American Shipper

The Halifax Port Authority appoints chairman and vice chairman, while Volga-Dnepr names head of energy and heavy machinery.

A hearing will be held Tuesday in a U.S. bankruptcy court in Newark, N.J. to consider the South Korean ocean carrier’s request to have its rehabilitation proceeding in bankruptcy court in Korea recognized under Chapter 15 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.

Members of California’s congressional delegation asked the federal government to get involved in the Hanjin insolvency, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Hanjin’s stranded ships may have goods needed to keep U.S. assembly lines running.

The South Korean ocean carrier filed for recognition of its Korean insolvency proceeding in the United States Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey and the court ordered a hearing on the request for Tuesday.

The shipping industry is being roiled by Hanjin’s decision to file receivership, with spot rates surging, cargo being stranded on vessels, and now lawsuits are being filed by shipowners.

Datamyne provided American Shipper with statistics illustrating how some non-vessel-operating common carriers pulled U.S. import volume from Hanjin ships prior to August, while others ramped up their use of the financially stricken carrier.

The ocean carrier’s revenue declined to $3.5 billion ($3.3 billion excluding the contribution from NOL) from the $4.1 billion in the second quarter of 2015 as the persistent pressure on freight rates drove down average revenue per TEU.

The ports of Savannah and Brunswick will be closed for operations Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, as a result of expected severe weather caused by Hurricane Hermine, which was recently upgraded from a tropical storm to a category 1 hurricane.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index jumped 27.9 percent since last week to a reading of 763.06, reflecting Hanjin’s decision to file for receivership.

Ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting constructed a chart illustrating Hanjin’s impact on three separate trades.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing a new procedure to resolve small rate disputes between shippers and Class I railroads.

The Atlanta, Ga.-based parcel giant announced rate increases for parcel and freight shippers, but the increases will vary by customer.

The $2.1 million project to deepen the port’s main navigation channel was shared between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The national mail carrier of Canada reached a two-year stop-gap employment agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in order to avoid work disruptions, according to statements from both groups.

Cargo shipments grew for the second straight month in July 2016, rising 1.8 percent compared with the same 2015 period after a 2.7 percent year-over-year increase in June, according to industry analyst World ACD.

The National Transportation Safety Board launched a team to investigate the breach of a rail tank-car and the subsequent release of 17,000 gallons of chlorine Saturday at a facility in New Martinsville, W. Va.

Syed Vagar Ashraf of Lahore, Pakistan was sentenced to 33 months in jail by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez of the District of Arizona for attempting to export controlled items to Pakistan without a license.

Annualized turnover rates at large truckload fleets fell another 6 percentage points to 83 percent in the second quarter of 2016, the lowest level in five years, according to the American Trucking Associations.

The OmniTrax affiliate, which offers rail freight service between Tulsa and Sand Springs, Okla. purchased the 146-acre Gerdau steel mill property for an undisclosed price, according to a statement from the company.

Norm Krehbiel, who has been named the Port of Longview’s new chief executive officer, originally joined the port in 1993 as director of facilities and engineers, and was later named deputy executive director and chief operating officer in 2008.