|
|
|
|
|
|
| EU adds 37 million euros to fight piracy |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
The European Union will contribute 37 million euros ($47.6 million) to the Program to Promote Regional Maritime Security, which will boost the fight against piracy in Eastern and Southern Africa. The money will be used to develop the legal system in the affected countries, strengthen financial oversight systems that could prevent the flow of money to pirates, share expertise and training, and provide security support. Anti-piracy awareness campaigns will also be set up in Somal...
|
| Teamsters release details of tentative ABF contract |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
A 7 percent wage reduction, but no major cuts to health or pension benefits are amid the details of the tentative contract between less-than-truckload carrier ABF and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters released in anticipation of a union-wide vote on the proposal. The IBT negotiating committee has approved the deal, but union members will receive contract ballots on June 3. The two parties reached a five-year agreement in early May after two, month-long con...
|
| CEVA takes revenue hit in 1Q |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
Third party logistics provider CEVA’s revenue dropped 6 percent, year over year, in the first quarter to 1.6 billion euros ($2.06 billion), and adjusted earnings dropped from 66 million euros to 31 million euros. Officials attribute the lackluster revenue performance to the challenging market and said the earnings drop came primarily because of the divestiture of some of CEVA’s holdings. Air freight volume was down due to modal shift leading to a 6.8-percent revenue drop in the...
|
| Association to certify truckers against trafficking |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
The Truckload Carriers Association and Truckers Against Trafficking have teamed up to educate and train truckers on how to recognize and report sex trafficking, a crime that has been reported in every U.S. state. TCA will now start giving tests to truckers around the country so they can become a Certified Trucker Against Trafficking. The test is being given without any costs to the trucker and is based on a video viewable here . The organization will also pro...
|
| World War II ships pose pollution threat |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it had forwarded to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report about 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor that could pose an oil pollution threat . Seventeen of the ships were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo by the agency. NOAA said "the sunken vessels are a legacy of more than a century of U.S. commerce and warfare. They include a bar...
|
| U.S. to strengthen trade with Tunisia |
|
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
|
|
Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development have launched an initiative with Tunisia to establish trade in the region and internationally, and encourage the local growth of small and midsized businesses. The Office of the United States Trade Representative helped develop the initiative, which is part of the U.S-Tunisia Trade and Investment Framework. Work between the countries will be achieved through online platforms and partnerships, according to a news release....
|
| Drewry Air Freight Index - A slow climb in April |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Air freight rates out of Asia are slowly inching back up to February’s yearly high of $3.32 per kilogram, ending April at $3.21 per kilogram, a rise of $0.06 over March’s figure, according to the Drewry East-West Air Freight Price Index . The index measures the average per-kilogram price paid by forwarders to airlines on 21 major East-West routes. Each result factors in the base rate plus any security and fuel surcharges. February’s high-water mark came in $0.32 per kilo...
|
| Maersk plans $750 rate hike from Asia to North Europe |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Maersk Line said it will raise rates by $750 per TEU on containerized cargo moving from Far East Asia (excluding Japan) to North Europe on July 1 . Maersk also announced a $150-per-container increase on dry and refrigerated cargo moving from the Mediterranean to the Far East, effective June 1. From Syria, the increase will be $115 per container. - Chris Dupin
|
| Drewry forecasts more slow steaming |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Drewry is predicting an increase in slow steaming by container carriers. "Although slow steaming continues to be a contentious issue with shippers, more is on the way as fuel prices remain stubbornly high and ocean carriers can no longer absorb the bill due to the parlous nature of their finances," the London-based consultant says in the latest edition of its Container Insight Weekly . "Drewry believes that ocean carriers are losing money at present due to the frei...
|
| SeaIntel says shippers should prepare for 'blank sailings' |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
"Blank sailings," which occur when liner companies decide to omit a scheduled voyage are "becoming a regular feature in particularly the Asia-Europe trade," said this week's edition of SeaIntel Sunday Spotlight . "It has always been the norm that a significant amount of sailings are blanked following Chinese New Year. This is prudent capacity management by the carriers in response to the widespread factory closures during this time of the year. However, if we only look at the l...
