Florida Shipper articles from January 2007

Florida Shipper archives from January 2007

Japan revs up FTA drive.
January 29, 2007... BYLINE: Hisane Masaki Japan is revving up its drive toward free-trade agreements, a move largely fueled by an intensifying rivalry with China over leadership in regional economic integration and increasingly tough global competition for...

The view from China.
January 29, 2007... Except for smokes, Chinese millionaires prefer global brands They may prefer Zhonghua cigarettes over European or Turkish brands but when it comes to credit cards, they prefer Visa and when it comes to lifestyle items, Chinese...

Recycling.
January 29, 2007... Two people have recently eased my worries about the future of the planet. Greg Napolitan was a guy with an environmentalist inclination. That was good because his wife, Kate, is an environmental engineer. What does an environmental engineer...

US Customs cracks down on 'gateouts'.
January 29, 2007... BYLINE: Jennifer Diaz and Peter Quinter Marine terminal operators without a bond after Jan. 20, 2007, are not permitted to handle international container shipments. The only exception is for marine terminal operators owned by foreign...

Port Canaveral begins stewardship art.
January 29, 2007... The first in a series of oil paintings depicting one of the various species of birds found at Port Canaveral was unveiled during a recent port authority commission meeting. According to advocates, the environmental stewardship art initiative...

And don't forget.
January 29, 2007... As of Jan. 23, all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card or U.S. Coast Guard...

Optimism at Horizon Lines.
January 29, 2007... Horizon Lines has predicted earnings for first-quarter 2007 of 10 cents to 15 cents per share, and operating revenue of $285 million to $290 million. For the full year, the largest Jones Act carrier projects earnings of $1.45 to $1.59...

Kuehne & Nagel expands in Japan.
January 29, 2007... Kuehne & Nagel on Jan. 17 officially opened its new logistics center in Narita, Japan. Located close to Narita Airport, the center offers contract logistics services and dedicated warehouse space for airfreight among its 10,000 square meters...

Digicel Group to introduce mobile data in Central America.
January 29, 2007... Caribbean wireless carrier Digicel Group plans to roll out nationwide GPRS/EDGE (General Packet Radio Services/Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) mobile data networks in El Salvador and Guatemala over the next three months with the assistance...

Guatemala group buys Costa Rica poultry firm.
January 29, 2007... Grupo Multi Inversiones of Guatemala has purchased 100 percent of Propokodusa of Costa Rica. Negotiations for the purchase started in 2003, but just recently concluded. In addition, Grupo Multi Inversiones also owns the Pollo Campero...

Guatemalan port union boss killed.
January 29, 2007... Gunmen murdered Guatemala's main port union chief in front of his two young children, Reuters reported. Quoting police, the news service said several men carrying 9-mm guns shot Pedro Zamora as he drove home to Escuintla on the evening of...

NCBFAA White House oppose 100 percent inspection.
January 29, 2007... The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said it opposes tougher cargo-security measures in legislation recently passed by the House. The Washington-based brokers group in a statement said it opposes the...

Sea Star announces HR reorganization.
January 29, 2007... Sea Star Line LLC has announced several changes to its organizational development group. Yessica Cancel has been promoted to director of organizational development; Maria Metzer has joined the company as manager of organizational development,...

Port Canaveral elects 2007 officers.
January 29, 2007... Rockledge paving company business owner Tom Goodson was recently re-elected chairman of the Canaveral Port Authority board of commissioners. Goodson was originally elected in 2002 from District 3. "I am grateful for the faith and trust...

Trinity Shipping appoints De Rojas Jr. president.
January 29, 2007... Albert De Rojas Jr. assumed the role of president at Trinity Shipping Line SA on Jan. 2. He is taking over the helm of the business from Alberto De Rojas Sr., co-founder of the business with Steve Calderon. Alberto De Rojas Sr. will...

AmeriCold names Murray executive vice president of sales.
January 29, 2007... AmeriCold has appointed Michael J. Murray executive vice president of sales. He formerly served as executive vice president of sales, marketing and distribution for Pilgrims Pride Corp. Murray has also worked for Cargill, Tyson Foods and...

Florida's growing ports.
January 22, 2007... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam A complex and colorful picture Florida's growing ports present a complex, colorful, almost Daliesque picture. Reaching like a giant dock into the Caribbean Sea, Florida still operates 14 independent seaports with...

Think more than twice.
January 22, 2007... Air-cargo forwarders have taken the lead in opposing the provisions in a House security bill calling for inspection of all shipments carried on passenger aircraft. Congress needs to think twice before enacting these feel-good measures. ...

Maya Express to link Miami and Central America.
January 22, 2007... The Maya Express, a 300-TEU weekly service operated by CMA CGM with the CMA CGM Rubin from Miami to Guatemala and Honduras, has been scheduled to begin Jan. 25. The ship with 60 reefer plugs will depart Miami on Thursdays and call at...

Suez Canal fees to rise.
January 22, 2007... The Suez Canal Authority announced it will raise fees for ships transiting the canal by an average 2.84 percent, effective April 1. Ahmed Ali Fadel, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, told reporters recently that the increase would range...

