Pacific Shipper articles from October 2005

Pacific Shipper archives from October 2005

Pumping the Party Dry.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall Times have been good in recent years for container lines and most transport companies. Annual reports have contained good news for shareholders. Carriers have invested in floating container palaces; railroads have...

Fmc Extends Time to Comment on Nvo Contracts.
October 6, 2005... The Federal Maritime Commission has extended until Oct. 20 the comment period on its inquiry about non-vessel-operating common carriers acting together as carriers to offer NVO service arrangements. The extension is at the request of the...

Ups Opens Southern California Distribution Center.
October 6, 2005... UPS last week announced the opening of a 765,000-square-foot distribution center and the beginning of construction on a second facility at a new West Coast campus in Mira Loma, Calif., for UPS Supply Chain Solutions. The new distribution...

New Rules Set for Textile, Apparel Imports.
October 6, 2005... The Treasury Department and Customs and Border Protection have enacted new interim regulations governing the import of textiles and apparel, including changes in standards for determining country-of-origin requirements. Customs will be...

Panel Suggests Curbs on Chinese Steel Pipe.
October 6, 2005... A rapid increase in steel pipe imports from China threatens the financial health of American pipe producers, the U.S. International Trade Commission said as it voted early this month to clear the way for possible import restrictions. The...

Traffic Increases Through Port of New Orleans.
October 6, 2005... The Port of New Orleans said nine ships were scheduled to call at the port during the first week of October -- including four container vessels -- almost double the activity from a week earlier as operations get back up to speed following...

Asia Gives Large Air Freighters a Heavy Lift.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto The market for new and converted large cargo freighters is soaring along, driven to a large degree by the booming China market and solid growth in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. Boeing's workhorse 747...

Global Freighter Fleet to Double by 2024, Boeing Says.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto Boeing, in its recently released Current Market Outlook, said the total world air-freighter fleet will nearly double over the next 20 years to 3,630 aircraft. Estimating that about 1,100 freighters will be retired...

Growing Trans-Pacific Trade Is Filling New Larger Air-Freighters.
October 6, 2005... * Freight traffic in the trade lane was up 1.2 percent in July. * Freight capacity grew 2.9 percent in July. * Singapore Airlines' freight volume grew 8 percent that month. * China Southern's cargo and mail revenue grew 39.5...

Truckers Still Not Impressed by PierPass.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Shippers and truckers say they like the new program to keep marine-terminal gates open nights and Saturdays at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But that doesn't mean they don't think it could be improved....

After Disasters, Feds Must Be Prepared to Help Ports.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Gary P. LaGrange Within a one-month span, hurricanes Katrina and Rita have impacted over 20 ports in the Gulf of Mexico that are members of American Association of Port Authorities, and many additional private and public ports in...

Cp Ships Expands Msp Participation.
October 6, 2005... CP Ships has reflagged the 3,200-TEU CP Yucatan to U.S. flag and changed its name to CP Yosemite in recognition of the ship's enrollment in the Maritime Security Program. The U.K.-based carrier, which is to be acquired by Hapag-Lloyd's parent...

Coalition Challenges Hours-of-Service Rules.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane The new hours-of-service rules for truck drivers are facing a challenge from a familiar raft of opponents, but this time they also have a powerful labor union on board. The International Brotherhood of...

Canadian Exporters Face Delays at Us-Canada Border.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto A recently completed study for FedEx Express Canada says that all Canadian exporters to the U.S. experience some delays in getting their products across the border, with the delays "most prevalent" in Quebec. ...

Hanjin Puts Mega-Ship in Trans-Pacific Service.
October 6, 2005... Hanjin Shipping said it will deploy the Hanjin Baltimore, an 8,000-TEU vessel, in the trans-Pacific. The ship, christened at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea, on Sept. 29, will make its maiden voyage on Hanjin's Pacific...

Taca Lines Suspend Southern California Surcharge.
October 6, 2005... The Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement said it has again suspended its congestion surcharge at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, this time through Oct. 31. The lines intend to announce plans for the charge before Nov. 1. When in...

Economic Impact of Hurricanes Weighed.
October 6, 2005... The economic impact of the one-two punch of hurricanes Katrina and Rita will cut the national economy by three-quarters of a percentage point, credit rating agency Standard & Poor's said late last month. S&P said the transportation impact...

