North America

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The Senate voted 78-20 to pass a bill to renew the U.S. Export Import Bank's charter for another three years and raise its lending cap from $100 billion to $140 billion.    The Coalition for Employment through Exports (CEE) and National Foreign Trade Council applauded the passing of H.R. 2072 (Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011) reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank.    John Hardy, president of CEE, said, “with the extension of the charter expiring at the end...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The Port of Los Angeles set a container volume record for April, according to statistics released by the port Tuesday.    The port, the biggest in the Western Hemisphere, had volume of 707,182 TEUs in the month, a 14.5 percent year-on-year increase. Import volume rose 16.7 percent to 364,555 TEUs, while exports rose 11.6 percent to 186,838 TEUs. Year-to-date total volume at Los Angeles is up 6.1 percent to nearly 2.6 million TEUs.    The neighboring Port of Lon...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   EasyTracGPS, a Stickney, Ill.-based company that develops GPS tracking and fleet management systems, has released its ComTracNVG “Pro” fleet management tracking system.    The company said it developed the new service to facilitate communication with drivers and include that in vehicle management.    The service offers live five- or 10-second GPS tracking position updates, reports and alerts, navigation, interactive dispatching and routing, and 2-way one-touch c...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   NYK Line (North America) Inc. said it has begun the process of no longer providing chassis in certain markets, and said on July 1 the policy will be extended to the Tacoma, Seattle, and Portland markets.    The liner company said "the change is designed to build efficiencies while minimizing the environmental impact of having a large number of chassis that are used intermittently and have to be stored and moved."    NYK said it believes "this policy change will not only ...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said Tuesday that a former manager of a Netherlands-based freight-forwarding company was sentenced to six months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by facilitating the illegal export of goods to Iran.    Ulrich Davis, 50, a Dutch citizen from Pumerend, The Netherlands, pleaded guilty in February to an information charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States through the viol...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   Stamford, Conn.-based Daymon Worldwide has launched its new Daymon Global Logistics division to offer transportation management and logistics support for its retail and supplier partners.    To start the logistics arm, Daymon developed a partnership with Echo Global Logistics, a provider of transportation and supply chain management services based in Chicago. Echo supplies proprietary technology, sourcing knowledge, and access to its network of carriers.    "We...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   Overseers of the St. Lawrence Seaway’s operations said steel and construction industries, with their increased demand for North American commodities such as iron ore, stone and cement, has ensured a “solid start” for the 2012 shipping season.    The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to April 30 were 4.4 million metric tons, up 2.24 percent over the same period in 2011.    “Coal shipments, the seaway’s second larg...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The Port of Virginia said Tuesday its container volume rose 5.2 percent year-on-year in April to 169,644 TEUs.    It’s the third consecutive month of year-on-year growth for the port. Year-to-date volume has grown 2.1 percent in 2012 to 647,713 TEUs.    The port said its rail volume rose 19.8 percent in April to 29,823 TEUs. Year-to-date intermodal volume has risen 10.7 percent to 115,573 TEUs.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received six license applications and changes for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier/ocean freight forwarder license applications from NC Freight & Logistics, Miami (Lorenzo J. Colina, member); and Rockin Boxes Global, Valencia, Calif. (Omar Cantos, vice president).    The agency also received license change requests for qualified individuals from Data Freight, Inglewood, Calif. (Edison Chen, manag...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank announced Monday that U.S. business aircraft and helicopters manufacturers will benefit from a new process to assess credit risks and expedite foreign-buyer financing.    The bank hopes the new process will further facilitate the country’s exports of U.S.-made business aircraft.    “Ex-Im Bank understands that business-aircraft transactions require specialized knowledge and experience but has limited resources to meet the growing demand for ex...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Amware Logistics Services said Tuesday it has acquired Parcel Port, a small non-asset based warehousing, distribution and fulfillment company based in Arizona that has a strong focus on managing e-commerce parcel delivery.    Amware, headquartered in Eagle, Colo., is an Eastern provider of warehousing and transportation services that bought Parcel Port to expand to new locations and take on direct consumer fulfillment for Internet-based and catalog retailers, said Vin Gulisano, Am...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   A new MOL/Evergreen Asia-U.S. East Coast service announced last week includes an unusual rotational characteristic – a first-in call at the Port of Virginia.    The 10-ship service, dubbed SVS by MOL, has a rotation of Hong Kong, Yantian, Singapore, Algeciras, Norfolk, Savannah, Jacksonville, Charleston, Algeciras, Singapore, Cai Mep, and Hong Kong.    