Florida Shipper articles from September 2008

Florida Shipper archives from September 2008

Breakbulk 101.
September 1, 2008... Jerry Nagel, president and chief executive of Rickmers-Linie (America), has been working hard to diversify the "bald and gray heads" of breakbulk shipping through an infusion of youth from members of Generations X and Y. One characteristic...

Confronting a two-way roadblock.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: RICK EYERDAM For Florida ports, breakbulk is a two-way street currently faced with roadblocks in both directions. The short version is that domestic construction is at its lowest in decades, reducing the demand in Florida for...

Untangling the breakbulk supply chain.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: LAURA MYERS Do shippers, carriers and forwarders who move steel, windmills, reactors, forest products and other breakbulk cargoes worldwide lack the logistics advances available through business-to-business e-solutions? ...

Junkyard riches.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: PAUL T. ROSYNSKY High steel prices lead to booming scrap metal business Asia's ongoing industrialization and booming economies in some Middle East countries have begun to reverberate in an unlikely place: the scrap yard. Unable...

Forest products in the new millennium: tight capacity.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: DAVID BIEDERMAN New sources and new products change the game It's a mixed bag for the forest product industry in the Gulf. The housing crunch continues to drive down construction-related imports. However, its impact has been...

New views on user fees.
September 1, 2008... National fees could relieve West Coast burden For years, the freight transportation industry's attitude toward those user fees that are designed to fund infrastructure projects was one of denial. Shippers and carriers hoped that if they...

Oakland's lower fees.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: STEPHANIE NALL Port decides to have only one fee in hopes of attracting exporters The Port of Oakland last month officially cut 100 jobs from its budget, handing out pink slips to 62 people. Budget woes at the Bay Area...

No passing zone.
September 1, 2008... BYLINE: ARI NATTER There may be overwhelming support for shoring up the Highway Trust Fund, but expect delays ahead The House of Representatives may have moved to plug the multibillion-dollar gap in the Highway Trust Fund by a...

Retailers to challenge legality of container fee.
September 1, 2008... The National Retail Federation has asked a federal court for permission to join the American Trucking Associations in a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach from requiring operating concessions for harbor...

GAO report criticizes Customs' security program.
September 1, 2008... Customs and Border Protection's program to "push out" the U.S. supply-chain security envelope to its international trading partners could result in the reduced likelihood that Customs would inspect a potentially risky cargo based on a foreign...

Fitch lowers value of airports and toll roads.
September 1, 2008... With U.S. airports experiencing less passenger traffic and toll roads losing drivers, Fitch Ratings has lowered its outlook for the U.S. airport and toll road sectors to negative. Fitch analysts blame soaring fuel prices for prompting a...

House watching EU shift.
September 1, 2008... The chairman of the House Coast Guard and Transportation subcommittee said Congress will be watching closely to see whether the European Union's abolition of rate-setting conferences creates a need for changes in United States shipping...

US and the Bahamas sign ship-boarding agreement.
September 1, 2008... U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kirsten D. Madison and Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas Brent Symonette signed a bilateral Proliferation Security Initiative ship-boarding agreement on Aug. 11. ...

Port operator eyes new terminal in Argentina.
September 1, 2008... Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said last month it is looking to invest in a new terminal in Argentina. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, ICTSI said an all-purpose terminal will be built and...

Caribbean hotels' picture mixed.
September 1, 2008... PKF Hospitality Research, an affiliate of PKF Consulting, has released its 2008 edition of Caribbean Trends in the Hotel Industry that finds that the Caribbean hotel industry faces some strong challenges going forward. After a soft 2006, most...

Merger inevitable, Qantas chief says.
September 1, 2008... Qantas Airways Ltd. will inevitably merge with another major airline as part of the global restructuring taking place in aviation industry, the Associated Press quoted the company's chief executive as saying last month. Geoff Dixon, who is...

Wag the dog.
September 8, 2008... Lately I have been wondering if the Department of Homeland Security is not inviting some tragic incident into a major seaport with its remarkable, rather quiet abandonment of the Container Security Initiative scanning pilot and its incredible...

Deep thoughts.
September 8, 2008... BYLINE: Rick Eyerdam Who will pay for the new Panama Canal? Imagine it is the year 2010 and the first-term president is trying to keep his commitment to rebuilding the U.S. infrastructure, except construction prices are soaring because...

'Emerging' Asia's growth seen holding firm.
September 8, 2008... BYLINE: SIR RONALD SANDERS During the last four decades, growth rates of Asia's "emerging nations" have exceeded those in industrialized nations by an average of 4 to 5 percent. But as economic growth rates deteriorate in the U.S. and...

