Summary for June 23 - June 27, 2008:
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Monday, June 23, 2008
ASTAR members file against DHL/UPS pactThat agreement, announced in late May, would shift the airlift required for all DHL North American domestic air overnight delivery service to UPS — one of DHL’s chief competitors in the North American market. Currently, ASTAR carries 50% of the weight of DHL’s U.S. air freight. ALPA seeks a cease-and-desist order against any transfer of flying now performed by ALPA-represented pilots to UPS. It also asks for a ruling that DHL is bound by the representations it made during the collective bargaining session and by the terms of Section 1 of the agreement. The announcement between DHL and UPS came less than three months after ALPA and ASTAR agreed to a new contract with job security commitments from ASTAR. Website: Air Line Pilots Association Int’l. http://www.alpa.orgZIM Ports/DP World in Contarsa partnershipISRAEL’S ZIM Ports June 19 announced that it has acquired a 40% share of Contarsa, the container terminal operator at the Spanish port of Tarragona. DP World, one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world, June 17 announced that it had acquired the other 60% share. Contarsa is a privately owned company with an exclusive concession for Tarragona Container Terminal. The Mediterranean Spanish port of Tarragona is located in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Catalonia region. Tarragona “is well-positioned to pursue its growth as a significant gateway for Spain as well as a Mediterranean hub for global shipping services,” the companies said. “ZIM plans to call Tarragona with its services towards the end of 2008 and to progressively expand it as a regional hub,” said Doron Goder, ZIM’s president and CEO. The transaction is pending the completion of EU regulatory clearance, due by the end of the month. DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said, “Tarragona is an exciting addition to DP World’s global portfolio with considerable growth potential.” Websites: Zim Ports DP World http://www.dpworld.comHankla to address global conference on portsLONG BEACH Harbor Commission President-elect James C. Hankla will speak on the Port of Long Beach’s Clean Trucks Program at the 11th Annual International Conference on Cities and Ports in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 25, according to a port news release. The conference, from June 23-26, will focus on the efforts of ports worldwide to address environmental issues and achieve sustainability while continuing to enhance trade. The Port of Long Beach will spread the word of its Green Port Policy and environmental programs at the conference. Hankla was invited to speak at the conference for the “Innovating in the Management of Environment” seminar. He will discuss the Port of Long Beach’s Clean Trucks Program — an ambitious effort to replace or retrofit thousands of port trucks by 2012 to achieve a dramatic 80% reduction in air pollution. Joining Commissioner Hankla in representing the Port of Long Beach will be Vice President Mike Walter and Commissioner Doris Topsy-Elvord. Executive Officer to the Board Alex Cherin and Government Affairs Director Samara Ashley will also attend. Website: Port of Long Beach http://www.polb.comTuesday, June 24, 2008 Maersk Line orders 18 new box shipsMAERSK LINE announced June 24 that A.P. Moller – Maersk has signed an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the delivery of 18 container vessels in 2011 and 2012. The vessels will each have a capacity of 4,500 TEUs. The ships “are designed to meet the highest demands for safe and economic transportation of goods in geographies such as the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa and Latin America,” Maersk said. In addition, each vessel is equipped with a waste heat recovery system. The system reuses excess heat from the exhaust and thus generates energy for propulsion of the vessel or on-board electricity consumption. The reduction in fuel consumption results in a corresponding reduction of emissions. It is the first time that an Asian yard will install a waste heat recovery system of this size and efficiency, Maersk said. The company said they expect to deploy the vessels in the trades to and from Sub-Saharan Africa. Today, Maersk Line has a 25% market share in Sub-Saharan Africa and owns offices in 35 countries in the region. Website: Maersk Line http://www.maerskline.comS.C. ports earmark $80 million for new capacityTHE SOUTH CAROLINA State Ports Authority Board announced June 19 that it has approved a $160 million budget, projecting more than $100 million in capital spending and a slight increase in container traffic for the coming fiscal year.
In May, the SCSPA handled 157,553 TEUs in Charleston, up 7% from the same month last year and up 14% from the previous month. More than $80 million of the anticipated capital spending in the next 12 months will go directly to projects adding new capacity to the SCSPA’s port facilities, primarily in Charleston, port authorities said. Progress and spending is also anticipated on development of a new joint port facility on the Savannah River in Jasper County. For the SCSPA’s 2009 fiscal year, which begins July 1, operating revenues are expected to increase 1.63% to $160.4 million, and pier containers are projected to increase just slightly (0.5%) from the current year. The SCSPA Board also approved $100.3 million in capital spending in FY09 for capacity enhancements and terminal improvements. Website: South Carolina State Ports Authority http://www.scspa.comGPA reports further emissions reductionsTHE GEORGIA PORTS Authority has converted its fleet of yard cranes, trucks and other equipment to cleaner-burning ultra-low-sulfur diesel and cut emissions by an additional 10%, the board announced June 23. “The conversion to ultra-low-sulfur diesel, two years before a federal mandate, is another example of GPA’s commitment to make substantial environmental improvements,” said Steve Green, GPA’s chairman of the board. “Reducing consumption and emissions are a powerful combination in our ongoing mission to be good stewards of the environment,” added Green. The board announced in March the completion of a six-year crane electrification program that will conserve more than 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. Curtis Foltz, GPA COO, reported to the board that total tonnage for the fiscal year to-date (July 1, ’07 – June 30, ’08) was 23.6 million tons, an 18.8% increase over the same period last year. “The container trade in North America continues to work through a weakening import demand, booming exports associated with a de-valued U.S. dollar and a resulting scarcity in empty equipment,” Foltz said. Website: Georgia Ports Authority http://www.gaports.comWednesday, June 25, 2008 Asia to the Black Sea service enhancedThe Grand Alliance and The New