JoC Week articles from May 2002

JoC Week archives from May 2002

Haste makes waste.(California legislation for trucking)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... It may turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. I am referring to legislation in California that seeks to reduce long truck lines outside marine terminals. A bill in the state Assembly would fine the terminals $250 for every...

Radar screen.(Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association head for mediation)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association began on May 13--without a federal mediator that a group of retailers and other shippers had requested. The West Coast...

When form follows dysfunction. (Letters).(Customs administration for shipments)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... The most essential Customs form in the clearance of imported merchandise is CF 3461, captioned "Entry/Immediate Delivery." The current model was developed by Customs in 1989 and is used to enable the importer-broker to detail information so...

Money well spent. (Letters).
May 27, 2002... I am very glad you wrote what you did, and I agree with you fully that the cost of cargo security is nothing compared with the economic and emotional costs of a major terrorist attack. (Peter Tirschwell's column, "Prove Buffett Wrong", May...

First stacktrain in 1981. (Letters).
May 27, 2002... The first stacktrains were run on the Southern Pacific in 1981, not in 1984, as Joseph Bonney's May 20 column stated. We did our first prototype car in 1977, a single unit car; second prototype car in 1979, a three-unit car; and in 1981...

Top gulf container ports.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... A chart published in the special report on Gulf Ports in the May 6-12 issue contained incorrect data. Here is a corrected version with TEU volumes reported by the ports: January-December 2001, in TEUs Rank Port ...

Bill would end FAK. (The Week).(Senator Charles Schumer's prospective legislation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... The term "Freight All Kinds" and other non-specific wording used to describe containerized shipments would be eliminated under legislation proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer's bill also would order the Customs Service to...

Weak rates hurt Japanese Lines. (The Week).(finances for NYK, MOL and "K" Line)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... Excess capacity and low rates produced lower profits for Japan's three major container ship operators. The carriers, NYK, MOL and "K" Line, reported higher revenue for their fiscal years ending in March. However, operating income was off 25%...

Lufthansa Cargo posts profit. (The Week).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... Lufthansa Cargo reported a pretax profit of $2.6 million in the first quarter, compared with a pretax loss of $11.8 million in the same period last year. Revenue fell 8% to $506.4 million, but a 10.5% drop in capacity helped offset reduced...

British Airways loses $292 million. (The Week).(a look at the company's finances)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... British Airways reported a $292 million pretax loss for its fiscal year ended March 31. It was BA's largest pretax loss since the airline was privatized 15 years ago. British Airways blamed the global economic slowdown and the effects of the...

Pacer plans public offering. (The Week).(Pacer International's IPO)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... Pacer International, which handled about one-fourth of U.S. intermodal rail container shipments last year, plans an initial public offering of stock. The company said it expects to net $135 million from the offering and will use the proceeds...

Fiori joins Pacer. (The Week).(Dodd W. Fiori appointed president of the Freight Consolidation and Handling group of Pacer Global Logistics)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... Dodd W. Fiori, who retired as executive vice president and chief operating officer of NYK Line North America in early 2000, was named president of the Freight Consolidation and Handling group of Pacer Global Logistics, a unit of Pacer...

Recovery under way, P&O chairman says. (The Week).(Geoffrey Sterling sees a recovery in shipping)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... Lord Geoffrey Sterling, chairman of P&O Group, says "a recovery appears to be under way" in shipping. He said results during the first half of 2002 "will inevitably be affected by the weaker trading environment at the turn of the year....

`K' Line forms logistics unit. (The Week).("K" Line America Inc. forms "K" Line Total Logistics)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... "K" Line America Inc. has formed a new company, "K" Line Total Logistics. The carrier said the subsidiary will improve use of assets and company logistics expertise. Several "K" Line affiliates provide logistics services in North America and...

TIACA president seeks global security rules. (The Week).(Larry Coyne, president of The International Air Cargo Association)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... Larry Coyne, president of The International Air Cargo Association, has called for creation of an international regulatory body to coordinate security regulations. Coyne said the plan would simplify security rules and "avoid killing trade by...

