Africa

Monday, April 29, 2013

   Cargo theft in North America stayed flat, year over year, in 2012 as European theft rates rose by 24 percent, according to FreightWatch International.    Cargo theft in Asia also increased.    According to the company, however, the greatest theft threats still exist in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Last year, about 6,800 thefts were reported in Sao Paulo, and more than 6,000 Mexican thefts occurred in 2012.    Pharmaceutical thefts are on the rise in Europe, ...

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

   Representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Republic of Nigeria have signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA), which allows for better cooperation between the two nations when investigating and preventing customs offenses.    In addition to helping stop smuggling and prevent customs fraud, the agreement will help both parties accurately assess customs duties. U.S. Customs authorities, according to officials, will also be able to increase borde...

Friday, April 19, 2013

   A report released this month estimates the cost of Somalia Piracy was around $5.7 billion-$6.1 billion in 2012, despite notable gains achieved by private armed security guards and aggressive naval activity.    Some of this reduction appears to be coming as a result of shipowners deciding not to follow recommendations to speed ships up or reroute to avoid pirate attacks.    The report, The Economic Cost of Somali Piracy 2012 , which is from Oceans Beyond Piracy, ...

Friday, April 19, 2013

   Metairie, La.-based Tuleu Consulting Co. (TCC) has been awarded a contract by the government of Chad to sell 500 John Deere agricultural tractors to the African country’s “Programme National de Sécurité Alimentaire” (PNSA or National Food Security Program).    The sale represents a $22.5 million deal for TCC, $11.5 million of which is U.S. export content.    This bid was supported by the U.S. Commerce Department's Advocacy Center, which coordinates federal resources and ...

Monday, April 15, 2013

   Emirates SkyCargo is the first customer of the newly formed joint venture between Africa Flight Services and SA Airlink, and the carrier will operate in both Johannesburg and Captetown.    Malcolm Tonkin, a 21-year industry veteran, has been appointed general manager of the joint venture.      To support the joint venture, AFS has opened a 3,000-square-meter cargo facility at Johannesburg’s airport and a 2,340-square-foot development in Cape Town.    ...

Friday, April 12, 2013

   Liner carriers Evergreen and CMA CGM are starting a new, weekly service connecting Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Red Sea.    Called the South Red Sea Service (SRS2) by Evergreen and REX 3 Service by CMA CGM, it will employ five 2,200-TEU ships, with Evergreen supplying three and CMA CGM two.    The first sailing is planned to depart from Tanjung Pelepas on May 2 and will have the following port rotation: Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Djibouti, Aden (Yemen),...

Friday, April 12, 2013

   Cargolux will commence a weekly Boeing 747 freighter flight to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, April 24, increasing its foothold in the African market.    According to a Cargolux release, imports will mostly consist of mining-industry equipment, which must be flown by air because of the geographic challenges of the country. Exports will include perishable goods like fresh beans and mangoes.     Earlier in the week, Cargolux announced freighter flights to Tripoli, Libya, ...

Monday, April 01, 2013

   The United States on Friday announced it’s considering a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).    “A Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the Economic Community of West African States can significantly contribute to economic growth and increased international competitiveness on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis in a statement.    On March 28...

Friday, March 22, 2013

   A consortium of APM Terminals, Bolloré Africa Logistics and the French industrial conglomerate Bouygues has been named the preferred bidder to manage a second container terminal at the Port of Abidjan in Ivory Coast.    The $590 million project would be covered by a 21-year concession. The new terminal is slated to have a depth of 16 meters to accommodate vessels of up to 8,000 TEUs and offer 1,100 meters of berth and 35 hectares of yard space, as Abidjan seeks a greater role as a ...

Friday, March 22, 2013

   Virgin Atlantic has added an Airbus A340-600 flight between London and Johannesburg, increasing cargo capacity during South Africa’s peak season.    The additional plane is expected to remain on the route through the end of the 2013-2014 season.    Exports to Johannesburg have been a bright spot in a quiet cargo year, said Nick Jones, head of sales for Virgin Atlantic Cargo. While perishables routing from South Africa have slowed, Virgin still sees heavy flows of auto pa...