Turnabout on the Atlantic.
September 8, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH As volumes soar, exporters pay more The dramatic decline of the U.S. dollar against the currencies of its major trading partners in Europe over the last year continues to drive the reversal of fortune on the...

Container ship charter market slumps.
September 8, 2008... BYLINE: BRUCE BARNARD The year-long slide in container ship charter rates is accelerating as slower cargo growth on key trade routes and weakening liner freight rates dampen ocean carriers' demand for capacity. Hire rates for all ship...

TWIC enrollment approaches 500,000.
September 8, 2008... Enrollment for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential nears the half million mark, but card activation still lags, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA's latest TWIC "dashboard" indicates...

MSC chief eyes Alitalia.
September 8, 2008... Gianluigi Aponte, chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Co., said last week that he plans to invest 100 million euros ($147 million) or more in a consortium bidding to salvage Alitalia, Italy's national airline. But he warned that allowing Air...

Russia bans US chicken.
September 8, 2008... Trade between the U.S. and Russia suffered a major blow Aug. 29 when Moscow announced that it will ban poultry imports from 19 producers on health and safety grounds. The ban took effect Sept. 1 and affects two plants belonging to Tyson...

New university to be built at Grand Bahama.
September 8, 2008... Ross University, a subsidiary of DeVry University, recently announced a $2 million construction project for 30,000 square feet of space in the Sea Horse Shopping Center at Grand Bahama as the beginning of a $35 million development plan. ...

Caribbean unions want pact delayed.
September 8, 2008... The powerful Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions has decided to line up with opponents of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union and is asking for time...

Dominicans planning 'mega-ports'.
September 8, 2008... The construction of three mega-ports announced by Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez are among the government's priorities, Public Works Minister Victor Diaz R"a told the local television program Hoy Mismo. R"a said the...

Stimulus.
September 15, 2008... Last month, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist offered an economic stimulus plan called Accelerate Florida. The idea was to stimulate the state economy by building the roads and schools and other capital projects that have already been approved for...

Life signs.
September 15, 2008... BYLINE: RICK EYERDAM  Florida's ports fight for advantage Florida's 14 deep-water ports, each run by different boards and competing with some potent state port organizations, are working to help solve energy issues, overcome local...

A long, slow slog.
September 15, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER South Atlantic ports must clear many hurdles before they can build new terminals In China, massive construction projects can be done seemingly overnight. Beijing was transformed in just a few years for the...

NYK to take over South America service.
September 15, 2008... NYK Line plans to take over the Atlantic North-South Express Service this month that it has been operating with Hapag-Lloyd in a joint vessel-sharing alliance. The Japanese carrier decided to operate it as its own independent service...

Maersk Line parent reports higher earnings.(Financial report)
September 15, 2008... A.P. Moller-Maersk said its container business showed marginal improvement during the first half of this year while overall group profit soared because of petroleum price increases that benefited the company's oil and gas activities. The...

Trans-Pacific surcharges on a roller-coaster ride.
September 15, 2008... Bunker fuel surcharges in the trans-Pacific trades hit a record level in September, but will drop in October. The higher surcharges reflect fuel prices that reached a record $767 per ton in mid-July, according to a formula used by the two...

Trade with Latin America on target to set more records.
September 15, 2008... BYLINE: LETICIA LOZANO Soaring energy and food prices, the worst housing slump since the Great Depression, a credit crisis, job cuts: It all may be enough to tip the U.S. into recession this year, if we aren't already there. But the "flu"...

Ex-Im Bank backs projects for $850 million in US exports.
September 15, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER The United States Export-Import Bank announced its backing for major projects in Ghana, India and Mexico that could produce an estimated $850 million in U.S. exports of goods and services. Weldy-Lamont...

Koch returns to WSC.
September 15, 2008... Chris Koch, president of the World Shipping Council, returned to his office this month after a three-month tour of duty with Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. He took a leave of absence in early May to be McCain's policy...

Exports pump up West Coast container volume.
September 15, 2008... Another month of double-digit export growth helped West Coast ports in July to pull almost even with containerized cargo volume in 2007. Exports surged 18.5 percent in July compared to the same month a year ago. Containerized exports in the...

Rice: Let Cubans endure.
September 15, 2008... The United States is not prepared to lift its trade embargo against Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during her recent visit to Morocco. Her comments came as Havana urged Washington to ease restrictions in the wake of two...

