Monday, March 2, 2009
Top Story
U.S. shipper group proposes seven-step trade stimulus to Obama
A letter was sent by Marianne Rowden, general counsel and interim executive of the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI), to President Barack Obama last week outlining seven steps to stimulate private investment and expand trade without allocating additional public funds, including:
- Issue an executive order to freeze pending trade regulations in order to relieve the trade community of implementing concurrent, costly regulatory measures such as 10+2 and the Consumer Product Safety Act, and help stimulate the trade sector economy;
- Streamline export controls by reviewing The National Academy of Science’s “Beyond Fortress America” as an initial road map, and issue an executive order based on these recommendations;
- Complete pending free trade agreements with countries such as Columbia, Korea and Panama, as global trade partners are concerned with the “Buy American” provision in the American Recovery and Investment Act;
- Delay enforcement of statutory mandates so the trade community has time to recover and invest in itself first;
- Direct Customs and Border Protection to speed up the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and the International Trade Data System (ITDS) rollout since these programs are already funded by the trade community;
- Pass the Drawback Simplification Act, a program first established in 1789, allowing companies to obtain refunds on Customs duties for goods that are eventually exported out of the U.S.;
- Exclusive forum for trade disputes by passing a bill that is soon to be introduced that provides one exclusive tribunal to bring trade-related cases to quicker resolution.
"If the President and the Congress adopt these measures, the private sector and our trading partners will respond positively by directing capital where it is needed most - investment in projects that create jobs and increase global trade," Rowden said in the letter.
Deals
NYK invests in Brazilian forest products firm
The Japanese transportation and logistics company NYK announced it would take a 10 percent stake in the Brazilian forest products firm Amapa Florestal e Celulose SA (AMCEL), $10.2 million.
AMCEL provides wood chips for paper and pulp makers, furniture manufacturers, and biomass fuel producers. NYK said it is making the investment due to AMCEL’s increasing export business.
Green
Report: Reducing supply chain carbon
The World Economic Forum’s Logistics & Transport Community, with the sponsorship of Accenture, released a report on reducing supply chain carbon intensity. The report, entitled, "Supply Chain Decarbonization," examines the role of the logistics and transport sector in reducing emissions in its own operations, influencing shippers and related to undertake broader supply chain improvements.
The report says logistics activities contribute approximately 5 percent of the 50,000 mega-tons of carbon dioxide emissions generated by all human activity each year.
The report highlights five opportunities with the greatest potential for the decrease of carbon dioxide:
• Clean vehicle technologies (175 mega-tons CO2 abatement potential)
• Enabling low-carbon sourcing (150-320 mega-tons)
• Slowing down the supply chain (171 mega-tons)
• Packaging design initiatives (132 mega-tons)
• Optimized networks (124 mega-tons)
"The report clearly shows that there is substantial carbon abatement potential in the supply chain,” said Winfried Haeser, vice president, environmental strategy and policy at Deutsche Post World Net, “This has to be leveraged by different actors. The L&T industry can do a lot in their own business, but can achieve even more in partnership with their customers."
The report also provides a number of specific recommendations for logistics and transport providers as well as customers and policy-makers to decarbonize the extended supply chain.
The report’s recommendations for logistics and transport providers includes:
• Adopt new technologies industry-wide
• Improve training and communication industry-wide
• Switch modes where possible
• Develop recycling offerings
• Develop home delivery offerings
• Promote carbon offsetting of shipments
Recommendations for Shippers and Buyers
• Understand and reduce carbon impact of manufacturing through alternative sourcing
• Plan to allow slower and better optimized transport
• Reduce packaging materials
• Work on product carbon labeling, standards, auditing tools and use
• Increase shared loading
Recommendations for policy-makers from the report includes”
• Reflect cost of carbon in energy tariffs
• Support carbon measurement and labeling standards
• Build open carbon trading systems
• Invest in infrastructure and flow management
• Facilitate recycling along the supply chain
• Encourage environmental refitting of buildings
To view the report: http://www.weforum.org/pdf/ip/SupplyChainDecarbonization.pdf
Appointments
Obama nominates Locke for Commerce post
President Barack Obama nominated Gary Locke, the first and only Chinese-American governor in the U.S., to head the Department of Commerce last week.