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

   After two and a half months on a 10-week rotation, the ocean carrier Maersk Line has removed one of the two vessels added to its weekly Asia-to-South Africa Safari 1 service in December 2012.     Roundtrip voyage time on the service has decreased from 70 days to 63 days, and transit times eastbound from South Africa to China and Singapore have improved by about seven days. Vessels will no longer slow steam one extra week between Port Louis, Mauritius, and Singapore. The Safar...

Friday, March 15, 2013

   Evergreen Line will team up with Hanjin and Simatech to launch a new service linking the Indian Subcontinent, Persian Gulf and East Africa from late March.    Four 2,500-2,800 TEU vessels will be deployed on the joint "IDEA" service. The first sailing is planned from Mundra (Northwest India) on March 26.    The port rotation for the weekly service will be Mundra, Karachi, Jebel Ali, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and Mundra.    Evergreen has operate...

Thursday, March 14, 2013

   Rickmers-Linie is launching a westbound round-the-world service for breakbulk, heavylift and project cargoes.    "Having introduced our round-the-world Pearl String service with an eastbound rotation 10 years ago, we are convinced that the time to start up a similar concept in the other direction has now come," said Ulrich Ulrichs, chief operating officer and managing director of Rickmers-Linie, in a statement. "This move further confirms our commitment to, and trust in, the ...

Friday, March 08, 2013

   The European Shippers’ Council and the Union of African Shippers’ Councils have signed a framework agreement to enhance cooperation and communication between the two entities.    The councils held their first meeting in Brussels on March 6.    The organizations will talk about international trade and transport, discuss regulatory developments in Africa and Europe, and share training, consultancy and research programs. During the inaugural meeting, officials from the organ...

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

   As part of a continued expansion into Africa, Cargolux will add direct Boeing 747 freighter service to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, starting March 5.    Officials expect strong oil and gas traffic from the new destination. Many of these goods will be oversized items loaded on the B747 through the nose. A range of consumer goods will be imported into the area, officials said.    Cargolux is planning on the addition of more African flights throughout the year. - Jon Ross

Monday, February 18, 2013

   After nearly two months on a six-week rotation, ocean carrier Maersk Line has increased the speed of its weekly Middle East-to-East Africa Masiika Express service and dropped a call at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.     Roundtrip voyage time on the service has decreased from 42 days to 35 days, and transit times westbound from the Middle East to East Africa on the Masiika Express have improved by about seven days, now taking 18 days from Dubai to Mombasa, Kenya.   &...

Monday, February 04, 2013

   The Japanese government is considering allowing foreign security contractors aboard Japanese-flagged vessels to carry firearms to combat piracy in the waters off East Africa, according to a report Monday in the Japan Times .    Under the bill, drafted by the nation’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, armed guards would be permitted to fire warning shots to deter pirates. Currently, vessels registered in Japan are prohibited from carrying such armed guards.  ...

Friday, February 01, 2013

   The liner carrier COSCO Container Lines said Friday it plans to hike rates on the westbound Asia-Europe trade in mid-March.    The increase, $775 per TEU, is applicable to all Asia origins (including Japan and the Indian Subcontinent) to all European destinations (including Israel, Lebanon, Syria, North Africa, and the Black Sea Region).    A week ago, Hapag-Lloyd announced a $750-per-TEU rate hike for the trade on the same date. - Eric Johnson

Monday, January 28, 2013

   Using three main hubs in Africa, London-based Coyne Airways has created an African network that connects more than 30 destinations on the continent.    The move transitions African air cargo services away from a point-to-point system by making use of interline carriers and Coyne’s own network. Cargo on the new routes is expected to run the gamut from massive oil and gas equipment to small parcels. Officials expect good volumes in both imports and exports.     "...

Thursday, January 24, 2013

   The U.S. government has renewed its contract with global defense and aerospace contractor AAR, giving the company a $9 million, six-month contract for airlift support in Western and Central Africa.    AAR will transport supplies and personnel in support of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the U.S. Defense Department's Counter Narco-Terrorism Program Office.    "This renewal signals the confidence our dedicated pilots and support teams have earned by pro...

