Florida Shipper articles from March 2006

Florida Shipper archives from March 2006

China Knocking - Customs can bar the door.
March 27, 2006... BYLINE: Mike Seemuth Some Latin American nations have ridded themselves of outdated customs policies, such as charging duties on imports regardless of how little value they have, or holding imported goods in government custody until...

Ditch the tunnel.
March 27, 2006... The good news is that Miami Dade County Commissioner Johnny Winton has convinced the county to spend $150,000 to figure out how trucks loaded with containers will get through downtown Miami and then to the Warehouse District on the other side...

UPS: Fritz bribes stopped after merger.
March 27, 2006... Under the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, U.S. companies or corporate individuals who bribe foreign officials can face criminal charges. That is not the case in most other countries. In fact, until recently, business bribes were tax...

Port security conference on for Dubai.
March 27, 2006... The second annual Airport, Port and Transport Security Middle East conference will be held April 3-4 at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. Described as "the leading transport and border security event in the Middle East," the conference offers one...

Heavyweight companies team for RFID.
March 27, 2006... DHL and IBM have teamed in a demonstration project to show how the use of RFID-tagged packages can improve tracking and security. The pilot project was the first example of the "DHL Innovation Initiative" (led by Deutsche Post World Net). The...

EU abandons port deregulation.
March 27, 2006... The European Union has officially abandoned its controversial five-year campaign to deregulate port services in the face of fierce opposition from lawmakers, unionized dockworkers and port authorities. The European Commission, the EU's...

Tropical launches new Caribbean demurrage schedule.
March 27, 2006... Tropical Shipping has started a new demurrage schedule, "in an effort to improve equipment turn times," according to the company. Shippers will be allowed five days of free time for refrigerated containers, before paying a charge of $75 a...

CAFTA's first days.
March 27, 2006... President Tony Saca of El Salvador proclaimed the start of CAFTA by announcing to President Bush (who was not present), "Come with your basket empty and take it home full." However, many Salvadoran citizens were less enthusiastic. As the...

Starbucks to secure coffee containers.
March 27, 2006... General Electric has announced that Starbucks Coffee Co. is the first commercial purchaser of CommerceGuard, GE's advanced-technology system for container security and tracking. GE said Starbucks is immediately installing CommerceGuard on...

Short-sea shipping seeks smart shippers.
March 27, 2006... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson A textile mill in Fall River, Mass., trucks containers of upholstery fabric to the Port of Jacksonville for loading aboard a ship to Brazil. The problem, said Richard Armstrong, is that the trucker experiences...

DP World fallout continues.
March 27, 2006... DP World's U.S. subsidiary P&O Ports U.S. announced that it expects to complete a sale of P&O's U.S. port operations in the next four to six months. In a statement, P&O said executives from its group head office in London will supervise...

Eller cost could reach $450,000.
March 27, 2006... P&O plans to pursue its $450,000 suit against Eller & Co. to recover court costs. Over Eller's unsuccessful attempt to halt the sale of a jointly operated U.K. terminal. Eller & Co., 25 percent co-owner of the Port of Miami Terminal Operating...

Staying ahead of the curve.
March 20, 2006... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo When it comes to investing in infrastructure and equipment, railroads appear to believe it is better to be safe than sorry. CSX, BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway are each spending...

Across the sand.
March 20, 2006... The Gulf Times of Qatar, where the U.S. operates vast military command and control facilities and air bases, rounded up the comments in the local press about the fate of the DP World-P&O deal. "The decision reflects high statesmanship, and...

DHS documents cargo lapses.
March 20, 2006... The same week Congress forced the Dubai royal family to sell the U.S. assets of DP World the Department of Homeland Security leaked its study of cargo security lapses throughout the supply chain. Taxpayers paid $75 million for a...

Transport ID cards coming.
March 20, 2006... The Department of Homeland Security has put the Transportation Worker Identification Credential on a "substantially accelerated" schedule, and proposed rules should be issued "in a matter of weeks," Stewart Baker, DHS assistant secretary for...

Intermodal shortfalls hinder investment.
March 20, 2006... Despite surging international volumes, the rail industry says intermodal's slim profitability makes it hard to make a case for substantial investment. "It doesn't add a lot of growth to the bottom line," Tom O'Connor, an economic analyst...

Part of the solution, or part of the problem?
March 20, 2006... BYLINE: Lawrence H Kaufman All of us have laughed at the punch line: I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. Actually, it's no laughing matter. The U.S. Department of Transportation has promulgated what it calls a national...

Econocaribe launches Ecuador service.
March 20, 2006... Miami-based Econocaribe is offering a new service from the U.S. Northeast to Ecuador. Econocaribe said the weekly less-than-container-load service departs from the Port of New York-New Jersey to Guyaquil, Ecuador. Voyage time is nine...

