Florida Shipper articles from August 2008

Florida Shipper archives from August 2008

It could be worse.
August 4, 2008... Chris Koch, former head of the Federal Maritime Commission, organizer of the World Shipping Council and former aide to Sen. John McCain, is not going to do anything to help the maritime industry during his tenure as a McCain-for-president...

South America surge.
August 4, 2008... BYLINE: STANFORD ERICKSON Exports are growing so fast that the U.S. might have a surplus if Venezuela were excluded U.S. trade with South America is increasing at a faster rate than with any other region, except for Africa. During the...

Houston, NY-NJ are top ports for South America container trade.
August 4, 2008... BYLINE: STANFORD ERICKSON The boom in U.S. exports to South America produced a bonanza for some of the nation's top ports last year despite a drop in imports. Total containerized exports jumped 22 percent to 803,929 TEUs, according to...

Panama City, Progreso build "bridge".
August 4, 2008... Officials from the Port of Progreso on Mexico's Caribbean coast recently signed a sister-port agreement with officials from the Port of Panama City, Fla. The two ports pledged to promote shipping activity and increased commercial...

Tunnel lost in fight with Marlins.
August 4, 2008... The house of cards known as the Miami megaplan will stand for at least another month while a Miami judge waits for the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a separate suit involving tax-funded development without voter approval. The Miami megaplan...

Europe West Indies Line declares bankruptcy.
August 4, 2008... Europe West Indies Line, a niche ocean carrier based in Rotterdam, filed for bankruptcy after takeover negotiations with various parties collapsed. The company said high debts, the dramatic decline of the dollar, spiraling fuel costs and...

USTR to implement two CAFTA-DR textile provisions.
August 4, 2008... U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab has outlined two textile provisions in the Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement with respect to materials made in Mexico that will take effect on Aug. 15 if Mexico completes...

Central America refinery plan still on table, Mexico says.
August 4, 2008... Plans to build a new oil refinery in Central America as part of a regional energy-integration project are still on the table, despite delays, according to a Reuters report. The report quoted Mexican Energy Minister Georgina Kessel as saying...

TWIC in paradise.
August 4, 2008... Relevant workers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be required to comply with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program sometime between March 1 and April 15, 20009, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation...

U.S., Brazil sign aviation pact.
August 4, 2008... The United States and Brazil have entered into an agreement that will increase the number of cargo flights and eliminate restrictions on the number of airlines that can provide air service, the Department of Transportation announced recently....

Suitors line up for Hapag-Lloyd.
August 4, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH TUI, the German travel and tourism group that is spinning off its container-shipping subsidiary Hapag-Lloyd, has received at least three bids for the line and may have received as many as four more bids by late July,...

Importers challenge duty-rate differences for same products based on gender.
August 4, 2008... BYLINE: ALAN M. FIELD When a U.S. importer brings in $10,000 worth of men's gloves, he pays $1,400 in tariff duties. When the same importer brings in $10,000 worth of women's gloves, he pays only $1,260. It's enough to make one ask: How...

Lacave joins CMA CGM.
August 4, 2008... Jean-Marc Lacave will join CMA CGM Group as chief executive vice president and member of the executive board, effective Sept. 1. Lacave, 51, will be in charge of six departments previously under the responsibility of Alain Wils, including...

CEVA Logistics announces restructuring.
August 4, 2008... CEVA Logistics appointed four regional presidents as part of an integration of its contract logistics and freight management businesses. Chief Executive John Pattullo said the restructuring would bring the company's business closer to...

INTTRA expands senior management.
August 4, 2008... INTTRA, an online portal for cargo booking in the ocean freight industry announced that Valerie Rainey has joined the company's senior management team as chief financial officer. She will be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, financial...

Pamela Zaresk, CBP's port director in Charleston, retires.
August 4, 2008... Pamela Zaresk, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's port director in Charleston, retired her post after 37 years of federal service, including several postings in Florida. Zaresk's career began in Washington, D.C. working for the U.S....

Left coast lesson.
August 11, 2008... I often take pleasure watching California's ports achieve their mission of handling perhaps 40 percent of the containerized cargo entering U.S. commerce while responding to left coast antics, and how the local politicians who run the ports must...

Hope for hurricane season: Private-sector logistics emergency teams proven at Myanmar Cyclone.
August 11, 2008... Utilizing corporate local knowledge and relationships for the U.N.'s benefit is central to the LETs model. Several of the world's leading logistics and transport companies have assembled the first-ever deployment of a unique U.N....

