Good Thursday 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." Here is our industry review for October 2005.

We are often asked whether Countryman & McDaniel, conducts training seminars. Yes, from multiple Fortune 100 companies, to smaller forwarders, to the U.S. government, to insurance companies -- for years we have conducted inovative programs for domestic & Int'l claims, Customs, security, trade compliance & post 9/11 industry business practice. McD

To help you find what you need -- FAST -- there's now a transport search engine installed at our Cargo Law.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.

Our corporate sponsor &endash;- Interpool, Inc. -- named again to Forbes "Best 200 Small Companies" List -- for the 2nd consecutive year! -- http://www.interpool.com/

Michael S. McDaniel, Editor, Countryman & McDaniel, forwarder/broker/trade consultant 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 Ocean 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. New Transport Related Legal Cases ___________            

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 Back To Main Page

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OUR "A" Section: Trade, Financial & Inland News***

***BREAKING NEWS ........ as at our press time -- a FedEx-contracted Cessna Caravan freighter -- had just departed Austin Bergstrom Int'l Airport & was flying at 7,000 feet when it lost power, according to the Texas Dept. of Public Safety. Pilot Michael F. McKenna, 61, tried to make an emergency landing at Georgetown Municipal Airport. Instead, the plane struck a utility pole 20 miles north of Austin, then crashed with its nose on the home's sidewalk and most of the fuselage & tail jutting along the roof. The plane was headed to Alliance Airport in Fort Worth. FedEx had contracted with Baron Aviation, which operated the plane. Capt. McKenna was treated for minor injuries & released from a hospital. No one inside the home was hurt in the crash Oct. 19 night. Capt. McKenna made the classic good landing -- he walked away. Bravo!

***The Cargo Letter Website ......... as many new readers do not understand the value of our Online resources, you may be interested to know that in Sept. 2005 we hosted highs of 15,038 Internet hits per hour -- 99,921 hits on our high day and a total of 1,865,053 hits for the month. As of Sept. 30 2005, total hits to our Website were 11,731,903 for the year so far.  In our 10th year Online, we are proud that you consider The Cargo Letter Website useful & hope you will continue to contribute unique photos and industry insights for posting to readers around the world.  Our Libby Thompson is heading an effort to restore & update the over 6,000 informational links, hundreds of informational pages & hundreds of photo features on our site for your continued use.  One recent update completion is our "Freight Detective Free Int'l Translation Center" feature.  Google & Yahoo are great when you know exactly what you want to find. On the other hand, The Cargo Letter site is designed to browse what you don't yet know or to visit general topics you would like to know more about. Take a look -- we promise an addiction. We cover all the topics.

***Fabric of The Discussion Said Tough ...... as the latest negotiations between the U.S. & China on an agreement to regulate textile & apparel imports from China into American markets have ended abruptly in Beijing after China was perceived by U.S. negotiators as having hardened its position on subsidized shipments. The U.S. domestic textile industry immediately filed for another safeguard petition, this one on imports of towels (Category 363) from China. The filing was made to the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) in Washington, D.C.. "China's failure to negotiate reasonably ensures that there will be an atmosphere of uncertainty for anyone seeking to import textile goods into the United States from China for some time to come," said the American Manufacturing Trade Action Committee (AMTAC), which represents domestic textile interests.

***Gap Widens On Record Trade  ....... as the U.S. trade deficit widened to US$59Bn in Aug. as crude oil prices caused imports to rise, the U.S. Commerce Dept reports. The gap was the 3rd-largest on record & followed a US$58Bn deficit in July, the Commerce Dept. said. Both imports & exports in August were at all-time highs and the trade gap with China widened to a record, Bloomberg reported. Excluding oil, trade gap narrowed to US$38.4Bn, the smallest since March. But economists said high fuel costs & an expanding economy will cause imports to rise faster than exports in coming months and keep the trade deficit wide.

***Tighter C-TPAT ....... as the U.S. Customs & Border Protection plans to release its list of tighter security criteria for air, rail & sea carriers who participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism this month. The draft documents are undergoing final review, said the Dept. of Homeland Security's Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). Each of the carrier sectors will be allowed an opportunity to provide comment on the proposed criteria. Although carriers do not receive many concrete benefits from CBP, they tend to participate to meet the demands of their customers who want assurances there are no security gaps that could result in inspection delays when they hand over shipments to transportation providers. After the new carrier criteria are completed, CBP will turn its attention to drafting tighter rules for brokers, consolidators, freight forwarders & 3rd party logistics providers. During the summer CBP invited 200 Asian exporters to join C-TPAT. Mexican manufacturers were the only foreign-based exporters who previously were allowed to enter the program. CBP is selectively expanding the program to keep reviews of companies at a manageable level.

***Your Monthly Duty Bill? ....... as under the optional periodic payment system, U.S. importers can accumulate a month's worth of entries on a statement for electronic debit payment at one time, much like a credit card bill. Payments are due 15 business days after the end of the month in which the merchandise is entered or released, enabling the importer to float some duty payments for more than 45 days. Most import duties & fees are still paid the traditional way, which grants importers and their brokers 10 business days to make payments on each import transaction. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is stepping up its efforts to spur more companies to pay duties on a monthly basis instead of for each import transaction. Commissioner Robert Bonner said the agency would soon open the periodic payment feature to companies that are not interested in using the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the new umbrella computer system being phased in to process imports and communicate with importers and their agents. CBP will place a notice in the Federal Register in the next few weeks removing the requirement that consolidated payments are only available to importers and brokers that set up ACE accounts. CBP has collected US$1.3Bn in duties & fees since the feature was introduced in July 2004 as a part of ACE, according to CBP. In August US$258M in duties & fees from 53,147 entries were paid through the periodic monthly statement feature of ACE. The process is designed to streamline customs transactions and pull an importer's activity together into a single national account. But overall the number of importers who are using ACE to make consolidated monthly payments is still small, representing only 9% of total duties and fees collected by the agency. CBP said it will no longer require importers and customs brokers with periodic monthly statements to submit a bond rider to cover estimated duties & fees, and earlier this year dropped the prerequisite that importers belong to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism in order to be eligible for an ACE account.