Friday, January 18, 2013

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has added a sixth vessel to its weekly WAF1 service between hub ports in the West Mediterranean and West Africa, increasing roundtrip voyage time on the loop from 35 days to 42 days.     Transit times northbound on the WAF1 have been increased by about seven days, as vessels will now slow steam one extra week between Onne, Nigeria and San Pedro, Ivory Coast, taking 20 days between Onne and Maersk’s West-Mediterranean hubs in Tangiers and Algecira...

Friday, January 18, 2013

   After two and a half months on a 10-week rotation, ocean carrier Maersk Line, along with vessel partner CMA CGM, has slowed its weekly FEW3 service between Asia and West Africa to skip one sailing position from Asia in February.     Roundtrip voyage time on the FEW3 has increased from 70 days to 77 days and transit times eastbound from West Africa to China by about seven days as vessels will now slow steam one extra week between Cape Town, South Africa, and Yantian. The servi...

Thursday, January 17, 2013

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank authorized a $155.4 million direct loan to Ghana to finance the design and construction of a hospital expansion in Accra.    Miami-based Americaribe will export the goods and services required for the project. The loan will support about 700 U.S. jobs, according to Commerce and Labor department data.    The Ridge Hospital Complex, which was built in 1928, serves as the primary medical facility for the Greater Accra Region (GAR). Between 2...

Monday, January 14, 2013

   The Ports of Indiana appointed Rick Heimann as its new director for the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, effective Jan. 16.    He recently served as the sourcing manager, specializing in rail and water transportation, for ArcelorMittal USA in East Chicago. Before that, Heimann was transportation manager for AK Steel and the sales manager for a barge line, The Ohio River Co.    Third party logistics firm Arpin International Group has named Michael Johnsen to vice preside...

Friday, January 11, 2013

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank has authorized a $15.7 million direct loan to the state government of Lagos, Nigeria, to underwrite the purchase of 32 American fire trucks made by W.S. Darley & Co. of Itasca, Ill.    The loan, which is in line with the Obama administration’s “Doing Business in Africa Campaign,” will support about 100 U.S. jobs, according to Commerce and Labor department estimates. Moreover, 65 percent of the financing is expected to support American small business...

Monday, January 07, 2013

   The shipping consultancy SeaIntel Maritime Analysis has partnered with Appropriate Communications, a public relations agency focusing on maritime and logistics in emerging markets, to start a new portal that gives status updates on ports in Africa.     Port Overview was launched Monday after two months of live operation, the two companies said in a statement. The portal shows, in map form, status reports on Africa’s 50 most important container terminals and related logis...

Thursday, January 03, 2013

   Baltic Reefer Group Ltd. and the Seatrade group of companies, operators of breakbulk refrigerated vessels, said they had established a new joint venture that will operate under the name of Reefer Alliance.    "This will maintain the parties' ability to provide competitive and commercially attractive specialized reefer services in response to the competition of the container lines," said Seatrade in a press release.    Reefer Alliance began operating on Jan. 1 and wil...

Monday, December 31, 2012

   U.S. Customs officers seized almost 214 pounds of khat on Dec. 21 shipped as air freight from Doha, Qatar.    The drug was listed on the airline's cargo manifest as "wood coffee tables" and had a street value of about $30,000, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.    Khat is a green, leafy plant typically grown in the Arabian Peninsula and chewed for its amphetamine-like effect. It contains cathine and cathinone, which are considered controlled substances in the U...

Friday, December 28, 2012

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has added two extra vessels to its weekly Safari 1 service between Asia and South Africa, increasing roundtrip voyage time on the loop from 56 days to 70 days.    Transit times westbound from China and Maersk’s mega-regional hub in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, to South Africa on the Safari 1 remain roughly the same, but eastbound transit times from South Africa have increased by about seven days to Singapore and 14 days to China as vessels will now...

