Florida Shipper articles from November 2007

Florida Shipper archives from November 2007

The green gang.
November 26, 2007... The hard work and dedication of Port Manatee's staff is about to be rewarded with a new container terminal berth and yard ready for a tenant. The only problem: the sea grass that environmental lobbyists insist must be lushly swaying in the...

Three-strike count.
November 26, 2007... Credit crunch, soaring bunker prices, costly regulations threaten terminal growth This was supposed to be time of easy growth for the shipping industry, a point when traffic would surge over the late-2006 softness. Instead, railroad...

By the numbers.
November 26, 2007... The international liner shipping industry has been determined by the Department of Homeland Security to be one of the elements of the nation's "critical infrastructure." Here's why: * Approximately 1,000 oceangoing liner vessels, mostly...

Industry wonders: Will terminal investors live up to their name?
November 26, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The three-year buying binge of U.S. port facilities appears to be winding down, but now the companies that paid substantial premiums to purchase marine terminals must make these acquisitions pay off for their...

Double throughput or suffer, US ports told.
November 26, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo If the U.S. container trade continues to increase by about 7.5 percent per year, three-quarters of the country's major ports will experience significant capacity problems by 2010, according to a marine architect...

WSC's Koch to Congress: Resolve terminal mysteries.
November 26, 2007... Port terminal operators worldwide are concerned and unsure about procedures and standards that the U.S. Congress has mandated but left unexplained, the leader of the World Shipping Council warned a House committee recently. Christopher...

WCS's Koch to Congress: Resolve terminal mysteries.
November 26, 2007... Port terminal operators worldwide are concerned and unsure about procedures and standards that the U.S. Congress has mandated but left unexplained, the leader of the World Shipping Council warned a House committee recently. Christopher...

Container traffic lags 2006.
November 26, 2007... Traffic at the nation's major retail container ports dropped below last year's levels for the second consecutive month in September, and is expected to continue to be flat or below last year's levels for the remainder of the peak shipping...

Inttra debuts online shipping instructions.
November 26, 2007... Ocean shipping portal Inttra has introduced a Web-based shipping instruction application, i-ACT SI, which enables users to manage all shipping instructions in one place online so that customers can more easily meet shipping cut-off times. ...

10 Steps to improved modal connectivity.
November 26, 2007... Intermodal experts Theodore Prince and Thomas Finkbiner have fashioned and released a report they call "the first report that details the needs of a truly intermodal transportation system" on behalf of the Intermodal Association of North...

DHS plans small-scale test of Global Trade Exchange.
November 26, 2007... The Department of Homeland Security is moving forward with a scaled-down test of the Global Trade Exchange. Customs Commissioner W. Ralph Basham told the agency's annual Trade Symposium on Nov.14 that the department would be offering a...

Colombia and Peru need Congress's help.
November 26, 2007... Colombia and Peru will need a new extension by the U.S. Congress of the duty-free program ATPDEA (the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act) before the end of February. A delay in approval and implementation of free-trade pacts...

Harcourt plans $400 million Bahamas investment.
November 26, 2007... Harcourt Developments plans to invest more than $400 million in increasing its presence in the Bahamas, according to local reports. The company said it intended to make a significant capital investment to improve the hotel and facilities...

Kalmar to equip Ecuador container facility.
November 26, 2007... Kalmar Industries has received orders from International Container Terminal Services Inc. for 13 reachstackers, four empty container handlers and 18 Ottawa terminal tractors to be used at the Port of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Contecon Guayaquil SA...

Sea Star sets new bunker surcharges.
November 26, 2007... Sea Star Line has announced a series of phased surcharges for its Eastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands services noting that the most recent bunker surcharge, announced Oct. 22, was based on fuel almost $100-per-ton less expensive...

The demurrage dilemma.
November 26, 2007... BYLINE: Robert J. Becerra, Esq. A recent change to the terms and conditions typically offered by trade warehouses could put importers, exporters and shippers on the hook for thousands of dollars in additional fees. The change is designed...

ABX, DHL in lease dispute.
November 26, 2007... Cargo carrier ABX Air declared its principal customer, DHL, in default of their aircraft-leasing agreement. The express subsidiary of Deutsche Post World Net stopped making full reimbursements for leasing services, ABX said in an SEC...

Port Everglades' Berlin a green LEEDer.
November 26, 2007... Port Everglades now has a staff architect who is accredited as a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). Sari Berlin, a licensed architect with the Seaport Engineering & Construction Division of the...

Prager joins Corporate Resolutions.
November 26, 2007... Corporate Resolutions Inc., a worldwide business investigations and consulting firm based in New York, has opened a Miami office to address the needs of its growing client base in Central and South America. Keith Prager, a veteran...

Trailer Bridge profits drop.(Financial report)
November 26, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Trailer Bridge recently filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that profits fell to $373,619 in the third quarter, from $1.9 million a year earlier. The Jacksonville-based Jones Act...