Unclear path for WCO.
August 11, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. EDMONSON There is a language barrier that the World Customs Organization is trying to break down. Not French to English to Chinese, but what a computer in one nation is saying to a computer in another. The WCO wants an...

Scan-all's great debate.
August 11, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. EDMONSON In Sen. Frank Lautenberg's opinion, Congress has to keep up the pressure by demanding 100 percent scanning of cargo containers by 2012 because the Bush administration has moved too slowly to secure the homeland after...

Global trade talks collapse.
August 11, 2008... Negotiations for a global trade agreement collapsed on July 29 after marathon talks failed to break a stalemate over farm subsidies. "We were so close to getting this done," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters at World...

West Coast containers decline.
August 11, 2008... Hampered by the weak economy and cargo diversions during longshore contract negotiations, container volume through West Coast ports in June declined by 4.6 percent from the same month a year ago. The poor performance dragged down cargo...

Buy America challenge launched.
August 11, 2008... The Baltimore Sun and a few lawmakers have stirred up a hornet's nest by accusing the Department of Homeland Security of attempting to bypass a congressional mandate that new equipment bought for port security with federal grants be purchased...

Cemex exports cement to Caribbean from Tampa.
August 11, 2008... Cemex Inc. has initiated its plan to export 165,000 tons of cement manufactured at its Brooksville, Fla., plant through the Port of Tampa, according to published reports. The company said the exports began July 31 and will continue...

Horizon Lines posts decline in profit.(Financial report)
August 11, 2008... Horizon Lines, the largest U.S.-flag carrier, reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $7.2 million, down 25 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of $331 million. It said adjusted net income for the second quarter ending June 22 was...

OAS calls for more Florida-Caribbean trade.
August 11, 2008... One of the top officials of the Organization of American States urged businessmen in Florida to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Caribbean countries and suggested that the state form a united agenda on doing business with the...

Belize joins port group.
August 11, 2008... Thirty representatives from various port states in the Caribbean held their 13th annual gathering in Belize last month to accept Belize as a full member of the Caribbean Port State Control Committee. The appointment means that Belize, which...

TSA moving ahead with air cargo screening program.
August 11, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. EDMONSON It's taken far longer than anyone wanted, but the Transportation Security Administration has devised what seems to be a workable plan for screening the 12 million pounds of air cargo shipped daily on passenger...

Pilots file lawsuit to block DHL-UPS deal.
August 11, 2008... The Air Line Pilots Association has filed a lawsuit against DHL in an effort to block the express carrier's plans to turn its U.S. air transport business over to UPS. The union representing pilots at Astar Air Cargo filed the lawsuit...

Ex-Im Bank guarantees loans for exports to Mexico.
August 11, 2008... The U.S. Export-Import Bank announced that it is providing $850 million in loan guarantees to support exports of oil and gas field equipment and services to Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil company. The financing includes a $150 million...

US to promote Middle East trade.
August 11, 2008... The U.S. Commercial Service and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce have signed a memorandum of intent to promote U.S. exports to the Middle East.  The agreement, the first of its kind for both groups, is designed to encourage...

Japan-Brunei trade pact takes effect.
August 11, 2008... A free-trade agreement between Japan and Brunei took effect on Aug. 1, the latest accord for Tokyo following bilateral pacts with Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, Chile, Thailand and Indonesia. The agreement, which was inked in June 2007, will...

Steel imports decline.
August 11, 2008... Imports of steel in June dropped by 12.3 percent to 2.7 million tons from 3.1 million tons in June 2007, according to the American Institute for International Steel. Imported semifinished products in June decreased by 4.7 percent. ...

Exports to Iran rise despite sanctions.
August 11, 2008... U.S. exports to Iran have grown more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as he accused the country of nuclear ambitions and sponsoring terrorists, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. sent Iran $546 million in...

ILWU, PMA reach labor agreement.
August 11, 2008... The tentative contract reached on July 28 by negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association promises six years of peace and stability at West Coast ports, beginning immediately. Upon...

Eat-local trend reducing logistics costs.
August 11, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN Wal-Mart's plan to source more produce locally for its 2,500-plus Supercenters and 138 Neighborhood Markets could mean some big changes in its transportation and distribution networks, with new opportunities for...

Seal questions.
August 18, 2008... I must admit that I am more than journalistically interested in the gyrations surrounding conveyance security devices. My wife is involved with a container security company and my friend Frank Rovirosa also has an interest in a container...

The good ship serendipity: And it's green!
August 18, 2008... Steve Ganoe had several reasons to be smiling. He had just sent the Cape Express, the 11th purpose-built G&G Shipping vessel on its maiden voyage from the company's St. John's Shipbuilding shipyard. Ganoe and yard boss Bobby Barfield built...

