Maritime

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Vanguard Logistics Services has started new services from Batam, Indonesia to global destinations.    Many Indonesian and multinational manufacturers operate on the small island of Batam, which is located 20 kilometers southeast of Singapore.    All less-than-containerload cargo from Batam is traditionally moved via small barges to Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Breakbulk […]

   Maersk Line made a profit of $204 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared to a loss of $599 million in the first quarter of 2012. It said the turnaround in the financial performance was achieved through lower costs, as revenue was unchanged at $6.3 billion in both quarters, and came despite price […]

Once developed, the mine, which is located about 550 kilometers south of the capital city Ulaanbaatar, will be one of the largest copper mines in the world. It will also count as one of the most important projects in Mongolia.

The London-based firm said its global freight rate index, which covers 600 trade routes, fell 12 percent in April to reach its lowest level since February 2012, when container shipping was still recovering from a price war.

U.S. exports of transportation equipment, petroleum and coal products, processed food, and computers and electronics have risen to Colombia, while U.S. farmers saw growth for soybean, wheat, grape, pork, and dairy product shipments.

Starting with the voyage of the ship Suape Express (1316N), the GS1 will replace the northbound call of Caucedo, Dominican Republic with Cartagena, Colombia. The first call in Cartagena will be on June 10.

   Rickmers Holding GmbH & Cie. KG, the parent of the Rickmers Group of shipping companies, intends to issue corporate bonds of up to 200 million euros ($258 million).    The Hamburg-based shipping company is looking to expand its containership chartering business in the face of declining interest by many traditional banks in the shipping […]

   The Coast Guard has completed an environmental assessment of a plan by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to increase the clearance or “air draft” beneath the Bayonne Bridge from 151 feet to 215 feet and found no significant impact, meaning a permit can be issued so work can begin on […]

   Mark Ivey Sheppard, vice president for trade and development for the Alabama State Port Authority, died Tuesday at his home following a brief illness. He was 61 years old.    “Mark Sheppard’s sudden passing comes as a deep shock to our maritime and international trade community,” said James K. Lyons, director and chief executive […]

   Heavy ice cover on the Great Lakes that stretched well into April slowed resumption of the region’s limestone trade, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association.    Shipments totaled only 1.8 million tons, a decrease of 28 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings are 21 percent off the month’s 5-year average.    Shipments from U.S. […]

   The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), along with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), MAIZAR, representing Argentinian producers and the maize supply chain, and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) signed a memorandum of understanding this week to form an alliance of North and South American corn producers to collaborate to address key issues concerning […]

The German liner carrier said “Europe-America and Far East services contributed in particular to this growth. Pleasing performance was seen, too, in some of the inter-America services.” Mediterranean services fell below expectations.

The liner carrier had a net loss of 93.6 million euros ($120 million) in the first quarter 2013, but considered an improvement over the net loss of 132.4 million euros recorded in the same period a year earlier.

   Hapag-Lloyd has announced substantial rate increases and a peak season surcharge in the Asia-Europe trade.    They include: $1,000-per-TEU general rate increase on the Far East Westbound trade, effective July 1. This increase applies to shipments from East Asia (excluding Japan) to all North Europe and Mediterranean (excluding South and West Africa) destinations. Implementation […]

   Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez will lead a civil nuclear trade policy mission to Vietnam and China, May 17-23.    Representatives from 18 companies, law firms, and industry associations will join U.S. government officials on the mission, which will make stops in Hanoi, Vietnam; and Beijing and Ningbo, China. Sánchez    […]

   The Montreal Port Authority said the Canadian Coast Guard has authorized the passage of vessels up to 44 meters wide in the Quebec-Montreal section of the St. Lawrence navigation channel, which will allow post-Panamax vessels carrying 6,000 TEUs to reach Montreal.    Previously, the maximum width of ships allowed to travel in the channel […]

   A half dozen container shipping lines say they will restructure their services between the Far East and South America east coast.    The Chilean carrier CSAV said the changes are being made “in view of continuous challenging trading conditions” in the trade.    It said that effective from July, CSAV, China Shipping, CMA CGM, Hamburg […]

   Yusen Logistics (Americas) will open a new 229,000-square-foot warehouse in Chicago on May 20 that will employ 170 people.    The warehouse will include 185,000 square feet dedicated to distribution and container freight station services, a climate-controlled area of 15,000 square feet, with separate freezer and refrigerated units totaling 3,000 square feet to accommodate […]

Matsuda    David T. Matsuda, head of the Maritime Administration, plans to leave the agency at the end of the month.    In a memorandum sent to industry leaders to thank them for their assistance during his tenure, Matsuda said he “recently made the difficult decision to move on from my position at the Maritime […]

   SeaIntel Maritime Analysis says some carriers appear to be moving freight in the Asia-Europe trade lane at below the price of fuel.    In the most recent issue of its SeaIntel Sunday Spotlight newsletter, the company says it calculated the average bunker adjustment factor for the trade by averaging those of the top 15 […]