Uphill battle: NVOCCs face long odds in trying to prove discrimination by ocean carriers in contract negotiations. (Cover Story).(non-vessel-operating common carriers try to build their case)(Cover Story)
May 27, 2002... Ever since the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 became law, denying cargo consolidators the right to sign service contracts with shippers, the consolidators have looked for opportunities for payback. They have supported legislative efforts...

Mixed bag: results from recently concluded contract negotiating in trans-Pacific reveal no clear winners. (Ocean Transportation).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
May 27, 2002... Importers who negotiated their container shipping contracts early this year when the economy was struggling and carriers were obsessed by fears of overcapacity got the best deals on freight rates from Asia. Conversely, smaller shippers...

The short-sea alternative: rugged geography and a political backlash against trucking are spurring increased use of coastal shipping in Europe. (Special reports: European Logistics).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
May 27, 2002... Some executives at U.S. coastal shipping and inland tug and barge companies look longingly at Western Europe, where 41% of the region's cargo moves in coastal vessels. In the U.S. the figure is 8%, according to a study by the National Ports...

Continental shift: Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, is losing business to smaller rivals, Is it a short-term blip or a long-term trend? (Special reports: European Logistics).(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... In the first three months of this year, container traffic at the Port of Rotterdam slipped by 3%, while the number of boxes handled by its closest competitor, the Port of Antwerp, rose 11%. The drop in traffic at Europe's largest port so far...

Not a selling point: alliances are popular with airlines but low among forwarders' priorities. (Air Commerce).(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... When Michael Tomasulo chooses an airline to move cargo for EGL Inc., the forwarder knows what he wants. "Our criteria are ease of doing business, the way they handle import recoveries and export receiving, their scheduling, lift capacity and...

Staying home: Integres hasn't begun international services but may do so later. (Air Commerce).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... A year ago, Integres Global Logistics made a splash in the air-cargo industry by announcing that it provide small and medium shippers with global access to multiple carriers. It also said it planned to book shipments to Europe by early this...

Technology for security: new group seeks ways to use existing logistics technology to boost cargo security. (Logistics/Technology).(Strategic Council on Security Technology )(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... Ask Sam Banks how the various U.S.-based cargo-security initiatives announced since Sept. 11 will be coordinated, and he gives a hollow laugh. "That is a very good question," he says. Banks, former deputy and acting commissioner of U.S....

Two-pronged approach: CSX technology subsidiaries offer separate but complementary services. (Logistics/Technology).(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... CSX Corp.'s biggest subsidiary is its railroad, but for years the company has also been heavily involved in logistics technology. Two of its subsidiaries, BridgePoint Inc. and Horizon Services Group, are marketing their products jointly in an...

Unfinished business: while security efforts continue, trade groups resume efforts to update drawback, compliance and entry processing. (Customs/Forwarding).(Industry Overview)
May 27, 2002... No one believes things are going to be business-as-usual in the import trade after Sept. 11. Commissioner Robert C. Bonner has dedicated the agency to being the country's front line against terrorism. Security is the new watchword in the...

Charleston hits a new pothole: work stoppage by crane operators is latest in series of setbacks for South Atlantic's busiest port. (Ports/Intermodal).(Port of Charleston)
May 27, 2002... It's been a rough ride for the Port of Charleston. Three weeks ago, state lawmakers killed the South Carolina State Ports Authority's plan to build a new container terminal on Daniel Island. Last year, legislators forced the port authority to...

`Brighter' days ahead: `extremely challenged' truckload carriers say economic recovery is just around the corner. (Ports/Intermodal).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... Major truckload carrier executives say the worst is over for trucking and they are poised for the pending economic rebound. That would end a two-year slump that has culled 5,000 smaller operators from the market. "The light at the end of the...

Top five commodities in Major U.S. Trade Lanes. (Piers[R] Trade Monitor).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 27, 2002... Top Five Commodities in Major U.S. Trade Lanes IMPORTS TEUs March 2001 March 2002 TRANS-ATLANTIC A = +1.6% FURNITURE -1.6% BEER & ALE ...

Real-world engineer. (Snapshot: Gill Hicks).(Gill Hicks)(Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... As a graduate student in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the early 1970s, Gill Hicks took his share of mathematics and science courses. But his favorite courses were those in which students played the roles...