Customs plans to simplify imports.
September 15, 2008... Customs and Border Protection has proposed a rule that would change the way importers determine the country of origin for their goods. Customs would use rules created under the North American Free Trade Agreement - commonly called Part 102...

Caricom skips EU trade deal deadline.
September 15, 2008... Leaders of the Caribbean Community have postponed the signing of the Caribbean Forum-European Commission Economic Partnership Agreement. It had been scheduled for Sept. 1. Leonard Robertson, Caricom's communications advisor, told local...

Venezuela trade group offers Dominica $21 million.
September 15, 2008... Dominica's government announced it will receive US$21 million from Venezuela as part of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas trade alliance program sponsored by ALBA. Members of the ALBA group include Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela and...

P&O trades Caribbean calls for world tour.
September 15, 2008... U.K.-based line P&O Cruises has decided to replace one of its traditional three-month world cruises with two Caribbean cruises departing from Southampton with a call scheduled for Tampa. The 69,153-ton, 1,828-passenger Oriana will sail two...

Republicans have no Caribbean trade plank.
September 15, 2008... The Republican Party distributed its 67-page campaign platform before its St. Paul convention. It addressed several general-trade items but only mentioned the Caribbean once and said nothing specific about Caribbean trade pacts. The only...

Lufthansa Cargo expedites security measures in US.
September 15, 2008... Lufthansa Cargo said it would install explosive trace detection systems at all Lufthansa destinations in the U.S. by the end of this month. That puts the German carrier well ahead of congressionally mandated inspection requirements. By...

Carpe diem.
September 22, 2008...   Phil Allen, Stanley Payne, David McDonald and John La Capra are among the nicest people you would ever want to know, far from the salty specimens that once dominated the waterfront. And that's too bad. The ports of Florida need...

Looking south.
September 22, 2008... Carriers boost Latin freighter flights In August, a new freighter operator entered the air cargo market between North America, the Caribbean and Central America. AMX Cargo, a subsidiary of Mexican air cargo outfit Aeromexpress,...

Time for Congress to act.
September 22, 2008... BYLINE: BRANDON FRIED This summer, the Transportation Security Administration told the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection that air cargo bound for the U.S. would not be screened. In response,...

Security's tools of the trade.
September 22, 2008... BYLINE: MIKE SEEMUTH With the air cargo industry rushing to meet new security deadlines, the race is on to screen new technology Like other technology suppliers that work with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, X-ray...

Is outsourced air out?
September 22, 2008... BYLINE: PAUL PAGE Gemini Air Cargo's business model was built to plug the airline into global trade while insulating the carrier from the uncertainties of shifting markets. Gemini wasn't protected, however, from what appears to be a...

100 percent air cargo scanning expands.
September 22, 2008... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a test of its 100 percent scanning operation this month at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. All incoming air cargo will pass through radiation detectors as the agency...

UN group agrees to reform cargo-liability rules.
September 22, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Treaty will go to the Senate next year There was the large room, and there were the small rooms. The large room was for official posturing. The small rooms were where everyone got down to business. In short, it's...

Koch returns to WSC.
September 22, 2008... Chris Koch, president of the World Shipping Council, returned to his office recently after a three-month tour of duty with Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. He took a leave of absence in early May to be McCain's policy coordinator...

Exports pump up West Coast container volume.
September 22, 2008... Another month of double-digit export growth helped West Coast ports in July to pull nearly even with containerized cargo volume in 2007. Exports surged 18.5 percent in July compared to the same month a year ago. Containerized exports in the...

Rice: Let Cubans endure.
September 22, 2008... The United States is not prepared to lift its trade embargo against Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during her recent visit to Morocco. Her comments came as Havana urged Washington to ease restrictions in the wake of...

Customs plans to simplify imports.
September 22, 2008... Customs and Border Protection has proposed a rule that would change the way importers determine the country of origin for their goods. Customs would use rules created under the North American Free Trade Agreement - commonly called Part 102...

Morton Salt to rebuild Bahamas plant.
September 22, 2008... Hurricane Ike halted production at the Morton Salt factory on Great Inagua Island, when it destroyed the factory's offices and damaged docks where nearly half the island's population is employed. George Bochanski, a spokesman for Morton's...

Jamaican shipping agents join forces with brokers.
September 22, 2008... Shipping Agents and Customs Brokers in Jamaica have formed a special committee to enhance business relations between the two groups, according to reports in the local papers. At its first meeting, the members agreed the committee should be...

