Gulf Shipper articles from October 2007

Gulf Shipper archives from October 2007

Ready for business.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Gulf ports gearing up for containers From January through September this year, 1,364,009 20-foot containers crossed the docks of ports along the Gulf of Mexico. Despite hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Gulf Coast ports...

Moving on, up.
October 1, 2007... The New Year is a time for fresh beginnings, a time when we can sit back and take a long view of the road ahead without being encumbered by the day-to-day frustrations and petty challenges that normally bog us down. 2007 promises to bring...

China Airlines expands Houston service.
October 1, 2007... Three months after launching freighter service between Taipei and Houston, China Airlines is adding a Sunday morning flight, the Houston Airport System said. In September, China Airlines launched its Boeing 747-400F cargo service at Bush...

Goliad Air leases Texas air park.
October 1, 2007... Goliad County, Texas, recently agreed to lease its industrial air park to Goliad Air Inc., an aircraft service company, for two years. Under the agreement, Goliad County will collect a monthly $700 payment for the first year and $1,000 a...

New capital for Greatwide.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Dedicated carrier builds through private equity backing Private equity firms can't seem to get enough of transportation and logistics companies, as new investors in Dallas-based Greatwide Logistics Services...

Rising demand for ro-ro.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The ships can carry anything that moves on wheels, so the roll-on, roll-off industry is virtually carrying everything, everywhere. As the emerging markets of China, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East...

Maine academy honors Bendixen.
October 1, 2007... Maine Maritime Academy alumna Sandra Bendixen was honored recently for her "outstanding" effort to save two critically injured longshoremen. Bendixen, Class of 2005, received a commendation and plaque from her employer, Interocean American...

Weyeneth to fill Panalpina post.
October 1, 2007... Panalpina Group appointed Karl Weyeneth chief executive for North America. Weyeneth will take office on Feb. 1, succeeding Peter Merath, who will retire on Jan. 31 after more than 40 years with the group. Weyeneth, 42, has extensive...

OH Logistics promotes Spieth.
October 1, 2007... Ozburn-Hessey Logistics veteran Bob Spieth was named president of contract logistics. Spieth has been with OH Logistics for seven years, serving in various roles including chief information officer and executive vice president of operations....

West Africa, Southwest Louisiana representatives discuss trade.
October 1, 2007... The Port of Lake Charles recently hosted a conference to discuss trade opportunities among Liberia, Cameroon, Gabon and Southwest Louisiana. Participation in the conference included board members and staff from the Lake Charles Harbor and...

Liberty Property acquires Houston warehouses.
October 1, 2007... Liberty Property Trust has acquired the Williams Port Industrial Center in Houston, but did not disclose financial terms of the deal. The transaction closed in September, but was not announced until recently. The Malvern, Pa.-based...

Zachry sues Port of Houston.
October 1, 2007... Zachry Construction Corp. has filed a lawsuit against the Port of Houston Authority over a series of delayed payments, the Houston Business Journal reported. The privately held construction and industrial maintenance company in San Antonio, is...

Cotton stimulates barge traffic.
October 1, 2007... High energy costs and a boom in cotton is spiking barge transportation in Memphis, Business Tennessee magazine reported. Just a few years ago, inland shipping was nearly dead. In 2004, Fullen Dock and Warehouse began loading cotton onto...

MARC 2000 and Waterways Council plan merger.
October 1, 2007... The board of the Midwest Area River Coalition has approved the merger of the coalition and the Waterways Council Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the Waterways Council will retain the right to continue to use the name MARC 2000 to...

New Tenn-Tom barge facility planned.
October 1, 2007... The Lowndes County Port Authority in Columbus, Miss., has purchased land for a new barge-unloading facility, which it is negotiating to lease to the county's newest manufacturer, the SeverCorr steel mill. The port authority in September...

