American Shipper

   On-demand supply chain management service provider SPS Commerce has paired up with Wicresoft to develop a supply chain solution specifically geared to China, Hong Kong, and Japan.    Wicresoft, an IT service developer that focuses on information technology infrastructure and business process outsourcing, will provide a baseline infrastructure for the service, including virtualized hardware […]

   The Stifel Nicolaus Logistics Confidence Index, a measure of European freight forwarder confidence, fell for the fifth straight month in September.    “Survey respondents indicated that the current forwarding and logistics environment continues to track below normal expectations for this time of year, registering 40.6 vs. 41.5 last month, and compared with a benchmark […]

   Two bellwethers of the freight transportation sector are showing relative weakness in their volume, signaling that the uneven U.S. economic recovery could be heading for another dip.    In a preview of its Oct. 23 quarterly earnings report, Norfolk Southern Corp., a Class I railroad operating in 22 eastern states, said it expected diluted earnings […]

   Maersk Line said Tuesday it will be making major adjustments to its Rumba service that connects the Indian Subcontinent and Middle East with the Mediterranean and the east coast of South America.    From November, the Danish line will be splitting the existing Rumba rotation into two distinct loops – one a six-ship Med/East […]

   Non-vessel operating common carrier Shipco Transport has started two new less-than-containerload (LCL) services from China to North America.    The services linked Ningbo to Houston and Huangpu to New York. Shipco will use liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. to offer a 20-day transit time to Houston and a 22-day transit time to Dallas from Ningbo. […]

   The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) and Virginia International Terminals (VIT) said they have created a special Web page dedicated to helping disseminate up-to-date local information to stakeholders and the public in the event of an East Coast labor stoppage.    The members of the International Longshoremen’s Association and U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents employers, […]

   Barloworld Logistics, a provider of logistics and supply chain services, has announced plans to expand its operations from the United Arab Emirates to Africa and the Persian Gulf.    According to analyst Ernst and Young, exports from the Middle East and Africa are predicted to grow by more than 12 percent over the next 10 years, while […]

   Supply chain specialist Virtualized Logistics has announced a series of vendor workshops to help customers manage their suppliers.    The company aims to alleviate the worry around the complexity of managing supplier relationships and negotiations.    Anna Warren, supply chain solutions manager for Virtualized Logistics, said many companies are interested in sourcing more products […]

   Japanese freight forwarder Yamato Global Logistics Japan Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $2.3 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix certain fees related to air cargo services from Japan to the United States, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.    As a result of the […]

   Tensions between China and Japan continue to rise over the disputed purchase by Japan of territorial islands between Okinawa and Taiwan.    The tension has spilled into the shipping world, with the Japanese ocean carrier “K” Line reportedly refusing to allow employees to travel to China, following on the heels of Japanese manufacturers closing […]

If a strike by the ILA or a lockout by employers occurs after the current contract expires, President Obama could use provisions within the Taft-Hartley Act to declare a national emergency and return the longshoremen and employers to the bargaining table.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) suggested that Patrick Stevedores, a subsidiary of Australian rail and ports operator Asciano Ltd., deceived them about their intention to fully automate its terminal at Port Botany in Sydney.

Michael A. Leone, port director at Massachusetts Port Authority, is retiring after 19 years at the agency. Under his leadership, Boston attracted container liner services from the Asia and improved both its cargo and cruise facilities.

The refrigerated air cargo container maker foresees healthy expansion of its business in Asia Pacific, with the region expected to grow in pharmaceutical sales by 97 percent and account for 29 percent of global pharma sales by 2016.

   The logistics company UTi Worldwide Inc. said Tuesday it has named two executives to handle global operations, processes and information technology as it attempts to streamline its organization and better align its freight forwarding, contract logistics and distribution businesses.    Edward Feitzinger has been appointed executive vice president of global operations, with responsibility for all […]

Ward    Tim Ward, longtime president of Alliance Air Services, said he will retire from Hillwood at the end of the year.    Ward has overseen the development and management of Fort Worth Alliance Airport since its inception in 1989, when it became the world’s first industrial airport.    Alliance Airport, developed in a public-private […]

   Schiphol Cargo, the cargo management arm of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, has appointed Hendriena Ritsema to director of strategic development.    She succeeds Harry Tomesen, who retired after 30 years with the airport.    Ritsema will be responsible for cargo aspects of the Dutch airport’s long-term development program, Schiphol SmartGate, and the development of the […]

   Veracode has announced a new solution for enterprises and their software vendors to protect against security breaches and data theft in vendor-supplied software and throughout the supply chain.    The company provides cloud-based application security testing and has launched a new Vendor Application Security Testing (VAST) that will provide an independent, automated, and fully outsourced […]

The European Commission said it’s considering a proposal in the coming months if the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is unable to reach an agreement on the means and measures for curbing ship emissions.

   The liner carrier Hamburg Süd said Tuesday it will assess a surcharge on shipments from the United States to St. Petersburg, Russia, in the coming weeks.    The surcharge, $75 per TEU, will be assessed from Oct. 18 from U.S. West Coast ports, and from Nov. 1 from U.S. East Coast ports.    The […]