H O M E          L A T E   B R E A K I N G   N E W S            P A S T   N E W S L E T T E R S

Are you frustrated with some overseas suppliers? 

Are you tired of calling Asia in the middle of the night?

Do you wish you could speak some foreign languages?

Let M.E. Dey eliminate your frustrations with our P.O. Management Service

http://www.medey.com/P.O. Management.htm

return to newsletter frontpage

return to newsletter frontpage

Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) rates for numerous ports and shippers are increasing.
Call us at M.E. Dey for more information 800-635-5537

Govt submits canal expansion proposal to national assembly
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Panama's President Martín Torrijos and the cabinet council have approved the proposal to expand the Panama Canal, according to a Panama Canal Authority (ACP) release.

ACP chair Ricaurte Vásquez - who is also canal affairs minister - has now presented the proposal to the national assembly for review and discussion.

If approved, congress will then pass a law mandating a national referendum to be held in 90 days for the people to vote on the expansion.

The proposed expansion involves building a third set of locks, making it "the largest project at the canal since its original construction," ACP said. The project would double the canal's capacity.

The proposal itself is divided into three parts: the authorization by the ACP to carry out the project; guidelines to establish the necessary transparency throughout the process; and the need for a referendum through which Panamanians will have the final say on the initiative, as required by the country's constitution, the presidential website reported.

If approved in the national referendum, the construction of the project is expected to begin in 2007. Works are scheduled to last up to eight years and transit along the new channel would begin in 2015.

ACP estimates that a US$5.25bn investment is necessary for the whole project.

BNamericas.com

Vancouver lines hike charges

Extracted from “The Journal of Commerce” 6 June 2006

Shippers using [the] Port of Vancouver are facing new increases in freight rates and fuel surcharges.

Following plans by Vancouver terminals to raise demurrage fees and cut free storage time, major steamship lines of the Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement advised this week that their Bunker Surcharge/Fuel Recovery Surcharge fee for import containers will be raised on July 1 to US$510 per TEU from $475 on June 1 and $410 in April.

The charge will rise to $680 per FEU from $545 in April.

The CTSA also will raise freight rates by $200 for local Vancouver - area cargo and $400 for all other destinations, effective July 1. That follows identical increases that took effect in April. The lines plan another, unspecified increase on Oct. 1

return to newsletter frontpage

PierPASS changes export container handling procedures
Logistics Management June 28, 2006

LONG BEACH, Calif.—PierPASS, a non-profit group that was created by marine terminal operators in Long Beach and Los Angeles to reduce congestion around both of these ports, announced new procedures for handling export containers under the OffPeak program at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach last week.

Beginning August 7, exporters delivering containers during peak hours will be required to claim their booking numbers before the containers arrive at the marine terminals. Under the new system, exporters must claim their booking numbers by visiting the PierPASS website (http://www.pierpass-tmf.org./) and entering the booking numbers into their accounts. Export containers subject to the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) that arrive at terminals during peak hours (Monday through Friday, 3:00 am to 6:00 pm) without having been claimed in this manner will be turned around and encouraged to use the OffPeak hours of operation.

TMF payments must be made electronically through the PierPASS website by registered OffPeak users—no OffPeak payments are accepted at the terminal gates. The shipper is responsible for payment of the fee, not the trucking company or other carrier.

The procedural change announced today does not add any additional charges at the terminals, as export containers have been subject to the TMF since July 2005.

Ports of Busan, Vancouver struggle to cope with flow
6/28/2006   Source: IIFCBA

Once the economic powerhouse of South Korea, this downtrodden port city is now on the verge of recovery.

On two coasts, one eastward, the other westward, the port of Busan and the port of Vancouver are secondary players with one common purpose: trying to keep up with the flow of goods coming out of China.

Vancouver plans to double its capacity by 2020, from six berths to 12. Busan, undergoing its first port redevelopment in 40 years, is looking to add 30 new berths from 22 currently, within five years.