|
| Georgia Ports has record April |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) moved 2.4 million tons of cargo in April, a 4.7 percent increase -- or 108,532 tons –- over the same month a year ago. “Our total tonnage makes April the highest volume month on record,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz The GPA handled 258,951 TEU, 10,040 TEUs more than April 2012. The port also handled 57,709 auto and machinery units in April, its third highest month for roll-on, roll-off cargo. Foltz said four ne...
|
| Virginia to open Canadian agriculture trade office |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
The state of Virginia will open an international trade office in Canada this year to further promote exports of agriculture and forestry products, which hit an all-time high last year, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore recently reiterated. During remarks May 9 at the Virginia Maritime Association's annual banquet in Norfolk, Haymore noted that Gov. Bob McDonnell is the first governor in modern Virginia history to include agriculture and forestry i...
|
| Airport cargo results enforce negative trend |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
March tonnage numbers for four airports spanning the United States paint a mixed picture of the health of U.S. airports, but the general trend is one of cargo activity decline. Los Angeles International Airport handled 171,798 total tons of cargo in March, seeing 7,992 tons of mail and more than 163,000 tons of freight. While the mail result showed a 4.57 percent uptick, year over year, freight declined by 2.83 percent, leading to an overall decline of 2.51 percent. In the first...
|
| Report: China will assist its shipping industry |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
China will assist its shipping companies to "escape recession" according to a report attributed to the Xinhua news agency . Xinhua quoted He Jianzhong, China's vice minister of transportation, as saying the government would assist companies in several ways, including offering subsidies to encourage retirement of old ships to reduce supply and improve safety. The government will also encourage carriers to sign long-term contracts and "strengthen interference into the...
|
| Developer adds California retail distribution space |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Port Logistics Group has added two new facilities spanning more than 1.1 million square feet to its retail distribution campus in City of Industry, Calif. The development now boasts more than 2.5 million square feet of space. The first new building, a 350,000-square-foot facility, will house new and existing clients. A 775,000-square-foot development has also been built for three new clients.
|
| Virgin Cargo optimistic about road ahead |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
In its recently ended fiscal year, Virgin Atlantic Cargo boosted its market share on 30 routes, sometimes gaining up to 40 percent of the share of a given lane. That aggressiveness helped lead to cargo results that, despite a terrible cargo market, were basically flat when compared to the previous year. Virgin Cargo carried 214,737 tons of cargo in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, a 0.91-percent decline over the previous year. Revenues ended the fiscal year at 230 million euros ($295...
|
| Shift in wind trade direction at Corpus Christi |
|
Monday, May 20, 2013
|
|
Port Corpus Christi says it has been a leading port for imports of wind energy turbine components since 2006, but last week handled components for export for the first time. On Saturday, 35 Mitsubishi wind blades made in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico were loaded on a vessel carrier operated by NYK-Hinode. The blades are destined for Japan. “The Port anticipates additional wind cargo export opportunities within the upcoming months,” said John LaRue, ...
|
| Maersk has profitable 1Q despite 'price war' |
|
Friday, May 17, 2013
|
|
Maersk Line made a profit of $204 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared to a loss of $599 million in the first quarter of 2012. It said the turnaround in the financial performance was achieved through lower costs, as revenue was unchanged at $6.3 billion in both quarters, and came despite price aggressiveness. Financial results for the world’s largest container shipping company were reported Friday morning by the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, a conglomerate whose operations...
|
| Contractor picked for Miami dredge project |
|
Friday, May 17, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday awarded a $122 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. for deepening the entrance to the Port of Miami to 50 feet, the company said. Excavation is expected to commence in August and be completed in time for the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2015, which will enable 14,000 TEU container vessels to reach the U.S. East Coast from Asia via the Pacific Ocean. Miami would become the third port on...
|
| Group calls for supply chain accountability |
|
Friday, May 17, 2013
|
|
A group of investors and stakeholders from more than 115 organizations have banded together under the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility to ask global shippers to ensure the safety and welfare of their workers and to ferret out supply chain abuses. The group has called on shippers around the world to implement International Labor Organization standards at all their facilities and to pay attention to the United Nation’s framework on human rights responsibilities in bus...
