Pacific Shipper articles from May 2008

Pacific Shipper archives from May 2008

Food for thought.
May 5, 2008... When the local Costco food warehouse puts limits on the amount of rice one can buy, the food crisis hits home, but perhaps not as sharply as in other parts of the world where people are finding it hard to buy any rice or other agricultural...

FedEx Freight follows the sun.
May 5, 2008... FedEx Freight threw the switch on its first solar-powered truck terminal on April 22, and plans to have a second terminal up and running on solar power soon. It's part of a broad plan to move the less-than-truckload carrier down the road...

ARRC's Ebeling urges expansion of US-flag fleet.
May 5, 2008... The Maritime Security Program, which subsidizes U.S.-flag vessels that are available for military sealift, has proved a good investment and should be expanded, the president of American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier LLC told the International...

Oak Harbor expands in Southwest.
May 5, 2008... Less-than-truckload operator Oak Harbor Freight Lines is expanding from the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the land of the Petrified Forest: Arizona. The Auburn, Wash.-based carrier this week will launch next-day service from Los...

Matson posts lower profit.(Financial report)
May 5, 2008... Matson Navigation Corp.'s operating profit declined 15 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago because of a poor economy in Hawaii and a 60 percent increase in average fuel costs, parent Alexander & Baldwin reported....

BNSF profit up 30 percent.
May 5, 2008... Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.'s profit jumped 30 percent in the first quarter of 2008 based on volume growth in the agricultural products sector and improved yields all around. Total revenue of $4.3 billion was 19 percent higher than...

Golden State not bearish on exports.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall   In California, the self-proclaimed Golden State, housing starts are down, the dollar is down, new job creation is down and so is consumer confidence. But if food and oil prices are way up, so is...

Cheerleader for US manufacturers.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER   The TV show host says more young Americans need to be trained in the manufacturing sector. The average American factory worker is 52 years old. That's a scary thought. And it's part of the reason...

Calling all tinkerers.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: JOHN RATZENBERGER   John Ratzenberger From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Edison to George Washington Carver to Henry Ford, all great inventors have shared one thing in common: As children, they had all been inveterate...

Taking (less) stock.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN If the U.S. economy is slipping into recession, experts say a couple of decades worth of improvements in inventory management strategies and technologies may help shippers weather the rough patch and be in a better...

FFEX losses mount.
May 5, 2008... Losses at Frozen Food Express Industries increased 254 percent to $825 million in the first quarter. The controlled-temperature carrier struggled to get costs under control as the economy and overcapacity in the less-than-truckload market kept...

Supply-chain fraud rising; pharmaceuticals at risk.
May 5, 2008...   A new report by the New York risk consulting firm Kroll says supply-chain fraud risks are on the rise because of global growth and increased outsourcing. Kroll said the pharmaceutical industry is one sector that has encountered...

China-ASEAN grows, beating target.
May 5, 2008... Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reached $202.5 billion in 2007, beating the consensus target of $200 billion three years ahead of schedule, according to the latest figures in the China-ASEAN Business Council...

Japanese carriers report higher profits.(Financial report)
May 5, 2008... Japan's Big Three ocean carriers -- NYK, MOL and "K" Line -- said their fiscal-year profits grew despite a soft U.S. economy that affected eastbound trans-Pacific container shipments. NYK Line, Japan's largest shipping company, reported...

APL, Hanjin to launch Vietnam feeder operation.
May 5, 2008... APL and Hanjin Shipping will launch a joint dedicated feeder service called HMX connecting Ho Chi Minh, Kaohsiung and Singapore.  Each line will deploy one 700-TEU vessel in the new service, which is scheduled to start this month. ...

Trade gap shrinks between US, Japan.
May 5, 2008... Japan's merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. shrank for the first time in four years in fiscal 2007, according to preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry. U.S. imports from Japan declined amid a slowdown in the U.S. economy,...

Europe beckons (if you can find the money).
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: RICHARD KNEE   With export traffic to Europe rising, container supplies tightening and carriers gaining leverage in the eastbound trans-Atlantic, setting up shop in Europe may make sense -- if you can find whatever seed...