Thursday, December 27, 2012

   President Obama last Thursday signed legislation reauthorizing programs for the Coast Guard to carry out its mission and Maritime Administration national security functions related to the merchant marine, while setting policy for other maritime issues.     The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012  authorizes the sea service to receive $8.6 billion in fiscal year 2013 and $8.7 billion in fiscal year 2014. Congress reversed the White House's proposal to ...

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

   The 22 crewmen from the ship Iceberg 1 , held hostage for two years and nine months by Somali pirates, expressed gratitude to the Puntland government forces who freed them on Dec. 23.    A story on the Website Garoweonline , quoted crew members expressing thanks for their liberation and said some showed signs of torture. The crew members spoke from Garowe, which is located in Somalia.    Iceberg 1 , a roll-on/roll-off ship owned by Azal Shipping of Dubai, was hi...

Friday, December 14, 2012

   The U.S. State Department said it has provided funding to Customs and Border Protection to train 13 Libyan defense and customs officials on border security techniques.    The money is from the State Department's Export Control and Related Border Security Program, which aims to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by helping governments implement effective export control systems.    The three-day course began Dec. 10 in McAllen, Texas, and is comprised...

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

   DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its sea-air product to eight new destinations in Africa, further strengthening the Asia-Africa trade lane.     DHL now boasts 26 air-sea destinations in Africa that can link up with more than 40 Asian destinations. These Asia-Africa shipments will be sent by ocean to Dubai and flown on pre-booked air cargo flights to Africa.    With the new additions, the DHL SEAIR program is now available in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Brazzaville, Poin...

Thursday, December 06, 2012

   The National Foreign Trade Council and the U.S.-Middle East Free Trade (MEFTA) Coalition welcomed the announcement of three new U.S.-Morocco initiatives aimed at advancing bilateral trade and investment ties between the two countries.    The initiatives, announced Tuesday by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro at the U.S.-Morocco Business Development Conference, include a trade facilitation agreement, joint investment principles and joint principles for information and c...

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

U.S. works to connect businesses with Sub-Saharan market.    Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank last week launched the "Doing Business in Africa" campaign at an event in Johannesburg, South Africa.    The campaign to promote economic growth, trade and investment in Africa, is part of a larger U.S. strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa issued by President Obama in June. The strategy aims to help countries in the region diversify their economies beyond natural resources developm...

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank said it will back bonds issued by Ethiopian Airlines of Addis Ababa to finance the export of four of 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Ethiopia.    Ethiopian Airlines obtained competitive interest rates on its bonds, the bank said.    Ex-Im Bank authorized the final commitment for the purchase of the B787s in May, and Boeing delivered the first aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines at Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug. 15. Nippon Expo...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

   Swissport International has reorganized its upper management, promoting Joe Phelan to executive vice president and welcoming him to the company’s executive board.    Phelan, who had been in charge of the North American ground handling and cargo departments, will now add the Asian region to his duties.    Juan Jose Andres Alvez has been given the task of overseeing ground handling and cargo in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Brazil. The move means he adds oversight of t...

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

   U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez is leading a trade mission this week, Nov. 26-30, in Zambia and South Africa.    Some of the 14 companies that sent representatives on the trade mission are Case New Holland, Dow Chemical, Electro-Motive Diesel, and General Electric.    The delegation arrived in Lusaka, Zambia, on Monday, and has met with public and private sector officials to discuss potential partnerships and projects that will su...

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

   fastjet, a low-cost African carrier built in the mode of easyjet, has signed an agreement with Swissport for ground-handling services throughout its burgeoning network.    The carrier is to commence operations Thursday from its base in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, using three Airbus A319 aircraft, flying to Kilimanjaro and Mwanza.    The agreement calls for Swissport to step in to support growth of the supply chain and supply a number of airport services.    “Swiss...

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

   SEKO, a logistics services provider, has opened offices in Uganda and Ethiopia.    The company said this expansion is driven by the strong energy, mining and technology industries in Africa.    The new SEKO offices in East Africa offer air and ocean forwarding, project cargo, ground transportation, warehousing, fulfillment and customized IT solutions. SEKO Uganda and SEKO Ethiopia are deploying SEKO’s global, Web-based operating system. The offices were started by Hubert ...