Overboard!
August 18, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH The P&O Nedlloyd Mondriaan was steaming off the coast of the Netherlands with its decks stacked high with containers from the Far East on Feb. 9, 2006, when it was hit from astern with waves driven by winds of force...

Congress gives '3PL' a definition.
August 18, 2008... Congressional passage of a new consumer product safety law marks the first time that the term "third-party logistics provider," or 3PL, has been defined under federal law.Members of the International Warehouse Logistics Association were the...

No rally in sight for US container volumes.
August 18, 2008... U.S. containerized imports are projected to decline 4 percent this year, dragged down by the overall weak economy and reluctance by consumers to purchase all but those items required for daily living. The National Retail Federation and the...

Lawmakers seek 10+2 pilot.
August 18, 2008... Twenty members of Congress have urged the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to conduct a pilot program before full implementation of the proposed 10+2 rule, which will require importers to submit additional data....

Meeting to address changes from paper filing.
August 18, 2008... The Office of the U.S. Commercial Service and William S. Lawton, Senior Trade Specialist are offering a free Town Hall Meeting in Miami to explain the changes from the Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations to the new Foreign Trade Regulations....

Customs requires ISO seals on all boxes.
August 18, 2008... According to Customs and Borders Protection, beginning on Oct. 15, all U.S.-bound maritime containers must have seals that meet the ISO/PAS 17712 standards for unique numbering, strength, durability and resistance to tampering. The...

Jamaica port authority seeks PetroCaribe funding.
August 18, 2008... Limited in its operations for needed expansion at Jamaica's ports, the port authority has decided to ask for funding from Venezuela's PetroCaribe Fund, according to a report in the Caribbean Business Report. According to the report, the...

Atlas Air profit plunges.(Financial report)
August 18, 2008... Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings earned $1.5 million in the second quarter on revenue of $438.8 million. Net income declined 97 percent below last year's second-quarter mark of $43.2 million, as the cost of fuel soared 75 percent to $213.4...

PIERS adds Latin American air cargo data.
August 18, 2008... PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, a Commonwealth Business Media company and sister company of Florida Shipper, has added Venezuela to detailed data on air cargoes flown into and out of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.For...

Nationwide container fee may be in US future.
August 18, 2008...  to build freight infrastructure, a congressional hearing held this month in Long Beach was told. The House transportation and infrastructure subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation hearing at the Port of Long Beach was...

California state Senate approves container fee.
August 18, 2008... The California Senate has approved an infrastructure and environmental-mitigation bill that will levy a $30-per-TEU charge on containers moving through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and a $12.50-per-TEU fee on containers moving...

NCBFAA asks for NVO tariff exemption.
August 18, 2008... The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has again asked the Federal Maritime Commission to exempt non-vessel-operating common carriers from tariff-filing requirements under the Shipping Act. Exemption from...

Trans-Atlantic ties.
August 18, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER Close relations with EU boost export opportunities Europe is often an afterthought in many trade circles. It shouldn't be. The U.S. relationship with the European Union is a partnership between equals, with...

OECD cites challenges for EU.
August 18, 2008... The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group representing some 30 advanced countries, gave the European Union generally high marks in a recent report, saying the single market "has delivered major benefits for...

Bilateral council focuses on regulatory barriers.
August 18, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER Despite the close ties and generally free trans-Atlantic market, U.S. companies doing business in the European Union continue to face "some very specific and technical challenges" says Kimberly McLaughlin,...

Customs will require ISO seals on all boxes.
August 18, 2008... Customs and Borders Protection said that beginning Oct. 15, all U.S.-bound maritime containers must have seals that meet the ISO/PAS 17712 standards for unique numbering, strength, durability and resistance to tampering.The requirement is...

Customs proposes e-payment for harbor maintenance fees.
August 18, 2008... The Treasury Department and Customs and Border Protection are proposing electronic filing of quarterly harbor maintenance fee payments or refund requests. The proposal would have payers establish Internet accounts at http://www.pay.gov. ...

Asia airfreight falls for first time since 2005.
August 18, 2008... Cargo traffic for Asia-Pacific airlines was down 4 percent in June compared to June 2007, as airlines scaled back capacity 5 percent. Traffic was up 0.9 percent for the six months of the year, according to the Association of Asia-Pacific...

US, Brazil sign aviation pact.
August 18, 2008... The U.S. and Brazil have entered into an agreement that will increase the number of cargo flights and eliminate restrictions on the number of airlines that can provide air service, the Department of Transportation announced. Weekly cargo...