Locke, who served two terms as governor of Washington State from 1997 to 2005 as a centrist, pro-trade Democrat, has strong ties to China business and government, and enjoys exalted status there.
The selection of Locke marks the third attempt by the Obama Administration to fill the top spot for the U.S. Commerce Department after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his name over reports of a grand jury investigation into alledged state contract improprieties, and then New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, pulled out due to what he claimed was his inability reconcile policy views with President Obama.
Technology
INVISTA selects GT Nexus portal for global freight management
GT Nexus announced it was been selected by INVISTA, an integrated fiber and polymer company, to provide a Web-based global freight spend management platform.
INVISTA will use the GT Nexus Portal to procure transport services and manage shipping rates for its global network of ocean carriers, GT Nexus said.
INVISTA has a business presence in over 20 countries and wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc.
"We move thousands of containers every month," said Kevin Steinke, North America manager of international commerce at INVISTA. "We needed a proven technology solution to help us capture and manage rates that are constantly changing with the market. GT Nexus combined the right mix of capabilities with a Web-based delivery model that proved to be very compelling for us."
GT Nexus said it would serve as the central online hub for INVISTA ocean transportation rate information and contract terms. Users will access a common standardized database of information through a Web browser. Ocean carriers have secure access to their INVISTA contracts to manage amendments and keep information updated.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Top Story
ProLogis Asia re-emerges as Global Logistic Properties
ProLogis Asia has been re-branded as Global Logistic Properties (GLP); the company announced this week, with the same executive management team that had been connected to the industrial real estate firm’s China group.
The chairman of GLP is former chairman and CEO of ProLogis, Jeffrey H. Schwartz, and Ming Mei, former CEO of ProLogis China and Asia, is now president of GLP.
"We are excited to launch the new brand 'Global Logistic Properties' in China and Japan as it marks a new starting point for the team to continue its efforts in ensuring the consistency of our world-class quality assets as well as to explore new business opportunities," said Schwartz in a company statement.
GLP’s 50 percent partner, GIC Real Estate, is the real estate investment arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation with 300 investments in more than 30 countries.
"The sound knowledge of our partner, GIC RE, on this region's real estate industry also bodes well for the team to continue its growth in China despite the global financial turmoil," he added.
Dr. Seek Ngee Huat, President of GIC RE, said: "Being Asia's largest industrial and logistics infrastructure provider, GLP is well-positioned to service the long term needs of its fast-growing and diverse customer base. We believe strongly in the growth of the logistics business in China and that GLP will play a significant role in its progress and development."
GLP announced it has taken over a 50 percent interest in the 676,000 sqm of industrial portfolio totaling RMB 1.5 billion from Genway Group, a leading comprehensive real estate developer in Jiangsu Province. The facilities currently serve multinational customers such as Philips, Panasonic, Samsung, AMD and Schneider, etc.
In China, GLP said it controls 60 logistics parks in 18 Chinese cities, totaling 3.29 million sqm at the end of January. The facilities are located in the cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Foshan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuxi and Zhuhai.
GLP said it also controls 72 logistics parks in Japan with a portfolio totaling approximately 2.5 million sqm. The facilities are located in the major markets of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Niigata, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima.
Liner
Matson Expands China service
Matson Navigation Company announced today it is expanding its shipping services in China to include the southern port of Xiamen in its China - Long Beach Express (CLX) in May of this year.
Matson said the additional port call would enhance the CLX service by offering on time arrivals, next day cargo availability on the West Coast and one-stop intermodal connections through Matson's logistics unit, Matson Integrated Logistics.
"Matson is unique in the trans-Pacific trade in that the company operates a service that encompasses both the U.S. domestic ports of Honolulu and Guam on its westbound leg and the China ports of Ningbo and Shanghai on its eastbound voyage," said Dave Hoppes, senior vice president, ocean services.
Logistics
NYK Logistics opens logistics center in Singapore
NYK Logistics Asia opened a new 55,000-square-foot logistics center in the Keppel Distripark in Singapore, according to the Straits Times. NYK Logistics took over the space from Asian Groupage Services, and is leasing the free trade zone space from Port Singapore Authority for three years, the report said.
Kuehne + Nagel to cut 4,500 jobs worldwide
In a significant cost-cutting move, the Swiss global logistics firm, Kuehne + Nagel announced today it would cut up to 4,500 jobs worldwide.