Consumer Spending Fell in August.
October 6, 2005... Economic injury from Hurricane Katrina can already be measured, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The hurricane struck on Aug. 29, and the bureau said on Sept. 30 that the drop in consumer spending of $47.2 billion, or 0.5...

Ford to Revamp Supply Chain.
October 6, 2005... Ford Motor Co. has plans to pare down the number of suppliers it uses and give them larger, longer-term contracts in an effort to cut costs. Ford said it will use the new system for vehicles built in 2008 and beyond. The Dearborn-based...

Fda Releases Food Shippers Rule.
October 6, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration has released the final rule governing food shipping facilities that must register with the agency. The final food facility rule does not contain notable changes from the interim final rule that came out in...

Us, Brazil Sign Maritime Pact with Reciprocal Rights.
October 6, 2005... U.S.-flag operators will have access to cargo controlled by the Brazilian government under a new maritime agreement signed on Sept. 30 by officials of the two countries. The agreement, signed by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and...

Eva Air Applies for Joint Venture in China.
October 6, 2005... Taiwan's second-largest airline, EVA Air, has applied to Beijing authorities to set up a joint venture air-cargo firm with China's Shanghai Airlines. Reports said EVA's parent, Evergreen Group, would invest 90 million yuan ($11 million) in...

Consortium Lands Shanghai Port Contract.
October 6, 2005... Shanghai has awarded the second phase of its multibillion-dollar Yangshan container port project to a consortium including Hutchison Whampoa, Cosco Pacific and APM Terminals, according to the South China Morning Post. The remaining two...

Colombo Becomes 40th Csi Port.
October 6, 2005... Colombo, Sri Lanka, has become the 40th operational port in the Customs and Border Protection Container Security Initiative. The milestone marks the end of the second phase of CSI. The program is about 80 percent complete, Customs...

Growth Slows for Global Airfreight.
October 6, 2005... World airfreight traffic grew 2.8 percent in August as declining business in Europe and North America reined in cargo growth for world airlines. The report from the International Air Transport Association marked a slowdown from the 3.6...

Rail Volume Grows.
October 6, 2005... Rail volume for the week ending Sept. 24 increased 2 percent year-over-year, fueled by a 5.5 percent increase in coal traffic and a 4.2 percent spike in intermodal volume. Intermodal volume totaled 241,116 trailers or containers, up 4.4...

Toronto Truck Strike Ends.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Courtney Tower A two-week strike by about 300 container truckers in Toronto ended after independent drivers reached agreement with carriers, industry sources said on Sept. 29. Details of the agreement, to run through Dec. 31,...

3pl Building Landbridge for Chicago Rail Imports.
October 6, 2005... Nexus Distribution announced that construction is under way for the creation of a new private roadway that will serve as a two-way landbridge for domestic and international imports coming into Chicago via rail. The roadway, located on...

Federal Security Regulators Place Trucking Industry in Their Sights.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Carey The federal government is ratcheting up efforts to prevent terrorism on the highways, raising its scrutiny of the trucking industry to a new level amid rising concern about the safety and security of hazardous-materials...

Boom May Be Near for Egypt.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee Thanks to a series of developments in its trade and internal development, Egypt could be poised for a significant economic boost. Ties with Israel may enable Egypt to increase its finished-product exports to the...

Houston Gets Post-Katrina Boost.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: William Hoffman Long preparing for its logistics close-up with shippers and supply-chain managers, Houston is moving to center stage in many supply chains because of Hurricane Katrina. The fourth-largest city in the U.S. has...

Vancouver, WASH., Earns Clean State Audit.
October 6, 2005... The Port of Vancouver, Wash., has earned a favorable review from the Washington state Auditor's Office on accountability and financial statements for the 2004 fiscal year. The required annual audit examines financial areas, legal compliance and...

Everett to Handle Low-Level Uranium.
October 6, 2005... The Port of Everett, Wash., is scheduled to receive a shipment of natural ore containing low levels of uranium in mid-October. The shipment, which is en route from Japan, is being handled in partnership with regulatory agencies in the region....

Crowley Maritime Unit Wins State Environmental Award.
October 6, 2005... A division of Crowley Maritime Corp. received the Washington state Department of Ecology's highest award for excellence in tank-vessel marine safety and environmental stewardship. The Exceptional Compliance Program (ECOPRO) Award recognizes...

