'White list' threat to Filipino crews THE position of Filipinos as the global industry's seafarers of choice is in serious jeopardy as shipping lines weigh up the threat of their non-compliance with an International Maritime Organisation manning convention.
Alaska Senate moves closer to $50-a-head passenger tax CRUISE vessels calling at Alaska ports could be forced to pay a $50-per-passenger tax to local authorities under a Bill now working its way through the state legislature.
Enterprises slumps to $9.7m loss GREECE'S Enterprises Shipholding has become the latest reefer operator to take a financial whipping in a market undermined by recent natural disasters, overcapacity and the remorseless containerisation of perishable cargoes.
World's second largest truck group Renault chairman Louis Schweitzer, left, and Volvo ceo Leif Johansson address a news conference in Paris at which it was announced that the two groups would form the world's second largest truck group. Volvo will acquire all of Renault's RVI truck division including its US subsidiary Mack in exchange for a 15% shareholding by Renault in Volvo.
ICTSI wins Dar es Salaam deal Manila-based International Container Terminal Services, ICTSI International Holdings Corp and its Tanzanian partner, Vertex Financial Services, have been awarded the Dar es Salaam container terminal concession by the government of Tanzania.
Rogliano demands internet inspection data LEADING French shipbroker Barry Rogliano Salles has suggested that ship inspection data should be made available on the internet as part of an effort to stamp out substandard ships.
Financial incentives boost Brazil shipyards BRAZIL'S transport ministry is on the verge of approving a new soft loan structure which local shipowners believe will reinvigorate what in recent years has been a depressed maritime industry.
Malaysian Navy mobilised in hunt for gunmen and hostages THE search for six gunmen who took 20 people hostage on the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan on Sunday continues despite claims by a Malaysian minister yesterday that they had been located.
Deutsche Post made another significant step toward becoming one of the world's most formidable players in international transportation. This time it was by solidifying its control over DHL International through a joint venture with Lufthansa Cargo. The "close strategic alliance" is meant to gain greater coordination among global logistics services and a much bigger toe hold in the lucrative express parcel business. The first step in forging closer ties between the world's largest cargo airline - Lufthansa Cargo - and biggest air freight forwarder - Deutsche Post's Danzas-AEI - was the creation of a new company, Aerologic GmbH, to manage the 50 percent voting rights of the two companies in DHL.
By failing to perform credit checks on a freight forwarder, Overnite Transportation and Consolidated Freightways could be out almost $2 million even though a federal bankruptcy judge ruled that the forwarder "knew the trucking services business and how to benefit at the expense of the trucking lines that he used and abused." Philip Roger Nail, who organized numerous companies to act as freight forwarders and who was found by the judge to have led "a lavish lifestyle while he was not paying" the truckers, wants to be discharged from his debts. Without having performed a credit check, Overnite and CF could not have had a "justifiable reliance" on being paid, said Nail's attorney.
The pull of the Internet may be getting stronger but many companies lack the information and skills to bring their supply chains into the digital age, according to a recent report. The report, sponsored by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Meritus Consulting Services, New York, is based on a survey of supply-chain management executives. Among several factors cited for some companies' shortfall was the yawning gap between what they expect from their suppliers and the level of service they themselves deliver.
Unlike the railroad industry where every merger creates at least twice as many bottlenecks and service snafus as before, the household goods industry is enjoying a round of mergers that seem to have helped the corporate parents, the financial community, operating entities and even the customer. Last year's merger between North American Van Lines and Allied Van Lines created a giant with 1,200 agents in North America, locations in 36 countries and revenue in excess of $2 billion. With evidence that the merger is working, Global Van Lines now is being added to that network.
Twenty-five FedEx employees, all in non-management positions, were arrested April 13 for their alleged involvement in a drug smuggling ring that was moving huge amounts of marijuana in FedEx aircraft and vehicles. What the employees didn't know was that FedEx was in quiet partnership with the federal government for two years as the Drug Enforcement Agency conducted an investigation dubbed "Operation Green Air." The DEA hailed the express air company's participation as the key to breaking a much broader operation than would have been possible without the company's help.
Discussion agreements, ancillary charges and surcharges - the market mechanisms that shippers love to hate - were roundly defended by Albert Pierce, executive director of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement, as part of a container shipping panel presentation to a United Nations conference in Seoul. The topic of freight rates and charges has been "the subject of considerable misunderstanding in press reports and other public forums," said Pierce.
A Wall Street shipper survey concludes that more than twice as many rail shippers this year than last expect to see rate increases, but that the amount of increase they expect to pay is far lower than what the railroads hope to push through, due in part to lingering service difficulties in the East. Survey results also indicate that service reliability may play a part in the amount of freight that is expected to increase in the intermodal market versus other modes. Truckload carriers, according to the results, will get the lion's share of that business.
Last week's Retail Systems and VICS conferences were all about the Internet. Three "brick-and-mortar" and three dot-com panelists were asked about the "who," how" and "when" of their moves on the web. A major concern of the traditional companies was about keeping control in this new selling channel.
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