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Law Offices of Countryman & McDaniel
THE CARGO LETTER [486]
Air & Ocean Logistics - Customs Broker News
27 April 2012
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Good Friday Morning from our Observation Deck......overlooking the officially designated "
Cargo City" area and...... Runway 25-Right, at Los Angeles International Airport, voted "Best Cargo Airport in North America." 

        
The Cargo Letter is now perfectly designed to be enjoyed on your iPad.  Access all our internet links directly from your device.

       Here is what happened in our industry during the Month of April 2012. 

       To help you find what you need -- 
FAST -- there's now a transport search engine installed at our www.CargoLaw.com website.

       Contribute your knowledge, stories & company information.......by e-mail to 
The Cargo Letter.  We strive to bring you useful information which is timely & topical.  Be sure to visit our website.......cargolaw.com
       Archive of 
The Cargo Letter ....... www.cargolaw.com/cl-archives.php

              Michael S. 
McDaniel, Editor, Countryman & McDaniel, forwarder/broker, hull & machinery attorneys at LAX.

INDEX to 
The Cargo Letter:
OUR "A" Section: Trade, Financial & Inland News***
1. 
Freight Forwarder Trade Briefs ______________                            
2. 
The Cargo Letter Financial Page ______________                               
OUR "B" Section:  FF World Air News***
3. 
Freight Forwarder World Air Briefs ____________                         
OUR "C" Section:  FF World Ocean News***
4. 
FF World Ocean Briefs _____________________                                            
5. 
The Cargo Letter Cargo Damage Dispatches _____        
       **Back By Popular Demand**
OUR "D" Section:  FF in Cyberspace***
6. 
The Cargo Letter "Cyber Ports of Call" _________             
OUR "E" Section:  The Forwarder/Broker World***
7. 
Countryman & McDaniel Visits UPS Worldport ____        
========================================
*****************************************************

OUR "A" Section: Trade, Financial & Inland News***
  1. 
Freight Forwarder Trade Briefs _____________  

    ***Record American Exports ..... as the U.S. Commerce Dept. reported on April 12 the country's goods & services exports in Feb. were up 0.1% from Jan. to reach a record US$181.2Bn. In addition, record highs were seen in
U.S. exports of total services (US$53.2Bn), and capital goods exports (US$43.2Bn). The trade deficit narrowed by US$6.5Bn from Jan. to Feb., to US$46.0Bn. Going in the other direction, import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is projected to increase 3.2% in April, compared with the same month last year, and year-over-year gains should continue through the end of summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released April 11 by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. 
www.hackettassociates.com/

   ***World Trade Growth Slow .... as growth is expected to continue slowing in 2012, World Trade Organization (WTO) economists announced last April 13, following a sharp deceleration in trade growth in 2011. The global trade body credited the European sovereign debt crisis, among other problems, for being among the main causes for the global economy's continued loss of momentum. World trade expanded in 2011 by 5%, the global trade body said, after having rebounded in 2010 to 13.8%. Growth will slow further still to  3.7 % this year, WTO economists predict - a number that is both below the 6% average for 1990-2008 and lower than the 5.5% average over the last two decades, including the period of the trade collapse.

    ***
Columbia Free Trade Begins ..... as the White House has announced the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will take effect on May 15. On that day, more than 80% of U.S. exports of consumer & industrial products to Colombia will become duty-free, including agricultural and construction equipment, building products, aircraft and parts, fertilizers, information technology equipment, medical scientific equipment, and wood. Also, immediately, more than half of U.S. exports of agricultural commodities to Colombia will become duty-free, including wheat, barley, soybeans, high-quality beef, bacon, and almost all fruit and vegetable products. U.S. goods exports to Colombia in 2011 were US$14.3Bn.
www.ustr.gov/uscolombiatpa

   ***China 3PL Revenue Surges ...... as Beijing's freight forwarders recorded revenues of US$20Bn in 2011 drew from 946 registered forwarder companies, reports Xinhua news service. Privately-owned forwarders make up 70% of the total while the state-owned enterprises & holding companies account for 15% with another 15% being accounted for by foreign-owned and joint-ventures. Forwarding in
Beijing has seen a 30% growth in revenue in import & export cargo volume over the last two years, says International Freight Forwarder Assn. (IFFA) Secretary General Li Rong. 

   ***CargoNet Reports Increased Losses ..... as the cargo theft prevention & recovery network, said it recorded 1,215 cargo theft incidents last year, 17% more than the 1,035 in 2010. Its annual report said 116 incidents involved base metals, 229 electronics, 105 apparel & accessories, and 200 prepared foodstuffs & beverages. As in past years, most cargo theft incidents occurred on Fridays (227), Saturdays (202), & Sundays (198) at locations such as truck stops, carrier/terminal lots, unsecured truck parks and in neihborhood locations near driver homes.

www.cargonet.com/

2011 U.S. Cargo Theft Report
www.cargonet.com/cargo_theft_reports/2011.pdf

   ***New Defense Treaty Licensing Requirements ..... as in a Federal Register notice published by the Dept. of State on
April 19, 2012, it was announced the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty between the U.S. & the UK (Treaty Doc. 110–7) entered into force on April 13, 2012. The details of the agreement and other related Int'l Traffic in Arms (ITAR) regulation changes were first published on March 21, 2012 and went into effect along with the treaty. According to a State Dept. FAQ post, the treaty "seeks to simplify the movement of equipment & information between and within the U.S. and the UK by creating an Approved Community of government & private sector entities & facilities. Approved Community Members may receive certain defense articles (including technical data) and defense services solely for an end-use that is within the Treaty scope... without the need for ITAR export licenses or other written authorizations so long as all of the requirements outlined in the ITAR are followed." In exchange, the UK has created a corresponding Open General Export License (OGEL), bypassing the need to apply for an individual export license from the UK Government, assuming the transaction falls under the terms of the ITAR & OGEL.                      
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-21/pdf/2012-6825.pdf

    ***New & Free Cargo Glossary & Handbook ...... as Netherlands-based marine survey company BMT De Beer has launched 
CargoHandbook.com, which is claimed to be the largest online cargo transportation database in the marine industry. The aim of the new website is to provide and share information on cargo transportation with the wider market to help reduce the number of cargo incidents & search the glossary of terms & claims. Review shipping requirements and risks for hundreds of products.
www.cargohandbook.com/index.php/Welcome_to_CargoHandbook

   ***Market Swings Open With Single
U.S. Standard ..... as Israel's Minister of Transport & Road Safety has signed an order opening the Israel market for the import of cars made in Japan and South Korea that comply with American manufacturing standards. The order means the carmakers' official importers will be able to offer new cars made around the world that meet US standards. Currently, U.S. standard cars may be imported only from members of NAFTA - the U.S., Canada & Mexico.

   ***Peru Chosen For Stability ...... as Mitsui OSK Lines has announced that MOL has established a wholly owned subsidiary, MOL (
Peru) in Lima. "The country was chosen because it shows more stable growth than other South American nations. With the new subsidiary, MOL will consolidate its business structure and further expand north-south containership routes to further improve customer services," said a company statement. Its principal line ofthe new business is to act as a liner shipping agency for MOL in Peru.

