American Shipper

   The nation’s major freight railroads reached tentative collective bargaining agreements with four additional unions representing more than 11,000 employees: the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Blacksmiths, Iron Ship Builders, Forgers and Helpers; the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association; the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.    The railroads now have now […]

Commissioner Mario Cordero of the FMC says progress is being made on development of fuel alternatives for commercial vessels. Use of liquefied natural gas as fuel is an example.

   The U.S. Department of Justice said that Sea Star Line Thursday agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $14.2 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices.    Additionally, a federal grand jury in San Juan, Puerto Rico, returned an indictment against Frank Peake, the former president of Sea Star Line, […]

   Jim Newsome, the president and chief executive officer of the South Carolina Ports Authority, told members of the port community that the Port of Charleston is the “best value for money for the nation in South Atlantic harbor deepening” and highlighted the importance of deep harbors for exporters.     In a “state-of-the-port” address on Tuesday, […]

   The liner carrier APL is set to join one of its transpacific services with a China-Middle East service in a new pendulum rotation, the carrier confirmed to American Shipper Wednesday.    The merged service will combine APL’s PS1 transpacific loop – which it runs in conjunction with New World Alliance partners MOL and Hyundai […]

   Six down, seven to go.    The National Railway Labor Conference said it has reached tentative collective bargaining agreements with four additional unions this week: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transportation Communications International Union. The deals were struck […]

   IAS said it has unveiled extensions to its IAS DispatchManager product that automates the container haulage work order process from creation to proof of delivery.    The three new IAS modules are designed to help ocean carriers,cargo owners, third-party logistics providers, and motor carriers connect and collaborate more effectively. They are: DispatchOptimizer which helps […]

   The supply chain practice group of commercial real estate services provider Cassidy Turley and supply chain consulting firm Tompkins Associates said Wednesday they have tied up a partnership to provide their clients “holistic” network design, inventory, distribution, transportation and real estate services.    “Because the global industry landscape demands that supply chain and commercial […]

   DB Schenker Logistics said this week it is introducing new airfreight routes between Europe and North America.    The new flights, operated with Boeing 777 freighters, will connect Luxembourg with Chicago and Toronto, while another flight will connect Luxembourg with Atlanta and Houston.    “Our new flights enable us to offer shippers secure capacity […]

   Insurance company TT Club has published the results of a survey it conducted in July on the subject of overweight containers and proposals that containers be weighed.    TT Club noted the issue was discussed by a subcommittee of the International Maritime Organization in September 2011 “and it has been left with the World Shipping […]

Former Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said a six-cent increase in the gasoline tax in the middle of last decade would have raised enough revenue to meet infrastructure needs.

Trailer Bridge, a carrier which connects the U.S. mainland with Puerto Rico, said it filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code today.

   The ABF Freight System has begun offering a less-than-containerload/less-than-trailerload service that combines NVOCC service to shippers importing from manufacturing centers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with inland delivery to final destination.     Speaking this week in Atlanta at a press conference at the annual meeting of the National Industrial Transportation League, Roy Slagle, […]

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture will allocate $213 million to about 70 U.S. agricultural organizations for export promotion purposes.     Over the years, USDA’s international market development programs have had a significant impact on U.S. agricultural exports. An independent study released in 2010 found that for every $1 spent by government and industry on market […]

   The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Hanover, Md.-based Gunthers Transport an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered the trucking company to immediately cease all transportation services.     FMCSA issued an imminent hazard out-of-service order against Gunthers following an in-depth review of the company’s operations, which found multiple […]

The Panama Maritime Chamber said it is opening its membership for the first time to international owners of the 9,000 vessels under Panama’s flag. This will make the group the equivalent of a Panamanian Shipowners’ Association.

   The Transportation Asset Protection Association has released a new global security standard to protect high-value consumer goods traveling on international.     According to the association, cargo crime levels involving attacks on vehicles are estimated to cost in excess of $10 billion a year.     The updated and enhanced Trucking Security Requirements 2012 replaces the […]

The U.S. government, along with a coalition of private sector and humanitarian organizations, on Monday announced the formation of the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade.

   The Middle East aviation market will require 39 new freighters worth $11.1 billion and 1,882 passenger aircraft between now and 2030 to meet demand, Airbus said last Monday in its Global Market Forecast.     The European aircraft maker said the need stems from continuing fleet expansion and replacement by Middle East carriers, greater urbanization, an increasing number of mega-cities and […]

   The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the 2011 Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011 (H.R. 2838) by voice vote.     The bill authorizes $8.49 billion for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2012, $8.6 billion for fiscal year 2013, and $8.7 billion for fiscal year 2014.     H.R. 2838 includes […]