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Industry News
From The Cargo Letter


THE CARGO LETTER [326]
Air & Ocean Freight Forwarder - Customs Broker News
17 February 1998


Good Tuesday Morning from our Observation Deck...... overlooking the officially designated "Cargo City" area and....... Runway 25-Right, at Los Angeles International Airport.

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 web site .......... http://www.interpool.com/cargo. shtml (This is a "Hot Link" for AOL users.)

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

INDEX to The Cargo Letter:

OUR Top Stories
   1. LAX Master Plan Gets Wide Support
   2. The Freight Detective Is Born
      * "He Never Sleeps"
      * New Service From The Cargo Letter
OUR "A" Section: Trade, Financial & Inland News
   3.  Freight Forwarder Trade Briefs
   4. The Cargo Letter Financial Page
OUR "B" Section: FF World Air News
   5. Freight Forwarder World Air Briefs
OUR "C" Section:  FF World Ocean News
   6. FF World Ocean Briefs
   7. The Cargo Letter Cargo Damage Dispatches
OUR "D" Section: FF in Cyberspace
   8. The Cargo Letter "Cyber Ports Of Call"
OUR "E" Section: The Forwarder/Broker World
   9. Proposed Amendments to 19 CFR 171 & 172
  10. Forwarder - Broker February Holidays

OUR Top Stories


1. LAX Master Plan Gets Wide Support

LAX -- The 19 member Assn. of Asian Pacific Airlines (AAA) whose carriers serve 35% of all Intel passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, have announced passage of a resolution supporting the LAX Master Plan due to La's unique Intel role as "The Premier Gateway" between the United States and the fast- growing nations of the Asia-Pacific region. AAA is monitoring the LAX Master Plan closely because Asian-Pacific carriers recognize that modernization of LAX is the only international airport project on the U.S. horizon for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles World Airports (LAW) has recently eliminated 2 of 4 concepts proposed for the LAX expansion project, being 1.] use of Hawthorne Airport for commuter operations, and 2.] concepts calling for the development of a new commuter runway in the sand dune area West of the airport.

The two remaining concepts have several features in common, including:

LAW Exec. Director John J. Driscoll said "LAX operations are currently responsible for rate an economic impact of nearly US$43.5B annually. The LAX Master Plan would contribute an additional US$37B to the regional economy and create an additional 367,000 jobs. The Master Plan seeks to accommodate a forecaster growth from 58 million annual passengers in 1996 to 98 million by 2015, and in air cargo from 1.9 million annual tons to 4.2 million." L.A.'s The Place!

2. The Freight Detective Is Born

LAX - 17 Feb. -- The Forwarder - Broker attorneys at The Law Offices of Countryman & McDaniel have added a new feature to their world wide web service site which is designed to provide users with an all-in-one tool, capable of meeting virtually all the research & reference needs any business or personal user might have. "There are many great transport sources available on the web these days", said a firm spokesman, "but we wanted to create something entirely different, a site which converts forwarder/broker desktops into powerful investigative tools for daily use." Following tremendous effort, The Freight Detective was born. The site is a "One Stop" for almost anything which anyone might want to know. Use of the site is designed to improve work efficiency for completion of daily information gathering tasks.

"The Freight Detective" welcomes users to undertake two lines of investigation. There are "General Investigations" where daily inquiries are made easy, and "Transport Investigations" which pertain directly to our industry.

"The Freight Detective General Investigations" allow effortless access to hundreds of services. A few examples are:

The new service also has a personal side at "The Freight Detective's Butler":

"The Freight Detective" will continue to add a wide variety of new features in coming weeks. The site may be found under "The Manifest" of services at: https://cargolaw.com


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


3. Freight Forwarder Trade Briefs

4. The Cargo Letter Financial Page


OUR "B" Section: FF World Air News


5. Freight Forwarder World Air Briefs


OUR "C" Section: FF World Ocean News


6. Freight Forwarder World Ocean Briefs

7. The Cargo Letter Cargo Damage Dispatches

Ocean CARGO disasters this month include the following ..........