LA pursues congestion pricing.
May 5, 2008...   The latest city to use a form of congestion pricing to go after federal funds is Los Angeles. An attempt to secure legislative backing for congestion pricing in New York failed on April 7 when a Democratic conference killed the...

TWIC enrollment begins at Hueneme.
May 5, 2008... Enrollment for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential was scheduled to begin on May 1 at Port Hueneme. The port will be the 85th location that Transportation Security Administration has established for TWIC enrollment. The...

First-quarter Pacific Northwest TEU volume mirrors that of 2007.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: BILL DIBENEDETTO   Seattle's container business in March climbed above 2007 levels. Cumulatively speaking, the Pacific Northwest's three major container ports moved nearly the same number of containers during the...

Court backs PMSA in California fuel case.
May 5, 2008... The state of California cannot force shipping lines to burn low-sulfur diesel fuel in their auxiliary engines within 24 miles of the coast, according to a ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision is the third court...

Airline woes lead to shipper rate worries.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: MICHAEL FABEY With confirmation of the proposed $17.7 billion union between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, one overriding question occurred to Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association: What's...

Fuel price spikes reformulate 3PL's bottom line.
May 5, 2008... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto When fuel prices are in the stratosphere and the economy is deteriorating, there are advantages to operating a non-asset-based transportation and logistics service company. "I wouldn't say it's easier, but it...

Crowley christens tug.
May 5, 2008...   Dori Hansen breaks the ceremonial bottle during the christening of Crowley's Z-Drive tugboat the Vigilant on April 21. Bruce Harland, Crowley's vice president of Alaska services, left and Hansen's husband Steve, manager of Tesoro's...

Booking nightmares.
May 12, 2008... The boom in U.S. exports shipped by ocean vessels has created an unexpected dilemma. Shortages of vessel space and equipment have led to serious abuses of the booking system -- abuses that affect all parties in the supply chain. It could begin...

Shareholders battle over Hapag-Lloyd.
May 12, 2008... Hapag-Lloyd parent TUI was facing the wrath of dissident stockholders last Wednesday over its strategy for liner operations even as it announced the world's fifth-largest ocean container carrier had rebounded to a profit in the first quarter....

Truckers stage protest at Port of Oakland.
May 12, 2008... A protest last week by independent truck drivers over the price of diesel -- which hit $4.50 a gallon at some Bay Area facilities -- snarled intermodal traffic at the Port of Oakland. An estimated 50 to 70 owner-operators picketed in front...

Wilh. Wilhelmsen profit plummets.(Financial report)
May 12, 2008...   The ro-ro carrier's first-quarter net income declined 95 percent. Norwegian carrier Wilh. Wilhelmsen said its net profit after taxes and minority interest for the first quarter ended March 31 plunged 95 percent to $1.6 million...

San Diego port officials oppose gentrification.
May 12, 2008... Port commissioners last week voted unanimously to oppose a proposed ballot initiative that would add hotels, restaurants and possibly a sports stadium at the Port of San Diego's Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal cargo facility. Commissioners say...

Fueling hunger.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman   Escalating food prices that prompted rice rationing at large U.S. retailers and restrictions on agricultural exports by several countries could lead to significant changes in supply networks if the global...

OOIDA's surcharge charge.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: ARI NATTER Will the third time be the charm for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association? After it failed to get fuel surcharge legislation through Congress in 2001 and 2005, OOIDA is trying again. But this time, in an...

Food crisis could spur Doha trade negotiations.
May 12, 2008... Growing concerns about food supplies could spur renewed efforts to deregulate trade in the troubled Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks, Australia's trade minister, Simon Crean, said earlier this month. If the global community wants to...

Reefer tech goes green.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: RICHARD KNEE   Eco-friendly reefer systems are coming online. Refrigeration technology is going green. "When it comes to moving goods around the world, if you use less energy, you'll reduce your impact on the...

May Day work stoppage doesn't stop contract talks.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: BILL MONGELLUZZO The eight-hour work stoppage by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on May 1 to protest the war in Iraq sent shivers down the spines of importers and exporters who ship through West Coast ports. ...

