BRIEFS

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FMC set for stormy meeting Imports rise points to recovery Maersk amends Aussie-Japan Toyota service ECT at top of Egyptian bid list Antwerp dock to open in 2000 Rolls-Royce wins US$15m Malaysian contract Antwerp box traffic rises Conterm sails the Americas Maersk vessel to ply Europe-Asia route SBTA adopts new logo, image Airlanka opts for all-Airbus fleet KAL replaces A300s Boeing unit stretches its wings Martinair disappointed by KLM bid withdrawal MCP cuts red tape Panalpina names NA chief

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Sea-Land/Maersk to Command 24 Giant Ships by End-2000 Evergreen to Issue Bonds Worth $76 Million JIFFA Adopts Business Plans for FY1999

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JUNE 18, 1999
Rebate of Excise Duty on goods exported - Mr. T. N. C. Rajagopalan Evergreen to invest $ 3 bn in cruise division Cotton waste shipment period extended till July 31 P&O upgrades Australia trade DCL takes to global strategy with new services New cargo terminal at IGI airport in for delay Mauritius envoy for closer trade, cultural ties German majors come in droves for patents of textile equipment Tea industry brewing a heady cup for Japan SCI-MOL-Enron SPV for LNG transport gets RBI nod ECGC, D&B tie-up may prove beneficial to export-import community Gem & jewellery show slated for city Tyre exports roll up in April Move to bring gold back on SIL list IICL Inspectors' Exams in October Zinc ash imports may be allowed Clear guidelines on onion exports sought Vadodara-Halol road project funds tied up Spices exports net more

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JUNE 18, 1999
US Coast Guard completes Y2K strategy Energy Argus Weekly Sentiment Survey Finds Power Traders Mildly Bullish Exxon Affiliate Opens New Lube Oil Blending Plant in Egypt BP Amoco review finds world energy demand down in 1998 ARA and NWE: IFO's test the $100 mark Mediterranean markets play catch up with ARA, local shortages Asian market review African market report: Cape Town short on gas Middle East markets: Gulf quite stable, Jeddah tight US Gulf market review Latin American market: Mixed with tight spots North American markets: Catching up

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JUNE 18, 1999
Port of Oakland ordinance requires ships to exchange ballast water at sea Jumping the gun on both the U.S. Coast Guard and IMO, the Port of Oakland, Calif., unilaterally adopted an ordinance on June 15, 1999, requiring vessels calling at the port to conduct ballast water exchange at sea to help reduce the risk of introducing non-indigenous species into the San Francisco Bay and Delta. The ordinance goes into effect August 1, 1999. Tidewater sells North Sea safety standby fleet Scotland's BUE Marine Limited is buying Tidewater's North Sea safety-standby fleet to in a $40 million all-cash sale.

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NOL cashes in for growth DEBT-ridden Neptune Orient Lines plans to raise US$500m through two new stock offerings to fund growth opportunities and reduce bank debt that now stands at S$4.7bn. Europe to raise safety standards Shipping industry leaders are set to sign a voluntary European Commission charter in Amsterdam on Tuesday designed to raise shipping safety standards. BG goes for greater global flexibility BG is proposing a corporate and financial restructuring which will see Transco, the group's UK pipeline business, ring-fenced for regulatory purposes, freeing the international business to grow with less constraint, writes David Eldridge. The move confounded some observers, who had predicted a demerger of BG's businesses and a possible return of capital to shareholders. BG chief executive David Varney said that there is more value in keeping BG in its existing shape and combining skills from the transportation and upstream sides. CGU in Isle of Man venture UK composite insurer CGU and mutual insurance manager Thomas Miller have formed a joint venture to manage the captive insurance clients of both companies on the Isle of Man. September deadline for Atlantic deal Protracted negotiations by some of the biggest carriers on the Atlantic to rationalise services are entering the final phase, with September now the target starting date. Light Work An overview of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina, as crews move it down a set of steel rails toward a new foundation about 490 metres back from the approaching sea. The 60 meter lighthouse has stood guard over the 'graveyard of the Atlantic' since 1879.

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JUNE 18, 1999
NOL to raise $500M BHP warns against abolishing Part X Venezuela uncovers customs scam South Africa appoints surprise transport minister Philippines to resubmit STCW report Tugs free small cruise ship after five days P&O Australia raises Nhava Sheva stake India offered gas carriers at low rates Liberian efficiencies will not reduce fees Liberia's advisory board still under wraps IRI creates identification and certification dept Airtours reconsiders its newbuilding plans Kotka 'will grow despite Russian slump' Marseilles upgrade wins approval Italian second register rises to 217 ships Petron retains close links with Saudi Aramco

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Home

Electronic bill of lading is coming soon
Proposed legislation comes under fire

Transportation

NS, CSX problems prompt skittishness on Wall Street
Rail traffic decreases{QC} on former Conrail lines{QC}
ProLogis gets logistics contract from Amazon
Finding new ways to play pool with boxes
EU to consider easing truck rules

Maritime

OECD report suggests restrictions on lines' ability to jointly set rates
Government agrees to discuss job security
Commission seeks solutions at ports
Largest boxship to call Long Beach
Ecologists prescribe cure for Mississippi
Juicy goal: to win OJ cargo from Charleston
Transshipment hub in Bahamas whets appetites of Florida ports
OOCL expands Australian service
FastShip Atlantic targets produce sector
Merger mania takes a breather
Latin box makers struggle to compete
Carriers out of fiscal maneuvering room
Flatracks fit bill for carriers vying for project cargo
Who should be responsible for safe equipment?
Evergreen-Cosco link called a cost-cutter
Upheaval avoided as 2 carriers stay

