Pacific Shipper articles from January 2005

Pacific Shipper archives from January 2005

A Wave of Aid.
January 6, 2005... One of the things I've always enjoyed about reporting on international trade and transportation is the feeling of being in the middle of things -- being connected to interesting places and people and important events. Sometimes, the global...

Cargo Boom Could Extend West Coast Longshore Hiring.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo While waterfront employers have hired thousands of new longshoremen since the summer, cargo volumes at West Coast ports remain strong, and the hiring process could be extended well into 2005. "Demand has stayed...

'K' Line Rescues Tsunami Survivor.("K" Line Maritime Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... A "K" Line vessel Jan. 3 rescued a survivor of the Asia tsunami disaster who had drifted for a week in the Indian Ocean. Rizal Sapura, 23, was plucked out of the ocean about 100 miles from the shores of Aceh province, the Associated Press...

Rail Unions Form Coalition.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... For the first time in 20 years, several rail labor unions have teamed up to bargain as one voice with major U.S. railroads. The Teamster Rail Conference's Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way...

Riding the Steel Wave.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Janet Plume Steel producers have been riding a wave of inflationary fever over the past year as prices shot to record levels in just a few months, catching shippers and carriers by surprise. But prices may be heading down to...

Steel Breakbulk Volume Up at West Coast Ports.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto For many ports along the West Coast and on the Columbia River, breakbulk volume -- comprising mostly steel and project cargoes -- was a major highlight of 2004 and a continuing source of high expectations and...

Hawaii Carriers Get Boost from STB Ruling.(Surface Transportation Board)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson The Surface Transportation Board, which usually plays referee in deregulated land-transportation markets, recently took an unusual dip into domestic ocean carriage. The STB denied a claim by DHX, Dependable...

Last Year's Congestion Forces Supply-Chain Evaluation.(Business Logistics)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach and Bill Mongelluzzo Bad memories from last year are coloring the thinking of logistics managers as they prepare for 2005. Last year's jammed-up transportation infrastructure, following the congestion accompanying the...

Carriers Face Shortage of Large Container Vessels.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Ocean carriers face a critical shortage of big container ships on the charter market over the next two years, jeopardizing plans to expand their networks to keep pace with surging trade volumes. There are no ships...

Hong Kong Exports Surge.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Hong Kong's exports rose in November at the fastest pace in three months, up 16.8 percent from a year earlier to 179.7 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $23.1 billion, after climbing 16.1 percent in October, the government said late last month. ...

China Ports Gain in Capacity, Volume.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Container handling capacity at Ningbo, one of China's three largest coastal ports, exceeded 4 million TEUs in the first 11 months of this year, a year-on-year growth of 44.5 percent. Ningbo, in east China's Zhejiang Province, has ranked...

Record Agriculture Deficit for China.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... China expects to post a record $5.5 billion agricultural trade deficit this year. "The country has become a net importer of agricultural products three years after joining the World Trade Organization," said Ke Bingsheng, director of the...

Russia, China Set to Upgrade Rail Links.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... China and Russia agreed to upgrade railway links between the two countries to handle an expected increase in crude exports and rail traffic from Russia to China over the next two years, according to a Dow Jones Newswire report. Crude sent...

Hanjin Aiming for $15 Billion in 2005 Sales.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Hanjin Group, South Korea's eighth-biggest industrial conglomerate by assets, said it aims to post 15.4 trillion won (US$14.7 billion) in sales from its airline and shipping units this year. For 2005, operating income from the airline and...

Maritime Industry Prepares to Enter Pollution Debate.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo With cargo volumes increasing by more than 1 million TEUs a year, the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex desperately needs larger terminals, but expansion has been stalled by environmental challenges. The only...

Study Sees Chicago Freight Jam.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... During the next 25 years, freight traffic will double in the Chicago region, requiring action now to avoid congestion and slowed economic development, according to a recently released study. Commissioned by Chicago Metropolis 2020, "The...

