Lufthansa starts flying Boeing B747-8I to Los Angeles From today (10 December), the German carrier Lufthansa is starting to deploy a Boeing B747-8I on its Frankfurt - Los Angeles CA (USA) route, thereby replacing the current Boeing 74...
Emirates SkyCargo creates new Thailand trade lane with Phuket launch Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of UAE-based Emirates, one of the fastest growing international airlines, is strengthening its operations in Thailand by launching a daily n...
FPS Philippines starts domestic ocean services Famous Pacific Forwarding Philippines Inc - a member of the FPS network of independent forwarders and NVOCCs - has launched weekly two-way domestic ocean services to link the main...
Jan de Rijk Logistics expands and modernizes fleet Jan de Rijk Logistics, based in the Netherlands, has ordered 125 new DAF trucks. Most of the vehicles will be used to renew the company's current fleet. On top of that Jan de Rijk ...
TNT Express opens new road transit hub in Germany TNT Express has established a new road transit hub at Hanover-Langenhagen airport (Germany). The facility is located on a 62,000 sqm site and includes a 10,000 sqm cross-docking ha...
Kirkwood for Anderson at TGNS group customer service Thomas Gunn Navigation Services (TGNS), a chart supplier wholly owned by Global Navigation Solutions (GNS), has handed the responsibility for its group customer service to Gareth K...
More autonomous Shannon airport launches growth plan The Irish government has decided to separate Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority by the end of this year. The announcement was made as details of the plan for the new...
ND appoints new manager for Great Britain The French service provider Norbert Dentressangle (ND) has chosen Phil Shaw to head its logistics business in the UK. He succeeds Malcolm Wilson who has become managing director of...
Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail inaugurates Hanze line The EUR 1.13 billion Hanze railway line between Lelystad and Zwolle in the Netherlands has been opened and services began with yesterday's timetable change (9 December). Thanks to ...
EBRD loan helps keep Romanian railways reform on track The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a EUR 175 million loan to Romania's state-owned railway infrastructure operator, Compania Nationala de Cai ...
Arco Spedizioni SpA is new VTL partner in Italy The general cargo alliance VTL Vernetzte-Transport-Logistik GmbH, based in Fulda (Germany), has a new partner in Italy. The cooperation with forwarding company Arco Spedizioni SpA ...
Univar acquires Magnablend Univar, a leading chemical distributor, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Magnablend, a TX (USA)-based provider of custom chemical manufacturing, blending and packaging ...
Whither Excel's quarterly report? NYSE-listed Excel - which has one of the largest fleets among public companies - has yet to file its 3Q12 results as its equity raising deadline looms
Russia halts US meat imports RUSSIA'S food safety inspectorate has halted beef and pork imports from the US
Chinese daily crude imports soar CHINA imported 5.71M barrels per day of crude in November, behind only the record 5.98M b/d in February
FFA trades in yuan begun in Shanghai SHANGHAI Clearing House, the first such operation in China, began FFA trades today in yuan
South African rail maintenance will hit coal exports SOUTH African rail operator Transnet said its planned three-day maintenance at the end of this year will mean shutting down its coal line
Indonesian shipping growth seen in 2013 INDONESIA'S domestic shipping stands to grow by about 20% in 2013 in line with the country's healthy economic performance, the Indonesian National Shipowners Association has predicted
Jaya refinances debts JAYA Holdings said today it has fully repaid and refinanced its existing debt through the $150M revolving credit facility secured in November
Gorgon cost blowout tied to competition issues THE HIGH Australian dollar, wages and bad weather are to blame for a $9Bn blowout in Chevron's Gorgon LNG Australia, mining companies have said
Bulker buyers lick lips STRONG sales of secondhand bulkers have bucked the usual quiet activity in the holiday season
Enova Teams Up With Georgia Kaolin Terminals Enova Wood Pellet Group, a subsidiary of Enova Energy Group, has entered into a long-term port agreement with Georgia Kaolin Terminals, a subsidiary of Colonial Group. The agreement provides Enova with sufficient port capacity to export up to 1.35 million metric tons (about 1.5 million tons) per year of wood pellets...
Canada Expected to Introduce Rail Legislation Tuesday Canada is expected Tuesday morning to introduce legislation relating to a government report that highlighted shortfalls in freight railroad service. It's not clear what the amendment to the Canada's Transportation Act entails. The Freight Rail Service Review, released in 2011, found two-thirds of surveyed shippers lost money because of poor service....
