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| U.S. Customs eyes two more CEEs by October |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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The number of Industry Integration Centers for Excellence and Expertise within U.S. Customs devoted to centralizing the import process for trusted shippers could double to four this fiscal year, Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski recently said. Customs and Border Protection last fall established two Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) - one in New York that deals with the pharmaceutical industry and one in Los Angeles responsible for electronics - as ...
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| U.S.-South Korea FTA enters force March 15 |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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The White House on Tuesday said the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement will enter into force on March 15. The announcement followed the completion over the President’s Day weekend of work by the United States and South Korea to review each other’s laws and regulations related to the implementation of the agreement. The United States has exchanged diplomatic notes with South Korea in which each side confirmed that they had completed their legal requirements and proc...
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| CBP proposes changes to in-bond rules |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would make substantial changes to the way imported merchandise is transported inland under a bond, enabling the cargo owner to defer payment of duties until it reaches the destination port or is exported. The primary fixes involve making the in-bond process electronic and tightening up procedures to better track merchandise and prevent diversion. In the past, CBP has...
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| Boeing enters supply chain finance guarantee program |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing will participate in the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s Supply-Chain Finance Guarantee program, which provides competitively priced working capital financing to suppliers of goods or services to U.S. exporters. Ex-Im Bank approved the Boeing supplier program in September 2011 with an initial capacity of $740 million. The bank can guarantee up to 90 percent of that capacity. Citibank N.A. will serve as the lender operating the program for Boein...
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| Export reform update at Silicon Valley seminar |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Eric L. Hirschhorn on March 1 will meet with leading Silicon Valley companies to update them on the reform of the country’s export control regulations. The two-hour seminar, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at SAP in Palo Alto, Calif., is sponsored by Women in International Trade – Northern California. The seminar will include a preview of proposed rulings and how companies are impacted by the e...
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| TCC wins key decision in MQC claims pursuit |
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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The shuttered transpacific liner carrier The Containership Co. earlier this month won a decision in U.S. Bankruptcy Court that could help the line recoup lost revenue from its former shipper customers. On Feb. 10, a U.S. Bankruptcy judge in New York found in favor of Norway-based TCC in a motion filed by a group of its customers, who were seeking to have to breach-of-contracts proceedings moved before the Federal Maritime Commission. U.S. Judge Sean Lane denied the motio...
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| TNT reports $230 million 4Q loss |
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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Days after it rejected an acquisition bid from UPS, the Dutch document and package carrier TNT Express said it had a loss of 174 million euros ($230 million) in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to a profit of 4 million euros in the same 2010 period. Revenues were 1.87 billion euros in the fourth quarter, 2.3 percent more than the same period a year earlier. For the full-year 2011, the company lost 272 million euros, compared to a profit of 69 m...
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| Faster runway exits promised for Newark |
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Monday, February 20, 2012
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A new initiative to reduce tarmac congestion at Newark Liberty International Airport could improve air cargo reliability for carriers and their customers. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said last week that it will construct two high-speed taxiways that are more gently angled to allow planes faster exits from the runway upon landing. The $42 million project is scheduled to start in March on Runway 4R-22L, which is 10,000 feet long and handles a...
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| Inspectors stop bee threat at U.S. port |
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Monday, February 20, 2012
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The U.S. honeybee population is safer today after U.S. Customs officers at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia recently intercepted a red mason bee hitchhiking in a container of household goods from the United Kingdom, the agency said. It is the first known interception of the red mason bee, which is commonly found in the United Kingdom, and is not established in the United States. Inspectors found the insect within a rolled rug and called in agriculture specialists to ident...
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| Money tightens for 2012 port security grants |
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Monday, February 20, 2012
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A smaller appropriation from Congress for Department of Homeland Security preparedness grants has resulted in the cutback of the Port Security Grant Program to $97.5 million in fiscal year 2012 from $235 million in the last round. On Friday, DHS issued its grant guidance for seven grant programs to help communities prevent, respond to or recover from natural or man-made disasters. The department has more than $1.3 billion to assist states, non-profit agencies and th...