Fuel Surcharges Declining.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... U.S. cargo carriers began reducing their fuel surcharges after two weeks of declining oil prices. DHL Danzas Air & Ocean decreased its fuel surcharge for U.S. international shipments (export and import) from 35 cent per kilogram to 30...

Swift Upgrades Fourth-Quarter Earnings Outlook.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Swift Transportation Co. last month raised its earnings outlook for the fourth quarter, citing strong freight demand, improved pricing and higher recovery of fuel costs. The truckload carrier and intermodal services provider said it...

Intermodal Surge for Us Railroads Last Year.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Through last year's first 50 weeks, U.S. railroads had already moved more freight than any other year on record, according to the Association of American Railroads. Railroads moved an estimated 1.6 trillion ton-miles, a 4.9 percent...

Fraser River Port Traffic Up.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Fraser River Port is poised to record another record year in international and domestic cargo, after reporting nine-month numbers for 2004 that were significantly higher than those of the previous year. International cargo for the first...

Port of Los Angeles Proposing Pollution Measures.
January 6, 2005... The Port of Los Angeles is unveiling a list of 73 pollution-control measures, many aimed at container shipping. The measures will be turned over to a citizens' panel charged with finding a way to fulfill Mayor James Hahn's promise to cap...

Oil Match Sheds Light on Mystery Spill Culprit.
January 6, 2005... Laboratory tests performed by the Coast Guard and the Washington State Department of Ecology have confirmed that the Polar Texas, an oil tanker owned by ConocoPhillips, was the source of the October mystery oil spill around Dalco Passage, which...

Teu Slide Continues at Portland; Grain, Breakbulk Surge.(Port of Portland )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The Port of Portland is set to close out a forgettable year in terms of container volumes, but will relish a big performance in its more traditional grain and breakbulk cargo bases. Through November the port reported big gains of 42.9...

Port of Vancouver Usa Revamps Terminal Operations.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The Port of Vancouver USA this month will resume maritime operations at two terminals to "facilitate the receipt and delivery of primarily breakbulk cargoes." Marine Terminals Corp. previously handled Terminal 3 and Terminal 2, Berth 1....

Boeing 7E7 Gets First Us Buyer.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Continental Airlines said that it will order 10 Boeing 7E7 Dreamliners for delivery starting in 2009. The nation's fifth-biggest airline is the first mainline U.S. carrier to commit to the 7E7. With the Continental announcement, Boeing now...

Info Gap Biggest Challenge for Us Exporters.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: William Armbruster Now is the time for U.S. companies to get into the export business. And for those already in the export game, now is the time to expand their reach into new markets. The weak dollar and the increasing number...

Japan: Still a Potent Force in Global Trade.
January 6, 2005... The multi-island nation buys California citrus and is a big supplier of consumer electronics to the U.S. While China's economic transformation justifiably grabs most of the attention, Japan remains a potent force in global trade. ...

Canada Needs National Strategy to Optimize Trade with China.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Alan Daniels Canada must develop a national strategy for optimizing trade relationships with China or the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia risks losing business as China's economy continues to expand, Gordon Houston,Vancouver...

After Acquisitions, Exel to Focus on Organic Growth.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: William Hoffman Having swallowed Tibbett & Britten in a $600 million deal last summer, U.K.-based logistics giant Exel is pushing back from the table to digest. "We believe we've assembled the bulk of the building blocks we...

Wireless Technology Upgrade Aids Sfl's Shipment Tracking.(Southeastern Freight Lines Inc.)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Andrew D. Beadle Shippers will find it faster and easier to track freight with Southeastern Freight Lines, thanks to wireless technology the company is using for real-time updates on pickups and deliveries. The regional...

More Security Rules on the Horizon.(Cargo security)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane Representatives of the freight transportation industry are taking a wary look at government plans for cargo security that includes the specter of making the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Free...

Dhs Watchdog Hits Port Grant Program.(Department of Homeland Security)
January 6, 2005... The Department of Homeland Security Department has allowed federal grants for improving security at America's ports to be spent on low-priority problems rather than the most serious vulnerabilities, the agency's outgoing inspector general said....

