AMERICA's biggest truckload carrier, Swift Transportation, must pay US$4 million to the Port of Los Angeles over its failure to use the $11.8 million from the port to buy new 600 trucks as part of LA's clean trucks programme, reports the Daily Breeze.
Many of the trucks purchased did not make a required 150 trips to the port each year the newspaper reports, adding that the Port of Los Angeles granted $44 million to 56 motor carriers to new buy trucks through its Clean Trucks Programme.
Separately, Moody's Investors service boosted its outlook for Swift Transportation to positive from stable after the company reported a $90.6 million net profit for 2011, its first annual profit since 2006.
"Volumes are improving, operating metrics are favourable, and our driver pipeline continues to be full," the carrier said.
Moody's expects increasing freight demand and strong truckload pricing will help the Phoenix-based company increase its revenue and remain profitable.
"We expect that Swift will be able to sustain operating margins in the eight to 10 per cent range through 2013," said Moody's.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem says his group recognises the importance of its container terminal in Caucedo to serve the Caribbean region, as a hub port, during a company tour of its marine terminals in South America.
The delegation visited the group's sea freight terminals in Peru, Argentina, Suriname and the Dominican Republic, as well as the new development in Brazil, a statement posted on the 4 Traders news portal said.
In March last year, Leonel Fernandez, the President of the Dominican Republic and Mr Bin Sulayem officially inaugurated the second phase of the group's terminal in Caucedo, which has increased the facility's overall handling capacity by 25 per cent to 1,250,000 TEU annually.
The expansion comprises an additional 300 metres of deepwater berth, two new yield mobile cranes in addition to five existing gantry quay cranes. A sixth quay crane and three further rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes are scheduled to arrive in April.
Mr Bin Sulayem, was cited as saying: "The recent expansion in handling capacity of the port is an indication of our confidence in the strength of the Dominican Republic's economy, and fits with our strategy of focusing on fast emerging markets."
He noted that the terminal has been awarded the ISO 28000 security management standard, and it participates in the US Container Security Initiative (CSI), with US Customs officials stationed at the port.
The group has its eye on expanding the feeder capacity at the Caucedo container terminal through the development of an additional feeder berth at the breakwater.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
TOLL Holdings Limited, a provider of integrated logistics services in Asia, has announced a "solid" result in "challenging conditions" for the second half of 2011.
It said in a statement that net profit after tax amounted to A$158 million (US$169.24 million), representing a decrease of four per cent year on year.
Second half sales revenue came in at A$4.4 billion, up five per cent. On the other hand, total operating profit (EBIT) fell by two per cent year on year to A$248 million.
According to Brian Kruger, managing director, he said the group's exposure to the resources sector as well as the faster growing markets in Asia helped offset the difficult conditions in discretionary retail and in the manufacturing sector in Australia.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
RUSSIA's National Container Company (NCC) has announced that its Ukrtranscontainer terminal (UTC) is recommencing operations at the Port of Illichivsk on the Black Sea near Odessa.
This comes after an agreement was reached between UTC and the port authorities to jointly operate the terminal was "re-affirmed" by the Ukraine's Arbitration Court of Odessa Region at the end of last year, an NCC statement said.
"UTC took over the terminal's management without interruption of vessel handling. Organisational arrangements (employee relocation, property transfer, etc) have been implemented to restart operations. UTC proceeds with rendering services on the same contractual terms that were valid in Illichivsk port in the current year," it said.
Vladimir Burulya, China Shipping Agency director in the Ukraine, said: "I am sure that after NCC's return, Illichivsk port will keep on growing as the main container gateway to Ukraine. We expect important changes in the terminal's operation, which will be implemented due to the experience of the international investor."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
US CUSTOMS and Border Protection (CBP) has proposed a rule change on imported merchandise which allows cargo to move without duties being paid to another US port before re-export under bond.
CBP requests for comments from trade to be submitted by April 23.
In-bond movements allow freight to move under a bond that provides for liquidated damages if the conditions of the bond are not met but the system has been exploited through smuggling of restricted or high duty items.
To tighten the system, the CBP rule would compel agents to file electronic in-bond applications instead of paper documents, reports American Shipper, adding that it would also require information on the safety and security of the goods and its six-digit Harmonised Tariff Schedule number.
Any diversion of merchandise from intended destination port to another would need permission from CBP and be within a 30-day maximum to transport under bond between US ports. Arrival and location of merchandise would need to be filed within 24 hours of arrival at the destination port, it said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE European recession is expected to depress air freight volumes of the members of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), which fell 13.7 per cent in January year on year.
International cargo load factors fell to an average of 59.6 per cent, a drop of 5.7 percentage points despite a 5.3 per cent reduction in capacity, according to the AAPA.
"With Europe sliding into recession, we expect this to be another challenging year, but remain optimistic given signs of recovery in the US and continuing positive momentum in Asia," said AAPA director general Andrew Herdman.
Mr Herdman also said the continuing decline was a reflection of the early timing of Chinese New Year in January, when Asian factory production slows down, as well as the uncertain state of the global economy.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AIR FRANCE-KLM and Martinair will return to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta with a twice-weekly freighter service effective March 27 after a three-year absence operating a freighter service from Paris to Atlanta over a 12-year period.
The service will be operated by Air France Cargo with Air France-KLM Cargo and Martinair Cargo providing sales and customer service that will run alongside current passenger flights.
"I am pleased that Air France is choosing to grow its cargo business in Atlanta," said Mayor Kasim Reed, adding that he expected it to generate US$8 million to $12 million a year.
"Air France's decision to begin all-cargo service into Atlanta furthers our position as one of the world's premier logistics hubs. Air cargo is important to Atlanta and the south eastern United States, and it is critical to our continued growth and success as a city and a region," he added.
Said Air France-KLM sales vice president US Alain Pages: "These new flights are made possible through our close working relationship with Delta Cargo and will offer our customers in the southeast US greater access to our global array of products and services."
Air France-KLM passenger flights, Delta Air Lines' transatlantic flights and Alitalia's flights from the US operate in close coordination as part of the North Atlantic Joint Venture (NAJV).
Between 2010 and 2011, total international air cargo flights at Hartsfield-Jackson increased 40 per cent. Nine of the top 10 global cargo airlines provide service to and from Atlanta.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
LUFTHANSA Cargo company, time:matters GmbH, a German provider of express logistics services, is continuing to expand its "same day" air network by adding Scotland's Aberdeen airport as a new station for transporting urgent and complex shipments.
The development brings the number of same-day air network stations to 104, a company statement said.
"With Aberdeen, we are incorporating the focus area for the oil industry in the North Sea region into our network. The new station is therefore interesting for customers from the oil and gas, ship spares and maritime industries.
"Their time-critical shipments benefit from several daily direct flights to the international hub Frankfurt (FRA) and subsequently from the fastest possible access to our entire same day air network. This translates into shorter transport times and increased flexibility for our customers and their highly urgent shipments," said CEO Franz-Joseph Miller.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
The magazine SEA has been published since 1935
International business magazine JŪRA MOPE SEA has been published since 1999
The first magazine in Eurasia in the four languages: English, Chinese, Russian and Lithuanian
|
|