The FMC has a role, too. (Other Voices).(Federal Maritime Commission and marine cargo security issues)(Brief Article)
May 27, 2002... The new buzzword in the nation, and in the maritime industry, is security, as it should be. We all recognize the risks of marine containers being compromised, and most of us appreciate the difficulties, if not the impossibility, of...

Time bomb.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Last Monday, May 13, our editorial operations chief, Barbara Wyker, walked into my office and said, "Log on to Fox News.com." The tone of her voice made it clear something was up. I did, and the headline made me think, "It's finally...

Radar screen.(Pacific Maritime Association)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... West Coast waterfront employers got a jump on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union last week in the race to mold public opinion about the negotiations for a new three-year contract. The Pacific Maritime Association issued a press...

Maersk Sealand, Evergreen to share slots. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Maersk Sealand and Evergreen Marine Corp. filed a slot-exchange agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission. The one-year agreement provides Maersk Sealand space on Evergreen's weekly service linking the Far East with the ports of Tacoma...

WTSA lines raise rates on perishables. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Shipping lines that carry refrigerated cargoes from the U.S. to Asia announced that they plan to raise rates this summer on citrus, vegetables, apples and melons. The lines, which are members of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization...

Fine Air plan approved. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... A federal bankruptcy court in Miami has approved the reorganization plan of Fine Air Services, setting the stage for the air cargo carrier's emergence from Chapter 11 protection. Gone are the name, Fine Air, as well as Barry Fine, the...

EGL posts $3.9 million loss. (The Week).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 20, 2002... Houston-based forwarder EGL Inc. reported a net loss of $3.9 million, including special items, for the first quarter. Excluding those items, EGL had net income of $412,000, compared with a net loss of $4.6 million in the first quarter of...

Bush signs Border Security Bill. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... President Bush signed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 giving the Immigration and Naturalization Service new authority. A portion of the law authorizes the Coast Guard to collect passenger and crew manifest...

Security concerns raised at LA, Long Beach. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... The Coast Guard warned shipping lines and terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach to be more vigilant about personnel entering or leaving terminals and vessels after intelligence reports said Islamic extremists had recently used the port...

Intermodal rail shipments surge. (The Week).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 20, 2002... Intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads continued its month-old rally with sharp increases for the week of May 4, the Association of American Railroads reported. The AAR said intermodal traffic totaled 187,760 trailers and containers, up 7.8%...

Dodd Fiori joins Pacer subsidiary. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Dodd W. Fiori, who retired as chief operating officer and executive vice president of NYK Line North America in early 2000, will return to the industry as president of the Freight Consolidation & Handling group of Pacer Global Logistics, a...

G-Log secures $20 million in funding. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... G-Log, the Shelton, Conn.-based logistics technology vendor, said it has raised $20 million in a fifth round of funding led by Focus Ventures and GIC Special Investments, the investment arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corp....

Will George wilt? The dollar has seen a seven-year surge. Now some believe it's due for a correction. Will it make any difference for trade? (Cover Story).
May 20, 2002... Since the mid-1990s, the dollar has experienced a transformation worthy of Charles Atlas. Since hitting all-time lows in early 1995, the dollar has risen by an average of 40% to 50% in real terms against larger and smaller baskets of...

The ever-useful container: studies show that more bulk commodities can move in containers, giving shippers more options and helping carriers reduce repositioning costs. (Ocean Transportation).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Container lines may have lived for years with boom and bust cycles of freight rates, but the underlying attractiveness of container transport in an age of supply chain management has allowed them to capture an ever larger share of global...

Adding fuel to the fire: an established ocean import supply chain allows footwear maker K-Swiss to make acquisitions and integrate them into its existing system. (Special Report).
May 20, 2002... When the National Geographic Society launches its new line of active outdoor footwear later this year, the brand name will have instant recognition in the U.S. As a member of the K-Swiss product line, the National Geographic footwear will...