1.] 9 Jan. PIRATES attacked the M/T Isomeria (British operated byShell) at the Port of Santos, Brazil. Two crew, both British citizens, were shot by Uzi weilding PIRATES while propane at a terminal of Petroleos Brasileiros S.A.;   
2.] 11 Jan M/T Timoan  (Honduran) was captured by PIRATES who beat up the crew, smashed communication equipment, stole cash & personal effects & transferred about a 1/3 of the ship's 3m litre cargo of gasoline to another, unidentified tanker off the Malaysian coast near Pulau Auro.  It lasted about15 hours.  The crew were bound & had their eyes covered with tape.  The Tioman had been on a voyage from Singapore to Thailand; 
3.] 13 Jan. M/V Altnes (St. Vincent & the Grenadines) capsized & sank after it collided with M/V Shannon (Cypriot.) in heavy fog east of Anholt Island, Denmark.  Visibility was 1,200 feet.  The 17 crew were rescued by M/V Shannon & brought ashore;   
4.] 15 Jan. M/V New Baron (Panamanian operated by Cho Yang), sailing from Okgae, South Korea, to Lae, Papua New Guniea, ran aground on rocks in strong winds & heavy seas and later sank. Two Philippine crew  were killed &18 are missing, including the Master;   
5.] 15 Jan. M/V Sunny Glory (Belize) ran aground leaving the Port of Kashima, Japan.  The ship took a starboard list near a breakwater & almost capsized, with most of its superstructure submerged.  Two crew are missing;
6.] 16 Jan. M/V Flare (Cypriot) broke-up & sank. in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A Canadian government helicopter rescued 4 crew from a capsized lifeboat but 15 others were killed and 6 are missing.  
7.] 18 Jan. M/V Agios Pantaleinos (Honduras) sank 28 miles south west of Sardinia Island with a cargo of ammonium solphite.  The cause was a shift of cargo due to very bad sea conditions.  Of the 9 crew, only 2 have been rescued by Italian coast guard helicopters;   
8.] 20 Jan. M/T Dae Won (South Korean) had an explosion & fire in its No.1 cargo tank while anchored at Ulsan, South Korea.  The crew was cleaning the ship's tanks.  Four people were rescued, 3 were killed and 1 is missing.   
9.]  28 Jan., a search for M/V Universe 808 (Belize) after it failed to arrive at Yokkaichi, Japan.  The ship left Kawasaki, Japan 27 Jan. rive at Yokkaichi to load cargo including polystyrene before sailing to China.  The vessel & all hands are presumed lost; 
10.] 29 Jan. M/T Yu Hwa 2 (Panamanian liquefied petroleum gas carrier), sank while sailing from Pusan, South Korea, to Yosu, South Korea, with butadiene.  Eight of the crew were rescued & 1 is missing;  
11.] 30 Jan. M/V Kirre (Estonian-registry) sailing from Riga, Latvia, to Seaham, England, with timber, had a cargo shift in high winds & rough seas  off Klaipeda, Lithuania.  The Kirre had a 10-degree starboard list and 40% of its cargo was dumped overboard;  
12.] 2 Feb. M/V Delfin del Mediterraneo (Spanish container ship) capsized & sank 248 miles off Cabo San Vincente, Portugal.  Thirteen crew were rescued from 3 lifeboats by Spanish government personnel. Chief Engr. Angel Gomez was killed;
13.] 2 Feb. M/V Dogruyollar IV (Turkish general cargo) sank 30 miles S.E. of Cape Carbonara, Sardinia, Italy.  The 11 crew were rescued;   
14.] 4 Feb. M/V Bushey (Equitorial Guinea) is being held for ransom off Somalia by PIRATES. A group of about 20 heavily armed pirates forced their way onto the ship as it sailed off the country by firing across its bow from a speedboat.  The Bushey was sailing with salt between Masawa, Eritrea, & Mombasa, Kenya; 
15.] 4 Feb. M/V Malabo (Belize) took on water in its engine room. The flooding was barely controlled and the ship sailed to Brest, France;  
16.] 5 Feb. M/V Antelope (Honduran), sailing from Shimizu, Japan, to South Korea w/ aluminum coils, capsized & sank south of Cape Irago, Japan, in a storm. Of the crew, 6 were rescued & 2 are missing.  However, 3 of the 6 later died;  
17.] 7 Feb. M/V Fei Cui Hai (Chinese operated by COSCO) sank in the South China Sea off southern Vietnam.  Thirty-one of the 34 crew are missing; 
18.] 7 Feb. M/V Agan (Russian dry cargo ship) sank 100 miles off Ulung Do, South Korea. It was carrying scrap from Nakhodka, Russia, to Masan, South Korea. Four crew were killed;   
19.]  7 Feb. M/V Jade Sea (China, Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co) of 30 crew in S. China Sea.  The vessel was 30,000 tons;  
20.] 11 Feb. M/V Hanjin Barcelona ran down & sank the processing vessel F/V Alaska off Alaska in calm seas with clear viability.  All 33 crew were rescued.  There will be an inquiry.