Dominican Republic customs earns praise.
March 20, 2006... Commerce under-secretary of the U.S., David Bohigian has provided positive comments following his recent review of the advances achieved by the General Customs Agency of Dominican Republic. The CAFTA signatory is implementing a number of...

No logistics deal for Eagle.
March 20, 2006... Sister logistics companies Caribbean Shipping Services and Caribbean Cold Storage have scrapped plans to merge with Eagle Logistics Systems, according to reports in Jacksonville business publications. The companies on Aug. 17 announced...

Jamaica drops cement duty.
March 20, 2006... The government of Jamaica has temporarily waived the safeguard duty of 25.8 percent duty on imported cement. Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, made the announcement in early March at a press conference at the...

CAFTA hitches unwrapped.
March 20, 2006... Because Customs and Border Protection has not yet completed program updates to the Automated Commercial System that will allow for automated processing, importers and brokers claiming preference under CAFTA must file non-ABI entries until...

DP World fallout in Tampa.
March 20, 2006... The political turmoil surrounding the purchase of P&O Ports' American division by DP World might achieve some clarity as the Port of Tampa sorts out its recent agreement with P&O to partner in the Tampa container terminal. Tampa Port...

55 billon opportunities up for bids.
March 13, 2006... On March 28-29, 600 top infrastructure executives worldwide will meet at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, to discuss the top 50 infrastructure projects in Latin America, presented by sponsors from 17 different countries. The 4th...

Jones Acting.
March 13, 2006... Cargo carriers and their shipper clients despise chaos and the prospect of arms-length local political intervention in the business of global trade. It has grown worse with echelons of national politicians muddling port management issues......

Lloyd's List investigating Morse exit from Inchcape.
March 13, 2006... Lloyds's ace reporter Janet Porter is looking into the "sudden departure" of Simon Morse from Inchcape Shipping Services, "exactly one month after a change of ownership followed a fundamental disagreement over the future direction of the...

DP World proposes separate unit for P&O US properties.
March 13, 2006... With a view to address concerns regarding the original review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., DP World has committed to separate P&O's U.S. operations held through P&O's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary P&O Ports North America...

Eller loses Dubai ports suit.
March 13, 2006... The British Court of Appeal on March 6 rejected a bid by U.S. stevedore Eller & Co. to overturn a High Court judge's approval of DP World's takeover of P&O. The ruling apparently removes the last hurdle to the $6.8 billion deal that will...

Rice to meet Caricom ministers.
March 13, 2006... U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Caricom foreign ministers plan to meet in the Bahamas to discuss security issues and the fate of Haiti. The two-day conference is scheduled for March 21-22 and foreign ministers from throughout the...

Grand Bahama Freeport's global promise.
March 13, 2006... If the right things are put in place, Freeport could very well be the heart of global trade within the next 10 to 25 years, Julian Frances, co-chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority told local government officials recently. Speaking...

Haiti trade issues pondered.
March 13, 2006... U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman recently told the House Ways and Means Committee that Haiti needs "some type of trade preferences program." He suggested structuring the preferential support in a similar fashion to legislation introduced...

Jamaica mounts $64 million bird flu prevention plan.
March 13, 2006... According to the Jamaica Information Service, the ministries of agriculture and health have decided to undertake a $64 million National Avian Influenza Surveillance Program, as part of a collaborative campaign to prevent avian influenza, or...

Business groups back stricter US stance on China.
March 13, 2006... The U.S. Council for International Business joined other leading business groups in welcoming a report by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman that promised a stricter approach to trade relations with China. "China has emerged as a...

Group: Separate textiles at WTO.
March 13, 2006... The American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, made up of a dozen U.S. fiber and textile producer associations, has requested that the World Trade Organization provide a "textile sectoral" as part of the Doha Round of trade negotiations...

Service filters blacklisted traders.
March 13, 2006... JPMorgan Chase Vastera, provider of trade management software, announced the availability of its Restricted Party Screening and Resolution Services on Feb. 22. The new service combines managed trade services with technology to help...

Victory lap.
March 13, 2006... Many key executives of Sea Star Line, including President Frank Peake, have been touring Sea Star's ports of call in a victory lap for El Faro, the latest Ponce-class multipurpose ship in the Sea Star fleet. El Faro, which means "the...

Seafarers' House honors donors and volunteers.
March 13, 2006... For 11 out of the past 13 years, Peter and Jennie Vermeulen have driven from their home in Canada to Fort Lauderdale with only one goal in mind. Not a couple for the sun and the sand, the Vermeulens work without compensation five days a...

Opportunity knocks - Getting ready for the building boom.
March 13, 2006... BYLINE: Rosalind McLymont Cruise ship berths, major highways, container ports and tourism airports across the Caribbean Basin will soon be competing with U.S. government-financed building projects for necessary materials, equipment,...