|
| UPS releases new iPad app |
|
Friday, May 17, 2013
|
|
UPS today announced a new app for the iPad to let users easily track packages, find UPS shipping locations, and access UPS My Choice, all with enhanced mapping features. The UPS app for iPad enables customers to track packages and find locations where they can send shipments. Additionally, the app allows users of UPS My Choice to access all of the features of the service including the ability to reroute or reschedule delivery. UPS My Choice Premium members can also view their d...
|
| Ex-Im Bank’s $500 million loan helps Mongolian mine |
|
Friday, May 17, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Export-Import Bank has authorized an approximately $500 million direct loan to finance the continued development of a Mongolian mine that, upon completion, will generate about 30 percent of the Mongolian GDP. Additionally, Ex-Im Bank's financing will support about 2,000 U.S. jobs across the United States, according to bank estimates derived from Commerce and Labor department data. The Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is located in the South Gobi region about 550 kil...
|
| Report: Central America should embrace intermodal |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
Governments in Belize, Central America and the Dominican Republic should create an environment that embraces an integrated, intermodal sea-land network, according to a recent report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). A stronger supply-chain network would help push global trade forward and would also encourage trade exchanges between the countries in the region. The two authors of the study, Amar Ramudhin and Don Ratliff, posit that a number of initiative...
|
| Postal group signs deal with Amber Road |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The Kahala Posts Group (KPG), an alliance of 10 postal administrations around the world, has signed a deal with the global trade management solutions provider Amber Road aimed at increasing their competitiveness in the international delivery market. KPG member organizations include the Australian Postal Corp., China Post Group, Correos y Telégrafos SAE, Groupe La Poste, Hongkong Post, Japan Post Co., Ltd., Korea Post, Royal Mail Group, Ltd, Singapore Post Limited and the U.S. Po...
|
| NetSuite opens doors to Descartes, Freightgate |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The logistics information technology solutions providers Descartes Systems and Freightgate have both signed deals with NetSuite, a provider of cloud-based financials and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suites. Descartes said it has signed a SuiteCloud Developer Network agreement, with the integration of NetSuite's SuiteCloud and Descartes' Logistics Technology Platform intended to enable customers to more effectively collaborate with their trading partners and carrie...
|
| U.S. exports to Colombia up 20% with FTA |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The White House on Wednesday welcomed growing exports for U.S. businesses, farmers, and ranchers on the first anniversary of the entry into force of the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement. Via the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, U.S. manufacturers have substantially increased their exports to the South American country. In specific, U.S. exports of transportation equipment, petroleum and coal products, processed food, and computer and electronic products have risen t...
|
| Ingram Micro's reverse logistics facility in Costa Rica |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The world's largest wholesale technology distributor Ingram Micro said this week it is opening a new facility in Costa Rica for its Ingram Micro Mobility mobile device lifecycle services and logistics solutions subsidiary. The facility is designed to support Ingram Micro Mobility’s growing business in Latin America. Initially, the facility will be fully dedicated to supporting the company’s mobile device lifecycle services, specifically device recovery and technical repair. &nb...
|
| DHL to invest 10 million euros in Vietnam |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
DHL Supply Chain will invest 10 million euros ($12.9 million) in Vietnam over the next two years, hiring new staff, upgrading current infrastructure and building a new facility in North Vietnam. The integrator began operations in the country in 2001. DHL plans to hire 1,400 new workers in Vietnam, increasing its workforce by 170 percent. This new influx of employees will be added to an employment base that has already expanded by 800 workers in the past there years...
|
| April ice slowed limestone trade |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
Heavy ice cover on the Great Lakes that stretched well into April slowed resumption of the region's limestone trade, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Shipments totaled only 1.8 million tons, a decrease of 28 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings are 21 percent off the month’s 5-year average. Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 1.6 million tons, a decrease of 24 percent compared to a year ago, while loadings at Canadian quarries totaled 247,670 tons...
|
| FMC reviews 13 OTI license applications |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 13 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review. The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Feiliks Global Logistics Corp., Jamaica, N.Y. (Ami K. Wey, president); Hye Mi Express U.S.A., Torrance, Calif. (Kil Soo "Ben" Hur, president); and Sea Marine Transport, Huixquilucan, Mexico (Moises L. Sarabia, president). The agency also received an NVO...