NOTE: Due to seasonal weather there were many, many more groundings, barge losses, fires & other disasters we had no room to report. Large loss of life was reported in the fishing fleets and on ferries. It was a BAD month at sea. We mourn the many vessels lost.

This report only stresses 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.


OUR "D" Section: FF in Cyberspace


8. 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 ...............

1998 Connecticut Maritime Conference, 23-25 March at the Stamford Sheraton, Stamford, Connecticut, USA. The Chairman of Lloyds Register will be speaking.
http://cmaconnect.com/shipping98.html

1998 Air Cargo Internet Symposium. April, at SFO.
http://www.coastalair.com/acis2-98/

United Airlines Worldwide Cargo Tracking. New!
http://www.tdni.sns.ca

Descriptions Of Air Cargo ULDs From Gulf Air.
http://www.gulfairco.com/air340.htm and
http://www.gulfairco.com/boe767.htm

WTO. Understanding Rules & Procedures Governing Settlement of Disputes
http://www.wto.org/wto/dispute/dsu.htm

IMF & The World Bank
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/exrp/differ/differ.htm

Your Favorite Comic Strips
http://www.comiczone.com


OUR "E" Section: The Forwarder/Broker World


9. Proposed Amendments to 19 CFR 171 & 172

-- by Dave Jordan CHB, for The Cargo Letter

Customs Service published a notice of proposed rule making containing significant amendments to regulations, principally 19 C.F.R. §§ 171 & 172, relating to the filing of petitions for relief from penalties, liquidated damages, & seizure cases. In the words of Customs "The proposed regulations are briefer and are designed to allow more flexibility and useful contact with Government officials in an effort to administer cases in the most efficient way possible. These proposed regulations promote a more customer-friendly atmosphere and eliminate needless or redundant provisions."

Among the highlights of the proposed changes are:

Deadline for filing of comments on these proposed rules is April 3. For the full text of the NPRM, see pages 5329-5338 of the 2 Feb. Federal Register or contact the author, Dave Jordon of Dave F. Jordon Consulting Serives, Inc.

E:mail: DAFRJORDAN@aol.com
Phone (310) 375-1180
Fax (310) 375-3569

10. Forwarder - Broker February Holidays

February 18 - Wednesday Gambia, Independence Day Nepal, National Democracy Day

February 20 - Friday Kuwait, Kuwait Liberation Day Virgin Islands (British), Presidents Day

February 23 - Monday Andorra, Bolivia, Caribbean Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Uruguay & Venezuela all celebrate Carnival Brunei Darussalam, National Day Guyana, Republic Day Luxembourg, Shrove Monday

February 24 - Tuesday Andorra, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Panama, Portugal, Uruguay & Venezuela all celebrate Carnival Estonia, Independence Day Haiti & Liechtenstein, Shrove Tuesday

February 25 - Wednesday Bolivia, Carnival (still going!) Haiti, Ash Wednesday Jamaica, Ash Wednesday Kuwait, Kuwait National Day Tahiti, International Marathon

February 26 - Thursday - Feb/New Moon Sri Lanka, Maha Sivarathri Day

February 27 - Friday Dominican Republic, Independence Day

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