***Well, The Champagne Is Still Legal ........ as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has suspended import & re-export of beluga sturgeon caviar and meat originating in the Caspian Sea basin countries. The countries covered by the suspension are Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia & Turkmenistan. On Oct. 21, 2004, Fish & Wildlife listed all beluga sturgeon populations as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The terms of the special rule parallel recent decisions on beluga sturgeon under the Convention on Int'l Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a global agreement among 170 countries, including the U.S., seeking to regulate & monitor international wildlife trade through a system of permits. The agency said domestic interstate commerce of beluga sturgeon caviar & meat from the Caspian Sea basin that was legally imported before the trade suspension will continue to be allowed under the special rule without a threatened species permit. Because of the perishable nature of sturgeon caviar & meat, this exemption expires 18 months from the date of the original CITES export permit, Fish & Wildlife said.

***Storms Fail To Diminish Rails ....... as the Assn. of American Railroads (AAR) reported that freight traffic on U.S. railroads remained above year ago levels during the week ended Sept. 24, despite the impacts of hurricanes Rita & Katrina.  Intermodal volume for the week totaled 241,116 trailers or containers, up 4.4% from last year with container volume increasing 5.2% & trailer volume gaining 2%. Carload freight, which doesn't include the intermodal data, totaled 335,932 cars, up 0.5% from last year, with loadings up 6.8% in the East but down 4.3% in the West. Total volume was estimated at 33.1 billion ton-miles, up 1.5 percent from the corresponding week last year.

***Short Lines Up ...... as RailAmerica, the holding company for 47 short-line railroads in the U.S. & Canada, said its total freight carloads for Sept. were 107,570, up 3.0% from 104,406 in the same month last year. For the 9 months ending Sept. 30, RailAmerica's total carloads increased 6.1% to 975,964 from 920,227 in the year-earlier period. RailAmerica operates about 8,900 track miles in the U.S. & Canada. 

***RailAmerica Buys 4 At About A Million $$ A Mile ....... as the short-line & regional rail operator has acquired four short-line railroads from U.S. aluminum producer Alcoa for US$77.5M in cash. The 4 railroads, operating a total of 25 miles, served Alcoa aluminum manufacturing operations in Texas & New York and a former Alcoa-owned specialty chemicals facility in Arkansas. For the fiscal year ended June 30, the 4 railroads handled 30,000 carloads, generating an operating income of US$10.1M on revenue of US$20.8M.

***Manifest Destiny ....... as U.S. Customs & Border Protection will begin testing this month its electronic truck manifest system at Michigan ports of entry, including the Ambassador Bridge. CBP has been developing an automated truck manifest transmission as part of its new import/export computer system to replace paper-based documents submitted by motor carriers at the border crossing. CBP has been phasing in implementation of the truck manifest, starting with clusters of ports in Washington, Arizona and North Dakota. Truckers with appropriate training will also be able to submit e-manifests at the Windsor Tunnel, the Detroit-Windsor truck ferry, Port Huron, Marine City, Algonac, & Sault St. Marie.

***The Motor Truck Cargo Crisis ........ as cargo theft is a US$10Bn to US$15Bn criminal enterprise, with motor carriers experiencing 85% of all cargo theft, according to the National Cargo Security Council, a coalition of public & private transportation organizations. Motor Truck Cargo insurance covers the legal liability obligations of both common & contract carriers with revenues. While coverage can be tailored for motor carriers hauling virtually any type of commodity, there is an important consideration for motor carriers & shippers alike. The greatest single cause of loss is theft from an "unattended vehicle" -- but beware -- loss from an "unattended vehicle" is excluded from coverage under most motor truck cargo liability policies. For high value loads, schedule pick ups & deliveries carefully or demand team drivers. Contact us, there are other solutions. in the meantime, shippers who think they are protected -- are not.

***Team Drivers In China Cargo Corridor ....... as officials from Hong Kong & Guangdong Province have agreed to accelerate the flow of people & cargo between them with particular regard to the flow of land-based cross-boundary cargo. The longstanding requirement of "one-truck one-driver" was relaxed with effect from Sept. 28. Under the new arrangement, every cross-boundary freight vehicle may have one assigned driver & one back-up driver. The move, both sides said, will increase operational flexibility for the trade. In addition, the duration of joint venture contracts for cross-boundary freight vehicles will be extended from 3 years to 6 years.

***Virtual Truck ........ as truckload carrier Schneider National plans to change its driver training program over the next 2 years, incorporating a motion-based driver training simulator to better prepare drivers for on-road conditions. The shift makes the carrier the largest and one of the 1st truckload carriers in the industry to incorporate simulation-based training fleet-wide, Schneider said. Under the program, Schneider will purchase simulators over the next year for its network of driver training academies located across the U.S. & Canada. Imagine the fuel savings. Imagine the ability for management to control training.

***UPS Expands The Box ........ as its Mail Boxes Etc. subsidiary is expanding its UPS Store brand internationally, starting in Canada & India. The company said the UPS Store would debut in India and that 265 Mail Boxes Etc. locations in Canada would convert to the UPS Store brand. Canada is the first country outside the United States to adopt the UPS Store name, with 95% of existing Mail Boxes Etc. franchisees choosing to re-brand, the company said in a statement. Jetair Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. was named the exclusive licensee to develop the UPS Store business within India, UPS said.

***Bus Box ....... as Velocity Express Corp. and Greyhound PackageXpress, the package-delivery unit of Greyhound Lines, have signed an agreement to provide package-delivery services between key metropolitan areas. To be called Metro-to-Metro Guaranteed Package Delivery Today, the initiative will leverage Greyhound Lines' round-the-clock schedule of intercity departures and available cargo space on each bus with Velocity's door-to-door pick up and delivery capabilities, Velocity said. One delivery service will guarantee door-to-door pick up and delivery within 10 hours, while one will guarantee overnight service with delivery as early as 6:30 a.m."This is the new concept of package delivery," Vincent Wasik, Velocity's CEO, said. "Our focus will be on [cities] generally within 300 miles of each other." The service begins immediately in New York & Boston, New York & Philadelphia, and Dallas & Houston. Additional city pairs will be added in the coming months, Velocity said.

