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| Teamsters release details of tentative ABF contract |
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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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...
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| Association to certify truckers against trafficking |
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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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...
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| Report: China will assist its shipping industry |
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Monday, May 20, 2013
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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...
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| Virgin Cargo optimistic about road ahead |
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Monday, May 20, 2013
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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...
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| Group calls for supply chain accountability |
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Friday, May 17, 2013
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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...
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| Ex-Im Bank’s $500 million loan helps Mongolian mine |
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Friday, May 17, 2013
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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...
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| Postal group signs deal with Amber Road |
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
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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...
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| U.S. exports to Colombia up 20% with FTA |
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
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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...
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| Ingram Micro's reverse logistics facility in Costa Rica |
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
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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...
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| April ice slowed limestone trade |
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
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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...
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| NTSB: Reduce legal limit to hinder drunk truck drivers |
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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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...
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| U.S. civil nuclear trade mission to China, Vietnam |
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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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...
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| Long Beach issues revised EIR for grain transload facility |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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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...
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| STB pushes arbitration with new rule |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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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...
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| CEVA opens City of Pharma in Italy |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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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...
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| DHL celebrates modest 1Q increases |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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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...
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| Teamsters call YRC's proposed acquisition 'unconscionable' |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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...
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| Coyne: Third runway necessary at Heathrow |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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...
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| FAA confirms budget fix ends furloughs |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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...
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| Air Canada, Airbus form biofuels partnership |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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, ...
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| Virginia port poised to support offshore wind projects |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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...
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| Study says logistics firms suffer from high pricing pressure |
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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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...
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| Crowley enters LNG market |
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Friday, May 10, 2013
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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 ...
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| UPS adds winglets to 767 fleet |
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Friday, May 10, 2013
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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...
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| Ex-Im Bank loan for Brazilian airline maintenance |
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Friday, May 10, 2013
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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...
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| USDA proposes Malaysian fruit import rule |
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Friday, May 10, 2013
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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...
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| USDA releases refined sugar re-export waivers |
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Friday, May 10, 2013
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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 ...
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| Few details in ABF, Teamster agreement |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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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...
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| Investment firm buys Rocla Tie |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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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...
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| Courier group changes name |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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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...
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| Outsourcing firm offers data solution for carriers |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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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 ...
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| XRS sees second consecutive quarterly income |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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XRS Corp. has realized a net income to common shareholders of $0.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2013, digging itself out from under a $2.1 million loss to shareholders from the same period last year. Total revenue for the quarter declined, year over year, from $15.9 million to $14.5 million. Mobile software revenue grew 27 percent, year over year, to $11.6 million; software accounts for 80 percent of revenue, up from 74 percent in the second quarter of 2012. &nb...
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| U.S. steel exports rise in March |
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
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Steel exports increased in March over February by 6.1 percent based on government reporting reviewed by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS). “The stronger showing for steel exports in March was due primarily to increased shipments to our NAFTA partners, but notably, exports increased to all other smaller export markets as well, with the exception of the small markets in Africa,” explained David Phelps, AIIS president, in a statement. “While the tr...
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| Alphaliner forecasts record boxship scrapping |
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Wednesday, May 08, 2013
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Alphaliner is forecasting a record year for scrapping containerships. In its latest newsletter, Alphaliner said vessels with a total capacity of 450,000 TEUs are expected to go to the breakers in 2013, surpassing a record of 381,000 TEUs in 2009. "In the first four months of this year, 93 units for 195,000 TEUs have already been sold for demolition or de-celled (so they can be used for other purposes), with the average age of scrapped ships falling t...
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| Canada adopts new rules to reduce ship pollution |
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Wednesday, May 08, 2013
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Canada said it's adopting strict environmental standards to reduce air emissions from ships navigating in Canadian waters , and these changes further align the country's air emission standards with those of the United States. "The changes we are announcing today will help make our oceans and lakes cleaner by reducing ship emissions," said Denis Lebel, Canada's minister of transport, infrastructure and communities. "Since vessels from Canada and the United States routinely t...
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| Steel Shipping Container Institute gets makeover |
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Tuesday, May 07, 2013
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The former Steel Shipping Container Institute on Monday announced it has adopted a new name, the Industrial Steel Drum Institute (ISDI), along with a new logo and Website. The new Website provides purchasers of industrial packaging, warehouse and corporate risk managers, fire protection professionals, and others with information about the benefits of steel drums, how steel drums are made, and resources available to the industry. “Industrial packaging has evol...
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| Kalmar buys Spanish crane refurbish firm |
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Tuesday, May 07, 2013
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Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has acquired total ownership in the Spanish crane refurbishment and maintenance company Mareiport, S.A. The acquisition is an important step for Kalmar to become a larger global crane refurbishment and services provider. Kalmar has held a 30-percent share in Mareiport since 2007. Mareiport is a privately owned company established in 1985 in Algeciras, Spain. The company has been providing maintenance services for ports and terminals an...
