Pacific Shipper articles from December 2005

Pacific Shipper archives from December 2005

Full Speed.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto Competition is heating up among the usually laid-back container ports in the Pacific Northwest. It promises to intensify next year and for the rest of the decade. The three major container ports in the...

Growth Slows for International Airfreight.
December 5, 2005... International airfreight traffic rose 1.1 percent in October and 2.6 percent over the first 10 months of 2005, well below the 13.4 percent growth a year ago, the International Air Transport Association said. Middle Eastern airlines...

Terrorism Risk Insurance Headed for Vote.
December 5, 2005... Congress appears to be looking favorably upon a two-year extension of government-backed terrorism insurance. Legislation to extend and modify the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 was approved last month by the Senate banking and House...

Los Angeles Loses Crownin Trade Value Rankings.
December 5, 2005... John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York regained its position as the top international freight gateway by value in the United States in 2004 -- toppling the Port of Los Angeles. JFK handled $52.7 billion in export trade and $72.6...

Horizon Lines to Boost Rates to Hawaii.
December 5, 2005... Horizon Lines LLC will file a general rate increase with the Surface Transportation Board to raise its ocean freight rates for the company's Hawaii service, effective Jan. 2. Rate increases will vary depending on factors that include rate basis...

Distribution Center Strategy Increases Lowe's Sales.
December 5, 2005... Lowe's Cos., the nation's second-largest home improvement retailer,is shifting more inventory out of stores and into distribution centers as part of an ongoing supply-chain initiative to improve results at the point of sale. "A major...

Seattle Poised for Another Big Year.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto The Port of Seattle is gearing up for another prosperous and record-setting year, anticipating healthy increases in cargo container volumes and in operating revenue while continuing modernization and expansion...

Tacoma Port Commission Approves 2006 Budget.
December 5, 2005... The Port of Tacoma Commission last month approved the port's 2006 budget, which includes an overall operating expense budget of $75 million and an operating income of $16.7 million. The port's net income for next year was estimated at $18.9...

No Bird Flu Here.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee The effects of avian influenza cases in Asia that have included some human casualties are reportedly reaching across the Pacific Ocean, causing the markets for U.S. poultry and egg exporters to go on a roller-coaster...

What's Being Done to Keep Us Poultry Flu-Free.
December 5, 2005... "The government and industry co-developed a National Poultry Improvement Program, in which all breeder flocks are tested regularly for influenza. "The government has stepped up control programs in the live-bird market to aid in the...

Second Case of Coddling Moth Puts Us Apple Exports to Taiwan at Risk.
December 5, 2005... Officials in Taiwan last month discovered a second case of coddling moth in a shipment of apples from Washington state, pushing the industry closer to the possibility that shipments could be halted if another case of the banned pest is found....

Us, Eu Sign Interim Wine Pact.
December 5, 2005... The U.S. and the European Union signed an interim agreement on Nov. 23 that is the first step of a formal accord aimed at smoothing bilateral trade in wine. The trading partners in September reached a wide-ranging agreement ensuring that...

Fmc Reviews Goals.
December 5, 2005... The Federal Maritime Commission is promoting alternative dispute resolution, electronic filing of documents and a greater presence at industry shows to meet or exceed strategic goals the agency set out for itself in fiscal 2005. The...

Usps Prefers Old Driver Work Rules.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane Just in time for the holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service is asking for an out from the hours-of-service rules for truck drivers. As a government agency, the Postal Service is exempt from the...

Bonner Leaves Customs.
December 5, 2005... Robert C. Bonner left Customs and Border Protection on Nov. 23, the agency he helped navigate through some of the most turbulent years in its history. Deputy Commissioner Deborah Spero will serve as acting commissioner until President Bush...

Dubai Ports Buys P&O for $5.7 Billion.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard P&O, the British ports and ferry group, has agreed to be taken over by Dubai Ports World for 3.3 billion pounds ($5.7 billion) in a deal that will create the world's third-largest container terminal operator. DP...

Hurricanes Hurt Us Exports.
December 5, 2005... The hurricanes that struck the U.S. this year may have a modest damping effect on U.S. export growth, according to a two-year forecast by the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. In the report on U.S. exports, global growth and the dollar,...