***Kuehne + Nagel's Biggest Buy ....... as Swiss forwarding & logistics provider will acquire ACR Logistics (formerly Hays Logistics) for US$529M. Kuehne + Nagel will also assume a net debt of US$60.1M. Paris-based ACR Logistics was bought by Platinum Equity Group from Hays plc in early 2004. For the 11 months ended Dec. 31, 2004, ACR Logistics posted operating profit's of US$72M based on a revenue of U$1.44Bn. The proposed acquisition will be the largest in Kuehne + Nagel's history, or almost anybody's.

   ***UTi Worldwide On Trek ....... as it has announced its acquisition of Concentrek Inc., a provider of transportation management & supply chain systems. The privately held Concentrek was acquired from its principal shareholders, including its senior management team and truckload carrier Knight Transportation. Founded in 1999, Concentrek offers logistics services including supply chain analysis & design, outsourced transportation management & advanced optimization technology.

***Teetering On the Exchange ...... as fleet-management technology firm Xata Corp. said it received a US$5M infusion of cash from private equity firm Trident Capital so Xata can meet Nasdaq exchange listing requirements. Xata said it needed the money to satisfy a Nasdaq rule requiring companies to have at least US$2.5M in shareholders' equity, US$35M in listed securities or US$500,000 in net income from the most recently completed fiscal year. On Aug. 26, Nasdaq informed Xata that the firm did not meet these listing requirements and had 30 days to comply with the requirement.

***True "Power" Brakes ....... as Mack Truck has presented a prototype of a hybrid powertrain for heavy-duty trucks. The truck is the 1st of a number of hybrid vehicles that parent company the Volvo Group plans to present in the coming year, Volvo said. The hybrid powertrain displayed was in a fuel tanker truck that was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force. The vehicle is a "mild hybrid," which means the hybrid engine assists at start-up and then recycles the energy released in braking. The energy is stored in batteries & reused instead of diesel fuel. Volvo said the advantages of hybrid technology include improved fuel economy, lower emissions, reduced noise levels, lower operating costs and longer intervals regarding the need for service of engines & brake systems.

***Savi Contract For All The Tags ...... as the U.S. Dept. of Defense has awarded Savi Technology, Inc. a blanket purchase agreement to provide technical engineering services & integration software for all military branches trying to meet EPC-passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag policy requirements. We think this is a big deal.

***Invisible Cigarettes ....... as Polish customs officials have seized at least 8 million cigarettes apparently destined for the British market in a coordinated sweep in two cities this week, the country's biggest such haul so far this year, an official said Oct. 12. In one case, the smugglers were caught Oct. 11, at the Polish-German border crossing of Jedrzychowice-Ludwigsdorf. The truck they were driving had containers rigged with special lenses that produced an optical illusion that made them seem empty, said Arkadiusz Baredziak, a spokesman for Polish customs. "Inside the containers, there were really over 4 million cigarettes," he said. In a separate operation Oct. 12, authorities seized another 4 million cigarettes in Radom, a city about 60 miles south of Warsaw. The 8 million cigarettes are valued at US$2.5M. Many of the packages' original Cyrillic labeling had been replaced with labels in English, leading police to believe they were destined for Britain, Baredziak said. Polish internal security officers had been observing the suspected smuggling group for weeks and believe the two stockpiles belong to the same group of smugglers. Baredziak would not say where the suspects, who have been detained, were from. The cigarettes, mostly low-quality Ukrainian-made, will be incinerated, he said.

***North Korean Bills & Blarney ...... as a leader of the Official Irish Republican Army has been indicted in the U.S. on charges he conspired with North Korea to circulate millions of dollars in phony U.S. currency, prosecutors said. The indictment of Sean Garland, 71, & 6 other men by a federal grand jury in Washington marks the first time in a 16-year investigation that the government has alleged in court documents that North Korea plays a major role in counterfeiting US$100 bills, known as Supernotes. Garland was arrested Oct. 12 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was attending a conference of the Irish Workers' Party. Garland is the party's president. The party is the political wing of the Official Irish Republican Army, which took its name after a split with the Provisional IRA, which had grown into the dominant anti-British paramilitary force. The U.S. is seeking to extradite Garland. He pleaded innocent to the charges at a court appearance in Belfast and has been released on bail. The high-quality fake US$100 bills were made in North Korea, at the government's direction & carried around the world by government officials, the indictment said. Investigators have long believed North Korea was the source of the counterfeit money, which first entered circulation in 1989. When U.S. authorities broke up an Int'l smuggling ring in Aug., officials said that the US$4.4M in counterfeit money seized at the time appeared to have come from North Korea. Garland, working with the other defendants, purchased, transported & resold up to US$1M worth of the phony currency between 1997 & 2000 and also worked to conceal North Korea's role in the enterprise, the indictment said. The bills were put into circulation in the United Kingdom & elsewhere, it said. All the defendants face maximum prison sentences of 5 years & fines of US$250,000. That's all?

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  2. The Cargo Letter Financial Page ____________ 

**J.B. Hunt Transport Services. DOWN as 3rd-quarter net income fell to US$39.8 M or 25 cents a share, from US$47.9M or 29 cents a year earlier.

**Landstar System. UP with a record US$35.6M or 60 cents a share in the 3rd quarter, up from US$21.6M or 35 cents a year earlier.

***Interpool, Inc. Pleases Shareholders ...... as it will pay a special cash dividend of US$1.00 per share. The special dividend will be payable on Nov. 10, 2005 to shareholders of record on Oct. 27, 2005. The aggregate amount of the dividend is expected to be approximately US$28.5M and will not affect the company's normal quarterly dividend. Martin Tuchman, Interpool's Chairman & CEO, commented, "We are pleased to be able to make this special dividend payment, which reflects our focus on shareholder value." Interpool also reported that it has received cash proceeds of approximately US$15M from the sale of a non-related, non-transportation company in which Interpool had held a minority equity position since 1997. Fitch Ratings has upgraded the company's long-term & preferred debt ratings, and Fitch's rating outlook for Interpool remains positive.  Interpool is corporate sponsor of The Cargo Letter Archive.                            

***C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Splits ....... as the customs broker & logistics giant announced that its shareholders have approved a 2-for-1 stock split, effective as of the end of business Oct. 14, 2005. At the beginning of the trading session on Monday, Oct. 17th, C.H. Robinson will be trading on a post-split basis under the ticker symbol CHRWD on the NASDAQ Stock Market for the next 20 trading days.