World Alliance carriers began cooperating in February this year with a slot exchange on their respective fortnightly services to the Black Sea. The new joint service now provides shippers a weekly frequency with common ports. Eight vessels are deployed on the service. Grand Alliance member lines operate five vessels, and TNWA members operate three vessels. Capacity for these eight ships is about 5,000 TEUs, according to the news release. Port rotation for the Black Sea service is as follows: Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Suez, Istanbul, Constanza, Odessa, Constanza, Istanbul, Damietta, Suez, Jeddah, Singapore, Shanghai. The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, NYK and OOCL. The New World Alliance members are APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and MOL, serving more than 40 ports using in excess of 100 containerships in the major East-West container trades. ATA calls for comprehensive oil planTHE AMERICAN TRUCKING Associations June 24 urged the Bush administration and Congress to implement a comprehensive plan to increase domestic oil supplies and ensure an affordable supply of oil for the nation’s 3.5 million truck drivers and American consumers. “ATA recognizes that the solution to this problem is multi-faceted,” said Tim Lynch, ATA senior VP, speaking at a National Press Club press conference hosted by Consumers for More Energy. Lynch encouraged Congress to “implement policies that will reduce oil demand, accelerate the development of research and technology, prudently increase government oversight of the petroleum markets and increase domestic oil supplies,” according to an ATA news release. “We need a broad relief agenda that includes increasing domestic oil production to address the escalating cost of fuel and relieve the financial hardships of the trucking industry and all drivers,” Lynch said. Lynch was joined at the press conference by the American Highway Users Alliance, the National Defense Council Foundation, The National Grange and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. Website: American Trucking Associations http://www.truckline.comPOLB expands small business programTHE SMALL BUSINESS Enterprise Program at the Port of Long Beach is making a positive contribution to the local economy by expanding opportunities for small businesses seeking port contracts. The annual goal of the port’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE)/Very Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Program is to award 25% of port contracts to small businesses, with at least 5% of that total awarded to very small businesses. As part of the program, the Port of Long Beach recently hosted an informal training session for contractors to introduce participants to the port’s bidding processes, networking opportunities and upcoming construction and design projects. The port uses the U.S. Small Business Administration guidelines to determine, based on the type of industry, if a company qualifies as a small business. For VSBEs, the port has set a designation of $2.75 million or less in annual gross revenue, or a manufacturer with 25 or fewer employees. Website: Port of Long Beach http://www.polb.comThursday, June 26, 2008 Supreme Court slashes Exxon Valdez penaltyThe Supreme Court ruled that the punitive damages award should be cut to a maximum amount equal to the total relevant compensatory damages of $507.5 million. The high court overturned a ruling by a U.S. Court of Appeals that had awarded the record punitive damages to about 32,000 commercial fishermen, Alaska natives, property owners and others harmed by the spill. The Exxon Valdez supertanker ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in March 1989, spilling about 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spill spread oil to more than 1,200 miles of coastline, closed fisheries and killed thousands of marine mammals and hundreds of thousands of sea birds. “Instead of taking a large corporation to the woodshed, they just gave them a slap on the wrist,” said Tim Joyce, mayor of Cordova, Prince William Sound, where most of the area’s fishing fleet is concentrated. “A lot of people had their whole lives ruined because of this.” Website: ExxonMobil Corp. http://www.exxonmobil.comPort of Tacoma unveils FAST projectA MAJOR CORRIDOR for rail and motor freight entering and leaving the Port of Tacoma industrial area officially opened June 25, providing freight, motorists and pedestrians better access to much of Tacoma’s industrialized “Tideflats” area as well as the revitalized Thea Foss Waterway. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony at East D Street, speakers acknowledged the accomplishments of the $24.5 million FAST (Freight Action Strategy for the Everett-Seattle-Tacoma Corridor) project and its funding partners. “This project wonderfully blends Tacoma’s rich maritime history with our present-day need to provide pedestrians and bicyclists access to recreational and commercial areas along the Foss Waterway,” said Clare Petrich, Port of Tacoma commissioner. “At the same time, the overpass greatly improves freight mobility in and out of our region by separating rail and truck traffic. This is critical, because an efficient freight transportation system creates family-wage jobs for our community,” Petrich added. East D Street was once a busy at-grade crossing, used by dozens of long trains and hundreds of trucks each day. The completed overpass separates train and motor vehicle traffic by raising the roadway over the railroad tracks. Website: Port of Tacoma http://www.portoftacoma.comFedEx Trade Networks adds to West Coast serviceFEDEX TRADE Networks Inc., a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., June 25 announced that it has opened two new gateways on the West Coast to support the FedEx Trade Networks Ocean-Ground Distribution service. The new West Coast gateways are located in Seattle, Wash., and Oakland, Calif., and will offer customers “flexible options when shipping goods from Asia to multiple destinations in the U.S.” The gateways will service the Seattle/Tacoma and Oakland/San Francisco ports. FedEx Trade Networks Ocean-Ground Distribution is an alternative shipping method “enabling customers to move cargo from Asia to multiple U.S. destinations in one seamless process,” the company said. The innovative service combines FedEx Trade Networks ocean freight forwarding and customs brokerage services with the U.S. transportation and delivery services of FedEx Freight, FedEx National LTL, FedEx Ground or FedEx Express. By managing the logistics, the company said, FedEx Trade Networks helps customers eliminate hand-offs and unnecessary steps to reduce cycle times and warehouse handling costs. FedEx Trade Networks Ocean-Ground Distribution customers benefit from the simplicity of working with one FedEx point of contact. Website: FedEx Trade Networks http://www.ftn.fedex.com |