04/03/2008
The Federal Maritime Commission wants to ports of Long Beach to answer some specific questions before it is willing to approve a discussion agreement that will allow the two ports to talk to its terminal operators about implementing the ports' clean truck plans.
Although the two ports plans are different - Los Angeles will require trucking companies serving the port to hire employee-drivers and Long Beach will leave it up to the companies whether they hire company drivers or use owner-operators - many of the elements are the same as are the timetables for enacting them.

Both ports plan to launch the program with a ban on pre-1989 trucks starting in October. The FMC request is expected to push off that already aggressive deadline. No final decision by the FMC will be handed down until 45 days after the ports answer a list of questions posed by the agency.

A sample of questions the FMC wants answered includes:
• What's the impact of the two ports having separate plans?
• Do both ports have to agree on how to implement the plan?
• How many applications for trucking concessions are expected to be submitted to each port?
• Will trucking companies that want to serve both ports have to file separate concession agreements and pay separate fees to each port?
• Will trucking companies with no prior port history be able to obtain a concession?
• What are the non-performance provisions in the concession agreements at each port?
• Describe the reporting requirements and reporting frequency, including record access, recordkeeping, and audit requirements for drayage companies?
• What will all the hardware and software cost for each program?
• How many drivers from the drayage workforce do the ports think they will lose from the program?
• How will long-haul trucks that occasionally visit the ports be treated?
• How much diversion to other ports is expected because of the clean truck plans?
• To what extent are the RFID tags tamper-proof?
• Tell all the reasons why a truck or driver could be denied access at a terminal?
• Compare and contrast how the ports' clean truck plans will differ from similar regulations being put together by the California Air Resources Board.
• What will be the effect at non-container terminals?
Many of these questions are the same ones the trucking industry has been asking since the plan was first unveiled. Many of the details of the plans are still being worked out. Whether the ports can pull something together to satisfy the FMC will be the issue.

Post panamax threat to New York trade

The wider Panama Canal will have serious consequences for the port of New York-New Jersey as larger container vessels will be unable to sail under the city’s Bayonne Bridge. The Port Authority of New York-New Jersey said in a statement that it would engage the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to assess how the Bayonne Bridge will affect future trade. The services of the Corps would cost US$300,000. “The air draft limitations of the Bayonne Bridge have gradually given rise to concerns, as ocean carriers begin introducing or planning for the introduction of vessels with a capacity and size that will require either vessel modifications or favorable tidal conditions in order for vessel operators to take advantage of the planned 50-foot channels at the port,” the statement said.
“The recent decision to widen and deepen the Panama Canal could amplify the significance of the Bayonne Bridge limitation in terms of navigational safety and regional cargo flows.”

The Panama Canal can currently handle ships carrying up to 5,000, TEUs, known as Panamax vessels. However, with wider locks and deeper and wider access channels, the Canal would be able to handle ships carrying 10,000 to 12,000 TEUs, known as post-Panamax vessels. At 151 feet, the air draft of the Bayonne Bridge currently presents a limitation for vessels that carry 6,000 to 8,000 TEUs, depending on vessel design.
“Under this proposed action, the Corps would conduct an analysis of the impact of the Bayonne Bridge air draft on future port trade, navigational safety, security and transportation economics,” the NYNJ statement said.

03/30/2008
The Federal Maritime Commission requested Friday that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach provide more information about their plans for regulating port trucks before it gets FMC permission for a discussion agreement with terminal operators... The Port of Seattle will use a 10-acre property at Terminal 10 as an interim parking lot for trucks... The California State Lands Commission last week approved an agreement in which International-Matex Tank Terminals will pay $98,200 for failure to comply with state pipeline testing requirements at the company's Port of Richmond terminal... A private security company at the Port of Tacoma is facing accusations of unfair labor practices from the National Labor Relations Board after some of its guards said they were threatened with the loss of their jobs if they supported a move to join the ILWU.

Port of Long Beach tenants and guests ate with the fishes last week as the port handed out its Green Flag awards at a special dinner in the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific... Korry Electronics, which had been in negotiations to build a new facility on Port of Seattle property, announced Thursday that it will relocate its 600-plus Seattle employees to a site in an unincorporated area of Snohomish County in late 2009 or early 2010... Commissioners from the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma will conduct a joint study session on Tuesday to discuss issues they have in common, namely air quality, transportation infrastructure and security.

The California Maritime Academy training ship Golden Bear will become a test bed for ballast water treatment systems under a plan approved last week by the California State Lands Commission... The Port of San Diego is seeking artistic submissions for a project to illuminate the Coronado Bridge... Receipt of a military equipment shipment that spawned days of protests and dozens of arrests in early and mid-November earned the Port of Olympia at least $400,000, according to port financial records obtained by the Olympian newspaper... The Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies will hold its annual awards celebration from 5-8 p.m. on April 11 at the University of Washington in Seattle.

PIERS® Global Intelligence Solutions, a division of Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., today announced it will deliver current and historical U.S. export trade data via its Web-based trade intelligence product, PIERS TI™. PIERS TI has, since 2004, been the consistent market leader in providing online access to the latest available U.S. import data, down to transaction detail — including names and addresses, detailed cargo descriptions, estimated value and volume of shipments.

“Starting Monday, October 22, PIERS TI will offer U.S. export data as well as import data,” says PIERS President and COO Brendan McCahill, who explains that PIERS has previously been providing export data in its monthly Export Bulletin CD. Along with the expanded access to both import and export data, the new PIERS TI will also offer search engine enhancements and new report generation capabilities — including the option of creating trending reports that track month-by-month fluctuations in U.S. export trade by country, commodity or U.S. exporter.

Founded over 30 years ago, the PIERS database is a unique resource for trade intelligence. PIERS gathers the data directly from the manifests and bills of lading that document importexport activity, and then adds value by auditing, standardizing and validating the data and by assigning harmonized tariff codes to all manifest commodity descriptions.

“PIERS TI makes our database a uniquely accessible resource,” McCahill says. “Our Webbased service enables subscribers to run highly refined searches of our import-export data, sort and filter results, generate a range of reports, download results to their applications, and securely store their research online for later retrieval.

SARS is to blame for the cancellation of an estimated 20% of Asia-North America and Asia-Europe passenger flights, and 50% of intra-Asia flights in late May, reports The Journal of Commerce.