According to American Shipper liner affiliate ComPair Data , of the 13 container services that currently connect the Far...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Maritime industry and civic leaders attended a ceremony Monday at the Port of Long Beach to mark the official start of the $1.2 billion Middle Harbor redevelopment project.    The event was highlighted by driving a commemorative "golden pile" into the base for a new wharf being built, according to a port news release.    Last month, Hong Kong-based OOCL and its local terminal arm finalized a 40-year, $4.6 billion lease of the redeveloped terminal originally...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rep. Hahn wants more policy focus on ports.    Members of the congressional PORTS Caucus are scheduled to meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood next month to press the connection between port investment and economic growth, Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., told a pro-freight audience last week at the annual conference of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors on Capitol Hill.   The PORTS Caucus, founded by Hahn last fall, has about 65 members.    "We re...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   The U.S. Coast Guard said it's monitoring salvage efforts on the 900-foot container ship MSC Idil after an explosion that occurred on Friday.    The ship was about 60 miles north of Puerto Rico, in transit to Barcelona, Spain when the explosion happened. The Coast Guard said it has not been on the ship, but was told the likely cause involved welding.    The Coast Guard cutter Key Largo is on scene with the MSC Idil ready to provide any rescue assistance, while monitoring...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   AIT Worldwide Logistics’ co-founders Dan Lisowski and Steve Leturno have sold majority ownership of the company in a management buyout to the newly created board of directors headed by Vaughn Moore, president and chief executive officer, with executive vice presidents Keith Tholan, Ray Fennelly and Joe Kayser.    The acquisition of the Itasca, Ill.-based freight forwarder was finalized on May 4. Financial details were not disclosed.    Commenting on the buyout,...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   SC Line has begun a new service catering to shippers of new and used vehicles, boats and heavy equipment from Port Everglades, Fla., to Colombia, Panama and the Dominican Republic.    “We are a very clean, boutique service, addressing the shipping needs of corporate truck and car manufacturers such as Navistar/International, Mack, Sofasa/Renault, VW, among others,” said Farid Escobar, SC Line’s South Florida manager, in a statement. “In line with our management's lo...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   The liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. will implement a peak season surcharge on westbound Asia-Northern Europe shipments from June 1, the line said last week.    The surcharge , $350 per TEU, is applicable from destination ports in Asia from Japan through Bangladesh.    The line also said it will seek to raise rates on the trades from Asia to Mexico and the west coasts of South America and Central America. The increases , effective from June 15, are $500 per 20-fo...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   The United States on Friday asked the World Trade Organization to establish a dispute settlement panel to decide U.S. claims regarding India’s restrictions on imports of various U.S. agricultural products, including poultry meat and eggs.    While India asserts that its measures are aimed at preventing entry of avian influenza, the United States claims India’s measures are inconsistent with the science, international guidelines, and standards India has set for its own domestic indu...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   Global air and ocean freight transportation management software and portal provider Acuitive Solutions has launched a new air cargo spot quote tool called Acuitive SpotManager.    SpotManager is an auction site where freight forwarders must be invited by an Acuitive customer on a shipment-by-shipment basis. When a customer selects carriers they wish to participate in the bidding process, an email alert for the available shipment is broadcast to the invited forwarders and cont...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday reported that exports of goods and services from the country in March were up 2.9 percent from February to reach a record $186.8 billion.    Record highs were seen in U.S. exports of both total services ($54.1 billion), and goods ($132.7 billion), with record levels of exports of industrial supplies ($44.3 billion) and capital goods ($44.4 billion). U.S. goods and services exports year-to-date through the first quarter of 2012 were up 8.2 p...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano has formally notified Congress that her department will postpone by two years the mandate that all inbound ocean containers be scanned for hidden nuclear weapons or other terror-related contraband at foreign ports by July 2012.    The 9/11 Recommendations Act that required the 100-percent inspections included authority for the secretary to waive the deadline under certain conditions.    In a May 2 letter to the House and Senate Homelan...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   Ocean carriers MOL and Evergreen Line said Thursday they will start a new weekly service next month linking major Asian ports and ports in the U.S. Southeast via the Suez Canal.    MOL calls this the South China/Vietnam – the U.S. South East Coast or "SVS" service, while Evergreen designates it the Asia-U.S. East Coast Service 3 or "AUE3."    Ten ships of 4,500 to 5,600 TEUs each will be deployed in the joint service, with MOL providing nine ships and Evergreen one....