Dgx Opens First Facility in China.
December 5, 2005... DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express marked its quarter century as a freight forwarder with the opening of the company's first full-service facility in China. The office is based in Shanghai and is operated by DGX, a sister company to DHX, which...

Dhl Expected to Meet Its Us Goals.
December 5, 2005... Germany's Deutsche Post still expects its DHL unit to meet its long-term goals in the United States despite a negative financial impact from the integration of its air operations at Wilmington, Ohio. The company said that although the September...

Diana Shipping Gets New Vessel.
December 5, 2005... Diana Shipping, a dry-bulk specialist based in Athens, announced that it has taken delivery of the CMB Philippe, a 74,500-deadweight-ton Panamax dry-bulk carrier, to be renamed Erato. The vessel is chartered to Bocimar International of...

Canadian Ports Receive New Federal Security Funding.
December 5, 2005... New funding for security at Canadian ports and marine facilities totaling C$29.1 million ($24.8 million) was announced in late November by Transport Minister Jean Lapierre. The second round of funding in a three-year, C$115 million program...

Tia Offers Model Contract.
December 5, 2005... The Transportation Intermediaries Association has approved a model broker-carrier contract covering agreements between the two parties. The document has been submitted to the American Trucking Associations for its review and "hopeful...

Maher Terminals Seeking Investor.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Maher Terminals Inc., the largest marine terminal operator in the Port of New York and New Jersey, said it "is seeking a strategic partner to invest in its continued long-term growth and expansion." Maher said it...

Mobile Signs Contract for New Box Terminal.
December 5, 2005... After months of speculation, the Alabama State Port Authority has signed a contract with the terminal-operating arms of A.P. Moller-Maersk and CMA CGM for the port's new $300 million Choctaw Point Container Terminal. The Maersk subsidiary,...

Port Everglades Certified Secure.
December 5, 2005... The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has certified Port Everglades in substantial compliance with the state's strict and unique state seaport security mandates. Port Everglades was one of the first Florida ports to win Coast Guard...

Security Checkpoint: Tideworks Team Puts Dashboards in Terminals.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam Somewhere outside of Washington, D.C., a top-secret computer runs a top-secret program that searches through import and export documents, business profiles, terrorist intelligence in a dozen languages and the manifests...

Eu Port Deregulation Stalls, But Remains Alive.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard The European Union's controversial plan to deregulate port services resembles a hospital patient on life support waiting for doctors to decide when to end his agony. That's how it looked in late November when the...

Taiwan Approves Investments in Chinese Cargo Carrier.
December 5, 2005... Taiwan's largest air carrier, China Airlines Ltd., said last month that it was waiting for a response from Beijing after the island's government approved the company's investment in a cargo airline in China. China Airlines will pay $40...

Global Port Capacity Called Top Issue.
December 5, 2005... Security remains a critical initiative, but the shipping industry also needs to focus on capacity-building, a senior Singapore government official said. Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong, speaking at the International Maritime...

Dhl Upgrades Service to Pudong Gateway.
December 5, 2005... DHL announced a new direct overnight flight between Tokyo's Narita airport and the Pudong international hub in Shanghai. The express services provider, a unit of Germany's Deutsche Post World Net, also announced an expansion ofits Pudong...

You'll Find a Ready Market in Singapore.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee Singapore has gained some notoriety from its strict ban on chewing gum, but it's by no means a desert when it comes to gustatory delights. The small island nation -- whose population of 4.4 million is just...

Longer Gate Hours Set at Vancouver, British Columbia.
December 5, 2005... The Vancouver Port Authority, P&O Ports Canada and TSI Terminal Systems Inc. will implement extended hours of operations at container terminal truck gates in the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, beginning in January. The program is...

Goal of Washington State Rules: Zero Oil Spills During Transfers.
December 5, 2005... Changes to state environmental regulations proposed last month by the Washington state Department of Ecology could reduce the risk of oil spills into Washington's waters during oil transfers. Aiming for a goal of zero oil spills, the...

Giant Cranes Arrive at Port of Tacoma.
December 5, 2005... Two super post-Panamax container cranes that were stuck in Commencement Bay since Nov. 20 because of heavy fog arrived at the Port of Tacoma's Pierce County Terminal fully assembled on Nov. 27. A statement from Tacoma port authorities said...

