Gulf Shipper articles from October 2006

Gulf Shipper archives from October 2006

Port fights for comeback: Recovery signs are evident with return of Maersk, but long haul ahead.
October 2, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Plume When Gary LaGrange, president and chief executive of the Port of New Orleans, stepped up to the podium last month at the World Trade Center's Plimsoll Club to mark his fifth year at the helm, he had a lot to say -- good...

Just how fast is FAST? Customs' expediting program looks slow to some users.
October 2, 2006... BYLINE: Paul T. Rosynsky Driving through border crossings between Mexico and the U.S. is like being caught in Houston freeway traffic at rush hour. Endless rows of cars and trucks sit idle as Customs and Border Protection agents sift...

Extend the GSP.
October 2, 2006... The Generalized System of Preferences is a low-profile duty-free program for developing countries that is due to expire on Dec. 31. This program doesn't get the headlines that trade agreements such as the Central American Free Trade Agreement...

Domaas takes AAPA reins.
October 2, 2006... While ports' waterside systems may function smoothly, landside congestion costs the economies of the Americas billions of dollars every year, Capt. Allen Domaas, incoming chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities, said recently....

Economic uncertainty bodes ill for 3PLs.
October 2, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman Economic uncertainty stoked by high fuel costs and concerns about inflation and interest rates may be shifting the balance of negotiating power away from third-party logistics providers toward shippers, especially...

Longoria re-appointed to Houston Port Authority Commission.
October 2, 2006... By unanimous vote, Houston City Council has re-appointed Janiece Longoria to the Port of Houston Authority Commission for a third term. City Council Member Michael Berry and City Council Member Carol Alvarado jointly nominated Longoria for...

Be ready for the worst: Ports stress preparedness as key to post-catastrophe survival.
October 2, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Catastrophes, natural or man-made, are no respecters of preparedness plans. When Hurricane Hugo wiped out St. Croix and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1989, Rick Murrell, president and chief executive of Tropical Shipping,...

New emperor, old clothes.
October 9, 2006... BYLINE: Richard Knee Mexican economy expected to continue to grow From the trading community to the halls of academia, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa's victory in Mexico's hotly contested presidential election is seen as beneficial to trade...

New routes west.
October 9, 2006... Ports in the Gulf of Mexico have been trying for decades to make a case for building up a landbridge from California to Texas or Louisiana that would efficiently route Asian cargo via rail from the West Coast, then via water from a Gulf port to...

Air cargo forecast to triple.
October 9, 2006... Worldwide air-cargo traffic will more than triple over the next 20 years, driving a doubling of the freighter fleet to 3,563 aircraft, Boeing Co. said. In its World Air Cargo Forecast 2006-2007, Boeing said world air-cargo growth is...

Texas City implements surveillance software.
October 9, 2006... The Port of Texas City has deployed intelligent video surveillance software on more than 40 surveillance cameras around its 22,000-foot perimeter. Reston, Va.-based ObjectVideo's VEW software is designed to monitor and detect intrusions by...

Louisiana ports awarded $26.5 million in security grants.
October 9, 2006... Southern Louisiana ports will receive six Department of Homeland Security grants totaling $26.5 million to upgrade security. The Port of Baton Rouge will receive $11.5 million; the Port of South Louisiana, $11.4 million; and the Port of New...

For sale: Chiquita's Great White Fleet.
October 9, 2006... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall Stung by hurricane-related crop losses, new EU tariffs and quotas and now the e-coli virus, Chiquita Brands has put its 12-vessel Great White Fleet on the auction block. Chiquita uses the eight breakbulk reefers...

Kattan de Jordan, Sweep receive Crowley awards.
October 9, 2006... Crowley Maritime Corp. recently honored two of its employees. Claudia Kattan de Jordan, general manager, Honduras and Nicaragua, for Crowley Maritime Corp.'s liner services group, and Cal Sweep, director of facilities development for Crowley in...

McCarthy gets Bayport container yard contract.
October 9, 2006... The Port of Houston Authority awarded a $50.3 million contract to McCarthy Building Companies to expand Bayport container yard by 50 acres to a total of 110 acres over the next year as part of Phase 1 of the container terminal project. The...

