Pacific Shipper articles from December 2006

Pacific Shipper archives from December 2006

Stringing Along.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto When two of the largest container ship operators announce capacity cutbacks along with rate increases for the coming year, it seems a sure thing that the rest of the liner players will quickly cover that bet. ...

Taca Seeks Increase in Rail Fees for Southern California Boxes.
December 1, 2006... The Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement plans to seek an increase in charges for shipments moving into and out of Southern California by rail. In an announcement, the carriers said the Alameda Corridor Charge Adjustment follows a similar...

Dhl Launches Us Cross-Border Program.
December 1, 2006... DHL last week launched a program designed to streamline cross-border shipping in North America. The express carrier said the North America Trade Lane initiative is a long-term plan to adapt networks, infrastructure and services to speed...

Csav Norasia Service Links India, Mideast and Europe.
December 1, 2006... CSAV Norasia last week announced the launch of IMEX, a new container service linking India, the Middle East and Europe. The new service will be operated with six vessels, each with capacity of 2,800 TEUs. All will be contributed by CSAV...

Moyes Completes Central Freight Purchase.
December 1, 2006... After months of delay, trucking entrepreneur Jerry Moyes has acquired Central Freight Lines, closing the $28.8 million deal for the regional less-than-truckload carrier on Nov. 27. The buyout became final on the same day that Swift...

Sweet Smell of Success.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By Peter T. Leach It's the largest trading floor in the world -- a complex of cavernous warehouses as large as 200 football fields -- where 22 million separate items are auctioned off every weekday and distributed to buyers, mostly...

Maersk Line to Increase Rates, Reduce Capacity in Trans-Pacific.
December 1, 2006... Maersk Line announced that it will discontinue two trans-Pacific liner strings and pursue a general rate increase of "at least" $300 per FEU to West Coast ports and $500 per FEU to East Coast ports. And for cargo continuing to inland...

Hanjin Shares Climb after Death of Chairman.
December 1, 2006... Shares of South Korea's Hanjin Shipping jumped as much as 10 percent last week on speculation that the company could become a takeover target following the death of its chairman and chief executive, Cho Soo Ho. Hanjin shares climbed as high as...

Hoegh Autoliners Expands Fleet.
December 1, 2006... Hoegh Autoliners is set to boost the carrying capacity of its fleet with 11 new roll-on, roll-off vessels, seven for delivery in 2007, two in 2008 and two in 2009. The company has signed orders for an additional two large flexible...

Danaos Takes Delivery of Cscl Container Ship.
December 1, 2006... Danaos Corp. announced that it has taken delivery of China Shipping Container Lines' Le Havre, a 9,580-TEU container ship built by Samsung Heavy Industries. The delivery brings the Greek company's fleet up to 28 container ships with total...

Hutchison Whampoa Joint Venture to Build Two New Box Terminals in Zhuhai.
December 1, 2006... A joint venture company established by Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa group in partnership with a Zhuhai firm plans to build two container terminals in the Gaolan port area located within the special economic zone of Zhuhai. According to a...

Senator Lines Cuts Jobs, Services.
December 1, 2006... Further to its recent decision to dump loss-making operations, Senator Lines will begin to implement its "Concept 2007" repositioning program, which includes the withdrawal of certain scheduled services and a number of staff layoffs. Last...

Tnt Repurchases 18.2 Million Shares from the Netherlands.
December 1, 2006... The Netherlands sold all of its shares in TNT last month, a total of 27.8 million ordinary shares to Citibank and UBS and 18.2 million ordinary shares to TNT. The total sale by the state represents approximately 10.9 percent of TNT's...

Durable Goods Orders Decline 8.3 Percent.
December 1, 2006... After two months of increases, new orders for manufactured durable goods plunged 8.3 percent in October, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The dollar value of new orders decreased in October by $19 billion to $210 billion. The decline...

New Goods Carriage Treaty Near.
December 1, 2006... An end to negotiations may be in sight for a new international shipping agreement to replace the antiquated Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. The United Nations may have a new treaty ready for ratification by nations by the fall of 2008,...

Airbus Sets December Certification Date for A380.
December 1, 2006... Airbus is confident that the trouble A380 super-jumbo will be certified in December, according to recent news reports. The director of Airbus' A380 marketing division told Gulf News last month that he expects the much-delayed aircraft to...

Moyes Offer for Swift Rejected.
December 1, 2006... Swift Transportation last week rejected the $29 per share buyout offer from its former chairman, Jerry Moyes. Moyes made the offer in a letter to current Swift chairman Jock Patton on Nov. 3. The company's special committee of the board of...