   ***Recognizing Int'l Product Rights ....... as on April 9, the United States sent a letter to Brazil stating it will recognize Cachaça as a distinctive product of Brazil, while Brazil said in a letter it will designate Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey as distinctive products of the United States. To celebrate the event, your editor visited the Jim Beam Bourbon distillery in
Clemont, Kentucky last week -- after our tour of Worldport, the futuristic UPS air hub in Louisville.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cachaça
www.jimbeam.com/visit-the-bourbon-distillery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldport_(UPS_air_hub)


   ***UPS CrossBorder Connect ...... as the leader has announced a ground freight service between the U.S. & Mexico designed to address heavyweight freight supply chain challenges for companies investing in cross-border trade. This is a contractual service utilizing the trucking network that supports UPS's North American Air Freight service. That network has been connected with trusted carriers in
Mexico at eight points along the U.S.-Mexico border. By integrating UPS' brokerage capabilities, the service addresses brokerage process complexities and is designed to help reduce customs delays associated with border regulations, inspections and paperwork. UPS also provides the option of bonded movements through the border to help enable faster crossing of goods.
www.ups.com/content/us/en/bussol/browse/cat/global_freight.html

    ***Tundra Accord ..... as a Trans Siberian Railway Agreement was signed in Paris this month between the Int'l Union of Railways (UIC) and the Coordinating Council on Trans Siberian Transportation (CCTT) is aimed at developing transport connections, increasing the effectiveness of int'l railway cargo transportation and attracting foreign trade cargo to the railways in increased East-West cargo transportation flows linking Asia, Europe & North-East America.
www.transsibcouncil.com/en/cctst.admin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Railways


   ***Give Us Your Money ...... as another new round of fraudulent USDOT letters are starting to circulate among motor carriers. The letters appear to be from the "U.S. Dept. of Transportation Procurement Office" and signed by a fictitious name of "Julie Weynel – Senior Procurement Officer." The letters are attempting to obtain banking information from the targeted companies. More information at the USDOT OIG website:
www.oig.dot.gov/fraud-alert

    ***Matching Your MOS To A New Job ...... as Ryder System, Inc., has launched a new military recruiting website to help veterans easily match their military skills with open positions at Ryder. The new website is part of Ryder's military recruiting efforts, including a commitment to hire 1,000 military veterans by 2013. Veterans can access an automated feature that enables them to search for jobs according to their specific Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) or Military Occupation Code (MOC). Once a veteran enters his or her MOS/MOC into the search engine, it will automatically filter the search to display open positions at Ryder that specifically match that job code.www.ryder.com/pageselector.jsp?id
=careers_search_military



   ***Imminent Hazard?
 ...... as the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared New Jersey-based J&A Transportation, Inc. an imminent hazard to public safety, and ordered the commercial truck company to shut down its operations. FMCSA placed J&A Transportation out-of-service after numerous roadside inspections found multiple hours-of-service, and driver and vehicle maintenance violations. The order also applies to J&A Transportation, Inc.'s principals and drivers. FMCSA ordered the shutdown of J&A Transportation after safety investigators found the truck company continued to operate without an active USDOT number and valid operating authority. Investigators also discovered that the company operated vehicles that had serious mechanical defects, and were not regularly inspected & repaired.

   ***Slowing Down ..... as the first recorded speed limit in the
U.S. was set in Boston in 1750. Assigned to wagon, carriage, and horse traffic, the speed limit demanded they not exceed a walking pace on Sunday, with a penalty fine of 10 shillings, equal to around US$90 today. By the 1900s, speed limits had been established in many states, varying across the country although often higher or nonexistent in rural areas. Most states had highway speed limits ranging from 65 to 75 mph with urban areas posting lower speed limits. From 1974-1987, all states adopted the national 55mph speed limit, which was a federal initiative in response to oil shortages. In 1987, Congress allowed states to increase the maximum to 65 mph. In 1995, the national speed limit was repealed and states were free to decide speed limits on their own.

   ***Home Plates ..... as many
U.S. vehicle license plates herald the scenic wonders of the various states, and others contain words giving a glimpse of the driver's personal preferences.  New York was the 1st state to require license plates on motor vehicles 111 years ago this month. At the time, there were just under 15,000 rudimentary automobiles in the entire country, traveling over muddy roads without a license for the driver or the automobile.  Now, there are more than 246 million cars, trucks &  buses zipping along the nation's sophisticated highway system, and nearly 210 million Americans have driver's licenses.

   ***Warehouse Thieves Will Now Switch To Decaf ..... as in a heist that could fill the mother of all bottomless cups, thieves in
Austria have made off with 2 tons of coffee. Police say the culprits broke into a wholesaler and coffee-roaster's warehouse east of Vienna, loaded a stolen van with the goods and then drove off. A police statement put the value of the vehicle & its contents at more than US$72,000. The thieves also took two coffee machines with them.

   ***Popping Pickled Peppers ...... as a drug trafficker has been jailed for attempting to smuggle peppers stuffed with cocaine into the
UK through Manchester Airport. Sierra Leone national Stanley Okpara, 42, was arrested by UK Border Force officers when he attempted to collect the drugs which had arrived in a freight shipment from Nigeria on Feb. 25. The peppers - stashed in boxes - were found to contain the drug which when cut would have a street value of about US$20,000, said the British Home Office. Officials checked a consignment of 15 boxes that arrived from Nigeria via Istanbul in Turkey. Two contained peppers which had plastic bags of the drug inside. Some of the vegetables were also found to be filled with a liquid-form of cocaine. A father-of-two, Okpara, of Salford, Greater Manchester, has now been sentenced to 7 years at Bolton Crown Court after he was convicted of fraudulent evasion of prohibition by bringing a controlled drug into the country. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Brendan O'Leary, prosecuting, said the drug were analysed and found to weigh 200g. It had a high-level of purity. Brown cardboard boxes packed with rotten yellow & red peppers were found at Okpara's house. 
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stuffed-peppers-with-13000-worth-of-cocaine-798656
========================================                           
  2. 
The Cargo Letter Financial Page ____________    