Panama Canal Likely to Expand Again, Aleman Says NEWARK, N.J. - When the Panama Canal's third set of locks opens sometime in mid-2015, it won't be the last time the Panama Canal Authority expands the canal. "It will have to expand one more time after that," said Alberto Aleman Zubieta, who stepped down as administrator of the Panama...
Oakland Acts to Prevent Improper Spending The Port of Oakland on Monday implemented a plan to address lax oversight of business expenditures by port executives and guard against embarrassing, improper expenditures in the future. Release of the action plan was accompanied by the announcement that James Kwon has agreed to retire as maritime director effective Dec. 28. An...
Brinkmanship in Delray Beach International Longshoremen's Association President Harold Daggett got everyone's attention - doesn't he always? - by winning ILA delegates' authorization to call a Maine-to-Texas strike at year-end. So what should we make of the latest episode in the negotiations between the ILA and United States Maritime Alliance? First, the vote wasn't unexpected. Most...
Dispute Casts Shadow on China-Japan Trade The ongoing dispute between Japan and China over an East China Sea island chain will continue to cast a shadow over the Japanese economy and trade outlook into next year, according to leading operators and analysts. "The volume between China and Japan has dropped significantly both by air and sea," said...
Retailers: OCU Strike to Hurt November Imports Retailers project a drop in containerized imports in November because of the eight-day clerical workers strike in Los Angeles-Long Beach, but volumes should be up 3.9 percent in December compared to the same month last year. "After a strong kickoff on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the holiday season is looking...
Perdue Partners Acquires Benton Express Global trading company Perdue Partners has acquired Atlanta-based logistics and less-than-truckload carrier Benton Express. Perdue Partners intends to build on Benton's strong LTL presence in the Southeast and invest in the company's energy and infrastructure, said former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, one of the founders of Perdue Partners. Transportation financial advisory firm...
LA-Long Beach Catches Up on Cargo Backlog LONG BEACH - Terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach late last week ran night and weekend gates to work off much the cargo that was backed up at the ports after an eight-day office clerical workers strike, so Monday was not as bad as some had feared. "It's busy, but manageable,"...
Sinergy Cargo Opens Multimodal Facility Near Port of Genoa Sinergy Cargo, the Italian member of the FPS network of freight forwarders, has opened a multimodal container and bulk cargo handling and storage center in Arquata Scrivia, Italy, about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from the Port of Genoa, to serve domestic freight and export and import trades. The Sinergy Cargo...
How Do You Fix a Broken TWIC? The Transportation Worker Identification Card, a biometric identification credential is broken. The Department of Defense announced Dec. 10 that the program mandated 10 years ago and managed by the Department of Homeland Security does not meet Department of Defense security standards. Serious questions need to be asked about why this...
TWIC 'Does Not Meet' Defense Department Security Standards The U.S. Department of the Army issued a Federal Register notice that the Transportation Worker Identification Credential can no longer be used to authenticate users for access to certain Department of Defense systems, effective Jan. 29, 2013. The U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command has required all commercial accounts accessing...
US Customs Confiscates Rubber Ducks The seized holiday rubber ducks came dressed as Santa, snowmen, gingerbread men, reindeer or penguins. Photo courtesy U.S. Customs U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently seized 35,712 imported holiday-themed rubber ducks, worth $18,522, at the Port of Los Angeles, on the grounds that they contained too much phthalate. Phthalates are a group...
China's Freight Trucking Industry Shows Strong Growth The freight trucking industry in China has been increasing at 13.8 percent per year, reaching about $59.3 billion in 2012, according to IBISWorld's "Freight Trucking in China" report. There are more than 62,500 freight trucking companies in China. The industry's four main players - COSCO Logistics, Shanghai Jiao Yun, Dazhong Transportation...
Port of Los Angeles Wins 10 Communications Awards 2011 Waterfront Summer Concert Series SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The Port of Los Angeles has won 10 communications awards in an annual competition hosted by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), an alliance of more than 140 ports in the Western Hemisphere. The Port's 2011 Waterfront Summer Concert Series won...