Making tracks: Brown Shoe Co. is counting on a radical restructuring of its supply chain to boost profits and competitiveness. (Special report: footwear trade and transportation).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... For Brown Shoe Co., a footwear manufacturer and retailer, the key to increasing profit and competitiveness is inventory. A smaller inventory leads to smaller costs and less waste. Less money is tied up in product sitting in the back rooms of...

Slow start for e-commerce: new Unisys-backed venture shows that Internet activity in the air-cargo field is still in its infancy. (Air Commerce).
May 20, 2002... The evolution of e-commerce in the air-cargo industry has entered a new phase. The dot-coms have made their exits, while a new portal formed by three major North American carriers and one of the industry's leading technology providers is...

Productivity that pays: port of Charleston uses team effort to move cargo quickly, efficiently. (South Carolina: International Trade Conference).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... In today's dynamic marine transportation business, ocean carriers, shippers and consignees are all looking for efficiency and reliability at the lowest cost. That's why the Port of Charleston is focused on providing industry-leading...

A secure and efficient border: deadline set by heads of government will result in fast lanes and a joint US-Canada system for clearing low-risk imports. (Customs/Forwarding).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... It was a deadline imposed by President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on their respective customs and immigration commissioners: Prepare a package of border and perimeter reforms suitable for a post-Sept. 11 world in time for...

ACE's time grows near: agency's computer system is finally taking shape after years of languishing in budget purgatory. (Customs/Forwarding).(Automated Commercial Environment)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... ACE is coming, and none too soon, according Kevin Smith director of trade compliance at General Motors. The first live test of the Automated Commercial Environment, the Customs Service's $1.4 billion computer system, is scheduled for late...

Dividends of a merger: Exel uses strengths of its merged parts to build business from existing customers. (Logistics/Technology).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... John Allan, chief executive of Exel PLC, is bringing the third-party logistics provider out of a difficult year -- profit dropped 3% in 2001, and profit margin on its British business shrank to 4.2% from 4.9%, a detail that caught the...

Hunkering down: to weather the economic downturn, companies are being creative in their use of logistics strategies and technologies. (Logistics/Technology).
May 20, 2002... After five consecutive years of double-digit sales growth, Ingram Micro Inc. experienced an 18% decline in sales last year. Ingram Micro, which distributes high-tech products for Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Intel, Apple Computer,...

Time for TEA: freight interests are optimistic that a unified voice will yield results when the Transportation Equity Act comes up for reauthorization next year. (Ports/Intermodal).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Congress won't begin reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) until the start of the 2003 legislative session early next year. But groups already are lining up with their wish lists for the huge...

Top five ports in major U.S. trade lanes. (PIERS[R] Trade Monitor).(Statistical Data Included)
May 20, 2002... Top Five Ports in Major U.S. Trade Lanes IMPORTS TEUs March 2001 March 2002 Total trade lane percent increase/decrease +0.0% -0.0% TRANS-ATLANTIC increase +1.6% NEW YORK ...

From newcomer to industry leader. (Snapshot: Roger Gibson).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... A year ago almost no one in the air-cargo industry had heard of Roger Gibson. For that matter, despite his 34 years with United Airlines, Gibson knew very little about air cargo. Now, however, the Oakland, Calif., native has emerged as an...

A tale of vigilance. (Other Voices).(Brief Article)
May 20, 2002... Nine hundred miles due east of Norfolk, Va., in the North Atlantic in February. The seas run in long, dark furrows lifted up then set down into yawning, plunging canyons of cold by the big, underlying ocean swells that run out here, their...

Prove Buffett wrong.(Warren Buffet thinks some nuclear event is inevitable in the United States)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
May 13, 2002... I don't know if you happened to catch the comments by billionaire investor Warren Buffett last week. If you didn't, here's what he said, as quoted by CNN: "We're going to have something in the way of a major nuclear event in this country. It...

Radar screen.(development in the cargo transportation industry)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... The European Commission is embarking on a major review of shipping policy that could result in lasting changes to shipping regulation. Speaking last month at a conference in London sponsored by Containerization International, Joos Stragier,...

Evergreen opens Oakland hub. (The Week).
May 13, 2002... Evergreen Opens Oakland Hub: Evergreen Marine Corp. has launched operations at its exclusive-use container terminal at the Port of Oakland. The terminal's opening coincided with the launching of an Evergreen trans-Pacific service that makes...