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| Toyota begins exporting from Port of Brunswick |
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Monday, May 06, 2013
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Toyota exported its first shipment of Venzas through the Port of Brunswick, Ga., last week. The cars departed on a "K" Line vessel for Russia and Ukraine, according to the Georgia Port Authority. The move underscores the growth of exports by U.S. auto manufacturers as the industry rebounds from the 2008 global financial crisis and the United States becomes more competitive as a manufacturing center. The Venzas are produced at Toyota's plant in Georgeto...
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| ABF, union reaches tentative deal |
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Monday, May 06, 2013
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ABF and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have reached a tentative, five-year contract agreement. Details of the contract have not been released because local unions have not decided whether to endorse it. Word of a potential agreement reached local unions last week, and they were subsequently directed to not take a strike vote. ABF and the Teamsters began talks toward a new contract in January, with the carrier demanding a 6.5-percent wage re...
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| N.C. port touts new Latin American connections |
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Monday, May 06, 2013
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North Carolina’s Port of Wilmington will now offer shippers direct access to Manzanillo, Panama, and Puerto Moin, Costa Rica, in addition to Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and Santo Tomas, Guatemala, in northern Central America, via vessel calls added by Maersk Line to its weekly South Atlantic Express (SAE) service. New trade lanes to South America’s west coast and the Caribbean for Port of Wilmington users are also open via transhipments at Manzanillo, the North Carolina State ...
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| Interlake to fuel Great Lakes fleet with Shell LNG |
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Monday, May 06, 2013
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Interlake Steamship Co., an operator of bulk vessels on the Great Lakes, has reached an agreement in principle with Shell to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to support the carrier’s vessel engine conversion to LNG as the main propulsion fuel. When converted, these ships are expected to be the first LNG-powered ships on the Great Lakes and among the first in the United States. With a goal of converting the first vessel by the spring of 2015, Interlake is already working throug...
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| ILA maintenance locals approve new contract |
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Friday, May 03, 2013
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Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association's Local 1804-1 and Local 1814 have overwhelmingly voted to approve a new contract with employers represented by the Metropolitan Marine Maintenance Contractors Association. Members voted in favor of a new six-year contract by a vote of 632-18, according to an announcement by Dennis A. Daggett, the president of Local 1804-1 and the chief negotiator for the maintenance locals. The ratification vote was held on Tuesday, April...
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| WWL bids for Melbourne auto dock |
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Friday, May 03, 2013
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Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has been selected as a bidder for the redevelopment of the Webb Dock West automotive terminal by Australia’s Port of Melbourne Corp. WWL currently operates 11 terminals throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company said the Webb Dock West’s proximity to Melbourne’s Central Business District provides a “unique chance for a new port operator to demonstrate how a terminal operation can integrate with Melbourne’s residential and commerci...
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| Cass: Freight shipments, expenditures fall in April |
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Friday, May 03, 2013
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U.S. freight volume fell by 3.5 percent and freight expenditures dropped by 1.6 percent in April on a month-to-month basis, according to the Cass Freight Index Report . Compared to April 2012, shipments were down by 1.3 percent, and expenditures declined by 0.5 percent. While both shipments and expenditures have fallen below the same-month levels from last year, shipment activity is even lower than in April 2011. According to the report, the declines in activ...
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| Truckers: Ontario market still volatile |
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Friday, May 03, 2013
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Uncertainty reigns supreme in the Ontario trucking market despite a recent uptick in volumes, according to the Ontario Trucking Association’s second-quarter business conditions survey. According to carriers who filled out the April survey, freight volumes in lane segments covering traffic inside Ontario, between the provinces, and northbound from the United States all increased. The only lane that didn’t show a traffic increase was U.S. southbound. Northbound U.S. traffic ...
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| Domestic intermodal rises by 10% in 1Q |
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Thursday, May 02, 2013
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Domestic intermodal container volume ticked up 10.2-percent, year over year, during the first quarter, making it the sixth consecutive quarter of increases of more than 10 percent, according to the Intermodal Association of North America. The total intermodal volume of 3.68 million units is also good for the second highest volume in domestic container history, the association reported in its Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. Year over year, ISO cont...
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| TIA drops $8,000 bond deposit requirement |
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Thursday, May 02, 2013
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After a vote to eliminate a collateral deposit requirement from the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s services bond program, the organization will refund more than $2 million to members who paid the deposit fee when purchasing bonds. The TIA board eliminated the $8,000 deposit requirement due to the program’s success. Members who hold $250,000, $100,000 and $75,000 bonds will receive the refund. When the board initiated the bond program in 2012, it left t...
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| Allegretti to chair American Maritime Partnership |
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Thursday, May 02, 2013
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Allegretti The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), a trade organization for the U.S. shipping industry, said Thomas Allegretti has been elected as its new chairman. Allegretti is president and chief executive officer of the American Waterways Operators, a trade group for the tug and barge industry. He succeeds James Henry, chairman and president of the Transportation Institute, who will serve as AMP’s vice chairman. “It is an honor to serve ...