Friday, May 11, 2012

   The federal government is easing rules requiring railroads to install positive train control (PTC) equipment, saving the industry hundreds of millions of dollars.    The Department of Transportation said under the revisions announced Thursday railroads will no longer have to conduct risk analyses to obtain approval to not install PTC or take other costly risk mitigation measures on an estimated 10,000 miles of track that will not carry passenger trains or toxic-by-inhalation (TIH) ...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   COSCO Container Lines has announced a series of planned rate hikes in major trades over the next few weeks.    The increases are: $400 per TEU and a $300-per-TEU peak season surcharge from the Far East to the Persian Gulf on June 1. $200 per TEU from the Far East to the Indian Subcontinent. $600-per-FEU peak season surcharge from Asia to the United States and Canada (the fee is $480 for 20-foot containers, $675 for 40-foot high-cube containers, and $760 per 45-foot container).&nbs...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Caterpillar has made good on its December promise and signed a deal to sell Platinum Equity a 65-percent equity stake in Caterpillar Logistics Services LLC, the company’s third-party logistics division of subsidiary Caterpillar Logistics.    The overall transaction is valued at roughly $750 million, and Caterpillar will retain a 35-percent equity stake. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.    Caterpillar began considering the sale in March 2011, calling ...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Global Container Terminals has announced plans for a multimillion-dollar expansion to its Global Terminal in Bayonne, N.J. that it said will make it one of the most technologically advanced container facilities in the country.    James J. Devine, president and chief executive officer of Global Container Terminals USA, said the expansion will add 70 acres to Global Terminal’s existing 99 acres, and increase annual capacity from about 400,000 to 1 million container lifts (1.7 millio...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   As part of a multipronged effort to streamline compliance requirements, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open two more industry-focused units aimed at centralizing the import process for trusted shippers, one for automotive and aerospace in Detroit and one for petroleum, natural gas and minerals in Houston.    Customs officials made the announcement Thursday in Long Beach, Calif., during the agency's annual Trade Symposium, which is being held on the West Coast for fir...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Accellos, a provider of supply chain software, has launched an updated version of its AccellosOne Workspace, an application that serves as the foundation for existing and upcoming products from Accellos.    Chad Collins, Accellos’ chief marketing officer, said Workspace was created with Microsoft technology and designed to answer three customer concerns: Make software simple and easy to use. Allow companies to provide access to any employee, partner, or customer both internal...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday voted to advance a bill that directs the Department of Homeland Security to study and report to Congress on gaps in port security and how to address them.    The "Gauging American Port Security Act" was introduced by Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., who has taken an active interest in port issues since winning a seat in a special election last year. She is the founder of the PORTS Caucus on Capitol Hill.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 11 license applications for review.    The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Four Points Ocean, Woodbridge, N.J. (Joseph Felitto, president); Senderex Cargo, Los Angeles (Roger C. Anderson, chief executive officer); and Worldwide Cargo Services, Lawrence, N.Y. (Scott Halfon, treasurer).    The agency received NVO-ocean freight forwarder license applications from DTS World Carg...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   U.S. and European Union customs officials have finalized an agreement to treat qualified shippers in their respective supply chain security programs as equivalent to their own, but a wide range of technical details must still be worked out before low-risk companies can enjoy reduced fees and inspection levels for ocean freight.    Under the agreement signed last Friday, Customs and Border Protection will recognize voluntary participants in the EU's Authorized Ec...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Horizon Lines reported a net loss from contiinuing operations for the first quarter ending March 25 of $26.8 million, compared to $20.2 million in the same 2011 period.    Revenue was $263.4 million in the first quarter, compared to $240.7 million recorded in the first quarter of 2011.    Including discontinued operations, such as the transpacific FSX service to Guam and Asia which ended last year, and logistics operations, the loss was $32.5 million ...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Matson Navigation Co. saw a near doubling of its business between the U.S. West Coast and Guam in the first quarter of 2012 when compared to 2011 because of the decision by Horizon Lines to withdraw from the market.    The Oakland-based company moved 6,400 containers in the first quarter of 2012, compared to 3,300 in the same 2011 period.    Alexander and Baldwin, the parent of Matson, reported on Wednesday a profit of $3.8 million in the first quarter ending March ...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   XPO Logistics said it had a net loss of $2.7 million for the first quarter, compared to a profit of $1.1 million for the same 2011 period.    Total revenue was $44.6 million for the quarter, a 7.4 percent increase from the same period last year.    Bradley Jacobs, XPO's chairman and chief executive officer, said the company has a strategy to "scale up our operations through acquisitions, cold-starts and organic growth" and had made its first acquisition this we...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based NationaLease has appointed Dean Vicha to president.    