Thursday, November 15, 2012

   Third-party logistics services provider Dachser has opened a branch office in Port Elizabeth, which is situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.    This is Dachser's fourth South African branch office, adding to locations in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.    According to Detlev Duve, managing director of Dachser South Africa, the company plans to tap logistics opportunities in the Eastern Cape, especially with the inception of the Port of Ngqura, which ...

Monday, November 12, 2012

   Virgin Atlantic Cargo said its restart of winter season flights from Cape Town will provide a boost in capacity for South Africa’s general cargo and perishable exporters as they look to "take advantage of peak season demand in the U.K. and U.S. consumer markets."    The airline’s daily flights from Cape Town have operated every winter since December 1999 and are in addition to Virgin Atlantic’s year-round daily passenger and cargo flights between Johannesburg and London Heathrow. ...

Monday, November 12, 2012

   Toll Global Forwarding (TGF) has promoted Geoff Partridge to managing director of its South African operation.    He was previously operations director, and replaces Vincent Magnus who is retiring at the end of 2012.    Partridge and Magnus were co-founders of the business in 1989, when it was started as Clover Cargo. In 1995, Brian Wicht joined the partnership, establishing the company’s Western Cape operation. In 2010 Toll acquired a majority shareholding, purchasing t...

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

    Africa is one of the top logistics investment opportunities anywhere in the world , according to a new report from the London-based research and consultancy firm Transport Intelligence (Ti).    “Its untapped natural resources are vast, and foreign direct investment has poured in as Africans’ purchasing power grows,” Ti said. “Many countries in the region, such as Nigeria, are characterized by an increasingly rich middle-class. This has boosted sales of consumer goods, most of whi...

Thursday, November 01, 2012

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has added a new northbound port call at Lome, Togo, and a fifth vessel to its weekly WAF6 service between hub ports in the West Mediterranean and West Africa.    Roundtrip voyage time on the WAF6 has increased from 28 days to 35 days, and transit times northbound have been increased by about seven days, now taking 18 days between Douala, Cameroon, and Maersk’s West-Mediterranean hubs in Tangiers and Algeciras.     American Shipper repor...

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

   After just one and a half months of slow steaming to skip sailing positions from Asia in October, the ocean carrier Maersk Line has once again speeded up two of its three weekly services between Asia and West Africa, decreasing roundtrip voyage time by one week on each loop, while adding a call in Luanda, Angola, to one.    Maersk added a call to Luanda on its FEW2 loop and decreased roundtrip voyage time from 91 days to 84 days, while simultaneously decreasing roundtrip voyage ti...

Thursday, October 11, 2012

   Just over one month after slowing to a seven-week rotation, ocean carrier Maersk Line has added an eighth vessel to its weekly Middle East-to-South Africa MESA service, further increasing roundtrip voyage time from 49 days to 56 days, to skip a sailing position from the Middle East in November.     Transit times southbound from the Middle East to South Africa on the MESA have been increased by about seven days as vessels slow-steam one extra week between Toamasina, Madagascar...

Thursday, October 11, 2012

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has speeded up its weekly Europe-to-West Africa WAF7 service, decreasing roundtrip voyage time from 28 days to 21 days.    Transit times have improved by a few days in both directions on the WAF7, now taking six days from the last hub call out of Algeciras to Monrovia, Liberia, and six days from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to the first hub port in at Tangiers, Morocco.     The rotation of WAF7 remains Tangiers, Algeciras, Monrovia, Freetown...

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

   France’s Bollore Group plans to invest $79 million to improve infrastructure and double container terminal capacity by 2015 at the Port of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, the company said Monday.    Abidjan is the second largest port in West Africa, after Lagos, but facilities are in need of an upgrade after neglect due to a decade of political turmoil, according to the group.    Bollore, which took over management of the terminal in 2004, plans to increase capacity from the ...

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

   The U.S. International Trade Commission has started an investigation into the global competitiveness of the U.S. commercial olive oil industry.    The investigation, “Olive Oil: Conditions of Competition between U.S. and Major Foreign Supplier Industries,” was requested by the House Ways and Means Committee in a letter received by the ITC on Sept. 12.    "The U.S. commercial olive oil industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, employing modern agriculture technolog...