More funds approved for Vicksburg bridge crane.
October 1, 2007... The Delta Regional Authority said it would provide $200,000 in grants to Warren County, Miss. to help replace the bridge crane at the Port of Vicksburg. The Vicksburg Post reported that acting through the Warren County Port Commission, the...

Gulf's Godot.
October 1, 2007... Ports in the U.S. Gulf have been waiting for more than a decade for the container boom to hit. The container lion of the Gulf -- the Port of Houston -- has certainly seen substantial increases in recent years, but it hasn't reflected a...

More and bigger: Gulf ports plan for Panama Canal expansion.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar The Port of Freeport has decided to dedicate its new Velasco terminal to container handling rather than the multipurpose uses it was originally slated for. Port of Mobile officials expect the first two cranes for the...

West Feliciana port may house new plant.
October 1, 2007... The Port of West Feliciana has made the short list as a proposed location for a new manufacturing plant that would replace the recently closed Tembec Inc. paper mill, the Advocate of Baton Rouge reported. Port Director Roger Richard told...

Port Manatee joins with Logistec USA to purchase container crane.
October 1, 2007... Port Manatee approved a public-private partnership deal that will give the port its first mobile harbor container crane, port officials announced. The port is teaming up with Logistec USA Inc. to purchase a $3.9 million Gottwald crane. ...

Port of West St. Mary seeks dredging approval.
October 1, 2007... The Port of West St. Mary is ready to send the Army Corps of Engineers its application to deepen the Intracoastal Canal, the Daily Iberian newspaper reported. According to the Shaw Group, the port's consultant on the project, a feasibility...

ThyssenKrupp gets tax.
October 1, 2007... The Industrial Development Authority of Mobile County (Ala.) last month approved a 20-year tax abatement for German steel maker ThyssenKrupp. The company will save at least $105 million a year, the Mobile Press-Register reported. The...

Louisiana and South America merchants form trade pacts.
October 1, 2007... Several Louisiana companies recently won more than $3.3 million worth of business deals from merchants in Guatemala, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. The deals were made with artisans, chemical exporters and clothiers as a result...

US exports outpace imports.
October 1, 2007... The U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in July as exports continued to grow more than imports, according to the Commerce Department. The monthly trade gap dropped to $59.2 billion from an upwardly revised estimate of $59.4 billion in...

Farm exports continue to rise.
October 1, 2007... U.S. agricultural exports were expected to reach a record $79 billion in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, according to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. When the numbers are released, if that forecast proves correct, it will shatter...

Fennelly named 2007 Maritime Person of the Year.
October 1, 2007... The Propeller Club of the United States, Port of New Orleans Chapter, will honor David Fennelly, co-founder of Associated Terminals and current president and chief executive, as the 2007 Maritime Person of the Year. Fennelly will receive the...

CB&I promotes two.
October 1, 2007... Texas-based engineering firm CB&I announced the promotion of two executives who will lead the company's information dissemination and corporate planning. Beth Bailey assumed the role of executive vice president and chief information...

Storm over Gulfport.
October 8, 2007... Mississippi Coast residents, advocacy groups and state lawmakers are mounting a campaign against a state plan to use $600 million from a homeowners' assistance fund to rebuild the Port of Gulfport. The Mississippi Development Authority last...

Dockside cold storage expands in Gulf.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Poultry facilities expect growth in containerized shipments Many Gulf dockside cold-storage facilities handle breakbulk poultry, bananas, melons and other perishables. However, increased access to container carriers...

The Gulfport example.
October 8, 2007... Flexible containers vs. high-capacity freezers Perhaps no place in the world can better portray the benefits and disadvantages of both breakbulk and container operations for cool cargoes than the Port of Gulfport. In its fiscal 2005, which...

Cold cargos.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard  Containers edge into market, but reefers remain strong The refrigerated shipping business is on a roll, with cargo volumes rising strongly, vessel supply tightening and freight rates chasing all-time highs....