Deutsche Post lowers expectations for DHL.(Financial report)
November 26, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Deutsche Post, the German global mail, logistics and express company, on Nov.14 reported that it has scrapped a break-even target for its DHL unit in the U.S., but raised its full-year profit forecast for the group...

Housekeeping.
November 19, 2007... We had a couple of mistakes in the Leading Women in Florida Transportation edition. Melissa S. Lobree has been with Danoff for 18 years and not 11 as we said. Capt. Suzanne Englebert is not on her way to Washington, just now, as we...

Don't be paranoid.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: William Armbruster Everyone is watching what you are doing As a high-tech company operating in more than 200 countries, Intelsat must be careful that it's not doing business with the wrong people. Otherwise, like other...

Lists to check.
November 19, 2007... The Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce says the following lists may be relevant to your export or re-export transaction. The lists are available at www.bis.gov. Denied persons list A list of individuals and...

Plan ahead.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Two-year plans essential for project cargo Shippers of equipment for gigantic energy, mining and power projects are in a bind. On the one hand, business has never been better as they build more and bigger...

Breakbulk, the container option.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Container vessels can move out-of-gauge or breakbulk cargo under some circumstances, but the inherent differences between containers and breakbulk must be carefully assessed. "You must plan differently. The tempo is...

Finding the right project forwarder a challenge.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Separating the serious players from the pretenders is a crucial survival skill when it comes to choosing the right project freight forwarder, said Dennis Mottola, corporate manager of traffic and logistics for Bechtel...

Breakbulk exporters enjoy strong overseas demand.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: William Armbruster Finding vessel capacity is often the biggest challenge U.S. manufacturers of heavy equipment are reaping the benefits of the weak dollar at a time of surging overseas investment in infrastructure projects...

JOC to partner on breakbulk education program.
November 19, 2007... The Journal of Commerce, a sister publication of Florida Shipper, and the maritime industry will work together to create an online educational program dedicated to the breakbulk and project cargo industry, Peter Tirschwell, vice president of...

Larger cold warehouses are subject to security rules.
November 19, 2007... Refrigerated warehouses that store more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia must comply with new Department of Homeland Security Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, the department announced. But warehouses at port facilities that...

Import safety bill would revoke brokers' licenses.
November 19, 2007... Members of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America have mounted a grassroots effort to eliminate language in an import safety bill that would revoke brokers' licenses for bringing unsafe products into the United...

1,600 boxes missing in Pakistan as system overlooks fake documents.
November 19, 2007... Mubarak Zeb Khan has the Pakistani press abuzz with his recent public disclosure that in this volatile area where the smuggling of weapons and nuclear components have already been documented, Customs officials have lost track of more than...

Trinidad re-elects Manning.
November 19, 2007... Incumbent Prime Minister Patrick Manning was recently re-elected in Trinidad and Tobago. He promised to bridge racial divides and diversify the nation's thriving oil- and gas-driven economy. Manning is 61 years old. Manning led the...

Tropical Shipping adds seasonal vessel.
November 19, 2007... Tropical Shipping added a vessel to its fleet to increase service during high season.The new vessel will enhance feeder service for Tropical's Virgin Island and Leeward Island destinations, and provide support to Crowley's Canadian vessel...

World Bank review includes Caribbean logistics.
November 19, 2007... The World Bank recently issued another controversial list. This one grades countries on their trade logistics. The report, Connecting to Compete: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy, was based on a global survey of international freight...

China's manufacturing transformation poses new challenges.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman China's transformation from a manufacturer of lower-value exports into a source of higher-value products for internal and external consumption is posing new challenges for Western logistics companies. "We grew...

Correction: Capt. Suzanne E. Englebert, Chief, Prevention Division, Seventh Coast Guard District, Miami.(Correction notice)
November 19, 2007... James Maes has known his nominee, Capt. Suzanne Englebert, for a decade, and she has played a key part in his career. Maes became the Coast Guard's first sector commander, when the commandant of the Coast Guard reorganized the former Group...

APL bulks up 53-foot containers.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Importers who consistently ship large volumes of freight to inland U.S. destinations may be able to reduce transloading costs with APL Ltd.'s new "ocean-capable" 53-foot containers in the trade from South China...

The end of the LASH era.
November 19, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach An ingenious bluewater-brownwater transportation system that worked well for nearly 40 years is coming to an end. LASH, an acronym for Lighter Aboard Ship, was invented in 1967 and placed into service two years...

Congress defeats WRDA veto.
November 19, 2007... The Senate voted 79-14 and the House voted 361-54 to override President Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, allowing it to take effect in the second week of November after seven years of delays. During debate,...

Air Cargo Americas.
November 19, 2007... More than 3,000 airline executives and managers gathered in Miami on Nov. 7-9 for the annual Air Cargo Americas trade show and conference. The show was brisk and lively and featured a Canada Day and new Florida pavilion underwritten by a...

