An item in the Nov. 28 edition of AS + newswire on India’s government allowing foreign ownership of retail ventures incorrectly described the existing regulations on foreign retailers. Currently foreign single-brand retailers can only own a 51 percent stake in a joint venture with a domestic company, while multi-brand retailers cannot hold any stake in […]
The United States avoided a damaging railroad shutdown that would have disrupted shipments of autos, consumer goods, agricultural products, raw materials and other materials after the nation’s freight railroads Thursday night reached a tentative agreement with two holdout unions on a new labor deal, and agreed to extend negotiations with one remaining union. The Association of American […]
Alexander & Baldwin has announced plans to split into two firms—one that will concentrate on shipping and logistics; the other on real estate and agriculture. Under the plan announced Thursday afternoon, Matson, which is the leading carrier to Hawaii and Guam, will become a separate company. The new firm will also include […]
But the alliance could reflect some desperation from the two lines, he suggests. “CMA CGM is obviously in some financial difficulties, trying to cut $400 million in costs and selling some ships… while MSC must be impacted by the situation as well.”
The liner carrier CMA CGM said Thursday that it sustained $224 million in operating losses in the third quarter, continuing a trend of huge losses for container lines between July and September. The line, which announced a major alliance deal with Mediterranean Shipping Co. on Thursday, had revenue of $3.9 billion in the […]
MarAd has released a report as part of its America’s Marine Highways initiative, on designs for vessels that could be used for Jones Act domestic commercial shipping and also be useful to the Navy.
Are court decisions making cargo claims more difficult for shippers? By Chris Dupin Attorney David Maloof said a series of court decisions over the past 16 years has made it difficult for shippers and their insurers to recover when carriers damage, destroy or lose their cargo. At a recent seminar of the American Institute of […]
Not in a generation has it been such a good time to become an exporter in the United States. The dollar has weakened and American shippers still know how to make high quality, specialized products sought after by many overseas consumers and businesses. And despite all the political turmoil in Washington, both Republicans […]
On Second Though…
Gina In the last issue, and online in my weekly “Washington Notebook” commentary, I wrote about some jokes delivered by Al Gina, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s assistant commissioner for trade, during an address to the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference in Washington. Digging through my notebook turned up […]
John Raven, a long-time unabashed spokesman and commentator on global customs modernization and trade facilitation, died on Nov. 6. He was 91 years old. The cause of death was not disclosed, but he had been in declining health in recent months. Raven, a graduate of Cambridge University, sharpened his penmanship while convalescing […]
I enjoyed reading your recent article online (AS Daily, “Canadian Minister Defends Port Investment,” Oct. 18) regarding the West Coast unions and political interests attempting to use the Federal Maritime Commission to promote their protectionism agenda. Newsflash: Canada is a different country and your political influence ends at the border. I believe that […]
With the shipping industry in a downturn, there has been intense interest in a ruling handed down from the bench by Judge James M. Peck of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. (Marco Polo Seatrade, No. 11-13634, SDNY, Oct. 21) Marco Polo is one of four related companies […]
The second week of November was significant for the aviation industry and its future energy requirements. On Nov. 7, Continental Airlines flew the first-ever commercial domestic flight using a blend of biofuel and traditional jet fuel. The Boeing 737-800 flight from Houston to Chicago was powered by a 40 percent biofuel mix […]
The air cargo market has tapered off substantially this year after a strong rebound in 2010. September was the fifth straight month that freight volumes contracted. Air freight was down 2.7 percent compared to September 2010, after declining 2.4 percent in August, according to the International Air Transport Association.
On Sept. 23 Lambert-St. Louis International Airport celebrated the first of what officials hoped would be a continuous stream of weekly, direct all-cargo flights operated by China Cargo Airlines. The inaugural Boeing 747-400 flight carried between 80 to 100 tons of high-value manufactured goods and left for Shanghai with outbound cargo. The […]
Earlier this fall a well placed supply chain technology executive emphatically told me that “everyone is for sale right now — absolutely everyone” in this space. I had suspected it for some time but had not been able to substantiate it with inside information until that point. Since that time, the same idea has […]
Here’s a crazy idea from the out-of-the-box desk (or an out-of-the-box idea from the crazy desk): subsidize U.S. export ocean freight rates. I know, we need less government interference, not more. But it’s time to face a real problem. Liner carriers are less inclined to go out of their way to serve hard-to-reach […]
2012 Outlook – Happy New Year
Pearl River Delta terminals bank on intermodal traffic, coastal shipping to fill capacity. By Eric Johnson In 2007, American Shipper examined the container shipping landscape of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), as the Nansha deepwater port complex added a new dimension to the world’s largest manufacturing region. Four years later, it’s clear container terminals in […]