The company’s latest cuts come on the heels of 1,800 jobs removed in the fourth quarter of 2008, despite year-ending profit of just under $500 million, and 9.1 percent growth.
"For the time being there are no indications that world economy will recover quickly. Therefore further volume reductions are expected in all business units. Kuehne + Nagel will counteract this with rigorous cost management and process efficiencies," said Kuehne + Nagel Chairman Klaus-Michael Kuehne.
Air Cargo
Air cargo dropped over 23 percent in January
Air cargo volume dropped 23.2 percent in January, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
"The industry is in crisis and nobody knows that better than our cargo colleagues. Cargo demand has fallen off a cliff. After a shocking 22.6 per cent decrease in December, it dropped a further 23.2 per cent in January," IATA's Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said at the World Cargo Symposium in Bangkok on Monday.
Bisignani told the 700 delegates that the air cargo sector has not yet seen the bottom of this economic crisis.”
Bisignani said IATA had forecasted 2009 freight volumes to fall 5 percent and, combined with a decrease in yields, would likely result in a 9 percent drop in freight revenues to $54 billion.
"Unfortunately, the shocking fall in demand that followed is making these projections look optimistic," he said.
Military Logistics
Report: U.S. cargo bound for Afghanistan crosses Russia
According to an AFP report, Russia announced today that it allowed the first shipment of U.S. equipment bound for Afghanistan to cross its territory in support of operations there, as part of what the U.S. terms the "northern distribution network" for Western military forces in Afghanistan.
A spokesperson from the Russian foreign ministry confirmed to the AFP that a train carrying non-lethal supplies in containers bound for troops in Afghanistan had crossed Russia and was passing through Kazakhstan.
"We can confirm that the train entered Russia.... The train is carrying non-lethal military goods such as construction supplies," a U.S. embassy spokesperson told the AFP.
On Friday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are scheduled to have their first bilateral meeting.
The U.S. government announced last month its plan to ship 20-30 trainloads of supplies per week to Afghanistan via Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Top Story
Commandant: Historic demand for USCG services during budget crunch
On Tuesday, Commandant Adm. Thad Allen delivered The State of The Coast Guard Address at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., saying the U.S. Coast Guard is facing historic demand on several fronts, while modernization efforts face the challenge of budget constraints.
“The good news is, there has never been a bigger demand for our services. The bad news is, there has never been a bigger demand for our services…the collective demands on the nation and the Coast Guard are considerable and it will continue to be,” Allen said.
“Our service is at a new inflection point in history, a time that demands change, a time that demands a modernized Coast Guard,” he said.
The Commandant said the Coast Guard’s “diverse set of capabilities” have been tested, from the many national challenges that include port and maritime security, rescue efforts, and drug smuggling. In addition, he talked about the many global issues such as cutter support for the U.S. Navy, sustained icebreaker funding in the Arctic, assisting in the piracy battle off the Horn of Africa, and providing humanitarian support in the Black Sea to the Republic of Georgia.
Allen said one of his combatant commanders told him: “The Coast Guard is like a
great fighter that punches above his weight.”
However, the Commandant stressed the limitations of a short-handed Coast Guard: “I said last year, and I’m not going to retract it, that we are capable of growing by 2,000 a year without making an additional investment. Now, having that capacity begs the issue of whether that will be possible in the current fiscal environment. The decision on how big the Coast Guard should be working toward, especially in our current environment, is something we have to be working on with the new administration, but this notion of doing more with less needs to leave the lexicon. You only do what you can with what you’ve got.”
Allen said he is currently short on federal budgetary details with the 2010 fiscal budget to be submitted in April, however, he said “modernization efforts are critical.”
“Regardless of whether we're enjoying budget growth, managing level funding or dealing with a programmatic reduction, such as termination of LORAN-C, the best way to operate the Coast Guard is through a modernized service. I've told our people at all hands all over the Coast Guard that modernization is a change in business process and command and control. It's not budget-driven. It is driven by the necessity to change and adapt to ensure future readiness.”
To that end, the Commandant talked about the USCG’s evolution into the Web 2.0 world such as defending against cyber-attacks to its domain, and developing partnerships with Google, YouTube, Face book and Flickr.