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| NY shipper sentenced for illegal exports |
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Monday, February 20, 2012
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The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said Jeng “Jay” Shih, 54, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced in the District of Columbia to 18 months in prison, while his Queens, N.Y.-based company, Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corp., was sentenced to 24 months corporate probation for conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran via the United Arab Emirates. On Oct. 7, 2011, Shih and his company each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violat...
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| NY/NJ port authority puts toll violators on notice |
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Monday, February 20, 2012
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Deadbeat truckers, bus companies, vehicle rental businesses and motorists who have racked up thousands of dollars of unpaid tolls at bridges and tunnels in the New York City metropolitan area are now having their identities exposed to shame them into compliance. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday published its list of top toll violators , who collectively owe about $5 million. Several small trucking firms involved in goods transportation are named. &nbs...
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| California shipper pleads guilty to illegal exports |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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The U.S. Justice Department said Massoud Habibion, a U.S. citizen and co-owner of a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Online Micro LLC, pleaded guilty Thursday in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, Mohsen Motamedian, 44, a U.S. citizen and co-owner of Online Micro, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. At a hearing before U.S. District Judge Ellen S...
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| Analyst: $13.1 billion for smart transport |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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A study by Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm, found that intelligent transportation systems (ITS) will continue to see increased investment worldwide despite tightening purse strings. Pike estimates global investments in smart transport technology will reach $13.1 billion from 2011 through 2017. ITS, also called smart transportation systems, includes electric vehicles, vehicles with advanced telematics systems, new and ...
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| FMC reviews 15 OTI license applications |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 15 license applications and changes for review. The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from AA Shipping, Houston (Barbara C. Mozie, president); Eagle Van Lines, Temple Hills, Md. (Christos Georgeakopoulos, vice president); J.K. Moving & Storage, Sterling, Va. (Charles S. Kuhn, president); NIT Logistics, Hackensack, N.J. (Esra Terer, corporate secretary); and TBIF, Bozeman, Mont. (Way...
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| Grant helps LTL carrier buy natural gas trucks |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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Central Freight Lines, a less-than-truckload carrier based in Waco, Texas, announced Thursday it will test 15 compressed natural gas tractors with the help of a grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council. If the Peterbilt tractors perform well under operational conditions, the company said it may buy another 200 of these low-emission trucks for use in South Texas. The regional coordination agency is using $17.5 million in federal funds to subsidize f...
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| FMC report could revive regulation debate |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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The debate about how the container shipping industry should be regulated may be revived with the release of a major report by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission on Thursday about the decision by the European Union to end the so-called "block exemption" for liner companies under EU competition law in 2008. In a telephone interview, FMC Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky Jr. said the central conclusion of the report was positive for U.S. shippers. "Most armch...
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| STB to examine Buffett's BNSF buy |
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Friday, February 17, 2012
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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said Thursday it will hold a March 22 public hearing to explore the impact of Berkshire Hathaway's acquisition of the BNSF Railway in 2010 on certain costing determinations. Berkshire, headed by the billionaire investor Warren Buffett, paid $43 billion to acquire BNSF. STB said the Western Coal Traffic League (WCTL) and other parties argue that BNSF's acquisition price produced an $8.1 billion write-up in the r...
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| C-TPAT to be recast as 'all-threats' program |
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
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The U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism could evolve beyond a program focused on supply chain security to one that encompasses all types of threats associated with international trade, David Aguilar, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, recently said. Plans to widen the scope come as the program prepares to take a $5 million hit, according to the Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 budget proposal released this week. &nbs...
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| FMC: U.S. shippers not harmed by EU law change |
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
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A study released by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission on Thursday finds the repeal of antitrust protection for the liner shipping industry in Europe in 2008 has not disadvantaged U.S. shippers. On Sept. 25, 2006, the European Union announced the repeal of the regulation that provided a "block exemption" from EU competition law for liner shipping conferences in trades to and from EU members. The change in the law took effect on Oct. 18, 2008. In ...