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OUR "B" Section: FF World Air News***

  3. Freight Forwarder World Air Briefs __________ 

***U.S. Cargo Volume Up ...... as according to the latest U.S. Air Transport Assn. (ATA) statistics, Int'l air freight & express shipments carried by U.S. airlines increased 2.6% to 1.06 billion revenue ton-miles in Aug., from 1.03 billion revenue ton-miles in Aug. 2004. After the 1st eight months of the year, ATA members' Int'l air freight & express shipments are up 3.4% to 8.43 billion revenue ton-miles, compared to 8.16 billion revenue ton-miles after the same period 2004.  ATA Airlines are Aloha, Alaska, America West, American, ATA, Continental (including Micronesia), Delta, FedEx, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Midwest, Northwest. Southwest, United, UPS & US Airways.

***Fuelishness Continues .......

**Effective Oct. 17, for the 2nd time this month -- Lufthansa Cargo  is increasing its fuel surcharge to 0.60 euros (72 cents) from 0.55 euros (66 cents) per kilo of actual freight weight.  

**Effective Oct. 27, BA World Cargo is raising its fuel surcharge from £0.37 (55 cents) to £0.40 (60 cents) per kilo.

**Effective Oct. 19, American Airlines Cargo's fuel surcharge increased from 50 cents per kilo to 55 cents per kilo for most U.S.-origin Int'l shipments, and from 20 cents per pound to 22 cents per pound for U.S. domestic shipments. 

**Effective Oct. 17, Swiss WorldCargo's fuel surcharge is 55 cents per kilo.

**Effective Oct. 26, American Airlines Cargo's fuel surcharge will increase from 55 cents per kilo to 60 cents per kilo for most U.S.-origin Int'l shipments, and from 22 cents per pound to 24 cents per pound for U.S. domestic shipments.

**Effective Nov. 1, Northwest Airlines Cargo will place a 5-cent-per-kilo increase on its fuel surcharge to 60 cents per kilo for most Int'l shipments originating in the U.S., while surcharges for domestic shipments will increase 2 cents to 25 cents per pound.

***FedEx Goes Up ...... as it will raise rates for overnight shipping by 3.5% beginning next year, FedEx said. The higher rates come from a rate-chart increase of 5.5% coupled with a cut of 2% in the airline's fuel surcharge. That leaves a net increase felt by customers that is the largest since 2001.

***UAL Coming Out ...... as the parent company of United Airlines, has arranged a US$3Bn all-debt exit financing package with JPMorgan & Citigroup, to help United's exit from bankruptcy. The financing has a term of 6 years. UAL said it expects United Airlines to exit from bankruptcy in Feb. 2006.

   ***Strike Settled ....... as pilot crewmembers of Polar Air Cargo ratified a contract agreement reached between Polar and the Air Line Pilots Assn. (ALPA), effectively ending a 4-week long strike, Polar said. The union's leadership had approved the contract Oct. 2, after going on strike in mid-Sept. The 18-month contract provides for a 10.5% pay increase retroactive to June 1, an increase in the company's 401k Plan matching contribution, and a 4% lump-sum payment due Aug. 1, 2006, Polar said.

   ***Strike Not Settled ........ as FedEx Express has requested the assistance of the National Mediation Board in its ongoing negotiations with its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). FedEx Express & ALPA have been engaged in contract talks since March 2004. FedEx said it has made two contract proposals this year. The latest offer last week, "would have cemented FedEx crewmembers' position as the best compensated pilots in the aviation industry."  "FedEx sought to resolve the contract negotiations without the assistance of the government agency. The union leadership, however, refused to present the company's first comprehensive contract proposal to its membership for a vote, and since then has failed to moderate its demands sufficiently to justify continuing with the current process," FedEx said in a statement. "We are disappointed, but not surprised, by FedEx management's actions in requesting the assistance of the National Mediation Board and admitting the failure of FedEx Labor Relations to reach an agreement with the pilots," said Capt. David Webb, chairman of the FedEx unit of the ALPA. "The company's final comprehensive proposal contained significant concessions, reflective of opportunistic greed in a time of industry turmoil. Management presented this proposal while corporate officers repeatedly make public statements that FedEx profits continue to rise and will be even greater in the future," Webb added.

***Land Rush For China Airspace ...... DHL Express will spend US$110M to expand its express cargo unit in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported. The facility will begin operations at the end of 2007. DHL, owned by Germany-based Deutsche Post, said the new terminal will increase its parcel-sorting capacity to 35,000 pieces per hour from 20,000 and document-handling to 40,000 from 15,000. DHL, UPS Inc., FedEx & other package-delivery companies, are expanding in Asia as the region exports more goods to the U.S. FedEx is also building a US$150M facility in Guangzhou, north of Hong Kong, in southern China.

***Hands Off For Virgin Atlantic Cargo ...... as it has entered into a long-term outsourcing arrangement with Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), which involves the sale of the airline's North American cargo handling operations. Financial details have not been disclosed. The agreement, for an initial term of 5 years, will result in WFS assuming all the assets and staff associated with the airline's cargo handling division, along with the commitment to handle Virgin's air cargo product at five sites -- Newark, Washington Dulles, Orlando, Miami and Los Angeles. WFS already handles the airline's cargo product at JFK & Las Vegas airports.

***Hands On For Branson ....... as Virgin Atlantic Airways Chairman Richard Branson has urged European Union negotiators to take a tough stand when transatlantic aviation talks with the United States resumed Oct. 17. "There's a very real prospect of the EU & U.S. finally achieving a historic and much needed open aviation agreement, but there's still a danger that the U.S. government could secure a deal giving it all it wants with Europe getting little in return," Branson said. The airline chief is concerned that U.S. airlines will be allowed to fly into Heathrow & within Europe, but that the same courtesy will not be granted to European airlines within the U.S.. "We don't know what each side is planning to table next week, but what we don't want is an unbalanced deal giving the U.S. all it wants with little more than empty promises in return. In simple terms, the EU must not trade access to Heathrow -- its most valuable asset -- for anything less than a true open aviation agreement," Branson said.