New legislation pleases Houston port officials.
October 9, 2006... The Senate's unanimous approval of port security legislation will provide an additional 275 Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Houston and other U.S. ports. The amendment to the 2006 Port Security Improvement Act, introduced...

Port of Galveston presses for crane repairs.
October 9, 2006... The Port of Galveston wants its tenant to keep cranes at the port's container terminal in working operation. In late September, it sent a notice of default to Houston's port urging it to repair cranes at Galveston East End Container Terminal as...

American Commercial sells Venezuelan assets.
October 9, 2006... American Commercial Lines Inc., an integrated marine transportation and service company operating in the U.S. Jones Act trades, has agreed to sell its interests in ACBL Venezuela and GMS Venezuela. The agreement, which is subject to certain...

Survival skills: The Port of Pascagoula comes back.
October 16, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar The Port of Pascagoula's terminals and berths are operational. Rail lines have been repaired. The cruise ship Holiday, which housed 1,200 Hurricane Katrina refugees at the port for five months, left last March. But "if...

Thawing glacial governments.
October 16, 2006... I recently spent a week in Vancouver, British Columbia, where many of the port's terminals operate 24/7 to handle the crush of cargo flowing to and from Asia. One terminal operator, P&O Ports Canada, has reconfigured the Centerm box terminal on...

China Airlines launches Asian cargo service to Houston.
October 16, 2006... China Airlines has launched twice weekly all-cargo service from Taipei to Houston from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Boeing 747-400F scheduled freighter service departs Taipei every Thursday and Saturday at 1:20 a.m., and arrives in...

Two US freighter operators consider mergers.
October 16, 2006... BYLINE: John D. Boyd At least two freighter-operating U.S. airlines are undertaking reviews to boost value for investors and say all sorts of options, including sales or mergers, are on the table. At the extreme, that could mean the...

Former EGL executive draws prison term.
October 16, 2006... BYLINE: John D. Boyd A former executive of forwarder EGL was given a 30-month prison term for billing fraud related to military air-cargo shipments into Iraq. This will probably not be the last time this year that the government hits hard...

FedEx freight seeks fuel tax increase.
October 16, 2006... BYLINE: John Gallagher and Angela Greiling Keane FedEx Freight maintains that the best way to help pay for the $35 billion a year in infrastructure improvements to reduce national highway congestion is to increase the federal fuel tax. ...

Port of Mobile woos Maersk subsidiary.
October 16, 2006... Fashion Express Service, which ships clothing from Central America, is considering a move to the Port of Mobile, Ala. The Maersk subsidiary has been operating out of Port Everglades, Fla., since Hurricane Katrina destroyed its New Orleans...

Tsuji to deliver more bulk carriers to Clipper Group.
October 16, 2006... Tsuji Heavy Industries of Japan has agreed to deliver a second order of handysize bulk carriers to Clipper Group of the Bahamas. Clipper is a shipping consortium that engages in time-charter operation, commercial and technical ship management,...

Maritime law firms merge.
October 16, 2006... The law firm Phelps Dunbar LLP recently merged with Terriberry, Carroll & Yancey to form an admiralty practice. Both firms were based in New Orleans. Terriberry has long served owners, operators and insurers of oceangoing vessels that...

Texas and Alabama ports receive federal grants.
October 16, 2006... The Port of Houston Authority will receive $1.7 million of the nearly $168 million allocation in federal port security grants awarded in late September. The Port of Houston has been awarded a total of $33.3 million in federal port security...

Port of New Orleans receives $3.2 million for Katrina damage.
October 16, 2006... The Port of New Orleans's primary property insurer has agreed to pay $3.2 million of the port's $20 million claim for damage from Katrina. The payment will allow the port to begin negotiating claims with its excess property insurer, Johnston,...

Eymard named interim director at Brownsville.
October 16, 2006... Following an acrimonious public hearing, the Port of Brownsville in a 4-to-1 vote promoted Donna Eymard from deputy port director to interim port director. As the replacement for Bernard List, Eymard will oversee all aspects of port operations...

Crowley honors Kattan de Jordan and Sweep.
October 16, 2006... Claudia Kattan de Jordan and Cal Sweep were recently awarded Crowley Maritime Corp.'s highest honor. Kattan de Jordan, general manager, Honduras and Nicaragua, for Crowley Maritime Corp.'s liner services group, and Sweep, director of...

