American Shipper

   The California-based technology developer Cargo Data Corp. said Monday it has developed two radio frequency solutions designed to automate in-transit temperature-monitoring programs.    The solutions are aimed at the many perishable-receiving operations that rely on conventional digital temperature recorders, which must be connected to a computer running proprietary software to view and print a temperature […]

   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, and transport containerized cargo, other than agricultural products, at or through the port.”    Under the proposed law, the port district may enter into contracts […]

   FedEx has launched its Integration Manager, a tool that allows shippers to process shipments from multiple stores in one online platform.    The tool is geared to small businesses, allowing them to enter information for stores ranging from Amazon, Etsy and eBay, making a multiple store function one.    “As any business owner who manages […]

   Airbus is scrapping its plans to run its brand-new A350 XWB on lithium ion batteries and opting for nickel cadmium.    In a statement, Airbus said it’s confident in its lithium ion technology, but made the battery switch to keep the A350 development moving forward without any hiccups.    Airbus’ A350 XWB is scheduled to […]

   Air cargo rates for transpacific shipments continued to fall in January, continuing a trend that began after a spike in November, according to Drewry’s new East-West Airfreight Price Index.    Last month, the average price per kilo of air cargo routing out of the United States stood at $3.25, nearly 40 cents below last year’s […]

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 productivity linked to an ongoing labor dispute.

Fourth-quarter results presented further disappointment for the express carrier, showing a 0.5-percent, year-over-year, decline in revenue to 1.86 billion euros, coupled with an operating income loss of 71 million euros.

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 Canada, the United States and Mexico to North Europe and the Mediterranean by $150 per 20-foot container and $200 per 40-foot container.    In the westbound transatlantic direction […]

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 Safety Committee on Thursday, according to several media reports.    The rules follow a Jan. 7 accident when an empty oil tanker, the Overseas Reymar, […]

   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 at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.     Roundtrip voyage time on the service has decreased from 42 days to 35 days, and transit times westbound from […]

   CSX Transportation has reversed its decision to double train speeds to 60 mph through downtown Muncie, Ind., after the city’s mayor complained about the risk of more accidents at street crossings, according to a recent article in The Star-Press newspaper.    CSX currently slows freight trains down from 60 mph to 30 mph to travel […]

   Developer CenterPoint Properties last week said it recently closed the $83 million acquisition of a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center occupied by bookstore Barnes & Noble in Monroe, N.J.    It was the largest amount ever paid by Chicago-based CenterPoint for a single building and brings its holdings in the New Jersey market to 2.9 million square feet.    Barnes & […]

   The logistics services company Port Logistics Group has entered a partnership with TAGSYS RFID, a global provider of item-level inventory management systems.    The agreement will enable Port Logistics Group to offer radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions to its customers at their U.S. gateway facilities. The companies will also partner on development and deployment […]

   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, will recognize six honorees this year. They include New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Morton S. Bouchard III, president and chief executive officer of […]

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 2012 was higher than its forecast last year, which was $650 per ton.

   Southern California’s two ports saw divergent trends in cargo volumes in the first month of 2013, according to figures released Thursday.    Long Beach saw total January volume climb 17.5 percent year-on-year to 536,263 TEUs, including a 19.5 percent jump in loaded import volume to 273,918 TEUs.    Los Angeles, meanwhile, saw total volume […]

   OIA Global has acquired the materials sourcing division of Portland, Ore.-based PACCESS.    Details of the transaction were not released.    However, OIA Chief Executive Officer Charlie Hornecker said recent acuqisitions, including the purchase of PACCESS’ division, have helped OIA nearly double the size of its sourcing business. He expects an employee ramp up of 10 […]

   DSV has agreed to acquire Denmark-based Seatainers Group for an undisclosed amount.    The transaction will close once approval is granted by competition authorities.     Seatainers — which has a portfolio of warehousing and logistics solutions, and air, sea and road services — specializes in large freight moves. Project-related activities will account for 60 percent […]