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| U.S., EU seal organic food trade |
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
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The United States and European Union on Wednesday announced that starting June 1 organic products certified in Europe or the United States may be sold as “organic” in either region. The United States and Europe are considered the world’s largest producers of organic crops, with a collective value of $52 billion (40 billion euros). The agreement’s signing took place at the BioFach World Organic Fair, the largest trade show for organic products in the world. &...
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| ITC: U.S. makers hurt by washers from South Korea, Mexico |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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The U.S. International Trade Commission has determined that there is a “reasonable indication” domestic manufacturers of large residential washers imported from South Korea are allegedly subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value. The ITC also determined similar washers imported from Mexico, while not subsidized, are also sold at less than fair value in the United States. The commission made its determination in a 4-1 vote on Fr...
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| Wind turbine tower imports hurt U.S. makers, ITC says |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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The U.S. International Trade Commission has determined there is a “reasonable indication” that domestic manufacturers of utility-scale wind turbine towers are injured by imports allegedly subsidized by China and from both China and Vietnam sold in the United States at less than fair value. The commission made its determination in a 5-0 vote on Friday. As a result, the Commerce Department will continue its investigations on imports of these products, wit...
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| Leavitt, Park City build food and drug visibility |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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Leavitt Partners and Park City Group have paired to create a joint solution to improve supply chain visibility for food and drug safety. The partnership will leverage Park City’s product "synchronization" technology that maintains inventories, tracks product movement, and is used to settle financial transactions among buyers. Leavitt Partners, a health care and food safety consulting firm, said the firms will start with a database of seller and b...
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| ATA files suit on driver fatigue rule |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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As anticipated, the American Trucking Associations on Tuesday filed a petition asking a federal court to review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recently published final rule changing the hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers. The new rulemaking retained the 11-hour daily driving limit for truck drivers, which the agency considered shortening by an hour. But it increased the required rest period for drivers at the end of each wee...
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| Obama signs FAA bill |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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President Obama signed into law Tuesday legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration for $63 billion over four years and paving the way for accelerated development of the NextGen air traffic control system. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 sets the direction and spending priorities of the agency for the first time in a decade. The previous multi-year blueprint expired more than four years ago, requiring almost two dozen short-term extens...
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| CORRECTION: Doyle nominated for FMC commissioner |
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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Doyle The wrong photo of William P. Doyle was included in Tuesday's edition of AS+ and AS Daily . Doyle, chief of staff at the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA), has been nominated by President Obama to be a commissioner at the Federal Maritime Commission.
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| DHS tightens belt under Obama budget |
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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The Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Homeland Security would cut net discretionary spending by $191 million, or 0.5 percent, below the 2012 enacted level to $39.5 billion. The spending plan reflects fiscal realities that have led to belt-tightening across a wide section of government. Discretionary spending - the amount of the budget controlled by the annual budget process - represents only 30 percent of the federal government's outlay...
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| Obama nominates union staffer to FMC |
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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President Obama has nominated William P. Doyle, chief of staff at the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), to be a commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. Obama also nominated Richard A. Lidinsky Jr., current FMC chairman, to another term. Lidinsky was first named commissioner by Obama in 2009. If confirmed by the Senate, Doyle would replace Joseph E. Brennan, who has been at the FMC since 1999, making him the longest-serving of the...
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| ESC bemoans 'shocking' piracy levels |
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) said the state of piracy, while improving, is still at a "shocking" level. “A year on from our last press statement on this issue, the ESC remains alarmed by the latest figures released by the ICC's International Maritime Bureau,” the council said. “Although figures show a decreasing number of piracy attacks, the damage done is still unacceptably high.” ESC referred to a reported 37 attacks in 2012, coming on the heels of 420 at...