Bunker prices threaten carrier service, WSC warns.
May 12, 2008... The soaring cost of bunker fuel threatens the ability of ocean carriers to maintain their current level of service to the United States unless they can recover the cost, the World Shipping Council warned. The Washington-based container...

Fuel surcharges rise in trans-Pacific trades.
May 12, 2008... Recommended fuel surcharges that took effect on May 1 in the trans-Pacific liner trades are up sharply from April rates, with more increases set for June 1. The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement, which represents most carriers in the...

NCBFAA to fight tariff requirement again.
May 12, 2008... The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will once again challenge the Federal Maritime Commission regulation requiring non-vessel-operating common carriers to maintain tariffs, according to Edward Greenberg, the...

TWIC deadline extended.
May 12, 2008... The Department of Homeland Security has delayed the date for all port workers to have a Transportation Worker Identification Credential from Sept. 25, 2008, to April 15, 2009. The deadline means that all ports have to be in compliance with...

US, ASEAN talk trade.
May 12, 2008... U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab visited Indonesia earlier this month for discussions aimed at increasing trade with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. With shipments totaling $61 billion, the group was the...

Torn between air and water.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: IAN PUTZGER   Spiking fuel prices are complicating shippers' transport choices. Exporters desperate for space on ocean vessels might turn their eyes to the sky -- but what they see are prohibitive fuel surcharges for...

California cargo theft on the rise.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM B. CASSIDY   Because of increasing cargo thefts, California police are seeking better security for loads. Few people have the work ethic of cargo thieves. They work nights. They work weekends. They're on the...

CSX project gives boost to all-water service.
May 12, 2008... Railroad operator CSX Corp. officially launched the National Gateway, a $700 million public-private infrastructure initiative to create a freight transportation link between mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest. When completed, the project...

Ex-Im Bank OKs help for exports to India.
May 12, 2008... The Export-Import Bank approved a $2.2 billion facility that will support U.S. exports to India for projects in sectors such as power and renewable energy generation, oil and gas development, small aircraft, airport development and health care....

Ocean carriers to launch new Asia-Australia services.
May 12, 2008... APL plans to join Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd and Hyundai Merchant Marine in two new, fixed-day weekly services between Asia and Australia, effective this month. APL said the China-Australia-North (CAN) service offers direct coverage from...

Under the radar.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: ROSE A. HOROWITZ AND WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER Twenty years ago, tensions with Japan were the hottest issue in U.S. trade, and "Trading Places: How We Are Giving Our Future to Japan and How to Reclaim It" became an international...

Vancouver Fraser plans to expand.
May 12, 2008... BYLINE: BILL DIBENEDETTO   A major dredge-and-fill project will create a 200-acre box facility at Roberts Bank. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority will dig deep -- in more ways than one -- as it begins a major container...

Third berth advances at Deltaport.
May 12, 2008... The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in British Columbia said construction of the Deltaport Third Berth container terminal expansion project is on schedule for completion in the fall of 2009. The project at the Roberts Bank Facility in...

Saltchuk to purchase Aloha's cargo operations.
May 12, 2008... Seattle-based Saltchuk Resources has reached an agreement with Aloha Airline's chief creditor, GMAC Commercial Finance, to buy the cargo operations of the bankrupt Hawaiian inter-island carrier. The purchase price was not disclosed. ...

Oregon's short-line comes under fire.
May 12, 2008... A recent Surface Transportation Board hearing on rail rates provided a forum for loud complaints by members of Congress and some shippers about the continued embargo or shutdown of a rail line segment in Oregon after concerns arose that some...

California ports driving clean-truck initiatives.
May 12, 2008...   Independent trucker Tim Manning smiles as he holds up keys to  his new truck. Port of Oaklalnd's executive director, Omar Benjamin, presented Manning with a check to help pay for the 2009 model truck. The focus of...

