Slick breaks up as Erika sinks FEARS of major coastal pollution to northwest France receded yesterday as heavy seas dispersed the oil slick created by the break-up of the oil tanker Erika, which finally sank off the Brittany coast.
Owners help French probe into sinking REPRESENTATIVES of Tevere Shipping (Valletta), owner of the Erika, said they were co-operating with French and Maltese authorities investigating the casualty, writes James Brewer.
New look BG makes its debut YESTERDAY saw the official debut of BG Group, the stock exchange-listed entity responsible for the former British Gas UK pipeline and storage activities, as well as a vast portfolio of international exploration, production and gas transmission interests.
NCL softens as its 'white knight' fails to appear NORWEGIAN Cruise Lines (NCL) has confirmed it had discussions with US rival Carnival last weekend as an alternative bidder for the company failed to materialise.
Clinton snubs start of canal's new era STATESMEN from around the world will today mark the handover of the Panama Canal at a symbolic ceremony in Panama City, though the US delegation will be conspicuous by two key absences.
Chinese gang accused of crew murder ONE Indonesian and 37 Chinese men have gone on trial in Shanwei in China's Guangdong province, accused of being part of a pirate gang that murdered the 23-strong crew of the 16,785 dwt Cheung Son last year.
A group of shippers is suing United Parcel Service for $14 billion for insurance fraud in a case related to UPS's offshore Overseas Partners' Ltd. insurance affiliation. The case was filed under the Ohio Corrupt Activities Act, which allows for treble damages. The shippers claim UPS was in the insurance business fraudulently. UPS denies all charges and says it will "vigorously" fight the matter.
Tougher environmental law and regulation, higher-priced oil and capacity constraints on U.S. railroads are converging with possible dire implications for the U.S. economy, said Edison Electric Institute's Chuck Linderman. He proposes an interagency federal task force to study, among other things, the economic effect of granting a railroad other than BNSF access over Union Pacific's inactive Central Corridor route through Colorado's Tennessee Pass.
While the World Trade Organization meeting failed to make any significant changes affecting child labor laws or lifting trade barriers, that doesn't mean the issues are not of importance to supply chain managers. Ahead of any WTO mandate, companies with plants around the world already police labor activity to prevent worker exploitation. Manufacturers have come a long way from the days of resisting factory monitoring but complacency is not an option either, according to industry watchers.
Roberts Express, the $200 million-plus expedited trucking unit of FDX Corp., no longer has to sweat getting testimonials from its customers. That's because Roberts, which was the first trucker to exclusively market in the so-called "Oops" sector of the industry, now is considered a routine part of some shippers' overall supply chain, according to Joel Childs, Roberts' vice president of marketing. The carrier that once hauled the largest bar of soap is effectively marketing itself as a solution to shippers' woes even though it admits to being the highest-priced carrier in nearly all of its markets.
What to do with empty shipping containers has plagued ocean lines and shippers for decades. While what seemed like a solution to the problem is in the works, not everyone is in agreement on how to execute. Repositioning charges, the term ocean carriers use to ferry empty containers back and forth in key lanes, are generally frowned upon by shippers. New companies are sprouting up trying to tackle the repositioning problem by trying to find backhaul freight for the return trip. One such company, International Asset Systems, is taking a stab at it by splitting continent to continent moves into much smaller pieces.
Intermodal growth over the last year on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is unmistakable. Now the railroad is looking to make itself more user friendly in order to help grow the carload side as well. BNSF president and COO Matt Rose is overseeing an initiative to do that. Informally referred to as its "ease of doing business" initiative, Rose believes that through a combination of internet technology and e-commerce, the railroad will be able to attract more carload shippers away from trucks and onto rails.
BAX Global is a step closer to blowing the soot from its beleaguered stock after its parent company announced it is selling its 70-year coal mining business. BAX is the largest company in the Pittston Inc. portfolio that also includes Brink's, a security specialist, and Pittston Minerals, the coal mining entity burdened with sky-high legacy costs. Pittston is abandoning its unsuccessful tracking stock scheme in favor of creating one stock based on the Brink's business but including BAX. It's something, but analysts would like to see BAX break free and become a stand-alone company or part of a transportation-focused enterprise.
Just a year ago the transportation industry was being characterized as somewhat lagging in technology. Now in some areas it appears to be ahead of the pack, according to a recently released study by the El Segundo, Calif.-based Computer Sciences Corp. The 12th Annual Survey of Information Systems Management Issues surveyed top executives, most in companies with revenue over $250 million, in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand and found the transportation industry to be more focused on electronic-business issues than any other group. Eight hundred executives worldwide were polled between May and June of this year; 4.5 percent are in the transportation sector.
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