Most recently, Vicha served as vice president of national accounts. Earlier, he served as vice president of member services and as a national account executive. Before coming to NationaLease in 2005, Vicha was director of business development for Ryder System, as well as served in a number of roles at Rollins Leasing Corp.    NationaLease is one of the largest truck leasing companies in N...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Retailers on Tuesday advised the House Committee on Natural Resources' subcommittee on fisheries, wildlife oceans and insular affairs that several significant compliance challenges have emerged from the 2008 Lacey Act Amendment that deserve attention from Congress.    The law requires importers to provide to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service details such as the genus, species and country of harvest for products that include wood m...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has launched a new capabilities mapping tool that will allow it to geographically target companies with the potential to provide resources during disasters.    The project is funded by grants from The UPS Foundation and the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, Project on Supply Chain Resilience.    The capabilities mapping tool is a geo-coding tool that will be populated with data on the member companies from ALAN's ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Ryder System, a third-party logistics services provider, has expanded its food packaging and distribution capability through enhancements at its facility in Beaver Dam, Wis.    The Beaver Dam Logistics Center (BDLC) serves food manufacturers with frozen and refrigerated requirements.    BDLC was recently expanded with a 15,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled addition Ryder will use to target companies needing to package refrigerated and frozen foods, vegetables, frui...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The chief negotiator for U.S. East Coast and Gulf terminal operators and ocean carriers in ongoing contracts discussion with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said Tuesday he didn’t think unionized dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports would join ILA members if they strike this fall.    The ILA and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing terminal operators and ocean carriers in collective bargaining, are negotiating a new multiyear contract, with the cu...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The CKYH Alliance said Wednesday it will add a transpacific all-water loop from May 18 as part of adjustments to its Asia-U.S. East Coast service network.    It will be the fifth loop on the trade offered by the four carriers, COSCO Container Lines, Hanjin Shipping, Yang Ming, and “K” Line. The lines have also made small rotational tweaks to two other services.    The updated service network will include: AWE-1, with a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, New York, Wilmin...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Toronto-based customs brokerage firm Livingston International has acquired M.G. Maher & Co. of New Orleans, as well as the business of its sea freight affiliate MCLX.    Established in 1949, Maher offers forwarding, brokerage and logistics services. The firm employs about 100 people in New Orleans and Houston.    Not included in the transaction is MBLX, the barge freight-handling and transportation affiliate of M.G. Maher. MBLX will continue to op...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Liner carrier members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement will seek a $600-per-FEU peak season surcharge from June 10.    The surcharge, announced by TSA on Tuesday, comes amid signs that the U.S. economy, and resultant containerized cargo demand, is incrementally improving.    The surcharge, which will be assessed at proportionate levels for other equipment sizes, is intended to cover “extraordinary seasonal costs associated with anticipated cargo surges,” s...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Domestic intermodal volumes continued their upward climb in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest figures from the Intermodal Association of North America.    Domestic volumes soared 14.9 percent in the quarter, to nearly 1.3 million containers. IANA attributed the rise to market share growth from trucking, “as trucking capacity was tight during the quarter and diesel prices resumed their rise after softening in Q4 2011."    International intermodal volume r...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The ocean carrier Evergreen Line will begin a slot charter agreement with Maersk Line on the latter's weekly West Coast North America to Central America service WCCA.     The first sailing will depart Manzanillo, Mexico May 19 on the Helene S .    The full rotation of the WCCA remains Los Angeles, Manzanillo (Mexico), Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Quetzal, Acajutla, Corinto, Balboa, Puerto Caldera, Acajutla, Puerto Quetzal, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Ensenada, and Los An...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Gartner’s latest chief executive officer  survey  found that about 85 percent of CEOs believe their enterprises will be impacted by the economic downturn, but by a two-to-one ratio these same executives still expect to increase IT investments this year.    The CEOs said their companies need to adopt newer technologies, like mobile offerings, cloud, and Web-based standards, if they want their businesses to grow. They also noted...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Transplace, a provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, has implemented of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet in Southern California for Sunny Delight Beverages Co.    The fleet, deployed by Glacier Transportation, will lower emissions and fuel costs for the beverage shipper. The five-year deal covers product delivery to Sunny Delight's customers in the Southern California region.    Sunny Delight has announced a long-term goal ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Getloaded, a Midlothian, Va.-based provider of logistics freight matching services, has introduced a mobile app for Android phones that offers access to its trucking industry load board and its Website functionality.    