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Home

Electronic bill of lading is coming soon
Proposed legislation comes under fire

Transportation

NS, CSX problems prompt skittishness on Wall Street
Rail traffic decreases{QC} on former Conrail lines{QC}
ProLogis gets logistics contract from Amazon
Finding new ways to play pool with boxes
EU to consider easing truck rules

Maritime

OECD report suggests restrictions on lines' ability to jointly set rates
Government agrees to discuss job security
Commission seeks solutions at ports
Largest boxship to call Long Beach
Ecologists prescribe cure for Mississippi
Juicy goal: to win OJ cargo from Charleston
Transshipment hub in Bahamas whets appetites of Florida ports
OOCL expands Australian service
FastShip Atlantic targets produce sector
Merger mania takes a breather
Latin box makers struggle to compete
Carriers out of fiscal maneuvering room
Flatracks fit bill for carriers vying for project cargo
Who should be responsible for safe equipment?
Evergreen-Cosco link called a cost-cutter
Upheaval avoided as 2 carriers stay

web site

Home

Electronic bill of lading is coming soon
Proposed legislation comes under fire

Transportation

NS, CSX problems prompt skittishness on Wall Street
Rail traffic decreases{QC} on former Conrail lines{QC}
ProLogis gets logistics contract from Amazon
Finding new ways to play pool with boxes
EU to consider easing truck rules

Maritime

OECD report suggests restrictions on lines' ability to jointly set rates
Government agrees to discuss job security
Commission seeks solutions at ports
Largest boxship to call Long Beach
Ecologists prescribe cure for Mississippi
Juicy goal: to win OJ cargo from Charleston
Transshipment hub in Bahamas whets appetites of Florida ports
OOCL expands Australian service
FastShip Atlantic targets produce sector
Merger mania takes a breather
Latin box makers struggle to compete
Carriers out of fiscal maneuvering room
Flatracks fit bill for carriers vying for project cargo
Who should be responsible for safe equipment?
Evergreen-Cosco link called a cost-cutter
Upheaval avoided as 2 carriers stay

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The debate over how long pilots should work per day has resurfaced, this time with the Federal Aviation Administration threatening to enforce a rule that's been on the books since 1985. Flight and duty time has been a hot-button issue for airlines, pilots and government regulators for decades but since fatigue may have played a role in the recent American Airlines crash in Little Rock, Ark., the issue has heated up. Pilot groups applaud the fact that new attention is being paid to what they deem a very serious safety issue and hope that a new rule brings into account the vast amount of sleep research that exists. Texans will have a lot to do with whether or not the Surface Transportation Board gets reauthorized. Almost every key player working on reauthorization this session hails from the Lone Star State. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, chairman of the STB subcommittee, is crafting legislation that bridges the conflict between railroads and the shippers that rely on them. Ed Emmett, president of the National Industrial Transportation League, is playing shuttle diplomacy between the warring factions. Middle ground is tough to find, especially when both sides are standing in a briar patch. It's the battle of the bookworms. As the major book chains are fighting for turf on the street corner and on the web, independent booksellers are rolling up their sleeves to stave off the assault. Even the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has stepped into the fray with the unionization of one of the country's largest independent booksellers. These events are indicative of what's bedeviling the book business these days. The industry isn't just turning over a new leaf—it's sprouting into a different tree altogether. Shipper and truckload interests are fighting a long-shot battle to allow states to authorize 97,000-pound trucks on their highways. The coalition, Americans for Safe and Efficient Transportation, knows it has an uphill fight to increase weight limits. It isn't even trying to expand use of longer-combination vehicles. Still, not all trucking interests are on board as the issue appeals mostly to truckload giants such as Schneider National, Green Bay, Wis., the nation's largest truckload carrier, and CRST International, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The lure of productivity gains interests shippers and most major shipper groups are backing ASET's efforts. "We're from the U.S. Customs Service and we'd like to audit you." Those words are enough to make most importers and exporters run to the cabinet for Maalox, or even some stronger drink. The way to avoid such greetings is to develop a compliance system that makes sense of Customs' Byzantine regulations. How to deal with the Customs Service and its dreaded "assists" issue was explained in a recent seminar organized by Philadelphia-based BDP International. How are Kansas City Southern Railway and Transportacion Maritima Mexicana paying for their $1.4 billion purchase of the northeast Mexican rail line? Beer is taking them part of the way. Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana, the railroad jointly owned by KCS and TMM, is benefiting from the surge in popularity of Corona Extra, which recently surpassed Heineken as the No. 1 imported beer in the U.S. Brewer Grupo Modelo is happy too since the addition of KCS through its partnership with TFM gives the beer shipper a third rail option into the United States. Here we go again. It's summer and that means talks over revising the U.S.-U.K. bilateral air agreement heat up as predictably as the asphalt outside government offices. After years of fruitless talks, cargo operators have reached a new level of frustration. On the north side of the Atlantic, British cargo carriers have teamed together to try to convince the U.S. government to let them in on the robust wetleasing market. If they object, the British Cargo Airline Alliance has a whole list of retaliatory actions it would like its government to take against its U.S. competitors. Talks begin again early next month. Less-than-truckload giants Yellow Freight System, Roadway Express and Consolidated Freightways spoke to Traffic World about their electronic commerce plans. One company, CF, announced the opening of its new service, CFMovesU.com. Home and business delivery, portals, websites and customer service all appear to be part of the game plan, although since the e-commerce market is developing so quickly, all three carriers acknowledged that it's hard to see the end of the road. But they do hope that by careful planning they'll find that pot of gold there.