**American Airlines (AMR Corp.).
 DOWN with a US$1.7Bn net loss in the first quarter of 2012, but saw consolidated revenues of US$6Bn, a 9.1%, year-over-year, increase.
**Canadian National (CN). 
UP with a 16% increase in 1st quarter net profit to US$782M year.
**CSX. 
UP with a profit of US$449M in the first quarter of 2012, 14% more than the US$395M earned by the railroad in the same 2011 period. 
  **Dachser. 
UP with a 13% year-on-year revenue increase to US$5.9Bn in 2011, gave credit to the 17% growth in its air & sea segments that recorded sales of US$1.5Bn. 
**Etihad Crystal Cargo. 
UP as revenue rose 12.2%, year over year, in the first quarter, growing from US$142M to US$159M.. 
  **
Hamburg Sud. UP with a 7% year-on-year increase in revenue to US$6.3Bn, largely attributable to nine per cent growth in its container business. 
  **Hub Group. 
UP with a profit of US$13.7M in the first quarter ending March 31, 30% more than the US$10.5M earned in the same 2011 period.
  **Kuehne + Nagel. 
UP a 12.2% year-on-year increase in net profit in 2011, achieving a record high of US$660M despite a 3.3% decline in revenue.
  **Mitsui Osk Lines. 
DOWN and facing its largest loss in history of US$0.32Bn despite stable profits and cost-cutting on its 128th anniversary
  **OOCL.
 UP but 2012 first quarter revenue fell 0.9% year-on-year to US$1.3Bn, mostly due to a large downfall in Asia-Europe revenue.
**
Port of Rotterdam Authority. UP with a 10% year-on-year net profit increase to US$243M in 2011 driven by higher harbor fees paid by visiting ships & from rental revenue. 
  **Southwest Airlines. 
UP with notable cargo growth during the first 3 months of 2012, with cargo revenues surging 19.4%, year-over-year, to US$37M. 
  **TT Club. 
UP as a net result for 2011 was a surplus US$1.2M - lower than the 2010 net result which was enhanced by higher prior year release - while surplus & reserves reached a record level of US$145.4M.
  **Union Pacific. 
UP with record 2012 1st quarter net income of US$863M, or US$1.79 per diluted share, compared to US$639M, or US$1.29 per diluted share, in the 1st quarter 2011.
  **USA Truck, Inc. 
DOWN with a net loss of US$4.9M (US$0.47 per share) for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, compared to a net loss of USS$2.7M (US$0.26 per share) for the same quarter of 2011.
**Wan Hai Lines. 
UP with a net profit of US$43.1M year on year. 
========================================
*****************************************************

OUR "B" Section: FF World Air News***
  3. 
Freight Forwarder World Air Briefs __________ 

    ***A Next Legacy Merger? ..... as US Airways announced April 20 it has reached agreement with the 3 unions representing American Airlines workers on what a collective bargaining agreement would like if the company took over American. American is currently operating under bankruptcy protection and lost US$1.2Bn in the fist three months of 2012. American is trying to force its unions to agree to a cost-cutting deal, including layoffs, outsourcing maintenance work, hiring more regional airlines to handle flights & changing work rules. US Airways must still obtain the approval of American's creditors, management and board before any deal can be finalized. Combining two legacy carriers is the latest example of the consolidation trend within the
U.S. airline industry and would require approval of anti-trust regulators in Washington. In recent years Delta & Northwest Airlines, United & Continental, and US Airways & America West have merged. 

    ***Introducing The e-AWB ..... as air cargo is moving toward electronic commerce in the form of a paperless air waybill. This year the air cargo community will see a move toward the e-Air Waybill (e-AWB) which will replace the multiform paper waybill that has been used for decades. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Cargo Committee has endorsed the move for all member airlines worldwide to have the capability of e-AWB by the end of 2014. Cargo Network Services (CNS) will be providing free workshops around the country to inform forwarders, airlines and others in the air cargo transport chain about the upcoming move to e-AWB.  The first of these will be held May 10th with more to follow in other major cities. The first free IATA e-Air Waybill Workshop will be held on 10 May, in
Miami
https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/2e6cg4f1cf

    ***
U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security -- Air Cargo Advance Screening Pilot Strategic Plan ........ as the project is a joint effort between TSA and CBP to test & implement shipment targeting before departure on flights destined for the United States. The ACAS pilot is now in its second phase receiving data from passenger carriers, forwarders and express consignment operators. The Plan:
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1105037637574-53/ACAS+Strategic+plan.pdf

   ***You Are Mandated To Post A Deposit ...... as beware of individuals posing as IATA Financial Service officials (obviously with no such credentials) sending out emails asking for debt settlement payments into a specified account. These individuals are posing as Brain Thomas (beware of possible name changes) sent from the email address <iatai1@aol.com>. If you receive such emails, please be aware that following such instructions may lead to loss of money and/or property. 

   ***New IATA Label For Time & Temperature Sensitive Products .......as the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) now has specific considerations for Time & Temperature management of sensitive healthcare products transported by air. This regulation was both the focus of a specific track during the event, with several shippers of such goods represented, and of key discussions at the Cargo Services Conference (CSC) held during the Symposium. The Cargo Services Conference made the key decision that as of
the 1st of July 2010 all time & temperature sensitive healthcare shipments should be labeled with the IATA "Time & Temperature Sensitive" label in accordance with the Chapter 17 of the 10th edition of the Perishable Cargo Regulations.
www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/tracker/april-2010/pages/label.aspx
www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/Pages/perishables.aspx


   ***More Groups Condemn The EU Carbon Tax  - Good ..... as the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), representing Arab commercial airlines, said the unilateral application of the European Union's carbon tax, also known as, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), violates the Chicago Convention, which stipulates that the air transport relations between states need to be regulated by mutual consent & agreement. The ETS will only attract conflicts & trade wars instead of helping the environment, says the AACO, reports the Khaleej Times. The EU carbon tax will have far-reaching impact on the aviation industry in the
Middle East. Passengers flying to Europe from the Gulf will have to pay more to offset the tax as Etihad Airways became the first in the region to introduce a surcharge last month. The Abu Dhabi carrier increased fares by US$3 per passenger for flights into and out of Europe and US$0.03 per kilo for cargo shipments, which came into effect from March 1. 

    ***Delta Air Lines Buys The Gas Station ..... as it's daily 2011 fuel bill was US$32M, may buy a ConocoPhillips (COP) refinery to help save 10% on a significant portion of its fuel needs, Bloomberg has reported. Talks are under way about an idled ConocoPhillips facility in Trainer,
Pennsylvania, said two people who declined to be identified because the discussions are private. Delta would get fuel from Trainer and from other refiners in exchange for products made there that Delta doesn't use, one person said. ConocoPhillips plans to shut the Trainer operation, unless it can find a buyer by the end of May, as tighter profit margins squeeze East Coast refineries. For Atlanta-based Delta, a deal would help shave annual fuel costs that reached US$11.8Bn last year for its main jet operations and regional partners, or 36% of all spending. The Trainer facility, in suburban Philadelphia, has the capacity to refine 185,000 barrels of crude per day, according to ConocoPhillips. Gasoline accounted for more than half of the plant's production capacity as of last year. Delta uses about 3.9 billion gallons of jet fuel a year, which translates to about 254,000 barrels a day.

   ***Lufthansa Cargo In Night Fright ..... as it is now considering selling its entire fleet of 18 MD-11 freighters after a
Leipzig court upheld the blanket night-flight ban covering 6 hours at Frankfurt Airport. Since the German Federal court in Leipzig upheld the ban on Oct. 3, Lufthansa created an emergency winter timetable which led to a loss of US$20M in three months due to cancelled flights & loss of business. But now the court has ruled again to uphold the ban, Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz said: "This a big blow for Germany as a place to do business and there is no doubt that one of Europe's biggest hubs will slip in international competitiveness." Lufthansa has frozen investment of US$1.35Bn at Frankfurt hub until final ruling from a Leipzig court and forecasts annual revenue loss of US$54M into 2012. Germany and the Rhine-Main region around the airport transport half the country's air freight and accounts for 80% of Lufthansa's global cargo traffic.