On the waterfront commercial habitat.
November 12, 2007... When the press began to report federal allegations filed by the Justice Department's racketeering division against the International Longshoremen's Association, "the Sopranos" was not yet televised. Nevertheless, the case was treated by...

Traffic jam.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman Capacity crunch worries vehicle shippers Strong demand for heavy equipment and a robust global auto trade are straining vessel and port capacity for roll-on, roll-off cargo. Shippers and carriers are starting...

High fuel prices drive auto imports.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach American automobile sales may have hit the skids, but the shipping lines that carry cars internationally are scrambling to keep up with demand. That's because high gasoline prices are boosting demand for smaller,...

New auto exports service to depart Port Canaveral.
November 12, 2007... Florida auto exporters will have a new, weekly option to serve Central America out of Port Canaveral. "By the end of November, Car-Go Shipping International will begin offering weekly, fixed-day departures between Port Canaveral, Fla.,...

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics opens Baltimore auto center.
November 12, 2007... Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics in October officially opened its expanded vehicle-processing center at Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore. The new facility provides the company with a centralized preparation and distribution center for...

Customs seizes illegal apparel.
November 12, 2007... Customs and Border Protection said its officers in Port Newark, N.J., seized three shipments of more than 2,500 cartons of wearing apparel valued at approximately $1 million. The goods were illegally transshipped in an effort to circumvent...

Seizures of phony goods more than doubled in 2007.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Alan M. Field Fred Felman, chief marketing officer of MarkMonitor, a company that provides services for brand protection, said U.S. importers have discovered counterfeiting in everything from food additives to industrial...

DHS misses training deadline.
November 12, 2007... Transportation unions are outraged that security training for thousands of frontline transit workers across the nation will be delayed again in the wake of another missed deadline by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to...

Chiquita announces major restructuring.
November 12, 2007... Chiquita Brands International Inc. recently announced it will close facilities in Bradenton, Fla., sell a Georgia-based business line and restructure management. This includes the closure of its production facility in Carrollton, Ga., and the...

Fannin confirms US interest in social justice.
November 12, 2007... Robert Fannin, U.S. ambassador-designate in the Dominican Republic, testified at his Senate confirmation hearing that the U.S. has a great interest in promoting social justice in the Dominican Republic and that he would pursue cooperation in...

Jamaicans reach out.
November 12, 2007... The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), in association with attorney-at-law Dahlia Walker-Huntington, and the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), will be staging the inaugural seminar, the Nuts and Bolts of Business Expansion...

Maritime sector urged to lobby CSME.
November 12, 2007... Sacha Vaccianna, trade expert with the Shipping Association of Jamaica, recently told the 37th annual general meeting of the Caribbean Shipping Association that it is important to "lobby for immediate action on a Caribbean community regional...

ILA civil RICO case dismissed.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Joseph Bonney A federal judge has dismissed the U.S. Justice Department's civil racketeering lawsuit that sought to place the International Longshoremen's Association under federal supervision and to oust its top officers because...

Morales elected chairman of Jaxport board.
November 12, 2007... Ricardo Morales Jr. has been elected by fellow members as chairman of the Jacksonville Port Authority board of directors. Outgoing chairman Tony Nelson was named vice chairman. William C. Mason, also a former chairman, was appointed...

CCM names Prince president.
November 12, 2007... Consolidated Chassis Management LLC has hired Ted Prince as company president. Prince joins CCM after prior stints in senior intermodal industry positions with Kansas City Southern Railway and "K" Line. Most recently, Prince served as a...

Maher Terminals appoints new team.
November 12, 2007... Maher Terminals LLC, which was acquired by a unit of Germany's Deutsche Bank in July, announced on Oct. 25 the appointment of a new management team. Maher Chairman M. Brian Maher and President Basil Maher, the previous owners, assumed...

AAPA elects Marchand South Atlantic rep.
November 12, 2007... The American Association of Port Authorities announced the election of Doug Marchand, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, as the executive committee's South Atlantic representative. Marchand will serve as one of the...

South America's businesses attract foreign direct investments.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Richard Knee South America, sometimes the forgotten child on the global block, is growing -- with many of its countries signing free-trade agreements with nations around the world. "South America's economies are stable,...

Port of Long Beach approves clean-truck plan.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners last week voted to ban the oldest, dirtiest trucks from operating at the port. The new port tariff, which matches one enacted days earlier by the Port of Los...

Lawmaker drafts national cargo fee.
November 12, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Freight interests in California have grown used to warding off attempts by state politicians and port executives to tax cargo flowing through Los Angeles and Long Beach, but when a congressional representative...

ABX to acquire Cargo Holdings.
November 12, 2007... ABX Air will acquire Cargo Holdings International Inc., a privately held provider of outsourced air-cargo services based in Orlando, Fla. The transaction is valued at approximately $350 million. Cargo Holdings International provides...