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First X-bowed seismic
ships
May 31, 2007
Marinelog.com
Newly formed Dubai-based 3-D seismic specialist Eastern Echo has
ordered four seismic vessels at Astillero Barrera, Vigo, Spain.
The
ships will be of Ulstein SX124 design. They will be the first
seismic vessels of Ulstein design and will be built with the
Ulstein X-bow. In total, five shipowners have chosen this new bow
concept.
Eastern Echo director Peter Zickerman says the the X-bow- concept
is "interesting and an improvement compared to traditional ship
designs. We are convinced this will be a good design for us,
particularly with regard to the environment", says Director Peter
Zickerman of Eastern Echo.
"It
is very important to us that the crew have good, safe working
conditions," says Zickerman, "and we believe this design will be
an important contribution towards that end."
Ulstein Design sales manager Lars Stale Skoge of Ulstein Design
says the contracts are a breakthrough for Ulstein Design and the
new bow concept in the seismology market.
"We
commend the shipping company for the faith they have shown in us
by committing to these new designs," he says.
"Most of the main equipment will also be delivered by Ulstein
Design," says Skoge. "The contracts amount to approximately NOK
400 million [about $66 million]. Many of the project's financial
backers are Norwegian, as are many of Ulstein Design's
subcontractors. Ulstein Elektro has extensive system deliveries
and ODIM will be supplying a complete handling solution for
seismic equipment."
The
first ship will be ready for operation at the end of 2008 and the
three remaining ships will be delivered a few months apart during
2009. All four ships will operate worldwide. They are equipped for
3D seismology and have up to 10 streamer winches each.
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Middle East leads freight
growth
International freight traffic demand in March continued a 12-month
run of sluggish growth with a 2.3 per cent increase year-on-year.
But it was a different story in the Middle East, according to the
International Air Transport Association (IATA).
It
says Middle East carriers led all regions with 12.7 per cent
demand growth in March due to route expansion and increased
volumes of perishable goods.
Demand in Asia rose 4.5 per cent as a result of strong trade
growth in the region, although trade imbalances resulted in lower
load factors on inbound aircraft.
African carriers recorded a 3.1 per cent rise.
But
airlines in other regions saw demand decrease – Europe (-one per
cent); North America (-0.9 per cent) and Latin America (-6.9 per
cent).
Comparing the first three months of 2007 with the same period last
year, freight increased 2.7 per cent.
Source:
www.impactpub.com.au
Freight gets a vision as
leaders “rally” for future needs
Business has entered the 21st Century. Unfortunately, an aging and
patched-up U.S. freight transportation system has not.
That was the gist of a three-day “Transportation Vision and
Strategy Summit” that attracted 150 industry leaders from all
modes. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and
State Transportation Officials, the group is forwarding the
results of the conference to Congress and the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Study Commission. Two members of that
commission, vice chairman Jack Schenendorf and commissioner Frank
McArdle, attended the final day of the summit. AASHTO hopes it can
serve as a cornerstone as work begins on the 2009 federal-aid
highway authorization bill.
“The nation is entering the early stages of a freight
transportation capacity crisis,” according a draft vision
statement by a group chaired by Deb Miller, Kansas Department of
Transportation Secretary.
Source:
www.logisticsmgmt.com
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USPS
Becomes First Shipper to Get Cradle to Cradle Rating
Consumers now can send a very "green" message across town or
around the world when sending Priority Mail and Express Mail
packages and envelopes.
The
U.S. Postal Service has become the first mailing or shipping
company in the country to achieve "Cradle to Cradle" Certification
at the Silver level from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry for
human and environmental health.
Postal Service mailing and shipping supplies already had exceeded
government requirements, including recycled content standards from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Going beyond existing
federal and state agency requirements was a goal in seeking
certification.
Cradle to Cradle Certification is a scientifically based process
that reviews specific criteria to assess the environmental
attributes of materials used in products. MBDC examined 60
packaging items, breaking those items down to 250 component
materials and then further analyzing 1,400 individual ingredients
in those component materials before awarding the certification.
Based on the recycled content of the more than 500 million Express
Mail and Priority Mail packages and envelopes the Postal Service
provides its customers each year, more than 15,000 metric tons of
greenhouse gas emissions now will be prevented annually. Express
Mail and Priority Mail boxes and envelopes also are 100 percent
recyclable.
To
achieve certification, all 200 suppliers contributing to the
manufacture of Postal Service envelopes and packages completed a
demanding series of measurements and assessments of materials for
human and environmental health. Maintaining these new, higher
standards is now an integral part of doing business with the
Postal Service.