***Lufthansa Cargo Drops To 2nd & Flatlines ...... as the German carrier transported 1.27 million tons of freight & mail during the 1st nine months of this year, roughly the same that German airline carried during the same period last year. The airline said its cargo capacity increased by 2.7% due to additional belly space available on passenger planes, causing its cargo load factor to slip by 2.2 percentage points to 64%. Long-time number one carrier Lufthansa was last year overtaken by Korean Air Cargo as the world's top airfreight carrier.  

***Continental Airlines Hurricane Impact ...... as the Houston-based carrier posted a 2.1% decrease in cargo revenue ton-miles for Sept. to 82.9 million cargo revenue ton-miles, compared to 84.7 million in the same month last year. The airline estimated its operating results for Sept. were negatively impacted by Hurricane Rita, and to a lesser extent, Hurricane Katrina, by approximately US$25M. 

***New Asia Code-Share ....... as Singapore Airlines & South Korea's Asiana Airlines have signed a code-sharing pact for flights between the city-state and Seoul. According to Singapore Airlines' web site, initially the agreement only applies to flights between Singapore & Seoul. However, there are plans to expand the deal to include "transpacific flights beyond Seoul, domestic destinations in South Korea, intra-travel in North Asia and flights beyond Singapore."

***The New Airbus Contender ...... as it has unveiled the A350 aircraft, its mid-size long-haul competitor to Boeing's new 7E7 Dreamliner. The A350 planes are scheduled to enter service in 2010, with the A350-800 capable of flying 16,300 kms. Its larger sister, the A350-900, is able to fly 13,900 kms. Airbus said the market for aircraft in the A350's size category is estimated at 3,300, including freighters, over the next 20 years. Airbus expects to serve about half of that market. Airbus has so far received 140 firm orders for the A350 aircraft from 9 lines, including 60 from Qatar Airways, 20 from US Airways & 10 from Air Europa.

***Captain --There Be Whales! ........ as 2 Beluga whales were picked up in Mexico City by UPS Airlines Oct. 17, & flown 1,331 miles to Atlanta for delivery to the Georgia Aquarium.  The relocation, handled jointly by the Georgia Aquarium & UPS Airlines, transferred the giant mammals from an amusement park in Mexico City.  The whales are named Nico & Gasper. Each is about 12 feet long & weighs about 1,600 pounds. A Boeing 767F cargo jet was used for the move because of the special tank dimensions & the 26,000 pounds of combined weight of tanks, water & whales (see Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home for plot). "The movement required engineering modifications to the aircraft's load floor to handle enormous custom tanks that locked in place," said Bland Matthews, the UPS Airlines loadmaster in charge of the move. "The success of this relocation took much of the experience and training I have in aircraft loading, weight & balance as well as great teamwork."  Matthews travels the world handling special moves for UPS but usually oversees loading of heavy equipment for military charter flights. He was pressed into service for the movement of Nico & Gasper to ensure their tanks would be secure & that the transfer could be performed safely.  Placement of Nico & Gasper inside the aircraft was computed precisely to straddle the aircraft's center of gravity. Maintaining proper balance impacted how the whales were loaded onto the plane, where their tanks were locked into place as well as the aircraft's takeoff & landing speeds. The environmental controls on the main cargo deck were pressurized to simulate an altitude of 5,000 feet with an air temperature of 60 degrees F. UPS pilots flew as high as 37,000 feet to stay above any rough weather that might have caused undue stress for the whales.  The UPS flight was flown by Capt. Bob Knight & Capt. Lou Casale, both flight training supervisors.  After landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l Airport, the whales were unloaded & secured to a custom-designed UPS trailer for a police escort to the Aquarium. The tractor-trailer was driven by Charlie Smith, one of UPS's Circle of Honor drivers with 30 years of safe driving. The Circle is reserved for men & women who have driven for 25 years or more without an accident. UPS Airlines is the 7th largest airline in the world.

***Two Chinese Astronauts Well Fed ...... as they rocketed into orbit Oct. 12 & promptly helped themselves to pineapple-filled mooncakes for breakfast, state television said. The traditional heavy pastries should be to the liking of Fei Junlong, who was said to have a sweet tooth, while his partner, Nie Haisheng, apparently preferred spicier fare. The astronauts' Shenzhou VI spacecraft has been packed with a wide range of rations, from green vegetables & braised bamboo shoots to rice & bean congee, that can be easily rehydrated & then heated in a machine that looks more like a toaster. Food-filled cans & plastic containers have been designed to fit snugly into segmented, cafeteria-style trays that have quaint pictures of fruit in one corner & adjustable belts underneath for easy use in zero gravity. Another machine resembling a hair dryer has been installed to suck up any uneaten food morsels from containers to eliminate the possibility of them floating loose about the capsule. The astronauts would wash down their meals with extremely pure water taken from 5,577 ft. underground, Xinhua news agency said. And an "excrement-collecting device" was used for the 1st time, it added (what did they do before?). The Chinese astronauts safely returned to Earth on Oct. 16. Unfortunately, the world press failed to pay proper attention to the feats of these brave men who have pioneered Chinese transportation accomplishments -- only the 3rd nation to achieve manned space travel -- on the 2nd flight. If you knew about this daring mission -- you were among the few.

***Scotty -- The Final Frontier ....... as evidently "Star Trek" actor James "Scotty" Doohan took the catchphrase "beam me up" very seriously -- his cremated remains will be launched into space in accord with his last wishes. Commercial space flight operator Space Services Inc. will launch the late actor's remains into space aboard its Explorers Flight on Dec. 6. Doohan, who portrayed feisty chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the "Star Trek" television series, died in July at age 85. On the program, when Capt. James Kirk ventured off the spaceship Enterprise & faced peril, he would demand Scotty "beam" his body up to the safety of the ship.  To mark the flight into his final frontier, Doohan's family will hold a service for fans on a 60-acre (24-hectare) site near Vandenberg Air Force Base north of Los Angeles the day of the launch to pay tribute to him. Some fans are expected to attend in the formal white suit of a Star Fleet commander.  "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry also had his remains shot into space after his death in 1991. They returned to Earth in 2002. Doohan's cremated remains will be packed into a special tube that is ejected from the rocket and expected to orbit Earth for about 50 to 200 years before plunging into the planet's atmosphere & burning up. Fans can post tributes to Doohan at the Space Services Website.                   