Rickmers-Linie Makes First San Diego Call.
October 6, 2005... The first Rickmers-Linie vessel to call at the Port of San Diego docked at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal on Sept. 30 to offload windmill equipment. Rickmers-Linie specializes in the transportation of breakbulk, project and heavy-lift...

Port of Guam to Begin Privatization Talks.
October 6, 2005... The Port Authority of Guam is preparing to begin negotiations for the privatization of its operations. The agency is reviewing the bids submitted by SSA Marine, International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Portek International. A new...

Alabama Port Authority Plans Increased Spending and Revenue.
October 6, 2005... As part of its capital and operating budget for fiscal 2006, the Alabama State Port Authority has targeted revenue of $96.7 million, an increase of 15 percent over the current fiscal year. At a special meeting late last month, the port...

Hurricanes Prompt Planning at SoCal Ports for Earthquakes.
October 6, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo When Hurricane Katrina knocked out port facilities along the Gulf Coast, it raised an unnerving question: How would the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach respond to a major earthquake? If the "Big One" ever...

Portland Launches New Interactive Web Site.
October 6, 2005... A new interactive section on the Port of Portland's Web site provides access to what the port calls the "heart of the region's main cargo hub with a step-by-step tour of commerce, from the time a ship enters the Columbia River to its unloading...

Expansion Plan Set for Brunswick.
October 6, 2005... The Georgia Ports Authority plans to spend $29.3 million in federal and state funds to deepen the Port of Brunswick channel and open the Colonel's Island Terminal to deeper draft roll-on, roll-off and bulk vessels by next summer. The...

Toyota Donates Van to Marine Exchange.
October 6, 2005... Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. recently donated a 2005 Sienna van to the Marine Exchange of Southern California. "We at Toyota wanted to show our appreciation and respect to the Marine Exchange for its ongoing contributions to the waterfront...

Hanjin Promotes Three.
October 6, 2005... William F. Rooney has been promoted to senior vice president and managing director of Hanjin Shipping Co. in North and South America. Most recently, Rooney was vice president of sales and marketing for Hanjin in North America. Rooney...

Fki Logistex Appoints Braatz.
October 6, 2005... FKI Logistex has named Dick Braatz vice president of manufacturing for the company's North American business unit. Braatz reports to Steve Ackerman, president, FKI Logistex North America. Braatz, who holds a bachelor of science in...

Curtis Named to State Post.
October 6, 2005... Lisa Curtis was appointed acting administrator, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) for the state of California. Curtis replaces Carl Moore, who recently retired. In November 2004, Curtis was appointed by Gov. Arnold...

Taca May Lose Hapag-Lloyd As Member.
October 6, 2005... Hapag-Lloyd may be forced to quit the Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement if its parent, TUI, succeeds in acquiring CP Ships, which is not a TACA member. The generally very conference-minded German carrier, which was a co-founder of TACA...

Usda Extends Comment Period on Cut Flowers.
October 6, 2005... The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has extended to Oct. 21 the comment period on a proposed rule that would establish requirements for the importation of cut flowers that are hosts of...

Weighing the Choices.
October 13, 2005... Life is filled with choices. Some are fun: Do you want ice cream with your pie? Some seem to be nothing more than routinely picking the lesser of two evils: Democrat or Republican. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and...

Cosco Official Issues Warning on Us Ports.
October 13, 2005... A top executive of China's Cosco Group warned that congestion at U.S. ports and shortages of rail and highway capacity are delaying ships and containers and threatening the growth of U.S. import-export trade. "On behalf of Cosco, I'd like...

Seattle's Fisherman's Terminal Gets New Docks.
October 13, 2005... The Port of Seattle Commission last week approved $21.6 million in capital spending to replace the port's aging Fisherman's Terminal docks, home of the North Pacific fishing fleet. The capital investment will replace pre-1930 wooden docks...

Carriers don't Expect Trans-Pacific Rate War.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Shipping lines in the trans-Pacific should be able to avoid a damaging rate war in 2006 even though capacity in the largest U.S. trade lane will exceed projected demand by 5 to 7 percent, according to William...