Last week the Asia Pacific Foundation released its analysis of gateway initiatives in Asia and Canada and found that port development on the West Coast has been "subdued" putting Vancouver at risk of being left with only scraps and not its fair share of increased international trade.

The Port of Vancouver's expansion projects, the analysis found, remain hampered by environmental assessments and co-ordinating supporting road and rail development.

Those problems sound familiar to officials in Busan. Building 30 new berths will require major reclamation work that environmentalists are already questioning, and Vancouver may have transportation headaches but South Korea has major migraines.

The Port of Busan expansion, which has the important backing of the central government, includes not only more berths, but also hopes that it can create a Northeast Asian hub similar to the massive success the Port of Singapore has managed in Southeast Asia.

Seoul has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to try and reopen the railway to the north, but last month, at the last minute, North Korea withdrew its support for test-runs for the first major rail-line in 50 years between the two countries.

If that inter-Korean railway opens, Busan will have faster access to the European markets through Russia.

A railway connecting to northern Europe and Russia through North Korea would shave shipping time in half, says Port of Busan president Choo June-Suk. When ships arrive in Port of Busan, cargo could be transported by rail through the north with a destination time of two weeks. Continuing the cargo by ship would take a month.

The struggle in Busan, with intense competition from Singapore and other Chinese ports like Hong Kong, is to find a position that hasn't already been staked out, says Kim Kyung-Yang, director-general of the port, agriculture and fisheries bureau at Busan's metropolitan government. "Busan will be a very different place in 2020. We are positioning ourselves as a gateway through Russia and Europe and we want to set up the right situations for that to be accomplished so both the economic and cultural parts are in place," Mr. Kim says.

return to newsletter frontpage

U.S. megaports, container security programs to be implemented in Egypt

Egypt is joining international efforts to prevent smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive materials by sea, U.S. official announced.

Officials of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the National Nuclear Security Administration signed a declaration of principles with Egyptian government officials June 22 that will bring two U.S. security programs to Egypt. Those programs are the nuclear agency's Megaports and CBP's Container Security initiatives, according to a June 22 NNSA release.

NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks said the megaports program is "critical for international security and the stability of the global economy." By partnering with Egypt, he continued, the United States can "detect and deter" the maritime transport of illicit nuclear and radioactive substances.

The highest priority of the Customs and Border Patrol is the prevention of the smuggling of such materials, Commissioner Ralph Basham said. The container security program serves the "twin goals of security and trade facilitation," he added.

In the megaports program, NNSA installs radiation detection equipment to enhance a host nation's capability to detect and interdict illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials at its ports. Knowing that such equipment is installed has a deterrent effect on potential smugglers, NNSA says.

Under the Container Security Initiative (CSI), U.S. officers from both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will work with their Egyptian counterparts to identify suspicious or high-risk ocean cargo containers destined for the United States. The capabilities provided under the Megaports Initiative offer an additional targeting tool for customs officials supporting CSI, according to the NNSA statement.

This is the fourth joint declaration of principles reached by the two U.S. agencies, the NNSA says. Previous bilateral agreements have been signed with Jamaica, Oman and Honduras.

According to the NNSA, the Container Security Initiative is operational in 44 ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North, South and Central America. About three-quarters of all ocean cargo containers transported to the United States originate in or are shipped through CSI ports.

The Megaports Initiative currently operates in six countries, and about 30 more countries are at various stages of negotiations or implementation with NNSA. Similar partnerships already exist with the Netherlands, Greece and other nations.

Source: U.S. Department of State

return to newsletter frontpage

LA, Long Beach to install floating security barriers
May 11, 2006

THE Los Angeles Board of Harbour Commissioners has approved funding for a US$2.9 million agreement with Siemens Building Technologies for waterborne security barriers, which will be installed at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The agreement includes the design, fabrication and delivery of 10,000 feet of floating security barriers.

Each port involved in the joint project will receive 5,000 feet of the waterborne barriers, to be placed at key locations around the ports during times of heightened security.

