|
BLACKLIST OF BANNED AIRLINES: THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ADOPTS NEW MEASURES
Two years after the establishment of the first Community list of airlines subject to an operating ban in the European Union, the European Commission adopted the seventh update of the "blacklist". The Commission is imposing a ban on all operations of an additional Ukrainian airline (Ukraine Cargo Airways) as well as on all operations of the Congolese carrier Hewa Bora Airways. At the same time, the Commission is closely monitoring the progress of corrective actions by carriers such as Mahan Air from Iran , TAAG Angola Airlines and all Indonesian carriers, all of which at this stage remain on the list.
Jacques Barrot, Commission Vice-President in charge of transport said that "The conclusion is clear: those States or airlines which fail to act decisively to resolve their safety deficiencies will be placed on the list. But our objective is not only to identify safety issues, but also to resolve them. The new list replaces the previous one and can be consulted on the EC website http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/
PORT OF MONTREAL PLANS TO INCREASE CAPACITY
The Port of Montreal saw a 9.4 percent increase in containerized cargo and a 3.6 percent increase in total volume, which rose to 26 million tons in 2007, said Patrice M. Pelletier, president and chief executive at his agency's annual general meeting Thursday. "All indicators show that marine container traffic on the East Coast of North America will grow annually by 7 percent till 2015. The Port of Montreal is a significant and true generator of wealth for the Canadian economy. To continue to fulfill this role, the port must take the necessary measures to capture a good part of the container market growth," he added.
He outlined major features of a strategic plan, which he said should enable Montreal to gradually augment its capacity. He believes marine traffic throughout the world is likely to grow and intensify due to market consolidation and growth in transhipments, giving rise to new port terminals using the hub-and-spoke concept common to the airport sector. He also sees the rise of new routes from Asia to North America, via Europe, and the Suez and Panama canals. "American East Coast ports are making significant investments to increase their capacity and shorten transit times to the rich and well-populated U.S. Midwest market. We have to act now to keep and grow our market share. Obviously, this involves investments in new infrastructures so we can position ourselves to receive this new traffic." he said.
PRIME MINISTER HARPER ANNOUNCES TOUGHER FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY LEGISLATION
The Prime Minister announced the federal government will boost protection for Canadian consumers with a tough and comprehensive overhaul of food and product safety laws. Earlier on Tuesday, the government tabled legislation in the House of Commons designed to improve the safety of food, consumer, and health products in Canada .
“Today's action on consumer safety is good news for Canada . It will improve our safety and our health, make Canadian brands more competitive among global consumers, and boost confidence at home as a country whose product safety standards are second to none,” said the Prime Minister.
The legislative package proposes amendments to the Food and Drugs Act as well as a new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. The changes include a crack down on negligent manufacturers, importers and retailers who knowingly endanger their customers. Public access to information about product safety would also be improved, giving Canadians more control over their own health protection. http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=390769
CANCONF EMPTY REPOSITIONING CHARGE & CAF - NOTICE TO SHIPPERS AND CONSIGNEES
The Canadian North Atlantic Freight Conference (Eastbound) - The Continental Canadian Freight Conference (Eastbound) - The Member Lines serving the Eastbound North European Continent and United Kingdom trades has adopted an Empty Repositioning Charge for all commodities in the amount of $250 per container. This charge was effective with cargo receipt April 1st, 2008 for all cargo originating in the provinces of Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Alberta and British Columbia .
Also effective May 1, 2008
North IFP (Interim Fuel Participation) - The following surcharges will apply: 20 foot containers US$654.00 / 40 foot containers US$1308.00
North CAF - Canada-United Kingdom and Canadian Continental Eastbound Freight Conferences
Canadian North Atlantic and Continental Canadian Westbound Freight Conferences
The currency adjustment factor for Continental and U.K. eastbound/ westbound will be 16%.