Cargo security tax proposed. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Cargo Security Tax Proposed: A prominent air-cargo forwarder is calling for a national income tax of 0.25% to pay for the cost of cargo security. Michael Tomasulo, vice president for international air transportation at EGL Inc., told the...

P&O Nedlloyd sinks into the red. (The Week).(posts first quarter operating loss)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 13, 2002... P&O Nedlloyd Sinks Into The Red: P&O Nedlloyd posted a $68 million operating loss in the first quarter, compared with a $31 million profit a year earlier as lower freight rates outweighed a 9% gain in traffic. The company had a pretax loss of...

Pacer turns a profit. (The Week).(Pacer International)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 13, 2002... Pacer Turns A Profit: Pacer International reported first-quarter net income of $3.7 million, compared with a $400,000 loss a year earlier. Operating income jumped 38% to $15.7 million from $11.4 million a year earlier. The 3PL's wholesale...

Celarix settles Descartes lawsuit. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Celarix Settles Descartes Lawsuit: Logistics technology vendor Celarix Inc. has made an undisclosed financial payment to Descartes Systems Group after the Canadian logistics management software company accused Celarix of misappropriation of...

West Coast contract talks delayed. (The Week).(negotiations between Pacific Maritime Association, International Longshore and Warehouse Union)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... West Coast Contract Talks Delayed: The start of negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were delayed one week due to the death of Thomas M. McMahon, the PMA's senior vice...

Hamburg-Sud to order ships. (The Week).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 13, 2002... Hamburg-Sud To Order Ships: Hamburg-Sud plans to order new ships for delivery in 2004-05. The company said it will contract with South Korea's Samsung to build six new ships for deployment in the Europe-to-South America trade. The ships would...

Air Forwarder opens US subsidiary. (The Week).(Jet-Speed Air Cargo Forwarders (HK) Ltd. opens Jet-Speed Logistics LLC)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Air Forwarder Opens US Subsidiary: Jet-Speed Air Cargo Forwarders (HK) Ltd. has opened a U.S. subsidiary, Jet-Speed Logistics (USA) LLC. Jet-Speed Air, the forwarding agent for Lufthansa and Air France in Hong Kong, said the U.S. operation...

Bad air day: long truck lines outside terminals are the target of environmental legislation gaining momentum in California. It could spread east. (Cover Story).
May 13, 2002... The various players in the port intermodal chain have bickered for years over how to alleviate a problem that, perhaps more than any other, illustrates the system's inability to cope with rapidly rising trade volumes: the lengthy queues of...

David vs. Goliath: smaller 3PLs are pushing specialized, value-added services to fend off the behemoths of the industry. (Special report: logistics/technology survey).(logistics companies)(Industry Overview)
May 13, 2002... For Melissa Heinze, DuPont's global logistics procurement manager, the idea of switching from medium-sized logistics provider BDP International, which handles the chemical giant's U.S. imports and exports, to a huge firm such as Danzas AEI or...

The missing link; companies lose out by not using forecasting in logistics planning. But that is starting to change. (Special report: logistics/technology survey).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... If a supermarket manager relocates Chock Full O' Nuts coffee to the end of an aisle where it's more visible, research shows sales in that brand will instantly increase more than 80%. Mark the price down while leaving it mid-aisle, and sales...

Change management: far-flung sourcing options, heightened security concerns complicate global trading. (Special report: logistics/technology survey).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Logistics plans change in response to trade spats and other supply-chain disruptions. But rapidly expanding global-sourcing options and the fallout from Sept. 11 mean that companies have to be more nimble than ever in the global arena. ...

Hong Kong's logistics future: China: 3PLs look to the mainland as cost-conscious transportation providers search out alternatives to the Port of Hong Kong. (Special report: logistics/technology survey).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Hong Kong is undergoing a profound and difficult change in adapting to its new role as a developed outpost within a rapidly industrializing China. No sector is experiencing those changes more dramatically than logistics, an area where the...

