on American participation in complex global supply networks, and how this engagement with the world benefits our economy here at home. One of the most interesting findings of that report was that over 25 […]
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 to this problem because all the major political parties have committed to doubling and trebling our coal exports,” they said. The Australian Coal Association […]
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 to strict U.S. regulation under an agreement known as the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) since September 2005. The idea […]
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 the market on intermodal moves, even convincing some shippers to jettison their trailered transportation and hop on the tracks. Nearly a decade ago, KCS […]
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, a change in perception is taking place. No longer is “Made in Mexico” a phrase never to be uttered. American consumers and shippers alike […]
By Walter Kemmsies, chief economist, Moffatt & Nichol Energy is involved in every economic transaction and therefore affects not only transportation operations but the markets they serve. While the implications of rising energy demand are far too great to be discussed here, it is worth focusing on the possibility that natural gas will gain […]