Ports Association Formed 100 Years Ago Today AAPA 100th birthday cake cutting with AAPA Chair Armando Duarte (right) and Immediate Past Chair Jerry Bridges. ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Today marks the actual anniversary of the founding of the American Association of Port Authorities, headquartered in Alexandria, Va. One hundred years ago today, December 10, 1912, a meeting of public port...
Indian Railways' Revenue Jumps 19 Percent Total revenue of Indian Railways, operated by the Indian government's Ministry of Railways, reached Rs. 78868.17 crore (approximately US $14.5 billion) from April 1 to Nov. 30 (the first eight months of fiscal year 2012-2013), increasing 19 percent from last year's $12.1 billion and continuing 2012's upward trend. From April to...
India Extends Tax Relief for Exporters India's federal government has extended a 2 percent interest subsidy on pre- and post-shipment export credit for labor-intensive sectors, including handicrafts, carpets, handlooms, small and medium enterprises, readymade garments, processed agriculture products, sporting goods and toys, according to India's Ministry of Finance. The subsidy will apply to those sectors from April...
ILA Authorizes Strike at Year-End International Longshoremen's Association President Harold Daggett won authorization from ILA delegates to call a strike if a bargaining impasse isn't settled before the union's contract expires Dec. 29. The vote by the ILA's 200-member wage scale committee moves East and Gulf coast ports closer to their first coastwide strike in 35...
IATA: US to Stay Top Air Freight Market Global air cargo traffic is set to grow at a five-year cumulative annual rate of 3 percent, and the U.S. will remain the largest single market in 2016, the International Air Transport Association predicted. International freight volume will reach 34.5 million metric tons in 2016, compared with 29.6 million tons in...
Aus box ports record annual growth The resilient Australian economy helped its container ports to process 7.1 million TEU in the fiscal year ending June 30 2012 - representing a 4% year-over-year ...
Winter of discontent for liners Carrier earnings are expected to come under pressure in the fourth quarter, after earnings peaked in Q3, according to analyst Alphaliner's latest market analysis.Alphaliner ...
China's 'sweet spot' Encouraging fresh data from the world's second-largest economy is also good news for the global economy with the Chinese 'sweet spot' likely to spur investors on ...
OOCL hikes Asia - NZ rates Hong Kong-headquartered ocean carrier OOCL is to raise rates on its Asia to New Zealand services again in January after an apparently successful hike in September; ...
World's biggest boxship makes first European calls The world's largest containership has arrived in Europe on its maiden voyage, calling first at Southampton before departing this afternoon for Hamburg
USWC congestion to linger Whereas the US west coast port of Long Beach is waiving some cargo fees to 'provide financial relief and help ease the backlog of containers' following the closure ...
Wanted: bulkers Dry-bulk cargoes may be hard to clinch due to the ongoing glut in international fleet capacity but one Vietnamese broker appears to be sitting on plenty.
Scorpio swoops on sextet US-based Scorpio Tankers is ready to order six firm medium-range products tankers from two South Korean shipyards on the strength of the its recent proceeds from an equity raise, tanker market sources tell TradeWinds.
BLT battle continues A New York bankruptcy judge has agreed to protect an embattled Indonesian operator's assets from creditors for another three months.
Tweendecker ablaze More than 40 firefighters have been called in to battle a blaze that has broken out on board a Briese Schiffahrts tweendecker at the port of Ipswich in Suffolk.
Sorensen leaves Classic Klaus Elkrog Sorensen has left George Economou's Classic Maritime to join a fledgling marine fuel trader that opened its doors earlier this year.
EXM fixes three amigos Excel Maritime Carriers appears to have secured time charters for three of its panamax bulkers.
Havila to buy-back pair Havila Shipping is targeting a private placement to help fund the re-purchase of a pair of anchor handling tug supply vessels.
Rongsheng eyes bulk duo Ukraine's UkrLand Farming Public has lined up an order for two bulkers at China's Rongsheng Heavy Industries in a move backed by a grain export contract.
German owners in tax plea Shipping association says 19% insurance fee will send smaller companies to the wall.
SCF banks $700m Sovcomflot has signed up for a huge refinancing package with a consortium of leading banks.
More aid for HSH? The public owners of German lender HSH Nordbank are considering boosting financial support for the bank after four years of poor shipping markets.