"We
are proud that the collaborative efforts of so many businesses,
suppliers and production companies will result in improved human
and environmental health," said Postmaster General John E. Potter.
"At the Postal Service, we continue to find innovative ways to
help the environment without passing added costs onto our
customers. Consumers will not see any change in price, service or
convenience."
All materials were examined using 39 criteria for
human and environmental health, including toxicity, renewable
energy, water stewardship, recyclability and other manufacturing
attributes. The Postal Service also worked with MBDC to gain
certification for an additional 200 million pieces of mailing
supplies used each year, including decals, labels, packing tape,
examining inks, tapes and adhesives.
Source:
www.greenbiz.com
Detroit top U.S. truck port
25 May 2007, CSCB
Trucks carried
$116 billion in trade across Detroit’s U.S.-Canada border in 2006,
making the city the No. 1 truck port in the country.
Detroit was the
gateway for $64 billion in exports carried by truck to Canada and
$51 billion in imports from Canada, said the report on North
American freight transportation, issued by Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, part of the Department of
Transportation.
The total was
nearly double the value of goods that passed through
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y., the next-ranking port on the Canadian
border. Port Huron, Mich., was the third-ranking port on the
northern border.
On the border with
Mexico, the leading truck port was Laredo, Texas. Trucks carried
$34 billion in merchandise through Laredo to Mexico and $44
billion from Mexico into the U.S. in 2006. Again, the leading port
on the southern border nearly doubled its closest competitor. El
Paso, Texas, ranked No. 2 on the Mexican border and Otay Mesa,
Calif., was the No. 3 port, BTS said.
Overall, trucks
carried $534 billion worth of merchandise across U.S. borders with
Canada and Mexico in 2006. That was 62 percent of the total value
of North American Free Trade Agreement trade.
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Electronic Manifest
Filing Now Mandatory in Michigan and New York
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Washington—Beginning
today, all truck carriers are required to electronically submit
manifests detailing cargo and carrier information to U.S. Customs
and Border Protection prior to arrival at Michigan and New York
land border ports.
CBP intends to
exercise discretion during the initial enforcement phase by
issuing “informed compliance” notices to carriers that arrive
without submitting or attempting to submit an e-manifest. These
notices will alert truck carriers to a violation of the Trade Act
of 2002, which requires submission of advance electronic cargo
information.
On July 23,
2007, CBP will begin fully enforcing the mandatory e-manifest
policy by denying a permit to proceed to any carrier that arrives
at a Michigan or New York land border port without submitting or
attempting to submit an e-manifest.
For a short
period during the full enforcement phase, CBP plans to continue
exercising limited enforcement discretion for carriers that
attempt to file e-manifests. Following this period of transition,
CBP will deny a permit to proceed for any truck that arrives at a
Michigan or New York land border port without first successfully
transmitting an e-manifest for that trip. Monetary penalties of up
to $10,000 may also be issued.
For more information on CBP’s
enforcement plan, please visit the CBP Modernization Web site. (
ACE e-Manifest / Trade Act Enforcement Plans
)
For information regarding ACE, please
e-mail CBP at
CBP.CSPO@dhs.gov or visit
the CBP Modernization Web site. (
ACE: Modernization Information Systems
)
Port Authority budgets are
available online
Details of the Port Authority's $332.2 million operating budget
and $149.6 million capital budget for the coming fiscal year are
available in the "Features" section of the authority's Web site at
www.portauthority.org. The operating budget projects a $50.8
million deficit without additional state and local funding.
The
budgets cover July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. They will be
voted upon at the authority's next regular board meeting on June
22.
Source:
www.post-gazette.com
China-made super large
container ship undocked
An
8530TEU (standard container) super-large container ship, complete
with independent Chinese intellectual property rights, smoothly
disembarked from the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co.,
Ltd. on May 28, 2007.
This makes
China the fourth country to be able to independently design and
construct the super large container ship, following the ROK, Japan
and Denmark.
This super
large container ship is the first one of five of this type of ship
that is to be constructed for the China Shipping Container Lines
Company Limited (CSCL). The hull is 334 meters long; there are 320
meters between the two columns; it is 42.8 meters wide and 24.8
meters deep; and it can carry 101,000 tons, making speeds up to
twenty-seven knots. The entire ship can be steered by one person.
Source:
english.people.com.cn
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M.E.
Dey & Co. wishes to congratulate the 2007 Export Achievement Award
winners.