Allen also referred to enhanced logistics capabilities through high-tech means, such as a comment left on his own blog by a petty officer stationed at a logistics center in Curtis Bay, Md., who said: “‘Now, with a quick click of the mouse I can find out what maintenance was done on my boat, what maintenance needs to be done, what my scheduled missions are and the status of the other folks at the unit. Where I used to have to spend 15 minutes, now it is done in less than two minutes.’’
Regarding the use of technology for strategic defense and potential security threats, Allen referenced Coast Guard’s collaboration with the International Maritime Organization for long range identification tracking, which became mandatory on January 1 of this year, where vessels movements can be monitored 2,000 miles out to sea.
“Now arrival information can be compared against tracking data to increase safety and detect security anomalies. As we expand our detection capability, we must be able to respond as well, and in many cases well offshore,” he said.
Under the national strategy for maritime security that was issued in 2004, Allen said the Coast Guard has worked fornearly five years with inner agency partners to develop Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR).
“This is an unequivocal interagency success story. Utilizing prearranged protocols, federal officials coordinate their efforts to identify and mitigate risk in the maritime domain as far offshore as possible,” Allen said.
Allen said the Coast Guard is developing a concept for advanced interdiction operations which can extend its presence offshore to address long-range threats and noncompliant vessels.
“The MOTR process is a gold standard for interagency coordination and cooperation. And it is important because the threats we face in the maritime commons tend to be agnostic to political boundaries and traditional jurisdictions,” he said.
For the full text of the State of the Coast Guard speech:
http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/speeches/docs/Transcript_SOTCG_3-3-09.pdf
Liner
Maersk forecasts 2009 profit drop amid freight rate decline
Denmark’s A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, the largest container-shipping line in the world, announced declining 2009 profit due to freight rates and oil prices.
Maersk’s net income slipped 4.8 percent in 2008 to $2.86 billion from a year earlier, as the big carrier was faced with last year’s left turn into the global economic downturn.
The shipping line said its global container volume dropped 20 percent in January from the same period a year ago.
“The difficult trading conditions we’ve been facing since the start of 2009 will put severe pressure on our business. But we are determined to emerge from the global crisis as a winner,” said Maersk Chief Executive Officer Nils Smedegaard Andersen.
Ports
Port of Oakland awards 50-year operating concession to Ports America affiliate
The Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners awarded a 50-year concession and lease agreement this week to Ports America Outer Harbor LLC to upgrade 160 acres for the operation of five container berths at the port.
The Ports America investment group is a partnership between Ports America and Terminal Investments Limited, an affiliate of Mediterranean Shipping Company.
Ports America has operations in 50 ports and 97 terminals and is controlled by
Highstar Capital.
Port of Olympia adds new finance director, communications manager
The Port of Olympia announced this week the staff additions of Kevin Ferguson, finance director, and Kathleen White, communications manager.
Ferguson has worked in the following capacities: chief financial officer for Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development and the Bremerton School District; business manager of the business and office paper division of International Paper Company; and assistant superintendent of operations of Issaquah School District. Fergusen spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy.
White has served as senior communications manager for Weyerhaeuser; public relations director for Washington Department of Personnel; communications director for Washington Department of Information Services; and director of marketing and public relations for Tacoma Metro Parks.
Distribution
Warehouse Specialists Inc. partners with RK Logistics
Warehouse Specialists, Inc. (WSI), a national warehouse logistics provider, announced this week it has entered into what it termed a “strategic partnership” with California-based transportation and logistics company, RK Logistics Group, Inc.
WSI said the two companies would share resources, where RK Group customers would benefit from a nationwide distribution network, while offering WSI a broader logistics platform in the San Francisco Bay Area.
WSI said its offerings include third party logistics, warehousing, distribution, fulfillment, transportation, import, export, information technology and customer support services. The RK Logistics Group, Inc., is a third party logistics provider headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., and has a customer base that includes the
semiconductor, electronics, solar, communications, medical, retail, cosmetics, food/beverage, manufacturing and pulp and paper industries.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Top Story
Report: China’s government ordered its container lines to end “zero” freight rates
The Chinese government reportedly ordered its container shipping lines to stop offering “zero” rates in the China-Europe tradelane, according to news reports out of China quoting Li Shaode, president of China Shipping Group, who spoke to the media in Beijing today.
