QUALITY initiatives commenced last year by the London-based St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg) have led to a major improvement in Port State Control inspection results, which show that detentions were down 62 per cent and deficiencies had dropped 49 per cent. SKANReg is now seeking support for further progress in a submission to the International Maritime Organisation’s Flag State Implementation (FSI) sub-committee ahead of its 20th session…

DACHSER Transport of America has announced that its parent company has started building a new branch office in Zevenaar, the Netherlands, to cope with soaring volume. The facility is expected to start operations this summer and will be one of the group’s largest branch offices in Europe, a company statement said. The 30,200-square-metre logistics complex is being constructed in multiple stages on a 20-acre site. “The volume at the Zevenaar…

INTTRA, a provider of e-commerce solutions for the ocean freight industry, is hosting this year’s Transpacific Maritime Conference (TPM) this week in Long Beach, California, where participants have been invited to join a special breakout session on “Enhancing Collaboration through Performance Measurements.” The session will be led by Milan Vaclavik, director of product management at INTTRA and Lars Jenson, CEO of SeaIntel Maritime Analysis, who will share insights on carrier…

THE Atlanta office of UK-based SBS Worldwide has launched three consolidation services with weekly departures from Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Shanghai to New York. The SBS simplified consolidation services are designed to meet the needs for transparent pricing and fixed-weekly sailings with reliable transit times, said a company statement. “Most weekly consolidation services from China to the US transship are via Hong Kong. By offering consolidation services from Shenzhen and…

SLOW-STEAMING’s impact on costs continues to puzzle shippers and carriers who agree and disagree that it negates advantages of the all-water Panama route from Asia to the US east coast and others asking whether it costs carriers more at a time of low utilisation and more ships on longer, slower loops. “Ironically, carriers are discovering that slow-steaming increases their operating costs because the fuel savings are more than offset by…

EUROGATE Container Terminal, Wilhemshaven, received four of the world’s biggest container cranes from Shanghai’s Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC), each capable of handling vessels of 25 container rows across deck with a load bearing capacity of 120 tonnes. The ZPMC super post-panamax quay cranes arrived following two months at sea on ZMPC’s vessel from Shanghai with a further four due to depart from China through to Cape of Good Hope,…

TOUGH contract talks between maritime employers and eastern North America’s International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are expected after ILA president Harold Daggett spoke of going to “war” with shipping lines that withdrew from the ILA-controlled container chassis scheme. Some employers see a conflict of interest in that longshoremen not only decide what repair chassis work is needed, but also employ themselves to do the work before they allow equipment to leave…

MAERSK Line and the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad (BNSF) have agreed to a 95 per cent on-time delivery scheme called Flagship for US-bound Asian cargo via Los Angeles to Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and as far east as Tennessee and Ohio. Under the deal, Flagship will provide dedicated, non-stop BNSF rail service that arrives at an agreed time. Affected loops will be the TP5, TP6 and TP8, which…

MARSEILLES’ CMA GGM, the world’s third biggest container shipping line after Maersk and MSC, has posted a net loss of US$30 million against a $1.6 billion profit in 2010 despite last year’s four per cent revenue increase to $14.87 billion. Container volume was up 11 per cent against market growth of 6.5 per cent reaching a record high of 10 million TEU. CMA CGM continued to dispose of non-strategic assets,…

SOUTHERN California Logistics Airport (SCLA) near Victorville, some 40 miles east north east of Los Angeles on the edge of the Mojave Desert, is gaining international interest as a dedicated link to airports in Canada and Europe, says the assistant city manager. SCLA, also known as Victorville, has resurrected hopes to become an air cargo hub since trade has picked up following recession, said assistant city manager and director of…

STAGNATION in volumes from China’s electronics has damaged the country’s air cargo sector. But the 17.4 per cent fall export growth, because of falling demand from the US and Europe as well as the 23 per cent decrease in electronic imports did not hurt revenue which increased 11 per cent year on year to US$468 billion. The electronics sector, of which computers and mobile phones are the top two exports,…

CHINA Southern Airlines has inaugurated an all-cargo service from its Guangzhou base that flies to Qingdao and then to Los Angeles, shortening transit from Qingdao to LA to 12 hours, Xinhua reports. The new service uses Boeing 777-200 freighters, offering two flights per week on Mondays and Thursdays that takes off at 0345 hrs from Guangzhou, leaves Qingdao at 0850 and reaches LA at 2035 Beijing time. Shipments can be…

ABU Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has received the first batch of super post Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes at Khalifa Port. The three massive STS cranes, which are 44 metres high under the spreader and capable of lifting 110 tonnes, are designed and constructed by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd. The second batch of three cranes is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter. By the fourth quarter, the…

US SENATE and House committees have introduced a protectionist bill to counter a “deeply flawed” court ruling to limit the Commerce Department’s power to apply countervailing duties on goods from China and Vietnam. Last December, the Court of Appeals found, in GPX vs United States, that US law prohibits the federal Commerce Department from applying countervailing duties (CVD) to “non-market economies”. “This legislation overturns that deeply flawed decision,” said the…

NETHERLANDS based CEVA Logistics has posted a 9.9 per cent increase in operational profit of EUR321 million (US$422 million) in 2011, drawn on record revenues of EUR6.9 billion, up 0.7 per cent year on year. Ocean freight volumes increased 17 per cent. The company has since increased staffing to launch a new less than container load (LCL) service. In early 2012, the group completed a “transformational equity and debt funded…