Friday, October 05, 2012

   The chief executive officer of the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa said the plan announced last week by Maersk and sister company Safmarine to raise reefer rates $1,500 per 40-foot container is "overzealous and somewhat flawed in the context of the South African citrus trade."    In commentary posted on the group's Website, Justin Chadwick said his group is drafting an assessment of the plan based on the following points: "There is no plausible explanation that warrants...

Monday, October 01, 2012

   Third party logistics services provider DSV has entered an agreement to acquire the Swift Freight Group of Cos.    Swift Freight, based in Dubai, is a regional freight forwarder with 36 offices across 15 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.    In Africa, Swift Freight has offices in Mozambique, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo. Outside Africa, Swift Freight has offices in United Arab Emirates, India and ...

Thursday, September 20, 2012

   Barloworld Logistics, a provider of logistics and supply chain services, has announced plans to expand its operations from the United Arab Emirates to Africa and the Persian Gulf.    According to analyst Ernst and Young, exports from the Middle East and Africa are predicted to grow by more than 12 percent over the next 10 years, while a supplychainforesight report said Africa has many regions with fast growing GDP and anincreasing demand for cargo services acro...

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

   The United States will contribute $1 million for trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) to the World Trade Organization.    The WTO’s TRTA program provides training for developing countries to improve their ability to analyze issues, assess their interests and participate in the negotiations and other WTO activities. The program also provides these nations with help in meeting their WTO obligations and ensures they fully benefit from the results of being a WTO member. Kirk  ...

Friday, September 07, 2012

   To skip sailing positions from Asia in October, the ocean carrier Maersk Line has added an additional vessel to two of its three weekly services between Asia and West Africa, increasing roundtrip voyage time by one week on each loop.     The carrier added a 13th vessel to its FEW2 loop, further increasing roundtrip voyage time from 84 days to 91 days and an 11th vessel to the FEW3 loop, (which calls at Cape Town in addition to West Africa), increasing roundtrip...

Thursday, September 06, 2012

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has converted its North Europe and Mediterranean-to-West Africa WAF6 service into an exclusive West Africa feeder based on Maersk’s West-Mediterranean hubs in Tangiers, Morocco and Algeciras, Spain, dropping previous calls in North Europe as well as one in West Africa.    Previously, the WAF6 linked North Europe directly with West Africa via the Mediterranan, but Maersk has now dropped calls in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Le Havre, and A...

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

   The liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will asses steep bunker surcharges on the eastbound transpacific and westbound Asia-Europe trades from early October.    From Oct. 4, the line will asses a fee of $419 per 20-foot container and $523 per 40-foot container on shipments from Asia to the U.S. West Coast and $762 per 20-foot container and $953 per 40-foot container from Asia to the U.S. East Coast. The proposed fees would be equivalent to about 20 to 25 per...

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

  The ocean carrier Maersk Line has added a second (northbound) port call at Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, a new call at Conakry, Guinea and an additional vessel to its weekly WAF2 service between hub ports in the West Mediterranean and West Africa.     Simultaneously, it has sped up its parallel WAF3 loop for a second time.    Roundtrip voyage time on the WAF2 has increased from 42 days to 49 days, and northbound transit times from West Africa to the Mediterranean have been incr...

Thursday, August 30, 2012

   A new regulation issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week requiring publicly traded companies to trace the origin of specialty industrial minerals and disclose those from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or neighboring regions, has strong support from computer maker Hewlett-Packard because it can help cut off the proceeds to violent militias that abuse local populations, a top executive said Tuesday.    Under the rule , which was required by the 2010 Do...

Monday, August 27, 2012

   Barloworld Logistics is setting its sights on the Middle East for future growth of its contract logistics services, noting the region is expected to achieve a sustained 6.9 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2011 to 2015, according to Transport Intelligence.    Barloworld said it will focus its attention on Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and also the United Arab Emirates as they are projecting a $700 million market growth over the next three years.    It will provide ...