For more information, please contact the member lines or the conference office. Member Lines: Hapag Lloyd AG, Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCLL) http://www.canconf.com/atlantique/en/index.htm
CANADA TRASPACIFIC STABILIZATION AGREEMENT (CTSA) NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS
Major Trans-Pacific shipping lines of the Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (CTSA), wish to advise their customers that effective May 1st, 2008, the Fuel Recovery Charge and Currency Adjustment Factor will be at the following levels:
Fuel Recovery Charge
US$ 796.00 per 20ft container
US$ 995.00 per 40ft container
US$1120.00 per 40ft high cube container
US$1260.00 per 45ft container
US$ 22.00 W/M
Currency Adjustment Factor - 8% - Applicable from all origins including Japan and the PRC
The members will continue to monitor fuel prices and exchange rates and will notify their customers of any further adjustments. CTSA is a group of 12 ocean and intermodal transportation companies serving the trade from Asia to Canada.
PANAMA CANAL REDUCES SLOTS
The Panama Canal Authority is temporarily reducing the number of booking slots available by three in order to ease the backlog of ships awaiting transit, starting on March 28.
As reported earlier, the authority suspended all routine maintenance at the locks, and is deploying additional crews, locomotives and tugboats to help clear the backlog. The authority did not say when it expected traffic to return to normal.
BRITISH AIRWAYS WORLD CARGO INCREASING FUEL SURCHARGE
BA World Cargo will increase its fuel surcharge to USD $0.95/kg and CAD $0.93/kg, effective 03 April 2008. The charge is based on execution date on the Air Waybill. www.baworldcargo.com
CHINA LAUNCHES WORLD'S 1ST E-TAGGED INT'L CONTAINER ROUTE
Xinhua - A Chinese vessel with e-tagged containers sailed on Monday from Shanghai to Savannah, marking the opening of the world's first international e-tagged container route.
The doorbell-sized e-tags installed on the latch of a twenty-foot-equivalent unit (TEU) will record information about every procedure the container goes through in the whole transport process. It will record delivery and off-loading time, real-time TEU conditions and time and place of legal, or illegal, opening. The information will be transmitted through a wireless regional Web network to a website for monitoring.
If a container is illegally opened en route, the e-tag will automatically record the "intrusion" and put out a red alarm signal on the Website.
The e-tag was developed by a research team led by Bao Qifan, Shanghai International Port (Group) Co. The system tested successful on the container route between Shanghai and Yantai in the eastern Shandong Province.
At a seminar in Shanghai, experts said they believed the monitoring system could "significantly improve the safety and efficiency of container transportation". The system is also believed to be able to help to prevent stowaway and smuggling cases. The invention and use of TEU e-tags is a technological breakthrough for the Shanghai Port to expand influence and raise its international shipping status.
The e-tag developed by Bao costs about 50 Yuan (about 7 U.S. dollars) and can last 10 years. Shanghai plans to install the e-tags on 10,000 TEU between China and the United States in about two to three months. The development of the TEU safety locks in foreign countries is still in an experimental stage due to technological and costs problems. Shanghai International Port will put forward a draft TEU e-tag standard at a TEU standard meeting in April in Hamburg, Germany
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW FOOD AND DRUGS ACT LIAISON OFFICE
The Canadian Government announced the official opening of the Food and Drugs Act Liaison Office (FDALO) to deal with issues concerning the Food and Drugs Act. "The new Food and Drugs Act Liaison Office is part of a series of initiatives designed to modernize and strengthen Canada's safety system for food, health and consumer products," said Minister Clement, Minister of Health.
CANADA TRANSPACIFIC STABILIZATION AGREEMENT (CTSA) NOTICE
Major Trans-Pacific shipping lines of the Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (CTSA), wish to advise their customers that effective April 1st, 2008, the Fuel Recovery Charge and Currency Adjustment Factor will be at the following levels:
Fuel Recovery Charge
US$ 688.00 per 20ft container
US$ 860.00 per 40ft container
US$ 968.00 per 40ft high cube container
US$1089.00 per 45ft container
US$ 19.00 W/M
Currency Adjustment Factor: 8% - Applicable from all origins including Japan and the PRC. The members will continue to monitor fuel prices and exchange rates and will notify their customers of any further adjustments.
|
beacon.ca
feedback