Houston approves $1.4 million in contracts.
October 8, 2007... While the Port of Houston seeks voter approval for more than $250 million in bonds, its commission has agreed to spend more than $1.4 million to purchase equipment for the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. Nearly half of the $1.4...

Government officials support connector road at Port Manatee.
October 8, 2007... Port Manatee won support from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters for an east-west connector road that would directly link the port with Interstate 75. In a visit to the port last month, Peters said the road is essential for the port's...

Legislators join critics of MDA plan.
October 8, 2007... Several Mississippi state legislators joined a growing chorus of residents questioning a plan by the Mississippi Development Authority to use Hurricane Katrina housing redevelopment funds to upgrade the Port of Gulfport, the Associated Press...

Key groups support Port of Houston bond measure.
October 8, 2007... The Port of Houston won support this month from two key groups for a $250 million bond measure it will ask voters to approve next month. The Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and the International Longshoremen's Association said they...

Forecast looks 'good but not great,' New Orleans port executive says.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar The state of the Port of New Orleans is "good but not great," Gary LaGrange, president and chief executive, said in his annual address at the end of last month. Poultry exporter New Orleans Cold Storage is not leaving...

Mobile to process stainless steel.
October 8, 2007... ThyssenKrupp AG's new plant, which will be located in Mobile County, Ala., will produce stainless steel and export it through the Port of Mobile, the Mobile Press-Register reported. The $3.7 billion plant will be designed to produce up to 1...

DHS gets failing grades.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson A four-year report card on the Department of Homeland Security shows that it has failed to complete major projects, programs and plans that are needed to protect the nation, said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss. ...

Customs to issue new security plan.
October 8, 2007... Customs and Border Protection plans to issue a draft plan of its new security initiative called "10+2." The initiative will expand the current 24-hour advance manifest filing rules by requiring importers or their agents and carriers to file...

TWIC reader specifications released.
October 8, 2007... The Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard published technical specifications for the electronic device that will read data encoded on the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. The readers of the biometric ID cards...

BBC names Dehter vice president.
October 8, 2007... German BBC Chartering and Logistics last month rehired Mariela Dehter. She was appointed vice president of global business development. Dehter will lead the company's business development team and work on corporate accounts. The team will...

Houston port commission reappoints Phelps.
October 8, 2007... The city of Pasadena last month reappointed Steve Phelps, a 10-year-member of the Port of Houston port commission, the port announced. In a unanimous vote, the Pasadena City Council voted to keep Phelps as the city's representative of the...

KCS appoints Godwin assistant VP.
October 8, 2007... Kansas City Southern named D. Morris Godwin assistant vice president for premium operations. He is responsible for managing operations and equipment requirements for the intermodal and automotive business units. Godwin has more than 25...

Ready for TWIC?
October 15, 2007... Like it or not, the long-awaited Transportation Worker Identification Credential program is here. TWIC is enrolling workers this month at the Port of Wilmington, Del., followed next month by the ports of Baton Rouge, La.; Beaumont, Texas;...

Ro-ro's big squeeze:.
October 15, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman  Auto transporters struggle to handle growth 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...

Trade office opens in New Orleans.
October 15, 2007... For the first time in at least 30 years, a new foreign trade office opened this month in New Orleans, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. The Australian Trade Commission opened its doors in the city's World Trade Center with one...

Port Arthur receives military cargo.
October 15, 2007... The Port of Port Arthur this month received its first military shipment since the Vietnam War. More than 500 pieces of equipment were unloaded at the port's docks. Port officials said the delivery proves the port can handle military...

Port of Galveston to demolish century-old warehouse.
October 15, 2007... The Port of Galveston will destroy a nearly 100-year-old former cotton warehouse on Pier 41 to make room for new businesses and berths, the Galveston County Daily News reported. In a unanimous vote, the Wharves Board of Trustees decided to...