European Commission clears Delta-Northwest merger.
August 18, 2008... The proposed merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines cleared a major hurdle when the European Commission gave the project its unconditional clearance, saying it found no impediment to effective competition in Europe or the...

Surface trade with Canada and Mexico down in May.
August 18, 2008... U.S. surface trade with Canada and Mexico in May was valued at $74.1 billion, down 0.3 percent from April, but up 6.8 percent from May 2007, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. About 88 percent of...

Dezincification.
August 25, 2008... This week's Florida Shipper features an article about how Congress has become suddenly aware that cheap Chinese steel is so cheap because Chinese companies cut costs by overlooking safety requirements. William Upton, president of Vulcan...

Innovations:.
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam The "why didn't we think of that?" factor Since the time that the acceptance of the ISO standard cargo container reversed the course of cargo movement, thousands of other innovations have been offered to the...

Warehouse management on demand.
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: BILL DIBENEDETTO If the latest Web technology and software can link people quickly and easily through social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace, why not apply that concept to the warehouses in a supply chain? ...

Wal-Mart defies recession talk.
August 25, 2008... Andria Cheng at MarketWatch said on Aug. 14 that retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported that its second-quarter profit increased 17 percent, as bargain-hunting shoppers, hurt by the rising cost of food and gasoline, sought out low prices....

CSX clears state hurdle for hub.
August 25, 2008... The Central Florida Regional Planning Council has recommended the CSX Rail Hub near Winter Haven, Fla., be approved under the state's development  of regional impact growth-limiting laws.   The 10-1 vote approved development...

American Airlines seeks OK for trans-Atlantic tie-up.
August 25, 2008... British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia, the Spanish airline have announced they will seek antitrust clearance from United States and European regulators to fly as a single passenger and cargo carrier on scores of trans-Atlantic routes....

Cruise ship proposal rejected.
August 25, 2008... When U.S. Customs and Border Protection filed a proposal late last year aimed at protecting U.S.-flagged cruise ships operating from Hawaii by reducing the time foreign ships spend in the islands, critics said it would lead to fewer cruise ship...

Con-way Multimodal takes over from Con-way Truckload Services.
August 25, 2008... Con-way Inc. has announced the launch of Con-way Multimodal to provide expanded freight brokerage capabilities and services in the third-party logistics and multimodal freight transportation business. Con-way Multimodal will succeed the...

Web seminars for trade documentation scheduled.
August 25, 2008... The U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division and the U.S. Commercial Service are presenting seminars to describe the export regulations, explain the responsibilities of the parties involved in exporting under the laws, simplify the filing of...

UPS eyes network changes.
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: PAUL PAGE UPS, saying it is on "high alert" from rising energy costs, is considering cutting back capacity and restructuring its global network to meet changes in trade patterns resulting from rising fuel prices.   ...

Airforwarders Association: Fund cargo screeners.
August 25, 2008... Despite progress being made in implementing the Certified Cargo Screener Program, significant challenges remain in future success due to lack of funding, according to executive director of the Airforwarders Association in testimony before the...

US tube and pipe producers push for trade sanctions.
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: ALAN M. FIELD Bridges that could collapse easily. Chemical pipelines that might separate and leak poisonous fumes. More American workers unfairly thrown out of work. What do these things have in common? The precipitous rise in U.S....

: Hanjin plans to redesign Jaxport terminal to fit new space.
August 25, 2008... Hanjin Shipping is planning to reconfigure the shape and size of the container terminal it is negotiating to build in Jacksonville to fit it into its new location at Dames Point.   The reconfiguration may result in a smaller,...

Jaxport cranes destroyed in storm.
August 25, 2008... Two large ship-to-shore container cranes were destroyed and a third damaged when a severe thunderstorm struck Jacksonville's Blount Island Marine Terminal on Aug. 13. No one was injured when "some kind of wind burst" blew one of the cranes...

Standoff at the border.
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: ARI NATTER DOT surprises critics of cross-border trucking program with plan to extend operation for two more years Anyone who thought the Department of Transportation might have been chastened by attacks on its cross-border...

Ex-Im Bank supports $850 million in US exports to Mexico.
August 25, 2008... The Export-Import Bank of the United States announced that it is providing $850 million in loan guarantees to support exports of oil and gas field equipment and services to Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil company.   The financing...

Customs Update: Where's the leadership?
August 25, 2008... BYLINE: SUSAN KOHN ROSS A myriad of events have occurred recently that, perhaps not surprisingly, lead to the question: What leadership?   In no particular order of importance, let's start with the deemed export rule....