Kuehne & Nagel to Acquire Hsbc.
December 1, 2006... Logistics provider Kuehne & Nagel said it plans to acquire the U.K.-based road and ocean freight specialist HSBC Export Services for an unspecified sum. HSBC employs about 30 people and also works in export documentation and credit...

Dhl won't Buy Blue Dart Express Shares.
December 1, 2006... DHL Express Singapore said last month it would not purchase Blue Dart Express shares from its shareholders after the discovered price of 950 rupees ($20.98) per share exceeded expectations. DHL Express holds 81 percent of Blue Dart. DHL had...

Nehru Ordered to Slash Rates.
December 1, 2006... The Tariff Authority for Major Ports, India's port regulatory agency, has ordered the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru to cut its container-handling charges by 15 percent and vessel-related charges by 30 percent. The decision, which will provide...

India Expects $8 Billion Investment in Ports.
December 1, 2006... India's port sector projects $8 billion in private investment over the next six years as part of the government's National Maritime Development Program. The program has identified 276 projects involving investment of $12.5 billion,...

Road Tolls Ring Up Heavyweight Backer.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By Angela Greiling Keane Supporters of highway tolls have a former prominent Democratic leader on their side as Democrats who oppose tolling are poised to take majority control of Congress next month. Richard Gephardt, the...

Us, Colombia Sign Trade Accord.
December 1, 2006... The United States and Colombia last month signed a trade promotion agreement that will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services. The agreement removes duties on more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of consumer and...

Asset-Backed Intermodal Companies See Opportunities.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By John Gallagher A sputtering domestic intermodal market is turning into an opportunity for asset-backed companies such as Schneider National to increase their business. The freight transportation industry received a wake-up...

FedEx Going Long with Watkins Motor Integration.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By John Gallagher FedEx Freight officials said last month that they are well on the way to meeting an early 2007 deadline to integrate its new long-haul service and grab a bigger portion of the $32 billion less-than-truckload...

Kitty Hawk Signs $29 Million Contract with Usps.
December 1, 2006... Kitty Hawk Cargo last month entered into a contract with the U.S. Postal Service to manage a daytime air and ground cargo network for holiday season mail between Nov. 28 and Dec. 24. Based on successful performance of the contract, the total...

FedEx Expands Hong Kong Services.
December 1, 2006... FedEx Express announced that it will relocate and expand its Express Distribution Centre in Hong Kong to Kwai Chun, as part of the company's plan to enhance services in China's Special Administrative Region. By expanding and relocating the...

Thai Airways Appoints Ecs Aero Exclusive Agent in France.
December 1, 2006... ECS Aero Cargo International, a member of the European Cargo Services group, was appointed to the exclusive general sales agent post in France to market Thai Airways' growing cargo capacity to Bangkok, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast...

Zim Enters Intermodal Venture in China.
December 1, 2006... Zim Integrated Shipping Services has signed an agreement with China Railway Container Transport Corp., a unit of China's Ministry of Railways, to form a joint venture called China United International Rail Container Co. With a planned...

3pl Outsourcing Services Gain with Fortune 500 Companies.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By William Hoffman Third-party logistics providers are leveraging their experiences with Fortune 500 companies to draw in more midtier shippers by showing them savings and efficiencies they didn't know they had. "The fact of...

Singapore: Business-Friendly, But Vulnerable.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By Richard Knee Singapore tops the World Bank's list of business-friendly countries, but its small size and location on the Strait of Malacca leave it economically and geopolitically vulnerable. Officials point to the growing...

Asia-Pacific Project Cargo Growth Forecast for 2007.
December 1, 2006... Shipments of oversize or project cargo are expected to grow 10 to 15 percent in dollar volume in 2007, based on continuing strong international demand for massive machinery and equipment too large to fit into 20- and 40-foot containers. ...

Ooil to Sell Terminals for $2.4 Billion.
December 1, 2006... Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. late last month announced the sale of its terminals division to a Canadian teachers pension fund for $2.4 billion. The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board will pay the Hong Kong-based company $2.35...

Ssa Marine in Joint Venture to Develop Vietnam's Cai Lan Port.
December 1, 2006... Vinalines, Quang Ninh Port and SSA Marine last month agreed in principle to set up a joint venture company that will develop and operate container terminals at Vietnam's Cai Lan Port, in Quang Ninh Province. The agreement sets the stage...

