Pacific Shipper articles from May 2006

Pacific Shipper archives from May 2006

Oil and Trouble.
May 5, 2006... The current spike in oil prices is bringing some long-lingering questions and issues into sharp relief. Again. These include: How long can transportation companies, particularly trucking and aviation outfits, survive as oil costs skyrocket? How...

Trucking Services Back to Normal at Los Angeles-Long Beach.
May 5, 2006... Truck traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach returned to normal last week following a massive defection on May 1 by drivers who participated in demonstrations to oppose immigration legislation before Congress. Hundreds of the...

Long Beach, Ssa Sign 'green Port' Lease.
May 5, 2006... The Port of Long Beach board of commissioners last week tentatively agreed to a lease with SSA Terminals that includes "green port" environmental improvements. Over the next decade, the move could reduce air pollutants by 90 percent at SSA...

Pacer's Earnings Soar 21.9 Percent.
May 5, 2006... Pacer International relied heavily on its Stacktrain and drayage business to drive strong growth during its first quarter, which ended on April 7. The Concord, Calif., nonasset-based third-party logistics and freight transportation...

Canada Increases Funding for Security, Port Development.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Courtney Tower Canada announced increased funding for border and port security as part of its federal budget proposal, including spending to arm Customs border staff for the first time. Trade transportation figured prominently...

Green Terminals to Multiply in Southern California.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall When Chang Kuo-Cheng, vice group chairman of Evergreen Group, addressed an audience of U.S. port officials, shippers and carrier representatives earlier this year, he used the opportunity to deliver what amounted to...

Port of Vancouver, WASH., Implements Alternative Fuels Program.
May 5, 2006... Not all the environmental action is in Southern California. The Port of Vancouver, Wash., is among the first in the state to road test Washington's new Renewable Fuel Standards law by implementing an alternative fuels program for its vehicles...

Port of Vancouver Expands Reefer Capacity for Future Growth.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Alan Daniels The Port of Vancouver's container terminals have expanded reefer capacity in anticipation of future growth, an investment that is likely to be rewarded if the current trend holds, the Vancouver Port Authority says. ...

Us Allows Imports of Citrus from Peru.
May 5, 2006... The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service late last month amended its vegetables regulations to allow the import of grapefruit, limes, mandarin oranges or tangerines, sweet oranges and tangelos grown in...

Processed Poultry from China Approved for Us Markets.
May 5, 2006... Companies in China can now sell processed poultry products to U.S. consumers, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. But the processed products must be made from poultry raised and slaughtered in the U.S. or other...

House Panel Rejects 'scan-All' Measure.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The House Homeland Security Committee has rejected a proposal that would require scanning of all containers at foreign ports before loading on U.S.-bound ships. Carriers and importers opposed the measure, arguing that...

Fmc Chief: Shippers to Be Held Responsible for Box Security.
May 5, 2006... Shippers can expect to be held increasingly responsible for the security of their supply chains, and will likely have to provide more information about their shipments as the government seeks to improve container security in the future, a...

Deadline Set for Submission of Port Worker Information.
May 5, 2006... Port facility operators and unions have until May 30 to submit the names of workers for security background checks, the Coast Guard announced last month. The Federal Register notice said facilities are to submit employee names, dates of...

Senate Votes to Divert Some Iraq War Funds for Port Security.
May 5, 2006... The Senate voted on April 26 to divert some funding requested by President Bush for the war in Iraq to instead increase patrols against illegal immigrants at the nation's borders and provide the Coast Guard with new ships and helicopters. ...

Hyundai Merchant Marine Becomes Takeover Target.
May 5, 2006... Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. acquired an 18.4 percent stake in Hyundai Merchant Marine for $352 million, part of a strategy to protect the South Korea's second-largest shipping line from a hostile takeover bid by foreign investors. The...

Longview Fibre Rejects Second Acquisition Bid, Stays on S&P CreditWatch Negative.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto After Washington timberland owner Longview Fibre Co. rejected another acquisition bid late last month, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it would keep its ratings, including the "BB" corporate credit rating...

Sea Containers Delays Filing 2005 Financials.
May 5, 2006... Sea Containers Ltd. last week delayed filing its annual report, adding that it expects its auditors to raise "substantial doubt" about its ability to survive. The container lessor said it had sustained operating losses again in 2005, as it...