Buoy Transmitters Aid Us Port Security.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The U.S. Coast Guard is turning to dozens of buoys already bobbing around the country to extend the reach of a port-security system. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses the buoys to collect data on the wind, temperature...

Hard Rock Logistics.(Hard Rock Cafe International Inc.)(Panalpina Inc.)
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: Chris Barnett When Hard Rock Cafe International awarded Panalpina a contract to ship classic guitars played by rock 'n' roll legends Jimi Hendrix and Ace Frehley of Kiss, it sounded like a send-up of the MasterCard television...

The Real Cost of Relocation.
January 6, 2005... BYLINE: D'Arcy Cannava-Goldman Is your company considering relocation? In today's economy, the lure of a less expensive lease is the primary motivator for businesses to quickly "pack up and pounce" on that relocation opportunity. Before...

Port of Tacoma Names Dick Dorsett Governmental Affairs Manager.(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The Port of Tacoma recently named Dick Dorsett as governmental affairs manager. In this post, he'll manage the port's state legislative agenda and work with regional and local communities on various issues, including transportation and the...

Evergreen Changes Management.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Taiwan's Evergreen Group has announced management changes in two of its core companies, Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan) and EVA Airways, including the decision by its chairman not to step down. The company said in a statement that the...

Security Group Elects Harrison.(International Cargo Security Council)(Scott Harrison Smith )(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The International Cargo Security Council recently elected Scott Harrison Smith chairman for 2005. He will serve a one-year term beginning Jan. 1. President of cargo security seal supplier Alpha Cargo Technology LLC, Smith previously served...

Abx Air Promotes New Cfo.(Chief Financial Officer )(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... ABX Air announced that Quint Turner has been named chief financial officer. Turner has served as acting chief financial officer since July 2004, when former Chief Financial Officer Duane Kimble went on a personal leave of absence. Kimble's...

Investing in Less.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall This country is blessed with good geography, abundant natural resources, fertile land, ample water, freedom and a good form of government. But even with all our prosperity, there are never enough resources to throw...

Heavy Rains Damage Key Intermodal Rail Lines.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Heavy rains and flooding in Southern California and in Nevada have washed out key Union Pacific routes serving the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. UP spokesman John Bromley said the railroad is not...

China's Trade Surplus Reaches Six-Year High.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Surging exports helped push China's trade surplus to a six-year high of $31.9 billion in 2004, the government reported Jan. 11. December's trade surplus of $11.1 billion, the eighth straight month of surplus, was up 92.7 percent against the...

Intermodal Capacity Called Tight But Sufficient.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The intermodal industry will be stretched to its limits again this year, but it should be able to provide shippers with enough capacity if the trucking and rail carriers manage their assets wisely, a trucking...

Forwarders React to Air-Cargo Security Proposals.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America Inc., Air Forwarding Subcommittee has submitted comments in response to new air-cargo security rules proposed by the Transportation Security Administration. In its...

Southern California Ports Go Green and Shiny.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall In the old port city of Baltimore, condos, restaurants and tourist attractions crowd out homely wharves, docks and brick warehouses. Last year, the City Council decided to stem the loss of marine industry habitat and...

Industry Seeks Incentives for Cutting Pollution.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Shipping lines and terminal operators in California are asking the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland to join them in developing a program of financial incentives to reduce diesel emissions at the state's...

Can Mexico Compete with Southern California Ports?
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The search for an alternative West Coast gateway to Los Angeles-Long Beach has led an international marine terminal operator and a U.S. railroad to an undeveloped site in Baja California, about 125 miles south of...

Rail Deal to Strengthen Mexico's Intermodal Capacity.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: John Gallagher Kansas City Southern Railway's purchase of Mexico's biggest railroad sets the stage for the smallest Class 1 rail operator to become a tougher competitor and a bigger player in the North American rail industry. ...

Business Group Sets Goal of Highway Bill by May.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane A new highway bill on the books by May -- that's the ambitious goal that U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Tom Donohue unveiled at a Jan. 5 press conference. "TEA-21, the nation's core...

