American Shipper

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has added an individual and a company in the U.A.E. to its Entity List.

     During the 8th Ministerial Conference Thursday, the World Trade Organization finalized the revision to its Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).    The United States praised the revision stating it will provide new opportunities for U.S. goods and services suppliers to secure government procurement contracts in numerous additional markets in WTO member economies.    “Government procurement […]

By Eric Kulisch U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say that the simplified entry project is helping them come up with necessary requirements for the cargo release functionality scheduled to be programmed in the Automated Commercial Environment. ACE is the agency’s next-generation system being built to process imports more efficiently, communicate with the trade community, […]

Caterpillar is still in talks with interested groups over a possible sale of its third-party logistics (3PL) business, but has pushed back the date on any deal due to concerns over the global economy.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has held that the Port of Oakland is not entitled to sovereign immunity under the 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

     Now, just about anyone can track basic movements in the Port of Amsterdam thanks to a new smartphone application, iamPort.    The service provides information on expected, arriving and departing ships.    The app, which currently works with Apple’s iPhones and iPads, tracks both seagoing vessels and river cruises. Users can get information […]

U.S. and Canada have outlined priorities for coordinating customs and cargo security processes, enhancing border infrastructure and harmonizing regulations to increase the efficiency of trade across the border and boost their respective economies.

Dye    In remarks last week to a metals trade conference, U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca F. Dye said she believes the FMC “should eliminate all unnecessary regulatory requirements, including tariff publication, for all non-vessel-operating common carriers and ocean carriers, alike.”    In an interview with American Shipper, Dye confirmed it was the first time she publicly called […]

The liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. has increased the round voyage time of two South America services – Europe/ECSA String 1 and ECNA/WSCA.

     Maersk Line said this week Hanjin Shipping and COSCO Container Lines have agreed to purchase slots on its Samba service between Europe and the east coast of South America.    The slot buying deal starts in March, Maersk said, though it didn’t specify the allocations to the two carriers, which are partners on the […]

     Maersk Line said this week it is altering a call in Spain on its WestMed service between the U.S. East Coast and Mediterranean ports, a loop it runs jointly with CMA CGM.    From the Jan. 2 sailing, the service will call Malaga westbound instead of Algeciras. The revised rotation will be Newark, […]

   Liner carrier on-time reliability fell marginally from October to November, according to the latest data from SeaIntel Maritime Analysis.    SeaIntel’s monthly schedule reliability report showed reliability declined from 64 percent in October to 63 percent in November.    Among the world’s top 20 carriers, Maersk Line regained the No. 1 spot as the […]

   This winter the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will begin a year-long survey of the sea floor in the port of Houston and Galveston Bay navigational areas to aid efforts to bring more maritime trade to the Houston area.    NOAA’s navigation survey team arrived in Galveston this week to begin pre-survey preparations […]

   Bohandymar Ltd., a subsidiary of Antwerp-based Compagnie Maritime Belge, ordered six handy-size Eco-type bulk vessels of 36.000 deadweight tons each from Samjin Shipbuilding Industries Korea on “very competitive conditions.”     CMB did disclose the financial terms of the ship order.    The order includes two options each for two additional vessels. The delivery of […]

     In advance of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the United States on Wednesday announced steps to help the poorest WTO member countries benefit more fully from global trade.    Expanding on programs providing preferential access to the U.S. market for least developed countries’ (LDCs) exports, as well as ongoing […]

   Singapore-based energy supplier Chemoil has installed Aspect Enterprise Solutions’ AspectCTRM trade and risk management platform for its marine and renewables business.    The deal gives more than a thousand Chemoil employees an integrated way to process trades from initial capture through to its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.    Aspect said its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) package will […]

     Starting today, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary Kevin Wolf will hold weekly teleconferences at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) to answer questions about the department’s proposed rules related to the White House’s export control reform.    “These calls are intended to foster public understanding of the initiative and to assist interested parties to […]

The Swedish competition authority has approved a deal APM Terminals announced with the Port of Gothenburg in October for APM to manage Sweden’s largest container terminal – the Skandia Container Terminal– for the next 25 years.

   The port of Le Havre will reward companies that operate clean ships in Le Havre beginning in 2012.    Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, the top ten companies with the cleanest container or Ro-Ro ships’ emissions will receive a reward allowing them to reduce port dues on ships by up to 10 percent. Ships […]

   Advanced Supply Chain, a 3PL company based in Bradford, United Kingdom, has opened a new warehouse in Corby, Northamptonshire, England, which will create roughly 150 new jobs.    The warehouse brings Advanced Supply Chain to more than one million-square-feet of warehouse space and is Advanced’s first facility outside of Yorkshire. The company called the […]