Port of Houston, Zachary Construction go to court.
October 15, 2007... The Port of Houston is locked in a multimillion-dollar legal battle with Zachry Construction. The port refuses to pay the construction contractor on grounds of delayed construction, the Houston Chronicle reported. The suit stems from Zachry...

Senate approves WRDA.
October 15, 2007... The Senate approved the $20 billion Water Resources Development Act on Sept. 25 by an 81-12 vote, substantially more than the 67 votes needed to defeat a veto threatened by the president. In August, the House approved the $21 billion...

Rusovich leaves Agility.
October 15, 2007... Gregory Rusovich has stepped down from his post as chief executive and president of Agility Project Logistics of New Orleans. He will trade his corporate life for a community action role in the rebuilding of his hurricane-devastated hometown....

Woman's trucking organization expands.
October 15, 2007... Women In Trucking, a nonprofit organization created to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry and a more female-friendly environment, announced on Aug. 30, less than six months after its inception, that the organization had...

Mumphrey appointed to New Orleans port board.
October 15, 2007... JWayne Mumphrey, founder of the Mumphrey Law Firm and former district judge, was appointed to the Port of New Orleans board of commissioners. Mumphrey will take the seat of Sen. Samuel Nunez as the St. Bernard Parish representative on the...

Fonteno to serve fifth term as Houston port commissioner.
October 15, 2007... James W. Fonteno Jr. was re-appointed last month to a fifth term as a commissioner of the Port of Houston. He will represent Harris County. Fonteno's continued tenure was decided by a unanimous vote of the Harris County Commissioners Court....

Horizon Lines to add two short-sea services.
October 15, 2007... Horizon Lines, the largest Jones Act liner operator, intends to start two short-sea shipping services among ports on the East or Gulf coasts in the first half of 2008 after officials figure out which ports to call and what cargo to carry. ...

Forwarders under glass.
October 22, 2007... The antitrust investigation of several freight forwarders in the U.S., Canada, South Africa and Europe has a lot of people scratching their heads about the range of the probe. All that Justice and European Commission officials would divulge at...

When shrimp fly.
October 22, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman Louisiana's post-Katrina seafood industry finds new markets with air cargo For years, Ray and Kay Brandhurst met nearly every afternoon at a rickety shrimp dock on a bayou in the brackish marshlands south of New...

Crowley names Demeroutis labor relations director.
October 22, 2007... Crowley Maritime Corp. this month hired Steve Demeroutis as labor relations director. He will oversee grievances, negotiations, compliance resolution and relationship building at Crowley's East Coast terminal. The 15-year veteran most...

Tampa's Fidler wins award.
October 22, 2007... Port of Tampa's Steve Fidler was honored this month with the Captain James McKay Port Achievement Award. Fidler is the sixth recipient of the award, which was named after the third mayor of Tampa and the first person who created ocean trade at...

Pacer International streamlines operations.
October 22, 2007... Pacer Inter-national Inc. this month promoted Adriene Bailey to executive vice president, strategy and organizational development. The promotion comes as the Concord, Calif.-based company moves to streamline its executive operations through...

St. Bernard begins search for new port director.
October 22, 2007... After nearly 10 years of leadership at the St. Bernard Port Harbor and Terminal District, Robert Scafidel will leave the post in June, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. Scafidel gave no reason for the departure, but port officials...

Alabama Port Authority approves budget.
October 22, 2007... Capital spending will increase for the Alabama State Port Authority during the upcoming fiscal year, which runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, but so will net earnings, a port executive said after the port authority's fiscal 2008 budget was approved,...

Waterman Steamship designates Mobile home port for new vessel.
October 22, 2007... Waterman Steamship Corp., a subsidiary of International Shipholding Corp., purchased and took delivery of a new, $43.5 million car and truck carrier this month and designated the Port of Mobile, Ala., its home, the Mobile Press-Register...

AAPA calls for emission controls.
October 22, 2007... The American Association of Port Authorities will begin advocating new government rules to strengthen laws against polluting ships that call at U.S. ports, the association announced. The lobbying will follow a U.S. government proposal that...