Hyundai Fortune Awaits Repairs after Fire.
May 5, 2006... The Hyundai Fortune, severely damaged by fire in March, arrived on April 28 at the Port of Fujayrah, United Arab Emirates. Cargo from the 5,511-TEU container ship had previously been offloaded at Oman's Port of Salalah, after salvors...

Nyk Invests in Vietnam Ocean Shipping Agency.
May 5, 2006... NYK Group South Asia Pte. Ltd., NYK's subsidiary in Singapore, recently acquired a 2.8 percent stake, or 320,000 shares, in the Vietnam Ocean Shipping Agency when it sold 38.6 percent of its shares during a recent initial public offering. ...

Evergreen Subsidiaries Set Up Logistics Venture in Tianjin.
May 5, 2006... Two subsidiaries of Taiwan's Evergreen Group recently set up a joint venture in Tianjin named Changhua International Logistics Co. with a local logistics company, Xinhua reported. The two Evergreen subsidiaries, Peony Investment and Hatsu...

Gala Marks 50th Anniversary of Containerization.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: William Armbruster About 400 shipping industry executives, retirees and their guests marked the 50th anniversary of containerization on April 27 at a gala tribute to Malcom McLean, the man who launched the container shipping...

Hapag-Lloyd Profit Slides.
May 5, 2006... Hapag-Lloyd Container Line said its profit declined 3.8 percent in 2005, to 277 million euros ($340.8 million) from $342 million in 2004 because of higher costs. The carrier, a unit of Germany's TUI, did not identify the higher costs, but...

Terminal Operators Need It to Boost Productivity and Service.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Terminal operators are using information technology to increase productivity, but they do not want to degrade service to shippers and truckers in the process. Increasing container throughput per-acre is...

Ups Upgrades Trade Tools.
May 5, 2006... UPS announced enhancements to its Web-based tools for international trade last month.Small businesses now have access to tracking, delivery services, billing and international shipping forms from a single page at MyUPS.com. The new "My UPS"...

Smart Packaging Worth $4.8 Billion by 2011.
May 5, 2006... The global smart packaging market is forecast to grow to about $4.8 billion in 2011 and reach $14.1 billion in 2013, according to a new report from market research firm NanoMarkets. The company's market report, Smart Packaging Markets:...

Matson Revenue Up, Operating Profit Down in First Quarter.
May 5, 2006... Matson Navigation saw first-quarter gains from its container business undercut by weaker automobile volume and higher fuel costs. Matson parent Alexander & Baldwin said revenue from its ocean transportation segment totaled $219.3 million...

Horizon Lines Turns Net Red to Black.
May 5, 2006... Horizon Lines, the largest U.S.-flag carrier, said its net income for the first quarter was $2.4 million, up from a loss of $9.7 million in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue increased 6.7 percent to $274.9 million, up from $257.6...

C.H. Robinson First-Quarter Profit Surges.
May 5, 2006... C.H. Robinson Worldwide posted a 27.9 percent gain in gross profit, to $255.1 million in the first quarter of 2006, and a 39.1 percent hike in net income, to $58.1 mil-lion, despite operating expenses that grew 23.6 percent, to $162.6 mil-lion,...

Cp Net Income Up 37.5 Percent.
May 5, 2006... Canadian Pacific Railway reported a 37.5 percent jump in first-quarter profit as higher revenue offset rising fuel prices. The company reported a net profit of C$111 million (US$97 mil-lion) in the quarter ended March 31, up from C$80.7...

Yrc Worldwide Revenue Increases.
May 5, 2006... Transportation service provider YRC Worldwide said its first quarter revenue increased 41 percent to nearly $2.4 billion, but operating income declined 2.3 percent to $87.8 million, and net profit dropped 15.6 percent to $42.1 million. ...

Boeing's First-Quarter Net Income Up 29 Percent.
May 5, 2006... Boeing Co. reported a net profit of $692 million for the first quarter of the year, a 29 percent rise, compared with $535 million for the same period in 2005. Revenue for the period jumped 12 percent to $14.3 billion. A company statement...

Jda Software Group Acquires Manugistics.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman In a dramatic exclamation point to the changes roiling the supply-chain software market, Manugistics is throwing in the towel after months of layoffs and declining revenue, agreeing to be purchased for $211 million...