    ***New Zealand & China Triple Down ...... as they have signed an agreement allowing the number of flights to triple between the countries in order to boost trade & tourism.The new air services will  increase to 42 return flights a week from 14 previously. The two sides also agreed to literalize the treaty provisions relating to tariffs regulation which will facilitate the developing aviation trade relationship between the countries   
www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=15&article=28201

   ***Hugo"s Airline Unwelcome ...... as the European Union's decision to ban Venezuela's state airline, Conviasa, from flying to European airports for safety reasons has been labelled unfair by the Venezuelan foreign ministry. In response, the foreign ministry said
Venezuela is considering "reciprocal measures", without providing details. 

   ***B-747-8F Steps Ahead ..... as despite a rocky start — two years of production delays and launch customer Cargolux's "rejection" of its initial order — Boeing has delivered 14 747-8 freighters in the sixth months since the first new cargo plane rolled out of the hangar in Seattle. These freighters have been received by five carriers: AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Cargolux & Korean Airlines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-8

    ***CAL Cargo Air Lines Forced To Relocate Corporate Home?
 ...... as an Israeli registered cargo airline which operates scheduled cargo flights carrying perishable goods & general cargo from Israel to Europe and the rest of the world is understood to be mulling to become a European registered company.The company, which is based in Ben Gurion Int'l Airport, and has a hub at Liège Airport (Belgium), has been serving the Israeli foreign trade for over 20 years. The airline carries over 100,000 tons of cargo annually, including exports of fresh agricultural produce & industrial materials, and imports of heavy machinery, automobiles, sensitive cargo & livestock. The move being considered follows the decision taken by the Government of Israel to adopt the Open Skies Treaty with the European Union. The agreement will come into effect gradually until the summer of 2017, when there will be unrestricted air travel between Israel and the EU. The agreement means that all airlines cargo and passenger, in the EU will be able to operate direct flights to Israel from any location in the EU, and Israeli airlines in turn will be able to fly to any EU airport. CAL anticipates that Israeli airlines will suffer from the new tough European competition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAL_Cargo_Air_Lines  

   ***FedEx Corp. Buys Polish ..... as it has agreed to purchase Polish shipping company Opek Sp.z o.o. for an undisclosed amount. The deal, which is slated to close this summer, will provide FedEx Express with access to a Polish ground network that processes 12.5 million shipments per year. Opek's annual revenue is estimated at U$70M.

    ***FedEx Buys French ...... as it announced on April 17, it is in discussions about a potential plan to acquire TATEX, a France-based B2B express transportation company focused on heavy shipments. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed. FedEx said in a statement that TATEX was established in 1976 and has more than 1,000 employees and a nationwide network which includes a central Hub near Paris and 35 stations including 6 regional hubs. It also added that TATEX carries more than 19 million parcels each year, representing an annual turnover of about 150 million Euros. Both the completed Opek deal and the potential TATEX deal come fairly soon after FedEx' biggest competitor, UPS, last month announced it will acquire TNT Express for roughly US$6.77Bn.

    ***New Star -
Taiwan Star .... as the Star Alliance has approved the membership of EVA Air, a decision it said underscores its long term strategy of providing access to new regions which show strong economic potential and development. Star Alliance will have eight member carriers based in the Asia/Pacific region by mid-2013, and 26 over all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Alliance
Star Alliance Members
www.staralliance.com/en/about/member_airlines/

    ***DHL New
Rome Hub ..... as it has opened a 26,000-square-meter warehouse facility to serve as the central hub in Italy for the integrator's Freight and Global Forwarding divisions. According to a press release announcing the move, 500 workers will staff the new location. The location is expected to see 85 arrivals & 205 departures by air each week.

    ***Pinnacle Airlines Reorganize ...... as it & subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The company will shed it's debt and reorganize.
www.pncl.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnacle_Airlines


    ***Hello Jetstar ...... as China Eastern Airlines and the Qantas Group will, under a strategic alliance, form lowcost carrier Jetstar Hong Kong, for startup in 2013. Subject to regulatory approval, it will begin service with a fleet of three Airbus A320s, growing to 18 A320s by 2015.

    ***Hello Ningxia Cargo ..... as the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is expected to give its approval for the launch of Ningxia Cargo Airlines, the 1st cargo carrier based in western
China. The new cargo entity, based in the Ningxia Autonomous Region, has a registered capital of US$18.98M.. Shanghai Chongda International Freight Co, which has a 40% holding, is the major stakeholder, while Shanxi Tongyang Investment Management has a 25% stake. The remaining shareholders are Shanxi Xiangyu Logistics Co, Xian Huijie Logistics Co, and Shanxi Int'l Air Freight. The new venture has a Boeing fleet of 737 & 747 freighters and it plans to use pilots and MRO professionals from Turkish Orex Orbit Express Airlines.

    ***New Global Charter
Alliance Said Forwarder Friendly ..... as the founding members of Singapore-based Pacific Airlift, The Charter Store of the U.S., and NEO Air Charter of Germany have teamed up to launch the Global Charter Alliance, a consortium of independent brokers. The brokers' goal is to provide personalized services with the backing of a global network. Pacific Airlift Director Andrew Sim said the Oct. launch of NEO Air Charter served as a catalyst for the establishment of GCA. He expects the newest company take the collaboration afforded by NEO to another level. According to the press release, GCA members will benefit from reduced costs, enhanced efficiency and more effective marketing. Customers will also profit from the new company, enjoying "a more localized presence at origin and destination, and potential opportunities to reduce costs through sharing of capacity and better use of empty legs." Harry Steiner, senior partner and co-founder of The Charter Store, reiterated the fact that, like NEO Air Charter, GCA will respect the relationship between freight forwarders and shippers. Steiner said, "Freight agents play a vital role in the supply chain, which we absolutely respect. So we work with them, not against them."
http://globalcharteralliance.com/  

   ***On Life Support ..... as boosters of the stalled
China cargo hub at St Louis, Missouri, are sidestepping sceptical state legislators to revive the project, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St Louis County plans to create a US$3M fund designed to induce freight flights to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after a financial deal in which the county will pay for the freight incentives by diverting casino tax revenue from local flood-ravished street repairs for which it was earmarked, leaving the state to pay for that with federal flood relief funds. This is part of an effort to revive 4-year-old aspirations to create the cargo hub, an effort that fizzled after the first and last China Cargo flights arrived from Shanghai only to withdraw when the prospects of an agreed tax holiday disappeared. The new fund is a scaled back version of the old Aerotropolis tax credit plan, which would have set aside US$60M over eight years to reduce the cost of flying goods overseas. The credit was designed to make shipping from Lambert cheaper than from Chicago O'Hare, where most Midwestern air freight takes off. 
www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_8a202226-ddbd-5260-93fb-6a11b824e4dc.html

    ***Alex The Airline, On The Frontier ..... as 18 tried, but only 3 survived. Frontier Airlines has announced that only Chloe the Chipmunk, Enrique the Tree Frog and Polly the Parrot were chosen as the final three contenders in the Denver-based carrier's search for a new "spokesanimal". Voting on the final 3 ended April 16 and with the winner to be announced. Thde world waits.
www.frontierairlines.com/fun-stuff/animal-tales

    ***I've Got A Security Prod For You! .... as a 49-year-old
Oregon man became so fed up with airport screening that he stripped naked at Portland Int.l Airport security checkpoint, police said. Some passengers covered their own eyes, as well as their children's, during the April 17 evening incident, a Port of Portland Police report said, while others "stepped out of the screening lanes to look, laugh and take photos." Officials asked John Brennan numerous times to put his clothes back on, but "Mr. Brennan refused to dress" and was taken into custody, according to the police report. "When interviewed about his actions, Mr. Brennan stated he flies a lot and had disrobed as a form of protest against (Transportation Security Admin.) screeners who he felt were harassing him," the report said.