Reefer carriers form association.
January 22, 2007... Six specialized reefer-shipping companies have formed the 360 Quality Association, aimed at developing quality standards for transporting perishable goods. Great White Fleet Ltd., Green Reefers ASA, NYKLauritzenCool AB, Seatrade Group NV,...

Feb. 20 is deadline for Harmonized Tariff changes.
January 22, 2007... The office of the acting executive director, trade policy and programs, Office of International Trade has announced the terms of the grace period for implementation of the 2007 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. The World Customs...

CARICOM granted European funding.
January 22, 2007... The Caribbean Community will have 40.5 million euros ($52.3 million) to divide among its members who need financial help to offset the costs of "regional economic integration and repositioning into the world economy." On Jan. 8, CARICOM...

Sandinistas OK with Taiwan.
January 22, 2007... Nicaragua's President-elect Daniel Ortega has assured Taiwan that Nicaragua will maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei while developing trade ties with China, the Taiwan press has reported. Ortega made the promise to Taiwan President Chen...

DHL develops RFID tag for pharmaceutical industry.
January 22, 2007... DHL Innovation Initiative, a partnership between DHL, IBM, Intel, Philips and SAP, has developed a radio-frequency identification sensor tag for the pharmaceutical industry. A combination of temperature sensor and RFID radio chip, this...

Bogus Cricket site warning.
January 22, 2007... Barbados and other Caribbean Community member countries have protested a bogus Web site that appears to offer special CARICOM visas for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Internet users entering the keywords "CARICOM visa" were being directed...

Jury convicts maritime labor union officials.
January 22, 2007... A Fort Lauderdale jury has convicted Michael and Robert McKay on charges that allegedly occurred while one was president and the other was secretary-treasurer of American Maritime Officers, a national labor union based in Dania Beach, Fla....

Jamian joins Lauderdale consulting group.
January 22, 2007... Former acting Maritime Administrator John Jamian has joined the consulting group Maritime Transport & Logistics Advisors as one of several consulting associates. Jamian is president of the Seaway Great Lakes Trade Association and is a...

Port of Seattle names Yoshitani chief executive.
January 22, 2007... Long-time port industry veteran Tay Yoshitani will take over as the Port of Seattle's new chief executive in March, following a unanimous vote by the Port of Seattle Commission on Mic Dinsmore's successor. Yoshitani has led the ports of...

UPS promotes Abney.
January 22, 2007... UPS promoted David Abney to chief operating officer. He also assumes the role of president of UPS Airlines, a position that opened when John Beystehner recently retired. Alan Gershenhorn replaces Abney as president of UPS International....

CAFTA's payoff: Apparel and textiles have grabbed the headlines, but other manufactured goods will be the big winners.
January 15, 2007... BYLINE: Alan M. Field Although the lion's share of attention has been on textiles and apparel, the Central America Free Trade Agreement will yield much more significant benefits for other kinds of U.S. manufacturers, according to a new...

Perception and reality.
January 15, 2007... It is fascinating to watch this U.S. government at work. There were 22 terrorist-detection credential schemes, costing tens of millions of dollars, bubbling around the beltway - not counting the latest plan to issue driver's licenses to...

Latin America sizzles.
January 15, 2007... U.N. and World Bank predict economic growth in 2007 Latin America enjoyed widespread growth in 2006, with Argentina, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic as the top leaders, according to the latest report by the Economic Commission for...

Operators to define secure areas.
January 15, 2007... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson and Rick Eyerdam New TWIC rule will cover seaport and airport workers The Transportation Security Administration has published the text of the final rule for the long awaited Transportation Workers...

MOL expects loss on container business in 2008.
January 14, 2007... Japanese carrier MOL on Jan. 4 warned that it expects to lose money on its container ship business this year, because of losses on its North American routes. In a New Year's message, MOL President Akimitsu Ashida said that the MOL...

DHS boxes in security.
January 8, 2007... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane With newly empowered Democrats preparing to set tough new rules on cargo security, the Department of Homeland Security is moving to shore up its own strategy to protect supply chains and the flow of commerce....

Smart box passes local test.
January 8, 2007... The U.S. Patent Office has issued a patent for a "smart box" container-security tracking device invented by a former Customs agent and backed by a local pioneer in the stevedoring business. Frank Rovirosa, head of the Rovirosa family that...

A Ford legacy.
January 8, 2007... When Richard Nixon handed the wreckage of the presidency to Gerald Ford, Ford turned to his old friend and ally Donald Rumsfeld. Ford put Rumsfeld in charge of the five-person transition team immediately after the Nixon resignation. Rumsfeld...

Customs: Hardwood ... hard times.
January 8, 2007... BYLINE: Deborah B. Stern If you import hardwood flooring products, you might have noticed that you or your competitors have recently been hit with increased inspections, higher duties and even monetary penalties. If you have not received...

NYK acquires remainder of Ceres Terminals Europe.
January 8, 2007... The Japanese shipping and logistics company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) has increased its stake in Ceres Container Terminals Europe B.V. and now owns 100 percent of the company. In October 2002, the Tokyo-based company became the main...