Dental equipment manufacturers smile at export opportunities.
October 22, 2007... BYLINE: Rosalind MyLymont Common Sense Dental Products has distributors in 24 countries throughout Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America and the Middle East for its trademarked instruments. But 24 is not enough for the Nunica,...

Up, up and away.
October 29, 2007... For the first time in recent memory, dry bulk vessel charter rates have soared so high they are exerting pressure on the multipurpose vessel market. The spot charter rate for a dry bulker from Brazil to Asia now costs more per ton than the...

Tracking 'denied partners'.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: William Armbruster Screening services help high-tech exporters avoid compliance problems As a high-tech company operating in more than 200 countries, Intelsat has to be careful that it's not doing business with the wrong...

Lists to check.
October 29, 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...

Forest products slump in the Gulf.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Increase in wood pulp imports predicted Forest product imports into the Gulf boomed during the housing bubble but have fallen off since the sector began losing steam in late 2006. However, wood pulp and paper...

An 'unprecedented' market.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Escalating breakbulk rates put the squeeze on forest products The ferocious competition for multipurpose and bulker vessel space and the consequent escalation of freight rates is catching up with forest products....

Big wind in the Gulf.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Texas is ground zero for the wind energy boom Texas has bypassed California to become the most wind-energy-friendly state in the United States. Nearly 4,000 megawatts were installed as of mid-October, and 4,500 MW...

Steel hiccups.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman Trade barriers check steel imports As global steel trading patterns ebb and flow, steel is once again at the center of a heated debate about free trade. For U.S. manufacturers and ports that rely heavily on...

Domino rates.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach  Capacity tightens across dry bulk, project carriers 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...

Breakbulk exporters look for alternatives.
October 29, 2007... BYLINE: William Armbruster Containers and flatracks sometimes the answer U.S. manufacturers of heavy equipment are reaping the benefits of the weak dollar at a time of surging overseas investment in infrastructure projects such as...

The end of the LASH era.
October 29, 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 later...

Freeport forms committee to raise awareness.
October 29, 2007... Hoping to raise public awareness of its operation and give local residents a chance to offer their ideas about port proposals, the Port of Freeport has formed the Krewe Committee. Composed of a broad range of residents in the area, from...

Panama City hopes to lure manufacturer.
October 29, 2007... B&C Technologies, a supplier of industrial and commercial laundry equipment, could soon begin operations from the Port of Panama City as the port commission approved a proposal offering the company 20 acres of land, the Panama City News Herald...

Port of New Orleans expands communications.
October 29, 2007... The Port of New Orleans is expanding the reach of its in-house television program, "The Port Record." The 30-minute program, which touts the benefits of the port, will now reach Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes on area Cox Cable government...

Port Arthur sues James J. Flanagan Shipping.
October 29, 2007... The Port of Port Arthur is suing James J. Flanagan Shipping Corp., a prominent Gulf region stevedoring company, for failing to pay for repairs on damages caused by its employees, the Southeast Texas Record reported. James J. Flanagan...

Mallory Alexander acquires 7M Transport.
October 29, 2007... Tennessee-based Mallory Alexander International Logistics announced this month it has purchased the assets of 7M Transport Inc., a non-vessel-operating common carrier that specializes in international movement of household goods. The purchase...

AAPA elects Marchand South Atlantic rep.
October 29, 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 be one the committee's 10...

Griffith resigns from Tenn-Tom post.
October 29, 2007... Thomas Griffith, administrator for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority and president of its council, resigned this month. He said he wants to spend more time enjoying his retirement. Griffith, 68, took the post nearly two...

Mallory Alexander restructures management.
October 29, 2007... Tennessee-based Mallory Alexander International Logistics this month announced the promotion of five employees into management roles as the logistics firm handles increasing exports from Shanghai and Ningbo, China. The company expanded the...