Boeing 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter Takes Shape.
May 5, 2006... Modifications continue on the 747-400 aircraft that will transport major components of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. But the distinctive look of the aircraft crystallized last month with the installation of the "brow," the section just behind...

Hactl Air-Cargo Tonnage Up 8.2 Percent in First Quarter.
May 5, 2006... Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. handled 225,999 tons of cargo in March 2006, a 7.2 percent year-on-year increase. Total throughput for the first quarter was 576,116 tons, up 8.2 percent from the same period last year. Export volume...

Korean Air Cargo Sets Seattle-Seoul Freighter Service.
May 5, 2006... Korean Air Cargo, a division of Korean Air Lines, announced that beginning on June 1 the airline will offer three-times-per-week freighter service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Seoul-Incheon Airport. The company will...

Sharp Us First-Quarter Growth Expected to Moderate.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Michael D. Andrews U.S. economic growth rebounded sharply in the first quarter of 2006, according to the government's advanced estimates. Real gross domestic product expanded 4.8 percent at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate...

Losing Traction?
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall Anti-dumping duties imposed by the EU earlier this year against Chinese-made footwear are beginning to have an effect, with production slowly starting to leave the Asian giant for other countries around the world,...

Malaysia: Potential Fta Partner.
May 5, 2006... BYLINE: Richard Knee The United States and Malaysia are slated to begin talks on a free-trade agreement early next month. Top trade officials of the two countries said in March that they planned to launch negotiations once a mandatory...

Dp World Executive Says Political Expediency Blocked P&O Deal.
May 5, 2006... DP World has done far more to improve security than is legally required in every country where it is involved, including the U.S., according to David Sanborn, top DP World executive. Last month, Sanborn withdrew his nomination to head the...

Cosco Gets Preferential Tax Deal.
May 5, 2006... China Ocean Shipping (Group) will benefit from a preferential tax policy as a result of a reorganization of its listed companies, China's Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation said last month. According to the...

China Shipping Implements Cost Control Measures.
May 5, 2006... China Shipping Container Lines, faced with rapidly increasing operating costs, implemented a series of measures to control costs and increase income. The company said it sees opportunities to further lower costs by setting up new global service...

Hanjin Signs for Busan Berths.
May 5, 2006... Hanjin Shipping has signed a 30-year lease with the South Korea's Busan Port Authority to operate four berths at the New Port container terminal. The BPA and Hanjin, Korea's largest container carrier, also reached agreement to establish a...

MedBulk Begins Calls at Longview, Wash.
May 5, 2006... MedBulk Maritime Ltd. recently began shipping wood pulp through the Port of Longview, Wash. The company is part of the d'Amico Group, an Italian company specializing in the transport of forest products, steel and breakbulk cargoes from the...

Port of Seattle 2006 Cruise Season Begins.
May 5, 2006... Five different cruise lines will bring 740,000 passengers, nine home-ported ships and 200 sailings to town for the Port of Seattle's 2006 cruise season. "This year's cruise season is a milestone in several ways," said Patricia Davis, Port of...

Portland's New Crane Arrives.
May 5, 2006... At nearly 200 feet tall, the Port of Portland's new post-Panamax container crane, on its way to the port's Terminal 6 facility, just barely cleared a Columbia River bridge by a matter of a few feet, officials said. The port said the 36...

Port of Vancouver, WASH., Welcomes Saga Adventure on Its Maiden Voyage.
May 5, 2006... The Port of Vancouver, Wash., welcomed the Saga Adventure, captained by Boben Kocherry from India, on its maiden voyage to the port. The Saga Adventure is owned and operated by Saga Forest Carriers of Tonsberg, Norway, and represented locally...

Pasha Stevedoring Recognized for Safety.
May 5, 2006... Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals Los Angeles/Long Beach was recognized for workplace safety at the recent Pacific Maritime Association, Southern California's 57th Annual Safety Awards Banquet. Pasha won the first place award for the lowest...

Up's Kennedy Wins Rail Environmental Award.
May 5, 2006... Wayne A. Kennedy, a Union Pacific Railroad employee from Omaha, was named winner of the rail industry's John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Kennedy, general director of fuel consumption for Union...

Bailey Receives Irta Award.
May 5, 2006... Gene Bailey, executive director of the Diamond State Corp., was recognized as the International Refrigerated Transportation Association's Executive of the Year. The award, presented to Bailey by IRTA Chairman Barbara Pratt, of Maersk, at IRTA's...