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| Budget increase sought for DOT, Army Corps |
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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President Obama is proposing a fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Transportation of $74 billion, 2 percent, or $1.4 billion, above the 2012 enacted amount. It's one piece of a $3.8 trillion plan that raises spending to support the middle class through incentives for domestic manufacturing, lower payroll taxes, infrastructure investment and other steps while raising revenue through taxes on the wealthiest Americans and reductions in subsidies for the ...
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| U.S. trade deficit grows even with strong exports |
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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The U.S. trade deficit widened in December and for 2011 as a whole despite solid growth in exports, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Friday. December exports and imports totaled $178.8 billion and $227.6 billion, respectively, resulting in a goods and services deficit of $48.8 billion, up 3.7 percent from $47.1 billion in November. The December trade deficit compared to a year ago increased $8.3 billion, with exports up $14.8 billion, or 9 percent, and imp...
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| Court won't block NY Waterfront Commission program |
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a complaint by the New York Shipping Association (NYSA) that sought to block a program by the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH) that would give it the option to install independent monitors at port businesses. The commission was created in 1953 by the states of New York and New Jersey as a special law enforcement agency to combat crime and corruption at marine terminals and other wa...
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| U.S., Peru urge end to yarn forward rule |
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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U.S. import and Peruvian export advocates last week sent a letter to Peruvian Foreign Trade Minister Jose Luis Silva and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk urging elimination of a “yarn forward” rule of origin on apparel as part of the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. The Peruvian Associación de Exportadores (ADEX) and members associations of the U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership Apparel Coalition sent a joint letter on behalf of U.S. and Peru apparel producers, reta...
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| Wood borers found at Detroit airport |
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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U.S. Customs officers at Detroit Wayne County International Airport discovered wood-boring insects and evidence of their tunnels on 13 occasions in January while inspecting wood pallets and other packing material, the agency said. Six inspections in late January resulted in the interception of eight live wood-boring insects. Customs said it refused to allow the wood packing material to enter the commercial stream. Under international st...
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| CBP stops large volume of fake perfume in 2011 |
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection said front-line personnel seized $51 million worth of counterfeit perfume at ports of entry in fiscal year 2011, ended Sept. 30. Fake perfumes labeled with brand names cost the legitimate manufacturer lost sales and possible reputation if customers associate the inferior product with the company. Counterfeit perfumes also pose a potential health hazard because they are often contaminated with unknown chemicals. The bor...
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| Importer pays $1 million for mislabeling fish |
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Friday, February 10, 2012
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California-based Seafood Solutions Inc. was sentenced in federal court in Los Angeles Monday to pay $1 million in fines and community service payments for its role in the false labeling of frozen fish fillets, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The sentence stemmed from the company's conviction last July for trafficking in fish that had been transported and sold in violation of the Lacey Act, a conservation law that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants tha...
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| OHL pays $1 million for air cargo security violations |
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Friday, February 10, 2012
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OHL Solutions Inc., a large logistics services provider based in Brentwood, Tenn., has agreed to pay a $1 million civil fine and take other remedial steps for failing to properly screen cargo for explosives as a designated agent of the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana announced Wednesday. The violations were committed by ActivAir, OHL's air freight forwarding division previously acquired from a British firm, a...
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| DTAG seeks new members |
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Friday, February 10, 2012
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The Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG), a private-sector panel that provides advice to the federal government on the policy and regulation of U.S. defense trade, is now accepting membership applications for the upcoming 2012-2014 term. “Membership on this panel presents an exciting opportunity to participate in the administration’s Export Control Reform Initiative, seeking to better align the export control process with emerging global security challenges,” the State De...
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| Ex-forwarder pleads guilty to illegal export |
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
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A former manager of a Netherlands-based freight forwarder pleaded guilty for conspiring to defraud the United States by facilitating the illegal export of goods to Iran. Ulrich Davis, 50, a Dutch citizen of Pumerend, The Netherlands, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark, N.J. federal court on Monday. According to court documents, Davis was the sales and business development manager for a company described in the In...