    ***Devulge Like A Virgin ...... as a Virgin Atlantic employee has resigned following allegations she routinely fed information about the company's celebrity clientele to a paparazzi agency, the airline said April 6. Virgin said the employee, a junior member of the team tasked with looking after high-profile clients, quit April 5 ahead of reports published in the Guardian and the Press Gazette alleging she'd passed more than 60 celebrities' booking information on to the Big Pictures photo agency. Among those allegedly targeted:
Britain's Princess Beatrice; singers Madonna and Rihanna; actors Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe & Sienna Miller; comedians Sacha Baron Cohen & Russell Brand; and a slew of U.K. celebrities and sports figures.

    ***More Slither On A Plane..... as a pilot on a cargo flight found a snake loose in his aircraft and turned back to
Darwin, reports The Associated Press. In a scene reminiscent of the 2006 movie Snakes on a Plane, pilot Braden Blennerhassett saw the snake's head pop out from under the dashboard of his twin-engine Beechcraft Baron G58 shortly after takeoff from Darwin airport, said the report. Air Frontier director Geoff Hunt said that the pilot was a "cool character" who told air traffic control: "I'm going to have to return to Darwin. I've got a snake on the plane." The reptile quickly slithered away. A snake handler was later unable to find the snake, which might have escaped after the plane landed. The snake's species is not known, said the report, but at altitude in a cockpit, the genus is slitherus creepius.

    ***Aviation Mile Posts For April 2012
1912 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the
English Channel.
1935 - 
Pan American Airways makes its first flight to Hawaii in a Sikorsky S-42 seaplane.
1944 - Howard Hughes & Jack Frye set a new transcontinental speed record in the 
Lockheed Constellation, crossing the country in 6 hours, 57 minutes.
1964 - Jerrie Mock becomes the 1st woman to fly solo around the world, arriving in
Columbus, Ohio after completing a 29-day trip in a Cessna 180.
1980 - 
Air Zimbabwe is formed.
1986 - Aviation pioneer 
Marcel Dassault dies at 94.
1991 - The 1,000th 
F/A-18 Hornet is delivered.
1996 - The last McDonnell Douglas 
F-4 Phantom II in U.S. operational service flies its last mission.                         
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OUR "C" Section:  FF World Ocean News***
  4. 
FF World Ocean Briefs                                                     

   ***The Pirates....... as the number of incidents of piracy at sea has increased in the 1st quarter in West African waters off Nigeria & Benin to equal all attacks in the region combined last year, reports the Int'l Maritime Bureau (IMB). Of the 102 incidents reported, 45 vessels were boarded, 32 attempted attacks and 14 fired on by either Somali or Nigerian pirates, reports American Shipper. Eleven vessels were hijacked and 212 crew taken hostage with 4 killed in an area extending its range by 70 nautical miles from the coast suggesting the ploy of fishing vessels as motherships. Although the number of incidents in
Nigeria are fewer than off Somalia, and hostage time is measured in days, not months, violence levels are "dangerously high", said IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. Other areas of incidence include those in the Indonesian archipelago, which have more than tripled in the 1st quarter 2012 to 18 from 5 in the same 2011 period. But Somali piracy by volume remains the biggest problem even though down by half of 2011 levels at 43 attacks, in which 9 vessels were hijacked and 144 crew taken hostage. Many attribute the Somali decline to an iincrease in the number of armed merchant vessels. No armed merchant vessel has been taken by pirates in modern times.
www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre

    ***Shooting Pirates In Real Time ...... as it remains true no armed merchant vessel has been taken by pirates in modern times. See the amazing video
http://tv.liberoquotidiano.it/video/106131/Pirati-assaltano-una-nave-mercantile.html

   ***Price Fixing Sting .... as Italian authorities have fined 15 companies and two trade associations more than US$5.3M for what it called a "secret cartel of shipping agents at the
Port of Genoa" that operated a price fixing agreement for more than 5 years. The Italian competition authority -- Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato -- said the agreement lasted from Feb. 2004 through Dec. 2009, if not longer. It involved the fixing of prices for agency services, including the preparation and issue of documents such as bills of lading for exported goods and 'delivery orders' for imported goods. The authority said the price fixing agreement was exposed by Maersk Italia, which submitted a request for clemency and was exempted from fines for providing documentation that enabled the authority to expose the cartel. Fines were reduced by 50% for Hapag-Lloyd Italy, the second company to present a request for clemency, for providing the authority with additional documents of service to the investigative proceedings.

    ***Passing of A Legend ..... as shipowner Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, who built a Danish family shipping business into an international company which runs the world's biggest container shipping company, died in
Copenhagen on April 16 - short of his 99 birthday. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller became joint owner of the company "Firmaet A.P. Møller" in 1940. Since his father's death in 1965, he was director and chairman of the most important companies in the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller undertook the daily management until 1993 and became chairman of A.P. MøllerMærsk A/S until 2003. Under his leadership, the group has grown to own the largest container shipping line in the world, Maersk Line, and to control significant oil & gas operations. 
www.maersk.com/Pages/default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk


    ***Downward Rate Pressures ..... as growing overcapacity in container shipping and weak European demand may well overcome recent rate increases and the sudden rise in the spot market, warns Drewry's latest quarterly Container Forecaster. "Five new services are being launched in the transpacific before June and we believe this will put continued pressure on the spot rates and the ability for carriers to push through increases they are seeking in May contract negotiations. This year will see another 59 ships of at least 10,000 TEU enter the global fleet," said the
London maritime research consultancy. 
www.drewry.co.uk/

   ***OOCL Wil Raise ..... as Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has announced it will increase the westbound Asia-Europe rates by US$450 per TEU from April 1 for shipments from the
Far East (including Japan), Indian subcontinent, and Middle East to North Europe, the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It follows the second round of freight rates increase first announced by the world's largest carrier Maersk in February before the implementation of the general rate increase on March 1. The world's 2nd and 3rd largest carriers MSC and CMA CGM, as well as a number of other carriers, have announced similar increase between US$400 & US$700 from April 1. 