Ronald Katims named first Crowley Chair.
October 16, 2006... The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Crowley Maritime Corp. have appointed Ronald M. Katims as the first holder of the Crowley Chair in logistics and intermodal transportation. The Crowley Chair was established through a $2 million endowment by...

Trade coalition seeks federal freight fund.
October 16, 2006... A coalition of 40 freight transportation groups known as the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors is calling for a new federal trust fund. It would provide investment in freight projects that aren't getting enough attention from...

Port has big plans for wood pellets.
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Panama City, Green Circle set production, export venture In January 2008, what is being billed as the world's largest wood-pellet plant will begin shipping at least 300,000 tons of its alternative fuel annually...

Breakbulk: On a roll:.
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Cycle of steel trade is at peak; downturn forecast in 2007 Booming energy and project cargo markets are feeding and fostering shipments of steel worldwide, including at ports in the Gulf of Mexico. Demand for...

Clear sailing ahead.
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Gulf ports' forest products should escape impact from nationwide housing downturn Lumber, wood pulp and other forest products have long been staples at Gulf Coast ports, supported by the region's huge timber...

Chile's plantations feed the world.
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: Leticia Lozano Forest products rise to No. 2 export Chile has always struggled to diversify its economy away from its top export - copper. Today the South American nation has a hugely successful and lucrative forest products...

Europe looks east.
October 23, 2006... For most of the second half of the last century, the Gulf-Europe trade was one of the most stable markets for breakbulk and container cargoes. Now the U.S. trade imbalance is forcing many breakbulk carriers to triangulate European calls with a...

IFFCBANO goes to Washington.
October 23, 2006... New Orleanians who recently attended the annual National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America's Government Affairs Conference took a side trip while visiting the nation's capital. The delegation representing the...

Realigning warehouses.(Company overview)
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: William B. Cassidy Global sourcing networks, demand-driven supply chains push integration of transportation, warehousing, logistics Remember when warehouses were simply storehouses - big boxes where you kept goods? Those days...

Caytrans partners with BBC USA.
October 23, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Carriers join forces on Gulf-South America service Caytrans BBC USA, a joint venture between Caytrans Project Services and BBC Logistics and Chartering, hit the water Oct. 7 when the Santiago departed from the Port...

China Navigation merging liner shipping services.
October 23, 2006... China Navigation Co., the Hong Kong-based deep-sea arm of John Swire & Sons Ltd., plans to consolidate most of its liner shipping services under Swire Shipping. The formation of the new company, incorporated in the U.K., won't affect the...

Horizon Lines christens container ship.
October 23, 2006... Horizon Lines, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., christened the first of five container ships that will enter the Horizon Lines fleet in 2007. A Jones Act container shipping and integrated logistics company, Horizon Lines operates 16 U.S.-flag...

Panalpina Group pumps up executive board.
October 23, 2006... Panalpina Group's board of directors recently decided to extend and strengthen the executive board. Monika Ribar has officially taken over as chief executive. Jurg Honegger has been appointed chief financial officer, effective Nov. 1....

Dufresne named Manchac port dir.
October 23, 2006... The South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission selected Patrick J. Dufresne as the new executive director at the Port of Manchac. Dufresne, a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La., has served as director of public...

Gulfport faces 35 Katrina lawsuits.
October 23, 2006... Thirty-five civil lawsuits have been filed against the state port at Gulfport, Miss. for alleged damage from unsecured containers and other equipment during Hurricane Katrina. Thirty-one of the lawsuits filed at the Harrison County Circuit...

Siemens chooses Port of Corpus Christi for windmill equipment.
October 23, 2006... Siemens Power Generation division has selected the Port of Corpus Christi to receive and transfer windmill equipment to project sites in Texas. Corpus Christi port staff and senior management of Gulf Stream Marine had been in negotiations...

Major US container ports set volume records.
October 23, 2006... Traffic at the nation's major retail container ports hit new records over the summer and is expected to continue to rise as the annual shipping cycle reaches its peak this month, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released Oct. 6 from...