RCL turns to Singapore Royal Caribbean Cruises has signed a contract with Sembcorp Marine's Sembawang Shipyard to provide repair and maintenance for its Asia-based cruiseships.
Yard workers burned Three workers were injured in an explosion at Khulna Shipyard in Bangladesh.
Photofinish Our annual photo competition appears to be developing into a two horse race as the voting deadline nears.
Hamburg Sud expands Germany's Hamburg Sud is beefing up its Central and South American coverage with three new loops.
Uglands eyes barge buy Norway's Uglands Rederi is aiming to buy Viking Supply Ships' North Sea barge fleet.
Bulker drift halted Tugs have succeeded in halting a drifting bulker as it was forced towards the Dutch coast on Monday morning.
Havila sells out Havila Shipping has agreed to sell its half share in a shipowning joint venture to partner Subsea 7.
Svitzer to drain Baltic Ace Svitzer has landed the contract to remove bunkers from the car carrier Baltic Ace (built 2007) which sank in the North Sea last week.
Judger in trouble Chinese yard needs help from the state and creditors after missing debt repayment.
Viking adds 10 US-based Viking River Cruises has returned to Germany for 10 more newbuildings.
Westcon moves for Floro Norway's Westcon Group is buying the domestic Floro yard from STX.
Oldendorff orders in China Oldendorff Carriers has contracted a panamax-size transshipment newbuilding in China at Jiangsu Eastern Heavy Industry.
Maersk plans nose jobs Maersk Line is set to chop the bulbous bows off its containerships in a radical move to cut its bunker bills.
Cape in pier smash A K Line chartered capesize bulker has destroyed a coal conveyor at North America's largest coal exporting port.
Pacific Northwest grain terminals, union to meet Tuesday An association representing a half dozen grain terminals on the Columbia River and Puget Sound said over the weekend that federal mediators have called for additional meetings to reach a contract agreement.
U.S. businesses bidding for foreign contracts get federal lift President Obama issued an order Thursday forming an interagency task force to coordinate the government's advocacy on behalf of U.S. firms competing for public contracts in foreign countries.
AIG to sell plane leasing company AIG will sell 80.1 percent of its International Lease Finance Corp., an aircraft lessor with 200 airline clients in 80 countries, to a Chinese-led investor group for $5.28 billion. U.S. and Chinese regulators still need to approve the deal.
U.S. stews over Russia's meat import restriction
MNX sees opportunity in sluggish market
Saudi Cargo sees flat 2013 The airline's cargo operation experienced growth among its 13 freighters in 2012, seeing a 19-percent increase in activity in boarding figures for the first nine months of the year when compared to 2011's figures.
Capes Shipping expands in Gulf, Pacific Northwest
U.S.-EU trade negotiations paralyzed by 'fear of failure'
Natural gas prices ready to break link with oil products 'Gas markets in Europe are changing and we are modernising our contracts,' says Statoil's CFO.
IFO prices stable in Fujairah But distillates fell back, losing around $5 a tonne.
MGO prices open the week soft in Europe But Rotterdam fuel oil prices stayed firm.
Gulf Petrochem starts work on Gujarat terminal Project will 'accelerate Gulf Petrochem's expansion in key Asian markets.'
US researchers looking at 'next level' algae fuel production Aims to replicate process that transforms marine micro algae into oil as basis for commercially viable fuel production.
No fresh exemptions for high-polluting US vessel 'It is time for the shipping company to end its excuses.'
MAN Diesel 'heralds new era' for dual-fuel engines Contract is culmination of many years' work, says company.
Bow shape may change in era of slow steaming Bulbous bows have become inefficient as ship speeds slow.
Bunker demand to grow but 'tempered by fuel efficiency' After shrinking in the 2007-2010 period, analyst predicts 2.3% annual average growth until 2030.
Week opens with softer prices Demand low to average across key Asian ports.
Fuel to leave sunken car carrier Salvor Svitzer will remove bunkers from vessel.
Dan-Bunkering beefs up American operations Appoints new bunker trader at its Houston office.
Pakistani bunker supplier in expansion moves Expands fleet with the addition of one bunker tanker.
No immediate concerns of oil leak from sunken ship Car carrier Baltic Ace sinks off Dutch coast following collision with box ship Corvus J.
Malaysia launches first diesel electric offshore vessel Bumi Armada plans to build up to eight more multi-purpose platform support vessels.
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