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| Iron ore exports moving via Long Beach |
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Wednesday, May 01, 2013
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Iron ore exports are moving through Southern California's Port of Long Beach for the first time in 40 years. The port said SA Recycling, a long-time exporter of scrap metal through the port, is working with CML Metals Corp. to send iron ore from mines in Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada to Asian steel makers. ( However, the U.S. Geological Service notes that in 2012, mines in Michigan and Minnesota shipped 97 percent of the usable ore produced in the Unit...
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| Volga-Dnepr transports large gas materials |
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Wednesday, May 01, 2013
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Although air cargo activity out of Asia has cooled in the past few months, Volga-Dnepr Airlines recently delivered a 90-ton shipment of oil and gas equipment from Singapore to Turkmenistan. Flying an Antonov 124-100 freighter on behalf of Pacific Airlift, the company had to use a special loading device to get some of the equipment, including a single 40-ton piece of machinery, on board the plane. - Jon Ross
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| U.S. steps up biodiesel production |
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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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U.S. producers ramped up biodiesel generation in February, finishing the month at 68 million gallons, a slight increase from January's total of 66 million gallons, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nearly 75 percent of the February production, which came from 110 plants that can generate up to 2.1 billion gallons per year, originated in the Midwest. Soybean oil was the most common feedstock, followed by corn oil, yellow grease and canola oil. &...
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| Another freight payment vendor in trouble |
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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The automotive supplier division of the U.S. conglomerate Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against its long-time freight payment and audit vendor, TransVantage Solutions. The lawsuit, filed April 8 in New Jersey, alleges that TransVantage had failed to make $17 million in payments to Johnson Control’s transportation providers, and the company had been systematically hiding its misuse of the funds it handled on Johnson Controls’ behalf. &nbs...
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| NA railroads show mixed results so far |
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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For the first 16 weeks of the year, total railroad traffic in the United States has grown by nearly 1 percent over 2012's figures, according to the Association of American Railroads. The organization measured total carloads and intermodal units of 8.2 million on April 20, showing a 0.7-perecent bump over last year. Total volume, however, of 4.4 million carloads, represented a 2.3-percent, year over year, drop. Intermodal units were up by 4.6 percent. In ...
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| Analysis: Florida's deep-dredge projects face new hurdles |
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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Two South Florida ports, Miami and Port Everglades, are prime examples of the dysfunctional approach in the United States for improving the waterborne transportation system. Projects undergo a series of congressional approvals and feasibility studies that easily can take longer than a decade to complete before dredging even starts. Cargo interests worry the Army Corps of Engineers' slow bureaucracy and the paucity of congressional appropriations for increasing ...
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| Chinese air cargo a mixed bag in 2013 |
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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China's air cargo volume rose to 487,000 tons in March, a 4-percent year-over-year increase on the way to a three-month finish of 1.3 million tons, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Year to date, Chinese air freight is 4.7-percent ahead of 2012’s activity. The latest figures showed that new air cargo strongholds have emerged in the country. In March, domestic volume increased by 7.1 percent, but activity in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan sh...
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| Qatar proposes permanent ICAO move |
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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Officials with the International Civil Aviation Organization are currently negotiating a new lease for their headquarters in Montreal, but another suitor has emerged. Qatar has proposed that ICAO make Doha the permanent seat of the organization, starting in 2016. Qatar’s offer, according to ICAO’s rules, must be considered by the organization’s 191 member states at the next assembly, which will take place on Sept. 24. Moving the organization to Qatar will req...
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| UPS, Teamsters reach tentative 5-year deals |
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Friday, April 26, 2013
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UPS has reached a tentative agreement for new five-year contracts with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters covering its small package and freight businesses. The new contracts must now be approved by UPS’ union employees. The current contract, which covers 250,000 UPS employees, expires July 31. "These agreements are a 'win-win-win' for our people, customers and shareholders,” UPS’ chief executive officer, Scott Davis, said in a statement. "The fact th...
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| UPS turns solid 1Q, buys European healthcare firm |
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
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UPS has acquired Budapest-based pharmaceutical logistics firm CEMELOG, a move that will help expand the integrator’s growing healthcare arm, for an undisclosed amount. Officials expect to close the deal in the second quarter. The 14-year-old European company boasts a number of large healthcare brands as clients and will help UPS gain a foothold in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a UPS release. The acquisition adds three distribution facilities, for&nb...
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| Debate over shipping and food aid heats up |
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
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The debate over reform of U.S. food-aid programs heated up yesterday with a leading organization of U.S.-flag shipowners saying a proposal by the Obama administration to allow more purchasing of food abroad and eliminating requirements that it be carried on U.S. merchant ships would “dismantle an effective tool of American diplomacy.” James L. Henry, chairman of USA Maritime, said in a statement “so-called food aid reformers point to U.S. ocean carriers as the primary exam...
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| FAA work reductions continue to slow air traffic |
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's rolling furlough of 15,000 air traffic controllers is into its fifth day and continues to slow air traffic in the United States. Department of Transportation officials insist the workforce reductions will not compromise safety because controllers are spacing planes further apart so they can manage traffic with fewer on-duty personnel. The trade association representing passenger carriers, as well as cargo airline...
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