WSC's Koch to join McCain campaign.
May 12, 2008...   Chris Koch Chris Koch, president and chief executive of the World Shipping Council, has taken a temporary leave of absence to become policy coordinator for Sen. John McCain's Republican presidential campaign. Stanley Sher,...

Hoist hires McMaster and Kelly to lead international team.
May 12, 2008... Hoist Liftruck has named Mike McMaster and Mike Kelly to its international development team. McMaster and Kelly will be responsible for creating a global presence for Hoist, setting up new distributors and increasing international sales. ...

Seed ark.
May 19, 2008... Maybe it's because I've been dieting for health and other personal reasons, but I've been thinking about food a lot lately. Maybe it's because I'm always so hungry or perhaps because of its increasing expense and recent availability issues...

'Modest' growth seen for Southern California ports.
May 19, 2008... Continuing increases in export volume will translate into a year of modest growth for the San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, according to a new study released last Wednesday. Import volumes will "continue to be lackluster"...

West Coast air cargo plunges.
May 19, 2008... The Los Angeles and Seattle-Tacoma airports reported sharp declines in airfreight traffic in March, with plunging imports cutting deeply into business at the key gateways for Asia business. Freight traffic at Los Angeles International...

BNSF's Rose open to heavier trucks.
May 19, 2008... In a signal of potential thawing relations between the railroad and trucking industries, BNSF chief Matthew K. Rose says he wouldn't maintain a blockade against longer and heavier trucks under the right circumstances. Rose, chairman,...

Report: Crew shortages threaten global trade.(Report)
May 19, 2008... The shortage of global deck officers could number as high as 34,000 this year and could rise to 90,000 by 2012, according to a new report by Drewry Shipping Consultants. One of the consequences of the shortfall will be an increasing upward...

Inbound's continental divide.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: DAVID BIEDERMAN For a growing number of U.S. importers, the road to supply-chain peace of mind and the East Coast is going through the Panama and Suez canals. Spurred by congestion on the U.S. West Coast, growing capabilities...

Louisiana finds infrastructure formula.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM B. CASSIDY Long before hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked $1.5 billion in damage on its highways and bridges, Louisiana was infamous for its poor roads. Drivers didn't need a welcome sign to tell them they'd entered...

Metropolitan Stevedore has new name.
May 19, 2008... Nautilus International Holding Corp. has rebranded several subsidiaries under the Metro Ports banner. Those companies include Metropolitan Stevedore Co., Southeast Crescent Shipping Co., Southeast Maritime Services LLC (which holds the...

UPS buys hybrid trucks.
May 19, 2008... UPS has ordered 200 hybrid electric vehicles -- what it said is the largest commercial order ever -- as well as 300 compressed natural gas vehicles for its U.S. delivery fleet. The purchase expands the UPS alternative fuel fleet by 30...

Global credit crunch threatens new vessel orders.
May 19, 2008... The global credit crunch is raising questions about the ability of shipping lines to finance their orders for new container and dry bulk vessels. New orders for container ships are on the decline, especially in China. The slowdown in the...

China's trade surplus grew in April.
May 19, 2008... China's trade surplus totaled $16.68 billion in April, down about 1 percent from April 2007 but an increase from $13.4 billion in March 2008 and $8.6 billion in February. Exports in April rose 21.8 percent compared to April 2007, the...

MAC attacks.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: ROSALIND MCLYMONT When Kazakhstan amended its Customs Code late last August, local customs officials interpreted the amendment to mean that importers were required to provide a shipper's export declaration to clear their goods. But...

Taking freight off the road.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: JOHN GALLAGHER   UPS Freight expects to put more of its trailers on railcars this year as fuel costs increase. With diesel fuel prices averaging well over $4 a gallon at the pump and surcharges rising along with them,...

Schneider lowers truck speeds.
May 19, 2008... The trucking industry's move toward slower trucks is picking up speed with Schneider National's decision to reduce its speed to 60 miles per hour to conserve fuel, cut pollution and build on what it says is a track record of environmental...

BNSF buys land in Dallas.
May 19, 2008... Commercial real estate developer The Allen Group sold 198 acres at the Dallas Logistics Hub to BNSF Railway Co. for an undisclosed sum. The railroad also took an option on an additional 164 acres at the hub, located on the border between...

