Category Archives: General Information

Tacoma Rail rolls past hard times

As the City of Tacoma grapples with its $63-million recession hangover with layoffs and cutbacks, one branch of city government, its municipal railroad, Tacoma Rail, may be putting hard times behind it. Credit a combination of a rush of new business as well as timely deals to shed expenses for the turnaround. While the city […]

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Hanjin Shipping Posts Net Loss of $43.3 Million

Hanjin Shipping reported a net loss of 47.3 billion South Korean won (about US$43.3 million), compared with a net loss of $1.1 million in the previous quarter and a net loss of $78.7 million in the same quarter in 2011. In the first nine months of 2012, the company posted a net loss of $354.4 […]

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Quarterly container volume best in a year; transportation, logistics M&A activity robust

International container volume in North America increased 3.9 percent during the second quarter, marking the best quarterly results in a year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) “Intermodal Market Trends and Statistics Report” issued last month. In absolute terms, the quarter also served as the international segment’s highest second quarter since 2008, […]

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East Coast ports reopening, air service returning to normal after Hurricane Sandy

Logistics capabilities along the Eastern Seaboard are beginning to reopen in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Air service was expected to resume Tuesday afternoon, and freight railroads, which were unaffected by the massive storm, are running. Some key ports that were closed, such as Baltimore and Norfolk, Va., also reopened Tuesday. That isn’t to say […]

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MEARSK EXPECTED GROWTH

Maersk expects only modest growth for container shipping-paper FRANKFURT Oct 24 (Reuters) – Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk said it did not expect the problems of overcapacity in container shipping to return to pre-crisis levels with only modest growth expected in the next few years. Growth rates of around 10 percent, the average before the financial […]

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New California reefer regulations significantly affect our industry

New California reefer regulations significantly affect brokers and forwarders nationwide  New regulations from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will take effect on Jan. 1, 2013, and as a result, transportation brokers and freight forwarders will face significant implications. Trucking companies who operate reefer containers in California should already be familiar with the new law, […]

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CONTAINER VOLUME JUMP 40 PERCENT IN SEPT.

Tacoma’s container volumes jump nearly 40 percent in September Container volumes through the Port of Tacoma continued to climb in September, posting a 37 percent gain over the same month last year. Port terminals handled 195,718 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) last month compared to 142,920 in September 2011. For the year, container volumes are up […]

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IMPORTER FRAUD PROTECTION PROGRAM

IMPORTER FRAUD PROTECTION PROGRAM   When an importer identity is compromised, they are often unaware until U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues a notice of detention following a cargo exam. If a criminal obtains your tax ID and address, and files entries against your bond, your legitimate business may be on the hook.   […]

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SHIPPING INDUSTRY TAKES A GLASS-HALF-FULL APPROACH

THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY KEEPS TANKING Prominent companies are avoiding investors conferences. And with a glut of vessels and scant demand, carriers talk more about scrapping ships than sailing then. The industry’s saving grace may lie partly in its ability to diversify. Companies specialized in a vast array of sectors,some of which respond less to a […]

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CANADIAN PORTS WADE INTO POLITICAL WATERS

The Federal Maritime Commission is claiming America’s neighbor to the north snags business from the west coast ports. Lawmakers have seized on its contents, which fit confortably into the election year narrative and outdated infrastructure. Last September, two Washington senators and a handful of west coast representatives asked the commissioners to analyze the impact of shippers stopping […]

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