“Shipping lines can no longer afford to offer these low rates…The shipping lines and clients should cooperate and communicate to survive the downturn together. It’s what the government encourages companies to do,” said Li
Li did not say whether his shipping line, the second largest in China, had offered zero freight rates. However, other major global shipping lines have laid up hundreds of ships and recently announced they would raise rates in the China-Europe shipping trade, including Evergreen, Maersk and NOL.
Once freight rates reportedly hit bottom, literally, not counting fuel costs and other charges, on routes including China, Li said the Chinese government issued the dictate to raise rates amid plunging global demand for China’s exports.
Retail
Retail container traffic up in March
Cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports will be up in March over February as traffic begins its annual climb toward peak season, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and IHS Global Insight.
Volume for the first half of 2009 is expected to remain well below last year’s levels, the report said.
“February is traditionally the slowest month of the year, so we’re now at the point where we’ll see a gradual increase in volume as retailers bring in spring and summer merchandise and build up toward the holiday season,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “But this year’s numbers are going to remain well below last year because sales are still slow and most economists aren’t seeing a recovery before the second half of the year at the earliest. Careful inventory management is a key to survival for retailers in the economic times we’re going through.”
U.S. ports surveyed handled 1.05 million TEUs in January, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available, the report said. That was down half a percent from December and 14.6 percent from January 2008, making January the 19th month in a row to see a year-over-year decline. The last year-over-year increase was July 2007, when the 1.44 million TEUs were up 3.4 percent from July 2006, the report said.
February, traditionally the slowest month of the year, was estimated at 1 million TEUs, down 17.7 percent from 2008. March is forecast at 1.07 million TEUs, up 5.3 percent from February but down 7.4 percent from a year earlier. April is forecast at 1.14 million TEUs, down 10.3 percent from a year ago; May at 1.16 million TEUs, down 11.4 percent; June at 1.19 million TEUs, down 8.6 percent; and July at 1.21 million TEUs, down 7.5 percent.
The first half of 2009 remains forecast at 6.6 million TEUs, down 11.7 percent from the 7.5 million TEUs seen in 2008. Total volume for 2008 was 15.2 million TEUs, down 7.9 percent from 2007’s 16.5 million TEUs and the lowest level since 2004’s 14 million TEUs.
“The good news is that low volume has left the ports with an excess of capacity that means the cargo coming through is moving without congestion from the harbor to the gate,” IHS Global Insight Economist Paul Bingham said. “Dockside labor, trucks and intermodal rail are all readily available.”
All U.S. ports covered by Port Tracker – Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast – are rated “low” for congestion, the same as last month.
Rail
U.S. rail freight traffic declined 14.5 percent in February
In February of this year, U.S. rail carload traffic fell 14.5 percent (188,487 carloads) compared to February 2008 to 1,109,035 carloads, the Association of American Railroads announced this week.
U.S. rail intermodal traffic, which is not included in carloads, fell 18.7 percent (167,608 trailers and containers) to 726,343 units in February, the AAR said.
“Obviously, it’s still a very difficult economic environment out there for railroads and their customers,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “Time will tell how quickly the economy recovers. In the meantime, we’re hopeful that policymakers focus on growing the nation’s rail networks so more people and more goods can move by rail.”
Carloadings for 18 of the 19 major commodity groups fell in February 2009 on U.S. railroads, including motor vehicles and equipment (down 41,439 carloads, or 51.5 percent); metal products (down 27,792 carloads, or 52.2 percent); and grain (down 19,078 carloads, or 18.7 percent). Carloads of coal were down 2.6 percent (15,244 carloads) in February 2009 to 560,606 carloads. The “all other” category rose 22.4 percent (4,117 carloads) in February.
Canadian rail carload traffic (which includes both the Canadian and U.S. operations of CN and Canadian Pacific, the two largest Canadian railroads) fell 16.1 percent (49,214 carloads) in February 2009 to 257,165 carloads, while Canadian intermodal traffic fell 19,979 units (10.9 percent) to 164,052 trailers and containers.
Canadian carload declines in February 2009 were paced by chemicals (down 24.1 percent, or 14,818 carloads); motor vehicles and equipment (down 45.7 percent, or 12,215 carloads); and metallic ores (down 22.2 percent, or 11,600 carloads). Carloads of grain on Canadian railroads rose 13.8 percent (5,047 carloads) in February 2009.