Greenbrier Shifting Railcar Production.
December 5, 2005... Railcar manufacturer Green-brier Cos. said it will continue to move new production to "more profitable" U.S. and Mexican operations. As a result of this decision, the Lake Oswego, Ore.-based company will decrease production at its...

New Orleans Truckers.
December 5, 2005... The Port of New Orleans has put out a nationwide call to attract truckers to haul cargo in and out of New Orleans and to help rebuild the local economy. Under normal, pre-Katrina conditions, the port employed about 1,000 truck drivers to...

Vancouver, WASH., Oks Capital-Spending Plan.
December 5, 2005... The Port of Vancouver, Wash., board of commissioners approved its 2006 Final Statutory Budget of $67.2 million during a recent meeting. The 2006 budget provides for more than $13 million in capital investments for marine and industrial...

Houston Gets Federal Funds to Dredge Ship Channel.
December 5, 2005... Congress has allocated nearly $45 million in federal funding for dredging the Houston-Galveston Navigation Ship Channel during fiscal 2006. Lawmakers also approved funds to study dredging of the Texas City ship channel, an offshoot of the...

Vancouver, British Columbia, Ready for Its Biggest Expansion.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto The Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, is preparing to capture a big chunk of the growing market for global container traffic in the years ahead. The port "is poised upon the greatest period of expansion in...

Infrastructure Funding Contrasts with Expected Growth in Intermodal Demand.
December 5, 2005... BYLINE: John Gallagher With Santa Ana winds whipping off the mountains in Southern California, three intermodal cranes were working simultaneously at a BNSF Railway yard, stacking J.B. Hunt, Schneider National and other containers two deep...

Chen Takes the Helm at Cosco Americas.
December 5, 2005... Chen Xiaomin has been promoted to president of Cosco Americas, succeeding Zhang Liyong, who will remain as a senior adviser to the company. Chen, previously executive vice president of Cosco Americas, has been with Cosco for 25 years and...

Shipping Executive Edward Butler Dies at 56.(Obituary)
December 5, 2005... Edward A. Butler, who spent 32 years in international shipping and port management, the last 16 as chief commercial officer of the Dubai Ports Authority, died Nov. 11 in Sedona, Ariz. He was 56. A graduate of the University of Houston,...

Customs Names Suliveras to La-Long Beach Post.
December 5, 2005... Customs and Border Protection has appointed Aileen Suliveras acting port director for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Suliveras took over on Nov. 22 from William Brush, who had been acting port director since September. ...

Kuehne & Nagel Appoints Kolbe.
December 5, 2005... Kuehne & Nagel has appointed Martin Kolbe chief information officer and member of the management board of Kuehne & Nagel International AG. He succeeds Thomas Engel, who will be leaving the company. The company said Kolbe has expertise in...

Industry Group Names Koch 'Person of the Year'.
December 5, 2005... The NY-NJ Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association named Christopher Koch its "2006 Person of the Year." This recognition, which is presented to an individual who demonstrates commitment, contribution and achievement in the...

Los Angeles Loses Crown in Trade Value Rankings.
December 5, 2005... John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York regained its position as the top international freight gateway by value in the United States in 2004 -- toppling the Port of Los Angeles. JFK handled $52.7 billion in export trade and $72.6...

Industry Gift-Giving.
December 8, 2005... It's that time of year when people are thinking about theirholiday shopping. What would surprise that certain someone on your list? Perhaps an MP3 player or digital camera with all the latest features? Now imagine you are a global shipping...

Survey Finds No Serious Congestion Problems.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo U.S. ports and marine terminal operators made it through the 2005 peak-shipping season without serious congestion problems, and the ports should remain trouble-free into the new year, a monthly survey indicated....

Port of Oakland Beefs Up Security.
December 8, 2005... The Port of Oakland hopes to use both ends of the technological spectrum to secure its maritime terminals from potential terrorist threats. With $750,000 in state grants received earlier this year, the port says it will acquire a new array of...

Cosco Earns Most from Logistics in China.
December 8, 2005... The Cosco Group, with earnings of US$11.6 billion, tops this year's list of leading Chinese logistics companies, according to a compilation by the China Logistics Alliance Network. Ranked according to income from their core businesses,...