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| Companies assessed U.S. antiboycott fines |
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
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The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said three companies agreed to pay a total of $35,200 in civil penalties to settle allegations that each violated the Export Administration Regulations’ antiboycott provisions. Antiboycott regulations prohibit U.S. persons from taking certain actions with intent to comply with or support unsanctioned foreign boycotts, including providing information about business relationships with or in a boycott...
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| Rep. Issa questions LA port's stimulus spend |
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
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The campaign by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to discredit the Obama administration's choices for distributing stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has now set its sights on the Port of Los Angeles. Rep. Darrell Issa of California, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Monday sent a letter to Port Director Geraldine Knatz asking for details about the port's decision to use $489,0...
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| Army Corps boosts spending on harbor deepening |
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released work plans for its civil works program through the end of the current fiscal year 2012 and increased the amount it will spend on harbor deepening projects. Projects underway or planned to deepen harbors in Jacksonville, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; Wilmington, N.C., and the Delaware River all received multimillion increases in funding. The South Carolina Ports Authority said the plan included $2.5...
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| New in-bond rule to be published soon |
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Wednesday, February 08, 2012
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New regulations modernizing the in-bond transportation process that enables importers to defer entry and duty payment at the port of arrival until reaching another port are expected to be issued in the next few days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday. Homeland Security leaders and the Office of Management and Budget have signed off on the final rulemaking, Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski said during a lunch speech at the National ...
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| FMC reviews 12 OTI license applications |
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Wednesday, February 08, 2012
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The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 12 license applications and changes for review. The FMC received non-vessel-operating common carrier license applications from Carlos B. Sanchez Renner, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico (Carlos G. Sanchez Renner, sole proprietor); and Marsh & Associates Signing Services, Willingboro, J.J. (Cheryl Marsh, chief executive). The agency received NVO-ocean freight forwarder license applications from ABBA Trans, Elk Gro...
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| MarAd chief counsel moves to DOT |
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Wednesday, February 08, 2012
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K. Denise Rucker Krepp, chief counsel of the Maritime Administration, is moving to another job within the U.S. Department of Transportation. A MarAd spokesman said "we do not comment on personnel moves." But a source said Krepp has been assigned to the Office of the Secretary as special counsel to the DOT general counsel. She was officially sworn in as MarAd's chief counsel in September 2009. Prior to joining the ag...
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| U.S. zeros out ‘zeroing’ |
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012
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The United States in Geneva on Monday signed agreements with the European Union and Japan that will bring an end to longstanding trade disputes over “zeroing.” Zeroing is a label sometimes used to describe a methodology used in antidumping calculations for aggregating unfairly-traded (“dumped”) transactions with other transactions. The disputes started nearly nine years ago, when the EU first requested World Trade Organization consultations over the use of zero...
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| $15 million penalty upheld for Jones Act violation |
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to reduce a $15 million penalty assessed against a company that moved an oil rig part of the way on its voyage from the Gulf of Mexico to Cook’s Inlet in Alaska on a Chinese ship instead of on a U.S.-flagged Jones Act vessel. The Jones Act requires cargo to be moved between U.S. ports on ships built and registered in the United States and crewed by Americans. “It is the decision of the chi...
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| Judge declines to prevent NY-NJ toll hike |
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012
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A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday denied a request from the Automobile Club of New York and the Automobile Club of North Jersey (AAA) for a preliminary injunction against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to keep the agency from raising tolls on its four bridges and two tunnels. The toll hikes have upset some commuters and truckers in the region. Tolls vary according to time and day of use and whether a vehicle has an EZ pass radio-frequency tag. For ex...
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| Hazardous waste cargo seized in Indonesia |
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Monday, February 06, 2012
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Several environmental groups reported a shipment of 113 containers of toxic waste discovered last month at the Jakarta Tanjung Priok Port in Indonesia points up the continuing problem of hazardous waste being shipped to developing countries. Indonesia Toxics-Free Network, the Basel Action Network, Ban Toxics, and BaliFokus urged all world governments to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment and enforce the Basel Convention which seeks to control...