Ata Opposes New Driver Proposal.(American Trucking Associations)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The American Trucking Associations has sharply criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's proposal to tighten self-monitoring procedures to ensure compliance with new hours-of-service rules for truckers. The ATA said the...

Chertoff Nominated As Homeland Security Chief.(federal appeals court Judge Michael Chertoff )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... President Bush nominated federal appeals court Judge Michael Chertoff to replace Tom Ridge as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The zeal Chertoff has brought to the war on terror has won him support in Congress, but...

Anti-Counterfeiting Bill Proposed for Apparel.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Alan Field The national trade association that represents apparel and footwear makers has applauded the recent introduction of the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin M....

Maritime-Security Bill Resurrected.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The first of this year's crop of maritime-security legislation has begun to fill congressional hoppers. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., has filed legislation that would require the Department of...

Tsunami-Stirred Malacca Strait May Need Massive Work.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: P.T. Bangsberg The Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest and most congested waterways, may need extensive dredging -- as well as re-charting -- as a result of the massive earthquake off Indonesia. A report from Malaysia's...

Hapag-Lloyd Orders 8,600-Teu Ships.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, Germany's leading carrier, has ordered three 8,600-TEU container ships, among the largest on order. The vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea with the first...

Safmarine Names New Container Vessel.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The Safmarine Nokwanda, the second of Safmarine's new Big White container vessels purpose-built for the Europe-South Africa trade, was named at the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark. The carrier said the naming coincided with the maiden call...

Econocaribe Expands to India, Italy.(Econocaribe Consolidators)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam Global less-than-container-load shipping is rare and complex, but a Miami consolidator has decided to take on the challenge. Econocaribe Consolidators recently introduced a direct import LCL consolidation service...

Oecd Sees Growth Slowing Around the Globe.(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Alan Field The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the economies of its 30 member-countries will be expanding at a slower pace, according to its composite leading indicators that provide early signals of ups...

Canadian Labor Board Mulls Rail Strike Plan.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Canadian National Railway Co. said the Canada Industrial Relations Board is determining whether rail services should be maintained in Canada in the event of a strike or lockout involving CN and three rail labor unions. CN officials are...

Marad's Schubert Resigns.(William G. Schubert)(United States Maritime Administration)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Maritime Administrator William G. Schubert has submitted his resignation to Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, effective Feb. 12. According to DOT's press release, Schubert will pursue opportunities in the private sector, and will...

India Relaxes Cabotage Law to Ease Nehru Congestion.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: N. Vasuki Rao India's central government is relaxing the cabotage law to allow foreign vessels to move containers between the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru and other Indian ports. The move, which will be reviewed after six months,...

Bax Global Expands in China.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BAX Global has opened new subsidiaries in Guangzhou and Shanghai to coordinate the development of its expanding service network throughout China. The new Guangzhou and Shanghai subsidiaries, BAX Global Freight Forwarding (Guangzhou) Co....

FedEx Custom Critical Expands in Mexico.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... FedEx Custom Critical Inc., a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., is expanding its Surface Expedite service to Mexico. The service provides nonstop, time-specific, door-to-door deliveries of critical shipments to and from Mexico, the U.S. and...

Hong Kong Revamps Border Clearance.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: P.T. Bangsberg A new system is in place to streamline clearance of the daily mountain of containers moving across the Hong Kong-China border. Truckers with loaded vehicles must complete six copies of the new unified road cargo...

South Korea Planning Port Development in North.(Korea Container Terminal Authority)(Port of Nampo)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: P.T. Bangsberg Despite continued political wrangling, South Korea wants to expand into ports in the North. The state-run Korea Container Terminal Authority announced plans for work on developing the Port of Nampo, which serves...

More to Rfid Than 'slap-and-Ship:' Study.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... How and where shippers apply radio frequency identification (RFID) tags is more complicated than previously believed, according to a new study. ARC Advisory Group conducted a best-practices survey of 24 companies that were actively...

New Security Panel Formed.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The U.S. Coast Guard has named members of the first panel of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee. The advisory committee, which Congress established in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002,...