Business groups back stricter US stance on China.
March 13, 2006... The U.S. Council for International Business joined other leading business groups in welcoming a report by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman that promised a stricter approach to trade relations with China. "China has emerged as a...

CAFTA to begin with El Salvador.
March 7, 2006... U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman told textile executives on Feb. 24 that El Salvador will be the first country to fully commit to the Central America Free Trade Agreement."El Salvador is a critical market for us in terms of textiles,"...

Fog of peace - Confusion eases on DP World terminal "threat".
March 7, 2006... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam The fog of peace was most dense on Feb. 21 but has begun to rise as P&O Ports resists efforts to halt its sale in British courts, and DP World delays its takeover of 26 P&O terminals and stevedoring operations in the...

Fog of peace.
March 6, 2006... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam The fog of peace was most dense on Feb. 21 but has begun to rise as P&O Ports resists efforts to halt its sale in British courts, and DP World delays its takeover of 26 P&O terminals and stevedoring operations in the...

The Miami-Dade way.
March 6, 2006... When the Miami Performing Arts Center opens on Oct. 5, there will be no dedicated parking for the 5,000 or so people expected to attend, nor for any subsequent performances. Why? According to assistant Miami-Dade Manager Bill Johnson, "It's...

A century later, Panama Canal remains vital.
March 6, 2006... BYLINE: Leticia Lozano Nearly a century after President Theodore Roosevelt stood among the muddy diggers of the Panama Canal and inspired a colossal engineering feat, the current U.S. president, George W. Bush, stood at the waterway's...

Caribbean Basin trade ramps up.
March 6, 2006... BYLINE: Laura L. Myers As farmland becomes a more precious commodity in the U.S., the Central America portion of the Caribbean Basin is certain to play an increasingly prominent role as a source of fresh fruit, including bananas and...

CAFTA to begin with El Salvador.
March 6, 2006... U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman told textile executives on Feb. 24 that El Salvador will be the first country to fully commit to the Central America Free Trade Agreement. "El Salvador is a critical market for us in terms of textiles,"...

Haiti poses challenges for CARICOM.
March 6, 2006... BYLINE: Sir Ronald Sanders The victory by Rene Preval in Haiti's presidential elections poses challenges for the member countries of the Caribbean Community and Common Market. After the former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide accused the...

US-UAE trade talks to resume.
March 6, 2006... The United States will resume talks in March on a free-trade pact with the United Arab Emirates despite an uproar over the Bush administration's approval of a deal to allow a UAE company to operate terminals at six U.S. ports, according to...

Guatemalans protest CAFTA.
March 6, 2006... The usual suspects, including college students, unionists, shopkeepers and street vendors, demonstrated peacefully in Guatemala City on Feb. 24 against Guatemalan implementation of the Central America Free Trade Agreement. "We denounce the...

Grand Turk cruise center opens.
March 6, 2006... The Holland America Line's 1,848-passenger Noordam made history on Feb. 25 when it arrived at the Caribbean's newest port facility - the Grand Turk Cruise Center, British West Indies - on its inaugural call. After departing from New York...

A UAE challenge for Broward.
March 6, 2006... The Broward County Commission, which runs its port like a county department, has decided to review the application of a company owned by a Dubai investment firm that is seeking to renew its license to provide services to ships docking at Port...

Caricom could soon readmit Haiti.
March 6, 2006... Jamaica's minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Delano Franklyn recently told reporters in Mandeville that the country has strong optimism that following recent elections, Haiti will soon be re-admitted to...

ILWU members' earnings grow.
March 6, 2006... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Longshoremen on the West Coast have leveraged rapidly growing trade volumes and their union's single-contract strategy to win an earnings premium of as much as 28 percent compared to longshoremen on the East and...

Crowley crew advances.
March 6, 2006... Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced a series of appointments and promotions as it responds to opportunities in its trade lanes. Jay Brickman was named vice president of government services, a new position at the Jacksonville-based company...

US may challenge China on currency.
March 6, 2006... U.S. Treasury officials are asking leaders of the financial markets what could happen if the U.S. accuses China of manipulating currency. Treasury Undersecretary Tim Adams has asked Wall Street firms about the possible impact on the dollar...

Miami dredge review.
March 6, 2006... Speaking recently at the 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Hawaii, Terri Jordan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Jacksonville District, described a Corps project to deepen the Port of Miami last year using confined explosives to reduce the...

Motorola withdraws from e-seal development.
March 6, 2006... Motorola pulled out of development of electronic seals for ocean container security. "We are not going to pursue RFID and e-seals for containers at this time," said Kevin McDunn, director of marketing and development for Motorola's Asset...

Survey finds US ports congestion-free.
March 6, 2006... Container ports in the U.S. are congestion-free during the seasonal lull, according to the February Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight. "Looking ahead to the coming 2006 peak season, we see...