   ***Shippers' Market For Marine Cargo Insurance ...... as Willis Global Marine, part of Willis Group, had good news for shippers as it released its Marine Market Review on April 18.. "Cargo insurance buyers continue to enjoy the benefits of a soft market this year, achieving reductions in both premium and deductibles, as well as increases in limits, at little or no additional cost. Despite ever-dwindling returns to insurers, competition for business remains fierce with a flurry of new entrants creating excess capacity," the insurance broker said. It said cargo underwriters are feeling the impact of piracy, but noted security measures taken by shipowners are increasingly effective with less than 20% of attacks successful in 2011. Willis occupies the
Willis Tower in Chicago -- formerly known as the Sears Tower. Read the report: www.willis.com/Documents/Publications/Industries/Marine/10412_MARINE_MARKET_REVIEW_2012_Low_res.pdf

    ***Big Ditch Increase ...... as the Panama Canal Authority said it had record tonnage in its fiscal year 2011, which ended on Sept. 30. According to its annual report vessels transiting the canal hit 14,684 in 2011, 3.2% more than the prior year. Of that number, 53.3% were so-called Panamax ships, the largest size that can fit through the existing locks of the canal. The canal said 3,253 container vessels moving 112.7 million PCUMS tons used the canal. The full container vessels segment registered 11.5 million TEU´s capacity and 5.3 million TEU's were actually transported, generating 890 million balboa in revenue.

    ***Evergreen Line Joins The Giants Club ...... as on April 16 it announced an order for ten 13,800-TEU containerships through a deal with Korean shipowner KIAMCO (Korea Infrastructure Investments Asset Management Co. Ltd.).  Evergreen said the new ships are more fuel efficient. The new order would also increase the amount of capacity Evergreen has on order to roughly 445,000 TEUs, giving the line the second biggest orderbook in the world after market leader Maersk Line. Evergreen, last year, placed orders for 35 vessels, representing more than 300,000 TEUs of capacity, ending a period in which the line was the only major carrier to not order ships during a ship-ordering boom.

    ***Servicing The Giants ..... as speaking at the TOC Container Supply Chain Asia conference in Hong Kong this month, APM Terminals Crane & Engineering Services (CES) managing director Halfdan Ross advised hub ports to plan crane & other infrastructure to support 22,000 TEU ships. Ross noted that STX of South Korea and Germanisher Lloyd have completed a study on such a vessel and Jan-Oluf Probst from GL has said that "this size could be built without any problems." According to APMT, a 22,000 TEU ship would require an outreach of 72m and a lift height of 52m above rail, but could still be built on the "standard" 100ft rail gauge.

   ***Billions Spent For
A Place At Dock ..... as the Port of Long Beach & Orient Overseas Container Line signed a US$4.6Bn, 40- year lease for the new Middle Harbor container terminal at a ceremony at OOCL's Hong Kong headquarters on Tuesday, April 3. The inking of the historic agreement was celebrated by officials from the Port and OOCL. The inking of the historic agreement was celebrated by officials from the Port and OOCL. They were joined by labor & maritime industry leaders representing the Int'l Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn.

   ***Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor ...... as the South Carolina Ports Authority said it is doubling, to US$10,000, the financial incentive for local truck drivers who shuttle containers in and out of the
Port of Charleston to replace old, polluting trucks with ones made since 2004. The port began its voluntary truck-replacement program last fall, offering US$5,000 towards the purchase of a newer truck to frequent port users driving pre-1994 vehicles. Removing the old trucks is a goal of many world ports seeking to improve environmental conditions.

   ***Who Need A Crew? .... as Textron Systems Advanced Systems announced that its second Fleet-class Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV) completed a successful in-water demonstration in New Orleans following vessel modifications at the Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS) shipyard. The two Textron Systems operating units are pursuing vessel contracts with the U.S. Navy, international navies and other government agencies in the
U.S. and overseas. Designed with a reconfigurable payload bay, CUSV users have the freedom to quickly deploy any payloads necessary to satisfy mission requirements including towing, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, communications relay, launch, recovery for unmanned aircraft and underwater systems, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance & resupply. 
www.aaicorp.com/products/uas/uas-cusv.html

   ***Throughput 
>>> Port of Algeciras (Spain's Bay of Gibraltar) posted a 28% 2011 increase in container volume year-on-year to 3.6 million TEU, "exceeding the most optimistic forecasts," said the port authority. >>> Port of Amsterdam, without divulging its container volume in TEU terms, conceded that 2011 box throughput fell 28% to 600,000 tons while overall cargo traffic increased 3% year on year. >>> Port of Brownsville handled 6.1 million tons of cargo in 2011, 16% more than the prior year. >>> Port of Charleston, South Carolina, container volume increased 12% to 134,857 TEU in March year on year and 13% from Feb., making it the strongest month since Oct. 2008. >>>Port of Chongqing handled 179,200 TEU, 21.2% more than in the same period one year ago >>> Fujian Province handled 2.24 million TEU in first quarter, an 8.9% year-on-year increase. >>> Hong Kong handled 1.97 million TEU in March, an increase of 7.1% over the 1.8 million TEU in March of last year. >>> Port of Los Angeles posted an 8.27% increase in March container volume to 650,452 TEU year on year and reported a 55.1& increase from Feb., attributed to the late Feb. arrival of the Chinese New Year factory shutdown. >>> Port of Marseilles-Fos has posted a 26% increase in 1st quarter container volume to 260,000 TEU based on a poor performance last year and only 6% better than in the 1st quarter in 2010. >>> Port of Rotterdam container volume increased 1% in the first quarter to 30 million tons, but at the same time dropped 4% to 2.8 million TEU >>> Port of Savannah posted an 8.3% increase in container volume to 759,000 TEU in March year on year, beating the previous record set in April last year. >>> Port of Singapore reported a 5.8% increase in container movement in March, having handled 2.65 million TEU compared to 2.5 million TEU in March of last year. >>> Chinas' Three Gorges Shiplock facilitated the movement of 18 million tons of cargo in the 1st quarter, experiencing growth in container cargo, living supplies and agricultural materials.  >>> Tibet government's statistics show that the region moved 10.4 million tons of cargo in 2011, 6.2% more than in 2010, as by road cargo traffic increased 2.8% to 9.79 million tons, by rail cargo surged 62% to 486,300 tons and by air freight dropped 17.7% to 12,100 tons. >>> Virginia Port Authority said 166,719 TEUs were handled at its terminals in March, an increase of 4.4% when compared with totals from March 2011. 

    ***This Month In
U.S. Nay History
1812 - French warships attack, burn USS Gershom, was burned en route to Portugal.
1862 - Union naval forces occupy
New Orleans.
1898 - Congress declares war existed with
Spain since 21 April.
1914 - First combat observation mission by Navy plane, at
Veracruz, Mexico.
1921 - U.S. Naval Detachment left
Yugoslavia after administering area around Spalato for 2 years to guarantee transfer of area from Austria to new country.
1952 - 
USS Hobson (DMS 26) sinks after colliding with USS Wasp (CV 18); 176 lives lost.