Boxed cars: auto manufacturers are major users of containers in ocean shipping. (Ocean Transportation).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Automobile companies may drive the global ocean auto-carrier business, but they're also major users of container shipping services, shipping thousands of boxes containing everything from spare parts to new vehicle components. Their use of...

Building a global network; Lufthansa Cargo develops partnerships for integrated logistics solutions. (Air Commerce).
May 13, 2002... A few years ago the marketing people at Lufthansa Cargo came up With the catch phrase "The Lufthansa Cargo Inside Effect." The phrase was designed to capture the spirit of the carrier's long-term growth strategy -- to make itself an...

Border security, post 9/11: customs takes lessons from war on drugs in gearing up to fight terrorism along US-Mexico border. (Customs/Forwarding).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner said the U.S. border should be a "fast lane for the honest, and the end of the road for the dishonest." Expedited treatment of goods at the border is the reward for importers and carriers that have secure...

The profit motive: Panama Canal, in switch from US days, seeks to operate like a business. (Ports/Intermodal).(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... For the better part of a century, the Panama Canal operated like a public utility. Its tariffs were strictly regulated -- they have changed just eight times in its 84-year history, and one of those rate changes was downward. In short, it...

Never recovered: heist of more than $7 million worth of camcorders outside Chicago illustrates continuing problem of cargo theft. (Ports/Intermodal).
May 13, 2002... Despite a $100,000 reward, police and private investigators are still searching for a gang that skillfully orchestrated a heist of a JVC of America distribution center in Aurora, Ill. The job netted 15,570 video camcorders worth $7.5 million,...

Growth trends in major U.S. Ocean Trade Lanes. (PIERS[R] Trade Monitor).
May 13, 2002... [GRAPHICS OMITTED]

The unsinkable Helen Bentley. (Snapshot: Helen Delich Bentley).(to seek reelection at age 78)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... If there was one issue that Helen Delich Bentley was most closely identified with during her 10 years representing the Baltimore area in the House of Representatives, it was cargo preference. Nothing would galvanize Bentley more than the...

Assigning responsibility. (Other Voices).(solving challenge of cargo security)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2002... One can hardly overstate the significance of solving cargo-security challenges for the sake of our national economy. Several experts have demonstrated clearly the direct and collateral consequences of a variety of cargo-related threats. Any...

Gold rush or fool's gold?(China and the Chinese logistics market)
May 6, 2002... Mainland China. It's the modern-day gold rush, as a nation of 1.3 billion industrious, entrepreneurial people undergo an overnight (historically speaking) transition from communism into a modern, industrialized nation state. Like many other...

Radar screen.(multiple brief articles)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2002... Container ship operators are bracing for an increase of 3% to 4% in Panama Canal tolls this fall. The Panama Canal Commission has indicated it plans to revise its toll structure and raise its rates in the fourth quarter. It will be the first...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
May 6, 2002... * An article in the April 22-28 issue, Page 12, on Deutsche Post's interest in possible U.S. acquisitions erroneously reported that the German postal and logistics group was conducting due diligence on BAX Global. Although Deutsche Post has...

FedEx, UPS face China dispute. (The Week).(Chinese postal regulations)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2002... FedEx Corp., United Parcel Service and other companies are trying to resolve a dispute with Chinese authorities over postal regulations. Proposed regulations would effectively give China Post jurisdiction over international express companies...

Hamburg Sud foresees rate pressure. (The Week).(Hamburg-Sudamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft KG)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2002... Hamburg Sud Group said its growth forecasts are better than at the end of 2001, but that continued addition of new ships to the world fleet will keep pressure on freight and charter rates this year. "It is to be feared that this period of...

Arzoon adds customs brokerage. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 6, 2002... Arzoon, a logistics-technology company, has obtained a U.S. customs broker's license for its Arzoon Global Commerce subsidiary. Arzoon's chief executive, Farid Dibachi, said Arzoon doesn't want to take over its clients' customs operations, as...

China seeks foreign cash for rail link. (The Week).(Brief Article)
May 6, 2002... China is soliciting direct overseas investment in a rail-and-ferry link between two northeastern hubs. Sinorail Bohai Train Ferry Co. said the deal will be a joint venture or cooperative company that will be responsible for financing,...