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OUR "C" Section:  FF World Ocean News***

  4. FF World Ocean Briefs    

***Columbo Port Joins Terror War ....... as the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner & Director General of Sri Lanka Customs Sarath Jayathilake, announced that the Port of Colombo is the 40th operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) port to target and pre-screen maritime cargo containers destined for U.S. ports. Today, a total of 24 administrations have committed to join CSI and are at various stages of implementation. Currently there are 40 operational ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North & South America. Now CSI has become a model of Int'l cooperation to protect the global supply chain against terrorism. CBP's goal is to have 50 operational CSI ports by the end of 2006. At that time, approximately 90% of all transatlantic & transpacific cargo imported into the United States will be subjected to pre-screening.

***Brazil Opens Access ....... as U.S. ship operators will gain greater access to Brazil's government cargo business while Brazil's carriers seeking access to U.S. markets will be assured equal treatment, under an agreement signed this month by U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta & Brazilian Ambassador Roberto Abdenur in Washington, D.C. "Free trade helps everyone &endash; shippers, carriers and most of all consumers," Secretary Mineta said. "This agreement will provide for greater competition in shipping that will benefit both the U.S. & Brazil." The new agreement requires both sides to provide equal treatment for the other's carriers in maritime-related services and facilities, including shipping taxes. It also provides unlimited access for U.S.-flag carriers to government-controlled cargoes whose shipments are arranged by the Brazilian government, which historically has been a significant portion of that country's commercial cargo. The agreement was reached after more than 3 years of negotiations. Brazil's Congress must ratify the agreement before it can be brought into force. No U.S. ratification is needed. The U.S. & Brazil signed a similar agreement in 1999, but it was not ratified by Brazil & expired in Oct. 2002. 

***Cartel Shuffle ...... as remaining Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, NYK Line & OOCL have responded to P&O Nedlloyd's resignation by striking a pact with carriers in the New World Alliance to cooperate in three east/west trades from early next year. P&O Nedlloyd, recently acquired by A.P. Moller-Maersk and the largest carrier in the Grand Alliance, gave 6 months notice of withdrawal to its partners in Aug., with its departure effective in Feb. 2006. At the time, the Grand Alliance carriers issued a statement saying they expected new vessels to fill the capacity gap left by P&O Nedlloyd's departure. Now, in what seems a change of strategy, the Grand Alliance will team up with New World Alliance carriers APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to swap space on ships in the Asia/North Europe and Asia/Mediterranean trades, as well as starting a new jointly operated all-water Asia/North America East Coast service via the Panama Canal. ComPair Data estimates the New World Alliance's capacity will almost exactly replace P&O Nedlloyd's contribution in the combined Asia/North Europe and Asia/Mediterranean trades.

***Evergreen's New India Focus ........ as Evergreen India Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned affiliate of Taiwan's Evergreen Group, a transportation & logistics company, has opened 5 new offices in India. They are located in Kolkata, Haldia, Kandla, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. This gives Evergreen a total of 11 offices in India, counting the company's previously established offices in Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, New Delhi, Cochin, Tuticorin & Chennai.

***Evergreen's New Russia Focus ...... as it has commenced operations at its newly established liner agency company, Global Marine Russia Limited (GMR), in Russia. Headquartered in St Petersburg, it also has a branch office in Moscow and will be opening further offices in Russia in due course.

***CP Ships Shifts 5 To U.S. Flag ....... as the major container shipping company, has shifted its 3,200-TEU "CP Yucatan" to the U.S. flag and renamed the vessel "CP Yosemite," for the American national park. The ship is one of 5 vessels in the transatlantic trade that CP Ships is committing to the U.S. government's Maritime Security Program (MSP). The remaining 4 ships will be renamed "CP Everglades," "CP Denali," "CP Shenandoah," & "CP Yellowstone." Under a new federal contract, CP Ships will receive US$145M in government subsidy over the next 10 years to offset the cost of U.S.-flag operation of the 5 vessels.

***CP Ships Shifts To Hapag-Lloyd ......... as all regulatory approvals required by Hapag-Lloyd parent company TUI AG in its proposed takeover of CP Ships have been obtained or waived, TUI & CP Ships confirmed Oct. 17.  Hanover-based TUI AG anticipates completing its offer shortly after its expiry Oct. 18, provided that at least 66.67% of the shares on a fully diluted basis have been deposited to the offer. If at least 90% of the outstanding shares are deposited to the offer, TUI expects to acquire the balance of the shares in Oct., pursuant to the statutory compulsory acquisition provisions contained in the corporate legislation governing CP Ships. If less than 90% of the outstanding shares are deposited to the offer, TUI expects to cause CP Ships to hold a shareholder meeting to approve an amalgamation in order for TUI to obtain 100% of the shares by Dec. 31.

***China Shipping Container Lines Targeted Loan ...... as is has have signed an agreement in Shanghai with ING Group (Netherlands)for a US$100M loan to be used exclusively in the Chinese carriers' container shipping unit. China Shipping said the loan represents its 1st such agreement with any financial institute, and has plans for more.

***Birthing The New Giant ......... as Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has displayed its design for a 13,000-TEU mega-containership at the Container Forum in Hamburg, Germany. German classification society, Germanischer Lloyd, said it has approved the design, which includes two main 45,000 kilowatt engines and two propellers. The ship's design is 382 meters (1,253 feet) long and 54.2 meters (177.8 feet) wide, with a draught of 13.5 meters (44.3 feet). The design includes space for 6,230 containers below deck, stacked 10 high & 19 wide, while the 7,210 on-deck containers will be stowed 21 across. The vessel's anticipated speed is 25.5 knots. HHI is now accepting orders for the containership, which will have a production period of 9 to 10 months. HHI said that owing to its current workload, delivery of the ship would not be possible before 2009. The 13,000-TEU ship will easily surpass Hapag-Lloyd's 8,750-TEU M/V Colombo Express, also built by HHI, which has the world's largest declared capacity.