|
| U.S., South American corn producers form alliance |
|
Thursday, May 16, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), along with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), MAIZAR, representing Argentinian producers and the maize supply chain, and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) signed a memorandum of understanding this week to form an alliance of North and South American corn producers to collaborate to address key issues concerning food security, biotechnology, stewardship, trade and producer image. The organizations will operate under th...
|
| NTSB: Reduce legal limit to hinder drunk truck drivers |
|
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
|
|
After a year-long review of substance-impaired driving in the trucking industry, the National Transportation Safety Board has issued recommendations for reducing the legal alcohol driving limit; ramping up the use of interlock devices; and beefing up penalties for non-compliance. According to a NTSB report, the new legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers should drop from .08 to .05. While the American Trucking Associations commended the progress on these measure...
|
| FedEx Trade Networks breaks ground on NY facility |
|
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
|
|
FedEx Trade Networks has broken ground on an 83,000-square-foot facility at the Riverview Solar Technology Park in Tonawanda, N.Y. The first wave of employees is set to move in near the end of this year. FedEx is paying $5.2 million to build the 22-acre facility, which will include 55,000 square feet of office space. New York State has committed $2.56 million in tax credits to the project, and FedEx will receive another $1.9 million in tax relief from Erie County. ...
|
| U.S. civil nuclear trade mission to China, Vietnam |
|
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
|
|
Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez will lead a civil nuclear trade policy mission to Vietnam and China, May 17-23. Representatives from 18 companies, law firms, and industry associations will join U.S. government officials on the mission, which will make stops in Hanoi, Vietnam; and Beijing and Ningbo, China. Sánchez “Vietnam and China are both steadily expanding their nuclear power programs, which presents abundant opportunities fo...
|
| Yusen Logistics opening new Chicago warehouse |
|
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
|
|
Yusen Logistics (Americas) will open a new 229,000-square-foot warehouse in Chicago on May 20 that will employ 170 people. The warehouse will include 185,000 square feet dedicated to distribution and container freight station services, a climate-controlled area of 15,000 square feet, with separate freezer and refrigerated units totaling 3,000 square feet to accommodate the company’s growing perishables customer base. The new facility is located near the cargo entra...
|
| Long Beach issues revised EIR for grain transload facility |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
The Port of Long Beach is recirculating a draft environmental impact statement for a proposed grain export facility at Pier T on Terminal Island. The public is being encouraged to comment on the EIR in writing or at a public hearing scheduled for June 5. The grain transload facility proposed by Total Terminals International would receive railcars with 53-foot domestic containers full of grain and dried distillers grain with solubles, a byproduct of ethanol pro...
|
| STB pushes arbitration with new rule |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has adopted a new arbitration program for disputes between shippers and railroads with clear liability limits. Effective June 12, the rule change establishes when the parties would be ordered to participate in mediation. Initially, Class I and II railroads were to be automatically enrolled in the arbitration program unless they specifically opted out of the program by application to the board. Class III rail...
|
| U.S. import, export pricing fell in April |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
After a 0.2-percent decrease in March, U.S. import prices continued to fall, declining by 0.5 percent in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Export pricing also continued to decrease, falling by 0.7 percent in April after a 0.5-percent decrease a month earlier. While consumer good imports rose by 0.3-percent in April, price drops on other non-fuel imports pushed the overall result to a 0.2-percent decline. Over the past year, nonfuel imports ha...
|
| CEVA opens City of Pharma in Italy |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
CEVA has opened the 20,000-square-meter "City of Pharma," a healthcare warehousing and handling facility, in Stradella, Italy. The area can be doubled in a short time to address future market demands, the company said. The integrated logistics hub places many different companies from the same industry in one location. According to a press release, this configuration will allow CEVA to better respond to fluctuations in the market. City of Pharma takes an approa...
|
| Washington Notebook: British leader discusses trade deal with Obama |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
Preparations for upcoming negotiations between the United States and European Union on a transatlantic free trade and investment agreement were on the agenda Monday when U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron visited the White House. The United States and European Union enjoy the world's largest economic relationship, accounting for a third of total goods and services trade, and half of world output. Trade supports 13 million jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Each day an ...
