Heavy equipment maker sharpens view on cargo in transit. By Chris Gillis Is it actually possible to lose sight of a 15-foot-tall, 60-ton bulldozer? It happens to big equipment shippers in their supply chains more often than most would admit, and until several years ago, Caterpillar, a manufacturer of some of the world’s largest earth […]
When it comes to shipping, Caterpillar thinks big. One of its largest and most challenging shipments in its product portfolio is the 797 mining truck. The truck chassis and engines are sourced from a plant in Decatur, Ill., while the massive buckets are made in Monterrey, Mexico. When fully assembled, these trucks […]
In March, Caterpillar began considering its “strategic options” for its third-party logistics operation, including a potential sale or structuring it as an independent business within Cat Logistics. “The third-party logistics business has been a high performing operation within Caterpillar, serving more than 50 customers worldwide in a number of different industries,” said Steve […]
Competition, strengthening relationships and enhancing port finances are priorities. By Eric Kulisch The new strategic plan for the Port of Los Angeles being fleshed out by Port Director Geraldine Knatz and her staff focuses on three priorities: competition, strengthening relationships with stakeholders and enhancing the port’s financial wherewithal. Knatz told the Board of Harbor Commissioners […]
(partial list): Southern California International Gateway – the Port of Los Angeles released its draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the BNSF near-dock intermodal facility in September and will hold public meetings on the project Nov. 10 and 16. Union Pacific International Container Transfer Facility — the railroad is expanding the facility’s capacity and installing […]
Five-year-old Clean Air Action Plan reduced emissions from cargo-handling operations. By Eric Kulisch November marked the fifth anniversary of the San Pedro Bay ports’ adoption of a landmark Clean Air Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy to reduce air pollution and associated health risks. Under the plan, the ports pledged not only to reduce overall emissions […]
Port of L.A. protects property from encroachment by non-maritime uses. By Eric Kulisch The Port of Los Angeles is in the process of formulating a development plan for interior sections of Terminal Island to protect it from encroachment by non-maritime uses that don’t depend on water transportation. In the past five years the port has […]
The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index increased 0.5 percent in October after rising a revised 1.5 percent in September 2011. The not-seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 118.5 in October, which was 0.8 percent below […]
The first sailing of FESCO Russian Pacific Line’s new direct all water service to Vladivostok departed the Port of Tacoma Tuesday. The service will use roll-on/roll-off vessels, as part of its direct fortnightly service to Vladivostok and other points in the Russian Far East. Breakbulk, project, and ro-ro cargoes–including trucks, trailers and […]
The information service Alphaliner says there is “no immediate relief in sight for carriers engaged in the war of attrition on the Far East-North Europe trade” in what it says are “unprecedented” low rates. It says negative base rates have been offered on the Asia-Europe trade since September and only a mild recovery expected in […]
The American Club said Wednesday it is seeking a 5 percent increase in all classes of premium (mutual and fixed-premium) for both protection and indemnity P&I and freight, demurrage and defense insurance for the 2012 policy year that starts on Feb. 20, 2012. The club said there is no expectation of any unbudgeted supplementary calls […]
U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 9.8 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in October, a weather-driven decrease of 3 percent compared to September, but an increase of 3.2 percent compared to a year ago. The October float was 5 percent below the month’s 5-year average, but the decrease partially reflects the significant weather-related delays the […]
The Port of Los Angeles next year intends to adopt a program developed by the International Association of Ports and Harbors that provides financial incentives for commercial vessels that perform better at reducing pollutant air emissions.
The Global Shippers Forum, which held its first annual meeting last week in Atlanta, is developing an advisory service for shippers trying to improve their contracts. Chris Welsh, secretary-general of GSF, said the service will be based on one rolled out by the Freight Transport Association in the United Kingdom early this summer after […]
The trade information service Panjiva said retailers are taking precautions to avoid a large surplus of products. Some popular toys and high end consumer goods may be hard to find in stores this holiday season because of cautious ordering.
Sino-Global Shipping America, a New York-based provider of shipping agency services operating primarily in China , said Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Wilson, Sons Shipping Agency, subsidiary of Wilson, Sons, a public company listed on the BM&F Bovespa stock exchange in Brazil. Under the terms of the […]
Diana Containerships on Tuesday reported net income of $2.7 million for the third quarter of 2011, compared to a net loss of $0.1 million for the same 2010 period. Time charter revenues were $9.7 million for the third quarter of 2011, compared to $2.4 million for the same period of 2010, mainly due […]
The Korean National Assembly on Tuesday approved the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement by a reported vote of 151-7, and industry groups now urge both the United States and South Korea to quickly implement the agreement’s tenets.
Toll Global Forwarding has appointed Siegfried Nottelmann as managing director in Germany. Nottelmann joined Toll in August, when his company Andree & Wilkerling was acquired by the group as part of its European expansion. He had been Andree & Wilkerling’s managing director since 2005. In his new post, Nottelmann will manage the combined businesses […]
General Electric has a new central logistics center for renewable energy components in Olive Branch, Miss. The facility is part of GE’s strategy to further improve customer response times throughout North America as more wind and solar energy projects are developed and existing power facilities require maintenance. Olive Branch is located 23 miles south […]