Seattle, Tacoma See Revenue Increases in 2007.
December 1, 2006... BYLINE: By Bill DiBenedetto It's budget season in the Pacific Northwest, and the region's two major container ports, Seattle and Tacoma, last month approved operating budgets for 2007 forecasting big increases in revenue next year. ...

Canada's West Coast Ports Agree on Unification.
December 1, 2006... Canada's three West Coast port authorities last month ratified a report that recommends the integration of the lower mainland ports of Vancouver, North Fraser and Fraser River into a single Canada Port Authority. This means that everyone...

Tideworks Installs Terminal Operating Software in Manzanillo.
December 1, 2006... Seattle's Tideworks Technology Inc., a provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions for terminal operators, has completed a software implementation project at SSA Mexico's container terminal in Manzanillo,...

Los Angeles Transportation Club Elects Officers.
December 1, 2006... The Los Angeles Transportation Club celebrated the installation of their 2006-2007 officers and directors during a "black tie" event held recently at the Reef Banquet Center in Long Beach harbor. The LATC was incorporated in 1924; Jim De...

Port of Vancouver, WASH., Welcomes Saga Enterprise on Its Maiden Voyage.
December 1, 2006... The Port of Vancouver, Wash., last month welcomed the Saga Enterprise, captained by Rajaniram G. Kulur of India, on its maiden voyage to Vancouver. The vessel is operated by Saga Forest Carriers of Tonsberg, Norway, and represented locally...

Hapag-Lloyd to Cut Capacity, Increase Rates.
December 1, 2006... Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, the leading trans-Atlantic carrier, will seek a general rate increase on its services to the U.S. East, West and Gulf coasts effective Feb. 1 and will also reduce capacity on its North American services in 2007. ...

Doozy of a Deal.
December 7, 2006... The sale of the U.S. assets of P&O Ports became more convoluted last month with the revelation that the chairman of high-profile suitor CMA CGM may be at odds with Egyptian law. The sale already has enough surreal trappings to confuse even...

Port of Tacoma Refinances Long-Term Debt.
December 7, 2006... The Port of Tacoma said last week that it has saved $5.3 million by refinancing its long-term debt at lower interest rates. On Nov. 30, the port offered for bids $111.5 million in revenue and general obligation (GO) bond debt, formerly at...

'K' Line, Hanjin in Reciprocal Stock Deal.
December 7, 2006... "K" Line and Hanjin Shipping, two of the four members of the CKYH alliance, said last week that they have agreed to buy identical equity stakes in each other as capital investments and as a means of strengthening their partnership. "K"...

Aircraft Lessor Cancels Airbus Super-Jumbo Freighter Order.
December 7, 2006... Airbus's beleaguered A380 super-jumbo program suffered another blow when International Lease Finance Corp., the aircraft-leasing arm of AIG, canceled an order for five A380 freighters. ILFC had ordered 10 A380s -- five passenger and five...

Horizon Lines Takes Delivery of 2,800-Teu Container Ship.
December 7, 2006... Horizon Lines took delivery of a new container ship, the Horizon Hunter, from the Hyundai Mipo shipyard in South Korea. The vessel is the first of five new, U.S.-flag, foreign-built, sister vessels that the company is chartering from...

CakeBoxx Unveils Doorless Intermodal Container.
December 7, 2006... CakeBoxx has developed the world's first doorless intermodal cargo container, and said it will accelerate production of the first intermodal boxes of the new design. With its doorless design, which is pending a patent, Cakeboxx said the...

Turbo Boost for Korean Auto Exports? Free-Trade Pact with U.S. Expected to Increase Car Shipments.
December 7, 2006... South Korea is expecting a major spike in its auto exports to the U.S. if a bilateral trade pact between the two nations ends all duties on vehicles, according to a recent Korean government report. By Bill DiBenedetto It is a big if,...

Missing the Boat -- Msc Chief Says U.S. Companies Ignore Export Opportunities.
December 7, 2006... BYLINE: By William Armbruster Free-trade agreements, such as the one being negotiated with South Korea, are designed to break down trade barriers and enable increased two-way trade with another country. But the attention usually goes to...

Apl Researches Cleaner Engines.
December 7, 2006... BYLINE: By Stephanie Nall Ocean carrier APL Ltd. is using one of its 14 U.S.-flag vessels as a maritime guinea pig to test new engine technology intended to reduce polluting emissions. The APL Singapore, a 5,100-TEU vessel built in...

Vancouver, British Columbia, to Cut Port Pollution.
December 7, 2006... California ports aren't the only ones that are working to increase business and lower pollution simultaneously. The Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, last week announced new initiatives to decrease polluting emissions. Capt. Gordon Houston,...