Mexican rail carload originations (which include Ferrocarril Mexicano and Kansas City Southern dé Mexico) were down 11.4 percent (5,868 carloads) in February 2009, while intermodal originations were down 17.7 percent (4,325 trailers and containers).
For the first two months of 2009, carload traffic was down 15.8 percent (409,913 carloads) on U.S. railroads; down 18.4 percent (112,835 carloads) on Canadian railroads; and down 13.3 percent (13,517 carloads) on Mexican railroads. In 2009 through February, intermodal traffic was down 15.8 percent (284,431 trailers and containers) on U.S. railroads; down 11.6 percent (43,689 units) on Canadian railroads; and down 20.6 percent (9,894 units) on Mexican railroads.
For just the week ended February 28, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 283,532 carloads, down 15.8 percent from the corresponding week in 2008; intermodal volume of 175,228 trailers and containers, down 21.7 percent; and total volume of an estimated 30.1 billion ton-miles, down 14.7 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended February 28, the AAR reported volume of 63,107 carloads, down 19.7 percent from last year; and 39,216 trailers and containers, down 16.3 percent from the corresponding week in 2008.
Combined cumulative volume for the first eight weeks of 2009 on 12 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads was 2,676,779 carloads, down 16.3 percent (522,748 carloads) from last year; and 1,847,086 trailers and containers, down 15.1 percent (328,120 trailers and containers) from 2008’s first eight weeks.
Ports
China's Tianjin Port Group announced it would invest $1.87 billion this year
China's Tianjin Port Group announced it would invest $1.87 billion this year, according to the group’s chairman, Yu Rumin.
Yu said the investment would include widening the port’s channel, special coal and oil handling equipment, and a potential acquisition in northern China, with no further
details given.
The port group's initial five-year investment plan through 2010 was to invest over $6.5 billion, but Yu said that amount might be exceeded.
Yu said he felt the worst of the global recession's impact on Tianjin port’s business was in January, despite handling a record 8 million tons of iron ore imports.
Liner
Capacity reduced on CMA CGM's SEAS service by 35pc
The French shipping group CMA CGM announced it would cut back on the SEAS service it operates in partnership with China Shipping, Maruba and "K" Line.
The change, which would come into effect on March 26, would merge the SEAS 1 and SEAS 2 loops into one string utilizing ten 2,800- to 4,000-TEU vessels, the company said.
CMA CGM said it would deploy four 4,000-TEU ships; China Shipping would use three 2,800-TEU ships; Maruba utilizing two 3,500-TEU ships; and "K" Line deploying one 4,000-TEU ship.
The newSEAS port rotation would be: Qingdao, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Port Kelang, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande, Paranagua, Sao Francisco Do Sul, Santos, Durban (eastbound), Port Kelang, Hong Kong, returning to Qingdao.
Xiamen and Hong Kong (westbound) would not be part of the new rotation, but connected by feeders through other group services, CMA-CGM said.
Liner
Charleston port focuses on truck emission reductions
The Port of Charleston announced it would retrofit trucks with emissions-reducing and fuel-saving technologies through a public-private funding project through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The South Carolina State Ports Authority would receive $1.7 million of grant funds for the project.
"This project is a win-win for the environment and for trucks operating out of the Port of Charleston," said Stan Nutt G&P Trucking and president of the Charleston Motor Carriers Association (CMCA).
The SCSPA’s acting CEO John Hassell said: "Through this collaborative grant program, it's much more affordable and accessible for truckers to upgrade their equipment."
Truck owners calling the Port of Charleston can apply for a rebate to help cover part of the cost for technologies such as auxiliary power units, or smaller generators that reduce truck idling within two areas: idle-reduction projects at 50 percent rebate, and retrofit projects at a rebate of 75 percent cost.
Idle-reduction projects incorporate auxiliary power units (APUs) and other similar devices such as battery air conditioning systems, thermal storage systems and fuel-operated heaters. According to EPA estimates, an average truck with an APU or similar device uses 8 percent less fuel each year.
Owners also may choose to retrofit trucks with EPA Smart Way approved technologies, such as single-wide tires and aerodynamic kits. Single-wide tires generate an estimated 4 percent fuel savings and aerodynamic kits provide a five per cent reduction.