Knatz Chosen As La Port Chief.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo LOS ANGELES -- Sending a clear message that growth at the nation's largest container port must occur in harmony with nearby communities and the environment, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday named...

$1.85 Billion Pearl River Delta Port Infrastructure Plan Unveiled.
December 8, 2005... Authorities in China unveiled a plan to boost port infrastructure in the Pearl River Delta over the next five years. Under China's 11th Five-Year Plan, the Pearl River Delta will receive US$1.85 billion in funding to invest in 10 port...

Shipbuilding Thrives.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto With trade booming, especially in the Asia-Pacific, ocean lines went on a ship-buying binge over the last few years. While trade continues at a brisk pace, new ship orders are declining. This does not...

Us Shipbuilding Revived.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall When the Maunalei is launched next year from the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Matson Navigation will have five modern container vessels -- four of them built since 2003. With that string of 2,500- and 2,600-TEU...

Hatsu Vessel Green - Inside and Out.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall The fleet of mega-carriers serving the Port of Los Angeles grew last week with the maiden call of the Hatsu Sigma, recently built in a Japanese shipyard. Like many new container vessels entering service, the Hatsu...

Usps Seeks Break on Hours-of-Service Rules.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane Just in time for the holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service asked for an out from the hours-of-service rules for truck drivers. As a government agency, the Postal Service is exempt from HOS rules, but its...

The Greening of the Green Lane.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Remember the "green lane?" It's been a formless idea that has floated above discussions of supply-chain security and trade facilitation for more than a year. Robert C. Bonner, former commissioner of Customs and Border...

Dot Advances $40 Million for Rebuilding.
December 8, 2005... The U.S. Department of Transportation is sending$40 million as a second installment of emergency funds to Mississippi and Louisiana to rebuild vital infrastructure affected by Hurricane Katrina. Much more is expected after Congress acts on...

Ship Lines, Terminal Operators Look to Secondary Locations for Growth.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Maersk Inc. and CMA CGM surprised the maritime industry in early December with their announcement of a joint venture to build a $300 million container terminal in Mobile, Ala., but their focus on this secondary...

Temasek Another P&O Suitor?
December 8, 2005... Temasek Holdings Ltd., the investment arm of Singapore's government, said this month that it has increased its stake in P&O, a move that sparked speculation that it might make a bid rivaling Dubai Ports World's offer for the world's...

Maruba to Expand West Coast Feeder Service.
December 8, 2005... Maruba Lines, the Argentinean container carrier, will expand its California Express Service to include port calls in Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. The initial sailing of the new vessel deployment will depart Jan. 12 from...

Koch Industries to Acquire Georgia-Pacific.
December 8, 2005... Commodities conglomerate Koch Industries has sealed a cash deal to purchase Georgia-Pacific Corp. for $13.2 billion, making the Wichita, Kan. firm the largest privately held company in the U.S. Paper products maker Georgia-Pacific Corp.,...

Postal Service Peak: 20 Billion Items.
December 8, 2005... The U.S. Postal Service estimated that it will deliver 20 billion letters, packages and cards between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The busiest mailing day is expected to be Monday, Dec. 19, with more than 280 million cards and letters being...

Tsa to Raise Bunker Surcharge Jan. 1.
December 8, 2005... Member lines of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) are increasing the next quarterly bunker surcharge to $590 per FEU, a new high, on Jan. 1, 2006. The price hike comes as world prices have been falling. "Customers...

Gatx to Sell Older Aircraft.
December 8, 2005... GATX Corp., the transportation equipment lessorand management services provider, this month revealed a plan to focus its aircraft-leasing portfolio around its newer, more profitable aircraft. As a major part of the plan, GATX said it would...

Descartes Systems Gets Back in the Black.
December 8, 2005... The Descartes Systems Group, provider of logistics and transportation software, turned a profit of $600,000 in its fiscal third quarter, compared with a loss of $2.7 million a year ago. Revenue climbed to $11.5 million from $11 million, and...

Dhl Expands China Operations.
December 8, 2005... DHL last week announced a new direct 10-times-weekly service between Hong Kong and the United States. The flight "represents the latest in a series of enhancements by DHL to further strengthen its service to the fast-growing Greater China...