Sale of P&O Ports Going Slowly in Us.
May 11, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Remember the Dubai ports uproar? Who could forget it? Two months ago it ignited a public furor that surprised nearly everyone -- and confounded maritime professionals who struggled in vain to explain the issue to a...

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Pushing Back.
May 12, 2006... It's May, and the California gubernatorial election has already been under way and on television screens for more than a month. In commercial after commercial, Democratic candidates are telling voters why and how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has...

Dp World Vows Us Return.
May 12, 2006... The chief executive of DP World said the terminal operator is continuing to make plans to enter the U.S. market. Mohammed Sharaf, who oversees the port arm of the Dubai government, called the decision to relinquish control of U.S. terminals...

Up and Bnsf Plan $100 Million Expansion for Powder River Basin.
May 12, 2006... Union Pacific and BNSF Railway plan to begin another capacity expansion on the jointly owned rail line serving Wyoming's Southern Powder River Basin coalfields, the largest open-pit, low-sulfur coal reserves in North America. The railroads...

Seattle Port, Labor Leaders Push Supply-Chain Security.
May 12, 2006... Maritime security measures moving through Congress should concentrate on practical steps that will secure cargo from its point of origin to its final destination and include adequate resources for implementation, according to Port of Seattle...

Maersk Executive Sees Us Port Expansion As Critical.
May 12, 2006... Container ports in the U.S. are rapidly approaching their handling limits and must greatly increase capacity to accommodate the surging cargo volumes forecast to come from Asia in the years ahead, a Maersk executive said last week. J....

Waves of Container Ships Flood Southern California Goods Movement Network.
May 12, 2006... During the first four months of this year, 1,007 container ships tied up at berths in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach -- an increase of 11.6 percent over the number of container ship calls during the same period in 2005. The number...

Bnsf Opens Logistics Hub in Inland Empire.
May 12, 2006... BNSF Railway opened its new logistics center in Fontana, Calif., on May 9. The 38-acre transload facility will handle a variety of commodities, from building supplies and manufactured products to bulk materials. Logistics Center-Fontana is...

Us Officials Hit Russian Poultry Ban.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall As fears about aviation flu ratchet up around the world, U.S. overseas sales of poultry are taking a hit. Now Russia, the largest customer for U.S. producers, has slammed the door shut on imports. Russian...

Wtsa Carriers to Raise Rates on Meat, Poultry Shipments.
May 12, 2006... Members of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement have set rate increases on shipments of U.S. meat and poultry to Asia as the bulk of service contracts in that market segment come up for renewal. The group's 11 carrier members say...

Northwest Cherry Growers Expect Record Harvest.
May 12, 2006... Cherry growers in the Pacific Northwest expect to top last year's record harvest, and say that this year's crop will feature a number of new varieties that ripen later in the summer. "Last year we had a record crop, and we still couldn't...

Reefer Shortage at Jawahar Lal Nehru Affects Perishables.
May 12, 2006... Mango traders from the Vashi-based Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee are beginning to feel the sting caused by a recent oversupply of mangoes that has led to a bottleneck at the Indian port of Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Business Standard...

Chiquita's First-Quarter Profit Slips 77 Percent.
May 12, 2006... Chiquita Brands International said bad weather, coupled with fuel and transportation costs, translated into a 77 percent decrease in first-quarter net profit to $20 million. The company reported net income of $87 million in the comparable...

House Oks Port Security Bill But Rejects C-Tpat Change.
May 12, 2006... The House overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive port security bill after defeating amendments to change the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program and to require 100 percent screening of containers. The bill authorizes $5.5...

Bird Flu Outbreak Could Close Canadian Border.
May 12, 2006... The U.S. said it would consider closing its land border to Canada during an outbreak of bird flu, despite the crippling effects it could have on trade. In a 227-page report outlining its plans to fight an avian flu pandemic, the White House...

Sale of P&O Ports Going Slowly in Us.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Remember the Dubai ports uproar? Who could forget it? Two months ago it ignited a public furor that surprised nearly everyone -- and confounded maritime professionals who struggled in vain to explain the issue to a...

Retail Group Does Not Anticipate Peak-Season Port Congestion.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Ports in the United States are expected to be congestion-free in the autumn peak shipping season despite handling record container volumes in the months ahead. "The 2006 peak-season outlook is for continued...