    ***Pirates & Plaintiffs ...... as 11 former crew of container 
M/V Maersk Alabama have filed suit in Mobile County Court alleging Maersk Line ignored warnings about Somali pirates and sailed too close to the Somali coast, where pirates kidnapped the crew. They claim they were aboard M/V Maersk Alabama, a container vessel owned by Maersk and Waterman, with a crew of 20, when on April 6, 2009, the defendants received warning to sail at least 600 miles off the coast of Somalia to avoid pirates who were attacking ships in the area. But the men say Maersk and Waterman ignored the warnings and sent their ship within 250 miles of the Somali coast. Review our amazing photo coverage of the event:
www.cargolaw.com/2009nightmare_maersk.alaba.html

    ***Law of The Sea Is To Rescue ..... as a cruise ship departing from
Jamaica has rescued 23 Cuban migrants after someone aboard spotted their small boat. A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. says officials on M/V Oasis of the Seas brought the Cubans aboard and provided them with food, water & medical treatment after alerting the U.S. Coast Guard. The Cubans were turned over to Mexican authorities when the ship arrived in Cozumel on April 5. The regional Mexican newspaper Por Esto reported April 6, the Cubans told journalists in Cozumel they were from the areas of Manzanillo and Bayamo and they had set to sea in a makeshift boat three weeks ago, trying to reach Honduras.

    ***Bending The Rules To Counter Pirates ...... as the
Singapore Armed Forces has agreed to a deal to allow the Dutch military to store small arms and ammunition at its outpost, according to a report in Singapore's Straits Times. "The arms will be used by Dutch military teams who sail on board Dutch-flagged merchant vessels, which pass through the piracy-infested waters off the Somali Coast & the Gulf of Aden," the report said. "These military teams - known as vessel protection detachments (VPD) - are deployed on board the most vulnerable vessels, said a Dutch Defence Ministry spokesman last week." Singapore deploys naval resources in the Gulf as part of a multinational coalition designed to curb the impact of piracy on commercial vessels transiting the area. No armed merchant vessel has ever been taken by pirates in the modern era.

   ***
United States Coast Guard Barque USCGC EAGLE ........ just departed New Orleans. Follow her summer cruise.
www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle
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   5. 
The Cargo Letter Cargo Damage Dispatches                        
            **Back By Popular Demand**

We're sorry, but there were so many sinkings, explosions, pirate attacks, fires, cargo mishaps, battles on the water & other disasters at sea that we do not have room to print even the highlights this month. Many people lost their lives at sea this month!! 

But you can read all this month's disaster news at our special Internet web feature which provides full details of each event -- our Vessel Casualties & Pirate Activity Database.  Bookmark the site and visit every day! Updated twice daily.
www.cargolaw.com/presentations_casualties.html

SPECIAL NOTE:  Please view the dramatic new pictures at our special "Gallery of Cargo Loss" website feature. 
www.cargolaw.com/gallery.html

See our new feature for April 2012: "Ghostly Voyage" F/V Ryou-Un Maru
www.cargolaw.com/2000nightmare_singles.only.html#ghost_ship

See our other new feature for April 2012: "Carried Away" M/V Carrier
www.cargolaw.com/2000nightmare_singles.only.html#MV_Carrier

See our newest photo feature "Singles Only" - Transportation Disasters Told In A Single Photo!
www.cargolaw.com/2000nightmare_singles.only.html

Daily Vessel Casualties ...... as we don't want you to miss the excitement of our 24 hour reports of the dramatic events at sea each day -- stories of casualties & pirates --- almost none of which are carried on your local news.  Edited daily by Christoph Wahner, Esq. of Countryman & McDaniel. 
www.cargolaw.com/presentations_casualties.php

NOTE: The historic dangers of carriage by sea continue to be quite real.  Shippers must be encouraged to purchase high quality marine cargo insurance from their freight forwarder or customs broker.  It's dangerous out there.
========================================
*****************************************************

OUR "D" Section:  FF in Cyberspace***
  6. 
The Cargo Letter "Cyber Ports Of Call"                      
Here are our suggested world wide web sites of the week for your business, your information and your amusement..............

Cargo & Trade>>>>>>

Boeing's New Airplane - Boeing Announces The 737 MAX
www.newairplane.com/737/737Max/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX


The Global State of Piracy
www.idga.org/maritime-security/podcasts/the-global-state-of-piracy/&mac=IDGA_OI_MTHLY

Joint Statement From 2012 NAFTA Commission Meeting
www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2012/april/joint-statement-2012-nafta-commission-meeting

Protecting Yourself Before, During, & After A Pirate Attack
www.idga.org/maritime-security/articles/protecting-yourself-before-during-and-after-a-pira/&mac=IDGA_OI_Featured_2011&utm_source=idga.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HrOptIn&utm_content=4/19/12  

Rare Earths, Major Supply Chain Headache
http://industryweek.com/articles/rare_earths_major_headache_27087.aspx?cid=NLIWIT

UPS Air Cargo
www.ups.com/content/us/en/bussol/browse/air_freight.html?WT.mc_id=OGI_PLASTICS_US_015557

U.S. Dept. of Commerce Export 101 Training Videos

http://beta-www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/compliance-a-training/export-administration-regulations-training/online-training-room?id=284


U.S. Dept. of Commerce Strategic Trade Authorization (STA) Interactive Compliance Tool
http://beta-www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/interactive-sta-compliance-tool

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission ........ the redesigned website is launched. The agency is also posting news on Twitter.
www.fmc.gov/

Willis Marine Market Review 2012
www.willis.com/Documents/Publications/Industries/Marine/10412_MARINE_MARKET_REVIEW_2012_Low_res.pdf

PRODUCTS>>>>>>>>>

Customs Info ...... new service sends email alerts upon HTS code changes & Customs Rulings  
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw1iRR9dGY0&feature=player_embedded

Why Risk Fall Overboard Disaster?
www.briartek.com/products-services/orca-transmitters/orca-tx-104

EVENTS>>>>>>>>>

Transport Events

www.transportevents.com/

Trade Shows, Exhibitions, Conferences & Business Events Worldwide
www.eventseye.com/

World Trade Organization Events
www.wto.org/english/news_e/meets.pdf

9th Annual Virgina Maritime Assoc. International Trade Symposium ...... May 3, Norfolk, VA
www.vamaritime.com/page/symposium

10th 3PL Summit, June 18-20 in Chicago
http://uk.eyefortransport.com/fc_eyefortransportlz/lz.aspx?p1=05054131S092&CC=&p=1&cID=0&cValue=1

25th Annual Agriculture Transportation Conference ........ 20-22 June, San Francisco
www.agtrans.org/index.php/component/dtregister/


2012 CNS Partnership Conference ........ 6-8 May, 2012, Miami
www.cnsc.net/events/Pages/2012-CNS-Partnership-Conference.aspx

2012 FIATA World Congress ...... 8-12 Oct. 2012, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Los Angeles
www.fiata2012.org/ehome/index.php?eventid=23377&
www.facebook.com/pages/Transportation-Intermediaries-Association/117074095521


2012 Int'l Freight Forwarders Conference ........16-17 June, 2012, Hong Kong
www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=993206

2012 Int'l Transport Forum Annual Summit ..... 2-4 May, Leipzig, Germany
http://2012.internationaltransportforum.org/

ALACAT 24th Congress ....... 13-16 May 2012, San Antonio, Texas
www.alacat2012.org/program-agenda.asp