Time Flies: Next Day Or Bust for These Cakes.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto More than just a cute name for a restaurant chain, Cheesecake Factory, in less than 30 years, has become the mainstay supplier for hungry New York-style cheesecake aficionados in the U.S. Delivering up to 1,500...

In the Beginning: The Cheesecake Factory's Tasty Tale.
October 13, 2005... The company's earliest beginnings date back to 1949, when Evelyn Overton baked one of her New York-style cheesecakes for the employer of her husband, Oscar. The employer requested additional cakes to give as gifts. She turned that idea into a...

Mexico Reimposes Duty on Us Apples.
October 13, 2005... Mexico this month reinstated anti-dumping duties on two varieties of U.S. apple shipments from Washington state, but the duties are slightly lower than those previously set. The Mexican government set preliminary anti-dumping duties at...

Us Shrimpers Hurt by Imports, Now by Katrina.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Alan M. Field When hurricanes Katrina and Rita crashed into the Gulf Coast, some of the hardest-hit businesses were shrimpers and shrimp processors in communities such as Biloxi, Miss., and Delcambre, La. Like many others in the...

No Port Congestion Now, But Mineta Calls for Plan.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta urged ports and intermodal operators to tackle the twin problems of congestion and capacity constraints, and he offered Washington's full support for their efforts. At...

Us Prepared to Cut Farm Aid.
October 13, 2005... The United States is prepared to cut its most trade-distorting farm subsidies by 60 percent over the next five years and eventually eliminate them, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said on Oct. 8. However, the U.S. wants deeper cuts by the...

FedEx Seeks Contract Help from Mediation Board.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Ed McKenna Citing union intransigence at the bargaining table, FedEx Express is asking the National Mediation Board for assistance with contract talks with its pilots. The company said it was requesting the help of the National...

C-Tpat Importers Get 'green Lane' Clearance.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo An increasing number of importers that exhibit diligence in securing their supply chains from the stuffing of containers overseas to delivery in the U.S. are qualifying for Customs' coveted designation as Tier...

Port Trucker Status Dire, Maersk Chief Says.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: William Armbruster Truckers have gotten so fed up with soaring fuel costs that some drivers in Charleston, Savannah and Atlanta have been parking their trucks rather than making scheduled pickups and deliveries, said Russell...

Manufacturers: Trade Deals Boost Us Exports.
October 13, 2005... Increased exports of manufactured goods to countries with which the U.S. has free-trade agreements have produced a marked improvement in the deficit, even as the overall U.S. trade deficit in manufactured goods has continued to worsen this...

Bush Urged to Waive Steel Duties.
October 13, 2005... In a letter to the White House, the American Institute for International Steel urged President Bush to eliminate all import duties on steel to reduce the burden of Gulf Coast reconstruction costs for the government and the private sector. ...

Canada Wins Trade Rulings.
October 13, 2005... The U.S. International Trade Commission reversed an earlier ruling by saying that imports of subsidized Canadian wheat were not harming U.S. producers. That ruling may lead to the scrapping of duties on those shipments. The reversal came...

Taca Plans Rate Hikes.
October 13, 2005... Shipping lines belonging to the Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement plan to increase rates in 2006. The carriers said their business plan for 2006 calls for increases beginning the first day of each quarter. On Jan. 1, tariff rates for all...

Pre-Katrina, Us Earned Healthy Economic Report.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Commerce Department released figures earlier this month for manufacturers' shipments and inventories of durable goods and wholesale trade sales and inventories that show the picture before Hurricane Katrina...

Companies Invest in China Landside Operations.
October 13, 2005... The rush to China by manufacturing and transportation companies continued last week with a series of announcements. "K" Line said it has launched container trucking services at China's Shenzhen hub. A subsidiary, Ka Fung, a subagent of...

Nober to Retire from Stb.
October 13, 2005... Roger Nober, Surface Transportation Board chairman, will not seek a second term after his current term expires on Dec. 31. "As all of you may know, my term as chairman of the STB expires in fewer than three months," Nober said in a memo...

European Liner Group Urges Continued Information Exchange.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The new head of the European Liner Affairs Association defended the association's plan to allow carriers to continue to exchange information and collaborate on surcharges, and added that shippers and carriers need to...