***Crowley Maritime In Titanic Deal ...... as the provider of transportation & logistics services, has agreed to buy Titan Maritime LLC, a marine salvage company, founded in 1980 by David Parrot. The company, which has offices in Newhaven, in the UK & in Sao Paulo, Brazil, maintains equipment depots in Batam, Indonesia, & Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Titan has completed more than 200 salvage and wreck removal projects worldwide in the last 25 years. The deal is expected to close within 30 days.

***PierPASS Progress ....... as the new program announced that more than half a million truck trips have been diverted from peak daytime traffic since the start of the OffPeak program on July 23, relieving congestion inside the Ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach and reducing traffic congestion on area freeways.  Area commuters have reported a noticeable decrease in traffic congestion on Interstate 710 near the port. Peak-hour truck traffic on the 710 freeway has dropped an estimated 24%, according to a study by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA).  On a typical day, more than 10,000 trucks use the new OffPeak shifts -- enough to stretch from Long Beach to San Diego if lined up end-to-end. In the 10 weeks from July 23 through Oct. 1, more than 503,000 truck trips took place during the OffPeak shifts -- trips that otherwise would have occurred weekdays between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. amid heavy commuter traffic.  The OffPeak program was launched with the support of state & local political leaders, local communities and cargo owners to reduce congestion in and around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest port complex in the United States. Together, the ports handle about 35% of all U.S. waterborne container cargo.  Under the OffPeak program, all international container terminals in the two ports have established 5 new shifts per week (Mon. through Thurs. from 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. and Sat. from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). As an incentive to use the new OffPeak shifts, a Traffic Mitigation Fee is now required for most cargo movement during peak hours (Mon. through Fri., 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). 

***Port of Los Angeles Pushes New Gateway ...... as it is holding community meetings in the pending environmental review of the Southern California Intermodal Gateway, a proposed 153-acre rail yard to be built and operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway west of Long Beach but on Port of Los Angeles property. The US$175M project, along with a proposed expansion of Union Pacific's existing intermodal rail facility, is considered crucial for future goods movement in the region. Both projects, however, are likely to face resistance from surrounding residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state's air quality agency, has just released a 74-page report, titled "Diesel Particulate Matter Exposure Assessment Study for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach" --available online.

***Smart Box Is Strong Box ....... as General Electric's security subsidiary GE CommerceGuard AB has enlisted Mitsubishi Corp. as a partner to market a device to detect unauthorized door breaches in ocean containers. The giant Japanese conglomerate will sell, distribute and support GE Security's CommerceGuard product to Japanese terminal operators, ports, exporters and transportation companies. Mitsubishi comprises more than 500 companies involved in heavy industry, chemicals, auto manufacturing, textiles and apparel, banking and logistics. It is a major shareholder in container vessel operator NYK Line.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection is testing the GE system under its antiterrorism "smart box" initiative, aimed at encouraging shippers to maintain shipment integrity through the use of a tamper-evident device affixed to the door. Smart box is identified as a best practice that importers can adopt to become eligible for "green lane" incentives that will allow their cargo to bypass almost all port security inspections. CBP plans to make high-tier benefits available to companies that participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and have demonstrated their ability to regulate the supply chain security practices of their foreign suppliers. The device has been tested on about 3,000 moves so far, including 1,000 on GE's internal trade lanes. There were 5 false positives on the 1st 300 shipments and zero on the subsequent 700 shipments, for an overall accuracy level of about 99.5%.

***TransCore "Viagra" Battery" Aids Cargo Tracking ....... as it has introduced a smaller, faster & more power efficient solution for satellite-based asset tracking technology to expand opportunities within the trucking, rail, security & marine markets. At the heart of these innovations is a new core modem that reduces the size of the terminals and extends battery life from the usual 3 years up to 7 years, doubling battery life of trailer tracking products on the market. By eliminating the need for frequent battery replacement or using unreliable and expensive rechargeable batteries, TransCore resolves a long-standing impairment to widespread adoption of un-tethered tracking applications.

***Far Horizon ....... as ocean carrier Horizon Lines is pilot testing radio frequency identification (RFID) in a number of applications to track assets better, said Horizon's chief information officer. In one test, where RFID readers have been installed along roadways between the Port of Anchorage & delivery destinations, carriers can track their containers (outfitted with RFID tags) once the boxes leave the port. This is referred to as the "intermodal black hole" because once a container leaves a terminal, its whereabouts are unknown to the carrier.

***Opening Indian Bottleneck ....... as Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) in south India has received a High Court's nod to go ahead with the process of inviting bids to build & operate a 2nd container terminal at the port. P&O Ports subsidiary Chennai Container Terminal Pvt Ltd, the operator of Chennai's existing container terminal, had obtained an interim injunction against ChPT's plans, saying that a 2nd terminal would further aggravate the problem of moving boxes from the port.

***Bio-Solution? ......... as the Port of Los Angeles is actively seeking ways to use biofuels as an alternative to diesel-fueled engines as a means to significantly reduce air emissions from its operations. The Port is accepting statements of interest from qualified biofuel technology & provider companies through Nov. 14, 2005. (See"new postings")

***Qingdao Eyes Mega Status ....... as port officials are holding talks with foreign port operators about investing up US$3.2Bn in the port over the next 5 years to double handling capacity to 12 mill TEU/year. Wan Jianzhong, deputy director of Qingdao Transportation Committee, said throughput at Qingdao, China's 3rd largest container port behind Shanghai & Shenzhen, is expected to reach 6.7 mill TEU this year, up from 5.14 mill TEU in 2004.

***HK Firm Investing In 2nd Yangtze Port ...... as Paul Y-ITC Construction Holdings of Hong Kong has taken a 45% stake in Nantong port for US$54M. Stateowned Nantong Port Group will retain a 43% interest & SDIC Transport 12% in the port, the 2nd largest bulk cargo distribution center downstream on the Yangtze River

***China Throughput Rockets ........ as the major ports handled 34.29 mill TEU in the 1st 6 months of 2005, up 24% year on year. Seaports moved 32.25 mill TEU, up 24%, and river ports 2.04 mill TEU, up a massive 203%. Shanghai handled 8.54 mill TEU in the period, up 26.3%, & Shenzhen 7.39 mill TEU, up 22.5%; Qingdao's throughput hit 3.03 mill TEU, up 24.4%, Ningbo handled 2.31 mill TEU, up 28.2%; and Tianjin 2.26 mill TEU, up 24.3%.