The barriers are designed to form a line of demarcation and provide protection against certain types of attacks.

This development comes as the Port of Los Angeles received a total of $26.6 million in Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Port Security Grants.

To date, these grants have been used for the purchase of two harbour patrol boats, an interoperability communications vehicle, and the financing of a study to examine the feasibility of a joint container inspection facility, a statement from port authorities said.

Furthermore, the Port of Los Angeles has received funding for several other projects which are currently at the planning stage, including a port-wide camera surveillance system, Cruise Centre vehicle screening system and perimeter security system, and facility enhancements system.

SchedNet

Container Security Initiative Coming to Jamaica
Innovative CBP Program Screens Cargo for Dangerous Materials Before Arriving in U.S.
(Tuesday, June 20, 2006)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States signed a Declaration of Principles (DOPs) today with the Government of Jamaica to help thwart smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. The DOP was co-signed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The document covers implementation of CBP's Container Security Initiative and NNSA's Megaports Initiative, as both programs continue working together to stop nuclear material from being smuggled to U.S. ports. Two other joint DOE-CBP declarations of principles have been signed with the Sultanate of Oman and the government of Honduras.

The DOPs are aimed at detecting and deterring illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials by smugglers and terrorists. Similar partnerships exist with the Netherlands, Greece and other nations. Representatives from Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and the Caribbean are in active discussions with the United States to install radiation detection systems at key port facilities worldwide to further international nonproliferation efforts and provide useful evidence to support prosecution efforts.

Under the Container Security Initiative (CSI), CBP stations multidisciplinary teams of U.S. officers from CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to work with their host government counterparts to establish security criteria to identify high-risk containers. Their mission is to target and pre-screen containers destined for the United States.

“Preventing the smuggling of illicit nuclear weapons and radiological materials remains CBP’s highest priority,” said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham. “CSI is a brilliant idea that serves the interests of both business and security. Through the workings of CSI, we must and will achieve our collective twin goals of security and trade facilitation.”

CSI is operational in 44 ports in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North, South, and Central America. Approximately 75 percent of cargo containers headed to the U.S. now originate in or are transshipped from CSI ports. NNSA's Megaports Initiative is aimed at preventing illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive material through the global maritime system. Under this important nonproliferation program, NNSA works with foreign partners to install specialized radiation detection equipment and enhance the capabilities to detect, deter and interdict illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials at international ports. The Megaports Initiative is currently operational in six countries, and at various stages of implementation and negotiations with approximately 30 other countries around the world.

To expedite the inspection process, host customs administrations are required to provide non-intrusive technology to quickly inspect any identified high-risk containers before they are shipped to U.S. ports. The capabilities provided under the Megaports Initiative offer an additional targeting tool for customs officials supporting CSI.

NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks stated, "Protecting global shipping lanes from being used by terrorists to smuggle nuclear materials is critical for US national security and the national security of our international partners. Cooperating with the Government of Jamaica will enable our countries to further international nonproliferation efforts and better protect our countries and our allies against nuclear terrorism.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

return to newsletter frontpage

July 12-13 2006    Great Lakes Ports Summer Meeting    Duluth, MN
Info:  Steve Fisher, (202) 625-2102, safsaf@aol.com

 ACE Exchange Conference

 U.S. Customs and Border Protection is pleased to announce the premiere of the first CBP-ACE Exchange,
August 15 – 17, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois at the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago

909 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611     PH: 312-943-7200    FX:  312-397-55809

For more information on this FREE conference, please email CBP.CSPO@dhs.gov  

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace_ex_conf/

Wednesday, July 19, 2006
"A Credit Policy in an Open-Account World"
Four Points Sheraton-Airport  Milwaukee
Click here for announcement.            CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Questions, please contact Dianna at 262/827-2880 Extension 225 ~ diannar@nacmwi.org.

Detailed directions will be provided with confirmation to attendees.