American Shipper

   After a nine-month test phase, time:matters, the time-critical subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo, has introduced its Emergency.Solutions offering to customers in the automotive, aviation, engineering, and oil and gas industries.    The new service is part of Lufthansa Cargo’s premium product. Though time:matters is handling the new offering, future additions could be outsourced to industry […]

   Bremen, Germany-based logistics services provider Kieserling Group will merge with Indian firm Compass Ocean Logistics to form Compass Logistics International AG with 40 branches in 18 countries.    The new company, effective Jan. 1, will have dual headquarters in Bremen and Dubai.    Until recently, the Kieserling Foundation, set up by the owner Karsten Kieserling […]

   American Airlines Cargo has increased its sales offerings in Central America by appointing FlyUS as its sole general sales and services agent (GSSA).    FlyUs, based in San Jose, Costa Rica, is responsible for American’s cargo sales across eight cities in seven countries, including Guatemala City, Belize City, San Pedro Sula, San Jose, Tegucigalpa, […]

   Danny Wan has been named port attorney for the Port of Oakland, effective Dec. 17.    Currently he serves as city attorney and risk manager for Morgan Hill, Calif., where he is part of the city’s executive management team.    In his new job he will be responsible for advising the port on a […]

James A. Capo, chairman and CEO of USMX, issued a statement saying “ILA leaders view bargaining as a one-way street that leads only in their direction,” while ILA president Harold Daggett retorted “USMX has continually played one port against the other but that strategy will not succeed.”

   Amin Ravan, an Iranian citizen, and his Iran-based company, IC Market Iran (IMI), have been charged Tuesday with conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling, and violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) in connection with the illegal export of 55 military antennas from the United States to Singapore and Hong Kong, the U.S. […]

   U.S. Customs officers in Atlanta confiscated 870 counterfeit wool ski caps earlier this month.    The shipment had a manufacture’s suggested retail price of $15,500, Customs and Border Protection said.    The counterfeit ski caps resembled children’s cartoon characters. They were discovered during a physical exam of merchandise from Ecuador that was listed on the […]

   Thailand agreed during President Obama’s visit there this week to participate in the Proliferation Security Initiative.    The PSI is an international collaborative effort among more than 100 countries to stop the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and missile-related items. Participants agree to exchange relevant information on illegal arms shipments, interdict such shipments, and […]

The Tampa Bay port this week discharged more than 52,000 tons of Brazilian-produced corn from the ship King Fraser. The corn is being imported to offset drought-stricken U.S. production shortfalls and will be used for animal feed.

“Customers want the global player, they’ve gone more to strategic partnerships. So we felt the timing was right. Carmichael saw this too – they just didn’t have other services to offer,” said APL Logistics Vice President Tony Zasimovich.

The harbor employers said Tuesday “the OCU has reversed course and once again called an end to negotiations in a move signaling that further OCU-initiated disruption in the L.A./Long Beach ports is likely.”

About 150 employees demonstrated at various sites around the port and a half-dozen ships were not worked Tuesday. The port has been negotiating a new contract with SEIU Local 1021, which expired in July 2011.

   The Portland Oregonian newspaper is reporting that an Oregon state labor official will meet with representatives from the Port of Portland and a longshore local that represents 25 security guards on Saturday to try and broker a labor agreement.    The newspaper said failure to reach agreement could result in a strike that “could […]

   The holding company of CABKA North America Inc., CABKA GmbH in Germany, and Belgium-based IPS – Innova Packaging Systems NV will merge under the newly formed CABKA Group.    Until a joint brand is announced, the CABKA and IPS labels will remain intact, the companies said.    CABKA and IPS together will become a […]

   Classification society ABS has awarded Stevens Institute of Technology $3 million to create a new civil, mechanical and naval engineering laboratory complex in the Davidson Laboratory.    The new complex will bear the ABS name.    “Without question, this laboratory complex will be a proving ground where enterprising students can develop the skills they […]

   Baltimore-based freight forwarder and customs broker Samuel Shapiro & Company has appointed C. Walter Starr as its chief financial officer.    Starr joins Shapiro with more than 25 years of experience in accounting, finance, and management serving in a variety of corporate roles. He was previously CFO and vice president of finance and administration […]

   C.H. Robinson, a large global-logistics provider based near Minneapolis, on Monday announced the roll out of an enhanced technology platform that provides real-time updates on shipment status, standardizes systems across the enterprise and increases analytic capability.    The new platform, called Navisphere, is essentially a rebranded version of Robinson’s internal transportation management system with some added […]

   SAP said at a conference in Germany this week it will release updates to three of its key supply chain software modules.    The updates are for SAP’s Transportation Management, Extended Warehouse Management and Event Management applications.    The TM update is designed to improve ocean and air freight management; better integrate with the warehouse […]

   The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said Monday grain companies operating terminals along Columbia River and Puget Sound have given local workers a final contract offer that “demands deep concessions from workers, even though the companies have been successful under the current agreement and impasse has not been reached in negotiations.”    A group […]

USTR on Monday hosted the first meeting of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Commission (FTC), the body responsible for supervising the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and resolving issues.