Dhs Releases Response Plan.(Department of Homeland Security )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The Department of Homeland Security has issued the National Response Plan that establishes a unified and standardized approach for protecting citizens and managing homeland security incidents, according to Secretary...

Customs Pauses Test to Fix Program Flaws.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Brown Line of Mount Vernon, Wash., keeps its 60-truck fleet busy hauling less-than-truckload lots of frozen seafood for shippers in Canada and the United States. General Manager Steve McQuery said the company...

New Customs Pauses Test to Fix Program Flaws.(Brown Line )
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Brown Line of Mount Vernon, Wash., keeps its 60-truck fleet busy hauling less-than-truckload lots of frozen seafood for shippers in Canada and the United States. General Manager Steve McQuery said the company...

Wal-Mart Upbeat on Rfid.(radio frequency identification)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: William Hoffman Wal-Mart is scanning the results of its ambitious demand to have top suppliers implement new radio-frequency identification technology by the start of this year and the world's largest retailer says its reading is...

Taiwan The Little Engine That Can.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee You could call Taiwan the little engine that can. With only 1.75 percent of the population and 8.2 percent of the gross domestic product of mainland China, Taiwan nonetheless remains a global trading power. ...

Cross-Border Trade Gains under Nafta.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The U.S. continued to increase surface transportation trade with Mexico and Canada in October, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Trade using surface transportation...

Csxi, P&O Ports Reach Deal.(P&O Ports North America Inc.)(CSX Intermodal Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... CSX Intermodal Inc. said it entered into an agreement with P&O Ports North America Inc. awarding the latter a contract to perform lift operations at the CSXI facility in Baltimore. P&O Ports will be responsible for the loading and unloading...

New Bidder Emerges for Canada Hopper Cars.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Alex Binkley A fourth player has emerged in the bidding for ownership of the Canadian government grain hopper cars. The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, the Western Barley Growers Association and the Saskatchewan...

Teamsters Prepare Harbor Trucking Bill.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The Teamsters union by mid-February will sponsor a bill before the California Legislature that will seek to exempt harbor truck drivers from federal antitrust laws so they can collectively negotiate freight rates...

Cn to Require Intermodal Reservations.(Canadian National Railway,)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Courtney Tower Canadian National Railway, citing a "deteriorating level of service," on Jan. 18 will introduce a tight reservation process for all export container traffic at its largest Canadian intermodal terminal. Paul...

Boeing Delivered 285 Jets in 2004.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Boeing delivered 67 commercial jet aircraft during the fourth quarter, finishing 2004 with a total of 285 deliveries, matching its estimate for the year but again trailing rival Airbus by a wide margin. Airbus said recently it would finish...

Port of Miami Clears Backlog.(Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam The Port of Miami Terminal Operating Co. said that it has ended implementation of its "terminal hold" import container management system because there is no longer a backlog of containers at the port's principal...

Whopping Cranes Land in Miami.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam Two teal-and-white, super-post-Panamax container cranes, custom built by Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. in Shanghai, arrived earlier this month at the Port of Miami. Charles Towsley, director of the Port of Miami said...

Mexico to Slice Stiff Tariff on Pacific Northwest Apple Exports.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto Washington's apple growers will no longer have to pay a stiff 46.6 percent tariff on Red and Golden Delicious apples exported to Mexico once a new agreement takes effect at the end of February. The agreement...

Pensacola on Comeback after Ivan.
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Janet Plume First there was Charley. Then came Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. It was the first time in recorded history that four major hurricanes slammed Florida in one season. And it only took one of those powerful storms to nearly...

None.(appointment)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... BYLINE: Tacoma board taps Bottiger R Ted Bottiger was appointed president of the Port of Tacoma Commission at the commission's first meeting of 2005. Positions among commissioners rotate yearly, based on procedures approved by the Port...

Bnsf Promotes Intermodal Execs.(Burlington Northern Santa Fe)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Burlington Northern Santa Fe has promoted John Hickerson to vice president, domestic intermodal, and Fred Malesa to vice president, international intermodal. Both report to Steve Branscum, group vice president, consumer products. ...