Aggreko to acquire GE Energy Rentals.
October 23, 2006... Aggreko, provider of temporary power, temperature control and oil-free compressed air solutions, has reached an agreement with General Electric to acquire a majority of GE Energy Rentals activities. The Glasgow-based firm has agreed to pay a...

Emirates Shipping Line heads into the Gulf.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Tampa, Mobile, Houston add capacity Fledgling carrier Emirates Shipping Line ventured into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time this month when the 3,000-TEU Emirates Spring called at the Port of Tampa as part of...

Good for Panama, Gulf ports.
October 30, 2006... The approval by Panama voters of Alberto Aleman's proposed $5 billion canal expansion holds great promise for the tiny Central American nation as well as for ports in the Gulf of Mexico. The plan to double the capacity of the Panama Canal...

Plan for Nicaragua Canal targets large vessels.
October 30, 2006... Nicaragua is lobbying to build an $18 billion canal as an alternative to the Panama Canal, especially for large ships. Making use of the 60-mile-wide Lake Nicaragua, the proposed Grand Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal would link the Pacific and...

US agreement supports Haitian growth, stability.
October 30, 2006... The U.S. Agency for International Development recently signed a three-year agreement with Haiti to support the nation's growth and stability. The U.S. is Haiti's largest single-country donor and trade partner. Signatories in the agreement...

ACE promises cargo-tracking improvement.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Importers' ability to move cargo in-bond from a port of arrival to an inland port of destination is a love-hate affair, especially for Customs and Border Protection officials. The in-bond system is a convenience for...

Port Freeport selects Ciber Inc. for waterside perimeter protection.
October 30, 2006... Port Freeport has awarded Denver-based Ciber Inc. a $2.3 million contract to install its Harbor Management and Security System. Ciber's integrated software package delivers port security, port safety, maritime domain awareness and a port...

Terminal operator advises global approach to port security.
October 30, 2006... David Sanborn, DP World's managing director of the Americas, said maritime security requires a global, rather than a unilateral, approach. "This may be equal parts paradox and irony, but DP World - along with other global marine terminal...

Galveston union backs ID cards.
October 30, 2006... After a two-year delay, the federal government is planning to issue biometric identification cards to workers at U.S. ports by January 2007. At Galveston and Texas City ports, officials say 10,000 to 12,000 workers who conduct business with...

Corporations partner with universities.(Company overview)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: David Biederman Four times a year, a group of Norfolk Southern managers travel to the University of Tennessee's Knoxville campus. They spend a week there learning how to help their railroad adjust to an increasingly global...

Industry opposes EU box ban.
October 30, 2006... Ocean carriers, shippers and ports are joining forces in a last-minute bid to persuade the European Union to scrap a controversial plan banning 45-foot containers. An estimated 130,000 45-foot boxes in service worldwide would be illegal in...

Maersk reports disappointing results after P&O Nedlloyd deal.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach It was supposed to be a great success, but the merger of Maersk Line and P&O Nedlloyd has produced disappointing results, at least in terms of expanding Maersk's market share in the U.S. import and export trades. ...

Corpus Christi's Bonilla is honored.
October 30, 2006... Ruben Bonilla, chairman of the Port of Corpus Christi, was awarded the prestigious Order of Los Dos Laredos for 2006 by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce. The Laredo Chamber of Commerce presents the award annually to an individual or...

Mobile Container Terminal partners break ground on $300 million project.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Janet Nodar A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the formal start of construction on the Alabama State Port Authority's new container terminal was held on Oct. 18. The $300 million terminal is expected to open in the first quarter of...

McMoRan refines LNG terminal plan.
October 30, 2006... McMoRan Exploration Co. has refined its proposal for a liquefied natural gas terminal that would be located 16 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. McMoRan recently announced a $30 modification to its Main Pass Energy Hub...

American Commercial forms sales force.
October 30, 2006... American Commercial Lines Inc., headquartered in Jeffersonville, Ind., has established a national sales force in key geographic locations. The marine transportation and service company operates in the Jones Act trades with approximately 2,600...

Bush talks to shippers at FedEx facility.
October 30, 2006... President Bush chose a FedEx Express facility within sight of the U.S. Capitol to deliver an upbeat forecast on the economy, but his choice of location sparked union outrage. During the hour-long session with shippers and FedEx workers,...