China Ports Plan Major Expansion to Handle Teu Growth.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Construction of the coastal Yangshan port near Shanghai is an example of China's determination to build port capacity to handle future demand, a Chinese port official told the International Association of Ports and...

Air Cargo Tops Agenda in Eu-Us Aviation Talks.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard European Union transport ministers approved a new round of aviation negotiations with the U.S. aimed at liberalizing trans-Atlantic services. The decision likely will yield an early breakthrough for U.S....

Nehru Port Truck Strike Suspended.
October 13, 2005... A strike by motor carriers serving the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru in India was suspended this month after the central government pledged to address truckers' complaints. Transportation associations suspended the strike, called to protest...

Taiwan Reveals Central America Investment Plans.
October 13, 2005... Taiwan this month revealed details of its investment initiatives in Central America -- known as the Jung Pang Project. The chief executives from Taiwan's five diplomatic allies in Central America -- Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras...

Ata Applauds Calif. Trucking Fairness Measure.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Bill Carey The American Trucking Associations and its Intermodal Motor Carrier Conference applauded new trucking fairness legislation signed into law recently by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The legislation, drafted...

Dhl Accelerates Upgrade of Central Asia Hub.
October 13, 2005... DHL is speeding completion of the $110 million upgrade of its Central Asia hub at Hong Kong International Airport. Originally slated for completion by 2013, the expansion will be completed six years ahead of schedule, the company said. The...

Up Completes $16 Million Warning Sign Project.
October 13, 2005... At a cost of $16 million, Union Pacific Railroad recently completed a four-year project to install new, high reflective crossbuck warning signs at more than 18,000 railroad crossings across its 23-state system, at public at-grade crossings...

Can Security Plans Be Based on Networks, Not Single Shipments?
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane Chicago-based transportation attorney Joel Webber doesn't want to do away with Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration or the Department of Homeland Security. He just wants...

The Aloha State's Trade with the Far East Is Growing.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Richard Knee Hawaii is coming into its own as a trading partner with the Far East -- so muchso that Matson Navigation Co. plans to offer direct sailings to China starting in February, ending its service partnership with APL Ltd....

Quick Take on Hawaii:.
October 13, 2005... Civilian employment: 620,750 (August 2005) Unemployment rate: 2.7 percent (August 2005) State general fund revenue: $398.3 million (August 2005) Revenue increase from August 2004: 11.2 percent Residential building permits:...

Railroads Seek Efficiency by Going Vertical.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: John Gallagher Rapid growth in intermodal trade isn't slowing down, but it's taking on a new character as railroads hungry for intermodal equipment that doubles the capacity of their networks push the intermodal industry to change...

Isabella Shipping Starts Service Between Costa Rica and Freeport, Texas.
October 13, 2005... Isabella Shipping Co. last week debuted a weekly service between Port Freeport, Texas, and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. The Costa Rica call adds a new dimension to Isabella service to Port Freeport, which began in April with Isabella ships...

Hurricane-Ravaged Ports Resume Core Services.
October 13, 2005... BYLINE: Janet Plume As hurricane-damaged ports in the Central Gulf resume partial operations, they may be handling what could become core cargoes for the foreseeable future. With its dockside freezer blown apart, the Dole vessel Costa...

Vancouver, British Columbia's Neptune Bulk Seeks to Expand Potash Terminal.
October 13, 2005... Neptune Bulk Terminals (Canada) Ltd. this month said it would seek approval from the Vancouver Port Authority for a C$93 million ($79.1 million) expansion and upgrade of its existing potash storage facilities. "The decision to undertake...

Tacoma Opens Yang Ming Terminal.
October 13, 2005... The Port of Tacoma will officially open its refurbished Olympic Container Terminal, the new home of Yang Ming Marine Transport, on Oct. 17, the port's third major container terminal opening of the year. The terminal is the Taiwan-based...

Jaxport Loses State Loan.
October 13, 2005... Because Mercedes-Benz USA's has delayed the selection of its location for consolidation of southeastern vehicle shipping, the Jacksonville Port Authority has missed a cycle and must forfeit a $43.3 million state loan designed to underwrite the...

California Enacts Vessel Anti-Dumping Law.
October 13, 2005... California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a ship pollution bill, S.B. 771, banning all large commercial ships from dumping sludge and other hazardous waste in state waters. The bill, introduced by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto,...