***APL Volume Up, But Not Fat ...... as container traffic rose 11% to 157,900 40-foot equivalent units during the 4-week period ended Sept. 27, compared to the same period last year. During the same period, APL's average revenue per FEU rose 1% to US$2,939 from US$2,920.

***This Month In U.S. Navy History ......

1775 - The Continental Congress establishes a Continental Navy, later known as the U.S. Navy.

1821 - Lt. Robert F. Stockton sails from Boston for Africa to carry out orders to help stop the international slave trade.

1863 - Confederate steamer David seriously damages USS New Ironsides with a spar torpedo off Charleston, S.C.

1864 - USS Washusett captures Confederate raider CSS Florida in harbor of Bahia, Brazil.

1867 - USS Ossippee & USS Resaca participate in the formal transfer of Alaska to U.S. authority at Sitka and remain to enforce law & order in new territory.

1922 - Lt. Cmdr. Virgil C. Griffin, in a Vought VE-7SF makes first the takeoff from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1) anchored in York River, Va.

1941 - German U-boat U-568 torpedoes & damages USS Kearny (DD 432) near Iceland, resulting in 11 killed & 22 injured.

1944 - Naval Forces land Army Rangers on islands at the entrance to Leyte Gulf in preparation for landings.

1962 - A U.S. reconnaissance plane photographs a Soviet nuclear missile site under construction at San Cristobal, 100 miles W. of Havana.

1980 - USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7) & other ships of Amphibious Forces 6th Fleet begin assisting earthquake victims in Al Asnam, Algeria.

1989 - Following the San Francisco earthquake, 24 Navy & Military Sealift Command ships render assistance. 

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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. You will be amazed.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Please view the dramatic new pictures at our special "Gallery of Cargo Loss" website feature. 

See our new feature for Sept. 2005: "UNDER Achiever" Considered by many, our best photo feature -- ever!

See our newest photo feature "Singles Only" - Transportation Disasters Told In A Single Photo!

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.

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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..............   

After Hours ...... the new directory for emergency service providers. Write your own listing & publish the whereabouts of your travelers or your new office location. There is a free trial period. From our pals at Bow Wave.

Blogger ........ create your own transport or customs Blog for free from Google. Then send us your Blog for posting to The Cargo Letter.

Cybersecurity: The Looming Crisis

Federal Maritime Commission Compromise NVOCC Settlements

flickr ........ store & share photos for free.

FishFiles Lite .........free monthly newsletter summarizing key developments in EU fisheries and fish trade policy and legislation

Folgers Coffee After Hurricane Katrina

GAO Report .......... lack of coordination on U.S. rail security.

Global Shipping Schedules

How To Survive A Customs Audit

Inventory & Warehouse Operations Dictionary

Int'l Group of P&I Clubs

Maritime Police Organizations

Navy's New Lighterage Systtem ....... ship to shore cargo moving - a logistics challenge

Seabees Bring Equipment Relief To Pakistan

U.S. Coast Guard Katrina Management Site

USS Coles Honors Fallen Heroes

PRODUCTS>>>>>>>>>

Drum Racks

Jobs In Logistics.com

Xdrive Secure Online Storeage

EVENTS>>>>>>>>>

Transport Events

World Trade Organization Events

15th Annual Int'l All Cargo Conference IAAC .......... 23-25 May 2006, Houston

2005 ATA Management Conference & Exhibition .......... Oct 15-18, 2005, in Boston.

2005 IANA Intermodal Expo & NITL TransComp ......... Nov.12-15, 2005, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.

2005 National Maritime Salvage Conference ........ originally scheduled for Nov. 1-3 in New Orleans -- postponed until 2006.

Containerization Int'l Liner Shipping & China Conference 2005 ........ 25-26 Oct. 2005, Nan Yuan Hotel, Ningbo, China.

Global Automotive Logistics 2005 ......... 11th - 12th Oct. 2005, Prague Congress Center, Czech Republic

Intermodal South America 2006 ........ April 26 to 28, 2006, Transamerica Expo Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Intermodal Transport & Logistics ....... 8-10 Nov. 2005, Bilbao Exhibition Center, Bilbao, Spain

LA Harbor Transportation Club .......... Oct. 13 Janice Hahn, Councilwoman of 15th District City of Los Angeles, 6pm, Ports O' Call Restaurant, Berth 76, Ports O' Call Village, San Pedro, CA

Logistics & Supply Chain Forum ....... May 7-10, 2006, aboard M/V Norwegian Dawn, Ex-NYC.

Marintec China ........ 6-9 Dec. 2005, Shanghai New Int'l Expo Centre, Shanghai, China

RORO 2006 .......16-18 May 2006, Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium

TOC Americas ....... 29th Nov. - 1st Dec. 2005, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Savannah.

TOC Asia - Terminal Operations Conference and Exhibition & Conference for Asia. .......14 - 16 March 2006, BEXCO, Pusan, South Korea

Track & Trace Summit ....... Oct. 17-19, Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Miami, FL.

Transport & Logistics & Int'l Trade .... Dec. 8-9. Tallinn, Estonia

U.S. General Services Admin. 3rd Annual Household Goods & Freight Forum ........Feb. 22-23, 2006, Anaheim, Calif. Co-sponsored by American Moving & Storage Assn.

Alternate

 

FOR FUN>>>>>>>>>

Billy Bones Pirate Locker

Bob Hope Said What?

Hieroglyphics Translator

Muffler Man ....... be very amazed

The Hilde Krause Stress Reliever

The Looter Guy ........ you'll remember this infamous New Orleans looter -- now getting more fame than he deserves.

Don't Miss The Looter Gallery - See All 6 ....... a very creative artist       

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Written from wire stories, the Associated Press, Reuters, Hong Kong Shipping News, Lloyds & other world sources.

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The Cargo Letter Correspondents:

Michael S. McDaniel Esq, Editor (Countryman & McDaniel)

David Schuchman -- Interpool Corp. -- Webmaster of The Cargo Letter Archive

Libby Thompson (Countryman & McDaniel)

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