Archive for August, 2009

Global logistics company OHL recently added Danny Sawyer to its logistics team as Vice President, Internal Audit. 

Container shipping rates from the U.S. to Asia are going up, if the members of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) get their way.

The WTSA, a group of 10 container shipping lines, said today it plans to increase its dry cargo rates by $150 per 40-foot container (FEU) and $120 per 20-foot container (TEU) from the U.S. West Coast and by $200 per FEU and $160 per TEU for intermodal moves or all-water shipment via the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts. Rate increases are effective Sept. 1.

Given the unprecedented market conditions in early 2009, TSA member lines did not announce a customary program of rate and surcharge adjustments for the upcoming contract year, that would form the basis for contract negotiations.

However, upon reviewing the results of negotiations after most contracts had been signed, carriers determined that overall rate levels in the trade going forward - and locked in for 12 months - were unsustainable, and that further revenue improvement was needed.

On July 7, 2009 transpacific container shipping lines announced an interim revenue improvement program for the 2009-10 contract year, including:

- A $500 per 40-foot container (FEU) rate increase for all commodities
and all U.S destinations, to take effect August 10, 2009.

U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) has selected global logistics company, OHL, as one of four brokers to participate in the Broker Self-Assessment (BSA) Outreach Pilot

This customs notice is to inform you of the August 1, 2009, implementation of the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA). With the exception of a few agricultural goods, the CPFTA will eliminate duties on all goods, either immediately upon implementation of the agreement, or through tariff phase-out.

The US House of Representatives passed a food safety Bill on Thursday last by a vote of 283-142 that promises far-reaching reform of how food is processed and grown, intended to boost food safety and consumer confidence.

Merchandise Trade Deficit Grew 3 percent; Imports Up 8 percent; Exports Up 12 percent in 2008. Shifts in U.S. Merchandise Trade 2008, an annual compendium of data and analysis examining changes in trade with key U.S. partners and in crucial U.S. industries, was released today by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).

The USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, releases the information in a web-based format that focuses on reasons for key shifts in trade, provides more detail, and can be searched by country or commodity sector.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released The Year in Trade 2008, its annual overview of the previous year’s trade-related activities. The USITC’s The Year in Trade is one of the government’s most comprehensive reports of U.S. trade-related activities, covering major multilateral, regional, and bilateral developments.