BNSF warns of possible environmental cleanup claims.
May 19, 2008... BNSF Railway warned in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it may need to set some money aside for environmental damage claims in Montana. The company said that although it has made no decision yet, "management...

Profitable holdout.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN Trucking companies are pulling rigs off the roads, volume on rail is down, and even airlines are pulling down flights to save fuel. But the businesses that manage freight supply chains and logistics are still raking...

EU marketplace may reopen this fall to US poultry.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The huge European Union market for U.S. poultry products may open up by this fall after an 11-year ban that has closed off a market of 496 million consumers in 27 countries. Brussels has banned imports of fresh...

A no-hassle approach to manufacturing in China.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: Alan M. Field Nearly every manufacturer or retailer wants to take advantage of China's mind-boggling collection of 300,000 low-cost manufacturers. But how can smaller U.S. importers choose the right suppliers, negotiate the right...

Los Angeles approves another step toward dirty truck ban.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: BILL MONGELLUZZO   The San Pedro Bay ports are trying to eliminate older trucks in the harbor fleet. The Port of Los Angeles has moved a step closer to implementing its clean-trucks program -- and a legal battle with...

Seattle port, BNSF sign rail corridor agreement.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto The Port of Seattle is set to enter the railroad business later this year under an agreement it signed last week with BNSF Railway and King County. Under the $107 million deal, the port will acquire a 42-mile...

Seattle container volume fell 5.7 percent in April.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto    Sluggish container traffic in the Pacific Northwest continued in April, with the Port of Seattle reporting a decline in boxes while the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's volume in British Columbia...

DP World's aftermath: Foreign investment process, reviews overhauled.
May 19, 2008... BYLINE: ALAN M. FIELD Two years ago, there were two schools of thought on CFIUS, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States: It was either an abject failure or the victim of politics and xenophobia. CFIUS, the committee...

Global Cold Chain Alliance groups elect officers, adopt theme.
May 19, 2008... The International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) and the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA) elected officers at a recent joint convention. The groups,...

Small-scale success.
May 26, 2008... When big corporations get into financial trouble, it's big news. That's understandable. If General Motors closes a dozen plants or dramatically changes the pension and benefits of its retirees, hundreds of thousands of people are affected. ...

Seattle poised for new container volume.
May 26, 2008... The Port of Seattle and SSA Containers are about to gain a major new container service. Ed DeNike, president of SSA Containers, said his company "is ready to sign a major agreement with an Asian carrier" next month. SSA operates Seattle's...

Long Beach unveils development plan.
May 26, 2008... The Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project at the Port of Long Beach will improve cargo-handling efficiency while reducing pollution by more than 50 percent, according to the draft environmental impact report released last week by the port. ...

APL doubles capacity in Oakland.
May 26, 2008... APL Ltd. has completed reconstruction of its Global Gateway Central marine terminal in Oakland, Calif., that doubled its cargo-handling capacity without expanding its footprint. The $68 million renovation, jointly funded by APL and the Port...

Long Beach awards crane-conversion funds.
May 26, 2008... Two container terminals will receive $5 million in grants from the Port of Long Beach to convert diesel-powered cargo cranes to electricity for substantial air pollution improvements. The Board of Harbor Commissioners last week approved two...

Portland box count slides in April.
May 26, 2008... The sluggish freight environment plaguing the Pacific Northwest caught up to the Port of Portland in April, with container volume slumping 17.6 percent to 18,004 TEUs. It was the Columbia River port's worst month of the year for...

'K' Line returning to Port of Portland.
May 26, 2008... "K" Line, which left the Port of Portland about three years ago, will resume service at the Columbia River port late next month, giving exporters there direct access to the Japanese market. The Japanese line's return to Portland is part of...

Is there green in green?
May 26, 2008... BYLINE: ARI NATTER When it comes to an 80,000-pound diesel-powered truck, "green" probably isn't the first word that comes to mind. The trucking industry wants to change that. The American Trucking Associations this month outlined a...