Between the Wharf & the Warehouse – What's Next? ......3 May 2012, Virginia Maritime Assoc., Norfolk
www.vamaritime.com/page/symposium

Cief Supply Chain Officer Forum .......18-20 Junw, Chicago
http://events.eft.com/csco/

CNS Partnership Conference 2012 ......6-8 May 2012, Miami
https://ems.resrunner.com/CNS12

European Shortsea Convention 12.... 24 May 2012, Dublin, Ireland
www.imdo.ie/IMDO/newsroom/top-news-story.htm


Free IATA e-Air Waybill Workshop........ 10 May, Miami
https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/2e6cg4f1cf

TOC Container Supply Chain: Europe ..... 12-14 June 2012, Antwerp Expo Belgium
www.tocevents-europe.com/


U.S. Customs 2012 West Coast Trade Symposium: "Harmonizing Trade for a Stronger Economy" ......10 May 2012, Long Beach
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_outreach/2012_symposium/symposium12.xml 


Free Web Events>>>>>>>>>

GE Healthcare Shares Best Practices for Global Supply Chain Optimization ........May 10, 2012, 2:00 p.m. EDT (GMT -4, New York) Free
www.industryweek.com/Webcasts/051012EventRegistration.aspx?eventID=1061&ref=e1

Apps For That - iPhones/Pads>>>>>>>>>

CI Mobile ..... HS Codes, Duties & Taxes For 152 Countries

TomTom WebFleet ...... includes dispatch option which gives shortest route travel time & vehicle location

Whale Alert - Ship Strike Reduction For Right Whales
 ....... real time alerts along areas of U.S. East Coast

General Interest>>>>>>>>>

C-17 Tactical Low Approach into San Clemente NALF
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUUU-C-7o98&feature=g-vrec&context=G26dfdc7RVAAAAAAAAAA

Flying The World, From His Own Garage
www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20417444/flying-world-from-his-own-garage

Human Camera
www.stumbleupon.com/su/2MBBxU

Sixty Years On, The B-52 Is Still Going Strong -- With 40 More To Go
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-57413883-42/sixty-years-on-the-b-52-is-still-going-strong/

SS Manhattan: Making A Legendary Transit of The Northwest Passage In 1969
www.maritimeprofessional.com/Blogs/Maritime-Musings/April-2012/SS-Manhattan.aspx

The Latest Wrecked Exotic Cars
www.wreckedexotics.com/newphotos/exotics2012apr16/

Tiny Houses
www.huffingtonpost.com/kirsten-dirksen/tiny-house-people_b_1435873.html?ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

U.S. National Park Service - New Civil War Site
www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm

What Have We Learned From The Titanic Casualty?
www.maritimeprofessional.com/Blogs/Maritime-Musings/April-2012/What-have-we-learned-from-the-Titanic-casualty-.aspx
========================================
*****************************************************

OUR "E" Section:  The Forwarder/Broker World***
  7. Countryman & McDaniel Visits UPS Worldport _______  

    ***Logisitcs of The Future ...... as last week, the attorneys of 
Countryman & McDaniel were hosted by client UPS for a private midnight tour of its sprawling Worldport hub facility at Louisville, KY. The late night event was timed to witness arrival of over 150 UPS freighters (from a fleet of 600), which land, self-park, discharge cargo, refuel, reload and re-launch for worldwide destinations – all within about two hours. Just getting around the facility with a 7.2 mile permitter is a journey, as 6,000 shift employees were seen traveling about on Disneyland-like shuttle trains through a forest of jet freights, enormous hangers and maintenance shops. UPS Worldport is the larger city within Louisville and at night it uses most of the electric power.

A dizzying 1.5 million packages were processed that night, within the futuristic 
UPS Worldport building, which at 5.2 million square feet is bigger than the Pentagon.  Each package is automatically scanned on arrival and then sped through the UPS Worldport with no human intervention. Indeed, UPS technolgy reduces the number of human tough points from 6 to 2, thus reducing the risks of damage or misrouting. With "singulated flow" the packages never touch one another. Such care is taken, that even live lobster shipments are directed to a "Lobster Spa" for rejuvination before on-carriage.

From suspended stairways & catwalks, the attorneys glimpsed portions of more than 155 miles of tracks and conveyor belts, which rushed the computer guided packages – each specifically routed out of the building within an 18 minute period, for on-carriage to a specific domestic or international destination by trucks, or those waiting, famous "Brown Tail" aircraft. UPS operations are monitored by its own control tower and guided by the
UPS Meteorolgical Center.

If it hadn't been clearly demonstrated that this US$2.4Bn facility represented the cutting edge in engineering technology, we would surely think 
UPS Worldport was somehow operated by the forces of magic. We saw the future of logisitics. Thank You UPS.

                Your Editor

Worldport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldport_(UPS_air_hub)
Ultimate Factories - National Geographic Visits Worldport - full length feature film
www.hulu.com/watch/213611/ultimate-factories-ups-worldport

How Worldport Works - a great video (filmed before recent expansion)
http://money.howstuffworks.com/ups1.htm
Inside UPS Worldport - UPS video
http://compass.ups.com/shipair/default.aspx

Worldport Expansion
www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2011/05/06/ups-worldport-expansion-showing.html            
========================================
Written from wire stories, the Associated Press, Reuters, Hong Kong Shipping News Lloyds & other world sources.
******************************************************
The Cargo Letter Correspondents:
Michael S. 
McDaniel, Esq. Editor (Countryman & McDaniel)
Christoph M. Wahner, Esq. (Countryman & McDaniel) 
Daily Vessel Casualties
Maria Payne (Countryman & McDaniel)
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                      _
The Cargo Letter_
                    (
since 1978)

    A world news service for Air/Ocean Freight Forwarders, NVOCC's, Consolidators, Indirect Air Carriers, Surveyors, Intermodal Shipper's Agents, Inland Carriers, Customs Brokers and Liability& Marine Underwriters world-wide .............a free service to more than 8,000 industry subscribers & readers on 6 continents.
          Michael S. 
McDaniel, Editor.

    
Subscriptions........only by accepted application to:

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The Cargo Letter CargoNews@aol.com
                        To Our Firm: 
        info@cargolaw.com
Mail Address:  
The Cargo Letter
                        Countryman & McDaniel
                        11th Floor LAX Airport Center  
                        5933 West Century Boulevard
                        Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA

Telephone:      (310) 342-6500
Telefax :          (310) 342-6505
Cable :             McLawman LSA
News Fax:       (818) 224-3058 [24 Hours and Weekends]

     _
The Cargo Letter_ is published by The Law Offices of Countryman & McDaniel:  Legal, Business, Marine Insurance and Claims representation of Air/Ocean Freight Forwarders, NVOCC's, Indirect Air Carriers, Shipper's Agents, Inland Carriers and Customs Brokers......and Liability & Marine insurance Underwriters since 1978 in the United States & world-wide via The Cargo Law Network.  Member, Maritime Law Association of the United States, FIATA and others.

          Our Home Page Of Forwarder/Broker Services
    
                           
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