The Cost of Security: Nit League to Calculate Added Expense.
December 7, 2006... BYLINE: By R.G. Edmonson A chronic problem for shippers since Sept. 11 has been calculating the added costs to the supply chain resulting from initiatives such as the 24-Hour Rule and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism...

Evergreen to Rebrand Italia Marittima, Hatsu.
December 7, 2006... Evergreen Marine and its two affiliated container lines in the Evergreen Group -- Italia Marittima SpA and Hatsu Marine Ltd. -- will become one line with a single brand name -- Evergreen Line -- as of May 1 next year. The renamed lines...

Horizon Chief Calls for Security Cooperation.
December 7, 2006... The chief executive of the largest U.S.-flag carrier called for greater cooperation between all segments of the container industry and the government to improve trade security in the coming year. Charles Raymond, chairman, president and...

Oecd Sees Global Economic Slowdown.
December 7, 2006... The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development expects global economic growth to weaken to 2.6 percent in 2007, despite robust expansion through much of this year. The Paris-based group in its latest survey of major businesses in...

Maersk Expects $600 Million Loss.
December 7, 2006... A.P. Moller-Maersk said its container shipping unit will lose approximately $600 million in 2006, compared with a year-earlier profit of $1.2 billion, because of declining freight rates and rising fuel bills. The world's biggest ocean...

Rail Volumes Decline.
December 7, 2006... Rail traffic declined further in the week ending Nov. 24, according to figures released by the Association of American Railroads. Total rail traffic fell 0.4 percent year-over-year -- a modest decline in comparison with the two previous...

Dubai Drops Plan for Mega Air-Cargo Terminals.
December 7, 2006... Dubai Cargo Village could abandon plans to construct two new terminals in the face of new facilities being built at the international airport and logistics zone in Jebel Ali. The new $8.1 billion airport will be 10 times the size of the...

Dhl Raises Us Rates 3.9 Percent.
December 7, 2006... International and domestic express rates will average 3.9 percent higher in 2007, DHL Express (USA) said late last month. The increase in the net average rate for DHL Domestic Air Express and International Express contrasts with a hike of 4.9...

Dhl Finalizes Investment in Polar Air Cargo.
December 7, 2006... Polar Air Cargo finalized a partnership agreement with DHL Worldwide, a deal that gives the express provider a 49 percent equity stake in the air-cargo carrier. The terms of the deal also gives DHL, a unit of Germany's Deutsche Post World...

Airfreight Traffic Slowed in October.
December 7, 2006... International airfreight traffic slowed dramatically in October, traditionally one of the strongest months of the year. Global volume increased 2.3 percent in October from the same month a year ago, according to the International Air...

Canadian National Spending Plan Boosts Intermodal Network.
December 7, 2006... Canadian National Railway announced plans to spend C$1.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) for track, locomotives and other upgrades in 2007. Hunter Harrison, president and chief executive, said the capital spending represents an increase of 4...

Truck Tonnage Declines.
December 7, 2006... Truck tonnage fell in October, offsetting a gain in September, according to an industry survey. The American Trucking Associations' advance seasonally adjusted-for-hire Truck Tonnage Index dropped 1.8 percentage points in October to 110.8 after...

Rails Enhance Service.
December 7, 2006... While rail volume growth has slowed recently, service metrics have improved for North American railroads, according to figures compiled from the Association of American Railroads and individual railroads by Banc of America Securities. ...

Farm Export Prospects Improve.
December 7, 2006... U.S. agricultural exports are expected to hit a record $77 billion in fiscal 2007 -- $5 billion more than forecast in August and $8.3 billion more than goods sold overseas in fiscal 2006, which ended on Sept. 30. "Improvements in several...

Usda to Increase Produce Grading Fees.
December 7, 2006... Companies that want the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give their produce a grade and certify quality will have to pay more for the service in 2007. The USDA is proposing to raise the fees charged to grade and certify fresh fruit and...

South Korea Says Ocean Freight Rates Likely to Fall.
December 7, 2006... Global freight rates are likely to drop for the second consecutive year in 2007 because of intensifying competition among shippers amid high oil prices, the South Korean government said last week. While shipping capacity worldwide is...

Bax Global Wins Supply Chain Contract in China.
December 7, 2006... BAX Global was awarded a new transportation and supply-chain management contract in Shenzhen, China by a Dutch manufacturer of consumer technology products. BAX operates a European hub for Netherlands-based Trust International at Moerdijk,...