Kuehne & Nagel offers perishable logistics service.
January 8, 2007... Kuehne & Nagel last month introduced a new business line in the Netherlands, Kuehne & Nagel Perishable Logistics, which will offer perishable ocean freight and airfreight activities out of three locations, the company said. Previously,...

Consumers reject intermodal options.
January 8, 2007... The South Carolina National Resources Board has added its voice to those against barging cargo up the Cooper River, voting unanimously to state its opposition to barge traffic on the river, according to local reports. Charleston-based...

In Asia, e-chaos follows quake.
January 8, 2007... It was a lesson for the Caribbean and Central America, which rely on undersea cables for broadband and phone communications. All across Asia telecommunications descended into e-chaos after an earthquake off Taiwan damaged undersea cables,...

Dominican Republic approves CAFTA modification.
January 8, 2007... The Senate of the Dominican Republic has approved most of the laws demanded by the U.S. for implementation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement trade agreement, according to local reports. The amended laws prevent copywrite and...

Coast Guard's Allen: We will stop Cubans somehow.
January 8, 2007... Adm. Thad Allen, a former Seventh District commander based in Miami and current U.S. Coast Guard commandant, issued a rare Christmas Eve message promising to prevent any mass immigration from Cuba despite the fact that most of his south...

Applying for passports.
January 8, 2007... Starting on Jan. 23, all travelers will need a passport to fly between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. According to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Postal Service, you...

Trading partners face tariff changes.
January 8, 2007... BYLINE: Alan Field Six foreign trading partners could lose duty-free access to the U.S. market for some of their key exports because of a revamped trade program that President Bush signed into law on Dec. 20. Brazil, Cote d'Ivoire,...

Steady as she goes: Slower growth in trade predicted for 2007.
January 8, 2007... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto While it is often said that the world is getting smaller, in many respects it remains a big and complicated place, especially when trying to make sense on a global scale of shipping and port market developments...

Loose ends.
January 1, 2007... The term "House Ethics Committee" is probably a contradiction, but just in case, I got a copy of its 92-page report completed by more than a dozen taxpayer-paid staff attorneys and a half-dozen Congress people. I wondered, Did they ask Mark...

Pressure rises in hazmat transportation.
January 1, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman Jim Latta sat at his desk and added up the costs of renewing his Class A commercial driver's license and hazardous materials endorsement. There was a $58 federal fee, a $24 Federal Bureau of Investigation fee and...

Loose ends.
January 1, 2007... The term "House Ethics Committee" is probably a contradiction, but just in case, I got a copy of its 92-page report completed by more than a dozen taxpayer-paid staff attorneys and a half-dozen Congress people. I wondered, Did they ask Mark...

Five questions with Walter Bastian.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... BYLINE: Jenalia Moreno The Bush administration has circled the globe, trying to seal trade pacts with other nations. Some of those deals have been successful, such as the Central American Free Trade Agreement that was ratified this year...

Jeb's last jab ends Fort Pierce port plan.
January 1, 2007... A plan to expand cargo operations at the Port of Fort Pierce was rejected by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Cabinet at their last meeting when they denied an application to moor barges over state-owned submerged land. Landowner Lloyd Bell of...

DHS may reduce 22 ID programs.
January 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said recently it hopes to reduce the 22 different credentialing programs it manages to screen people entering the country and working in the transportation sector to make sure they do not pose a...

Customs readies tariff schedule.
January 1, 2007... Importers should learn the deadline for making changes in their data systems to reflect changes in the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Just before Christmas, President Bush announced the changes, followed a few days later by a Federal...

Turnover accelerates among truckers.
January 1, 2007... The driver turnover rate among truckload carriers increased during the third quarter of 2006, following improvements during the first and second quarters of the year, the American Trucking Associations said. Large truckload carrier...

New president praises, challenges Caribbean Shipping Association.
January 1, 2007... The recently elected president of the Caribbean Shipping Association, Fernando Rivera, offered strong praise for the members of the CSA at a recent gathering in Miami. But he also said there is still more to be done. "I don't think we...

Florida-Bahamas commission proposed.
January 1, 2007... The U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, John Rood, has been asked by Florida's outgoing governor to form a commission that will oversee joint Florida-Bahamas programs, from education and environmental issues to trade and health. Rood told...

US, Panama reach trade pact.
January 1, 2007... The U.S. and Panama announced the completion of negotiations on a free-trade agreement with a formal understanding that it is subject to further discussions regarding labor. The agreement will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade of...

China to lead air cargo by 2025.
January 1, 2007... China will become the world's largest air-cargo market by 2025, according to a forecast by Airbus. The European jet maker said international freight traffic from China has grown an average 9.6 percent per year over the past decade, and that...

Importers' insight.
January 1, 2007... Fitch's outlook for U.S. consumer sectors Heading into 2007, the consumer is facing a slowing economy, potentially less job growth and flat-to-declining home prices. However, interest rates appear to have stabilized at a modest level, the...

Container shipping profits dive.
January 1, 2007... Third-quarter earnings reports are rolling in from global container carriers and the picture isn't pretty. The numbers from stalwarts such as Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine and the three main Japanese carriers underscore the heavy toll...