Tai Fook: Plummeting Freight Rates May Spark More Carrier Consolidation.
May 12, 2006... The sharp decline in freight rates on east-west and trans-Pacific trade lanes is likely to force further consolidation among some of the biggest container carriers, a prominent Hong Kong securities firm predicted. Tai Fook Securities said in...

New York Terminals Hike Demurrage Charges.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The New York Terminal Conference announced it will increase container demurrage fees, effective June 1. The five member terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey will raise demurrage on import and export...

Zim Adds Us-India Service.
May 12, 2006... Zim American Integrated Shipping Services Co. is starting a new weekly, all-water direct India Express service through the Suez Canal to U.S. East Coast ports. Effective with the calling of the Zim Mumbai at Colombo on May 24, the IDX will...

Ictsi Stock Sale won't Spark Change in Management.
May 12, 2006... International Container Terminal Services Inc. said earlier this month that its management won't change after Enrique Razon, chairman and president, consolidated his control of the company following his purchase of an additional 23 percent...

'K' Line Orders Five Ships.
May 12, 2006... K Line said it placed orders for five new, 6,400-TEU container ships that it will use on East-West trades when they are delivered by mid-2010. The vessels, which Imabari Shipbuilding Co. will build at its Koyo Dockyard in Japan, will...

Canada Derails Grain Car Deal.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Courtney Tower In a move that could affect shipments of export grain to Pacific Coast ports, Canada's new Conservative government overturned the planned lease and later sale of 12,100 railway grain cars to exporters. The fleet...

White House Hits New Port-Security Grants in Safe Measure.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The administration balked at a new $600 million port-security grant program included in the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act, which the House passed on May 4. The White House Office of Management and...

Senate Approves GreenLane Bill.
May 12, 2006... Senators this month made a counterproposal on the issue of scanning all containers at foreign ports, an issue that has inflamed Democrats in the House. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on May 2 approved the...

Tnt Express's Tracking Service Monitors Multiple Customer Consignments.
May 12, 2006... TNT Express recently introduced an enhanced tracking service that allows customers to monitor all shipments online and obtain the status of multiple consignments with one mouse-click. The new service, which is available in Benelux, China,...

Intra-Asia Trade to Boom.
May 12, 2006... Executives from small and midsize companies in Asia expect trade between Asian nations to outpace growth in trade between Asia and the West, a new survey finds. Almost 70 percent of respondents to a UPS survey say they expect growth in...

Shippers in China Cite Logistics Needs.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman China shippers expect the same high levels of services as their European and U.S. counterparts but limited capital, poor infrastructure and lack of standards hamper their results, according to a new study of service...

China Adding Port 'clusters'.
May 12, 2006... China will upgrade its maritime shipping infrastructure with the construction of two new port "clusters." The outline of the plan to revise Chinese port facilities was made by Communications Minister Li Shenglin, state news agency Xinhua...

Eu Eyes China Trade.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Alan Field The European Union will be refocusing its trade policy more on China, according to Peter Mandelson, EU trade director. Mandelson told political and business leaders meeting in Switzerland that he would unveil...

New Doubts for Open-Skies Deal.
May 12, 2006... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard The fate of a landmark deal to open up trans-Atlantic air cargo and passenger services between the U.S. and the EU is threatened after Washington moved to tighten rules on foreign investment in U.S. airlines. The...

Thamesport Gets Mega-Boost.
May 12, 2006... The deployment of Hyundai's latest container mega-ship is expected to boost volumes through London' Thamesport hub. The 6,800-TEU Hyundai Shanghai made an inaugural call at the port in southeast England earlier this month. It is the first in a...

Hanjin Operating Profit Plunges.
May 12, 2006... Hanjin Shipping's first-quarter 2006 operating profit plummeted 81.7 percent, mainly because of soaring oil prices and increased logistics costs. While revenue was up 4 percent year-on-year in U.S. dollars, it declined in Korean won by 0.3...

Nol's Box Revenue Drops As Volume Rises.
May 12, 2006... Neptune Orient Lines reported that its container volume for the four weeks from March 11 to April 7 increased 5 percent year-over-year to 162,400 FEUs and 6 percent, to 529,800 FEUs, for the year-to-date, but said average revenue per container...