American Shipper

Congressional conferees are close to a deal on a two-year highway transportation bill that maintains current spending levels and institutes policy changes to speed up delivery of construction projects and consolidate transportation programs.

Government officials found no stowaways on a containership docked in Newark, N.J. The search was ordered after a Coast Guard boarding crew thought they heard a knocking sound from within a container during a routine inspection.

   Congress passed the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act this week, but did not include a provision aimed at improving supply chain safety.    Among other things, the legislation will “for the first time, enable the FDA to: regularly inspect foreign drug manufacturing facilities, which supply 80 percent of the ingredients in […]

   The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has revised plans for raising tolls following an outcry by shipping companies over the increases.    The ACP board of directors  said it will defer increases from July 1 to October 2012, with a second increase in October 2013.    “At the request of the industry, implementation of the new […]

   A broad range of European transport organizations this week urged the European parliament to safeguard a 32 billion euro budget allocated to transport infrastructure between 2014 and 2020.    “Achieving a complete and integrated resource-efficient and sustainable transport network, covering and interconnecting all modes, member states and regions must be seen as an essential investment […]

The outlook for most of the deep water U.S. Merchant Marine may not be rosy, but John Thackrah, executive director of the Military Sealift Command, said his organization is “growing.”

“Industrial action of varying lengths and degrees has already affected normal port operations in the majority of Brazil’s major ports including Santos, Paranagua, Salvador, Manaus, Santarem, Santana and Itacoatiara,” Inchcape said in the notice.

   The U.S. Department of Commerce will announce in a few weeks the members of a new supply chain advisory committee, Michael Masserman, executive director for export policy, promotion and strategy, said Monday at a seminar in Chicago focused on growing U.S. exports.    The federal advisory panel will include people from the public and private […]

   President Obama has designated Irving A. Williamson, a Democrat from New York, as chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission for a term June 17, 2012 to June 16, 2014.    Williamson was nominated to the ITC by President George W. Bush on Sept. 7, 2006; re-nominated on Jan. 9, 2007; and confirmed by […]

   Virginia International Terminals (VIT) said it has implemented new terminal operating software at the Port of Richmond that provides real-time data on cargo to the terminal operator and customer.    The software, called Navis SPARCS N4, unites the terminal’s entire operating system in a single format and provides critical data, in real-time, to its […]

   The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency is focusing on more fully utilizing space in ocean containers through consolidating shipments rather than splitting up shipments for individual customers, according to a report this week by Defense News.    The agency had often left containers as much as one-third empty in an attempt to avoid combining shipments […]

The three executives are George Hearn, Ted Fordney, and Earl Agron. Hearn was most recently vice president of APL’s eastern U.S. region, while Fordney was vice president of the U.S. central region. Agron was vice president of security and environment.

   Mediterranean Shipping Company says ships on four services out of North Europe to Asia are fully booked with export cargo.    MSC said booking acceptance “for cargoes ex NWC and Scandinavia to Far East and Middle East on Silk, Lion, Swan and Condor Services are closed as all vessels are fully booked on weeks […]

Maersk Line, Limited (MLL), the U.S.-flag shipping arm of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, said it has entered into a letter of intent with the owners of Cape Canaveral, Fla.-based 3PSC to buy the company.

   Shipping executives are more optimistic about the outlook for the industry than they have been in a year, according to the latest quarterly Ship Confidence Survey from the accountant and shipping consultant Moore Stephens.    It said confidence had risen for the fourth successive quarter in a survey completed last month, “leading to an […]

   Germany’s Commerzbank said Tuesday that it’s getting out of ship and real estate financing as part of a plan to focus on its core business.    “In view of the continuing uncertain situation on the financial markets, the heightening of the sovereign debt crisis and the increasing regulatory burdens, Commerzbank intends to accelerate the […]

   In a notice to freight forwarders and shippers, Southwest Airlines Cargo said its current cargo handler in Milwaukee, Frontier Airlines, will close its facility on July 2.    The last day to ship inbound cargo to Milwaukee for pickup at Frontier will be June 29, followed by the last outbound shipments handled at the […]

   United Seamen’s Service announced Tuesday at its annual meeting that it will bestow the Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) award on three people this October.    They are Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La.; Niels M. Johnsen, chairman and chief executive of International Shipholding Corp.; and Robert Johnston, senior vice president and head of the […]

   Welcome to the sixth installment of American Shipper’s yearlong countdown of the top 12 non-vessel-operating common carriers for U.S. inbound containerized cargo.    Using data provided to American Shipper by the trade intelligence firm Zepol Corp., we’ll take a closer look at each of these companies in terms of where their cargo originates, where […]