In specific, Getloaded’s free Android app provides a simplified interface that allows the user to access features like: Browsing of available loads and trucks in the nearby area. GPS- and specified location-based load and truck searches. Unlimited lane bids, truck ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier CaroTrans has opened an office in Seattle, the company said Tuesday.    The office, the NVO’s 14th U.S. branch, will provide less-than-containerload, full-containerload, and breakbulk services.    CaroTrans said it expects further expansion in 2012, with new office openings in the U.S. Midwest, and in global locations.    “We are committed to opening offices where our customers are located to better serve their...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Eleets Transportation Co., a Jacksonville, Fla.-based asset-light provider of transportation and logistics services, has appointed Mitch Luciano to chief operating officer.    Al Steele, president and chief executive officer of Eleets, said Luciano’s “leadership and experience will help propel this company to our revenue goal of $200 million by fall of 2012.”    Prior to this appointment, Luciano served as president and COO of Magellan Transport Logistics.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The Port of Corpus Christi in Texas announced on Tuesday a sales agreement with Oxy Ingleside Property Holdings, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp., to buy about 816 acres of the former U.S. Naval Station Ingleside and adjacent port property for $82.1 million cash.    The transaction does not include the former naval base “campus” section.    Previously, Oxy deposited a $1 million down payment, the port authority said. With the signing of the sales agreement, a 3...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday said Direct Resource Inc. has agreed to pay the government $450,000 to resolve allegations that it falsely claimed payment in violation of the Trade Agreements Act (TAA), which prohibits the sale of products to federal agencies from countries that do not have a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States.     The Columbus, Ohio-based company allegedly knowingly sold products from China, a country that does not have such an agr...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd has ended its slot charter agreement with Hyundai Merchant Marine on the latter's weekly Asia-Middle East feeder service KMS.    The last sailing will depart Gwangyang, Korea May 9 on the Hyundai General . The service operates with six Hyundai vessels with an average capacity of 5,992 TEUs and the rotation of the KMS remains Gwangyang, Busan, Ningbo, Keelung, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Dubai, Bandar Abbas, Karachi, Singapore, Hong Kon...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   Using a newly purchased chassis pool, third-party logistics service provider Regal Logistics said it is now ready to meet demand requirements for on container transport service at piers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, including the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.    The company said it is responding to a market vacuum as steamship lines eliminate chassis provisions at ports to cut costs, a trend it said is already affecting operations on the West coast.     “In mos...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Murphy    Richard T. Murphy Sr., long-time head of Murphy Warehouse Co. in Minneapolis, died on May 1 at the age of 87.    Murphy was the third generation to operate the family transportation and warehousing company founded in 1904. He began his formal career as a dispatcher in 1948, and at the age of 27, was named president of the company.    He retired from day-to-day management in 1993, but continued to be active on the board and as a strategic advisor. Today, Murphy ope...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Troy Container Line has started a new less-than-containerload service from Chicago to Rotterdam.    The direct, 16-day service will begin on May 21 with a sailing on board the APL Melbourne . Also included are reduced rates to Hungary, Ireland and Prague from the Midwest, the Red Bank, N.J.-based NVO said.    Patricia L. Fitzgerald, Troy Container’s chief operating officer of exports, said the NVO will distinguish the service from its ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The intermodal and logistics company Pacer International said it has entered a multiyear agreement to have CSX remain its primary rail carrier in the eastern United States.    It said together with existing agreements between Pacer and CSX, the new deal provides terms of service for shipments in Pacer’s private fleet of more than 18,000 containers.    Dan Avramovich, Pacer’s chief executive officer, said the new agreement would provide the foundation for Pacer ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.2 million tons in April, a decrease of 3.8 percent compared to a year ago.    However, when compared to its 5-year average, the trade was down nearly 27 percent, said the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers’ Association.    The trade group said loadings at Lake Superior ports increased by nearly 10 percent, but shipments from Chicago fell by a third, while Lake Erie ports were off 12.3 percent, or 90,000 tons.    Year-to...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   WNS Holdings Limited, a provider of global business process outsourcing (BPO) services, has entered a partnership with GT Nexus, which provides cloud-based supply chain services, on a new platform-based BPO offering to shippers and the logistics industry.    The companies have agreed to jointly develop the service around documentation, freight management, contracts, pricing, and analytics with the ultimate goal of improving services and lowering costs.    “The ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA), a group of 10 liner carriers, have recommended increasing freight rates for frozen and chilled beef, pork and poultry, as well as animal hides, to coincide with upcoming contract renewals for those cargoes.    Effective July 1, WTSA member lines have recommended increases to existing rates of $300 per 40-foot container (FEU) from the U.S. West Coast, and $400 per FEU for intermodal and U.S. East Coast all-water shipments, w...