Carnival's Grand Turk port out of work.
September 22, 2008... Grand Turk Island, where Carnival Corp. built a cruiser friendly faux Caribbean village, sustained what the company calls "substantial" damage from Hurricane Ike that will cause Carnival's cruise ship to call elsewhere. "It appears it is...

Lacey Act lunacy.
September 29, 2008... Enforcement of a nutty new reporting requirement for importers of plants or plant products, including wood and wood products and "any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts, and products thereof," is going to be delayed...

The flip side.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH  Panama's hub ambitions signal wealth of opportunity One country, two oceans and a wealth of opportunity. That's how Panama sees itself as the country positions itself as the commercial and financial hub of...

Repairs limit transits of Panama Canal.
September 29, 2008... The Panama Canal Authority announced restricted transits through Sept. 24 because of repairs that began earlier in the month to the west sidewall culvert of Miraflores Locks. No more than eight "supers" could be booked for southbound...

Panama Canal may have found a lender.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: RICK EYERDAM The Inter-American development bank is considering a $400 million loan to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), according to a recent government announcement. The press release described the situation as "...a move...

Customs to refocus on high-risk trade corridors.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. EDMONSON Customs and Border Protection has made a course change in its container security efforts. Officials believe they can still meet congressional demands to scan all containers bound for the U.S., and stick to the...

Ceres suit not yet filed.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH AND RICK EYERDAM Chief executive: AIG bailout won't affect Ports America Ports America, the largest U.S. port assets operator, is insulated from the turmoil surrounding insurer American International Group, even...

Port Canaveral tests sediment trap.
September 29, 2008... Port Canaveral announced on Sept. 18 that its $2 million sediment trap passed its first major storm test. The port twice was forced to shut down from shoaling during hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. An estimated 57,000 cubic...

Tampa Bay Harbor Pilots want a raise.
September 29, 2008... The Tampa Bay Pilots Association has filed a request with the state Pilotage Rate Review Board for a staggered rate increase over the next three years. If approved, the first increase would be 9 percent, followed by 8 percent the next year...

Reversing RFID.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN Research finds biggest benefits for item tagging begin at the store and work backward Researchers in the home state of Wal-Mart -- one of the world's largest users of radio-frequency identification technologies...

Deutsche Post sells bank unit to focus on logistics.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: BRUCE BARNARD Germany's Deutsche Post World Net sold an initial 29.5 percent stake in Postbank, its financial services unit, to Deutsche Bank in a 2.79 billion euro ($3.9 billion) deal that marks the start of its long-targeted...

Box ship orders collapse.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: BRUCE BARNARD Orders for new containerships have dried up as vessel charter rates and ocean freight rates tumble and volume growth slows on key liner trade routes. Enquiries to shipbuilders about new tonnage have "hit the...

APM quitting Jamaica.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: PETER T. LEACH APM Terminals has confirmed reports that it will not renew its current contract to manage the Kingston Container Terminal in Jamaica. The pact expires Jan 31, 2009. The decision had been made "to facilitate...

FHC moves to ensure full harbor security.
September 29, 2008... Freeport Harbour Co. has begun enforcing its concession to be the only stevedoring services at Freeport Harbour and to prevent nonemployees from moving cargo anywhere at the port. Two years ago, the port implemented a Cargo Interchange...

12 of 14 Caricom nations expected to sign agreement.
September 29, 2008... The Bahamas minister of state for finance, the Hon. Zhivargo Laing, that 12 of announced that 14 Caricom countries at the Special Heads of Government meeting held in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Sept. 10, have decided to sign the Economic...

FedEx earnings decline 22 percent.(Financial report)
September 29, 2008... FedEx saw its net profit decrease 22 percent in the fiscal first quarter ending on Aug. 31 to $384 million, as an accelerating decline in domestic express traffic cut into operating margins at the delivery giant. FedEx said it was taking...

Warning: Construction ahead.
September 29, 2008... Congress managed to pass an $8 billion fix for the dwindling Highway Trust Fund, but it was no slam-dunk, despite support from the Department of Transportation and a reversal of veto plans at the White House. That could be a foreboding...

Japan's mayors form ports alliance.
September 29, 2008... Three major Japanese ports will unify their port charges for container ships in April 2009 as part of plans to integrate their operations. The plans aim to enhance the ports' collective international competitiveness, particularly with...

Drug seizures soar.
September 29, 2008... The new joint CMA CGM and APM container terminal at the Port of Miami had its first drug seizure as part of a busy September for waterborne drug shipments. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents and U.S. Customs and Border...