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| Damen sends new dredgers to Azerbaijan |
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Friday, February 03, 2012
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Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards delivered three cutter suction dredgers to the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Azerbaijan. The ministry ordered the three dredgers to clean-up, deepen and maintain the Kura River. Damen was able to build and deliver the dredgers within six months of signing the contract with the Azerbaijan government. The dredgers will be moved to Nefchala, where the crews will be trained. Afterwards they start work at three d...
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| Green Cargo to sell 3PL operations |
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Friday, February 03, 2012
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Green Cargo AB, a transport and logistics company owned by the Swedish government, is considering the sale of its third-party logistics operations. The Swedish government's goal is to sell off many state-owned companies to reduce the country's debt. The government told the national media that it's considering the sale of its 3PL company because it has seen significant interest from buyers. Since the 2006 election, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld...
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| Open U.S.-Canada wheat trade sought |
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Friday, February 03, 2012
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The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) each passed a resolution calling for an open border with Canada that provides reciprocal bilateral wheat trade. Under a December 2011 law, which still faces some legal challenges, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) will lose its grain marketing monopoly Aug. 1, allowing western Canadian farmers to sell their wheat and barley in the open market. The United States is routinely Canada’...
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| DOT begins 4th round of TIGER grants |
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Thursday, February 02, 2012
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The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday said it will make $500 million available this year in the fourth round of TIGER funding for surface transportation investment. Infrastructure projects will be evaluated on how they advance the Obama administration's goals of safety, improving the nation's economic competitiveness, livable communities, environmental sustainability, keeping assets in a state of good repair and short-term job creation. The ...
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| Ports call for more dredging funds |
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Thursday, February 02, 2012
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Several port executives called for passage of the so-called Realize America's Maritime Promise or RAMP Act (H.R. 104) during a joint hearing of the House's Ways and Means oversight and select revenue measures subcommittees. The oversight subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., who introduced the bill. The bill would dedicate all proceeds of the Harbor Maintenance Tax to harbor maintenance projects such as dredging port...
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| FMC reviews 5 OTI license applications |
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received five license applications for review. The FMC received a non-vessel-operating common carrier license application from Iris International USA, Haworth, N.J. (Chang Gil Kim, member). The agency also received NVO-ocean freight forwarder license applications from Ashimiyu Alowanle, Rockford, Minn. (Ashimiyu Alowonle, sole proprietor); Direct Express Intermodal, Atlanta (James J. Briles III, president); and Grupo Delpa Co...
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| Baltimore offers cash to scrap old trucks |
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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Truckers serving the Port of Baltimore can now receive up to $20,000 towards disposal of their old, polluting rigs and purchase of newer model trucks under a program announced Tuesday to help reduce diesel emissions. The "cash-for-clunkers" incentive is primarily aimed at individual operators who own their trucks and upgrade to tractors with 2007 or newer engines. The Environmental Protection Agency set new emission standards...
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| Rep. Mica introduces surface transportation bill |
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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A new transportation bill was introduced in the U.S. House by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica, R-Fla., and other members of his committee on Tuesday. They said the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7) would authorize approximately $260 billion over five years to fund federal highway, transit and safety programs, “consistent with current funding levels.” Mica called it the “largest transportation reform...
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| Study: Oakland port pollution drops |
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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The Port of Oakland said a study by the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Berkeley found a 50 percent decline in diesel particulate matter emissions from drayage trucks and a 40 percent decline in nitrogen oxide emissions in the port area following implementation of the clean trucks component of the port’s comprehensive truck management program. The UC Berkeley study measured ambient conditions directly above 7th Street in a...
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| FMC's Cordero sees LNG as ship fuel |
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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Liquefied natural gas "continues to make progress as a credible fuel alternative" for international transport carriers, Federal Maritime Commissioner Mario Cordero told a conference in Houston last week. Speaking at the World LNG Fuels Conference, Cordero referenced an annoucement from the classification society Det Norke Veritas last month that it had approved in principle a design by Kawasaki Heavy Industries of a 9,000-TEU containership fueled by LNG. ...
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