Tnt Plans Sale of Logistics Unit.
December 8, 2005... TNT, a global provider of mail, express and logistics services based in the Netherlands, intends to sell its logistics business, representing approximately 3.4 billion euros (US$4 billion) in annual revenue, subject to shareholder approval, the...

Eagle Bulk Shipping Receives Supramax Dry-Bulk Vessel.
December 8, 2005... Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc., the largest U.S.-based owner of Handymax dry-bulk vessels, announced that it has taken delivery of the Heron, a 52,827-deadweight-ton Supramax dry-bulk vessel built in 2001. The company has employed the vessel on a 24-...

'K' Line, Mol to Launch Asia-South America Service.
December 8, 2005... K Line and MOL are starting a new joint container service called "New Andes" that will link Asia, Mexico and the west coast of South America starting in April 2006. A joint service currently operated by the companies along with Royal P&O...

Outsourcing's Delicate Balance.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: William Hoffman Outsourcing is a balancing act. In exchange for supply-chain services and cost savings, a shipper usually gives up some control over logistics processes and loses some visibility into how they work. But some...

Mtl to Build Phase 2 of China Terminal.
December 8, 2005... Modern Terminals Ltd., a Hong Kong port operator majority-owned by Wharf (Holdings) Ltd., plans to invest 7 billion yuan (US$866.5 million) in developing the second phase of Dachan Bay container terminal in Shenzhen, according to the Standard,...

Trade Boost: Eu Announces New Customs Code.
December 8, 2005... A new customs code for the European Union will result in a 50 billion euro (US$60 billion) increase in trade each year by speeding up imports and exports and reducing costs, the European Commission said. The new code also will help the fight...

Cma Cgm Takeover of Delmas Cleared by Eu.
December 8, 2005... On Dec. 2 European Union regulators cleared CMA CGM's $600 million takeover of the Delmas container shipping business that made the French line the world's third-largest ocean carrier. The European Commission said Marseilles, France-based CMA...

It's Boom Time in South Korea.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee Judging by recent news reports, it's boom time in South Korea. The economy is growing, export activity is thriving, automakers' sales are soaring, and some industries seem poised to take off. Moreover, U.S. beef...

South Korea Certifies Savi Rfid Tags and Readers.
December 8, 2005... South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) certified the use of Savi Technology's 433.92-MHz radio-frequency band for active radio-frequency identification tags and readers. The decision, which came this month, supports the...

Tsa Unveils New Air Passenger Measures.
December 8, 2005... The Transportation Security Administration will begin new measures Dec. 22 that will make air passenger screening less routine, according to Kip Hawley, head of the agency. The new protocols are intended to make airport security less...

Sap to Acquire Software Vendor.
December 8, 2005... In an effort to get a leg up on rival Oracle Corp., SAP AG last month agreed to buy Khimetrics Inc., a vendor of customer demand management software for the retail industry. Khimetrics develops price-optimization, revenue management and...

Central Freight Line Sheds Terminals.
December 8, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Carey With bankruptcy a looming possibility, Central Freight Lines is trying again to shore up its finances by shedding terminals. In recent weeks, the Waco, Texas regional less-than-truckload carrier has closed seven...

Cn Rail Increases Capital Spending.
December 8, 2005... Canadian National Railway plans increased spending in 2006 on its track network, and for locomotives and railcars. The announcement, which came this month, marked the first time that CN has publicly revealed its future capital spending plans....

Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern in New Joint Venture.
December 8, 2005... Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern Corp. are forming a joint venture to increase rail-hauling capacity and improve service in the Gulf Coast. Kansas City Southern will contribute a 320-mile rail line between Meridian, Miss., and...

FedEx Ground Increases 2006 Rates.
December 8, 2005... FedEx Corp. will increase its standard list rates for FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery Jan. 2 by an average of 3.9 percent. This is in addition to other changes to FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery surcharges, the company...

Truck Tonnage Index Up in October.
December 8, 2005... Trucking volume increasedin October for the second consecutive month, according to an industry report. The American Trucking Associations Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.3 percentage points in October, the same figure as the revisednumber for...

Cathay Pacific Places Large Order for New Boeing and Airbus Aircraft.
December 8, 2005... Cathay Pacific Airways this month placed its largest aircraft order as the Hong Kong carrier seeks to modernize and expand its fleet. The airline committed to 16 advanced wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with purchase rights for 20 more....