|
| DHL celebrates modest 1Q increases |
|
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
|
|
During the first quarter, DHL increased its revenues by 0.6 percent, year over year, to 13.4 billion euros ($17.4 billion), and before-tax earnings rose by 4 percent to 427 million euros ($553.9 million). Net income increased by 45 percent, year over year, but net profits fell to 498 million euros ($646 million) from a total of 529 million euros ($686.2 million) during the first three months of 2012. Frank Appel, DHL’s chief executive officer, noted these relativel...
|
| Teamsters call YRC's proposed acquisition 'unconscionable' |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
YRC's proposal to acquire ABF in the middle of union negotiations is "unconscionable," according to James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The two parties reached a tentative, five-year contract agreement earlier this month after negotiating since early January, but no firm details of the contract have been officially released. According to the Teamsters for a Democratic Union, ABF was looking for a 6.5-percent wage cut and reductions i...
|
| Coyne: Third runway necessary at Heathrow |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
A third runway at London Heathrow Airport is the only way to prevent a cargo capacity crisis, according to Larry Coyne, CEO of Coyne Airways. In a speech last week in London, Coyne said U.K. logistics firms are vulnerable to losing out on business to companies in mainland Europe if the capacity crunch is not addressed. His speech came in reaction to the push for an airport on Thames Island in London, a proposal that calls for a two-runway airport with rail and seapo...
|
| Congressman calls TWIC cards 'farcical' |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, or TWIC cards, were described as a “joke” during hearings before the U.S. House of Representative’s Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee last week. The hearings came as the Government Accountability Office issued a report that said 11 years after initiation of the program the Department of Homeland Security “has not demonstrated how, if at all, TWIC will improve maritime security.” G...
|
| FAA confirms budget fix ends furloughs |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Department of Transportation made it official Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration will not furlough air traffic controllers or close 149 low-activity control towers at small airports to meet new budget requirements following recent congressional action. The Reducing Flight Delays Act allowed the FAA flexibility to move money from its Airport Improvement Program to the personnel account to cover $637 million in planned cuts that would have required cont...
|
| Air Canada, Airbus form biofuels partnership |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
Airbus, Air Canada and BioFuelNet Canada have formed a partnership to look into the long-term production of biofuels for Air Canada, with the first assessment due by the end of the year. The group is tasked with studying the different biofuels materials and processes, measuring the overall success of each method, and exploring any emerging technologies in the field. Air Canada has previously operated two flights fueled by a blend of jet fuel and biomass. The first, ...
|
| Virginia port poised to support offshore wind projects |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
Maritime industry officials in Virginia remain actively involved in efforts to promote the development of offshore wind farms and say the Port of Virginia represents an ideal staging area for the massive equipment and infrastructure necessary to produce energy from wind. The port has lay-down space for wind towers, blades, cable and other hardware and equipment at its 285-acre Portsmouth Marine Terminal, which recently was converted to a breakbulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo...
|
| Study says logistics firms suffer from high pricing pressure |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
Three-fourths of global logistics companies are unable to get the prices they deserve for their services, according to the findings of the Global Pricing Study 2012 , conducted by strategy and marketing consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners. The causes, managers say, are a price-aggressive competitive environment and a prevalence of standardized products. The study incorporated responses from 151 people in the transportation and logistics sectors throughout Europe, Asia, North...
|
| Agility signs up Kuwait petroleum firm |
|
Monday, May 13, 2013
|
|
Agility has signed a five-year, $24.4 million contract with Kuwait National Petroleum Co. for transportation services. In addition to moving oversized and traditional petroleum shipments over Agility’s air, land and sea networks, the company will provide origin logistics, customs clearance, freight forwarding and procurement services. “The contract plays to many of our core strengths,” Tarek Sultan, Agility’s chairman and managing director, said in a st...
|
| Crowley enters LNG market |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
Crowley Maritime said its petroleum services group is entering the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market by acquiring Carib Energy, a Coral Springs, Fla.-based company that was founded in 2011 to export LNG to industrial facilities in the Caribbean and Latin America. Carib Energy plans to export LNG in 40-foot tank containers, which it says allows it to serve markets that do not justify or cannot receive large tanker ships of LNG. Crowley said its acquisition is ...