C.H. Robinson Expands in India.
December 7, 2006... C.H. Robinson Worldwide is expanding its India operation with the acquisition of nationwide forwarder Triune Freight and Triune Logistics. Triune has approximately 160 employees in 19 offices throughout India, and has annual gross revenues...

Business Groups Hit New Us Export Controls for China.
December 7, 2006... The National Foreign Trade Council this month joined 23 other prominent business associations in calling on the U.S. Commerce Department to reconsider its proposed export-control regulation regarding shipments to China. In July, the...

Tnt Plans $133 Million Investment in India.
December 7, 2006... Dutch parcel carrier TNT Express is planning to invest about 100 million euros (US$133.2 million) over the next two years to augment its domestic road and air distribution network in India. "After studying the market conditions, we have...

Western Indian State Plans Five Ports.
December 7, 2006... India's western state of Maharashtra is in the process of building five new ports with developers on a build-operate-transfer basis, to cater to the needs of automobile and manufacturing industries. The projects coming up in the state are...

Containers Give Us Farmers New Markets.
December 7, 2006... BYLINE: By R.G. Edmonson Bill Dankbar entered the grain business just after the U.S. and Soviet Union completed a deal that opened the Soviet Union to millions of bushels of U.S. export grain. "This country invested significant amounts of...

South Korea: Chances Look Slim for Trade Agreement.
December 7, 2006... BYLINE: By Richard Knee If U.S. and South Korean negotiators can resolve their differences and sign a free-trade area pact, the Bush administration will face an additional battle for at least the next couple of years: trying to get the nod...

Vancouver Toughens Rules for Container Trucking.
December 7, 2006... The Vancouver Port Authority unveiled more rigorous licensing, audit and enforcement for container truckers at the western Canada gateway. The port authority said the new license agreement will ensure that trucking companies comply with a...

Longview to Enhance Cargo Handling.
December 7, 2006... Port of Longview, Wash., commissioners last month approved the 2007 budget at a special meeting. The budget focuses on maximizing opportunities for handling bulk, breakbulk and special project cargo, officials said. "Revenue figures are...

Vancouver, WASH., to Fund Rail Expansion.
December 7, 2006... The board of commissioners for the Port of Vancouver, Wash., approved the port's $83.2 million 2007 budget late last month. The final budget provides more than $26.6 million in capital investments for marine and industrial expansion, including...

Brief Strike Creates Hiccup in Los Angeles.
December 7, 2006... Dockworkers shut down marine terminals at the Port of Los Angeles for about one hour on Nov. 29 but returned to their jobs when the area arbitrator ruled that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union could not honor the picket lines that...

Tacoma Port Names Ryan Senior Contracts Administrator.
December 7, 2006... Last month, the Port of Tacoma selected Vincent Ryan as senior contracts administrator. In this position, he is responsible for administering construction contracts from bid preparation through contract closing. Before joining the port,...

Horizon Lines Adds to Board.
December 7, 2006... Horizon Lines has appointed two new directors to its board, William J. Flynn and James W. Down, bringing the total number of directors to 11. Flynn, 53, is president and chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, the parent of Atlas...

Bridges Leaving Oakland.
December 7, 2006... It's official. Jerry Bridges, executive director at the Port of Oakland, is headed east to become the executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. In Oakland, Bridges was in charge of the nation's fourth-largest container port, as well as...

Double Dp World.
December 15, 2006... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto AIG is among the largest insurance and finance companies you may never have heard of, and that is generally the way American International Group likes it. It quietly emerged as the buyer of six U.S. terminals...

Tata Steel and Nyk Line Sign Joint-Venture Agreement.
December 15, 2006... Tata Steel and NYK Line this month entered into a 50-50 joint-venture agreement that will set up a bulk and breakbulk shipping company. According to B. Muthuraman, managing director of Tata Steel, the company's future requirements in terms...

Dp World Tops List of Bidders for Hamburg Box Facility.
December 15, 2006... BYLINE: By Bruce Barnard Dubai's ports arm, DP World, has emerged as a leading contender to acquire a sizable stake in HHLA, Hamburg's top container facility, a day after pocketing a large profit on the sale of its U.S. box terminals. ...

San Francisco Gets New Bulk Facility.
December 15, 2006... Cemex U.S., the nation's largest cement producer, has opened a maritime bulk cargo terminal and concrete ready-mix facility at the Port of San Francisco's Pier 92. The Cemex facility joins other Port of San Francisco bulk cargo terminals...