|
| UPS adds winglets to 767 fleet |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
UPS will add winglets to its 54-plane Boeing 767 fleet, including the five 767s currently on order, by the end of 2014. The integrator has already installed winglets on its 747s and MD-11s; UPS’ Airbus A300-600s have similar devices attached to their wings. The move will save each plane 4 percent of its current fuel expenditure by reducing drag during flight. The winglets also reduce noise emissions and improve performance during take off, according to a compa...
|
| Ex-Im Bank loan for Brazilian airline maintenance |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a final commitment for a $45.5 million loan guarantee to VRG Linhas Aereas S.A. (GOL), a Brazilian airline. The financing will support the export of engine maintenance services by Delta TechOps (Delta), a subsidiary of Delta Airlines. This transaction will support about 400 jobs, according to Ex-Im Bank. GOL engines will be shipped from São Paulo, Brazil, to Atlanta for heavy maintenance to be performed by Delta’s maintenance, r...
|
| USDA proposes Malaysian fruit import rule |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has proposed to amend its rules to allow the import of fresh jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, all three commodities would have to be irradiated for insect pests, inspected, and imported in commercial consignments. There would also be additional, commodity-specific requirements for other pests associated with jackfruit, pin...
|
| Sánchez leads U.S. trade mission in Asia |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez arrived in Hong Kong Thursday with representatives from a group of U.S. companies to start off the Trade Winds Asia 2013. According to the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the annual trade mission and business matchmaking event helps firms gain market insights, make industry contacts, and solidify business strategies to expand U.S. exports to trading partners in the region. Sánchez &nbs...
|
| USDA releases refined sugar re-export waivers |
|
Friday, May 10, 2013
|
|
With large quantities of sugar currently on the domestic market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will use its waiver authority under the Refined Sugar Re-Export Program to temporarily permit licensed refiners to transfer program sugar from their license to another licensed refiner through Sept. 30. USDA will also temporarily increase the license limit for raw cane sugar refiners from 50,000 metric tons raw value of credits to 100,000 metric tons raw value of credits through ...
|
| Few details in ABF, Teamster agreement |
|
Thursday, May 09, 2013
|
|
While the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has put what a local union calls “a tight lid” on information about a proposed five-year contract deal with ABF, analysts are trying to figure out what a new agreement would look like. ABF and the Teamsters started negotiations for a new contract in January and finally reached an agreement early this month. Local unions had said during the negotiations that ABF was looking for a 6.5-percent wage cut, among other concessions. The a...
|
| Investment firm buys Rocla Tie |
|
Thursday, May 09, 2013
|
|
Denver-based Rocla Concrete Tie, a railroad tie manufacturer, has been acquired by Altus Capital Partners and the company's senior management team from a Belgian holding company. Financial details of the purchase were not disclosed. "We are extremely excited about the opportunity of working with Altus Capital Partners to accelerate growth and create additional value through expansion both in the United States and internationally," Rocla's chief executive officer, Pe...
|
| DHL adds Asia-Europe intermodal links |
|
Thursday, May 09, 2013
|
|
DHL Global Forwarding has added daily intermodal services from Shanghai and a weekly service from Chengdu to the European border. The offerings will use a combination of rail and truck transportation. According to DHL officials, customers will see faster shipments of up to 21 days compared with ocean shipments and lower transportation costs. This service offers the option of booking variable capacity — "ranging from a single container to a whole t...
|
| Courier group changes name |
|
Thursday, May 09, 2013
|
|
The Messenger Courier Association of America (MCAA) has changed its name to the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA). The rebranding effort was announced today by CLDA president, Rob Johnstone, at the association’s annual meeting in New Orleans. “The name change comes as part of an overall rebranding effort to better reflect what our members do,” Johnstone said in a statement. “Several years ago, the MCAA board began wrestling with the...
|
| Outsourcing firm offers data solution for carriers |
|
Thursday, May 09, 2013
|
|
EXL Service, a business processs solutions company, has released Rev-Lift, a solution that identifies weaknesses and errors in backoffice processes that lose carriers money. Though only introduced recently, the program has been in place with a North American less-than-truckload carrier for the past few years, and EXL has saved the firm $80 million in revenue by improving its data capture processes. Pradeep Vachani, EXL's vice president, said even though ...
|
|
|